Opening Day; iPad Games, Play Ball!

Opening Day

It's finally here - MLB Opening Day.  There are only six games on the docket today, but that's fine with me.  A glorious day indeed, for any baseball fan - ah hell, any American.  It should be a national holiday, but they've yet to acknowledge it as one.  Maybe when all 30 teams play on the same day they've officially recognize this day.

The Yankees host the Tigers at 1:05pm, but this shitty weather may push that game back a bit.  It's already raining by me, and I am a measly five minutes from Yankee Stadium.  Verlander vs. Sabathia.  Two monsters on the mound.  Given the chill in the air, the rainy forecase, and two stud pitchers, this one is looking like a pitcher's duel on paper. 

Atlanta and Washington also starts at 1:05pm - not a lot of hub-bub to this one with Strasburg on the DL.  Derek Lowe and Livan Hernandez.  Both seasoned veterans on the bump, one of the ground ball specialist variety and the other of the head-scratching, "how's he keep doing this?" variety.  The game also marks the official beginning of a new regime in ATL, the Fredi Gonzalez era.  (Cox may be at the game, although it is in DC).

Milwaukee and Cincinnati begins at 2:10pm.  Prized off-season coup Zack Greinke is not ready to go, so Yovanni Gallardo opposes Edison Volquez in a matchup of two rising stars on two relatively obscure teams.  I think the Brew-Crew has a very good shot at that NL Central crown this year, but it all starts today with an inner-division tilt with the Reds.

Angels/Royals at 4:10pm.  Jered Weaver and Luke Hochever.  The cerebral Angels look to start the year off right with the doormat Royals in the other dugout.  Hochevar is no Greinke and although maybe not today, the Royals will find this out the hard way.  Weaver will begin his defense of the majors' 2010 strikeout leader (233).  It's also the 50th Anniversary of the Angels organization.  Congrats!!  (Sorry MJ, for the Angels fan in your house!)

Pads and Redbirds at 4:15pm.  Former Richmond Spider Tim Stauffer (no, not the mac 'n cheese guy) takes the mound for SD while the always dominant Chris Carpenter takes the mound for the home team.  Stauffer is coming off a great year, albeit a short one - one in which he was 6-5 with a 1.85 ERA in 82.2 innings.  Carpenter is always tough at home - to the tune of 12-4 with a 2.81 ERA last year.  A pitcher's duel in the making?  Possibly.  Oh wait, there's that guy at 1B for the Cardinals, Pujols.  Sorry Timmy!

The World Series Champion SF Giants travel south the face "Donny Baseball"'s Dodgers tonight in primetime, 8:00pm.  Speaking of electric young arms, Time Lincecum and Clayton Kershaw.  Are you kidding me?  No wonder this is a pitchers division.  And with "The Beard" lurking in the 9th (or 8th), the Dodgers had better get to Lincecum early.  It's always a grudge match between these two NL West rivals.  I'll be tuned in to this one tonight, no doubt!

iPad Games
I am still enamored with my iPad - probably the coolest gift I've ever recieved, and there are always new things coming out for it (not the iPad 2).  I will never, ever get into a pissing match with electronics people, because once one thing comes out, the next one is not far after.  So trying to keep up with the Jones' is impossible, unless you wanna go broke.


There's plenty of cool apps, features and games - too many to name but here's a few:
BlogPress for keeping up to date with my blog postings
Stick Golf HD rules!  It's one of the most highly addicting games I've ever played.  It's like Bejeweled x 20.
Coin Dozer is way easier than the real-life version, where it's impossible to win any of the prizes by pushing coins off the ledge.  Lindsay is a Coin Dozer addict.  I am actually looking into rehabilitation options.
NPR focuses on news stories related to things I enjoy - News, Arts & Life, and Music.  Always up to date.
Cover Orange is like a newer Angry Birds.  The goal is to drop items in order to create a home for oranges before they get hit with what looks like acid raindrops.  Pretty cool and it requires some logic skills as well, to keep my bean thinking.
Friendly (Facebook) and the Twitter app also enable me to keep up with my social media life while traveling.
My iPad Keyboard Dock is outstanding as well - I even got the guy to preview it to prove it wasn't flimsy, as I'd heard.  Turns out it's sturdy and excellent for posting from a hotel on the road or even on the bus itself. 
Words With Friends is basically Scrabble.  Except for the pricetag - $2.99.  Scrabble is a whopping $9.99.  I'll save myself seven buck thank you very much.
Another word game I enjoy is Word Solitaire.  Totally worth the $0.  It's another challenging game that is fun to play and very, very addicting.  Sometimes it just pisses me off but I keep going back to it.
I'd love than MLB.com At Bat app, but I think I'll pass on the $14.99 pricetag and just track it online.

OK, time to get the day going.  I slept in a little bit because my  head felt like it was going to explode.  I am a human barometer - if my head hurts, there's probably a chance it'll rain or snow or sleet or hail.  Feeling a little better now, thanks for caring.  Be back later, hopefully on Digital Darcy Photography with a new picture.  (I know, I've been a slacker lately).

Oh, and Lindsay is officially 38 weeks today.  Two more weeks (we think) til our lives change forever and Baby D is here.  Yowza!

PLAY BALL!!

Game Day Central

We're supposed to be playing a home game at 3:30pm this afternoon against Fairleigh Dickinson.  Only problem is, the parks department is a pain the the balls.

We have to pay to use our field - it's a public park.  Every day there is a pickup game of some sort, but when we play, that's the only time they give us a hard time.  They'll breathe fire down our backs but once the city kids come on and fuck everything up, they won't say a word.  But at least we have to pay to get that permit right?

We also put in for a sound permit for games only, which was denied by the king bitch herself, Margot.  This bitch is the modern-day Hitler, and she's a real piece of shit.  Sorry to all that this offends, I just need to get it out there.  The parks guy who we spoke with yesterday (who was accompanied by a Parks Police on horseback) said there's a long list of people, on the inside and outside, that can't stand Margot.  My question is, how the hell can this woman have a job still?  So no sound.  We've got to be the only school in America not to be able to have a PA for a game.

I practically have smoke coming out of my ears.  I am so livid right now because no one can give us a definitive answer whether or not we can play.  Everyone is afraid of the big bad Margot, tree-hugging freak.  But there's more than that, I can assure you.

Who knows if we'll even play.  I hope we do because I for one am looking to kick someones ass.

No PA or music.  Are you kidding me?  What a crock of shit this situation has become.  This is what we deal with - non-baseball related bullshit.  It is what it is, as the saying goes.  We're playing at a city park that is comparable to Gadhafi in Libya or Egypt's Mubarek.  I mean this Margot lady can go toe-to-toe with either of those animals.  I wish they were all on a foreign planet a million miles away or some island near the North Pole getting beaten by polar bears.

Glider; Tuesday Letter; ; Wichita (St.)

Glider
The other day, Lindsay was mentioning how she wanted a glider for when Baby D gets here.  I immediately went online and began researching different gliders and their reviews and color and comfort and price.  And let me tell you, the prices on these things are incredibly high.  I paid $439 and found a $20 off online promo code, free shipping and no tax, so $419 for this chair and ottoman (except hers is a dark cherry wooden finish).  I just assembled it, and she hasn't been out of it since it's been together.  It's sitting in the middle of our apartment - like directly in the middle.

Our plan is to move it into the bedroom (yes, the one bedroom) and rearrange the other stuff in there.  Crib, changing table, and glider all in our bedroom.  Along with our bed, a dresser, two nightstands, and a little armoire that I use.

Needless to say, it was a wise investment as she seems extremely relaxed and at ease in the glider.  Nathan is now laying on the glider.

Tuesday Letter
This will serve as my Tuesday Letter today.

She's been awesome throughout this whole pregnancy.  Not once (OK, maybe a few times) has she complained.  She's never asked me to run out at 2 am for some crazy craving.  She's been a trooper.  Besides fake crying about me not being able to carry her because she's "fat" (read: 8+ months pregnant), she's acted normal.  I got a lucky one, not sure how, but I did.

She's back to getting tired again, which is fine, because being outside for baseball in the windy cold kicks my ass pretty good too.

I've been trying to go to every appointment with her (once a week now that she's 'full-term') but it's an easy shot into the city - BxM1 to the East Side of Manhattan.  Baby D's head is down but it's still high, so it's not looking like we're gonna be parents this week.  But hey, you never know!

Pause to Pee
An unplanned trip outside is needed to let Nathan take a pee before we turn in.

Wichita (St.)
Just finished watching the Wichita St./Washington St. NIT semi-final game on ESPN2.  The Shockers took the Cougs to the woodshed, crushing their (and our volleyball coach's) hopes at an NIT Title.  Final score - Wichita St. 75, Washington St. 44.  Wichita St. is now 28-8 on the year, and has beaten Nebraska, Virginia Tech, College of Charleston, and now Washington St. on their way to the title game.  They'll face either Alabama or Colorado at MSG.  Not sure when the final is but I doubt I'll watch.

I read from time to time, and besides their baseball team (Wichita St. that is) I have never heard of Wichita before reading Inside the Mind of BTK - also known as Denis Rader.  Sick bastard, but it was a pretty interesting book.  This guy was an absolute cold-blooded killer and I've seen snippets of an HBO special done on him, and he spoke about the killings in the most gentle, even tone - I mean he had details about the details and was so straight-faced the entire time.

Anyway, thanks to the WSU Shockers hoopsters for lightening my opinion of Wichita.

Time to turn in.  Later yo!

Monday's Missing Links

1. Snoop Dogg got a reminder to himself in honor of his friend, Nate Dogg - in ink.

2. Think you've heard of some weird laws before?  Think again.  I would never make it in Rockville, Maryland, where it's illegal to swear within earshot range of people.  Some bullshit law that is.

3. The Oxford English Dictionary has lost it's mind.  Everyone has LOL'd from time to time - whether in text, out loud, or if you've actually just laughed.  Now, it's an official word in the OED.  OMG! (also in there)

4. The AL West Champion... ... ...Oakland A's?  The Rangers (the favorite in the AL West) apparently are neglecting to add the electric arm of Neftali Feliz to the rotation, instead opting for CJ Wilson and Colby Lewis to anchor their starters?  Oh well.  Let's Go A's!!

5. Lately I've had some hankerings for fried chicken.  (don't ask)  But chicken wings are a close second, and I plan on hunting down some of the best in NYC over the next few months.  Check these out.

6. Some blog friends who've been on my team for quite some time: 

Shell Shock Serenade - always deep thoughts from a good dude

Rantics & Curiousities - witty commentary from a cool chica transplated out west

Make Daddy A Sammich - wise-ass remarks from a baseball fan in TX

Cedar's Mountain - rants from a photog with a sense of humor

Falling Face Up - who's seemed to go missing in blog-tion lately

Things I Want to Punch in the Face - self-explanatory blog title and oh-so true posts

Joe Brackets - a co-worker who manages a sports-only blog

A Meloncholy State - kind enough to send me a book and keeps me interested with posts
stupid stuff i see and hear - an absolute riot with a knack for telling it like it is

7. Some new blogs that seem pretty cool as well:

Herbie Likes Spaghetti - a photo-cooking blog, pretty neat

There's a Stat for That - because I love numbers and stats, and this site covers it all

Gotta get on outta here, go watch a recruit pitch out at my high school alma mater.  He's already coming next year, but I just want to follow up and maybe I'll find a new kid to put on the radar.  Heading on out the door.

Sweep-ness; Coldness; Gas-ness; Madness

Sweep-ness
Take care on the mound and good things happen. We pitched well again today and completed our three-game sweep of Siena, 5-3.

We made five errors (LF, P, C, 3B, SS) but only let up five hits. Now we're on the bus home with an ETA of 6:45. Get to see wifester, pupster, and baby D in a little less than two hours.

Coldness
Once again, it was bitter cold. Twenty-eight degrees, sunny, and damn cold. I forced myself inside to pee every hour, just to help me thaw a little. My face is chapped and red, like a vicious wind/cold-burn.

Feels good on the bus, got jeans on, and a hoodie underneath a fleece pullover. And - SURPRISE - I'm not nauseous yet.

Gas-ness
Gas prices are soaring once again. $3.76 up near Albany. Unreal. Lindsay just filled up Black Beauty and it was $51, but I can live with that.

Madness
And then there were none. No more #1 seeds left after a red-hot VCU team dismissed default favorite Kansas in the Elite 8. Final Four looking something like this:

UConn vs. UNC/Kentucky winner
VCU vs. Butler

A 3 seed, an 8 seed, an 11 seed, and either a 2 or a 4 seed. If this isn't the maddest March in recent memory, if not all time, I don't know what is. For those of you with brackets, I'd venture to say don't worry, because there's not one person who predicted these shenanigans - not even Charles Barkley's ignorant ass.

And I'm outta here, traffic is light (for now). Sun is still shining. Cruising in the right lane. Music time for this guy, time to fade out.

Location:Coach USA Bus, Passing Mile Marker 125

Complaint; Final Four

Complaint
So we won two games today, 4-1 and 3-2, yet I still have a complaint. No, it isn't baseball related - it's Under Armour related. I bought a pair of fleece gloves to keep me warm in this brutal Northeast cold weather, and there's a freaking rip in them already. I've worn these things maybe, maybe ten times. They were $30. Yeah, they're pretty damn good at what they do (keep my hands warm) but come on, don't rip after 10 uses.

I plan on writing a letter to UA when I get back to a) get a refund or b) get a new pair of gloves. Honestly, I'd rather get a new pair of gloves. The gloves are awesome - nice gripped palms, warm fleece backings, and a pocket on each glove for small items (keys or money). I have $6 in the back of my left glove, just in case.

I will follow up on this post after I hear a response from UA. I think an e-mail may be a better option. The turnaround time might be a little faster, so that is the route I'm gonna take. I'll try to remember to keep you posted on the progress of my complaint.

Final Four
The Butler did it again, upsetting Florida in overtime, to advance to the Final Four in Houston. Shelvin Mack still has that stupid bandage over his left eye with his hat on backwards walking about how his team won. Brad Stevens (the Butler) is one of the best coaches in the country - a list that includes Coach K, Coach Cal, Rick Pitino, Roy Williams, etc. etc. - and should be at a school like Michigan or another big time school in a big time conference. But I think that's just who he is - a small town guy at a small town school - big fish in a small pond or little fish in a big pond? How would you want to live your life? I'd rather be that big fish, so Brad Stevens, bravo. You're doing a hell of a job. Good luck against either Kansas or VCU.

UConn took down the Wildcats, in another nail-biter. Kemba-necticut lives to see another day of the NCAA Tournament. This kid is an unreal talent. Offense, defense, intangibles. Passion, team-play, leadership. He's got it all. Jimmer - he is a hell of a shooter, but he plays NO defense. None. Kemba, he's a 20 point, 5-7 assist, 5-7 rebounds a night guy. Tonight, it was 20 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds. He is UConn basketball the way AJ Price was their guy last year. He's a beast, plain and simple. They'll face the winner of the UNC/Kentucky game tomorrow.

There's only one #1 seed left, Kansas. We got a #3 seed (UConn), a #8 seed (Butler), either a #2 (UNC) or #4 (Kentucky) and either a #1 (Kansas) or a #11 (VCU) in the Final Four.

This has been the maddest March I can remember.

Time for a call to the wifester, then some investigative television to fall asleep to. Tomorrow is a clone of today, except there's only one game, at 1 pm. Latham 76 Diner at 9 am, BP at 11:20 am, game at 1 pm. Looking for an opening weekend sweep of a very good Siena team. Be back with you tomorrow.

Location:Room 206, La Quinta Inn & Suites

Albany = Cold

Mr. Holland's Opus is on tbs right now. I've never seen it beginning to end, and I guarantee this won't be the time.

In NCAA hoops news, the VCU Rams continued their historic run through the tournament by beating Florida St. They've had a relatively tough road to the Elite 8 - beat USC, Georgetown, Purdue and now Florida St. Four teams from major conferences. Next up is Florida, who seems to be playing at another level right now.

Kentucky took down Goliath by two points, and Ohio St. is no longer dancing. This was the shock of the tournament - Ohio St. was the favorite to win it all and Kentucky starts three freshman. Well, looks like all that can be thrown out the window. Now, Kentucky plays North Carolina in the East region Elite 8 matchup. This'll be one for the ages. I'll be on the field, I think, but if I'm not, this is on my television.

Oh, and it's about nineteen degrees outside. We play a double header beginning at 1:00. Siena is hot right now and we're coming off tough losses in two of our last three. Is cold going to be a factor? Sure, but it's no excuse. Both teams have to play in it - mental fortitude is the deciding factor. Who's gonna let the cold bother them? That's the team that's going to lose today.

My Chemical Romance's "Sing" was just on. Teen Cribs is on, and I want to vomit looking at this shit. They'll never have any idea what real life is. Poor bastards.

Headed out to the Latham 76 Diner now for some breakfast. Check back in with you all later on. Probably after the games and hopefully after two wins.

Location:La Quinta Inn

Posting with Pictures

Glassjaw was very, very good last night.  Extremely good.  Then they  played their encore (Stations of the New Cross) and totally lost me.  It was too long, too drawn out, and just lacked the excitement that they generally bring.  They played all their "new" stuff along with some great old songs.  Here's the setlist from last night's show.  Also a picture of the outside of the theater as we walked by on the way to Tonic for some pre-concert food and drinks.

One thing is for sure - Daryl cannot weigh more than 145 pounds.  If he does, I want to see the scale.  He was super flamboyant last night (which is nothing new) but he's normally a little more hardcore with Glassjaw - the flamboyance is very apparent when he plays with Head Automatica.  Here's a cool silhouette of the stupidly-thin frontman.  I stayed away from the pit(s) and enjoyed the show from a safe viewing distance.

I saw several people I went to high school with there - as I'd imagined I would.  Glassjaw is something like legend on the Long Island music scene, and whenever they play in the area, you're bound to run into people you know - some you like to see, others not so much.  Dan Durkin, Lisa Weber, Bryan McGrath (not Sugar Ray), Mike Woods, Nick Lombardo (of Evolving Habitat fame) - they were disappointed a little bit with the performance.  And though they sounded great, they were a bit better in January when I went to see them. 

Here's a video of "Tip Your Bartender" from the show - I was probably a few feet over from this guy.


Here's another picture of the backdrop of the set, their standard flag and green lighting.

I also got a new t-shirt - a black one with some rad "gj" design on it.  That  means I have to go and throw out three t-shirts from my dresser.  Also got their latest EP, Coloring Book, on the house, as I walked out.  Only problem was I threw mine in my back pocket when we left, and three blocks later it was gone.  I took Jesse's since I bought him his ticket.  Oh well - I put it on my iPod and my iPad this morning. Here's the album "art" - pretty basic shit.

I think I drank a little more than I thought I did, I am still feeling a little off today.  Definitely not hungover, but definitely not 100% functional.  I wore shorts outside today - it's thirty-four degrees out there (only because my sweats were in the gym).  Got practice at 2 this afternoon, leaving for Siena at 6 tonight.  A two and a half hour bus trip - a breeze compared to the longer ones.

Time to get the day going peeps, I hope you all enjoyed my post about me enjoying my evening.

Not enough time

there's not enough time today to even sit down and focus on a quality post.  basketball setup, baseball practice, basketball game, glassjaw concert.

more detailed post coming tomorrow, i promise.

love

History (Link) Lesson

Wanted to touch on a few things that happened in the world on this day, March 23rd.  Stay with me here, as I have a tendency to scatter from thought to thought.

Way back in 1775, Patrick Henry gave his "Give me liberty, or give me death" speech which helped sway the VA House of Burgesses to pass a resolution to send the Virginia troops to the Revolutionary War.

1998 - "Titanic" won a record-tying 11 Oscars at the 70th Academy Awards.  The movie who's record it tied?  (at the bottom of the post)

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, in 1965, astronaut John Young became the first man to eat a corned-beef sandwich in outer space.  He smuggled the sandwich on board because he was sick of the dehydrated space food.

Will Smith was born today.  No, not the one who's been gettin' jiggy wit' it - the English geologist who introduced the method of estimating, from fossils, the age of geological formations.  (he was born in 1769)

Alydar, a race horse who finished second to Affirmed in all three Triple Crown races back in 1978, was born today 36 years ago.  Alydar can now be found in an Elmer's glue container.  Good run horse.

My head is really beginning to bother me, so I am going to take it easy with a little nap in the back equipment room.

Also, this weather is awful.  I woke up to fine a dusting of snow on my car and rain coming down from the sky.  What the hell is going on around these parts lately?  I am sick of living in the Bronx and I need to get out!  Can anyone help?

(and the movie "Titanic" tied is "Ben-Hur")

Cover Artists

Cool article on the face of B.I.G.'s "Ready to Die" album and what he looks like now.  Bronx kid, pretty neat.  Too bad he only made $150 for a record that reached #3 on the U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in 1994 and #15 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

Whatever.

I was on the cover of a book once - a book about playing in the Cape Cod Baseball League titled "The Last Best League".  That's me, #22 with the long hair standing on the "T".  I played for the Bourne Braves during the summer of 2001.  Yup, I too am famous.  Tell your friends, you're reading the work of a legend.  Hah - I actually just made myself laugh out loud.  Pretty awesome though, at least to me.

Briefly...

...because we have to head to our slop hole of a field to try and get it ready for practice.

There is women's basketball practice in the gym (they're in the WBI), there's women's volleyball practice in the gym (they're out of season), and there's a HS basketball scrimmage (they're not affiliated with the school) - so we're the odd ones out.

Yesterday there was 2" of mud that was the infield.  It was windy last night, but I'm not sure how much it helped because it was relatively chilly as well.  Our options for a place to practice just dwindled down to one - our field.  Just for the record, we practice and play in a city park - Van Cortlandt Park.  We're sometimes required to kick off locals to play on our own field.  And this woman who runs the park - or so she tells us - Margot, is a tree hugging, pain in the ass.  Lady speaks to us in a condescending tone like we're five year-olds.  I want to slug her in the face, or cut off a tree branch strategically placed to fall on her, but I just don't have the time or the resources.

Off to an afternoon of fun.  (sarcasm)

Stories; Snain'ing?; Seething; Stupid Sir; Stoked

Stories
There are plenty of stories in the news, typically none of which are pleasant, but I will try to touch on some of the cool ones brought to us by our friends at wired.com.

- AT&T to buy T-Mobile - and the cost was only $39 billion.  This will create the largest wireless company in the US.
- Nerd Olympiad? - finally, an outlet for nerds to compete outside of the Mathathon and Science Fair.  Check out these contests, and maybe join in - anonymously.
- Brew Sun Tea - outside, I guess?  I wouldn't recommend it out here in the Bronx, with the air quality, but maybe for those of you who live in fresh air, check this out.  Kinda neat.
- Shoe Scans? - really, TSA?  Shoe scans?  As if I am hiding some sort of drug in my Air Max air bubble?  You make us take the shoes/sneakers off, that's not good enough?  Waste some more money.
- Looking for a Camera? - check out this helpful article.  I am always researching cameras, but seem to never really know all that much about them.  My subscription to Popular Photography is cool though.
 
Snain'ing
Woke up this morning and took Nathan out - and BAM! - snain.  A slick combination of snow and rain trickling down from the heavens.  I mean it is only thirty-four degrees outside, so I guess the precipitation is having a hard time deciding what it wants to be - snow or rain.

How freaking miserable.  I can deal with a little colder weather, but when the snow starts up again, it makes me seethe.  Anyway.

Seething
Another thing that is making me seethe is the bullpen - or lack thereof.  Anyone we bring in late in games seems to just fold.  Not sure if it's a mental inability to do it, a lack of belief in themselves, or the physical ability to get it done (which I know it's not because I've seen them all do it in HS).  It probably is just my fault.  When in doubt, blame someone else - in this case, me.  It's not so much a case of displacement, more like projection. 

How good do you want to be?  Me, I didn't have the best skill set, but I worked my ass off trying to get better - during practice and outside of it as well.  Some of these kids, I question that drive, that will to win, the desire to be the best.  Come in on your off day and throw a bag of baseballs into a strike zone.  Work on mechanics in the mirror.  I can't hold their hand all the way here.  I wish I could, but ultimately they have to want it for themselves.

Oh well, kids are different.

Stupid Sir
March Madness is cool though.  The games are good, and listening to Charles Barkley sound like a complete asshole on live television gives me a good laugh.  Dude sounds so ignorant you can't help but laugh. 

Stoked
For glassjaw on Thursday.  I've had these tickets for several months now and am listening to the new "Coloring Book EP" on YouTube right now.  Six tracks that will be mine after the show at Best Buy Theater.  Excited to go to a concert again - the last one I went to was glassjaw.  I guess I'm a fan.

Live from Room 206; Madness Ensuing in Round 2; Bus'ed Out

Live from Room 206
Just got out of the shower and finishing getting ready, all the while posting a sentence or two - multi-tasking I believe is the proper term.

Breakfast is a buffet and was a mad house yesterday, due in part to people not opening their mouths. The line was at least 20 long and wasn't moving, so I took to the front of the line to find someone who worked there. I found a woman, asked her if the line was just for tables or if we could bring it to the courtyard (this SpringHill Suites is real nice). She said it was only for tables, so I got in line and let the rest of the line know. Alas, there was no line.

People seemed dismayed with what I did, but I think they should be thanking me, otherwise they would've been in like for another 20 minutes. All because they were too passive to ask. I guess they weren't from New York.

Madness Ensuing in Round 2
What a tournament it's been so far. Buzzer beaters. Blowouts. Nail biters. Big East fizzling out.

Butler shocked the world when they beat Pitt in the waning seconds last night. The referees had blood in their veins as they called 2 fouls with under 1.5 seconds left. The first was against Butler with them up 1 point. Stupid foul near half court. Pitt made 1 of 2 free throws. Butler rebounded the second one and the guy just went to throw the ball in the air and was fouled by a Pitt player - 90' from the hoop. Just get away from the guy - neither team had a timeout and I have never, ever seen a 90 footer at the buzzer. Ever. Butler wins; Cinderella still has her slipper on.

UConn knocked off Cincinnati, as expected. Kentucky took care of West Virginia after a tight first half. We all know that Georgetown, Louisville, St. John's and Villanova took an exit in the 2nd Round (which is mystifying - apparently the 4 games to get in are considered the 1st Round now?!?) Syracuse faces Marquette today - in a game I expect 'Cuse to dominate. Notre Dame has a tough one today with the Seminoles. I can't think of the 11th team the Big Easy got in - someone help.

Bus'ed Out
Game at 12:15 against Villanova today then a bus ride back to the Bronx, where we're going to get back with some daylight left. It's a miracle. Only a two and a half hour trip - factor in traffic - three hour trip back to the Bronx. After all those 12 and 13 hour trips, this is a breeze.

Time to eat. I'm starving.

Neat View

Awesome view from our dugout on the third base side today at Campbell's Field in Camden NJ.  We took down the St. Joe's Hawks today 10-7.  Bad first two innings (gave them 4 runs) but we battled all game and got a little relief from the bullpen - for a change.

Headed back to the hotel, sitting in traffic - on a Saturday afternoon. You've got to be kidding me.

Had a paralyzing migraine yesterday after pissing away a five-run lead in the ninth.  I slept from 9 to 9 and it helped. A little. Head still hurt a bit when I woke up.

California Pizza Kitchen for dinner tonight. PF Chang's last night didn't go so well.  Had three bites of my crispy orange chicken and felt ill as anything so I got it to go.  Late night  snack tonight while I watch some hoops.

Almost back at hotel. Tune in later.

Man's (and Dog's) Best Friend

Here's a video for you all - and if you don't know Japanese (as I don't), just listen anyway.

It's a pretty neat thing to see this dog staying loyal to it's canine companion amid all the disaster going on.  How long these two dogs make it is anyone's guess, but if the two guys filming were decent human beings, they'd help.  Cool to see though, and sad.  Awesome job by the brown and white dog keeping the white dog company!

glassjaw on March 24th at Best Buy Theater

It's been a while since I purchased my glassjaw tickets for Thursday's show at the Best Buy Theater in NYC, but I was just informed that they are playing with two Long Island hardcore veterans - Vision of Disorder and Mind Over Matter. 

And I also heard there's another EP coming to all concert goers who stick it out til the end.

I went from a 7 on the excitement scale all the way up to a 10 in a matter of :15 seconds (I know, I know - that's what she said).

Awesome!

March Mad(der)ness; Sunshine City; On the Road Again

March Mad(der)ness
Three of the first four games ended on buzzer beaters this afternoon, starting off what is shaping up to be a crazy March of college basketball.

West Virginia was tied with Clemson at the half, 40-40, but pulled away in the second half to take the Big East to a 1-0 record with an 84-76 victory.  Huggins' crew shot nearly 50% from the floor and held Clemson to 5-21 beyond the arc.

Louisville went out and got the Big East right back to .500 with a last second loss at the hands of Morehead State, 62-61.  Demonte Harper drilled a three with 4.2 ticks left to stir the pot in this March Madness.

Temple took down a red-hot Penn St. team on a jumper by Juan Fernandez with under a second left, 62-60.  North Philly got the win in this intrastate battle - speaking of Battle, Penn St. stud Talor Battle's 23 points weren't enough to help the Nittany Lions.

In an 8/9 matchup, Butler pulled out a win against Old Dominion with a tip-in at the buzzer by Matt Howard, 60-58.  Butler got outscored at the stripe 21-9 but made up for it with their defense, which held ODU to 36% from the floor.

Kentucky survived a scare from the smart kids over at Princeton, 59-57.  Despite being outrebounded by the Tigers, the fact that they held Princeton to three three-pointers helped them pull it out and avoid a monumental upset.  (side note:  UK only hit 5 threes).  UK advances to take on West Virginia.  Huggy Bear and Coach Cal - contrast of styles.

In other action, San Diego State is pulling away from Northern Colorado (I know, who?) and Pitt put UNC-Asheville out of their misery courtesy of an 18-point advantage in the second half.  With just over two minutes left, Richmond holds a slim two point lead over Vanderbilt.  A 12/5 upset in the making?

Sunshine City
After a chilly start to the day, the sun decided to come out and turn it out.  I think I got some owl-eyes going on from wearing the Oakleys all day every day for the past few weeks.  The trip to Tennessee and the past two games (in Newark and South Orange, NJ) were beautiful as well, so that might have contributed.

A beautiful day to practice turned into a beautiful night for a women's college basketball game.  I'm here for the first round game of the WBI (Women's Basketball Invitational) against Sacred Heart.

We're the 5-seed hosting the 4-seed - still trying to wrap my head around that one, but that's for another day.

On the Road Again
This weekend we head down to (It's Always Sunny in) Philadelphia.  LaSalle, St. Joseph's, and Villanova are on tap this weekend.  It's shaping up to be a nice weekend.

Hopefully we can keep our pitching going and carry it through the weekend.  It'd be nice to have a good week of games.  We beat NJIT 8-1 on Tuesday and took down Seton Hall 6-3 yesterday.  All three teams this weekend are playing some good baseball it seems.  It'd be nice to go on a little roll, but we'll see how it goes.

Tune in over the weekend and I'll keep you posted - on our team and my March Madness analysis.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone.  Today is a day when everyone is Irish.  Go drink a pint of green beer or Guinness as soon as you can.  Breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Enjoy the day!!

Birthday Roll Call; Dear: Rain

Birthday Roll Call
Happy (dead) Birthday to the 4th President of this great nation, James Madison.  You'd be 260 years old today, Jemmie (what his friends called him).  This guy was the littlest President in history, weighing in at a whopping 100 pounds and standing around five feet, four inches tall.  A pretty dimunitive leader.  He made an astounding $25,000 a year when he was in office.  Happy Birthday to the guy who said "I always talk better lying down" on his deathbed.

Blake Griffin is 22-years old today.  Imagine being that talented at such a young age.  The dude's a man-child.  Here's a list of some of his accomplishments in the NBA - 2011 Slam Dunk Champ, 2011 All-Star, regular on ESPN's Top Plays.  In college, he was the 2009 Big 12 Player of the Year, 2009 Naismith College Player of the Year, 2009 AP National Player of the Year, 2009 Oscar Robertson Trophy, and the 2009 Adolph Rupp Trophy.  Those might not mean a lot to a non-basketball fan (like myself) but if you watch this kid play, he's an absolute beast.  Happy Birthday!


Dear Rain,

Just when I thought the precipitation would end for a few days, just a few days, you dump a few inches of rain on us.  At least you had the decency to bring it overnight. 

I am not a fan of your little brother snow either, but him I can tolerate.  It doesn't get me soaking wet when I step outside.  The only advantage you have is that when you're around, the weather is typically a little warmer.  Today though, it's only about 37° out there, so you're on the fence.

Sure, they've said you bring May flowers, but it's not even April, so why the hell did you decide to arrive early?

Anyway, I digress.

I appreciate what you're trying to do - green up the grass and clean the cars.  I am just glad I'm living in NY and not in Henderson Lake, British Columbia, which averages 256" of rain a year.  In Guadeloupe, Caribbean Islands, 1.5" of rain once fell in one minute - a record.  We only get around 42" of rain a  year here, so I won't bitch too much.

Anyways, you're supposed to be outta here by noon, so I can't get on you too much.  But do me a favor, rain when it's convenient for me - like during the overnight hours.  I don't drive too far to work, so I am not concerned with the toll you take on traffic, but ease up on them too.

We got a game today over at Seton Hall in South Orange, NJ at 3:30 pm.  They got turf, so I hope you don't factor in to the game.

Here's to staying dry.

Love,

Ryan

Trending Now

Some things that people of the world (or Bing.com) are searching for the answers to.

1.  The Bachelor - reality bullshit show - Brad made his decision.  Woo woo!  Lindsay still has to watch the episodes she's DVR'd, so I'll air on the side of caution and not do too much research into this topic.  Blah!  I watch when it's live and she watches - and my favorite part is when the host comes out and says "Ladies...Brad...this is the final rose tonight...when you're ready" - priceless!

2. Nuclear Reactors - device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction - Radiation is leaking from the reactors because of the devastation in Japan.  They're telling people to stay 19 miles away, at least.  I heard on the Today Show, from an expert, that if you stood at a fence nearby for two hours, you'd have a significantly high chance to get cancer.  Scary shit going on over there, I mean I'm not trying to sound like a horse's ass, but I watched some of those videos to see what it was like, and it is some intense, scary, sad stuff - all rolled into one.  My thoughts go out to the victims and the 5,000+ missing/dead and their families.

3. NCAA Brackets - March Madness - If you've never heard of this, you've been under a rock.  Ohio St., Kansas, Pitt, and Duke are the four #1 seeds.  One of those four should win the thing, but the thing is, it really is madness.  There are always a few Cinderella teams who knock off the big dogs (maybe Belmont, Gonzaga).  Just saying.  This is probably my second favorite time of year, but it coincides with my favorite time of year, baseball season.  Tune in.  It's always exciting.

4. AFLAC Voice - was Gilbert Gottfried - Until he was canned after tweeting jokes about the earthquake in Japan.  It's one thing to be funny (which I guess he is) and there's another to try to be funny.  Joking about thousands losing their lives is fucked up, plain and simple.  This guy is a douche bag and should be fired.  I didn't even know he was the voice of the duck until I read the article.  Scummy dude, real scummy.

Dental Appointment? Check!

Dental Appointment?  Check!
As I'm sure is the case with most people, I despise the dentist.  I get the postcard with the smile on it letting me know it's that time - again.  Even though I've only had one cavity in 29 years, it's a trip I still dread.

The hook pick.  The water sucker thing.  The light directly over my head.  All things I can do without.  I  do, however, enjoy when they brush my teeth with the grainy, gritty mint flavored paste.

My gums always bleed.  Gross, I know.  And every time she asks me if I've been flossing - to which I always respond "I try, but...".  Today was different.  The bleeding was way less intense, even though I still have neglected the flossing.  Actually, that's a lie - Lindsay and I went to Target before hand and I flossed for the first time in six months in the parking lot.  It must have worked wonders because the hygienist told me it was much better.  Awesome!

When I am out of there - typically in 35 minutes - my teeth feel alright.  A little better than they did when I walked in but now, as I sit on this couch posting, they are killing me.  I am eating SweetTarts jelly beans (because nothing says "I'm done with the dentist!" like eating candy) and my molars hurt.  They hurt during dinner (a burger and salad) and they still hurt.

OK, I DVR'd Chopped All-Stars and Duff, Claire Robinson, Robert Irvine, and Anne Burrell are competing - heavy hitters here tonight.  Talk to you again soon.

And in closing, I apologize for my drastically unoriginal posts as of late.  All this travel (Cullowhee NC, Rock Hill SC, Knoxville TN) has been kicking me in the pants and my body feels run down.  I will put in a max effort moving forward to keep you all entertained.

Love.

Long Ride Home; Headache; March Madness

Long Ride Home
After getting our balls kicked in in the finale this afternoon, we are on the bus home. Eleven hours until we change drivers in Maryland. It's a little somber on the bus, which is good for a change. Normally, it's like a freaking party - win or lose.

Kids are different nowadays. They don't seem to care about team, it's about me me me. I question our will, want, and desire to win.

They're more concerned with flirting with a waitress or who's winning this basketball game or what's on television. Baseball doesn't seem to be paramount. It's all secondary bullshit and it will not and cannot translate into winning.

Do some things on your own, maybe it'll help. If your kids are video game addicts, get them outside and have a catch, kick the ball around, shoot some hoops. Be active. Generate some athleticism. Create a passion.

Headache
My head aches. It always does on these damn bus trips. I took aspirin and ate something, but it didn't help. If I feel like this the entire trip I'm gonna be one miserable SOB.

March Madness
Duke is a #1 seed. UConn is a #3. Colorado got shafted, hard. VCU? Really? Big East finally got 11 teams in.

(3)UConn possibly can face (6)Cincinnati in Round 2.
(11)Marquette can face (3)Syracuse in Round 2.

No other conference has a potential matchup in Round 2.

Some interesting match ups though, that's for sure.

(7)Texas A&M and (10)Florida St. - two teams with good size and athleticism who play physical.
(6)St. John's and (11)Gonzaga - St. John's is back dancing and facing an NCAA regular. Not an easy First Round game for the Johnnies.
(5)Arizona and (12)Memphis - Memphis is playing well, and Arizona is hot and cold. Both these teams are bipolar. See who shows up for both sides.

OK I gotta go. My head is pounding. I feel like shit.

Location:I-81 North

Waiting for Dinner

Here we (I) am in the hotel getting an appetizer fo hold me over until our team dinner at that same Italian restaurant - Giovanni's.  Tonight it's spaghetti and meatballs, pretty tough to screw up, even for the BBQ people down here in the south.

I'm opting for the spring rolls - chicken and something else - but was just informed they don't have them.  The "Bangin' Shrimp" were recommended so I'll try them out.  Not sure what I'm getting into.

College hoops is on. Kansas is taking Texas to the old woodshed.  Duke took care of Va Tech this afternoon.  UNC rallied to beat Clemson.  Showdown in Greensboro tomorrow.  The winner of the last five ACC championships between these two schools has gone to the Final Four.  I'll probably have to track it on our bus ride home.

We need to get one in the W column tomorrow and leave on a high note. 

Back to the games. Tootaloo.

4-2; Italian Dinner in TN?; Duke

4-2
Another tough loss in Jasper-ville. We spotted them a few runs early, which proved the difference. Two walks scored in the first two innings (we lost 4-2) and that was ultimately the difference.

Their pitcher was pretty damn good. So was ours. That's why it was a 4-2 game in just a shade over two hours. We battled them the whole way, it's just that once again the walks cost us.

They didn't hit the ball all that well themselves - a few bloops and seeing eye base hits - but got enough for their starter. Tip your had to that Gruver kid, he did a hell of a job. John Soldinger looked like an ace today for us as well - as he has the entire year so far. He's gonna be pretty tough in conference.

Italian Dinner in Knoxville?
I guess we're having a team dinner at some place down here - an Italian restaurant. Not sure how it'll compare to a) the Shoney's we went to this morning and b) the Italian restaurants I'm accustomed to in the Bronx.

Either way, it'll be a spaghetti night for me. I accidentally had bacon this morning, but I am sure God will forgive me. I apologized.

8:15 departure for dinner. Shower is imminent.

Duke
Duke plays Maryland tonight in the ACC Tournament. Maryland always gives Duke fits, so it'll be a tough game I'm sure.

I will probably catch the highlights on SportsCenter later on since we'll be at dinner - unless this place has some televisions showing the game.

OK - I need to get in the shower, ASAP. Be back later knuckleheads.

Location:Hilton Knoxville Airport

SEC Country

Must be nice to be a Volunteer down here in SEC Country.  Beautiful surface, awesome park.  Four o'clock first pitch.  Excited to be out here. 

I think UT is the entire city of Knoxville.  Pretty cool place to play college sports.  If only.

But hey, I like my life and wouldn't change it.  Working for what you get is more gratifying.

Later haters.

Live From the First Seat Behind the Driver

Well, here we are, cruising down I-81 in torrential rains looking for a decent rest area with some options. I can really give a shit what I eat at this point as starvation has almost set it. And it's pissing rain, so my ambition will certainly not kick in - meaning I will not be traveling the road less traveled - or to the line that is shorter.

You see, I try to avoid being around these kids for too long. Bus rides tend to take their toll on me - mentally and physically.

Mentally, I am challenged by trying to a) tune out these kids and their stupid ass comments they make while trying to pay attention to movies (see: Inception) and b) trying to convince myself I am not crazy for taking 12 hour bus trips like they're cool.

Physically, I struggle to maintain my health while on these trips. I get frequent headaches while traveling and not driving. I take an aspirin before every trip we take - whether it's 45 minutes or 12 hours. And I always get some good food (read: not fast food) to try to hold me over until we stop.

This trip, I had a nice roast beef, lettuce, onions, and mayo hero, some leftover cool ranch doritos, and some $1 bottles of Arizona teas. It's worked so far. Now comes out pit stop. Be back on in a few.

KFC. Been kinda fiending KFC since I saw someone in my building with it like two months ago. Three piece fried chicken with mashed potatoes and mac 'n cheese. Dinner of champions. I couldn't have another burger from McDonald's or Wendy's. I couldn't do it.

Now we're back on the bus, watching Boiler Room, finishing up this hellish trip to Knoxville. 2:05 am is our ETA. Not terrible, since the game is at 4:00 pm tomorrow instead of 2:00.

I've seen it 50 times, but this will make #51. Bernie Williams. Talk to you later peeps.

Location:Shitsville, VA

Truckin'

Down the highway we go in Chambersburg PA.  Not sure where the hell it is but at least the rain finally let up some.  Keep on truckin'.

Kembanecticut

Watch "Kemba Walker buzzer beater vs Pitt 3/10/11 Big East Tourney" on YouTube

Sickest crossover since Tim Hardaway.  Are you kidding me? PLAYER OF THE YEAR.  Jimmer who?

Knoxville Bound

Headed down to Knoxville, better known as Rocky Top, this weekend.  ETA for departure is about 1:30pm - courtesy of good ol' Coach USA.

Another 12 hour trip crammed in a moving vessel with no windows to open.  And it's raining to boot, meaning it will be that much more uncomfortable and muggy on the bus.  Oh, and we're not traveling with 28 players - oh no - we're bringing everyone on this trip - 32 guys plus four coaches.  Luckily for me, I won't have to share a seat for 12 hours.

I've got a few movies lined up - The Kingdom, Inception, and Boiler Room.  Actually, Boiler Room just came in from eBay yesterday afternoon - $3.00 Buy It Now and $2.99 shipping - can't beat that.  And although I've seen it probably 50 times, I will certainly watch it another fifty times - great movie.  ACT AS IF!

It's a mantra to live by.

Next week is spring break for the students, so regardless of what time we get back on Monday (I hope it's early) we shouldn't get scolded for missing classes.

Lindsay's mother is coming in from Martha's Vineyard for the weekend, so at least I know she will have someone there to help her out.  It's a helpless feeling when it's raining (as it is today) knowing that she has to take Nathan out when it's pouring out.  So I can rest a little easier.  On the bright side, this is the last real long road trip I'll take before Baby D arrives - next weekend is Philly, then Albany.

OK, time to check some emails.  Talk to you next time from the road.

Big East Day 1 Shockers; First Practice on our Field

Big East Day 1 Shockers
UConn was wrapped up in a tight one with pathetic DePaul yesterday until the Huskies blew it open.  The same could not be said for Seton Hall, as they saw their NCAA hopes dashed after an OT loss to Rutgers.  Villanova pissed away a huge halftime lead to 3-win-in-Big-East South Florida and eventually lost on a last second layup, all but eliminating their NCAA chances (I think).  And Providence didn't put up much resistance to a Marquette team that's been pretty up and down.
I was 2-2 on my picks yesterday.

Today's picks go like this:  UConn over G'Town; St. John's over Rutgers; Cinci over an over-elated South Florida; and upset special Marquette over Huggins' kids at WVU.

First Practice on our Field
Yesterday was our first practice on our actual field.  Yes, it's true - we have played 7 games so far and have yet to practice on anything besides a gym floor or a turf soccer field.  No live reads on the outfield or on the bases.

Today is the second day - if we ever get out there.  There's a softball game and I'm going to have to rally some troops (between classes and midterms) to help me shovel snow off the first base line so that a game can be played.  A plow was brought in several weeks ago to remove snow, but the only field it cleared was lacrosse.  (MLax, WLax, Softball all share a giant turf park) Doesn't seem right to me.  This stuff has turned into blocks of ice, but based on what I saw yesterday, it is softening up.  Enough for their to be a game at 3:00pm this afternoon?  TBD.

Either way, I will spend the better part of my day down there getting it ready - or attempting to.  I hope we have some metal shovels down there because plastic shit shovels are going to snap left and right.  The other issue is that class is in full swing and midterms are this week.  I'll be lucky to get 5 or 6 guys for a job that really needs 15 or so.

Fun. (sike)

Leaf Blowing

Just living the dream, blowing leaves and little prickly brown ball things off the infield. Another day in paradise.

Practice on our field for first time all year. Wooooooo!

Trending Now; Big East Tournament Day 1

Trending Now
Topics that are trending today on Bing.com are topics that I'm sure are popular in almost any country (with electricity and television).

1. Charlie Sheen - actor/winner - The self-proclaimed "bi-winner" has been fired from the hit show "Two and a Half  Men", according to Warner Bros.  Can't say I was surprised by this decision.  Now all he needs to focus on is him and his two ladies at the Silver Valley Ranch, depending on how long they decide to stick around.

2. Sarah Palin - politician/Alaskan - She's been going at it with D-lister Kathy Griffin lately.  I had no idea of the barbs going back and forth, but I guess Kathy offered "reality star Sarah Palin and her reality TV crew" tickets to her Broadway show.  Low blow.  Plenty of people I know actually are in to the Alaska show she has out.  Oh well, at least she hasn't broken out the guns yet!

3. Libya - North African country/hell hole - Maniacal leader Moammar Gadhafi is reported to have ordered a bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 back in 1988, according to an ex-CIA official.  This guy needs to get killed or captured - it's getting ridiculous over there.  Government forces began new air attacks on rebels yesterday.  News flash - they're rebelling your asshole of a "leader".

4. Gas Prices - outrageous - Up $0.33 from two weeks ago?  This is getting out of control as well.  The average for a gallon of self-serve, regular gasoline is $3.50.  It's all tied into the output reduction in Libya - bastards.  Head on over to Gas Buddy to see where you can find cheap(er) gas near you.  Or just walk or take mass transportation - go green!

5. Mardi Gras - New Orleans "Carnival Season" - Purple and green and gold are the typical colors down in the Bayou during this celebration.  Mardi Gras actually translates to "Fat Tuesday" in French, which is why the festival ends the night before Ash Wednesday - it's supposed to be the last night eating fatty, richer foods.  Beads are thrown all over the place, hand grenades are consumed, hurricanes slammed down.  Sure, there's plenty of debauchery and alcohol consumption, but every city has those - New York has championship parades and happy hour's down in the city; Boston has the Red Sox and any day ending in -day.  It's fun.  Something to experience once - and before you're too old (25, I'd say).

Big East Tournament Day 1
DePaul and UConn at noon.  Rutgers and Seton Hall at 2 pm.  South Florida and Villanova at 7 pm.  Providence and Marquette at 9 pm.  

My picks:  UConn, Seton Hall, Villanova, Marquette - I  know, not really going out on a limb.  Day two on is usually the better days of this grueling tournament.  I would be able to go Thursday to Syracuse vs. ??? (Lindsay went to Cuse) but we are leaving for Knoxville, TN. 

A few years back we went to the seven overtime thriller between UConn and Syracuse.  That was the best basketball game I've ever been to and will probably never be trumped.

Time to go measure the softball fence - 205' to the lines, 210' to center.  I thought I did it right the other day, but I guess I was wrong.

Later Charlies!

New Car Monday

Heading out to LI later this afternoon to hopefully pick up this new car - fingers crossed.
We are going to take the train out there, leave Nathan home, get the car and head back to the Bronx.  We got home at two in the morning last night, I walked home since the rain had let up to a little mist.  I figured I'd let Lindsay sleep even though she volunteered to come get me.  She's pregnant, and she cleaned the crap out of that apartment when I was gone.

She's got a meeting on campus at 10 this morning, then we'll take Nathan out, head to the subway and then LIRR.  Bellmore bound - Village Auto.  Gonna take my father's truck over there I guess, get the car, head back to Bellmore, and back to our dog and apartment in the Bronx.

Shaping up to be a good day.  Let you know how it goes later on.

Bronx NY

Finally back in my building.

Love
Ryan

Fredericksburg, VA

Birthplace of the first president of our great nation - George Washington. Just some fast food places and a Rite Aid.  Thanks George.

Salisbury, NC

Not a whole lot to see here. Just napped for 25 minutes and it's sunny. Holy crap.

Photo #2

Salisbury, NC

The Road Home Chronicles

I'll chronicle our trip home via photos along the way.

Photo #1

Coca Cola Speedway in NC.  Rain is still falling.  Boo precipitation.

It's Contagious and I'm Mystified

We had another tight game into the 7th inning tonight against Winthrop. Then the wheels came off - walk, hit by pitch, hit, walk, walk - where the hell does it go? It isn't that hard to throw strikes, it's really not. I am confident I can get out there and throw three outs before I a) walk three guys or b) let up a run.

I try to stay positive, but it's tough. I try to coach my ass off to get these guys mentally and physically ready to compete, but once we put them in, the game changes. Somehow, it changes. I want to take positives from each pitchers appearance, but when there are walks and walks and 3-1 piss-rods into the outfield, I run out of answers. The starters look OK, and for at least a few pitches in each appearance, the relievers even look OK. I don't know where it goes.

I'm not trying to be selfish here, but it all reflects on me. I am tough, this I know. I would love it if my guys were tough. I know this is a forum to express thoughts, and I probably shouldn't express some, but I am at a loss. I feel like sometimes the kids are afraid to go in because they don't want to fail. No shit, no one wants to fail. But that attitude - the "I hope I do well" - that's not the right attitude. "I will succeed and pitch like a beast" is the right attitude. Action thoughts.

I'm sorry I am venting on this post, but if I keep it in, I might have an ulcer by tomorrow morning. I just ordered pizza, showered and will eat a little bit - if I can keep it down. I am literally sick to my stomach over this year so far. Sure, it's early and we're only 2-4, but it's wearing me out.

I think I am going to have a meeting at some point tomorrow or early this week to talk to this pitching staff. I must be a terrible coach or something. It's slop. Pure and simple - it's tough to watch this happen every game. 3-0 we were up. 3-3 it was tied. 10-3 was the final. Where the hell did it go wrong? BB, HBP, IBB, BB, 1B, 2B, BB - throw the ball over the plate.

It's like the old saying goes in basketball - "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - you don't give yourself an opportunity to succeed if you walk everyone. It's simple, don't overanalyze the game, don't over think the game - just go out and do what you've been doing for your entire life - THROW STRIKES!

That's it, I'm done.

Good Win

We had a starter go 9 innings for the first time in a while, and scored 3 in the top of the ninth to take down the Irish 5-2.

Their starter, Brian Dupra, was solid man. 87-93 with the fastball, a slider from hell, and a + changeup.  We scattered 10 hits in his 8 innings, squeeked out 2 runs, and our guy kept it a game.

Defensively we sucked. But anytime your starting pitcher pitches with confidence, guys feed off that.  We knew we were gonna win late in that game. 

I'm at ND vs. Winthrop now checking it out.  2-2 in the sixth.

We get Winthrop after this one. Time to lock it.

Good win earlier though.

Jers-day

Sadly, I'm on a bus and will miss my high-brow television of choice - Jersey Shore.

I always DV-R it but rarely watch it. Oh well, they'll be in Italy next season. Europeans will hate Americans even more after Snooki, her troll friend, and J-wow's fake rack invade.

OK...time to sleep a bit, or try to until Lindsay calls after JS.

iPad Keyboard Dock

Just picked up the iPad keyboard dock at a Best Buy in Virginia somewhere. I had a gift card from my father for Christmas that I still had a little balance left on. I was going to use it on a pair of Dre Beats, but we all know how that went - I got them for free.

This thing is pretty damn cool, especially for typing blogs. For searching the web and the likes, it's not as useful, I don't think. I would need a mouse or something in order to navigate the pages, but I am going to take a pass on the mouse. Best of all, I got it for $10 off because I asked the guy to see it, and an open box is discounted apparently. I asked him if there was anything else I could check out that was unopened, but all he did was laugh and say no.

The Social Network is the next movie going in, but me and Linds watched it the other night, so I'm gonna take another pass.

St. John's is struggling tonight against Seton Hall, kind of surprising seeing how the Johnnies have beaten more ranked opponents than any team in the country. Seton Hall has lost a few in a row and are headed in the wrong direction - but they haven't lost to St. John's at home in something like 13 years.

Anyway, I'll be going now. Enjoy your Thursday night. I'm cooped up on this bus for a few more hours.

Rock Hill Bound; Duke Dominant on Sr. Night; BYU Blah Blah

Rock Hill Bound
I come to you live from the bus headed down I-95. I'm currently listening to music, blogging, and playing a game of Words With Friends with my buddy Jon. Snatch is on the DVD but I've seen it before...besides, I would rather blog. We just finished with a personal favorite of mine, The Big Lebowski - a cult classic. The reception to the end was mixed...some loved it, some weren't sure.

Eric Church is playing right now, "Livin' Part of Life" - very beachy song. Reminds me of summer, when the living's easy.

I got a lot more music awaiting me as we trek down the road to Rock Hill, SC. HIM's "Soul on Fire" just came on...another good band. I'm quite diverse when it comes to the music I listen to, but hey, why not mix it up a bit?

Duke Dominant
Last night, Duke honored it's senior class at Cameron Indoor prior to their game with Clemson. They struggled a bit in the first half, carrying only a two point lead into the intermission.

Nolan Smith had 21 and Kyle Singler poured in 18 but only five Blue Devils scored (Seth Curry had 18, Mason Plumlee had 8' and Ryan Kelly added 5). That stuff becomes worrisome for a fan come March Madness time. Need some secondary and tertiary scorers to help lighten the load for S&S.

BYU Blah Blah
I guess this Davies guy is a bigger part of BYU's hoops team than anyone anticipated. All this talk of them getting a #1 seed in the NCAA Tourney is an afterthought.

They lost at home to a New Mexico team that is two games under .500 in the Mountain West (19-11, 7-8 Mountain West). Jimmer Fredette was 1-9 from distance and the Lobos beat the Cougars for the second time this season.

BYU is still a good team probably, but I'm not sure what kind of noise they can make in March without their leading rebounder, who was dismissed from then team because he was having sex with his girlfriend - a no-no for Mormons. (except that Sister Wives is OK? I'm confused).

Anyway, enough of the love-festival with BYU - they're pretenders.

Back to the tunes. One love, and less walks (I pray).

Music Challenge - Day 12

A song from a band that I hate?  Since I am supposed to hate this band, how the hell am I supposed to pick a song?  I guess any song will suffice.

The band:  Nickelback
The song:  "Someone That You're With"


I just despise this band.  They do have some catchy songs, but I just can't get into listening to them.

Dear: Home Plate

It seems to me that you've been pulling a disappearing act when my pitcher's are on the mound.  It is quite frustrating for me, as a coach, to deal with.

To me, you look like you've always looked - a five-sided slab of white rubber with black outline, commonly referred to as "the black".  You're 17" across, but to my guys I think you've been shrinking to around 12"?  Maybe.


From what I remember (and from the rule book) you're 60'6" from the pitching rubber, but again, I think sometimes you scoot back a bit, to somewhere in the vicinity of 62'?  Maybe?

Either way, I would like to get through one game without you disappearing at least 8 times (we're averaging 10 free passes a game, between BB's and HBP's).

I've broken a clipboard and a stopwatch, and we're only 4 games into the year.

I guess I need to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to teach pitchers - college pitchers - to throw strikes.  Because when these guys were in high school, they didn't seem to have this problem.  That's why we wanted them to play for us.

Oh well, enough blabbering.  We have four more games this weekend down in Rock Hill, SC.  Winthrop twice and Notre Dame twice.

Pray we don't walk the park and that you, home plate, decide to keep your shape and size the entire weekend.

Music Challenge - Day 11

A song from my favorite band?  That would normally be pretty easy, but I am not sure if I've used any of these songs prior to this in this Music Challenge. 

Here's one of my favorites though, from Muse - "New Born" - have at it.

Bronx Battle Royale

Heading over to Fordham to take on the Rams in what always winds up being a chippy game.  Both of our school are in the Bronx, separated by a little over four miles.

We both recruit the same kids so this game sometimes goes a long way in winning the recruiting battle.

As for the game, the Battle of the Bronx is huge.  I always loved playing Fordham - I hated them.  They were the ones who told me I didn't throw hard enough.  Looks like I had the last laugh in that one, beating them several times in my four years at Manhattan.  Even if my arm didn't feel so good, I wanted an inning against them (midweek games acted as a bullpen session for me).

We are very young, so I hope the kids understand the importance of this win - for our team, the administration, and the schools in general.  Beating Fordham goes a long way. 

If we can keep the walks low (which was our problem last weekend) we'll be OK.  I think we'll hit, and our defense has been pretty decent.  Like they said in one of my all-time favorite movie's Boiler Room - "ABC - always be closing".

Let's get after it today.

Video('s) of Note

There were some things that happened on television during the past few days that are very, very blog-worthy.  They both exhibit awesome-ness in one form or another.  Most importantly, they make me laugh and wonder what people are thinking sometimes.

First was on Jeopardy.  The video is priceless, so without further ado, here it is:


The other happened during Louisville's win over Pitt this weekend.  Stupid cheerleader - just stick to hoisting the girls in the air and stay away from the basketball:

Maybe Today?

Today might be the day we actually pick up our new 2011 CR-X EX.  Keeping my fingers crossed.  I signed all the papers last week because they said it was coming in "in a few days".  Little did I  know a few is now a week.  I always thought it was two, at the most.  Oh well.

We are very excited but have tempered expectations - I still have to call the guy at noon to see what the story is.  My father said a Honda driver was at the shop today and mentioned a shit-load of cars came in - I hope my black CR-V is one of them.  I am wearing thin on patience with this guy and this dealership.  I have never heard of a car dealership selling a a car without actually having the car.  I guess it's partly my fault because I never asked to see the car - stupid dolt.

I should also be able to pick up Big Blue - it needed some work on the front end but should be ready to rock and roll.  I love driving my father's Avalanche - the thing is a beast (on gas too).  I feel like I am driving around in a monster truck.

Oh well, I am still trying to recover from that dreadful 13 hour bus ride.  I showered last night and have yet to take one today - I know, gross. 

Men's lacrosse game today at 3pm.  I will stop by there for a little while just to make sure everything is running smooth.

Time to get after some scouting reports.  Later y'all.

Music Challenge - Day 10

Name a song that makes you fall asleep.  Interestingly enough, I need complete silence in order to fall asleep - no TV, radio, or music.  I know, soon enough there'll be a baby crying me to sleep - or lack thereof.

Seeing how I am into the Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star series, I will go with Muse's lullaby version of "Starlight".


I listen to this album all the time, regardless the time of day.  Buy it - if not for your baby but for yourself.