Back to Chi-town

So three weeks ago, an old friend of mine asked me to be her date at her friend's wedding. I admit she's someone I never did date, but I have wondered what would happen if we did. And I hadn't been back to Chicago in 3 years, which was also ironically for a wedding. So I accepted. 

I left work at 2:45 on Friday afternoon and drove the 19 miles from Newport News to Norfolk Airport... which took an hour and 15 minutes. The Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel traffic doesn't start building at rush hour around 4:30 pm. No, it begins backing up around 2 pm. And there was a 3 mile backup, but it actually moved steadily and I was able to get through the tunnel in about an hour. 

I pulled into the Norfolk parking garage around 4 pm, grabbed my large brown and white stitched suitcase and headed inside. Thankfully there were no lines to speak of at the ticket counter or security, so I was able to get to my gate almost an hour before departure. 

Now the one nonstop flight looked like my best bet. Three days before, there were 14 open seats. Even the afternoon of the flight, there were still six open seats. And using my D1 pass, I was on top of the standby list. I knew there were 76 seats and once the boarding process began, I noticed there seemed like more than that many people standing around the gate. I didn't want to be negative, but deep down, I had an unsettling feeling in my gut. 

The gate agent even asked if I was Bartolo (she mispronounced my name of course) and said she'd get back to me. And then on the monitor,  there were the words... the two worst words to see as a standby passenger. 

"Boarding closed."

I had been bumped. And I knew the other flights out of Norfolk were close to solidly booked and I began to wonder if I could even make it to Chicago at all. And my bag was already on the nonstop plane, it's not like I could just grab my luggage and go home. 

I talked with my friend for nearly half an hour. She encouraged me to do what was best for me and I really wanted to make this work, but I was not about to get stuck in an airport for two days. I decided to try flying to Charlotte to see what I could do and then if it didn't work Saturday, I'd just go home. 

Now there were two Norfolk to Charlotte flights and they looked close to full. But I figured I'd try. I checked in, and saw I was down to 10 on the standby list. I had no idea why I would go down like that if I was a D1. I was really starting to think I'd go home and try flying into Philly on Saturday morning before taking an open flight to Chicago in the early afternoon. 

Well, they managed to get all the standby passengers on! I think there were 13 listed, I don't know that it was 13 people but I got a seat, 9E, which was the second row of coach. 

So I had two shots that night to make Chicago. The first flight looked more open but I was only scheduled to have a 10 minute layover. So it was going to take a quick deplaning and a short distance between gates. And it wouldn't hurt for the Charlotte to Chicago flight to be delayed for a few minutes. 

I knew the plane to Chicago was scheduled to leave at 8:12 pm from Gate B3. Late in the flight, we were told our new gate was C4. I knew i would have to pass through the main dining and shopping area where there would be a lot of foot traffic. But for distance, I knew it would be relatively short. Well, the plane landed right at 7:50, so I knew boarding had already commenced. I was even more glad I had the seat towards the front. 

The pilot did a great job to be able to get the plane right to the gate, there was no waiting for a gate to open or anything like that. It was funny that the flight attendant asked for those who were finishing their travel in Charlotte to stay in their seats so that those making tight connections could get to their gates. Well out of the 170 or so passengers, I would wager that about 160 to 165 of those passengers had connections to make, hopefully that night. 

As soon as my feet hit the tarmac, mom called. I was happy to hear from her, but knowing that I had to start running, I had to let her know this was just not the time! But as soon as I told her the boarding was about to finish for that plane, she understood and let me go. 

I had started with a steady jog as I gingerly tried to move around an old lady with a walker. As soon as there was a space, I was like Curtis Martin. I got that hole and took off down the side of the aisle! Past the admirals club, past the restaurants, past the shops, and down the incline to the B concourse.

I got to B3 and saw on the monitor that the gate agents had already started assigning seats to the standby passengers. On the board I was number 7 but a few passengers under me had their seat assignments already. I marched up to the agent and gave them my name. She said she'd passed me by long ago. I said our plane just landed give minutes ago and I sprinted to make it. Two minutes later, a couple came jogging up... they had been on my flight too. We all got our seats and as stressful as those 6 hours were, the only thing that had to be changed was Friday night dinner. Ryan picked me up and we made a plan. Instead of deep dish pizza, it was Portillo's. Big beef sandwich with cheddar, sweet peppers, and hot peppers. Nothing like it. After about an hour of hockey, it was bedtime. Well in my case, couch time. 

I woke up at 6:45 and we went to the gym for an hour. After running 4 miles the day prior, it was all lifting. I loved doing reverse squats, assisted chin ups and dips, hip abductions, these were machines i hadn't used much in 5 years. I wish I knew they had a steam room and sauna! I needed some protein and we grabbed a couple of coconut almond bliss bars. I checked the ingredients and... no chocolate.

We made a quick stop at a small farmers market in Lisle. Hahns bakery from Geneva had a stand, and it's a good thing they didn't have any of their crumb cake because it is so good. But at the market, I opened the bar up and... of course it's coated in chocolate. So I'll have to tweet them about the false advertising. 

After going back to his place, I finished packing and we drove through the pouring rain to Gino's East in Wheaton, the only remaining location in the suburbs. Jennifer arrived about 30 minutes after we did. We all split a Supreme deep dish pizza, and I left with Jennifer. She took me to her cluttered one bedroom apartment where I dropped off my luggage and then we headed out. 

She had to do some grocery shopping at Woodman's, a large, employee owned local grocery store. I walked in and I couldn't believe how much variety there was. They probably had two full aisles for frozen pizza alone. They didn't have a bread aisle, they had six aisles for breads all labeled by brands. Super impressive. 

We also took a look in their walk in liquor store. It was only then i found out that she is a big fan of IPA beers, just like me. We shared a pretty hearty laugh that we were just learning that about each other. I was interested in getting a Brickstone APA or Two Brothers Pinball Ale. But she wasn't really interested in any of that and I was not about to leave with a 6 pack so we left with nothing. 

But we did go to Brother Chimp, a new brewery in North Aurora. Decent beer, but the staff already has their stupid pride gear out. I did like the shuffleboard golf table and we spent about half an hour aiming the pucks down the sand covered board. It was fun and I got to see her competitive side, she even talked a little trash, and I didn't really mind it too much. 

By now the rain had stopped, and we began a 40 minute drive east to Oak Brook mall. We had both heard about Puttshack, a technically advanced indoor mini golf course. What we didn't know is reservations were needed. The soonest they could get us in would've been 11 pm. So there went that idea. But she did have a chance to explore Kendra Scott, her favorite jewelry store. 

But that aside, we did have dinner at Yard House. Despite the hour wait, I scored two seats at the bar. The peach iced tea was fresh and flavorful and I really liked the spicy jambalaya. It had chicken, crawfish, andouille sausage, shrimp, vegetables, and a Cajun cream sauce over linguini. 

By then we were both ready to go home. Once there, we watched an episode of 20/20, though we both fell asleep before the ending. I suggested we watch the end on Sunday. Sadly, that never came to pass. 

On Sunday morning, I made our brunch reservation at Ginger and Soul in downtown Yorkville. Jennifer had recommended it, she said it was the best

all you can eat brunch and their food was homemade. The restaurant is only open from 9-1 on Saturday and Sunday. That's right, just eight hours per week. The only time we could get in was 9 am.

We were the first table seated and they only have eight tables in their dining room. I got my oj and Jennifer got her coffee. Right away we headed up to the buffet line and it was so amazing. 

Herb and cheese frittata, thick cut bacon, thick sausage patties, cheesy hash browns, banana bread French toast, biscuits, sausage gravy, Caprese salad, cinnamon rolls, raspberry brownies, fruit salad, almond poppyseed scones, chocolate chip cookies...

Everything I tried was excellent. The bacon and sausage were so full of flavor. The French toast really had that nice banana and cinnamon flavor going. Cheeses added richness to the hash brown potatoes. Cinnamon roll was so flaky. I even took some the buttercream frosting on top and spooned it on the French toast bake and that only made it even more amazing. 23 dollars was a pretty solid deal, especially since it was unlimited portions. 

After brunch, we went to Highpoint Church in North Aurora. It's a small church in the middle of a subdivision. The majority of the congregation was white but they do have one Sista Johnson. During the entire message, the pastor couldn't go tweet sentences without hearing:

"Yes pastuh."

"Uh huh"

"Yes yes yes"

I will never knock someone with how they worship. If it's genuinely honoring to God, it's not my place to judge. But when the changing gets so distracting, it's a problem. 

And the pastor was a husky Italian guy, seemed like a good dude. But he had so much info to get in for his sermon about stress, it was like stuffing 8 pounds of stuff into a 5 pound bag. He had to speak so quickly that it was hard to follow along. He seemed stressed while preaching about stress!

Both of us were feeling the food coma and we faded in and out of consciousness. R went home and napped for about an hour. Then it was time to get ready for the wedding. I only took about 20 minutes to get ready and it was my first time wearing a black shirt and black slacks with a different color tie. I kind of like the look. 

We had to drive 45 minutes to downtown Joliet, it was the only time Jennifer would drive on the highway. I realized she prefers to concentrate when driving so rarely spoke in the car and listened to country and rock music mumble their way through poor quality speakers. 

The ceremony was held in an old church sanctuary, which was attached to a mansion. I think from start to finish, it took 20 minutes total. Now I didn't know anyone there, but the groom was Italian, so that was a good start. Cocktail hour was fine with three glasses of Merlot. I met Jennifer's friend Elizabeth, who I found to be nice but kind of socially awkward. 

After that hour, it was time for dinner. After the salad, it was bowls of mashed potatoes, overdone steamed vegetables, mostaccioli, chuck roast, sausage and peppers, and Italian dressing marinated chicken breast. The DJ did a great job with music from Lou Monte, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Bee Gees, ABBA, John Mellencamp, Def Leppard, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Rogers, etc. 

I was dancing, I was engaged, I was having a ball. And this was a mostly older demo wedding, there were not a lot of people dancing. It was mostly those of us at Table 5 and the really young kids who kept the energy up. 

So Jennifer wanted to leave at 8:30 to get ready for work in the morning. I didn't mind, except time started to slip and by 8:45, she basically said we had to go. I went along with it and we walked into the parking lot. Looking back at this, I don't even know why, maybe because I was singing a song or I was still in a joking mood, but she said I was getting on her nerves. Right then and there, I decided I didn't want to escalate, so I kept my mouth shut. All 45 minutes back to her place. I just went through my phone and wouldn't look at her. 

The next morning, I checked the flights. And although there were 2 or 3 open seats on the late planes from Charlotte and LaGuardia to Norfolk, I decided I didn't really want to sirens the day downtown lugging around my suitcase. There were 2 openings on the 1 pm nonstop to Norfolk so I decided to go for that instead. 

The tension between Jennifer and I didn't dissipate overnight. Around 5:45 am, she gently knocked on my door to wake me up since she needed to be back home and on her computer for work by 7:30. 

She drove me the 20 minutes to downtown Geneva. Just like the previous night, not a word was spoken. After I collected my luggage from the trunk, I told her thanks for the ride and I hope she had a pleasant day. She mumbled to me thanks for accompanying her to the wedding. I sadly said goodbye and I turned around and walked off. I really wondered what it would've been like dating her. The answer, as I learned this weekend, would've been stressful and frustrating. 

Egg Harbor didn't open until 7 am and I had arrived 20 minutes sooner than anticipated. But they let me sit down and gave me some water, only one other take was occupied at the moment. My friend Julie arrived and we chatted about anything from parents to music, 9/11, YouTube, tennis, gas prices, and what a piece of garbage Joe Biden is. 

I had to get my strawberry orange juice, there is no juice like it. And now they stated making mimosas with it, a move that is pure genius. My breakfast was a 3 egg scrambler with spinach, tomato, and Jack and cheddar cheese along with turkey bacon, breakfast potatoes and an English muffin. Julie got a plate of 3 blueberry pancakes that were about the size of a medium pizza. I think her breakfasts will be set for the rest of the week. 

She wasn't familiar with Geneva and St Charles so I guided her around, as I explored businesses that had changed and businesses that have stayed the same. Downtown St Charles had really changed, more and more buildings keep getting constructed by the river. They even added Alter Brewery at the base of one of those buildings, I wish I could have tried it when I still lived there. 

My old house hasn't changed much. I did see a couple of cat play toys inside, which we certainly wouldn't have had. And as we circled Whittington Course, I saw a Gorecki home improvement truck. I knew Miles, our longtime maintenance man, was there. So I walked up and he recognized me pretty quick. We chatted for five minutes and I was on my way.

Julie dropped me off at O'Hare around 10:45. I enjoyed our time together, it was far more relaxed than it had been with Jennifer. The nonstop was booked even but a few people missed their connection so I got my seat asking with the other three standbys. And sure I would have liked to go downtown and eat some more, but it really didn't bother me to get home before nightfall. 

Jets-Comparing Our Mock Drafts to the 2022 NFL Draft

Well, the 2022 NFL draft is officially in the books. As Jets fans, we had been waiting on this draft for four months, even before the 2021 season had come to an end. We knew the Jets were going to enter the draft with a plethora of holes and many premium picks to fill those holes. And on the GreenBean channel, we did 15 mock drafts over 4+ months to project what we would do if we were in Joe Douglas' shoes and were in charge of the draft. So let's take a look at what our tendencies and favorite players were, then figure out what our ideal mock draft would have looked like, and then compare that to what the Jets actually ended up doing on that late April weekend.

Who did we pick the most?

Our top first round selections were edge Jermaine Johnson and C Tyler Linderbaum, who were taken 4 times. There were three players we selected in the first round 3 times: Sauce Gardner, Evan Neal, Kyle Hamilton, and George Karlaftis.

By far, tight end Trey McBride was the apple of the collective Jets fan eye. We drafted him a whopping nine times out of 15 drafts. While we debated about what players and positions to select with our first round picks, there was never any question that McBride should be a Jet.  

There were five players we picked five times: Johnson, Linderbaum, K Cade York, LB Leo Chenal, LB Brandon Smith. TE Jelani Woods was drafted four times, mostly in the last month.

What positions did we pick the most?

Out of 150 total draft selections, six positions stood out from the others: RB, WR, TE, Edge, LB, and S. Here's the complete breakdown of our total selections:

15 RB

20 WR

21 TE

9 OT

9 OG

7 C

20 Edge

1 DT

18 LB

6 CB

19 S

5 K

So based off this, Jets fans wanted to walk away with a draft with several new toys for Zach Wilson and multiple new starters on last year's 32nd ranked defense. I find it interesting that we only drafted defensive tackle one time, but drafted kicker five times.

The ideal Jets fan 2022 mock draft:

Of course, we all have different opinions on what the Jets should have done in this draft. But going off of who we drafted in the mocks and what positions we prioritized, here is an idealized version of the draft without any trades, since we obviously couldn't have predicted Joe Douglas would trade up multiple times.

1st round, pick 4: Jermaine Johnson, Edge

Our position of greatest need would be addressed as soon as possible. With Adan Hutchinson unlikely to fall to 4 and a notable portion of the fanbase scared off by Kayvon Thibodeaux, this was the edge we took most often in Round 1. 

1st round, pick 10: Jameson Williams, WR

Wilson was the only WR we drafted twice in the first round.

2nd round, pick 35: TE Trey McBride

As mentioned, we drafted McBride 9 times, all of them in the second round.

2nd round, pick 38: LB Leo Chenal

Chenal was drafted five times, steadily rising up the board form the fourth round in January, and then getting taken in the second round by April.

3rd round, pick 69: S Jalen Pitre

We took safety 19 times, and we drafted 12 different safeties among those 19 pics. Hamilton was the only one drafted three times or more, so I went to who we picked twice. Pitre was the choice, as we took him in the second as well as the third round.

4th round, pick 111: TE Jeremy Ruckert

Before the Jets signed CJ Uzomah and Ty Conlin in free agency, we wanted to double up at tight end; we felt the room needed a complete overhaul save for TE Coach Ron Middleton. The Long Island kid comes home.

4th round, pick 117: RB Brian Robinson

We liked Robinson's combination of pass catching, speed, and blocking. We had an early interest in Hassan Haskins, taking him three times, but never after the month of January.

5th round, pick 146: OT Kellen Diesch

Offensive line depth is needed. We discovered Diesch late, but he came a multi-time selection, once in the fifth round then in the fourth round.

5th round, pick 163: Edge Zach VanValkenburg

At this point, it's best player available, just finding a flyer who's worth taking a chance on. We took this edge rusher from Iowa three times, certainly in part because of his cool name. In the mocks, he was taken once in the 5th round and twice in the 7th.

Who did the Jets actually draft?

1st round, pick 4: CB Sauce Gardner

No one can deny the talent of Sauce Gardner. Anyone naysaying the idea of drafting him this high would cite the premium position argument.

1st round, pick 10: WR Garrett Wilson

Although many draft pundits mocked Garrett Wilson to the Jets with this pick, we never drafted him one single time. Whenever we would go WR, it would be Jameson Williams.

1st round, pick 26: Edge Jermaine Johnson

Bullseye! We picked him 4 times of a possible 15 and while we never expected to get him this late in the draft, we got our edge rusher.

2nd round, pick 36: RB Breece Hall

Many of us were gun-shy about taking a running back this high in the draft and I was among them. But we did take Hall one time, at 38th overall on March 28. We were expecting to address this in the 3rd of 4th round, but JD saw an opportunity to trade up and he pounced.

3rd round, pick 101: TE Jeremy Ruckert

We nailed this one too. We had Ruckert going to us five times, once in the third round, and four times in the early fourth.

4th round, pick 111: OT Max Mitchell

Never once was Mitchell selected in our mocks. Our late round tackles were usually Diesch or Zach Tom or even Tyler Smith way back when before he shot up the draft boards.

4th round, pick 117: DE Micheal Clemons

Truth be told, I think we would be hard pressed to find a Jets fan who knew who Clemons was before Saturday, unless they also root for Texas A&M.

What did we learn?

We had nine picks scheduled and the Jets wound up only having seven. While the Jets did address edge and WR early as we thought they would, we also expected them to address linebacker/safety early. These positions were never addressed, as JD opted to address cornerback and running back sooner than anticipated.

So as we look back on this draft and look ahead to future drafts, we have to remember it's not so much about assigning a position to a pick. Good general managers don't necessarily address the worst positions on their team first. Rather, they figure out positions that make sense to address, rank the players who fit the roster best, and then take as many of those players as possible. 

Let's Jet!

Charleston, part 3

Mom wanted to go to a black church downtown. We got dressed nicely, drove to the crowded downtown, and... it was closed

Still a lot of churches meeting online only

We went to the First Presbyterian Church instead and it felt so much like the one I went to growing up in New Jersey

Mom had a 1pm timeshare meeting at a Hilton hotel. 

With a little bit of time for lunch, we went to North Charleston to the Tattooed Moose, which was featured on DDD. I mean I didn't know when my next chance would be to try a duck confit club sandwich.

We sat at the bar, it was mostly the brunch crowd, but wow, it was really packed. It's good thing they had a really long bar that holds about 50 people. The garage door was open so we needed our jackets to keep us warm.

So the duck club was really good. The sweetness of the Hawaiian bread really made this the perfect bread for this kind of sandwich. The duck confit was tender, though I thought it got a little overwhelmed with all the other ingredients. The bacon had a nice smokiness, and the garlic aioli was nice and strong. The smoked cheddar, lettuce, and tomato rounded it off very nicely. It's a little messy, but it was fun.

Mom got the Thanksgiving sandwich and this is an underrated gem. That turkey tasted roasted, it was not generic in the slightest. Cornbread stuffing, a little cranberry, crispy onions with gravy on the side. Thankfully, they held the mayo.

And the duck fat fries, well they're duck fat fries. What else needs to be said, other than that you've never had french fries until you've had them cooked in duck fat.

One of the funkiest atmospheres I've ever seen in a restaurant, this is a great place to go.

While mom went to get meeting, I explored King St, one of the 3 main streets of the city. The shopping is top level, akin to Fifth Avenue in New York or Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. 

Heros Donuts

Sugar n spice, one of the best I have ever had. 

Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, ground coffee in the spice blend.

Charleston Beer Works

Met a couple of girls who had been in town for a Bachelorette party

One works for the NJ Devils

Went back to the hotel to clean up

Husk 

I had made a reservation two months in advance, during my one week in Charleston, I wanted to visit one of the more iconic restaurants in town and I was able to get a spot.

We started with the hearth baked skillet cornbread, which had the tiniest crumbles of Broadbent’s bacon. It was so hearty and satisfying, I could tell that cast iron had been covered with bacon grease! It was more of a savory cornbread, less sweet than what I'm used to, but I liked it.

We split the lettuces with cornmeal fried oysters, radishes, pickled onions, and buttermilk dressing. Six oysters are never enough! they were super crispy and nicely flavored. The lettuces were super fresh and vibrant.

For our main course, we both had the TN Beef Strip with new potatoes, broccolini, mushrooms, and jus. First of all, props to the staff for the beautiful presentation. The beef was cooked to a perfect medium, that faded light pink, and was well seasoned. It wasn't a very large portion, it was five or six decently thick cut pieces of steak, it wasn't a getting a whole steak and cutting as you go. And there wee maybe 4 or 5 baby potatoes on the plate, all of which were bite sized. I could've definitely eaten more, but I was satisfied at then end.

I was looking forward to a real southern dessert like chess pie or cobbler, but they only had two options and I believe both had chocolate, so I had to pass. I really thought they should have offered more options.

I'm not going to say I was totally blown away or it was the best food I ever had in my life. But it was southern food done with some class and I'm glad I got to go.

Back to the hotel

The Beyond Borders crowd was still there

The lobby reeked of packeted parmesan cheese

Bar was closed

Marble slab for ice cream

Got to the airport at 3:45 am. 

Bumped 3 times

I landed at Newport News around 330, drove straight to the office, and worked 4 hours before finally driving home

Charleston-Part 2

Saturday

Morning Kayak in Shem Creek

So many huge birds, herons

Grit Counter for lunch in Mt Pleasant

Our hotel was a few minutes down the street from this place and when I saw they were only open 4 hours a day, 5 days week, I figured they must be pretty good.

After a morning of kayaking, we headed over to create some shrimp and grits bowls. I still struggle with what to add to apple pie grits, but that's neither here nor there. I went with jalapeno cheddar grits with caramelized onions, heirloom tomatoes, local shrimp, and a green tomato bacon jam. Of my goodness, what an amazing combination. The tomatoes were so ripe, the onions added the sweetness, there was the slightest hint of heat from the jalapeno, and the shrimp were maybe the freshest I could remember eating. I think if anything I would have added some bacon just for a little extra meat and flavor!

I like that they have a small counter and you can watch them prepare your dish. And they have a variety of iced teas and lemonade as well as alcohol, along with outdoor seating.

I'm not a grits lover, but if I'm back in Charleston, this is one of the few places I would absolutely return to. Definitely try this!

Drove to some of the local Beach towns

Folly Beach

Couldn't park at all

Sullivan Island

Dunleavy pub

This is the ultimate dive. Tons of license plates and Boston sports memorabilia. As a New Yorker, I can't say it sat well with me, but so be it.

We took seats at the bar and were given a bowl of free popcorn, nice of them to do. For beer, they didn't have a ton of draft options, but I wanted something local and I did get a Park Circle Pale from Commonhouse, which was pretty good. We ordered a bunch of grilled wings, half honey mustard, half medium. they were cooked well, very juicy, I did want the skin a little crispier.

Mom is not a big Buffalo wings fan, so I wound up eating about 75 percent of them. With inflation, wings are just getting crazy price was. I think it was about 16 dollars for 12 wings.

The clientle was definitely regulars, this is the kind of bar where people probably come several days a week. And damn, they drink hard. There was a group of about 15 at the communal table in the middle and two of the women were so loud and obnoxious, even the bartenders started glaring at them. So if you're looking for a bar to have a quiet conversation with someone, look somewhere else.

And remember, cash only!

Philips shoes 

Very upscale shoe store

I helped people figure out On shoes

The store should've hired me right then!

Topsail for dinner 

Thankfully, we got the last parking spot in the lot, behind the restaurant, right next to the dumpster and walked by an employee smoking a cigarette. Not the best first impression, I don't care if you're on break or not.

We walked in and were sat in the side room, it was like the addition room to a house. I guess space is a little tight around that area. We started with bowls of she crab soup, and I wasn't impressed. It had too much sherry. I finished mine but mom asked for a Caesar salad instead, and it was covered with way too much dressing for her taste.

Our entrée was one of a kind, a two pound whole red snapper, I think we got the second to last one. It came grilled and served with potatoes and vegetables. It tasted great, super fresh, and it cost $55, which isn't terrible for two people.

I guess I took it personally

My fault

Led to a fight with mom and a terrible finish to the night

Read my new Merle Haggard biography 

Charleston-Part 1

After getting three three hours of sleep,  the alarm clock woke up at 3:28 am. I had never seen such a long security line at Newport News airport. I believe the line opened right at 4 am, and there were already about 35 people in front of me, and within ten minutes, another 15 had followed behind me. And of course, there's only going to be one security lane at this tiny airport which only has 5 outbound flights a day. It was tight and I think the flight went out full, but I still scored an exit row seat. 

And my goodness this may have been the most turbulent flight I've been in possibly a decade. In one hour, we had three separate periods of severe bumps. But we landed just fine, and I was happy to see my next flight was one gate over from where I landed. I was never even called by the gate agent, my boarding pass was emailed to me. So the flight that was expected the be the hardest to get on turned out to be one of the easiest standby experiences I've ever had. 

Quick footnote. The busyness of life caught up with me too quickly. A month later, I still haven't finished chronicling my travels. So I will instead use bullet points and write brief statements where details are worth mentioning. 

City tour downtown

So many horse drawn carriages

Remarkable classic architecture on the Battery

Lunch at Hyman's 

Shrimp po'boy
I checked in on Yelp, so we got a free Wadamalaw Special (and it's the first time I have ever typed that word). Fried green tomatoes over cheesy grits topped with parmesan cream sauce and cheddar cheese.

City Market walkthrough, tight foot traffic

Lionel Richie cutting board- Hello... is it me you're cooking for?

Citadel campus

Mt Pleasant was the Eastern suburb where we stayed

Those darn side service roads

Drove to Shem Creek

Lunch at Crab House 

We came in just wanting apps and drinks. We ordered the crab dip. I like warm fish dips spread on some saltines.

This was not what I was hoping for. What we got was a scoop of chilled crab salad. We could barely see any crab meat, I don't know if it was even real crab. It was mixed with way too much mayo along with cream cheese and Old Bay. Two bites and I was done. At least we

I can't even remember which cocktail I had, but I remember it had pineapple, rum, and some nutmeg added to it. Pretty good, but still a bit sweet.

Maybe we just ordered the wrong menu item, and it's nice to dine near a spot that's close to the water, but I can't say I was satisfied with my experience.

Checked into Hilton Garden Inn

Confusing hotel arrangement,  the back of the building was facing the entrance road

Bricco Bracco at 4pm

One of the best happy hours

We arrived at 430 and the 30 or so seat bar was already full

$4 Red blend

Huge bowl of Parmesan

$2 Bread and olive oil

Our entree was the Chicken Giambotta. Chicken breast with sweet Italian sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms, hot and sweet vinegared peppers, and fried Yukon gold sliced potatoes. I'm a sucker for those kinds of peppers, especially with all that oil and garlic. It just makes you feel so good and side, you know? I felt like there wasn't a ton of meat in the platter, or maybe we just took too much too soon. But wasn't long before we had just potatoes and peppers to finish.

Chatted with some neighbors at the bar

One guy was from Germany

Fruitflies showed up

Hotel bar

NCAA tournament on TV, good to see St Peter's make their run

Sports Stadium Lists

Top 10 Baseball Stadiums I Have Visited

10) Yankee Stadium (New York)

9) Wrigley Field (Chicago)

8) US Cellular Field (Chicago)

7) Miller Park (Milwaukee)

6) Fenway Park (Boston)

5) Busch Stadium (St. Louis)

4) Citi Field (New York)

3) Pac Bell Park (San Francisco)

2) PNC Park (Pittsburgh)

1) Camden Yards (Baltimore)

Top 5 Baseball Stadiums I Would Like To Visit

5) Comerica Park (Detroit)

4) Kaufman Stadium (Kansas City)

3) Target Field (Minneapolis)

2) Petco Park (San Diego)

1) Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles)

Top 5 Hockey Arenas I Have Visited

5) Prudential Center (New Jersey)

4) Capital One Arena (Washington DC)

3) Amalie Arena (Tampa Bay)

2) United Center (Chicago)

1) Madison Square Garden (New York)

Top 10 Hockey Arenas I Would Like To Visit

10) American Airlines Center (Dallas)

9) Rogers Arena (Vancouver)

8) SAP Center (San Jose)

7) Little Caesar's Arena (Detroit)

6) Xcel Energy Center (St Paul)

5) Canada Life Center (Winnipeg)

4) Scotiabank Arena (Toronto)

3) Bridgestone Arena (Nashville)

2) T-Mobile Bank Arena (Las Vegas)

1) Bell Center (Montreal)

When a Break Is Needed

I am coming off two consecutive six day work weeks. As Saturday night is about to dissolve into Sunday morning, let's take a moment and try to untangle this cluttered brain.

The Jets draft is now behind us. After four months of heavy anticipation, they had by all accounts, a fantastic draft. I have stayed up till 3 am and 2 am on Thursday and Friday nights, respectively, to absorb content and broadcast. 

I wish I could play guitar or keyboard. As I find and re-discover so much good music from days gone by, I wish I had a way to share it. I'm getting more open to YouTube and podcasting. But honestly, I'm worried about doing something that isn't unique. Sure, there are the sports options. I'm certainly opinionated about that. But there is so much content out there from such smart people, I really don't see what I can do that would be unique. Ah there it is, the fear of being ordinary. Because here's the pivotal question, what makes me one of a kind? Forty years later, I guess I'm the white single conservative Christian from New Jersey who loves real country music, good food, an unusual combination of NY sports, and American travel. As if anyone cares about that combination. 

One thing that I'm smarter than most at is that golden era of country music from the mid 70s to the early 2000s before the pussies like Underwood, Bryan, and FGL fucked everything up. I have one friend I can talk to about this, and she gets it. Other than that, it's like my own secret. And what can I do about it? I don't want to keep it to myself. But I kind of have no choice.

Sunday is coming, as the great SM Lockridge once preached. I have this real desire to get away, yet of course, the weather forecast is calling for rain. I could use a hike in the mountains and a lot of that craft mountain beer. And I'll barely be able to take advantage of it, even if I wanted to. 

Can I do a staycation? I guess. Although I think the only way to get through it would be to stay off social media. And being home alone, it's the easiest distraction in the world. If I'm stuck on a phone all day, I know seeing certain kinds of posts will just rile up my already sensitive emotions.

I guess I feel trapped by my own sins and shortcomings, and some of them I still cannot overcome even after four decades. And these flaws are an essential part of my makeup, so I guess I just have to embrace those fleeting moments of temporary joy and happiness that I may get to experience. But as far lasting joy...I can't imagine living in that way. It's not that I don't want that, it just no longer seems realistic.

Jets Draft Targets I Would Avoid

We are just days away from the NFL draft. Those of us who watch little, if any college football during the fall, suddenly have become draft experts. Guys we didn't know 2 months ago, we could now tell you where they went to high school, their favorite dog's name, and their favorite movie. We get fascinated with certain prospects, then a new name comes along, and we're onto the next name. So with the Jets needing an influx of talent at so man positions and with an abundance of premium picks, it's not just about knowing who to pick. Just as important is knowing who not to pick. With so many players on our radar, who should we beware of? Here are a few well known prospects I do not want to see the Jets draft and my reasons why.

Travon Walker, Edge

When I look at Walker, I see a 3-4 rugged defensive end, as his lower body bend is limited. Plus, he's pushing 300 pounds. In a 4-3 defense, I want my pass rushers to be quick and explosive. I do not see Walker possessing that kind of speed. Instead, I see a good 2-way player who would be good at setting the edge and playing the run effectively. He might even be more suited to play defensive tackle under Robert Saleh's defense as opposed to defensive end. He also has a bad habit of not wrapping up running backs and wide receivers and letting them elude his grasp.

Walker is a better athlete than he is football player, and as a Jets fan, I'm getting tired of guys who win the combine, because they can run fast or bench press well. Then they get to the pros and the 2 or 3 moves they used in college suddenly aren't effective anymore and the bust talk soon begins.

Jahan Dotson, WR

The 5-foot-10, 178-pound Dotson ran a 4.43 in the 40 yard dash which is quite impressive, but his measurables failed in nearly every other combine drill. Most notably, he disappointed in the three-cone with a time of 7.28 (9th percentile), which is not going to work for a small receiver. He has a great ability to make contested catches, as he proved vs Ohio St, but he is widely viewed as a finesse receiver as he will not be likely overpower NFL corners. If he can't find a way to get open space on the field, he's not a WR that will be a primary focus in an NFL offense.

Breece Hall, RB

I've been hearing a lot of arguments for the Jets to take a running back as early as the second round. Now it's no secret running backs are not the premium position they used to be 20 and 30 years ago. So if we're going to take a running back this high, he better be a difference make on the level of Dalvin Cook or Jonathan Taylor.

Breece Hall is the running back that I've seen at the top of a lot of lists of draft pundits, whether it's Chad Forbes, Daniel Jeremiah, Ryan Dunleavy, etc. I have much respect for his production. Hall led college football with 1,572 rushing yards in 2020 and went for 1,472 in 2021. So I watched some film on him and I have to say this was not a running back who left me thinking this was a running back the Jets need to target. 

What impressed me the most was his footwork. He has a very nice spin move to elude tacklers. But not once did I see him stiff arm a defender. Not once did I see him create his own space. His speed was respectable, but not what I would call breakaway speed. What I saw was a patient runner. A runner who thrives on holes being opened for him and then decides where he will run, maybe a Matt Forte. But to me, that is not a running back worth taking with a pick in the 30s when this team has such glaring needs at other positions and already features Michael Carter as a high quality running back.

 He had 800 touches in 3 years, could he be getting a little prone to injury with a such an extensive workload? Especially on our turf? With so many mid round options like Jerome Ford, James Cook, Dameon Pierce, and Tyler Allgeier available in round 3 or later, I would let Bryce remain the only Hall on the Jets.

Lewis Cine, S

Heading into the offseason, I wanted the Jets to acquire two starting safeties, preferably one in free agency and one in the draft.  After the Jets signed Jordan Whitehead away from Tampa Bay in free agency, I was very pleased to see them fil the strong safety role. And I also remain a defender of LaMarcus Joyner, despite him missing nearly the entire season last year due to an arm injury. For one year, he was a plyer worth bringing back into the fold.

So the Jets can afford to draft a safety and let him develop over the course of this season. Specifically, I'm a firm believer in drafting a free safety this year, if one is available. 

So that brings me to Lewis Cine from Georgia. When I watch Cine, there are certainly positive traits. I see hard hits, I see great speed, I see good tackling ability, when he actually does make contact.

Notice the last six words I wrote. Too often, Cine likes to blow opponents up by hitting them high and taking steep angles towards ball carriers, which sometimes leads to missed tackles. His overaggressive nature has led not only to missed tackles, but penalties as well.

But my primary concern is I do not see good coverage ability. In his three years of college, he has averaged a QB rating of 85.7. Too often he finds himself out of position when playing coverage, which is one reason he only had one interception during his senior season. And watching him backpedal, it seems his hips and feet are not moving in synchronization, the balance that we would want from a safety just isn't there. Remember in 2020 when Tyreek Hill made a double move on Ashtyn Davis, left him in the Kansas City Dust, and scored a long touchdown? The same thing would happen to Cine, except now Hill can punish his victim twice a year.

Cine sounds like a box safety who the Jets might be asking to play in coverage most of the time. Add all this up, and you know another safety that fits this description? Calvin Pryor. Hard pass, give me a Daxton Hill or Jaquan Brisker.

The Epitome of Ordinary

Growing up, I hated hearing my parents say I was special. They kept tell me I was, they would cite Mr Rogers and every time I heard him sing that song about you are my friend and you are special, I would cringe. And not quietly. I don't know why that word triggered me, there is no decent explanation for it other than that I was 5 or 6 years old and just didn't know better.

And then I was sent out into the world, to school, to summer camps, to sports teams. And I always felt like an outcast. I was constantly bullied, always made to feel less than. The way I was demeaned only reinforced that I was just another person, basically inconsequential, dispensable, and of next to no importance.

What I would give now to stand out in a positive way. I'm feeling more and more like I'm a guy who doesn't mean a damn thing in the world. Does anything I do really matter in the long term? Why is it I mention to 4 different people I'm coming to DC this weekend and none of them want to see me, they don't even respond? And I see these lousy men get women they have no business being with. I have single days of fun and I'm terrified to look at my budget.

All of this disappointment hit me tonight while I was playing in this kickball league with the young adult singles group I've been associated with for a couple of years now. It was the second week, the field was muddy, the players on our team had no clue what to d o the field, as we have been outscored something like 43-3. And if that wasn't enough, here I go pulling both quad muscles again just like when I was playing softball. I could've been doing deliveries and making money, or attending the Johnny Cash tribute concert, or watching the Mets game. Instead I feel I'm wasting my time and money.

And I'm 40. I've peaked. I try not to feel bitterness. But there's no doubt I've clearly failed at life. Why else am I still single, working a full time job and two side hustles? What difference does my life make? Will God view me as a failure? 

MLB Predictions

 

National League

East

y-Atlanta

x-NY Mets

x-Philadelphia

Miami

Washington

 

Central

x-Milwaukee

St. Louis

Chicago

Cincinnati

Pittsburgh

 

West

z-Los Angeles

x-San Francisco

x-San Diego

Colorado

Arizona

 

American League

East

z-Toronto

x-Boston

x-Tampa Bay

NY Yankees

Baltimore

 

Central

y-Chicago

Cleveland

Minnesota

Detroit

Kansas City

 

West

x-Houston

x-Seattle

Oakland

Anaheim

Texas

 

ALCS

Boston over Houston

 

NLCS

Los Angeles over Atlanta

 

World Series

Los Angeles over Chicago

Jets Blog-The Saga of Blake Cashman

When the news broke this past week that the New York Jets had traded oft-injured linebacker Blake Cashman to the Houston Texans for a 2023 sixth round draft pick, that sound that could be heard all over the country was the thud of the jaws of Jets fans hitting the ground. A player who felt like he was getting hurt just by rolling out of bed wasn’t cut, Joe Douglas was able to actually acquire a draft asset for him. So with this 3 year odyssey at an end, let’s pay our respects to Mr Cashman.

The Saga of Blake Cashman

2019

The Jets drafted Cashman in the fifth round (157th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft, a class that brought us the likes of Quinnen Williams, Trevon Wesco, Bless Austin, Chuma Edoga, and Jachai Polite. His career got off to a promising start. In his first 7 games, he recorded 27 solo tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 3 QB hits, ½ sack, 1 pass defensed, and 1 forced fumble.

Week 8 vs Jacksonville

But on October 27, he suffered a torn labrum. Four days later, he was placed on season-ending IR. A somewhat promising rookie season had been snuffed out.

Games played: 7

IR stints: 1

Injuries: Torn Labrum

2020

But then there was a new year, new hope. 2020 came around. Joe Douglas was the new general manager by now. And Cashman, who had gotten past his shoulder injury had an opportunity to win a starting linebacker spot for a Jets defense that was sorely lacking playmakers.

Week 1 vs Buffalo

On September 13, 2020, in the first quarter of the season opener, he hurt his groin. Two days later, he was placed on IR. By league rules, he had to sit out at least 3 games, well, he missed 4. He was activated on October 17 for Week 6.

Week 7 vs Buffalo

After getting through one game vs Miami, he hurt both his hamstrings on the turf of Met Life Stadium. But he did not go on IR, he was considered week to week.

Week 12 vs Miami

After missing 4 weeks, he returned Nov 29 for a game against Miami. And in that game, he recorded one tackle before leaving the game after aggravating said hamstring injury. On December 3, 2020, he was placed back on injured reserve, terminating his season.

Games played: 4

IR stints: 2

Injuries: Strained groin, Strained hamstrings

2021

But then came his third year, 2021. There was a whole new coaching staff. Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich. The Jets linebacker group was comprised of such household names as Jarrad Davis, Jamien Sherwood, and Del’Shawn Phillips.

Week 1 vs Carolina

Did he get through his first game against? You can probably guess, of course he didn’t! He hurt his hamstring in the season opener and on September 14, he was placed on injured reserve and was expected to miss 2 weeks. No, he didn’t miss 2, he missed 3.

Week 5 vs Atlanta

But then Cashman was healthy enough to make the trip to Tottenham for the Jets Trans-Atlantic showdown vs the Atlanta Falcons. He was activated on October 9, 2021. He had the chance to show all the fans of Europe what kind of toughness he had, he could show off his agility, his quickness, his tackling. In the game, he never showed up on the stats sheet. Not even a tackle.

Week 7 vs New England

Following the bye, he hurt his groin in Gillette Stadium on October 24. Within 2 days, he was placed back on injured reserve, and the injury turned out to be season-ending.

Games played: 3

IR Stints: 2

Injuries: Strained hamstring, strained groin

Summary

So let’s look at the totality. In 3 years, he played 14 games and had 5 IR stints. He played 7 games in his rookie year and recorded 27 tackles. In his second and third years, he combined for 7 games and made only 7 tackles.

And the fact that Joe Douglas netted a draft pick that will likely fall about 20-25 spots behind where he was actually drafted in 2019, well, this may be Joe’s most improbable trade yet. It makes me wonder how many first round picks he could net for Denzel Mims!

NY travel highlights

1. Faiccos Italian Deli

The first thing I did after landing in Queens and dropping our luggage at the AC hotel was to take the 1 train to Christopher Street, probably the last area in New York I'd ever want to be. 

I paced through the freezing rain and met up with my ex, Jen. I paid 20 bucks for an Italian sub with Genoa salami, prosciutto, mortadella, fresh mozz, lettuce, tomato, and roasted peppers on a semolina seeded roll. There are no rolls like them outside of the New York metro area. And this sandwich had about three times as much meat and cheese as it did vegetables! Half a sandwich and I was good

We even saw they had the prosciutto bread, which is basically a meat bagel. That became dessert. 

2. Dog Museum

I wanted to make sure I made a stop over here. There wasn't really a ton to it, mostly artwork, paintings, and sculptures. They had an interactive exhibit where I got to train a virtual Molly, I taught her to fetch a ball, to sit, to roll over etc. 

I did see a lot of French bulldogs, and after taking care of my buddy Bruno back in 2019 for a few days, it of course got me going. Not so much for cocker spaniels though. 

Museum admission was 15 bucks to the American Kennel Club. It seemed like an overcharge, but if some of the proceeds are going to help dogs, then it's with the price. 

3. MLB store

It was a fantastic new store, lots of variety. I spent a full hour inside with my father, who spent most of his time lamenting how terrible the Braves merchandise looks.  And at the end of that hour, all I bought was a set of wristbands for ten bucks. The best item was an orange and cream 3/4 sleeve Mets t shirt. Trouble was they didn't have a large size.

My shopping was widely disappointing. One of the purposes of my trip was to buy some good Jets gear for my local group. 

I went to Target, TJ Maxx, Chammps, even a couple of discount stores. The only place I really had much success was Party City. It's pretty baffling to me that Manhattan has stores for MLB, NBA, and NHL, but not the NFL.

4. Ben and Jack's

What a ridiculously great dinner, the first with both my parents since July 2017. This steakhouse is basically one of the few that gave from Peter Luger. We began with the  baked clams oreganato, we hadn't had these kind of clams in years. They were so good we ordered an extra half dozen. And of course, the sizzling thick cut bacon, nearly a full inch thick, 8 bucks a slice. Take some of that bacon, their tomato and onion salad, and add a little of the house sauce, which was kind of like a cocktail sauce with slightly sweet tanginess, and every taste sense gets engaged. 

And then of course, the porterhouse steak

Sliced into large pieces, served on a ripping hot plate, which was slightly tilted on the table so the steak juices and butter could accumulate at the bottom of the dish. Pure heaven, the most tender, perfectly aged Porterhouse. 

And the sides. The hand cut steak fries didn't even need a dipping sauce. Crispy on the outside, tender inside, nicely seasoned. And the creamless creamed spinach, wow. This tasted like sauteed olive oil and garlic spinach but and the smooth silky taste of creamed spinach. I'm not sure how they did it, but I may have to work on figuring that one out. Bottle of Napa Pinot Noir was wonderful. 

5. Joes pizza

We got our much needed pizza fix. And Joe's is about the best place to get it. Perfect large slice. Thin crispy and chewy crust, good quality sauce and cheese. 

6. Phone fix

The strangest part of my trip was my cell phone suddenly failing on Saturday afternoon. It couldn't read my SIM card leaving me unable to text, call, or access the mobile network. In the middle of the Rangers viewing party, I excused myself and went to a local Verizon store, which got me nowhere. 

So Sunday morning, after being unable to get a rep on the phone, not shockingly, we went to the Soho location. The store opened at 11 am, well, we were standing in front of the store by 10:30. And with 15 minutes, the guy had my phone working again. 

7. Rangers viewing party 

I arrived at McHales Irish pub around 2 pm and I was so ready to see some of these people I hadn't seen in over ten years. Thankfully neither my ex nor any of her family showed up, which Facebook indicated was going to happen. I drank a local IPA, and that was it. A few guys were even giving out free red bull and vodka and I took a pass. 

In the raffles, my tickets weren't chosen. I had never heard of the wingspan concept, where someone spreads their arms out, the tickets are unrolled and they buy all the tickets that can be rolled out from one hand to the other. Right there I should have known I wasnt winning. But I was given a Bob Brooke card, and Jim even gave me a puck and pint glass. And we couldn't even celebrate a goal, as the Rangers dropped a frustrating game to Pittsburgh 1-0.

8. Meatball Shop

After the defeat, I headed to dinner. Of course, my phone was out by now and I had no way of telling mom since she wasn't checking Facebook messenger.

We went with the meatball sampler, Italian salad, and shrimp fra diavolo. All tasted very nice, though I could have done without the chicken bone piece in the chicken meatball. It's just a shame they had the f¡ag flying.

9. Off Broadway show

Saturday night, went went to a show. We wanted to see MJ, the show about Michael Jackson. But with tickets at over 140 each, we instead spent 40 each to go off Broadway to see The Show That Goes Wrong. It had a lot of physical comedy, and indeed it was very funny in spots. The annoying part was we had to wear masks for the full 2 and a half hours. The were even ushers holding up signs that said Mask up. I was so ready to leave. I can understand asking for vaccination proof to get in certain places, but masks while we're watching a show just seemed over the top, esp if we're required to be vaccinated. Oh that's right.... the masks are BS.

Afterwards we went back to the room, and finished off the four pieces of steak and the first piece of Junior's cheesecake, the pineapple crumb. So delicious!

10. Katz's Deli

We were both disappointed to be missing church but I knew I had to get my phone fixed. So after taking care of that, we headed to the best deli, Katz's. Mom asked for waiter service, which I didn't expect. For me, it's all about ordering a sandwich at the counter and watching the cutter do the carving. 

But we waited 20 minutes online to get a table and we split two sandwiches. One was a pastrami with Swiss cheese and mustard, you can't come here and not get pastrami. We also got roast beef with dressing from a country in Europe and Asia that I won't identify, Swiss, lettuce, and tomato. Unbelievably great. I just wish the rye bread had a little more crust or some caraway seed. 

The potato salad was creamy for my taste, but a little salt, pepper and mustard did the trick. With the pickles, I prefer the full sours, which is odd for me, I've always been a half sour fan. And the rye bread needed caraway seeds and crunch. I've seriously had better rye bread in LA.

Bonus: AC hotel

It was a nicely kept hotel with a strong European and Spanish influence with the design. But no coffee service, not much storage space, no dressers, there was a broken pump on the shower gel. And with one bar of soap that mom had used first, I was stuck with using shampoo.

And I have to say something about the people. There is way too much smoking going on and maybe that's the foreigners. But the streets smell of weed now. It's so bad I swear I'm in Jamaica and I don't mean Queens.