Crazy People

So here we go...

18U played yesterday, got the W with a 6-0 shutout.

Rain threatening all day, finally came in 6th inning. We needed to finish so away we go. And with a 6-0 lead we started to lose a little focus. So let's start in top 7...for perspective we took OSSS and our SS off the field for some defensive subs to get some boys in game. And it's raining pretty good.

SP still on mound, he was doing terrific job. Our catcher is a little out there (in a nice way) and he'a jawing with the umpire a bit. I hear blue tell him "that's enough", which is never enough for our catcher. We have an E7 so the opponent isn't dead yet. Then a line drive to the SS...caught almost doubles off the runner on 1B. At that point I hear the ump getting a little testy with the catcher. So I call a timeout and call everybody to mound, so I can tell catcher to shut his mouth and finish the game. He decides to flip a ball over his shoulder to ump and hit's ump in chest with ball. Which resulted in his ejection. With one out. Nice teamwork. So we scramble, move 2B to catcher; RF to 2B and OSSS has to go out to RF. Next batter of course hits a liner to RF; OSSS made play. We get next guy on F7, so LF redeemed himself (or so I thought).

OK, everybody is cleaning up, blah, blah. I notice LF is off to side and he looks very upset. I talk to him a little telling him no problem, errors happen, etc. I don't know why he was so upset. While I'm speaking to him nicely I notice the catcher's mother standing there. When I'm done with LF, she blurts at me "Is that ref going to do game tomorrow, because if he is and I won't be here!". To which I respond, "uhhh, ok, whatever. I don't get to pick the umps (not refs)".

She is going on about refs and I tell her to suit herself. She's walking away and I basically say to myself "holy shit"...then she starts back with "what did you say?" "I didn't say anything, I was talking to myself". She starts in about I heard you say something....I say again "I didn't say anything I was talking to myself"...she says I heard you...so I say "then what did I say?". She's seething. Crazy like. Then tells me I'm not the coach...to which I laugh and say "you're right, go complain to him".

So she goes to other side of dugout...and tells Bob the HC/HLW something. I'll find out what this morning. I'm betting she lied. Anyway, I told Bob he needs to sit the catcher today to send a message. I bet he doesn't have stones to do it.

17 Years

Today is the day I married the most beautiful girl in the world. I am blessed.

The Guacamole Scam

Went to Chipotle for lunch. I always get a burrito bowl with chicken, bottle of water. Unless I'm someplace where the Chipotle serves cerveza. Usually comes to about $10.00.

Today though, my tally was $12.00. I paid and sat in my little alcove eating the food. But I could see the menu. I remember thinking "prices have gone up." But lo and behold, pricies are the same. So what the heck is going on. So I looked at my receipt (always keep the receipt). They charged me for guacamole. Which I did not have. Because I'm really not a big fan of guacamole. But a lot of people are. And the guacamole costs $2.11 + tax!!! WOW!

So I ambled over to register with my somewhat eaten bowl and my receipt. To show them, "hey look no guacamole!" Very nice guy gives me $2.25 back, says sorry. All good, right?

But I started thinking, because $2.11 + tx seems an awful lot for what amounts to a condiment. Especially when it's basically about a tablespoon full. My Shop-Rite currently has a bag of 4 HASS avacados for $3.89. So let's say each avacado costs $1.05. A medium avacado gives us 5 servings. But these HASS' are the large ones, so let's say 7 servings. We add some lime juice, garlic and onion to the mix...that's about 35 cents worth I guess. So our 7 servings cost a total of $1.40. That's 20 cents a serving!!!!

Using Chipotle's price they make $14.77 + tax on this condiment for those 7 servings. That is 75X the cost of the goods. Basic rule of thumb in restaurant biz is 3x your food costs is price you charge a customer. So by my calculation, you should be paying about 60 cents for your dollop of green fudge. But you're paying over 1/4 of your entree for a condiment to be added. Which I wouldn't have realized unless they dopes tried to screw me, come to think of it. Now I'm pissed.

You are sheep.

Sandy Boy

Are you ready?

Sandy Alderson does not expect the Mets to "spend" this off-season. Holy crap.

He even thinks that Wilmer Flores is a MLB-caliber SS.

Un-effing-believable.

18U Fall Baseball

After some back and forth with the "head coach", SoulSlam convinced (cajoled) our local fall baseball team to play 18U. Truth be known, OSSS is probably youngest kid on team, most of these boys (about 85%) will be seniors next year, so playing 16U is pretty stupid. So I basically told the head lineup writer and his trusty companion that it was 18U or we would go elsewhere. After some capitulation, that's what happened.

So let me 'splain a couple of things. Other that SoulSlam, the other coaches are a bit thick on the cabeza. I'm pretty sure nobody knows how to do a scorebook, so I do it. They also can't throw BP or hit fungoes, so I do that too. And when our catcher isn't ready to come out to warm up pitcher, I get in the crouch. They coach the bases (poorly), as a matter of fact, the two of them probably cost us the W yesterday.

So on to that. We didn't get the L either. We tied. In baseball. After 8 1/2 innings. So this game has a lot of stuff going on that doesn't make sense.

Let's pick it up in 6th. We end that inning with 4-3 lead. Took out SP. OSSS goes in for 7th. He gets two outs and then a couple of little flares fall, then a double by #3 hitter and we are looking at a loss. We go down 7-4. We come up with bottom of the order and tie the game. Sweet. Extras.

We lead off with #6 hitter (aka the Italian Stallion), who struggled mightily last season. He gets up and hits a little flare to LF...and the kid out there misplays a big hop. So IS takes off for 2B. Great. But then... I see the HC/HLW waving him to 3B. I yell NO from the dugout...but nobody listens. He's out by 10 feet. So instead of a runner on 2B w/ no outs we got nada. I have to explain what scoring position is to these coaches I guess. We did not score.

In top 8, the first two guys on opp get on, and a WP allows them to move to 2B and 3B. Yikes. But we put them away with some nifty fielding (including a nice scoop at 1B by OSSS). Our turn, top of the order coming up.

Then

THUNDER!. Now so you get all the info you need. It was Africa-Hot in North J, about 92-93. Players cramping up everywhere. So umps call a 30 minute delay after we've played about 3 hours. Our HC decides the TIE is fine and we line it up.

A late game in Jersey City today against a team that apparently doesn't have uniforms. I wonder if Smalls, Benny, Ham and Squints will be there. And OSSS is not feeling great so I may be going alone.

Hateful Things

How about the term "bucket list"? GD annoying.

The inability to think "outside the box".

Weak sarcasm. If you are ready to rip, then rip.

Kardashians.

Boy bands. Except NKOTB of course.

Mayor DeBlasio and his ready for the camera family.

E-mail spammers.

That fat lady that does the hotel commercials...the one who says "a kitchen kitchen!".

Work Mañana

Oh boy can't wait.