More to come in later posts, but before then, can I help my brother out in some long-awaited revenge from the 1990 World Series?
The 2007 Tournament season will be underway next week.
May 20, 2007
May 19, 2007
Down with Suzyn
I've been wanting to post this for a while, but I keep on forgetting to do it, but after another extremely poor performance, I can't ignore it anymore. For those of you that have XM Radio, and listen to the baseball games, there is this lady that does the color analysis for the Yankees who is quite possibly the worst person on radio to date. Her name is Suzyn Waldman. Now her Clemens episode was bad, but then she had another one when Wil Nieves had his first major league hit last week. I don't have audio of that, but you have to trust me, it was terrible. Why is she on the radio?
Preakness
Ahh, the Preakness. After a long talk with Lee last night I think that I have three solid losers today, so beware. I don't like the odds going into this so I'm going to scale back some. Here are the picks:
1. Hardspun
2. Curlin
3. Street Sense
Wild Card- Circular Day.
Heading out shortly to Del Mar for another nice day of drinking and gambling.
Oh and Congrats to Eric on the Cavs win. Looking forward to that ugly slow down play against the Pistons like we saw last year.
1. Hardspun
2. Curlin
3. Street Sense
Wild Card- Circular Day.
Heading out shortly to Del Mar for another nice day of drinking and gambling.
Oh and Congrats to Eric on the Cavs win. Looking forward to that ugly slow down play against the Pistons like we saw last year.
May 18, 2007
5 Things that piss me off today
1. Ben Wallace- What a bum. What an absolute joke. Can they void out his contract for his play last night?
2. Immigration Bill- Another absolute joke. Thank you Newt for coming out so strongly against this bill. Please just run for President so that some of these Republicans gets some balls and stand up to
3. Nike- I absolutely love the Lebron commercials. Why are they so withholding on these? We just get one new Wise Lebron commercial this NBA playoff season? Ugh.
4. Losing 3 of 4 to the Royals. This is it. It is over. We are finished. No hope in sight. Too many injuries and not enough depth. I mentioned this at the beginning of the year. When you bank on being healthy as a reason why you will win the West, you are bound to be disappointed. The only thing I get to look forward to is the return of Rickey Henderson.
5. The Office- While the season finale was excellent, this is heading in the wrong direction. Now that Jim and Pam are together, the show is going to go downhill just like Friends and Ed. But Jesus, this finale was fantastic.
2. Immigration Bill- Another absolute joke. Thank you Newt for coming out so strongly against this bill. Please just run for President so that some of these Republicans gets some balls and stand up to
3. Nike- I absolutely love the Lebron commercials. Why are they so withholding on these? We just get one new Wise Lebron commercial this NBA playoff season? Ugh.
4. Losing 3 of 4 to the Royals. This is it. It is over. We are finished. No hope in sight. Too many injuries and not enough depth. I mentioned this at the beginning of the year. When you bank on being healthy as a reason why you will win the West, you are bound to be disappointed. The only thing I get to look forward to is the return of Rickey Henderson.
5. The Office- While the season finale was excellent, this is heading in the wrong direction. Now that Jim and Pam are together, the show is going to go downhill just like Friends and Ed. But Jesus, this finale was fantastic.
May 17, 2007
5 Things I like this morning
1. Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" song. And I can only imagine what the video looks like!!!
2. Hard Spun and Curling finishing 1-2 in the Preakness. Yes I know that the favorite has won the last 5 out of 6 Preaknesses, but I'm not sold on Street Sense. He had to run a perfect race to catch Hard Spun. I mean a perfect race!!! He needs the rail to win, but with the 8th position, I'm not too sure if he can get it.
3. O'Malley's comments that MD needs slots. Do you think he will be able to get it passed? I hope so.
4. Full slate of morning baseball games. With my Fantasy Baseball team back in the race, I love tracking games at work. 9:00am start for Cleveland?? I love it.
5. Another guy goes on the DL for the A's, with another one pending. While it is fun watching some of these guys play, I would like to see our original team on the field so we don't lose to the Royals every other night. For the third straight evening in a row, we blew a save to the Royals. Ugh.
2. Hard Spun and Curling finishing 1-2 in the Preakness. Yes I know that the favorite has won the last 5 out of 6 Preaknesses, but I'm not sold on Street Sense. He had to run a perfect race to catch Hard Spun. I mean a perfect race!!! He needs the rail to win, but with the 8th position, I'm not too sure if he can get it.
3. O'Malley's comments that MD needs slots. Do you think he will be able to get it passed? I hope so.
4. Full slate of morning baseball games. With my Fantasy Baseball team back in the race, I love tracking games at work. 9:00am start for Cleveland?? I love it.
5. Another guy goes on the DL for the A's, with another one pending. While it is fun watching some of these guys play, I would like to see our original team on the field so we don't lose to the Royals every other night. For the third straight evening in a row, we blew a save to the Royals. Ugh.
May 16, 2007
The 1986 Masters and the NBA
Just remember....
in the 1986 Masters, when Jack shot a final round 30 to win by one.....
Jack actually had a bogey on that back nine (#12). Jack admitted that a silly bogey there gave him the kick in the ass he needed to keep the round going.
Let's hope tonight was the bogey on #12 that kicks the Cavs in the pants.
(Trivia, by the way: How many people finished second in that Masters, and who were they? No peeking.....)
Ramblings to remove Carly Simon from the front page
Since Eric has lost it, I guess I should post something. What has happened to him? Anyway onto a couple of quick comments:
1. Another Athletic on the DL. This time Huston Street. Ugh. Bad time for this as our bullpen has fallen on bad times. Last night we blew a 3 run lead to the Royals. Thank God we pulled it out in extra innings or I would of killed one of the cats.
2. Suns-Spurs- Why is everyone up in arms over the suspensions in this game? Seems OK to me. There is a rule and they enforced it. Blame Amare and Diaw for the suspensions, not the league. This isn't a new rule. Everyone please just shut up about this and lets move on.
3. Rev Jerry Falwell is dead. OK. Let's move on. He is everything that is right and wrong about this country. I don't agree with what he says all the time, but at least he stands for what he believes in. Reading some of the comments from the Republican candidates about his death were very blah. But it was strange that the most genuine comment came from one of his biggest enemies, Larry Flint:
Very sincere. Why can't more people be like this?
1. Another Athletic on the DL. This time Huston Street. Ugh. Bad time for this as our bullpen has fallen on bad times. Last night we blew a 3 run lead to the Royals. Thank God we pulled it out in extra innings or I would of killed one of the cats.
2. Suns-Spurs- Why is everyone up in arms over the suspensions in this game? Seems OK to me. There is a rule and they enforced it. Blame Amare and Diaw for the suspensions, not the league. This isn't a new rule. Everyone please just shut up about this and lets move on.
3. Rev Jerry Falwell is dead. OK. Let's move on. He is everything that is right and wrong about this country. I don't agree with what he says all the time, but at least he stands for what he believes in. Reading some of the comments from the Republican candidates about his death were very blah. But it was strange that the most genuine comment came from one of his biggest enemies, Larry Flint:
"The Reverend Jerry Falwell and I were arch enemies for fifteen years. We
became involved in a lawsuit concerning First Amendment rights and Hustler
magazine. Without question, this was my most important battle – the l988 Hustler
Magazine, Inc., v. Jerry Falwell case, where after millions of dollars and much
deliberation, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in my favor.
My mother always told me that no matter how much you dislike a person, when you meet them face to face you will find characteristics about them that you like. Jerry Falwell was a perfect example of that. I hated everything he stood for, but
after meeting him in person, years after the trial, Jerry Falwell and I became
good friends. He would visit me in California and we would debate together
on college campuses. I always appreciated his sincerity even though I knew what
he was selling and he knew what I was selling. The most important result of
our relationship was the landmark decision from the Supreme Court that made
parody protected speech, and the fact that much of what we see on television and
hear on the radio today is a direct result of my having won that now famous case
which Falwell played such an important role in."
Very sincere. Why can't more people be like this?
May 14, 2007
What year is it? 1992? or 2007?
Baby sneezes
Mommy pleases
Daddy breezes in
So good on paper
So romantic
But so bewildering
I know nothing stays the same
But if you're willing to play the game
It's coming around again
It's coming around again
So don't mind if I fall apart
There's more room in a broken heart
You pay the grocer
Fix the toaster
Kiss the host Good-bye
Then you break a window
burn the Soufflé
Scream a lullaby
I know nothing stays the same
But if you're willing to play the game
It's coming around again
So don't mind if I fall apart
There's more room in a broken heart
And I believe in love
But what else can I do
I'm so in love with you
I know nothing stays the same
But if you're willing to play the game
It's coming around again
I know nothing stays the same
But if you're willing to play the game
It's coming around again
So don't mind if I fall apart
There's more room in a broken heart
For whatever reason, this song popped into my head after the big Cavs win today. It feels like my college days in 1992-93, the heart of the Price/Daughtery/Nance era. A team that is probably not talented enough to win the title playing their heart out and teasing you so. You want to believe, you think it may be enough to win - and yet they lose - not unexpectedly - to teh Bulls.
The Cavs this year are a good team, but the supporting cast around LeBron may not be good enough. However, there are enough glimpses of light and minutes of great play - the defense this year has been solid, Gooden is a force, if Pavlovic gets hot..... that you think it could happen. Maybe they can do this!!!
The effort is there. Are the wins? One more win now to get to the Conference finals, where (probably) a Detroit team awaits. A Detroit team that we were one offensive rebound away from beating in 6 games last year...
I know nothing stays the same
But if you're willing to play the game
It's coming around again
But if you're willing to play the game
It's coming around again
I do believe, I do believe....I believe in love.....
Quickies
1) First off, big game tonight for the Cavs. I'm ok with losing one in NJ - but to lose both? Well, that throws the series back into tossup mode. We are clearly the better team (I think), we need to win tonight.
2) More to come on the Tribe....
3) I saw an article in the Washington Post that made me turn my head. About two weeks ago, there was an article saying that the Democrats were planing to overhaul the AMT in the tax code. Some Democrats were trying to develop a plan that would:
a) eliminate the AMT for people under $200K;
b) phase it in for people from $200-$500K;
c) make it higher for people over $500K.
I don't know how much of this article was liberal bias (highlighting Dem plans that have no chance of passing), but if - IF - the Democrats get this plan passed and force Bush to deal with it......
wow....
I will then have to reevaluate where I stand politically.
I mean, doing something like this would have HUGE political ramifications. First of all, that would be a tax cut for me. The last two years we were killed by the AMT. If that's repealed, well then - move over Leland and Wiz, I'm playing the $25 tables in Vegas in March.
This would be a politcal earthquake. All those upper-middle class suburbs that are solidly Republican? Some - not all, but a signficant chunk - would shift due to this. This could tip the balance in states like Ohio, Virginia, Missouri, and so on.
This is a classic example of Republicans having no clue what affects their voters. This issue has been out there for 4-5 years....nothing has been done. If teh Democrats actually agree to overhaul the AMT and fix it, resulting in a tax cut for the upper middle class -------- that's progress.
4) How racist is the sporting world? Most of you may have seeen this from SG's latest column about the Josh Hancock tragedy:
I couldn't agree more with this e-mail from Ed in Dallas: "Does the coverage of the Josh Hancock accident perfectly illustrate the double standard we have with different sports? If a tattooed, cornrowed NBA player had been been in a fatal, single-car accident with a BAC level twice the legal limit, allegedly on the phone with a woman arranging a hookup and with a stash of weed in the car -- he'd be posterized as everything that's wrong with the NBA. Since it's a clean-cut white guy, he's being treated like Barbaro."
he's absolutely right. Why is this the case? I don't have an answer.
2) More to come on the Tribe....
3) I saw an article in the Washington Post that made me turn my head. About two weeks ago, there was an article saying that the Democrats were planing to overhaul the AMT in the tax code. Some Democrats were trying to develop a plan that would:
a) eliminate the AMT for people under $200K;
b) phase it in for people from $200-$500K;
c) make it higher for people over $500K.
I don't know how much of this article was liberal bias (highlighting Dem plans that have no chance of passing), but if - IF - the Democrats get this plan passed and force Bush to deal with it......
wow....
I will then have to reevaluate where I stand politically.
I mean, doing something like this would have HUGE political ramifications. First of all, that would be a tax cut for me. The last two years we were killed by the AMT. If that's repealed, well then - move over Leland and Wiz, I'm playing the $25 tables in Vegas in March.
This would be a politcal earthquake. All those upper-middle class suburbs that are solidly Republican? Some - not all, but a signficant chunk - would shift due to this. This could tip the balance in states like Ohio, Virginia, Missouri, and so on.
This is a classic example of Republicans having no clue what affects their voters. This issue has been out there for 4-5 years....nothing has been done. If teh Democrats actually agree to overhaul the AMT and fix it, resulting in a tax cut for the upper middle class -------- that's progress.
4) How racist is the sporting world? Most of you may have seeen this from SG's latest column about the Josh Hancock tragedy:
I couldn't agree more with this e-mail from Ed in Dallas: "Does the coverage of the Josh Hancock accident perfectly illustrate the double standard we have with different sports? If a tattooed, cornrowed NBA player had been been in a fatal, single-car accident with a BAC level twice the legal limit, allegedly on the phone with a woman arranging a hookup and with a stash of weed in the car -- he'd be posterized as everything that's wrong with the NBA. Since it's a clean-cut white guy, he's being treated like Barbaro."
he's absolutely right. Why is this the case? I don't have an answer.
May 5, 2007
Derby
Totally forgot to post about this. Consider this your Christmas gift:
1. Hardspin- Carol's sister Molly supplies shoes to one of the top farriors in the country who has shoed the winner of the Derby for the last 5 years. This is the only horse he is doing this year. I'm giddy.
2. Curlin- My coworker in Indy and VA, who are both decent handicappers stated that this horse will run away with it, but I can't remember the last time a favorite won the Derby.
3. High Heels- I know nothing about him, but I will lay some down on him.
1. Hardspin- Carol's sister Molly supplies shoes to one of the top farriors in the country who has shoed the winner of the Derby for the last 5 years. This is the only horse he is doing this year. I'm giddy.
2. Curlin- My coworker in Indy and VA, who are both decent handicappers stated that this horse will run away with it, but I can't remember the last time a favorite won the Derby.
3. High Heels- I know nothing about him, but I will lay some down on him.
May 3, 2007
One more quickie
On Sunday, my brother-in-law (Janice's brother Jeff) will be running in the Flying Pig marathon. This will be his first marathon and he's been training for several months now. We are all going downtown to support him and stage ourselves at key locations to hand out these goo packs to him in order for him to keep his energy up.
Good luck to Jeff - and I really don't want to know what this "goo" is made of.
Good luck to Jeff - and I really don't want to know what this "goo" is made of.
Sports Data Dump
It's been a while, and I have a lot of thoughts in my head. Let's get started.
NBA: Just a couple of thoughts.
First, go go Cavs! It's a shame that I've only watched a total of 5 minutes of the Wizards series - thanks to 2 games being on NBA TV. What the hell was that? To recap - since you may have forgotten - we finished our series on Monday, April 30. If Toronto/New Jersey goes 7, Game 7 will be played Sunday, meaning the Cavs will play again on either Tuesday or Wednesday, May 8/9. That's at least 8 idle days. Unbelieveable.
But I'm not complaining, since we could use the rest to make sure LeBron's ankle is completely healed. How good is this team? Not sure yet - but I know previous versions of the LeBron-led Cavs would have lost one road game in Washington.
The other story, of course, is the Warriors. This team hasn't made the playoffs since 1994. How crazy is that? 1994....think....what were my priorities then?
- the 99 cent Whopper at teh BK by my grad office
- $15 rounds at Punderson
- "Black Label" beer
- Dinners consisting of On-Cor Dinners and Pet Ritz pies.
- Beavis and Butthead and Gin in Steve's basement 4 nights a week.
(Side story: things that aren't gay but would appear gay to 99% of the rest of the population: Steve and I going up and down the aisle in the Finast grocery store at 10:30 at night looking for Vienetta. I'm sure if others saw us.... )
Anyway, good luck to the Warriors.
MLB:
I can't be happier about the Tribe. Currently at 16-8 and leading the Central by 2 games. And I think we can be playing better. Yes, Victor is on fire, and Garko is a great surprise, but Pronk is still not hot yet and Trot Nixon could do better. The started (except for C. C. and Carmona) could improve too.
I read an article somewhere which called the Tribe "probably the most solid bullpen in baseball".
Well, let's just say that if watching Aaron Fultz and Roberto Hernandex blow 6-5 leads is "solid", then Johnny from "Johnny and the Sprites" has a girlfriend.
Hello? Is this thing on? Yes, I expected only one or two of you to get that.
(By the way, what about Joe from Blue's Clues? Gay or Straight, or asexual like Morrissey and Big Bird? Discuss....)
And I am finding myself watching the scoreboard to see how the other AL Central teams are doing. It's May - why am I doing this? Too early? I don't think so, not with 4 teams in the race. I think I'm most scared of Minnesota....then Detroit.
Three other quickies:
- Gil Meche is 3-1 for the Royals, with an ERA under 2.5. Not a lot of criticism now, huh?
- Can Milwaukee keep it up? Why not? Who is going to challenge them in the NL?
- I haven't got a chance to blog much about the protest filed by the Indians that was denied - but mark my words, something is going to happen in MLB in the next 10 years that will have the commissioner rue the day this decision was made. You can't retroactively add runs to the score. Period.
NFL:
I think I've said enough about the draft - I am ecstatic about Thomas and Quinn on this team. However, I'm still worried about Romeo leading this team. Let's not forget how he handled rookies last year:
- Don's boyfriend, Kamerion Wimbley, did not start in week 1 last year
- Even though LB was a weakness ealry in the season, D'Quell did not start either in week 1.
- Need I remind anyone how Travis Wilson, our WR, was treated? Dennis Northcutt played and started over Wilson. Wilson finally got some playing time in week 15!
Forget about Quinn - what evidence do we have that Joe Thomas will start week 1? can you imagine the uproar if he's not out there for the first play vs. Pittsburgh?
And the Tribe wins again, 6-5 over Toronto. 17-8 record. 10 out of their last 11. Borowski with save #10.
May 1, 2007
The month of April
Boy, April was a tough month. The A's are so banged up that they had to bring up not one, not two, but three guys from double A to start games. They had to play Marco Scutaro, a poor man's Luis Sojo in Right Field. They had to make a trade for Ryan Langerhans, who I got confused for about 5 minutes with Jeff Francouer, which got me excited, but then realized it was Atlanta's 4th outfielder who isn't that good. Now they enter May with a long road trip that will take them through a schedule where they should be making up ground. Two at Boston, Three at Tampa, and Three at KC. But now I'm just hoping that they can escape with a .500 mark. Typically the A's start off extremely cold for the first month, and then turn it on in May and June, but I'm worried that we are just too thin to do that now.
And to top it off, Jon and my fantasy team is off to its worse start in years and I can't see where we are going to make up ground. Is it too early to pull the plug on the team and start building for next year? Probably not. Massive trades will probably start in a couple of weeks for us to jettison some of our larger contracts for next years' keepers.
But what has gotten me through this past month has been the NBA. I second Bill Simmons on the Golden State- Dallas games. They have been absolutely amazing. And the Spurs-Nugs matchup has been just as good. It's always nice to see Robert Horry continue his dominance in the playoffs (18 minutes/6 points with huge 3 pointers). Its funny to see Steve Blake getting minutes on the Nugs and watching him not being able to guard the 3-point shot. Three times during last night's game he was out of position, in no mans land and the Spurs buried a wide open 3. Maybe its not just Gary who can't guard the three? Lakers-Suns. Not too bad, but it is amazing to watch Nash and the Suns.
Now I haven't watched a single game in the East. Are the Cavs this good or are the Wizards just this bad? And what about the Bulls?
And to top it off, Jon and my fantasy team is off to its worse start in years and I can't see where we are going to make up ground. Is it too early to pull the plug on the team and start building for next year? Probably not. Massive trades will probably start in a couple of weeks for us to jettison some of our larger contracts for next years' keepers.
But what has gotten me through this past month has been the NBA. I second Bill Simmons on the Golden State- Dallas games. They have been absolutely amazing. And the Spurs-Nugs matchup has been just as good. It's always nice to see Robert Horry continue his dominance in the playoffs (18 minutes/6 points with huge 3 pointers). Its funny to see Steve Blake getting minutes on the Nugs and watching him not being able to guard the 3-point shot. Three times during last night's game he was out of position, in no mans land and the Spurs buried a wide open 3. Maybe its not just Gary who can't guard the three? Lakers-Suns. Not too bad, but it is amazing to watch Nash and the Suns.
Now I haven't watched a single game in the East. Are the Cavs this good or are the Wizards just this bad? And what about the Bulls?
Apr 29, 2007
Patriot Day
Well, its been a pretty crazy offseason for the Pats. Signing Adalius Thomas, signing Stallworth, trading for Wes Welker and now Moss?? Its clear they are in Go For It Now Mode. After proudly declaring they had two draft choices in the first round for this draft, they essentially gave this draft the middle finger by trading out of their 28th pick, the third round and the fourth round too (didn't have a 2nd round). They did get a couple extra picks in next years draft though, so thats OK.
So Randy is now on my team. Its a puzzling move because of all of his baggage. This is an organization who on the first page of its scouting and player philosophy manual (think Mission Statement for a football organization) has things like:
1. How important is the game of football to the individual?
2. Is the player interested in detailed film study?
3. What values are placed on practicing?
etc, etc, you get the idea. It essentially outlines all of the values they have so carefully crafted during the BB era. One of the last lines in that cover page of the manual says simply - "No assholes". Well, Randy Moss certainly seems to miss on all of these points. However, despite all of that I still think this is a good move. The reality is that they are in pretty decent cap shape, so an extension to him won't be debilitating. Also, if it doesn't work out they'll cut him, eat some cap money and lose a fourth round pick. I think that is a pretty good risk reward.
So, lets look... last year in the AFCC they started Caldwell, Brown and Gaffney as their WRs. Now they could line up Moss, Stallworth and Welker (who I really like). With Caldwell on the bench and Gaffney probably cut. I'd say that's an upgrade.
One thing that is still a little worrisome is that they haven't really done anything to address the LB core. Thomas is a nice addition, but they could really use an infusion of youth and speed especially at the middle spots. What's weird is that LB is the position BB values the most, yet the highest round they have taken a LB is in the 5th since joining the Pats. I would have never guessed that, but the paper mentioned that this morning. I am still having nightmares seeing TE after TE torching the Pats LBs. But its clear that the Pats really wanted to get more explosive on offense this season and Stallworth, Welker and Moss should help that. Although I do think they will miss Dillon's power running inside the 10. Even though he wasn't great last season, he still found the EZ a few times.
Well, maybe they can actually beat the Broncos this season.....Nah. Not unless Danny Kanell takes a break from coaching HS football and lines up under center. :)
So Randy is now on my team. Its a puzzling move because of all of his baggage. This is an organization who on the first page of its scouting and player philosophy manual (think Mission Statement for a football organization) has things like:
1. How important is the game of football to the individual?
2. Is the player interested in detailed film study?
3. What values are placed on practicing?
etc, etc, you get the idea. It essentially outlines all of the values they have so carefully crafted during the BB era. One of the last lines in that cover page of the manual says simply - "No assholes". Well, Randy Moss certainly seems to miss on all of these points. However, despite all of that I still think this is a good move. The reality is that they are in pretty decent cap shape, so an extension to him won't be debilitating. Also, if it doesn't work out they'll cut him, eat some cap money and lose a fourth round pick. I think that is a pretty good risk reward.
So, lets look... last year in the AFCC they started Caldwell, Brown and Gaffney as their WRs. Now they could line up Moss, Stallworth and Welker (who I really like). With Caldwell on the bench and Gaffney probably cut. I'd say that's an upgrade.
One thing that is still a little worrisome is that they haven't really done anything to address the LB core. Thomas is a nice addition, but they could really use an infusion of youth and speed especially at the middle spots. What's weird is that LB is the position BB values the most, yet the highest round they have taken a LB is in the 5th since joining the Pats. I would have never guessed that, but the paper mentioned that this morning. I am still having nightmares seeing TE after TE torching the Pats LBs. But its clear that the Pats really wanted to get more explosive on offense this season and Stallworth, Welker and Moss should help that. Although I do think they will miss Dillon's power running inside the 10. Even though he wasn't great last season, he still found the EZ a few times.
Well, maybe they can actually beat the Broncos this season.....Nah. Not unless Danny Kanell takes a break from coaching HS football and lines up under center. :)
Draft Day Comments
I never watch the entire first round of the draft. I'll check in from time to time to see what is going on, but I never watched the entire thing. Well that changed this year since I had Tivo and I could fly through most of it. Great Article about the first round on ESPN. Below is a summary of the 1st Round results over the last 15 years. They even go into detail for every position. Great way to waste a couple of hours. So who is going to be the bust. Quinn or Russell? And those Safety numbers are pretty amazing as well.
Pos Number % of Busts Pro Bowl %
OL 70 31 26
DE 55 31 33
CB 52 29 23
WR 51 45 31
LB 48 16 39
DT 42 33 40
RB 41 49 36
QB 30 53 33
S 19 11 53
Moss to the Pats for a 4th Round pick? Wow, how the mighty have fallen. Also, the Pats look very scary right now. Very scary!!!!!
Pos Number % of Busts Pro Bowl %
OL 70 31 26
DE 55 31 33
CB 52 29 23
WR 51 45 31
LB 48 16 39
DT 42 33 40
RB 41 49 36
QB 30 53 33
S 19 11 53
Moss to the Pats for a 4th Round pick? Wow, how the mighty have fallen. Also, the Pats look very scary right now. Very scary!!!!!
Charity
The Wall Street Journal has an article this weekend mapping out the top 35 charity foundations of professional athletes. The top 4 is pretty standard; Tiger Woods Foundation (Health and Education), Lance Armstrong Foundation (Cancer), Andre Agassi Foundation (education), and Mutombo Foundation (Hospitals in the Congo). But some of these other ones are pretty humorous.
Billy Andrade-Brad Faxon Charities- Raised $3 million through celebrity golf tournaments for the Red Cross. Um...what type of pull do these two have in Hollywood to get celebs out on the course?
Brian Griese's Judi's House- $1.2 million raised for kids who lose a parent. Nice cause, but can we get a new sponsor? He isn't even a starting QB anymore.
Jamie Moyer's Moyer Foundation- Yes that is right. The Moyer's Moyer foundation. He had a huge celeb bowling tournament that raised $318K.
Eddie Kennison's Quick Start Foundation- He's on their asses
Dirk Nowitzki Foundation- No money was donated by Dirk last year, but he promises some money this year. Way to take your own Foundation serious Dirk.
Kristi Yamagucki Always Dream Foundation- How is she still making money? Beauty and the Beast on Ice?
Amani Toomer Foundation- Only gave away $392 dollars in 2005. Who is worse, Amani or Dirk?
Mike Hampton Pitching Foundation: Supports Little League Pitchers. Umm...what is this? Does he buy them comic books when they are on the 60 Day DL?
Serfei Federov Foundation- Actually lost money in 2005 because expenses exceeding donations. The reason...Legal Fees. Legal Fees? I'm speechless.
Steve Nash Foundation- Supports youth Canadian Basketball Leagues and the environment. How does this go hand and hand?
All in all, more athletes are staying out of the creating a foundation because of the scrutiny and expenses. ARod, Gary Payton, and Zito all donate a ton of money, but they refuse to create their own foundation. They talk about how Hines Ward is actively involved in helping out mixed Korean kids directly without the use of a foundation. He states that Korean mixed kids are treated very poorly and he feels that he has to do something about it. Way to pick such a worthy cause.
Billy Andrade-Brad Faxon Charities- Raised $3 million through celebrity golf tournaments for the Red Cross. Um...what type of pull do these two have in Hollywood to get celebs out on the course?
Brian Griese's Judi's House- $1.2 million raised for kids who lose a parent. Nice cause, but can we get a new sponsor? He isn't even a starting QB anymore.
Jamie Moyer's Moyer Foundation- Yes that is right. The Moyer's Moyer foundation. He had a huge celeb bowling tournament that raised $318K.
Eddie Kennison's Quick Start Foundation- He's on their asses
Dirk Nowitzki Foundation- No money was donated by Dirk last year, but he promises some money this year. Way to take your own Foundation serious Dirk.
Kristi Yamagucki Always Dream Foundation- How is she still making money? Beauty and the Beast on Ice?
Amani Toomer Foundation- Only gave away $392 dollars in 2005. Who is worse, Amani or Dirk?
Mike Hampton Pitching Foundation: Supports Little League Pitchers. Umm...what is this? Does he buy them comic books when they are on the 60 Day DL?
Serfei Federov Foundation- Actually lost money in 2005 because expenses exceeding donations. The reason...Legal Fees. Legal Fees? I'm speechless.
Steve Nash Foundation- Supports youth Canadian Basketball Leagues and the environment. How does this go hand and hand?
All in all, more athletes are staying out of the creating a foundation because of the scrutiny and expenses. ARod, Gary Payton, and Zito all donate a ton of money, but they refuse to create their own foundation. They talk about how Hines Ward is actively involved in helping out mixed Korean kids directly without the use of a foundation. He states that Korean mixed kids are treated very poorly and he feels that he has to do something about it. Way to pick such a worthy cause.
Apr 28, 2007
Open post on the draft
I have to post this....
but a serious question: any of the West Coasters know the off-field issues on Eric Wright? Some say he is the best corner in the draft, but there was a date rape charge - which later got dismissed - that caused his stocl to plummet. We got him at #52. HE was t USC and then UNLV. Any one got any more info?
Opening Day
Today is the big day! Freddie's T-ball league has their first game today - first pitch is 11:00 am ET. (although since there are no pitches, what is it called? Tee off time?)Two defensive coaches are allowed to be in the field - so I guess I will be out there helping to yell at the kids to follow the ground ball instead of the butterfly. We'll see how that goes.
We just got back from the opening day parade - a 1 mile truck ride through a local neighborhood. Gapper - the Reds mascot pictured provocatively here - was present; as soon as Freddie saw him, he yelled "BOOOOOOOO!". I was secretly proud, even though I officially told him he can like the Reds too.
During the parade, one of the kids broke into song. He was singing Sir Mix-a-Lot: "I like big butts and I can not lie....." Ummm, not sure if I want to have Freddie hear that yet. Kermit, are you sure you don't have an illegitimate son down here in Cincinnati? This was your favorite song from, oh, 1994-2000.
Apr 27, 2007
News or Entertainment
So Eric and I were having a very interesting talk this morning about ESPN and what direction the network is heading. We both agree that ESPN non-game programming is gearing more towards entertainment style shows than actual sports reporting shows, which includes their pre and post game coverages of football and baseball. Is this smart or is this a dumb? We are having a very tough time figuring this out. I tend to believe that ESPN is not dumb and understands what their core audience wants. They understand that most of the in depth analysis and true reporting is now found on the web, either at their own site or on the growing number of team supported sites, and their core audience (18-40 males) continues to increase viewership of these sites. Are they being proactive in adapting to the new style of media unlike the newspapers. Do they see the figures for the number of viewers on sites like Deadspin and such and change to cover more of these items than normal game reporting?
And lets give ESPN some credit. Both Eric and I now turn to ESPNews when we actually want to see highlights of the games. Since I do not have the football package, I tend to spend a lot of time on ESPNews to catch just the highlights. And the postgame press conferences that they show are amazing. Why should ESPN duplicate programming, when they are giving exactly what we want on another channel? Why is it so tough for us to just go straight to ESPNews instead of first going to ESPN, gettting pissed off about the coverage, and then changing it to ESPNews and seeing what we want?
And I want to retract some of the things I said in my prior post because I should know better. What will pull in higher ratings for Baseball Tonight, 30 minutes of Yanks-Sox coverage right after the game, or 30 minutes of highlights of the A's, Twins, Indians, Rangers, Royals, DRays, BJays, and such. Of course the Yanks-Sox coverage. Now I was in a desperate place last Friday night since the baseball package wasn't working, I forgot about ESPNews, and I was too lazy to go get my laptop to check the scores and the recap so I ended up venting on this subject.
But the real problem for people like Eric and I (and the many people that continue to vent on this subject) is that we have extremely high expectations of SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight, and Primetime since we all grew up on this and have great memories of these shows. Watching Berman do highlights and creating nicknames used to be awesome. Watching Peter Gammons do his Diamond Notes everynight used to be a can't miss segment. Even Kruk was fun for a short period of time. Now we have to settle for Steve Phillips, an out of control Kruk, an even more out of control Berman, and Tom Jackson butcher everything that we used to enjoy about ESPN. But to replace all the things we loved about ESPN is now either on ESPNews, XM and Sirius radio, or the Internet. Why is this so hard for all of us to grasp.
Finally, Eric and I wanted to know from Jon and Jay is if the overexposure of the Sox and Yanks on Baseball Tonight bothers you or do you love it since you get to see a lot of additional coverage on your teams.
And lets give ESPN some credit. Both Eric and I now turn to ESPNews when we actually want to see highlights of the games. Since I do not have the football package, I tend to spend a lot of time on ESPNews to catch just the highlights. And the postgame press conferences that they show are amazing. Why should ESPN duplicate programming, when they are giving exactly what we want on another channel? Why is it so tough for us to just go straight to ESPNews instead of first going to ESPN, gettting pissed off about the coverage, and then changing it to ESPNews and seeing what we want?
And I want to retract some of the things I said in my prior post because I should know better. What will pull in higher ratings for Baseball Tonight, 30 minutes of Yanks-Sox coverage right after the game, or 30 minutes of highlights of the A's, Twins, Indians, Rangers, Royals, DRays, BJays, and such. Of course the Yanks-Sox coverage. Now I was in a desperate place last Friday night since the baseball package wasn't working, I forgot about ESPNews, and I was too lazy to go get my laptop to check the scores and the recap so I ended up venting on this subject.
But the real problem for people like Eric and I (and the many people that continue to vent on this subject) is that we have extremely high expectations of SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight, and Primetime since we all grew up on this and have great memories of these shows. Watching Berman do highlights and creating nicknames used to be awesome. Watching Peter Gammons do his Diamond Notes everynight used to be a can't miss segment. Even Kruk was fun for a short period of time. Now we have to settle for Steve Phillips, an out of control Kruk, an even more out of control Berman, and Tom Jackson butcher everything that we used to enjoy about ESPN. But to replace all the things we loved about ESPN is now either on ESPNews, XM and Sirius radio, or the Internet. Why is this so hard for all of us to grasp.
Finally, Eric and I wanted to know from Jon and Jay is if the overexposure of the Sox and Yanks on Baseball Tonight bothers you or do you love it since you get to see a lot of additional coverage on your teams.
Apr 25, 2007
Facing Reality
So it is looking more and more likely that around 12:30 on Saturday, we will find out that this person is the newest member of the Cleveland Browns.
And I'm OK with that. However, I think everyone should call Don on Saturday afternoon to make sure he hasn't committed suicide on the news. Don is certainly in a stage of denial at this point.
Frankly, I'd be happy with almost any pick in the top 5. Russell, Quinn, Peterson, or Thomas (and not necessarily in that order). I'd question a Johnson pick a little bit, seeing that we already have Braylon on the team.
The reason why I am OK with Quinn is that:
- we are not going to win the division in 2007
- we are going to compete in 2008 and win the division in 2009, and I see Savage building toward that.
- Who will be our quarterback for the division (and AFC?) champion Browns in 2009? That question is answered NOW, not in 08 or 09. Palmer was drafted in 03 to lead the Bengals in 05. Manning was drafted in 98 to lead the Colts in 2000 and later. Rivers was drafted in 04 to lead the Chargers in 06 and beyond. You draft a QB now for payout 2-3 years later. We need an answer now......and I can accept Quinn being the answer.
My only question is - who on the Browns will be his mentor? For better or worse, Tim Couch had Ty Detmer. Charlie Frye had Trent Dilfer. Who will be a mentor for Brady? Charlie? Well, he could teach him to run around in the backfield with his back turned to his offensive line......
But then again, you could argue the mentor is overrated. Look how good a mentor worked out for Couch and Frye!
Apr 23, 2007
Baseball Ramblings
Ahhhh..baseball is in full swing and I'm missing all of it. Heard on the radio last week that Cox Cable is up and running on the MLB Package. Also saw a TV ad on Friday, so I decided to call and order it. They accepted my $159 and said that it was activated. I recorded the A's game on Saturday and went out to go grab something to eat with Ben and Carol, and came home and the game wasn't recorded. Just a black screen. Long story short, I ended up having a long conversation with a Cox Cable tech, discussing the ins and outs of the MLB deal with cable and me not believing it. He finally stated that he was watching the A's game there at the office so he knows that it is working and gave me the update that "some guy named Duchesser just gave up 3 runs for the A's", with me moaning into the phone and now getting even more pissed because the A's were cruising the entire game. In the end I had to control myself since I still needed this guys help. Now I have to wait until today for a cable guy to come out to fix our signal. If he doesn't show up, I might be ready to forgive Direct TV and go back to them.
I HATE ESPN- On Friday night I tried to catch my highlights on Baseball Tonight, right after the Yanks-Sox game. I waited for 45 minutes before they showed the A's highlights. How sad is that. They spent 30 minutes on the Yanks and Sox. What crap.
And can ESPN spend some time on other teams other than the Sox and Yanks? I know that this isn't anything new, but come on. Who is the best baseball team currently? Which pitching staff has had 18 out of 19 quality starts this season? And I agree with the Sportsguy on how disappointed he was with Morgan and Miller that they totally forgot about the Dodgers last year on their back to back to back to back homers off of Trevor Hoffman in the 9th inning, during a pennant race. This was absolutely amazing.
Now with that being said, I do have to say that I enjoyed the Yanks-Sox series this weekend. All were very good games and surprisingly they were relatively quick games, unlike last year, so I can't complain too much. I really do like a lot of the players, despite hating the teams themselves. Manny, aka The Predator, is probably my favorite. He really acts like someone playing in a backyard whiffle ball game. I know he doesn't need to sprint back to the wall to handle a wallball, but its just funny watching him trot back there and then bare hand the ball and whip it in. Big Papi is amazing and so much fun to watch hit that according to my friend Jeff, my golf swing looks just like his at the plate (that's not good). And Papelbon is simply amazing. I do find his stare to homeplate a little ridiculous. Maybe it was the extremely close up that ESPN was doing, but he looked like an idiot. As for the Yanks, am I the only non Yankee fan cheering for Arod (as long as it is not against my team)? And I'm simply fascinated with Abreu's gray glove.
Anyway, here are a couple of my additional thoughts after a month worth of baseball:
I HATE ESPN- On Friday night I tried to catch my highlights on Baseball Tonight, right after the Yanks-Sox game. I waited for 45 minutes before they showed the A's highlights. How sad is that. They spent 30 minutes on the Yanks and Sox. What crap.
And can ESPN spend some time on other teams other than the Sox and Yanks? I know that this isn't anything new, but come on. Who is the best baseball team currently? Which pitching staff has had 18 out of 19 quality starts this season? And I agree with the Sportsguy on how disappointed he was with Morgan and Miller that they totally forgot about the Dodgers last year on their back to back to back to back homers off of Trevor Hoffman in the 9th inning, during a pennant race. This was absolutely amazing.
Now with that being said, I do have to say that I enjoyed the Yanks-Sox series this weekend. All were very good games and surprisingly they were relatively quick games, unlike last year, so I can't complain too much. I really do like a lot of the players, despite hating the teams themselves. Manny, aka The Predator, is probably my favorite. He really acts like someone playing in a backyard whiffle ball game. I know he doesn't need to sprint back to the wall to handle a wallball, but its just funny watching him trot back there and then bare hand the ball and whip it in. Big Papi is amazing and so much fun to watch hit that according to my friend Jeff, my golf swing looks just like his at the plate (that's not good). And Papelbon is simply amazing. I do find his stare to homeplate a little ridiculous. Maybe it was the extremely close up that ESPN was doing, but he looked like an idiot. As for the Yanks, am I the only non Yankee fan cheering for Arod (as long as it is not against my team)? And I'm simply fascinated with Abreu's gray glove.
Anyway, here are a couple of my additional thoughts after a month worth of baseball:
- I have never seen so many injuries to major players to start off a season. Just take the A's. Harden, Bradley, Kotsay, and Loiaza are the major injuries. I never thought I would see Marco Scutaro playing RF and Todd Walker playing 1st for us in a million years. Ouch.
- And yes, that stat is correct above. The A's have 18 out of 19 quality starts so far this year. And what is our record? 10-9. Simply amazing how banged up our team is. I should be happy with a 10-9 record, but I feel that our pitching will start to falter soon.
- The Sox should look inward and not do too much talking about what just happened. IF they can stay healthy, then they are probably the odds out favorite, but I'm sure that this will not happen.
- What is up with Tampa Bay's ownership? Are they the worst? Why haven't they traded one of their 1000 talented offensive guys for some bullpen help. It is painful to watch these guys pitch.
- As of right now I don't see any team running away with their division. Angels and A's will be there to the end in the West, Yanks and Sox with the possibility of the O's and Blue Jays in the East, and everyone except for the Royals in the Central. I think everyone in the NL West and NL Central has a chance, with the Braves, Marlins, and Mets going at it in the East. This should be a tremendous year for pennant races.
Apr 21, 2007
What I won't write
I won't write the Yankees are getting old. I won't write that Marino is finished. I won't write that the Yankees have no pitching. I won't write that Joe Torre will wear out what few good relievers he has. I won't write that A-Rod can't hit in the clutch.
Look, we've all been down this road before. Every year this decade, the Yanks have a slow start and people start drumming up the "Is this the year the Yanks don't make the playoffs?" stories. Followed up with the "The yanks don't have enough pitching and we all know that pitching is what wins" stories. And every year I blindly play along hoping that it is all true. Well, I know better. The Sox could take the next two games and outscore the Yanks 23 - 2 and it wouldn't bury them. Sure one could say if the Yanks didn't have Arod, they would be cozying up to Tampa Bay in the cellar, but the fact is they have a ton of guys hurt and they are still cruising along. If they end up finishing April at .500 Joe Torre might do cartwheels considering the obstacles they have faced.
What about Arod??!? The last guy this hot for this long was Barry Bonds in the World Series. And now we know that he ingested enough steroids, going on a two week chemical bender that would have made Keith Richards proud. He is just a freak, its pretty scary. Will he opt out? Of course he will because name me the last Boras client that doesn't go to Free Agency when given the chance?? How is this guy not playing for the Angels next year?
One last thing I have to mention - Dice-K. Of course the hype has gone to ridiculous levels, but its obvious that the guy can really pitch. He pitches backwards, and will throw any breaking ball in any count. It will be interesting to see if he throws Arod any fastballs. So far his contract (minus posting fee) looks like an absolute steal. Under $9mil per for 6 years for a 26 year old, top of the rotation type guy???? Sign me up.
Look, we've all been down this road before. Every year this decade, the Yanks have a slow start and people start drumming up the "Is this the year the Yanks don't make the playoffs?" stories. Followed up with the "The yanks don't have enough pitching and we all know that pitching is what wins" stories. And every year I blindly play along hoping that it is all true. Well, I know better. The Sox could take the next two games and outscore the Yanks 23 - 2 and it wouldn't bury them. Sure one could say if the Yanks didn't have Arod, they would be cozying up to Tampa Bay in the cellar, but the fact is they have a ton of guys hurt and they are still cruising along. If they end up finishing April at .500 Joe Torre might do cartwheels considering the obstacles they have faced.
What about Arod??!? The last guy this hot for this long was Barry Bonds in the World Series. And now we know that he ingested enough steroids, going on a two week chemical bender that would have made Keith Richards proud. He is just a freak, its pretty scary. Will he opt out? Of course he will because name me the last Boras client that doesn't go to Free Agency when given the chance?? How is this guy not playing for the Angels next year?
One last thing I have to mention - Dice-K. Of course the hype has gone to ridiculous levels, but its obvious that the guy can really pitch. He pitches backwards, and will throw any breaking ball in any count. It will be interesting to see if he throws Arod any fastballs. So far his contract (minus posting fee) looks like an absolute steal. Under $9mil per for 6 years for a 26 year old, top of the rotation type guy???? Sign me up.
Apr 20, 2007
Let's look on the bright side
Well, at least I can take solace in the fact that Borowski is still perfect (5/5) in save situations.
What?
What?
Apr 18, 2007
Quickies for Wednesday night
1) So how many Puffs* were needed in the Chicago White Sox TV booth as Hawk Harrelson called the Mark Buehrle no hitter tonight? Gees, Hawk has an orgasm when a White Sox pitcher strikes out Jason Kendall in the 2nd inning of a 1-1 game....
2) A miracle happened tonight. The Bulls lose tonight at New Jersey, giving the Cavs the #2 seed in the East. So instead of beng the #5 seed and playing the Heat (gulp), we open against rrd's favorite team, the Wiz. And, of course, if we win, we avoid the Pistons until the Eastern Conference finals.
Thanks for the gift, Mr. Frank!
3) Get ready for "74" day, coming up on Friday! April 20th is the 17th anniversary of the round that started it all, a 74 in the UAA Championships in Boston, MA. Buy your cream soda now and avoid the rush!
* - I am contractually obligated to say "Puffs" instead of Kleenex, since I work for P&G and Don was an engineer in Puffs for 6 years or so. I correct non-P&Gers all the time whenever they use Kleenex but mean "tissue". Yes, it is an annoying habit, like snooping in people's bathrooms and finding out what toilet paper and shampoo they use.
2) A miracle happened tonight. The Bulls lose tonight at New Jersey, giving the Cavs the #2 seed in the East. So instead of beng the #5 seed and playing the Heat (gulp), we open against rrd's favorite team, the Wiz. And, of course, if we win, we avoid the Pistons until the Eastern Conference finals.
Thanks for the gift, Mr. Frank!
3) Get ready for "74" day, coming up on Friday! April 20th is the 17th anniversary of the round that started it all, a 74 in the UAA Championships in Boston, MA. Buy your cream soda now and avoid the rush!
* - I am contractually obligated to say "Puffs" instead of Kleenex, since I work for P&G and Don was an engineer in Puffs for 6 years or so. I correct non-P&Gers all the time whenever they use Kleenex but mean "tissue". Yes, it is an annoying habit, like snooping in people's bathrooms and finding out what toilet paper and shampoo they use.
Apr 17, 2007
Baseball thoughts
Gees, it's been quiet around here over the past few days, no? I have a whole another list of European observations - but that will have to wait for another post.
Some thoughts on baseball after the first 10 games of the season (some of you poor saps may have already played 15 or 16 games...)
1) Who are the following people and what do they have in common:
Chase Wright
Kaz Izawa
Darrell Rastner
ok - that was easy. Those are the starting pitchers for the Yanks goign against the TRibe this week. And I'm scared shitless. We NEVER do well against no-name pitchers. I can't tell you how many times Bob Pecozzi opens up SportsCenter on the radio in the morning with a lead something like:
"In the American League, Derek Zahn, a lefthander called up fron Double-AA Edmonton last night, pitcjed 7 1/3 innings of 4-hit ball as the Rangers beat the Indians, 4-1....."
Exhibit A is the final week of the 2005 season, when Seth McClung - SETH McCLUNG - pitched a shutout against us in that awful, awful week where we finished one game out of a playoff spot.
I fully expect to lose all three to these stiffs. And we are 1/3 of the way there after Westbrook's performance.
2) The Tribe won, 2-1, vs. teh White Sox on Sunday. A note from the game story
The last time the Indians won while getting one hit was on April 12, 1992.
This seemed fishy, so I checked - yes! This was the infamous Matt Young game - where we beat Boston 2-1 while being NO HIT by Matt Young. In two separate innings, Kenny Lofton (the 1992 AL Rookie of the Year - Pat Listach is just a figure in many sportswriter's imaginations) walked, stole second, was sacrificed over and scored on a SF.
Do Red Sox fans remember this game? Peter Gammons must have wrote a song about this. I remember exactly where I was during this game - it was a Sunday, I was in my dorm room catching up on studies after being gone the last 2 days to a golf tournament (the Wooster Parlor Open, Kermit - that was the year you and I played together). It was a beautiful spring day, about 65 degrees. I listened to most of the game on radio.
Am I insane for remembering these details?
(By the way, I just checked the game story - it has been fixed to read:
The last time the Indians won while getting one hit or less was on April 12, 1992, a 2-1 victory over Boston when they were no-hit by Red Sox pitcher Matt Young.)
But no mention of my score or Kermit's in the Wooster tournament.
3) I logged on to CNNsi today, saw that the lead story was an article about Jose Reyes and how he can be the next Jackie Robinson.
My first reaction - do I care? He plays in the NL - so I don't care. Go away.
Is that bad? I follow the AL now, and will follow the Reds on occasion ( I do live here, you know). Other than that? No - don't care.
4) T-ball update: I agreed to help coach Freddie's T-ball team. This team is made up of 6 and 7 year olds, most of whom have never played in organized baseball yet.
Some developments:
- Practice started at 10:30. At 11:10 on the first practice, an assistant coach was trying to teach some of the kids that if there is a runner on 1st and you are in the field, you can throw to second to get the force out.
Hello? A bit early, no? How about WAY too early???
- we have a 16 game schedule. 16 games! Games go from the end of April to late June. Two games a week. That is insane.
- A coach actually has encouraged our players to "chop" down on the ball off the tee, because "that will make you hit grounders and you'll get a hit. We all do that, we should do well in our games....."
Um..... are we really keeping score in these games?
- Freddie was playing the pitcher position - and he actually fielded a gorund ball! Now - what to do with the ball? Well, he sees a runner running from 1st to 2nd - so he naturally aimed at the runner's head and fired the ball at the runner.
I'm sure that thought process has nothing to do with the fact that we play the "burnout" rule in the basement over the winter. Geesh, I have to make sure he unlearns that lesson quick.
Some thoughts on baseball after the first 10 games of the season (some of you poor saps may have already played 15 or 16 games...)
1) Who are the following people and what do they have in common:
Chase Wright
Kaz Izawa
Darrell Rastner
ok - that was easy. Those are the starting pitchers for the Yanks goign against the TRibe this week. And I'm scared shitless. We NEVER do well against no-name pitchers. I can't tell you how many times Bob Pecozzi opens up SportsCenter on the radio in the morning with a lead something like:
"In the American League, Derek Zahn, a lefthander called up fron Double-AA Edmonton last night, pitcjed 7 1/3 innings of 4-hit ball as the Rangers beat the Indians, 4-1....."
Exhibit A is the final week of the 2005 season, when Seth McClung - SETH McCLUNG - pitched a shutout against us in that awful, awful week where we finished one game out of a playoff spot.
I fully expect to lose all three to these stiffs. And we are 1/3 of the way there after Westbrook's performance.
2) The Tribe won, 2-1, vs. teh White Sox on Sunday. A note from the game story
The last time the Indians won while getting one hit was on April 12, 1992.
This seemed fishy, so I checked - yes! This was the infamous Matt Young game - where we beat Boston 2-1 while being NO HIT by Matt Young. In two separate innings, Kenny Lofton (the 1992 AL Rookie of the Year - Pat Listach is just a figure in many sportswriter's imaginations) walked, stole second, was sacrificed over and scored on a SF.
Do Red Sox fans remember this game? Peter Gammons must have wrote a song about this. I remember exactly where I was during this game - it was a Sunday, I was in my dorm room catching up on studies after being gone the last 2 days to a golf tournament (the Wooster Parlor Open, Kermit - that was the year you and I played together). It was a beautiful spring day, about 65 degrees. I listened to most of the game on radio.
Am I insane for remembering these details?
(By the way, I just checked the game story - it has been fixed to read:
The last time the Indians won while getting one hit or less was on April 12, 1992, a 2-1 victory over Boston when they were no-hit by Red Sox pitcher Matt Young.)
But no mention of my score or Kermit's in the Wooster tournament.
3) I logged on to CNNsi today, saw that the lead story was an article about Jose Reyes and how he can be the next Jackie Robinson.
My first reaction - do I care? He plays in the NL - so I don't care. Go away.
Is that bad? I follow the AL now, and will follow the Reds on occasion ( I do live here, you know). Other than that? No - don't care.
4) T-ball update: I agreed to help coach Freddie's T-ball team. This team is made up of 6 and 7 year olds, most of whom have never played in organized baseball yet.
Some developments:
- Practice started at 10:30. At 11:10 on the first practice, an assistant coach was trying to teach some of the kids that if there is a runner on 1st and you are in the field, you can throw to second to get the force out.
Hello? A bit early, no? How about WAY too early???
- we have a 16 game schedule. 16 games! Games go from the end of April to late June. Two games a week. That is insane.
- A coach actually has encouraged our players to "chop" down on the ball off the tee, because "that will make you hit grounders and you'll get a hit. We all do that, we should do well in our games....."
Um..... are we really keeping score in these games?
- Freddie was playing the pitcher position - and he actually fielded a gorund ball! Now - what to do with the ball? Well, he sees a runner running from 1st to 2nd - so he naturally aimed at the runner's head and fired the ball at the runner.
I'm sure that thought process has nothing to do with the fact that we play the "burnout" rule in the basement over the winter. Geesh, I have to make sure he unlearns that lesson quick.
Apr 11, 2007
Random thoughts on French dining
Well, I flew blind tonight - was on my own for dinner (had a conference call and failed to connect with other Americans at the hotel) so I explored the town and found an authentic French restaurant hidden behind the main town chateau. I used as little English as possible!
Random thoughts:
1) Carbonated water is like a one-week fad. I've had it three nights in a row now (Pellegrino, which is just like Perrier) and love it. But I don't think it's something I can drink regularly. I had this phase in Iowa where I bought a 1L bottle of Perrier at the local Hy-Vee once a week. The phase lasted a couple of months until a Saturday in May. I came back into the house after mowing the grass, looking for something to drink. I saw the Perrier - ugh! If you are thirsty,it is NOT the drink for you. I remember thinking to myself: "Self, why the hell are you buying this again? It does not taste better than Crystal light, you won't drink it if you are thirsty, and it costs $2 per liter." Never bought it again.
2) I forgot to take my Crystal Light "to go" packets to the restaurant (I do have them here on the trip). I wonder what the French would say if I pulled that out at the dinner table and poured it into their mineral water?
3) Did you know that "entree" actually means "appetizer"? I did not know that!
4) Fun with the menu, part I: So I'm trying to order an"entree". I brought my dictionary along. One of the choices was pate. No, not a big fan. The next appetizer took up two lines, but it contained the word "l'avocat". Avocado! Yes, I like that. Let's try that.
Well, I should have looked up the rest of the words.Out comes a plate of salad greens, with a avocado mold on top surrounded by various forms of vegetables and seafood. There were little balls of seafood - I'm telling myself they were miniature scallops - and some seared tuna, I believe. Delicious.
One of the vegetables was a long bean-type of item that what blanched and had a head on it, like an asparagus. I couldn't help but think that it looked like a albino's thinned penis. No, did not touch it.
5) The main course. It was foie gras or "faux filet". Faux filet - literally, "false filet", was really a sirloin. I ordered that.
It came out with a sweet potato cream on the side and potatoes. The potatoes were diced julienne style and seemed to be sauteed in a 1/2 inch of oil.
In other words, French fries.
It tasted just like the homemade potatoes that Mom used to make in her fryer. They were very good, even though I was embarassed to look like the typical American ordering French fries in France.
6) I was struggling with my French at this time - and then realized that I could honestly say "Pardon my French" - in French! - in actual conversation! This made me giggle for a while. Ah, simple pleasures.
7) Yes, it is true about dogsin restaurants. A labrador came by, smelled my clothes (and probably smelled my two schnauzers as well) and lingered a bit. But well behaved. Amazing.
8) Dessert time. Cheese or dessert? Well, dessert of course. I think having a cheese plate for dessert is an utter waste of time and a dessert course. Why? What is the point. Ooooh - cheese! But you could be having something fattening, delicious and sweet as well. And don't give me this crap about some cheeses being sweet. Dammit, I want sugar, not Neufchatel!
9) Crepes or Creme Brulee was the choice. Oh my, did I struggle over that. Wow. I am self-professed expert at Creme Brulee, so I had to order that.
/channel Graham Kerr
The texture was a bit rough, not as smooth as I expected. But the taste - ooh, so rich! The taste was better than the previous #1 Creme Brulee I have tasted, the Creme Brulee at the Phoenix in downtown Cincnnati. The layer of sugar was not at all thick, and does not overwhelm. Perfect. Slight burnt spots, but it is supposed to be that way. I hate the 1" think layer of sugar that some restaurants create in order to impress the customers. Non! The sugar is there to complement, not overwhelm, the custard. Perfect.
Now go do yourself a flavor.
/end Graham Kerr
10) This is the third meal in a row that was completely satisfying. I was so worried that I would have to eat 2 dinners just to be full. I have no idea where that stereotype came from. Every dinner I have had so far - which, to be fair, is sold as a "package" with appetizer, main course and dessert - was enough food to allow me to skip breakfast the next morning.
Where did we get the idea that the French server 2 string beans with an ounce of beef as the main course?
11) Red wine by itself is not as good as red wine with a meal. I am not enough of a connoiseur to understand why that is. Red wine just tastes better (less bitter and acidic) with food to go along with it.
12) Time of the meal: 1 hr, 20 min. Not bad. Not bad at all, for three complete courses (and coffee at the end).
Just a wonderful experience so far. More to come later!
Random thoughts:
1) Carbonated water is like a one-week fad. I've had it three nights in a row now (Pellegrino, which is just like Perrier) and love it. But I don't think it's something I can drink regularly. I had this phase in Iowa where I bought a 1L bottle of Perrier at the local Hy-Vee once a week. The phase lasted a couple of months until a Saturday in May. I came back into the house after mowing the grass, looking for something to drink. I saw the Perrier - ugh! If you are thirsty,it is NOT the drink for you. I remember thinking to myself: "Self, why the hell are you buying this again? It does not taste better than Crystal light, you won't drink it if you are thirsty, and it costs $2 per liter." Never bought it again.
2) I forgot to take my Crystal Light "to go" packets to the restaurant (I do have them here on the trip). I wonder what the French would say if I pulled that out at the dinner table and poured it into their mineral water?
3) Did you know that "entree" actually means "appetizer"? I did not know that!
4) Fun with the menu, part I: So I'm trying to order an"entree". I brought my dictionary along. One of the choices was pate. No, not a big fan. The next appetizer took up two lines, but it contained the word "l'avocat". Avocado! Yes, I like that. Let's try that.
Well, I should have looked up the rest of the words.Out comes a plate of salad greens, with a avocado mold on top surrounded by various forms of vegetables and seafood. There were little balls of seafood - I'm telling myself they were miniature scallops - and some seared tuna, I believe. Delicious.
One of the vegetables was a long bean-type of item that what blanched and had a head on it, like an asparagus. I couldn't help but think that it looked like a albino's thinned penis. No, did not touch it.
5) The main course. It was foie gras or "faux filet". Faux filet - literally, "false filet", was really a sirloin. I ordered that.
It came out with a sweet potato cream on the side and potatoes. The potatoes were diced julienne style and seemed to be sauteed in a 1/2 inch of oil.
In other words, French fries.
It tasted just like the homemade potatoes that Mom used to make in her fryer. They were very good, even though I was embarassed to look like the typical American ordering French fries in France.
6) I was struggling with my French at this time - and then realized that I could honestly say "Pardon my French" - in French! - in actual conversation! This made me giggle for a while. Ah, simple pleasures.
7) Yes, it is true about dogsin restaurants. A labrador came by, smelled my clothes (and probably smelled my two schnauzers as well) and lingered a bit. But well behaved. Amazing.
8) Dessert time. Cheese or dessert? Well, dessert of course. I think having a cheese plate for dessert is an utter waste of time and a dessert course. Why? What is the point. Ooooh - cheese! But you could be having something fattening, delicious and sweet as well. And don't give me this crap about some cheeses being sweet. Dammit, I want sugar, not Neufchatel!
9) Crepes or Creme Brulee was the choice. Oh my, did I struggle over that. Wow. I am self-professed expert at Creme Brulee, so I had to order that.
/channel Graham Kerr
The texture was a bit rough, not as smooth as I expected. But the taste - ooh, so rich! The taste was better than the previous #1 Creme Brulee I have tasted, the Creme Brulee at the Phoenix in downtown Cincnnati. The layer of sugar was not at all thick, and does not overwhelm. Perfect. Slight burnt spots, but it is supposed to be that way. I hate the 1" think layer of sugar that some restaurants create in order to impress the customers. Non! The sugar is there to complement, not overwhelm, the custard. Perfect.
Now go do yourself a flavor.
/end Graham Kerr
10) This is the third meal in a row that was completely satisfying. I was so worried that I would have to eat 2 dinners just to be full. I have no idea where that stereotype came from. Every dinner I have had so far - which, to be fair, is sold as a "package" with appetizer, main course and dessert - was enough food to allow me to skip breakfast the next morning.
Where did we get the idea that the French server 2 string beans with an ounce of beef as the main course?
11) Red wine by itself is not as good as red wine with a meal. I am not enough of a connoiseur to understand why that is. Red wine just tastes better (less bitter and acidic) with food to go along with it.
12) Time of the meal: 1 hr, 20 min. Not bad. Not bad at all, for three complete courses (and coffee at the end).
Just a wonderful experience so far. More to come later!
The Big Day is here!
At 7 pm FST (French Standard time), or 8 am HST (Hawaiian time, for Leland), the 2007 NFL schedule will be released.
Rest assured that I will not be expecting ANY primetime games for the Browns. We are playing the AFC East this year - you think a major network will waste a Pats game showing a game in Cleveland? - and the NFC West....no one will be clamoring for that great 49ers/Browns game either.
Last year, I hoped for an easy home opener to start the season right; I got it, as the 2006 season opened in Cleveland vs. New Orleans. Whoops....
This year, I'm hoping for a road game against a opponent of medium strength - a game we could win, but I won't be devastated if we lose. Say, St. Louis? The Jets?
And I got the go-ahead for this year to be the year I take Freddie to his first game. I think (at 6) he will be old enough. Maybe a fall game against a fellow sub-.500 team, like a September game at home vs. Houston? Buffalo?
We shall see....
Rest assured that I will not be expecting ANY primetime games for the Browns. We are playing the AFC East this year - you think a major network will waste a Pats game showing a game in Cleveland? - and the NFC West....no one will be clamoring for that great 49ers/Browns game either.
Last year, I hoped for an easy home opener to start the season right; I got it, as the 2006 season opened in Cleveland vs. New Orleans. Whoops....
This year, I'm hoping for a road game against a opponent of medium strength - a game we could win, but I won't be devastated if we lose. Say, St. Louis? The Jets?
And I got the go-ahead for this year to be the year I take Freddie to his first game. I think (at 6) he will be old enough. Maybe a fall game against a fellow sub-.500 team, like a September game at home vs. Houston? Buffalo?
We shall see....
Apr 10, 2007
Aloha from Hawai'i
Continuing on Eric's travel theme, I thought that I'd write about my trip to California and Hawaii.
Friday: Arrive in San Diego, Derek picks me up from the airport. We end up meeting Carol at a bar in Pacific Beach after some "interesting" directions. I think that scenery may be a little higher on the new Mrs. Zahn's list of priorities perhaps than it is on mine and Derek's. Either way, have a few drinks, hang out and generally have a good time. Ben meets up with us later in Dana Point, which is always interesting. Oh the stories! I wish I could tell them here... Carol has one or two too many shots and is speaking gibberish on the ride home. She went from happy to falling down in about 4 seconds! She's yelling about politics, and just about everything else that crosses her mind. Not to worry, she passes out on the couch as soon as we get home. Final words: "I'm over it."
Saturday: ran for an hour with Derek in the morning, then went out for brunch with Carol and Ben. Good times had by all, especially those with a clear line of sight of the strippers eating a few tables over. Watched a little Masters and baseball in the afternoon and had a couple of beers. Carol is still nursing her hangover from the gibberish-inducing bout with Patron from the night before, so she's taking it easy. We end up going out in LA to meet up with Bridget (yes, that Bridget) for her birthday at some weird bar near her place in LA. Met her fiancee and a few of her friends and ended up talking to her for a while. Interesting things happening with her and her family. Derek is so enthused that he ends up falling asleep in the corner. Literally. I end up pulling a Carol (i.e. doing too many shots, not screaming gibberish) and we go home. It's a long ride and I hear that Carol and I talked on the ride home, but I couldn't tell you what we talked about. Derek continues his narcoleptic ways and passes out as soon as we get in the car.
Sunday: Leave for Hawaii. Flight from San Diego is delayed, so I end up missing my connection in LA, so I end up getting put on a later flight, watching the Masters from a bar in LAX and texting Eric about the Masters. Plane leaves around 4:45pm PST and gets into Honolulu at 7pm Hawaii-time. Rental car, bags, and I'm off to the Waikiki Marriott.
Monday: Light work schedule, so we're done by about noon. We hustle back to the hotel eat a little something and head off to the beach. Since I landed when it was dark, this is my first look around Waikiki. Let me tell you, it's an odd and conflicting sight. The scenery of Hawaii is amazing. The people on the other hand, are terrible. It's a tourist trap and everyone is fat and ugly. Yikes! We end up spending 2 hours on the beach making fun of everyone else (how else am I supposed to feel good about myself?) and getting sunburned. I guess it's that whole Karma thing... Go out to dinner at Duke's on the beach and meet up with a couple of Australian sisters at the bar afterwards. They are in town for a netball tourney and are out drinking the night before they are set to play 4 games. Love the Aussies! End up talking to the sisters and their mum for quite a while before a few of us head home. But not all of us, as one of the boys ends up bringing one of the sisters back to his place. She left around 7AM, so good for him...
Tuesday: Full work day and I'm nursing a sunburn anyway, so I'm in my room going through email and avoiding doing real work by blogging. I'm here in Honolulu through Friday and then off to Kauai Friday-Monday. I'll write again if we slay any more foreigners....
Mahalo.
Friday: Arrive in San Diego, Derek picks me up from the airport. We end up meeting Carol at a bar in Pacific Beach after some "interesting" directions. I think that scenery may be a little higher on the new Mrs. Zahn's list of priorities perhaps than it is on mine and Derek's. Either way, have a few drinks, hang out and generally have a good time. Ben meets up with us later in Dana Point, which is always interesting. Oh the stories! I wish I could tell them here... Carol has one or two too many shots and is speaking gibberish on the ride home. She went from happy to falling down in about 4 seconds! She's yelling about politics, and just about everything else that crosses her mind. Not to worry, she passes out on the couch as soon as we get home. Final words: "I'm over it."
Saturday: ran for an hour with Derek in the morning, then went out for brunch with Carol and Ben. Good times had by all, especially those with a clear line of sight of the strippers eating a few tables over. Watched a little Masters and baseball in the afternoon and had a couple of beers. Carol is still nursing her hangover from the gibberish-inducing bout with Patron from the night before, so she's taking it easy. We end up going out in LA to meet up with Bridget (yes, that Bridget) for her birthday at some weird bar near her place in LA. Met her fiancee and a few of her friends and ended up talking to her for a while. Interesting things happening with her and her family. Derek is so enthused that he ends up falling asleep in the corner. Literally. I end up pulling a Carol (i.e. doing too many shots, not screaming gibberish) and we go home. It's a long ride and I hear that Carol and I talked on the ride home, but I couldn't tell you what we talked about. Derek continues his narcoleptic ways and passes out as soon as we get in the car.
Sunday: Leave for Hawaii. Flight from San Diego is delayed, so I end up missing my connection in LA, so I end up getting put on a later flight, watching the Masters from a bar in LAX and texting Eric about the Masters. Plane leaves around 4:45pm PST and gets into Honolulu at 7pm Hawaii-time. Rental car, bags, and I'm off to the Waikiki Marriott.
Monday: Light work schedule, so we're done by about noon. We hustle back to the hotel eat a little something and head off to the beach. Since I landed when it was dark, this is my first look around Waikiki. Let me tell you, it's an odd and conflicting sight. The scenery of Hawaii is amazing. The people on the other hand, are terrible. It's a tourist trap and everyone is fat and ugly. Yikes! We end up spending 2 hours on the beach making fun of everyone else (how else am I supposed to feel good about myself?) and getting sunburned. I guess it's that whole Karma thing... Go out to dinner at Duke's on the beach and meet up with a couple of Australian sisters at the bar afterwards. They are in town for a netball tourney and are out drinking the night before they are set to play 4 games. Love the Aussies! End up talking to the sisters and their mum for quite a while before a few of us head home. But not all of us, as one of the boys ends up bringing one of the sisters back to his place. She left around 7AM, so good for him...
Tuesday: Full work day and I'm nursing a sunburn anyway, so I'm in my room going through email and avoiding doing real work by blogging. I'm here in Honolulu through Friday and then off to Kauai Friday-Monday. I'll write again if we slay any more foreigners....
Mahalo.
Bonsoir d'France!
Bonjour, mis amis!
We're blogging live from Blois, France, on the banks of the Loire river in Central France. We have a P&G plant here that I am working with for the next 4 days.
Some quick impressions of the city, the trip, and France so far:
1) Is it a rule that if you are 6'4", have a heavy-set body type and are balding, then you have to be an asshole? Thanks a lot for talking during the WHOLE flight over, Mr. ass in seat 5G.
2) I found my way around Paris and France on Monday with my only French being my handy-dandy phrasebook and my recollection of "Mille Bournes". Essence - yes! That's gas! I ran out of it a lot in Mille Bournes.
3) I do know a little Spanish, but haven't spoke it regularly in years. Nevertheless, whenever I'm stumped for a simple French word, the Spanish word comes out automatically. I can't count the number of times I said "Si" when I meant "Oui".
4) Walked around the town yesterday - European cities are so much more compact than American cities. Lot of cafes, shops, restaurants all within a square mile. I never seem to get tired of comparing American downtowns vs. European towns.
5) Let me just say this... Tony Parker is HUGE in France. He's hawking three French products on separate advertisements around here (and Paris). I have no idea what they are for - but his face is everywhere.
6) Rates for Taxis? Sacre Bleu! A 4-5 mile ride from the plant to my hotel was 13 euros. That's like 18 dollars. Ripoff!
7) We need more Schweppes in the United States.
8) You can impress people with simple French. A couple of times in the plant I said "C'est bon" or "C'est magnifique!" and eyes lit up. "Parlez-vous Francais!" they said. Hold on there, Tex, that's about it. That and "Ou'est la toilette"....
9) Soccer is on 24/7 here. Gees.
10) I rarely have lamb, but now have had it for two straight meals. Delicious. Not gamey at all.
More to come later........
and what the hell is this about Don's post? The Indians have to play this week in Milwaukee? (Thank God for internet access- I saw that today on cnnsi.com and espn.com, which is incredibly fast loading if you think about it). What's the over/under for the attendance there? I say 1463 1/2.
Au revoir for now! Congrats to my Iowa boy Zach Johnson on the Masters win!
We're blogging live from Blois, France, on the banks of the Loire river in Central France. We have a P&G plant here that I am working with for the next 4 days.
Some quick impressions of the city, the trip, and France so far:
1) Is it a rule that if you are 6'4", have a heavy-set body type and are balding, then you have to be an asshole? Thanks a lot for talking during the WHOLE flight over, Mr. ass in seat 5G.
2) I found my way around Paris and France on Monday with my only French being my handy-dandy phrasebook and my recollection of "Mille Bournes". Essence - yes! That's gas! I ran out of it a lot in Mille Bournes.
3) I do know a little Spanish, but haven't spoke it regularly in years. Nevertheless, whenever I'm stumped for a simple French word, the Spanish word comes out automatically. I can't count the number of times I said "Si" when I meant "Oui".
4) Walked around the town yesterday - European cities are so much more compact than American cities. Lot of cafes, shops, restaurants all within a square mile. I never seem to get tired of comparing American downtowns vs. European towns.
5) Let me just say this... Tony Parker is HUGE in France. He's hawking three French products on separate advertisements around here (and Paris). I have no idea what they are for - but his face is everywhere.
6) Rates for Taxis? Sacre Bleu! A 4-5 mile ride from the plant to my hotel was 13 euros. That's like 18 dollars. Ripoff!
7) We need more Schweppes in the United States.
8) You can impress people with simple French. A couple of times in the plant I said "C'est bon" or "C'est magnifique!" and eyes lit up. "Parlez-vous Francais!" they said. Hold on there, Tex, that's about it. That and "Ou'est la toilette"....
9) Soccer is on 24/7 here. Gees.
10) I rarely have lamb, but now have had it for two straight meals. Delicious. Not gamey at all.
More to come later........
and what the hell is this about Don's post? The Indians have to play this week in Milwaukee? (Thank God for internet access- I saw that today on cnnsi.com and espn.com, which is incredibly fast loading if you think about it). What's the over/under for the attendance there? I say 1463 1/2.
Au revoir for now! Congrats to my Iowa boy Zach Johnson on the Masters win!
Apr 9, 2007
Talkin' Baseball...
Its egregious I tell you, egregious.
Apparently Bud Selig wanted to watch some LIVE baseball in Milwaukee this week. Too bad he is watching the Tribe and Angles. If this had happened in NY or Boston, what are the odds they would move the series to Toronto?
I assume MLB will revenue neutralize the Dolans for the, oh, say 100 fans, that might show up in Milwaukee. And the fans in Cleveland …well just s*&% on them (just like the NFL).
Now Cleveland and Seattle have been placed at a disadvantage just as the season starts. Good luck making up 4 games in Cleveland (note, that was Seattle’s only trip to the North Coast this season) And why? I can’t explain it. Why does baseball insist on scheduling games in early April in Northern cities that don’t have a dome? I clearly do not understand. I don’t enjoy watching teams play in the freezing cold in October, let alone in April when it can be easily avoided. And for those that didn’t grow up in Cleveland, it snows in April. This isn’t a freak occurrence.
I feel better now. Thanks for listening.
Apparently Bud Selig wanted to watch some LIVE baseball in Milwaukee this week. Too bad he is watching the Tribe and Angles. If this had happened in NY or Boston, what are the odds they would move the series to Toronto?
I assume MLB will revenue neutralize the Dolans for the, oh, say 100 fans, that might show up in Milwaukee. And the fans in Cleveland …well just s*&% on them (just like the NFL).
Now Cleveland and Seattle have been placed at a disadvantage just as the season starts. Good luck making up 4 games in Cleveland (note, that was Seattle’s only trip to the North Coast this season) And why? I can’t explain it. Why does baseball insist on scheduling games in early April in Northern cities that don’t have a dome? I clearly do not understand. I don’t enjoy watching teams play in the freezing cold in October, let alone in April when it can be easily avoided. And for those that didn’t grow up in Cleveland, it snows in April. This isn’t a freak occurrence.
I feel better now. Thanks for listening.
Apr 5, 2007
Starbucks
I can't tell you the last time I wrote about Starbucks. Gone are the days of working there with all of the soccer moms and their crazy kids. But what makes me revisit this morning was something magical that happened on my way up to LA. I stopped by Starbucks since I forgot to load up the coffee maker last night and I was running behind schedule. Had to get out of the house by 4:45am or I would hit major LA traffic. Stopped at Starbucks just north of LA and had my usual coffee, but decided to try their new breakfast sandwiches. WOW!!!!! As Will Ferrell would say, it was mindbottling. I had the bacon egg and cheese on an english muffin with an added pound of butter. Boys, this thing is worth the $3. This puts Dunkin Donuts microwave sandwich to shame. I'm speechless right now. Everyone have an excellent morning.
Apr 3, 2007
Opening Day Wishes to all
Good luck to all of your teams out there. I mean it! I wish nothing but the best for all of us as we enter the 2007 season.
I regard the baseball regular season much like a USGA qualifier that I play in every year. For example, the US Mid Am Qualifier last year had 82 golfers for 5 spots. In the American League Qualifier for 2007, there are 15 "golfers" playing for 4 spots.
There's no ill will. Why can't the 4 spots be filled by Cleveland, Oakland, New York, or Boston?Or maybe the Indians, Royals, Orioles, and A's?
In these USGA qualifiers with multiple spots, I always wish the best for Don or Kermit or others that I play with. Hey, if they are taking the top 3 or 4 or 5 golfers, why can't it be us?
Now, if the qualifier was 35 golfers for 1 spot, I'd wish Don or Kermit the best of luck, but secretly hope he duck-hooks it out of bounds and makes triple on the first hole.
The first three months or so is the first 18 holes of the qualifier - no sense looking at the scoreboard; just play your game and (hopefully) keep piling up the wins. During the last 18 holes - August & September - that's the time for scorebaord watching and hoping the Tigers keep 3-putting greens.
Good luck to all.
(PS - please note; the above thoughts are my theory on how I should act. I'm sure I will have a big grin on my face when the Red Sox or Yanks gets swept by the Devil Rays in May. )
I regard the baseball regular season much like a USGA qualifier that I play in every year. For example, the US Mid Am Qualifier last year had 82 golfers for 5 spots. In the American League Qualifier for 2007, there are 15 "golfers" playing for 4 spots.
There's no ill will. Why can't the 4 spots be filled by Cleveland, Oakland, New York, or Boston?Or maybe the Indians, Royals, Orioles, and A's?
In these USGA qualifiers with multiple spots, I always wish the best for Don or Kermit or others that I play with. Hey, if they are taking the top 3 or 4 or 5 golfers, why can't it be us?
Now, if the qualifier was 35 golfers for 1 spot, I'd wish Don or Kermit the best of luck, but secretly hope he duck-hooks it out of bounds and makes triple on the first hole.
The first three months or so is the first 18 holes of the qualifier - no sense looking at the scoreboard; just play your game and (hopefully) keep piling up the wins. During the last 18 holes - August & September - that's the time for scorebaord watching and hoping the Tigers keep 3-putting greens.
Good luck to all.
(PS - please note; the above thoughts are my theory on how I should act. I'm sure I will have a big grin on my face when the Red Sox or Yanks gets swept by the Devil Rays in May. )
Worst Tournament Ever?
Geesh. Not a memorable tournament at all...unless you could Joakim Noah's antics in front of the CBS camera over the past 4 weeks.
Really -what will we remember from the 2007 NCAA Tournament? Not much. Just a lackluster bunch of games with no cinderellas at all. Let's review the last few years and play word association:
2006: George Mason, Morrison crying
2005: The unbelieveable quartet of games in the Elite Eight - and the term "Pittsnogle!" was introduced.
2004: Two #1's going on in the 2nd round, St Joe's proving Packer wrong
2003: Nicholas, the "Butler Bandwagon"
2002: Maryland winning it all (in all fairness, most experts say this final game was THE WORST final in the past 10-15 years)
and so on....
nothing is memorable from this year, with the possible exception of BYU picking up a loose ball with :00.1 left and getting a layup to close the final margin against Xavier to 2..... what? That's got to be in the top 10 of "greatest covers of all time", right?
Seriously, the best day of basketball was the 1st Saturday of the tournament. As people find out that I was in Vegas for the first weekend, I've had a couple of people ask me:
"Wow - so what was it like during all those crazy games on Saturday?"
And I have to lie. I don't think they would be satisfied with the true answer of "I wasn't watching games, I was playing $5 Pai Gow poolside at the Golden Nugget".....
Really -what will we remember from the 2007 NCAA Tournament? Not much. Just a lackluster bunch of games with no cinderellas at all. Let's review the last few years and play word association:
2006: George Mason, Morrison crying
2005: The unbelieveable quartet of games in the Elite Eight - and the term "Pittsnogle!" was introduced.
2004: Two #1's going on in the 2nd round, St Joe's proving Packer wrong
2003: Nicholas, the "Butler Bandwagon"
2002: Maryland winning it all (in all fairness, most experts say this final game was THE WORST final in the past 10-15 years)
and so on....
nothing is memorable from this year, with the possible exception of BYU picking up a loose ball with :00.1 left and getting a layup to close the final margin against Xavier to 2..... what? That's got to be in the top 10 of "greatest covers of all time", right?
Seriously, the best day of basketball was the 1st Saturday of the tournament. As people find out that I was in Vegas for the first weekend, I've had a couple of people ask me:
"Wow - so what was it like during all those crazy games on Saturday?"
And I have to lie. I don't think they would be satisfied with the true answer of "I wasn't watching games, I was playing $5 Pai Gow poolside at the Golden Nugget".....
Apr 2, 2007
Opening Day
Is there a more unproductive work day than today? I know that the opening rounds of the NCAA Basketball Tournament is bad, but most people take off the afternoon to watch the games, but for opening day, hardly anyone takes off and just monitors the games. Below are my top five most unproductive days at work:
1. Opening Round of the NCAAs (when I don't take off)
2. Opening Day of Baseball
3. Opening Rounds of the 4 majors
4. Opening week of the baseball playoffs
5. Ryder Cup
Man, after doing this, I really miss being in Baltimore. When I was a supervisor and CR, there was a group of us that would go to Padonia Station or the Turf Inn to watch these events during the afternoon. Man it was great not having any responsibility and being able to ditch the afternoon by saying that you were working in the field or at home. Those were the days.
Baseball preview will be posted later on today.
1. Opening Round of the NCAAs (when I don't take off)
2. Opening Day of Baseball
3. Opening Rounds of the 4 majors
4. Opening week of the baseball playoffs
5. Ryder Cup
Man, after doing this, I really miss being in Baltimore. When I was a supervisor and CR, there was a group of us that would go to Padonia Station or the Turf Inn to watch these events during the afternoon. Man it was great not having any responsibility and being able to ditch the afternoon by saying that you were working in the field or at home. Those were the days.
Baseball preview will be posted later on today.
Mar 31, 2007
Eeeeooooooooowwwwwww!
OK it is Saturday morning and I'm finally feeling back to normal. Here is the story:
Like most males I only go to the doctor if 1) I'm bleeding internally 2) I am missing an appendage 3) My wife tells me I have to go. So I went to the doctor for a "routine" physical on Wednesday morning. I feel fairly certain that there is nothing routine about having another man squeeze and rotate your testicles, but thats just me. Anyway, nearing the end of the exam he says "OK, we just need to do the rectal exam". At this point I am sure I had the Troy Aikman face going pretty good. At first I thought OK that isn't too bad I can take it, then he starts digging around like someone who is trying to find some lose change in a backpack. I'm just waiting for him to scratch the back of my teeth, ouch!!! Finally, I'm walking around like John Wayne and they tell me I need to get a booster shot of some kind. I guess I needed a shot since I was just violated.
Later that evening Laura asks me how I'm feeling and I say "Let's see, I've had my balls squeezed a few times, had a needle in my arm, and I was ass-raped... I feel great!!"
Bottom line, stay away from the doctors.
Like most males I only go to the doctor if 1) I'm bleeding internally 2) I am missing an appendage 3) My wife tells me I have to go. So I went to the doctor for a "routine" physical on Wednesday morning. I feel fairly certain that there is nothing routine about having another man squeeze and rotate your testicles, but thats just me. Anyway, nearing the end of the exam he says "OK, we just need to do the rectal exam". At this point I am sure I had the Troy Aikman face going pretty good. At first I thought OK that isn't too bad I can take it, then he starts digging around like someone who is trying to find some lose change in a backpack. I'm just waiting for him to scratch the back of my teeth, ouch!!! Finally, I'm walking around like John Wayne and they tell me I need to get a booster shot of some kind. I guess I needed a shot since I was just violated.
Later that evening Laura asks me how I'm feeling and I say "Let's see, I've had my balls squeezed a few times, had a needle in my arm, and I was ass-raped... I feel great!!"
Bottom line, stay away from the doctors.
Mar 26, 2007
The U.N. Security Council, Vegas-Style
Like any good consultant, I've spent the last few days interviewing stakeholders from the latest Vegas trip and have come up with some recommendations to be implemented going forward. First off, there are a couple of overriding themes that I think that everyone can more or less agree to:
-This is the all-star trip. This is for serious gamblers who aren't interested in shows, clubs, walking around downtown, or trips to the grand canyon.
-While we all enjoy some individual time, it's the group camaraderie that makes the trip.
-The same group (more or less) has been going for a while and has a certain rhythm/routine that is generally accepted.
-We're all grown-up enough that we're making decent money and don't need to do everything on the cheap.
Keeping those overarching themes in mind, the following are my recommendations:
1. Minimum bankroll = $3,000.00.
Yes, of course you can go out with less, but you're going to be "that guy" standing around watching everyone else is screaming "backdoor action!!!" and high-fiving or screaming "change that card!!!" and then crying. I think that Derek's budget post was a good guideline for approximating your budget (he ended up estimating about $4,000). With $3K, you are able to play $25 minimums and withstand the inevitable "Black XXXday". You need to have the financial wherewithal to sustain heavy losses and still soldier on. The wins will come (unless you are me at the sports book, then you should just stick to the Wheel).
2. Credit card roulette MANDATORY.
With one minor caveat: $750 max loss. I don't care if I just met you an hour ago, you need to understand that we're going to play and you're in. It's HUGE for the chemistry of the weekend. Two things on this:
a. You know going in, so there are no surprises.
b. Aspire to be like Don.
Don is the patron saint of CC Roulette in my eyes. He walked in to dinner at Mesa Grill a couple of years ago, barely knew half of the people at the table, didn't really want to play, but did anyway. He lost, but he took it like a man. Instant great story, and instant respect forevermore from pretty much everyone who was there that night. Needless to say, I heart Don.
3. Everyone stays at the same hotel.
a. It's the group togetherness thing. It just doesn't work if half the people are at Hotel X and half are at Hotel Y.
b. We graduated beyond certain hotels. Obviously, I heart the Mirage. But regardless of where we stay, I think that we've graduated beyond the NYNY/Monte-caliber of casino. You like the 24-hour McDonald's at the Monte? Great, enjoy that in June. You like the roller coaster at the NYNY? Ride it over and over in November. The March trip demands certain things that those casinos can't offer.
4. Three people per room.
This one is clearly more of a guideline, but if you're following guideline #1, you should be playing enough to get a few nights comp'd. And at that point, it's more about personal comfort in the room. We're not 20 years old and cramming into a room at Mardi Gras, we're all making decent money and could use a little space (and designated toilet time). Throw in laptops, golf clubs, bags, and Jay's crazy NBA games/nights matrix, and you've got a very full room.
5. 1-2 new people per trip.
If you can introduce a limited number of new people per trip, they are molded to the group, not vice versa. The newbies need to be peer pressured into a big bet on the Lady Boilermakers, be convinced to play $100 hands of Pai Gow, to learn the true beauty of a reverse parlay "layup", and be convinced to play $25 craps just because there are hot chicks at the table. If there are too many new guys, they end up doing their own thing and splintering from the group.
6. The Security Council Permanent Members.
a. Derek, Wiz, Leland, Eric. I know, I know. Could I be any more of a pompous, self-important ass? Actually, yes, but I'll save that for another post. Save my absence this year for extenuating circumstances, everyone has made the trip every year for the last few years. Everyone is committed to the core principles, and puts in the necessary "sweat equity" of planning (rooms, golf, dinners, hotels, gaming strategy, etc) and studying (hoops info--women's and men's, pro and college).
China, France, The Russian Federation, the U.K. and the U.S., if you will. (I know that there are 4 people and 5 permanent members, see part b below.)
b. Jay, Laura, Don, and Micah make up the Russian Federation seat on the council. They are all no-brainers for the trip, but for one reason or another (i.e. not wearing a shirt when sleeping in the same bed as another guy, a multi-year hiatus, or a penchant for 3-Card Poker) aren't a permanent member. One suggestion was that we rotate one member of this group onto the security council on an annual basis.
7. Admission policy
Should there be a desire for a new person to join the trip, he or she must be sponsored by a Security Council member (one of the 4 permanent permanent or the rotating permanent member). The sponsor will have to present their case during a concall of all security council members and it takes a 3/4 vote for them to be allowed (5 permanent members, the one presenting member does not vote). On Saturday night during the trip, the security council will vote on the future of the new member. Should this person be voted out, the sponsor pays for the dinner of the other security council members. Voted in, and that person is cleared for future trips.
I think that we discuss and tweak this for the next few days and write a constitution. I really don't see why this is so hard for the Iraqis...
-This is the all-star trip. This is for serious gamblers who aren't interested in shows, clubs, walking around downtown, or trips to the grand canyon.
-While we all enjoy some individual time, it's the group camaraderie that makes the trip.
-The same group (more or less) has been going for a while and has a certain rhythm/routine that is generally accepted.
-We're all grown-up enough that we're making decent money and don't need to do everything on the cheap.
Keeping those overarching themes in mind, the following are my recommendations:
1. Minimum bankroll = $3,000.00.
Yes, of course you can go out with less, but you're going to be "that guy" standing around watching everyone else is screaming "backdoor action!!!" and high-fiving or screaming "change that card!!!" and then crying. I think that Derek's budget post was a good guideline for approximating your budget (he ended up estimating about $4,000). With $3K, you are able to play $25 minimums and withstand the inevitable "Black XXXday". You need to have the financial wherewithal to sustain heavy losses and still soldier on. The wins will come (unless you are me at the sports book, then you should just stick to the Wheel).
2. Credit card roulette MANDATORY.
With one minor caveat: $750 max loss. I don't care if I just met you an hour ago, you need to understand that we're going to play and you're in. It's HUGE for the chemistry of the weekend. Two things on this:
a. You know going in, so there are no surprises.
b. Aspire to be like Don.
Don is the patron saint of CC Roulette in my eyes. He walked in to dinner at Mesa Grill a couple of years ago, barely knew half of the people at the table, didn't really want to play, but did anyway. He lost, but he took it like a man. Instant great story, and instant respect forevermore from pretty much everyone who was there that night. Needless to say, I heart Don.
3. Everyone stays at the same hotel.
a. It's the group togetherness thing. It just doesn't work if half the people are at Hotel X and half are at Hotel Y.
b. We graduated beyond certain hotels. Obviously, I heart the Mirage. But regardless of where we stay, I think that we've graduated beyond the NYNY/Monte-caliber of casino. You like the 24-hour McDonald's at the Monte? Great, enjoy that in June. You like the roller coaster at the NYNY? Ride it over and over in November. The March trip demands certain things that those casinos can't offer.
4. Three people per room.
This one is clearly more of a guideline, but if you're following guideline #1, you should be playing enough to get a few nights comp'd. And at that point, it's more about personal comfort in the room. We're not 20 years old and cramming into a room at Mardi Gras, we're all making decent money and could use a little space (and designated toilet time). Throw in laptops, golf clubs, bags, and Jay's crazy NBA games/nights matrix, and you've got a very full room.
5. 1-2 new people per trip.
If you can introduce a limited number of new people per trip, they are molded to the group, not vice versa. The newbies need to be peer pressured into a big bet on the Lady Boilermakers, be convinced to play $100 hands of Pai Gow, to learn the true beauty of a reverse parlay "layup", and be convinced to play $25 craps just because there are hot chicks at the table. If there are too many new guys, they end up doing their own thing and splintering from the group.
6. The Security Council Permanent Members.
a. Derek, Wiz, Leland, Eric. I know, I know. Could I be any more of a pompous, self-important ass? Actually, yes, but I'll save that for another post. Save my absence this year for extenuating circumstances, everyone has made the trip every year for the last few years. Everyone is committed to the core principles, and puts in the necessary "sweat equity" of planning (rooms, golf, dinners, hotels, gaming strategy, etc) and studying (hoops info--women's and men's, pro and college).
China, France, The Russian Federation, the U.K. and the U.S., if you will. (I know that there are 4 people and 5 permanent members, see part b below.)
b. Jay, Laura, Don, and Micah make up the Russian Federation seat on the council. They are all no-brainers for the trip, but for one reason or another (i.e. not wearing a shirt when sleeping in the same bed as another guy, a multi-year hiatus, or a penchant for 3-Card Poker) aren't a permanent member. One suggestion was that we rotate one member of this group onto the security council on an annual basis.
7. Admission policy
Should there be a desire for a new person to join the trip, he or she must be sponsored by a Security Council member (one of the 4 permanent permanent or the rotating permanent member). The sponsor will have to present their case during a concall of all security council members and it takes a 3/4 vote for them to be allowed (5 permanent members, the one presenting member does not vote). On Saturday night during the trip, the security council will vote on the future of the new member. Should this person be voted out, the sponsor pays for the dinner of the other security council members. Voted in, and that person is cleared for future trips.
I think that we discuss and tweak this for the next few days and write a constitution. I really don't see why this is so hard for the Iraqis...
Mar 24, 2007
Friday Night
Ugh, I'm hurting. Last night my office had a March of Dime Poker event off-site. It was at this lady's house in Long Beach with a $30 entry fee with half of the proceeds going to the March of Dimes. They had about 30 players, most of them being employees of mine. I ended up getting to the final table with a very small stack but battled for a while and doubled up twice late to be the second largest stack. Then out of no where, they called the tournament since it was going too long. Why do you do that? Anyway, I didn't complain since they were my employees and I'm not going to make a big deal about it. Also I came in second place and finished in the money. When they gave me my winnings, I just gave it back to the lady hosting the party and made sure that my winnings either helped cover some of the cost of all the food or it went to the March of Dimes.
Now I've been on a huge wining streak in office gambling pools over the last year, but my hands are tied to actually keep the money. I never want to take money from these guys so I either end up using the money to sponsor some of the employee's kids sports team or I just dump it into our activity fund. With my Superbowl square winnings in 2007, I'm now the proud sponsor of the Signal Hill's 9-10 baseball team. The winnings purchased a new banner which they display in their dugout at every game. Last year's March Madness bracket and Superbowl squares winning allowed us to have close to a $1000 tab at our Christmas party.
So with that type of action I usually get invited to a bunch of these things. Happy Hours, Poker events, wine tasting and such, since the younger employees think that its cool that I drink and gamble and when I win I give up the money. I will usually go but step out early so everyone can cut loose a little more without the boss being there. But the only problem is that I have to watch my drinking. For example, last night I was splitting a 1/2 gallon Capt Morgan with one of my supervisors (25 years old) and a claim rep (22 years old). I let them make me a drink twice and it was like drinking gasoline. Is this how our drinks used to taste back in the day? Never let your young employees make you a drink. Never!!!
Now I've been on a huge wining streak in office gambling pools over the last year, but my hands are tied to actually keep the money. I never want to take money from these guys so I either end up using the money to sponsor some of the employee's kids sports team or I just dump it into our activity fund. With my Superbowl square winnings in 2007, I'm now the proud sponsor of the Signal Hill's 9-10 baseball team. The winnings purchased a new banner which they display in their dugout at every game. Last year's March Madness bracket and Superbowl squares winning allowed us to have close to a $1000 tab at our Christmas party.
So with that type of action I usually get invited to a bunch of these things. Happy Hours, Poker events, wine tasting and such, since the younger employees think that its cool that I drink and gamble and when I win I give up the money. I will usually go but step out early so everyone can cut loose a little more without the boss being there. But the only problem is that I have to watch my drinking. For example, last night I was splitting a 1/2 gallon Capt Morgan with one of my supervisors (25 years old) and a claim rep (22 years old). I let them make me a drink twice and it was like drinking gasoline. Is this how our drinks used to taste back in the day? Never let your young employees make you a drink. Never!!!
Weird Vegas stories
The wild and wacky adventures this past weekend that I experienced...none of the characters below involve any one on the trip:
Sports Book #1:
So I'm standing in line behind a mid-40s guy, clearly some sort of convention attendee. He goes up to the book and asks...
"How do I make a $100 bet?"
OK - a beginner's questions. No problem. The teller states that he can either make a $99 bet to win $90 or a $110 bet to win $100.
The next question, though...
"So what do I have to bet if I want to win $120?"
What the hell kind of question is this?
Sports Book #2:
Saturday night, I go up and place the Ole Miss ladies bet:
Me: "$44 on 4638, please"
Teller types.....it comes up Ole Miss -4.5
immediately after that comes up, the teller breaks into song:
Teller:
"HODDY TODDY
ARE YOU READY???
Hell yes, damn right!!!
hoddy toddy gosh almighty
who in the hell are we...HEY!!!
flim flam, bim bam
OLE MISS BY DAMN!!! "
There is a blank stare in my face...
Teller: "Ole Miss grad here - class of 87 - damn proud of those Rebels!"
I should have said what was on my mind , which was along the lines of what Rhett Butler said to Scarlett O'Hara.
I mumbled something about "please just give me my ticket..." and slowly backed away.
Sports Book #3:
Friday morning as I am deliberating.... the trash-collector in the book comes up with his broom and dustpan.
"Do you want a tip?"
I didn't have time to respond before he started again.
"Take the Long Beach and Albany money line parlay. Big money! They're both going to win."
I politely thanked him for his advice.... but I should have asked him a couple of questions...
"You're job is working the 4 am - noon cleanup shift in the book, right? So should I assume that your handicapping abilities may be less than stellar?"
I should say what's on my mind more often.
Poker #1
I'll never forget this hand for a while.
I'm in middle position, I look down and see 8-7 suited (diamonds). No callers before me, I decided to splurge and throw the $2 blind in. Two more players call, and both blinds are playing - so we have 5 players. I will act 3rd.
Flop comes 2 of clubs - 2 of spades - 4 of diamonds
Well, I think, that was a waste. I get ready to toss my cards.
Two checks before me. I check. Two more checks.
Well, we're going to see a free card!
Turn comes 10 of hearts. 2-2-4-10 on the board.
Well, that sucked. That's how you lose money, I thought - you have no business being here. Oh well, it's only $2....
Two more checks in front. I happily say check! - and two more checks follow.
How am I now in at the river on this hand???
The river comes 4 of hearts.
The board is now 2-2-4-4-10, no flush possible.
I take my chip off my cards....
and then the first player throws his hand in!!! There has been no bet yet, of course....
The second player does the same!!!!
I'm sitting there in shock - someone mumbles something about "you know, you could have checked....."
and before I can act, the 4th guy - the guy to my left who should be acting after me - mucks his hand too!!!!!
Again, there was no bet!
So now I find myself heads-up with a hand that can't beat the board.
I say "check?". The last players responds with a resigned "check...."
I turn over my 8-7; he turns over a 7-6.
We split the $10 pot.
Two of the guys who folded were pissed. "You guys didn't have a face card? I would have won that hand with my (Q-3) or (J-6)!!"
Well, as Kermit would say, "Sorry for your luck".
Sports Book #1:
So I'm standing in line behind a mid-40s guy, clearly some sort of convention attendee. He goes up to the book and asks...
"How do I make a $100 bet?"
OK - a beginner's questions. No problem. The teller states that he can either make a $99 bet to win $90 or a $110 bet to win $100.
The next question, though...
"So what do I have to bet if I want to win $120?"
What the hell kind of question is this?
Sports Book #2:
Saturday night, I go up and place the Ole Miss ladies bet:
Me: "$44 on 4638, please"
Teller types.....it comes up Ole Miss -4.5
immediately after that comes up, the teller breaks into song:
Teller:
"HODDY TODDY
ARE YOU READY???
Hell yes, damn right!!!
hoddy toddy gosh almighty
who in the hell are we...HEY!!!
flim flam, bim bam
OLE MISS BY DAMN!!! "
There is a blank stare in my face...
Teller: "Ole Miss grad here - class of 87 - damn proud of those Rebels!"
I should have said what was on my mind , which was along the lines of what Rhett Butler said to Scarlett O'Hara.
I mumbled something about "please just give me my ticket..." and slowly backed away.
Sports Book #3:
Friday morning as I am deliberating.... the trash-collector in the book comes up with his broom and dustpan.
"Do you want a tip?"
I didn't have time to respond before he started again.
"Take the Long Beach and Albany money line parlay. Big money! They're both going to win."
I politely thanked him for his advice.... but I should have asked him a couple of questions...
"You're job is working the 4 am - noon cleanup shift in the book, right? So should I assume that your handicapping abilities may be less than stellar?"
I should say what's on my mind more often.
Poker #1
I'll never forget this hand for a while.
I'm in middle position, I look down and see 8-7 suited (diamonds). No callers before me, I decided to splurge and throw the $2 blind in. Two more players call, and both blinds are playing - so we have 5 players. I will act 3rd.
Flop comes 2 of clubs - 2 of spades - 4 of diamonds
Well, I think, that was a waste. I get ready to toss my cards.
Two checks before me. I check. Two more checks.
Well, we're going to see a free card!
Turn comes 10 of hearts. 2-2-4-10 on the board.
Well, that sucked. That's how you lose money, I thought - you have no business being here. Oh well, it's only $2....
Two more checks in front. I happily say check! - and two more checks follow.
How am I now in at the river on this hand???
The river comes 4 of hearts.
The board is now 2-2-4-4-10, no flush possible.
I take my chip off my cards....
and then the first player throws his hand in!!! There has been no bet yet, of course....
The second player does the same!!!!
I'm sitting there in shock - someone mumbles something about "you know, you could have checked....."
and before I can act, the 4th guy - the guy to my left who should be acting after me - mucks his hand too!!!!!
Again, there was no bet!
So now I find myself heads-up with a hand that can't beat the board.
I say "check?". The last players responds with a resigned "check...."
I turn over my 8-7; he turns over a 7-6.
We split the $10 pot.
Two of the guys who folded were pissed. "You guys didn't have a face card? I would have won that hand with my (Q-3) or (J-6)!!"
Well, as Kermit would say, "Sorry for your luck".
Exaggerate much?
Len Pasquerelli put out an article about Denver's fascination with the Browns' cast-offs on Defensive Line. The signing of Alvin McKinley by Denver is now the 8th DL acquired by Denver who was an ex-Brown. The article is here.
One of the user comments made me sit up and take notice:
Gerard Warren - next to the vietnam war - (is) probably the biggest failure and disappointment in this nation's history.
Well, I don't know about that. I'm sure in Don's eyes, Gerard Warren is the 3rd biggest failure in US history behind the Vietnam war and George Bush. Enron, however, is a spot behind Big Money (tm).
Don - are you sure you didn't write this?
One of the user comments made me sit up and take notice:
Gerard Warren - next to the vietnam war - (is) probably the biggest failure and disappointment in this nation's history.
Well, I don't know about that. I'm sure in Don's eyes, Gerard Warren is the 3rd biggest failure in US history behind the Vietnam war and George Bush. Enron, however, is a spot behind Big Money (tm).
Don - are you sure you didn't write this?
Mar 22, 2007
Vegas diary
OK everyone, time for EZ's running diary of the Vegas weekend 2007.
Wed night:
Derek picks us up at the airport; I decide to take his car and go pick up Don at the airport so he can avoid the 45+ min taxi line. Get to the casino around 12; after walking around for a while getting my bearing, I decide to call it a night. First time ever that I did not gamble the first night. Good thing, since....
Thu morn:
I wake up in bed wide awake at 4:30. Get to the book at 5. Review the numbers and follow my strategy - only pick a few number of games and go big on those. After 2+ hours of deliberation (I felt like I was on a jury for a murder trial), I decide on:
Md -7
Marq/Mich St over 123.5
Ohio St/CCt St iver 126.5
Tx AM -13.5
VCU/Duke over 135.5
Tx AM/Penn under 135.5
Pitt/Wright St Under 120.5
Eastern Ky/NC Over 143.5
VCU +6
BYU +2.5
Louisville (-6) just missed my list.
Derek comes by - I told him I feel sick about these picks. I wanted to avoid any 1/16 games; here I am taking 2 of the overs in those games.
Get breakfast at McDonalds and meet Derek, Wiz, Micah and Dick at Caesar's. I bring my McDonald's bag over and Derek is shocked - SHOCKED! - that I only have one Sausage McMuffin in the bag. Hey there Derek, it's a new Eric. Two years ago, of course, there would have been 3 of those in the bag.
As Wiz has said, there was a lot of nervous moments in that game, compounded by seeing Louisville up 30 over a weak Stanford team. I pulled a Khruschev at one point, taking off my loafer and banging it on the bar at Caesar's.
But as the Terps started to break away, we broke out in celebration. I disticntly remember a free throw with about 1 min to play to put the Terps up 10; Micah was just about to do a strip tease on the bar; Derek and Wiz were hurting each other doing high-fives; and I was playing the coach, nervously pacing back and forth behind the bar, hoping the clock would tick faster than ever before. Dick then opens his mouth and says "Well, that about does it for the Terps, doesn't it?" We all shoot him an icy stare for that possible Gooch.
Golf that afternoon, as Wiz said, was forgettable; the most intense part of the round was 18, where there was a good deal of money on the match and I had a 2-tier putt from 45 feet for birdie; Don had a 60-footer from the fringe for birdie, and Wiz had a 7 footer for bogey/net par. While this was going on, my phone is going nuts as Derek is frantically trying to get a hold of us as the VCU/Duke game is ending.
Get back in time to watch BYU pull a great cover out of their ass - picking up a loose ball at the buzzer and laying it in to cut the deficit from 4 to 2. Final results for day 1 on the sports picks: 8-2. Not bad. I think I like this strategy.
Dinner, I thought, was good. Don picked a GREAT wine. Wow. Wow wow wow. Ended up touring Casino Royale a bit after dinner - Leland, if you like your gambling dark, that's your place. Ended up going to bed (and I heard I shouldn't, as Mike and Saran won a good deal of money at $15 craps that night at the Mirage).
Friday morning came early, with our early tee time. Got up at 5 to put the bets in; the deliberation only took 75 minutes. I only took 7 games to shoot the gun at - 7 games, that is, in the afternoon!God, I hate myself. And yes, RRD, I had Va -8.5.
What a great round of golf at Royal Links. This course was literally surrounded by trailer homes, so we had no idea what to expect. Outside the course, two other items made this round memorable:
1) We had the first tee time of the day. Absolutely perfect. I'd pay a premium to do this again. I know Kermit won't believe this, but I was in a foursome that played in under 4:15. We teed off at 7:40 and were back in the casino at 12:30.
2) Two words: breakfast burrito. Oh my - for $10, I had the best burrito ever. Filled with ham, bacon, potatoes, eggs, a bit of sausage, peppers and onions. And huge- huge! It took me 4 holes to eat it.
Went 4-3 in the morning, so I put 7 more bets for the afternoon. Went to Red Rock, because Derek had a lot of nice things to say about it - and he was right. You never felt crowded, and everyone who worked there was friendly. Had a great time and run at craps - except for Kevin, who decided not to join at the start; he then joined the table after we all won a significant amount of money - you can see this coming a mile away - and the table went cold.
Went 4-3 for the afternoon as well, so with the overall 15-8 with the big sports bets and a good run at craps, I was up - about $800! Decided to play $25 Pai Gow with Wiz, and that's when we met Morty. Fucking asshole. Typical New York guy with a big nose - do I have to tell you his religious preference - who was one of those "outgoing" know-it-alls. Not truly an asshole, but is friendly as he tells you exactly what you should do.
Lost $300 there, including the post-Morty $100 hand that Wiz convinced me to play. But I learned two things:
1) Whenever Wiz gets the Ace of Spades, he greets it with a "Hello, Bee!" salutation. I immediately picked that up and am taking it to poker and blackjack.
2) The Tom Collins at the Mirage gives you a veritable fruit salad in the drink! Orange, lime and cherry...... got my vitamin C for the weekend with 5 of those drinks.
Saturday morning brought a headache (hello, Motrin) and 7 big bet picks:
Mich St + 9.5
G'town -8.5
Tx AM -3
Maryland -5.5
UCLA -7
Vandy/Wash St under 128
VCU/Pitt over 13.5
Planned to go downtown to the Nugget. When we got up, Kevin, Mike and I were up for it.... Saran? Saran? It was 8:30 and no sign of Saran. He comes in about 8:45 - obviously up all night. There was no need to ask him if he wanted to go downtown. He was out in 35 seconds.
Before we leave, we discussed what we wanted to play; we all looked forward to playing craps together. Mike then blurts out "Great! I've never had a losing session playing craps!"
Uh oh.
We get dominated. It wasn't a killing, but a slow and steady erosion. I stopped after about 1 1/2 hours and started watching basketball (and Micah's sports injury). Had a blast playing $5 pai gow poolside for 4-6 hours. Strawberry Daiquiri's for everyone.
As you can see, the sports bets did not work out at all. 1-5-1 on Saturday. That, plus the craps losses and the Purdue Lady Boilers' loss (we took a collection and called a $275 bet to Micah on the Boilers....idiots) made it a bad day. Not Black Friday 2006 bad, but it was painful.
I didn't want to go to bed, so I made my first foray into 1-2 No-Limit poker. Got some good cards (and had one magnificent laydown of A-A) and ended up making $175 on the session. I've got a lot to learn, however...... need to be more aggressive and less afraid of losing my bankroll. Damn, I was shaking as I called the $40 bet to win my first pot, a king-high flush.
Sunday started quiet, as most everyone left; Kevin and I walked down to the Monte to pick up magic tricks for the boys. After everyone left, played BJ at Mirage (big loser) , walked to Bill's Hall between Bally's and Flamingo and played craps; about all alone at the table with a 22 year old kid who played the pass line (no odds) and the $5 hard 8. We were hot - and won a solid amount of money. I gave him a smile at the end and commented "nice roll, kid". I felt like Doc in Major League.
Then I walked by an empty $10 BJ table with a middle-eastern woman dealer - sound familiar? - and did well. This better not start a tradition , where I have to check the dealer's accent before I sit down and play at a table.
Back to the Mirage, won $200 at the Ultimate Hold Em table game - and then with 20 minutes left in the trip, took a couple of rolls at the $25 craps table. Not good - $150 gone in 90 seconds.
Oh well. Overall, about even for the trip gambling wise, mainly due to the spectacular sports start on Thursday. Even with the luggage not making my connection on Monday morning, it was a great trip. Hopefully we'll have more people staying on Sunday next year, huh? What the hell is wrong with a red eye flight?
As of this writing, it's Tennessee 79, Ohio St 79 - and I realize I did take Tennessee to the final 8. Go Vols!
Wed night:
Derek picks us up at the airport; I decide to take his car and go pick up Don at the airport so he can avoid the 45+ min taxi line. Get to the casino around 12; after walking around for a while getting my bearing, I decide to call it a night. First time ever that I did not gamble the first night. Good thing, since....
Thu morn:
I wake up in bed wide awake at 4:30. Get to the book at 5. Review the numbers and follow my strategy - only pick a few number of games and go big on those. After 2+ hours of deliberation (I felt like I was on a jury for a murder trial), I decide on:
Md -7
Marq/Mich St over 123.5
Ohio St/CCt St iver 126.5
Tx AM -13.5
VCU/Duke over 135.5
Tx AM/Penn under 135.5
Pitt/Wright St Under 120.5
Eastern Ky/NC Over 143.5
VCU +6
BYU +2.5
Louisville (-6) just missed my list.
Derek comes by - I told him I feel sick about these picks. I wanted to avoid any 1/16 games; here I am taking 2 of the overs in those games.
Get breakfast at McDonalds and meet Derek, Wiz, Micah and Dick at Caesar's. I bring my McDonald's bag over and Derek is shocked - SHOCKED! - that I only have one Sausage McMuffin in the bag. Hey there Derek, it's a new Eric. Two years ago, of course, there would have been 3 of those in the bag.
As Wiz has said, there was a lot of nervous moments in that game, compounded by seeing Louisville up 30 over a weak Stanford team. I pulled a Khruschev at one point, taking off my loafer and banging it on the bar at Caesar's.
But as the Terps started to break away, we broke out in celebration. I disticntly remember a free throw with about 1 min to play to put the Terps up 10; Micah was just about to do a strip tease on the bar; Derek and Wiz were hurting each other doing high-fives; and I was playing the coach, nervously pacing back and forth behind the bar, hoping the clock would tick faster than ever before. Dick then opens his mouth and says "Well, that about does it for the Terps, doesn't it?" We all shoot him an icy stare for that possible Gooch.
Golf that afternoon, as Wiz said, was forgettable; the most intense part of the round was 18, where there was a good deal of money on the match and I had a 2-tier putt from 45 feet for birdie; Don had a 60-footer from the fringe for birdie, and Wiz had a 7 footer for bogey/net par. While this was going on, my phone is going nuts as Derek is frantically trying to get a hold of us as the VCU/Duke game is ending.
Get back in time to watch BYU pull a great cover out of their ass - picking up a loose ball at the buzzer and laying it in to cut the deficit from 4 to 2. Final results for day 1 on the sports picks: 8-2. Not bad. I think I like this strategy.
Dinner, I thought, was good. Don picked a GREAT wine. Wow. Wow wow wow. Ended up touring Casino Royale a bit after dinner - Leland, if you like your gambling dark, that's your place. Ended up going to bed (and I heard I shouldn't, as Mike and Saran won a good deal of money at $15 craps that night at the Mirage).
Friday morning came early, with our early tee time. Got up at 5 to put the bets in; the deliberation only took 75 minutes. I only took 7 games to shoot the gun at - 7 games, that is, in the afternoon!God, I hate myself. And yes, RRD, I had Va -8.5.
What a great round of golf at Royal Links. This course was literally surrounded by trailer homes, so we had no idea what to expect. Outside the course, two other items made this round memorable:
1) We had the first tee time of the day. Absolutely perfect. I'd pay a premium to do this again. I know Kermit won't believe this, but I was in a foursome that played in under 4:15. We teed off at 7:40 and were back in the casino at 12:30.
2) Two words: breakfast burrito. Oh my - for $10, I had the best burrito ever. Filled with ham, bacon, potatoes, eggs, a bit of sausage, peppers and onions. And huge- huge! It took me 4 holes to eat it.
Went 4-3 in the morning, so I put 7 more bets for the afternoon. Went to Red Rock, because Derek had a lot of nice things to say about it - and he was right. You never felt crowded, and everyone who worked there was friendly. Had a great time and run at craps - except for Kevin, who decided not to join at the start; he then joined the table after we all won a significant amount of money - you can see this coming a mile away - and the table went cold.
Went 4-3 for the afternoon as well, so with the overall 15-8 with the big sports bets and a good run at craps, I was up - about $800! Decided to play $25 Pai Gow with Wiz, and that's when we met Morty. Fucking asshole. Typical New York guy with a big nose - do I have to tell you his religious preference - who was one of those "outgoing" know-it-alls. Not truly an asshole, but is friendly as he tells you exactly what you should do.
Lost $300 there, including the post-Morty $100 hand that Wiz convinced me to play. But I learned two things:
1) Whenever Wiz gets the Ace of Spades, he greets it with a "Hello, Bee!" salutation. I immediately picked that up and am taking it to poker and blackjack.
2) The Tom Collins at the Mirage gives you a veritable fruit salad in the drink! Orange, lime and cherry...... got my vitamin C for the weekend with 5 of those drinks.
Saturday morning brought a headache (hello, Motrin) and 7 big bet picks:
Mich St + 9.5
G'town -8.5
Tx AM -3
Maryland -5.5
UCLA -7
Vandy/Wash St under 128
VCU/Pitt over 13.5
Planned to go downtown to the Nugget. When we got up, Kevin, Mike and I were up for it.... Saran? Saran? It was 8:30 and no sign of Saran. He comes in about 8:45 - obviously up all night. There was no need to ask him if he wanted to go downtown. He was out in 35 seconds.
Before we leave, we discussed what we wanted to play; we all looked forward to playing craps together. Mike then blurts out "Great! I've never had a losing session playing craps!"
Uh oh.
We get dominated. It wasn't a killing, but a slow and steady erosion. I stopped after about 1 1/2 hours and started watching basketball (and Micah's sports injury). Had a blast playing $5 pai gow poolside for 4-6 hours. Strawberry Daiquiri's for everyone.
As you can see, the sports bets did not work out at all. 1-5-1 on Saturday. That, plus the craps losses and the Purdue Lady Boilers' loss (we took a collection and called a $275 bet to Micah on the Boilers....idiots) made it a bad day. Not Black Friday 2006 bad, but it was painful.
I didn't want to go to bed, so I made my first foray into 1-2 No-Limit poker. Got some good cards (and had one magnificent laydown of A-A) and ended up making $175 on the session. I've got a lot to learn, however...... need to be more aggressive and less afraid of losing my bankroll. Damn, I was shaking as I called the $40 bet to win my first pot, a king-high flush.
Sunday started quiet, as most everyone left; Kevin and I walked down to the Monte to pick up magic tricks for the boys. After everyone left, played BJ at Mirage (big loser) , walked to Bill's Hall between Bally's and Flamingo and played craps; about all alone at the table with a 22 year old kid who played the pass line (no odds) and the $5 hard 8. We were hot - and won a solid amount of money. I gave him a smile at the end and commented "nice roll, kid". I felt like Doc in Major League.
Then I walked by an empty $10 BJ table with a middle-eastern woman dealer - sound familiar? - and did well. This better not start a tradition , where I have to check the dealer's accent before I sit down and play at a table.
Back to the Mirage, won $200 at the Ultimate Hold Em table game - and then with 20 minutes left in the trip, took a couple of rolls at the $25 craps table. Not good - $150 gone in 90 seconds.
Oh well. Overall, about even for the trip gambling wise, mainly due to the spectacular sports start on Thursday. Even with the luggage not making my connection on Monday morning, it was a great trip. Hopefully we'll have more people staying on Sunday next year, huh? What the hell is wrong with a red eye flight?
As of this writing, it's Tennessee 79, Ohio St 79 - and I realize I did take Tennessee to the final 8. Go Vols!
Mar 21, 2007
Funny link
Manny Ramirez is a strange dude. Check this out
I love the pictures and everything, he even created his own username. Gotta love it.
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