Jess Baker gave me this idea of a player profile and I’ll at least give it a try. If you find this post to be amusing please let me know and I’ll keep on doing them. I figure I’ll start with the Team Captain. He’ll hate that I’m doing this to but I just get excited when I think about who’s coming up in the pipeline.

I’d like to think that we probably wouldn’t have any teams, in any league, if it wasn’t for Matt Baker. Probably the most responsible out of all team members, he has the ability to field a team for just about every sport. When he’s not giving out investment advice during his nine to five, he’s filling every free minute with some extracurricular activity whether it be these social sports leagues, coaching little kids, volunteering, or earning whatever degree he’s getting next. A class act on and off the field and probably the most modest person I know, I strongly believe Bake is the reason for whatever success we have in these leagues.

Bake doesn’t wow anybody with his physical attributes. He’s not the fastest or the strongest guy on the field or court but he plays the games better then most. Unlike some other people on the team, Bake will never jump down your throat for making a bad play and makes it enjoyable to be on his team. He’s probably too hard on himself as well but I think that’s what makes people better then others. I don’t mean to downplay his physical abilities either because he wouldn’t be as good as he is if he were an out of shape goon.

He led our bunch of misfits football team to a league championship in our first year in the league. As the QB, I think he managed the game better then every other Q. Yes he makes some stupid passes every now and then but knowing when to run for firsts and when to throw to a girl isn’t the easiest of tasks. I know the competition is iffy but without a good QB you aren’t winning games in any league. I don’t care what CK4 says but he isn’t going to be a better QB then Bake.

On the baseball field it’s harder to differentiate yourself but I think it’s fair to say Bake can play anywhere on the field well. He even pitched last game which is pretty impressive if you never have done it before. I know if that were me being told to pitch I would be all over the place and it would just get ugly. I also learned from Bake that hitting to opposite field is the best way to get hits and probably won’t ever hit to left field again. Teams put their worst fielders in right so why not try to hit it to them. Bake sets the lineups and is essentially the coach so I think the team might be in disarray without him.

I’ve played in a few basketball league with Bake and basketball leagues are tougher to win. Bake’s got a good shot and plays the game well. Ck4 would be quick to say that he’s not clutch but I’d trust him with big shots. We are relatively competitive with Baker on the court and I can’t think of many circumstance we’d ever be better off without him.

I know it seems like I’m on Bake’s nuts and can’t contain my enthusiasm for his athletic prowess but I just want everyone who reads this to understand what Bake brings to the table. Not only do you get the organization and responsibility, but you get an athlete to help you win leagues. For some traits that make Matt Baker human. I think he gets distracted really easily. He was driving and talking on the phone at the same time and completely forgot to get off at the exit. He’s complete garbage at driving. His dance moves are suspect at best. JKash and I know that he’s full of misinformation. You just assume that if it’s coming from Bake’s mouth that it must be true but that’s not always the case. His needling of Ck4 shows that he derives pleasure from messing with special cases. His choice of music is pretty funny and the “new” songs he likes have usually been on the radio for 6 months. To close though, Matt Baker doesn’t have a mean bone in his body and is an all around good guy and good athlete. Bake you have my blogs stamp of approval. Feel free to add any tidbits in the comments section.

No that is not meant to be masturbation. I’m just going to write about the last 4 entries I transcribed and hope to give people an idea of how I view myself 3 years ago. I honestly hope that the people who read those past few entries can get a good idea of how stupid I was and how you don’t want to be like me. Now, I’m still pretty stupid but I have matured so much since 3 years ago. First of all, I was so careless with my money. I want to make sure everyone is aware that the market was near it’s peak around this time and I had no idea what I was getting into when I was buying stocks. My basic philosophy was everything goes up and the market is a great place to make money. Once 08′ hit and I got a large chunk of money wiped away, you start to wise up and realize that maybe this game isn’t as easy as it seems.

I also notice how much money I would spend at on sports gambling and casinos. This is somewhat of a sad thing to write but I was making way more money back in 07′ then I am now. That’s sort of what comes with running your own family business, that when the revenue takes a hit, you aren’t a salary employee and your pay goes down with the sales. I’ve pretty much wiped out casinos and sports betting 3 years later. I still will do it but not nearly to the extent of my younger days. I was really a wild man. I had no appreciation of money but that was the situation I was in for that time. I just read these entries and shake my head about how dumb I was.

I also think it’s funny how I thought I was in such good shape physically. Modern day TC would blow younger TC out of the water. I have a better mentality now towards training and staying in shape then I did then. My near 60 time in the 10 miler came in 09 which was when I was getting serious about training. For some reason I seemed to get more motivated as the years progress to beat old times. Mainly that just comes from doing more work and I have all the time in the world to make it happen.

The great thing is though that at 27 I have all that experience. I’m able to share all that information with you through my blog so you can get a good idea of what I’ve been through. The great thing about it all is that after reading some of those posts, I can tell that I was heading no where fast. I really feel that I’m starting to pull my life together. I have countless stories and ridiculous experiences but this as you can tell, I wasn’t this reflective when I was 24. I’ve really grown a lot and I feel that inside of me. It’s one of those things that you can’t be the best person you can be without going through some bad times. I’ve had quite a few bad times both financially and physically and I believe I’m starting to come through. I actually laugh at myself after reading these old posts because it was still me back then, and I just look at things from a different point of view now. It’s really a pretty cool thing. I also think it’s funny that I really haven’t changed all that much and still do some of the same shenanigans. Now I just know I’m moron where as back then, I thought it was the cool thing to do.

Taken verbatim over 3 years ago.
12/12/07
Woke up at 8:30. Excused from Jury Duty. Showered, cleaned, watch the Dow pop 250 points after plummeting 300 yesterday. Sold intal at 27.50 after buying yesterday at 26.95. Got to work about 10:30. Normal day at work. Went to the gym, lifted a little, then ran 4 miles in 23:57. After that I watched Cramer, market finished +50 for the Dow. Cramer says tech in in, expect a recession. Went shopping for Holiday presents, came back, lost 130 on Orlando vs Milwaukee. Started reading Atlas Shrugged. Dan Patrick is on late night, awesome show.

I feel like a beast physically, strongest I’ve ever been. I feel like something is missing in my life. Some substance. What is it all for? Work all your life for what? Socially I’m not satisfied either. All I do is get too drunk and pass out, then feel lousy for the weekend. It’s hard to get excited for tomorrow when tomorrow is just a routine like many days before. I’m far from depressed because I’m so grateful for what I have. Internet is down, what a difficult place w/o the net.

12/17/07
Didn’t write over the weekend. Probably will be the trend. Bought 400 shares of palm at 5.50, earnings tomorrow. EMC down to 18.5, -175. Market has been getting killed. Probably a good buying opportunity. Went to court today. Larry got me out of the public intoxication with a 175 and a 3 hour lecture, it’s a relief. Business is in the year end process, made about ?? this year, a lot for being 24. Time to stop gambling my loot, haven’t bet since last Thursday. Weekend was pretty funny, still reading Atlas Shrugged. Going to Vegas with the fam on Fri. Should be entertaining to say the least. Didn’t run today because of shin splints (pussy). Still need some Christmas presents. Not a big deal, I’ll get them.

12/18/07
Woke up at 5:30 since I went to sleep at 8:30 last night. Earnings for Palm came out today. Stock was up 5%, bad earnings dropped 11%. I should have a stop loss, poor investing mistake. I have to learn from it. Reading Atlas a lot, still good bout pg 350. Work is winding down, next year I vow to make more profitable. Weak workout at gym. 19:30 to run 3 miles. Felt slightly sick with shin splints. Hot girl at gym I see a lot. Probably should start a convo. Looking at houses in Hills top in Manayunk, East Falls. Tomorrow is another day, it’s only money. Still haven’t gambled.