Stop the Elevators

What a strange title for a post. Why would we stop an elevator? Otis works hard to keep them going up and down.

So, Friday, my family and I decide to venture across the river to NYC - take the kids to some adventure. We picked the Empire State Building (ESB). Good choice. I've never been there. Is that strange? Since I don't come from Idaho or Indiana or some other place far and away (I was born in one of the five boroughs that make up NYC and lived in NJ forever, a scant 20 miles from the city), I kind of take many of NY's tourist attractions for granted.

We get to 5th Ave, and the line is wrapping around the block. OK - let's do the combo NY SkyRide and ESB ticket. Few more bucks, no waiting on a sidewalk - I'm in. Take the NY SkyRide exhibit (kind of a virtual copter ride) and we get on the LINE to get to the bank of elevators to go to 80th floor. From their, it's another elevator to 86 and the observation deck. More lines. OK. Get on the lift (that's what they call them in merry ol' England) and up we go. And when we get there, we cannot move. Human gridlock. And it looks like the North view is closed off. And there are a lot of weirded out people waiting...for....for...THE DIVA HERSELF, Ms. Mariah Carey! (Sound the trumpets for the indifference I feel.)

And from the scuttlebutt and rumors and general talk talk going on, she's here to light the ESB in the hues of Pink and Purple (very manly) and she's also late in arriving, and there are a lot of weirded out people up here waiting to catch a glimpse. I'm not a fan, so we just go about our business, look in the directions that us mortals are allowed to view and let's go.

So we leave 86, the guy (who is this guy?) says, you can walk down to 80, it will be quicker. OK. We walk. No problem. Then we get to 80, where we, along with about 250 others are told 'the elevators are stopped for Ms. Carey, who is on her way!' WHAT? You have closed down an elevator system because some skeezer in a too tight mini needs to get to the deck? Did I hear you right? Funny thing is, they must have stopped people from coming up, because that line was about 35 strong. But the line behind us keeps growing, and growing, while we wait and wait. And wait. About an hour. And where is Ms. Carey. Cakin' on make-up in my opinion. Finally, they let the mortals off Planet Chaos - and back to Earth NYC. I hope your album full of watered down, MOR, dull pop music tanks, you B**ch!

Anyway, went to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. for chow in Times Square. Just like the rubes. Good eats! Life is like a box of chocolates after all!

Blog, Forrest, blog!

Lost and Found

Well, LOST was back on last night at 10PM on the EC - and this episode was very interesting. I'm sure the message boards are lit up with theories, questions and general chaos.

What we know: Ben and Widmore are very acquainted with each other. And Ben has vowed to kill Penny for the death of his daughter. Sayid hooked up with Ben as his assassin as a result of the death of his wife. The game of World Domination, RISK, was very interesting, since "Australia is the key" as Hugo Reyes points out (or maybe the series writers are big Seinfeld fans). Hurley (aka Hugo) is a very important piece of the puzzle to Ben and Locke. Locke would seem to be the island's 'son'. Jack is getting very ill, was he poisoned? And the Monster has been unleashed. Ben is very handy with a blackjack. And Widmore considers the island to be his, and he doesn't strike me as a guy who let's things go.

Maybe I'll think up some other things after I watch it a second time.

Hankenstein

Yes! I waited and waited all of three weeks (I counted on my fingers and toes and I was pretty close) but the day has come! Hank Steinbrenner aka Hankenstein has come to life! It's alive, alive!

When some band said 'meet the new Boss, same as the old Boss', I'm sure they didn't know how prophetic they were. Especially since they're from England where they play games like football (soccer) and snooker.

So the new Boss gets all jiggy with the press when the team is sittin' at .500 - which is an ultimate don't in the land of the interlocking NY. It's like 1978 all over again.

All hail Hankenstein!
Here's to the man who will give me many moments of absolute glee over this season and many more to come, while Yankee fans, the media and poor Joba are pulled here and there.

Blog Like the Frog, yeah the Frog

The Mercy Rule

That's the rule in place in youth baseball and softball where one team is done if the other team scores X number of runs over the score of the other team in a set number of innings. Today my 9U team got mercied for the first time. As Billy Crystal said "it's not fun, it's not funny".

Here's my vex. We are a town team of 8 and 9 year olds playing against a division of (mostly) club teams, comprised of the better boys from multiple towns. In most cases, the parents pay a "tuition" of a large sum of money. Now, I have no truck with the whole club vs. town thing. We play, we make the plays and get the hits we are competitive. I hate being mercied though. Maybe it's a character fault.

Anyhow, we are building a program and it takes time. I know that. It's just so odd how so few kids come out to play ball anymore. You see it in rec - boys and girls there for their parents I think. No passion. If it's not a celphone, iPod or video game system, it is a second class thought for these kids. And in 20 years, we'll see the fruit of this generation. Big fat fruit, ripe with sarcasm and know-it-all attitude, and juicy with instant gratification and expectations, not for a job well done, but because it should just be.

Until then I'll do my part to get the kids outside and playing ball. Maybe we should have a "No Video Game Worldwide" day. Just a thought.

Bloggin' La Vida Loca.

Local Time

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!

Number 42

Hey, everybody on the field is wearing #42!

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.