2.27.2011

Same Old Ollie

My head hurts too when you pitch!



The enigmatic lefty - Ollie Perez, got lit up for 4 earned runs today in a grapefruit league game. Four. As in 4.

Included in this little display of talent was three consecutive walks with two outs to the 6, 7, 8 hitters - unbelievable when you think about it.

He's making $12MM this season, playing or not. Maybe he can donate it back to the Wilpon's for a piece of the team so they can pay MLB back.

Long season ahead. Should be fun.

2.26.2011

Friday Night Wasteland

So practice last night with the 12U didn't really go as well as we would have liked...

Between a general lethargy from a few to the disruptions of one, the boys spent a good deal of the time running or doing planks. Then we had to have a talk with them for about 20-25 minutes at the end. Actual time doing baseball stuff - 50 minutes (out of 90). Which really bothers me. I am trying to convince myself it is due to practicing indoors and getting antsy.

What do you call talent without any drive or desire? A waste.

Back at it Sunday.

2.25.2011

Fresh

Dogs look and smell nice.

House is still a little stinky. Oh well.

Go Away

As in rain, rain...

It is raining in North Jersey right now, with a lot of snow still on the ground. Supposed to have wind this afternoon with gusts of up to 60mph. Yikes.

No flood watch for SoulSlam's neck of the woods yet, but stay tuned.

In the not so good news department, the Dogs of SoulSlam (DOSS), Max and Maggie, got skunked a little bit last night. So they smell really good right now. They will e getting a doggie #2 (as in a buzz) today.

Baseball tonight and Sunday. I'll be interested to see who shows. And who doesn't. The bench is calling...

2.22.2011

Totally Off Limits

DO NOT USE YOUR GD CELLPHONE IN THE MEN'S ROOM.

Standing or sitting. Not acceptable.

2.21.2011

It's Snowing

Had dreams the white stuff was all over.

Supposed to get 3"-6".

Day off for Prez Day, so no big deal.

I was hoping to get outside to practice in a couple of weeks. Maybe not.

2.20.2011

Might As Well Say It


If you follow the trials, tribulations and triumphs of a man called SoulSlam, you know I am a coach. Baseball is #1, basketball is close behind. Travel and rec, I coach; keeps me sane, gets me outside, stayin' young.

So one of my baseball teams has a few players that miss a lot of practices. Since it is technically basketball season, that is an excused reason to miss practice. But beyond that, nothing other than being sick is acceptable to me. As a parent you should know this - YOU (meaning YOU and YOUR KID) MADE A COMMITMENT. So when the time comes to play a baseball game, and YOUR KID is ridin' the pines, DON'T SAY ONE WORD TO THE COACH.

Because I don't want to hear it.

2.19.2011

Back to the Cold Reality

Of February. Wind like a mini hurricane, and it's cold. BBBRRRR.

As a citizen of the place I live, I attended a budget hearing this morning. Now, I'm pretty involved in the town, mostly through our P.A.L. and the schools; the members of the council on the other hand are like ghosts. With the exception of one or two, I never see any of these phantoms at any event...and I can't be the only person who realizes this. We have one guy commenting on the community lake, what it needs, etc., who then admits in his residence of 30 years he has never gone down there. What a tool.

Enough politics.

3-day weekend is on tap. Should have been 4, but I had to go to work for a bit on Friday, so 3 it is. Need some downtime.

Baseball practices are at the pace of two per week - the 12U players are pretty much at the make or break year. At the age of 13 and the move to 60' x 90' diamonds, we see who can play baseball and compete and who can't. Of my team of 12, I will say 7 or 8 will make the transition next year. So they have to work harder this year than ever to capitalize.

Audi.

2.18.2011

Winter Heatwave

Yowza, a little warm weather in the middle of winter can put a spring in your step. Been especially mild over the last couple, with a forecast of 65 degrees today. Nice.

It's also a benefit to melting the piles of snow and ice we have accumulated over the last 6 weeks. Maybe it will keep away the spring floods we usually go through around SoulSlam's neck of the woods.

But it's not forever, looks like it will get cold again tomorrow, and there's some precip in the horizon. I'd like to keep the snow-thrower in the garage, bet on that.

Basketball almost over. I have a 3 week layoff with the 4th graders, then we play our final two games. Could get us to 5 wins if we play the way we are capable. I think we are outside the playoffs though. Some boys have really gotten the whole concept of team ball, some are making the same mistakes in game 14 they did in game 1. Next year's tryouts should be interesting since we are combining two teams to one.

7th graders are in a tough spot, playing against mostly 8th graders from towns way bigger than us. So we are usually smaller and at a disadvantage. They have 3 games left, we probably can't win any unless we get real lucky. For the most part they've done as well as can be expected. I am proud of all of them.

And baseball practice is in full swing.

2.16.2011

R.I.P. Gary Moore

I'm a little late with this, and I just found out that Gary Moore, one of the greatest guitarists that ever walked the Earth died about a week and a half ago. My bad.
http://www.spinner.com/2011/02/06/gary-moore-dead-at-58/?sem=1&ncid=searchusmusi00000003&s_kwcid=TC|10778|gary%20moore||S|b|7013148049

The guy was unbelievable talented as a guitar player and an incredible songwriter - the knock on him wasn't good-looking enough for the video era.

Check out one of his songs here:

2.13.2011

Skinny Jeans / Fat Guy

What is going on? Don't ask me how it happened but I ended up in the Willowbrook Mall this afternoon - the place looked like it was the week before Christmas, loaded with people. And I am not a crowd-type of guy.

Anyway, why do guys who should know better insist on wearing skinny jeans. You know who looks good in skinny jeans? Nobody, that's who.

But when you see guys who are pushing the 180+ mark rocking these bad boys, you've gotta ask what the hell are they thinking. Be a man. Get some Levis. And buy the right size, chunky.

2.12.2011

Won a Wild One


4th Graders got 3rd win in a row tonight - 43-40 in OT. Big. Didn't play great in 1st half, down 5. Told them they had to give me 16 hard minutes. They did, then they had to give me 4 more. Tough job, but they did it.

Still have 3 games to go...we wont have a winning record on the season, but we might for the second half of the season, a minor victory.

2.09.2011

A Little Whine Please

To all who like to b*tch and moan about the way sports that are run by 100% volunteers (who go way above and beyond) - STFU!

Wow.

2.06.2011

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Won 35-23.

Take that. Now go back to the hole you came from.

Proud of my boys.

Best Served Cold

Don't think I ever got into this, but a few weeks ago my 4th Grade team went to play a town team sponsored by a church. We lost, but the game was exceptionally rough (3 of my boys got hurt), the two old-guy refs couldn't be bothered to take control (or keep up on the court) and the home team parents serenaded my team at the end with the infamous "nah nah nah hey hey" song. Classy.

So now that same team come to our little slice of heaven today. I am just coaching, but I'm pretty sure we will draw a big crowd. Gonna see if we can get a little revenge. In a nice way.

2.05.2011

First Win

So my 4th Graders got their first win of the season last night, coach being very happy for them. We played for the full 3-2; and the other team wasn't very good, but a win is a win. When you're 9 or 10, none of the other stuff matters.

Anyhoo - I went up by 20 late in the 3Q, so at that point it was 5 passes before anybody gets off a shot. I wasn't there to embarrass anybody, or out the throttle to a bunch of kids, even though it's been done to me. Here's a tip for all you budding Coach Ks (in youth hoops) - you may think that the beatings you lay on lesser teams is fun, but basketball is a cruel sport. You will get housed by somebody else; karma is a bitch.

bad weather this weekend with a lot of rain. Miserable.

2.04.2011

Goodnight, Andy


So today is the day...Andy Pettitte retires.

You know the accolades; 16 years MLB pitcher, clutch performer, winning-est pitcher in playoff history, etc., etc., etc.

But let's not forget - admitted PED user with a taste for HGH, unhappy camper all the time about his contract and how much dough he was getting paid, ship-jumper to Houston when the money called, and losing-est pitcher in playoff history as well.

Adios.

So now I hear all the Yankee fans crying about their rotation (Sabathia, Hughes, Burnett, Nova, Mitre) - and how they should go out and get King Felix, since they are the Yankees and deserve him; and how they can give Seattle nada in return.

Welcome to reality, Yankee fans.

2.01.2011

Old Man Winter

Is really kicking it up a notch today. We have snow piles that are like mountains due to all the white stuff, and now we are in the midst of an ice storm. There's a warning in effect until tomorrow afternoon!

At this rate, outdoor baseball practices will commence around mid-May (that is a "whistling in the dark" joke).

So I will go home in about 90 minutes and see what I can do to push the ice around my driveway. I can already tell this is gonna be fun.