So, today is Opening Day for our local PAL Baseball/Softball Season. Parade, ceremonies, first pitch, dunk tank! Lots of fun for the kids and family. Play ball!
Mets win second at Citizens Bank Ballpark against the Phillies. First - YES! Second, CB Park is a fantastic place to see a ballgame. Went last year, stayed at the hotel next door - I'm not a Philly kind of guy, but what a great ballpark.
Yankees and Mets are the locals who are both building new stadiums to open next year. I will take my sons (ages 7 and 9) to the House that Ruth Built this year (got my tickets vs. the Indians) so they can always says they were there. It will be my first time since Gooden pitched a No-hitter against the Seattle Mariners in '96.
Check out the new Yankee Stadium here.
The NY Mets (the team of my youth and my adult life) are also building a phenomenal new park. While you go to The Bronx to a park that stands the test of time, Shea Stadium is more like a really big rock in a path. The stadium itself holds fond memories, but the place has all the charm of a Rent-a-Center. A big blue and orange warehouse near an airport. CitiField is the place going up in the parking lot (which means it's the old No. 7 when we trek to Queens this year). Check it out - CITIFIELD
So new parks, teams at 3Million+ attendance, which makes it hard to get tix. Baseball is in full swing!
Check out the Ultimate Mets Database if you have the time!
4.19.2008
4.15.2008
4.13.2008
Big Dig in The Bronx
Well, since I started blogging about it, I have to see it through. Apparently, there will be no curses put on the Yankees - read about the unearthing (well it was actually in concrete) here:
Dirty Red Sox Shirt
I applaud their efforts. Now if they could only find out a way to break the Curse of A-Rod!
A good read for those who like baseball, ghost stories, curses, etc. is Haunted Baseball. Well written and meticulously researched book by Mickey Bradley and Dan Gordon. I especially liked the stories of the Renaissance Vinoy Hotel in St. Petersburg, Florida. It's now a Marriot property, but funny enough, there's no mention of it being HAUNTED on their website. That's corporate hotel mentality for you.
Speaking of ghosts and the like; I am an avid fan of Ghosthunters on SciFi Channel. Just thought I'd give it a mention. But I don't like Paranormal State on A&E (you'll have to Google that yourself- no links to things I don't appreciate.) Maybe because P.S. is trying way to hard. Lighten up, Francis.
Sunday night - ESPN - Red Sox 5 Yankees 1. Phil Hughes "the young phenom" is looking a little like, well, a rookie pitcher who's being thrown to the wolves. Truth is, Phil hasn't been a Yankee long enough for me to dislike him. So I hope he finds his season.
BOO. BLOG. BOO.
Dirty Red Sox Shirt
I applaud their efforts. Now if they could only find out a way to break the Curse of A-Rod!
A good read for those who like baseball, ghost stories, curses, etc. is Haunted Baseball. Well written and meticulously researched book by Mickey Bradley and Dan Gordon. I especially liked the stories of the Renaissance Vinoy Hotel in St. Petersburg, Florida. It's now a Marriot property, but funny enough, there's no mention of it being HAUNTED on their website. That's corporate hotel mentality for you.
Speaking of ghosts and the like; I am an avid fan of Ghosthunters on SciFi Channel. Just thought I'd give it a mention. But I don't like Paranormal State on A&E (you'll have to Google that yourself- no links to things I don't appreciate.) Maybe because P.S. is trying way to hard. Lighten up, Francis.
Sunday night - ESPN - Red Sox 5 Yankees 1. Phil Hughes "the young phenom" is looking a little like, well, a rookie pitcher who's being thrown to the wolves. Truth is, Phil hasn't been a Yankee long enough for me to dislike him. So I hope he finds his season.
BOO. BLOG. BOO.
4.11.2008
Cursed
That bastion of journalistic integrity, the NY Post had a front page story on some construction hijinx in the work being done on the new Yankee Stadium. A curse begins!
Meanwhile, back on Earth - it's bottom of the 9th - Yankees beating the Red Sox at Fenway in the first meeting for 2008. Blood rivalry, boyo.
Oops - Yankees just won.
Well, drown your sorrows Sox fans - how about a little Dropkick Murphys and Red Sox glory with song (and video)!
Also worth mentioning - the immortal Mike Ness of Social Distortion is touring. Well worth seeing. Journey fans can stay home.
Bloggin' OC Style
Meanwhile, back on Earth - it's bottom of the 9th - Yankees beating the Red Sox at Fenway in the first meeting for 2008. Blood rivalry, boyo.
Oops - Yankees just won.
Well, drown your sorrows Sox fans - how about a little Dropkick Murphys and Red Sox glory with song (and video)!
Also worth mentioning - the immortal Mike Ness of Social Distortion is touring. Well worth seeing. Journey fans can stay home.
Bloggin' OC Style
4.10.2008
Like Superman
They (who are they?) say that human beings only use approximately 10% of our brain power. Well, here's hoping that if we unlock the other 90% we can master flight. Check it out:
FLIGHT CANCELLED!
Stay home. Watch Leslie Nielsen yuck it up. Take a walk.
Blog the runway.
FLIGHT CANCELLED!
Stay home. Watch Leslie Nielsen yuck it up. Take a walk.
Blog the runway.
4.04.2008
ATM Lethargy
Friday morning, 8:05AM EST. Rain. Not the warm, lush, sub-tropical shower that falls in spring in a place like Florida, but the 'dreary, wet, damp, nasty, if it dropped a couple of degrees we'd get 10 inches of snow' rain in Northern Jersey.
So, needing a couple of bucks, I pull up to my bank and the ATM. As I pull around the back, I see I'm four cars deep. "No problem", I tell myself, "it's an ATM. Everybody gets out quick".
Wrong, Boyo.
The first (ahem) vehicle is a hoopty truck. You know the type; a shade of green you would never choose if you bought the car new, two wheel drive, the person driving most likely has a driver's record of dubious worth. This guy takes a couple of minutes, most likely trying to figure out how much the jag he's going to go on after work at the saloon he frequents will cost, versus paying his child support this week. Takes his cash and away he goes.
Next is a 'person' who pulls up and decides that this is the best time to make sure all of their accounts are in order. For five minutes the hand coming out of the car punches keys furiously. Really. I venture to guess that Houston had less keystrokes when trying to land Apollo 13. Now, I could see you taking your time, make sure you type in the right PIN (four numbers are hard to remember). So, while this major life event is happening, I am trapped on-line, no way out, waiting, mumbling, brow furrowing.
FIVE MINUTES! What could you possibly do at an ATM for five minutes?
Finally, all appears over with car and person #2. So what happens next - the inevitable counting of the semolians. Another lifetime. Maybe just 15 seconds. But you've wasted enough fossil fuels idling at the ATM straightening out your banking. And off they go.
Now, while this is all happening, wouldn't you expect vehicle#3 (a Range Rover - look for my post A**hole in a Range Rover soon) to be at least ready with the card? Pulls up in a vehicle more suited for an African Safari (which is good in case the Savannah they live in gets overrun with jungle-like mammals). I'm looking, looking, looking. NO CARD AT THE READY! You have got to be kidding me. I'm apoplectic by now. I'm like Mickey Rourke in White Sands (just kidding). I'm...next.
So, now I'm all riled up, mad at ATM meanderers, late for where I'm going because I just spent 9 minutes waiting for a drive-up ATM. Which is funny, because if you waited nine minutes at a fast-food drive-up, you'd most likely be screaming at the poor slob behind the window (or bullet-proof glass if you go to White Castle). But at an ATM, there is nobody to make my frustration known. So I start counting the seconds, but have to stop because I have to enter my PIN (six digits, sucka!) - and I'm out in 20 seconds. To the car behind me, your very welcome.
Bloggin' in the Rain!
So, needing a couple of bucks, I pull up to my bank and the ATM. As I pull around the back, I see I'm four cars deep. "No problem", I tell myself, "it's an ATM. Everybody gets out quick".
Wrong, Boyo.
The first (ahem) vehicle is a hoopty truck. You know the type; a shade of green you would never choose if you bought the car new, two wheel drive, the person driving most likely has a driver's record of dubious worth. This guy takes a couple of minutes, most likely trying to figure out how much the jag he's going to go on after work at the saloon he frequents will cost, versus paying his child support this week. Takes his cash and away he goes.
Next is a 'person' who pulls up and decides that this is the best time to make sure all of their accounts are in order. For five minutes the hand coming out of the car punches keys furiously. Really. I venture to guess that Houston had less keystrokes when trying to land Apollo 13. Now, I could see you taking your time, make sure you type in the right PIN (four numbers are hard to remember). So, while this major life event is happening, I am trapped on-line, no way out, waiting, mumbling, brow furrowing.
FIVE MINUTES! What could you possibly do at an ATM for five minutes?
Finally, all appears over with car and person #2. So what happens next - the inevitable counting of the semolians. Another lifetime. Maybe just 15 seconds. But you've wasted enough fossil fuels idling at the ATM straightening out your banking. And off they go.
Now, while this is all happening, wouldn't you expect vehicle#3 (a Range Rover - look for my post A**hole in a Range Rover soon) to be at least ready with the card? Pulls up in a vehicle more suited for an African Safari (which is good in case the Savannah they live in gets overrun with jungle-like mammals). I'm looking, looking, looking. NO CARD AT THE READY! You have got to be kidding me. I'm apoplectic by now. I'm like Mickey Rourke in White Sands (just kidding). I'm...next.
So, now I'm all riled up, mad at ATM meanderers, late for where I'm going because I just spent 9 minutes waiting for a drive-up ATM. Which is funny, because if you waited nine minutes at a fast-food drive-up, you'd most likely be screaming at the poor slob behind the window (or bullet-proof glass if you go to White Castle). But at an ATM, there is nobody to make my frustration known. So I start counting the seconds, but have to stop because I have to enter my PIN (six digits, sucka!) - and I'm out in 20 seconds. To the car behind me, your very welcome.
Bloggin' in the Rain!
4.03.2008
Cold Comfort
I know it's April 3, but could we get a little warmth round these parts?
The weather in spring in the NE over the last couple of years, make that 5 years, has been miserable. Too cold, damp, dreary. Makes baseball practice a little difficult. Can't be outside for too long, darkness falls too soon (but thanks to the US Congress, we have daylight savings earlier!).
So I'm at my practice with my 9U team tonight and one of the boys comes straight from soccer practice. Now, I have nothing against soccer mind you, but it's not the game for me. Or my kids.
Anyway he shows up in SILVER CLEATS! I say, "dude, nice cleats", he says yeah, all the kids have SILVER CLEATS. WOW, I think to myself. I thought I was cool on the Middle School Baseball Team when I was a kid wearing white Puma Baseball Cleats (metal spikes!), looking like a miniature Joe Rudi (except for the mustache). And I thought Billy 'White Shoes" Johnson was way cool. But never, and I mean never, did I think about SILVER CLEATS.
Flashy. Bling. Beckham. Now that's what that sport is all about.
Keep kickin'.
The weather in spring in the NE over the last couple of years, make that 5 years, has been miserable. Too cold, damp, dreary. Makes baseball practice a little difficult. Can't be outside for too long, darkness falls too soon (but thanks to the US Congress, we have daylight savings earlier!).
So I'm at my practice with my 9U team tonight and one of the boys comes straight from soccer practice. Now, I have nothing against soccer mind you, but it's not the game for me. Or my kids.
Anyway he shows up in SILVER CLEATS! I say, "dude, nice cleats", he says yeah, all the kids have SILVER CLEATS. WOW, I think to myself. I thought I was cool on the Middle School Baseball Team when I was a kid wearing white Puma Baseball Cleats (metal spikes!), looking like a miniature Joe Rudi (except for the mustache). And I thought Billy 'White Shoes" Johnson was way cool. But never, and I mean never, did I think about SILVER CLEATS.
Flashy. Bling. Beckham. Now that's what that sport is all about.
Keep kickin'.
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