Harper at 410 All-time; Team is Struggling in 2018

Harper at 410 All-time; Team is Struggling in 2018

Harper now has 175 home runs all time. He is tied with two other current players, Nolan Arenado, age 27 in his 6th big league year, and Nick Markakis, age 34 in his 13th year, and a retired player Hideki Matsui (2003-2012).

The last time I blogged about Bryce he had achieved 170, so here are the players he has surpasses or tied since 170:

414.	Bill Buckner (22)	174	L	HR Log
415.	Nate Colbert (10)	173	R	HR Log
	Walker Cooper (18)	173	R	HR Log
	Julio Franco (23)	173	R	HR Log
	Mark Grace (16)	173	L	HR Log
419.	Khris Davis (6, 30)	172	R	HR Log
	Eddie Robinson (13)	172	L	HR Log
	Mickey Vernon (20)	172	L	HR Log
422.	Richard Hidalgo (9)	171	R	HR Log
	Melvin Mora (13)	171	R	HR Log
	Dmitri Young (13)	171	B	HR Log

The bad news is that the team is in a pretty bad slump; they are now one under .500 and they trail both the Atlanta Braves and the surging Philadelphia Phillies by a number of games. And yes, Bryce, despite being near the top of the majors in homers is having a terrible year at the plate overall, hitting in the mid .215s, which is losing them games along with all the other guys struggling and being hurt. Things are weird; maybe they will trade for a good hitting catcher like Realmuto of the Marlins, we shall see.

Summers Past and Present

 Summers Past and Present

Summer time for most American kids is a time of joy and wonder. (I cannot speak for most of the rest of the world, because I have really only spent some summers observing children up close in South America, where much of the following still applies to various degrees-- places in other continents may or not apply).

No school for weeks. Trips to the pool, or some other fun destination of entertainment.

Most American families plan on at least one big family trip, a vacation break that very often involves spending time with extended family that they may not normally see or spend time with.

Based on the formal education system in the United States, summer offers a chance for children to explore other avenues of learning and finding about the world.

Parents who have the money and interest in taking their children traveling seem to afford their kids the best opportunities to learn and grow; some kids end up being part of many camps and programs in order to develop in various ways that most schools do not provide.

As a younger child I would travel to a few nice places, especially in  New England. But there was also Canada and the upper Mountain West.

Where have you gone? what have you done? what have you learned in the summer?

Warm months of freedom and expanses.

And then there's work...