I believe that up until late last year I did not have a fatalistic view of the New York Mets. I was not waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop, I was not anticipating nervously that something would go wrong, even though the worst was always in the back of my mind. That started to change late last year when the bullpen blew game after game after game. And now this year. This is as bad a fundamental team I have seen since my little league team, the Astros, in 1988. Whether it is missing bases, getting thrown out on the bases, dropping fly balls...
In the second inning of this game in the new Yankee Stadium last night, the Mets get a gift when Joba Chamberlain cannot locate his fastball and walks in two runs in one inning. Three walks and two HBP's. 2-1 Mets. Now I know that in this bandbox of a new park the Yankees play in, no lead is safe. After Teixeira put the Bombers on top with a two-run blast, Ryan Church doubles in a run and Gary Sheffield drills a three-run blast. Fifth inning: Jeter his a home run to right that would not have reached the warning track at Citi Field. Sixth inning. Godzilla give the Yankees the lead with a three-run homer to right. I was upset, but I still felt the Mets could win.
Seventh inning: Runners at second and third, no one out for the Mets. This is the at-bat that no one is giving attention to. Fernando Tatis pinch hits. Facing a lefty, Phil Coke. Ground ball, Double play, run scores. Mets tie it, but any chance for a big inning is gone. Sean Green fights through the seventh inning, but the score remains tied at 7-7.
Eighth inning: Phil Coke gets the first two out and Joe Girardi brings in Mariano in a tie game. Strange move, but I was fine with it. Beltran walks and Wright doubles him home and I am going nuts. The Red Sox are leading the Phillies at this point and although I am trying to just look at the wild card standings, I was pumped. Even better, Green and Feliciano get the Yanks out 1-2-3 in the bottom half.
Ninth inning: Mets do nothing against Rivera. Bottom of the ninth, in comes the great K-Rod. Brett Gardner pops up, and after a long at-bat, Jeter singles. I wasn't too worried, although I knew a home run would end the game. Then Johnny Damon pinch hits for Nick Swisher. After what seemed like 15 pitches, Damon strikes out but Jeter steals second. K-Rod wants no part of Teixeira and walks him, which is fine. Up comes A-Rod. The great hitter who is as unclutch as any, so they say. With a 3-1 count, he pops the ball up to shallow right field. Out goes Luis Castillo and as he is shuffling back, his legs are shaking. I knew he was under the ball, but I dreaded that he might not be able to see it. And he drops the ball, two runs score. Yankees win, theeeeeeeeee Yankees win.
This is Francisco Rodriguez' first blown save as a Met and he absolutely did not deserve it. The bottom line is this. Championship caliber teams do not lose these types of games and do not make these fundamental mistakes on a day in, day out basis. This team needs to shake something up. I don't know if it's coaching or a trade, but this team will not take me and my fellow Mets fans to the promise land. At best, they will compete for the wild card. There is no way they are catching Philadelphia.
And who do we send to the mound today? The immortal Fernando Nieve. Wake me up when the Mets have a lead in that game today.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
I hate this
I have been rooting for the rotting New York Mets for 21 years. I have in essence based my life around them at times. And yet they still continue raise my expectations every year only to stab me in the heart every single year.
This roster needs to be altered to beat those scumbags in Philly. Bottom line: Omar Minaya has to get a bat in here to protect David Wright in the fifth spot. In other words, the bat he should have gotten during the offseason. Signing K-Rod was great, but it was not enough. And no, Gary Sheffield is not the answer. And can I see one pitcher on this team throw the ball at Utley's head? Or Rollins' head? Or Ibanez's head? How about showing some freaking sack?
This team can only hope to compete for the wild card, nothing more. And even that is being generous. When I visit the shiny, new, intimate (aka tiny), ignore our own history, bow down to the Brooklyn Dodgers, corporate, catering to the billionaires who don't care about the team, who give a shit about the middle class and the families, park known as CitiField in just two weeks, I expect that place to sound like a morgue.
It is an utter joke. And there is no end in sight.
This roster needs to be altered to beat those scumbags in Philly. Bottom line: Omar Minaya has to get a bat in here to protect David Wright in the fifth spot. In other words, the bat he should have gotten during the offseason. Signing K-Rod was great, but it was not enough. And no, Gary Sheffield is not the answer. And can I see one pitcher on this team throw the ball at Utley's head? Or Rollins' head? Or Ibanez's head? How about showing some freaking sack?
This team can only hope to compete for the wild card, nothing more. And even that is being generous. When I visit the shiny, new, intimate (aka tiny), ignore our own history, bow down to the Brooklyn Dodgers, corporate, catering to the billionaires who don't care about the team, who give a shit about the middle class and the families, park known as CitiField in just two weeks, I expect that place to sound like a morgue.
It is an utter joke. And there is no end in sight.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Inside and outside the jury room
1) I learned if you take an express train during rush hour, you have to be really careful to board the train that actually stops where your car is parked.
2) So many beggars on the streets of downtown Chicago. And the pigeons that roam the streets at lunch time are even more relentless when they beg for food. I think the pigeons may work for the people.
3) Plenty of opportunities to buy Krispy Kremes on the bridges for charity.
4) All within a block of the courthouse: Italian Village, Rosebud, Garrett's, Pompeii, and the incredible Chicken Planet.
5) Farmer's Market outside the building on T
uesday. Plenty of good stuff, but not exactly reasonable priced. I did grab a large oatmeal/carrot/raisin cookie for two bucks. But ten bucks for focaccia bread? I don't think so.
6) It's June and we still have to wear jackets to walk around outside.
7) Interesting security checkpoint at the federal building. We have to empty our pockets, but at least we keep our shoes on. And although the Marshalls ask for the photo ID, we noticed they never really looked at it.
8) Who came up with the idea that it was a good idea for bathrooms to have automatic timers for the lights instead of an actual switch? And the timer went out at the least convenient time for me. At least cell phones provide a little bit of light...
9) The heat is turned off in the building during the summer. First of all, since when did summer arrive because I haven't been feeling it except for maybe two days. That jury room was kept around 61 degrees, forcing anyone who had a jacket to wear it whenever we were in there.
10) Men sit on one side of the table and read, women sit on the other side and talk. I sat in the middle and tried to play the go-between.
11) Marshall Mike, the bailiff. Did Anne really deliver on her promise of squeezing his cheeks??? And did she ever bring some energy? Kind of a shame she thinks about her next smoke break so much. But to each their own.
12) So Andy has five kids: Their ages are 42, 41, 40, 39, and 36. And in his spare time, he admitted he tries to golf. Gotta like the honesty.
13) The work of Art. I can only list the moments he provided. Used to work at a Gentlemen's Club. Miller Time. "I might be able to go to work tonight." Our Blues Brothers dance and thank God that wasn't caught on video. Schooling Anne in tic-tac-toe. Strolling in late.
14) Barb, where are the dice for the bonko game?
15) Roger, got anything to say? Bueller? Bueller?
16) Mark, do you have another phone call?
17) I held 50 grams of crack cocaine in my hands. And that is the closest I will ever get to it in my lifetime.
18) Inside the jury closet: Toilet paper, paper towels, 2005-2007 magazines, and an ab glider. Yes, an ab glider.
19) This is what happens when you avoid coffee. I have not drank that much soda since that day in 1992 in Dallas, Texas when I drank nine Cokes.
20) Back to the real world in a few hours. I am not looking forward to it.
21) Thanks SG.
2) So many beggars on the streets of downtown Chicago. And the pigeons that roam the streets at lunch time are even more relentless when they beg for food. I think the pigeons may work for the people.
3) Plenty of opportunities to buy Krispy Kremes on the bridges for charity.
4) All within a block of the courthouse: Italian Village, Rosebud, Garrett's, Pompeii, and the incredible Chicken Planet.
5) Farmer's Market outside the building on T
uesday. Plenty of good stuff, but not exactly reasonable priced. I did grab a large oatmeal/carrot/raisin cookie for two bucks. But ten bucks for focaccia bread? I don't think so.
6) It's June and we still have to wear jackets to walk around outside.
7) Interesting security checkpoint at the federal building. We have to empty our pockets, but at least we keep our shoes on. And although the Marshalls ask for the photo ID, we noticed they never really looked at it.
8) Who came up with the idea that it was a good idea for bathrooms to have automatic timers for the lights instead of an actual switch? And the timer went out at the least convenient time for me. At least cell phones provide a little bit of light...
9) The heat is turned off in the building during the summer. First of all, since when did summer arrive because I haven't been feeling it except for maybe two days. That jury room was kept around 61 degrees, forcing anyone who had a jacket to wear it whenever we were in there.
10) Men sit on one side of the table and read, women sit on the other side and talk. I sat in the middle and tried to play the go-between.
11) Marshall Mike, the bailiff. Did Anne really deliver on her promise of squeezing his cheeks??? And did she ever bring some energy? Kind of a shame she thinks about her next smoke break so much. But to each their own.
12) So Andy has five kids: Their ages are 42, 41, 40, 39, and 36. And in his spare time, he admitted he tries to golf. Gotta like the honesty.
13) The work of Art. I can only list the moments he provided. Used to work at a Gentlemen's Club. Miller Time. "I might be able to go to work tonight." Our Blues Brothers dance and thank God that wasn't caught on video. Schooling Anne in tic-tac-toe. Strolling in late.
14) Barb, where are the dice for the bonko game?
15) Roger, got anything to say? Bueller? Bueller?
16) Mark, do you have another phone call?
17) I held 50 grams of crack cocaine in my hands. And that is the closest I will ever get to it in my lifetime.
18) Inside the jury closet: Toilet paper, paper towels, 2005-2007 magazines, and an ab glider. Yes, an ab glider.
19) This is what happens when you avoid coffee. I have not drank that much soda since that day in 1992 in Dallas, Texas when I drank nine Cokes.
20) Back to the real world in a few hours. I am not looking forward to it.
21) Thanks SG.
Want to say it, but I won't. It's complaint time
1. As great as last night's win over Philthy was, this 5-4 11-inning loss was horrible. This offense scored four runs in five innings against Hamels and does nothing over the next six against the bullpen. I want to press the panic button right now, but won't just yet only because there is one more game tomorrow. Oh that's right. We have to count on Tim Redding to beat Utley, Victorino, Howard, Rollins, Ibanez, and that bastard Jayson Werth. And then the three games in Yankee Stadium. Great.
2. No TV access Monday morning through Friday night. Thanks Mother Nature for the lightning.
3. ROH live on June 27 cannot come fast enough.
4. I need to get back in the gym. I walked 25 city blocks for five days, but I really feel I need to lift.
5. Tomorrow will be brutal at work. I'm expecting to take two hours just to get through my e-mail.
2. No TV access Monday morning through Friday night. Thanks Mother Nature for the lightning.
3. ROH live on June 27 cannot come fast enough.
4. I need to get back in the gym. I walked 25 city blocks for five days, but I really feel I need to lift.
5. Tomorrow will be brutal at work. I'm expecting to take two hours just to get through my e-mail.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Five lines
1) Jonathan Papelbon. He's human after all... And oh, all those Metropolitan fans in Fenway Park. Who would have believed it?
2) Lost a disc in the woods today. To say the least, I am not pleased. The problem I have with Campton Hills is the tee boxes are so rocky and uneven, it is really difficult for me to execute my crossover X-step that I like to do when I throw since it involves several steps. So I played two rounds with that disc and now it is gone.
3) I started flipping through some of the pages of Emeril's grilling cookbook. This is going to be outstanding.
4) I forgot how much fun a pillow fight could be.
5) The danger of human beings on autopilot. I see a few people who, metaphorically speaking, are flying a plane and are headed straight for a crash landing. The warning signs are vivid. The fuel is leaking, the landing gear is not going down, maybe the control tower is empty. Yet, they ignore these ominous signs, completely expecting a smooth landing on a freshly-paved runway. Though it may seem scary to actually look and be real, it would be smart to pay a little bit of attention.
Song pick: "Addicted" Dan Seals- Very well written and very deep.
2) Lost a disc in the woods today. To say the least, I am not pleased. The problem I have with Campton Hills is the tee boxes are so rocky and uneven, it is really difficult for me to execute my crossover X-step that I like to do when I throw since it involves several steps. So I played two rounds with that disc and now it is gone.
3) I started flipping through some of the pages of Emeril's grilling cookbook. This is going to be outstanding.
4) I forgot how much fun a pillow fight could be.
5) The danger of human beings on autopilot. I see a few people who, metaphorically speaking, are flying a plane and are headed straight for a crash landing. The warning signs are vivid. The fuel is leaking, the landing gear is not going down, maybe the control tower is empty. Yet, they ignore these ominous signs, completely expecting a smooth landing on a freshly-paved runway. Though it may seem scary to actually look and be real, it would be smart to pay a little bit of attention.
Song pick: "Addicted" Dan Seals- Very well written and very deep.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Six more
Been a while since we've knocked out two posts in a week.
1) I can't say how I knew, but I was really confident that Brian's surgery on Thursday to remove the three smaller tumors would go well. Maybe it's because the last surgery went well, maybe God kind of gave me a clue, I don't know. I just knew it. But it was something about actually hearing the news that the doctors are 99% sure the cancer is completely removed. It made it real. It made it official.
2) Had dinner at Outback on a Thursday. Then on a Friday, I turn on the Food Network and Unwrapped is about starters and appetizers. And they profiled the conception, the creation, and consumption of the Bloomin' Onion. Hellooooooooo! OK, enough alliteration.
3) Something bothered me when I was flipping through the dials. Nothing against Happy Gilmore. I enjoyed the film. But it is on AMC tonight? Am I supposed to think of this film that is best remembered for a brawl between Adam Sandler and Bob Barker as a classic?
Put it this way. Which one of these movies does not belong here?
A The Godfather
B Gone With the Wind
C Citizen Kane
D Happy Gilmore
4) Citi Field tickets have arrived. One month away! Maybe there will be some Mets history on display by then. The fact that the Texas Rangers, not exactly a storied franchise, have a museum at their ball park when they have NOTHING in their whole history to celebrate and the Mets bow down to the Brooklyn Dodgers and ignore their won history as well as the New York Giants makes me want to run my head into a wall.
5) Another TV complaint. CMT's I loved VH1, GAC, CMT and those channels in high school and to a lesser extent in college. But the music shows are essentially eradicated from the lineups. Case in point. Here is the Saturday PM lineup for CMT, the classic country music network along wth TNN.
1-2 Nanny 911
2-3 World's Strictest Parents
3-5 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
5-7 Captain Ron
7-1 am Repeat as above.
Exactly what in the world does any of this have to do with country music?
6) Had to save it for last. Pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced that it will give “free prescription drugs - including its anti-impotence drug, Viagra, to people who no longer have jobs and health insurance.” How's that for a stimulus package?
Song pick: "I Walk Alone" Marty Robbins. Especially that last note. That is music.
1) I can't say how I knew, but I was really confident that Brian's surgery on Thursday to remove the three smaller tumors would go well. Maybe it's because the last surgery went well, maybe God kind of gave me a clue, I don't know. I just knew it. But it was something about actually hearing the news that the doctors are 99% sure the cancer is completely removed. It made it real. It made it official.
2) Had dinner at Outback on a Thursday. Then on a Friday, I turn on the Food Network and Unwrapped is about starters and appetizers. And they profiled the conception, the creation, and consumption of the Bloomin' Onion. Hellooooooooo! OK, enough alliteration.
3) Something bothered me when I was flipping through the dials. Nothing against Happy Gilmore. I enjoyed the film. But it is on AMC tonight? Am I supposed to think of this film that is best remembered for a brawl between Adam Sandler and Bob Barker as a classic?
Put it this way. Which one of these movies does not belong here?
A The Godfather
B Gone With the Wind
C Citizen Kane
D Happy Gilmore
4) Citi Field tickets have arrived. One month away! Maybe there will be some Mets history on display by then. The fact that the Texas Rangers, not exactly a storied franchise, have a museum at their ball park when they have NOTHING in their whole history to celebrate and the Mets bow down to the Brooklyn Dodgers and ignore their won history as well as the New York Giants makes me want to run my head into a wall.
5) Another TV complaint. CMT's I loved VH1, GAC, CMT and those channels in high school and to a lesser extent in college. But the music shows are essentially eradicated from the lineups. Case in point. Here is the Saturday PM lineup for CMT, the classic country music network along wth TNN.
1-2 Nanny 911
2-3 World's Strictest Parents
3-5 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
5-7 Captain Ron
7-1 am Repeat as above.
Exactly what in the world does any of this have to do with country music?
6) Had to save it for last. Pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced that it will give “free prescription drugs - including its anti-impotence drug, Viagra, to people who no longer have jobs and health insurance.” How's that for a stimulus package?
Song pick: "I Walk Alone" Marty Robbins. Especially that last note. That is music.
Monday, May 11, 2009
5 for early May
1) I must thank John Ortberg. Not for a sermon, not for a new book, but for talking about Sara Lee banana cake in one of his messages about faith and science. It hadn't been made for maybe 15 years, yet I saw it in the frozen sectional at Osco two weeks ago. I'm having some right now. Outstanding stuff. Frosting is creamy, but there is not too much of it.
2) I watched the Capitals force Game 7 by winning on the road against Pittsburgh. Then I saw the Blackhawks rally tonight and win the second round of the playoffs, thus advancing to the Western Conference Finals. I look at some of their young players and then I look at my team's roster and it baffles me that the Rangers do not have one player who can score 25 goals. And it feels like 10 years since the Rangers have played a game. How do I feel about the Blackhawks? It's fine, but my level of emotion hasn't really changed. Kind of like the White Sox in 2005.
3) And I missed the national anthem because I had to watch the Mets bullpen blow another game to the Slaves. Any good feelings after seven straight wins have taken a punch straight to the solar plexus.
4) CM Punk throwing out the first pitch at Wrigley Field on Friday. And Dec, J-Schu, Harmony, and the sister of Dec I have not met are all going. That is outstanding. The spirit of Ring of Honor and WWE spreads. Now in honor of Mr. Straight Edge, I think they should ban beer from Wrigley Field for that game...
5) After all the faxes and printouts I have had come in since September for my paper job, I would like to see how much money that has cost me in new print cartridges. Maybe I don't.
Bonus) Had a burger tonight. And it is my first in 15 days when I wolfed down the 2-pounder at Urban Grille. I felt like I was having flashbacks.
Song pick: "You Gave Me a Mountain (live)" Marty Robbins
2) I watched the Capitals force Game 7 by winning on the road against Pittsburgh. Then I saw the Blackhawks rally tonight and win the second round of the playoffs, thus advancing to the Western Conference Finals. I look at some of their young players and then I look at my team's roster and it baffles me that the Rangers do not have one player who can score 25 goals. And it feels like 10 years since the Rangers have played a game. How do I feel about the Blackhawks? It's fine, but my level of emotion hasn't really changed. Kind of like the White Sox in 2005.
3) And I missed the national anthem because I had to watch the Mets bullpen blow another game to the Slaves. Any good feelings after seven straight wins have taken a punch straight to the solar plexus.
4) CM Punk throwing out the first pitch at Wrigley Field on Friday. And Dec, J-Schu, Harmony, and the sister of Dec I have not met are all going. That is outstanding. The spirit of Ring of Honor and WWE spreads. Now in honor of Mr. Straight Edge, I think they should ban beer from Wrigley Field for that game...
5) After all the faxes and printouts I have had come in since September for my paper job, I would like to see how much money that has cost me in new print cartridges. Maybe I don't.
Bonus) Had a burger tonight. And it is my first in 15 days when I wolfed down the 2-pounder at Urban Grille. I felt like I was having flashbacks.
Song pick: "You Gave Me a Mountain (live)" Marty Robbins
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Rangers recap
I have not posted about the Rangers-Caps series at all. As hectic as high school sports are right now, I have just not had the time nor the inclination. Suffice to say this. Coach John Tortorella is the biggest reason the New York Rangers made the playoffs. And with the upstart Blueshirts ahead 3 games to 1, Coach John Tortorella is the biggest reason I had to watch Pittsburgh playing Washington in the first game of the second round this afternoon. Between benching Sean Avery for Game 5, benching Colton Orr for Game 6, and being stupid enough to squirt water at the Capital (lowercase) fans in Game, thus getting him suspended for Game 6.
I was completely unexcited for Game 7, which for me is crazy. The Rangers did not show up for Games 5 or 6 and it was completely disheartening for me and every Rangers fan. And Game 7 was incredible. The Rangers outplayed the Caps for 40 of 60 minutes. But as we've seen all year, there is no go-to goal scorer on this team. And with the score tied 1-1, the Rangers had so many chances in the second and could not get the puck in the net. And then Sergei Fedorov kills the season with five minutes left in the third.
So now we have to look ahead. This team is in salary cap hell. As I remember, the UFA's are Morris, Mara, Betts, Orr, and Antropov. The RFA's who will get some raises are Dubinsky, Callahan, Korpikoski, Zherdev, and Potter. They have to re-sign Dubi and Callahan, who are restricted free agents. For UFA's, I let Morris and his 4 m go right now. Antropov, I would keep for 2.5 m per or less, he earned 2 m this year. I want to bring back Mara since he actually has cojones. Betts is the team's best defensive forward, but I don't see him coming back. My hope is they will rid themselves of Naslund and his 4 m and Gomez and his 7 m. Also, they have to cut Rissmiller and Voros and swallow the 2 m they wasted on them. Redden, sadly, is going nowhere and I don't want to lose Drury. Let's play Stay or Go.
GM Glen Sather: Will Stay, but I wish James Dolan would wake up and get him out.
Coach Torts: Stay
Henrik Lundqvist: Stay
Steve Valiquette: Stay
Chris Drury: Stay
Markus Naslund: Go
Scott Gomez: Go
Aaron Voros: Go
Blair Betts: Go
Colton Orr: Stay
Brandon Dubinsky: Stay
Ryan Callahan: Stay
Fred Sjostrom: Stay
Lauri Korpikoski: Stay
Nik Antropov: Stay
Niklai Zherdev: Go
Sean Avery: Stay
Wade Redden: Go
Dan Girardi: Stay
Marc Staal: Stay
Derek Morris: Go
Michal Rozsival: Stay
Paul Mara: Stay
As for acquisitions next year, I can't expect more than two or three new players. Some possible scorers on the market include Gaborik, Havlat, Cammalleri, Hossa, Gionta, Afinogenov, Tanguay, Kotalik, and Cole. For a reasonable price, I could see the Rangers getting Afinogenov, who of course killed us in Game 5 three years ago. I don't know what will be brought in or more importantly, what can be brought in, but Sather has to realize that while this team has an outstanding goalie and a solid defense, they need offense in the worst way. Not to mention size and speed.
I was completely unexcited for Game 7, which for me is crazy. The Rangers did not show up for Games 5 or 6 and it was completely disheartening for me and every Rangers fan. And Game 7 was incredible. The Rangers outplayed the Caps for 40 of 60 minutes. But as we've seen all year, there is no go-to goal scorer on this team. And with the score tied 1-1, the Rangers had so many chances in the second and could not get the puck in the net. And then Sergei Fedorov kills the season with five minutes left in the third.
So now we have to look ahead. This team is in salary cap hell. As I remember, the UFA's are Morris, Mara, Betts, Orr, and Antropov. The RFA's who will get some raises are Dubinsky, Callahan, Korpikoski, Zherdev, and Potter. They have to re-sign Dubi and Callahan, who are restricted free agents. For UFA's, I let Morris and his 4 m go right now. Antropov, I would keep for 2.5 m per or less, he earned 2 m this year. I want to bring back Mara since he actually has cojones. Betts is the team's best defensive forward, but I don't see him coming back. My hope is they will rid themselves of Naslund and his 4 m and Gomez and his 7 m. Also, they have to cut Rissmiller and Voros and swallow the 2 m they wasted on them. Redden, sadly, is going nowhere and I don't want to lose Drury. Let's play Stay or Go.
GM Glen Sather: Will Stay, but I wish James Dolan would wake up and get him out.
Coach Torts: Stay
Henrik Lundqvist: Stay
Steve Valiquette: Stay
Chris Drury: Stay
Markus Naslund: Go
Scott Gomez: Go
Aaron Voros: Go
Blair Betts: Go
Colton Orr: Stay
Brandon Dubinsky: Stay
Ryan Callahan: Stay
Fred Sjostrom: Stay
Lauri Korpikoski: Stay
Nik Antropov: Stay
Niklai Zherdev: Go
Sean Avery: Stay
Wade Redden: Go
Dan Girardi: Stay
Marc Staal: Stay
Derek Morris: Go
Michal Rozsival: Stay
Paul Mara: Stay
As for acquisitions next year, I can't expect more than two or three new players. Some possible scorers on the market include Gaborik, Havlat, Cammalleri, Hossa, Gionta, Afinogenov, Tanguay, Kotalik, and Cole. For a reasonable price, I could see the Rangers getting Afinogenov, who of course killed us in Game 5 three years ago. I don't know what will be brought in or more importantly, what can be brought in, but Sather has to realize that while this team has an outstanding goalie and a solid defense, they need offense in the worst way. Not to mention size and speed.
Friday, April 17, 2009
The explanation behind the status
Never before have I received so much feedback from one Facebook status. I called the Mets' 4-5 record a disgrace.
And I'm seeing people, including people I haven't seen in years, telling me "Man, you have to calm down. You have a bullpen. It's a long season. It's a marathon, not a sprint." The deal is this. By no means did I say the season was over. But what I have watched this past week is the same crap I have been watching from the Mets since June 2007.
The home opener was depressing enough. Balk + Duaner + Heath Bell and we lose the first game in CitiField. Interesting how a former Met reliever closed out Shea Stadium and two former Met relievers closed down the first game in the new ballpark.
But the swing game on Thursday against San Diego was a carbon copy of last year, minus the bullpen ineptitude. It all started out so promising. Bottom of the first: Two on, Delgado hits a shot to Westchester County for a 3-0 lead. Then perhaps the most important starter on this team, John Maine (I say that because his success or failure may make the difference on how this team does, since he has potential, but is coming off surgery), gives it all back in the third inning. Starring such All-World players as Everth (I actually had to look his first name up for this) Cabrera, Chade Headley, Jody Gerut, and Kevin Kouzmanoff. Walk, single, sac, single, single, ground out, intentional walk, bases loaded single, single. 5-3. The Padres scored five runs in the third inning. The Padres! A team that was projected to lose 100 games. Five runs! The Padres don't have five-run weeks!
Let's look at the rest of the game and I'm going to focus on the Mets at-bats, but first I credit the bullpen for holding the Padres to one run over the final six innings. Third inning: Two on with one out, Church grounds out and Castro strikes out. Fourth inning: Murphy doubles down the foul line and Reyes goes to third base. He would have scored, but Steve Bartman's distant cousin who is wearing a Mets hat shows up and picks the ball up. So it's a ground-rule double and Reyes has to stop at third base! With two outs, Wright strikes out looking and the threat dies. Fifth inning: nothing. Sixth inning: Cla Meredith replaces Jake Peavy: nothing. Seventh inning: Edwin Moreno pitching: more nothing. Eighth inning: Our old buddy Duaner comes back in. Church reaches on a bunt single and Castro drills one into the left field seats. Now San Diego leads 6-5. Castillo flies out and Sheffield walks. That's about as productive an at bat as he has had to this point. A walk. Up comes Jose Reyes against the ex-Met who is throwing 75 MPH smoke. What does he do? 6-4-3 double play. Inning over. Ninth inning: We know who is coming in. That fat bastard Heath Bell. the ex-Met, who recorded the first save in Citi Field, which he bragged he would do for weeks, who was traded for a pair of stiffs in Ben Johnson and Jon Adkins, who has done more interviews in three days than Rod Blagojevich did in public image rehab tour, promptly retires Murphy and Wright. Delgado extends the at-bat to ten pitches and strikes out looking. Game over. Under .500.
I am losing my patience with Daniel Murphy on defense. Jerry Manuel does not even trust this guy to throw a ball home for a play at the plate. Reyes is running out to left field, getting a flip from Murphy, and then throwing the ball home. How embarrassing is that? How can this kid be the everyday left fielder when he can't throw the ball on the fly from shallow left field? And the Mets signed Sheffield because they want to make him an everyday player. This guy is 40 years old and cannot run. And the Mets now play in a park with the largest outfield in baseball. And there are a pair of defensive liabilities out there patrolling the corners. Ryan Church, who this organization has all but ostracized, should be playing every day.
I have seen Florida's exuberance and energy. I don't see how they will collapse. They will certainly win 85 games at least. With that rotation, that much speed, Hanley Ramirez hitting third, and Fredi Gonzalez as their manager, they are brutal to play against. Throw in the Phillies and Braves, this does not leave me feeling very inspired.
And what will the Mets do against the Cubs? Against the Dodgers? Against the Braves? Need I say against the Phillies?
Unlike some people, I don't care about the little intricacies of the ballpark. I don't give two cents about the color of the seats, about the ushers wearing red shirts, about some people not being able to see the left or right field corners. I care about performance on the field and I care about winning a championship. Because what I see is a weak rotation after Johan Santana, a much better bullpen, terrible defense in a pitcher's ballpark, and the same lineup that rarely gets big hits in big spots. And another thing. Brian Schneider is beyond hideous. I would take Todd Hundley or even Mackey Sasser out of retirement over this guy. the bottom line on this team is this. After three heartbreaking finishes in a row, how much more motivation should this team need?
And as I started this blog, another thing happened. The Mets took a 3-0 lead over the Brewers in the first inning tonight. Sound familiar. I did not feel comfortable. I said to myself, "They will not score more than five runs for the game." It is now the sixth, so there is some time left. But they have done nothing since that first inning. And Ryan Braun just drilled a three-run homer over the left field fence and Milwaukee now leads 4-3.
I deleted the last sentence I was going to write. Sheffield just hit a homer. Tie game. I want a sweep. That's not asking for too much, is it?
And I'm seeing people, including people I haven't seen in years, telling me "Man, you have to calm down. You have a bullpen. It's a long season. It's a marathon, not a sprint." The deal is this. By no means did I say the season was over. But what I have watched this past week is the same crap I have been watching from the Mets since June 2007.
The home opener was depressing enough. Balk + Duaner + Heath Bell and we lose the first game in CitiField. Interesting how a former Met reliever closed out Shea Stadium and two former Met relievers closed down the first game in the new ballpark.
But the swing game on Thursday against San Diego was a carbon copy of last year, minus the bullpen ineptitude. It all started out so promising. Bottom of the first: Two on, Delgado hits a shot to Westchester County for a 3-0 lead. Then perhaps the most important starter on this team, John Maine (I say that because his success or failure may make the difference on how this team does, since he has potential, but is coming off surgery), gives it all back in the third inning. Starring such All-World players as Everth (I actually had to look his first name up for this) Cabrera, Chade Headley, Jody Gerut, and Kevin Kouzmanoff. Walk, single, sac, single, single, ground out, intentional walk, bases loaded single, single. 5-3. The Padres scored five runs in the third inning. The Padres! A team that was projected to lose 100 games. Five runs! The Padres don't have five-run weeks!
Let's look at the rest of the game and I'm going to focus on the Mets at-bats, but first I credit the bullpen for holding the Padres to one run over the final six innings. Third inning: Two on with one out, Church grounds out and Castro strikes out. Fourth inning: Murphy doubles down the foul line and Reyes goes to third base. He would have scored, but Steve Bartman's distant cousin who is wearing a Mets hat shows up and picks the ball up. So it's a ground-rule double and Reyes has to stop at third base! With two outs, Wright strikes out looking and the threat dies. Fifth inning: nothing. Sixth inning: Cla Meredith replaces Jake Peavy: nothing. Seventh inning: Edwin Moreno pitching: more nothing. Eighth inning: Our old buddy Duaner comes back in. Church reaches on a bunt single and Castro drills one into the left field seats. Now San Diego leads 6-5. Castillo flies out and Sheffield walks. That's about as productive an at bat as he has had to this point. A walk. Up comes Jose Reyes against the ex-Met who is throwing 75 MPH smoke. What does he do? 6-4-3 double play. Inning over. Ninth inning: We know who is coming in. That fat bastard Heath Bell. the ex-Met, who recorded the first save in Citi Field, which he bragged he would do for weeks, who was traded for a pair of stiffs in Ben Johnson and Jon Adkins, who has done more interviews in three days than Rod Blagojevich did in public image rehab tour, promptly retires Murphy and Wright. Delgado extends the at-bat to ten pitches and strikes out looking. Game over. Under .500.
I am losing my patience with Daniel Murphy on defense. Jerry Manuel does not even trust this guy to throw a ball home for a play at the plate. Reyes is running out to left field, getting a flip from Murphy, and then throwing the ball home. How embarrassing is that? How can this kid be the everyday left fielder when he can't throw the ball on the fly from shallow left field? And the Mets signed Sheffield because they want to make him an everyday player. This guy is 40 years old and cannot run. And the Mets now play in a park with the largest outfield in baseball. And there are a pair of defensive liabilities out there patrolling the corners. Ryan Church, who this organization has all but ostracized, should be playing every day.
I have seen Florida's exuberance and energy. I don't see how they will collapse. They will certainly win 85 games at least. With that rotation, that much speed, Hanley Ramirez hitting third, and Fredi Gonzalez as their manager, they are brutal to play against. Throw in the Phillies and Braves, this does not leave me feeling very inspired.
And what will the Mets do against the Cubs? Against the Dodgers? Against the Braves? Need I say against the Phillies?
Unlike some people, I don't care about the little intricacies of the ballpark. I don't give two cents about the color of the seats, about the ushers wearing red shirts, about some people not being able to see the left or right field corners. I care about performance on the field and I care about winning a championship. Because what I see is a weak rotation after Johan Santana, a much better bullpen, terrible defense in a pitcher's ballpark, and the same lineup that rarely gets big hits in big spots. And another thing. Brian Schneider is beyond hideous. I would take Todd Hundley or even Mackey Sasser out of retirement over this guy. the bottom line on this team is this. After three heartbreaking finishes in a row, how much more motivation should this team need?
And as I started this blog, another thing happened. The Mets took a 3-0 lead over the Brewers in the first inning tonight. Sound familiar. I did not feel comfortable. I said to myself, "They will not score more than five runs for the game." It is now the sixth, so there is some time left. But they have done nothing since that first inning. And Ryan Braun just drilled a three-run homer over the left field fence and Milwaukee now leads 4-3.
I deleted the last sentence I was going to write. Sheffield just hit a homer. Tie game. I want a sweep. That's not asking for too much, is it?
Thursday, April 16, 2009
1-0!!!
The Rangers defeated the heavily favored Washington lowercases to take 1-0 lead in this best of 7 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series. Going into this series, I was one of maybe 20 people who thought the Rangers could defeat that high octane Washington offense. My father, my uncle, and many other thought I needed medication to get my brain back on track again. Well tonight, they silenced our nation's capital and all the critics indeed. Now I still think winning this series will be a tremendous struggle. I know a lot of things have to break just right and tonight, they did:
1) Wash goalie Jose Theodore has to play down to his billing. He is not very good, clearly inferior to Henrik Lundqvist and the King must steal at least two games in this series. If the Rangers cannot score more than two goals a game, they will not make it to a Game 6. That's exactly what happened tonight. The Rangers were outshot 35-21 and the puck must have been in the Rangers' end of the ice at least 40 of 60 minutes. But Henrik made great save after great save and Theodore let in four goals that all could have possibly been stopped.
2) Alexander Ovechkin is clearly the best player in the world. The stats sheet said he played 26 minutes, it felt like 40. Mike Green is the best offensive defenseman in hockey. He scored 31 goals this season, more than any Ranger and more than all Ranger defensemen combined! Throw in Nick Backstrom, Viktor Kozlov, Brooks Laich, Michael Nylander, and Alexander Semin; they are loaded. That is the #2 power play in hockey. The Rangers PK is #1. And the Rangers PP has been putrid all season. So the special teams are huge. Now tonight, Washington went 2 for 7, which is ok. But the Rangers went 2 for 4 and those PP goals made the difference. The thing is even on 5 on 5, Washington controlled the play far more often than the Rangers. So it is vital for the Rangers to avoid unnecessary penalties.
3) Some Ranger must emerge as a prime time performer. Captain Chris Drury has been that, but he is injured worse than expected and missed tonight's game. The fact that the Rangers won without him amazes me. All day long, I was very confident the Rangers could win tonight. I was rubbing my Henrik bracelet, taking co-workers down with knee-on-knee hits. Five minutes before game time, I found out Drury skated in warm-ups and decided he could not play and the immortal Aaron Voros would suit up instead. I felt deflated. But Ryan Callahan hustled and hit hard just like he has all season, Wade Redden actually played steady defense, and Scott Gomez scored three points. With Drury out, Gomez really stepped up.
A few other things.
1) I don't expect the Rangers to win Game 2 on Saturday. After the Caps lost in the first round last year and with them dropping the first game at home, they know what they need to do. I know this is against the way they have played all season, but they need to tighten up on defense, protect Theodore, and not focus on offense as much. They really don't need to focus on offense; they have enough talent. They will probably win Game 2 by a score of 4-1. I do wonder if Caps coach Bruce Boudreau (a huge wresting fan by the way) will play Theodore all series or if he will have to insert Simeon Varlamov, a guy I have never heard of.
2) Chris Drury has to play for the Rangers to win this series. He is the key to their PP and plays his best in the playoffs. His teammates need his leadership. and he needs to accept the responsibility of leading them as well.
3) If Nik Zherdev, a restricted free agent who I have defended all year, cannot produce in this series, he cannot come back next season. The Rangers should let him go and focus on signing Blair Betts, Ryan Callahan, and Nik Antropov.
4) Markus Naslund just took another penalty in the offensive zone.
5) Steve Somers should have four hours postgame shows after each Rangers playoff game!
1) Wash goalie Jose Theodore has to play down to his billing. He is not very good, clearly inferior to Henrik Lundqvist and the King must steal at least two games in this series. If the Rangers cannot score more than two goals a game, they will not make it to a Game 6. That's exactly what happened tonight. The Rangers were outshot 35-21 and the puck must have been in the Rangers' end of the ice at least 40 of 60 minutes. But Henrik made great save after great save and Theodore let in four goals that all could have possibly been stopped.
2) Alexander Ovechkin is clearly the best player in the world. The stats sheet said he played 26 minutes, it felt like 40. Mike Green is the best offensive defenseman in hockey. He scored 31 goals this season, more than any Ranger and more than all Ranger defensemen combined! Throw in Nick Backstrom, Viktor Kozlov, Brooks Laich, Michael Nylander, and Alexander Semin; they are loaded. That is the #2 power play in hockey. The Rangers PK is #1. And the Rangers PP has been putrid all season. So the special teams are huge. Now tonight, Washington went 2 for 7, which is ok. But the Rangers went 2 for 4 and those PP goals made the difference. The thing is even on 5 on 5, Washington controlled the play far more often than the Rangers. So it is vital for the Rangers to avoid unnecessary penalties.
3) Some Ranger must emerge as a prime time performer. Captain Chris Drury has been that, but he is injured worse than expected and missed tonight's game. The fact that the Rangers won without him amazes me. All day long, I was very confident the Rangers could win tonight. I was rubbing my Henrik bracelet, taking co-workers down with knee-on-knee hits. Five minutes before game time, I found out Drury skated in warm-ups and decided he could not play and the immortal Aaron Voros would suit up instead. I felt deflated. But Ryan Callahan hustled and hit hard just like he has all season, Wade Redden actually played steady defense, and Scott Gomez scored three points. With Drury out, Gomez really stepped up.
A few other things.
1) I don't expect the Rangers to win Game 2 on Saturday. After the Caps lost in the first round last year and with them dropping the first game at home, they know what they need to do. I know this is against the way they have played all season, but they need to tighten up on defense, protect Theodore, and not focus on offense as much. They really don't need to focus on offense; they have enough talent. They will probably win Game 2 by a score of 4-1. I do wonder if Caps coach Bruce Boudreau (a huge wresting fan by the way) will play Theodore all series or if he will have to insert Simeon Varlamov, a guy I have never heard of.
2) Chris Drury has to play for the Rangers to win this series. He is the key to their PP and plays his best in the playoffs. His teammates need his leadership. and he needs to accept the responsibility of leading them as well.
3) If Nik Zherdev, a restricted free agent who I have defended all year, cannot produce in this series, he cannot come back next season. The Rangers should let him go and focus on signing Blair Betts, Ryan Callahan, and Nik Antropov.
4) Markus Naslund just took another penalty in the offensive zone.
5) Steve Somers should have four hours postgame shows after each Rangers playoff game!
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Baseball Over/unders and predictions
I still have four days in Vegas that I have not blogged about. I need some motivation to finish it off. The great thing is since I can change the date and time of the post I can make it look like I did a month ago.
Speaking of Vegas, they have released their Over/Unders for baseball. And with my Rangers spitting the damn bit as always, I believe it is time to shift into that baseball mindset. The green grass, the blue sky, the peanuts and Cracker Jack, the dread of that first opposing baserunner.
So with two of my three least favorite teams starting the season tomorrow, I will predict the over under on the number of wins each team will amass over the 2009 season. Being blessed with a tremendous sense of clarity of vision, here's how it will go down.
Arizona- 86.5
Over
Atlanta- 83.5
Over
Baltimore- 73.5
Under
Boston- 94.5
Over
Chicago Cubs- 91.5
Over
Chicago White Sox- 79.5
Over
Cincinnati- 80.5
Over
Cleveland- 85.5
Over
Colorado- 77.5
Under
Detroit- 82.5
Under
Florida- 76.5
Over
Houston- 74.5
Under
Kansas City- 75.5
Over
LA Angels- 89.5
Under
LA Dodgers- 82.5
Over
Milwaukee- 80.5
Over
Minnesota- 83.5
Over
NY Mets- 88.5
Under (No joke)
NY Yankees- 97.5
Under
Oakland- 81.5
Over
Philadelphia- 87.5
Over
Pittsburgh- 69.5
Under
San Diego- 71.5
Under
San Francisco- 80.5
Under
Seattle- 72.5
Over
St. Louis- 82.5
Over
Tampa Bay- 87.5
Under
Texas- 73.5
Over
Toronto- 80.5
Under
Washington- 71.5
Under
Now for the playoffs. Let's start in the AL. I love the additions the Yankees have made with CC, AJ, Teixeira, and even the lesser heralded players like Nick Swisher. For the first time in several years, I predict the Bronx Bombers will win the AL East again with the Red Sox taking the wild card. Beckett, Daisuke, and Lester is the best 1-2-3 rotation is baseball. For the Central, a lot of people seem to be taking the Twins. I like them, but there is something about the Indians. I believe the White Sox don't have enough starting pitching (I am not sold on Gavin Floyd) and the Tigers are a mess. I'll take the Indians to emerge in a dogfight. For the West, it's hard to go against the Angels. They have lost a lot this offseason in K-Rod and the team's core is aging. But I still like them just ahead of Oakland, simply because the A's, like the Sox, do not have pitching.
In the NL West, the Dodgers have the best lineup with Manny, Ethier, Loney, Kemp, Furcal, Hudson, and Martin, but the Diamondbacks seem more balanced. They have a good young lineup, but they have better pitching and a better bullpen in my opinion. And don't forget last year, Arizona had the best record in baseball through 50 or so games. I will take Arizona to win the division this year. I hate to say it but the Bubbles of Chicago will come out of the Central. Although Kevin Gregg will turn into the new Latroy Hawkins before long. And then there's the East. I don't think the Mets are deep enough. In short, I love the bullpen. But the lineup is not deep enough. 7, 8, and 9 are automatic outs. And the starting rotation is a huge question past Johan Santana. John Maine and Oliver Perez may make or break this season. Philadelphia is deeper and tougher. I want that to change in the worst way, but now I need to see it change. I give the Mets no pre-season plaudits until they earn them. Philly wins it and I will give the Dodgers the wild card. Maybe if I don't pick the Mets to make the playoffs, they will actually do it!
I pick a LA-Yankee World Series with the Bronx Bombers bringing back the title to New York.
Speaking of Vegas, they have released their Over/Unders for baseball. And with my Rangers spitting the damn bit as always, I believe it is time to shift into that baseball mindset. The green grass, the blue sky, the peanuts and Cracker Jack, the dread of that first opposing baserunner.
So with two of my three least favorite teams starting the season tomorrow, I will predict the over under on the number of wins each team will amass over the 2009 season. Being blessed with a tremendous sense of clarity of vision, here's how it will go down.
Arizona- 86.5
Over
Atlanta- 83.5
Over
Baltimore- 73.5
Under
Boston- 94.5
Over
Chicago Cubs- 91.5
Over
Chicago White Sox- 79.5
Over
Cincinnati- 80.5
Over
Cleveland- 85.5
Over
Colorado- 77.5
Under
Detroit- 82.5
Under
Florida- 76.5
Over
Houston- 74.5
Under
Kansas City- 75.5
Over
LA Angels- 89.5
Under
LA Dodgers- 82.5
Over
Milwaukee- 80.5
Over
Minnesota- 83.5
Over
NY Mets- 88.5
Under (No joke)
NY Yankees- 97.5
Under
Oakland- 81.5
Over
Philadelphia- 87.5
Over
Pittsburgh- 69.5
Under
San Diego- 71.5
Under
San Francisco- 80.5
Under
Seattle- 72.5
Over
St. Louis- 82.5
Over
Tampa Bay- 87.5
Under
Texas- 73.5
Over
Toronto- 80.5
Under
Washington- 71.5
Under
Now for the playoffs. Let's start in the AL. I love the additions the Yankees have made with CC, AJ, Teixeira, and even the lesser heralded players like Nick Swisher. For the first time in several years, I predict the Bronx Bombers will win the AL East again with the Red Sox taking the wild card. Beckett, Daisuke, and Lester is the best 1-2-3 rotation is baseball. For the Central, a lot of people seem to be taking the Twins. I like them, but there is something about the Indians. I believe the White Sox don't have enough starting pitching (I am not sold on Gavin Floyd) and the Tigers are a mess. I'll take the Indians to emerge in a dogfight. For the West, it's hard to go against the Angels. They have lost a lot this offseason in K-Rod and the team's core is aging. But I still like them just ahead of Oakland, simply because the A's, like the Sox, do not have pitching.
In the NL West, the Dodgers have the best lineup with Manny, Ethier, Loney, Kemp, Furcal, Hudson, and Martin, but the Diamondbacks seem more balanced. They have a good young lineup, but they have better pitching and a better bullpen in my opinion. And don't forget last year, Arizona had the best record in baseball through 50 or so games. I will take Arizona to win the division this year. I hate to say it but the Bubbles of Chicago will come out of the Central. Although Kevin Gregg will turn into the new Latroy Hawkins before long. And then there's the East. I don't think the Mets are deep enough. In short, I love the bullpen. But the lineup is not deep enough. 7, 8, and 9 are automatic outs. And the starting rotation is a huge question past Johan Santana. John Maine and Oliver Perez may make or break this season. Philadelphia is deeper and tougher. I want that to change in the worst way, but now I need to see it change. I give the Mets no pre-season plaudits until they earn them. Philly wins it and I will give the Dodgers the wild card. Maybe if I don't pick the Mets to make the playoffs, they will actually do it!
I pick a LA-Yankee World Series with the Bronx Bombers bringing back the title to New York.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The Big Apple
20 random observations from last weekend in NYC
1) I learned from someone it's not a great idea to drink a Starbucks Frappucino and a bottle of water within a five minute timeframe.
2) Dad got hooked on Sequence before we even started a game. I guess he's pretty quick to make up his mind about something and then slow to change it.
3) Only my dad would have dinner at LouCa's and then rush home to catch a Jeff Dunham special on Comedy Central that he had already seen before. On a steek...
4) There is not much to speak of at Ground Zero right now. Where we walked, there was no sidewalk, no memorial, nothing. Just a two-block long huge hole with a few construction cranes. And now the future building will not be called the Freedom Tower. I am okay with that as long as it doesn't get some lame corporate name. When people hear the name of the building, they should be reminded of 9/11 or what was there before.
5) The Natural History Museum was incredible. The dinosaur skeletons were excellent. But the Brontosaurus is no longer called that. They took his name away like they took planet status away from Pluto. No good!
6) We rode a lot of subways. Everyone on there is very tight-lipped, very closed off. Very understandable. But then we walk into Central Park. It felt like another place. Everyone was smiling, seemed like when they walked through the green, their problems disappeared, if only for a short while. Lots of dogs...And I got to climb rocks just like when I was in New England. That's one of the few things that still relaxes me. And I credit Chicago for setting space aside for parks and quieter areas.
7) Dad was so sad that the Nathan's in Penn Station is being reconstructed. The downtrodden look on his face... I swear it was like he lost his best friend.
8) John's sausage rolls...Hellooooooooooooo! And the thin crust pizza with the ground beef and onion...Dang. And the Brooklyn Pilsner beer. Man oh man. Somehow, I got very energetic in that restaurant. Despite what the Chicago bigshots like Mark Malnati may say, that thin crust style they cook in a coal-fired brick oven at John's is the best pizza around. And by the way Mark, the first syllable of "sausage" is pronounced like "Fall" not a short "a" like in "ask." There is a "u" in the word, so use it!
9) Another food opinion. Junior's cheesecake is simply the best in the world. I don't want to hear about Eli's and I damn sure don't want to hear about the Cheesecake Factory. This is a much lighter, airier cake, with a sponge cake bottom instead of graham cracker. And I had a slice with crushed pineapple and sugar crumbs on top. Off the charts. Dad had a devil's food cheesecake with a layer of cheesecake on top of a layer of chocolate cake and then surrounded by more chocolate and hazelnuts. Tara had the opportunity to devour a chocolate swirl cheesecake. And only one of us finished our slice...Maybe it was because I was the only one who did not drink any coffee.
10) As we walked from Penn Station across the street to MSG, I walked by the spot where Mom was hit by a taxi a few years ago. I still can't get that out of my mind.
11) There is no sports arena like Madison Square Garden. The buzz in that building is second to none. If I could only see all the banners in the rafters...I hope the renovation will take care of that problem.
12) The Rangers fans in the blue heaven are so rabid. As rabid and devoted as any fans I have ever seen. And Dad and I fit right in!
13) I still cannot find a concession booth in the Garden that serves cotton candy in the 300 level or in the 400 level. And there isn't exactly much room in the concourses to get around the building.
14) It is never a good idea to elbow a girl in the nose and nearly knock her down a flight of stairs. And when you know the girl rather well, eh, it's a worse idea.
15) I did not get to Ring of Honor's 7th Anniversary Show, which was going on just one block up from the Garden at the Manattan Center. I wished I could have at least seen Nigel McGuinness vs. KENTA for the world title live. But I wanted all three of us to go or none of us to go. Ah well, I will have to wait for the DVD to come out next month.
16) I really hate flying standby. Bumped off three flights total.
17) If that wasn't enough, our return flight to Chi-town was cancelled and we did not find out about it until after we arrived at the airport. So I called Dad back and he drove 30 minutes back to Newark Airport, picked us up, and drove another hour to take us to LaGuardia airport in Queens, where they have hourly flights on American to Chicago. And that turned out to be okay. Because just before we pulled off the highway to the airport, we passed by CitiField. Looks pretty darn impressive from the outside. If they could only add another 5,000 seats...
18) NYC simply has a spark, a heartbeat to it that I have never seen anywhere else. I'm not saying it is the best city, many would argue otherwise. But in Manhattan, it fells like something is happening on every corner. Other places have a more laid back feel in certain parts. And that can be a very good thing. But there is that little, indescribable, intangible extra something you feel when walking through Manhattan.
19) I am a fortunate guy to have the things I have and to have lived what I have been able to live.
20) Anybody up for some more games of Uno in LaGuardia airport, if someone knows what I mean...
PS. Tara and I had lunch at Chipotle after we got back in town. This is really bothering me. Instead of $1.35, it costs $1.80 to add guacamole to a burrito. I am seriously pissed over this. Now I know it's only a raise of a quarter and two dimes, but are we going to get to the point where avocados cost more than the meat? This is just not cool. As an American, I should have the right to enjoy avocados without worrying the price will soar like premium gasoline. President Obama, keep our guacamole affordable!!!!
1) I learned from someone it's not a great idea to drink a Starbucks Frappucino and a bottle of water within a five minute timeframe.
2) Dad got hooked on Sequence before we even started a game. I guess he's pretty quick to make up his mind about something and then slow to change it.
3) Only my dad would have dinner at LouCa's and then rush home to catch a Jeff Dunham special on Comedy Central that he had already seen before. On a steek...
4) There is not much to speak of at Ground Zero right now. Where we walked, there was no sidewalk, no memorial, nothing. Just a two-block long huge hole with a few construction cranes. And now the future building will not be called the Freedom Tower. I am okay with that as long as it doesn't get some lame corporate name. When people hear the name of the building, they should be reminded of 9/11 or what was there before.
5) The Natural History Museum was incredible. The dinosaur skeletons were excellent. But the Brontosaurus is no longer called that. They took his name away like they took planet status away from Pluto. No good!
6) We rode a lot of subways. Everyone on there is very tight-lipped, very closed off. Very understandable. But then we walk into Central Park. It felt like another place. Everyone was smiling, seemed like when they walked through the green, their problems disappeared, if only for a short while. Lots of dogs...And I got to climb rocks just like when I was in New England. That's one of the few things that still relaxes me. And I credit Chicago for setting space aside for parks and quieter areas.
7) Dad was so sad that the Nathan's in Penn Station is being reconstructed. The downtrodden look on his face... I swear it was like he lost his best friend.
8) John's sausage rolls...Hellooooooooooooo! And the thin crust pizza with the ground beef and onion...Dang. And the Brooklyn Pilsner beer. Man oh man. Somehow, I got very energetic in that restaurant. Despite what the Chicago bigshots like Mark Malnati may say, that thin crust style they cook in a coal-fired brick oven at John's is the best pizza around. And by the way Mark, the first syllable of "sausage" is pronounced like "Fall" not a short "a" like in "ask." There is a "u" in the word, so use it!
9) Another food opinion. Junior's cheesecake is simply the best in the world. I don't want to hear about Eli's and I damn sure don't want to hear about the Cheesecake Factory. This is a much lighter, airier cake, with a sponge cake bottom instead of graham cracker. And I had a slice with crushed pineapple and sugar crumbs on top. Off the charts. Dad had a devil's food cheesecake with a layer of cheesecake on top of a layer of chocolate cake and then surrounded by more chocolate and hazelnuts. Tara had the opportunity to devour a chocolate swirl cheesecake. And only one of us finished our slice...Maybe it was because I was the only one who did not drink any coffee.
10) As we walked from Penn Station across the street to MSG, I walked by the spot where Mom was hit by a taxi a few years ago. I still can't get that out of my mind.
11) There is no sports arena like Madison Square Garden. The buzz in that building is second to none. If I could only see all the banners in the rafters...I hope the renovation will take care of that problem.
12) The Rangers fans in the blue heaven are so rabid. As rabid and devoted as any fans I have ever seen. And Dad and I fit right in!
13) I still cannot find a concession booth in the Garden that serves cotton candy in the 300 level or in the 400 level. And there isn't exactly much room in the concourses to get around the building.
14) It is never a good idea to elbow a girl in the nose and nearly knock her down a flight of stairs. And when you know the girl rather well, eh, it's a worse idea.
15) I did not get to Ring of Honor's 7th Anniversary Show, which was going on just one block up from the Garden at the Manattan Center. I wished I could have at least seen Nigel McGuinness vs. KENTA for the world title live. But I wanted all three of us to go or none of us to go. Ah well, I will have to wait for the DVD to come out next month.
16) I really hate flying standby. Bumped off three flights total.
17) If that wasn't enough, our return flight to Chi-town was cancelled and we did not find out about it until after we arrived at the airport. So I called Dad back and he drove 30 minutes back to Newark Airport, picked us up, and drove another hour to take us to LaGuardia airport in Queens, where they have hourly flights on American to Chicago. And that turned out to be okay. Because just before we pulled off the highway to the airport, we passed by CitiField. Looks pretty darn impressive from the outside. If they could only add another 5,000 seats...
18) NYC simply has a spark, a heartbeat to it that I have never seen anywhere else. I'm not saying it is the best city, many would argue otherwise. But in Manhattan, it fells like something is happening on every corner. Other places have a more laid back feel in certain parts. And that can be a very good thing. But there is that little, indescribable, intangible extra something you feel when walking through Manhattan.
19) I am a fortunate guy to have the things I have and to have lived what I have been able to live.
20) Anybody up for some more games of Uno in LaGuardia airport, if someone knows what I mean...
PS. Tara and I had lunch at Chipotle after we got back in town. This is really bothering me. Instead of $1.35, it costs $1.80 to add guacamole to a burrito. I am seriously pissed over this. Now I know it's only a raise of a quarter and two dimes, but are we going to get to the point where avocados cost more than the meat? This is just not cool. As an American, I should have the right to enjoy avocados without worrying the price will soar like premium gasoline. President Obama, keep our guacamole affordable!!!!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Vegas Part 2
Tuesday started feeling like I was back at work. 6 am and I'm out of bed. We walked west to Circus, Circus, which I guarantee will be torn down inside of three years. By Vegas standards, it is too old and not nice enough. And on the walk down Riviera Blvd, the entire north side of the street was a construction zone.
The whole deal was it was a tour guide/comedy deal to Hoover Dam. So the bus picks us up and the driver was Ruben and the guide/comedian was George. I must say they were great. They were smart and entertaining. There were 26 of us, including eight from South Dakota. I don't think I've met eight people from South Dakota since I've been alive There were six from Orlando and the two couples sitting right in front and behind us were both from Canada. In 1.5 hours, we arrived at the Dam. We started on the Arizona side of the dam, and worked our way back to the Nevada side. The dam tour (all the guides do those jokes, sadly) took one hour in all. We walked right by the eight generators and they gave us the scientific breakdown of how they control the Colorado River and how the overflow works. I googled it and I still don't know if I understand. Suffice to say, they planned the design well.
After the tour, we took the bus to an overlook of Lake Mead, a man-made lake right behind the dam and located in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The views of mountains, water, and sky was outstanding. From there, we drove to Boulder City, which was the town constructed when workers started constructing the Dam. It's also the home to Desi Arnaz Jr. and we passed by his house. We went over to the town museum to get some more history about the construction of the dam and the town as well as some of the people who were instrumental in developing it. While at lunch, we chatted with the Edmonton couple. Nice folks, and they even recommended the Vegas mob tour to us. They mentioned it was quite enjoyable. So we thought we'd take them up on their offer...
On our way back, we made our final stop at Ethyl M's Chocolate Factory. When I realized they make a lot of M&M's and that kind of thing, I wasn't too excited. But we did our walkthrough and when we walked into the gift shop, the workers started offering us samples. I had a small chip of white chocolate and it was ok. I knew it was fine quality, but just not my thing. Then I saw a woman hawking pieces of pecan brittle. This stuff was so rich and so good and full of flavor. But I went over to the ice cream stand and got a scoop of bananas foster. It had chunks of banana, graham cracker, maybe a touch of rum. People on the tour were preoccupied with their chocolate. Then they saw me with the ice cream, and they would look at me with this stunned expression. "Where did you get that," they would ask. Within five minutes, at least ten people got ice cream too. I took it outside to the cactus garden right behind the factory. There are over 30,000 species of cacti and last I checked, none grow in Illinois. It was a very good walk.
After getting back to the hotel around 4, Mom crashed, I guess. Anthony came over and we went to Stratosphere, which is an observatory tower, hotel, and casino on the north side of the strip. You actually have to go through a security check to get to the observatory tower. Had to empty my pockets and everything. Between my jeans, orange and black Knicks leather jacket, and dark glasses, I must have looked like a mob guy in training. The view with the lights was neat. But then, you go up another flight of stairs. They have three rides for people who are either crazy, thrillseekers, or suicidal. Insanity freaked me out the most. This thing looks like a roller coaster car that is about to ride over the tower's edge and drop 1000 feet to the Vegas concrete.
Finally, I tried it. In-N-Out Burger, that is. Double cheeseburger, fresh fries, and lemonade for 6 bucks. Incredible value, maybe not incredible nutrition, but it was great stuff. Can they get past the southwest though? Is that asking too much? Anthony and I headed back to his place. Nice spot on the east side, but those damn cats just drove me crazy. Thirty minutes, and my eyes were watery and my nose was running. But I hung around long enough to watch the Kings lose to the Wild in a shootout. But that wore me out for the night.
The whole deal was it was a tour guide/comedy deal to Hoover Dam. So the bus picks us up and the driver was Ruben and the guide/comedian was George. I must say they were great. They were smart and entertaining. There were 26 of us, including eight from South Dakota. I don't think I've met eight people from South Dakota since I've been alive There were six from Orlando and the two couples sitting right in front and behind us were both from Canada. In 1.5 hours, we arrived at the Dam. We started on the Arizona side of the dam, and worked our way back to the Nevada side. The dam tour (all the guides do those jokes, sadly) took one hour in all. We walked right by the eight generators and they gave us the scientific breakdown of how they control the Colorado River and how the overflow works. I googled it and I still don't know if I understand. Suffice to say, they planned the design well.
After the tour, we took the bus to an overlook of Lake Mead, a man-made lake right behind the dam and located in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The views of mountains, water, and sky was outstanding. From there, we drove to Boulder City, which was the town constructed when workers started constructing the Dam. It's also the home to Desi Arnaz Jr. and we passed by his house. We went over to the town museum to get some more history about the construction of the dam and the town as well as some of the people who were instrumental in developing it. While at lunch, we chatted with the Edmonton couple. Nice folks, and they even recommended the Vegas mob tour to us. They mentioned it was quite enjoyable. So we thought we'd take them up on their offer...
On our way back, we made our final stop at Ethyl M's Chocolate Factory. When I realized they make a lot of M&M's and that kind of thing, I wasn't too excited. But we did our walkthrough and when we walked into the gift shop, the workers started offering us samples. I had a small chip of white chocolate and it was ok. I knew it was fine quality, but just not my thing. Then I saw a woman hawking pieces of pecan brittle. This stuff was so rich and so good and full of flavor. But I went over to the ice cream stand and got a scoop of bananas foster. It had chunks of banana, graham cracker, maybe a touch of rum. People on the tour were preoccupied with their chocolate. Then they saw me with the ice cream, and they would look at me with this stunned expression. "Where did you get that," they would ask. Within five minutes, at least ten people got ice cream too. I took it outside to the cactus garden right behind the factory. There are over 30,000 species of cacti and last I checked, none grow in Illinois. It was a very good walk.
After getting back to the hotel around 4, Mom crashed, I guess. Anthony came over and we went to Stratosphere, which is an observatory tower, hotel, and casino on the north side of the strip. You actually have to go through a security check to get to the observatory tower. Had to empty my pockets and everything. Between my jeans, orange and black Knicks leather jacket, and dark glasses, I must have looked like a mob guy in training. The view with the lights was neat. But then, you go up another flight of stairs. They have three rides for people who are either crazy, thrillseekers, or suicidal. Insanity freaked me out the most. This thing looks like a roller coaster car that is about to ride over the tower's edge and drop 1000 feet to the Vegas concrete.
Finally, I tried it. In-N-Out Burger, that is. Double cheeseburger, fresh fries, and lemonade for 6 bucks. Incredible value, maybe not incredible nutrition, but it was great stuff. Can they get past the southwest though? Is that asking too much? Anthony and I headed back to his place. Nice spot on the east side, but those damn cats just drove me crazy. Thirty minutes, and my eyes were watery and my nose was running. But I hung around long enough to watch the Kings lose to the Wild in a shootout. But that wore me out for the night.
Detour
Five quick hits:
1) I like the Rangers picking up Avery, Antropov, and Morris. But I still have not seen this team play 60 minutes of hockey all season long. I believe John Tortorella can inspire this team to do that. But the vacation period is over. After leading the Eastern Conference through the first third of the season, if the post-season started today, the Rangers would miss the playoffs. Time to man up.
2) I still get a kick out of seeing myself on DVD's, but I get a bigger kick out of seeing my friends on DVD's when they are acting like complete utter lunatics.
3) Can MSG and the NHL resolve this stupid dispute so we can watch the Rangers, Sabres, Devils, and Islanders in Hi-Def on the Center Ice Package? Spoiled, maybe. But if we pay for it, we should get our money's worth.
4) Cara cara oranges make you stop and think. I got these at the store and took one to work today. It's about the size of a navel orange. I peel the skin, open it up, and the inside is pink as a grapefruit. It is really sweet, not too acidic, and best of all, no seeds. I guess these are from South America and only available in the US from December through March. Good stuff. Much better than the grapple (grape/apple combo). What a joke that is.
5) I have only one song to pick on a night like this: "Crazy Arms" by Ray Price.
1) I like the Rangers picking up Avery, Antropov, and Morris. But I still have not seen this team play 60 minutes of hockey all season long. I believe John Tortorella can inspire this team to do that. But the vacation period is over. After leading the Eastern Conference through the first third of the season, if the post-season started today, the Rangers would miss the playoffs. Time to man up.
2) I still get a kick out of seeing myself on DVD's, but I get a bigger kick out of seeing my friends on DVD's when they are acting like complete utter lunatics.
3) Can MSG and the NHL resolve this stupid dispute so we can watch the Rangers, Sabres, Devils, and Islanders in Hi-Def on the Center Ice Package? Spoiled, maybe. But if we pay for it, we should get our money's worth.
4) Cara cara oranges make you stop and think. I got these at the store and took one to work today. It's about the size of a navel orange. I peel the skin, open it up, and the inside is pink as a grapefruit. It is really sweet, not too acidic, and best of all, no seeds. I guess these are from South America and only available in the US from December through March. Good stuff. Much better than the grapple (grape/apple combo). What a joke that is.
5) I have only one song to pick on a night like this: "Crazy Arms" by Ray Price.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Vegas Part 1
I woke up at 3 am for a 6:10 am flight. When you factor in the time change, that's 1 AM Pacific time. The only thing I learned from the flight? Sierra Mist is not as good as Sprite. We landed around 10 am and walked into a 65 degree day after a week of 30's in Chi-town. and Anthony picked us up. We drove to the Hilton Vacation Club, which is on the north side of the strip and a block east. So we get in the elevator. Now we're on the 11th floor. And I look at the floor buttons on the elevator panel. There is no 13, it goes from 12 straight to 14. I guess it was because they thought 13 was unlucky. Here's the catch. The buttons go B, 1, 2... So in reality, the "14th" floor is still the "13th," isn't it? We had two rooms next to each other, which was great since everyone could now have their own space.
So we drop off the luggage and drive out of town to the east side of Vegas. We met both of Anthony's single uncles who moved there from Maine. I must say between Anthony, Jim, and Bruce, I was engaged in more political discussion in two hours than I have been in two months. Sure, the Illinois governors are frauds, but Nevada's governor was a lawyer for the mob! So from Bruce's house, we drove over to Memphis Ribs for some stellar BBQ. That magic dust was one fine spice. Eventually, he dropped us off on the middle of the strip around 4 pm. The first thing I noticed was how many construction sites there were all along Las Vegas Blvd. It was a hotel, a construction site, a hotel, a construction site and so on for miles. The lights had not come up full yet, but it was easy to feel the energy and spirit.
We went into NY, NY first. The outside was incredible. The Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Cyclone, and the Chrysler Building are all out in front. The job they did on this (as well as Paris with the Eiffel Tower) is incredible. Inside, you have your casinos, clubs, and restaurants like with every major Vegas hotel. But the feel is like Grand Central Terminal in midtown Manhattan and the food court is designed just like Greenwich Village. We ate at Il Fornaio for some Italian. We sat outside the restaurant and we had a great view of the casino. The liquor is where the get you. Though the food prices may be reasonable ($15 for a pasta bowl), it is tough to get wine for under $10 a glass. Fortunately, I stuck with some Ginger-Peach iced tea.
By the time our meal was over, we had been awake for 19 hours so we decided to take the monorail home. Now it runs north and south on the west side of the strip. We were on the east so we had to walk across. Only 15 minutes later, we got there. And of course, you had all the foreigners flooding the streets standing in lines handing out flyers, snapping the flyers on their wrists to draw attention, and trying to hook you up with "callers," shall we say. I really wish they could find something better to do with their time than sell that kind of crap. It is a shame they can do that legally. Anyway, back to the point. This monorail is a nice concept, but a joke in planning and execution. Now in my hotel guidebook, I read each ride was 3 bucks and you could get a 10-ride for $25.00. Seemed fair at the time. Turns out you have to walk two blocks west and through casinos to get there and every ride is $5.00 no matter how far you are going. So for Mom, Dad, and I to go one way, it costs about the same amount as a cab. I just don't see the point in the extra walking. After the second day. we were all but done with the monorail with one exception... I fell asleep around 11 pm. A long day, to say the least.
On Monday, I hit the hotel gym for an early morning workout. Pretty good facilities. They have a universal gym, but unlike most universals I've used, this one was actually usable. So on Sunday night, we had noticed these 1/2 off ticket booths along the strip. Turns out you can get discounted tickets for certain shows on the day of the events. We talk a 15 minute walk, walking through the Riviera along the way, and arrived at the booth. We were hoping to see Wayne Brady, since we're both fans of Whose Line. Unfortunately, his performance was cancelled, evidently because he got sick. So scrambling fast, we brought a pair of $65 Craig Ferguson tickets for $33 each. And we noticed they offered a few dinner discounts and we took 40% off at Pampas, a Brazilian steakhouse in the Planet Hollywood hotel. To top it off, we took a pair of Hoover Dam tour passes for Tuesday.
From the booth, we walked to the Fashion Show Mall. Unfortunately, we had already walked about three miles by this time and Mom's feet were already causing her tremendous discomfort. Before the mall though, we stopped into the Wynn and Encore hotels, designed by Steve Wynn. Put it this way, the guy is getting through the tough economic times just fine. If you like flowers and butterflies, this is your kind of hotel. Absolutely gorgeous, but if I'm fair about it, very bougie. (This is the first time I've ever used that word in print!) Anyway, we went to the mall and had lunch at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba for some Spanish Tapas. The service was slow as can be (and it wasn't too busy), but the sangria wine was marvelous. Filled with fruit and ice, and a sweet tangy taste. We split a chopped salad, garlic shrimp, and some stuffed mushrooms. Great food. Then came a bunch of shopping, which proved fruitless for me. I'd have liked to find a Tommy Bahama shirt for under 50 bucks, but granted, this wasn't exactly an oulet chain.
Then, we took a cab to the MGM to get the Ferguson tickets and we got the third row, about 10 yards from the stage. Not too bad. I think the MGM is fancy, but really a fine place. While we walked through the casino, we checked out the lions which they keep in a large glass enclosure. I felt a little bad for them, because they were so tame. I had to wonder if they get drugged. And I would not want to be the guy who takes them in and out of the observatory every day. That's not a job I'll be applying for anytime soon. From there, we walked a few minutes north back to Planet Hollywood for dinner. On the way, mom got a foot massage and I stopped over at the sports area and watched the Knicks win a great game against Indiana. So then, came Round 1 at the casino. I have to say, I cannot make heads or tails of the slot machines. Mom's talking about how many lines to play and all this. I'm staring at the machine like I stared at the blackboard in trigonometry class. Anyway, I lost ten bucks and jetted straight to the blackjack machine at the bar. That is the way to do it, especially since they will give you free drinks if you are playing. After ten minutes, I was up two bucks and figured I'd stop there.
Pampas is one of those "all you can eat" restaurants where the gauchos bring out the huge skewers of grilled meat. It was really good, but not what Sal and Carvao was. I would say the rump roast and roast beef were marvelous and the pork tenderloin was quite good as well. I liked the ham and pineapple skewer, something I had never seen anywhere else. I'm no ham fan, but that was a good concept. The salad bar was just not great though. So then we saw Ferguson. I would say about 600 people were there and the show was very good. His bits on Sean Connery and childbirth were outstanding. After 90 minutes, we headed to the monorail, which was thankfully only about 6 minutes away from the theater. Went to bed at 11:30, I had to set my alarm to wake up at 6 a.m.
So we drop off the luggage and drive out of town to the east side of Vegas. We met both of Anthony's single uncles who moved there from Maine. I must say between Anthony, Jim, and Bruce, I was engaged in more political discussion in two hours than I have been in two months. Sure, the Illinois governors are frauds, but Nevada's governor was a lawyer for the mob! So from Bruce's house, we drove over to Memphis Ribs for some stellar BBQ. That magic dust was one fine spice. Eventually, he dropped us off on the middle of the strip around 4 pm. The first thing I noticed was how many construction sites there were all along Las Vegas Blvd. It was a hotel, a construction site, a hotel, a construction site and so on for miles. The lights had not come up full yet, but it was easy to feel the energy and spirit.
We went into NY, NY first. The outside was incredible. The Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Cyclone, and the Chrysler Building are all out in front. The job they did on this (as well as Paris with the Eiffel Tower) is incredible. Inside, you have your casinos, clubs, and restaurants like with every major Vegas hotel. But the feel is like Grand Central Terminal in midtown Manhattan and the food court is designed just like Greenwich Village. We ate at Il Fornaio for some Italian. We sat outside the restaurant and we had a great view of the casino. The liquor is where the get you. Though the food prices may be reasonable ($15 for a pasta bowl), it is tough to get wine for under $10 a glass. Fortunately, I stuck with some Ginger-Peach iced tea.
By the time our meal was over, we had been awake for 19 hours so we decided to take the monorail home. Now it runs north and south on the west side of the strip. We were on the east so we had to walk across. Only 15 minutes later, we got there. And of course, you had all the foreigners flooding the streets standing in lines handing out flyers, snapping the flyers on their wrists to draw attention, and trying to hook you up with "callers," shall we say. I really wish they could find something better to do with their time than sell that kind of crap. It is a shame they can do that legally. Anyway, back to the point. This monorail is a nice concept, but a joke in planning and execution. Now in my hotel guidebook, I read each ride was 3 bucks and you could get a 10-ride for $25.00. Seemed fair at the time. Turns out you have to walk two blocks west and through casinos to get there and every ride is $5.00 no matter how far you are going. So for Mom, Dad, and I to go one way, it costs about the same amount as a cab. I just don't see the point in the extra walking. After the second day. we were all but done with the monorail with one exception... I fell asleep around 11 pm. A long day, to say the least.
On Monday, I hit the hotel gym for an early morning workout. Pretty good facilities. They have a universal gym, but unlike most universals I've used, this one was actually usable. So on Sunday night, we had noticed these 1/2 off ticket booths along the strip. Turns out you can get discounted tickets for certain shows on the day of the events. We talk a 15 minute walk, walking through the Riviera along the way, and arrived at the booth. We were hoping to see Wayne Brady, since we're both fans of Whose Line. Unfortunately, his performance was cancelled, evidently because he got sick. So scrambling fast, we brought a pair of $65 Craig Ferguson tickets for $33 each. And we noticed they offered a few dinner discounts and we took 40% off at Pampas, a Brazilian steakhouse in the Planet Hollywood hotel. To top it off, we took a pair of Hoover Dam tour passes for Tuesday.
From the booth, we walked to the Fashion Show Mall. Unfortunately, we had already walked about three miles by this time and Mom's feet were already causing her tremendous discomfort. Before the mall though, we stopped into the Wynn and Encore hotels, designed by Steve Wynn. Put it this way, the guy is getting through the tough economic times just fine. If you like flowers and butterflies, this is your kind of hotel. Absolutely gorgeous, but if I'm fair about it, very bougie. (This is the first time I've ever used that word in print!) Anyway, we went to the mall and had lunch at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba for some Spanish Tapas. The service was slow as can be (and it wasn't too busy), but the sangria wine was marvelous. Filled with fruit and ice, and a sweet tangy taste. We split a chopped salad, garlic shrimp, and some stuffed mushrooms. Great food. Then came a bunch of shopping, which proved fruitless for me. I'd have liked to find a Tommy Bahama shirt for under 50 bucks, but granted, this wasn't exactly an oulet chain.
Then, we took a cab to the MGM to get the Ferguson tickets and we got the third row, about 10 yards from the stage. Not too bad. I think the MGM is fancy, but really a fine place. While we walked through the casino, we checked out the lions which they keep in a large glass enclosure. I felt a little bad for them, because they were so tame. I had to wonder if they get drugged. And I would not want to be the guy who takes them in and out of the observatory every day. That's not a job I'll be applying for anytime soon. From there, we walked a few minutes north back to Planet Hollywood for dinner. On the way, mom got a foot massage and I stopped over at the sports area and watched the Knicks win a great game against Indiana. So then, came Round 1 at the casino. I have to say, I cannot make heads or tails of the slot machines. Mom's talking about how many lines to play and all this. I'm staring at the machine like I stared at the blackboard in trigonometry class. Anyway, I lost ten bucks and jetted straight to the blackjack machine at the bar. That is the way to do it, especially since they will give you free drinks if you are playing. After ten minutes, I was up two bucks and figured I'd stop there.
Pampas is one of those "all you can eat" restaurants where the gauchos bring out the huge skewers of grilled meat. It was really good, but not what Sal and Carvao was. I would say the rump roast and roast beef were marvelous and the pork tenderloin was quite good as well. I liked the ham and pineapple skewer, something I had never seen anywhere else. I'm no ham fan, but that was a good concept. The salad bar was just not great though. So then we saw Ferguson. I would say about 600 people were there and the show was very good. His bits on Sean Connery and childbirth were outstanding. After 90 minutes, we headed to the monorail, which was thankfully only about 6 minutes away from the theater. Went to bed at 11:30, I had to set my alarm to wake up at 6 a.m.
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