Resolution Time

Rolls around every year my bi-ped friends!

SoulSlam has a few:

Lose weight

Get back on my damn bike! (which helps with above)

Be the best youth baseball coach I can

Get a crew-cut!

And though not really resolutions but everyday opportunities - be the best husband and father I can to the Clan SoulSlam!

Here's an Irish Blessing for the new year:
May your glass be ever full.
May the roof over your head be always strong.
And may you be in heaven
a full half hour before the devil knows you're dead.

Happy New Year.

Lucha New Year

This is what you get when you vacation in Cancun!

Omar 2

Guess he was listening to the sound of SoulSlam's voice!

BTW - Dropkick Murphy's will be playing "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" before the hockey game at Fenway on New Year's. Enjoy this as a sample.

Omar?

Omar? Omar?? Where are you?

Missed my chance to post in real-time when the highly sought-after (that is a joke) Kelvim Escobar signed an incentive-laden deal. Oh boy. Besides that superb RA Dickey deal, I guess you have to say The Mets Braintrust has been busy. RIIGHHHT!

Giants sign DeRosa. That leaves 3 left fielders playing a virtual game of musical chairs with the Cards and Mets. Holliday, Bay and Damon are looking at two seats that will pay some big dough. Damon is looking to be this year's Giambi.

Don't Follow This Example

But I think it's a pretty cool video!

The Office

Back to the place of employment after four days off that felt like two.

Quiet here. Pin-drop quiet. Maybe I can get some work done.

Less than 2 weeks to winter baseball practice. Yowza!

Did You Get What You Wanted?

And if you didn't - tough. Cowboy up.

Busy today on a very rainy Saturday after Christmas. Even stopped at a couple of stores late in the day with no waiting. Cool.

Now (10:30PM) I'm making that Jersey favorite - Sausage and Peppers. Mine rocks.

Ingredients:
Sausage
Peppers (no green peppers, they are tasteless)
Onions
Garlic
Tomatoes
Salt/Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 cup of white wine
Water

Cook the sausage in the oven. Put all the other stuff in a big pot and cook it down. When the sausage is done, slice it and throw it in the pot. Let it cook awhile. Put it in pans, refrigerate. Eat well Sunday.

To All

A Very Merry Christmas!

The Eve of The Eve

Which would make it Dec. 23 townsfolk.

Four days off with the best holiday of the year on Friday. Can't wait.

Gotta wrap some presents to tally my box count and then get what I gotta get tomorrow. I usually am behind the 8-ball on Eve proper, but I'm in pretty good shape right now. Couple of items and I should be good.

And...

The NY Mets are close to signing a 35 year old knuckleballer. What a relief. The last piece of the puzzle? (CUE THE SARCASM)

The Next Big Thing (maybe)

Check this out...

Der Vogel

To figure out the meaning of that title, check Babel Fish. German to English.

Saturday afternoon, after chaperoning the Sons of SoulSlam for some holiday shopping, we decided (as a trio) to go grab a hot dog at a local joint.

Where I live, to cross over into the bustling metropolis, you cross over a viaduct, which has a fork at the bottom. Light on the straight side, or you can cruise right through a Yield Sign and proceed down Main St.

So I come over the crest, the light is red, and a couple of cars are stopped. I slowly creep down to continue straight when the guy behind me lays on the horn. Got ya. Creep up a little more and this guy passes by on the aforementioned right, with his middle finger up high, which is right in my oldest son's face. WHAT!

What this dope doesn't know is I have enough room to bang the right and follow him, which I do.

Now he goes down Main to a very looong light. Which is red. He has no place to go. Pity the fool (as the immortal Mr. T used to say!)

I'd like to say I stayed calm, but I did not. I jump out and confront Mr. Tough Guy. I come up on his window and the look I got was priceless. The kind of look that says "I just crapped myself!"

Paraphrasing I go on like this:

'YOU GAVE ME THE FINGER! YOU'RE A TOUGH GUY GIVING ME THE FINGER! NOW YOU HIDE BEHIND YOUR CAR WINDOW LIKE A PANSY BUT YOU WERE TOUGH ENOUGH TO THROW A FINGER AT ME A BLOCK AGO! COME ON OUT AND GIVE ME THE FINGER! IT WOULD BE A SHAME TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS WITH A BROKEN FACE!

I then returned to my car and followed for a couple tenths of a mile. I could see him trembling all the way.

So some may say I should not have done that in front of my sons. I disagree. As I explained to them, you don't let anybody treat you with disrespect.

And the moral of this story. Don't mess with SoulSlam.

SLAM.

Hoops

Since there is only so many times I can bloviate about the inactivity near Willets Point, time for a Hoops post.

This season, SoulSlam is coaching two teams - one 6th Grade (12U) travel team for the older guy and a buzzsaw of a 2nd/3rd Grade Rec team with my ever-growing 9 year old.

On the travel team I am an assistant coach, coaching with some guys I've known for a long time and coach baseball with. As far as the team, we are vertically challenged (read that as S-H-O-R-T), and so far, we've gotten our Nikes handed to us. Since we didn't get into this thinking we are going to win a National Championship, all's well; though some of these kids can't seem to grasp the simplest of concepts on the hardwood.

The rec team is the first stab at competitive ball for these boys. They've basically been playing in a non-competitive clinic for a couple. Now they have to play with refs and rules (some modified). I have my team running a couple of plays already, so I think we're ahead of the curve. I'm sure the comments will start about stacking my team will begin from the looks of things. But that is the way the ball bounces.

And last but definitely not least, mark your calendars. January 8, 2010. Indoor winter workouts. Baseball. Can't wait.

SHHHHH...

Don't make any noise, you might wake Omar.

Are you freakin' kidding me!!!

Halladay is a Phillie. Lackey is with the Bosox.

And the Mets are looking at Kelvim Escobar. Guy can't even spell his own name right.

I am hexed.

Imagine having to explain to the 11 year old son of SoulSlam that this is what it means to be a Met fan during the hot-stove (re: Winter) months: MISERABLE. ANXIOUS. WAITING FOR SOMETHING THAT NEVER COMES. LIKE LINUS VAN PELT IN THE G&#-DAMN PUMPKIN PATCH.

Closed for Business

Recently, Hofstra University announced the cancellation of the football program after 70 or so years.

Citing the financial drain of $4.5M annually as a major factor was Saul Rabinowitz, Hofstra president.

Home attendance averaged 4260 per game. Lacrosse at the school draws more fans.

So why is SoulSlam typing here?

Because I am sick of the whining and boo-hooing I hear on sports radio here, namely WFAN.
A couple of observations:

This wasn't exactly Michigan or Ohio State

Funny how nobody calling these radio shows mentions whether they were season ticket holders or not. You couldn't fill a Wal-mart on Black Friday with their avg. gate

Isn't a university supposed to be about learning

Where was all the complainers when Hofstra was playing. Can't remember one call about the powerhouse from LI

Go Away.

The Hoodwink

The definition can be found here

So what is going on in Met-land?

Contract offers to Jason Bay and Bengie Molina. Let's leave Molina out since it seems this one might be the genuine article.

Now the Bay contract? Well...

Lots of speculation by the spinning heads that the Mets are in dire need of stimulating season tix sales, which have been slooow this off season by most accounts.

So you offer a deal to a guy that's just a little north of the Red Sox offer, and maybe you make it appear as if you're a player in the sweepstakes. Maybe not.

I think that all being equal, Bay stays with Boston. Easier to play the short left field and he has a comfort level there. Then the braintrust in Queens can say "Hey, we tried!" and then go sign some .265 spud.

Wait and see. Hope I am wrong. I like Matt Holliday better anyway.

Small Potatoes

Word around Mets camp is...


silence.

The World Champion NY Yankees pull off a blockbuster 3-team trade to IMPROVE THEIR TEAM. The Mets do what?

I hear we got ourselves a minor league infielder though. Excellent.

One Dopey Movie (Another Movie Review)

Apparently HBO is puttin' the full court press on by playing The Day the Earth Stood Still over and over and over...

Here's what SoulSlam thinks of this movie (and leading man!):

Nutshell (Part 2)

Are you kidding me? The NY Mets, my beloved team have gone out and signed two (count 'em 2) catchers, namely Chris Coste and Henry Blanco.

Now I know we need a catcher, and I'm sure these were a couple of low-cost alternatives, but if anything it shows the diehard Mets fan that the front office is CLUELESS! Why are we signing two backup catchers now? Don't you go get these guys after you have the important pieces in place? AAAAARGGGHHHH!

And the even better news- Coste didn't want to be here!

Another stellar job.

Thanks Greg (whoever you are)

One of my colleagues at work (let's call him Dan) went to a book signing by one Lance Armstrong (who can wear yellow anytime he pleases)somewhere here in North Jersey.

So Dan proceeds to tell me the story of waiting for the 7-time TdF winner and American Icon and the rules in place for the signing; no items other than his book to be signed, though many of the cycling geekdom apparently brought tubulars, programs, yellow cycling shirts, etc.

But I digress.

Dan says that after a wait of approximately 2.5 hours, the signing begins. He is about 50 people back, so he's got some time. And one book. He had struck up a conversation with a guy named Greg, who had four books and was waiting on the Mrs. She never shows. He turns to Dan and says "hey, could you take one of my books since you only have one?" Dan, being a very nice guy, agrees. And gets the book signed. And is asked to leave.

Gets back into the bookstore proper and looks hi and lo for Greg. No can find. Dan has quite a ways to go to get home, and it's getting late. He waits by the door, still no Greg. After an interminable wait, he left. With Greg's book.

Ipso facto - he gave it to me, since I am a fan of Mr. Armstrong. Thanks Greg!