Astro-Sport Blog

What's Up With The Seahawks??!!

2008-09-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

While I don’t think most Seattle fans were expecting a blow-out win for the 'Hawks in Buffalo (especially with Hasselbeck sitting out almost the entire pre-season), I don’t think anyone anticipated a 34-10 debacle on the road.

First, give credit to Buffalo where credit is due. Their offensive line did a great job preventing Seattle’s pass pressure defense from getting to Trent Edwards more than once…pretty admirable considering the Seahawks were #4 in sacks last year.

Secondly, special teams was a problem area just as it was all pre-season. The Bills put up two touchdowns on special teams and forced a fumble inside the 20 the set up a third. You take away those 21 points, and that score is only a field goal difference (and yes, I think veteran kicker could have made a chip shot FG in the last quarter instead of Seattle going for it four times in the red zone).

Thirdly, yes the referees did appear to be a bit biased, but this influenced neither the Bills offensive line play, nor the poor special teams play. And not all of their calls against the ‘Hawks were “ticky-tacky” (as the announcers called ‘em).

OKAY…now that THAT all’s out of the way, let’s talk about what’s on everyone’s mind: what happened to the Seahawks high octane offense? This is a 3-4 touchdown per game team…why’d they end up with 10 points instead of 24-31? What about all those off-season running back acquisitions? Seattle put up some pretty good running numbers in pre-season.

I’ll break it down into three parts.

Here’s the CONVENTIONAL interpretation: the Seahawks are still “gelling” as an offense. All their starting wide receivers are injured. The new guys need real (regular season) game time with the starting QB. The O-line is getting settled. The skill players are still “learning the system.” Hasselbeck is a little rusty. Etc.

Here’s the GUT-THEORY interpretation: Holmgren is going with his game own game plan that relies on history and “sound fundamentals” rather than the heart or "gut feeling." 4th and 1 inside your own 40 yard line? Fundamentals say “punt the ball” even when your kicking game has looked like crap all day, especially when the Hawks struggled a LOT last year to get one yard. What happens? The punt is run back for a touchdown. For me, I was yelling “don’t risk another garbage punt” at my TV…the TV folks didn’t seem to hear me.

How about some other examples: I don’t know who Jeb Putzier is, but he dropped every pass thrown to him. Every one. Says here he’s a tight end with a couple years experience in the NFL. What about John Carlson? For that matter, what about Will Heller? Why don’t they suit this guy up…what, he can’t block or something? I know he can catch…he did fine last season. Courtney Taylor got a lot of looks and missed on all but two…why not try out Jordan Kent, the leading receiver from pre-season? I’m guessing it’s because Taylor has actual “NFL experience” and Kent is a rookie…but if you’re going to drop the ball anyway, why not?

Okay, enough of the mental vs. gut…let’s look at the ASTROLOGICAL issues: I’ve actually been avoiding looking at the roster, afraid of what I might see. On a surface level it doesn’t appear to be too bad, but our performance says otherwise.

Matthew Hasselbeck is a Libra, a Cardinal Air sign. This makes him a leader, a thinker, and a team player. Traditional wisdom would say he connects best with the signs Aquarius, Gemini, Sagittarius, and Leo. However, last year’s New England Patriots showed just how strong a Grand Square could be (see my earlier post regarding the Pats for more info). A Grand Square with Hasselbeck would be the Cardinal Cross of Libra, Aries, Capricorn, and Cancer. Let’s see how close we get to either:

Traditional “good” connections: Logan Payne (Aquarius), Jordan Kent (Leo), Nate Burleson (Leo; out for season with a torn ACL after Sunday’s game). That’s pretty short, though if the Seahawks go back and sign Michael Bumpus (Sagittarius; #2 receiver in pre-season but cut) we might be okay.

Grand Square: Deion Branch (Cancer – out), Bobby Engram (Capricorn – out), Courtney Taylor (Aries). Pretty slim pickings there as well.

Unknown: TE Jeb Putzier (Capricorn/Aquarius). Depending on his birth time, he might fall into either category. Based on the lack of chemistry displayed, I’d guess Capricorn but I’d be interested in knowing who he caught passes from in the pre-season (Capricorn works well with Virgo Charlie Frye or Scorpio Seneca Wallace).

Out of synch: Will Heller, John Carlson, Ben Obamanu (out). Earth and Water signs, these guys should be good for either of our backup QBs (Earth and Water signs also), but are probably not starters. Unfortunately, two of the three are TEs (Hasselbeck loves hitting the TE in the endzone) and need to be developed. As a Taurus, Carlson needs to develop a fixed determination that he OWNS the endzone…if he can do that, he shouldn’t have a problem converting no matter who is throwing to him. Heller has shown his Piscean adaptability and soft hands in the past, and should be a versatile role-player.

Okay…the running backs and O-Line will require a separate entry. But it's obvious Seattle needs to pick an identity for the year, and stick with it.

Where Have I Been?

2008-09-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

Just in case anyone was wondering: busy traveling. Spent May in Europe, July in Mexico, August in Montana, and just got back from the San Juans.

June was spent mostly at home with my new puppy...yes, we added a second beagle to our household, this one a Taurus named Buddy as he is my older beagle's "little buddy."

However, I do intend to be more active this football season...I've got tickets to all but one of the home games this year!

NFL Draft Day

2008-04-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

NFL Draft Day will be kicking off in just a few minutes and ESPN is broadcasting non-stop the moves and maneuvers of NFL teams trading young rookies like poker chips. And why not? As the Sun leaves the sign of Aries and enters into Taurus, humanity turns inward to seek the value, meaning, and purpose of our own lives...”value” perhaps being the key word.

Some folks look at Taurus as being all about money...but that is really missing the mark. Taurus as a sign is about self-sufficiency and finding one’s own resources. And a person’s (or player’s) skills are just another type of available resource. Placing a value on that is something a person needs to do for himself...though I guess agents can always help find the market value for young players who are as yet unsure (or have an exaggerated) sense) of their own value.

Taurus is also a good time to settle down and get ready for the long haul...Aries is all about starting new things; it is the fire of inspiration. But Taurus takes those new experiences discovered in an Aries period and takes stock of their value, meaning, and purpose in life...retaining everything useful in preparation for the next step of the journey. With the NFL Draft, this is all about preparation for the future, folks.

Anyway, which teams are looking at the Draft with a Taurean state-of-mind? Well, the pro’s generally talk the good talk about “building blocks for the future” but there are always moments of reactive madness. Whenever you throw a time limit on picks, and have folks making last-minute deals and trades, things can get a little heated and the best laid plans can go awry. How many contingency plans can someone really have?

A lot of course...in the pro’s, you hire people to assist your assistants.

So as of this moment, only two picks are for sure: Jake Long (tackle) going to Miami at #1 and Chis Long (defensive end) going to St. Louis at #2.

Perhaps it is only fitting that Jake Long, as the 1st pick, is in fact a Taurus. Miami is certainly hoping he’ll be a rock on their offensive line for a long time. Based on the astrological chemistry of the ‘Fins current offensive line, he may not be able to make any kind of impact immediately...or perhaps HE will but the rest of the line isn’t going to support his play-style. Oh, well, astrologically Miami’s a mess anyway...there are many reasons why they ended up last in the League last year, but the stars weren’t a great help either...anyway, it’s not going to turn around in a single season.

Chis Long on the other hand...well, this is a guy who may actually do some damage if he can win a starting spot on the Rams or if another team member goes down with injury. An Aries, this is a guy who is going to try going it alone anyway...or at least will attempt to lead the charge (it IS a team sport, after all). He’ll definitely have a different play-style than Leonard Little (a Libra), whom the Rams seem to want Long to eventually replace. Libra is the opposite sign from Aries...relying on team mates and contributing to the line himself. We’ll see how long the transition takes.

One interesting thing about Long...as a Ram he’ll be facing the Seattle Seahawks twice a year (at least) as long as he stays in St. Louis. His father (Hall of Famer Howie Long) played the same position for the Raiders before re-alignment and thus also played against the Seahawks twice a year, when Seattle was still in the AFC West division. The elder Long had a great career against everyone, but certainly had the occasional problems in Seattle (Dan Doorninck notably ran over him for 123 yards in the 1984 play-offs preventing the Raiders from returning to the Super Bowl). I can only assume father will share his old war stories with his son...I wonder what he’ll tell him about Seattle. Certainly, Chris will never have to play in the Kingdome, but Qwest Field is still a pretty tough venue for visiting teams....

As for the Draft un-knowables:

I don't agree with him on much, but Steve Young's analysis of Atlanta is spot-on. If they don't pick up Matt Ryan as a QB for the future, the Falcons are going to have a tougher time with their re-building process. Actually scratch that: Young is only right slightly more often than Ditka (which isn't saying much). Atlanta does need to re-build and do need a QB, but Matt Ryan isn't necessarily the answer to their prayers. I'll be interested to see what they do.

Washington Redskins were looking to pick up a Wide Receiver in trade from more than one team, and have got to be thinking WR in the draft. Makes a lot of sense when you consider Jim Zorn is their new head coach. Ex-Seahawk QB, ex-Seahawk QB coach...you think Snyder is saying, 'all right enough of this smash-mouth nonsense...we keep losing to the Seahawks in the play-offs?' I think so. I think he wants his own "greatest show on turf" and if there's a way to buy it, he will find a way to do so.

As for the Seahawks themselves...oh, man I was hoping Michael Turner (of the Chargers) would leave for free agency and that the Seahawks would pick him up. He DID leave, but ended up with the Falcons. All the newspaper pundits are talking about how Seattle needs a receiving Tight End, but rather than drafting one, I'd like to see them work out a trade for Jeremy Shockey. There's been much speculation that Shockey will be traded to the Saints in exchange for their number 10 draft pick; it's just too bad the Seahawks pick is only 25. Astrologically speaking, Shockey (a Leo) will do no better with Drew Brees than he did with Capricorn Eli Manning. But with Matthew Hasselbeck (a Libra)...well, that's a completely different story.

Back To Work

2008-04-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

Well, time again for another apology.

What can I say...it’s been nearly a year since I started this blog, and yet my blogging has trailed off to nothing since November. I’ve missed almost the entirety of the 2007 NFL season (including the play-offs), almost all of the NBA season (the Sonics are done, anyway...in more ways than one), and opening day of the Major Leagues. Hell, I even blew off my chance to blog for USA Today!

In my defense, I will say I have been writing, nearly every day...I’ve simply been focused on other writing projects. It might be easier if I had a bit more Gemini in me, or even Sag...those people can blog lots of topics (the former) or lots of opinions (the latter), like there’s no tomorrow. As a Scorpio, I tend to be a “depth not breadth” person...and it can be exhausting to do hours of research and analysis for a short daily blog. Ah, well. I will try to pace myself and get back into it.

There’s still plenty to discuss...Shaun Alexander has been released from the Seahawks, and so it’s time to talk about their new acquisitions. I should do a re-cap of the NFL play-offs for sure (I will say this...I picked the Pats to be defeated in the Super Bowl by the Giants, though I was hoping for the more Disney-esque version where Old Man Favre pulls one last championship out of his back pocket). And Favre has retired! The King has left the building, ladies and gentlemen...lots of stuff on the football front.

Way back in pre-season of last year, I talked about the astrological chemistry of the ‘Hawks running game and offensive line, and yeah it turned a little ugly at times last year. We’ll need to take a look at the new crop of linemen suiting up. The defense, though played fantastic and with the exception of God stepping in nothing could have stopped them from returning to their 2nd Super Bowl. Of course, we all saw how that turned out.

And the new Seahawks schedule turns up plenty of topic fodder as well. I haven’t seen such a happy little schedule in many Moons! Certainly kinder than last year’s ass-kicker.

On the basketball front, we’re losing the Sonics...um, nothing much astrological to say about how the ownership purposefully tanked the team this year. But we can look at the extensive NBA finals and the teams matching up for the trophy.

And soccer...hoo-boy! Seattle just acquired a Major League soccer team. Hello, Sounders FC! I can even guesstimate their actual birth date and time based on the announcement of their name (kind of a Christening for the team). Thank the Lord that so many of my fellow Seattle-ites felt as strongly as I did and wrote in the name Sounders; we were nearly saddled with...well, we’ll talk about that, too.

All right, more later. I do have a laptop now, so blogging should be an option more often. As we enter into the season of Taurus, it’s time for me to put my head down and keep pushing like an ox!

Roger Federer...Genius?

2007-11-10T06:27:00.000-08:00

I've got a few minutes left prior to hopping my plane, so at the risk of stirring up controversy I'll start a new post about a non-team sport star: Swiss tennis pro Roger Federer.

Back in May, I made a post called "the Most Dominant Athlete of the 20th Century" to which I received the following comment:

"ROGER FEDERER - Is the most dominant athlete in sport today. In 2008 he will be trying to win the U.S. Open for the 5th consecutive year in a row. Furthermore in 2008 he will be trying to win WIMBLEDON for the 6th consecutive year in a row. Finally in 2008 if he wins 3 more majors he will be the ALL TIME GRAND SLAM CHAMPION. All this and Roger is only 26. In the history of Golf and Tennis Roger federer is the only peron to win 3 out of 4 majors in 1 year 3 times."

Well, I was talking about the most dominant team sport player and comparing how many of 'em were Aquarians or had Aquarius related astrological signatures. Also, I was talking about 20th century athletes, and while Federer turned pro in 1998, he didn't start winning pro tournaments till 2002. Now Mr. Federer is NOT an Aquarius. He's a Big Leo...which means he's a lot of flash and drama with the charm and charisma of the Super Star (this is a trait common to most Leos who have the courage to creatively express themselves)...the kind of guy everyone loves. The fact that he plays pro tennis give him a stage on which to shine...so I'm not surprised he gets a lot of publicity.

On the other hand Aqaurius John McEnroe will be remembered for a LONG time to come. He won the U.S. Open only a year after turning pro, and while he only has nine Grand Slams compared to Federer's fourteen, he won them in his first five years whereas Federer's been playing for ten.

Who knows what McEnroe might have accomplished if not for his "sabbaticals" in '86 and '87. Currently Federer ranks behind McEnroe in overall win percentage in Singles (80.4% to 81.8%) and WAY behind in Doubles (60% to 84.3%!). For the purpose of this Blog, of course, we like to look at Doubles play as it is the closest thing to a team aspect tennis has.

McEnroe, of course, had that Aquarian tendency to rub folks the wrong way and "alienate" himself from others...this is one of the traits that make the Aquarian archetype of "crazy genius" so appropriate. Leos tend to get attention...and McEnroe with a Leo midheaven and a sun ruled by Uranus in the 10th house was going to get a LOT of attention, not all of it wanted.

Clearly, Roger has the flash...but how much is Leo roar and how much is Aquarian genius?

Welp, the young Mr. Federer doesn't have a single planet in Aquarius. Not one.

On the other hand, he does have Mars in the 11th house (Mars being an important one to athletes), the traditional house ruled by Aquarius. Roger's Mars is in Cancer, so it's ruled by the Moon...and his moon is conjunct Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius...which gives colors both his Moon (emotional make-up) and Mars with Aquarian tendencies. Finally, Roger's 6th house (traditional house of Work and Dharma) is in the sign of Aquarius. Though there are no planets there, the way he works best is in the Aquarian fashion...he may not show up in the world a crazy genius, but that's how he practices.

Anyway, the point of my original post was not that Aquarius is in any way necessary for success in pro sports, but it can be a tell-tale of the potential for explosive, trend-setting greatness. Other things (like Gemini, Mars placement, Capricorn, and Virgo) can all drive a degree of professionalism , attention to detail, and outright skill. But Aquarius is where we see the cutting edge...Aquarius IS the cutting edge.

Though a Big Leo might disagree.

: )

Where the Hell Have I Been?!

2007-11-10T05:06:00.000-08:00

And well you may ask!

Some may remember I spoke about my little Aries dog being quite a handful. Well the beagle is bigger now and certainly does take up quite a bit of my free time. But the real reason for my slacking off has been the real life day-to-day work of my job that was keeping me from expressing my astrological and sporting insights for the world to see.

Not that I haven't been keeping up...it IS football season after all, and the NFL is in full swing. Hell, we're halfway through the regular season and things have certainly shaken out differently from how I expected they would. Well...yes and no. Some may recall my astrological analysis of the Seattle Seahawks from back in the very beginning of this blog and the problems I saw with the chemistry of our offensive line. Guess what? I was right.

Urk!

How else can you explain not being able to get half a yard on not one, but TWO fourth down plays against the Browns last week? And that doesn't even account for the several 3rd and short we failed to convert! But let's face it...this is an offensive line problem. The play call is correct. The defenses the 'Hawks are facing aren't that strong. Our running backs are good enough to fall forward for two yards. Nah...this is a chemistry problem. And astrology can be useful for analyzing chemistry issues.

More on this later.

And the Pats...wow. The New England Patriots are destroying people; something I certainly didn't see (or didn't want to see). What the heck is going on? How the heck does one predict 40 and 50 point blow-outs against pro NFL teams? Nevermind that they're in a division with the Jets, Bills, and woeful Dolphins. If I had to make a quick analysis based on astrology, I'd check out the grand square between their elite "air force:"

Tom Brady (QB) -- Leo/fixed
Randy Moss (WR) -- Aquarius/fixed
Wes Welker (WR) -- Taurus/fixed
Donte Stallworth (WR) -- Scorpio/fixed

Squares cause tension and and excitement, and this has been an explosive combination. However, if I had the time to take a more in depth look, I'd bet that it all starts with the Patriots O-Line...how else can they continue to rotate different running backs due to injury and continue to produce huge rushing numbers regardless of the player. And of course the pass protection has been phenomenal for their QB.

More on that later, too.

So why am I getting the chance to write all of a sudden? Having I been terminated by my employer? No...but I AM on vacation (finally). I am currently typing this from the Admiral's Club at the Dallas Fort Worth airport (just passing through...my days of loving the Cowboys are far behind me). I'm going to be on the road for the next couple weeks, but as I get the opportunity, I'll be trying to get back into the blogosphere, at least a little bit. There's still plenty of football left to be played.

By the way...Jeff Garcia (Pisces) and Joey Galloway (Scorpio)...love the combo. Derek Anderson (Gemini) and Braylon Edwards (Aquarius)...ditto. More on all this later, folks.

I hope!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2007-08-09T22:55:00.000-07:00

Just had to give a shout out to my dear old Dad, Big Leo that he is. He’s in pretty good shape for a man his age…and considering the mileage!

I realize that we’re almost two weeks into August with very little blogging having been accomplished but my REAL job (the work I get paid for!) has been pretty busy of late. Yes, Bonds has surpassed Hank Aaron’s homerun record. Yes, the Mariners are still playing pretty darn good (though Seattle-ites in the know are saving their energy for the last weeks of August). Yes, there’s been lots of stuff coming out o the Seahawks’ training camp I could be discussing…in fact, I’m supposed to be blogging the Seahawks’ training camp for USA Today (a long story to be discussed later).

I’ve been busy and that’s the bottom line. Heck, I haven’t even got my wish list for fantasy football updated, and draft day is fast approaching.

But there’s no excuse for not wishing my Leo father a happy birthday. You can love ‘em or hate ‘em…but NEVER ignore Leo. That’s just about the worst hurt you can inflict on them. Fortunately, they’re easy to love and they naturally draw attention.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

That's FUTBOL You Dolt!

2007-07-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

Aaaaaand…I’m back. Quite the whirlwind trip (and boy am I tired!) but I had a blast in Mexico and had the chance to escape from American craziness for awhile (trading up for delicious food and Mexican craziness).

Of course, the sports scene in Mexico is pretty much a one-trick pony: soccer (futbol). All day, every day, all channels…well, all the sports channels anyway. At least as far as I could tell.

I talked a bit about soccer with a guy at a pool hall I frequent in Veracruz. Hector was NOT a fan of American Football, and I could understand why after putting myself in his perspective. See, soccer doesn’t have commercial breaks or time outs. Sure there’s a lot of running around without much happening, but a goal COULD happen at any time. For the soccer fan, this is riveting entertainment…you can’t leave your seat for fear of missing a score! Other pro-sports give you too many breaks, leading to boredom or mental distraction…a soccer match never lets up on its pressure on the audience.

(by the way: I am only using the term “soccer” because “futbol” is unrecognized by my spell-checker)

ANYWAY…case in point: I was watching the USA versus Mexico men’s soccer match in the Pan American Games in Rio (for those who don’t know, the Pan American Games are a multi-sport event, like the Olympics, held every four years and attended by all countries of the Americas…it is not a professional venue but I’m only using it for illustrative purpose). At half-time, the score was 0-0 and around the 70th minute I decided to hop in the shower. Five minutes later, I hopped out and found Mexico up 2-0! Luckily I was able to catch the replay of Enrique Esqueda’s absolutely beautiful 2nd goal (the footwork of this 19 year old was amazing), completely making up for his earlier botched penalty kick (Enrique is an Aries…trust the Ram to blow the easy shot and then make up for it with some high energy heroics!).

The point is, I’m not used to sitting still for 90 minutes on the edge of my seat. There are plenty of excuses I could cite for why, but the main reason is it’s not something I’m used to…U.S. television companies get their own time outs in professional sporting events in order to air more commercials…it’s pretty ridiculous, though I guess the players appreciate the extra breathers. But soccer, for all the advertising and sponsors on uniforms and stadiums is decidedly UN-commercial in the American sense of the term. Or perhaps un-American in general (if captive commercial audiences is part of being American these days).

Whatever. It’s not a bad change of pace from the same-old-same-old here in the U.S. And it’s certainly a great pastime when accompanied with excellent food, warm family, and cold cervezas!

Salud!

Vick Going to the Dogs

2007-07-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

You know, it’s partly due to living in Seattle and partly due to a red-hot baseball season that I have pretty much failed to follow the antics of Michael Vick and his alleged dog-fighting operation. Of course, dog-fighting (alleged or not) has nothing to do with team sports. But then, neither did Scooter Libby (see my earlier post). As I’ve already said, July is a pretty dry month for blog-worthy astrology-sports posts.

Sorry, Mr. Vick…I’m short on news this week. Plus, I’m heading to Mexico tomorrow, so I want to get something out.

Mr. Vick’s statement regarding the matter (per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution courtesy of wikipedia) was:

"I'm never at the house...I left the house with my family...They just haven't been doing the right thing... It's unfortunate I have to take the heat behind it. If I'm not there, I don't know what's going on.”

In general, the law does not recognize ignorance as a valid defense (in other words, if you didn’t know, you should’ve known). However, astrologically, I see a whole different issue. See, Vick is a CANCER (just had a birthday a couple weeks ago). The idea that a Cancer doesn’t know what’s going on in his own home is pretty darn ridiculous. The idea that a Cancer would be unaware of an operation like this that’s been going on for several years…well, it pretty much boggles the imagination.

As I’ve stated before, for Cancer “it’s all about the money, honey.” But why, why, why? BECAUSE money buys security. Security is used to insulate yourself…and insulation is desperately needed when you are a sensitive, emotional Cancer.

Does this mean the dog-fighting operation was Vick’s brain-child? Not necessarily…although a lucrative, illegal operation might be bring in extra cash, Vick hardly needed more with the juicy contract and endorsements he already receives. Heck, an illegal operation is a threat to his security…putting your career and freedom on the line and all that jazz.

But believing Vick had no knowledge of events on his own property is fairly preposterous. Cancer is the Mother Hen of the zodiac…Cancer knows what his family is doing all the time (if he can) because he worries after their welfare. It’s one of the reasons Cancer is so much about managing the home…you have to keep a well-feathered nest for the family to stay comfortable and cozy.

Home’s important, family’s important…and even when they’re on the road, Cancer likes to “check in and see what’s going on.” But EVEN MORE than that, Cancer needs a place of retreat where he can re-charge his emotional batteries in security and comfort. Of course, Vick’s place of retreat is probably a different home then the property under investigation (he’s a multi-millionaire after all). But no matter how big the investment portfolio, all of Cancer’s assets fall under the heading of My Property. Keeping his hand in is necessary for his own sense of security.

The whole thing is pretty sad: sad for Mr. Vick and his family, sad for the Falcons and their fans, sad for the taxpayers that need to prosecute criminals, sad for the dogs involved. If Mr. Vick was truly unaware of what was going on, then I feel very sorry for him…I know that he’ll be beating himself up, blaming himself for not managing his own security better. Like their opposite sign Capricorn, Cancer’s are sometimes a little too micro-managing…though this usually shows up as smothering (over-mothering) attention, and they can often stand to "back-off" a bit. But this is one case where he should have been paying closer attention to the nest.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2007-07-09T10:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, today is the birthday of my dear, sweet mother. A wonderful woman and a Cancerian, she was just about the greatest Mom a kid could ask for…but I’m sure most folks would say the same about their own mothers (a matter of taste, right?).

She shares the same birthday with Nikola Tesla, a fantastic inventor and innovator that suffered from acute over-sensitivity. Also with Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson (they were even born the same year!), who may have some sensitivity issues of his own.

A current American footballer born on July 9th is Trent Green, recently traded to the Miami Dolphins. Mr. Green lost his job to Damon Huard to due to a sever concussion last year, limiting his own ability, and allowing the younger QB to step-in and show his ability to play without missing a beat…well, without missing too many beats anyway. One might think it would have taken a bit longer for Huard to get comfortable in the offense. Fortunately for the Chiefs, Huard is also a Cancer (his birthday is July 9th, too!) and the offense fit him just as well as it fit Green. Net result: fairly interchangeable QBs, but one 3 years younger…Mr. Green, say “hello, Miami!”

Trent Green may not end up with much play-time on the Dolphins, though, unless some sort of injury takes down Daunte Culpepper. New head coach Cam Cameron is an Aquarius, and may well identify more readily with fellow Aquarian Culpepper’s “detached genius” than Green’s “emotional leadership” (I am using terms that have traditionally described their astrological signs). If Scorpio Nick Saban had remained with the team, it would have been a different story (Aquarius and Scorpio butt heads, while Scorpio and Cancer are VERY harmonious…like my Mom and me!).

Unfortunately, passing QBs (as both Culpepper and Green are) function best when they’ve got good chemistry with their receivers. Both Marty Booker and Chris Chambers are LEOs, the polar opposite of Aquarius. Compare Culpepper’s performance last year with, oh, say his glory days in Minnesota. Not really on the same page with his receivers. Randy Moss, on the other hand, is also an Aquarius. He and Culpepper are from the exact same dimension.

I’m not saying that two people need to have harmonious signs to play well together. But people that get along well, people who like and understand each other, grow closer faster. And knowing another person, having a mutual respect for another (and don’t we respect more those people who have our own values; i.e. our own personality traits?) builds a faster, stronger bond.

A QB wants his WR to anticipate his thought process…and it’s much easier to do this when your thought process is roughly the same. Sure, you can do it through a lot of practice and discipline (Capricorn Bobby Engram is going to convert those 3rd down slants for everyone, because he has made it his personal Saturnine mission to make that play). And you can certainly have genius Quarterbacks, spreading the field with impunity. But building a rapport between players makes the team-building process easier…which is important on the football field where so many pieces have to move in synchronicity for a play to happen.

As a side note: do you think Aquarius Randy Moss is going to have an easy time hooking up with Big Leo Tom Brady? I’m guessing probably not.

Can everyone tell I’m getting excited for the start of the season? It’s like waiting for Christmas!

Better go give my Mom a birthday hug!

Long Dry Summer...Comin' At Ya'!

2007-07-06T11:06:00.000-07:00

And now we’ve come to one of the slowest times of the year, pro-sports wise. Well, at least in Seattle. The Seahawks are training and not much to talk about (thank goodness…hate that off-season flak!). The Sonics are done…in more ways than one! And the Mariners are hitting that looong dry stretch where there ain’t much to talk about…teams trading wins and losses back and forth and waiting to see who comes out on top at the end of August.

It’s a looooong way till then! Expect my posts to slow down (though I’m happy to field questions from interested readers!).

Coach Carlesimo

2007-07-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

So, yes…I realize that while I am not a huge Sonics fan (actually, that’s a huge understatement) or a fan of the NBA in particular, there are quite a few of both residing in my hometown of Seattle. And I’ve had some folks ask for an astrological update of our current Sonics roster.

I’m not doing that today.

Really, it’s just too chaotic. However, I CAN discuss our new head coach, Peter “P.J.” Carlesimo. Mr. Carlesimo is not particularly well known for his head coaching ability…in fact, he’s never made it past the first round of the play-offs in any series as head coach (and he only went to the play-offs as a head coach with Portland…at Golden State, he was more famous for being literally throttled by his own players). Whether or not his reputation for “negative rapport” with his players is deserved, I’m not inclined to comment. Astrologers tend to look at the chemistry between folks (have I said that before?)…perhaps Mr. Sprewell and Mr. Carlesimo had some astrological challenges to their compatibility.

But, hey, no one’s strangled P.J. while he’s been assisting for the Spurs. In fact, the Spurs have done pretty well of late (um…didn’t they just win the NBA Championship? Again?). But being an assistant coach on a Championship team does not indicate potential greatness as a head coach (call Exhibit 1 Buddy Ryan, and Exhibit 2 Norv Turner). It’s not just brains and experience. Heck, it may not even be “only” charisma and leadership…but I’m guessing those are more likely ingredients for success as a head coach (um…in any sport).

There are LOTS of “intangibles” necessary to lead a team to the next level, and I would assert that for different teams, these intangibles change. First there’s the relationship of the coach to his (or her) players, second the relationship of the coach to management, third the relationship of the coach to the city/fans (I would lump media in this latter group…they’re not important enough to merit their own category). These three things – players, organization, city – are not listed in order of impact; they are ALL necessary for success.

And so I think it’s valuable to ask: from an astrology perspective, what has been successful in the past for the Seattle SuperSonics. What kind of coaching style has been appreciated in Seattle? What has worked for the players? What has earned the love/respect of the fans?

(admittedly, it’s difficult to talk about the relationship of coach and ownership in this day and age when teams are so readily swapped between investor coalitions)

Okay, so nothing says success to me like play-off wins. Unlike most sports, where only the top teams go to post-season play, in the NBA more than half of the teams get into the play-offs. As such, just making the post-season isn’t a spectacular accomplishment (even a mediocre team can make it as a #8 candidate). For real success, I look at passing through to the next round of the play-offs. Here’s how that breaks down for the Supes:

1974-75 Coach Bill Russell (first season Sonics in the play-offs)
1975-76 Coach Bill Russell
1977-78 Coach Lenny Wilkins (Lost NBA Finals)
1978-79 Coach Lenny Wilkins (Won NBA Finals)
1979-1980 Coach Lenny Wilkins (Lost Conference Finals)
1981-1982 Coach Lenny Wilkins
1986-1987 Coach Bernie Bickerstaff (Lost Conference Finals)
1988-1989 Coach Bernie Bickerstaff
1991-1992 Coach George Karl
1992-1993 Coach George Karl (Lost Conference Finals)
1995-1996 Coach George Karl (Lost NBA Finals)
1996-1997 Coach George Karl
1997-1998 Coach George Karl
2004-2005 Coach Nate McMillan

Interestingly, if one looks at ALL the years the Sonics made the play-offs (not just the seasons they passed through to the second round), you only add 6 more years, and only two more coaches (K.C. Jones in 1991 and Paul Westphal in 2000). The Sonics’ other eight head coaches never even made the play-offs.

So let’s just look at the “good ones:”

Bill Russell – Aquarius
Lenny Wilkins – Scorpio
Bernie Bickerstaff – Scorpio
George Karl – Taurus
Nate McMillan – Leo

Anyone see a pattern here? All the astrologers in the room are raising their hands. All of these men are FIXED signs. Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius are the four, Fixed signs of the zodiac. Fixed signs are the ORGANIZERS, they are the one’s most prone to inertia (good and bad). They don’t put new things in place, and they aren’t adaptors. They take what’s already there and mold it into something cohesive. They provide DISCIPLINE. In Seattle, our basketball team seems to thrive when it has discipline and organization.

This is not the case with every basketball team. Phil Jackson, for example, is a Virgo (a Mutable, adaptable sign). Chuck Daly is a Cancer (a Cardinal, leadership sign). Pat Riley is a Pisces (another Mutable sign). These folks all won multiple championships for the Bulls, Pistons, and Lakers respectively.

Different teams thrive on different styles of leadership. Coach Popovich of the Spurs is a Fixed sign himself (Aquarius), but he didn’t arrive on the scene in San Antonio till 1996. Prior to his arrival, the Spurs failed to win a single championship, despite the presence of Big Leo David Robinson (1989-1997). During Mr. Robinson’s eight-year stint, the Spurs had five different coaches, none of whom stuck despite the team’s perennial play-off contention: Bob Hill (Sagittarius), John Lucas (Scorpio), Jerry Tarkanian (Leo), Bob Bass, and Larry Brown (Virgo). Popovich has been with the organization more than a decade, and has since given the Spurs consistent leadership.

The Boston Celtics won championships under five separate head coaches:
Red Auerbach (Virgo – 4 titles)
Bill Russell (Aquarius – 2 titles)
Tom Heinsohn (Virgo – 2 titles)
K.C. Jones (Gemini – 2 titles)
Bill Fitch (Taurus – 1 title)

Seven of eleven titles were won by Earth signs (64%), eight of eleven titles were won by Mutable signs (73%). No Boston Celtic team has won a title with a Fire or Water sign head coach; no Boston Celtic team ever won a championship with a Cardinal sign head coach.

Of all the head coaches that have won NBA Championships (27 different coaches), every sign is represented except for Libra and Capricorn (one would suspect that these signs can still coach NBA basketball but multiple-championship teams like the Celtics, the Bulls, and the Lakers have skewed results one way or another). The point is that as most every sign is represented, most every sign can be a championship head coach…if they have the right chemistry for the team they’re on. For the Celtics, I’d put money down on any Virgo (Mutable Earth) taking the reins. Unfortunately, current Celtics’ coach “Doc” Rivers is a Libra.

So anyway…by now Sonics fans are probably slavering for me to get to the point and talk about P.J. Carelsimo (“The Peej,” we can call him). Unfortunately for the Sonics, Mr. Carlesimo is a Sun Sign Gemini, meaning The Peej may not be the best fit for the Sonics. Let’s see…the last Gemini head coach the Sonics had was K.C. Jones. (1990-1992). Mr. Jones has the distinction of being the last African-American head coach to lead an NBA team to a Championship (1986). At the time, he was with the Boston Celtics. The Celtics do all right with Gemini head coaches (Mutable, Air). The Sonics don’t, and K.C. was replaced by George Karl shortly.

We’ll have to see how Carlesimo shapes up. While Gemini may not be the best fit for a team in Seattle, it may be an excellent fit for a team duplicitously moved to Oklahoma (Gemini being the two-faced ruler of bi-polar disorder and willful deception).

Oh...and about Carlesimo and Sprewell: Mr. Sprewell is a Virgo. Virgo is square to Gemini (it shows up at a 90 degree angle), which in astrology terms means there are some "challenges" there. They do not harmonize well, there is no easy understanding between them. This is a combative aspect.

So who on the Sonics current team has a similar aspect to The Peej? Well, new recruit Jeff Green (Virgo) for one. Walter Szczerbiak (Pisces) for another.

Kevin Durant is a Libra and so should get along fine with the new coach.

Bullshit Talks, Libby Walks

2007-07-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

George Bush has commuted Scooter Libby’s prison sentence. The man will serve not a single day of his 30 month prison term for commission of a felony. According to my law classes, a felony always carries with it a minimum 1 year of jail time. And this was a sentence based on a verdict set down by a jury of his peers. Does anyone else have a problem with this bullshit?

I’m not even sure how a Republican can justify the circumventing of the rule of law in this country; aren’t Republicans supposed to be the “Law & Order” party? I guess only when the laws are being applied to “undesirable” types.

Yes, yes…this has nothing to do with sports or astrology. It’s my blog and I can rant if I want to!

I’ve never actually met a Republican astrologer (not that we don’t do readings for Republicans…it’s the slower student that often need more help), though there are certainly conservative and liberal ones. The conservative astrologers are a bit more like Constitutional Supreme Court Justices. Mind you, I’m not talking about our current SCJ’s (they appear to have a different agenda entirely). But Astrology has a loooong (several thousand year) history, and there’s lots of text that’s been written over the centuries on the interpretations of different planets and signs and houses. We have writings in Greek and Arabic and probably Egyptian, too…though perhaps the latter in terms of allegorical story rather than the “cookbook” astrology of other ancient societies.

And of course, that’s just Western traditional astrology. There’s also writing on the Chinese and the Vedic and the Mesoamerican traditions as well (though most of the latter was torched by the Spanish during the conquest of the Americas).

A conservative astrologer researches and memorizes these ancient writings and applies them in their astrological practice; still applying their art within an ancient scientific paradigm. More liberal astrologers (like myself) spend more time in the Art aspect, working with the archetypal meanings, and trying to fit them into our 21st century context. Both conservative and liberal astrologers can provide meaningful information to their clients. Clients then have the option to integrate the information into their daily lives for their growth and benefit…or not.

Okay, that’s a taste of astrology for you. Now sports:

- The Mariners lost to KC in 11 innings last night, I watched the game to the end. It was a tough one, but they played pretty hard.
- Rashard Lewis has now vacated the Sonics along with Ray Allen. Not that I care very much (I haven’t really been a fan since they fired Nate McMillan), but if this massive re-structuring doesn’t symbolize an anticipated move and “new beginnings” for the team, then I don’t know what will! Still no coach.

In NFL news, Travis Henry looks like he may be an good fit in Denver. Henry is a Scorpio (like departed MVP running back Terrell Davis). There’s something about Water signs and Denver that seem to work well (John Elway is a Cancer, as is Floyd Little; Steve Atwater is a Scorpio, Brian Griese is a Pisces), This could certainly be something in need of a little more research. Certainly Jake “the Snake” is NOT a Water sign (he’s a Sagittarius, Fire sign), and wasn’t quite what Shanahan was looking for. Mike Shanahan is a Virgo (critical, analyzing, attention to detail)…which means he gets on very well with both Scorpios and Cancers (Pisces is his opposite sign) and relates very harmoniously with Taurus and Capricorn. Sag and Virgo are square to each other and so have a tendency to rub each other the wrong way.

As a side note, new QB Jay Cutler is a Taurus…he and Shanahan should work just fine together.

To really get a sense of Henry's place on the Broncos, I'll have to take a look at the guys who'll be blocking for him...but that'll have to be later.

Luuuuuuke!

2007-06-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

I don’t know if REAL writers (i.e. the ones getting paid) do this, but I sure do: I read back over items I’ve previously written with mixed emotions. Sometimes, I find myself pleasantly surprised that my writing isn’t half bad at all. Other times, I positively cringe at what I’ve written.

The cringe-worthy material is usually the really opinionated, inflammatory stuff…and one thing I’ve learned from reading my writing is that at times I am one seriously opinionated S.O.B. Which I suppose is necessary trait for some types of blog….

Anyhoo, what area I’d expect to see some cringe-fodder in THIS blog would be under the subject of the Seattle SuperSonics (also called the Sonics or the Supes), a team that…well, like my own writing, I have some mixed feelings about our local pro-basketball team. However, a quick perusal of the ol’ Astro-Sport shows precious little mention of the Sonics. Probably because they are not high on my list of sports teams.

Maybe it’s time I wrote something about ‘em.

So I was grabbing my morning coffee and saw the Sonics are trying to trade Luke Ridnour to the Atlanta Hawks. My first reaction, of course, was “Nooooooo!” Luke has been a fairly consistent player over the last few years (if not consistently good, at least he has been consistently “not bad”), and from what I’ve seen and heard, he appears to be a fan favorite among Sonics fans. Well, at least some of the female ones. Plus everyone likes a guy whose name has the long “oo” sound, so you can yell “Luuuuuuke!” People are like cows, I guess…or at least we like to exhibit a “herd mentality” when we’re at sporting events.

Okay, okay…I should probably talk more about his actual basketball ability (see this post is already becoming a cringer!). Ridnour’s been a solid guard for the Sonics, even if he hasn’t been the star scorer on the team. Personally, in the games I’ve seen (I average about two per year) I’ve always been impressed by Ridnour’s hustle…he’s got a good little “get-along” and doesn’t slack around the court like some players. Or maybe, it’s not that the other players are slack, but Ridnour makes them look slack because of his quickness and reaction speed. He’s not “the Glove” (i.e. Gary Payton for you non-Seattleites) but he’s an excellent team ball player. And basketball is, of course, a team sport.

[never did much care for Payton’s mouth actually, but I understand that was one of the traits that endeared him to fans in the 90’s; they felt his sass was charming…I preferred the laid back attitude of Sam “Big Smooth” Perkins]

Hmmm…just comparing the two point guards (Payton and Ridnour), I can see that they are polar opposites from an astrological perspective. Payton is a Big Leo…this explains the Mouth, the prima donna posing, the “look at me, give me respect” attitude. Ridnour is an Aquarius, explosive but aloof, genius but not flashy.

It’s hard to tell what the birth date of the Sonics is. Seattle was awarded the franchise December 20, 1966 and their first game was October 1967. The Sonics were named for the government SST (Super Sonic Transport) contract awarded to Boeing December 31, 1966. Sometime between January 1966 and October 1966 the Sonics acquired their name…and that would be their astrological “date of birth” by my reckoning.

But the sign of the Sonics doesn’t matter too much in terms of how the players get along with each other…team chemistry (astrology-wise) has to do with the interrelationship of the players and the players’ signs. Team captains Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen are a Leo and Cancer (the Sun and the Moon!) respectively, and the current head coach is…well, the Sonics don’t have a head coach right now. Bob Hill, “the most fired coach in NBA history” (according to Wikipedia) is a Sagittarius, so you knew that wasn’t going to last (Sag likes to move around a lot!). But Sag would have gotten along great with Aquarius Luke and Leo Rashard.

Ehh…I don’t care enough about the Supes to pursue this further right now. Whether the Sonics are making a good deal with Atlanta or not remains to be seen. The astrological chemistry can’t be assessed properly till we know who all’s going to be on the team. Meanwhile, I know I’ll miss calling out “Luuuuuke!” at the Sonics' games.

If the trade happens, I wish Mr. Ridnour all the best in Atlanta (it sure beats moving to Oklahoma!). At least he’ll get a chance to watch the Seahawks when they play at Atlanta in December 30th!

Congratulations U.S. Men's Soccer Team!!!

2007-06-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

For those who didn’t notice (especially in Seattle, where ther Griffey Love-Fest was in full swing…see last post) the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team won the CONCACAF 2007 Gold Cup on Sunday.

You might ask, how did I miss that? The CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) Gold Cup is only the PREMIER INTERNATIONAL CUP TOURNAMENT OF NORTH AMERICA. Was it on ESPN? Was it played in some foreign country?

Um…no and no. It was played in CHICAGO. And I had to watch the broadcast on Univision in Espanol (that’s Spanish, folks). At least, I got to watch it live.

The U.S. topped Mexico 2-1 in the final game of the tournament, and nearly 4-1…an early goal was negated by an off-sides penalty and a late game dribble past the fallen Mexico keeper bounced off the goal post on what should have been a very easy score.

Needless to say, the Mexican sportscasters on Univision were less than thrilled with the result of the match.

Now there was a bit of controversy in the semi-finals apparently when a Mexican referee negated a game-tying score by the Canadians with an off-sides call during stoppage time. The Canadians ended up losing to the U.S. 2-1, and there were many cries of conspiracy (especially because the ref had already red carded two U.S. players in the game, ensuring Mexico would play a short-handed U.S. squad in the final). However, heart-breaking as the call might have been, Canadians were just as incensed that their team let the U.S. go up 2-0 on them by half-time.

[just for the record, Mexico did NOT gain a pass to the finals until AFTER the Canada-U.S. game by defeating the French island republic Guadeloupe 1-0; they were heavily favored, however]

Now what is most amazing to me is NOT that the U.S. won, but that they made such a strong showing in the Gold Cup. Anyone who’s been following the U.S. national team the last decade has seen plenty of inconsistency in the play of the men’s team. Sometimes they’ve been…well, “brilliant” is too strong a word, but pretty darn good. Sometimes they’ve been a real mess. However, they went 6-0-0 in this year’s tournament, winning every match they played…the only team in the tournament to do so. Hell, no one even scored on the U.S. team till the quarter-finals (they beat Guatemala, T&T, and El Salvador by scores of 1-0, 2-0, and 4-0 respectively)!

Could it be their new coach? Well Bradley is a Pisces. How does that fit into the current squad?

Pretty well actually. The U.S. men’s team had a 23 man roster for la Copa de Oro (the Gold Cup). One might think that there would be a fairly even distribution of players across the 12 signs of the zodiac. In other words, about 2 of every sign.

Nope.

Sure there’s 1 or 2 of most signs…but then there’s four Gemini and five Pisces…SIX Pisces if you count the coach. The cardinalities of the team are skewed incredibly to Mutable signs (4 Cardinal, 5 Fixed, 14 Mutable…not counting the coach!). Star players Landon Donovan (Pisces) and DeMarcus Beasley (Gemini) both belong to these Mutable signs, as does the team captain Carlos Bocanegra (Gemini) as is goal keeper Tim Howard (Pisces).

Mutable signs are ADAPTABLE signs, and with so much of the team focused in this area, it makes for a very flexible even mercurial (no pun intended) personality. These guys don’t have the rigidity of the super-strong German men’s team (mostly Scorpio in the 2006 World Cup) or the family/homeland focus of the Koreans (mostly Cancer in 2006). But they are supple and elusive, intelligent (eight Air signs!) and merging as a whole, single entity (all that Pisces!). If they can capitalize on their chemistry this team will continue to make strong showings in the international arena!

All right…more on Soccer (futbol) later. For now, congrats to a U.S. team that seems to be working very well.

(oh, final note: the part of body that Pisces rules in the feet. Nice footwork Landon, with your 4 goals in the tournament!)

Griffey Love-Fest in Seattle!

2007-06-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

So, yes…once again I’ve been neglectful of my blog and all those who have been faithfully following my astrology-sports ramblings. Did I mention I have a new puppy? She’s almost sleeping through the night now…which means I get to sleep in four hour shifts instead of two hour shifts. With my wife traveling most of last week, I was able to experience some of the “joys” of single-parenting. Aaargh!!

‘Course, most babies don’t bite you too bad. Mine draws blood.

Oh, and just for the record, it turns out she’s actually a Sagittarius rising, not Capricorn. That’s a big difference. She’s still not barking but she’s got to be the jumpiest dog I’ve ever met. Luckily, she’s still short, so we’ve been able to keep her in the yard. Demure she is NOT; her early reticence with us in her first days were more a product of fear/nervousness of being in a new place…she’s over that now.

So anyway…I have still been keeping up with the sports, I just haven’t been able to blog like usual (and truth be told I’m involved in a couple other writing projects; none involving sports or astrology, but regarding mythology which is a lot of the same thing).

Point is, I DID watch the love-fest this last weekend as Ken Griffey Jr. returned to Seattle for the first time in…well, like quite a few years. Personally, I kind of forgot he was even still playing the Major Leagues…and I completely forgot what he meant to this city.

As I’ve pointed out before, I’m a lifelong Seattle resident. By the time Griffey came on the scene, I was 15 or so and already had my opinions formed of the Mariners: fun, but not the Seahawks. But there were a whole lot of kids in that magical 8-10 year old range that were going to see the M’s and Griffey play, and he sure helped cement baseball in their hearts!

And there was a LOT of hype in Seattle this last weekend, and mostly the good kind (nostalgia, dwelling on past success, emotion-laden memories). Griffey was touted as “the man who saved baseball in Seattle,” and many signs around Safeco Field carried the slogan “the house that Griffey built.”

Now, not to burst anyone’s bubble too maliciously, but I don’t recall Griffey being part of the Washington State legislature in the ‘90s. Fact o the matter is it was our elected officials that “saved” baseball and “built the house” after the residents of Seattle voted AGAINST building the M’s a new stadium. Griffey and Co. failed to sway the city to pony up the money for a new stadium in September of ’95 and in October (in the middle of the ALCS!) the legislature when behind the backs of the voters to institute new taxes that would fund the building of the stadium.

ANYWAY…what Junior DID do (along with J-Bone, 'Gar, Big Unit, and A-Rod) is instill a baseball following in a new generation of fans…both young Seattleites, and transplanted baseball fans (I’ve met two in the last week…one from Chicago and one from L.A., both of whom came to Seattle around 1989-90 and got into Griffey and the M’s). And that has carried on for nearly 20 years! Hope. That’s what it is. “Old-timers” like me have it for the Seahawks (if you ever saw Dave Krieg win a come-from-behind game after getting manhandled for four quarters, you’re a die-hard Seahawks hopeful). And the people who came a couple years after me have it for the Mariners.

And Griffey himself? He was pretty choked up by the warm reception. But what do you expect from a Scorpio? Sure, they mask their true feelings better than some, but they usually give it away by their actions (because their emotions so often get the better of ‘em). Does Griffey regret his decision to leave? Not much would be my guess. He didn’t leave for the money; his reasons were mostly for those things that matter most to Scorpio…his family (interpersonal relationships) and his ego. The ego part is about the fear of not hitting the same number of HRs in Safeco, the wanting to play for his father’s former team, and Cincy being an up-and-coming ball club. The family reason is that both Cincinnati and the Reds’ training facility (in Florida) allowed him to be closer to his family in Orlando. Plus, Griffey had grown up in Cincinnati.

Being a Scorp though often carries some strong feelings about “what might have been.” Because of the tendency to act on emotional (“passionate” in traditional terms) impulses, there’s plenty of room for both remorse and second-guessing in the Scorpio psyche…even when the Scorpio made what was ultimately the right decision for his or her personal growth and well-being. I’m sure Griffey would think it’d be cool to have a street named after him like Edgar. I’m sure he would have liked to retire a life-long (and beloved) star of a single team, like Buhner. I’m sure he feels that his bat could have made a difference in some of the M’s recent play-off runs.

But he did what he felt was best for his own emotional stability…and in the long-run this is a good thing for anyone with a volatile emotions (like Scorpios). He was able to spend more time with his family. He did get longer off-seasons and shorter plane rides. And when his career in baseball has been over more than a few years, he will be able to look back with much LESS regret and say, ‘thank goodness I made the decisions I did. Baseball’s just a game and a job after all, and only but a single chapter in a life.’

Besides…now that his career’s winding down and Edgar’s retired, maybe he can come back to the Mariners as our Designated Hitter. We’d certainly love to have him finish out his Hall of Fame career in an M’s cap!

Aaaand...It's All Over

2007-06-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

So it’s all over…and I missed every single game. The San Antonio Spurs won in 4 games, and it’s not even front page news (at least not in the papers I saw…had to dig through the web pages for a decent bite as well).

One blogger (found at USA Today) called it the “Worst Final Series of All Time,” though it is unclear from his blog why exactly he calls it this. I mean, it appears his main complaint is the NBA play-off structure needs to be “re-vamped” but I don’t understand why that would matter as to whether or not it was a good series. Again, I guess I’m just not much of an NBA fan.

It would appear people were bored with the teams playing in the finals, but again I’d like to point out this year’s finals consisted of teams that were predominantly Earth-Air-Water signed…not flashy Fire signs. So what? I’d think basketball fans would want to watch good basketball…I can only assume that the teams in the finals are playing the best basketball of the year; isn’t that why they’re the final two teams? The NBA plays their play-offs in series…it’s not like the NFL where a couple bad calls in one game can knock a team out of the play-offs!

So…I don’t get it. I’d think that basketball fans would be happy with a week of basketball championship games. I can tell you the Super Bowl is always an event at my house...even when the Seahawks aren’t in it!

At least San Antonio is happy (I hope). And Capricorn LeBron still gets paid (as Cappies do).

In other news: the Mariners have dropped two games and are now 5 games back. See? Good thing I wasn’t holding my breath (and now I will officially stop watching baseball standings until late August).

Also: the smell of football pre-season is in the air! As the Sun is still in the sign of Gemini, teams are still collecting and collating data on their players (and on other teams), in addition to doing the casual communication, meet-and-greet with the new guys. As we pass into the sign of Cancer, expect teams to start knuckling down on the contract negotiations, building a home for the “family members,” and retreating a bit from the media spectacle that proceeds the public anticipation in the sign of Leo (that’s August, folks).

Heading Into Game 4 (NBA)

2007-06-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

Wow…the M’s won again. I was going to blog this yesterday, but now I’m glad I put it off till today, as a 5-game win streak is much more impressive. Only 3 games back of the Angels now. It’s like they may finally have gotten their stuff together.

Well, we’ll see where they are in August.

Actually, what I really wanted to discuss (if briefly) is the NBA finals. The Spurs chalked up another W last night, now leading the series 3-0. Is there anything in "the Stars" that was going to indicate the Cavs dropping 3 in a row with nary a squeak? Well, maybe….

There IS some interesting things going on in their charts, but let’s just look at the Sun signs of the major players:

San Antonio Spurs
- Tony Parker (Taurus)
- Bruce Bowen (Gemini)
- Tim Duncan (Taurus)
- Robert Horry (Virgo)
- Manu Ginobili (Leo)

There’s a predominance of Earth and Fixed signs here. Earth signs are steady, solid, feet-on-the-ground, and non-flashy…and this series has been anything but flashy. Fixed signs are likewise steady, organized, controlling…dominating through sheer inertia.

Of course, there’s more than five players on the team. Michael Finley is a Pisces, and Fabricio Oberto is…well, I don’t know. He’s a Pisces if he was born in the early morning; after noon and he’s an Aries. Only someone who knows him well (or knows his birth time) could say for sure, but he has a lot of both Pisces and Aries in him anyway (Pisces Mercury means he thinks like a Fish, and Aries Jupiter means he feels most confident when playing like a Ram). Interestingly, Jupiter is conjunct his Sun, making him at times appear to be almost a bouncy Sagittarian.

Vaughn is an Aquarius, ex-Sonic Barry is a Capricorn, and Elson is another Pisces. The preponderance still seems to be Earth in nature, but with the addition of all that Pisces you see a lot of ADAPTABILITY added to the mix (Virgo, Gemini, and Pisces are all Mutable signs). This is a team that can adapt to the way the other team is playing, pass it around, and wait for the right shot. It may not be especially flashy (or high scoring!) but it appears to be a solid strategy for success.

Cleveland Cavaliers
- LeBron James (Capricorn)
- Drew Gooden (Libra)
- Sasha Pavlovic (Scorpio)
- Daniel Gibson (Pisces)
- Anderson Varejao (Libra)

Pretty much split between Earth and Water with a preponderance of Cardinal (Leadership) signs. Perhaps, this is a case of too many cooks in the kitchen? Doubtful…the Cavs wouldn’t have made it to the Finals without solid teamwork (although I have been told the Eastern Conference isn’t nearly as good as the West).

Now we add in their major bench players: Ilgauskas (Gemini), Hughes (Aquarius), Marshall (Taurus). Now the final signature becomes clearer: Cardinal Air, the element combination associated with Libra, the sign of teamwork. An intellectual team, a smart team…but maybe not as physical?

Again, that’s not really a fair assumption. What IS interesting to note is that none of the players for the Cavaliers (at least none of the ones with any play time) is a Fire sign. No Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius to be found anywhere on the roster: Snow (Taurus), Jones (Virgo), Newble (Capricorn), Pollard (Aquarius)…nowhere is there a single fiery sign.

When astrologers look at the Final Signature of a person’s chart (that is: the number of elements and directionalities), a lack of any particular element can indicate a potential challenge for a person. Having a little bit of everything may make you less focused, but it helps lend balance to your personality, allowing for experiential growth in all areas.

Since I don’t watch the NBA games during the season (especially Cleveland!), I can’t say what affect, if any, this might have on their game play. I could hypothesize that they are not a “fast start” team, something I might expect with a lot of Fire. I might also hypothesize they have an inability to come back from a large deficit (a tight game, yes, simply through smart, solid play). I would imagine they are less likely to get into trouble on or off-court, especially with regard to fighting/brawls…though Water signs are more prone to the substance abuse/escapism thing, and Earth signs have been known to succumb to those “earthy temptations.”

Anyway, I would not be expecting a lot of high scoring, explosive offense from either of these teams. Of the two, the Spurs line-up feels more consistent as far as astrological chemistry: Gemini-sextile-Leo-square-Taurus-trine-Virgo-opposed-Pisces-square-Gemini. Certainly there is some tension in the mix (the squares and oppositions), but a lot more harmony (trines and sextiles…Taurus is also sextile to Pisces). It also has a balance of all four elements.

The Cavs chemistry is good, but feels a bit harder: Pisces-trine-Scorpio-sextile-Capricorn-square-Libra-sextile-Gemini-trine-Aquarius-square-Taurus. Taurus (Marshall/Snow) is also square Scorpio, sextile Pisces, and trine Capricorn…but has no aspect relationship with the two Libras. As I said in an earlier blog, the worst aspect relationship is pretty much NO aspect…there’s no positive to harmonize or excite, and there’s no negative to challenge and grow from. The Pisces and Scorpio starters make no aspect to the two Libras, and Gemini and Aquarius off the bench (Ilgauskas and Hughes) have no aspect with Capricorn James.

Gemini Bruce Bowen may seem the “odd man” in the starting line-up for San Antonio, but only with regard to the two Taurus players (Duncan and Parker). Gemini makes aspects to Finley, Oberto, Horry, and Ginobili, relating to all of them (if not necessarily relating on the best of terms). Bowen also has a Taurus Saturn, so it is his “heavy lot in life” to exercise self-sufficiency…but he’s been practicing it for a lot of years (he’s one of the oldest players on the team), and with experience, Saturn always gives mastery.

Anyway…we’ll see what happens in Game 4.

Got Me A Dog!

2007-06-11T11:03:00.000-07:00

Picked up the Athlon Sports magazine for this summer…finally! Yes, I’ve been waiting with eager anticipation for this mag, ever since Draft Day. I love it and its color glossies. I’ve been picking up the football one every summer for the last 4 or 5 years, and I find it to be pretty darn helpful for scouting out how the season’s going to go (even when Athlon gets it wrong, I can usually analyze their data and still get it right…it helped me predict Tampa Bay was going all the way!).

Of course, Athlon mostly caters to the “fantasy” football crowd. I only started playing fantasy last year and did not use the mag for drafting my team (strangely enough, I stocked most of my team with Seahawk players…hey, I still managed to come in 4th in my league). This year, my Athlon will probably be doing double duty.

However, I haven’t had a chance to read it yet. Haven’t had a chance to blog for a few days either. Or watch the NBA finals at the local pub; just found out today the Spurs are leading the series 2-0 ( not that LeBron James is over-rated or anything…). Heck, just found out the M’s are on a 3 game winning streak and only 4.5 games out of 1st!

See, I just got a new PUPPY. She is a beagle. Her name is Chewbacca, though we call her “Chewie” (named by my wife, even though I’m the Star Wars geek and she is not). And boy-o-boy, does she need a LOT of attention.

Today will be her first day alone for more than an hour or two…it really breaks my heart (Cancer Moon) to think of her crying all day!

But I have faith that she’ll get over it. Dogs (like humans, sports teams, cities, etc.) ALSO have an astrological signature. They come into the world at a particular time and place in space, and you can tell quite a bit by a dog’s astrology. For example, my dog growing up was a CANCER (she had the same birth day, though not year, as my mother). She liked her food quite a bit, especially "people food," and enjoyed lazing about indoors more than romping around outside. She was VERY protective of her home/house, barking viciously at anyone coming to the door, even into old age. She also never backed down from other, larger dogs…even though she was only a little cocker spaniel.

Chewie is an ARIES; that’s why I’m not too worried about her. Aries, after all, is the most independent sign of the zodiac. She’ll be an explorer, always wanting to poke her nose into new places, for Aries's main purpose is to initiate new experiences. It is the "Spring Time" sign (seeds breaking the ground and all that).

Of course, she’s also a BEAGLE, one of the great explorers of the dog world anyway. But being born with Jupiter in Sagittarius (the planet of expansion and exploration in its natural sign) certainly adds fuel to that particular fire. Having Jupiter nearly conjunct Pluto, her nose may lead her to discovering dead bodies, but right now it simply seems to have given her an unhealthy interest in other animals’ droppings!

She’s pretty smart though, and eager to communicate, although she has yet to bark (she cries and howls, but no barking). A non-barking dog? She’s got Mercury in Aries, which means she’s likely to speak before thinking. However, she appears to have a Capricorn rising sign (appearing both reserved and a little skittish in addition to having VERY traditional beagle coloration/markings). She also has Mars in Pisces, ruled by Neptune in either the 1st or 2nd house. I’ll have to see if I can get a more accurate birth time from her breeder. However, it would appear this is a dog attempting to “grow a pair” from an internal/psychological point of view…that Jupiter is retrograde, Saturn (plaent of fear and limitation) is in Leo, her North Node is conjunct that Pisces Mars (making her a natural worry-wart) and it appears Pluto (also retrograde) is in the 11th house…which means it’s polarity point is in the 5th house. Here’s a dog that needs to learn to bark…but bark constructively!

Ha!

Anyway, I do NOT intend to turn this into a PET BLOG (there are plenty of those out there already). Perhaps, I’ll start a completely separate blog on astrology and pets (Astro-Pet? Maybe!)! But I wanted to provide a little explanation as to why I’ve been slacking in my blog, for those folks that have been reading regularly. My time for writing has been tightened a little bit, and it may be sporadic during the following weeks while I am learning to love my little Beagle.

Happy Moon Day, folks!

Straight From The West...Baby It's So Fresh

2007-06-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

This post is in part a response to one commenter’s questions about Oakland.

Usually draftees don't make the difference in whether or not a team becomes "a winner.” Look at the Saints last year, for example. Certainly Reggie Bush was less of an “impact player” than fans initially hoped. And while Marques Colston DID stand out on the Saints’ team, there were a lot of factors that helped transform the Saints from a 3-13 team in 2005 to a 10-6 playoff team in 2006. Specifically:

- the addition of veteran QB Drew Brees
- the return from injury of RB Deuce McAllister
- a re-vitalized home field advantage from the Hurricane Katrina disaster
- a change in head coach

[I list these in the order of importance as I see them…admittedly, I didn’t follow the Saints too closely last year, so Louisiana fans can probably cite other factors]

Regardless, that kind of turnaround for an NFL team is pretty amazing, even in our Age of NFL Parity. Usually, a team goes from being “in transition” to a mediocre (8-8, 7-9) season to respectability and perhaps a playoff berth. But New Orleans’ off-season acquisitions coupled with a newfound civic pride really helped the team make a gigantic leap.

Last year, Oakland had a woeful 2-14 record. Their two victories came against the perennial doormat Cardinals (where vets go to retire) and the laughable Steelers (suffering from the curse of the Super Bowl Loser). I’m not sure you could even call it a transition year…maybe 2003 (4-12 record) or 2004 (5-11) were “transitions.” But after another dismal 2005 record of 4-12 and the Big Stink of 2006 (their worst season since 1962!), it may be time to call the spade a spade. The Raiders are a team with serious issues…and I’m not just saying psychological (listen up: they have ALWAYS had crazy fans and a crazier owner; that ain’t the problem).

Al Davis, by the way, is a CANCER, the literal Mother of the signs…and the Raiders are his baby, man. Personally, I think Cancers are wonderful (my mother, grandmother, father-in-law, and brother-in-law are all Cancers), though like all Moms they can sometimes be a bit…um…“smothering” with their affection. They also need to feel safe and secure in order to really loosen up and best show their funny and sentimental sides.

Now although Cancer is a Cardinal leadership sign, they are also an emotional WATER sign…Water sign folks can have real challenges when it comes to getting mired down in nostalgia, memories, and emotions. People with a strong Cancer-leaning tend to be less “forward thinking” and more backward remembering. For an NFL owner that takes a firm hand in the running of his team, this could result in the procurement of veteran players over their prime on the basis of past accomplishments. It could also result in resting on one’s laurels, basking in the nostalgia of former glories.

Of course, as a leader with a leadership sign Mr. Davis will not be content to sit and bask forever (he’s not a Leo after all)…Cardinal signs need movement, even if it is the sideways saunter of the Crab.

What can help is a little “constructive tension” with the head coach. In the past, the Raiders had great success under the coaching of John Madden and Tom Flores, both of whom were born in the sign of Aries. Aries is the Cardinal Fire sign of the zodiac, and their fiery leadership can sometimes rub Cancer the wrong way, just as Cancer’s sideways movement can frustrate Aries. However, this tension between the two can actually stimulate growth, forcing both to adapt even as they both try to move and lead. Challenging…but the possibility exists for real development through a Square relationship like this.

Lane Kiffin (the Raiders’ new head coach) is NOT an Aries, however…he’s a Taurus. The Bull gets along great with Cancer, because they both tend to be introverted and private individuals, respectful of each other’s space. Taurus is self-reliant; Cancer is an inward focused leader. They mix well…but when you find yourself in a rut, you don’t always want to be sitting pretty. Sometimes a little shake-up, a little TENSION, can be a good thing…to help blow-up those old conditioned patterns that keep us from growth (this is why everyone should thank Uranus…wherever the Old Man shows up, he tends to blow stuff up!).

Norv Turner is also a Taurus. He lasted two seasons in Oakland.

John Gruden, the Raiders’ most recent successful coach, is a Big Leo. Cancer is the Moon, and Leo is the Sun…they form a nice complimentary pair (what controlling the subconscious, one being the shiny face) but they make no aspect to each other…they’re not really on the same page, something evident from the way Gruden was traded.

Bill Callahan is also a Leo. He lasted two seasons in Oakland.

As for JaMarcus Russel, Oakland’s highest profile draft pick…well, he’s also a Big Leo. As far as astrological chemistry goes, I believe it’s important for the head coach to be able to relate to the QB. Leo (Russel) is Square to Taurus (Kiffin). Remember that TENSION I wrote about earlier? Generally you DON’T want tension between a young QB already struggling to learn the NFL and his Head Coach…especially (I’d guess) a young head coach already struggling to learn the NFL.

Of course, Oakland does have other QBs on the roster. Josh McCown is a Cancer, so he should get along smoothly with Kiffin. Andrew Walter is a Taurus, so Kiffin may see a lot of himself in the young man (there may be some snickers from the astrological audience out there…Taurus is not known for looking to others for much of anything, let alone self-examination/comparison!).

Any of these guys may end up with the starting job at one time or another in the 2007 season…which is bad news for Oakland. All teams…whatever the predominant Element or astrological sign…require consistency and stability to thrive and survive in the NFL. Without that stability, the players can’t gel and build the trust that’s so integral to working together as one strong unit. Plus, the fans don’t know who the heck they’re rooting for every week (how are they going to know who’s name/number to put on their signs and banners?)!

So right now, I’m not sure things are looking up for the Raiders. I’ll be able to tell more as we get into pre-season and the depth charts and trades start stabilizing. But for Oakland fans…well, you gotta’ realize it's probably NOT going to be a great year for you. KC is still on the rise, Denver still has Shanahan and Mile High, and San Diego…well, we all know about the Chargers. The best I can say is this: the quicker Oakland gets to a stabilized plan, the quicker they can start transitioning back to respectability. If they keep trying to “shoot the Moon” (no pun intended) by signing fancy vets, they’re going to hinder their ability to gel and reach that point of internal stability necessary for a consistent football team.

Mr. Davis: you need to grow your own crop of talent for the Raiders. A Taurus knows that a person must cultivate his own garden if you expect to reap the rewards. Just add your Cancer TLC to the mix, and then trust in the process!

Last Week of Basketball Season

2007-06-05T00:22:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful weekend and I spent Sunday with friends out on the golf greens enjoying the warm Seattle sunshine. Fantastic, really...and I wasn’t quite ready to get back to my job, or my blog today.

I am aware that there is an NBA final going on right now and I have been neglecting coverage, both astrological and mundane. This has nothing to do with the Sonics not being in the finals, nor with the anticipated move of the Sonics to Oklahoma (or wherever they’re going...Nebraska? Maybe).

Nope, I’m just not a big NBA fan...haven’t been since the days of Coach Karl. Call me crazy, but I’m just not that into basketball. I once read an article in a Seattle paper that described basketball as ballet on the hardwood. Personally, I think this is absolute garbage...had the journalist ever been to the ballet? He had no idea what he was talking about.

All that being said, I do glance occasionally at the plasma widescreen when I’m at the sports bar and I have caught a bit of the action. And I have to say I am impressed with some of these players...okay, specifically with this Tim Duncan cat. I watched a couple games in the Spurs series with the Nuggets (and, yes, in my heart I was rooting for Denver, only because Karl is their coach, not because of Allen Iverson). And this Duncan guy was just impressive as hell. He was just playing solid, no frills basketball...the kind of stuff that my coach was drilling us on in the 4th grade. Except he was just...well, near flawless (I didn’t see any flaws anyway). I was having a blast just watching him execute.

Of course NOW I’ve bothered to read up on the guy and realize he’s known as The Big Fundamental and you can tell I’m not much of an NBA fan as I’ve never heard of this guy before this season and he’s a three-time champion and league MVP. Sheesh!

Then there’s LeBron. LeBron, LeBron, LeBron. Now this guy I’ve heard of, even if I’ve never watched him play (true story...I go to about one Sonics game per year, and usually against the T-Wolves so my transplant friends can see their old team). This guy even I’ve heard of...and now I’m reading articles about how this is his “break-out season” and his real chance to shine in the play-offs, etc. Um...he hasn’t already shined the last five years?

Apparently, Mr. James is finally “living up to the outsized expectations that have surrounded him” (according to today’s USA Today). Actually, the article discusses the NBA’s inability to draw fans to the finals because of the lack of “big-name stars” and rivalries in the finals. It quotes a bunch of analysts with a variety of negative things to say about the NBA’s rating and the relative star power versus “box office draw” of the players.

You know what? I’m not going to go over the USA Today article any more than that, because, quite frankly, I find it insipid and silly (hmmm...is it my imagination, or are these guys really starting to chap my hide?).

Here’s the astrological skinny folks: Tim Duncan (3-time NBA champ and MVP that folks should be writing about) is a Taurus. LeBron James is a Capricorn. Both of these are EARTH signs...non-flashy, down-to-earth, quiet and reserved. They’re not the guys that take up the spotlight...they just get things done. Earth signs are deep and practical…they’re not known for being explosive, verbose, or attention grabbing. You see that kind of thing more in Air and Fire signs. Let’s look at some of the “past legends” mentioned in the media:

Larry Bird – Sagittarius (Fire)
“Magic” Johnson – Leo (Fire)
Michael Jordan – Aquarius (Air)
Wilt Chamberlain – Leo (Fire)
Kareem Abdul Jabbar – Aries (Fire)

Now just because Mr. Duncan and Mr. James are Earth signs doesn’t mean they don’t have any Fire or Air in their nature. Fact of the matter is EVERY PERSON has EVERY SIGN in their chart. The signs are simply archetypes of human personality after all. But, as I may have stated in an earlier post, in different people, different signs are emphasized in different ways. And the sign of a person’s Sun colors the rest of the chart.

Anyhoo…it’s late and I’m gonna’ hit the hay. I probably will end up watching a few of the NBA final series this year; I’m curious to see how these Earth signs match up against each other!

49ers Offensive Chemistry

2007-06-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

So, unfortunately, the 49ers Home Page doesn’t list the birth dates of their players (a gross oversight in my astrological opinion), and so it’s taken me longer than I expected to compile my data; in fact, I’ve only had the opportunity to look at the offensive side of the ball. Here’s what I’ve found so far:

The 49ers are a mess.

That is to say: from a basic astrology point of view, they’re something of a mixed bag…a stew if you will. And they’ve got some pretty fair challenges on the offensive side of the ball. Which is not to say it won’t be…um…exciting football. As I learned in last weekend’s NORWAC conference, “the most difficult Aspect to have in a chart is NO Aspect.” But still, it’s not going to be smooth sailing for the 49ers.

First off…um, where’s the center? NFL.com shows the team has no C position. The 49ers home page lists Tony Wragge as the center, even though his position is listed as guard. Wragge’s a Big Leo, so he probably exclaimed, “hey coach, I can play ANY position.” Actually C is a good position for a Leo…he gets to be the center of the line (just like the Sun is the CENTER OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM). Kudos to you, lad, for taking on the job.

Now, the Center has that all-important job of snapping the ball. QB Alex Smith is a Taurus, astrologically square (a difficult or “challenging” aspect) to Leo. Uh-oh…in general, one would prefer to have these guys in a more “harmonious” pairing, to cut down the number of fumbled snaps. The tension between the two means they’re just going to have to work harder in practice.

Frank Gore is a 3rd year back and a Taurus…reminiscent of Taurus Emmitt Smith, even in his height and weight (Emmitt was 5’8”, 200#; Gore is 5’9”, 212#). Stocky little Bulls; I can’t remember for sure but didn’t Emmitt have some fumbling problems in the early years, too? Well, Emmitt had his best years running behind Aquarius Moose Johnston…Gore’s fullback counterpart is Gemini Moran Norris. Aquarius-Taurus is a square aspect (challenging, see above), but one with explosive potential (note: you don’t usually want explosive potential between a QB and center). Gemini-Taurus is a non-aspect. They’re not even on the same planet, let alone the same page. Gemini is all about talking, picking up and collecting information, linear/logical thinking. Taurus is about…well, sitting quiet, withdrawing, hoarding energy/resources. Of course, I just went to the wedding of a Gemini friend who has several planets in Taurus, and such might be the case with Norris…I’m just talking in general, here.

Regarding the relationship of the QB to his receivers…again you want these folks to be on the same page for maximum effectiveness. Here are some examples:

Dave Krieg (Libra) – Steve Largent (Libra) Conjunct signs
Steve Young (Libra) – Jerry Rice (Libra) Conjunct signs
John Elway (Cancer) – Shannon Sharpe (Cancer) Conjunct signs
Joe Montana (Gemini) – Jerry Rice (Libra) Trine signs
Matt Hasselbeck (Libra) – Darrel Jackson (Sagittarius) Sextile signs

Conjunctions, Trines, and Sextiles are all pretty favorable. Squares and Oppositions can be challenging but with a lot of potential for growth (based on tension…especially with squares). Here’s how Alex Smith (Taurus) shows up with his receivers:

TE Vernon Davis (Aquarius) – Square
WR Arnaz Battle (Pisces) – Sextile
WR Bryan Gilmore (Cancer) – Sextile
WR Ash Lelie (Aquarius) – Square
WR Darrel Jackson (Sagittarius) – No aspect

While Lelie and Davis have the potential to make an impact, Battle and Gilmore are more likely to be on the same page with Smith (Battle was the leading receiver last year). Interesting that D-Jack has no aspect with Mr. Smith. It will be interesting to see if and how he can adapt to the 49ers game plan. Seattle will certainly miss him.

The offensive line is the next area of interest. On the left side we have Justin Smiley (Scorpio) and Kwame Harris (Pisces). These two should get along quite well and should give Gore some decent running on the outside. On the right we have Larry Allen (Sagittarius) and Jonas Jennings (Scorpio). As non-aspected signs, it may require a little work to find common ground. Fortunately, Scorpios will often have a bit of Sag in them and vice versa (being next to each other in the zodiac, there’s often Mercury or Venus in the other sign). They’re a bit more problematic for their running backs (Sag is opposed Gemini and non-aspected with Taurus; Scorpio is opposed Taurus and non-aspected with Gemini). As for their “center;” well, a Leo will get along famously with a Sagittarius, but can certainly have clashes with Scorpio (Scorps and Leos both being the biggest “drama queens” of the zodiac).

Some may think it strange to even look at this kind of melding of “astrological chemistry.” However, from what I’ve read and heard from offensive linemen, the gelling of the line is a substantial part of the whole offensive process. Lord knows, the Seahawks have had some tremendous line difficulties over the years (and have ended up with mediocre records despite some talented players). However, let’s look at the truly dominant left side of the 2005 Seattle Seahawks:

T Walter Jones (Capricorn)
G Steve Hutchinson (Scorpio)
C Robbie Tobeck (Pisces)

Capricorn sextile Scorpio and sextile Pisces. Scorpio sextile Capricorn trine Pisces. Pisces sextile Capricorn, trine Scorpio. Add Shaun Alexander (Virgo) running behind Mack Strong (Virgo) and you end up with a truly unstoppable left side (Virgo is trine Capricorn and sextile Scorpio)…one that allowed Shaun Alexander to lead the league in rushing yards and break the record for most TDs in a season. Oh, yeah…and take the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl.

Okay, so the last piece we need to look at is the coach, of course. Mike Nolan is a Pisces…definitely necessary for a team that is in such a state of chaos. Pisces should get along very well with a Taurus QB (Alex Smith)…though theirs will seem a lot less of an intellectual relationship then some coach-players…more of an “I feel you guy” kind of relationship with grokking the gist type of communication. Which is VERY different from past 49ers coaches (I can’t find any Pisceans in the 49ers list of past head coaches), and it really remains to be seen whether or not he’ll be able to turn the team around. As stated, they’ve certainly got some challenges.

Oh Nooooooooo!

2007-05-31T10:51:00.000-07:00

Aaaand…the M’s lost to the Angels 8-6. Hernandez got tagged for three homers, including a three-run blast from slugger Vladimir Guerrero in the 6th that put L.A. up over the Mariners. Of that last fateful pitch the Seattle Times quotes Mr. Hernandez as saying:

“I did what I wanted to do that at-bat. I threw that fastball because I wanted to. He hit it.”

Ah, the confidence of youth…or of Jupiter trine the Sun. As I said earlier, baseball IS a team sport, and there were good things popping up in Guerrero’s chart last night…the Sun was lighting up both his Mercury and Mars (in professional sports players, I seem to find Mercury to be on the prominent side…probably because of the hand-eye coordination aspect); he also had both Jupiter and Saturn approaching trine to his own Jupiter (from opposite ends) and Jupiter showing up in near direct opposition to his Mars. This latter would indicate something big, fat and lucky (as far as his desire/drive/energy is concerned) showing up externally…like a young pitcher throwing a fast ball right down the strike zone. Pow!

Anyway, this is just looking at only one batter…what about the two guys on base that Vlad knocked in? What about the earlier batters hitting homers off Felix? And the Mariners were up 5-4 prior to that three-run shot; there must have been some good things going on for the M’s batters, right?

Sure, maybe…but not necessarily. Ichiro bats consistently all year round…that’s just what he does. The stars can’t always “line up” for him…they’re probably going to mean more to his emotional make-up as anything else.

Same with Hernandez…he felt good about his pitches, he just didn’t get the job done. Hopefully, he sees how he can learn from the experience (Saturn trine Sun) and integrate the game into his psyche, making him a better ball player.

This is one excellent reason not to use astrology for directly picking the outcome of games (especially for betting folks). While you can look at charts for players (or even charts for a team!), my version of astrology is mainly concerned with the internal make-up and effects of the event…and a game can have positive effects even if the team registers an L instead of a W. For example the Seahawks failing to win Super Bowl XL was a pretty tough blow for a lot of Seattleites…but I see a helluva’ lot of Seahawks gear walking around Seattle these days (in the middle of May, no less!). Just playing in the big game brought a lot of pride to this town…and there were no post-game celebratory riots either!

Anyway, the other thing about team sports is that there’s a whole team of players to consider. In this game, I only looked at three players (Hernandez, Guerrero, and Weaver…Jered was pulled early, by the way). Looking at the emotional make-up of every single player on both teams compared to game-time…well, that’s more work than I want to do, even in the relatively short (16 game) NFL season!

All of these professional players are incredible athletes; that’s why they are paid to play the game. I have no doubt that your average WNBA player can smoke 90% of male and female basketball players on any given court…just as your average pro-football player would seem like Ladanian Tomlinson when lined up against the State varsity champs. Sure there are some players that are a cut above the rest (Peyton Manning or L.T. for example), but again it takes more than one or two “stars” to make a championship team.

Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry. Well, that and “good coaching;” which I would argue is also chemistry (most pro coaches being the equivalent of pro players, it’s a matter of getting the ones who can best communicate the game plan to a team for proper execution).

Back In The Saddle

2007-05-30T12:02:00.000-07:00

Well, for the folks holding their breaths to see if I would continue writing my blog, you can now exhale. I was at NORWAC through Sunday, and then I was ill Monday and Tuesday (what a bummer…I didn’t even make it to Folk Life Festival this year, which is pretty darn disappointing!). Oh, well what can you do? I would definitely have made it to Folk Life on Monday if I hadn’t been flat on my back, and the conference was fantastic, well worth missing three days of food, festival, and fun.

Fact of the matter is, I learned a lot at NORWAC this weekend. What a great convention…much better and more fun than I imagined it would be. Highlights included working with the challenging energies of interceptions and T-squares, Neptune as a means to receiving and manifesting one’s dreams, and Uranus as a tool for blowing up old, conditioned patterns. Sessions on astrological timing (whether using the natal chart as a day clock to chart bio-rhythms or using the secondary progressed Moon with transiting Saturn) were also very useful, as were the discussions on astrology itself: ethically, professionally, and historically. It was also fantastic to receive lectures from authors whose books I own and respect; truly a wonderful experience.

And one I could blog about at length, if I let myself. Actually, I’m still digesting the ideas and discussions, incorporating them into myself. Probably, I’ll get to them over the next few days…if not on this blog, hopefully in my own astrological practice.

In addition to neglecting my blog, I’ve also been slacking on the sports pages. Last time I checked, the M’s were under .500 (again). Now six days and five wins later, they’re over .500 and within shouting distance of the Angels. Tonight, they are again playing in L.A. and have a pretty good chance of finishing the series with a win. After all, Hernandez is pitching tonight and this is a pretty good time for him from an astrological point of view…Jupiter is trine his Sun giving him a jovial, confident feeling. At the same time, Saturn is trine his Sun (from the other side of the chart) making sure he keeps that confidence disciplined, doing what he needs to do without going overboard. It’s hard to tell for certain without his actual birth time, but it would appear Mars is closing in on his Sun and Moon, making him fiery and energetic both inside and out, and is also moving trine Felix’s natal Saturn, giving him courage to take on his normal fears, doubts, and self limits.

It appears the Angels will be starting Jered Weaver (younger brother of “the Weave”), quite fitting opposition as his Sun sign Libra directly opposite Felix’s Sun sign Aries. The stars aren’t nearly as energetic for Jered tonight, so he’s going to need help from the rest of his team…lucky for him, baseball is a team sport and Libra’s are excellent team players.

Hmmm…I might actually have to watch this game.

Football’s my normal sport, and I couldn’t help but notice the ridiculous article in USA Today about the 49ers having a shot at number one in the NFC West. Even if I wasn’t a Seattle fan, this article would smell pretty offensive. The fact that 61% of voters polled are saying Frisco can win the West is…well, it’s disgusting to be quite frank, and I would say it smacks of some pretty severe ignorance!

‘Course, it appears that my Scorpio insecurities have gotten all riled up…probably because the article fails to account for or mention my Seattle Seahawks (with the exception of former Seahawks now playing/coaching for San Fran). Here’s the Note of the Day: if you’re going to talk about who’s the top team and whose going to the play-offs in the NFC West, you’d better be mentioning the Seattle Seahawks. Let me refresh your memory:

2004 – 1st in the NFC West
2005 – 1st in the NFC West
2006 – 1st in the NFC West

Not a bad track record for the ‘Hawks the last couple years, and I’m not expecting a drop-off till 2009 or so. Right now, the road to #1 in the NFC West definitely necessitates going through the Pacific Northwest...please don't insult my intelligence!

But, hey, I realize I’m not at my most objective right now. Tell ya’ what: I’ll do an astrological work-up on the 49ers and we’ll see what we see. Maybe Alex Smith and Frank Gore are worth putting money on...but I wouldn't bet on it!

Me...the Busy Bee

2007-05-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

This week has been a little busy for me and it’s going to be tricky for me to get anything posted the next couple days. This weekend is NORWAC (the Northwest Astrological Conference), and I shall be attending Friday through Sunday. Between that, trying to get into the gym, and cleaning the house (not to mention a couple other projects) I’m not going to have the time to blog as much.

Well…we’ll see. Maybe I’ll get some stuff out in the evenings.

New book seen at Elliott Bay Book Company today: Tales from the Seattle Mariners Dugout. With a big grinning photo of Ichiro on the cover. Man, I am tempted to pick this up just for blog-fodder!

Ichiro, by the by, is a pretty interesting character…deserving of a whole separate post of his own on this site. Today, I’d just like to point out the retrograde Mars in his birth chart…so easy to dismiss someone’s athletic potential simply because of an incomplete astrological understanding of the ol' backwards Mars (or lack of other considerations…you know; free will and stuff). Wish my free will was stronger…I was only born three weeks later then the Japanese superstar, but you don’t see me re-defining a sport.

I’d blame the difference on Ichiro’s Mars being in Taurus while mine is in Ares, but that would be short-changing pro-bowler and Super Bowl champion Lawyer Milloy whose birthday is just one day after mine (and also has his retrograde Mars in Ares). Ah, well.

Dancing With Skates

2007-05-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

Congrats to local boy Apolo Ohno for winning this season’s Dancing With The Stars. Although I don’t actually watch the show, I do read the front page of the newspapers while standing in line for coffee every morning.

And that’s about all I want to say. Although competitive dancing could be considered a team sport, Mr. Ohno is still only an un-paid amateur athlete and this blog discusses professional sports (and astrology, of course). Apolo: please give us a call when you go pro!

(for those who are curious: Apolo does have Mars and Saturn in Libra in the 6th house; he also has both Moon and Sun in the 2nd house, although the Moon is in Taurus and Sun is in Gemini. Moon and Mars and Saturn are all ruled by Venus in Aries in the 12th, conjunct Apolo’s Ascendant…Mr. Ohno may well want to save and invest any money he does earn through his natural hard-working self, making sure it's diversified across many blue chip and conservative options…this will make him feel better/more secure as well as keep his funds from “magically” disappearing. Ah, youth!)

Musings on the Salary Cap

2007-05-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

As I sat at the bar last night, eating my cheeseburger and watching a string of Yankee bruisers step to the plate and clobber the heck out of the Red Sox, three thoughts continued to run through my mind:

- the pub is more fun when my wife’s in town
- soggy jalapenos are worthless
- thank God the NFL has a hard salary cap

What was the final score of last night’s game? I left at the bottom of the 6th with New York batting, no outs, and up 6-1.

(okay, just checked USA Today…final score was 6-2; guess I saw most of the damage)

For two or three innings it really seemed I was watching a line of clones, as successive large men struggling to look thin in pin stripes (and horribly failing), continued to chop mercilessly at Boston’s pitchers.

Not that I don’t love to hate the Yankees (like everyone), but I am more than satisfied with the way the salary cap has increased parity in the NFL. Instead of hating whole teams we can now single out individual players for enmity: like Tom Brady and Terrell Owens, for example.

The only downside to the implementation of the NFL’s 1994 salary cap appears to be the way players so rarely end up finishing their careers on the same team. The days of Steve Largent playing an entire 13 year career for the Seahawks would appear to be over.

Or is it?

Actually, the salary cap appears to have been more a response to the development of free agency in the NFL than anything else. Prior to 1989, if a team tried to “steal” a veteran from another team (by offering a more lucrative contract), the NFL commissioner would “compensate” the team losing the player by taking something of “equivalent value” (usually draft picks) from the team signing the free agent and awarding it to the agent’s former team. This fairly arbitrary method of penalizing teams (called the “Rozelle Rule”) prevented most teams from even negotiating with players on other teams.

From 1989 to 1992, the NFL engaged in Plan B Free Agency, under which only 37 players from each team could be designated as subject to a reserve clause in their contract (i.e. the Rozelle Rule). However, due to anti-trust lawsuits, by 1993 the NFL had changed free agency to the form in which it exists today.

The implementing of a hard salary cap, along with a hard salary floor (minimum) and revenue sharing has allowed NFL teams to compete on a pretty darn even footing. In addition, it appears to have had some other side effects:

- teams have to be smarter about how they scout and draft players, paying more attention to issues of character and chemistry
- teams are less likely to keep “problem” players on pay-roll
- players have been forced to consider what is more important to them: consistency and team-building or going where the money is

There are still players that are finishing up their careers on the teams with which they have become associated. Brett Favre has continued to play with the Green Bay Packers since 1992, and is a fixture of the Pack as Vince Lombardi. DE Cortez Kennedy chose to retire a Seahawk in 2000 rather than take contract offers from other teams. Both Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith were allowed to sign contracts with their former teams (the 49ers and Cowboys respectively) at the end of their careers so that they could retire as members of their original team.

Teams also have their own methods of honoring players, whether it is retiring their jersey numbers or inducting them into a “Ring of Honor;” Dave Krieg was inducted into the Seahawks Ring of Honor despite playing nearly half of his 18 year career on other teams (of course, Krieg is among the most beloved of former Seahawk players).

I don’t think the salary cap prevents players from staying with their teams (though Lawyer Milloy might disagree) any more than free agency forces players to move. I have a strong suspicion that if free agency had been an option in the past, some players would have taken advantage of the opportunity…and others would not have. Would Jim Brown have played for a team other than Cleveland if free agency had been available? It’s certainly possible...and he may have ended up playing for more than nine years if there’d been a team that’d taken him after his dispute with Art Modell.

What does any of this have to do with astrology? Not much, really…unless you want to look at birth dates of NFL Commissioners.

Pete Rozelle (Commissioner 1960-1989) Pisces
Paul Tagliabue (Commissioner 1989-2006) Sagittarius

Pisces is all about encompassing the whole, “merging with the cosmos,” swimming in the big picture, and adapting to circumstance. Pisces is also extremely emotional, sentimental, and super empathetic. Any wonder that the NFL under Rozelle’s leadership merged with the AFL, glommed onto television, and encountered boundary issues (like “family fights” with Al Davis and other owners). In the chaos of the beginnings of what is now the modern NFL, Rozelle was the perfect adaptable commissioner to swim with the ebb and flow…but is it any wonder the salary cap and free agency issues were ill-defined?

Sagittarius on the other hand is all about expansion and freedom…but done so not for the sake of exploration alone as for the creation of new paradigms. Creation of more franchises, allowance of free movement (both players and teams), and ballooning of salaries would all be expected under a Sag commissioner. What’s more interesting is the creation of a salary cap (limits?!) and the restrictions associated with free agency under his leadership…but of course, the NFL is influenced by more than a single person and there still is a lot more freedom than in the past. Also, Sag is the sign that rules lawyers and organized religion…it’s all about the creation of a new big paradigm that gives a place to hang all those little bitty facts, rules, and dogma.

The current commissioner, Roger Goodell, is an Aquarius. Under his direction, I would expect to see some non-traditional, “outside the box” thinking (Aquarius is the genius/nutty professor sign). Goodell has begun discussing the possibility of expanding the NFL outside of the USA, which would be a first. Of course, Aquarius is an organizer more than an initiator, so Goodell might only lay the groundwork rather than actually give expansion teams to Toronto or Vancouver or something. He might simply organize some sort of “world championship” between teams from different national leagues (a “World Cup” of American football). Aquarius is also the sign that rules both television and computers; I’d expect to see more active NFL involvement in both under Goodell’s leadership (streaming NFL podcasts, etc.).

By contrast, the Commissioner of Baseball, Bud Selig, is a Big Leo. Commissioner since 1998 (“acting” Commish since 1992), Selig seems to have a lot of the stereotypical Leo archetype…i.e. the need to look good, the need to not look bad. A fixed, organizing sign (like Aquarius, Taurus, and Scorpio) Bud is not likely to implement much in the way of “changes” to the MLB, but appears ready to make whatever arrangements he can to draw attention/focus to it. Lots of strangeness has thus occurred under Selig’s watch: far too many to list here (though “tie” games and congressional hearings on steroids do stand out). But Selig has certainly managed to have his name remembered and associated with baseball (um…not necessarily the same as being a good Commissioner). Ah, fame.

The "Dope" on Doping, Etc.

2007-05-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

I was having a drink with friends Friday night, and one of ‘em asked if I could or would post a piece about American cyclist Floyd Landis and the recent investigation into his possible use of performance enhancing substances. She also asked if I would cover the whole Greg LeMond part of the story.

Unfortunately, there’s not much I can say about the story. While I have mentioned more than once my interest in astrology and team chemistry I was not speaking of chemistry set steroid abuse. Despite my strong opinions on the use of steroids and chemical enhancements (bad, bad), I don’t have much interest in these particular sports dramas, except insofar as they affect the action on the field, so to speak. Furthermore, there’s really no good way for astrology to prove or dis-prove drug allegations (nor should it! That’s not the way to use it!), nor even if a person might have a proclivity towards using performance enhancers.

For example, let’s look at the homerun hitter, Barry Bonds. While Mr. Bonds has always been a great ball player, his statistics improved dramatically beginning in 1999, around the time it is alleged he began taking steroids and performance enhancers.

There’s plenty in Barry’s chart to indicate a potential for greatness, especially in athletic endeavors. Sun in Leo in the 8th house combines expression-creativity with passionate-obsessive-intensity. Ascendant Sagittarius ruled by Jupiter in 5th house Taurus is someone who shows up larger than life based on his own internal resources, broadcast for all to see. Moon in 2nd house Aquarius makes for an emotionally private and detached individual; though his emotional nature has the potential to alienate others, he has potential motional inner strength to do what he feels is necessary “for the greater good” (as defined by his own particular perception). Mr. Bond’s Part of Fortune is exactly conjunct (within 13’, i.e. less than .25 degrees) his Mars in Gemini in the 7th, and both are conjunct his Venus by less than 3 degrees; all three are ruled by Mercury also in Leo in the 8th. Finally, Barry has his South Node in Capricorn in the 1st house; for a karmic perspective he brings self-mastery and personal diligence into this life (what he needs to work on is emotionally relating to others – North Node in Cancer in the 7th – but that’s a whole different story!).

Nothing specifically in Mr. Bond’s astrological chart indicates that he might turn to the use of performance enhancers for an “edge.” He does have Chiron in Pisces in the 3rd house ruled by the dispositor Neptune in Scorpio in the 11th. Chiron is a comet, not a planet, and in astrology it indicates how one might harm himself, harm others, or be harmed by the world around him. Pisces, Neptune, Scorpio, and the 8th and 12th houses have all been traditionally known as places to look for potential substance abuse in a person’s chart. But generally (in astrology) the reasons behind drug and alcohol abuse (at least, as associated with these signs) is because of tendencies towards escapism (Pisces-12th) or obsession-compulsion (Scorpio-8th) with a lot of boundary issues mixed-in. Personally, I’m not sure performance enhancement drugs really fall into the same category.

What I find more telling for Mr. Bonds is the context of his life. Barry is the son of Bobby Bonds (a former Major League All-Star for the Giants), cousin of Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, and godson of Hall of Famer Willie Mays. That’s a lot of greatness to live up to, although by 1998 he’d managed to eclipse his father’s homerun record and had nearly equaled his stolen base total (he would beat it in 2000).

In 1998, Barry had some difficulties due to injury, and although his numbers were up to the same level as the prior year by the end of the season, for the most part they were down from earlier seasons. Barry turned 34 that season…one year younger than the age at which his father retired. In 1999, Bonds would be passed over being named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, though Ken Griffey Jr. (with lesser stats) and Mark McGwire (admitted steroid user) made the cut.

Could the thought of getting old or missing out on accolades led to the use of pharmaceutical enhancements to sustain a career be a far stretch?

As has been mentioned before, a person’s Sun sign colors and influences every part of one’s personality; this is why the Sun sign is considered so important in a person's chart. A Sun in the Leo in 8th (which is like saying “in Leo and Scorpio”) is a person whose need is to shine brightly as a living creative expression of possibility. Leo (like the Sun that rules it) is the way in which we channel the divine through our own individual ego. Leos can be examples of possibility to those of us who are only “mere mortals.” In the negative, they can appear as arrogant, but for the most part they are simply doing what comes naturally to their personality…shining, and getting attention.

Scorpio, on the other hand, is about the intensity of desire and focused will. They are the “higher octave” of the Mars energy, bringing passion and volcanic energy to their endeavors in a way that doesn’t simply initiate new experiences, but transforms (themselves and others) through their experiences. Scorpio is the sign of the Phoenix that burns itself to dust in order to re-create itself. Like Leo, this regenerative process can be done in both the positive and the negative.

Here are a couple examples of how this Sun combination can play out:

Example #1: The superstar finds that because of age and/or mileage he can’t quite perform quite as brilliantly as he once did. He accepts the reality of his changing nature (everyone changes over time), assesses the attributes he has and the skills he’s acquired, and re-creates himself in a new role that allows him to still shine as an example for others. Perhaps he becomes the veteran ball player, coaching others in the art of slugging and stealing. Perhaps he serves as an example in locker room, showing maturity and leadership. Perhaps he becomes a philanthropist, using his fame and fortune to help the less fortunate and showing others how even a single person can make a difference in the lives of others. He may even withdraw from the public spotlight, and focus his energy simply as a light for the smaller circle of his family or community.

Example #2: The superstar faces the same challenge as in the 1st example, but instead cannot let go of his ego attachment to the prestige and accolades he has built up over the years. He is afraid that “re-creating” himself in a new arena will be too challenging, too boring, or simply doesn’t attach the same value or “worthiness” to other possible endeavors. “Lesser roles” are for lesser men, may be his perception; alternatively, he may feel that he has more to prove, and fails to realize he is already that which he wants to be: a shining example to others, an expression of the possibility of his profession. Fighting to stay in his current position, he turns to anything that will give him “new life” in his chosen path…whether he finds herbal supplements, or digs into darker methods of maintaining/improving himself makes no real difference. The fact is, he is still re-creating himself, but in a way that promotes his own ego attachment, no longer trusting in the natural cycles of the universe (what some might call the “divine plan”). There may be unfortunate side-effects (physical, social, emotional) for failing to honor the rhythm of life, but the main danger is passing on the opportunity of evolving into a new stage of life.

I’m not saying either of the above examples describes Mr. Bonds’s life, but both are possible choices that exist for the Leo-Scorpio Sun sign. Regardless of which choice a person (Bonds or anyone) makes, the universe continues to place challenges and life lessons in our path…there is no “easy” road. Each choice has consequences and new tests for us to take. But some people prefer the path they know to the path that is un-familiar…even though the new path may lead to more exponential growth.

So back to Mr. Landis and his challenges: unlike Barry Bonds, Floyd is a Sun-sign Libra. Like Bonds, he has Mars in Gemini and his Moon in Aquarius; otherwise, that’s where the similarities end. Unfortunately, I don’t have Mr. Landis’s exact time of birth, so I can’t speak with absolute certainty, though I’d hazard the guess that he was born in the early afternoon (around 3:40pm).

Mr. Landis and Mr. Bonds also appear to have had VERY different upbringings. Floyd was raised in a Mennonite community and his father was actively discouraging of his bicycle riding at the beginning of his career. However, more information would be necessary to see if and how his background factors into his personality.

Again, there can be dozens of contributing reasons why a person may have resorted to performance enhancing pharmaceuticals to provide an edge in professional sports. For a Libra, there is always an issues of independence versus co-dependence. As mentioned, Libras don’t like folks to be unhappy…unhappy people are a source of disharmony and lack of balance. One would think that the Libra personality would abhor any kind of cheating or drug use, as this would be “unfair” to the other competitors, resulting in an “uneven” playing field.

However, as a Libra leader seeking balance, perhaps there was a feeling/compulsion to “step up” for the competition, in order to not let the team down. The Tour de France is indeed a team sport. Lance Armstrong had helped the American team to victory for seven consecutive years (hmmm…most dominant player in a team sport? See earlier posts).

But in 2006, Mr. Armstrong was retired and victory not nearly as sure for the American team; Landis, after all, only placed 9th in the 2005 Tour. Is it possible that Floyd felt a need to do something, anything to ensure he wouldn’t let down American cycling fans or fellow teammates? Sure it is.

But is it possible that his claim of innocence and theory of increased levels of natural testosterone is true? Maybe…it may have taken a lot of…um…"guts" to break out of the normal mold of the dutiful Mennonite son. Floyd may have all sorts of interesting stuff going on in his body as well as his natal horoscope (if only I had his birth time!). However, his defense theories sound a bit more like the Libra devil’s advocate using its creative intellect to grasp at straws.

Anyway, as with Mr. Bonds, the situation gives Mr. Landis an opportunity for growth and development as he meets these new challenges (his trial, life after being removed from the cycling team, negative press coverage). Like all of us, he’ll be able to use his own free will to determine how he meets those challenges.

What’s up with the Bucs? (QB Controversy Part 2)

2007-05-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

After a great fill-in season last year, Jeff Garcia has certainly showed he can still start in the NFL. It was only a question of where he was going to end up (Philly has too much invested in McNabb to dump him, knee surgery or no).

So now he’s landed with the Bucs, a team that could’ve really used a good fill-in starter when Chris Simms went down in the 3rd game of last season.

And now both are competing for the job in Tampa.

American football is a team sport; in many ways it is really the epitome of team sports. Each position is so specialized, and each so necessary, that a team is incapacitated, not just diminished, by a vacancy in any section. A soccer or hockey team can still score when short-handed, a baseball team can fill spots with “designated hitters” and “pinch runners,” and the Sonics had the best record in the NBA in 1994 without fielding a true Center (we just used three forwards in those days).

You can’t do that in the NFL.

So being the ultimate team sport, team chemistry is that much more important. An NFL team is like a many-tentacled Kraken…and those limbs all need to work in concert to be an effective team.

And this applies to the relationship between coaches and players as well. Does anyone (well, any astrologers anyway) think it strange that Mike Holmgren (Gemini) has had such an outstanding rapport with his QBs over the years?

- Steve Young (Libra)
- Brett Favre (Libra)
- Matt Hasselbeck (Libra)

(for the non-astrologers reading…Libra and Gemini harmonize well due to the shared Air-Intellectual quality of the signs)

Sometimes I think folks forget about Jon Gruden (well, at least outside of Tampa). It wasn’t too many years ago he was showing up regularly on television…both as a Raider and as a Buc coach. As a big Leo, Mr. Gruden is quite “shiny and expressive;” it’s strange to me that both he and the Bucs have been so quiet in the years since winning the Super Bowl.

Yes, yes…I realize they limped into the 2005 play-offs on the legs of Cadillac Williams. But I’m talking about being a big splash in the NFC, not being a speed bump to other teams. The team needs all the pieces to be a real contender.

So let’s take a quick look at the Bucs QB position, especially in relation to the head coach (chemistry, remember!):

Coach Gruden is a big Leo (I always add the “big” as a prefix when talking about Leos…it just feels right, somehow…). In addition to a big, expressive personality Mr. Gruden has prided himself on his ability as a MOTIVATOR. The advanced Lion grows beyond simply expressing themselves (um…roaring, so to speak), to a place where they can encourage others to find their own inner “king of the jungle.” Of course, it’s challenging to keep one’s own ego small when you have a direct pipeline to the source of creativity…but, hey, we’ve all got our challenges, you know?

Besides which, Jon has more in his chart than just Leo…he’s got Venus right on top of his Sun, making him quite the harmonizer (similar to a Sun-sign Libra). He also has Mercury, Uranus, and Pluto all firmly in Virgo gifting him with a critical, analyzing mind fueled by some heavy hitting planets.

Unfortunately, without knowing Mr. Gruden’s exact birth time, it is difficult know just exactly how heavy-hitting we’re talking. For a variety of reasons, I wouldn’t be too surprised to find out he was born in the early afternoon.

ANYWAY…let’s look at the coach’s chemistry with his Tampa QBs:

Brad Johnson – Virgo
Brian Griese – Pisces
Chris Simms – Virgo
Jeff Garcia – Pisces

Interesting.

Virgo and Pisces are OPPOSITE signs in the zodiac. Whereas Virgo is all about critical analysis and refining of minutiae and facts, Pisces is the most “cosmic” of the signs…the Fish swim in a sea of faith and mysterious intuition. Virgo’s challenge is to not get obsessed with every little tiny piece of the puzzle; Pisces’s challenge is establishing some boundaries and not just absorbing everything going on around them.

Thing about opposite signs is that they can balance and compliment each other; Pisces learns how to focus from Virgo, and Virgo learns how to stop counting beans and make leaps of faith.

Now let’s dig a bit deeper.

Brad has Jupiter right on top of his Sun. Jupiter is a huge planet and colors the Sun Sign, giving it the expansive optimism, confidence, and energy…almost as if Brad was a Sun Sign Sagittarius with an analytical nature. Coach Gruden has his Jupiter in Aries, his Sun, Moon, and Venus in Leo…he enjoys fiery, exuberant folks (a good reason to have a profession in sports, really). And if he can connect with his player on a mental level (Virgo Mercury with Virgo Sun), so much the better. Let’s get together and figure out how to win a Super Bowl!

Brian is a Pisces, the exact opposite personality as Brad; except that he, too, has Jupiter right on top of his Sun. Another optimistic, energetic, exuberant personality; what fun! But as a Pisces he may have some difficulty making the mental connection. It depends on a lot of other factors, of course, but Pisces is more likely to just “pick things up” (i.e. from the Universe) than to get overly enthused about watching tape.

Cut to Chris…a Virgo’s Virgo’s Virgo (Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn all in Virgo). His Jupiter is close to the Sun (within 11 degrees), but not enough to carry the exuberance of Brad and Brian; he will enjoy watching tape, though. Chris also has his Mars in Scorpio, bringing a scary intensity of willpower to what he enjoys doing (I’m guessing, here: playing football). Coach Gruden is going to have an affinity with young Mr. Simms.

Finally: Mr. Garcia. Another Pisces. One with a competitive spirit (Mars in Aries). One with a brilliant mind (Mercury in Aquarius). A guy with Jupiter in Scorpio (which could be a whole post in and of itself). But I don’t see anything to indicate a strong, or at least an immediate, rapport with the head coach. Or course, a full chart might reveal some mitigating factors, and I’ve only got the basics here.

On the other hand, one thing about Pisces, they are the most malleable and adaptable of all the zodiac. You know how water takes the shape of any container into which it is poured? That’s Pisces. Along with a competitive spirit, a brilliant mind, and an obsessive, intense intuition, you’ve got a player who can step into a situation (say a starting position when the main man goes down with injury) and squish into shape with minimal effort. Not every player has it that easy.

(One example of another adaptable guy: Frank Reich. Being responsible for the largest comeback in both NCAA football history and NFL history, in both games Mr. Reich came off the bench to replace an injured quarterback. While Frank has no planets in Pisces, the final signature for his horoscope is Pisces (adaptable-water) and his Part of Fortune is in Pisces; I’d be interested in knowing Frank’s time of birth to check 12th house planets)

ANYWAY (what a digression!) it’ll be interesting to see who Coach Gruden decides to start this year, and how they’ll fare throughout the season. I’d expect Chris to start if his health is up to it, though Garcia should be just as capable to step in if Mr. Simms goes down. Hopefully, Mr. Gruden won’t do any more analyzing then necessary, and will be able to make his own mental “leap of faith” when it comes to choosing a QB. Just two more notes:

1) In addition to chemistry with the coach, a QB needs chemistry with his receivers. Both Joey Galloway and the newly added TE Jeramy Stevens are Scorpios (both originally from Seattle…can you believe it?!). Scorpios get along famously with both Virgo and Pisces…both should have no problems hooking up for big gains.

2) Although he said he will retire rather then play for Tampa, Jake “the Snake” Plummer is still listed on the Bucs depth chart and roster as of this date. Jake is a Sagittarius…exuberant, enthusiastic, confident. I won’t be too surprised if Gruden somehow gets Jake to play for the Bucs, nor will I be extremely shocked if Jake convinces the coach to let him start the season. But I would be extremely shaken if Plummer finished the season as the starter, and I would not put money on the Snake taking the Bucs into the play-offs this season!

Quarterback Controversies

2007-05-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

Brett Favre has been in the news all week regarding stuff he said, stuff he retracted, blowing off mini-camp, deciding to go to mini-camp. Back & forth, back & forth…you’d think the guy was a Libra or something.

He is.

However, all these things are non-issues (and pretty much non-news). Favre will play for the Pack and, God-willing, finish out his career in Green Bay. Everyone has to vent now and then (one of the reasons for starting a blog), and things get blown out of proportion by the media when you are a high-profile athlete celebrity…especially during the off-season.

Libras get a bad rap for being wishy-washy at times. In the past, I have referred to them as the Big Waffles of the zodiac. These days, I have much more respect for the Scales and their capabilities. And I’m not just talking about their ability to carry on two sides of a conversation with no help from other people.

(fun party trick with your Libra friends: start arguing one side of an issue, and get them to play devil’s advocate, then switch to agreement with your Libra pal and watch them take apart their own point just to provide balance…hours of entertainment!)

No…I’m talking about their GREAT CREATIVE INTELLECT and their NEED FOR HARMONY.

These traits are what make Libra such stellar leaders. Libra is one of the four CARDINAL, leadership signs of the zodiac (along with Aries, Cancer, and Capricorn). These are the signs of the self-starter, the initiators of action. Of course, they all have a different motivation for their leadership:

- Aries has the need to experience new things, to blaze a path, to explore
- Cancer has the need to nurture the young, and protect the family/tribe
- Capricorn has the need to establish something of lasting value, a solid legacy

Libra’s need is to promote harmony and balance, and their great strength is their intellectual creativity. This is the sign of the diplomat, as “balance” is often achieved through effective communication and the ability to express ideas from multiple points of view, helping to build consensus (or at least compromise) from many disparate perspectives.

Hoo-boy! That’s a mouthful.

But Libra would probably call that a “fair” assessment. Team-building is the name of the game for Libra’s…they aren’t just the ultimate team player, they practically invented the idea of getting everyone involved and sharing the ball!

But doesn’t a leader need to sometimes make hard decisions, take a single stand and stick to it? Doesn’t a leader have to sometimes take the lone path in order to set an example for others?

Sure…and as with any sign, Libra has challenges that need to be met in order to reach its full potential. But the Libra that has grown and evolved knows (with that great intellect) that effective leadership requires a balance between consensus-building and independence. They need to cultivate both in themselves in order to have INNER harmony. When in doubt, Libras may err on the side of “trying to please everyone,” but with experience they find that real harmony sometimes requires a bit of disgruntlement in some folks.

Choices can be tough for Libras, though. Like: do I create harmony in my family (by showing up for a child’s school event) or do I create harmony in my workplace (by showing up for mini-camp). Sometimes, one choice is mutually exclusive of another and this can lead to a terrible agony in the Libra as the individual goes through profound mental gymnastics to try to justify the “right” decision. For example:

Do I let down my team or do I let down my family? (aaarggh!)
o If I fail to show up as a leader and example, it makes the team harder to harmonize.
o If I get special treatment, this can be perceived as being “un-fair” or un-balanced, disrupting team harmony.
o If I disrupt the harmony of my team, we won’t play to our full potential.
o If we don’t play to our full potential, it will disappoint the city and our fans.
o If people are upset, I will be upset.
o When I am upset, I cannot act in my fullest potential as a player, as a leader, or as a husband/father for my family.
o I don’t want to have a whole season of disrupting harmony in my family (caused by my own upset), so I should not let down my team.

So then the Libra picks team over family, still feels the dis-harmony from his home life, disrupting performance on the field and leading to future upsets!

I’m not saying this is how Mr. Favre’s particular thinking went (for all I know, financial/contractual obligations play a larger part of his inner “harmony-meter”). But I am attempting to illustrate how the Libra personality can suffer for its own “big brain” and “need for harmony,” and that it is this that sometimes leads to the “Waffle Effect” (putting off decisions in order to put off the agony).

The more experienced Libras have learned that:

- all choices made lead to consequences (good and bad)
- the sooner one makes a choice, the sooner one can deal with the consequences (attempting to create balance and harmony in the new situation)

Now I know I’ve previously posted that there is more to a person’s astrological inclinations than just their Sun sign; so why am I harping on about Libra this and that? Well (here’s a switcheroo, just for the Libras out there!), in general, the sign and placement of a person’s Sun is the most important part of his or her birth chart.

The Sun is the basic expression of a person’s ego and identity.

The Sun colors everything in the chart, adding extra dimension to every other inclination, tendency.

The Sun is the person most people get to know, once they get past the first impression/acquaintance stage of first meeting someone.

But aside from all that, Mr. Favre is a pretty big Libra. Although I can’t do a full chart for him (I don’t know his time of birth), I can say that in addition to the Sun, Brett has the Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, and Uranus all in the sign of Libra. Having 5 of 10 planets (including both luminaries) in Air signs and 6 of 10 in Cardinal signs, the “final signature” of Mr. Favre’s chart is indeed Libra.

Hmmm…the other thing I wanted to talk about was the Bucs, but I’ll save that for another post.

Damn You blogcarnival.com!

2007-05-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, it appears I misread the submission guidelines and the blogcarnival deadline was May 15th. So my whole Moon-theme post is out the window. Ah, well.

The next astrology carnival has the theme of Jupiter Square Uranus.

Um…did I mention Babe Zaharias’s Uranus in Capricorn is square her Jupiter (within six degrees)? Hmmm…appears I didn’t address it in the blog. Well, maybe next month.

Greatest All-Around Athlete of the 20th Century

2007-05-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

Originally, this was going to piece an analysis of Jim Thorpe, especially regarding Mars as it relates to his chart. However, I then got it into my head to submit a post to the astrology carnival on blogcarnival.com so I had to switch my subject from a Gemini to a Cancer (the theme this month was “the Moon”). Instead of looking at the greatest all-around male athlete, I’ll be discussing the greatest all-around female athlete.

Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias

We’ll just call her Babe Zaharias…it’s easier.

The Babe (so nicknamed after hitting five home runs in a single ball game) was, like Thorpe, both a multiple Olympic gold medalist in track and field and a professional athlete. She played both basketball and baseball and was reportedly excellent in tennis, diving, roller-skating, and bowling. However, her greatest mark was made as a professional golfer, a profession she dominated until her death at the young age of 45. She was the first female golfer to play in the men’s PGA (beginning in 1935), and the last woman to do so until Annika Sorenstam in 2003. At one point, she won 17 amateur titles in a row, a feat that has never been duplicated. By 1950 she had won every golf title available.

I managed to find a horoscope on-line for the Babe including both the time and place of birth. Unfortunately, it used the year 1914 as her birth year, and per the Babe’s baptismal certificate and tombstone, her actual year of birth was 1911…a fairly significant difference.

Mrs. Zaharias (her married name) was indeed a Sun-sign Cancer, and had the Moon in Cancer as well (conjunct the Sun within two degrees). That’s about as Cancer as they come. For the non-astrologers out there: Cancer, the sign of the Crab, is ruled by that other great luminary of the night sky: the Moon. Of the planets an astrologer reviews when analyzing a chart the Moon is on a pretty equal footing with the Sun…while the Sun represents the ego and identity of a person, the Moon represents “what lies beneath,” the subconscious and emotional life of a person. The Sun is the Father and Yang; the Moon is the Mother and Yin. Since the Babe’s Sun is in Cancer, the dispositor (the planet that governs, controls, and colors) is the Moon…and the Moon is in its own sign, Cancer. And it is conjunct the Sun. With this kind of lay-out we are looking at a person with a powerful ego-identity, linked and in synch with her subconscious-emotional identity. Pretty heady stuff considering that emotions are what we use to power pretty much everything we do…they're generally what gets us out of bed in the morning.

Add to this the fact that the Sun and Moon are both in the 10th house and the Sun is conjunct Pluto…well, this is an identity that is going to explode with volcanic force into the world and make a mark that everyone recognizes.

“Before I was in my teens I knew exactly what I wanted to be: I wanted to be the best athlete that ever lived.”
- Babe Zaharias

So here is a soul with a tendency or inclination towards greatness in the world (it doesn’t hurt that Jupiter in Scorpio trines her Sun and Moon…this just makes confidence...and obssessiveness!...come naturally). Now some of the non-astrologers reading this blog may be wondering what the Cancer-type personality is all about.

It’s the money, honey.

Well all right, that’s not literally true (though Cancer LaDainian Tomlinson’s recent refusal to appear on the new Madden NFL game was certainly attributed to the appearance fee and not to any “Madden Curse”). But Cancer IS about security. Cancer is the Mom of the zodiac, and Mom needs to be able to build a nice secure nest to raise and pamper (not spoil!) her children. Security is important for this, and money makes Cancers (and most folks) feel more secure.

Cancers are also sensitive, emotional creatures. There is a good reason for their sign being the Crab…they need a hard, cold shell to protect all that soft, sensitive meat inside them. Cancers are big softies, but they are easily hurt (emotionally speaking), so they protect themselves. Again security (“protection”) is important.

On the other hand, Cancer’s basic nature is not to cower and skulk…they are a cardinal leadership sign. This is the sign of the Matriarch (mom, again) and they motivate and assemble their “family members” through their high-powered emotional energy, generally willing and able to do what’s best and necessary for their “tribe.” I add the quotes to emphasize that Cancer’s protective aura doesn’t just extend to blood relations; Cancer will mother whomever she adopts into her community circle.

Babe Zaharias co-founded the LPGA.

So why the heck would she ever decide to make a lifetime out of athletic achievement? Why not just settle down as a “real” mom and raise a family? This is a woman that didn’t live to see the 1960’s, after all.

Certainly we can’t say for sure what motivated the Babe without actually discussing things with her. Being born in 1911, she would have lived through and probably remembered the Suffrage movement and women gaining the right to vote in 1920. Who can say what influence her own mother was for the young Mildred? I don’t have that information available to me.

I can say that her Mars was in the sign of Aries…the Babe was a born fighter. If she had been born earlier she may well have been a Suffragette herself; having seen the culmination of the movement, she instead applied her energies to other competitive arenas.

In addition, her Mars is trine to Venus in Leo. The placement of Venus represents a person’s essential needs…what they feel they need to do, and what they will feel compelled to do, either constructively or destructively. The Babe’s placement of Venus in Leo gives an inclination to express one’s own personal creativity, to shine like a star. For some folks this might appear as a need to seek attention or gratify their own ego, and it’s possible the Babe had a touch of this in her. Being in trine to her Mars means the two went hand-in-hand together…her competitive desires gave her a channel to express herself, and her way of expressing herself gave her an arena for her competitive desires. Couple that with her emotional attachment to being “the Greatest,” and what do you get?

“You know when there's a star, like in show business, the star has her name in lights on the marquee! Right? And the star gets the money because the people come to see the star, right? Well, I'm the star, and all of you are in the chorus.”
- Babe Zaharias

Mrs. Zaharias also had Uranus in the 5th house…the section of a horoscope that governs creative expression. Whatever her particular type of creative expression, it would be unique, disquieting, and explosive.

Okay, okay…lest I leave you with the impression that all one needs to succeed is having a big head, let me bring this one back to earth. The essential need to shine, the desire to compete, and emotional attachment to recognition and achievement (10th house Pluto) could all have been met more easily then by striving to become the world’s greatest athlete. Mildred could have landed a rich husband and competed with the other country club wives for who could throw the most outrageous or extravagant dinner parties, for example. She probably would have been quite good at it.

But the Babe had some heavy issues relating to exploring boundaries, especially those of her own inner resources (Saturn in Taurus in the 9th conjunct her North Node). Learning to discipline herself wouldn’t have been easy (Saturn square to that Leo Venus…a hard aspect and one that can suck the fun out of the glory). But it was necessary for her soul.

“The formula for success is simple: practice and concentration then more practice and more concentration.”
- Babe Zaharias

Her parents did emigrate from Norway to the U.S. and she may well have got some of the “adventurous-explorer” temperament from them. Again, it’s difficult to guess without having an actual sit down with Mrs. Zaharias.

Anyway, one last point as I wrap this up. The Babe came to golf late in life…not that 24 is too old to learn to golf (I’m over 30 and just swung my first club a couple years ago!). But this is a woman that had already made marks in track & field, basketball, and baseball...heck, she once pitched an exhibition game for the Cardinals! Why would she pick up a completely new sport, practice to the point of excellence, and then go pro?

It’s got to be the money, honey.

If she were in her prime today, she’d probably be in the WNBA. This is a woman who received All-American status in basketball, who is reported to have taken a job as a secretary just so she could play on an “industrial team” in competitions organized by the Amateur Athletic Union (this is at the age of 19, mind you, and she did type 86 words per minute before word processors). But there was no real pro basketball for women of the time; just the chance to earn chump change in the occasional exhibition.

And baseball? The short-lived All-American Girls Professional Baseball League wasn’t founded till 1943. By that time, the Babe was 32 and had already won her first Western Open in golf (1940); having just earned back her amateur status in 1942 and having already started making a name for herself in golf, there was no going backwards.

Golf gave the Babe a way to both achieve recognition and to earn the financial security so important to the Cancer personality. It is estimated she was receiving a six-figure income in her later years, including endorsements and appearance fees. When asked about the possibility of retiring in 1950, she said:

“As long as I am improving I will go on, and besides, there’s too much money in this business to quit.”

The more security a Cancer has, the more they feel the freedom to express themselves emotionally, and they do have so much to express. From articles written after her death, it appears that her attitude and demeanor changed greatly as she became the top player of the golf circuit, becoming considerably more relaxed and sociable, even with rivals, and she was actively encouraging to younger female golfers.

From wikipedia:
Charles McGrath of the New York Times wrote of Zaharias, "Except perhaps for Arnold Palmer, no golfer has ever been more beloved by the gallery."

Who doesn’t love a big mom?

Mars, Mars, Mars…All You Need Is Mars

2007-05-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

I know it’s been said before, but one more time:

There’s no such thing as a perfect sign for an athlete or pro-sports player.

There have been athletes born at all times of the year, with their Sun located in any of the twelve different signs. This is important to note, as some folks might read their own horoscope and say, ‘Hey, I’m supposed to be an accountant, not a ball player!’ Athletes have been members of every sign, and sign is no guarantee of sporting ability or even of a particular position. Let’s take a look at some of the greatest football running backs of the NFL:

Tony Dorsett (Aries)
Emmitt Smith (Taurus)
Jim Thorpe (Gemini)
Barry Sanders (Cancer)
Walter Payton (Leo, of course)
Shaun Alexander (Virgo)
Priest Holmes (Libra)
Bronko Nagurski (Scorpio)
Bo Jackson (Sagittarius)
Steve Van Buren (Capricorn)
Jim Brown (Aquarius)
Marshall Faulk (Pisces)

[I know there are plenty of other premier running backs…I was just trying to find one for each sign. For those that are curious Gale Sayers and Marion Motley are both Gemini, Eric Dickerson is a Virgo, both Terrell Davis and Larry Johnson are Scorpios, and LaDainian Tomlinson is a Cancer just like O.J. Simpson. Took me a while to find a Sagittarius, and I almost went with MY favorite fullback of all time, Mike Alstott, but I figured most folks outside of Florida wouldn’t give him credit as a “premier back”]

ANYWAY…you can find pro sport players of every sign in every position of every pro-sport. Just because a person is an Aries doesn’t make them a natural athlete, any more than being born a Leo makes a person a natural superstar (though Aries people may feel like warrior-athletes and Leo folks may feel like movie stars).

There are, however, some indications in a person’s horoscope that could be seen to symbolize athletic ability. The planet that would traditionally rule athletic endeavors would be MARS, the red-warrior planet, and traditional astrologers would look for a prominent Mars to indicate athletic achievement.

So what’s a “prominent Mars?” Well, that can vary from chart to chart and from astrologer to astrologer. Mars in a sign of its own rulership (Aries and Scorpio traditionally) or one conjunct one of the four angles of a chart (especially the Ascendant or Mid-heaven angles) would be considered fairly strong. Likewise, a heavily aspected Mars (that is, one that makes tight angles with other planets) or a Mars that is aspected by the Sun or some of the “heavy hitter” planets (Saturn, Uranus, Pluto) might also be considered prominent.

A French psychologist and statistician by the name of Michel Gauquelin (interesting side note: born November 13th, he shares both my birthday and my interest in psychology and statistics!) conducted some fairly interesting research with regard to astrology. Originally attempting to show that astrology had no basis in scientific fact, he found that professional athletes had a higher proportion of Mars located in what astrologers consider to be the 4th quadrant of the zodiac (that is houses 10, 11, and 12) and also the 9th house (the house immediately preceding the Mid-heaven and the 4th quadrant). He called this the “Mars Effect” and while it has been disputed and debated, it’s interesting to consider. Some astrologers thing of the 4th quadrant as a person’s “objective view of self;” that is, how they feel they show up in the world. It would only make sense that a person with Mars in the 4th quadrant considers themselves a type of competitor in the world (whether professionally or by identity).

Of course, Mars isn’t just the martial spirit in a person. These days it’s often interpreted as a person’s WILL…as in both willpower and desire. Mars is the planet that shows what “turns us on,” though not necessarily in a lusty way. It is what piques our interest and what gives us energy. It also describes how we get angry or frustrated (usually when our desires aren’t met) and also how we vent our anger and frustration. While a prominent Mars might show a professional athlete, it can also show a person with anger management issues.

You can call Mars the Testosterone Planet, I guess.

Now of course, I mean that figuratively speaking. Female athletes may have a prominent Mars even while they fail to have prominent testosterone. Let’s take a look at one.

Tennis champion Venus Williams has Mars in the 12th house. Certainly this falls into the area of Gauquelin’s “Mars Effect” but it’s not really conjunct the Ascendant (how we project ourselves into the world) nor even close to the 10th house (showing the role we play in society). Mars is in the sign of Virgo, which some astrologers might interpret to mean she’s an overly critical person…getting her kicks off nagging people or over-analyzing stuff. Her Sun sign is Gemini in the 9th…that’s a powerful, inquisitive intellect, and quite possibly a “talky” person. Is there anything here to indicate Venus would grow up to be the world’s #1 tennis player?

Sure.

Ms. Williams has her Mars conjunct Saturn…the heavy, foreboding planet of discipline and restraint. Having Saturn conjunct Mars is almost like putting Mars into Capricorn…this is a person with the natural ability to discipline and hone her willpower and desire. Virgo is also the sign of the blacksmith, the craftsman…the whole point of Virgo’s analyzing tendency is to REFINE itself, perfecting itself as the perfect tool of service. Saturn lends a hand here.

Because Mars is in Virgo, its dispositor (a fancy word for the planet that governs, controls, and colors it) is MERCURY, the planet of the mind, the hand, logic, and communication. And Ms. Williams has the planet Mercury located in the 10th house almost conjunct to the Mid-heaven. The Mid-Heaven is the angle that shows the highest point of the sky on the day we were born…the place where the Sun will reach “High Noon,” so to speak. It shows our highest aspiration and how we hope to eventually show up in society. The 10th house in fact shows where we do show up in society, consciously or not. Having the dispositor of Mars in the 10th house can be an indication that her disciplined willpower and drive is something for which Ms. Williams will be known and recognized.

As an aside: Mercury is also the dispositor of Venus’s Sun. This can certainly indicate some public recognition, as the Sun represents a person’s most basic identity.

As far as aspects go, Mars is conjunct Saturn (already mentioned), approaching near sextile with both Mercury and the Mid-heaven, and likewise approaching near sextile with the explosive planet Uranus. Sextile aspects are within 60 degrees of each other and they excite and give energy to the planet in aspect. Mars thus excites and gives energy to its own dispositor (Mercury) feeding it a good supply of energy. Likewise Uranus (the planet that rules lightning and electricity) feeds energy and excitement to Mars. Good thing Saturn’s sitting on Mars; it helps channel all that energy into something constructive!

Basically, Ms. Williams is an incredibly powerful, intelligent, and driven individual. She is also exceptionally independent, even though she can show up as a social person and harmonizer (i.e. promoting teamwork and cooperation). She can easily leave others behind simply because of her own intensity and discipline…but since this is an astrology-sports blog, we won’t get into her personal life here.

Next Up: A Mars Analysis of Jim Thorpe

Rabid Mariners Fan? Not Yet!

2007-05-15T23:59:00.000-07:00

Well, we grabbed a reuben tonight from the 74th Street Ale House in Seattle, and had the pleasure of watching the Seattle Mariners spank the Angels 11-3. Tasty food and fun, fun, fun.

A couple things I should explain as a lifelong resident of Seattle, only slightly older than both the Seahawks and the Mariners:

Seattle enjoys its sports, but for most folks sports aren’t the “be all and end all” of the world. I mean, there’s just a lot going on out here in the Pacific Northwest besides pro sports. There are sports fans, though few I’d qualify as the truly “rabid” type seen in other cities.

Now the Mariners are an interesting outfit. Forget the changes in ownership, stadium and player controversies, and up and down seasons. Here’s the skinny: for most of their existence, the Mariners haven’t been worth squat.

I met my first “lifelong Mariners fan” when I was in college (circa 1993) and I’ll tell you, I was pretty blown away. First thing you have to understand is that this a team that didn’t register its first winning record till 1991...that’s about 20 years of less than .500 seasons. Pretty tough to get excited about a team like that.

Sure, as a child I had the plastic blue M’s helmet and my family would go to a ball game or two every season (in the King Dome no less). Heck, my dad was even a baseball player himself (well, softball at least) when I was growing up. And both my brother and I did the Little League thing.

But there are extremely few Seattleites (at least those living here since the 1970’s) that would profess to have much faith in the Mariners. That’s not really what they’re here for.

Some folks (especially recent transplants to Seattle) may disagree with me on this, but I can speak from a bit of authority on this one: at least in Seattle, baseball is a pastime. Not truly a competitive sport, and certainly not much to get worked up about.

Safeco Field is a beautiful stadium, and a damn sight better than the old King Dome. I’ve seen both soccer matches and Mariners games in it, and I can tell you there are few places I’d rather hang out on a sunny day with a group of friends drinking beer and eating hot dogs. We chew the fat, we yell at the refs and players, we belt out the National Anthem and Take Me Out when the 7th inning stretch rolls around. We laugh and recline in the gorgeous Seattle weather (July through August is the warmest, beautiful time of year one could ask for). But are we counting on a Mariners win? Not hardly.

So it’s always fun to watch our players play well. Ichiro is a phenomenon and will probably end up with a street named after him, just like Edgar Martinez, should he finish out his career in Seattle. Young Felix was a little shaky tonight coming off his injury, but he’s still shaping up into a heck of an Ace. And of course, it’s fun to hum along with Raul Ibanez every time he takes the plate.

But take the Mariners seriously? With all the funny and gimmicky TV commercials they do? And with the way they’ve collapsed over and over again as the season continues?

Last season, they ended with the same record as the Oakland A’s...except the Mariners lost every game they played against the A’s and the A’s won. That’s ridiculous. Even a split would have put them both square in the middle of the pack. Instead, the mediocre Athletics went on to get whipped in the post season.

When Piniella skippered the M’s, we had a fairly competitive team...but Piniella has long since gotten out of Dodge so to speak, and the M’s despite their heavy talent, have failed to pull it together. The team has simply not had the same composure since Piniella left in 2002.

But all this is the ranting of your average Seattle sports fan...let’s talk astrology.

Sports teams, just like people, have horoscopes...birth charts that is...based on the date and time they were established. Even cities an countries do; most astrologers concede the United States of America to be a Cancer with a Gemini Ascendant based on the date and signing of the Declaration of Independence, for example.

However, determining the “birth date” of a professional sports organization is a tricky think. Is it the date that the franchise is awarded to a city by a league commissioner? Or the date and place of the team’s first game (regular or pre-season)?

I prefer to consider the date and time that a team’s name is chosen. Until a team is named, it is simply an abstract concept...kind of like an unborn child waiting to draw breath. You know the potential is there, but it’s not until you choose a name that you can begin getting a sense of the thing’s potentiatlity.

An example: according to wikipedia, the Seattle Seahawks’ name was announced on June 17, 1975. I was consider this to be the proper date of birth for the Seahawks team, when the team was first presented to the fans and citizens of the city that birthed it. ‘Course I don’t know the time of the team’s announcement, so it’s pretty difficult for me to rectify the team’s Ascendant sign, but I can see that while being a Gemini sign, the Seahawks final signature (for the location of its planets) is Cardinal Air...what might otherwise be called “Libra.” The Seahawks, as I will be addressing in depth later, is a team that relies on harmony more than anything else...the team needs to get along and function as a team. More than some teams in the NFL, the Seahawks don’t do especially well with grandstanders or superstars. But again, I digress.

Tonight, we are talking about the Seattle Mariners, and unfortunately, I have no idea what date the team’s name was announced, let alone what time. Lots of on-line articles have the date of the M’s first game, but that’s not really what I want, and I’ll probably have to do some research at the local library to figure out the Mariner’s proper “date of birth.”

Still, I can definitely tell the date of birth for the city of SEATTLE, which might go a little way to explaining our relationship to pro-sports (and everything else, actually):

November 13, 1851

The founding of the city is generally dated to the date of arrival of the Denny party on Alki Point (there is even a landmark in Alki showing where the party landed and stating the date of the city’s foundation).

This makes the city of Seattle a SCORPIO. As such, the folks here have a tendency to be a little closed/distrustful of new experiences, including sports teams, until they’ve proven themselves...so to speak. A true Scorpio pitfall; we resist being transformed into something new (though possibly exciting) until it actually happens. Then, of course, we can’t get enough of it. This includes being transformed into sports fans. This can be seen fairly easily with the city’s relationship to the Seahawks (more on this in a later post), but it may be a bit tougher to discern with the M’s.

See, the M’s haven’t really proven themselves yet. Oh, they came close to converting folks to True Believers in 1995, but they failed to follow-up the next year. Or the year after. Or the year after that By the time 2001 came around we were just happy to have a little (Scorpionic) revenge at the expense of Alex Rodriguez, but the disappointment wasn’t nearly as great. As the saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you...” but Scorpios don’t get fooled a second time if they can help it.

So for many of us long-time residents of the city, the Mariners simply take the role of a pleasant Spring-Summer pastime...lazing around a luxurious ballpark while watching an athletic ballet un-fold is about all we can expect out of the M’s. And that’s just fine. It’s nice to see they’re over .500 this year, and it’s immense fun to watch them kick ass on the Yankees or the Angels or the Athletics...all those teams that seem to come back and bite us in September. But Scorpios can be shy and skeptical, and it’s going to take a lot more proving by the M’s to make some of us into believers, let alone “rabid fans.”

Then again, maybe I’m only speaking of myself. Coincidentally, I happen to share the same November 13th birthday as the city in which I live.

Some Things You Should Know About Astrology

2007-05-14T21:27:00.000-07:00

So my last post was supposed to be one of those “pillar articles” that every good blog is supposed to have if it intends to entice a healthy readership to it. But as this is my first blog, I’m still a bit new to this whole idea, and as such I admit I may have fallen a little short. So this post is intended to pick up where the last one left off and specifically address astrology.

As stated previously, most people in the U.S.A. can tell you what “SIGN” they are, astrologically speaking. Fewer people can tell you what the hell a sign actually is.

When a person says “I am a LEO” or “My sign is CAPRICORN” they are saying that the SUN was in this particular constellation at the time of their birth. There are twelve such constellations, or “signs,” used in Western astrology (this is the astrology that comes from the ancient Egyptians by way of Greece). In order, they are:

ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITARRIUS
CAPRICORN
ACQUARIUS
PISCES

Now, when a person wants to find out what “sign” they are, they look at a picture of the sky on their day of birth. This is particular type of horoscope called a NATAL CHART (“natal” just means “birth”). The sun appears to travel around the twelve “Signs of the Zodiac” throughout the year, lingering in each sign for about 30 days, and each sign is about a month long.

When looking at a natal chart, an astrologer looks at the placement of the SUN as the main indication of a person’s tendencies. However, the MOON and the other planets of the solar system are also examined to determine tendencies in various areas of a person’s personality.

That means that in addition to having a “Sun Sign,” you also have a “Moon Sign,” a “Mars Sign,” a “Saturn Sign,” etc. Pretty far out, huh?

A lot of people blow off astrology for one or more of the following reasons:

1) they don’t know anything about it (they’ve never heard/read about it, in other words)
2) their horoscope in the newspaper is never, or very rarely accurate
3) they say that “any of the signs could apply to them,” not just one sign
4) they say that they are nothing like the description of their sign
5) astrology isn’t “scientific” enough for them

Ignorance is, of course, excusable...a person always has a chance to learn something new in their lives, and the fact that they don’t know anything about astrology or are ill-informed is fine and dandy. I am ignorant of the rules for lacrosse, even though there was a lacrosse team in my high school but that doesn’t mean I’m not still a nice person.

As far as reasons #3 and #4 it’s quite possible that certain parts of a “sign” don’t fit a person because of other planets in a person’s chart...also, that more than one sign first the person for the same reason. A person with Mars conjunct Jupiter conjunct the Ascendant in Aries in the 1st house will generally NOT be a quiet, restrained person, even if they have a Cancer or Capricorn Sun sign. They may even say they see much more of the Aries or Sagittarius (or Gemini “talky”) personality in themselves...especially if they have a Mercury in Sagittarius (for the Capricorn) or Leo (for the Cancer). Throw Venus on top of Mercury and you have a pretty extroverted socialite. But the Cancer or Capricorn Sun will still color their motivations for their behavior.

As far as the newspaper goes...well, I never bother reading the newspaper horoscopes. And not because I “do my own” or something. First off, I use astrology to predict overall tendencies, areas to focus, areas to “work on,” etc. I’m not attempting to predict the future for myself or others. Secondly (and most importantly), newspaper horoscopes are based on only one thing: a person’s Sun Sign. Now the sign of a person’s Sun IS very important in the description of a person’s personality...it colors everything about a person. However, the newspaper horoscope does not take into account the other planets in the chart. Thirdly, when casting a horoscope for predictive purposes, an astrologer is looking at how the planets in the sky interact with a person’s chart within a handful of degrees of a 360 degree circle. Since the newspaper astrologer doesn’t know a person’s exact sun sign degree (they can’t know unless they have the exact time, date, and place of birth) the predictions aren’t going to be accurate more than 16% of the time (using a three degree range)...and again, this fails to take into account anything else in a person’s natal chart.

Finally, reading a newspaper prediction, or even getting a computer-generated reading is not the same as actually consulting with an astrologer...it leaves the Art aspect out of the art and science of astrology, completely disregarding YOU...your past and present life circumstances. Free will, remember?

So anyway...we’ve got twelve Signs representing basic archetypes of human personality. ALL TWELVE SIGNS ARE PRESENT in every person, but different signs are emphasized. We have a total of 8 planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, PLUTO), two “luminaries” (Sun and Moon), and a few scattered comets and asteroids, all of which mean something ALL OF WHICH ARE PRESENT in every person’s chart. We divide the chart into twelve houses, each representing a different arena of life and corresponding in large part to the twelve signs of the zodiac.

You take all those components and mix ‘em up based on the time you were born and they tell us about a person’s tendencies. Not what they do, necessarily, but what they’re prone to doing...like the way a person raised eating junk food or watching a lot of TV may be prone to doing the same later in life.

OKAY, GREAT...so that is the basic overview of astrology for those non-astrologers interested in this blog. Comments and questions are appreciated, as they’ll give me a way to sort thing out in my own mind.

OH...and before anyone asks: there doesn’t seem to be any particular SUN SIGN that correlates with a career in professional sports. Pro-sports players can (and have had) the Sun located in all 12 signs of the zodiac in every sport, so far as I have found. Strange, though that there DO appear to be prevalence based on team/sport/region. For example, I was checking the astrology of team’s in the 2006 World Cup and I found some very interesting trends...where one team had many of one particular sign and few of a different sign, for example (perhaps I’ll talk more about the ’06 Cup later, and about team chemistry in a later blog installment. Stay tuned, soccer fans!).

Why Astrology And Sports

2007-05-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

I realize I may have left some folks out in the dark regarding the whole astrology aspect of this blog. In other words, it may be time to give a brief introduction to what astrology is all about, for those non-astrologers reading the ol’ Astro-Blog.

I read somewhere recently (wish I could remember where, so that I could cite the source) that showed while a large percentage of folks could tell you what their birth sign is, a relatively small percentage actually believed in astrology. Actually, I think it was an astronomy web site disputing astrology and (in part) Gauquelin’s “Mars Effect.”

Anyhoo, astrology (which has been around a bit longer than astronomy) is the study of the effects of “the heavens” (that is to say, the placement of planets and certain stars within the constellations we see in the night’s sky). It is both an art and a science...the science part has to do with the calculations and pre-determined definitions and rulerships, the art comes from the interpretation of those things as a whole.

In ancient times, interpretations were often much more literal, using empirical interpretations, attempting to codify astrology as more science than art. However, whenever dealing with human beings in possession of free will, one has to allow some leeway and modification to take place; without that leeway, you’re likely to miss the boat with your interpretation.

These days (and for me personally), astrology is great ant predicting tendencies in behavior...just as a person born Jewish has different predilections from a person born Irish-Catholic, or as a person raised on a farm in China has different tastes from a person growing up in a Chicago project. Astrology is great at showing tendencies, strengths, and challenges in a person’s temperament and psyche...but how a person uses those is greatly a matter of free will and personal evolution.

Pop psychology, I guess you could call it...or new age psycho-analysis. Whatever, I find it to be an excellent tool for personal understanding and self-growth, and pretty useful at understanding the hows and whys of others...though of course you can get a feel for someone by learning they are a loving parent, workaholic, or perpetual bachelor, too. The nice thing about studying astrology is that it can give you clues to understanding how to go about meeting those challenges in yourself and helping you find your own strengths.

‘Know thyself,’ said Socrates...wise words for everyone. Astrology is one more way to help know yourself.

SO GREAT...what does astrology have to do with sports.

Honestly, I don’t know...quite possibly it doesn’t mean much at all. While some folks might use it to predict wins and losses (just as financial astrologers use it predict stock market trends), my purpose in analyzing sports, teams, and players is to simply refine my understanding of astrology. Plus it’s fun, like doing a sudoku or crossword puzzle!

Is it a waste of time?

Well, maybe. It’s as much a waste of time as watching sports and blogging in general.

But watching sports can be an interesting diversion, a bonding experience with family and friends, and an exploration of “civic pride.” And writing blogs can be a good writing exercise, especially when paying attention to one’s syntax, spelling, and thematic structure.

I guess...maybe those are just half-hearted attempts at justifying an obvious waste of time, when I could be setting out to make the world a better place!

Again, speaking from my own personal experience, I’ve found the study of astrology to have improved my life; it’s made me more self-aware, and more understanding of the quirks and foibles of others. This is a good thing. If I can turn others onto astrology and help them along their own path of self-actualization, then I will have accomplished “a good thing” and made the world a slightly better place in my own way.

And while lots of folks may not be “believers” in astrology right now, there are tons of folks that do follow pro-sports...so I guess my Astro-Sports blog is a way to make the whole astrology thing palatable to folks who might not otherwise be interested.

Of course, it’s only useful to folks who want to follow a blog that intends to move all about the sports stratosphere. Do people really read blogs about sports? I guess I follow a couple on espn.com...at least I did last year when I played “fantasy football” for the first time!

Anyway: I’m going to write this thing for as long as I can stomach it. If folks want to ask questions relating to astrology and sports, I am happy to do my best to answer. I welcome comments and questions on ANY of my postings.

And again, thank you for reading.

The Most Dominant Athlete of the 20th Century IS...

2007-05-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

Had a debate with my buddy JB the other day (okay, okay…his name is “Jon,” thank you very much) about who was the most dominant pro athlete of his particular sport. Now honestly, this is about the silliest conversation to have for several reasons:

a) Comparing one athlete to another in two different sports is the original “apples to oranges” hypothesis. There’s no translation of baseline stats between sports (RBI versus TD Passes?!).
b) “Favorite sports” lend too much bias (I like football, Jon’s a hoopster).
c) “Favorite teams” lend too much bias (I’m from Seattle, Jon’s originally from the Midwest).
d) Similar to Reason A, you can’t compare two players of the same sport if they play different positions…say a goalie versus a mid-fielder versus a forward in soccer. This is the unstoppable force versus the immovable object.
e) Even considering players of similar or the same position in the same sport is ridiculous, because we’re talking TEAM SPORTS here. Who can say that a particular star player would have done as well with a different supporting cast? Would Emmitt Smith have had the same success without Aikman and Irvin on offense? How about without Daryl “Moose” Johnston blocking for him?

However, we were feeling feisty and testosterous (I don’t remember if beer was involved, but quite possibly) and things got ugly…basically arguing between Joe Montana and Michael Jordan.

Like I said…a seriously silly conversation.

Anyhoo, while I have decided that it is crazy to do so, I still think it’s an interesting conversation comparing “great ones” to each other and discussing the how and why and reason for calling a player The Best or the most dominant of their particular profession. Intellectually stimulating, so to speak.

And after reviewing Jordan’s stats on wikipedia, I can totally see the domination of Mr. Jordan in his basketball profession. Interesting, though, that he is named only the #2 Greatest Athlete of the 20th Century by the Associated Press…#1 went to Babe Ruth, and really, whose going to argue that?

Well…perhaps a certain hockey player by the name of Wayne Gretzky.

See…a crazy, silly thing to argue over. Definitely not worth getting too riled up. But stimulating discussion all the same. Especially interesting to compare the astrological signs of these folks:

Michael Jordan – Aquarius (February 17)
Babe Ruth – Aquarius (February 2)
Wayne Gretzky – Aquarius (January 26)

Joe Montana is a Gemini…though George Seifert was an Aquarius (all right, all right…that is really immaterial!).

Why is Aquarian such a hot sign for stand-out players (just looking at the Big 3 listed above)? I have often referred to Aquarius as the “flakey crust” of the Zodiac…a very, very over-simplification and gross exaggeration of Aquarians’ foibles, I admit.

First off, Aquarius is the genius of the signs…and by genius I’m referring to the crazy mad scientist type genius, like Aquarian Thomas Edison. Actually, much more like Nikola Tesla, but we’ll forgo that comparison since Tesla was a Cancer. GENIUS (as I was saying) in they draw inspiration directly from out of nowhere, like lightning out of a clear sky…the figurative “bolt from the blue” that makes one shout “Eureka!” They are innovators, drawing knowledge from a variety of eclectic sources and organizing it into a new, authentic expression.

“Authentic” is a useful word to describe the Aquarius…they often show up as eccentric or unique individuals because of their basic drive to be authentic that colors everything they do. Sometimes, this desire for authenticity can alienate them from others…they fail to connect with others, being so detached.

But especially in today’s world of pro sports, detachment isn’t too bad a thing. Constant scrutiny by fans and the media can drive some players to the point of distraction. The detached Aquarius has the ability to rise above their own ego, to get out of the way of themselves…a useful trick when threatened with the media circus surrounding championship events.

Of course, out “great ones” have to have other factors in their horoscopes that keep them focused on the goal…otherwise they run the danger of becoming too detached…i.e. the “flaky pastry” I mentioned earlier. Still, I wonder if the Great Bambino was shaken much emotionally by his trade to the Yankees…it certainly didn’t stop him from collecting championships.

Finally, Aquarians are organizing, fixed signs. They may very well have their own method of organizing things (eccentric and authentic, remember?), but part of what allows them to express genius is their ability to organize their ducks in a row…to get those positive and negative ions lined up such that they can experience the lightning bolt. They make it look so easy. Their “weirdness” simply pays dividends. Certainly, some of Gretzky’s school chums may have thought him peculiar for the amount he practiced, but he may have been “detached” enough that it didn’t phase him too much. And the results certainly speak for themselves.

One other thing about the fixed signs (like Aquarius, Leo, and Scorpio) is their ability to step into a leadership role, precisely because of their organizing ability. While Leo is like a sun around which planets rotate, and Scorpio controls everything through sheer force of will, Aquarians bring order out of chaos…an especially useful ability in the professional arena of team sport. So many high-paid, alpha mentalities and conflicting egos…who better to organize these sometimes motley crews into championship teams? The guy who’s out there being his authentic self, displaying genius, and staying detached and above the fray, that’s who.

Jordan, Gretzky, and Ruth…certainly they showed some explosive Aquarius power in their fields of play. They’ve also showed their eccentricities. Too bad I can’t throw Montana in there with ‘em…or can I? You know what? He’s not ALL Gemini.

According to astrolmass.com, Montana was born at 3:25pm in New Eagle, PA. He doesn’t have a single planet in Aquarius…heck, he doesn’t even have Mars in the 1st or 10th houses (it’s in Pisces in the 5th).

But Mr. Montana does have Uranus (ruler of Aquarius) conjunct his Moon (being within one degree). This is the equivalent of saying Joe has an Aquarian Moon, someone who is able to authentically and detachedly express himself emotionally (among other things). Uranus is nearly conjunct with his Midheaven (the highest point in his chart), coloring his aspirations and his role in society with Aquarian values as well (if only the need to break out of the mold and be a unique authentic individual…like a small, wiry QB in the NFL or something).

Mr. Montana also has both Jupiter and Pluto in the 11th house, the traditional house of Aquarius. They are also conjunct within 1 degree, giving volcanic, transformative power to Joe’s “lucky planet,” the place where he feels most confident and expansive. Joe’s lucky Jupiter is in Leo in the 11th…basically, whenever he has a chance to express himself in the limelight, especially in an Aquarian fashion, he’s going to excel. For example, in a World Championship game or something…though only when he can act cool and detached, organizing chaos, etc. He may show some Aquarian genius in these types of situation…or he might turn into a big flake, who knows?

Anyway, that’s enough for now; I better give my “overly expansive planet” (Jupiter in Aquarius) a rest! Ha!

This is Weaver's 2nd Game since the Royals?!

2007-05-10T22:48:00.000-07:00

So did I mention I’ve been in Hawaii the last 10 days?

All right, all right…I feel like a serious heel. Weaver already pitched (Saturday) and seems to have done a fine job against the Yankees…well, before giving up 5 runs in the 5th. Still, the M’s played him on the road and played him for five innings again today, which is pretty much what I hoped for.

I was talking with my local bartender this afternoon (an ex-pitcher and baseball fan) and he also excuses the recent ineptitude of Weaver; however, not based on any astrological reasons. He chalks it up to strike zone differences between the NL and AL, and says it generally takes a year for a pitcher to adapt to the new league. So why’d we offer Weaver a one year contract for $8+ million?

I guess that’s why I’m an astrologer and not a GM.

Regardless, Weaver is not in for smooth sailing. Uranus is pretty much in direct opposition to Jeff’s Venus, and Pluto is square to Mars and quite possibly Mercury. This is a time of testing for Mr. Weaver. Not only does he need to make sure he continues to be authentic (including accepting what responsibility is his for his pitching problems) he also needs to use the lessons of this time to transform his own abilities. Quitting is not going to stop the transformative process…it’ll just transfer the same struggle to a different arena.

I wish him the best of luck!

(oh, yeah…and in the future I’ll make sure to do a bit more research before blogging off the top of my head)

Jeff "The Weave" Weaver

2007-05-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

And here I thought I was going to run out of blog-worthy topics…

A couple weeks ago, my friend JB (yes, we share the same initials) and I were sitting at the Wing Master watching the most disgusting sports display since…well, since the Seahawks home loss to the 49ers last year (the first home game I have ever left early, it was that gross). I am speaking of course of Jeff Weaver’s last outing for the Seattle Mariners in which “the Weave” was hammered for six runs before he could get the 2nd out of the 1st inning.

My God, it was terrible to behold.

So, after recovering from the shock and horror of it all (and the media coverage, gotta’ have that), I later had some time to think about the whole Weave situation. I called JB up on the phone (this is about 8 or 9pm, May 1st) and said: the M’s need to play Weaver again. They need to START him again. And they should commit to having him pitch at least 5 innings, no matter how bad it gets. ALSO, they need to do it on the road, not in Seattle.

JB (the other JB) did not share my sentiments.

Here’s what the hell I’m thinking:

First off, Weaver still has some pride…otherwise he wouldn’t be playing in the ML. Really, nobody at this level is that bad…he’s just hit a bad slide. However, I am not saying “play him ‘cause he’s due.” He may get shellacked again.

But here’s the second thing…whether you give up six runs or 15, you’re going to lose. FINE. It’s not like you don’t have a hundred more games in the season. This isn’t the NFL where one loss can finish your season (ah…the NFL).

Weaver needs a chance to “pitch through” his slump…at least get to the point where he can throw a decent five or six innings and keep us in the game. He doesn’t need to be an ace (despite the ridiculous salary)…he needs to be competent professional starting pitcher. That’s it. The Mariners are showing this year that they can win with a little competence despite the dearth of heavy hitters. Just beating the A’s a couple times is a marked improvement over last season.

So astrologically, how does Weaver stand?

That’s a toughie. Mr. Weaver’s birthday is August 22nd, what some might call “on the cusp” between Leo and Virgo. This of course is bunk…in astrology you are either one sign or another. Unfortunately, without knowing his exact time of birth, we can’t say for sure which sign his Sun is in, nor his Moon (it traveled between Cancer and Leo) the day he was born.

What we do know is that he may have a lot of both in Leo and Virgo in him. Certainly, his Mercury, Venus, and Mars are all in Virgo and his Saturn is in Leo. Chances are that if his Sun is in Virgo, his Moon will be in Leo. And while we don’t know his Ascendant (that would require the time of birth), he certainly shows up with a golden, leonine mane framing his face. If Gauquelin’s “Mars Effect” holds accurate, Jeff’s Mars may very well be in the 1st house (as a pro sports player), giving him a good chance at a Leo rising sign.

So what does that mean to have so much Leo and Virgo in you?

Well for one thing, it makes you pretty darn self-critical. Leo wants to look good (and doesn’t want to look bad) and Virgo wants to analyze (translation: criticize) everything, including himself. This is an intelligent, deep individual with a flair for the dramatic…and one who’s more likely to puncture his own ego before someone else gets the chance to do it for him.

The M’s need to show a little faith in the Weave, because he himself may be on the verge of losing complete faith in himself. Leo wants to be the best at something…we (Seattle) do not want Weaver to be the best, biggest joke in the Major Leagues! We don’t want him to be the best at pointing out his own flaws, self-sabotaging and self-destructing!

We’d much prefer Weaver to be the biggest comeback of the season…as he was last year in winning the final Series game for the Cards. The Virgo mind can be likened to a forge…it is the sign of the blacksmith, the craftsman, who refines himself first and foremost. This is the reason for the critiquing and analyzing. Their major pitfall is getting TOO wrapped up in the details (analyzing for the sake of analysis). At some point they need to take that leap of faith that leads them to “perfect enough for right now.”

The M’s can help Weaver make this leap by putting their faith in him. Give him the chance to pitch through the BS going on in his own mind. He’s not washed up yet. But he needs a chance to find his groove again…to get back to being a decent, competent, professional starter. In other words, “perfect enough for right now.”

Today’s game against the Tigers is a great arena for it. If he was playing in Seattle, he’d have to deal with an unruly crowd, devastating for the Leo’s ego and simply fueling the criticizing fire of Virgo’s forge. However, Detroit is the team against which he had his greatest glory (Game 5 of last year’s World Series), and his mind knows this is someone he can beat.

Hopefully, the M’s will see it my way.

Drafts & Changes - Analysis

2007-05-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

I acknowledge that my analysis of team is skewed by a lot of personal biases…I'm a life-long Seahawks fan, I appreciate team play more than star players, I don't watch college ball, I'm an avid student of astrology. So, yeah…I admit my reference points are a little wacky compared to the usual sports analysts. However, they work for me, and just wanted to share my perspective:

Hope springs eternal with every draft…hell, with every off-season acquisition of any type. Especially with the strong intellect/experience/influence of Holmgren, the last several off-seasons have been far less frustrating than during the Flores/Erickson era. While not all changes are to be applauded (e.g. paying a ton for Burleson as a reaction to the Hutch defection) more often then not, we've gotten some pretty good guys as of late. Even better, there have been far fewer "duds" than in previous years.

Still, even with all the potential in the world, rookies are still rookies until they grow up in the NFL. But just looking at their "potentiality" (this is a word!), we can see some exciting things from an astrological perspective:

#1 Draft Pick: Josh Wilson (Pisces) CB…pretty darn good pick. Pisces is all about the feet, swimming through confusion, and being plugged into the cosmos. If the fish is mature and disciplined (as the scouting report seems to indicate for young Mr. Wilson), then he should be great at "sensing" where the pass is going, and making the necessary play. The undisciplined Pisces can have problems with substance abuse and confidence issues, but the Seahawks "character assessment staff" should have already checked the kid off in this regard (he was on their "hot list," after all). As a bonus, Pisces excellently compliments Capricorns (like Marcus Trufant).

DE Patrick Kearney (Capricorn, replacement for Wistrom). Grant Wistrom was a Cancer, the "mother hen," and de facto leader of the D Line. Capricorn is the father figure, the serious and methodical rock on which the line can be built. As an earth sign he helps strengthen and deepen the line by bookending Taurus Bryce Fisher (another practical "down-to-earth") individual. Capricorn is also a cardinal "leadership" sign, that may possibly butt heads with Darby (Libra) or, more likely Rocky Bernard (Aries). Still, with Rocky doing his best to stand out as a lead tackler (Aries-Ram mindset), and Chuck trying to make sure everyone gets along (Libra-Mediator), they may simply allow the new guy to take over where Wistrom left off. Marcus Tubbs (Virgo, earth sign) should get along famously if he can stay healthy. And by “get along,” I mean "work as a coordinated team." As a side note: DT Brandon Mebane (2nd draft pick) is also a Capricorn; he'll be a "leader in training." DE Baraka Atkins (Libra, 3 rd draft pick) will end up being a switch-hitter (from either end of the line) once he finally accepts that he's only playing defense (note the typical Libra quote about, "well, I can play offense and defense;" it's going to be one or the other, dude!).

TE Marcus Pollard (Aquarius, replacing the troubled Jeramy Stevens). Aquarius is the opposite sign from Scorpio (Stevens's sign), and the attitude change should be noted immediately. Whereas Scorpios take everything super-personally at a deep emotional level, Aquarians are detached from both their own feelings and the feelings of others…Pollard should be able to do his job without being affected by the crowd/media. In the 'Hawks pasing offense, the ability of the TE to relate to the QB is especially important and Aquarius trines perfectly with Libra (fellow air sign) Hasselbeck. Both are intellectuals, and should be able to hook up on the cerebral level. Side note: notice they dropped Mili and kept Heller as #2 TE? More on this in a later post.

WR Taylor (Aries) and WR Kent (Leo). Sticking with the same theme (being on the same page with the QB), the two new WR may not have an immediate impact. Kent (Leo) meshes well with Libra Hasselbeck, but it will depend on how well/fast the Leo can leave his ego behind. Leos do best when they are “looking good,” and if they start looking bad they may sabotage themselves (e.g. drop passes) so that they can hide from sight…i.e. ride the pine. Aries is the opposite sign from Libra. While Libra likes to spread the ball around ("give everyone a chance to play") even the most cooperative Aries wants to play the courageous hero, charging down the field for a TD. Good news: both are likely to do good things once the ball gets into their hands. Better news: we have more WRs on the team. Branch (Cancer), Hackett (Cancer), and Engram (Capricorn) are going to do their best not to "let the family down" (by dropping passes for example). Burleson (Leo) ran into the ego problem I mentioned before…he found himself having a hard time looking good as a WR, but looked real good as a KR, and both the good and bad got emphasized. We'll see how he does now that we're looking at giving the new recruits more KR duty.

LB Will Herring (Virgo, 5th draft choice). This is an exciting pick, as our linebacking squad is shaping up to be monstrously good. Virgo is exceptionally complimentary to Scorpio's leadership (Lofa Tatupu = Scorpio, Leroy Hill = Virgo). If they can get his strength up to par, the odd man out may be Peterson (Leo). However, Peterson is the "star linebacker" on the team (outside of Seattle, his name is better known than Lofa's) and he's unlikely to be displaced by a rookie this year. Still, Herring should provide good coordination if Hill goes down with injuries this year.

And now to the scariest part of (Seattle’s) game: the O-Line.

We've got several different astrological issues to look at: coordination of tackle/guard combo, coordination of RB/line combo, coordination of C/QB combo.

Centers include Chris Spencer (Aries), Pat Ross (Pisces), and Austin King (Aries)…none are great with QB Libra, but I'd take either Aries over the Fish. Why? Because the Center has to work fairly independently from the rest of the line…hike the ball, stand up, and butt with those ram horns. While less-than-optimal at going more than 1-on-1 with someone, the Aries thrives in the head-to-head match-up…just hope they don't jump the gun!

Right now, the depth chart pairs Rob Sims (Sagittarius) with Walter Jones (Capricorn); this ain't much of a combo. Jones will be able to teach Sims something (which isn't saying much…Jones could probably teach every lineman in the NFL a thing or two), but Sag and Capricorn don't work nearly as well as a team like say Scorpio (Steve Hutch) and Capricorn. Pork Chop Womack is a Scorp and does play Guard…when he's not injured. He's 28 years old, dammit! Get those legs in shape!

Alexander (Virgo) and Mack Strong (Virgo) work great with Capricorns (duh) and Scorpios (double-duh)…they are often in conflict/frustrated with Sagittarius. Crap.

On the other side we have the venerable Chris Gray and Sean Locklear (both Gemini). Intellectuals and air signs, they are great and coordinating with each other and with our Libra QB…however, they are as frustrating for our RBs as if they were both Sagittarians. Double-crap.

Tom Ashworth is a Libra, and plays both sides of the line as tackle (just as you'd expect from a "balanced" Libra). He's not doing anything fantastic enough to start, though.

So what about the new guys?

G Mansfield Wrotto (Libra, 4th draft pick)…like Ashworth, he'll probably readily back up both sides of the Center.

OT (but listed as G on depth chart) Steve Vallos (Capricorn, 8th and final pick)…think of him as "Walter Jones in training." It would be nice to have a Capricorn on each end of the line, but Caps can be slow to develop, (though masterful once they have developed). It's far more likely that he'll be Jones's replacement, if he lasts that long.

We have no other Guards listed on the depth chart; this is an extremely scary situation. O-Lines need to learn to work together which only comes from playing together, and they also need starting chemistry (something astrology can help predict). Right now, the Seahawks have a semi-schizophrenic line situation. Gemini (our right side) works well with both Libra (QB, back-ups) and with our Aries Centers. Sag (LG) works great with Libra (QB, back-ups) and Aries Center. None of 'em work exceptionally well with Capricorn (Walter Jones) or Virgo (Strong and Alexander). We know that Jones will suck it up and pull his own weight (as Capricorn does), but a predictable running attack is a mediocre running attack at best. We really need Womack to get healthy, as he can contribute to an inside running game (instead of just sweeps and screen passes).

I should say that this doesn't mean we won't have a running game…it just means that the Seahawks will not have an easy/dominating running game as they did 2 and 3 seasons ago. As for me, my idea of a "good game" is one where my team does dominate (it helps keep our QB upright, too). If Jones doesn't get some help this season from Sims, Womack, or someone, he's likely (in the Capricorn way) to simply blame himself and hang up his cleats for good. Last season, he was letting folks get through for sacks, and I would say it wasn't for "lacking a step" so much as simply trusting his Guard to pick up things that weren't picked up; the left side just wasn't as coordinated as in seasons past.

Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry…it is the foundation upon which practice, discipline, and good coaching builds championship teams!

Welcome to Astro-Sport!

2007-05-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

SO…that’s this all about anyway?

Well, sometime around 13:59 (PST) on April 30th, I decided it was about time I started a blog. Actually, my buddy specifically suggested I start posting my astrological assessments to a blog. Then we all went to Hawaii to watch him get hitched, and this is my first opportunity to fire up the ol’ Astro-Sport.

This blog is specifically designed to discuss the relevant astrological issues to my favorite sports teams. As I am a lifelong resident of Seattle, WA this will mostly regard our local pro teams. Since I am a tremendous fan of the NFL in general, I will almost certainly be discussing other pro football teams around the league.

However, in general you can expect a lot of Seahawks bias to appear on this blog.

This won’t be completely astrological…at times I’ll rant and rave about more “mundane” aspects of the sport. However, astrology will be blogged, so be prepared.

(just for the record…I don’t personally know anyone inside the ‘Hawks organization, so anything posted here will be based on three things only: on-field performance, off-field (media) reporting, and astrological factors. Any sources of gossip on this blog will be noted if used)

So there!

Oh, one VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: I shall not be making win-loss predictions based on horary charts; that ain’t what this site is about. If you’re interested in that kind of thing, you can check out the stuff of Courtney Roberts Conrad (at least, he’s the only other guy I found on the web when cross-referencing astrology and the NFL). But if you stick with my blog, you should start to see what I mean with time.

Thanks for reading!