I Hate Halloween

I said it. It's true.

The whole figuring out a costume thing is depressing. Then going someplace dressed up is another task. When I was a kid I tolerated H-Ween for the candy, like any kid would. But as I got older...not so much. Then as a parent, you do what you must. But now that they are 18 and 15, the dressing up for them is over, at least I think it is. I still decorate the front of the house, I don't mind answering the door for the "Trick or Treat", and I even emcee the annual Halloween Parade/Party/Costume Contest/Night of Chaos. But dress up? No.

THE KID

YSSS is 16 today!!! AND HE IS AWESOME!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!

Perspective

Found on the Chicago Bar Project website:

20 EVENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED SINCE THE CHICAGO CUBS WON THEIR LAST WORLD SERIES

Both radio and TV were invented

Fourteen teams were added to Major League Baseball

George Burns celebrated his 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th, 80th, 90th and 100th birthdays

Haley's comet passed Earth, twice

Harry Caray was born, and died

The NBA, NHL and NFL were formed, and Chicago teams won championships in each league

The US fought in World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, Iraq War, Afghanistan War

Man landed on the moon

Sixteen US presidents were elected

Eleven amendments added to the Constitution

Prohibition was created and repealed

The Titanic was built, set sail, sank, and was re discovered

Wrigley Field was built and becomes the oldest park in the National League

Flag poles were erected on Wrigley Field roof to hold all of the team's future World Series pennants, which have since rusted and been taken down

A combination of 40 Summer and Winter Olympics have been held

Thirteen baseball players have won the Triple Crown

Swing music, bell-bottoms, and disco came in style, went out of style and came back in style

The Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins have all won the World Series; what next, the Nationals?!?

The Cubs played almost 15,000 regular-season games, losing the majority of them

Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Oklahoma and New Mexico were admitted to the Union

That's why I'm rooting for the Cleveland Indians. Prediction: Indians in 7.

Way Too Many

So this fall, YSSS is playing ball with a bunch of kids from a town about 20 minutes from us. A little clarity; SoulSlam goes toa gym in Wayne NJ...one night I roll on in and there's a kid who used to play for me, he's 16 now. He and his dad are there, we exchange pleasantries, catch up. Kid moved from my little burg to live with his mom in another town/county. Anyway, tells me he's wrestling (he's a big strong kid), doesn't play baseball anymore. As long as he's active I am all in.

So summer comes around sometime in early July and he tells me he's playing baseball for the summer. And they need kids. And he wanted to know if YSSS was available...but YSSS was playing with our slipshod American Legion team (playing be a loose term) and wasn't interested. He was working 20-25 hrs per week as well so no big deal. The big kid did give my number to the HC of this team who also happens to be a guy I see at the gym sometimes (though hadn't spoken too since I am a mute at the gym, but that is another story). Anyway, fall is rolling around so I get asked if YSSS is interested. We talk and he decides to give it a go. Now he's a pretty quiet kid, so jumping in with a team full of kids is pretty drastic sometimes. Anyway, we go, he's one of better kids (actually the best according to dad, coach, SoulSlam) and we get ready to play. We have a couple of practices in August that I think at max 10 kids came to. I'm also informed that in summer they usually only had 9 or 10 at a game. I get asked to be Asst. Coach too.

Anyway, turns out we have 13 kids on Sept. 1. And right before first game on 9/11 HC says he added another kid. Great I think. Except HE BATS THEM ALL! AT 16U! So we bat kids that are almost guaranteed to be automatic outs including:

A kid that runs track, though he actually isn't bad. Fast as a shark

A kid who would have trouble making a rec team, doesn't play HS baseball and is a 50/50 on any flyball right too him

A kid who i thought was 13 when I first met him. Seriously in need of a growth spurt he looks like he still watches Caillou

A kid that is our backup catcher that can't catch a ball from the pitcher. That is why YSSS had to catch a game a couple weeks ago

A kid who told me some schools wee looking at him. Ummmm, no they are not.

A kid who once asked me incredulously why he was expected to cover 2B on a force play becuase he was playing in

A kid who was apparently home-schooled and has the demeanor of one. He goes to a public HS now. I asked if he's playing HS baseball and he said "no"

So all these kids make up an interesting group. One thing the HC stressed to me was he didn't care if we won or lost. OK. Then the other night around 10:15PM I get some texts along the lines of "we need more pitching for last few games", I have two kids I'm gonna add to roster", etc. My only real response is we cant bat them all. He agreed. So what happens Wednesday night? 15 show up, 15 are in the lineup. AAAAARRRRGGHHHHH!

Soon to be over.

Inching Closer

That's what I would say to the guy I saw heard ina restroom today. Heaving, huffing and puffing, I've heard people that have finished marathons in record time be less out of breath. If you have that kind of respiratory difficulty just walking around you should start planning for the afterlife now.

Two In One Day!

So after I pretty much didn't call the earlier rounds correct (well I got NLDS' right but I had tanked on WC games so that makes me below .500), here's the SoulSlam picks for the AL and NL Championship Series:

AMERICAN LEAGUE - Indians over the Blue Jays in 6. LeBron James becomes biggest cheerleader in history.

NATIONAL LEAGUE - Dodgers over the Cubs in 7. Everybody in Chicago cries for months on end.

A Cup of the Black

So...

SoulSlam used to drink a lot of coffee. Started when I was a teenager working at a diner, early 5:30AM shifts. Cold out. So you start drinking coffee to warm up. Then it becomes a staple of your diet. So for the next 30 years or so, I drank coffee. My way was a regular (NY/NJ speak) or a light & sweet. UMMM, good.

Then about 3 years or so ago I started going to the gym regular like and watching what I eat a little more closely. And I realized that the morning coffee(s) I was consuling with all that milk and sugar was probably equal to drinking milkshakes. So I tried to cut back but that was tough. Then one day that was that. NO more morning coffees...the House of SoulSlam doesn't even have a coffee maker in the kitchen anymore.

But over the last few months I've gravitated back slowly. But now I drink it BLACK. Badass. 2 calories a cup. If I'm feeling it I mix in a little protein powder for a boost. After not being able to choke it down w/o the curlyQ stuff, now I'm all Type A about BLACK Coffee. But I can't buy it to go. I can only have the free office coffee or something with a meal. I feel cheated paying the same price for coffee as people putting 10 sugars and a glass of milk in theirs.

SO let's go back to the future: whilst working in the diner and being a teenager I once had tix to see Van Halen (DLR era) for a Sunday night. Had an early AM shift so I had to get up early. And I figured that I'd be a little gassed by the first notes of EVH's guitar. So I drank coffee. A lot. If I remember it was around 20 cups. Guess what? VH cancelled concert that night for some reason or another. So here I am, jacked to the bejesus with a caffeine rush. I don't think I slept that night. Ahhh, memories.

I'm Batting 1.000

So far in playoff picks. I am batting 1.000 in being WRONG! Wow.

WildCard Wrong!

I couldn't be more wrong on either of my WC picks. I'm 0-2 now.

MLB PLAYOFF PICKS PART ONE!

All with my head not my heart:

AL Wild Card will be Orioles over Blue Jays

NL Wild Card will be Mets over Giants

ALDS will see Rangers beat the WC Winner and Red Sox over Indians

NLDS will be Cubs over WC Winner and Dodgers over Nationals

I'll update as we move along. As you can see I don't think my beloved NY Mets will make it out of the DS. But given that they were all but dead six weeks ago in SF...I can't be disappointed.