Motivation

It's no secret that I struggle to stay motivated for many of the things I do in life.

Writing a lesson plan? Not really my jam.

Working out/running/walking/generally getting up so as to avoid becoming morbidly obese? I can do that another time.

Registering my car in Virginia so I can drive legally? Eh.

Paying off college loans so I can one day hope to raise a family? We'll see.

Somehow, though, I have managed to stay motivated throughout this entire season. I've previewed or commented on every series (I think) and managed to do it through a season full of a teaching job, getting a new teaching job, moving to a different state, going to California, and starting a new teaching job. I'm not normally one to toot my own horn, but... beep beep. (OK, let's face it - I am one to toot my own horn. But that comment is worth the little white lie.)

So I'm writing this to tell you that the Phillies leave me feeling pretty unmotivated right now. I can accept a starting lineup that includes the likes of Brian Schneider, John Bowker, Erik Kratz, and maybe even Raul Ibanez (only because its so depressingly common that I have to accept it). But Ben Francisco? That's where I draw the line.

The Phils are in the playoffs, and we have nothing to play for other than staying fresh and killing the Braves' playoff hopes in the last series of the regular season. Does that mean I'm done for the season as well? Absolutely not! It just means that I need some more motivation than I'm getting now. So here's what's going to happen:

We have 8 games left now. By the time those 8 games are up and the playoffs start, I have 3 goals:

One post that will be a very generic outlook on the playoffs in some way that you probably won't expect (not exciting or anything, just not normal)

One post that recaps the season as a whole. I can take a look back at different predictions I made at the beginning and middle of the season and how they all played out. It should be a look at just the regular season as it was with no playoff implications.

A Playoff Male Bag! Start asking questions and making comments now and continue to as the playoff picture becomes more and more clear. If they playoffs started right now, we would play the Diamondbags in the first round (possibly my biggest rival), and the Braves and Brewers would have the other NL matchup. In the AL, it's the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, and Rangers at this moment. Take that information and hit me with any and all questions or comments you may have about it. The playoffs will be here before you know it!