Top 1. Dickey induces a Jeter groundout to the mound on the first pitch. Granderson also grounds out and after nearly getting hit in his growing noggin, A-Rod is frozen on a fastball for strike 3. 9 pitches. 3 outs.
Bottom 1. Torres leads off and works Sabathia to a full count before grounding out to short. Ruben Tejada returns from the DL and after another full count, whiffs.Wright lines a single to center for the first hit of the night. On a 2-2 pitch to Scott Hairston, Wright steals second and the throw to second skips into center field, and he easily takes third. I can see why CI doesn't much care for Chris Stewart being the Yankees backup catcher. Unfortunately, Hairston strikes out on a pitch in the dirt.
Top 2. Cano flies out lazily to left field. Teixeira grounds to first, Justin Turner flips the ball to Dickey, and the throw is too high. A total gift baserunner and that is not a good omen. Swisher walks. Now I'm nervous. Up comes Ibanez. Base hit. Bases loaded. Holy crap, I'm never gonna hear the end of this. Stewart pops up. Infield fly. Two down. Now Sabathia, who is an excellent hitting pitcher. A sharp grounder fielded by Wright, who touches third. three out. Whew!
Bottom 2. Duda leads off with a ground single to left. Turner has not looked good since coming off the DL. Double play ball. 4-6-3.And it really hurts since Cedeno and Thole knock back to back singles before Dickey grounds out. And the side is retired.
Top 3. Yank load the bases again on two walks and a single with one out. No 8-9 up this time. Teixeira with a sac fly. First earned run allowed since May 22. 44 2/3 innings. Three walks already in this game and I am not feeling good. Swisher up and this umpire is not giving Dickey any calls. And wouldn't you know it. Three run HR by that cocky asshole. 4-0. I'm having second thoughts abou typing...
Bottom 6: Mets rally! 5-5! Andres Torres with a huge 2-run single to make it 5-4 to chase CC and then Tejada singles off Corey Wade to score Vinny Rottino. Of course, Nieuwenhuis whiffs on a change up with the bases loaded. Side retired. Now with Dickey gone, three innings from a depleted bullpen are needed. I still think they're losing this thing.
Top 7. Batista gets Jeter, Granderson, and A-Rod. Very impressive.
Bottom 7. Logan in to pitch. Nothing happens.
Top 8. Cano HR. 6-5. And of course CI celebrates.
Bottom 8. Torres singles, steals second, and moves to 3rd on a balk with two out. Just a huge spot for Tejada. I so want to shut those damn Yankee fans up. And of course he grounds out. Another failure.
Top 9. Parnell in. 1-2-3. Well done...
Bottom 9. Wright leads off against Rafael freakin Soriano. This is NOT Mo Rivera! Strikeout. Of course. Duda does nothing. Then one hit by Murphy. And Davis chokes with a weak flyout. What a freaking embarrassment. 5 losses in 6 games. I feel absolutely sick over this disgrace of a franchise.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
A weekend at home for a change
Welcome to my 20 regular readers, even though I only know who maybe, 2 of you are.
1) Good to visit Swedish Days after missing it last year. I enjoyed my Egg Harbor cheeseburger and lemonade shakeup followed by a Swedish cinnamon roll for Graham's.
2) Went to a Hi Infidelity concert. I enjoyed it, though I realize how few of those arena rock songs I know. And I am incredibly disappointed that even though they played four or five REO Speedwagon songs, they did not play "Take it On the Run." Terrible job.
3) Softball is 1-2, game 4 is at 2 p.m Sunday. After some serious training this week, I'll be back after missing Game 3, and more than ready to go.
4) Kristin seems like a really cool girl. Not sure I can keep up with someone who dances as much as she does, but hey, I can go for a challenge.
5) So I'm going to two games at Wrigley Field this week. I may as well wager money on the Cubs winning Monday and Wednesday and the Mets winning on Tuesday, since that game is the only one I won't be going to.
6) I sometimes think I would rather be in love with someone who doesn't care about sports vs. someone who hates most of my teams.
7) Can't wait to try the Four-Course sandwich at Fifty/30 on Wednesday afternoon.
8) It's amazing how much healthier I feel when I tan. Then again, that can be a sign of danger...
9) Some days I wish you could get a good foot rub...this is one of them.
10) Great job by the Daily Herald publishing a half page article on R.A. Dickey today. We need some K's Dickey, wins Dickey. Don't break our hearts Dickey...
1) Good to visit Swedish Days after missing it last year. I enjoyed my Egg Harbor cheeseburger and lemonade shakeup followed by a Swedish cinnamon roll for Graham's.
2) Went to a Hi Infidelity concert. I enjoyed it, though I realize how few of those arena rock songs I know. And I am incredibly disappointed that even though they played four or five REO Speedwagon songs, they did not play "Take it On the Run." Terrible job.
3) Softball is 1-2, game 4 is at 2 p.m Sunday. After some serious training this week, I'll be back after missing Game 3, and more than ready to go.
4) Kristin seems like a really cool girl. Not sure I can keep up with someone who dances as much as she does, but hey, I can go for a challenge.
5) So I'm going to two games at Wrigley Field this week. I may as well wager money on the Cubs winning Monday and Wednesday and the Mets winning on Tuesday, since that game is the only one I won't be going to.
6) I sometimes think I would rather be in love with someone who doesn't care about sports vs. someone who hates most of my teams.
7) Can't wait to try the Four-Course sandwich at Fifty/30 on Wednesday afternoon.
8) It's amazing how much healthier I feel when I tan. Then again, that can be a sign of danger...
9) Some days I wish you could get a good foot rub...this is one of them.
10) Great job by the Daily Herald publishing a half page article on R.A. Dickey today. We need some K's Dickey, wins Dickey. Don't break our hearts Dickey...
Best in the World Predictions
Thankfully the ROH PPV stream is working unlike last time. Picks for this afternoon's card at the Hammerstein Ballroom in the Manhattan Center in New York City.
ROH World Championship-Anything Goes
Kevin Steen vs Davey Richards
Pick: Kevin Steen
ROH World Tag Team Championship
Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin vs Kenny King and Rhett Titus
Pick: All Night Express
ROH World TV Championship-Elimination Rules
Roderick Strong vs Tomasso Ciampa vs Jay Lethal
Pick: Roderick Strong
Eddie Edwards vs Homicide
Pick: Eddie Edwards
Hybrid Fighting Rules
Adam Cole vs Kyle O' Reilly
Pick: Adam Cole
Fit Finlay vs "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin
Pick: "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin
Jay and Mark Briscoe vs Truth Martini's Guardians of Truth
Pick: Jay and Mark Briscoe
ROH World Championship-Anything Goes
Kevin Steen vs Davey Richards
Pick: Kevin Steen
ROH World Tag Team Championship
Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin vs Kenny King and Rhett Titus
Pick: All Night Express
ROH World TV Championship-Elimination Rules
Roderick Strong vs Tomasso Ciampa vs Jay Lethal
Pick: Roderick Strong
Eddie Edwards vs Homicide
Pick: Eddie Edwards
Hybrid Fighting Rules
Adam Cole vs Kyle O' Reilly
Pick: Adam Cole
Fit Finlay vs "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin
Pick: "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin
Jay and Mark Briscoe vs Truth Martini's Guardians of Truth
Pick: Jay and Mark Briscoe
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Happy camper? Probably
After my car passed the emissions test, I stopped at Wal-Mart to buy 14 pounds of ice and a package of styrofoam cups for the trip. I eventually arrived at Melissa's apartment in Arlington Heights around 12:30. It would have been 12, but Natalie forgot to bring the banana chocolate chip bread and zucchini bread, so she had to rush home after work to pick them up, and we delayed our departure time by a half hour.
The rain lasted for maybe an hour and then we returned to our site. I opened our tent door and to my horror, I saw a large puddle sitting inside the tent right by the door. May have been the size of a large dinner plate. My only relief was that none of the water touched my stuff. Unfortunately, it got to Manish's sleeping bag and mattress. Without a squeegee handy, we used the lids of the styrofoam coolers to sweep the water out of the tent. I finished it off by wiping up the remaining water with my bath towel.
So we made lunch as the sun started to peek out. I made a turkey sandwich with more guac along with some salad and pita chips. Oh, and plenty of watermelon, it completely hit the spot with that hot weather. From there, I headed down to the beach with Melissa and Kristin. Earlier that morning, Sophie told me this was the tiniest swimming area I could ever imagine. And she wasn't kidding. I've seen plenty of lakes and ponds that had roped off areas to swim, but this was a rectangle that wasn't even the size of a hockey rink.
I went into the water first, and it felt pretty comfortable. Walking on the grass on the bottom of the pond felt a little creepy, it was like someone or something was crawling on me. Eventually, the ladies (who were looking gorgeous in a pair of bikinis) came in. And as we walked out, I flicked a hint of water at both of them. It didn't even qualify as a splash. Well, I paid for it. Melissa warned me after the flick to sleep with one eye open. A half hour later, Melissa caught me while I was laying face down. I was enjoying the rays warming my back. And I suddenly felt a cold rush going down my back. She doused me with a bucket of water. It was really no big deal, I dried off pretty quick. Oh, and this was a little weird. They were laying to my right. To my left were about 8 steel canoes. They asked if I was looking at them, I told them they were better to look at than the boats. I guess that was a compliment...
Afterwards, I walked with Catherine to the neighboring Nature Preserve. We walked on a dock and chatted for the first time. She's got a few years on me and he's quite smart. I got to learn about her pastoring and scientific backgrounds, she seemed like an interesting woman. But what we saw on the dock of the preserve really disturbed both of us. These kids, maybe 11 years old, were fishing. Then I saw they had a turtle on the dock. Apparently, the turtle had taken the bait and they had pulled him up. I looked closer and I could see this one blonde-haired kid was stepping on the shell of the turtle. And then I could see the turtle's mouth stretched completely open, as far as it could go. He couldn't make a sound, but it was easy to see he was in a lot of pain. A few of us on the dock asked him what he was doing and why. So then the kid grabbed him by the tail and dangled him over the water for a solid 5 or 10 seconds before finally releasing him into the pond. I have to say it was very disturbing to watch.
So we went back and it was time for the 8:00 hay ride with Manish and Kristin. Seems like I spent a lot of time with Kristin, and I have to say, I didn't mind it at all. On the ride, which wasn't too thrilling, Kristin explained to me the difference between red oaks, white oaks, and burr oaks. We saw some honeysuckle and black locusts too. So she wound up being my tour guide. During the ride, I also saw a disc golf course on the other side of the property. I even had my discs in my car, so I was a little bummed I had no knowledge of this!
When we returned around 9 pm, Jim, Mike, Catherine, and Ian had all left already. It was completely dark outside by now, so we started another campfire. We had some different conversations about faith, including how we got saved and even a long talk about Evangelicalism vs Catholicism. It's not that I wasn't interested, but I just felt so drained. I nodded off at least three times. All of a sudden I felt it. A drip. Then two drips. Then came a couple more drips. Then the drips quickly morphed into a thunderstorm.
I knew our tent was going to flood. Fil and held the slanted roof of our tent up, trying to deflect the water off. More water did start to seep in through the corners of the tent, I had to cover my suitcase with a towel. But there wasn't much we could do about the rain that was leaking through the roof except to wait out the storm. Manish, meanwhile, well, he didn't have it so good. He had left his phone on the picnic table outside and it got ruined. He wound up staying in his van for a while. After about an hour of trying to prevent more dripping, Fil and Manish threw a tarp over part of the tent. It helped, but it didn't really solve the problem. Once again, I had to use my towels to dry up the rain water inside the tent.
Eventually, we all laid down and tried to sleep. As more water snuck in, I started singing "Raindrops keep falling on my head." BJ Thomas, great voice, bottom line. Anyway, neither Manish or I felt comfortable sleeping near the sides of the tent. Fil had an elevated cot placed in the middle, so he was ok. But eventually, Natasha agreed to stay with Natalie and Kristin while Manish and I took her tent over. We definitely appreciated that sacrifice.
It was still not the easiest night to sleep. As I laid down on her very soft inflatable mattress, I realized both a corner of my pillow well as the bottom of my sleeping bag were completely drenched. And Manish woke up maybe twice during the night to take a leak too. Thanks for the interruptions bro.
We woke up around 6:30 and after taking an early shower, I immediately started cleaning up the site. After arranging food, gear, and packing bags, we left around 7:45 for the pancake breakfast with eggs, fruit, sausage, and cereal. But I could just feel the vibe of the group was we had fun, but we're ready to go home.
So I walked back with Manish and Kristin (again!) and as I headed back to our tent to disassemble it, I found a turtle hanging out behind Leigh's truck. Kristin took quite a liking to him and I took a few photos of him, including one of Kristin holding him. She let him off in the woods behind our site.
So we resumed cleaning by taking the tents down, packing the coolers, and dumping the trash (with Kristin). We even had some extra Cokes that Jim had brought so I took three cans and packed them in my duffel bag. I think it took us another hour and we were all gone by 9:30. Again, I drove Natalie and this time, she slept most of the way. Sadly, Dogs N' Suds was closed at 10:20 am, we had arrived in Richmond, at the northern border of Illinois, about 40 minutes early. I guess that first taste of the root beer will have to wait for another day. So I dropped Natalie off at Melissa's place and helped upload the cars. Melissa was nice enough to give me a bottle of water for the road and I made it home by 12:30.
I just felt too drained to play softball that afternoon, I found out we lost to St. Peters again. I'll be ready for Sunday afternoon.
We loaded our two cars with countless bags, grills, tents, and coolers, Lord knows my Honda Accord has never carried this kind of weight before! After about two minutes, I could almost hear the engine crying out to me, "Adam, did you put some weight on?" I drove Natalie while Melissa rode in Leigh's truck. On the way, the two of us made a stop at Target to get 28 more pounds of ice. On top of that, Natalie wanted to stop at the adjacent McDonald's, and I may have rolled my eyes at that one. She ordered two sweet teas for herself, so I decided to bite the bullet and I got one too. I took a sip through the straw and immediately, I remembered why I haven't spent any money there in 20 years. The sweet tea had no freaking sugar whatsoever! Isn't that the point of sweet tea? I only drank it down because it was cold and the temperature was around 90 degrees outside.
We arrived in Camp Timber-Lee in East Troy, Wisconsin around 3:30 pm. Natalie and I registered the group and we started unloading at sites 29 and 31. We had four tents, three for the ladies and one for the guys. Now, the first three were from Eddie Bauer and Ozark. These were modern tents with metal stakes, velcro fasteners, zippers for windows, all kinds of modern amenities. Then we came to the guys tent that Natasha brought; she came up with her daughter around 4:30. I think this tent was a relic from World War 1. I opened up the canvas bag and I pulled out a huge tent with had tape covering some holes, 20 metal poles, and a dozen yellow plastic stakes. It took me a solid hour to get the tent to the point where it would just stand up. Even with a rubber mallet, i could only drive the stakes halfway into the ground. The bottom of the poles were rubber capped, which I wasn't too confident about either. Eventually, we got it up to the point where it would just stay up and at the time, that was good enough for me. I was jnust hoping the winds wouldn't exceed 5 MPH... After we finished, I enjoyed an orange icee-pop and cup of lemon sparking water. J-Schu would have been so proud of me.
We started setting up for dinner. As the lone guy, my job was to eat a lot. I wound up wolfing down four turkey burger patties, a hot dog, grilled corn on the cob, salad, pita chips with hummus, and a ton of guacamole, regular and spicy! Feeling a little bored afterwards, I walked down to the road to the activity center, where they have ping pong, air hockey, and carpetball. I wound up playing carpetball (sort of like hand-held shuffleboard without points) with a guy from Bartlett for about 20 minutes. I came back and we set up a campfire with s'mores and then Kristin and Manish arrived around 9 pm. I don't remember too much of the night, except setting stuff up. I do remember going to the office late and signing up for Saturday activities. We had choices like horseback riding, archery, the pancake breakfast, and the creation walk. We didn't stay up too late, we headed to bed around 11, which is lights out at Timber-lee anyway.
All night long, Manish and I could hear giggling coming from Kristin and Natalie's tent, which was maybe 5 steps away from us. So we decided to do something about it. I snuck out of our tent, walked a few steps to Manish's truck, opened the door, raised the roof of the cooler, and grabbed two handfuls of ice cubes. I closed the van back up and tip-toed gingerly to their tent and pelted the outside of their tent with the ice. Then I hauled ass back to my tent! Thankfully, there was no retribution.
Since a few of us had signed up for horseback riding at 8:45, Manish and I took charge of making an early breakfast. We went with eggs, although a frying pan might have been a nice addition. I wound up lining a grill basket with aluminum foil and putting it on the grill. I also had to use a metal spatula and indeed, some of the eggs slipped through the foil and onto the burner. I'm sure that didn't make cleanup a fun experience. I also fried up some turkey bacon. I guess it's healthier, but has so far less flavor than regular bacon. We also had some fruit salad and Natalie's aforementioned breads. That zucchini bread, in particular, tasted awesome.
Since a few of us had signed up for horseback riding at 8:45, Manish and I took charge of making an early breakfast. We went with eggs, although a frying pan might have been a nice addition. I wound up lining a grill basket with aluminum foil and putting it on the grill. I also had to use a metal spatula and indeed, some of the eggs slipped through the foil and onto the burner. I'm sure that didn't make cleanup a fun experience. I also fried up some turkey bacon. I guess it's healthier, but has so far less flavor than regular bacon. We also had some fruit salad and Natalie's aforementioned breads. That zucchini bread, in particular, tasted awesome.
Natasha, Sophie, Kristin, and I left for the ten-minute walk to the stable around 8:30 am. Two other people staying at the camp joined us, they were both first time riders. They fitted me with an XL helmet and then they led us out where the horses were tied. I rode a white horse called Cash, who had a steel muzzle wrapped around his mouth. That meant this horse was an eater! And he proved it when five minutes into the ride, he took a dump. The casual ride lasted an hour or so and it was a cool experience. It cost me $14.00, I would have liked to have done a little trotting for that price!
We all planned to go on the waterslide, which was only open from 9 am to noon. So I changed from my jeans into my bathing suit and then a few of us were sitting around on the picnic tables. And then all of a sudden, the bright gray skies let the rain go all over us. We scurried to get the chairs and coolers into the cars and then we all went to the activity center to kill some time. While we were there, Jim, Catherine, and Mike all showed up. No, not that Catherine. Jim even brought some styrofoam coolers filled with Coke and that soda really hit the spot for me. The highlight of that time in the center was probably Mike and I playing ping pong against Manish and Catherine. The matches were all very competitive, but we won 2 games to 1. It was interesting seeing the ladies giving each other shoulder massages while sitting right next to the table. A little risky, if you ask me. Indeed, a few errant balls hit Melissa and Natalie in the head, I have to admit, I thought it was hysterical. By now, Natasha took Sophie to another camp about 90 minutes north of where we were before returning herself that night.
The rain lasted for maybe an hour and then we returned to our site. I opened our tent door and to my horror, I saw a large puddle sitting inside the tent right by the door. May have been the size of a large dinner plate. My only relief was that none of the water touched my stuff. Unfortunately, it got to Manish's sleeping bag and mattress. Without a squeegee handy, we used the lids of the styrofoam coolers to sweep the water out of the tent. I finished it off by wiping up the remaining water with my bath towel.
So we made lunch as the sun started to peek out. I made a turkey sandwich with more guac along with some salad and pita chips. Oh, and plenty of watermelon, it completely hit the spot with that hot weather. From there, I headed down to the beach with Melissa and Kristin. Earlier that morning, Sophie told me this was the tiniest swimming area I could ever imagine. And she wasn't kidding. I've seen plenty of lakes and ponds that had roped off areas to swim, but this was a rectangle that wasn't even the size of a hockey rink.
I went into the water first, and it felt pretty comfortable. Walking on the grass on the bottom of the pond felt a little creepy, it was like someone or something was crawling on me. Eventually, the ladies (who were looking gorgeous in a pair of bikinis) came in. And as we walked out, I flicked a hint of water at both of them. It didn't even qualify as a splash. Well, I paid for it. Melissa warned me after the flick to sleep with one eye open. A half hour later, Melissa caught me while I was laying face down. I was enjoying the rays warming my back. And I suddenly felt a cold rush going down my back. She doused me with a bucket of water. It was really no big deal, I dried off pretty quick. Oh, and this was a little weird. They were laying to my right. To my left were about 8 steel canoes. They asked if I was looking at them, I told them they were better to look at than the boats. I guess that was a compliment...
Meanwhile, the others did archery and the creation walk. Some of them even got to hold a boa constrictor. I didn't know that was going to be on the list! Fil and Ian had arrived by now also, although Ian stayed about four hours before going back home again. While we prepared dinner, and Fil was preparing his BBQ ribs, Natalie applied put a cucumber-melon mask on my face. I have to admit, my pores felt much tighter. I guess that's a good thing. Anyway, Fil prepared pork ribs with a mango-chipotle sauce, braised in a coffee-based porter. He also threw in a lot of different spices like cinnamon, all spice, ginger, coriander, etc. They tasted tremendous, but they were a little hot! We also enjoyed Natasha's potato salad and our grilled veggies. Just a great dinner.
Then, most of us went boating around 6:30. Jim and Catherine took individual kayaks, while Mike and Natasha shared a canoe, and Manish, Kristin, and I worked on a paddleboat. We rode around the pond for about an hour. I will say, I wish there was a boat where I could adjust my seat position forward and back, like a car. Let's just say my legs were a little long for those pedals, so my knees were basically tucked in my sternum for most of the ride!
Then, most of us went boating around 6:30. Jim and Catherine took individual kayaks, while Mike and Natasha shared a canoe, and Manish, Kristin, and I worked on a paddleboat. We rode around the pond for about an hour. I will say, I wish there was a boat where I could adjust my seat position forward and back, like a car. Let's just say my legs were a little long for those pedals, so my knees were basically tucked in my sternum for most of the ride!
Afterwards, I walked with Catherine to the neighboring Nature Preserve. We walked on a dock and chatted for the first time. She's got a few years on me and he's quite smart. I got to learn about her pastoring and scientific backgrounds, she seemed like an interesting woman. But what we saw on the dock of the preserve really disturbed both of us. These kids, maybe 11 years old, were fishing. Then I saw they had a turtle on the dock. Apparently, the turtle had taken the bait and they had pulled him up. I looked closer and I could see this one blonde-haired kid was stepping on the shell of the turtle. And then I could see the turtle's mouth stretched completely open, as far as it could go. He couldn't make a sound, but it was easy to see he was in a lot of pain. A few of us on the dock asked him what he was doing and why. So then the kid grabbed him by the tail and dangled him over the water for a solid 5 or 10 seconds before finally releasing him into the pond. I have to say it was very disturbing to watch.
So we went back and it was time for the 8:00 hay ride with Manish and Kristin. Seems like I spent a lot of time with Kristin, and I have to say, I didn't mind it at all. On the ride, which wasn't too thrilling, Kristin explained to me the difference between red oaks, white oaks, and burr oaks. We saw some honeysuckle and black locusts too. So she wound up being my tour guide. During the ride, I also saw a disc golf course on the other side of the property. I even had my discs in my car, so I was a little bummed I had no knowledge of this!
When we returned around 9 pm, Jim, Mike, Catherine, and Ian had all left already. It was completely dark outside by now, so we started another campfire. We had some different conversations about faith, including how we got saved and even a long talk about Evangelicalism vs Catholicism. It's not that I wasn't interested, but I just felt so drained. I nodded off at least three times. All of a sudden I felt it. A drip. Then two drips. Then came a couple more drips. Then the drips quickly morphed into a thunderstorm.
I knew our tent was going to flood. Fil and held the slanted roof of our tent up, trying to deflect the water off. More water did start to seep in through the corners of the tent, I had to cover my suitcase with a towel. But there wasn't much we could do about the rain that was leaking through the roof except to wait out the storm. Manish, meanwhile, well, he didn't have it so good. He had left his phone on the picnic table outside and it got ruined. He wound up staying in his van for a while. After about an hour of trying to prevent more dripping, Fil and Manish threw a tarp over part of the tent. It helped, but it didn't really solve the problem. Once again, I had to use my towels to dry up the rain water inside the tent.
Eventually, we all laid down and tried to sleep. As more water snuck in, I started singing "Raindrops keep falling on my head." BJ Thomas, great voice, bottom line. Anyway, neither Manish or I felt comfortable sleeping near the sides of the tent. Fil had an elevated cot placed in the middle, so he was ok. But eventually, Natasha agreed to stay with Natalie and Kristin while Manish and I took her tent over. We definitely appreciated that sacrifice.
It was still not the easiest night to sleep. As I laid down on her very soft inflatable mattress, I realized both a corner of my pillow well as the bottom of my sleeping bag were completely drenched. And Manish woke up maybe twice during the night to take a leak too. Thanks for the interruptions bro.
We woke up around 6:30 and after taking an early shower, I immediately started cleaning up the site. After arranging food, gear, and packing bags, we left around 7:45 for the pancake breakfast with eggs, fruit, sausage, and cereal. But I could just feel the vibe of the group was we had fun, but we're ready to go home.
So I walked back with Manish and Kristin (again!) and as I headed back to our tent to disassemble it, I found a turtle hanging out behind Leigh's truck. Kristin took quite a liking to him and I took a few photos of him, including one of Kristin holding him. She let him off in the woods behind our site.
So we resumed cleaning by taking the tents down, packing the coolers, and dumping the trash (with Kristin). We even had some extra Cokes that Jim had brought so I took three cans and packed them in my duffel bag. I think it took us another hour and we were all gone by 9:30. Again, I drove Natalie and this time, she slept most of the way. Sadly, Dogs N' Suds was closed at 10:20 am, we had arrived in Richmond, at the northern border of Illinois, about 40 minutes early. I guess that first taste of the root beer will have to wait for another day. So I dropped Natalie off at Melissa's place and helped upload the cars. Melissa was nice enough to give me a bottle of water for the road and I made it home by 12:30.
I just felt too drained to play softball that afternoon, I found out we lost to St. Peters again. I'll be ready for Sunday afternoon.
Monday, June 11, 2012
A lost weekend
I should never have gone near CI this weekend. This weekend was about seeing Nona and her friends first and foremost. CI was secondary, even though I stayed at her house. And considering the Mets were playing the Skanks in Skank Stadium, I knew going in this would likely be a disaster.
I got the last flight out, at 8:20 and arrived around 11 pm. Of course it took them another half hour to arrive, which was a joke. And I have never seen worse security at an airport in my life than this dump. There were four lanes for passenger pickup. Three of them were being used by cars that were already parked. I even saw one car parked against the curb...and there was not a person in the car or around the car.
So we're having breakfast a diner in Middle Village and Rob Dokes sends me a FB message. He has the nerve to ask if I want to go to the Subway Series. I hadn't seen him in maybe eight years, so I thought that would be good. Plus the tickets were free, eventually I find out he has two. Even though it was good to see him, I should have said no. We went anyway. Four HR's off Johan. 9-1 final. Not to mention all the taunts I had to deal with from the "classy" Yankee fans, none of which I will repeat here.
Saturday night was just another rough loss, but at least I was already gone for the utter collapse of Sunday afternoon. Oh and the Devils are still alive too. I mean, nothing went even close to right. I expected Rex Ryan to die of a heart attack and Michael Del Zotto to get a 5 year contract extension.
I loved seeing Nona again and it was great meeting Jeanne, Carlos, Nelson, Dan, and everyone else. In fact, a part of me wishes I had just hung with them and them alone. The Thai place for Friday lunch, Saturday brunch at Peel's, Euro Cup soccer, fun conversations about unique and different things (technology, travel, the Bible, siblings, the Middle East, restaurants, and yes, sports); all of that was fun. I had good times alone going to Gray's Papaya and SBI-NY as well. And sure, a repeat visit to Arturo's is always good. The sports and dealing with those five damn cats was pure torture. I just don't want to deal with it anymore.
I got the last flight out, at 8:20 and arrived around 11 pm. Of course it took them another half hour to arrive, which was a joke. And I have never seen worse security at an airport in my life than this dump. There were four lanes for passenger pickup. Three of them were being used by cars that were already parked. I even saw one car parked against the curb...and there was not a person in the car or around the car.
So we're having breakfast a diner in Middle Village and Rob Dokes sends me a FB message. He has the nerve to ask if I want to go to the Subway Series. I hadn't seen him in maybe eight years, so I thought that would be good. Plus the tickets were free, eventually I find out he has two. Even though it was good to see him, I should have said no. We went anyway. Four HR's off Johan. 9-1 final. Not to mention all the taunts I had to deal with from the "classy" Yankee fans, none of which I will repeat here.
Saturday night was just another rough loss, but at least I was already gone for the utter collapse of Sunday afternoon. Oh and the Devils are still alive too. I mean, nothing went even close to right. I expected Rex Ryan to die of a heart attack and Michael Del Zotto to get a 5 year contract extension.
I loved seeing Nona again and it was great meeting Jeanne, Carlos, Nelson, Dan, and everyone else. In fact, a part of me wishes I had just hung with them and them alone. The Thai place for Friday lunch, Saturday brunch at Peel's, Euro Cup soccer, fun conversations about unique and different things (technology, travel, the Bible, siblings, the Middle East, restaurants, and yes, sports); all of that was fun. I had good times alone going to Gray's Papaya and SBI-NY as well. And sure, a repeat visit to Arturo's is always good. The sports and dealing with those five damn cats was pure torture. I just don't want to deal with it anymore.
Saturday, June 02, 2012
8,019 misses. And it finally happened!
This is history. This is special. This remarkable.
Following another day's work, I dropped my phone off at Sprint for some maintenance work and then I went over to Friday's for dinner with Manish, Natalie, Matt, and Fil. I casually started following the Mets vs Cardinals game about 7:15, about a third of the way in. There was no score in the top of the 4th inning and there was no score. I checked again maybe a half hour later, and the Mets scored two in the 4th and three in the 6th and I felt pretty confident they would win. But I suddenly noticed something else. Johan Santana had not allowed a St. Louis hit over the first six innings. And the New York Mets had played 8.109 games over 50 years in their history and despite boasting an amazing arsenal of pitchers throughout their history (Seaver, Koosman, Ryan, Gentry, Matlack, Gooden Darling, Ojeda, Fernandez, Cone, Leiter, Hampton, Martinez, Glavine etc.) they had never pitched a no-hitter.
My eyes bulged out and even though I hadn't even gotten my burger yet, I knew I had to follow this game religiously on my phone.
Seventh inning: he retired David Freese, Yadier F'N Molina (thank you Mike Baxter!), and Mike Adams. It was starting to feel like it could happen. Now I know many Mets no-hit attempts have been thwarted by players who would otherwise never be known for anything else (Jimmy Qualls, Paul Hoover, Kit Pellow, Leron Lee, Keith Moreland...). But I just felt a wave of excitement I couldn't explain. I decided I would finish my dinner and if Johan could keep it going through the eighth inning, I would watch the ninth inning in the bar.
Eighth inning: The Mets are leading 8-0, so the game is for all intents and purposes over. Tyler Greene leads off and flied out to Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who replaced Baxter in left. Pinch-hitter Shane Robinson got hit on the knuckle, but the umpire didn't see it, and he was called back to the batter's box. Then, he was promptly called out on strikes. Top of the order and Rafael Furcal walks. That pitch count is up to 118 by now, only 10 away from Johan's career-high. And who was up? Our old buddy Carlos Beltran. He had actually lined a shot down the third base line earlier that barely hit the chalk of the foul line, but the umpire ruled foul. As much as I like Beltran, only Molina breaking this up could be any worse. On a 1-2 pitch, Beltran popped one up that Daniel Murphy and Omar Quintanilla almost collided on, but Murphy managed to snag it. Just three outs to go.
I stormed into the bar, found a manager, explained the situation, and begged them to change the channel. They didn't have access to a local feed, so they switched one of the 11 TV's that had White Sox vs. Mariners to MLB network. They didn't show the bottom of the 8th, where the Mets managed just a Quintanilla single, but I knew they had to move over from Detroit vs whoever. Soon enough, the network switched to Johan throwing his warmups. He had thrown 122 pitches to this point. I had no volume, but I could live with that. I just had to see this happen live. Mini golf had to wait!
Ninth inning: I started clapping and exclaiming (not quite yelling) "Come on Johan!" and "Let's Go Mets!" Half the restaurant stared me down, but with my Mets hat on, it started to make sense. I had to explain to some people around me why this wasn't just any show at a no-hitter, but possibly a moment for the ages, a moment so many Mets fans never thought they would see. I saw the pitch count, saw Terry Collins looking tense and miserable in the dugout. First batter: Matt Holliday. First pitch, a changeup he reaches down for and pokes into shallow center field. I couldn't really tell if Andres Torres was playing too deep, but he tracked it down. One out! Allen Craig was next, a near no-name would have joined the previous list well flied out to Nieuwenhuis on a 2-2 pitch. Only one more. By now, I am applauding thunderously. It feels so meant to be.
David Freese. Rising superstar. World Series hero. It's not gonna be easy. But I feel it's just gonna happen. Typically, I'd be pacing all over the place. I'm virtually still and my eyes are locked on the elevated screen about 30 feet away from me. Even with Molina on deck, I don't feel too scared, at least not unless Freese walks and Molina gets one more shot to end it. So here we go. Ball ball ball. I do not need Molina up at bat. Then a called strike and a foul ball. One more strike to get. Johan unleashes his 134th pitch of the night, a changeup sinking quickly. Freese lunges with a swing and ball pops into Josh Thole's glove, which rests on the dirt.
Pure bedlam! Pumping my arms into the air and screaming "Yeaaaaaaaaaah! Yes! Finally! Johan did it!" Of course, the entire bar stopped and stared me down like the Mets had just won the World Series! I walked back to my seat in the back corner, so I had to pass through almost the entire restaurant. At least half the people stared directly at me, their faces displaying a mix of confusion and disbelieving smiles. My phone blew up with maybe 25 facebook messages and notifications. This is for Jim in Arizona, Robert in Beverly MA, Nef in Madison, Robert in San Diego, Maria in Brooklyn, Julie in Chicago, all of us!
Johan Santana...I thank you. For your remarkable performance as a Met, your resilience in coming back from a career-threatening injury, your leadership that you provide for this young, scrappy, tough team. What an amazing night to be a fan of the New York Mets.
Following another day's work, I dropped my phone off at Sprint for some maintenance work and then I went over to Friday's for dinner with Manish, Natalie, Matt, and Fil. I casually started following the Mets vs Cardinals game about 7:15, about a third of the way in. There was no score in the top of the 4th inning and there was no score. I checked again maybe a half hour later, and the Mets scored two in the 4th and three in the 6th and I felt pretty confident they would win. But I suddenly noticed something else. Johan Santana had not allowed a St. Louis hit over the first six innings. And the New York Mets had played 8.109 games over 50 years in their history and despite boasting an amazing arsenal of pitchers throughout their history (Seaver, Koosman, Ryan, Gentry, Matlack, Gooden Darling, Ojeda, Fernandez, Cone, Leiter, Hampton, Martinez, Glavine etc.) they had never pitched a no-hitter.
My eyes bulged out and even though I hadn't even gotten my burger yet, I knew I had to follow this game religiously on my phone.
Seventh inning: he retired David Freese, Yadier F'N Molina (thank you Mike Baxter!), and Mike Adams. It was starting to feel like it could happen. Now I know many Mets no-hit attempts have been thwarted by players who would otherwise never be known for anything else (Jimmy Qualls, Paul Hoover, Kit Pellow, Leron Lee, Keith Moreland...). But I just felt a wave of excitement I couldn't explain. I decided I would finish my dinner and if Johan could keep it going through the eighth inning, I would watch the ninth inning in the bar.
Eighth inning: The Mets are leading 8-0, so the game is for all intents and purposes over. Tyler Greene leads off and flied out to Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who replaced Baxter in left. Pinch-hitter Shane Robinson got hit on the knuckle, but the umpire didn't see it, and he was called back to the batter's box. Then, he was promptly called out on strikes. Top of the order and Rafael Furcal walks. That pitch count is up to 118 by now, only 10 away from Johan's career-high. And who was up? Our old buddy Carlos Beltran. He had actually lined a shot down the third base line earlier that barely hit the chalk of the foul line, but the umpire ruled foul. As much as I like Beltran, only Molina breaking this up could be any worse. On a 1-2 pitch, Beltran popped one up that Daniel Murphy and Omar Quintanilla almost collided on, but Murphy managed to snag it. Just three outs to go.
I stormed into the bar, found a manager, explained the situation, and begged them to change the channel. They didn't have access to a local feed, so they switched one of the 11 TV's that had White Sox vs. Mariners to MLB network. They didn't show the bottom of the 8th, where the Mets managed just a Quintanilla single, but I knew they had to move over from Detroit vs whoever. Soon enough, the network switched to Johan throwing his warmups. He had thrown 122 pitches to this point. I had no volume, but I could live with that. I just had to see this happen live. Mini golf had to wait!
Ninth inning: I started clapping and exclaiming (not quite yelling) "Come on Johan!" and "Let's Go Mets!" Half the restaurant stared me down, but with my Mets hat on, it started to make sense. I had to explain to some people around me why this wasn't just any show at a no-hitter, but possibly a moment for the ages, a moment so many Mets fans never thought they would see. I saw the pitch count, saw Terry Collins looking tense and miserable in the dugout. First batter: Matt Holliday. First pitch, a changeup he reaches down for and pokes into shallow center field. I couldn't really tell if Andres Torres was playing too deep, but he tracked it down. One out! Allen Craig was next, a near no-name would have joined the previous list well flied out to Nieuwenhuis on a 2-2 pitch. Only one more. By now, I am applauding thunderously. It feels so meant to be.
David Freese. Rising superstar. World Series hero. It's not gonna be easy. But I feel it's just gonna happen. Typically, I'd be pacing all over the place. I'm virtually still and my eyes are locked on the elevated screen about 30 feet away from me. Even with Molina on deck, I don't feel too scared, at least not unless Freese walks and Molina gets one more shot to end it. So here we go. Ball ball ball. I do not need Molina up at bat. Then a called strike and a foul ball. One more strike to get. Johan unleashes his 134th pitch of the night, a changeup sinking quickly. Freese lunges with a swing and ball pops into Josh Thole's glove, which rests on the dirt.
Pure bedlam! Pumping my arms into the air and screaming "Yeaaaaaaaaaah! Yes! Finally! Johan did it!" Of course, the entire bar stopped and stared me down like the Mets had just won the World Series! I walked back to my seat in the back corner, so I had to pass through almost the entire restaurant. At least half the people stared directly at me, their faces displaying a mix of confusion and disbelieving smiles. My phone blew up with maybe 25 facebook messages and notifications. This is for Jim in Arizona, Robert in Beverly MA, Nef in Madison, Robert in San Diego, Maria in Brooklyn, Julie in Chicago, all of us!
Johan Santana...I thank you. For your remarkable performance as a Met, your resilience in coming back from a career-threatening injury, your leadership that you provide for this young, scrappy, tough team. What an amazing night to be a fan of the New York Mets.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Memorializing
Saturday
Alone time early
Wrath felt
Consoling her, tears
Ann Sather
Huge portions
Great cinnamon rolls
Orange-strawberry-banana juice
US Cellular Field
Section 116, down first base side
Four rows from the field
White Sox 14, Indians 7
Cuban comet sandwich
Elotes corn
Heated phone conversation in parking lot, she ran off
Trouble paying subway parking ticket
Drive around, barely spoke
Stop at Chase to collect cash
Friday's
Unwinding, we couldn't even eat
Sunday
Willow Creek
Israel Houghton
95 degrees out
Back home to change
St Charles Fine Arts Festival
Chicago hot dog cart
Kissing pose by the Fox River
Practice, practice, practice
Kimmer's ice cream
Maple-bacon and chocolate PB; vanilla, dreamsicle in waffle cones
Home-Watched Breakfast at Tiffany's
Jersey Mike's
Drive-In
MIB 3 and Battleship
I don't remember much of the second movie.
Home at 1 AM
Monday
I made breakfast
Lots of time alone
She dozed off on car ride to Prospect Heights
Football
I made one tackle and that was it.
Party at Mays'
Made my guacamole, used six avocados, it didn't even last one hour.
Disco twister
Table hockey, no air
Mini pool-she's sickly good
Played "Wherever You Are" and "The Very Thought of You" a lot
Home around 9:30
Quick late trip to State park
Left her in my bedroom in her Corona tank top with her long hair just combed and parted on the left side, she looked so amazing at that moment
Tuesday
Up at 3:15 am
Bumped off first four flights
Mom helped her get out
Great ending
Alone time early
Wrath felt
Consoling her, tears
Ann Sather
Huge portions
Great cinnamon rolls
Orange-strawberry-banana juice
US Cellular Field
Section 116, down first base side
Four rows from the field
White Sox 14, Indians 7
Cuban comet sandwich
Elotes corn
Heated phone conversation in parking lot, she ran off
Trouble paying subway parking ticket
Drive around, barely spoke
Stop at Chase to collect cash
Friday's
Unwinding, we couldn't even eat
Sunday
Willow Creek
Israel Houghton
95 degrees out
Back home to change
St Charles Fine Arts Festival
Chicago hot dog cart
Kissing pose by the Fox River
Practice, practice, practice
Kimmer's ice cream
Maple-bacon and chocolate PB; vanilla, dreamsicle in waffle cones
Home-Watched Breakfast at Tiffany's
Jersey Mike's
Drive-In
MIB 3 and Battleship
I don't remember much of the second movie.
Home at 1 AM
Monday
I made breakfast
Lots of time alone
She dozed off on car ride to Prospect Heights
Football
I made one tackle and that was it.
Party at Mays'
Made my guacamole, used six avocados, it didn't even last one hour.
Disco twister
Table hockey, no air
Mini pool-she's sickly good
Played "Wherever You Are" and "The Very Thought of You" a lot
Home around 9:30
Quick late trip to State park
Left her in my bedroom in her Corona tank top with her long hair just combed and parted on the left side, she looked so amazing at that moment
Tuesday
Up at 3:15 am
Bumped off first four flights
Mom helped her get out
Great ending
Friday, May 25, 2012
Draining Friday
This is just a quick rant. So all the yellow flights from LaGuardia to Chicago turned to red late last night. I promptly told CI to get to La Guardia early this morning instead of taking the 12:25. I guess I should have clarified the time as 6 am. So she got there at 8:15 and by then, the nightmare was well under way. After six hours of placing around 25-30 on the priority list and getting bumped, she couldn't wait until mom got back from her tour to go to the airport and do some research. She felt she had to get out tonight. So I wound up driving to the Hoffman Estates library and buying a $375 ticket on priceline that we'll split 50/50.
I felt horrible and I still do. As much as I want to be with her, this wasn't the right way to do it. She should have waited the night or gone back first thing tomorrow morning. Instead I got a stern lecture from mom about maniuplation, integrity, and maturity. I felt she said some very judgmental things, so I'm not going to take all of it seriously.
Working through conflict is such a huge factor in the success of a relationship. And this didn't go well. Cause she got mad at the situation and basically coerced me and it cost me and her a lot of unnecessary money. I know there's a fine line between helping people and getting manipulated. I think the latter happened to me. I can't let something like this happen again.
I felt horrible and I still do. As much as I want to be with her, this wasn't the right way to do it. She should have waited the night or gone back first thing tomorrow morning. Instead I got a stern lecture from mom about maniuplation, integrity, and maturity. I felt she said some very judgmental things, so I'm not going to take all of it seriously.
Working through conflict is such a huge factor in the success of a relationship. And this didn't go well. Cause she got mad at the situation and basically coerced me and it cost me and her a lot of unnecessary money. I know there's a fine line between helping people and getting manipulated. I think the latter happened to me. I can't let something like this happen again.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Monday night
1) Nice to have the house to myself for another four nights. And then four nights with my love.
2) I almost forgot how good mom's chicken marsala is.
3) Mindy Smith concert in August. Can't wait.
4) Miss Nona in three weeks. Definitely can't wait.
5) For the third straight series, the Rangers have failed to turn a 2-1 lead into a 3-1 lead. They just have to make every series hard on us. Back to MSG for Game 5 on Wednesday night...I swear to God if they lose this series to the Devils with Catherine here...
2) I almost forgot how good mom's chicken marsala is.
3) Mindy Smith concert in August. Can't wait.
4) Miss Nona in three weeks. Definitely can't wait.
5) For the third straight series, the Rangers have failed to turn a 2-1 lead into a 3-1 lead. They just have to make every series hard on us. Back to MSG for Game 5 on Wednesday night...I swear to God if they lose this series to the Devils with Catherine here...
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Game 7 victory! Back in the ECF
1) Not going back to Snuggery. Decent place, but certainly not impressive, especially with Fox and Hound in the next strip mall.
2) Glad to watch the game with another Rangers fan. We got along pretty well, felt pretty good all in all. Seems like a decent guy. And since he lives in Long Grove, he's got access to the apple pies!
3) Will give Snuggery props for this. Each time the Rangers scored, they lit the red goal light and blared a goal horn. Pretty freaking cool!
4) Oh yeah, Rangers win the game 2-1. Bring on New Jersey!
5) I feel so left out. Damn it, I want to punch CI sometimes. Damn it! I hate being left out every time!
PS Enter Sandman: One Night Stand. What I would have given to have been there...
2) Glad to watch the game with another Rangers fan. We got along pretty well, felt pretty good all in all. Seems like a decent guy. And since he lives in Long Grove, he's got access to the apple pies!
3) Will give Snuggery props for this. Each time the Rangers scored, they lit the red goal light and blared a goal horn. Pretty freaking cool!
4) Oh yeah, Rangers win the game 2-1. Bring on New Jersey!
5) I feel so left out. Damn it, I want to punch CI sometimes. Damn it! I hate being left out every time!
PS Enter Sandman: One Night Stand. What I would have given to have been there...
Country Drinking Songs
Looks like my latest playlist. All country and why not!
Set 'Em Up Joe Vern Gosdin
Tequila Sunrise The Eagles
Whiskey Bent And Hell Bound Hank Williams Jr.
Pour Me Another Tequila Eddie Rabbitt
Tequila Town Brooks & Dunn
Drinkin' Me Lonely Chris Young
If I Was a Drinkin' Man Neal McCoy
If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will) George Jones
Drinkin' My Baby (Off My Mind) Eddie Rabbitt
Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye The Charlie Daniels Band
Drinkin' and Dreamin' Waylon Jennings
White Lightning George Jones
Beer For My Horses Toby Keith
Whiskey River Willie Nelson
Whiskey's Gone Zac Brown Band
Get Drunk & Be Somebody Toby Keith
Good Ole Hurtin' Song The Marshall Tucker Band
Family Tradition Hank Williams Jr.
There's a Tear in My Beer Hank Williams Jr. & Hank Williams
I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink Merle Haggard
Friends In Low Places Garth Brooks
Set 'Em Up Joe Vern Gosdin
Tequila Sunrise The Eagles
Whiskey Bent And Hell Bound Hank Williams Jr.
Pour Me Another Tequila Eddie Rabbitt
Tequila Town Brooks & Dunn
Drinkin' Me Lonely Chris Young
If I Was a Drinkin' Man Neal McCoy
If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will) George Jones
Drinkin' My Baby (Off My Mind) Eddie Rabbitt
Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye The Charlie Daniels Band
Drinkin' and Dreamin' Waylon Jennings
White Lightning George Jones
Beer For My Horses Toby Keith
Whiskey River Willie Nelson
Whiskey's Gone Zac Brown Band
Get Drunk & Be Somebody Toby Keith
Good Ole Hurtin' Song The Marshall Tucker Band
Family Tradition Hank Williams Jr.
There's a Tear in My Beer Hank Williams Jr. & Hank Williams
I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink Merle Haggard
Friends In Low Places Garth Brooks
Friday, May 11, 2012
Another Game 7
Believe.
To be honest, I felt pretty confident going into the first round's Game 7 against Ottawa. I don't have that same feeling going into Saturday night. Maybe that has something to do with the Rangers fighting off elimination on the road in Game 6, whereas the Rangers completely failed on a chance to close the Caps out in the Verizon Center.
But in a series where goals have been hard to come by, the first ten minutes of this game are huge. I firmly believe if the Rangers grab a lead, they're going to win. Anything is possible, but between the roar of the MSG faithful, the Rangers suffocating defensive system, and the Ted Lindsay/Vezina/Hart Trophy nominated goaltender, that first goal can be huge if the Rangers score it.
And that's why I'm glad Chris Kreider is back on the second line with Derek Stepan and Ryan Callahan. Ever since the kid had a shaky game, he's been buried on the fourth line. His strength is his speed and offense right now, certainly not his defense, which will develop over time. So if he's only going to play a few minutes, then why not put in him in a position to succeed? And that's playing with offensive minded players.
The special teams, well, except for the end of Game 5, have been a total disgrace. I'm amazed that each team has scored 4 power play goals. It certainly doesn't feel that way.
And if they do win this game, the rested New Jersey Devils are waiting, licking their chops after disposing of the Flyers in just five games. If they have the nerve to lose in the Easter Conference Finals to that franchise, I don't think I could handle it. I would almost rather lose Saturday than lose that series to Brodeur and hear their blow-hard fans crow.
So Matt Pecora and I are going to watch this thing at the Snuggery. Gonna be a huge night. Let's Go Rangers. Believe.
To be honest, I felt pretty confident going into the first round's Game 7 against Ottawa. I don't have that same feeling going into Saturday night. Maybe that has something to do with the Rangers fighting off elimination on the road in Game 6, whereas the Rangers completely failed on a chance to close the Caps out in the Verizon Center.
But in a series where goals have been hard to come by, the first ten minutes of this game are huge. I firmly believe if the Rangers grab a lead, they're going to win. Anything is possible, but between the roar of the MSG faithful, the Rangers suffocating defensive system, and the Ted Lindsay/Vezina/Hart Trophy nominated goaltender, that first goal can be huge if the Rangers score it.
And that's why I'm glad Chris Kreider is back on the second line with Derek Stepan and Ryan Callahan. Ever since the kid had a shaky game, he's been buried on the fourth line. His strength is his speed and offense right now, certainly not his defense, which will develop over time. So if he's only going to play a few minutes, then why not put in him in a position to succeed? And that's playing with offensive minded players.
The special teams, well, except for the end of Game 5, have been a total disgrace. I'm amazed that each team has scored 4 power play goals. It certainly doesn't feel that way.
And if they do win this game, the rested New Jersey Devils are waiting, licking their chops after disposing of the Flyers in just five games. If they have the nerve to lose in the Easter Conference Finals to that franchise, I don't think I could handle it. I would almost rather lose Saturday than lose that series to Brodeur and hear their blow-hard fans crow.
So Matt Pecora and I are going to watch this thing at the Snuggery. Gonna be a huge night. Let's Go Rangers. Believe.
Border Wars Picks
I think this Saturday night, Ring of Honor is presenting one of the best top to bottom cards in years. And more than that, the main event is almost a year in the making and has been built up to make the ROH World title mean something again. Will watch this show right after Game 7...
ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Davey Richards vs Kevin Steen
Pick: Kevin Steen
ROH WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
Roderick Strong w/ Truth Martini vs. "Belfast Bruiser" Fit Finlay
Pick: Roederick Strong
FIGHT WITHOUT HONOR FOR THE ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Jay & Mark Briscoe vs Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin)
Pick: Dem Boyz
SHOWDOWN IN THE SUN - REMATCH
Lance Storm vs "The Prodigy" Mike Bennett w/ Brutal Bob
Pick: Lance Storm
CHALLENGE MATCH
"Die Hard" Eddie Edwards vs. "The Man Beast" Rhino
Pick: Eddie Edwards
Special Attraction
"Unbreakable" Michael Elgin vs Adam Cole
Pick: Michael Elgin
Grudge Match
Jay Lethal vs "The Dominant Male" Tommaso Ciampa w/ The Embassy Ltd.
Jay Lethal
Six Man Tag Team Match
The All Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus) and "Technical Lightning" TJ Perkins vs The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) and "No Fear" Mike Mondo
Pick: ANX & TJ Perkins
ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Davey Richards vs Kevin Steen
Pick: Kevin Steen
ROH WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
Roderick Strong w/ Truth Martini vs. "Belfast Bruiser" Fit Finlay
Pick: Roederick Strong
FIGHT WITHOUT HONOR FOR THE ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Jay & Mark Briscoe vs Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin)
Pick: Dem Boyz
SHOWDOWN IN THE SUN - REMATCH
Lance Storm vs "The Prodigy" Mike Bennett w/ Brutal Bob
Pick: Lance Storm
CHALLENGE MATCH
"Die Hard" Eddie Edwards vs. "The Man Beast" Rhino
Pick: Eddie Edwards
Special Attraction
"Unbreakable" Michael Elgin vs Adam Cole
Pick: Michael Elgin
Grudge Match
Jay Lethal vs "The Dominant Male" Tommaso Ciampa w/ The Embassy Ltd.
Jay Lethal
Six Man Tag Team Match
The All Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus) and "Technical Lightning" TJ Perkins vs The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) and "No Fear" Mike Mondo
Pick: ANX & TJ Perkins
Saturday, May 05, 2012
Off my chest
1) This new Blogger layout is an absolute travesty. And newsflash...Google Chrome doesn't help!
2) Is there anything order than grilling oultry just right so it's totally cooked, but still juicy. Then again, if you have a lousy grill...
3) 2 pints of Corona on Cinco De Mayo
4) Screw Racine Plumbing. I drove an hour to watch Game 4 vs Washington in the one Rangers bar in Chicago. I walk up, I see the Rangers flag flying outside. I'm thinking this is gonna be an amazing afternoon. I pull on the door and it won't open. The time is 11:15, surely it's gotta be open by now. Then I see the sign on the window. "Racine Plumbing will be closed until 7 pm tonight for a Lymphoma benefit function." All that driving for nothing. So with 15 minutes before faceoff, I drove up 94 to Skokie as fast as I could and got to BWW just in time for the opening faceoff.
5) I like this Willow Creek group. They're a fun group of folks. It's just a shame there isn't a whole lot planned for the summer.
6) Very excited for ROH Border Wars next Saturday night on I-PPV. I think Kevin Steen will defeat Davey Richards and become the new ROH World Champion. That "only shot" stipulation shouldn't have been added.
7) Watched DDD tonight. I'm ready to fly to Dallas just to go to Chop House Burger in Arlington, TX!
8) Ever picked a scab off your head, then held it in your hands, and just looked at it for a few minutes? Like you just couldn't believe that thing was on your head just a minute ago?
9) So dinner with the parents is Tuesday night. My mother, who still owes me an apology, myself, and Catherine's parents at Francesca's downtown. Should be a very interesting evening! And I'm glad we were able to postpone it from Monday to avoid missing one of the Rangers playoff games!
10) Something tells me Memorial Day will be very special. Especially since I have company coming now...
2) Is there anything order than grilling oultry just right so it's totally cooked, but still juicy. Then again, if you have a lousy grill...
3) 2 pints of Corona on Cinco De Mayo
4) Screw Racine Plumbing. I drove an hour to watch Game 4 vs Washington in the one Rangers bar in Chicago. I walk up, I see the Rangers flag flying outside. I'm thinking this is gonna be an amazing afternoon. I pull on the door and it won't open. The time is 11:15, surely it's gotta be open by now. Then I see the sign on the window. "Racine Plumbing will be closed until 7 pm tonight for a Lymphoma benefit function." All that driving for nothing. So with 15 minutes before faceoff, I drove up 94 to Skokie as fast as I could and got to BWW just in time for the opening faceoff.
5) I like this Willow Creek group. They're a fun group of folks. It's just a shame there isn't a whole lot planned for the summer.
6) Very excited for ROH Border Wars next Saturday night on I-PPV. I think Kevin Steen will defeat Davey Richards and become the new ROH World Champion. That "only shot" stipulation shouldn't have been added.
7) Watched DDD tonight. I'm ready to fly to Dallas just to go to Chop House Burger in Arlington, TX!
8) Ever picked a scab off your head, then held it in your hands, and just looked at it for a few minutes? Like you just couldn't believe that thing was on your head just a minute ago?
9) So dinner with the parents is Tuesday night. My mother, who still owes me an apology, myself, and Catherine's parents at Francesca's downtown. Should be a very interesting evening! And I'm glad we were able to postpone it from Monday to avoid missing one of the Rangers playoff games!
10) Something tells me Memorial Day will be very special. Especially since I have company coming now...
Thursday, May 03, 2012
Can't get over it...
An amazing night! My first 12-9 shift at work coincides with Game 3 of the Rangers vs Capitals Eastern Conference semifinal. I left the office at 9 pm, just as regulation ended with the score tied at 1-1. I went to Rookie's where I pured down 69 oz of Miller Lite and a $2 cheeseburger. Marian Gaborik won tha sucker with 5:30 left in the the third extra period. I proceeded to run a drunk victory lap around the bar while everyone stared at me!
I'm thrilled the Rangers won this game in triple overtime. But it pisses me off that CI is going to Game 4. All this stuff she gets to do without me. It makes me feel so meaningless and insignificant.
And Del Zotto still sucks, I want him out.
I'm thrilled the Rangers won this game in triple overtime. But it pisses me off that CI is going to Game 4. All this stuff she gets to do without me. It makes me feel so meaningless and insignificant.
And Del Zotto still sucks, I want him out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)