tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-153003302024-02-28T07:43:34.439-08:00Frantic AnticsIt Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-37781449045035820292014-03-05T08:33:00.001-08:002019-09-11T15:29:23.350-07:00<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Legendary wrestler <strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Buff Bagwell</strong> is still trading on his lady’s man image … now, as a gigolo. Bagwell — who was a force in World Championship Wrestling between 1991 and 2001 — has joined Cowboys4Angels … a premium gigolo service targeting lonely and very possibly horny women. Bagwell has appeared on the Showtime hit, “Gigolos,” but he’s not just doing it for the camera.</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">As for Cowboys4Angels … it provides “escorts” who offer companionship — reading between the lines is highly permissible. The company charges a pretty penny for Bagwell’s services — $800 for 2 hours, $1550 for 4 hours and $3000 for an overnight “visit.” Weekends are steep — $8K. And a full week with Bagwell — $25K. The owner of the service — Garren James — tells TMZ, Bagwell is already the second most popular escort on the website … behind <strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nick Hawk</strong>. Bagwell is married, but apparently unlike Robin Thicke, it’s a true open relationship.</em></div>
It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-48361683168821186342011-09-08T16:33:00.000-07:002019-09-11T15:29:23.415-07:00<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27003603@N00/6037302734" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float:right; clear: right;"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6063/6037302734_81ce5f0e30_m.jpg" alt="Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Al Alburquerque (62)" style="font-size:0.8em;border:none;" width="240" height="137"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right; width: 240px; ">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27003603@N00/6037302734">Keith Allison</a> via Flickr</span></span>While visiting my mom in Cleveland, Ohio, I had a chance to see the Cleveland Indians play the Detroit Tigers. We had great seats at Progressive Field and enjoyed some great seats, a lovely evening and a God-awful performance by Fausto Carmona.<div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size:1em;margin:1em 0 0 0;">Related articles</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2016132272_apbbaindiansmoves.html?syndication=rss">Indians activate OF Crowe for Tigers game</a> (seattletimes.nwsource.com)</li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://r.zemanta.com/?u=http%3A//www.canada.com/sports/10th%2Bstraight%2BJustin%2BVerlander/5370138/story.html&a=54491124&rid=077cadab-c20c-4856-886b-9f03fc501bda&e=d11c50160fe7b13f1e96f6c18c927adf">10th straight win for Justin Verlander</a> (canada.com)</li></ul></div> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top:10px;height:15px"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=077cadab-c20c-4856-886b-9f03fc501bda" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" style="border:none;float:right"></a></div>It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-16856724195636803052011-09-08T16:30:00.001-07:002019-09-11T15:29:23.272-07:00the cleveland indians are one of my favorite teams. They recently had a three game series against the DetrIt Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-76355873440415239172011-04-04T09:44:00.000-07:002019-09-11T15:29:23.469-07:00New puppies are exciting.<span> </span>They are sweet, adorable bundles of joy and you want to hug them and squeeze them and love them forever.<span> </span>You show them off to friends and family and take them to the store to buy them things.<span> </span>That’s all good, but the best gift you can give your new puppy is training.<span> </span>Teaching your puppy how to live peacefully in this human world is the nicest thing you can do for your puppy and your family.<span> </span>Puppies don’t speak our language and they aren’t born knowing how to understand us.<span> </span>An early start to puppy training just makes the whole process easier.It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-92160116621733561172011-03-23T11:52:00.000-07:002019-09-11T15:29:23.545-07:00Dell on Wednesday said it will start reaching out directly to affected customers to replace motherboards in PCs with Intel's flawed Sandy Bridge chipset. <div id="similarContent" class="module"> <div class="modTitle">Similar Articles:</div> <ul class="storyList"><li class="clearfix "> <div class="image"><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/218247/intel_finds_design_flaw_in_sandy_bridge_chipset.html#tk.mod_rel"><img alt="" src="http://zapp1.staticworld.net/news/graphics/215728-ces_sandybridge_thumbnail.jpg"></a></div> <div class="similarContent_itemtitle"><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/218247/intel_finds_design_flaw_in_sandy_bridge_chipset.html#tk.mod_rel">Intel Finds Design Flaw in Sandy Bridge Chipset</a></div> </li><li class="clearfix "> <div class="image"><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/219490/intel_to_ship_new_sandy_bridge_chipsets_next_week.html#tk.mod_rel"><img alt="" src="http://zapp1.staticworld.net/news/graphics/215318-215190-sandybridge_capoff_i7_606_180_original.jpg"></a></div> <div class="similarContent_itemtitle"><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/219490/intel_to_ship_new_sandy_bridge_chipsets_next_week.html#tk.mod_rel">Intel to Ship New Sandy Bridge Chipsets Next Week</a></div> </li><li class="clearfix "> <div class="similarContent_itemtitle"><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/220318/pc_makers_rolling_out_new_sandy_bridge_laptops.html#tk.mod_rel">PC Makers Rolling out New Sandy Bridge Laptops</a></div> </li><li class="clearfix "> <div class="similarContent_itemtitle"><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/218565/pc_makers_scramble_in_wake_of_intel_chip_flaw_revelation.html#tk.mod_rel">PC Makers Scramble in Wake of Intel Chip Flaw Revelation</a></div> </li><li class="clearfix "> <div class="image"><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/222410/dell_ships_sandy_bridge_laptops_starting_at_499.html#tk.mod_rel"><img alt="" src="http://zapp1.staticworld.net/images/article/2011/02/sandybridge_die-5148171.jpg"></a></div> <div class="similarContent_itemtitle"><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/222410/dell_ships_sandy_bridge_laptops_starting_at_499.html#tk.mod_rel">Dell Ships Sandy Bridge Laptops Starting at $499</a></div> </li><li class="clearfix "> <div class="image"><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/220642/inside_intels_nextgen_processors.html#tk.mod_rel"><img alt="" src="http://zapp2.staticworld.net/images/article/2011/02/intel_opener_180-5148163.jpg"></a></div> <div class="similarContent_itemtitle"><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/220642/inside_intels_nextgen_processors.html#tk.mod_rel">Inside Intel's Next-Gen Processors</a></div> </li><li class="clearfix "> <div class="similarContent_itemtitle"><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/218623/lenovo_halts_shipment_of_pcs_with_faulty_intel_chipsets.html#tk.mod_rel">Lenovo Halts Shipment of PCs With Faulty Intel Chipsets</a></div> </li></ul> </div> <p>The company will offer a free motherboard replacement to customers who purchased the XPS 8300, Vostro 460, Alienware Aurora desktops or the Alienware M17x R3 laptop and received it prior to March 1. Some PCs could contain a faulty Intel chipset code-named Cougar Point as the systems were shipped prior to Dell becoming aware of the issue, the PC maker said.</p> <p>"Our teams will begin contacting customers with affected motherboards this week to offer them a new replacement motherboard that corrects the Cougar Point chipset issue. The replacement motherboard and the associated service (service options may vary by region) will be provided to affected customers at no charge," <a href="http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/Direct2Dell/b/direct2dell/archive/2011/03/23/intel-chipset-issue-how-dell-is-supporting-affected-customers-worldwide.aspx" target="_blank">the company said in a blog</a>.</p> <p>"We ... will work through these motherboard replacements over the next several weeks," the company said.</p> <p>Intel in late January announced a <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9207242/Update_Intel_says_Sandy_Bridge_chipset_design_flawed" target="_blank">design defect in the chipset</a>, which was used in PCs alongside new Sandy Bridge processors, which were announced in early January. PC makers such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo halted shipment of PCs that paired Intel's latest Core i5 and i7 processors with the defective chipset. PC makers also provided remedies such as refunds or motherboard replacements to customers who had already purchased systems.</p> <p>Intel said the Serial-ATA (SATA) controller within the defective chipset could degrade over time and could impact performance or functionality of storage devices such as hard drives.</p> <p>Intel quickly fixed the problem and in mid-February started shipping new chipsets that corrected the error. New consumer and business laptops announced by Dell, HP, Lenovo and other PC makers are not affected by the issue.</p> <div class="pagination clearfix"> <br /> </div>It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-36082558972789113002011-03-04T07:38:00.000-08:002011-03-04T08:17:33.301-08:00Cleveland Indians 2011 Season Outlook Part II<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fausto_Carmona_windup.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/Fausto_Carmona_windup.jpg/300px-Fausto_Carmona_windup.jpg" alt="Fausto Carmona of the Cleveland Indians in Fen..." style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" width="300" height="448" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fausto_Carmona_windup.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span>Starting Pitching<br />Fausto Carmona enters the 2011 season as the Tribe's ace. After trying to find his form of 2007 for the better part of 2008 and 2009, Carmona found some stability last year and really finished the season strong. After Carmona, the Indians will likely slot <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Masterson" title="Justin Masterson" rel="wikipedia">Justin Masterson</a>, Carlos Carrasco and Josh Tomlin. The fifth starter will be decided in camp. One name no longer in the running is the serviceable Aaron Laffey who was just traded to Seattle for infielder Matt Lawson. Masterson is being given the shot to prove he is a viable starter in the big leagues. If he can be more consistent and keep is BB/9 in the low threes, his stuff is dominant enough to let him stick. This is the year Carrasco must make the leap from prospect status. Based on what he did in his late season stint with the Tribe last year, that jump could realistically happen and it'll be fun to watch. After the top three, the talent falls off fairly dramatically. While there is still hope that someone will emerge to seize the opportunity, let's not hold our breath. Just for the record, here are some of the names under consideration; Mitch "The Fury" Talbot, David Huff, Anthony Reyes, Don Schulze and Josh Tomlin. I know, right?<br /><br />Bullpen<br />One area that shined for the Indians last year was their bullpen. And from a stockpile of prospects acquired in roster clearing deals over the past few years, a bonafide closer has emerged. Chris "Pure Rage" Perez was dominant after being handed the closer role full time last June. From June 28th until season's end, Perez had an ungodly 0.53 ERA. He finished the year with a 1.71 ERA overall and 23 saves (the youngest Indian to convert 20 or more saves). Of course predicting the success of any MLB bullpen from year-to-year is akin to correctly guessing tonight's mega millions numbers. That said, the Tribe has some live arms and relievers who are looking to build on last year's success. Raffy Perez seems to have finally righted himself and will be the late inning lefty specialist. Jensen Lewis is out of options and thus assured a spot in the pen. Others in the mix are Josh Judy, Vinnie Pestano, Frank Herrmann, Tony Sipp and Joe Smith. Newly acquired Chad Durbin will almost assuredly make the final 25 man roster. All-in-all, Manny Acta will have numerous solid options to choose from. And, if anyone falters, there will be viable replacements waiting in the wings in Columbus.<br /><br />Summary<br />If the Indians can score enough runs and play solid enough infield defense to get the game to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Perez_%28baseball%29" title="Chris Perez (baseball)" rel="wikipedia">Chris "Pure Rage" Perez</a> in the 9th, they have a chance to hang around and make the AL Central interesting. I'm not saying they're going to content this year, rather they should continue to build around the core of Choo, Santana, Carmona and Perez. If one or two others can progress (I'm looking at you Matt LaPorta and Michael Brantley), this could develop into a very fun to watch mid market team that could contend for the Central title next year.<br /><br /><br /><div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;">Related articles</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110228&content_id=16771452&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&partnerId=rss_mlb">Carmona named Opening Day starter</a> (mlb.mlb.com)</li></ul></div> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=c9cd5622-41b2-42b4-ac12-33c46f39474a" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a></div>It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-16509201916914250462011-02-16T08:33:00.000-08:002011-02-16T09:19:50.874-08:00<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cleveland_Indians_Insignia.svg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: block; float: right; clear: right;"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/35/Cleveland_Indians_Insignia.svg/250px-Cleveland_Indians_Insignia.svg.png" alt="Cleveland Indians" style="font-size: 0.8em; border: medium none;" height="250" width="250" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; float: right; width: 250px;">Image via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cleveland_Indians_Insignia.svg">Wikipedia</a></span></span>Pitchers and catchers have reported in Goodyear and many other position players are already in camp. The grass is cut, the baselines are chalked, the 2011 season is fast approaching. What to expect then, of this year's Cleveland Indians?<br /><br />Kenny Lofton was just announced this morning as a special spring training instructor. When that is the biggest off-season announcement your team makes, you better set your expectations pretty low. Here's a quick positional breakdown of what to look for from your 2011 Cleveland Indians.<br /><br />Catcher<br />Tribe medical staff have said Carlos Santana is fully recovered from his season ending knee injury and subsequent surgery. That said, he'll be eased into full "baseball activities." The best case scenario is that Santana catches four games a week and plays first/DH the other two. Word is that Lou Marson may be optioned back to AAA Columbus to see regular duty while Chu Chen or some other flotsam and jetsam backs up Santana.<br /><br />Outfield<br />Is <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grady_Sizemore" title="Grady Sizemore" rel="wikipedia">Grady Sizemore</a> ever going to recover the form that made him an almost superstar? Sizemore is coming back from the always dangerous <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microfracture_surgery" title="Microfracture surgery" rel="wikipedia">micro-fracture surgery</a> on his left knee. He's taking batting practice and running but is not cleared for full baseball activities. While his goal remains to be ready for opening day, it's more likely the Indians will take a cautious approach and we'll see him mid-April. In the meantime, we will see <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Brantley" title="Michael Brantley" rel="wikipedia">Michael Brantley</a> man CF with <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/113/Shin_Soo_Choo" title="Shin-Soo Choo" rel="homepage">Shin Soo Choo</a> anchored in RF and the newly re-acquired <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Kearns" title="Austin Kearns" rel="wikipedia">Austin Kearns</a> stationed in RF. Once Sizemore returns, Tribe brass says he will take over CF with Brantley slotting over to LF and Kearns becoming the Tribe's fourth OF. Sizemore is in a potential walk-year and Choo hired the dreaded Scott Boras to represent him in his quest for a long-term deal. That said, there could be more upheaval ahead for the Tribe. <br /><br />Infield<br />Oh, what a mess. And to add to the mess, the Indians just signed Orlando Cabrera. Yes, he is a two-time Gold Glove winner but where does he play? Manny Acta's current plan is to have Orlando man 2B with Asdrubal Cabrera at SS. Matt LaPorta will play 1B and Jayson Nix, Jason Donald and Luis Valbuena will be in the mix for the 3B/utility role. An ugly mix to be sure. 3B is a mess until Chisnehall, Goedert or the ghost of Travis Fryman can take over. LaPorta comes into the 2011 season healthy unlike last season when he was still recovering from hip and toe surgeries. Hopefully, he will begin to show signs of being the corner infield power stick the Indians thought they were getting in the Sabathia deal. While the defense up the middle should improve dramatically with the Cabrearas at 2B and SS, 3B is a black hole and LaPorta must stay healthy, and more importantly, productive for the Indians to have any chance at success.<br /><br />Stay tuned for my breakdown on both the Indians' starting pitching and the bullpen.<br /><br /><br /><div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;">Related articles</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://r.zemanta.com/?u=http%3A//sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story%3Fid%3D6066029%26campaign%3Drss%26source%3DMLBHeadlines&a=33896617&rid=95a13fca-a175-47f9-b73c-2614cca2da4f&e=284a7298095e4639cbf60e96cee42df1">Cleveland Indians say Grady Sizemore, Carlos Santana expected back</a> (sports.espn.go.com)</li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110214&content_id=16635240&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&partnerId=rss_mlb">Camp arrives with plenty of intrigue</a> (mlb.mlb.com)</li></ul></div> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img style="border: medium none; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=95a13fca-a175-47f9-b73c-2614cca2da4f" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a></div>It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-54196217888429355982007-10-26T08:07:00.002-07:002007-10-26T08:08:13.683-07:00Same Time Next Year?So many comments and observations around the Tribe collapse last week. Here's a few in no particular order...<br /><br />-Travis Hafner - I'm worried that it's going to come out in the off season that this guy is suffering from Lou Gehrig's Disease. That would be about the only explanation for that guy's absolute disappearing act in that series. He needed a map to find the plate he was so lost out there. Typical Hafner at bat went like this: Look at strike one right down the middle. Swing at strike two on a ball away. Take ball two just off the outside corner. Swing and miss at strike three in the dirt. Thanks for playing, see you next year. Could that guy have looked more defeated after every feeble AB?<br /><br />-Sabathia and Carmona - After watching Westbrook and Byrd pitch their respective asses off you're telling me they couldn't pony up ONE quality start between them the WHOLE SERIES? Both of these guys have 1000x more talent and ability than Westbrook and Byrd will ever have yet they can't sac up for one win in two games. Unacceptable.<br /><br />-Joel Skinner - Nuff said.<br /><br />Grady Sizemore - Way to seize your spot on "the national stage," fag.<br /><br />I think Wedge managed well overall. He played some hunches that paid off and his bullpen was solid outside of Rafael Perez shitting the bed (that dude, not good). I'm not mad at Betancourt; he was stretched a bit too much in that series. Franklin Gutierrez needs some work, but I liked his composure. Cabrera really shined, if not always at the plate then certainly in the field. Although I don't like these stories I'm reading that suggest the Tribe ship off Peralta and Lee for Jason Bay then give the SS gig to Cabrera and 2B to Barfield. Peralta was the Indians' most steady hitter all series; I wanna keep that kid.<br /><br />It's hard to say which series made me more disappointed, the '99 series or this one. I didn't think anything could top that '99 series but I think this one did it. There are a lot of questions this off season. What do we do in left? Do we ride CC out or try to trade him for a strong bat? Do we bring Lofton back in a diminished role, if at all? What's up with Sowers and Lee? Has Laffey surpassed them both? Do Miller, Lofgren et al get a look in spring training next year?<br /><br />Fuck it, those questions are all for another day. Today I remain bitterly disappointed. I love the Indians more than any other sports team on the planet. For me, it's:<br /><br />1. Indians<br />2. Ohio State football<br />3. Cleveland Browns<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />4. Cleveland Cavs<br />5. Cleveland Force<br />6. Akron Aeros<br /><br />I will fall down and weep the day the Indians get it done. Despite my abject suffering over the past week, I do believe that the Indians will win the World Series some day. I just hope I'm able to celebrate properly when it happens. I guess I mean I hope my wheelchair is fully powered and my c-bag is strapped in tight.<br /><br />Ugh,<br />JasonIt Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-11663237749717132482007-10-26T08:07:00.001-07:002019-09-11T15:29:23.151-07:00Same Time Next Year?So many comments and observations around the Tribe collapse last week. Here's a few in no particular order...<br /><br /> -Travis Hafner - I'm worried that it's going to come out in the off season that this guy is suffering from Lou Gehrig's Disease. That would be about the only explanation for that guy's absolute disappearing act in that series. He needed a map to find the plate he was so lost out there. Typical Hafner at bat went like this: Look at strike one right down the middle. Swing at strike two on a ball away. Take ball two just off the outside corner. Swing and miss at strike three in the dirt. Thanks for playing, see you next year. Could that guy have looked more defeated after every feeble AB?<br /><br /> -Sabathia and Carmona - After watching Westbrook and Byrd pitch their respective asses off you're telling me they couldn't pony up ONE quality start between them the WHOLE SERIES? Both of these guys have 1000x more talent and ability than Westbrook and Byrd will ever have yet they can't sac up for one win in two games. Unacceptable.<br /><br /> -Joel Skinner - Nuff said.<br /><br /> Grady Sizemore - Way to seize your spot on "the national stage," fag.<br /><br /> I think Wedge managed well overall. He played some hunches that paid off and his bullpen was solid outside of Rafael Perez shitting the bed (that dude, not good). I'm not mad at Betancourt; he was stretched a bit too much in that series. Franklin Gutierrez needs some work, but I liked his composure. Cabrera really shined, if not always at the plate then certainly in the field. Although I don't like these stories I'm reading that suggest the Tribe ship off Peralta and Lee for Jason Bay then give the SS gig to Cabrera and 2B to Barfield. Peralta was the Indians' most steady hitter all series; I wanna keep that kid.<br /><br /> It's hard to say which series made me more disappointed, the '99 series or this one. I didn't think anything could top that '99 series but I think this one did it. There are a lot of questions this off season. What do we do in left? Do we ride CC out or try to trade him for a strong bat? Do we bring Lofton back in a diminished role, if at all? What's up with Sowers and Lee? Has Laffey surpassed them both? Do Miller, Lofgren et al get a look in spring training next year? <br /><br /> Fuck it, those questions are all for another day. Today I remain bitterly disappointed. I love the Indians more than any other sports team on the planet. For me, it's:<br /><br /> 1. Indians<br /> 2. Ohio State football<br /> 3. Cleveland Browns<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> 4. Cleveland Cavs<br /> 5. Cleveland Force<br /> 6. Akron Aeros<br /><br /> I will fall down and weep the day the Indians get it done. Despite my abject suffering over the past week, I do believe that the Indians will win the World Series some day. I just hope I'm able to celebrate properly when it happens. I guess I mean I hope my wheelchair is fully powered and my c-bag is strapped in tight.<br /><br /> Ugh,<br /> JasonIt Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-1158038073224536712006-09-11T21:06:00.000-07:002006-09-11T22:16:28.250-07:00Remembering (Part One)I've found myself in situations lately where I've been made to remember a lot of things from my past; both distant and recent. Now this isn't a post about 9/11 per se, but the events of the day certainly factor in here.<br /><br />Recently a friend sent me a YouTube clip of U2 playing live somewhere circa 1984. I responded by asking him how crazy was it that my mom was actually at Wembley Stadium in 1985 for Live Aid and witnessed first hand the now classic U2 performance of "Bad". Not two seconds later did he hit me up with that very clip, and man if I wasn't instantly transported back to my living room on Euclid Heights Blvd the morning of July, 1985. My good friend Harry Richards had come over just to see U2 with me then we were heading down to WRUW's Studio-A-Rama on Case's campus. It was the best college radio station's (sorry Berni) all day outdoor live event and Harry and I, both 16, had a plan.<br /><br />After thinking about that specific day, I thought about 1985 in general. Summer '85 still to this day, is my favorite summer ever. My best friends and I skateboarded all day and then drove around all night looking for parties or new skate spots. It didn't matter if it was as far east as Chesterland or as far west as Elyria. Amato would drive and we would skate, laugh, crack on each other and eat a lot of really bad food. Alpha Park and Denny's always seemed to factor in somehow. We were the "Heights kids". But we never drank. And we were always together; most of us had gone to the same grade school. Our parents all knew each other and they knew that we were pretty responsible kids (for the most part). We were generally left to our own devices until all hours. Not because our parents were irresponsible, more because we were good kids who could be trusted to make the right decision. I remember Rob Gilmore, Jim Amato, Pat Whelan, Mike Jones, Charlie Garriga, Mark Konopka, Sam Nigro, Robbie Stevens (my best friend for all of that great summer of '85). I remember swimming at Thonton Park and having a huge crush on Katie Moore (she lived on Townlie!). Some of the guys are no longer with me (Rob, I'll miss you always) and some, like Charlie, I see and talk to frequently. But for one summer, it was all there for us. All it took to bring it flooding back was a simple U2 clip from Josh.<br /><br />The other night I was working the door at a club in the city. For any of you that know me, it's always something I've enjoyed doing in addition to having a full time job. Somewhere around 12:30 a familiar face approached the door with a group of similar looking kids. It wound up being a kid named Itchy who was on the road with A Static Lullaby when I was their tour manager during the summer of 2003. I said hello and asked how he was and if he still talked to the guys. He let me know two of the guys quit and formed their own band while Joe and Dan are still in ASL. I quit grilling him and let him hang with his friends.<br /><br />Later that night, as I lay in bed, I began to think back on those eight weeks I spent on the road with ASL. I was 34, they were all between 18-22. Some nights I wanted to kill them, other nights they wanted to kill me. We were in a van with a huge equipment trailer hitched behind us. I remember every venue we played. From Denver to Quebec City, from Vancouver to Baltimore. I remember getting to know the other bands on the road with us, Strung Out, Eighteen Visons, Form of Rocket and The Kinison. There was a legitimate bond between bands by the end of it all. I remember being a big brother, a cop, a dad, a mom, a maid, an accountant (and not a very good one), a negotiator and a tough guy. I remember driving more miles across Canada than anyone ever should have to. I remember my best friend, Dean meeting me in Pittsburgh and providing one night of sanity in a posh hotel. I remember Joe asking if he could hang out with my friends and me in Chicago and being flattered he'dwant to hang out with a geezer like me. I remember getting everyone to stay at the Sheraton in Saskatoon because it had indoor water slides. I remember thinking that might not have been the best idea as the boys decided to climb up the supports of the water slides to the top. Dealing with the promotors at the venues was always fun. It certainly helped to have a solid booking agency behind the tour; less chance for those local lizards to fuck us. All it took to remember those eight weeks in that van with Joe, Dan, Phil, Nate, Ben, Eric and Itchy was seeing Itchy for about ten minutes outside the door of a club.<br /><br />Bed time. For those that care, I promise part two will not take me a month to write.It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-1150482572837160792006-06-16T11:26:00.000-07:002006-06-16T11:29:32.836-07:00Who's the Man?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1396/1412/1600/oscargamble.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1396/1412/320/oscargamble.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-1150482309584364092006-06-16T11:18:00.000-07:002006-06-16T11:25:09.596-07:00Back in this BitchYeah, I've been on hiatus for a while on this thing. And you know what? It's been for no good reason. It's summer time, the last time I posted was in March. That's unacceptable. While this post will be short, I promise that it will be the first in a series of consistent, well thought out (for the most part) entries.<br /><br />I'll even go so far as to give you a teaser. The next entry you read will be about NY "fashion" and what I could live a lifetime without ever seeing again. So look out all you ladies walking around in thrift store skirts and old cowboy boots, I'm coming to get you. And it's gonna be quick, and it'll get ugly, real ugly. So, check back soon, please.<br /><br />Of course I know I'm pretty much talking to myself at this point. But anyway...It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-1141876062613062302006-03-08T19:01:00.001-08:002006-03-10T09:57:27.610-08:00New Personal Best!<span class="blacktextnb10"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Good news, I improved on a personal record today. I got shitcanned from a job quicker than I've ever been shitcanned from a job before! One day shy of two months. It took me being in the best shape of my life to reach this lofty goal, it was no easy feat. There are so many people for me to thank, where do I begin?<br /><br />I'd like to start by giving a shout out to the L train. L train, thank you for consistently sending five trains towards Canarsie before sending one into Manhattan. Of course by that point, only four people out of the 300 now amassed on the platform could fit onto that train. Getting me into work at 9:08, four trains later on a regular basis really put me in good stead with my new employers right off the bat.<br /><br />While we're here, a hearty thanks to my new (now ex) employers. Your warm welcome and clearly stated expectations really set the tone for my outstanding sales career with your organization. Putting me in the corner next to the 64 year old lifer was a stroke of genius. What better way for me to learn key products and corporate culture then to expose me to the sound of Methuselah's</span></span><span class="blacktextnb10"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > hacking cough and "positive" attitude? Jack effing Welch couldn't run a company better than you guys, congratulations!<br /><br />I certainly can't forget my old friend, Grey Goose. Oh, Goose, without you where would I be? Oh yeah, probably still employed. Oh, I kid. I thank Grey Goose for seeing me through so many cold winter nights (and early mornings). If not for your comforting effect I would have woken up on time and clear-headed, ready for another fantastic day in corporate America. Clearly you recognize this is no way to approach a bright new day, thanks for consistently sending me on my way under the "fog of war."<br /><br />And where would I be without Dave's Place - Top of the Line, the friendly Puerto Rican bar directly under my bedroom? Karaoke night on Wednesdays you say?! I'm there! Well, not really "there." More like 10 feet above "there" in ideal position to absorb as much bass as humanly possible. Dave, I know it's necessary to play your diverse and interesting salsa music at Spinal Tap levels for all four of your loyal customers, really I do. And when Fabiola sings "Summer Lovin'" for the fourth time that night, sheesh, how can a tennant properly thank his landlord for that little gift from above (or, in this case, below)?<br /><br />Oh shit, the music's starting, wait... um, oh yeah. Last, but certainly not least, I need to thank myself for having the incredible foresight to turn down an additional $20K from another prospective employer to take this last job. It's forward thinking like this that lead to the invention of Betamax.<br /><br />I know I've set the bar high. To even dream about breaking this record I'll have to dig deep. But with my dedication, my commitment, my undying effort to improve, I'm confident I can do better. And do better I will, this you can trust. Just let me grab my Goose and soda at Dave's Place, I think I've got next song.<br /><br /><br /><i><br /></i></span></span>It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-1138397823587621112006-01-27T13:04:00.000-08:002006-01-27T13:37:03.653-08:00James Frey - Celebrity Author or Celebrity LiarThose of you that know me have heard me talk about and have seen me write about the two books written by James Frey, "A Million Little Pieces" and "My Friend Leonard." You know that I enjoyed both books and have recommended them both to anyone willing to listen. Between then and now, Frey has been called to the carpet in regards to the "truthiness" (thank you Mr. Colbert) of certain aspects of each book. This seems to have culminated in Frey's return to Oprah's couch yesterday where he endured a verbal beat down from his one-time supporter.<br /><br />Now I know my share of Shaker Heights based kids that had fucked up upbringings and have spent their time battling various demons (hi Josh!). Some of these kids even went to the same grade school as Frey (Josh, hello again, and you too K-Bird!). So, as I was reading "Pieces" I kept telling my mom that I couldn't believe that all of his stories about rehab were completely true. Oddly enough, I also know a few folks that attended Hazelden (what's up xxxxx!). A lot of the things Frey says happened there just would not have gone down that way. I am in no way doubting that Frey had a drinking and drug problem, rather that things happened the way they did or to the extent that they did.<br /><br />I knew that Frey was a screen writer before penning these two memoirs so he is no stranger to fiction. I also know he pitched "Pieces" as a novel and was turned down by 19 publishers before Nan Talese suggested he write it as a memoir. That being said, my only disappointment is in how Frey addressed the situation he found himself in last week when all this came to a head. Before seeing him on Larry King I had never heard the cat speak. I only knew him from his description of himself in his books and based on the photos I've seen on his dust covers. I expected a guy with a pretty pissed off demeanor; after all, the fury had to still be in him somewhere, right? Nope. What I heard was a guy who sounded pretty reserved, slightly effeminate even in his delivery. Hey, no problem, just address this shit head on, I thought. Nope, he backpedaled, hemmed and hawed his way through a pretty shaky explanation. Oh well, I thought, your image is blown but you're still gonna sell a million more books. Good for you. <br /><br />Well, good for him until he went on Oprah yesterday. She blasted him, Talese, everyone as his backpedaling continued. If I were in crisis management (maybe I should be), I would have demanded he face the acusations head on. Be that tough guy you described yourself as in your books. Be ready to FTBSITTTD at any point. Go for the throat. All he had to do, from the time he went on Larry King to the time he was administered his rectal pounding by Oprah was to be the aggressive guy we saw in "Pieces." King accuses him of lying? Bring it. "You know Larry, I busted my ass shopping this piece to publishers and got shut down 19 times before Nan Talese took a chance on me. Did certain embellished aspects of my novel filter through to the memoir? Yeah, they probably did." Oprah tells you you mislead millions of people? "You know Oprah, maybe I did exaggerate or even lie in some places, but you know what? I was a freaking drug addled, boozed out addict, I exxagerated a lot to get by, I lied, I got in trouble, I went to rehab but I am clean right now and have been for 10 years. Take what you need to from that and move on." The Smoking Gun calls you out? "Hey, fuck you man! Walk a mile in my shoes before come after me. I didn't ask for all this celebrity. Oprah wants to put me on a pedastal, great, she wants to knock me off, even better. I am who I am and I don't apologize for any of it." Frey maintains that stance and he's a bad-ass. He appears on Larry king with his mommy and he looks like every other punk from Shaker I ever knew who ran home to his mom when the shit got thick (I'm kind of kidding here, but not so much). <br /><br />Bottom line? Read the books. Fact/Fiction, Truth/Lies, Ethical/Non-Ethical, it doesn't matter, they're a great read. I just wish this guy wouldn't have apologized and caved like he did. I wanted to see that bad ass with the fury attacking his detractors. If anything, the lamb that he turned out to be makes me believe even less of the books' events. Well, don't forget to pony up your $10.25 for the movie version due out in 2007, it's sure to raise this whole ruckus yet again. Any thoughts or comments, I'd love to hear them.It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-1136498243522368772006-01-05T12:49:00.000-08:002006-01-05T13:57:23.563-08:00Happy New Year to All (four of you)!Well, Since my last post, I've experienced two deaths, emergency surgery for a dear family friend, a holiday season, countless interviews and two job offers. Not to mention reading two books by the same author that completely blew me away. <br /><br />On Thanksgiving a good friend of mine died when she fell down an elevator shaft in Washington DC. Needless to say, it was a shock to all of us as most had been in very recent contact with her. Those that hadn't were certainly kept informed by those that had been. As I came to grips with the situation I coordinated a trip to Cleveland with a good friend of mine. As I've found to be the case with my friends and even our extended group of friends from Cleveleland, we're very good at spreading the word and rallying for each other. Support in times like these is crucial and it was evident in spades. Folks who lived in Cleveland picked up those that didn't from local airports and everyone convened at the funeral home. One good thing that can be taken away from trying times like these is seeing folks you haven't seen in a long time and renewing that bond that made you friends in the first place. In this case that bond was a certain club in Cleveland where many of us had worked and hung out together. After the visitation we all convened at a friend's bar downtown and had a good opportunity to decompress from the repressive funeral home. As the drinks flowed stories were shared and memories recounted. We continued to stick together through the (painfully awful) eulogy and made it to the "lunch in the church basement" phase of the proceedings. Here, our group of friends convened in the deepest corner in an effort to keep the wagons circled. The food was an amazing collection of casseroles and well, er casseroles. Casseroles were made out of things I didn't even know you couldmake casseroles out of but we ate them. After attacking the dessert table and bringing two full plates back for our group we realized it would soon be time to go our separate ways. We hugged each other and exchanged numbers; made promises to keep in touch. Whether or not that happens is secondary to the fact that we were all there together for each other at that time; it was comforting to experience that. Dawn, I was just thinking about you too. You will be missed.<br /><br />After coming back to New York I dove right back into the interview process attempting to stick to my goal of finding a new job by the new year. I narrowed my choices to three companies. One was a darkhorse where I made a really solid connection with the SVP of sales. After carefully considering my options I chose to go in a different direction but he paid me some very nice compliments and left the door open for future dialogue. I'd like to work for him someday because I think I can learn from him and in my line of work, I can never learn enough. I informed my new emplyer that I was accepting their offer and am scheduled to start tomorrow morning. New job for the new year, mission accomplished.<br /><br />While I was in Cleveland for the funeral, my mom handed me a book she had found through the Oprah book club. Yeah, I saw the red flags too. But if you know my mom, you'll understand that she never watches Oprah, she just happened to catch the story behind this particular book and was compelled enough to buy and read the book. The book in question is "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. Frey is from Shaker Heights, Ohio, right next door to Cleveland Heights, Ohio where I was born and raised. Frey is actually five months younger than me and went to Fernway elementary school where one of my very best friends also went, she remembers him. Frey became addicted to alcohol and drugs and was smoking crack and blacking out every day by the time he was 23. The book chronicles his time at Hazelden, a rehab clinic in Minnesota, a place where friends of mine have gone. Their success rate is 17%. Their success rate is the best in the world. Their success rate is 17%. I won't recount his story, I just suggest you read it, it's utterly engrossing, sad, compelling, scary, uplifting and in your face all at the same time. Now, Frey is a screen writer and some folks have accused him of "embellishing" his story a bit. I don't care. Read this book. Even if it's 97% fiction (it's not), read this book.<br /><br />I made it about 40 pages in at the beginning of December. When I came home for Christmas (can I still call it that?), I dove in and finished it in a couple days. I hit the Internet and tried to find out what I could about Frey. I read a couple interviews, found out he lives in NYC as well and also, best of all, discovered he is still a die hard Cleveland Indians fan. Check that, best of all, I found out he is still clean. During the course of events in "A Million Little Pieces" he develops a friendship with a man named Leonard. Leonard is a well connected mob fixture who becomes Frey's guardian of sorts. After checking Amazon I discovered that he had written a book detailing his friendship with Leonard and how it developed after his release from Hazelden. I bought this book the day I took off to come back to NYC and finished it that night; that's how compelling that book was. "My Friend Leonard" was outstanding. Again, Frey is a screenwriter, keep this in mind. It didn't matter to me, the book stands on its own as a heart wrenching, uplifting, thought provoking piece of work. I cried the entire last 20 pages, don't think a book has ever had that effect on me. Please read these two books.<br /><br />My mom has a cousin from the old neighborhood whom she recently reconnected with. Her cousin is from her dad's side of the family. Now, my mom's folks (my grandparents) were divorced in the 40's and back then, you just didn't get divorced. My mom lived with her mother and was basically estranged from her dad's side of the family. This cousin is from that side of the family, so it's interesting/cool that they reconnected. Hey, family's family. It turns out that my mom's cousin married the son of the secretary of my grade school, interesting. Ok, enough of a history lesson here. Well, the husband has a very successful law firm in Cleveland, if you watch enough TV in Cleveland you'll see him tell you how concerned he is that you receive proper counsel should you ever need it. Very nice guy, very successful. My mom's cousin was a judge in Cleveland Heights and is a very fun/boisterous/in your face/honest person. They love sports and they love to entertain. They have a loge for Browns games, they have courtside seats for the Cavs, both her sons were bat boys for the Cleveland Indians. I saw the Browns beat the Ravens last Sunday in their loge with family and friends. He was flying to the Fiesta Bowl with his son the next day to see, in his words, "Notre Dame kick the holy living shit out of Ohio State." He had a heart attack on his plane en route to Tempe. His son was on the plane with him. He died. Yeah, I was watching the Browns game with him on Sunday, Monday he had a heart attack and died. I feel terrible for this family, last holiday season their oldest son was in a terrible car accident and is still wheel chair bound. Why this family? It never makes sense. <br /><br />I spent New Years with a good friend of mine running around downtown Cleveland between three different spots. God bless that city, I've been gone five years plus but still knew every bartender. It's always good to see them. We all used to work together, they all take care of me like I still work with them, like I still have their backs, which of course I do, just from 500 miles away. Christmas Eve was what it always is at my mom's place, just a bit scaled back. Her friends, my friends, hanging out, drinking, conversing until all hours. Of course it wasn't at all complete because my mom's best friend had open heart surgery the night before. Christmas day was quiet; a visit to the hospital to visit our recovering friend and her husband. Christmas night was the Grog Shop as it always is. I smelled like an ashtray. A drunk ashtray.<br /><br />While this post might sound a bit morose I'm happy to have welcomed 2006 to the plate. Let's see what happens this year. No resolutions, no promises. Let it roll and let's see what happens. Hey, pitchers and catchers report in six weeks!It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-1132034546800313412005-11-15T01:05:00.000-08:002005-11-14T22:04:17.613-08:00Best Friends for Life, I Say<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1396/1412/1600/Dean%2C%20Jason%20and%20Adam%20at%20Garage.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1396/1412/320/Dean%2C%20Jason%20and%20Adam%20at%20Garage.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1396/1412/1600/Terry%2C%20Jason%20and%20Dean%20at%20Garage.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1396/1412/320/Terry%2C%20Jason%20and%20Dean%20at%20Garage.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />These guys are reason enough to travel to Chicago and Cleveland respectively. When they happen to be in the same city at the same time, it's required that I be there. These photos were taken Nov. 4th in Cleveland. Good times indeed.It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-1131493785076280612005-11-09T20:41:00.000-08:002006-03-09T10:55:25.960-08:00Oh, the Places I've BeenSo everyone knows the de riguer gift for friends and family memebers who are lucky enough to be graduating from their respective schools and universities; it's "Oh, the Places You'll Go" by Theodor Geisel, or Dr. Seuss to you and me. It gives kids the false hope that their life will actually mean something in the grand scope of things and that they can do whatever they want if they put their mind to it. Yeah, right.<br /><br />14 years after graduating from college I'm here to tell you, don't believe the hype. I'm jobless living in a shit shack in Brooklyn with two roommates. Suffice to say, my life has been more "deep blue wells of confusion" than "grinning purple elephants." However, that's not to say that I haven't had my share of fun while fumbling towards the answer to the $64,000 question of what I want to do with my life. As I was sitting in the Horseshoe watching Ohio State wax Illinois this past Saturday I thought back over the past few years where the amount of time I've been employed is roughly equal to the time I've been unemployed.<br /><br />Some highlights in no particular order:<br /><br />Fiesta Bowl - 2003 Ohio State Defeats Miami in double overtime to witn the National Championship. I was there. I stayed at The Phoeneican (that place was ridiculous), everyone from ESPN stayed there, Herbstreit, Fowler, Corso. I almost goaded Jim Kelly into a fight, he would have annihalted me, he's freaking huge. I enjoyed free sex from a stripper (thanks, Josh) and got to experience the joy of watching a team I've rooted for since birth the win national championship with my best friend. Until the Indians win the World Series, this will remain the single most amazing sporting event I've ever witnessed. Followed closely by...<br /><br />The 2002 Kentucky Derby<br />I was sitting around conducting my daily half assed search of Monster and HotJobs on a Thursday afternoon when one of my best friends, Phil called from Chicago.<br /><br />"What's up, guuuy?"<br /><br />"Nada, what's up with you, guuuy?"<br /><br />"Want to go to the Kentucky Derby Saturday?"<br /><br />"Yeah, let me work on that an I'll call you back in 15."<br /><br />Some of you have already read my account of how I got there and in what condition. Suffice to say it was one of the three worst hangovers of my life and I made it to Churchill Downs 17 minutes before post time. I was wearing a bad-ass light blue suit however. That whole event was amazing, Phil and his friends had a box right on the track. When I say right on the track, I mean, if you bent over the railing you could scoop yourself some dirt from the track. I can't describe the sound 20 horses make when they're thundering down the straight away towards you, but damn is it imposing. And the horses? Gorgeous animals bred for one reason only, to run really, really fast. Truly an amazing event all the way around, the folks in Louisville DO NOT mess around with this tradition.<br /><br />One week after getting shitcanned from a job in 2003 I found myself on the road as the tour manager of Columbia recording artists, A Static Lullaby. While it was actually a job, I did get to travel through most of the US and way too much of Canada. It was, for the most part, a really fun time. There were times when I had to play mom, dad, police officer, big brother et al to these kids (yes, they were kids, all between 19-22 at the time). I also got to stay in LA for a week at the end of the tour, bonus points for that.<br /><br />In the past month and a half alone I've flown to Columbus to see Social Distortion, I've seen Ohio State play Penn State at Happy Valley (big effing disappointment) and Illinois in Columbus (fun game to watch). I spent two weeks in LA way back in 2002 and hung out with one of the guys from Nash Bridges (probably about 1,942 on my top 10 list) and taken dozens of weekend trips.<br /><br />So, even though I haven't been gainfully employed all that much over the past five years I have managed to have a considerable amount of fun, all while "on scholarship." Not to mention the countless hours of bad TV I've witnessed with my roommate, the weekenights I was out drinking myself into oblivion instead of home, safe in bed and the countless sunrises I witnessed after bouts with said bad TV.<br /><br />Hey, the pay ain't great, but you can't put a price on the things I've experienced. Well, maybe you can, but hell, most of the time, I wasn't paying. Anyone up for New Years in Paris? I just bought my ticket and I've got a free place to stay. The unemployed guy rides again!It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-1129051101716645562005-10-11T13:16:00.000-07:002005-10-11T10:18:21.726-07:00Bound to HappenYep, well it's happened again, I'm unemployed. The axe fell last Monday afternoon. It was swift, yet not unexpected. I had told folks as far back as a month ago that I saw it coming. I don't have anything really negative to say about the company. I think they've got a great idea that hasn't been implemented in exactly the right way. They've got a (now almost) unique product that they refuse to do any marketing around. Interesting, that. But the fact remains, I am now out of a job, again. I felt bad for my boss who had to deliver the news. He says he fought for me but it was the co-founders that wanted me gone. My, now ex, boss is a good guy if not the most effective manager. <br /><br />My resume is up to date and ready to ship. I just need to figure out exactly what it is I want to do. That has always been the $64,000 question. I've been in sales for the past eight years, give or take. Is that where my motivation lies? Should I be writing? Creating? Traveling? How can I get paid to travel? Yep, I'm in a quandry once again. Until I figure it out, I'll do what I always do, scan Monster and the Media Post classifieds. Stay up too late watching bad TV and collect some free cash courtesy of the great state of New York. Looks like I'm on scholarship once again!<br /><br />If anyone has any great ideas/jobs/open bars/travel plans/suggestions, feel free to drop me a line. I've got some free time to fill in on my calendar.<br /><br />Cheers!It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-1126804375151196502005-09-15T13:12:00.000-07:002005-09-15T18:09:19.950-07:00Travel with a Passion<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1396/1412/1600/OSU%20Crew%20-Texas%209-10-05.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1396/1412/320/OSU%20Crew%20-Texas%209-10-05.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Travel should be planned surreptitiously and never very far in advance. Travel plans that are made far in advance lack the passion that makes a last minute trip so exciting.<br /><br />Take last Friday night for example. I was leaving my gym in Manhattan a little after 9 pm when my best friend called to tell me that my alma mater, Ohio University, was giving Pitt all it could handle and then some on national TV. He told me it was 10-7 in the middle of the third quarter. I picked up my pace in order to witness the event myself on "the deuce." As the 4th quarter unfolded and Pitt rallied to force an overtime period my best friend and I were offering our own commentary via telephone.<br /><br />To frame this a bit for the three of you reading this, OU isn't very good at football. In fact, out of about 117 D1 schools, they're somwhere in the bottom 10%. By comparison, Pitt is probably in the top 20% and were favored to win a share of the Big East Conference; indeed a very solid football program. The game was being played in Athens, Ohio at storied (not) Peden Stadium where a record crowd of 24,535 watched on, Thunder Sticks banging away. Pitt was 7-0 all time versus OU and won 24-3 just last year. Why this game was even on national TV I have no idea, maybe the Great Outdoor Games ended early.<br /><br />In any event, as OU won the coin flip for OT my best friend and I were agreeing that it was the right move to have Pitt take the first offensive possession, you always want to know what you need to do in order to win and OU now had that chance. After a running play that went nowhere, Pitt QB, Tyler Palko dropped back and snapped a pass out to the right flat that was snatched out of the air by OU cornerback, Dion Byrum who scampered 85 yards for the game ending TD. I was screaming and running around my apartment like a little school girl. My best friend was yelling and laughing on the other end of the line as the students mobbed the field and congratulated the OU players and coaches. It was utter mayhem.<br /><br />I have but one note of disappointment in the face of this great triumph, however. OU is traditionally ranked as either the number one or two party school in the ENTIRE country, we've worked hard for this distinction. OU wins one the biggest games in school history and these kids don't even <span style="font-style: italic;">think </span>about going after the goalposts?! I may sound critical, but come on kids, let's keep our street cred here. You've got to bring those mother fuckers down next time!<br /><br />So now it's about 11:30 and my friend and I turn our conversation towards the main event the next night, Ohio State versus Texas. This is the kind of inter-conference game that NEVER happens anymore. You usually see Nebraska taking on Southeast Louisiana Tech A&M this time of year, not a top10 team typically. Put it this way, when Notre Dame -Michigan is the undercard, you know you're talking about a once a decade phenomenon. So my best friend has bid on and secured the opportunity to join former OSU QB and current sideline reporter, Jim Karsatos on the field for the big game. Needless to say, he's a little jacked up at this point. We were discussing what he was going to wear. Now this is a guy that has about eight game-worn OSU jerseys, he wears one to every game and I'm pretty sure #56 has become his night shirt at this point. Now this guy is telling me he's not going to wear the jersey cause, "a 38 year old guy wearing a team jersey next to the bench would look gay." That's all I needed to hear, I went off on a 20 minute rant on every reason why he should wear that #56 Saturday night at The Shoe. After my rant he told me that's exactly what he needed to hear and it was why he broached the subject with me. He needed that kick in the ass to convince him to don the scarlet. That matter settled I had to address the fact that I was now a bit jacked myself.<br /><br />I called my mom, also an OU alum, and related the events that had just unfolded; how OU stunned Pitt and how I convinced my best friend to "dress accordingly" on the sidelines the following evening. She told me she had heard that tickets for this game were now going for upwards of $1,000. I told her we'd find out exactly what they were going for as I accessed Craig's List Columbus. Imagine my surprise as the second most recent post was offering one ticket for $300. Uh-oh, yep, that was the dull glow of a 20 watt illuminating over my head. It's now 12:30 am.<br /><br />"Hey mom, I gotta go, I've got to call Dean."<br /><br />"Ok, well call me ba..."<br /><br />"Dean, I just found a ticket on Craig's List for $300!"<br /><br />Several frantic phone calls and e-mails later I have a tacit agreement to purchase said ticket from Mr. Craig's List, a $96 round trip ticket to Cleveland and a packed carry on all with not one drop of alcohol in me. Impressive.<br /><br />My flight left at 6:30 it was now 2:30; I'd have to leave by 4:45 to make the train to Newark and I hadn't slept. Hmm. Bing, bang, boom, I sleep for one hour, shower, make the train to Newark and get on the plane feeling a bit delerious but 100% ready for anything to happen. That frosty state of alert was quickly tested as The Black Eyed Peas and entourage boarded my plane. For the record, yes, they are fucking dorks, yes, Fergie is hot, yes, she's short and yes, her man is good looking. Oh yeah, that weird looking long haired dude actually had a carry on with an image of the band screened onto it, how fucking tragic is that? Anyway, I digress.<br /><br />I make it into Cleveland and over to my best friend's house with a dozen doughnuts for the trek. We do a little jig and hop in his truck to go pick up the three other guys that are making the trip.<br /><br />The ride down was priceless, five guys who are all reasonably intelligent and are all HUGE sports fans. It was like a rolling sports talk show, everyone had an opinion and everyone respected each other. Just a great start to the day. We drop Robby and Sean off in Dublin and Jeff, Dean and I rolled into the Hilton in Easton, Dean's preferred hotel for OSU games. As we were grabbing lunch my call came in from Mr. Craig's List. The news wasn't good. The guys he was supposed to buy the tickets from sold them to someone else, I was now on the outside looking in at the biggest football game in Columbus in years.<br /><br />"Dude, don't even worry, it's not a problem."<br /><br />As always, Dean provided the voice of reason. He was right when he told me it would be easier finding one ticket as opposed to two or more. After his pep talk I felt much better. As we were getting our shit together to head towards campus I asked him to put the word out to the folks we alrady knew that were tailgating. He made about six calls. Then, from the other room, I heard Dean's side of a conversation with Walid who had just called back.<br /><br />"Hey man, what's up?"<br /><br />"Nothing, huh?"<br /><br />A pause followed by, "Are you sure?"<br /><br />"Walid, seriously are you positive?"<br /><br />"I'm gonna ask you again, you're sure?"<br /><br />"Dude, Jason is going to be psyched, you the man, later."<br /><br />As I walk back in the room Dean asked me, "Do you want the good news or the bad news?"<br /><br />I like to get hit with the negative shit first so I asked for the bad. Dean told me that of all the people he called no one could find a ticket. The good news was that Walid was offering his ticket to me. Free. Three rows behind the OSU bench on the 35. Walid just changed my life.<br /><br />Jeff, Dean and I headed towards campus and met up with Walid, Brian and Jimmy (as depicted in the photo above) where I hugged Walid and informed him he was Godzilla huge for what he had done. We managed to stay out of the sun, have a few beers and run into just about everybody we needed to before heading over to the Horseshoe.<br /><br />After witnessing the Fiesta Bowl against Miami two years earlier I thought little else could compare to that atmosphere. I was wrong, the Shoe was electric, it was amazing. By now we all know that OSU gave the game away in the last three minutes. A win would have been amazing, but it doesn't detract from the experience of taking an early morning flight, making the drive down with four other die hard sports fans and soaking up the atmosphere that is college football. It started with OU beating Pitt the night before and ended with an early Monday morning flight back to NYC. What happened in between is what makes travel, whether by plane or by car, so damn fun. It's the people you meet, it's the situations you find yourself in. You can't plan for any of that and that's the way it should be.It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-1124907474575040842005-08-24T14:24:00.000-07:002005-08-26T19:28:53.386-07:00An Ode to a Goth - Impressive ShowingWhen I was a punk-ass teenager hanging out on Coventry, the local gathering for high school kids of all varieties from around the east side of my city, I always got a particular kick out of the goth kids. Now Coventry was indeed a melting pot, you had the skateboarders, the punks, the jocks, the metal heads, the deadheads and the goths. In most cases there was a pretty healthy Venn diagram of interaction. I'd occasionally drop my skateboard to join the hacky sackers, the metal heads would often times share a ride to a show with the punk kids and so on. The poor goth kids however, always got an earful from everyone, even the freaking deadheads. Imagine a dude in a tie dyed shirt wearing socks with Birkenstocks making fun of you, yeah, you'd go home and listen to Bauhaus too.<br /><br />Well this same scenario followed the goths to the clubs we all used to go to as well. But some of these goth kids really put some effort into the whole look. I'm talking some serious medieval times costumes complete with frocks, corsets and bustiers. Then the makeup, oh boy the makeup. Lots of pancaked white foundation and tons of eyeliner, think zombies from Dawn of the Dead (the original, ass). Sitting around watching these kids we'd always concoct shit that they did during the day, like what job they had. We'd picture a goth kid as a gas station attendant or a lawyer heading to work all 1672'd out. That actually became a challenge we'd pose to them when "discussing" their look. We'd all be like, "Dude, do you go grocery shopping like that?" Of course they'd be all like, "Fuck you, skater dick!" To which we'd all share a hearty laugh.<br /><br />Oh man am I very excited to report that yesterday, a very wonderful and committed person actually answered that challenge my friends and I issued oh so many years ago. After work I dropped into my local Key Food to pick up my standard fare of chicken breast and Green Giant Broccoli in Three Cheese Sauce (have you guys tried this stuff? Holy shit is it good!) when I turned down aisle five and ran smack dab into the largest goth person I've ever seen, I'm talking 6' 5" and about 240, no shit. Man it was awesome! I'm still not certain if it was a man or women, and quite frankly, I don't even care. This person was wearing a black corset with a flowing black skirt and some serious platform boots. The kicker absolutely had to be the fishnet arm warmers that were anchored by this dude/chick's middle finger. Holy cripes was that awesome! I grinned, maybe even gave a little laugh. I only hope he/she didn't think I was laughing at him/her, rather I was chuckling at those conversations I had with my friends 20 years ago. I'm proud to report that we now know for a fact what these folks do during the day. The same damn thing we do! This guy/girl just had the balls (or not, sorry) to not give a fuck and maintain their goth cred. Fuckin' A great job!It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-1124479818277537832005-08-19T15:32:00.000-07:002005-08-19T14:35:56.390-07:00Anatomy of a Night Gone Wrong (or working with a hangover)Few things suck harder then going to work with a hangover. I've been drinking for a number of years and I know both precautions one can take when drinking on a work night. They are, in no particular order:<br /><br />drink water<br />eat food<br /><br />I consistently manage to do niether of the above. Here's how the events typically unfold. You leave work with a glint in your eye and a little hop in your step, hey, you're going to drink booze! Usually this occurs with friends or co-workers. If it doesn't involve friends, relatives or strangers at a bar and you're drinking alone, in a dark room, you may be an alcoholic. At that glorious point in the evening, just before the first drop of sweet sweet liquor touches your lips, you don't have any desire to eat. Before you realize it, your cubicle mate is offering to buy the group's fourth round and you're on your way. After the sixth Goose and soda time starts to lose its meaning, what once was 7 pm is now 10:30. Eight deep and you begin telling stories that never seem to get anywhere remotely close to finished; your story's point is the sun, you're pluto. And so on and so on. Until you're reeling out of the bar at about 2:30 stumbling towards a bodega like an extra from Dawn of the Dead. <span style="font-style: italic;">Now</span> you want to eat, nay, you <span style="font-style: italic;">must</span> eat! At this point, the only thing that food will do is slightly mitigate the hangover you're going to experience in about four hours. After you tumble out of the cab and stiff your driver you spend about six minutes trying to force your office key into your apartment's front door. After finally getting inside you manage to set your alarm before passing out fully clothed (oddly except for one shoe, it's always one shoe).<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Dang a lang a lang a lang!!! </span>That's the wake up call for the hounds of hell to start raging in your cranium, good times are here! You awake and are convinced for literally three minutes that it's Saturday. As the reality slowly hits you that it is not in fact Saturday you are assailed with a one two punch combination of a dome splitting headache and gut busting queasiness. You concoct no fewer than six different stories you can tell your boss to get out of work. As you hit the snooze button for the third time you realize you're screwed and you've got to pay the piper. You stumble towards the shower and begin to assess just how bad this hangover is going to be. Ooofa, it's going to be a bad one, you're actually still drunk. As you open the front door to your apartment you're immediately blasted with the devil's breath that is a NYC summer. Great, you've sweat through your shirt by the time you stagger onto the L train and quickly plot your most direct route to the train's door "just in case." As you arrive at work, only 37 minutes late, you quickly dive into Duane Reade to buy some Pedialyte (sounds awful, works great).<br /><br />Your morning consists of attempting to look busy (looking intently at your monitor while scratching your chin works really well) and drinking as much water/Pedialyte as humanly possible. Frequent trips to the bathroom are also in order. If you're lucky enough to have a boss that isn't too conscious of your whereabouts, you can use these bathroom breaks to catch a quick nap. But be careful, it's always awkward walking back to the office with both legs asleep. Has the demon lock on your brain loosened just a bit? Hmm<br /><br />You've made it to lunch, this is the watershed moment of your day. What you decide to eat and how quickly can determine your fate for the rest of the day, choose wisely, friend. The greasier the better, and yes, wolf it down, let it get to work forcing that dirty alcohol right out of your body (yes, more afternoon trips to the bathroom will be in order). At about 4:30 you begin to feel vaguely human again. Wait, did the clock just go from 4:30 to 4:29?! Crap! After your 37th glass of water and your 14th trip to the bathroom you can actually operate your phone and the computer at the same time, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 6 pm arrives. Hey! Anyone up for a drink? Of course you are! Yes, you are an idiot.It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-1124083999669251582005-08-14T21:38:00.000-07:002005-08-14T23:13:38.596-07:00History Lesson<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1396/1412/1600/Gorilla%20Biscuits%20CBGBs%208-14-05.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1396/1412/320/Gorilla%20Biscuits%20CBGBs%208-14-05.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />So I was a little jerk ass hardcore kid growing up; I loved Minor Threat, The Faction, Dag Nasty and The Descendents. But when I saw the Cro Mags absolutely blow GBH off the stage that summer night at Peabody's I was awakened to a whole new scene and a whole new realm of hardcore. Yep, that's right, NYHC. Some of you will know exactly what I'm talking about and others, well, not so much. In the years following that monumental show I would come to know the music of Youth of Today, Project X, Judge, Beyond, Agnostic Front, Warzone, Sick of it All and maybe most importantly of all, Gorilla Biscuits. We didn't just go see these guys play, we actually got to know them. They stayed at our houses, they met our folks, they ate with our families or we ate with them at Tommy's on Coventry. A common bond was forged all those years ago<br /><br />Well, fast forward 15 years later and see the news about CBGBs potentially being forced out of their home on the Bowery. Bands and performers from Blondie to Adrenalin OD have shown their support and reunited to raise the money needed to keep CBs where it belongs, on the Bowery in NYC.<br /><br />Tonight it was Gorilla Biscuits turn to give a little back to the club that spawned so many kids' dreams of being in a band. After almost 15 years the fellas showed up to play one last time for the kids. Walter made the hop from Brooklyn, Civ jumped a train down from Harlem, Arthur rode in from Queens, Luke took a plane from Texas with his wife while Al Brown arrived from the heartland, Iowa. They didn't do it for the money. They didn't do it for the legend, these guys are first ballot hall of famers. They did it for the kids. As Civ said, this show was for every kid out there who was ever in a band or ever thought about being in a band. It was for the kid he used to be, going to see his favorite band at CBs and thinking hey, maybe someday it could be him up there.<br /><br />The anticipation was palpable as those in attendance pushed their way forward towards the historic stage. A little after 7 PM the anticipation turned to sheer aggression as Gorilla Biscuits ripped into their blistering hour long set. Don't ask me if they played this or that. They played everything they ever wrote and it was as if everyone was magically transported back to 1990. Suddenly I didn't really care about what was waiting for me on my desk tomorrow morning. Being out in the crowd I had an interesting vantage point in that I could see all of GB's friends sitting on the stage stadium style behind the band. Charlie was laughing along with Sammy while Max was next to Tanya and Dylan, good times indeed. CBs was packed on a Sunday, a little later than the old Sunday matinees but folks were getting after it nonetheless. GB didn't miss a beat (unless you asked Luke and Al Brown!), CIV was supported by about 75 co-lead singers as he passed the mic from person to person; some just blurted out lyrics while others sounded like they might have spent some time fronting a band. He joked between songs that he shouldn't even have practiced all week because he could have just relied on the kids to pull him through. There were indeed the kids, kids who grew up on NYHC but were too young to witness the movement first hand; then there were the old asses like me who were lucky enough to see these guys the first couple times around. This was the chance for generations to come together and celebrate a better time.<br /><br />During the show Civ said that the HC scene was all about inclusion, that no one should ever be excluded. That was plainly evident during the show. He also implored those in attendance to stay in New York to spread their roots and raise their families. He talked about his despair over seeing artists and musicians looking elsewhere for inspiration. He said that places like CBs had to endure to foster that creative energy.<br /><br />After a short break, GB came back out and finished with Start Today leaving the crowd spent but utterly satisfied. After the show I managed to catch up with Charlie, Dylan, Max, Sammy and the band. No one wanted to leave. Everyone was drenched but the stories just kept coming one after another. We managed to round everone up and head over to Lil' Frankies on 1st and 1st; true to Civ's words, no one was excluded. The stories continued as the food arrived and old friends were reunited while new friends were welcomed. Charlie, Luke and Max were recounting Friend Fest, a lost night in Vegas with some west coast counterparts while Al and I were riffing on Big Ten football. No doubt stories of tonight's show and subsequent meal will be recounted during the next go round in 2020. Here's hoping we'll all be there to celebrate.<br /><br />Hey, even Phil Anselmo was at the show.It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-1124045417358395352005-08-14T11:39:00.000-07:002005-08-14T11:50:17.366-07:00Um, it's really freaking hot outSo I've lived in the same apartment for going on five years now. And in those five years I have yet to purchase an air conditioner. I often ponder this situation on days like today when weather.com tells me it's 97 degrees but that <span style="font-style: italic;">it feels </span>like it's 102 degrees. As I sit here sweating I ask myself why I am the only person I know that does not have AC. Seriously, think about it. Next time you leave your aprtment (if you live in NYC or some other major city) look up as you walk and count how many AC units you see. It's mind boggling. And yet, I don't own one of them. <br /><br />I think about buying one every summer. And yet every summer I resist. By the time it gets to this point in August it's almost like a pissing contest between me and God. I'm all like "is that all you got big guy?" And he's all like "OK, now it <span style="font-style: italic;">feels </span>like it's 103." And then I'm like, "Crap!" And I continue to sweat. <br /><br />I did buy a blender yesterday to make cold and sweet margaritas. I love alcohol.It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-1123876869778856042005-08-12T12:32:00.000-07:002005-08-14T23:24:22.533-07:00I got it, I got it... Doh!So my friend Darren riffed on the Beltran/Cameron outfield collision on his blog earlier today. If you haven't seen it, check out his blog at http://darrencarew.blogspot.com/ to see the carnage. While it was indeed a horrific event, I've got a bit of a different take on the whole thing. As the son of a baseball player/coach and being a baseball player myself, I learned the golden rule of "I got it" from an early age. I've (sadly) been a part of too many dorm/company softball teams and seen too many friends and co-workers who did not grow up playing ball bash their faces into the shoulders of other non-athletes pursuing a lazy pop fly to ever forget this lesson. You hit a pop up between me playing short and the kid who would rather be playing Everquest in a blacked out dorm room in left and I'm either going to command him to stay put in a very loud voice or head quickly in the other direction if I see him wandering towards the ball like a drunk towards a pizza joint.<br /><br />What's my point here? Well, I'm guaranteeing you that both Beltran and Cameron know the "I got it" rule by heart. I bet they've called each other off balls hit to them no fewer than 35-40 times already this season. But when you factor in the TV cameras, Web Gems and the cool factor of diving full out for a ball, they chose to throw one of the cardinal rules of baseball out the window. You can give me all the crap you want to about how bad these guys want to win and that they're two of the better defensive outfielders out there, I'll call bullshit. They knew the cameras were rolling, they knew Ravich, Reynolds and Kruk would be talking about "the catch" they made later that night and they knew chicks would dig it. I've played the outfiled before, I know that you've got that extra two seconds you need to know you've got a shot to make a highlight reel catch. It's not like third base where it's pure reaction. These guys play in the media capital of the world on a struggling team and know they've got to make it exciting. Do you think Mike Cameron thinks it was worthwhile today as he's lying in the hospital pondering his facial recontruction surgery? I'd go with what is no on that one, Alex.<br /><br />On the brightside, maybe now the Mets will finally give that Diaz kid a chance.It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15300330.post-1123701458773162742005-08-10T12:08:00.000-07:002005-08-10T12:17:38.776-07:00so people get fired for these things, huh?Well, here we go. Or, more aptly, I should say, here I go. Since everyone, including even, I think, my uncle and the ferret down the street, now has a blog, I figured it was high time I clog up a bit of the Internet as well. Why should everyone else think their opinion is so important that it deserves to be documented forever in cyber space and not me? <br /><br />I'm pretty sure I'll be posting daily observations on the various ways this city (NYC), my life, your comments (who am I kidding?!) and the price of a good stiff drink is fucked up. Although that can all change if I so choose. Feel free to read, comment, laugh, ignore or otherwise hate me, I don't care either way. After all this is a pretty self-indulgent endeavor I've undertaken, isn't it?It Would Be Cooler If You Didhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761598482144636427noreply@blogger.com2