After 2 crazy days back at work, I basically have nothing going on today. The new cell is 630-618-7718. I like the 18's on the end of each set of numbers, you know?
The Cubs are pursuing Magglio Ordonez provided they can trade Prima Donna Sosa. Staying in the NL Central, the Cardinals are planning to sign my favorite ballplayer since Mo Vaughn, the great Roberto Alomar. Let's see. They've gone from a middle infield of Tony Womack, Marlon Anderson, and Edgar Renteria to David Eckstein, Alomar, and Hector Luna. Uggh. At least they still have Pujols, Walker, Rolen, and Edmonds. Then again, they still have the lovely Roger Cedeno.
Well my Flushers have signed the lovely Chris Woodward. They're hoping he'll be the backup for Jose Reyes. I guess that hurts Danny Garcia's chances to make the club. Shame too. That kid can play.
Good win by the Knicks as they knock off the T-Wolves last night. That team is something else. Look at their "New York Jet-like performances" against Dallas and Boston, and look at their last 2 wins against Orlando and Minnesota. It's frustrating. You just never know what you'll get from this team from one game to the next. And that responsibility goes straight to the head coach. Period. End of sentence. Also, when Jamal Crawford comes back how does this team plan playing time at the guard position. Marbury, Houston, Crawford, Norris, and Penny Hardaway, who has said he wants more playing time when he comes back from the injured list. Good luck Lenny. The team is getting a little better and a little better, but they have to play defense. And if it sounds like I'm repeating myself from other posts, it's because I am. I am.
In my CD player: Ray (The Soundtrack). Check out the live version of "You Don't Know Me." If the rawness and soul of that performance doesn't hit you, you should check your pulse.
And I'm gonna start reading Friday Night Lights, a book about Texas high school football. I'll have a review eventually. That's all I've got to say about that.
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Monday, December 27, 2004
I'm baaaaack! East Coast, Pizza, Bakeries, Jets, etc.
Miss me? I know, sometimes I miss me too. I have a lot to talk about so let's get right to it.
First off, I hit the east coast this week and it went well. After driving to Youngstown, OH with mom and seeing Hogan for a brief time, I headed off with my grandparents down to CT. That took 12 hours! That's a lot of hours and a lot of naps. Fortunately, I was able to listen to WFAN radio in the car and listened to 3 hours of Joe Benigno. Oh I wish I could get WFAN in Chicago.
I visited my uncle's family in Staten Island. Man you want to talk about a meal! From the pork roast to the sausage stuffing, green beans, stuffed mushrooms, carrots and onions, bourbon sweet potatoes, corn pudding (which always gets my father excited), the antipasto (salami, pepperoni, shrimp cocktail, provolone, bread, pepperoni bread), the apple bread pudding, cannolis, yeah, it's suffice to say I was satisfied. I drank a little wine, which I never do outside of sampling at CPK. It was a sweet dessert wine and it wasn't half bad. I prompted a prayer before the meal, and I'm glad I did. Not to go into detail, but throughout the week, I really saw the different ways families can come together or grow apart. God really can be the unifier if people would let him be.
My cousin is growing up fast. I don't see her much, but I've seen her 3 times in the last 18 months. She's now a junior in high school, taking some AP classes, has a boyfriend. Man, it's like my little sister grew up before I knew it.
Oh, I got to eat some real east coast food. And if you've never been there, you don;t know what I mean. I hit downtown Metuchen, NJ on Sunday and came away with 24 bagels, 5 powdered crumb buns (actually 4 because I gobbled one before I came home), 3 vanilla/chocolate man cookies for mum), 2 french baguettes, and 2 round seeded rolls. God, those people know how to cook their carbs.
I ate some New York pizza in a Ohio mall if you can believe it. It was called Bruno Bros. Pizza. Everything New York was there. Calzones, Strombolis, Chef salads, you name it. That was all I needed to make my week worthwhile. So from now on, every month or so, I will be driving 5 hours, paying 16 dollars in tolls, and burning up 3 tanks of gas, to bring back a couple of pies to our deprived family in St. Charles, Illinois. It would be worth it.
I finally visited Ground Zero. Tough to see all the emptiness all around. So much rubble and yet they've cleaned a lot out. I was walking down the street observing the murals. All of a sudden, I heard a siren wailing. I shivered and jumped up just a little. I'll be very interested to see what NYC does for a memorial site.
OK now it's time to get right into sports. Particularly my sports soliloquies. Let me start out with this. If you or anyone out there thinks the New York Jets still have a chance to at least win a playoff game, guess what? I got a skyscraper in Sioux Falls, South Dakota I could sell you. Maybe we can work something out. This was a putrid effort, no, I can't use the word effort. It was a putrid, disgusting 2 hours I had to endure watching the Jets stink out Giants Stadium like the circus was next door. Did they give a damn about that game. Do they even care? I'm worried now that Chad Pennington cannot win a big game against a big team. I never thought I'd say it, but I have to face it now. But he looked like a high school quarterback out there. Now it wasn't all his fault. Curtis Martin looked 50 years old. The receivers couldn't get open or hold onto a pass. The defensive line put no pressure on Hollywood Brady. Erik Coleman and David Barrett got abused in the secondary like a criminal on Cops. Nobody showed up, except I think Fireman Ed and the Klecko family. It was horrific. I really wished I was on a plane while this was going on, so I would have at least had a couple of vomit bags right in front of me. And typical Giants blow a 10 point lead and lose to Cincinnati by 1 point. At least that game was entertaining. Just a horrible day for me in sports.
The Mets signed a couple of guys. Andres Galaragga, who I think qualifies for Social Security, signed a 1 year deal. Infielder Marlon Anderson and outfielder Kerry Robinson signed. They will help compensate for Mike Cameron's wrist injury, which will keep him out through May. They brought back a few pitchers, including Orber Moreno, which I think is a great move. He's had some arm problems, but has a great velocity. He should be put straight into the Met bullpen. Grant Roberts and Scott Strickland will be back, and if just one of them can come back from their respective injuries, that will be key. Rick Peterson, are you reading??? And I'm very excited to see they signed Luis Garcia away from the White Sox. He can play first base or outfield and hit 32 homers and 95 RBI's in the PCL last year. Watch this kid.
Ugh. Fantasy football has one night left. I trail by 9 points going into Monday night. I need 10 to win because I lose the tiebreaker. I have the Philadelphia defense. A shutout and a few sacks and turnovers would be nice. GO EAGLES!!! I want a championship! What makes me sick is if I had played Washington I would have had 13 and everything would basically be wrapped up. I hadn't had Internet access since Tuesday so I was limited in moves I can make. Hey CT thanks for taking me off the Internet!
I have now joined human civilization. I have a cell number. I am convict #679-128946. No, I'll have further information later on.
TO BG-ORLANDO HERNANDEZ?! You've replaced El Caballo with El Duque. Who's the next El coming to U.S. Cellular? El Guapo Rich Garces?
TO RWB-Four words: Fitzroy wears western outfits!
First off, I hit the east coast this week and it went well. After driving to Youngstown, OH with mom and seeing Hogan for a brief time, I headed off with my grandparents down to CT. That took 12 hours! That's a lot of hours and a lot of naps. Fortunately, I was able to listen to WFAN radio in the car and listened to 3 hours of Joe Benigno. Oh I wish I could get WFAN in Chicago.
I visited my uncle's family in Staten Island. Man you want to talk about a meal! From the pork roast to the sausage stuffing, green beans, stuffed mushrooms, carrots and onions, bourbon sweet potatoes, corn pudding (which always gets my father excited), the antipasto (salami, pepperoni, shrimp cocktail, provolone, bread, pepperoni bread), the apple bread pudding, cannolis, yeah, it's suffice to say I was satisfied. I drank a little wine, which I never do outside of sampling at CPK. It was a sweet dessert wine and it wasn't half bad. I prompted a prayer before the meal, and I'm glad I did. Not to go into detail, but throughout the week, I really saw the different ways families can come together or grow apart. God really can be the unifier if people would let him be.
My cousin is growing up fast. I don't see her much, but I've seen her 3 times in the last 18 months. She's now a junior in high school, taking some AP classes, has a boyfriend. Man, it's like my little sister grew up before I knew it.
Oh, I got to eat some real east coast food. And if you've never been there, you don;t know what I mean. I hit downtown Metuchen, NJ on Sunday and came away with 24 bagels, 5 powdered crumb buns (actually 4 because I gobbled one before I came home), 3 vanilla/chocolate man cookies for mum), 2 french baguettes, and 2 round seeded rolls. God, those people know how to cook their carbs.
I ate some New York pizza in a Ohio mall if you can believe it. It was called Bruno Bros. Pizza. Everything New York was there. Calzones, Strombolis, Chef salads, you name it. That was all I needed to make my week worthwhile. So from now on, every month or so, I will be driving 5 hours, paying 16 dollars in tolls, and burning up 3 tanks of gas, to bring back a couple of pies to our deprived family in St. Charles, Illinois. It would be worth it.
I finally visited Ground Zero. Tough to see all the emptiness all around. So much rubble and yet they've cleaned a lot out. I was walking down the street observing the murals. All of a sudden, I heard a siren wailing. I shivered and jumped up just a little. I'll be very interested to see what NYC does for a memorial site.
OK now it's time to get right into sports. Particularly my sports soliloquies. Let me start out with this. If you or anyone out there thinks the New York Jets still have a chance to at least win a playoff game, guess what? I got a skyscraper in Sioux Falls, South Dakota I could sell you. Maybe we can work something out. This was a putrid effort, no, I can't use the word effort. It was a putrid, disgusting 2 hours I had to endure watching the Jets stink out Giants Stadium like the circus was next door. Did they give a damn about that game. Do they even care? I'm worried now that Chad Pennington cannot win a big game against a big team. I never thought I'd say it, but I have to face it now. But he looked like a high school quarterback out there. Now it wasn't all his fault. Curtis Martin looked 50 years old. The receivers couldn't get open or hold onto a pass. The defensive line put no pressure on Hollywood Brady. Erik Coleman and David Barrett got abused in the secondary like a criminal on Cops. Nobody showed up, except I think Fireman Ed and the Klecko family. It was horrific. I really wished I was on a plane while this was going on, so I would have at least had a couple of vomit bags right in front of me. And typical Giants blow a 10 point lead and lose to Cincinnati by 1 point. At least that game was entertaining. Just a horrible day for me in sports.
The Mets signed a couple of guys. Andres Galaragga, who I think qualifies for Social Security, signed a 1 year deal. Infielder Marlon Anderson and outfielder Kerry Robinson signed. They will help compensate for Mike Cameron's wrist injury, which will keep him out through May. They brought back a few pitchers, including Orber Moreno, which I think is a great move. He's had some arm problems, but has a great velocity. He should be put straight into the Met bullpen. Grant Roberts and Scott Strickland will be back, and if just one of them can come back from their respective injuries, that will be key. Rick Peterson, are you reading??? And I'm very excited to see they signed Luis Garcia away from the White Sox. He can play first base or outfield and hit 32 homers and 95 RBI's in the PCL last year. Watch this kid.
Ugh. Fantasy football has one night left. I trail by 9 points going into Monday night. I need 10 to win because I lose the tiebreaker. I have the Philadelphia defense. A shutout and a few sacks and turnovers would be nice. GO EAGLES!!! I want a championship! What makes me sick is if I had played Washington I would have had 13 and everything would basically be wrapped up. I hadn't had Internet access since Tuesday so I was limited in moves I can make. Hey CT thanks for taking me off the Internet!
I have now joined human civilization. I have a cell number. I am convict #679-128946. No, I'll have further information later on.
TO BG-ORLANDO HERNANDEZ?! You've replaced El Caballo with El Duque. Who's the next El coming to U.S. Cellular? El Guapo Rich Garces?
TO RWB-Four words: Fitzroy wears western outfits!
Monday, December 20, 2004
1 more win left!
Solid job by the Jets yesterday as they annihilate a pretty decent Seattle team. Eric Barton played as good a game as a defensive player can probably play. He had an interception, sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery and a team-high 11 tackles. Erik Coleman had a nice QB sack and how good does this guy look? Chad Pennington looked very good. 3 touchdowns, no interceptions. Jerald Sowell turned some short 5 yard passes into 20-yard gains. Toby Gowin never even had to punt. They did a direct snap to Lamont Jordan which turned not into an HB option pass, but into a 33-yard gain. They passed the ball on first down a few times. All in all a very good day.
That said, this was a very injured and ineffective Seattle defense. It's going to be quite a feat to repeat this against the Patriots. But it looks like this offense really seemed to click in a way they hadn't since Chad got hurt against Buffalo. And as I recall, it was Week 16 against New England 2 years ago when the offense got rolling and that propelled the Jets into the playoffs. Well that's all the time we have today. Good news east coast. I'm coming....
That said, this was a very injured and ineffective Seattle defense. It's going to be quite a feat to repeat this against the Patriots. But it looks like this offense really seemed to click in a way they hadn't since Chad got hurt against Buffalo. And as I recall, it was Week 16 against New England 2 years ago when the offense got rolling and that propelled the Jets into the playoffs. Well that's all the time we have today. Good news east coast. I'm coming....
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Thoughts on Giants-Steelers
I haven't given much attention to the New York Football Giants this year. For one main reason. Since mid-October, they've stunk. I did decide to tape their game today against the 13-1 Pittsburgh Steelers. They almost pulled it out, ultimately falling short 33-30. A few notes on this game.
1) The Giant secondary is so banged up, it's not even right. They have lost four safeties this year. I mean Terry Cousin, who was signed to play cornerback on passing plays had to play safety. He got eaten alive by receivers like Hines "Ketchup" Ward and Antwaan Randle-El. Ben Roethlisberger threw 5 passes for over 34 yards. That can't happen.
2) Initially, the Giants defense did a solid job limiting Jerome Bettis when they needed to. They stopped him on the 2 yard line at the end of the first half twice. But they finally wore down. They just gave up too many big plays not because of bad coaching or bad gameplans. It's a simple lack of talent. Gibril Wilson, Michael Strahan, Barrett Green, Keith Washington, Norman Hand, and Omar Stoutmire are all injured defensive starters.
3) Willie Ponder. Now really try to think about this. (Thank you, thank you :) That opening kickoff touchdown return was beautiful to watch. He even slipped a tackle by Troy Polamalu, the excellent Steeler linebacker. He had around 260 kickoff return yards, which set a Giant record for kickoff return yards in a game. That tells you two things. One, he's quick and intelligent. Two, the Steelers scored too many times!
4) The officiating. Now, see, this is why I will never be a play-by-play announcer. I have never believed in criticizing officials or blaming them for losing a game. Those old farts were so twisted in the wind towards Pittsburgh, I wonder how many Christmas cards Bill Cowher sent them this past week. In the first half, Polamalu was not penalized for hitting Tiki Barber a good 4 yards outside the field after Barber had run out of bounds. Then, five minutes later, on 3rd down for the Steelers, about 5 Giants sacked Roethlisberger. Brent Alexander gets penalized for unnecessary roughness because they were too aggressive in their tackling. I can't explain it in print, but even Phil Simms said the hits seemed to be on the same level. Nonetheless, the drive continues, and Pittsburgh scores a touchdown. 17-14 Pittsburgh leads.
5) Missed Opportunities. Third quarter, down by 6. First and goal from the 4. First play, Barber goes nowhere. Second down. Shockey nearly scores and gets the crowd going. He slams the football, his helmet comes off. That's the Shockey Giant fans want to see. Third and 1. You need a score here. Eli calls timeout. They come back. Run with Tiki up the middle. LOSS OF THREE! And they have to settle for a field goal and they trail by 3, instead of leading by 1.
6) Great job by Eli. He looked very poised this week. The offense did a very good job against one of the best defenses in the NFL. Tiki ran well. Shockey was his lovable obnoxious self.
7) I know it ultimately didn't matter. But what the hell was Tom Coughlin thinking? Fourth quarter. Tiki scores a touchdown, Giants lead 30-26 with 8 minutes left. Tommy, what are you doing going for two points? What was he thinking about? What do you have to gain? 32-26, or 31-26 is basically the same thing. You take the lead, kick the ball, don't give the Steelers any chance to get momentum back. On the conversion attempt, they sack Eli and you know that offense got pumped after that sack. They go down the field (7 plays, 67 yards in 3 minutes) and score the game winning touchdown.
As my opponent in the fantasy playoffs was playing the Pittsburgh defense, I'd like to say great job by the Giant offense. But the Giants finally looked like they wanted to play football. That's the key. They were excited to play. And this was a very exciting game. You could point blame at different places as to why the Giants lost, but the Steelers were just better. But look on the bright side. New England is still only in 2nd place for home field in the AFC playoffs. I'll have my Jet report ready by Monday.
1) The Giant secondary is so banged up, it's not even right. They have lost four safeties this year. I mean Terry Cousin, who was signed to play cornerback on passing plays had to play safety. He got eaten alive by receivers like Hines "Ketchup" Ward and Antwaan Randle-El. Ben Roethlisberger threw 5 passes for over 34 yards. That can't happen.
2) Initially, the Giants defense did a solid job limiting Jerome Bettis when they needed to. They stopped him on the 2 yard line at the end of the first half twice. But they finally wore down. They just gave up too many big plays not because of bad coaching or bad gameplans. It's a simple lack of talent. Gibril Wilson, Michael Strahan, Barrett Green, Keith Washington, Norman Hand, and Omar Stoutmire are all injured defensive starters.
3) Willie Ponder. Now really try to think about this. (Thank you, thank you :) That opening kickoff touchdown return was beautiful to watch. He even slipped a tackle by Troy Polamalu, the excellent Steeler linebacker. He had around 260 kickoff return yards, which set a Giant record for kickoff return yards in a game. That tells you two things. One, he's quick and intelligent. Two, the Steelers scored too many times!
4) The officiating. Now, see, this is why I will never be a play-by-play announcer. I have never believed in criticizing officials or blaming them for losing a game. Those old farts were so twisted in the wind towards Pittsburgh, I wonder how many Christmas cards Bill Cowher sent them this past week. In the first half, Polamalu was not penalized for hitting Tiki Barber a good 4 yards outside the field after Barber had run out of bounds. Then, five minutes later, on 3rd down for the Steelers, about 5 Giants sacked Roethlisberger. Brent Alexander gets penalized for unnecessary roughness because they were too aggressive in their tackling. I can't explain it in print, but even Phil Simms said the hits seemed to be on the same level. Nonetheless, the drive continues, and Pittsburgh scores a touchdown. 17-14 Pittsburgh leads.
5) Missed Opportunities. Third quarter, down by 6. First and goal from the 4. First play, Barber goes nowhere. Second down. Shockey nearly scores and gets the crowd going. He slams the football, his helmet comes off. That's the Shockey Giant fans want to see. Third and 1. You need a score here. Eli calls timeout. They come back. Run with Tiki up the middle. LOSS OF THREE! And they have to settle for a field goal and they trail by 3, instead of leading by 1.
6) Great job by Eli. He looked very poised this week. The offense did a very good job against one of the best defenses in the NFL. Tiki ran well. Shockey was his lovable obnoxious self.
7) I know it ultimately didn't matter. But what the hell was Tom Coughlin thinking? Fourth quarter. Tiki scores a touchdown, Giants lead 30-26 with 8 minutes left. Tommy, what are you doing going for two points? What was he thinking about? What do you have to gain? 32-26, or 31-26 is basically the same thing. You take the lead, kick the ball, don't give the Steelers any chance to get momentum back. On the conversion attempt, they sack Eli and you know that offense got pumped after that sack. They go down the field (7 plays, 67 yards in 3 minutes) and score the game winning touchdown.
As my opponent in the fantasy playoffs was playing the Pittsburgh defense, I'd like to say great job by the Giant offense. But the Giants finally looked like they wanted to play football. That's the key. They were excited to play. And this was a very exciting game. You could point blame at different places as to why the Giants lost, but the Steelers were just better. But look on the bright side. New England is still only in 2nd place for home field in the AFC playoffs. I'll have my Jet report ready by Monday.
Saturday, December 18, 2004
The best move the White Sox made! and a little venting.
You got it, Brian. Kenny Williams did it. Forget Jermaine Dye. Forget Dustin Hermanson. Forget Scott Podsednik. Forget Luis Vizcaino. Forget 3 years to Juan Uribe. Your White Sox have re-signed Timo Perez to a 1-year deal. That's it, you're AL champs. Start him in right field and lead him off EVERY DAY. OK, now back to reality.
Well the Mets have got their outfielder. Ron Calloway! Yes! Hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-hi, hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-ho! Anyway, I read Pedro Martinez wants the Mets to sign Jason Varitek. I hear he's the leader of the Idiots and all that. Scott Boras is trying to get him 5 years and 50 million dollars including a no trade clause. Give me a break. You don't give that to a 32, 33 year old catcher with average offensive skills. Let's hope Omar Minaya doesn't let Pedro become a clubhouse lawyer/assistant GM like Al Leiter and John Franco were and Rick Peterson hopefully never will be again. Now if Pedro can help us get Manny Ramirez for Cliff Floyd straight up, it might not be such a bad thing.
WARNING. Adam is going to vent a lttle now. If you don't want to know, just stop reading here.
I don't want to go too much into detail about what happened at work today, but suffice to say, some people should not be allowed to exist. Some people are just Grade-A asses. They don't need to come into my restaurant, be confrontational and rude, and hell bent on getting someone else in trouble who is trying to help them rectify a bad situation that is not their fault. Hopefully I will be able to see that person again and slap them so hard their nose will fly off their fat head. To quote Blake Shelton. "SOME BEACH!"
And on that note, Happy Holidays everybody!
Well the Mets have got their outfielder. Ron Calloway! Yes! Hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-hi, hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-ho! Anyway, I read Pedro Martinez wants the Mets to sign Jason Varitek. I hear he's the leader of the Idiots and all that. Scott Boras is trying to get him 5 years and 50 million dollars including a no trade clause. Give me a break. You don't give that to a 32, 33 year old catcher with average offensive skills. Let's hope Omar Minaya doesn't let Pedro become a clubhouse lawyer/assistant GM like Al Leiter and John Franco were and Rick Peterson hopefully never will be again. Now if Pedro can help us get Manny Ramirez for Cliff Floyd straight up, it might not be such a bad thing.
WARNING. Adam is going to vent a lttle now. If you don't want to know, just stop reading here.
I don't want to go too much into detail about what happened at work today, but suffice to say, some people should not be allowed to exist. Some people are just Grade-A asses. They don't need to come into my restaurant, be confrontational and rude, and hell bent on getting someone else in trouble who is trying to help them rectify a bad situation that is not their fault. Hopefully I will be able to see that person again and slap them so hard their nose will fly off their fat head. To quote Blake Shelton. "SOME BEACH!"
And on that note, Happy Holidays everybody!
Friday, December 17, 2004
Well we did it! The article!
It was quite a night last night in Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove IL. I covered my first basketball game for the Daily Herald and it went really well. I kept stats for the men's game and interviewed both the men's and women's coaches. It was a load of fun. I will say when the flow of play really gets going, it gets a little tough to keep track of rebounds, assists, and steals. I got a little less room to work with than I thought too. But here's what it looked like. And yes I am giving myself permission to plagarize myself.
Lyndsie Long continued her solid playing at the Woodstock/Richmond Burton Tournament in the Knights' 62-42 victory over Woodstock.
Long shot 9 of 11 from the field and scored 23 points as the Knights (11-2) beat host Woodstock. Jessica Lund added 18 points and 5 rebounds while Janelle Harner came away with 5 steals.
Polo 43, Aurora Christian 33: The Eagles (6-6) dropped the consolation game of the Kirkland-Hiawatha Invite to Polo, marking the second consecutive year Polo has beaten Aurora Christian in this tournament.
One of the Eagles' most glaring problems was their free throw shooting. They shot just 10 of 25 from the line, which cost them as the game progressed. "We missed too many free throws and they also had too many second-chance rebounds," said Eagles coach Dan Stone.
Elyssa Zielke led Aurora Christian in scoring with 10 points and Cassie Axen grabbed 14 rebounds.
Men's basketball
Waubonsee 77, Aurora JV 66:ŒOne of the strangest aspects of this year's Chiefs team has been their tendency to get hot and play great and then suddenly cool off for awhile.
This was no exception against the Aurora JV (0-1) squad Thursday night in Sugar Grove. Waubonsee (7-4) had runs of 15-4, 9-0 and 12-0, but Aurora countered each time, narrowing the margin down to six points with under a minute remaining before Jarrett Starwood's four consecutive free throws put the game away.
Waubonsee occasionally used a press defense and it pressured the young Spartans into turning the ball over 29 times.
"It gives our kids energy and gets them active," said Chiefs coach Dave Heiss. "Our team speed and quickness is one of our team strengths and we want to use them to our advantage."
Mike Simms brought tremendous energy off the bench for Waubonsee. Over the final eight minutes of the first half, Simms had 9 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. He finished with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals.
For Aurora, Doug Lambert had 24 points and 13 rebounds.
- Adam Bartolo
Lyndsie Long continued her solid playing at the Woodstock/Richmond Burton Tournament in the Knights' 62-42 victory over Woodstock.
Long shot 9 of 11 from the field and scored 23 points as the Knights (11-2) beat host Woodstock. Jessica Lund added 18 points and 5 rebounds while Janelle Harner came away with 5 steals.
Polo 43, Aurora Christian 33: The Eagles (6-6) dropped the consolation game of the Kirkland-Hiawatha Invite to Polo, marking the second consecutive year Polo has beaten Aurora Christian in this tournament.
One of the Eagles' most glaring problems was their free throw shooting. They shot just 10 of 25 from the line, which cost them as the game progressed. "We missed too many free throws and they also had too many second-chance rebounds," said Eagles coach Dan Stone.
Elyssa Zielke led Aurora Christian in scoring with 10 points and Cassie Axen grabbed 14 rebounds.
Men's basketball
Waubonsee 77, Aurora JV 66:ŒOne of the strangest aspects of this year's Chiefs team has been their tendency to get hot and play great and then suddenly cool off for awhile.
This was no exception against the Aurora JV (0-1) squad Thursday night in Sugar Grove. Waubonsee (7-4) had runs of 15-4, 9-0 and 12-0, but Aurora countered each time, narrowing the margin down to six points with under a minute remaining before Jarrett Starwood's four consecutive free throws put the game away.
Waubonsee occasionally used a press defense and it pressured the young Spartans into turning the ball over 29 times.
"It gives our kids energy and gets them active," said Chiefs coach Dave Heiss. "Our team speed and quickness is one of our team strengths and we want to use them to our advantage."
Mike Simms brought tremendous energy off the bench for Waubonsee. Over the final eight minutes of the first half, Simms had 9 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. He finished with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals.
For Aurora, Doug Lambert had 24 points and 13 rebounds.
- Adam Bartolo
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Pedro! Pedro!
One of the funniest lines I've ever heard. I just listened to the Pedro Martinez press conference where he announces he's coming to the Mets. One of the writers asks him, "At the end of last season, a lot of questions surfaced about your shoulder. Why do you think that is?" Without missing a beat, he responds, "Because of the crap you guys have been spreading." Gotta love his bluntness. Gotta love it.
He talked about his special way of working out. He says it's very unique. Fair enough. My question is this. Can this workout routine add a few mph back to your fastball which has been dropping in velocity? Bottom line: If he can give us 3 effective years, I'll say it's a great move, 2 years, a good move, 1 year, same old same old story.
Now let's go get a big bat and an arm for the bullpen!!!
He talked about his special way of working out. He says it's very unique. Fair enough. My question is this. Can this workout routine add a few mph back to your fastball which has been dropping in velocity? Bottom line: If he can give us 3 effective years, I'll say it's a great move, 2 years, a good move, 1 year, same old same old story.
Now let's go get a big bat and an arm for the bullpen!!!
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Peterson ponderings
Listen, I feel like listing a little alliteration. Try saying that 3 times fast. All right now peeps. From time to time I will discuss current events. That will happen when an event happens that I feel like writing about. Makes sense right? After all this is my space.
Anyway, I read Scott Peterson is being sentenced to death. I don't think we should call it the death penalty. I think we should call it the "Time to wonder why I did something so stupid" penaly. Here's what I mean. Since California brought back capital punishment in 1978, only 10 executions have been carried out. The last execution was in 2002. That was for a murder committed in 1980. So he may not get executed for 20-30 years. To me that seems better than life in prison.
To me if I had my choice between 60 years in jail and probably dying in there or 20-30 years in jail and dying, I'd take the latter in a minute. Maybe it's because I value my freedom and I probably couldn't stand to have it taken away from me. I couldn't imagine the passive, restricted, lifeless mental state that comes with being institutionalized. I think Morgan Freeman siad it best in "The Shawshank Redemption" when he talked about prison. "They sentence you to life and that's exaclty what they take."
So for someone like me, the less time I were to do in jail the better. After the 23 years I've lived so far, I'd rather just die quickly than suffer for decades in a tiny dark cell. I believe Scott Peterson feels the same feelings tonight.
Anyway, I read Scott Peterson is being sentenced to death. I don't think we should call it the death penalty. I think we should call it the "Time to wonder why I did something so stupid" penaly. Here's what I mean. Since California brought back capital punishment in 1978, only 10 executions have been carried out. The last execution was in 2002. That was for a murder committed in 1980. So he may not get executed for 20-30 years. To me that seems better than life in prison.
To me if I had my choice between 60 years in jail and probably dying in there or 20-30 years in jail and dying, I'd take the latter in a minute. Maybe it's because I value my freedom and I probably couldn't stand to have it taken away from me. I couldn't imagine the passive, restricted, lifeless mental state that comes with being institutionalized. I think Morgan Freeman siad it best in "The Shawshank Redemption" when he talked about prison. "They sentence you to life and that's exaclty what they take."
So for someone like me, the less time I were to do in jail the better. After the 23 years I've lived so far, I'd rather just die quickly than suffer for decades in a tiny dark cell. I believe Scott Peterson feels the same feelings tonight.
Baseball stuff
Well Pedro is apparently on his way to Flushing Meadow Park. This team needs excitement. Pedro will give that-at least up until Opening Day. He's declining at 33, I don't know what will happen by age 37. By the third year, the Mets will be looking to unload the contract. Good of Omar to be aggressive, but I don't know about this. We still need offense, an outfielder, 1st baseman, middle relief help, man we need help everywhere.
Note to Geddes. Here's a quote from the NY Post. "The Mets may have a sleeper first base candidate. They and the White Sox are battling to sign Luis Garcia, a minor league free agent who hit .313 with 32 homers for the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas last season." Hmm...Bidding war!!!
And Blind Shock finished first in fantasy football! With a regular season title down, we need 2 more wins and we will be CHAMPS! I guess drafting last in the first round of the fantasy draft pays off after all (Terrell Owens!). More info coming later. Off to work we go.
Note to Geddes. Here's a quote from the NY Post. "The Mets may have a sleeper first base candidate. They and the White Sox are battling to sign Luis Garcia, a minor league free agent who hit .313 with 32 homers for the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas last season." Hmm...Bidding war!!!
And Blind Shock finished first in fantasy football! With a regular season title down, we need 2 more wins and we will be CHAMPS! I guess drafting last in the first round of the fantasy draft pays off after all (Terrell Owens!). More info coming later. Off to work we go.
Monday, December 13, 2004
Down the line we go
Uggh. Any loss stinks. Yeah we played Pittsburgh tough and didn't get embarrassed. Chad made some nice throws. The defense did a great job against Roethlisberger and the passing game. But 12 penalties in the first half? Inexcusable. The Jets took more penalties in 2 quarters than you see in 20 Ranger-Islander games.
I have to credit Bettis, he just ran them over. As good as the Jet defense was in the first half, they were just as bad in the second. I knew we were in trouble when Reggie Tongue made the interception in the 4th quarter with the game tied at 6-6. First play. A handoff to Curtis Martin. LOSS OF FOUR! On 2nd and 14, they run again. Martin takes it 3 yards and then an incomplete pass to Santana Moss. When the offense completely failed to do anything with that turnover, I knew the opportunity was slipping.
And then a big moment that nobody seems to be talking about. Toby Gowin nails a perfect punt down to the 1-yard line. Darrell McGlover touches it, which puts the Steelers on their own 1-yard line. BUT. Not so fast. His foot is on the endzone line, which means a touchback. And that would be pivotal. The Steelers go right down the field. And even when the Jets forced the 3rd down, then came the Bettis hb option pass that basically ended it. If there wasn't a touchback, maybe the Steelers try a field goal. And if the offense does something following the interception, the game goes differently, and who knows?
But we still have a good shot at a playoff spot. However, next week's game against Seattle is now PIVOTAL. This team cannot afford to lose to a beat up Seahawk team before hosting New England. The Jets have played well all season, but if they want to reach the Super Bowl, they have got to raise their game a couple of notches. The first thing is fewer penalties. Where is the discipline we are used to seeing with this team? I can think of at least 3 times the Jets made a big play (Lamont's run, 2 3rd down stops) in the first quarter, it was nullified with a penalty. And John Abraham has got to get back. Bryan Thomas was good today, but Abe is special.
The bottom line is this. The Jets are good, but not good enough right now.
I have to credit Bettis, he just ran them over. As good as the Jet defense was in the first half, they were just as bad in the second. I knew we were in trouble when Reggie Tongue made the interception in the 4th quarter with the game tied at 6-6. First play. A handoff to Curtis Martin. LOSS OF FOUR! On 2nd and 14, they run again. Martin takes it 3 yards and then an incomplete pass to Santana Moss. When the offense completely failed to do anything with that turnover, I knew the opportunity was slipping.
And then a big moment that nobody seems to be talking about. Toby Gowin nails a perfect punt down to the 1-yard line. Darrell McGlover touches it, which puts the Steelers on their own 1-yard line. BUT. Not so fast. His foot is on the endzone line, which means a touchback. And that would be pivotal. The Steelers go right down the field. And even when the Jets forced the 3rd down, then came the Bettis hb option pass that basically ended it. If there wasn't a touchback, maybe the Steelers try a field goal. And if the offense does something following the interception, the game goes differently, and who knows?
But we still have a good shot at a playoff spot. However, next week's game against Seattle is now PIVOTAL. This team cannot afford to lose to a beat up Seahawk team before hosting New England. The Jets have played well all season, but if they want to reach the Super Bowl, they have got to raise their game a couple of notches. The first thing is fewer penalties. Where is the discipline we are used to seeing with this team? I can think of at least 3 times the Jets made a big play (Lamont's run, 2 3rd down stops) in the first quarter, it was nullified with a penalty. And John Abraham has got to get back. Bryan Thomas was good today, but Abe is special.
The bottom line is this. The Jets are good, but not good enough right now.
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Did I just see this???
I got up at 7 this morning, went downstairs and flipped on the TV. I put on the TV Guide channel to see what's on. Right above the listings, they were showing a 30-minute infomercial selling a 12-DVD Hee Haw collection. Hee Haw on 12 DVD's. So Seinfeld is on 3 DVD's, Hee Haw is on 12 DVD's. I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Forget whatever else I wanted for Christmas, if I can't own 12 Hee Haw DVD's, why go on? Oh what the heck...
Where oh where are you tonight?
Why did you leave me here all alone?
I searched the world over and thought I found true love.
You met another and TTTTHHHHPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!! you were gone.
PS I hope that was the right spelling.
Where oh where are you tonight?
Why did you leave me here all alone?
I searched the world over and thought I found true love.
You met another and TTTTHHHHPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!! you were gone.
PS I hope that was the right spelling.
Friday, December 10, 2004
Music ramblings
Local H is my new favorite band. Not really, I just wanted to make sure someone in Macomb was paying attention. Los Lonely Boys has a few Grammy nominations, Best New Artist (which Gretchen Wilson is also up for), Song of the Year for "Heaven" and 1 or 2 others. Hopefully the Garzas will pick up a few miniature golden tubas, or whatever the Grammy statue is supposed to be.
I used to get into award shows when I was a kid, but the Grammys gave me the first hint how political these things really are. Basically if I were to bottom line this, when Vince Gill is still getting nominated when he doesn't make a record during the year, it just proves these awards are full of steaming, stinking Grade-A monkey crap.
I used to get into award shows when I was a kid, but the Grammys gave me the first hint how political these things really are. Basically if I were to bottom line this, when Vince Gill is still getting nominated when he doesn't make a record during the year, it just proves these awards are full of steaming, stinking Grade-A monkey crap.
Free agents signing
First of all congrats again to Brother Geddes. His White Sox have Jermaine Dye and Dustin Hermanson. Good, good start for them.
Pedro is all but headed back to Boston. Fine. He's not worth 4 guaranteed years in my opinion. According to Peter Gammons on WFAN, once the Pedro signing becomes official, Mr. "Full Autonomy"/Omar Minaya will change his direction, look at offensive players, and sign Richie Sexson and Moises Alou this weekend. Man oh man.
How about balancing that money on Sexson and another starting pitcher? Come on Omar. Lie to me. Are you afraid of Beltran, Ordonez, and Drew because Scott Boras represents all of them? Lie to me please. At least tell me you're trying to go after the top dog in the pound. Here's the rule of thumb. A Cub outfielder is a bad outfielder. Todd Hollandsworth is about the only outfielder from that team I might want on my team.
Quote of the day. Don King on the Rumble in the Jungle fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. "It was a rumble in the jungle because...it was in the jungle. And it was going to be a rumble." Ohhhh. Now I get it.
Pedro is all but headed back to Boston. Fine. He's not worth 4 guaranteed years in my opinion. According to Peter Gammons on WFAN, once the Pedro signing becomes official, Mr. "Full Autonomy"/Omar Minaya will change his direction, look at offensive players, and sign Richie Sexson and Moises Alou this weekend. Man oh man.
How about balancing that money on Sexson and another starting pitcher? Come on Omar. Lie to me. Are you afraid of Beltran, Ordonez, and Drew because Scott Boras represents all of them? Lie to me please. At least tell me you're trying to go after the top dog in the pound. Here's the rule of thumb. A Cub outfielder is a bad outfielder. Todd Hollandsworth is about the only outfielder from that team I might want on my team.
Quote of the day. Don King on the Rumble in the Jungle fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. "It was a rumble in the jungle because...it was in the jungle. And it was going to be a rumble." Ohhhh. Now I get it.
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Fantasy football scouting.
Well it's the last week of the regular season in my fantasy football league and my team, Bind Shock, is where else, but on top. 5 of the 10 teams still have a shot at the 4-team championship tournament. Here are the current standings.
Pl. Team W-L-T Pct. Total points
1* Blind Shock 9-3-1 .731 894
2* Violent Femes 9-4-0 .692 916
3 Dane 7-4-2 .615 852
4 ninerfaith181 8-5-0 .615 827
5 bombers 7-5-1 .577 885
Total points are used as tiebreaker when 2 teams are tied with the same winning percentage.
Now I play bombers this week, V.F. plays Dane and niner plays Futures, the 7th place team. Last time I played bombers, they killed me by about 40 points thanks to David Carr and Andre Johnson torching the Vikings. Philly had a bye that week so he didn't have Donovan McNabb and I didn't have T.O. or my top defensive team. Plus I've replaced Amos Zeroue and Emmitt Smith at running back with Julius Jones and Onterrio Smith. So I think things will be different this week.
Here's my starting lineup for this week.
QB T. Green (KC - QB) @Ten WR T. Owens (Phi - WR) @Was
WR D. Branch (NE - WR) Cin WR M. Clayton (TB - WR) @SD
RB C. Martin (NYJ - RB) @Pit RB J. Jones (Dal - RB) NO
TE T. Heap (Bal - TE) NYG K M. Vanderjagt (Ind - K) @Hou
DEF Philadelphia (Phi - DEF) @Was
As of now, here's the bombers lineup.
QB D. McNabb (Phi - QB) @Was WR Andre Johnson (Hou - WR) Ind
WR Lee Evans (Buf - WR) Cle WR D. Jackson (Sea - WR) @Min
RB F. Taylor (Jac - RB) Chi RB C. Brown (Ten - RB) KC
TE D. Graham (NE - TE) Cin K D. Akers (Phi - K) @Was
DEF New England (NE - DEF)
Pretty tough lineup. I'd rather see him play McNabb aginst Washington than Carr against Indy. I think this will be a tough one for me to win, but I'd rather lose this week and win the next 2.
Now let's look at other possible first round opponents.
9er looks like a decent team on paper, yet 2 of my 3 losses have been to them. QB's Jake Delhomme, Jake Plummer RB's Clinton Portis, Shaun Alexander, Jamal Lewis, Nate Goings WR's Chad Johnson, Donald Driver, Nate Burleson, TE Randy McMichael K Shayne Graham, Pittsburgh defense. Excellent running backs and defense, eveything else is average. Somehow he's edged me twice. I'd love to face him one more time.
Dane looks ok. Beat them in a high scoring game earlier 83-72. He has 2 Colts, Reggie Wayne and Edgerrin James, so they'll get a touchdown each week. Antonio Gates has had a monster season. Aaron Brooks and Joe Horn have been OK. Rudi Johnson and Deuce McAllister are both really good. Tennessee and Miami are not great fantasy defenses. He'll put some points on the board, but he'll probably have a dud in there each week.
Femes is my rival for first place in the reg. season. First of all, she has the New York Giant defense, which by now is an automatic zero or negative points. Tiki Barber has been great, to this point at least. Randy Moss is just getting back. Tomlinson is great. Drew Brees and the now-injured Marc Bulger are QB's. Patten, Muhammed, and Drew Bennett are really hit-or-miss wide receivers. For some reason, she has Emmitt Smith even after he got hurt. Go figure. I can't see this team getting past the first round.
Well, there you have it. Let's see what happens. And go Jets!!!
Pl. Team W-L-T Pct. Total points
1* Blind Shock 9-3-1 .731 894
2* Violent Femes 9-4-0 .692 916
3 Dane 7-4-2 .615 852
4 ninerfaith181 8-5-0 .615 827
5 bombers 7-5-1 .577 885
Total points are used as tiebreaker when 2 teams are tied with the same winning percentage.
Now I play bombers this week, V.F. plays Dane and niner plays Futures, the 7th place team. Last time I played bombers, they killed me by about 40 points thanks to David Carr and Andre Johnson torching the Vikings. Philly had a bye that week so he didn't have Donovan McNabb and I didn't have T.O. or my top defensive team. Plus I've replaced Amos Zeroue and Emmitt Smith at running back with Julius Jones and Onterrio Smith. So I think things will be different this week.
Here's my starting lineup for this week.
QB T. Green (KC - QB) @Ten WR T. Owens (Phi - WR) @Was
WR D. Branch (NE - WR) Cin WR M. Clayton (TB - WR) @SD
RB C. Martin (NYJ - RB) @Pit RB J. Jones (Dal - RB) NO
TE T. Heap (Bal - TE) NYG K M. Vanderjagt (Ind - K) @Hou
DEF Philadelphia (Phi - DEF) @Was
As of now, here's the bombers lineup.
QB D. McNabb (Phi - QB) @Was WR Andre Johnson (Hou - WR) Ind
WR Lee Evans (Buf - WR) Cle WR D. Jackson (Sea - WR) @Min
RB F. Taylor (Jac - RB) Chi RB C. Brown (Ten - RB) KC
TE D. Graham (NE - TE) Cin K D. Akers (Phi - K) @Was
DEF New England (NE - DEF)
Pretty tough lineup. I'd rather see him play McNabb aginst Washington than Carr against Indy. I think this will be a tough one for me to win, but I'd rather lose this week and win the next 2.
Now let's look at other possible first round opponents.
9er looks like a decent team on paper, yet 2 of my 3 losses have been to them. QB's Jake Delhomme, Jake Plummer RB's Clinton Portis, Shaun Alexander, Jamal Lewis, Nate Goings WR's Chad Johnson, Donald Driver, Nate Burleson, TE Randy McMichael K Shayne Graham, Pittsburgh defense. Excellent running backs and defense, eveything else is average. Somehow he's edged me twice. I'd love to face him one more time.
Dane looks ok. Beat them in a high scoring game earlier 83-72. He has 2 Colts, Reggie Wayne and Edgerrin James, so they'll get a touchdown each week. Antonio Gates has had a monster season. Aaron Brooks and Joe Horn have been OK. Rudi Johnson and Deuce McAllister are both really good. Tennessee and Miami are not great fantasy defenses. He'll put some points on the board, but he'll probably have a dud in there each week.
Femes is my rival for first place in the reg. season. First of all, she has the New York Giant defense, which by now is an automatic zero or negative points. Tiki Barber has been great, to this point at least. Randy Moss is just getting back. Tomlinson is great. Drew Brees and the now-injured Marc Bulger are QB's. Patten, Muhammed, and Drew Bennett are really hit-or-miss wide receivers. For some reason, she has Emmitt Smith even after he got hurt. Go figure. I can't see this team getting past the first round.
Well, there you have it. Let's see what happens. And go Jets!!!
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Arbitration thoughts
Cub fans are probably feling pretty good right now. Nomar, Todd Walker, and Henry Blanco all sign. Jim Hendry made a few questionable moves at last year's trading deadline (Ben Grieve, anyone?), but there is no question he can GM a World Series winner.
The Yankees now have Jaret Wright, Tony Womack, and will soon have Eric Milton. ATM-George are moving fast. But you know they are going to make one big splash...
Much to my surprise, Atlanta declines arbitration with JD Drew, effectively ending his tenure in Turner-ville. I doubt he winds up in New York. He would look good in that 3-spot behind Reyes and Matsui though.
The Mets re-sign Mike DeJean to a 1 year 1.5 million dollar deal, which I think is a solid move. He pitched very well until he broke his tibia. He gives this team a good veteran presence. With Looper, Fortunato, DeJean, Strickland, this Soler kid, and Moreno, this bullpen could be good. And it would be a huge lift if Tyler Yates gets going.
One article in the Daily News concerns me. I was OK letting Richard Hidalgo go if we got a solid replacement for him. To me, Moises Alou does not qualify. I know he put up nice numbers last year. But he's 38, and his numbers at Wrigley were superior to his road numbers. And I don't think his attitude would be very welcome in my clubhouse. The Mets are not one player away from a World Series. They need to develop/get a nucleus instead of a quick fix. How about pursuing an Ordonez, a Beltran, or a Dye before we rush to another 38-year old relic? Same old, same old, same old in Flushing Meadow Park.
The Yankees now have Jaret Wright, Tony Womack, and will soon have Eric Milton. ATM-George are moving fast. But you know they are going to make one big splash...
Much to my surprise, Atlanta declines arbitration with JD Drew, effectively ending his tenure in Turner-ville. I doubt he winds up in New York. He would look good in that 3-spot behind Reyes and Matsui though.
The Mets re-sign Mike DeJean to a 1 year 1.5 million dollar deal, which I think is a solid move. He pitched very well until he broke his tibia. He gives this team a good veteran presence. With Looper, Fortunato, DeJean, Strickland, this Soler kid, and Moreno, this bullpen could be good. And it would be a huge lift if Tyler Yates gets going.
One article in the Daily News concerns me. I was OK letting Richard Hidalgo go if we got a solid replacement for him. To me, Moises Alou does not qualify. I know he put up nice numbers last year. But he's 38, and his numbers at Wrigley were superior to his road numbers. And I don't think his attitude would be very welcome in my clubhouse. The Mets are not one player away from a World Series. They need to develop/get a nucleus instead of a quick fix. How about pursuing an Ordonez, a Beltran, or a Dye before we rush to another 38-year old relic? Same old, same old, same old in Flushing Meadow Park.
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
There goes Randy... Fantasy playoffs!
Well Geddes, there go your absurd dreams of trading for Randy Johnson. Kenny Williams offered Konerko, Garland, and a prospect? Come on, give a little. You'll need Marte or Rowand or someone. Heck, try throwing in Ken Harrelson, maybe we can get him out of town! I know, I know, but I can dream. Right dad?
I'm going for a publicity assistant position at Tyndale Publishing. Let's hope for the best. I'll give it what I can. Ah, the lovely transition of hitting the real world!
I miss Hogan. It's just too damn quiet here without him. I'll have him back in a few weeks though.
Good news. I won fantasy football this past week 111-33. That is not a misprint. Julius Jones, Curtis Martin, Mike Vanderjagt, and Trent Green were incredible. I'm now in first place by a half game, am guaranteed a top-2 finish out of 10 teams and will be in the 4-team championship playoff tournament in 2 weeks, which is all that really matters. Blind Shock is on a roll, and will soon earn that elusive fantasy championship.
Scouting reports on my possible first round opponents will be made available shortly. My chief of staff should have the reports on my plush desk by Tuesday. Now you wonder, who is my chief of staff? Well, I can't reveal who gives me my winning information and tips, but I can tell you I have made 1 hiring at Blind Shock. Scroll down a bit to find out who.
My intern.
Anna Benson.
I'm going for a publicity assistant position at Tyndale Publishing. Let's hope for the best. I'll give it what I can. Ah, the lovely transition of hitting the real world!
I miss Hogan. It's just too damn quiet here without him. I'll have him back in a few weeks though.
Good news. I won fantasy football this past week 111-33. That is not a misprint. Julius Jones, Curtis Martin, Mike Vanderjagt, and Trent Green were incredible. I'm now in first place by a half game, am guaranteed a top-2 finish out of 10 teams and will be in the 4-team championship playoff tournament in 2 weeks, which is all that really matters. Blind Shock is on a roll, and will soon earn that elusive fantasy championship.
Scouting reports on my possible first round opponents will be made available shortly. My chief of staff should have the reports on my plush desk by Tuesday. Now you wonder, who is my chief of staff? Well, I can't reveal who gives me my winning information and tips, but I can tell you I have made 1 hiring at Blind Shock. Scroll down a bit to find out who.
My intern.
Anna Benson.
Monday, December 06, 2004
9-3!
How about Gang Green? 29-7 over Houston. Chad, Coleman, Curtis, James Reed, even David Barrett! Great 2nd half. 6th time this year the Jets have shut the opponent out in the 2nd half.
I only have 2 real concerns. One was penalties. This is the least offensive penalized team in football. They averaged 2 or 3 per game. They had 7 yesterday, usually after they made a big play. Granted the officials did a bad job. Think about it. Houston is on their own 3-yard line and punting. Have you ever seen a safety called back because the football was snapped back and instead of going out of the end zone, it struck the official in his fat behind, and then they decide it isn't a safety because they weren't ready? Are you kidding? Fortunately, the Jets overcame it thanks to a great punt return by Santana Moss, but come on! And John Abraham. Let's hope that knee will be OK.
Now if the Jets have to lose one more game this regular season, I hope it's this week. That way Pittsburgh can still beat New England out for home field advantage. As for the Giants, well, the Giants, the Giants...
And it's the end of an era. A sad day. The braids are gone. The beads are gone. Nothing left but long dark brown locks on my the top of my head. So beads, thanks for hanging with me. We had 9 good days together. You will be missed.
I only have 2 real concerns. One was penalties. This is the least offensive penalized team in football. They averaged 2 or 3 per game. They had 7 yesterday, usually after they made a big play. Granted the officials did a bad job. Think about it. Houston is on their own 3-yard line and punting. Have you ever seen a safety called back because the football was snapped back and instead of going out of the end zone, it struck the official in his fat behind, and then they decide it isn't a safety because they weren't ready? Are you kidding? Fortunately, the Jets overcame it thanks to a great punt return by Santana Moss, but come on! And John Abraham. Let's hope that knee will be OK.
Now if the Jets have to lose one more game this regular season, I hope it's this week. That way Pittsburgh can still beat New England out for home field advantage. As for the Giants, well, the Giants, the Giants...
And it's the end of an era. A sad day. The braids are gone. The beads are gone. Nothing left but long dark brown locks on my the top of my head. So beads, thanks for hanging with me. We had 9 good days together. You will be missed.
Saturday, December 04, 2004
Random happenings
Time for my shopping tip. Now I'm sure you don't expect shopping tips coming from me. Go to Kohl's. This morn, mom and I brought 2 dress shirts, lounge pants, a blender, 2 scented candles (ruining my usual X-mas gift idea), a teddy bear, a baby outfit, a bedspread, and bed sheets. We only spent $250. Mom brought coffee with her and as we were checking out she set the mug down on the table. The cashier picked it up and tried to scan it, and coffee spilled everywhere. Apparently, she thought we were paying for it.
Had a weird incident at CPK yesterday. With the people I'm around, that takes some real weirdness. Here's what happened. I'm running my tables and my manager points me to a table out of my section. She says those 2 ladies want to talk to me about my braided hair. Now I'm immediately thinking, "Stalkers!" I went over and as it turned out, I was right. This one woman, about 50, said she was an artist and loved my face. My beard, braids, the shape of my face. Her quote was "I want to try to decorate you." With those words, I'm just looking for a way out. I'm listening, smiling along, and sayong things like "Really?" "Wow" "Thanks for the compliment." Whatever I could say to act like I was interested and grateful, but trying to get out of there and back to work. It was quite flattering though. Odd, but flattering.
Well, my last volleyball game is tomorrow. We're not making the playoffs. I missed last week, so my guess is we got hammered. Hopefully we can at least win 1 of the 3 games and go out on a good note going into next season.
To IDR: Hope we see each other again soon. I'm so thankful for your spirit and your faith in me. It means a lot.
To BG: Would you mind taking Felix Heredia off the Mets? Pleeeeease?
To RWB: Norman! Tied for 9th going into the final round. And Carlito is Koo-ell. See you in less than 3 weeks...
Had a weird incident at CPK yesterday. With the people I'm around, that takes some real weirdness. Here's what happened. I'm running my tables and my manager points me to a table out of my section. She says those 2 ladies want to talk to me about my braided hair. Now I'm immediately thinking, "Stalkers!" I went over and as it turned out, I was right. This one woman, about 50, said she was an artist and loved my face. My beard, braids, the shape of my face. Her quote was "I want to try to decorate you." With those words, I'm just looking for a way out. I'm listening, smiling along, and sayong things like "Really?" "Wow" "Thanks for the compliment." Whatever I could say to act like I was interested and grateful, but trying to get out of there and back to work. It was quite flattering though. Odd, but flattering.
Well, my last volleyball game is tomorrow. We're not making the playoffs. I missed last week, so my guess is we got hammered. Hopefully we can at least win 1 of the 3 games and go out on a good note going into next season.
To IDR: Hope we see each other again soon. I'm so thankful for your spirit and your faith in me. It means a lot.
To BG: Would you mind taking Felix Heredia off the Mets? Pleeeeease?
To RWB: Norman! Tied for 9th going into the final round. And Carlito is Koo-ell. See you in less than 3 weeks...
Friday, December 03, 2004
The truth shall set you free?
I'll keep my thoughts on this quick. I'm tired of hearing about steroids and athletes. Jason Giambi admits to taking steroids and he's basically an outlaw. And if you're actually surprised that he admitted he took growth hormone, well, that's your stupidity. Barry Bonds is still one of the greatest baseball players ever, with or without 'roids. He's probably taken a few "vitamins" of some kind. I don't know. But when he breaks Hank Aaron's record, it's wrong to put an asterisk next to his name. Is all this some sort of shock to baseball fans? Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa could have taken a test every day from 1997-2004, passed them all, and people would have still been skeptical. Track star Florence Griffith-Joyner passed every test and people still don't believe. I just don't care.
Mike Stanton for Felix Heredia? Why do we need Heredia. Righties batted .333 off him last year. Again, I believe the goal of Omar "Full Autonomy" Minaya is to have an all-Hispanic baseball team.
Well, 2 weeks left in fantasy football regular season. I'm 1/2 game out of first place and just need a win to guarantee a spot in the top 4 and a berth in the championship bracket of the playoffs. Both my QB's Green and Pennington are hurt, so hopefully one can play. Updates coming on Tuesday. Off to work I go. Later.
Mike Stanton for Felix Heredia? Why do we need Heredia. Righties batted .333 off him last year. Again, I believe the goal of Omar "Full Autonomy" Minaya is to have an all-Hispanic baseball team.
Well, 2 weeks left in fantasy football regular season. I'm 1/2 game out of first place and just need a win to guarantee a spot in the top 4 and a berth in the championship bracket of the playoffs. Both my QB's Green and Pennington are hurt, so hopefully one can play. Updates coming on Tuesday. Off to work I go. Later.
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
My thoughts on Pedro and Omar
Back to the sports thing. The Mets have offered Boston starting pitcher Pedro Martinez
38 million dollars over 3 years with an option for a 4th. Let's do the math.
3 Pros: He thrives in the spotlight. He would move from the American to the National League, where the lineups become easier. He's better than Al Leiter.
3 Cons: He's 33 years old and we're supposed to be going with youth. He's clearly not the same pitcher he was just 2 years ago as his fastball tops out around 91 mph instead of 96 or 97. Need I go into "Who's your daddy?"
The Red Sox offered him 26 million over 2 years and it will probably take an additional guaranteed year to take him away from Boston. I believe he is slowly sliding downhill so I would rather see 2 years and a team option. Besides I still would rather see a big bat over starting pitcher. Ordonez, Delgado, who knows. I'm leaving Beltran's name off because the Mets don't try to sign marquee name guys in their 20's (Guerrerro, Giambi, A-Rod). But you know how you get free agents? You overpay. Look at George Steinbrenner and Glen Sather.
And now I read in the Post about Minaya interested in Moises Alou? Yeah, Omar yeah. Go get Carl Everett too and the Mets will set a team record for ejections in a season. Alou is 38 and hit 10 homers outside of Wrigley Field. Who are going after next? Juan Gonzalez? He's over 30, a Latino, and his skills are declining. Yep, those are evidently the players "Mr. Full Autonomy" wants. Anyway, we'll see what happens.
To CK- Keep up the good work. You know what you're doing.
38 million dollars over 3 years with an option for a 4th. Let's do the math.
3 Pros: He thrives in the spotlight. He would move from the American to the National League, where the lineups become easier. He's better than Al Leiter.
3 Cons: He's 33 years old and we're supposed to be going with youth. He's clearly not the same pitcher he was just 2 years ago as his fastball tops out around 91 mph instead of 96 or 97. Need I go into "Who's your daddy?"
The Red Sox offered him 26 million over 2 years and it will probably take an additional guaranteed year to take him away from Boston. I believe he is slowly sliding downhill so I would rather see 2 years and a team option. Besides I still would rather see a big bat over starting pitcher. Ordonez, Delgado, who knows. I'm leaving Beltran's name off because the Mets don't try to sign marquee name guys in their 20's (Guerrerro, Giambi, A-Rod). But you know how you get free agents? You overpay. Look at George Steinbrenner and Glen Sather.
And now I read in the Post about Minaya interested in Moises Alou? Yeah, Omar yeah. Go get Carl Everett too and the Mets will set a team record for ejections in a season. Alou is 38 and hit 10 homers outside of Wrigley Field. Who are going after next? Juan Gonzalez? He's over 30, a Latino, and his skills are declining. Yep, those are evidently the players "Mr. Full Autonomy" wants. Anyway, we'll see what happens.
To CK- Keep up the good work. You know what you're doing.
Sunday, November 28, 2004
The Mexican screaming contest
The day: Monday, November 22. The time: 9:15-9:45 p.m. The place: The IK Ballroom
in the Adventura Spa Palace in Puerto Adventura, Mexico, south of Cancun.
It was the first night I'd experienced the live entertainment at our hotel. Following a performance from a mariacci band, the trumpets, the bass which looks like an inflated acoustic guitar, the whole deal, they announced the Mexican screaming contest. They said 4 men could walk up if they wanted to do it. Well, 3 guys walked on stage and my stepdad, was the 4th. I saw him going up and I had to sneak on. I made it and before I knew it, Unger and I were standing side by side wondering what we were getting ourselves into.
First we all got Spanish names. Unger's was Poncho and I was Jesus (Hey-zeus), as I explained in my previous post. My beard, my hair, I don't know why. These were the rules. They put a huge sombrero on our head and a Mexican afghan over our right shoulder. We had to drink tequila for 5 seconds, squirted into our mouth by Marie, a fine fine staff member from Quebec. We took 4 huge stomps, stuck out butt out, chest out and screamed, "Andalay, andalay, andalay! Arriba, arriba, arriba! Brrrgggggghhh!"
Well the 3 guys did it and it was Unger's turn. He forgot the butt and chest parts, and the crowd booed. They gave him another shot. This time he forgot to stomp! I just turned away, dropped my head in my hands, and shook my head in complete disbelief. And his scream wasn't much to write home about either.
So I went and Marie squirted tequila down my mouth for a good 15 or 20 straight seconds. It was so much I nearly coughed it out. A little dazed, I forgot the butt part. More boos. So on my second chance I stuck it out so hard, I nearly blew my back out. Now what if I had really thrown my back out? How would I explain that to the hospital and doctors? It would be bad enough in English, now I'd have had to translate it into Spanish! So I did my thing and got a nice repsonse, one of the best. But my forgetfulness must have cost me. I finished second. Which was fine by me, because all the winner got was a full bottle of tequila. Safe to say, all I wanted after that was water and Advil. I came off stage and nearly collapsed. I had quite a buzz in my head for the next 12 hours.
For the next 5 days, I had people calling after me, "Jesus! Jesus!" Tough burden, but hey, I guess that's a pretty good man for people to compare you to!
in the Adventura Spa Palace in Puerto Adventura, Mexico, south of Cancun.
It was the first night I'd experienced the live entertainment at our hotel. Following a performance from a mariacci band, the trumpets, the bass which looks like an inflated acoustic guitar, the whole deal, they announced the Mexican screaming contest. They said 4 men could walk up if they wanted to do it. Well, 3 guys walked on stage and my stepdad, was the 4th. I saw him going up and I had to sneak on. I made it and before I knew it, Unger and I were standing side by side wondering what we were getting ourselves into.
First we all got Spanish names. Unger's was Poncho and I was Jesus (Hey-zeus), as I explained in my previous post. My beard, my hair, I don't know why. These were the rules. They put a huge sombrero on our head and a Mexican afghan over our right shoulder. We had to drink tequila for 5 seconds, squirted into our mouth by Marie, a fine fine staff member from Quebec. We took 4 huge stomps, stuck out butt out, chest out and screamed, "Andalay, andalay, andalay! Arriba, arriba, arriba! Brrrgggggghhh!"
Well the 3 guys did it and it was Unger's turn. He forgot the butt and chest parts, and the crowd booed. They gave him another shot. This time he forgot to stomp! I just turned away, dropped my head in my hands, and shook my head in complete disbelief. And his scream wasn't much to write home about either.
So I went and Marie squirted tequila down my mouth for a good 15 or 20 straight seconds. It was so much I nearly coughed it out. A little dazed, I forgot the butt part. More boos. So on my second chance I stuck it out so hard, I nearly blew my back out. Now what if I had really thrown my back out? How would I explain that to the hospital and doctors? It would be bad enough in English, now I'd have had to translate it into Spanish! So I did my thing and got a nice repsonse, one of the best. But my forgetfulness must have cost me. I finished second. Which was fine by me, because all the winner got was a full bottle of tequila. Safe to say, all I wanted after that was water and Advil. I came off stage and nearly collapsed. I had quite a buzz in my head for the next 12 hours.
For the next 5 days, I had people calling after me, "Jesus! Jesus!" Tough burden, but hey, I guess that's a pretty good man for people to compare you to!
Miss me???
Well, I'm back to my normal 30 degree cloudy weather in the Windy City. Cancun was a sweet trip! My trip boils down to 5 things: eating, volleyball, late night entertainment, more eating, and drinking. Here's some exciting news. I have a new nickname now: Jesus! That's the Spanish pronunciation (Hey-zeus). I was in a Mexican screaming contest, but that's another entry that'll I'll write about later.
Morning pool volleyball (11 am-12 pm) was fine. Just a relaxed game, with nothing at stake. But afternoon volleyball (3-4) was another story. If you didn't wait for the referee's whistle before you served, or if it was your fault the point rally ended, or if the ref felt like it, you had to take a shot of tequila in the pool. It wasn't Cuervo Gold or anything, but if you drank enough, you felt your head sliding away somewhere beneath the water. So the strategy was simple. Play well early, and get your opponent so drunk, you just coast from there. How much did I drink? Well I had my good and bad days. One day I didn't drink a single shot until 1 minute was left in the game. Another time I took 3 shots within 6 plays. I'd guess between 12 games over 5 days, I took about 25-30 shots. Sorry, but I lost count by Thursday.
I never though food at an all-inclusive resort could be so good. For dinner, there were 6 restaurants in the Adventura Spa Palace resort. They had a grill place, an asian, a vegetarian (no I didn't go there), a mexican, an italian, and a mediterranean. The Italian place (Ventanas) was amazing. Great salad bar with cold cuts and oils and vinegars in these beautiful clay jars. But it's kind of sad when you're getting better cold cuts in Mexico than in Chicago. They had display cases of meat in it, usually chicken, steak, and grouper. Next to that was a charcoal grill. You just tell the cook what you want, and they grill it fresh for you. For one dinner, I had 2 chicken breasts along with a pasta I made at the pasta station (tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, onions, spinach fettucine, and tomato sauce, which another guy cooked up for me). And the service for the most part was top of the line. The waiters are very attentive, and they made me want to raise my level of work a notch or 2. After seeing the way these guys worked, I know I can do even better than I am.
Breakfast will be remembered for 2 things: the omelette bar and the hot doughnuts. Now if you want to read about the omelette bar, go down and check it out yourself, because I'm writing about the doughnuts. Breakfast and lunch or served buffet style in 2 different restaurants. There's one station where they cook pancakes, french toast, and deep fry donuts. After you order a donut, the roll it in granulated sugar (that nice coarse sugar), and serve it. Then I added some cinnamon sugar to it and oh my holy God. It's a good thing I went to the gym 4 times because otherwise, I'd have gained 15 pounds.
My hair is braided and beaded. Yes, you read it correctly. Got about 30 or so braids and 60 beads in orange, blue, black, and white. Big surprise on the colors I chose, wouldn't you say? There was one 15-year old girl who stopped by and said how good I looked. I know she was 15, because I asked her. Her name was Natalie and... uh, anyway, I got a few good pictures of my head, and I'll aim to post one on here soon.
Well, it's Sunday. Giants-Eagles are on TV, so that's good. Mom's home, so we'll see how much time I get in front of the tube today. Fantasy football makes this hard. I'm playing against a team with Marvin Harrison who just torched me for 24 points. Hopefully, T.O. will score 3 times and the Eagle defense will shut down Big Blue. Yeah, I know it sounds a little hypocritical, but the Giants aren't winning this game and they aren't making the playoffs anyway. The Jets have Arizona and Houston before finishing against Pittsburgh, Seattle, the Patsies, and St. Louis. In other words they need to win these 2 and be 9-3 going into the final 4 games. Go 2-2 in those and they'll be 11-5 and that should be enough to get them in the playoffs. I just hope that dreadful loss to the Ravens doesn't knock them out. Well the new day has begun. I'll post a little later on. Much love to all.
Morning pool volleyball (11 am-12 pm) was fine. Just a relaxed game, with nothing at stake. But afternoon volleyball (3-4) was another story. If you didn't wait for the referee's whistle before you served, or if it was your fault the point rally ended, or if the ref felt like it, you had to take a shot of tequila in the pool. It wasn't Cuervo Gold or anything, but if you drank enough, you felt your head sliding away somewhere beneath the water. So the strategy was simple. Play well early, and get your opponent so drunk, you just coast from there. How much did I drink? Well I had my good and bad days. One day I didn't drink a single shot until 1 minute was left in the game. Another time I took 3 shots within 6 plays. I'd guess between 12 games over 5 days, I took about 25-30 shots. Sorry, but I lost count by Thursday.
I never though food at an all-inclusive resort could be so good. For dinner, there were 6 restaurants in the Adventura Spa Palace resort. They had a grill place, an asian, a vegetarian (no I didn't go there), a mexican, an italian, and a mediterranean. The Italian place (Ventanas) was amazing. Great salad bar with cold cuts and oils and vinegars in these beautiful clay jars. But it's kind of sad when you're getting better cold cuts in Mexico than in Chicago. They had display cases of meat in it, usually chicken, steak, and grouper. Next to that was a charcoal grill. You just tell the cook what you want, and they grill it fresh for you. For one dinner, I had 2 chicken breasts along with a pasta I made at the pasta station (tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, onions, spinach fettucine, and tomato sauce, which another guy cooked up for me). And the service for the most part was top of the line. The waiters are very attentive, and they made me want to raise my level of work a notch or 2. After seeing the way these guys worked, I know I can do even better than I am.
Breakfast will be remembered for 2 things: the omelette bar and the hot doughnuts. Now if you want to read about the omelette bar, go down and check it out yourself, because I'm writing about the doughnuts. Breakfast and lunch or served buffet style in 2 different restaurants. There's one station where they cook pancakes, french toast, and deep fry donuts. After you order a donut, the roll it in granulated sugar (that nice coarse sugar), and serve it. Then I added some cinnamon sugar to it and oh my holy God. It's a good thing I went to the gym 4 times because otherwise, I'd have gained 15 pounds.
My hair is braided and beaded. Yes, you read it correctly. Got about 30 or so braids and 60 beads in orange, blue, black, and white. Big surprise on the colors I chose, wouldn't you say? There was one 15-year old girl who stopped by and said how good I looked. I know she was 15, because I asked her. Her name was Natalie and... uh, anyway, I got a few good pictures of my head, and I'll aim to post one on here soon.
Well, it's Sunday. Giants-Eagles are on TV, so that's good. Mom's home, so we'll see how much time I get in front of the tube today. Fantasy football makes this hard. I'm playing against a team with Marvin Harrison who just torched me for 24 points. Hopefully, T.O. will score 3 times and the Eagle defense will shut down Big Blue. Yeah, I know it sounds a little hypocritical, but the Giants aren't winning this game and they aren't making the playoffs anyway. The Jets have Arizona and Houston before finishing against Pittsburgh, Seattle, the Patsies, and St. Louis. In other words they need to win these 2 and be 9-3 going into the final 4 games. Go 2-2 in those and they'll be 11-5 and that should be enough to get them in the playoffs. I just hope that dreadful loss to the Ravens doesn't knock them out. Well the new day has begun. I'll post a little later on. Much love to all.
Monday, November 22, 2004
Quick checkin
$5.00 per 15 minutes of Net use? Ouch. Well, almost everything else is free. Been here 24 hours. Good food, played water volleyball, a little more clouds than I would have guessed. Going to Xcaret on Wednesday. Want to know what it's like? Look it up. Go Jets! I'm out of time! Later!
Thursday, November 18, 2004
I'm baaack!, MNF, Quick thoughts
If only for a few days. Unless I have net access in Mexico, there will be no news from Sunday through Saturday. Penn was a good trip, 18 hours of driving I would guestimate.
I heard someone's thoughts on the Terrell Owens-Nicolette Sheridan MNF opener and I agree with him. It's not the nudity, it;s no the prime time audience. A large part of the problem is it was a white woman jumping into an outspoken highly paid black man's arms. Would there be as big a problem if it was Peyton Manning? Highly unlikely. I wasn't offended by the skit's content too much. Now granted, if I was a father, it's not something I'd really want my kid to see. I do think the incident itself is overblown. My only worry is if media keeps pushing the envelope about what's decent and what isn't, when will the line finally be drawn? Will there be no limits to what can be shown on TV? That's what really concerns me.
Even after the Super Bowl disaster (the game's outcome as well as the halftime show) the NFL still wants ratings and attention and they know how to get them. But please don't give me this apology crap. Is ABC really sorry? Is the NFL sorry? That's just the nice sugarcoat. An apology doesn't erase the sting or the controversy. But isn't controversy really what this stunt was all about to begin with?
Oh and thanks TO for those TD's allowing me to overcome a 20 point defecit and win by 15 points! First place and 5 winning weeks in a row for Blind Shock!
Looks like Kris Benson is coming back to New York. Good. Good signing. Of course, it doesn't hurt his wife will be more visible. Now Omar, let's stay away from Sosa and focus on getting Beltran, Ordonez (sorry Geds), Drew (Dad!), or Sexson. Still a lot of work to do.
Hopefully I'll have something going on Friday night... Well, I'm gonna fix mmyself some broccoli cheddar soup. I'll check back here once more before I head to Riviera Maya.
I heard someone's thoughts on the Terrell Owens-Nicolette Sheridan MNF opener and I agree with him. It's not the nudity, it;s no the prime time audience. A large part of the problem is it was a white woman jumping into an outspoken highly paid black man's arms. Would there be as big a problem if it was Peyton Manning? Highly unlikely. I wasn't offended by the skit's content too much. Now granted, if I was a father, it's not something I'd really want my kid to see. I do think the incident itself is overblown. My only worry is if media keeps pushing the envelope about what's decent and what isn't, when will the line finally be drawn? Will there be no limits to what can be shown on TV? That's what really concerns me.
Even after the Super Bowl disaster (the game's outcome as well as the halftime show) the NFL still wants ratings and attention and they know how to get them. But please don't give me this apology crap. Is ABC really sorry? Is the NFL sorry? That's just the nice sugarcoat. An apology doesn't erase the sting or the controversy. But isn't controversy really what this stunt was all about to begin with?
Oh and thanks TO for those TD's allowing me to overcome a 20 point defecit and win by 15 points! First place and 5 winning weeks in a row for Blind Shock!
Looks like Kris Benson is coming back to New York. Good. Good signing. Of course, it doesn't hurt his wife will be more visible. Now Omar, let's stay away from Sosa and focus on getting Beltran, Ordonez (sorry Geds), Drew (Dad!), or Sexson. Still a lot of work to do.
Hopefully I'll have something going on Friday night... Well, I'm gonna fix mmyself some broccoli cheddar soup. I'll check back here once more before I head to Riviera Maya.
Monday, November 15, 2004
YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!!!
Where do we start with this?
What can I say?
This is why this team that has not been in a Super Bowl in 35 years will never get to one. This is incomprehensible to lose this game when you have so much momentum. A 47 yard pass to Moss to put the ball deep in Baltimore territory late in the 2nd half. Jet fans always complain about not being aggressive enough on offense. But this is the time to just run the ball. Curtis had a great first half. Run ot down their throats.Worst case scenario, you get a field goal, you're up 17-0 going into halftime and you have the ball to start the 2nd half. Blame Herman, blame Hackett, Blame Lamont. They can all be blamed for that insane call, the HB option. That's the play? That's the play that Hackett decided makes the most sense in this spot? How does this guy have a job?
Now I'll quote what happened in the final minutes of the regulation. My thoughts in ()
"Trailing 17-14 with two minutes remaining in regulation, the Jets had a first down at the Ravens' 17-yard line. They took their first timeout with 55 seconds remaining and then Quincy Carter ran for a first down at the Baltimore 4-yard line. (Fine, looking good).
The next play was not run until 18 seconds remained on the clock, so the Jets inexplicably leaked away some 27 seconds off the clock for no good reason.
After a LaMont Jordan run to the Baltimore 3-yard line, the Jets called their second timeout with 14 seconds remaining (OK, you still have 2 shots at the endzone).
Carter then threw an incomplete pass, leaving the Jets with a third-and-goal from the 3-yard line, 8 seconds remaining and a timeout (Run the ball now).
That's when, with the clock already stopped from the incomplete pass, the Jets called their final timeout with those 8 seconds remaining and opted to kick the game-tying FG to send the game into OT (Is this happening?).
Edwards explained afterward that the play had gotten to the huddle in plenty of time, but he could see the play clock winding down as Carter broke the huddle and headed to the line of scrimmage. Edwards then conceded that, because on the second-down play the Ravens had it covered so well and pressured Carter, he "didn't want to take the chance" with 8 seconds remaining on third down to try to win the game before kicking the FG on fourth down."
Herman, are we playing to win the game?
And to kick the FG on 3rd down with 5 seconds left? Are we playing to win the game?
AND OT was really a formality. The defense did what they could. But the offense was dead in the water. It was a matter of time. And you knew Matt Stover was not missing the field goal.
I know they're 6-3. But 8 teams in the AFC are 6-3 or better. We've got Cleveland on the road next week. If we lose that one, it's probably over. This was a horrifying loss. It goes straight to the coaches on this one. You can't be a championship team and lose games like this. It's that simple. Just another stick it up your rear end loss for the New York Football Jets.
What can I say?
This is why this team that has not been in a Super Bowl in 35 years will never get to one. This is incomprehensible to lose this game when you have so much momentum. A 47 yard pass to Moss to put the ball deep in Baltimore territory late in the 2nd half. Jet fans always complain about not being aggressive enough on offense. But this is the time to just run the ball. Curtis had a great first half. Run ot down their throats.Worst case scenario, you get a field goal, you're up 17-0 going into halftime and you have the ball to start the 2nd half. Blame Herman, blame Hackett, Blame Lamont. They can all be blamed for that insane call, the HB option. That's the play? That's the play that Hackett decided makes the most sense in this spot? How does this guy have a job?
Now I'll quote what happened in the final minutes of the regulation. My thoughts in ()
"Trailing 17-14 with two minutes remaining in regulation, the Jets had a first down at the Ravens' 17-yard line. They took their first timeout with 55 seconds remaining and then Quincy Carter ran for a first down at the Baltimore 4-yard line. (Fine, looking good).
The next play was not run until 18 seconds remained on the clock, so the Jets inexplicably leaked away some 27 seconds off the clock for no good reason.
After a LaMont Jordan run to the Baltimore 3-yard line, the Jets called their second timeout with 14 seconds remaining (OK, you still have 2 shots at the endzone).
Carter then threw an incomplete pass, leaving the Jets with a third-and-goal from the 3-yard line, 8 seconds remaining and a timeout (Run the ball now).
That's when, with the clock already stopped from the incomplete pass, the Jets called their final timeout with those 8 seconds remaining and opted to kick the game-tying FG to send the game into OT (Is this happening?).
Edwards explained afterward that the play had gotten to the huddle in plenty of time, but he could see the play clock winding down as Carter broke the huddle and headed to the line of scrimmage. Edwards then conceded that, because on the second-down play the Ravens had it covered so well and pressured Carter, he "didn't want to take the chance" with 8 seconds remaining on third down to try to win the game before kicking the FG on fourth down."
Herman, are we playing to win the game?
And to kick the FG on 3rd down with 5 seconds left? Are we playing to win the game?
AND OT was really a formality. The defense did what they could. But the offense was dead in the water. It was a matter of time. And you knew Matt Stover was not missing the field goal.
I know they're 6-3. But 8 teams in the AFC are 6-3 or better. We've got Cleveland on the road next week. If we lose that one, it's probably over. This was a horrifying loss. It goes straight to the coaches on this one. You can't be a championship team and lose games like this. It's that simple. Just another stick it up your rear end loss for the New York Football Jets.
Sunday, November 14, 2004
Jets-Ravens
Right now it's in OT. I'll be playing volleyball soon, but I'll have my thoughts on this by Monday morning. Regardless, this is not good.
Friday, November 12, 2004
Closet aggravation, not that big a deal now
I think I'm going to take a chaim saw and take out my entire wall so I have more closet space. My closet racks collapsed for the third time in 3 months. I was really upset, needless to say. Without much work going on at the paper, my nights are a lot slower right now.
Then, I go into work, and long story short, find out a waiter who I'm getting to be good friends with got a nother server's little sister (who used to be a host at CPK) pregnant. All of a sudden my problems don't seem like much, do they? The guy is such a cool dude, but he just made a brutal mistake. That said, he may not even be the father. If this case appears on Maury, I'll keep you posted.
I'll just say I feel a little woken up now. I'd been in a little mental funk with so many of my friends away. I know I may not have the most active social life, but you know what? It's probably better to be alone, than hang out with the wrong crowd. Maybe I did do a few things right.
Knicks are on a roll! 2 wins in a row! Now on the road at Indiana, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas. Houston game on ESPN. I'll take 2-2 on this trip.
To my peeps on Staten Island, thanks for reading. Keep in touch.
Then, I go into work, and long story short, find out a waiter who I'm getting to be good friends with got a nother server's little sister (who used to be a host at CPK) pregnant. All of a sudden my problems don't seem like much, do they? The guy is such a cool dude, but he just made a brutal mistake. That said, he may not even be the father. If this case appears on Maury, I'll keep you posted.
I'll just say I feel a little woken up now. I'd been in a little mental funk with so many of my friends away. I know I may not have the most active social life, but you know what? It's probably better to be alone, than hang out with the wrong crowd. Maybe I did do a few things right.
Knicks are on a roll! 2 wins in a row! Now on the road at Indiana, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas. Houston game on ESPN. I'll take 2-2 on this trip.
To my peeps on Staten Island, thanks for reading. Keep in touch.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Another night... Met execs
WEll, let's see. I only go into work at the newspaper around twice a week since it's playoff season for all the high school sports (whichever ones don't have playoffs going on are finished). Hockey's off, I can't really get into basketball, and the weather is really getting cold now. Nights are getting boring now.
Watched the Tonight Show. They had a segment on funny SAT essays. Here are a few I remember.
"That prostitution in the OJ Simpson trial was poor."
"The wheel was the greatest invention of the 20th century."
Referring to the Bible: "In the beginning the world was free from evil and sin. Then a woman named Pandora opened a mysterious box."
"Over-analization can cause stress."
"I need special attention for standard eyes tests."
And my favorite:
"Why would you skip graduation from high school? That's like having sex without climaxing or going to Denny's and not ordering cheese bread."
The Mets have just hired 2 more executives, Sandy Johnson (who's Omar Minaya's old boss) and Tony Bernazard. Nice last name. These guys are talent evaluators. Add these 2 to assistant GM's Jim Duquette and John Ricco and their 2 "super-scouts", Livesy and Goldis. What those 2 have ever done, I'll never know.
Sounds like too many inmates. Does Omar really have final say?
And Minaya still doesn't have a "full clear picture" on what direction this roster is taking. By the time they figure that out, they only free agent they'll be able to get is Mo Vaughn. Maybe they'll bring back Bill Pulsipher again...
At least we won't have Sammy "Prima Donna" Sosa, at least not yet. I read an article by Mike Lupica that he'd rather have Sammy Sosa in his currnt state than Mike Piazza in his curretn state. Now Piazza is about my favorite player ever and Sosa is on my list of my 10 least favorites. (I'll come up with that 1 later...) But he might not be totally off. When was the last time Piazza at least had a solid hitting streak? I mean he hit 20 homeruns this year. We've got 3 electric guys at the top of the order in Reyes Matsui and Wright. I don't think we have the bat we need to send these guys around the bases.
Mike Cameron? Well, if we're down by 5 runs in the 9th inning, then he'll probably hit a homerun.
Jason Phillips? 219 average=The definition of sophomore slump. Runs slower than Rosie O'Donnell in leg shackles.
Cliff Floyd? Even when he was healthy this year, how many big hits did he get? 63 RBI's in 396 at bats is not enough.
Richard Hidalgo? Even if the Mets can't get Beltran, Drew, Ordonez, or another big outfield bat, I don't think he's coming back. That said, I'd be OK with re-signing him if we can't get a marquee guy.
We have a lot of good bench guys in Eric Valent, Craig Brazell, Victor Diaz, Jeff Keppinger, Vance Wilson, Phillips, and Danny Garcia. But they're not guys who I would call reliable, at least not yet.
Now to Omar Minaya, Jim Duquette, Jeff Wilpon, Freddy Wilpon. GET US A BIG BAT!
Watched the Tonight Show. They had a segment on funny SAT essays. Here are a few I remember.
"That prostitution in the OJ Simpson trial was poor."
"The wheel was the greatest invention of the 20th century."
Referring to the Bible: "In the beginning the world was free from evil and sin. Then a woman named Pandora opened a mysterious box."
"Over-analization can cause stress."
"I need special attention for standard eyes tests."
And my favorite:
"Why would you skip graduation from high school? That's like having sex without climaxing or going to Denny's and not ordering cheese bread."
The Mets have just hired 2 more executives, Sandy Johnson (who's Omar Minaya's old boss) and Tony Bernazard. Nice last name. These guys are talent evaluators. Add these 2 to assistant GM's Jim Duquette and John Ricco and their 2 "super-scouts", Livesy and Goldis. What those 2 have ever done, I'll never know.
Sounds like too many inmates. Does Omar really have final say?
And Minaya still doesn't have a "full clear picture" on what direction this roster is taking. By the time they figure that out, they only free agent they'll be able to get is Mo Vaughn. Maybe they'll bring back Bill Pulsipher again...
At least we won't have Sammy "Prima Donna" Sosa, at least not yet. I read an article by Mike Lupica that he'd rather have Sammy Sosa in his currnt state than Mike Piazza in his curretn state. Now Piazza is about my favorite player ever and Sosa is on my list of my 10 least favorites. (I'll come up with that 1 later...) But he might not be totally off. When was the last time Piazza at least had a solid hitting streak? I mean he hit 20 homeruns this year. We've got 3 electric guys at the top of the order in Reyes Matsui and Wright. I don't think we have the bat we need to send these guys around the bases.
Mike Cameron? Well, if we're down by 5 runs in the 9th inning, then he'll probably hit a homerun.
Jason Phillips? 219 average=The definition of sophomore slump. Runs slower than Rosie O'Donnell in leg shackles.
Cliff Floyd? Even when he was healthy this year, how many big hits did he get? 63 RBI's in 396 at bats is not enough.
Richard Hidalgo? Even if the Mets can't get Beltran, Drew, Ordonez, or another big outfield bat, I don't think he's coming back. That said, I'd be OK with re-signing him if we can't get a marquee guy.
We have a lot of good bench guys in Eric Valent, Craig Brazell, Victor Diaz, Jeff Keppinger, Vance Wilson, Phillips, and Danny Garcia. But they're not guys who I would call reliable, at least not yet.
Now to Omar Minaya, Jim Duquette, Jeff Wilpon, Freddy Wilpon. GET US A BIG BAT!
Sunday, November 07, 2004
If I could come back again...
After another horrible sports weekend (the Knicks stinking the Garden like a herd of skunks, the Jets doing what they do best, blowing big games, and the Giants sucking like a straw TO THE BEARS OF ALL TEAMS!!!) I think I need to do something. I don't really think there's reincarnation, but if there is, if I could come back again, I want to be a man of the arts. I want to be the kind of guy that goes to art museums. A guy that goes to the theater. A guy that listens to opera music. I want to go to the Met, not root for the Mets. I want Picasso, not Pennington. I want Mozart, not Marbury. I want Pavarotti, not Piazza.
I think my life would be a lot less stressful and aggravating this way. I have enough in my life already. Seeing these kind of performances is like adding oxygen to a fire.
So God, if there is another life, make me a man of the arts. Don't make me the wacky crazy disheartened sports fan that I am.
I think my life would be a lot less stressful and aggravating this way. I have enough in my life already. Seeing these kind of performances is like adding oxygen to a fire.
So God, if there is another life, make me a man of the arts. Don't make me the wacky crazy disheartened sports fan that I am.
On a bus to St. Cloud
It's just one of those nights. I'm feeling a little sentimental. I heard this song tonight. It's a Trisha Yearwood song. Not well known, but I think it's one of her best. I felt like posting the lyrics. As the weather's getting colder, they're tough ones too.
On a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota
I thought I saw you there
With the snow falling down around you
Like a silent prayer
And once on a street in New York City
With the jazz and the sin in the air
And once on a cold L.A. freeway
Going nowhere
And it's strange, but it's true
I was sure it was you
Just a face in the crowd
On a bus to St. Cloud
In a church in downtown New Orleans
I got down on my knees and prayed
And I wept in the arms of Jesus
For the choice you made
We were just gettin' to the good part
Just gettin' past the mystery
Oh, and it's just like you, it's just like you
To disagree
And it's strange but it's true
You just slipped out of view
Like a face in the crowd
On a bus to St. Cloud
And you chase me like a shadow
And you haunt me like a ghost
And I hate you some, and I love you some
But I miss you most...
On a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota
I thought I saw you there
With the snow falling down around you
Like a silent prayer
On a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota
I thought I saw you there
With the snow falling down around you
Like a silent prayer
And once on a street in New York City
With the jazz and the sin in the air
And once on a cold L.A. freeway
Going nowhere
And it's strange, but it's true
I was sure it was you
Just a face in the crowd
On a bus to St. Cloud
In a church in downtown New Orleans
I got down on my knees and prayed
And I wept in the arms of Jesus
For the choice you made
We were just gettin' to the good part
Just gettin' past the mystery
Oh, and it's just like you, it's just like you
To disagree
And it's strange but it's true
You just slipped out of view
Like a face in the crowd
On a bus to St. Cloud
And you chase me like a shadow
And you haunt me like a ghost
And I hate you some, and I love you some
But I miss you most...
On a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota
I thought I saw you there
With the snow falling down around you
Like a silent prayer
Thursday, November 04, 2004
The search is over, Cold Stone, Jets notes
Willie Randolph is the new Mets manager. All I can say is... at least we didn't get Terry Collins, whoever he is. He may be distant cousin for all I know. He's a winner and a communicator. He's never managed beofre, but that's fine by me. He's observed enough. I just wonder why he had 11 previous manage interviews before this one and never got a gig. That makes me a tad uneasy. Then again, everything the Mets do makes me a little uneasy.
Cold Stone Creamery ice cream cakes rock. Just munching on a big slice of Cookie Dough Delight. No I'm not a huge sweets eater and this basement is getting cold, so it begs the question. What am I doing eating ice cream cake at 11:30 p.m. on a cold night. Well, mom's dieting so someone's gotta do it! Tough job.
I taped the Jet-Dolphin game from Monday night. Watched it several times. I'm excited. The team is young and I still think they're going to get better as the season progresses. And Lamont Jordan has to get a few runs every game. I love Curtis Martin, but a little Lamont makes them better. Example: 3rd quarter: Martin runs 3 plays, goes out. Jordan runs 1. Martin stays out, Jets throw a pass that Wayne Chrebet drops in the endzone. Martin comes back in and runs 25 yards down the right sideline into the endzone. He has to stay fresh. Herman Edwards has got to rotate these 2 running backs so Curtis can be effective for the final part of the season. And I have never seen a Jet defense this good. Speed, speed, and more speed. If Ray Mickens hadn't gone out, it would be amazing. Their secondary is young (Erik Coleman, Derrick Strait in particular), but they'll limit those big plays they are prone to giving up from time to time. David Barrett and Reggie Tongue are jst not what they need. First priority in next year's draft should be a cornerback. But meanwhile let's focus on the season. Without hockey, I need it!
Cold Stone Creamery ice cream cakes rock. Just munching on a big slice of Cookie Dough Delight. No I'm not a huge sweets eater and this basement is getting cold, so it begs the question. What am I doing eating ice cream cake at 11:30 p.m. on a cold night. Well, mom's dieting so someone's gotta do it! Tough job.
I taped the Jet-Dolphin game from Monday night. Watched it several times. I'm excited. The team is young and I still think they're going to get better as the season progresses. And Lamont Jordan has to get a few runs every game. I love Curtis Martin, but a little Lamont makes them better. Example: 3rd quarter: Martin runs 3 plays, goes out. Jordan runs 1. Martin stays out, Jets throw a pass that Wayne Chrebet drops in the endzone. Martin comes back in and runs 25 yards down the right sideline into the endzone. He has to stay fresh. Herman Edwards has got to rotate these 2 running backs so Curtis can be effective for the final part of the season. And I have never seen a Jet defense this good. Speed, speed, and more speed. If Ray Mickens hadn't gone out, it would be amazing. Their secondary is young (Erik Coleman, Derrick Strait in particular), but they'll limit those big plays they are prone to giving up from time to time. David Barrett and Reggie Tongue are jst not what they need. First priority in next year's draft should be a cornerback. But meanwhile let's focus on the season. Without hockey, I need it!
Monday, November 01, 2004
Ray, we love you baby
Damn.
Just saw "Ray." What a film. I'm not much of a movie goer so I'll put this in my own words (as I tend to do most of the time.) You've heard all the reviews about Jamie Foxx. That he could get an Oscar for his performance. My response? You bet your butt. Jamie Foxx hit a homerun. That said, many great acting jobs all around.
What struck me was the honesty. The depth of the heroin and womanizing even surprised me. You get a very hard portrayal of the man. The loss of his brother, the independent spirit, the creative abilities, the self-destruction. It's not always pretty, but it gets your soul, it gets your emotion. I laughed, danced, and cried. See this film folks. Yeah, it's worth it.
Just saw "Ray." What a film. I'm not much of a movie goer so I'll put this in my own words (as I tend to do most of the time.) You've heard all the reviews about Jamie Foxx. That he could get an Oscar for his performance. My response? You bet your butt. Jamie Foxx hit a homerun. That said, many great acting jobs all around.
What struck me was the honesty. The depth of the heroin and womanizing even surprised me. You get a very hard portrayal of the man. The loss of his brother, the independent spirit, the creative abilities, the self-destruction. It's not always pretty, but it gets your soul, it gets your emotion. I laughed, danced, and cried. See this film folks. Yeah, it's worth it.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
2 out of 3! Volleyball rolling along
And the streak continues! After losing our first 11 games, Order on the Court (My volleyball team with Willow Creek) has won 3 of 4. We have 7 players now, and the continual rotating of players really seems to work well for us. We first did it in Match 12 and it was our first win. At least we're competitive. If you know me, you know this is an issue for me, so let me make this clear. I don't mind losing, I do mind not being able to be competitive. I think we've improved a lot and we're clicking.
We're basically the same team (mostly short, mostly female) except my boss John is on another team (the team we beat 2 of 3 today!) and we got a new guy Mike. He's my height and I call him Tipper because he never spikes the ball at the net, he just tips the ball and paints the line. It works 90 percent of the time, so no problem by me.
I also has a couple of hard slides today on the hardwood court. I don't wear kneepads, which I'm becoming inmfamous for. This is the first time I admit they might have come in handy. Something about the sound of human flesh sliding on hardwood... Doesn't sound good. Doesn't look good. Nothing good about it.
Except the ooh's and ahh's of the other players. I've always liked hearing that.
We're basically the same team (mostly short, mostly female) except my boss John is on another team (the team we beat 2 of 3 today!) and we got a new guy Mike. He's my height and I call him Tipper because he never spikes the ball at the net, he just tips the ball and paints the line. It works 90 percent of the time, so no problem by me.
I also has a couple of hard slides today on the hardwood court. I don't wear kneepads, which I'm becoming inmfamous for. This is the first time I admit they might have come in handy. Something about the sound of human flesh sliding on hardwood... Doesn't sound good. Doesn't look good. Nothing good about it.
Except the ooh's and ahh's of the other players. I've always liked hearing that.
Friday, October 29, 2004
For us the bell tolls...
Well we're done. Wheaton Academy fell in double overtime to Sycamore 2-1, marking the second time we've fallen in the state quarterfinals. Tough finish is the best I can say.
The pace went back and forth in the first half. We had a corner kick less than a minute in and just missed. They took over for most of the first until we controlled the last 10 minutes. Scoreless at halftime. We had several good chances, but just couldn't convert. We scored on a complete fluke where the ball bounced toward the Sycamore golaie and the wind took it off his hands and it trickled into the net. Lucky yes, but at the 21 minute mark we went up 1. They scored with 10 minutes left after a doink off the cross bar. Loads of traffic in front of our goal and they put in the 17th rebound. They won it off a diagonal cross that our keeper had trouble judging in the heavy wind. He tipped it right to a Sick-amore player and that was it.
We had a goal nullified on an offside penalty, which I'm used to seeing in most high school and college soccer games (and I've seen a LOT!) So I don't have to worry about sneaking out of work to drive 45 minutes to Naperville to catch the end. The Warriors took care of that for me.
Saw CJ, who was the guy who admitted me into Wheaton Academy. Now he's working at Tyndale Publishing in design. He told me how hard it is to get in there for work. Not the news I needed to hear. But he was the first guy I met at WA and he helped set the tone for my next 2 years. Two good years too.
Also saw Channing, a really neat girl. Goes to Wheaton College. From Texas. Hadn't seen her in a while. We had a nice chat. No more details.
I did get to go up into the press room. They had catered meals and I had to help myself. Never mind I'd just had a cheesesteak sandwich; I found room. Amazing what a little Daily Herald punch card will do for you...
Well, it's football playoff time in Illinois and the scores are coming in. Time to work. I'll check back in tomorrow night. Peace peeps!
The pace went back and forth in the first half. We had a corner kick less than a minute in and just missed. They took over for most of the first until we controlled the last 10 minutes. Scoreless at halftime. We had several good chances, but just couldn't convert. We scored on a complete fluke where the ball bounced toward the Sycamore golaie and the wind took it off his hands and it trickled into the net. Lucky yes, but at the 21 minute mark we went up 1. They scored with 10 minutes left after a doink off the cross bar. Loads of traffic in front of our goal and they put in the 17th rebound. They won it off a diagonal cross that our keeper had trouble judging in the heavy wind. He tipped it right to a Sick-amore player and that was it.
We had a goal nullified on an offside penalty, which I'm used to seeing in most high school and college soccer games (and I've seen a LOT!) So I don't have to worry about sneaking out of work to drive 45 minutes to Naperville to catch the end. The Warriors took care of that for me.
Saw CJ, who was the guy who admitted me into Wheaton Academy. Now he's working at Tyndale Publishing in design. He told me how hard it is to get in there for work. Not the news I needed to hear. But he was the first guy I met at WA and he helped set the tone for my next 2 years. Two good years too.
Also saw Channing, a really neat girl. Goes to Wheaton College. From Texas. Hadn't seen her in a while. We had a nice chat. No more details.
I did get to go up into the press room. They had catered meals and I had to help myself. Never mind I'd just had a cheesesteak sandwich; I found room. Amazing what a little Daily Herald punch card will do for you...
Well, it's football playoff time in Illinois and the scores are coming in. Time to work. I'll check back in tomorrow night. Peace peeps!
Fantasy football update
I don't have too much to say, so I thought I'd mention Blind Shock, my fantasy football team on Yahoo. I'm currently in 2nd place, which is pretty amazing. Out of my 5 wins, 3 of come by 8 points or less. TO and the Philly defense have done a lot of good for me. These are my thoughts on my guys this week and what I expect pointwise.
T. Green KC- Indy has the 32nd ranked passing defense in football. I want 2 touchdowns and 250 yards passing (17 points).
C. Martin JETS- Miami has their 2 defensive tackles back and they didn't play the Jets the last time these 2 teams played. 80 yards rushing would be a stretch, but I think he'll get 1 score. C-Mart always seems to find the endzone each week (12 points).
M. Moore Min- This one is the wild card. I picked this guy up this week and he may be that second running back I've been looking for all year. Apparently, he's set a team record for yards rushing in his first 3 games. I certainly don't want to see him kill the Giants, but they are around 20th in rushing defense and Randy Moss still isn't all the way back. Nonetheless, Minnesota will pass against the Giant suspect secondary (8 points).
T. Owens Phi- My first round pick after every running back was drafted. Give me another huge day for TO! (18 points)
R. Gardner Was- Just picked him up too with Michael Clayton of TB on a bye week. Just a fill-in (6 points).
J. McCareins JETS- Miami's passing defesne is excellent, so I can't expect too much from a guy who's done almost nothing for me. If he gets 60 yards catching or 1 score, that'll be fine (2 points).
B. Franks GB- Done nothing. Can Todd Heap come back soon enough? (2 points)
S. Janikoswki Oak- Passed Vanderjagt as my number one kicker. He's against SD and in 8 games against them, he has 13 field goals and 18 extra points. (12 points)
Phil. defense- No Jamal Lewis for Baltimore which improves my numbers considerably. I'll give the Raven offense 13 points, Philly 3 interceptions, and 2 sacks. (12 points)
79 points is a lot considering I average around 65 per week. As long as I outscore my opponent, it's fine by me. As of now, my opponent has no QB no No. 1 running back and no No. 1 WR because they're all from New Orleans and they're off this week. This one should be a cakewalk... Well off to CPK I go. And then onto the state tournament tonight. Go Warriors!!!!!
T. Green KC- Indy has the 32nd ranked passing defense in football. I want 2 touchdowns and 250 yards passing (17 points).
C. Martin JETS- Miami has their 2 defensive tackles back and they didn't play the Jets the last time these 2 teams played. 80 yards rushing would be a stretch, but I think he'll get 1 score. C-Mart always seems to find the endzone each week (12 points).
M. Moore Min- This one is the wild card. I picked this guy up this week and he may be that second running back I've been looking for all year. Apparently, he's set a team record for yards rushing in his first 3 games. I certainly don't want to see him kill the Giants, but they are around 20th in rushing defense and Randy Moss still isn't all the way back. Nonetheless, Minnesota will pass against the Giant suspect secondary (8 points).
T. Owens Phi- My first round pick after every running back was drafted. Give me another huge day for TO! (18 points)
R. Gardner Was- Just picked him up too with Michael Clayton of TB on a bye week. Just a fill-in (6 points).
J. McCareins JETS- Miami's passing defesne is excellent, so I can't expect too much from a guy who's done almost nothing for me. If he gets 60 yards catching or 1 score, that'll be fine (2 points).
B. Franks GB- Done nothing. Can Todd Heap come back soon enough? (2 points)
S. Janikoswki Oak- Passed Vanderjagt as my number one kicker. He's against SD and in 8 games against them, he has 13 field goals and 18 extra points. (12 points)
Phil. defense- No Jamal Lewis for Baltimore which improves my numbers considerably. I'll give the Raven offense 13 points, Philly 3 interceptions, and 2 sacks. (12 points)
79 points is a lot considering I average around 65 per week. As long as I outscore my opponent, it's fine by me. As of now, my opponent has no QB no No. 1 running back and no No. 1 WR because they're all from New Orleans and they're off this week. This one should be a cakewalk... Well off to CPK I go. And then onto the state tournament tonight. Go Warriors!!!!!
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
On to the state tournament!
Yes!
Wheaton Academy knocks off St. Francis 2-1 to advance to the Elite 8 state tournament this weekend in Naperville. For me any WA victory over St. Francis is sweet, but one to advance to a state tournament, well to quote Ric Flair, WHOOOOOOO!
Now it's us against Sycamore, probably the best team in Class A soccer. But Marmion tied them 1-1 and we beat Marmion twice this season.
Our team looks solid. Goalie Joe Selvaggio has given up just 16 goals in 20 games this year, less than 1 per game. No goalie is great without a reliable defense, and WA's with seniors Hunter Long and Colin Finch, has allowed 2 or more goals a game only twice this year.
Jason VanderVeen (who scored twice against the Spartans despite battling a flu bug), Alex Earl, and Tyler Keith our are top three scorers and they will have to utilize their excellent outside speed to get past Sycamore's aggressive (or dirty) defenders.
If WA can win this one, I say we have an excellent shot at winning the whole thing. Fenwick is out and Peoria Notre Dame and St. Viator are on the opposite side of the bracket. I'll be at North Central College Friday night and I'll give my report and thoughts on the game by Saturday. Will Wheaton Academy win girls and guys soccer state titles in one calendar year after never having won a state title in 130 years? Hmm, that wouldn't be bad... Let's Go Warriors!
Wheaton Academy knocks off St. Francis 2-1 to advance to the Elite 8 state tournament this weekend in Naperville. For me any WA victory over St. Francis is sweet, but one to advance to a state tournament, well to quote Ric Flair, WHOOOOOOO!
Now it's us against Sycamore, probably the best team in Class A soccer. But Marmion tied them 1-1 and we beat Marmion twice this season.
Our team looks solid. Goalie Joe Selvaggio has given up just 16 goals in 20 games this year, less than 1 per game. No goalie is great without a reliable defense, and WA's with seniors Hunter Long and Colin Finch, has allowed 2 or more goals a game only twice this year.
Jason VanderVeen (who scored twice against the Spartans despite battling a flu bug), Alex Earl, and Tyler Keith our are top three scorers and they will have to utilize their excellent outside speed to get past Sycamore's aggressive (or dirty) defenders.
If WA can win this one, I say we have an excellent shot at winning the whole thing. Fenwick is out and Peoria Notre Dame and St. Viator are on the opposite side of the bracket. I'll be at North Central College Friday night and I'll give my report and thoughts on the game by Saturday. Will Wheaton Academy win girls and guys soccer state titles in one calendar year after never having won a state title in 130 years? Hmm, that wouldn't be bad... Let's Go Warriors!
The Herminator
From msgnetwork.com
"Earlier this week, Jets coach Herman Edwards said his team could take something positive from playing a close game with New England despite losing.
But Edwards took a different tack Wednesday, railing against the perception the Jets took a moral victory from the 13-7 loss.
'That's hogwash,' Edwards said. 'For people to say that, it's a shame. Shame on them, because it's really sad, because when the game is over with, no one is in the locker room except the coach and the players and the staff. How I address the team, nobody hears that except for me and the players. For someone to write that, that's a sad, sad commentary.'"
So to anyone who thinks I or any Jet fan should be satisfied with a moral victory, I say you are basically clueless. Remember. You play to win the game! On to Miami back in East Rutherford and let's go to 6-1.
"Earlier this week, Jets coach Herman Edwards said his team could take something positive from playing a close game with New England despite losing.
But Edwards took a different tack Wednesday, railing against the perception the Jets took a moral victory from the 13-7 loss.
'That's hogwash,' Edwards said. 'For people to say that, it's a shame. Shame on them, because it's really sad, because when the game is over with, no one is in the locker room except the coach and the players and the staff. How I address the team, nobody hears that except for me and the players. For someone to write that, that's a sad, sad commentary.'"
So to anyone who thinks I or any Jet fan should be satisfied with a moral victory, I say you are basically clueless. Remember. You play to win the game! On to Miami back in East Rutherford and let's go to 6-1.
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
My prayer for this brutal series...
One comment and I'll end this post...
How great would it be if after the Red Sox came back from 3-0 to beat the Yankess, the Cardinals came back from 3 down to beat the Red Sox?!
How great would it be if after the Red Sox came back from 3-0 to beat the Yankess, the Cardinals came back from 3 down to beat the Red Sox?!
Monday, October 25, 2004
Ray Charles
I never go to movies. I've been inside a movie theater 4 times in the last 4 years. I saw Miracle, Ocean's 11 (where I fell asleep), and 2 others I can't remember. Guess that gives you an idea of how good those ones were. But I will be at Charlestowne, Batavia, or some where when Ray comes out. I'm pumped to see the new documentary on Ray Charles. He's a music legend, but not too well known when it comes to his personal life. Now I'm a huge fan of older music. But I didn't even know the man had a heroin problem. I hear it's a good honest portrayal of the Genius. I'll watch it and check back for a review.
Even though I don't watch movies in the theater, I probably should start assembling a DvD collection. Right now I have 4 DVD packages, 2 are wrestling (WHOOOOOO!) and 2 are live concerts (Eagles, Jim Croce). Good Lord, why am I admitting this? Here's my short wish list in no particular order:
1) Good Will Hunting (reminds me of college)
2) The Negotiator
3) A Few Good Men
4) In the Line of Fire (John Malkovich, enough said)
5) The Fugitive
Probably there are more, but that's all for now. For now, I should probably start replacing my CD's. Stupid things are getting all scratched! My first CD that I brought was the Creedence Clearwater Revival Chronicle. Guess I'm stuck in the 60's and 70's. If you ever see a rap album in my car, call 911, because someone has broken in. Later.
Even though I don't watch movies in the theater, I probably should start assembling a DvD collection. Right now I have 4 DVD packages, 2 are wrestling (WHOOOOOO!) and 2 are live concerts (Eagles, Jim Croce). Good Lord, why am I admitting this? Here's my short wish list in no particular order:
1) Good Will Hunting (reminds me of college)
2) The Negotiator
3) A Few Good Men
4) In the Line of Fire (John Malkovich, enough said)
5) The Fugitive
Probably there are more, but that's all for now. For now, I should probably start replacing my CD's. Stupid things are getting all scratched! My first CD that I brought was the Creedence Clearwater Revival Chronicle. Guess I'm stuck in the 60's and 70's. If you ever see a rap album in my car, call 911, because someone has broken in. Later.
Sunday, October 24, 2004
World Series Game 1 Notes and baseball musings, WA soccer
Well to my college pals in NE, good for you. At least I don't have to hear any more of that hogwash about how tortured Boston sports fans are.
I give St. Louis credit for coming back like they did. I didn't know if they would. And if Woody Williams didn't pitch like such a stiff, it might turn out differently. But Bill Mueller should be batting second. He'll always put the ball in play and move Damon around the bases when he has the chance. One note on my prediction of St. Louis winning. I forgot. How any team with Roger Cedeno can have the best record in baseball is an act of God. The 25 man rosters are interesting. St. Louis has 1 more pitcher on their roster than Boston and the longer that series goes, the more important that could become.
As for the Met manager search, there's one guy I want and I don't know if Omar Minaya will interview him... our former second baseman Wally Backman. Now I know this guy has no major league expereince but think about it. He's been managing in the minors for 5 years. He preaches a fast aggressive style of play. With Reyes Matsui and Wright leading off our order, they're perfect for that style. And Wally's teammates loved him. He was always a great clubhouse guy. So the players of today can probably relate to a guy with his enthusiasm and scrappiness. He's 1 of 3 finalists for the Arizona job. It would be good to see him get it. Wille Randolph would be fine too. As long as it's not Jim Riggleman. Just the name rings last place!
Good news. Wheaton Academy beats Kaneland 1-0 and we're in the Sweet Sixteen. And it's the lovely Spartans of St. Francis and we're playing them Tuesday in the Somonauk sectional. Somonauk is a good hour and 20 minutes west of Wheaton. It's getting into rural Illinois, like DeKalb and NIU. Doesn't it seem weird that both these teams have to travel 1:20 west to play this game. Win this and it's into the state tournament where we'll probably play ultra-tough Sycamore. We'll see how it all shakes up.
I took Hogan for a walk through Wheaton College today. It's real easy to attract attention when you have a cute blonde with 4 legs and a flopping tongue by your side. He saw a really big blonde dog and boy did he want a piece. I wonder what feelings are really behind the growl.
Gotta get up at 6 am to go to the airport. On a Sunday! Just not right. just not right. just not right. Well the fried chicken will make it better... Later everybody.
I give St. Louis credit for coming back like they did. I didn't know if they would. And if Woody Williams didn't pitch like such a stiff, it might turn out differently. But Bill Mueller should be batting second. He'll always put the ball in play and move Damon around the bases when he has the chance. One note on my prediction of St. Louis winning. I forgot. How any team with Roger Cedeno can have the best record in baseball is an act of God. The 25 man rosters are interesting. St. Louis has 1 more pitcher on their roster than Boston and the longer that series goes, the more important that could become.
As for the Met manager search, there's one guy I want and I don't know if Omar Minaya will interview him... our former second baseman Wally Backman. Now I know this guy has no major league expereince but think about it. He's been managing in the minors for 5 years. He preaches a fast aggressive style of play. With Reyes Matsui and Wright leading off our order, they're perfect for that style. And Wally's teammates loved him. He was always a great clubhouse guy. So the players of today can probably relate to a guy with his enthusiasm and scrappiness. He's 1 of 3 finalists for the Arizona job. It would be good to see him get it. Wille Randolph would be fine too. As long as it's not Jim Riggleman. Just the name rings last place!
Good news. Wheaton Academy beats Kaneland 1-0 and we're in the Sweet Sixteen. And it's the lovely Spartans of St. Francis and we're playing them Tuesday in the Somonauk sectional. Somonauk is a good hour and 20 minutes west of Wheaton. It's getting into rural Illinois, like DeKalb and NIU. Doesn't it seem weird that both these teams have to travel 1:20 west to play this game. Win this and it's into the state tournament where we'll probably play ultra-tough Sycamore. We'll see how it all shakes up.
I took Hogan for a walk through Wheaton College today. It's real easy to attract attention when you have a cute blonde with 4 legs and a flopping tongue by your side. He saw a really big blonde dog and boy did he want a piece. I wonder what feelings are really behind the growl.
Gotta get up at 6 am to go to the airport. On a Sunday! Just not right. just not right. just not right. Well the fried chicken will make it better... Later everybody.
Friday, October 22, 2004
Fantasy basketball outlook
Well, I'm trying to get past the disappointment of no hockey this year by doing something I didn't think I'd do again. Following basketball. I signed up for 2 fantasy leagues, and I have basically have the same roster for both teams.
Here they are:
Clyde da King
Steve Francis, Orl
Jamal Crawford, NY
Baron Davis, NO
Richard Jefferson, NJ
Kurt Thomas, NY
Wally Sczerbiak, Min
Eddy Curry, Chi
Stromile Swift, Mem
Dwayne Wade, Mia
Bonzi Wells, Mem
Shane Battier, Mem
Vin Baker, NY
Brian Grant, LAL
I didn't realize how many Memphis Grizzlies I have on this team. Ouch.
Here's number 2. (Bold names are repeated).
Garden Party
Steve Francis
Bonzi Wells
Baron Davis
Richard Jefferson
Samuel Delambert, Phi
Kurt Thomas
Eddy Curry
Emeka Okafor, Cha
Jason Kidd, NJ
Tim Thomas, NY
Reggie Miller, Ind
Stromile Swift
Vin Baker
Well I for one think team number 2 looks a little better. Hopefully I'll do well enough in one to keep my interest and not make me miss hockey too much.
Man this baseball game's a complete joke. An absolute catastrophe. I just cannot and will not root for New England against New York. That said, I will take a Jet win this Sunday if it means the Red Sox win tonight. It would be beautiful to see the Jets end that 20 game winning streak the Pats have. Well mom I know you don't just want to read my thoughts on sports so I'll switch the subject. Later folks.
Here they are:
Clyde da King
Steve Francis, Orl
Jamal Crawford, NY
Baron Davis, NO
Richard Jefferson, NJ
Kurt Thomas, NY
Wally Sczerbiak, Min
Eddy Curry, Chi
Stromile Swift, Mem
Dwayne Wade, Mia
Bonzi Wells, Mem
Shane Battier, Mem
Vin Baker, NY
Brian Grant, LAL
I didn't realize how many Memphis Grizzlies I have on this team. Ouch.
Here's number 2. (Bold names are repeated).
Garden Party
Steve Francis
Bonzi Wells
Baron Davis
Richard Jefferson
Samuel Delambert, Phi
Kurt Thomas
Eddy Curry
Emeka Okafor, Cha
Jason Kidd, NJ
Tim Thomas, NY
Reggie Miller, Ind
Stromile Swift
Vin Baker
Well I for one think team number 2 looks a little better. Hopefully I'll do well enough in one to keep my interest and not make me miss hockey too much.
Man this baseball game's a complete joke. An absolute catastrophe. I just cannot and will not root for New England against New York. That said, I will take a Jet win this Sunday if it means the Red Sox win tonight. It would be beautiful to see the Jets end that 20 game winning streak the Pats have. Well mom I know you don't just want to read my thoughts on sports so I'll switch the subject. Later folks.
Music, voting, Enterprise
That "Some Beach" by Blake Shelton is one catchy song. Now if you live in the New York area, there's no way to know that since they have no country radio. But as the temperature is dropping, that song makes me feel pretty good. Especially with the little aggravations I deal with day to day. Reminds me of the hammocks at the camp I laid in over in Ecuador. When I go to Mexico in November, it'll definitely kick in. Should be a sweet tip over Thanksgiving. Don't know what kind of turkeys they have down there, but we'll see. I'll just make sure I don't drink the water.
Oh, this post was originally supposed to be about music. Never mind that, let's move on. I got some voting information at church last Sunday. I've never voted, but this November, I believe I will. These papers compared where the 2 candidates side on the main subjects. Kerry's support of stem cell may be good or bad, hard for me to say at this point. But Bush supports the recent tax cuts, opposes abortions, and opposes gay marriages, so right now, that's who I'm voting for. And to my friends in Boston, please don't vote for Kerry just because he roots for the Red Sox!
The last election was hysterical. I was at Gordon, sophomore year. All of us (Ferrin Hall, Floor 3), stayed up until 3 a.m. positive we'd find out the winner. We were watching this like it was Sportscenter. We're calling each other into each other's rooms. Bush got Tennessee! The way Florida was going, none of us knew how they'd break that state down. It was like Gore got Miami, Bush got Tampa, and Gore got Disney World!
Had a job interview at Enterprise for a management training program. Should hear from them by Tuesday. It went about 25 minutes and I think it went well. Pretty positive conversation and I think she was looking to see how well I could speak with people. But we'll see what happens. And to a ceratin somebody, no, if I don't get the job, I won't take it personally. Ok, off to the Daily Herald. It's football pairings night. To all my peeps, later
Oh, this post was originally supposed to be about music. Never mind that, let's move on. I got some voting information at church last Sunday. I've never voted, but this November, I believe I will. These papers compared where the 2 candidates side on the main subjects. Kerry's support of stem cell may be good or bad, hard for me to say at this point. But Bush supports the recent tax cuts, opposes abortions, and opposes gay marriages, so right now, that's who I'm voting for. And to my friends in Boston, please don't vote for Kerry just because he roots for the Red Sox!
The last election was hysterical. I was at Gordon, sophomore year. All of us (Ferrin Hall, Floor 3), stayed up until 3 a.m. positive we'd find out the winner. We were watching this like it was Sportscenter. We're calling each other into each other's rooms. Bush got Tennessee! The way Florida was going, none of us knew how they'd break that state down. It was like Gore got Miami, Bush got Tampa, and Gore got Disney World!
Had a job interview at Enterprise for a management training program. Should hear from them by Tuesday. It went about 25 minutes and I think it went well. Pretty positive conversation and I think she was looking to see how well I could speak with people. But we'll see what happens. And to a ceratin somebody, no, if I don't get the job, I won't take it personally. Ok, off to the Daily Herald. It's football pairings night. To all my peeps, later
I've decided not to title this one.
Well, let's see.
World Series = Boston vs. St. Louis.
Lineups
I think the Cards are better 3-5 but the Red Sox are better 1-8/9.
Pitching
Haven't heard the rotation for St. Louis yet. Boston has Wakefield Schilling and Pedro and probably Lowe. I'm guessing Williams, Marquis, Morris, Suppan. Red Sox get the edge. I like St. Louis in the bullpen. The Red Sox seem to have more, but the Cards have some guys who just get the big guys out. (Tavarez, Haren, King).
I expect a lot of 6-5 or so games. Count on some runs being scored. But I think Edgar Renteria and Jim Edmonds will have great series and I say St. Louis wins in 7.
1918 LIVES!
Good news from high school soccer playoff action. Wheaton Academy knocks off Marmion 2-1 to win the regional and is going to Somonauk (1 hour from home)to play Kaneland on Saturday. Should be pretty easy. The Knights can score, but they have no defense at all. Kind of like the New York Rangers. Then we'll probably play our buddies, St. Francis, who beat us at home last year to knock us out. Let's return the favor this year. Win that, and we're in the elite 8 state tournament. Since I'm off from work on Saturday, I may go.
Remember the White House? The fried chicken? The onion rings? The mashed potatoes? The rolls? The salad bar? OK, I haven't spent much time at the salad bar, but I hear it's good. I'm going Sunday. So I'll try to eat OK before I load up. And then I'm supposed to play volleyball that afternoon! How will I be able to move? Odds are we'll get our butts whipped again, as we're 0-3 in matches and 0-9 in individual games played. I just want to win ONE GAME! Is that too much to ask?
And of course, it's the Jets vs. the lovely Patriots. I absolutely believe the Jets can win. I just don't think it's going to happen. I think it'll be a 17-14 game or so, with a lot of turnovers and punts. But it's only Week 6. There's a lot more regular season to come. Whether Gang Green wins or loses, I won't make too big a deal out of it.
Well that's all for now. Write me some comments and let me know if this is a good read. Even if you don't think so, say it's a good read anyway.
World Series = Boston vs. St. Louis.
Lineups
I think the Cards are better 3-5 but the Red Sox are better 1-8/9.
Pitching
Haven't heard the rotation for St. Louis yet. Boston has Wakefield Schilling and Pedro and probably Lowe. I'm guessing Williams, Marquis, Morris, Suppan. Red Sox get the edge. I like St. Louis in the bullpen. The Red Sox seem to have more, but the Cards have some guys who just get the big guys out. (Tavarez, Haren, King).
I expect a lot of 6-5 or so games. Count on some runs being scored. But I think Edgar Renteria and Jim Edmonds will have great series and I say St. Louis wins in 7.
1918 LIVES!
Good news from high school soccer playoff action. Wheaton Academy knocks off Marmion 2-1 to win the regional and is going to Somonauk (1 hour from home)to play Kaneland on Saturday. Should be pretty easy. The Knights can score, but they have no defense at all. Kind of like the New York Rangers. Then we'll probably play our buddies, St. Francis, who beat us at home last year to knock us out. Let's return the favor this year. Win that, and we're in the elite 8 state tournament. Since I'm off from work on Saturday, I may go.
Remember the White House? The fried chicken? The onion rings? The mashed potatoes? The rolls? The salad bar? OK, I haven't spent much time at the salad bar, but I hear it's good. I'm going Sunday. So I'll try to eat OK before I load up. And then I'm supposed to play volleyball that afternoon! How will I be able to move? Odds are we'll get our butts whipped again, as we're 0-3 in matches and 0-9 in individual games played. I just want to win ONE GAME! Is that too much to ask?
And of course, it's the Jets vs. the lovely Patriots. I absolutely believe the Jets can win. I just don't think it's going to happen. I think it'll be a 17-14 game or so, with a lot of turnovers and punts. But it's only Week 6. There's a lot more regular season to come. Whether Gang Green wins or loses, I won't make too big a deal out of it.
Well that's all for now. Write me some comments and let me know if this is a good read. Even if you don't think so, say it's a good read anyway.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Welcome to the main event
So this is a blog...
Nice.
Maybe I'll stay around for a while.
I'll be going to work early tomorrow so I'll just write down a few thoughts I have now.
1) Why does it have to feel like it's 20 degrees outside when we haven't hit Halloween yet?
2) I just got a new watch, an NFL workout watch from Avon. Nice stuff. I've never worn a watch for more than 24 hours at a time in my life. Yet for some reason, I like this one. It's not too complex, but it's got that really nice blue light that glows.
3) I haven't had GOOD fried chicken in a while. There's this one place, the White House in Dixon, IL that is phenomenal. And you should taste their onion rings, hot, crispy, yet, not a heavy oily taste. But you bite into KFC and you can't tell the juice from the grease. Ahh.
4) Yanks win 3, Red Sox win 3. This will be an awesome game 7. Even if the Red Sox win it, you know what will happen? Houston wins the NL and Clemens beats Boston in Fenway in Game 7!
5) Whatever happened to everyone I knew on AIM? My old computer crashed in June and I just got a new one in mid September. I knew 20 people on AIM from college, church, etc. I think I've chatted with 4 of them in the last month. Is there some sort of abduction going on? Oh, those tycoons at Yahoo...
6) You know Ken Jennings, the guy who won 76 consecutive Jeopardy! games? (Notice you have to put the exclamation point afterwards.) Omar Minaya, meet the new manager of the New York Mets!
7) It's tough living in Illinois when so many of my friends are in New England. And as much as I work it's tough to have a social life. Tough, but I do what I can.
8) I like to write. That way, I can go back and change what I've said. I wish I could do that in my conversations each day. I could get used to this...
Nice.
Maybe I'll stay around for a while.
I'll be going to work early tomorrow so I'll just write down a few thoughts I have now.
1) Why does it have to feel like it's 20 degrees outside when we haven't hit Halloween yet?
2) I just got a new watch, an NFL workout watch from Avon. Nice stuff. I've never worn a watch for more than 24 hours at a time in my life. Yet for some reason, I like this one. It's not too complex, but it's got that really nice blue light that glows.
3) I haven't had GOOD fried chicken in a while. There's this one place, the White House in Dixon, IL that is phenomenal. And you should taste their onion rings, hot, crispy, yet, not a heavy oily taste. But you bite into KFC and you can't tell the juice from the grease. Ahh.
4) Yanks win 3, Red Sox win 3. This will be an awesome game 7. Even if the Red Sox win it, you know what will happen? Houston wins the NL and Clemens beats Boston in Fenway in Game 7!
5) Whatever happened to everyone I knew on AIM? My old computer crashed in June and I just got a new one in mid September. I knew 20 people on AIM from college, church, etc. I think I've chatted with 4 of them in the last month. Is there some sort of abduction going on? Oh, those tycoons at Yahoo...
6) You know Ken Jennings, the guy who won 76 consecutive Jeopardy! games? (Notice you have to put the exclamation point afterwards.) Omar Minaya, meet the new manager of the New York Mets!
7) It's tough living in Illinois when so many of my friends are in New England. And as much as I work it's tough to have a social life. Tough, but I do what I can.
8) I like to write. That way, I can go back and change what I've said. I wish I could do that in my conversations each day. I could get used to this...
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