Atlantic Division
c-Boston
x-Tampa Bay
x-Montreal
x-Detroit
Toronto
Ottawa
Florida
Buffalo
Metropolitan Division
y-NY Rangers
x-Pittsburgh
x-Columbus
x-Washington
Philadelphia
NY Islanders
New Jersey
Carolina
Central Division
y-Chicago
x-Colorado
x-St. Louis
x-Dallas
Minnesota
Nashville
Winnipeg
Pacific Division
c-Anaheim
x-Los Angeles
x-San Jose
x-Vancouver
Arizona
Edmonton
Calgary
Eastern Conference Finals
Boston over Tampa Bay
Western Conference Finals
Chicago over Colorado
Stanley Cup Finals
Boston over Chicago
Hart: Sidney Crosby
Calder: Jonathan Drouin
Vezina: Tuukka Rask
Norris: Drew Doughty
Selke: Patrice Bergeron
Adams: Jon Cooper
Monday, September 29, 2014
Monday, September 22, 2014
Two plays
It is time for a sports vent. Jets vs Bears. Monday Night Football. National TV audience. As a resident of Chicagoland for 17 years, it's freaking huge. And all it took for me was two damn plays. After a 10-yard run by Geno Smith, along with a 15-yard Bears penalty, I got my ammunition. A bootleg left intercepted and returned for a touchdown. That was all it took. I said nothing. I didn't yell. I didn't curse. I just flipped the TV to wrestling and Ryder Cup coverage for the rest of the night.
I wish to God I knew nothing about sports. It has provided so much more pain than joy in my life. Especially when I think of some of the people I've interacted with in the last five years, including some of the people who root for my teams. They know who they are. But anyway, this is the way I was meant to be. I can't change it now.
20 years without a championship in any sport. There's been only one that I can remember. The curse will probably last the rest of my life. Time for another beer.
I wish to God I knew nothing about sports. It has provided so much more pain than joy in my life. Especially when I think of some of the people I've interacted with in the last five years, including some of the people who root for my teams. They know who they are. But anyway, this is the way I was meant to be. I can't change it now.
20 years without a championship in any sport. There's been only one that I can remember. The curse will probably last the rest of my life. Time for another beer.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Reset button
Haven't written in a while now. It feels like life has almost been too chaotic to stop and take the time to record my thoughts and emotions. It's Saturday and it's late. And I'm alone. So let's go rapid fire tonight.
1) What a treasure to find a recently discovered Jim Croce live recording of such good quality. It's called "Lost Time in a Bottle." And to think the bulk of it was recorded at Harper College, only 45 minutes away from my house. Speaking of which, I applied for a financial aid job at Harper five days ago. It would be amazing if something came out of it.
2) So I had a big interview at Waubonsee Community College this past Wednesday and I do think it went okay. I interviewed with a seven-person panel, which was a totally new experience for me. The interview lasted about 45 minutes and I think I was prepared for just about every question the committee threw at me. It was interesting when the leader of the panel walked me out afterwards and asked about my previous job and why I left. It's almost as if he was trying to trap me, I don't know. But now I wait, and if I did well enough, I will interview with the Vice-President of the school sometime in the no too distant future.
3) The Mets are officially eliminated from the playoff race with 8 games to go. They need to go 6-1 in the last seven games to just go .500 for the first time since 2008. Sorry, but a .500 record doesn't do it for me. The performances of some of the young players, like Travis d'Arnaud, Jacob deGrom, Jeurys Familia, Zack Wheeler, and even Wilmer Flores, have me excited about where this team can go. But they need another bat, especially in a corner outfield. This lineup is simply not potent enough to make the playoffs next season, even if a healthy Matt Harvey returned to the rotation next season. With a terrible free agent crop looming, I think the Mets will try to make a trade for someone, but I don't see it happening. Maybe a Yoenis Cespedes, who crushes balls when he puts the bat on them. I don't know what it would take for the Red Sox to trade him, but Sandy Alderson should inquire about him.
4) I made my two visits to Hot Doug's last month and I thought I was content with those being my last two visits before they close in two weeks. Now, I rent the Hot Doug's book from the library and now I'm dying to go back one more time before they close. Even reading about retiring encased meats makes my mouth start to water!
5) One sign that someone isn't a good communicator. They ask you a question, only to interrupt your answer five seconds in so they can ask you another question.
1) What a treasure to find a recently discovered Jim Croce live recording of such good quality. It's called "Lost Time in a Bottle." And to think the bulk of it was recorded at Harper College, only 45 minutes away from my house. Speaking of which, I applied for a financial aid job at Harper five days ago. It would be amazing if something came out of it.
2) So I had a big interview at Waubonsee Community College this past Wednesday and I do think it went okay. I interviewed with a seven-person panel, which was a totally new experience for me. The interview lasted about 45 minutes and I think I was prepared for just about every question the committee threw at me. It was interesting when the leader of the panel walked me out afterwards and asked about my previous job and why I left. It's almost as if he was trying to trap me, I don't know. But now I wait, and if I did well enough, I will interview with the Vice-President of the school sometime in the no too distant future.
3) The Mets are officially eliminated from the playoff race with 8 games to go. They need to go 6-1 in the last seven games to just go .500 for the first time since 2008. Sorry, but a .500 record doesn't do it for me. The performances of some of the young players, like Travis d'Arnaud, Jacob deGrom, Jeurys Familia, Zack Wheeler, and even Wilmer Flores, have me excited about where this team can go. But they need another bat, especially in a corner outfield. This lineup is simply not potent enough to make the playoffs next season, even if a healthy Matt Harvey returned to the rotation next season. With a terrible free agent crop looming, I think the Mets will try to make a trade for someone, but I don't see it happening. Maybe a Yoenis Cespedes, who crushes balls when he puts the bat on them. I don't know what it would take for the Red Sox to trade him, but Sandy Alderson should inquire about him.
4) I made my two visits to Hot Doug's last month and I thought I was content with those being my last two visits before they close in two weeks. Now, I rent the Hot Doug's book from the library and now I'm dying to go back one more time before they close. Even reading about retiring encased meats makes my mouth start to water!
5) One sign that someone isn't a good communicator. They ask you a question, only to interrupt your answer five seconds in so they can ask you another question.
Tuesday, September 02, 2014
C Ya Hot Doug's
Hot Doug's is, simply stated, a Chicago landmark. As much of a foodie as I am, I don't say something like that about restaurants too easily. The encased meats emporium, where one can get hot dogs and sausages made of exotic meats, distinctive toppings, and cheeses that nobody in America knew existed. I had been there myself 5 or 6 times before. Sometimes the menu looks appealing and sometimes the special sausages look so over the top that they were just too much for me to make the hour drive for. But when I did, I knew there was no other place like it. Open 10:30-4, six days a week, cash only. The hot sausages named after beautiful women. the option to get a hot dog deep-fried and then grilled! Duck fat fries on Fridays and Saturdays. Several times, I went before a Mets-Cubs day game at Wrigley. I'd be dressed in my Mets garb. Doug, the owner, would always man the counter. He would tell me stories about going to college in New York in the 1980's, when Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry owned New York baseball.
Then in May, Doug confirmed they would be closing in early October. Chicagoans couldn't believe it. This is such a unique place and to lose it is pretty hard to take. Doug has given no reason other than it's time to different things, as in get out of the restaurant business. So I knew I was going to make one last trip to Hot Doug's before they closed. I went on a Saturday in the middle of the afternoon before heading to Ring of Honor wrestling later that night.
I left at 1:30, as it usually takes an hour to get to the Avondale neighborhood. Just before I left, the rain began. It took me 90 minutes. I parked and got on line an hour before closing. I had my Jets slicker on as the rain came down on me and the 150 or so other people on line. One of the workers came outside and told our section of the line that we'd have to wait 90 minutes or so, but we would get served. Long story short, it took 2 hours and 45 minutes. I didn't get to the counter until 5:45, nearly 2 hours after they closed.
Doug asked me if Gerry Philbin was in the house, referring to the Jets old defensive end from the 1960's. He asked me how long it would take until Michael Vick would start over Geno Smith. and I told him I thought Geno would be okay. That remains to be seen, but I do have faith in the kid. With all these kinds of conversations, it's easy to see why the line moves so slowly. Anyway, I ordered 3 sausages. First was the bacon and cheddar smoked elk with Eugene porter mustard, Jarlsberg cheese and crispy fried onions. I really enjoyed the gamey flavor of the elk. There was a little flavor of bacon and cheese, but thankfully not so much where the elk flavor was overwhelmed. And you can't go wrong with crispy onions. I got the smoked Texas pork hot link with Coca-Cola BBQ Sauce, white cheddar cheese curds and pickled green tomatoes. I really enjoyed this one. A good pork flavor with a little touch of spice, though not hot. The curds weren't deep fried, like I expected though. Finally, there was the porcini and parmesan chicken with chèvre aioli, roasted red peppers and mushrooms sautéed in duck fat. This one was disappointing. The aioli just took over the sausage. I ate maybe a third of it and I was done. I basically picked off the mushrooms and roasted peppers and just ate those. The French fries were hot and fresh cut, just great.
I thought that was my last trip. But the guys from my small group decided that they wanted in. So we agreed that the next Saturday, we'd go to Hot Doug's and Firecakes, a donut place in the River North section of Chicago. We decided to meet in Schaumburg at 9 am and drive in together. Well, Matt never showed up, he slept in. It was his idea from the beginning anyway! So it was myself. Jon, Fil, and Fil's friend, Ashley. We got to the corner of Roscoe and California at 10 am, a pretty smooth drive. The line was three times as long as it had been the previous Saturday. On that line, we played hearts and Heads Up. Long story short, it took five hours to get through that line and order our food. Basically 20 percent of our day was waiting in that line!
I got the mountain man sausage. It's a very tasty combination of antelope, elk, venison and buffalo with red currant mustard and smoked gouda cheese. This was one of the 2 or 3 best sausages I've had there and easily the best I'd had between these two visits. It tasted gamey. The smoked gouda added a little nutty flavor. The currant mustard gave it a bold, sophisticated flavor. It all came together so well. And over that charcoal grill, well, that just put it over the top.
It's sad to see something so good and so unique go away. Life will go on, of course. But hey, it was a great place to check out while it lasted. Thank you, Doug Sohn.
Then in May, Doug confirmed they would be closing in early October. Chicagoans couldn't believe it. This is such a unique place and to lose it is pretty hard to take. Doug has given no reason other than it's time to different things, as in get out of the restaurant business. So I knew I was going to make one last trip to Hot Doug's before they closed. I went on a Saturday in the middle of the afternoon before heading to Ring of Honor wrestling later that night.
I left at 1:30, as it usually takes an hour to get to the Avondale neighborhood. Just before I left, the rain began. It took me 90 minutes. I parked and got on line an hour before closing. I had my Jets slicker on as the rain came down on me and the 150 or so other people on line. One of the workers came outside and told our section of the line that we'd have to wait 90 minutes or so, but we would get served. Long story short, it took 2 hours and 45 minutes. I didn't get to the counter until 5:45, nearly 2 hours after they closed.
Doug asked me if Gerry Philbin was in the house, referring to the Jets old defensive end from the 1960's. He asked me how long it would take until Michael Vick would start over Geno Smith. and I told him I thought Geno would be okay. That remains to be seen, but I do have faith in the kid. With all these kinds of conversations, it's easy to see why the line moves so slowly. Anyway, I ordered 3 sausages. First was the bacon and cheddar smoked elk with Eugene porter mustard, Jarlsberg cheese and crispy fried onions. I really enjoyed the gamey flavor of the elk. There was a little flavor of bacon and cheese, but thankfully not so much where the elk flavor was overwhelmed. And you can't go wrong with crispy onions. I got the smoked Texas pork hot link with Coca-Cola BBQ Sauce, white cheddar cheese curds and pickled green tomatoes. I really enjoyed this one. A good pork flavor with a little touch of spice, though not hot. The curds weren't deep fried, like I expected though. Finally, there was the porcini and parmesan chicken with chèvre aioli, roasted red peppers and mushrooms sautéed in duck fat. This one was disappointing. The aioli just took over the sausage. I ate maybe a third of it and I was done. I basically picked off the mushrooms and roasted peppers and just ate those. The French fries were hot and fresh cut, just great.
I thought that was my last trip. But the guys from my small group decided that they wanted in. So we agreed that the next Saturday, we'd go to Hot Doug's and Firecakes, a donut place in the River North section of Chicago. We decided to meet in Schaumburg at 9 am and drive in together. Well, Matt never showed up, he slept in. It was his idea from the beginning anyway! So it was myself. Jon, Fil, and Fil's friend, Ashley. We got to the corner of Roscoe and California at 10 am, a pretty smooth drive. The line was three times as long as it had been the previous Saturday. On that line, we played hearts and Heads Up. Long story short, it took five hours to get through that line and order our food. Basically 20 percent of our day was waiting in that line!
I got the mountain man sausage. It's a very tasty combination of antelope, elk, venison and buffalo with red currant mustard and smoked gouda cheese. This was one of the 2 or 3 best sausages I've had there and easily the best I'd had between these two visits. It tasted gamey. The smoked gouda added a little nutty flavor. The currant mustard gave it a bold, sophisticated flavor. It all came together so well. And over that charcoal grill, well, that just put it over the top.
I also had the steak au Poivre sausage with four roses bourbon mustard, Irish whiskey cheese and crispy fried onions. This was pretty good, although I can't say I was thinking the sausage tasted like a steak. The mustard tasted really strong too. It was a pretty good sausage; the mountain man was just better. And the duck fat fries were amazing, as always.
It's sad to see something so good and so unique go away. Life will go on, of course. But hey, it was a great place to check out while it lasted. Thank you, Doug Sohn.
NFL Predictions
AFC East
c-New England 13-3
Miami 9-7
NY Jets 7-9
Buffalo 5-11
AFC North
y-Cincinnati 10-6
x-Pittsburgh 10-6
Baltimore 7-9
Cleveland 6-10
AFC South
y-Indianapolis 10-6
Tennessee 5-11
Houston 5-11
Jacksonville 2-14
AFC West
y-Denver 13-3
x-Kansas City 10-6
San Diego 8-8
Oakland 4-12
NFC East
y-NY Giants 10-6
Philadelphia 9-7
Washington 6-10
Dallas 5-11
NFC North
y-Green Bay 12-4
x-Chicago 10-6
Detroit 7-9
Minnesota 3-13
NFC South
y-New Orleans 12-4
Carolina 8-8
Tampa Bay 7-9
Atlanta 6-10
NFC West
c-Seattle 12-4
x-San Francisco 11-5
Arizona 5-11
St. Louis 4-12
AFC Championship
Denver over Indianapolis
NFC Championship
Green Bay over Seattle
Super Bowl
Denver over Green Bay
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