The Manhattan Center is far more intimate than the Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge. The ceiling is lower, the fans are on top of each other, creating better acoustics. The problem was we seemed very low to the ring. I couldn't even see the floor of the ring. So if I returned, I would go for the balcony. I like the concession stand. They sold NY pretzels by the half for one dollar! But there was one other thing NY had that Chicago doesn't have. A bar. I didn't drink there, but with the liquor readily available to these fans, I was a little caught off guard. I was just hoping they wouln't get too rowdy. Suffice to say, I was not spending 8 bucks for a beer. Then I ran into analyst Lenny Leonard before the show and we talked about New York City, New Year's, and our beloved Jets.
I would rate the show (called Rising Above) as good to very good. There were no bad matches, but no blow away matches. The world title match between Nigel McGuinness and Austin Aries was the best of the night. And Kevin Steen and El Generico got an amazing reaction. But we were disappointed in the Dragon-Morishima match, for which our hopes were so high. Dragon started bleeding one minute into the match and Morishima was disqualified after 7 minutes. We were pissed. That really put a damper on the whole night. I did buy Dad a Bryan Danielson t-shirt for a late Christmas gift.
The show ended at 11:30 and we headed down the stairs and over to Tir na nog. We were absolutely crammed in this tiny space, about 100 of us in all. They started passing out the appetizers before the wrestlers even showed. The steak skewers with the remoulade were excellent. The chicken drummettes were fresh and hot. The BBQ quesadillas were good too. Then they brought in 35 pizzas. I'll never forget it. We open the first box and it has spinach. One big guy (who looked like David Ortiz) gets it out of the way. We open the next one and it's plain cheese. Eight guys come in and all at once, we each rip a slice out of the box. It was so sudden and so aggressive, it was like an atom got split eight different ways. We wiped out those pizzas like we were at a Weight Watchers convention.
Then the guys showed up and I met a load of them. There were quite a few no-shows. Unfortunately, Danielson was not there. Nigel wasn't either (though I found out he later had a concussion, a broken nose, and 14 stitches that night), Davey Richards, Jack Evans, Ruckus, Steen, Generico, and Marufuji. I first met Bushwacker Luke who I loved as a kid. As much crap as I took for liking them, it was cool to meet him in person. Ring announcer Bobby Cruise gave me more crap about Chad Pennington and the Jets. I congratulated him on his f'n Pats going undefeated. He asked me why I was wearing the jersey and I said he was my favorite player. He just looks at me in awe/disgust and mutters, "You son of a bitch." It was hysterical.
A few guys deserve special mention. Matt Cross was great to talk to. First he was with a girl about 4 inches taller than him and he's shorter than me, which was cool. I want Julius Smokes' wardrobe. With his "pimp-esque" suit, I think Isiah Thomas his getting fashion tips from Julius. Jimmy Jacobs, who Dad cursed at all night, actually stopped and talked to me! I told him I wished he could do some more Karaoke with Nigel. Larry Sweeney is as smooth off the camera as he is on. He and Chris Hero were ribbing Bobby Dempsey in the restaurant, checking his diet, snatching away his Coke, and getting him "Diet water." And this was in front of Dad, me, and maybe two other fans. They didn't need everyone's attention, they just wanted to have fun. Dad and I thanked Adam Pearce for his amazing promo at the Driven show and for entertaining us.
But the best was Roderick Strong. He drank like crazy at the last show, but I guess I got him at a good time. I told him how his match with Danielson absolutely hooked me into Ring of Honor and he gave me a bit of a hug. Considering how much heat he gets from the fans, that was cool. I wished they respected him more, because he deserves it. I also shook hands with the Briscoes, Claudio, Chris Hero, and Brent Albright. And best of all, Dad had way more fun than he thought he would. He couldn't get over how friendly everyone was and what a cool place Tir na nog was.
And I have to credit Greg H for putting these parties together. He's just a fan in his 50's with another job and the party cost him several thousand dollars. His sacrifice is something I have to just stand back and applaud.
We left the party at 1:15 am and got back at 1:50. I was in bed by 2:30 am and woke up around 9:30 on Sunday. I was useless all day. We went to a local deli to pick some cold cuts and rolls, but I had no energy. So in the early part of the afternoon, we watched football and that lovely Knicks-Bulls game. A STELLAR effort by Isiah Thomas' joke of a team. Watching it in high def, the Knicks still don't move on defense. Then I watched the Jets beat the Chiefs in overtime. Great, the Jets won, now they drop four draft spots. Even when this team wins, they lose.
So Uncle Brian came over from Staten Island. We pigged out on Italian sandwiches, shrimp oreganata, pigs in a blanket, and cheesecake and watched the Rangers win an amazing overtime game 4-3 over Montreal. End to end action in the first period, the Rangers blow a lead, tie it 3-3 with 6 minutes left, and Brendan Shanahan scores the game-winner on a breakaway.
My flight home was brutal. Screaming kids around me and a few young couples all over each other right next to me. Throw in the snow that delayed us 30 minutes on the runway AFTER we landed and it was almost enough to make me vomit. It makes me wonder. What's the desire to do something crazy? Just to have a wild story to tell? I wonder about why some people prioritize certain things. But then I think about me. I read an analogy this weekend that we don't remember the speeched at graduation, we remember when we graduate. We don't necessarily remember our wedding vows, we remember the process of getting married. And I have been so worried about saying just the right words in just the right way to get a specific reaction. So I realized it's not really about the words I say, or even the thoughts I think, but what matters are my actions. It's about what I choose to do every day. Years down the road, people won't remember too many of my words, but they will remember my deeds. They will remember how I treated them.
Song pick: "I Should Have Never Started Loving You" Marshall Tucker Band. Feels right for New Year's Eve.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Chicago's thin crust pizza is a joke! (NY Part 1)
I am back on time from New York City and it is a snowy New Year's Eve in Chicago. Coming home on Rt 59, a car in front of us skidded and we had to swerve to our left onto the median to avoid a crash. But let's go back to Friday.
First of all, I am quickly becoming addicted to Painted Yahtzee. Over the 3 days I was at his house, I played 10 games against Dad and won 6, including 3 on my final roll of the game! He took it well. But I don't think there's anyone he'd rather lose to than me.
I actually got two Whose Line Season One DVD's as a late Christmas gift! I'm very pumped up about that. Hopefully, the next few seasons will be out soon, particularly the episode with Richard Simmons...I really wanted to save some money instead of eating out at pricey restaurants so we made a boneless prime rib and I added some roasted potatoes and asparagus. His oven was built around the time gas burners were invented so it took a while to cook. Nonetheless, everything came out great. And he got some mini-cheesecakes from Junior's. The pumpkin was my fave.
Saturday was the big day. We took a 2:30 train into New York and got in a little after 3. Before the Ring of Honor show, we stopped at Tir na nog, where the post-show party was going to happen. Dad doesn't drink much, but we decided to stop in and get a drink. Much to my dismay, there was no Bass or Brooklyn Lager available, so I opted for a Smithwick's. I didn't remember that beer getting me so woozy! And Dad got the spiciest Bloody Mary he'd ever drank! So we walked by the Manhattan Center. I saw Sara Del Rey going in and said hi. We walked another 10 seconds and Claudio Castagnoli walks right by us! I wished him luck and he said thanks. He walked in and about 20 fans outside all went "Heeeeeeeeeeey!" Classic stuff.
So Dad and I started up 8th Avenue for the 11 block walk. It was a comfortable, cool, busy night in Manhattan. No wind, not too cold, no precipitation. 5 blocks in, we pass a Gray's Papaya, a famous NY hot dog joint that also serves tropical fruit drinks. The dogs are only $1.25, compared to $2.25 at Portillo's in Chicago. We each had a dog and I also had a pina colada (No alcohol in this one) drink. There was a spice to the frank that I just don't get in Chicago. They were marvelous. I used to say between the two towns, Chicago had the edge for hot dogs. Now I'd say they have the edge in toppings. We continued uptown to John's, right in the middle of the theater district. Right around us were Les Mis and the Phantom of the Opera. So we go inside into an absolutely packed waiting area. It was like a NY subway on a Monday morning rush hour. I figured we had a 90 minute wait ahead, but they told me 25 minutes and they were right. So we sat in this dining room that used to be a church and his been remodeled. The stained glass windows do give the place a very charming and relaxing feel. This is a shot of the famed ceiling.
First of all, I am quickly becoming addicted to Painted Yahtzee. Over the 3 days I was at his house, I played 10 games against Dad and won 6, including 3 on my final roll of the game! He took it well. But I don't think there's anyone he'd rather lose to than me.
I actually got two Whose Line Season One DVD's as a late Christmas gift! I'm very pumped up about that. Hopefully, the next few seasons will be out soon, particularly the episode with Richard Simmons...I really wanted to save some money instead of eating out at pricey restaurants so we made a boneless prime rib and I added some roasted potatoes and asparagus. His oven was built around the time gas burners were invented so it took a while to cook. Nonetheless, everything came out great. And he got some mini-cheesecakes from Junior's. The pumpkin was my fave.
Saturday was the big day. We took a 2:30 train into New York and got in a little after 3. Before the Ring of Honor show, we stopped at Tir na nog, where the post-show party was going to happen. Dad doesn't drink much, but we decided to stop in and get a drink. Much to my dismay, there was no Bass or Brooklyn Lager available, so I opted for a Smithwick's. I didn't remember that beer getting me so woozy! And Dad got the spiciest Bloody Mary he'd ever drank! So we walked by the Manhattan Center. I saw Sara Del Rey going in and said hi. We walked another 10 seconds and Claudio Castagnoli walks right by us! I wished him luck and he said thanks. He walked in and about 20 fans outside all went "Heeeeeeeeeeey!" Classic stuff.
So Dad and I started up 8th Avenue for the 11 block walk. It was a comfortable, cool, busy night in Manhattan. No wind, not too cold, no precipitation. 5 blocks in, we pass a Gray's Papaya, a famous NY hot dog joint that also serves tropical fruit drinks. The dogs are only $1.25, compared to $2.25 at Portillo's in Chicago. We each had a dog and I also had a pina colada (No alcohol in this one) drink. There was a spice to the frank that I just don't get in Chicago. They were marvelous. I used to say between the two towns, Chicago had the edge for hot dogs. Now I'd say they have the edge in toppings. We continued uptown to John's, right in the middle of the theater district. Right around us were Les Mis and the Phantom of the Opera. So we go inside into an absolutely packed waiting area. It was like a NY subway on a Monday morning rush hour. I figured we had a 90 minute wait ahead, but they told me 25 minutes and they were right. So we sat in this dining room that used to be a church and his been remodeled. The stained glass windows do give the place a very charming and relaxing feel. This is a shot of the famed ceiling.
We had to wait 10 minutes for a waiter, but we ordered a pizza that not only came out in about 5 minutes, but the taste absolutely amazed us. My half had sausage and mushrooms and Dad's side had sausage and ground beef with no cheese. The crust was crispy and chewy. The sauce was rich and very Italian. The sausage was well seasoned and tasted very fresh. Finishing my three slices was an absolute breeze. I give John's an A and I'm only taking the plus away because they don't offer free refills on drinks.
So we headed back downtown towards the Manhattan Center. On the way, Dad though he felt something on his shoe. He bent down to flick it off and felt the glass cut his index finger open.
We stopped at the New Yorker hotel (where ROH used to run shows by the way) and the doorguy was nice enough to give us bandages and Neosporin. So then we waited outside for about an hour to go in and I chatted with some NYC ROH fans and gave them the Chicago perspective. But the whole hour, I was terrified because I heard the security staff was going to check us with actual metal detectors. I had my digital camera and was very worried it was going to be confiscated. So I figured out a place to hide it and hoped and prayed for the best. Thankfully, I got it through. Then we had to climb seven flights of stairs to get to the Grand Ballroom. And Dad has a bad right knee and he wound up feeling the pain around flight #4. Finally we we reached the apex. Floor #7. Time for Ring of Honor.
So we headed back downtown towards the Manhattan Center. On the way, Dad though he felt something on his shoe. He bent down to flick it off and felt the glass cut his index finger open.
We stopped at the New Yorker hotel (where ROH used to run shows by the way) and the doorguy was nice enough to give us bandages and Neosporin. So then we waited outside for about an hour to go in and I chatted with some NYC ROH fans and gave them the Chicago perspective. But the whole hour, I was terrified because I heard the security staff was going to check us with actual metal detectors. I had my digital camera and was very worried it was going to be confiscated. So I figured out a place to hide it and hoped and prayed for the best. Thankfully, I got it through. Then we had to climb seven flights of stairs to get to the Grand Ballroom. And Dad has a bad right knee and he wound up feeling the pain around flight #4. Finally we we reached the apex. Floor #7. Time for Ring of Honor.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Right through the very heart of it...ROH preview!
Well, my plane leaves in 9 hours. I'm only spending one day in NYC, Saturday. As for food, I don't think steak is in the plans this time, which is fine. But I've convinced my dad to eat at John's Pizzeria, which is amazing considering he doesn't eat dairy. This is a place I've seen promoted on the Travel Channel a few times. Located near Times Square, it used to be a church for many years. On one hand, it is sad that a house of worship is now a restaurant. But it still has the stained glass windows and people say despite the craziness of the street right outside, this is a very homey place to visit. I'm really excited to try this pizza.
From there, it's off to the Manhattan Center for Ring of Honor's 5th PPV Taping. Yes, the Chad Pennington jersey is folded and inside the Lands End suitcase. I'm really excited for this card, this is as excited I've been for a show since last June when Driven blew my mind. But I hear the security at the Manhattan Center is ruthless there and I really want to bring my camera to the show. I'm trying to think of some place to hide it while they search me... Anyway, here's the lineup with my predictions.
ROH World Title Match: Nigel McGuinness vs. Austin Aries
A lot of interesting subplots here. Can Aries become the first two-time ROH world champ? How's McGuinness' left biceps, which has been torn off the bone? After all, that is the arm which he throws his tradmark lariats. And these two haven't wrestled in a singles match against each other in almost two years. Nigel won the World title in September, but has been injured since. He's on a mission to make his reign as World Champion, which he has worked so hard and so long to get, count. Though I would love to see Aries win, I pick Nigel to retain.
ROH World Tag Team Title Match- Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls
Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong & Rocky Romero
Time for the No Remorse Corpse to man up! The Briscoes have won eight straight falls in 2 of 3 matches; it is their specialty. Roderick is focused on his World title shot next January in Chicago and I just don't see Rocky as a champion again. The Briscoes win two straight falls again and establish themselves as the best tag team in the world.
Bryan Danielson vs. Takeshi Morishima
This match will tear the house down. The best wrestler in the world has a score to settle with the Japanese monster who held the ROH title for 8 months. Shima has beaten the American Dragon in all three of their matches, though one was by DQ. In their first match, he nearly terminated Dragon's vision in his left eye. He actually wound up detaching his retina. In their last match, Dragon was disqualified for repeatedly stomping Morishima in the...Shimas... So these two have a score to settle. Despite his recent losing streak, Danielson knows he needs to win this match to move on in his career and prove he should get a shot at the World title he held for almost two years. I say Dragon knocks Shima out with the repeated MMA elbows to the head.
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Hero
Heyyy! As great as these two were as a tag team, their singles matches have simply not captured the attention of the fans. They've just been OK. Now the stipulation here is if Claudio loses, he leaves ROH forever. Claudio has usually gotten the best of Hero, despite constant interference from Hero's stable, Sweet and Sour Inc. Sad as it is, I think they make the difference and Claudio rides off into the sunset.
Tag Team Scramble
Jack Evans & Ruckus vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black vs. 2 of Brent Albright, BJ Whitmer & Adam Pearce
There are a lot of factions walking around ROH right now. Will it be the high flying of Evans and Ruckus, the sadistic and dark nature of Jacobs and Black, the big-match experience of Steenerico, or the power of the Hangman 3? With the Age of the Fall seemingly the next big thing, and the fact that they also have a World tag team title shot on Sunday's show, I pick Jacobs and Black to win.
Sara Del Rey vs. Daizee Haze vs. Lacey
A non-title Shimmer three-way match. I'd like Daizee to win, since she's been coming up short lately. But I have to pick Lacey to get the pin on Sara, the current women's champion.
Jigsaw vs. The Necro Butcher vs. Matt Cross
You've got speed vs. a hardcore guy vs. a guy with tremendous ariel ability. This could be a very intriguing match or it could be a total mess with such a blatant contrast of wrestling styles. I pick the Butcher to win and say the Age of the Fall wins the first three matches of the night.
Also, Erick Stevens, Delirious, Davey Richards, and Naomichi Marufuji still have matches to be determined!
And then afterwards, comes the party at a local Irish bar right across the street from Madison Square Garden. Oh baby...
From there, it's off to the Manhattan Center for Ring of Honor's 5th PPV Taping. Yes, the Chad Pennington jersey is folded and inside the Lands End suitcase. I'm really excited for this card, this is as excited I've been for a show since last June when Driven blew my mind. But I hear the security at the Manhattan Center is ruthless there and I really want to bring my camera to the show. I'm trying to think of some place to hide it while they search me... Anyway, here's the lineup with my predictions.
ROH World Title Match: Nigel McGuinness vs. Austin Aries
A lot of interesting subplots here. Can Aries become the first two-time ROH world champ? How's McGuinness' left biceps, which has been torn off the bone? After all, that is the arm which he throws his tradmark lariats. And these two haven't wrestled in a singles match against each other in almost two years. Nigel won the World title in September, but has been injured since. He's on a mission to make his reign as World Champion, which he has worked so hard and so long to get, count. Though I would love to see Aries win, I pick Nigel to retain.
ROH World Tag Team Title Match- Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls
Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong & Rocky Romero
Time for the No Remorse Corpse to man up! The Briscoes have won eight straight falls in 2 of 3 matches; it is their specialty. Roderick is focused on his World title shot next January in Chicago and I just don't see Rocky as a champion again. The Briscoes win two straight falls again and establish themselves as the best tag team in the world.
Bryan Danielson vs. Takeshi Morishima
This match will tear the house down. The best wrestler in the world has a score to settle with the Japanese monster who held the ROH title for 8 months. Shima has beaten the American Dragon in all three of their matches, though one was by DQ. In their first match, he nearly terminated Dragon's vision in his left eye. He actually wound up detaching his retina. In their last match, Dragon was disqualified for repeatedly stomping Morishima in the...Shimas... So these two have a score to settle. Despite his recent losing streak, Danielson knows he needs to win this match to move on in his career and prove he should get a shot at the World title he held for almost two years. I say Dragon knocks Shima out with the repeated MMA elbows to the head.
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Hero
Heyyy! As great as these two were as a tag team, their singles matches have simply not captured the attention of the fans. They've just been OK. Now the stipulation here is if Claudio loses, he leaves ROH forever. Claudio has usually gotten the best of Hero, despite constant interference from Hero's stable, Sweet and Sour Inc. Sad as it is, I think they make the difference and Claudio rides off into the sunset.
Tag Team Scramble
Jack Evans & Ruckus vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black vs. 2 of Brent Albright, BJ Whitmer & Adam Pearce
There are a lot of factions walking around ROH right now. Will it be the high flying of Evans and Ruckus, the sadistic and dark nature of Jacobs and Black, the big-match experience of Steenerico, or the power of the Hangman 3? With the Age of the Fall seemingly the next big thing, and the fact that they also have a World tag team title shot on Sunday's show, I pick Jacobs and Black to win.
Sara Del Rey vs. Daizee Haze vs. Lacey
A non-title Shimmer three-way match. I'd like Daizee to win, since she's been coming up short lately. But I have to pick Lacey to get the pin on Sara, the current women's champion.
Jigsaw vs. The Necro Butcher vs. Matt Cross
You've got speed vs. a hardcore guy vs. a guy with tremendous ariel ability. This could be a very intriguing match or it could be a total mess with such a blatant contrast of wrestling styles. I pick the Butcher to win and say the Age of the Fall wins the first three matches of the night.
Also, Erick Stevens, Delirious, Davey Richards, and Naomichi Marufuji still have matches to be determined!
And then afterwards, comes the party at a local Irish bar right across the street from Madison Square Garden. Oh baby...
Getting hosed by baseball
I'm amazed at some of these baseball teams as far as how they treat the average fan, like me. I mean the hardcore baseball fan who doesn't make a million dollars and can't afford to buy a luxury suite in a new ballpark. And also to the guy who makes $40,000 a year, whose family has had 4 season tickets in the nosebleeds for 25 years and now has to scrape by to still afford those tickets.
This is the final year of Yankee Stadium before the new one goes up in 2009. In Yankee Stadium, not only will the ticket prices increase by as much as 15 percent in some sections, but when you go back 10 years, prices from 1996 to 2007 have quadrupled. Literally quadrupled. This past month, the New York Yankees sent a letter to their season ticket holders. I'm paraphrasing, but here's what it basically said. But in the letter, it says for the All-Star Game, and all playoff games, the press, and select corporations (within "reasonable" limits) have access to tickets. In other words, if I've had Yankee season tickets for 30 years, I don't have the right to keep my seat for the playoff games or the All-Star Game. If Kevin Kennedy or Chip Caray want to bring their families to the games, they can basically just take my seats. So much for loyalty. I guess that's the phrase "Money talks and we know what walks."
And don't think I'm just taking a shot at the crosstown rivals. I'm going to jump on my team, the New York Mets. First of all, I'm going to repeat how angry I am that when they move to Citfield in 2009, the seating capacity will plummet from 56,000 at Shea Stadium people to 42,500 with room for 2,500 more in standing room. What a travesty. This is not a new stadium that's going up in Pittsburgh or Milwaukee or Kansas City or Sioux City or Cedar City or Dodge City. This is New York, the sports and entertainment mecca of the world. A drop to 50,000 would be fine. But this is now Fenway Park or Wrigley Field-esque seating capacity. And now, for the final year of Shea Stadium, Mets ticket prices have gone up an average of 20 percent in most sections. If they had reeled in Johan Santana, Dan Haren, Erik Bedard, or some other big pitcher, I'd be much more fine with that. Payrolls are higher nowadays, I understand ticket prices will be increased. But I'd like to hear David Howard, Omar Minaya, and Jay Horwitz in the Met front office justfy jacking up the prices 20 percent after acquiring the likes of Brian Schneider, Ryan Church, Matt Wise, and the immortal Steve Register.
One sidenote. The Cubs are likely to be sold by April. And there are rumors Wrigley Field's naming rights could be sold. I will be having a field day if that happens. I can hear the call on WGN Radio right now.
"Chicago Cubs baseball is on the air. Live from historic Careerbuilder.com Field in Chicago, Illinois..."
This is the final year of Yankee Stadium before the new one goes up in 2009. In Yankee Stadium, not only will the ticket prices increase by as much as 15 percent in some sections, but when you go back 10 years, prices from 1996 to 2007 have quadrupled. Literally quadrupled. This past month, the New York Yankees sent a letter to their season ticket holders. I'm paraphrasing, but here's what it basically said. But in the letter, it says for the All-Star Game, and all playoff games, the press, and select corporations (within "reasonable" limits) have access to tickets. In other words, if I've had Yankee season tickets for 30 years, I don't have the right to keep my seat for the playoff games or the All-Star Game. If Kevin Kennedy or Chip Caray want to bring their families to the games, they can basically just take my seats. So much for loyalty. I guess that's the phrase "Money talks and we know what walks."
And don't think I'm just taking a shot at the crosstown rivals. I'm going to jump on my team, the New York Mets. First of all, I'm going to repeat how angry I am that when they move to Citfield in 2009, the seating capacity will plummet from 56,000 at Shea Stadium people to 42,500 with room for 2,500 more in standing room. What a travesty. This is not a new stadium that's going up in Pittsburgh or Milwaukee or Kansas City or Sioux City or Cedar City or Dodge City. This is New York, the sports and entertainment mecca of the world. A drop to 50,000 would be fine. But this is now Fenway Park or Wrigley Field-esque seating capacity. And now, for the final year of Shea Stadium, Mets ticket prices have gone up an average of 20 percent in most sections. If they had reeled in Johan Santana, Dan Haren, Erik Bedard, or some other big pitcher, I'd be much more fine with that. Payrolls are higher nowadays, I understand ticket prices will be increased. But I'd like to hear David Howard, Omar Minaya, and Jay Horwitz in the Met front office justfy jacking up the prices 20 percent after acquiring the likes of Brian Schneider, Ryan Church, Matt Wise, and the immortal Steve Register.
One sidenote. The Cubs are likely to be sold by April. And there are rumors Wrigley Field's naming rights could be sold. I will be having a field day if that happens. I can hear the call on WGN Radio right now.
"Chicago Cubs baseball is on the air. Live from historic Careerbuilder.com Field in Chicago, Illinois..."
Sunday, December 16, 2007
10 thoughts
Off day tomorrow. Nothing better to do. Here's 10 things on mind.
1) There may be nothing funnier than Whose Line.
2) Thank God for snow plows. Now if they could use them in my neighborhood...
3) After today's Jets loss, at least I can say I'm not embarrassed. It's just they had so many opportunities to catch New England and they wasted them. Clearly, they need help at WR, OG, OT, DL, DT, OLB, and CB.
4) The Rangers are reverting to 1998-2004 form and I'm not happy. 5-1 home loss to Phoenix, who'd played 2 of the last 3 days? Disgusting.
5) Mark my words. Livan Hernandez will be a Met by 2008. Oh joy...
6) I have my Ipod as of Wednesday and 1,000 songs in Itunes. And I am feeling hip.
7) Nine days until Christmas. It's snuck up on me this year.
8) If you buy a microwave, first make sure it can actually heat stuff up.
9) Madonna in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Good Lord, have mercy.
10) A man was found comatose after swallowing a stack of dollar bills. No change is expected.
Song pick: "Long Walk Home" Bruce Springsteen
1) There may be nothing funnier than Whose Line.
2) Thank God for snow plows. Now if they could use them in my neighborhood...
3) After today's Jets loss, at least I can say I'm not embarrassed. It's just they had so many opportunities to catch New England and they wasted them. Clearly, they need help at WR, OG, OT, DL, DT, OLB, and CB.
4) The Rangers are reverting to 1998-2004 form and I'm not happy. 5-1 home loss to Phoenix, who'd played 2 of the last 3 days? Disgusting.
5) Mark my words. Livan Hernandez will be a Met by 2008. Oh joy...
6) I have my Ipod as of Wednesday and 1,000 songs in Itunes. And I am feeling hip.
7) Nine days until Christmas. It's snuck up on me this year.
8) If you buy a microwave, first make sure it can actually heat stuff up.
9) Madonna in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Good Lord, have mercy.
10) A man was found comatose after swallowing a stack of dollar bills. No change is expected.
Song pick: "Long Walk Home" Bruce Springsteen
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
When it goes too far
Go away from my world
It's become too much
Where there was smoothness
Purity, youth,
Red now runs.
The scar will be a symbol
Come back down when you know your path
And not a second sooner
It's become too much
Where there was smoothness
Purity, youth,
Red now runs.
The scar will be a symbol
Come back down when you know your path
And not a second sooner
Monday, December 03, 2007
How am I awake?
I should be all but passed out right now after the last three days. From start to finish this was one of the craziest weekends I can remember. I'm not feeling up to writing a 100 inch post, so I figured I'd do this one a new way: a timeline.
FRIDAY
5:00- Left work
6:00-After 2 Portillo's hot dogs, I went to my group in Glen Ellyn.
7:30- Left group, drove straight to Candy's house in Elgin for a little Come Thirsty party.
8:00-Arrived in Elgin
9:00-Won $245,000 with two of my "business partners". OK, it was in Deal or No Deal.
10:00- Left party, drove to work at the newspaper
10:20- A heavy Friday night of covering high school basketball
12:30-Quitting time
1:00 am-Hit the sack
SATURDAY
7:30-Woke up and started decorating the house for Christmas
9:00-Left for the gym, arrived home about 3 hours later.
12:00-On the way home the snow started falling. And there was barely a dusting on the ground as I came to the dreaded slippery corner of Dunham and Country Club in St. Charles. Skidded twice, but I was ok.
1:15-Lunch was pasta with chicken and sausage
2:00-Left for the Herald and the snow was really coming down hard now and the 25 mph wind was swirling. I stayed in the office for 2 hours
4:30-After watching the Rangers beat the Senators in Ottawa over the computer (since there was practically nothing to do), I left for Chicago Ridge and RING OF HONOR! And my driver's side door was frozen solid. Thankfully, I got in through the passenger side.
5:45-Arrived at the Frontier Fieldhouse. The roads were nowhere near as bad as I thought they'd be. They were wet, but not at all slippery or icy.
6:30-Doors open. Purchased 4 DVD's.
7:30-Preshow begins.
8:00-ROH starts. Not all the talent could get to the building on time so the Trios Tournament was scrapped. Poor Gabe Sapolsky. He had to rebook the whole show on the fly.
10:30-Damn! Bryan Danielson lost!
11:30 Show ends. Not the best show ever, but ROH live is always awesome. I met a lot of cool people too. I wouldn't pay for a second row ticket again though. It's not much better than a third.
11:45-For the first time, I checked out Rosa's for the after show party. I go into this tiny pizzeria/lounge. Tables are set up and they bring out this buffet of thin and thick crust pizza, ziti, sausage and peppers, salad, chicken parmesan, and bread. Incredible. The wrestlers filed in and I was sitting right next to them as they were eating. It was surreal, I could not stop giggling. Then some of the guys did Karaoke! Between "I Got You Babe" "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" "Tiny Dancer" "Baby Got Back" I could barely stop laughing. BTW, how van some of these guys watch their diets, work out every day, barely drink, and still smoke cigarettes. What kind of mentality does that require?
2:00- Left the party, began the drive for home
2:45-In the door. The roads were a breeze.
3:15-In bed
SUNDAY
7:30- Out of bed because I'm nuts!
9:15- Left for church
9:30-Come Thirsty. That's the time I got there, but we really don't start until 10:00.
11:00-Church at FBCG
12:00-Stop in at Rookie's to watch the first half of the lovely Jets and whatever other football games were going on. Half asleep, I drank Rockstar for the first time. It wasn't the greatest taste, but hey, it kept me feeling awake.
1:15-Drove to Wheaton Academy for the volleyball playoffs.
2:00-Won our semifinal in two straight games.
2:40-Waited for the next two matches in another league to finish so we could get a court back to play the championship. Saw Kimberly for the first time in a while and we caught up on stuff. Even though we're teammates, we hadn't seen each other in about 6 weeks. Meanwhile, I heard about Matt going to the Casting Crowns show at NIU and there was an extra ticket. I volunteered to take it. And suddenly my Sunday night was booked!
3:00-Won the first game and it was tight. Kam had to leave midway through, so we were down one player. And their new guy (who's about 6'8 with a huge stache), complained a slapped his hand too hard after the handshakes following the first game. I didn't realize he had a back issue, but I didn't even swing that hard. He didn't need to yell though. And after we won the first game, the other team started complaining how we had an unfair advantage because we had 4 guys and 1 girl. So we had to play 4 on the court and rotate a guy in. No problem, we whipped them 25-13. And it felt great to beat them. I think I played my best match of the year. My spikes and net play were spot on and so was my defense. I need to get my serve in more though. It's just not falling for me.
4:00- Headed home, cleaned up, watched a little of the Giants-Bears.
5:30- Drove to Laura's house. Of course I was early. I'm early for everything.
6:00- Dec shows up and we drive to DeKalb. It was about 15 degrees, icy, and brutally windy. Listened to the final minutes of the GIANTS WIN!
7:00- Arrive in DeKalb
7:40- After fighting the line to get a parking spot, we get in the building, midway through the second act.
10:30-Show ends. I'm not into contemporary Christian music, but this was a very good show. I can see why Casting Crowns is so popular. Thankfully, they put the words on the screen so I had some idea what they were saying.
11:20-Arrive back at Laura's.
11:45-Get home
11:46-Plugged in ROH Driven DVD
2:00-Turned computer off and finally went to bed
So I've gotten 8 hours of sleep in the last 2 days. Hmm, it's 11 pm. I think I'd better quit while I'm ahead. Later.
FRIDAY
5:00- Left work
6:00-After 2 Portillo's hot dogs, I went to my group in Glen Ellyn.
7:30- Left group, drove straight to Candy's house in Elgin for a little Come Thirsty party.
8:00-Arrived in Elgin
9:00-Won $245,000 with two of my "business partners". OK, it was in Deal or No Deal.
10:00- Left party, drove to work at the newspaper
10:20- A heavy Friday night of covering high school basketball
12:30-Quitting time
1:00 am-Hit the sack
SATURDAY
7:30-Woke up and started decorating the house for Christmas
9:00-Left for the gym, arrived home about 3 hours later.
12:00-On the way home the snow started falling. And there was barely a dusting on the ground as I came to the dreaded slippery corner of Dunham and Country Club in St. Charles. Skidded twice, but I was ok.
1:15-Lunch was pasta with chicken and sausage
2:00-Left for the Herald and the snow was really coming down hard now and the 25 mph wind was swirling. I stayed in the office for 2 hours
4:30-After watching the Rangers beat the Senators in Ottawa over the computer (since there was practically nothing to do), I left for Chicago Ridge and RING OF HONOR! And my driver's side door was frozen solid. Thankfully, I got in through the passenger side.
5:45-Arrived at the Frontier Fieldhouse. The roads were nowhere near as bad as I thought they'd be. They were wet, but not at all slippery or icy.
6:30-Doors open. Purchased 4 DVD's.
7:30-Preshow begins.
8:00-ROH starts. Not all the talent could get to the building on time so the Trios Tournament was scrapped. Poor Gabe Sapolsky. He had to rebook the whole show on the fly.
10:30-Damn! Bryan Danielson lost!
11:30 Show ends. Not the best show ever, but ROH live is always awesome. I met a lot of cool people too. I wouldn't pay for a second row ticket again though. It's not much better than a third.
11:45-For the first time, I checked out Rosa's for the after show party. I go into this tiny pizzeria/lounge. Tables are set up and they bring out this buffet of thin and thick crust pizza, ziti, sausage and peppers, salad, chicken parmesan, and bread. Incredible. The wrestlers filed in and I was sitting right next to them as they were eating. It was surreal, I could not stop giggling. Then some of the guys did Karaoke! Between "I Got You Babe" "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" "Tiny Dancer" "Baby Got Back" I could barely stop laughing. BTW, how van some of these guys watch their diets, work out every day, barely drink, and still smoke cigarettes. What kind of mentality does that require?
2:00- Left the party, began the drive for home
2:45-In the door. The roads were a breeze.
3:15-In bed
SUNDAY
7:30- Out of bed because I'm nuts!
9:15- Left for church
9:30-Come Thirsty. That's the time I got there, but we really don't start until 10:00.
11:00-Church at FBCG
12:00-Stop in at Rookie's to watch the first half of the lovely Jets and whatever other football games were going on. Half asleep, I drank Rockstar for the first time. It wasn't the greatest taste, but hey, it kept me feeling awake.
1:15-Drove to Wheaton Academy for the volleyball playoffs.
2:00-Won our semifinal in two straight games.
2:40-Waited for the next two matches in another league to finish so we could get a court back to play the championship. Saw Kimberly for the first time in a while and we caught up on stuff. Even though we're teammates, we hadn't seen each other in about 6 weeks. Meanwhile, I heard about Matt going to the Casting Crowns show at NIU and there was an extra ticket. I volunteered to take it. And suddenly my Sunday night was booked!
3:00-Won the first game and it was tight. Kam had to leave midway through, so we were down one player. And their new guy (who's about 6'8 with a huge stache), complained a slapped his hand too hard after the handshakes following the first game. I didn't realize he had a back issue, but I didn't even swing that hard. He didn't need to yell though. And after we won the first game, the other team started complaining how we had an unfair advantage because we had 4 guys and 1 girl. So we had to play 4 on the court and rotate a guy in. No problem, we whipped them 25-13. And it felt great to beat them. I think I played my best match of the year. My spikes and net play were spot on and so was my defense. I need to get my serve in more though. It's just not falling for me.
4:00- Headed home, cleaned up, watched a little of the Giants-Bears.
5:30- Drove to Laura's house. Of course I was early. I'm early for everything.
6:00- Dec shows up and we drive to DeKalb. It was about 15 degrees, icy, and brutally windy. Listened to the final minutes of the GIANTS WIN!
7:00- Arrive in DeKalb
7:40- After fighting the line to get a parking spot, we get in the building, midway through the second act.
10:30-Show ends. I'm not into contemporary Christian music, but this was a very good show. I can see why Casting Crowns is so popular. Thankfully, they put the words on the screen so I had some idea what they were saying.
11:20-Arrive back at Laura's.
11:45-Get home
11:46-Plugged in ROH Driven DVD
2:00-Turned computer off and finally went to bed
So I've gotten 8 hours of sleep in the last 2 days. Hmm, it's 11 pm. I think I'd better quit while I'm ahead. Later.
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