Lull in scores

Well, the latest snowfall (I cannot remember a December that was this rough weather-wise) has delayed the basketball tournaments so I have some leftover time. And I haven't written in 16 days either. And my plane leaves in 15 hours, so I may as well write one final 2008 post.

1) Last Sunday was the coldest I have been since Urbana. I spent most of it in the city and I started off going to Moody Church. The kids did a 30-minute presentation called "Christmas in Reverse" with songs and dramas. Great stuff. Then we wanted to hit Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder for lunch, but they were closed. Their website said they opened at 11:30, the sign said 12:00. No good. So we went to Gibson's and had some steak sandwiches and garbage salad. Great stuff, though I would not pay $35 each to eat lunch there. Then we went to the Cadillac Palace Theater and watched Dirty Dancing. I thought the show was pretty good, all in all. The crowd was a little younger than the Jersey Boys crowd, which I didn't mind all that much. And great job by Mom finding two spots on the street to park, so we didn't even have to pay for that.

So we get in the car and it's 4 p.m. For the second time that day, we drove to Willow Creek to find my cell phone, but no luck. I turn on 1000 AM to get a Jets score. They were down 7-3 and I felt bad, but not totally in despair. Later, I found out about Wideload Mangini going for it from his own 20, down 7, and with three timeouts and the 2-minute warning. That was all I needed.

2) The Jets have me aggravated beyond belief. Mangini's coaching against Seattle was putrid. From the play I just described, to kicking a field goal on4th and 1 from the Seattle 1 on the first series of the game, to actually punting after Jay Feely drilled a 45-yard field goal that was called back after they then took a 5-yard delay of game penalty. The entire coaching staff really needs to go. The only coaches I can remember being this frustrated with in recent memory are Isiah Thomas and John Muckler. If New England wins their early game, I hope Miami beats the Jets just to keep the Patriots out of the playoffs. I've written the same thing 100 times now. But let's put it as Joe B put it.

The Dolphins have Bill Parcells in charge of the football operations: Michael
Corleone. The Patriots have Belichick: Sonny Corleone. The Jets? We have Eric
Mangini: Fredo Corleone. If you know "The Godfather", nothing else needs to be
said. If the Jets don't make the playoffs, I want him fired.

3) And then the Rangers. 4-0 lead over Washington. The Garden was buzzing. And before you knew it, Washington ties it and wins the game in OT. First time since 1979 the Rangers blew a 4-0 lead at home. They built the lead and stopped playing hockey. No hitting, no aggression. I mean they out there in the third period doing Figure 8's! If I want to see that kind of skating, I'll go to the Ice Capades. When are Kimmie Meisner and Sarah Hughes coming to town? Are the Rangers about to sign Brian Boitano?

4) Devils-Penguins at the Rock Friday night (An Italian hot dog from Jimmy Buff's is in my future). And then Final Battle 2008 Saturday night. My picks:

ROH World Title Match: Nigel McGuinness over Naomichi Marufuji
Fight Without Honor: Bryan Danielson over Takeshi Morishima
Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Kensuke Sasaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima
ROH World Tag Team Title Match: Kevin Steen & El Generico over Jimmy Jacobs & Delirious
Tyler Black over Austin Aries
New York City Street Fight: Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, & Go Shiozaki over Brent Albright, Roderick Strong, & Erick Stevens
Four Corner Survival: Chris Hero over Jerry Lynn, "Addicted to Love" Rhett Titus, The Necro Butcher
Claudio Castagnoli over Kenny Omega

5) How can "Santa Claus is Watching You" by Ray Stevens not be available for download on Itunes? Aside from Magnifica, that is the greatest Christmas song ever.

The offseason begins

OK, I feel ready to write without screaming now. Following the football and another lovely shutout loss by the Rangers at home (have they put a puck in the net in December?), I need to turn to another sport: baseball. The Winter Meetings have started in Las Vegas and that's where the wheels of player transactions really start to gain some traction. And after the Mets' second straight meltdown and a miserable ending to Shea Stadium, we as Mets fans have suffered enough. We expect better and it is time to get better. These are the four areas I think need to be addressed more than anything.

1) Bullpen
2) Setup men
3) Second base
4) Fourth starter

1) I have written post after post about the horrors of the Mets bullpen. I am not going to go through the stats again. With Billy Wagner out for the season, they need a closer. The good thing is no other team really seems to be willing to commit a multi-year contract to a closer. So the Mets control the market right now. The top three are Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, and Kerry Wood. I cannot count Trevor Hoffman, unless he is willing to pitch the 8th inning. Now Wood intrigues me. I thought he did an outstanding job for the Cubs this past year and I think he would come at a reasonable price. His injury history is longer than Pacman Jones' rapsheet, but the bullpen may be what he needs to stay moderately healthy. I have zero interest in Fuentes. During the Rockies' run to the 2007 World Series, he was demoted from the closer role. Even the Mets cost him a few saves. Nuff said. K-Rod may have some miles on his arm. But he is the guy that I want. He has moxie, vicious stuff, and is only 26. I would go 4 guaranteed years for $12 million per.

2) Now that is not enough. Oh no. This team needs an influx of setup men. I really believe the Mets need to sign at least three bridges to the ninth, maybe even four. I like sidewinding Joe Smith for sure and everyone else to me is a question mark. I would take lefty Pedro Feliciano back but would not mind trading him either. I feel the same way about Brian Stokes and Duaner Sanchez (if he can recover his lost velocity). Eddie Kunz and Bobby Parnell (who the Mets refused to trade to the White Sox) will probably both have a chance to earn a spot. I have defended Aaron Heilman, but he needs to go. Contrary to that is Scott Schoeneweis, who I have not defended and absolutely needs to go.

So let's assume the Mets sign a closer and bring back just Smith, Feliciano, and Stokes. For lefties, I would sign Joe Beimel and Will Ohman in a minute. Eddie Guardado, I would be cautious of, but I can see Omar taking a chance on him. For righties, the guy I really want is Juan Cruz. He can fire the ball, which so few Met relievers did last year. Outside of Stokes, I don't think a Mets reliever ever broke 94 MPH. He will cost draft picks though, so that is a drawback. Brandon Lyon and Juan Rincon would also fit in well. I would love to bring in Huston Street as an 8th inning guy, but that would require a trade. They also need a long reliever, though Nelson Figueroa could possibly fill that role.

3) If there is a Mets fan out there who wants Luis Castillo to be the second baseman on Opening Day, raise your hand. This is one of the few contracts where everyone hated it as soon as it would signed and as the season went on, the hatred only deepened. He has 3 years and about $18 million left. Omar Minaya has to trade him. I would trade him for an extra tarp for the infield during weather delays. And they have got to bring Orlando Hudson in. He brings the character and energy the Mets have lacked for two years. He would be an ideal No. 2 hitter behind Jose Reyes. He plays great defense. He wants to be in New York. If Hudson cannot be had, then a viable 1 year option who can play off the bench should be added (Mark Grudzielanek or Mark Loretta).

4) The Mets have Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and John Maine as their top 3 starters. The big question is whether they should sign Oliver Perez. He reminds me of a mechanical bull. His stuff is so electric but too often, he can't harness it. I would give him 4 guaranteed years, but would not go past 10 million per. And I would add a lot of performance-based incentives. Anything to motivate him. If they do not keep Ollie, they need to sign a 4th starter. Jon Garland is the big name, but his numbers have plummeted the last three years. I would proceed with caution with him. I like Randy Wolf and Brad Penny as well. Too many other guys are injury-prone (Prior, Mulder). As for Pedro, I would give him a one year offer for 5 million, nothing more. And I would give Jon Niese a shot to earn the 5th starter's spot against a Jason Vargas or a Brandon Knight. Ouch. They need a good starter. Or maybe Parnell could start...

A few other notes:
I would like to get a better catcher than Brian Schenider, but that is not a realistic possibility right now. I would not mind adding a left fielder, but I don't know where he's coming from. I do not want Manny Ramirez. Adam Dunn strikes out too much. Thank God they are not interested in Pat Burrell. I guess Raul Ibanez would be a fine addition for three years. Tatis, Murphy, Pagan, Evans, Argenis Reyes, and Castro make up a pretty good bench for now, though some power could be used. Damion Easley was good, but he is old and his last two seasons have ended with injuries. I would add either Rocco Baldelli or Jason Michaels. I would welcome them in a heartbeat. And perhaps we will see Fernando Martinez debut in the big leagues sometime this summer.

But back to the present day. Now I understand Omar is set to meet with K-Rod tonight. And Omar is determined to leave Las Vegas on Wednesday with a closer. The buzz in baseball seems to suggest the Mets will offer K-Rod a three-year deal, with an option for a fourth year, all worth roughly $12 million per season. If Francisco Rodriguez takes that, I will be thrilled. But there will still be plenty of work to do.

It is time to take the National League back.

Consistent misery

I wasn't upset over losing to Denver last week. But after this joke of a performance against the lousy 49ers, I am disgusted with this team. This defense is a joke. I want Bob Sutton out of here now! Now! 53-year-old Isaac Bruce looked like Jerry Rice, Steve Largent, and Michael Irvin all rolled into one the way the secondary let him roam all over the field. But the two stats that get to me the most are time of possession and third downs. SF had the ball 40 minutes compared to 20 for the Jets. And SF converted 8 of 15 third downs. The Jets? 1 of 10! The defense could not get off the field all day and when the offense did get on, they inspired very little confidence. On five second half possessions, four of them were 3 and outs.

Right from the get-go, I could sense what was going to happen. SF opens up with an onside kick, but the Jets recover. They start at the SF 46. They go 3 and out. And with a 4th and 2 on the 38, our genius coach punts. He doesn't try to kick, he doesn't go for it. He punts, which amounts to an 18 yard gain.

And before this game, I had never heard of #44 James Ihedigbo. He may have my job next week for all I know. But with the Jets down 17-14, Leon Washington runs a kick 90 yards back for a go ahead TD. I'm going nuts, I'm cheering, I'm hollering. Then, the flag. Holding on this idiot who I had never heard of and never want to hear from ever again. The Jets never got a first down the rest of the game.

And throw in the fact that Indianapolis, Miami, Pittsburgh, Denver, and those scumbag Patriots won, that makes my night even more disgusting. Same old, same old. This is reality. Some things really never do change. The Jets are now tied for 1st with New England and Miami with three games to go.

Benigno, you had better give me a classic tomorrow. I need it.

Florida, part 3

OK, now I'm finishing this up.

Tuesday's dinner was at DaRuMa, a Japanese joint, east of Sarasota. We sat with four girls and two guys (around my age) celebrating a b-day for one of the girls. I could tell she was the classic "high maintenance-thinks she's low maintenance, partying blonde." But they were all cool. I even had the "honor" of taking pictures of them drinking sake bombs. And I don't think Dad was prepared for the simultaneous table bang that precedes the drinking of the bomb. The meal was excellent (the chef did do the flaming onion volcano!); I hadn't had that kind of food in maybe a year when I was at the Dells. And this was the first teppanyaki restaurant I had been to that serves duck breast. I enjoyed the taste and I thought it was a creative addition to the standard menu.

Wednesday was the John W. Ringling Museum, seemingly from start to finish. We got there around 10 and were there about five hours total. Now if I had known this complex was outdoors with a lot of buildings around, I would have taken a jacket along. As I walked through the first museum, the History of the Ringling Circus, I read about a lot of the circus performers, their lives, their legacies, and that kind of thing. I realized a lot of clowns, comedians, etc. really are the masters of image management. So many times they try to fix their own unhappiness by making others happy. I credit that, there are certainly worse approaches to take. Through bad, good can come out. Maybe in a way, it's a good kind of deception. But still, they still can't deceive themselves once the show is over.

The Howard Tibbals Circus Model is something every human being should see in person. It is remarkable. This guy spent 50 years designing and crafting a 1920's miniature circus and it is now displayed in the Education Museum at the Ringling Complex. And it contains 42,143 individual items, and that does not even include some of the small pieces like all the thousands of railroad tracks and stakes.

The Ca d'Zan mansion was John and Mable's dream mansion built right off Sarasota Bay. I took a number of photos of this place. I would not mind hosting a party on the outdoor marble terrace. We also checked out the dwarf garden, with statues of various dwarfs. Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy... eh, not quite. Finally, we hit the art museum. The Ringling's were huge collectors of classic art and they have a separate museum just to show it off. Most notably, I saw a lot of 15th and 16th century paintings with Christian depictions.

I took the afternoon to be alone and I wasn't the only one who needed that time either. Following some stone crab that night at Moore's, we headed in for the evening. The next morning (our final full day), we had breakfast on Siesta Key at the Broken Egg, a place Dick Vitale has endorsed many times. And you can tell; they have his books, CD's, signed memorabilia all over the front windows of the place. Besides, that, they feature a lot of unique art spread out around the walls. It definitely adds to the ambience; it's not just another breakfast place you walk in, sit, grab the newspaper, drink coffee, eat eggs, and leave. It feels more homey and more inviting. Of course, we inquired about the bagels. Not New York. I did enjoy my three egg/turkey sausage breakfast very much though. On the way home, mom and I really got to Dad with on the go Trivial Pursuit. (Thanks...) We answered questions he had no idea we would ever get. I doubt it really bothered him, he just likes seeing us react. We decided to chill and since it was a very warm day, we wanted to get one last good day of sun. While Mom went to the salon, Dad and I went over to the shuffleboard court. I had not played this in maybe 10 years. He won the first game 79-63, I won the second 78-59, and I held him off in the decider 75-73. From there, I went down to the hotel pool area and tanned for a while (listened to a few Ortberg messages in there as well) and spent about a half hour in the hot tub. Yeah, I enjoyed that. So I actually skipped lunch. Seriously.

We wound it up at Roy's Hawaiian Fusion for dinner. I had heard about this place and noticed it the first day as we rolled down Tamiami. I'm glad we saved this place for the final meal. This place basically mixes European and Asian food and the result is outstanding. A Mai Tai was tempting but I decided to stay straight and opted for iced tea. The first sign that this place was different was instead of bringing out a plate of bread, they brought out a plate of seasoned edamame, the Japanese soybean. That always reminds me of the CPK Thai crunch salad. Very good, but even Dad would not go for that. We opened with asian BBQ ribs and lobster potstickers for appetizers. Mom also had a wedge salad and I like how all the ingredients were separated on the plate so she could mix them in however she wanted. For the main courses, Dad had the best Peking duck I've ever had. The hoisin BBQ sauce was smoky and savory. Mom had Hawaiian ono with Israeli Cous Cous and sweet potato puree. Don't ask me how, supposedly, it was amazing. As for me, I did a seafood sampler with salmon, butterfish, ahi, alongside bok choy and rice. Each fish was served in small square sushi dishes (Say that ten times fast). The flavors were remarkable. Though the waiter warned me I would "fall in love" with the butterfish, I have to say I preferred the salmon with the citrus sauce. And dessert. And dessert. And dessert. Dad had these coconut macaroons topped with creme brulee ice cream and one or two other things I can't remember, pronounce, or spell. Great stuff. Mom had the Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle cake. Not I didn't try it. As for me, it was the Pineapple Upside Down Cake with vanilla ice cream. Uh, yeah. I suddenly wasn't too upset about missing the peach cobbler at Fleming's. I would definitely try the Roy's in Chi-town for a special occasion. That night, we saw a Jeff Dunham special on Comedy Central. He is one funny dude.

The next morning, we grabbed some more Toojay's sandwiches for the ride home. Uh, where is the side of mustard??? I'm still looking... But the XM made the plane ride home good. And two days later, it started snowing. Good ol' Chi-town.

Late breaking news: Donors wanted for a man whose buttocks were blown off in a nuclear accident. As of now, no end is in sight.

Florida, part 2

I woke up Monday, and since I had not worked out in several days, I wanted to check out the gym while Mom was getting a pedicure. Now I had to wait until 9 am to go. Reason being I had to get a key from the lobby and the lobby does not open until 9. The gym was terrible, the treadmill had about 15 different controls and all I could do was raise and lower the incline. The elliptical runner was anything but smooth. And I figured about four lifts on the universal gym. So I ran on the beach. Around 11, with the weather pretty good, we decided to take a 90-minute lunch boat cruise from Marina Jack's to all around Sarasota Bay. The only celebrity homes we saw were Brian Johnson's (lead singer of AC/DC) and Jerry Springer's. Not sure what that says, but.... Actually, the views were stunning, and we got a little bit of history about the bay, though not as much as I would have liked.

Then it was off to Smuggler's Cove for mini golf. This was the one thing where I volunteered to pay for everyone. And had I known it cost $10 per game, I might have reconsidered. At this course, they have a pond with real life alligators that people are allowed to feed. After the front 9, Mom and I were tied at 2-over with Dad one shot back. Though both my parents hit a hole-in-one on the back nine and I did not, that was fine. See, I was all about consistency. I shot a two on every back 9 hole, for a score of 1-over for the back 9, and a 1-over 39 for the round. Mom shot 42 and Dad had two costly 4's, leaving him at 45. I still have the scorecard on my desk...

From there, we drove to Longboat Key, which is just north of St. Armand's. It is a very quiet island, very narrow with one main road and a ton of summer homes, condos, and hotels. I did see a lot of For Sale signs though. I guess a lot of people have to give these homes up with the economy struggling the way it is. We stopped to explore a couple of the beaches and we really took in the blue sky, the sand, the rocks, the warm air, and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. We then went south to Siesta Key, which hosts one of the more famous public beaches in Florida. That night, I polished off the Trivial Pursuit game, winning the sports/leisure and history questions. Yes, those were the LAST two I got right. I did get whipped in Uno though.

Onto Tuesday. Mom and I walked the John W. Ringling Bridge, which connects the Sarasota mainland to St. Armand's Circle. It took 15 minutes each way and it is shaped like the top of a triangle, straight uphill and then straight downhill. Very good walk. We continued the walk into the circle for breakfast at the Blue Dolphin Cafe, a very small, popular neighborhood joint. They had killer French toast. The thick country bread tasted like it had been marinated in cinnamon and vanilla for days. Meanwhile, Dad read his latest book on the beach. We came back and drove east about an hour, arriving at Myakka River State Park. As we drove in, we noticed a flock of vultures flying around. I think Dad was already nervous by this point. But we took an airboat tour through a lake filled with alligators. Now the boat is covered with six seats out in front. In front of those seats is where the captain of the ship sits. Right in front of him are three more seats. And guess who got those three seats??? We sat and I immediately noticed the rail of the boat didn't even go past my shins. So if the boat tipped, well, it's been a good 27 years. The driver gave a very informative and entertaining tour, but where I was sitting, I could barely understand any of it. Anyway after about 15 minutes, we spotted the first gator. As they came a little closer, the driver seemed to slow the boat down. Two of them actually swam right by us. When I say right by us, I mean they were about one foot in front of the boat. It was a little crazy, but really interesting too. All in all, I would say we spotted about 20-25 gators. What was really cool was up in top of a tree, I saw a bald eagle for the first time. And later in the shop (where you can purchase gator stew, by the way), I got an acoustic guitar record and a new beaded necklace.

Then we drove over to the Nature Trail and Mom started leading us through the woods. I figured it was just a typical walk through the woods. Little did I know she had a scheme cooking. We came to this tall wooden tower, the kind you would expect to see a zip line. Instead, we climbed stairs to about 35-40 feet in the air. We then walked across an 85-foot long suspension bridge, one of the few in the US. Dad then headed back downstairs while Mom and I climbed to the top of the tower, 76 feet high. There may not have been any mountains in sight, but getting higher than treetops and being able to see so far away was sweet. And unexpected to boot.
We drove back to Siesta Key for lunch at the Lobster Pot. A very New Englandish seafood joint. Mom had her lobster roll, so that made her day. I almost tried this blueberry beer from Maine, but in the end, stuck with iced tea. I think by this time, we were pretty tired and needed to rest.

At this point, a few observations:
1) The highs have been around 70, the lows around 50. With the heavy winds on Lido, I need about 10 more degrees for what I would call reasonable beach weather.
2) I have never heard and seen so much John Denver. Between the radio, TV, and the highway signs! I think I'm not in Colorado, but now I don't know.
3) The radio stations are much better here than in Chicago.
4) I watched Wheel of Fortune. Next was Family Feud. The question was "Name someone famous whose last name is 'White.'" I never thought of Vanna. And Mom didn't think of Barry. That's embarrassing.
5) Watched DDD on the Food Network late one night. The show was about turkey. They actually highlights the Alpine Steakhouse in Sarasota! Their specialty is turducken, which includes duck, chicken, turkey and a cornbread stuffing. Unfortunately, I was the only one awake at the time. Needless to say, we never made it there.

Florida, part 1

This was the first time I ever flew out of Midway Airport. We took Airtran since O'Hare no longer offers non-stop service to Sarasota. Our gate was A4. After stopping at Manny's Deli for bagels (not the quality we were hoping for), saw Gate A4 was right behind the deli. After we left, we walked up and didn't see anything but a set of double doors. I stared farther down the terminal, and A6 came right after wards with a lounge, seats, etc. I opened the double doors and I felt like I was in the movie Being John Malkovich. We walked six solid minutes down a jetway to the gate. Then we got on the plane and had a smooth flight. I have to say Airtran is cool, if for no other reason, they give you free XM radio. Good stuff there.

Upon landing, we went down to the baggage claim. I stopped in the men's room and right next to it, are about 20 different travel brochures about the Sarasota/Bradenton region. I selected two of them. I showed them to Mom and, wouldn't you know it, she had already picked the same two I had. No more, no less. We got our ride south, through St. Armand's Circle, down Lido Beach, to the hotel, arriving around 11. But we could not check in, since the room was to be occupied until 3 pm. So we hung in the tiny lounge of the Suntide Island Beach Club. Mom's feet were tired, so she sat on the sofa with her feet up, and began to work on her laptop computer. The woman (55-ish, WAY too much makeup, you know the kind) saunters over and says "Get your feet off my couch, hun." Didn't ask her to do it, she told Mom to do it. Not cool. Meanwhile, I check my shirt, and I found two tiny critters crawling on it. So insects and bugs are fine on the couch, but human feet are strictly forbidden.

Dad flew into Tampa and had to drive to Sarasota, and got to the hotel around 2 pm. So sicne there was nothing to do at the hotel, we went out and grabbed some lunch at TooJays Deli in the Westfield Mall. On our way, we passed by a Fleming's Steakhouse. As soon as Dad saw the F sign, our Saturday dinner plans were already set in stone. We had a couple of deli sandwiches at TooJay's and they were incredible. Big thumbs up for the thick onion rings and the corned beef/pastrami on rye combo. So we walked around the one-level "L" shaped mall for while. It's small, but easy to get around. It's one of the few malls I have seen with a Lady Foot Locker, but no regular Foot Locker.

We grabbed groceries, returned to the hotel, and checked in. We only had a one bedroom, which Mom got. With Dad's back issues, he had to be suited, even if he didn't want to say it. But he took the recliner in the living room, leaving the couch for me. We had a full kitchen, good. We had 60 TV channels, good. We could not open the windows, not good. The rooms were only cleaned once a week, definitely not good. So after 45 minutes of playing Uno, we headed to Fleming's for an awesome steak. I am aggravated with them though. They eliminated the peach cobbler with the ice cream and fresh whipped cream from the menu. Instead, I had frozen lemon gingersnap pie. Very good, but just not the peach cobbler. We went home and played Trivial Pursuit. The game did not end that night even after three hours. Dad had a few stellar answers. One question: Thomas Sullivan accidentally invented these in 1908 and distributed them in small, silk packages. Dad answered the US postal service. The answer is tea bags.

The next morning, I walked the beach. After about 15 minutes, I found a hammock in front of another hotel. I laid in it for about 10 minutes, but the wind was just too cold and strong, so I had to head in. Mom and I were then going to head to church. Unfortunately, Mapquest's directions included a street that does not exist. I was not pleased. So we went back, picked Dad up, and headed to St. Armand's Circle. It's a classy, shopping area, located just off the mainland, right near our hotel. There was a car show in the middle of the circle and it was very busy. One of the shop owners told us the car show was increasing the business of the circle by 40 percent. Kilwin's has this amazing homemade ice cream (the pumpkin pie was awesome), about 20 kinds of homemade fudge, and different nut corns. Two guys were making caramel peanut corn in front of us and we were able to get some. It was so warm and fresh. I don't recall buying anything that day, although Dad came close to buying a pair of Ecco shoes. For lunch, we went to Columbia, a large Cuban-themed restaurant that has been around for 100 years. We ate the 1905 salad, which they prepare tableside. It has iceberg lettuce, tomato, Swiss cheese, ham, Romano cheese, Spanish green olives, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, Lea and Perrin's, and plenty of garlic. We also added the Cuban shrimp to it as well. Incredible. So incredible, I brought a bottle of the dressing home with me. I also had the finest Cuban sandwich of my life with plantain banana chips. Awesome place and I give this restaurant a full recommendation. We got back around 4 p.m. After a little chill time, we headed back to the mall for dinner at Cosimo's, a brick oven pizza place right across from Toojay's. Thanks Dad, for showing me how to say Zabaglione-Italian style. That would be a dessert with fruit and custard in a parfait glass.

By now, I noticed a few things about the area. Tons of smokers, tons of retirees, tons of plastic surgeons, tons of divorced women over 50, and practically nobody within 10 years of my age, in either direction. And the hotel was the same. Older folks, very little activity going on. That hotel was very much a getaway spot for people looking to relax.

NFL Recap Week 10

A stellar week, and NY is 4-0 since I started doing this, so I will have to keep it going. And if there is any magic in this blog, I need it to come out a little early this week, say Thursday night at 7:30. More on that later.

Jets embarrass Rams 47-3, Jets are 6-3 tied for 1st with New England.
1) Ageda-free. The last time that happened was when Chad torched the Packers in Lambeau two years ago. This game was over during the National Anthem.
2) Best game by the o-line all year. Favre was protected and Thomas Jones and Leon Washington had plenty of space to run through. Instead of looking like they were running on an LA freeway, it looked like a rural road in South Dakota somewhere.
3) Jay Feely kicked 4 field goals, including one from 55 yards out? I almost went through the TV when I saw that one. Uh, Mike Nugent, you'd better strengthen your legs.
4) Kellen Clemens played the whole 4th quarter but did not get to throw one pass. Not criticizing, but still...
5) And here comes Ty Law to play CB. I think this is an excellent pickup to shore up the secondary. But for him to ready in three days to face Moss, Welker, and Gaffney? That is asking a lot.

Giants d. Eagles 36-31, 7-1 for the season, still in 1st place in the NFC
1) When a defense stops Brian Westbrook, that's tremendous. He had 59 total yards on offense, probably half of a typical game for him.
2) Tom Coughlin simply outcoached Andy Reid. Replay challenges, personnel decisions.
3) The Giants held the ball for 13:30 in the first quarter and 39:10 for the game. Time of possession is so critical in these games.
4) Chase Blackburn had another excellent game. Recovered a fumble, made the game-ending 4th down tackle on Westbrook.
5) The Giants just wanted this game more. They hit harder and showed more urgency.

Around the League:
1) It was great to see Chad throw a 50 yard bomb to Ted Ginn, who made a great catch in double coverage. That said, I have to temper rooting for Miami. They're still only one game behind the Jets.
2) A QB completed 7-of-27 passes for 77 yards, no TD's, and and 4 interceptions. And his team won the game by double digits! The QB is Jake Delhomme and the opponent is Oakland. I still would love to know how the Jets could not beat that team.
3) Gutsy move by Herman Edwards in Kansas City. Down 1 point on the road in San Diego with a 1-7 team, he goes for a 2-point conversion with no time left to get the win. Tyler Thigpen's pass fell incomplete, but I have to credit Herm for taking a chance.
4) On a day Tennessee could not run the football, Kerry Collins threw for 289 yards and 2 TD's as they stayed unbeaten, defeating the Bears in Chicago. He also completed 12 straight passes and he showed he could win a game when Chris Johnson and Lendale White can't get going.
5) Arizona-San Francisco was strange. First, there were 18 penalties called in the last 20 minutes. No wonder the game took all night. Anyway, Arizona's receivers are the best. They do not drop passes and they get yards after the catch. Not just Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, but Steve Breaston is a weapon. His speed is amazing. That said, SF's clock management was the worst clock management I have seen in some time. Down 5 points. they get to the Arizona 1 yard line with 46 seconds left! They spike the ball with 20 seconds left, bringing up 2nd down and Arizona calls time out. Three plays to go 1 yard and win it for SF. So they hand the ball off to Frank Gore, who gets tripped up at the 1. Now they have to hurry to get back to the line to snap the ball before time runs out! The clock continues to run down to 3 seconds and they hand the ball off to their second-stringer Michael Robinson, who gets stopped r no gain. They don't even get to run a 4th down play, game over.

PS OK, OK, good job by Minnesota. I was stunned Mason Crosby missed that field goal.

All about the duck fat

Can't make it any clearer than that. I've had a pretty good run of Saturday lunches lately. Cemitas Pueblas, Pappadeaux and today, I finally made my first trip to Hot Doug's. After a morning workout, we drove 40 minutes to the corner of California and Roscoe Streets in the northwest side of Chicago.

We got there around 10:50 a.m. I saw the sign hanging above the restaurant and as I looked lower, the line was already out the door. I shuddered as I realized it was 40 degrees out, raining, and I had no jacket. Finally, we made it inside and I certainly appreciated the heat in the building. We ordered three sausages:

1) Sweet Pepper and Mozzarella Chicken Sausage with Spicy Pizza Sauce, Sautéed Bell Peppers, Caramelized Onions and Smoked Mozzarella Cheese

Chicken sausage has never been a favorite of mine, maybe because they tend to have such a mild flavor compared to other meats. The meat was flavorful, but it needed the vegetables to add the extra taste. The sauce was fine, though I didn't taste much spice. The best part for me was the smoked cheese. With all the veggies, bread, meat, and sauce, the cheese really helped bring the whole thing together.

2) Ribeye Steak Sausage with chimichurri and madrigal cheese

This was a special and it indeed, was one of a kind. Hard to tell that it was steak, but the smoky beef flavor was outstanding. And the green southwestern chimichurri had a little bit of heat and really went well with the ribeye. I wish I had been there when they served this one with fried crispy onions. I still don't know what cheese that is, but it was white and cubed.

3) Smoked Crayfish and Pork Sausage with Cajun Tartar Sauce and Habañero-Jack Cheese

My favorite. The sausage was the hottest, but not too much. It just had that late kick of heat. And the tartar sauce was smooth and creamy, like it came straight form New Orleans.

And the fries were fresh as could be. Not sure what the duck fat really adds, but that may have been one of the best orders of fries I have ever had, right up there with the Filling Station. And kudos for having Cherry Coke in the drink dispensers. And Tab and Dr. Brown's in the fridge too?

Yes, I think I officially have a thing for encased meats.

NFL recap

Obviously, it was a stellar football weekend for me as the Jets and Giants both won big games. Instead of my usual long paragraph rants, I am going to start writing five notes from each game. Although I reserve the right to rant when I deem it appropriate.

Jets d. Bills 26-17, Jets are 5-3, tied for first in the AFC East with Buf and NE.

1) Darrelle Revis is a lockdown cover corner. Lee Evans barely did anything and he has burned the Jets for years.
2) Vernon Gholston just whiffed on another tackle. I'll be patient since he is playing a new position, but I want to see something from him next year.
3) Kris Jenkins may be the best trade this franchise has made in years. He makes all the difference in our run defense. Marshawn Lynch never got going for the Bills.
4) After Buf got within six points, the Jet offense drives for 8:41 for a field goal that even Feely couldn't miss. And that put the game out of reach. Credit to the whole offense and even coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
5) Leon Washington is a genius. He has one foot one of bounds, while fielding the kickoff, thus the ball goes to the 40. And the Jets drive those 60 yards for a TD. Genius.

Giants dismantle Cowboys 35-14. Giants in 1st place at 7-1.

1) Did the Cowboys even show up?
2) Brandon Jacobs' blend of power running and quick feet is remarkable.
3) Brooks Bollinger hasn't improved since leaving the Jets.
4) How did Justin Tuck get called for roughing the passer? The hit was hard, straight-up, and legal. I mean, even Troy Aikman was aghast. You know what? Let the QB's just wear two flags around their waists. God forbid a hand ever gets laid on them. This is football, not ice dancing.

A few other notes on the week.
1) That Colts-Patriots game was the most boring three-point game in history.
2) How does Detroit, down by 4 points, with 19 seconds left on the Chicago 35, and no time outs, throw two straight 5 yard passes, leaving time for one Hail Mary? Take shots into the endzone!
3) How in the name of Lane Kiffin did the Jets ever lose to Oakland? At home against Atlanta, the Rainders gained 77 yards for the WHOLE GAME and held the ball for 15 of 60 minutes.
4) Tennessee is a very easy team to root for.
5) Every Miami win makes me happy for Chad Pennington (Whoops, everyone already knew that one).

Rangers season preview

The puck has dropped on the 2008-09 NHL season. And I have the Center Ice package so I don't have to rely on the amateur production of Versus! Oh baby!

The Rangers have advanced to the playoffs three straight years but have not gotten past the second round of the playoffs since 1997. That was so long ago, I was still living in New Jersey, a sophomore at St. Joe's High School. As their second round series against Pittsburgh wore on, it became evident to me the Rangers did not have the speed or the goal scorers to win the series. And they fell in five games. Since then, the roster has turned over drastically.

Subtractions:
Martin Straka: A soft Czech player who was only there to please Jagr. Goodbye, good luck in Europe.
Fedor Tyutin: Tough to trade a good young defenseman. But I don't think he lived up to expectations. He wasn't especially great on offense or defense, and the Rangers have other young d-men like Bobby Sanguinetti and Michael "Carlos" Del Zotto rising quickly, so I feel he is replaceable.
Ryan Hollweg: Good fighter, good comedian, not much else.
Brendan Shanahan: Hall of Famer, great leader, but does not have the endurance at 42 years old to play with this team.
Sean Avery: Tough to lose. A pest with talent, who became an icon in is 1.5 seasons on Broadway. Perhaps he would have worn out his welcome, but his grit and energy is not easy to find.
Jaromir Jagr: Great one, now playing in Russia. He only has so many years left, but he was the captain and scored a lot of big goals for the Rangers. With him gone, they don't have that marquee position player. But perhaps that could be beneficial. Too many times, other Rangers stood still and watched Jagr, like they expected him to create everything on offense. That will not happen now.

Additions:
Wade Redden: This will either be a boom or a bust. A very good offensive defenseman, signed for 6 year to shore up a power play that finished 22nd last year. His numbers have declined over the last few years. How will he react to New York City? If he doesn't thrive, the Garden faithful will turn him into their whipping boy. Think Tom Poti, for a lot more money.
Aaron Voros: Big tough forward, signed for grit, energy, to replace some of that spunk Avery took over to Dallas. Grew up a Rangers fan in Vancouver, can't be a bad thing.
Markus Naslund: Since he played in western Canada for so many years, I never really watched him. Many say his best days have passed him by. Well, as I observed the first two games in Prague, I was amazed by his stick-handling and quickness. For two years, I think this will be a solid signing.
Dmitri Kalinin: Could well turn into the new Marek Malik, without the crazy shootout goal. Has not looked particularly sharp on defense, but I won't jump on him just yet. Why the team has three spare forwards instead of two spare forwards and a seventh defenseman absolutely befuddles me.
Dan Fritsche: Has not suited up for the first two games. But I want him to get an opportunity. He is a good penalty killer, has a good hard shot, and can hit.
Pat Rissmiller: Scratched for the first two games as well. Paid him a million bucks and I doubt he will play much.
Nikolai Zherdev: I can't wait. We traded Tyutin and the "legendary" Chrsitian Backman for Fritsche and him. I have seen the highlights and I think he will be a superstar. A dynamic 23-year-old winger, who reminds me very much of a young Alexei Kovalev or Milan Hejduk. If he can learn when to pass and involve his teammates, he can be special. I expect 35 goals from him.

Holdover Forwards:
Chris Drury: The captain. Captain clutch. In his second year, he has the opportunity to lead the second youngest team in the NHL. He didn't really have the one signature moment or goal like he had in Buffalo and Colorado, but I think he has one in him.
Scott Gomez: Just getting used to him after he played in New Jersey for so many years. A solid 2-way center who will flank Naslund and Drury.
Brandon Dubinsky: The young future superstar. In his second full season, he dominated training camp. Scored the game-winner in the opener in Prague on the PP. Don't know what he will turn out to be, except he should be a reliable contributor for years to come.
Ryan Callahan: My fave. A scrappy, hard-working two-way right winger. Hasn't racked up the points though. If he can add about 20 goals to go along with his motor, that will equal a very valuable player.
Nigel Dawes: The wild card. Has struggled so far, but has shown flashes of becoming a good goal scorer. Can he be consistent though? If he doesn't respond with a yes, I could picture him getting traded.
Petr Prucha: Starting to lose my faith in him, though he's only 26. After 30 goals two years ago, his production has steadily slipped. I think he's more likely to get traded than Nigel.
Lauri Koripikoski: Scored a goal in his first NHL game last year; a playoff game no less. Has earned the third line center role, skating with Callahan and Prucha.
Blair Betts: Fourth-line center, who kills PP's and excels on face-offs. Does the little things well.
Colton Orr: The most improved Ranger of the last two years. Used to be he was only on the ice to hit and fight. But his skating has progressed, and he is really one of those players who can change the momentum of a game.
Frederik Sjostrom: Became a crowd favorite after being acquired at the trading deadline. But has become a victim of the numbers game. Can he get an opportunity to play?

Holdover defensemen
Michael Rozsival: Resigned for four years. A good two-way defenseman, who I never want to see on the PP, as he seems to fear shooting the puck. Fine for the second line.
Marc Staal: The phenom. Brothers Jordan and Eric are already in the NHL. Jared is on his way to Phoenix. Scored a huge goal against New Jersey that essentially gave the Rangers a stranglehold on their playoff series. Good size, good instincts, good skating, good shot. An all-around solid player. Oh, did I mention he is only 21 years old!
Paul Mara: I was very happy the Rangers resigned him for one year. He has a good slap shot, it rarley goes on net, but it is hard, and isn't afraid to hit hard.
Dan Girardi: Very reliable, stay at home d-man. Not a Beukeboom-thrasher type, but he has vision. He always seems to be in the right spot at the right time to make a big defensive play.

Goaltenders:
Steve Valiquette: The Philly killer. Glad he is back.
Henrik Lundqvist: The King. The best there is. Signed for six years. Outstanding!

They have won their first two games. The speed they wanted is there. And the team is lively and exuberant, they will grow over this year and over the next few years. Right now, I have three big questions.

1) Will Glen Sather trade for another defenseman? I don't believe they have that physical d-man who can clear the crease on front of Lundqvist. Girardi or Staal could become that but they may not be capable just yet. With so many extra forwards, could they package two or so, and get another blueliner? Then again, every NHL team is looking for help on D.

2) Can their PP improve? Wade Redden, this is on you. He has to quarterback the PP, and he has looked better than most expected so far. But for years, we have watched pass after pass after pass around the corners and out to the blue line. They don't have guys who stand in front of the net and deflect slappers and slam rebounds home. Avery was starting to become that, but now someone new is needed. I hear Voros may get a chance. I'm all for it. In their first game they were 0-for-6 before scorming one with 5 minutes left.

3) Who will score? They lost a lot of goal scorers this offseason. Jagr was the guy who kept scoring in the big spots down the stretch last year. I don't know who will step up in that role this year. Gomez and Drury are not necessarily known for this, but they must do better than 16 and 25, especially with Straka, Avery, Jagr, and Shanny gone. Between, Zherdev, Callahan, Prucha, Dawes, and Dubinsky, I want three of those guys to score 30 goals this season.

As far as the season goes, I think Montreal, Washington, and Philly are better in the East. Pittsburgh has lost a lot of grit (Ruttu, Hall, Roberts, Malone) and have lost their top two defensemen for the first half of the season. I think the Rangers will finish 5th, like last year and make the Eastern Conference Finals, where Montreal will beat them.

I look forward to an exciting 08-09 season. And with the Knicks sure to be stinking it up again, they had better make it exciting. Let's Go Rangers!

Off topic posts

I need to take a break from the stuff I have been writing about and take a change in direction, if if only for one post.

Random news items

1) Karl Haist has won the World Pumpkin Confederation Weigh-Off in Clarence, NY, on Oct. 4. He grew a pumpkin that weighed 1,075 pounds. How many pies could you get out of that? And what purpose does the pumpkin serve except a really weird lawn sculpture?

2) We are apparently running out of road salt. Come winter, some people are worried we will run out of salt for the roads. How are we running out of salt? I can see oil, I can see gold, I can see diamonds. How do you run out of salt? Are we eating too many pretzels and potato chips in the country?

3) Japan just hosted a unique fashion show. The models were 40+ year old adults wearing black tights and adult diapers. Yep, the whole purpose was to showcase adult diapers. Here's the deal. Adult diapers are an increasingly common item in Japan, home to one of the world's longest average lifespans. More than 20% of the population is over 65, and the country is forecast to have the globe's largest number of centenarians — 1 million — by 2050, the U.N. says. It gets worse. Speakers blared oldies hits such as "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

Here's my favorite quote. "Diapers are something that people don't want to look at," said Kiyoko Hamada of the Aging Lifestyle Research Center, a leading organizer of the show. "But if you make them attractive, then people can learn about them more easily," she said.

More attractive? This is what we are working on; how to make diapers seem more attractive? I don't care how it is marketed, I don't care who is wearing it. The words diaper and attractive go together like me and cats. Like my father and a tall glass of milk. It just doesn't work.

4) Whose says the real estate market is in trouble? With a winning bid of $1.75, a Chicago woman has won an auction for an abandoned home in Saginaw, MI. Her bid was one of eight for the home. Think about that. Seven people bid LESS than that for a house! With the utility costs in St. Charles, I can't microwave a bag of popcorn for under $1.75! And she plans to sell the house immediately. Now I know nothing about real estate. But what happens if you can only get a dollar back for the house? That's a pretty bad return. And let's say someone offers $50. Fifty to one sounds good. But is it good considering the big picture?

5) An unidentified man smashed a 6-foot hole in the wall of the Name Brand Clothing Store in Tulsa, Okla., in August and labored through the night to bust open the safe, but according to the surveillance video, he finally gave up six hours later after making only a small hole in the safe. However, when the store manager arrived later that morning, he found the safe unlocked, probably the result of his forgetfulness the night before, and no contents were missing. Though the crime was unsuccessful, the manager offered to hire the robber, based just on his diligent work ethic.

Song picks
1) "Pour Me Another Tequila" Eddie Rabbitt
2) "Real Love" Doobie Brothers
3) "Play Born to Lose Again" Ronnie Milsap
4) "I'm Gonna Miss You Girl" Michael Martin Murphey
5) "Riviera Paradise" Stevie Ray Vaughan

Predictions and a recap

Here are my fair, unbiased, unswayed picks for the baseball postseason:
Angels in 5, Rays in 4, Dodgers in 4, Phillies in 3; Rays in 6, Dodgers in 6; Dodgers in 5

Wrigley Field amazed me. As loose as their fans were in the regular season, they were that tight for all of Game 1. That was stunning. They have been so raucous, so confident all summer long. Now the cold weather has descended. Loney hits the grand slam, I thought they were playing in an empty stadium. As Francesa said, it was like 40,000 Benigno's in the stands. They were like me when I watch the Mets, just waiting for the shoe to drop. By the way, how did Manny hit that pitch as far as he did? Let's see what the mentality of Mr. Zambrano is tonight. But I believe Chad Billingsley will become a household name after this game. I see 7 innings, 2 runs. I'm not saying the Dodgers will go up 2-0, but there will be no blowout tonight.

And Omar, our wonderful GM who has another 4 years in Queens, give Manny 2 years, whatever the price. I want him in here.

Dead and buried

That would apply to Shea Stadium. And the Mets.

The exhiliration I felt when Beltran homered into the left field bleachers off Scott Olsen to tie the game at 2-2 was amazing. Endy Chavez' seventh-inning catch in left field was also amazing. If he ever makes another ridiculous catch in a big game again, I will promptly turn the TV off because I know what the end result will be. Eighth inning. Wes Helms and Dan Uggla homer back-to-back off Scott Schoeneweis and Luis Ayala, putting the Mets behind 4-2. Three minutes later, Ryan Braun absolutely drills a two-run homer off the immortal Bob Howry (who David Wright can't touch to save his life), breaking a 1-1 tie. Ninth inning, tying run on, Derrek Lee bounces into a double play, Sabathia gets the complete game and the Brewers get the win. Just as that happens, the Mets get two on against Kevin Gregg after the first two were retired. Up comes Carlos Delgado. Mr. Clutch. Now Arthur Rhodes, whose acquisition at the deadline made no news whatsoever, comes into pitch. Delgado lines the second pitch deep to left and it dies in front of the warning track right inside Josh Willingham's glove. Then I saw Luis Ayala was coming in to pitch a second inning. I knew that was it.

So now what? I am too pissed off to even think about who should be back and who shouldn't. I am especially aggravated that Shea Stadium's end comes in a situation like this. But I would like to acknowledge the Cubs for spitting the bit this weekend. And the Mets bullpen for doing the same for the whole year. As far as the playoffs go, I will watch very very little. I will now root for anyone in the AL and the Dodgers. Any sympathy I had toward Milwaukee has evaporated. I can wish them no, absolutely no, future success. But I will be fair. Good luck to them as they try to replace Sabathia and Sheets.

Great win by the Jets. Favre was great, throwing six touchdowns. Yet, it feels completely meaningless.

Friday marathon and one day to go...

the last 48 hours have been an utter whirlwhind.

First of all, after that horrific loss on Wednesday, I didn't know if the Mets had anything left. But they did come back, beating the Cubs on Thursday in an amazing show of resilience. Even though we made Micah Hoffpauir look like the second coming of Ted Williams. And I did not see the comeback happening, not only that, I did not see it. I was just too anxious and I know I wasn't the only one. I actually tuned in around the seventh, just in time to see Hoffpauir blast a three-run homer to put the Mets in a 6-3 hole. I turned it off for a few more innings. When Carlos Delgado grounded into a double play in the eighth, I figured it was over. 10 minuutes later, I found out it was tied! Pedro Martinez pitched with guile and toughness. He did everything he could. And after his traditionally terrible first inning, he settled in very well. Ramon Martinez, where did you come from??? Ryan Church's game-tying slide around the catcher in that eighth inning was one of the highlights of the season. He has not done well over the last month, but he had a huge game, going 3-for-3. But I did see Beltran's game winning smash off Hoffpauir's outstretched glove. It was a relief, but it felt temporary. It would be temporary, but we'll come back to that.

But the next morning was Friday, and I woke up at 3 a.m., 3 hours earlier than I normally would had I been working. I took off at 4 am and arrived at the Foundry in Aurora 45 minutes later. About 200 people were standing on line outside. And I watched the Mike and Mike radio show. It was an amazing experience. I chatted with a lot of people, including a guy who played for the Philadelphia Phantoms AHL hockey team, a guy who had been fired from that very restaurant one day before, and even a few Jet fans! Of course, with Greenie there, I sported my Chad jersey. He was impressed. And I commend Greenberg and Golic for their hospitality. They signed a picture for me, shook my hand, and Greenie even autographed my Jet jersey. It was awesome! I will, however, never drink an O-Bomb at 8:30 a.m. I drove home around 9 and planned to grab a nap.

I got home around 10 and of course mom wanted to go out. So next thing I know, after helping her won the computer for an hour, we're shopping for the next three hours. We did sneak lunch in at CPK as I returned for the first time in three years. Melissa, Chris, and Lindy are still there. The avocado club egg rolls are excellent. So we got back in at 3 p.m. I had to leave for Glen Ellyn at 5:15 p.m. I snuck into bed at 3:30, did not set my alarm, but somehow woke up at 5:05. Went to group, came home at 8:00. Found out about the Mets' total non-effort as the Marlins wasted them, dropping them out of the playoffs. And we did the usual work load from 8 pm-1 am. That was 22 hours that I was awake. I do not recommend this as a habit.

I will never eat corned beef hash again. If Egg Harbor can't make it taste good, there's probably very little chance I could ever like it.

Got home at 2 p.m. and the Mets were seventh inning of a game they would win 2-0. Johan Santana is amazing. On three days rest, he throws a three-hit, complete game shutout. He has absolutely delivered as an ace, right now, he probably is the best pitcher in baseball. Although we have now officially lost the division (Great double play to end kill the rally, Zimmerman), the Cubs beat the Brewers, so we are tied for the wild card going into tomorrow. We have Oliver Perez pitching against Scott Olsen and the Brewers have CC Sabathia going against something like 46 marginal Cubs pitchers. I think the immortal Angel Guzman will be making an appearance. I don't know what will happen tomorrow, I'm not overly confident the Mets will wi the wild card tomorrow wihtout a Monday playoff, but Ollie can't pitch any worse than Tom Glavine did last year in this spot. Can he?

And I will definitely have to skip the Jets game at Rookie's. This is big.

Nothing left

I'm not even going to analyze what I spent four hours of my life witnessing tonight. After losing this game when we should have won a dozen times (0-for-10 with runners on third base), I am done. Done with this year. Finished. Miserable. Ashamed. Spent. Embarrassed. Outraged. Humiliated. Depressed. Pissed. And every negative word in the dictionary. This is the epitome of emptiness, heartache, and frustration. Rooting for the New York Mets.

Baseball is officially over. After this, I hope the Cubs choke in October just like we have all freakin' year. Because since 1970, the fans of that franchise have had TWO HEARTBREAKING YEARS! 1984 and 2003. That's it. For the lousy Mets, I have 1987, 1988, 1999, (I won't even count 2000 when they lost to the Yankees in the Series) 2006, last year, and this year. Start hockey already. Get on with some more Jets and Knicks misery already. Just the same damn treadmill I have run on for 20 disgusting years. Time to get wasted.

Autumn arrives, yet the fall continues

I will keep this brief because I have been ranting a lot lately, but every day gives me another reason to do it again.

Do the Mets have any guts, any backbone, any cojones? I'm not shocked they lost to the Chicago Bubbles last night. But you cannot get humiliated by the opposing pitcher. How many teams in history have, in one season, allowed two grand slams by pitchers, one of whom has pitched in the American League his whole life? Jason Marquis is beating us now???

I want Luis Castillo cut tomorrow. Actually, his last at-bat of the game wasn't bad. Kerry Wood pitches, he takes three fastballs, does not even try to swing, strikes out. For him, that is actually productive. Eat the salary. Get rid of him.

And this is a new reason to hate Atlanta. Yes, I know someone is reading, but it's the truth. They just bend over, and let Philly smack them around. Philly is 9-0 in Atlanta, the Mets are 1-8. They are 20 games under .500!!! And the Mets still never beat them. Even when Atlanta isn't sniffing the playoffs, the tomahawk drives straight into my heart once again.

The only reason the Mets have a shot at the postseason is because Milwaukee has gagged it up even worse. They are 2-8 in their last 10. And if the Mets had not swept them in September, they would be out of the playoffs today. That is a team that fired their manager one week ago!The license plate frame is off the back of the car as of this morning. Just like last year, I am embarrassed to be a fan of the New York Mets.

And a lovely job by the Jets as well. Utterly outclassed. That is the perfect word. They were outclassed by San Diego on national TV. Favre threw 2 INT's, could have thrown four more. Kris Jenkins gets hurt and the defense cannot stop anyone. The offensive line, who I thought would be lights out, gave Favre no time to throw at all. And the defense missed tackles like it was 1995 again. What is Mangini thinking about after coming back to within 17-14, he goes for the onside kick? Absolutely terrible. The Chargers get the ball at the 45, and go straight down the field. Chris Chambers catches a 30 yard touchdown with not a green jersey to be seen on the entire TV screen (and it was widescreen) and the game was basically over.

But this was the best part of the game. Fourth quarter, Jets down by about 18. They score and go for two. SD penalty, ball goes from the two to the one. SD penalty, ball goes to the one-half. Another SD penalty, ball goes to the ONE-QUARTER line. It is IN the end zone. And what do the Jets do here? Five receivers, shotgun formation!!!! Are you kidding? Of course, the ball gets intercepted. Only the Jets.

I'm not panicking over them yet, it's 3 games in, but they have to win at home against Arizona before the bye week. Joe Queenan said it best. I'm paraphrasing here. He said that Jets fans don't see anything noble about losing. They don't see an acceptable side to it. The constant losing makes them bitter people.

Doesn't even matter

The Giants won a great game. The Patriots got humiliated by the one and only Chad Pennington and Miami at home. I think Ronnie Brown just scored again. The US breezed to the Ryder Cup victory. Yet, I couldn't give a shit.

Because those scumbags in Atlanta have beat the Mets 2 out of 3, knocking us 1.5 games out of first place. I hate this damn bullpen, who gets teed off on more than Tiger Woods tees off Titleist golf balls. Every one of them can go. And how can Jerry Manuel keep going back to Scott Schoeneweis and Aaron Heilman? Eighth inning, Mets up 4-3. Schoeneweis gets McCann out, before allowing a double and a single. Tie game. Joe Smith comes in. He has been very good, but he pitches every single day. Up comes the most unclutch free swinger around, Jeff Francoeur. That asshole triples to center field. Triples! 5-4 Atlanta. After a flyout and two intentional walks, Heilman is in and pitches to Omar Infante. 2-2 pitch, double to right, 7-4.

Can we see Bobby Parnell get a shot. Why was Eddie Kunz not brought back with the other 235 relievers for the September callups? I never thought I would say this. I trusted Aaron Sele and Guillermo Mota more at this time last year than I do these stiffs right now. Nobody has been a bigger Heilman fan than me. But it is time to either trade him or make him a starter. Because he has been hideous. His days as a Met reliever are finished. Kaput. Just like our chances for the division.

Oh and another lovely job by our tablesetter. Jose Reyes, the NL leader in hits, goes 0-f0r-5. And I love Daniel Murphy. But in this game, batting in the No. 2 hole, what does he do? 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. And Wright and Delgado had huge days, so those 10 outs were absolutely pivotal. Of course, Delgado hits a two-run homer in the ninth for the traditional tease. And then Beltran and the broken-down Easley can't put the ball in play. Game over. Year over. Simple as that.

I hate this season. I absolutely now want them to miss the playoffs because they are never going to beat Chicago. But chances are, they will make the wild card, lose in 3 to Chicago, and I'll have to watch those Northside pricks break the 100-year World Series jinx.

I love the Mets franchise. Always have, always will. I represent the blue and orange with passion, pride, and defiance in the face of constant oppression. I hate their team right now. I hate the misery they inflict on me and all other Mets fans, more pain and more horrific losses than the Cubs fans have ever dreamed of, despite what they would have you believe.

And most of all, I hate where October baseball is headed right now. It could not be any worse.

It is all but official

I have nothing left to root for in baseball but the Brewers to win the wild card. Because the Mets have dropped five games in seven days and are now in second place. They lose yet again to Washington, the worst team in baseball, 1-0. They play tighter than a vacuum sealed package of sardines. They have as much toughness as Glass Joe in Mike Tyson's Punch Out. And Fernando Tatis goes out for the year, separating his shoulder while diving for a bloop hit by the pitcher! The pitcher, who by the way, we made look like Bob Feller and Jim Palmer rolled into one. Odalis Perez, a mediocre pitcher at best. Odalis Perez, who had an ERA of around 5 coming into the game. Odalis Perez, who retired 13 straight Mets at one point. We get two freakin' hits in seven innings against him.

If I have to see Willie Harris, make one more impossible catch against us, I may send a bounty hunter out after him.

This may sound like blasphemy to Mets fans. I am tired of David Wright. If the Mets do not make the playoffs, a change is needed. And this is the change. I want him gone. Traded. He NEVER hits in a big spot. Sixth inning, two on, two out, lines out to third base. And leading off in the top of the ninth, he has an 11- pitch at bat that culminates in striking out on a fastball right down the middle. The poster boy of the Mets is quickly turning into our version of A-Rod.

And I'm taking a shot at this guy too. Since I saw Ryan Church hit the grand slam in Milwaukee, he has done nothing. Nothing, with a capital N. And he had the most excruciating at-bat of the game. Eighth inning, first and third, two out. Against Mike Hinckley, whoever he is. Church strikes out swinging on four curveballs.

And just a terrific job by the Braves tonight who actually act like they give a damn when they play us, but have no problem bending over to get spanked by Philly.

So as Milwaukee plummets (way to choke again), it will be them and the Mets "battling" for the Wild Card. The Astros do not count as Hurricane Ike and MLB screwed them right up the ying-yang, making them play home games against Chicago in Milwaukee for two straight days. I wrote it last night, and repeat myself now. I would rather miss the playoffs than play the damn Cubs in the first round. I didn't think it could get worse than 2007. With 13 games left, it is getting worse every single day.

Soft landing???

First of all, I have to see my co-worker (not that one) on the front page of ESPN.com amongst other Cub fans at Zambrano's no-hitter in Milwaukee yesterday. Wonderful. Now this afternoon, Mike Francesa talks about the soft landing they could have. Milwaukee is slumping and they are now tied for the lead in the wild card with Philly. So now I have to hear if the Mets blow the division again, they can get in the playoffs through the wild card. Some soft landing...if you don't live where I live.

For me, this is jumping out of a plane and landing on a bed of rusted nails and broken glass. That means we play the disgusting Cubs in the first round. The team who will have the division clinched in about a week. And they will have their rotation all set up. Zambrano, Harden (Who will be in pristine health), Dempster. And we haven't hit Ted Lilly in two years. Meanwhile, the Mets are playing 17 straight days, sprinting to the finish line like the Jamaican track runner. We'll probably be starting the series with Pedro and Perez. Can't wait to see our beleaguered bullpen of Ayala, Sanchez, Feliciano, Stokes, Heilman, and certainly Schoeneweis pitch in big spots to the likes of Soriano, DeRosa, Lee, Theriot, Ramirez, Ward, Johnson, Edmonds, and Soto. I don't even want to go into what that will do to my life. And I mean life.

I would rather miss the playoffs than lose to the Cubs.

Some things never change

Back in February, when the Giants beat the Patriots to win Super Bowl 42, I was thrilled, as was any human being with a sense of good and evil. I laid in bed that night and closed my eyes with a smile on my face. I was sleeping peacefully. Then, in the middle of the night, I sat up in a cold sweat. The horrible thought struck me. After seeing something this good, I just knew I would have to endure some misery. And this was miserable a sports day as I have had in a long time.

First, nothing has changed in football. The Jets still stick the knife in my heart. They can't beat New England without the overrated Tom Brady, losing 19-10.

So many disgusting moments. Lamont Jordan torching us for 66 yards on the ground. Jay Feely misses a 31-yard field goal; I think the ball landed behind him, that kick was so off-target. The Jets were penalized six times for 60 yards -- compared with the Patriots' two penalties for 10 yards. Two of them wiped out 30-plus yard gains. Also Calvin Pace with a lovely roughing the passer penalty late in the fourth that allowed the Patsies to kick a field goal to put it out of reach.

But this was all I needed to see. The offense still stinks and the coaches are to blame. Second quarter, Jets trailing 6-0. Aided by Brett Favre's 54-yard pass to Laveranues Coles, the Jets drove to the Patriots' 3 and had first-and-goal. There are so many options with Favre. Play action. Fade routes. A bullet pass on a route across the back of the end zone. Maybe run the ball once with Jones, who is running so much harder and showing so much more quickness than a year ago. These three plays followed: Thomas Jones to the right for 1 yard; Jones up the middle for 1; Jones to the left for minus-2. Every play there had three tight ends, no receivers. They may as well have said out loud we're going to run up the middle three times. No imagination, no creativity, no success, plenty of pain, misery, and heartache. Brian Schottenheimer, as far as playcalling goes, you S-U-C-K. And also to the genius head coach. Is Favre allowed to throw the freakin' football down the field?

Nothing has changed for the Jets. I know it is Week 2. But this was a prime opportunity to make a statement to football and the Satan of sports, the New Englad Patriots. The only statement made? This franchise does not have a damn clue how to win.

And then we get to the Metropolitans. The New Mets, mind you! I've been hearing for weeks now about how this is a new team. Adam, things are different. You gotta believe. I hear it from WFAN. From the newspaper. From ESPN. From friends. From my father. New manager, new attitude. Well, not a new result. After splitting a Saturday doubleheader they should have swept, the Mets lead Atlanta 4-2 going to the ninth. Luis Ayala comes in. Three batters, eleven pitches later, Greg Norton hits a three-run homer. They add two more and we lose 7-4. Didn't want Billy Wagner back, Met fans? How about now? The Mets' bullpen has blown 26 save opportunities this season. This race should have been over last week. Get K-Rod in here. Also, Damion Easley is out, his quad is acting up. Meaning we get to see more of Luis Castillo, who cannot get his $42 million dollar wallet and creaky knees out of New York fast enough. Then again, unfortunately, he can't run.

And I also must acknowledge the pusses in Milwaukee for laying down and getting wasted in four straight games by Philadelphia. The lead is down to two games. Out of seven games since Friday, only one went the right way. And even better, it was rookie hazing day. So right after this disgusting loss, the team gets a chuckle watching four Met rookies dressed like Michael Phelps in Speedos and swimming caps and waving tiny American flags. That gives me a shitload of confidence, knowing that the team is laughing after pissing this game away to a crappy team. Collapse II is in full effect.

And that fat bastard Carlos Zambrano no-hits the previously streaking Houston Astros, nearly tossing a perfect game. And the Bubble fans' love-in continues. They're going to win the World Series and that will only make them more arrogant, more obnoxious, and more rude. I may have to move to Canada. Couldn't get to church either this morning. More rain. This was as bad a Sunday as I could imagine.

Benigno, give me a beauty tomorrow. I need it.

Mets-Brewers Round 1

Well, it wasn't easy, but the Mets rallied to beat the Brewers 4-2. After 7 hours of driving and 3 hours of standing at the game, I am happy to lounge in front of the screen, turn on DDD, and relax. A few things I noticed.

1) In southern Wisconsin, we passed a sign that said Bong Recreation Center, exit 335. I'm surprised it wasn't Exit 420.

2) I met a guy (fellow Mets fan) who gives harder high fives than I do. I never thought it would happen. My right wrist has been bad for three weeks and now I don't think it will be good until next year's softball season.

3) Standing room at Miller Park is rough. Good views, but my feet are feeling the pain.

4) Eric Gagne is hideous.

5) I feel bad for Ben Sheets. So much talent, yet he is injured so much.

6) The Kid Zone is awesome. Running bases, Pitching, Posing with player models and sausage racers. I wish I could have gone there when I was a kid.

7) We walked through the parking lot and a guy told me I looked like David Wright. When I had the goatee, people called me Mike Piazza (my one flattering nickname in college). Now this. Would have been better coming from a girl, but...

8) I'm ready for bed now.