What's so weird? There's obedience to God and disobedience to God. He's been disobedient. Sounds pretty open-and-shut to me.

He stopped doing dip a few weeks ago right? There you go. He's probably going through all sorts of withdrawals. He'll be fine.

I'm confused - so God wanted him on the chew? Mysterious ways and all that, I guess.

i'm looking forward to the day it's out of fashion for headlines to read like they we're written by two women in a yogurt commercial.

you would have loved the banner headlines of the civil war era:

Enemy Forces engaged in battle!

Johnston in Full Retreat!

3 Days of Horror!

10,000 Rebels slain!

Richmond Ours!

Maybe sex/porn addiction? That would be a fun twist on the story. It would put him three quarters of the way to the addiction career grand slam. He can do gambling after he retires.

Sounds like he has been ####### Annies on road trips.

Maybe sex/porn addiction?

Weakened legs and blindness can't be good for baseball.

Maybe sex/porn addiction?

Weakened legs and blindness can't be good for baseball.

But the hairy palms will save money on batting gloves...

Is Hamilton married?

Is Hamilton married?

To Jesus.

Finding wedding presents for those guys was even tougher than usual.

Candlesticks are always nice

Nothing really to see here.

Player going well: his issues are seen as just peripheral ones.

Player not going well: his issues are seen as central ones.

Since the dawn of baseball.

Is Hamilton married?

Yes, since 2004.

Player not going well: his issues are seen as central ones.

Hamilton's issues were especially central in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.

He's worried that Romney won't pick him to be his running mate.

Sounds like he has been ####### Annies on road trips.

I don't think that's it. Here are Hamilton's quotes from a few days ago:

"There's so much more involved. I don't know," he said. "I'm cool, man. I'm really good. The frustrating part is this [dealing with the media] and not being able to share everything with you guys. When the time is right, I'll be honest with you, you'll be right in the loop."

He said everything is good spiritually.

"I've been shown a lot of things over the past week," he said. "There's disobedience and there's obedience to God. I've been being disobedient. It may be a small thing to you, but it's a big thing to him. There's consequences. It's like a father and a kid. There are disciplines. You guys can chew on that and think about it."

The "it may be a small thing to you" comment wouldn't square with serial marital infidelity unless he has a really low estimation of the media. Nor do I think he would be "cool" or "really good" if that's what was going on.

You guys can chew on that and think about it.

"You guys like apples? How about them apples?"

Hamilton should worship a god that can hit a curveball.

"I've been shown a lot of things over the past week," he said. "There's disobedience and there's obedience to God. I've been being disobedient. It may be a small thing to you, but it's a big thing to him. There's consequences. It's like a father and a kid. There are disciplines. You guys can chew on that and think about it."

This to me seems to say something from his past has come back and he is trying to sort out how to deal with it.

Maybe he finally had to owe up to breaking the vase because he was playing ball in the house.

So if the HR derby was a bad day to be an atheist, is today a good day for atheists?

"When the time is right" makes it sound like something that everyone will know eventually. Maybe he got popped for steroids and is in the middle of appealing.

Shooty, are you trying to tell me that Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball?

This to me seems to say something from his past has come back and he is trying to sort out how to deal with it.

Maybe someone came forward with a kid that they said was his? Or a positive amp. test (although for Chrissake, Hamilton shouldn't be doing amps)?

Shooty, are you trying to tell me that Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball?

Jesus no hit curveball!

Hamilton seems like he'd be tiresome to hang out with, but he's a joy to watch play baseball when he's going well and since the chances I'll ever meet him are effectively zero, so that's good enough for me. It must be weird to be a ballplayer and suddenly have a receptive audience for any thought that comes into your head.

"There's disobedience and there's obedience to God. I've been being disobedient. It may be a small thing to you, but it's a big thing to him. There's consequences. It's like a father and a kid. There are disciplines. You guys can chew on that and think about it."

Sounds like he has been dabbling with monophysitism.

Sounds like he has been dabbling with monophysitism.

I am afraid to google that, but I will...

BORING!

Sounds like he has been dabbling with monophysitism

Two physts would be too much. And thanks for increasing our vocabulary, Chef!

I am afraid to google that, but I will...

BORING!

Ain't nothing boring about monophysitism. Are you also bored with arianism?

I always thought it was interesting that arianism died out, but the Copts have kept monophysitism alive for over a thousand years.

Hamilton seems like he'd be tiresome to hang out with, but he's a joy to watch play baseball when he's going well and since the chances I'll ever meet him are effectively zero, so that's good enough for me. It must be weird to be a ballplayer and suddenly have a receptive audience for any thought that comes into your head.

Indeed, all points.

And while I do wish him well in his struggles, he's been a self-absorbed PITA about it for quite a while. The no-champagne-cuz-it-will-deliver-Satan-through-my-skin-pores is Exhibit A.

It would be so rad if Josh Hamilton was trying to figure out how to come out of the closet.

Ain't nothing boring about monophysitism. Are you also bored with arianism?

Less gabbing, more stabbing!

Could it be that he's thinking of leaving baseball to enter the clergy? Or figuring out how to do the latter without doing the former?

Could it be that he's thinking of leaving baseball to enter the clergy?

Only A's prospects do that.

Could it be that he's thinking of leaving baseball to enter the clergy? Or figuring out how to do the latter without doing the former?

All kinds of Angels fans are praying that this is the case.

All kinds of Angels fans are praying that this is the case.

That way he's hitting, screw that. Keep playing him Wash!

Somebody cut his hair while he was sleeping.

He's been reading the wrong page of his psalter for six weeks and he just noticed.

Only A's prospects do that.

barf. I'd just bothered to get excited about that guy too. Why couldn't he steal bases for the lord?

Could it be that he's thinking of leaving baseball to enter the clergy?

Only A's prospects do that.

Bob Bonner, who was featured on the 1982 future Oriole stars card along with Cal Ripken and Jeff Schneider, became a Baptist missionary in Zambia after his baseball career. He now lives back in the US.

There's obedience to God and disobedience to God. He's been disobedient.

No doubt he was mixing fabrics. Wait until he starts wearing his 100% wool uniforms in Texas in August. Everyone will know when that happens.

Bob Bonner, who was featured on the 1982 future Oriole stars card along with Cal Ripken and Jeff Schneider, became a Baptist missionary in Zambia after his baseball career. He now lives back in the US.

A lot of athletes do it after their career, but Grant Desme was a hot prospect when he abruptly retired to become a priest.

He's been reading the wrong page of his psalter for six weeks and he just noticed.

Or playing pepper with his psalter?

No doubt he was mixing fabrics. Wait until he starts wearing his 100% wool uniforms in Texas in August. Everyone will know when that happens.

Perhaps he needs to wear a hairshirt.

A hairshirt is like a batting donut for the soul.

I always thought it was interesting that arianism died out, but the Copts have kept monophysitism alive for over a thousand years.

It is interesting, but I think that the causes are historical rather than theological, and thus slightly less interesting:

- Monophysitism was home-grown in Egypt, while Arianism took root in among German tribes for whom it was not a native belief, and thus is more easily cast off.

- The east was in antiquity far more urban cosmopolitan than the west, which allowed for a greater array of beliefs to exist cheek-by-jowl. This was especially true in the 6th and 7th centuries, when Arianism was dying and Monophysitism wasn't.

- The east was the home of Christianity while the west was its "colony", if you will. Colonies are often less diverse than the homeland (e.g., American English has many fewer accents than English English).

- Egypt was conquered by the Caliphate in the 640s. There were lots of political incentives for a Lombard king to drop Arianism for Nicene Christianity (and to force his subjects to come along). The Egyptian Monophysites had a lot of incentives to convert to Islam, but there was no good reason for them to drop Monophysitism if they wanted to remain Christian. Muslim authorities generally weren't especially interested in Christological niceties, and all docile, taxpaying Christians looked the same to them. This factor is significant because the step from Arianism to Nicene Christianity is much, much smaller than the leap from Monophysite Christianity to Islam. For the average 7th century Lombard believer, the former would mainly involve a small alteration in the words of the Mass, not much more. The jump from Christianity to Islam is of course very significant even to the simplest believer.

I'm not saying that if the Caliphate had taken over Lombardy in 642 then we would have Arian Christians around today, but I think it's entirely possible that if Islam had never happened (the largest counterfactual proposal I can think of) then the Copts would just be Orthodox Christians of one type or another.

He's been reading the wrong page of his psalter for six weeks and he just noticed.

Or playing pepper with his psalter?

The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle.

Who knew BTF had Danny Kaye fans

No - the pellet with the poison's in the flagon with the dragon! The vessel with the pestle has the brew that's true!

I don't get why after the nonpoisoned glass is broken, the poisoned one is switched. Did she take the pellet our of the vessel with the pestle?