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.

Duke #1; Syracuse Survives; My CR-V is En Route

Duke is #1 in the polls again, although people claim they aren't the best team in the nation.  Default #1.  Well, they're default-ly the #1 team in the land.  Sleep on it.

Syracuse pulled out a huge win in Philly against Villanova tonight.  We listened to it in the car on the way to the Bronx and the announcers were such homers it almost made it impossible to listen to.  They said one kid on Cuse was "4-6 from the field but really was 4-8 because he had two come back" - what the crap does that even mean?  Big win for the Orange.

My car is paid for for the first month but is still on a truck coming from Ohio.  Don't even get me started.  Pictures will post when it's in our possession.

Sleep tight evil-doers.

Duke #1?; Douche-ness; All-Star Slam; New Car Day; Snow?!?

Duke #1?
With the top four teams in the ranking all losing this week (#1 Kansas at K State, #2 Ohio St. at Purdue, #3 Texas at Nebraska, #4 Pitt at St. John's), is Duke the new #1 in America?

Based on a segment I saw on ESPN this morning, Duke is not the best team in America - in fact, the teams that lost this week all were mentioned - not Duke.  Which is fine, because I believe they are a good team but not the best team in the country.  They still have a chance to shock the world - a la 2009, when they won 18 of their last 19 en route to a National Championship.

Just saying.

Douche-ness
Although our ride in to work was a quick one today (it is only a little over a mile), I overheard a topic being talked about on Z100 - popped collars:  douchey or not douchey?

That was a fashion made famous back in 1902, when men and women often wore stiff collars when it was referred to as an "upturned collar".  I guess it went away for a while before reemerging as "popped collars" several years ago.  In any event, whenever I see a guy with a collar turned up, I immediately think he's a douche.  Call it judging a book by the cover, but often times, these individuals also have blowouts, fake tans, and all white sneakers on.  Jersey Shore-ish.  Pauly D, Vinny, Ronnie, and The Situation all can pull it off - that's who they are - but they don't even pop their collars - they wear t-shirts. 

So, to those of you who wear the collars popped as a fashion statement, you're a douche.  And to those who do it to keep the sun off their neck, you're misconstrued to being a douche - just wear sunblock!

All-Star Slam
Kobe took it right at LeBron on a fast break dunk, staring at the King before throwing it down just before it would have been blocked.  As soon as he landed, Kobe gave James a pat on the ass, as if to say "I got you sucka!"  The West won 148-145 in a game that featured stellar defense from bo...oh wait, this is the lamest All-Star game going.  It's basically a big game of pick-up basketball with big names going head to head to see who can fill up the highlight reel.

New Car Day
Well, today we'll head out to LI to a Honda dealer and pick up our new 2011 CR-V.  My father went out there yesterday, bargained with the guy, and called me to let me know to come get it today.  Going to see Anthony.  From what it seems, the EX model (the one we're getting) has 6-disc changer, tinted windows, sunroof, 17" wheels, air bags all over, and a black interior.  Very excited to pick up Lindsay's "Mom Mobile" - our first new car as a married couple.  Awesome.

Snow
And just when you thought it was over, down comes another 3+ inches of snow.  I woke up and thought it looked foggy - it was snowy.  Son of a bitch.  Wasn't it just 65° on Friday?  So much for this global warming crap.

Trending Now; THE Ohio St. Loses, Again; Duke at 7:45; Shower Success

Trending Now
As per my (randomly) recurring post topic, I will review the topics being trended  upon on BING.com. 

1. Daytona 500 - 500 mile NASCAR race.  Generally regarded as the race, the Daytona 500 is a long and grueling race.  It is close to being over, but I have not watched one lap of it.  Typically, I don't watch.  David Ragan is in the lead, but they're on Lap 204 of 200 since they're racing under a yellow flag (caution laps).  Stay tuned, unless you're me.

2. Blake Griffin - NBA star and Dunk Contest champion.  Last night was the Dunk Competition (which I did not watch) and Blake - a man-child - won it.  No one really doubted the fact that he'd win.  His last dunk was impressive, although everyone who watched said it wasn't his best - dude jumped over a car to dunk (a Kia).  If you haven't watched this guy or watched ESPN, it's time to check him out.  As much as I despise the NBA, this guy is gold.

3. Alex Pettyfer - English actor and model.  The "I Am Number Four" star apparently broke up with his girlfriend and co-star, Dianna Agron.  This guy might be a little fruity - just saying - it wouldn't surprise me.  That's enough about this shlep.

4. Brooke Ann Coats - Bullrider.  This is a sad story.  16-year old Brooke Ann Coats was thrown from a bull and kicked in the chest during a rodeo in Tampa, Florida.  She walked away from the scene, but later on had trouble breathing and collapsed.  Everyone involved understand the risk involved in bullriding - you're messing with a large, mean animal.  Here is a link to her GuestBook - I dropped a line on this.  No one deserves this.  Very unfortunate.  But if she was doing what she loved, I am sure she had no regrets.

That's the range of topics being searched.  Personally, I had only heard of two of the four prior to doing a little research for this post. 

THE Ohio St. Loses, Again
For the second time in three games, THE Ohio State University lost in men's hoops.  They were number one - briefly - and no one thought they could be caught in the Big Ten.  Purdue had other ideas.  They avenged their earlier 23-point loss to the Buckeyes in Columbus.  Ohio St. now holds a one game lead in the standings, over a hot-and-cold Purdue team.  They look like world beaters some days (read: at home) and others decide not to show up (read: on the road).  The Big Ten is a great conference, probably running second to the Big East.

Ohio St. finishes the season at home against Wisconsin.  Purdue has three of their last four on the road.  They had better learn to win away from Keady Court or they have no chance to win the Big Ten regular season.

Duke at 7:45
The Duke Blue Devils are home (and 20.5 point favorites) against Georgia Tech at 6:45 tonight.  GT is 11-14 overall and have only played one ranked team (at the time of the game), #9 Syracuse and only lost by four.  They had a pretty easy tune-up last game, beating Chattanooga by nine.

I am guessing Duke wins, but underestimates a Georgia Tech team that always seems to give them trouble.  Hopefully the Cameron Crazies get loud and crazy.  86-71 Duke.  Why not?

Shower Success
The baby shower yesterday was great.  Lindsay had an awesome time and based on the look of our apartment, this baby has more stuff than either one of us.  There's diaper cakes (diapers formed to look like a giant cake), a changing table I still have to assemble, a stroller, clothes, rattles, more clothes, bibs, socks, and a Diaper Genie II, among a lot of other things.  Nathan seems to be put off by all the gifts - I hope he isn't the jealous type.  If he is, he might find himself a new residence in LI with my parents.

Just wanted to thank everyone who attended (and those who didn't) for their generosity.  Baby D will never be short on stuff.

I'm done.  Going to help Lindsay get some of it away before the Duke game.

NCAA College Hoops

Big slate tonight of college games.  I happen to be at Draddy Gym for the Iona/Manhattan game - 38-23 Iona in the first half.  Iona scores in bunches it seems, it was just a seven point game I thought.  I watched through the first two media timeouts.  For those unfamiliar with this, media timeouts take place in each half during the first stoppage after the 16-, 12-, 8, and 4-minute mark.  That is why on television, during games, there are at least four timeouts every half - even if there are no called team timeouts. 

Other action includes:

#5 Duke at Virginia - Duke up seven with just over three minutes to play in the first half.  Duke had to overcome a 31-25 halftime defecit the first time they played at Cameron Indoor - a 51-29 second half helped the Dukies coast.

#18 Vanderbilt at Georgia - Georgia is looking to pull an upset (only if you go by ranking) as they lead #18 Vandy 21-16 with a little over two minutes to go in half number one.  Georgia was actually favored in this one.  The Commodores took down UGA the first time they met, 73-66.

#16 Louisville at Cincinnati - This one is getting ugly, but it's not that surprising, as Cinci was a 2-point favorite going into tip-off.  We all know my feelings on Big East play - it's a bear.  This is the only meeting between these two teams this season. 

#9 Georgetown at #13 UCONN - This one was looking like a blowout early, as G'Town led by 10 midway through the first half, but Jim Calhoun (almost) always has his guys ready to scrap.  With 2:25 left, it's the Hoyas 34, the Huskies 31.

#10 Wisconsin at #11 Purdue - I know my man thormoo has his eyes on this Big Ten showdown.  With 14:48 to go in the game, the Boilers are up 44-34 on Wisco.  This was a 6-point Purdue lead at the half - they're looking to avenge their loss in Madison on February 1st. 

Time to unlock the locker rooms.  First, a quick update on this one.

Iona at Manhattan - 54-33 Iona.  They were laying 12.5 points coming in to this one, so this, I guess, is no surprise.  Manhattan played well against Siena last time out, and with Senior Day festivities, I figured they'd come out with a little more fire.  Iona does look pretty tough and athletic though.

Duke Survives; Rutgers Shocks Villanova; Forgetfulness

Duke Survives
I try to prevent myself from getting too excited about some things - namely Duke basketball.  To say I get angry is a fair assessment.  Last night, I became irate at how they were playing and flipped it off when they went into the half down 14 points to a North Carolina team that seemed to have as good an inside presence as anyone in the country. 

For most of the second half, I checked the score on my ESPN ScoreCenter app on the iPad and saw that they kept creeping closer and closer.  Finally, I gave in and turned it on in bed.  And lo and behold, they pulled out a win - an emotional, hard fought win over a bitter rival.  Nolan Smith threw his name in the hat for National Player of the Year honors after his 34-point outburst helped seal the Blue Devils 79-73 win.  On the other hand, Kyle Singler shot a dreadful 3-17 from the floor - he needs to pick it up.  He did hit 3 huge FT's in the closing minute.  On a lighter note, Seth Curry scored 22 points on 8 of 12 shooting.  In order to be successful, non-traditional stars have to step up - as Curry did.

Duke dropped a 50 spot on the Heels in the second half, and their traditionally strong defense showed up over the last twenty minutes.  Thirty-three in a row at home is a pretty impressive number.  Duke travels to Miami (FL) on Sunday and a UVa on Wednesday before returning home for a matchup with a mediocre Georgia Tech team.

Good win, now on to the next one.

Rutgers Shocks Villanova
A last second 4-point play (on a very questionable call) game Rutgers a home win over #10 Villanova.  I watched only the replay, and it looked like the defender put his arm straight up, but a foul was still called.  IT takes a lot of nuts for a referee to make that call in the closing seconds of a game.

Forgetfulness
A random student just came in to the "office" and asked if anyone found his sweatpants from last night - I wasn't even here. Keep in mind that my "office" is shared with the entire student-athlete population seeing how the equipment room is attached to my "office" and the laundry pick-up is in the back of my "office".  This is not my issue.

It has been bitter cold out here in the NY, especially at night.  How the hell do you forget to put your sweatpants on before you leave the gym.  Did you forget it's 15° outside?  I forget where I put things quite often, but if it's cold, I won't just walk outside in a pair of shorts.  I told him I hadn't seen them, and apologized (as if it were my fault).  Stupid.

I have to set up for some luncheon thing, and I'm probably not even invited.  Thanks.   

Syracuse Blew It; Duke Goes for #100

This was a great game for 38 minutes and then a defensive lapse by Scoop Jardine resulted in a quick 12-0 by Georgetown to close out the game and they're running out the clock.  Game over.  It's their first win at the Carrier Dome since 2002.  64-56.

Jardine put his head down and lost his man down the court and ultimately cost his team a chance at a big win at home.  Bad loss for the Orange.  Great win for the Hoyas.

On to UNC at Duke.  Duke is going for their 100th win in this historic series.  UNC leads 130-99.  Duke is going for their 3rd straight win in this series.  I'm juiced up for this one, they better come out ready to play. 

I have to put the TV on pause and go take Nathan out before I settle in for this one.  It's a battle for first place in the ACC heading into the second half of the conference season.

A young North Carolina has won 10 of their last 11.  Duke has great senior leadership with Singler and Smith.

Let's Go Duke!  Go To Hell Carolina, Go To Hell!!  It's AWESOME baby!!!

Trending Now; Blue Bloods; Blue Fingers; Blasting Music

Trending Now
According to the world's favoritest search engine, BING.com, the following topics are the most trended for today.  Here we go...

1. Olivia Wilde - Actress and model.  So I guess she's going to be back on the market after divorcing her husband of eight years.  The story broke courtesy of "MTV News" - I mean that channel doesn't even play music anymore.  The TRON: Legacy actress is also a staple on House M.D.  Tao Ruspoli is a filmmaker and musician and a complete tool.

2. Cavaliers - NBA team.  The one time home team for LeBron James, the Cavs have fallen on some tough times lately.  They set a league record for futility by losing their 25th straight game Monday night, 99-96 to the Dallas Mavericks.  Antawn Jamison is the King of Shitsville, averaging a team-high 17.2 ppg.  He needs to average 37.2 ppg for them to be good.  Maybe their owner should look himself in the mirror.  I feel bad for the guys on the team, no one should have to go through this - but I guess their salaries aren't too bad.  Go Cavs!  Just get a win.

3. Selena Gomez - Actress, singer, and UNICEF Ambassador.  The #1 Belieber (even though they aren't an item) is starring in the upcoming film "13 Reasons Why", which will be her first leading role.  She's a Disney star I guess, but all I ever see is her hanging on Bieber's coattails (and his hair) or making out with the little guy.  No shocker here - MTV reported this story as well.

4. High-Speed Rail - Passenger rail transport system.  Apparently, Obama plans on spending $53B for a national high-speed rail network, according to several reports.  In his January State of the Union address, he announced his goal of providing said rail for 80% of Americans withing 25 years.  Good luck with that one Barack.  I am guessing this is sort of an Amtrak thing, but faster.  Cool idea.

5.  Scientology - A "new" religion.  Apparently, they're being investigated for human trafficking.  Couch-jumping Tom Cruise is a member, as is fat/not-fat/fat Kirstie Alley.  The basic belief of this religion is that man is far more than a product of his environment, or his genes.  I don't really care, so I'll end it at that.  Human trafficking.  Very illegal.  As is couch-jumping.

The five points above will surely make that long ride in an elevator with a stranger more pleasant - at least you can spout off a few ice-breakers.  And if you don't like elevators, just start talking to a stranger about one of these things.

Blue Bloods
Tonight is UNC vs. Duke.  The rivalry in college basketball.  If you're a fan of college hoops, you watch this one even if you can't stand either team.  I get to sleep in tomorrow since we have a mandatory day off, so I hope I can make it through the game.  As an appetizer, Syracuse hosts Georgetown in another great game at 7 pm, I'm guessing on ESPN.

Watch these games, for the love of sport.

Blue Fingers
That's what you'll have if you stay outside in this brutal cold for too long.  I walked in this morning and kept my hands in my pockets the entire time, but they were still freezing cold when I got here.  I ran them under hot water, which some say is a bad idea, but for me, it was the only idea.  Frostbite felt like it was about to set in.  And living by the Hudson River doesn't help - the wind rips off that sucker and funnels into the back of our building.  Global warming my ass!

Blasting Music
Had a pretty good workout this morning and the playlist was quite random, as the shuffle feature would indicate.  Here's a rundown, with links, of the 8 songs that got me through my morning routine:

1. Muse - "Resistance"
2. Nine Inch Nails - "Into The Void"
3. Kid Cudi - "Down & Out "
4. Brand New - "Sowing Season"
5. Every Time I Die - "Apocalypse Now and Then"
6. This is Hell - "Destroyer"
7. Cancer Bats - "Raised Right"
8. glassjaw - "When One Eight Becomes Two Zeros"

If that doesn't pump you up, go back to sleep.

My Wednesday feature is coming later on, but for the time being, like the Terminator said, I'll be back!

Rivalry Week; Prep Work; Recovery

Now that the Super Bowl is over, what can a sports fan look forward to next?  How about some NCAA College Basketball - especially this week.

Rivalry Week.

Indiana at Purdue - tonight at 7 pm.  (On paper, it's thormoo's Boilers all the way, but factor in the hate factor for the Hoosiers and it may stay a game for a little while.)

Tennessee at Kentucky - tonight at 9 pm.  (Kentucky's coming off a tough L at Florida.  Bruce Pearl is back on the bench for Tennessee.  This one won't be short on offense - loads of points.)

Georgetown at Syracuse - tomorrow at 7 pm.  (The Orange seem to be back on track after two big road wins.  G'Town has won 6 straight, including a W at Villanova.  Typical bloodbath in the Big East.)

Texas at Oklahoma - tomorrow at 7 pm.  (Texas has a W in 8 straight including 4 vs. Top 15 teams.  The Sooners are mediocre at 12-10, but 11-1 at home.  This one has some intrigue.)

North Carolina at Duke - tomorrow at 9 pm.  (UNC is ranked and relevant.  Duke is coming off a demolition of NC State.  The best rivalry in college basketball gets better.)

Some other matchups:  BYU at Air Force (Wednesday at 10 pm); Florida at South Carolina (Wednesday at 8 pm); and St. Mary's at Santa Clara (Thursday at 11 pm);

This is always one of my favorite weeks, even though I have no ties to any of these schools.  Duke is the team I root for but some of these other games might catch my attention.

As far as prep work goes, I just ordered a car charger for my iPad for the grueling 12 hour bus trips later this month into early March.  I can't see my iPad lasting that long, now when I am on the 3G playing games, sending e-mails, listening to music, and maybe even watching the occasional movie.

We head to Western Carolina (in Cullowhee, NC); Winthrop (in Rock Hill, SC), Tennessee (in Knoxville, TN), Philadelphia (which is only a few hours), then finally to East Tennessee State (in Johnson City, TN).  Quite a bit of travel going on.  At least I'm beginning to get ready for it, or at least that's what I'm telling myself.

As far as my health is concerned, and I'm sure my entire Blog Army was concerned, I feel I'm working at about 95% today.  Yesterday it felt like my body just didn't want me to do anything.  I felt weak and light-headed and had a migraine.  I was pretty useless for anything but sleep.  Today I woke up at 4:39 am and was ready to go.

I even did some running today - 1.5 miles in a shade over 12 minutes.

Stay tuned!

My Super Sunday; Duke Pumps NC St.

After a measly 5 hours of sleep last night, I am back in the gym.  Practice went well - took some ground balls, hit live, hit of the machines, and spoke on some mental aspects of the game we need to improve on.  Overall, I felt it was a successful practice.

I proceeded to set up for the women's basketball game this afternoon at 2 pm, which will hinder my cooking and prep time for Super Bowl Tapas menu at the Darcy Apartment.

I think I'm going with some "buffalo" turkey meatballs, a nice homemade guacamole, and some wings from a new wings joint that just opened up on Broadway.  Jesse is making a few things as well, and when Lindsay heads to the store to pick up the last-minute ingredients, I'm sure she'll come back with a few surprises.

Moving on to college hoops, Duke barreled through an over-matched NC State team 76-52 - easily covering the 19.5 point spread.  They head in to their Tobacco Road showdown with North Carolina on Wednesday night with a head of steam.  UNC is finally playing well again after a year or so of mediocrity.  Should be a battle, as it always is with these two teams.  Even when one or both teams are struggling, this matchup brings out the beasts in both sides.  Tune in to that one.

Finally, the Super Bowl is tonight.  Still not sure how the Packers are favored in this one, but I think they will find a way to win.  They are inexperienced but I think they'll go in to this one loose.  For what it's worth, the game is still the same, it's just magnified by the stage.  I will probably only make it to the 3rd Quarter because of fatigue.

Very much looking forward to the commercials - they always give me a good laugh.  Doritos has always had good ones in the past, as has Budweiser.  I hope there's a dark horse this year that puts out a hilarious commercial that provokes me to impulsively buy their product.

Packers 24
Steelers 18

Time to type up activity logs.  Go Pack Go!

Hospital Tour-ing; Andy, You're a Star; Jers-day Nights; Duke Romp

Hospital Tour-ing
We took the hospital tour today of where we will be having our baby.  It's an awesome hospital but they have some pretty strict rules.  Lindsay has to pick two support people and those are the only two allowed in the room with her throughout child birth.  Once she is admitted into a private room, visiting hours are in effect.  If one or both of her "support people" are ill, have to work, etc. etc., she can't add another person.  Looks like I have to stay strong and on my feet.

Also, only still shots are allowed.  No video cameras allowed.  Wrist and ankle bands are put on the baby as soon as it's delivered and warmed up and baby isn't allowed outside the exits otherwise the sensor in the bands locks all the exits to the entire hospital.  This is to prevent child abduction, which is scary as shit, but it's real.  So I'm glad they're on top of that.

All in all, it was a good trip, and although it feels like we've been in Manhattan every day for the past week or so, it's still cool to see everything that NYC offers.  Today, there was a lot of ice - on streets, sidewalks, and crosswalks.  When we were walking to and from the hospital, we saw somewhere around 5 people just bite it.  Some went down gracefully, some just took a dive - one thing about all of them though - it always makes me laugh.

We took the train down, walked across Central Park, and got to the hospital.  We chose to take the bus back.  It was bitter cold outside and didn't feel like walking back across the park.  Oh well.  And there was a Crumbs right next to the bus stop - we mighta picked up a few.

Andy, You're a Star
I got home today from the hospital tour and flipped on my iPad and the ESPN ScoreCenter only to find out that Andrew Eugene Pettitte is announcing his retirement.  After 16 seasons, the first of the Yankees' Core Four is calling it a career.  It was a sad day when he took his talents to Houston in 2004, but it's a sadder day today, as he hangs up his cleats for the last time.  He should be a Hall of Fame'r, and will certainly go in as a Yankee.  He was the big game pitcher for them throughout his career, and with five World Series rings to show for it, it's easy to tell how he fared in those games.

Let's go inside the numbers (which hardly tell the story of what Andy Pettitte meant to the NY Yankees) and take a look at a stellar career:

5: World Series rings ('96, '98, '99, '00, '09)
1: ALCS MVP Award (2001)
3: All-Star Game selections ('96, '01, '10)
6: Post-Season series clinching wins (1st all-time)
19: Post-Season wins (1st all-time)
102: Games over .500 for his career (240-138)
3.88: ERA
2,251: Strikeouts

The city of New York and the Yankees organization will lose a great man and great ballplayer on Friday, when the announcement is made.  You will be missed Andy.  Thanks for the memories - and the signature fist pump that always made me give a fist pump as well.

Jers-day
Speaking of fist pumps, Jersey Shore is on at 10:00 pm.  Don't miss it, even though it's a fair assumption to say I will.  This early, crack of dawn practice thing is throwing off my sleeping (or lack thereof) pattern.  I'd like to get some good zzz's in tonight since I felt like a zombie this morning walking in to practice.  The one good thing about the cold is that it wakes me up by the time I get to the gym.

I follow Vinny and Pauly D on Twitter, and they are both pretty funny guys.  Vinny is hilarious, so if you do Tweet, follow @VINNYGUADAGNINO - you'll enjoy his one-liners.

Duke Romp
Duke headed to College Park and Maryland has one thing on their mind - handing Duke it's first two-game losing streak since February 2009.  Duke was up for the challenge and wound up leaving Maryland with an 80-62 win.  Two 40-point halves and stifling defense in the second half allowed Duke to pull away.  Not to mention the fact that they shot 53% from the floor.

Critics always say how Duke draws fouls because they're Duke - whatever that means.  Well, Maryland attempted 11 more free throws and was +10 from the line. 

The two seniors, Singler and Smith led Duke, again.  Mason Plumlee actually asserted himself and had himself a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) - only his third one of the year.

My ass hurts from typing this - I'm sitting on the floor, so it's time to get up.

Get your sleep.  I will.  It's clean sheet night thanks to Lindsay.  (she did laundry)

Big Time Wednesday

I am going to give a brief run down of the day that was.

Worked out early this morning so I slept in until 7:00 - what a relief.  We had off from practice because of the ice problem here in the area - it made the roads tough to travel on - and the head coach lives 45 minutes north.

Lindsay had a doctor's appointment to check on Baby D's status.  Before the visit, we headed for a Restaurant Week lunch at Colicchio & Sons - Tap Room down in the Meatpacking District.  Probably the best  lunch we've had in quite some time, and all for $24.07 a person.  I had roasted bone marrow with truffle oil and drunk onions, the TC Burger with drunk onions, and an apple tatin for dessert.  Lindsay opted for the cauliflower soup as an appetizer, the tomato, mozzarella, and basil pizza, and the zeppole dessert with butterscotch sauce.

Oh yeah, and we each got $20.11 gift certificate's towards our next trip to C&S.  Nice gesture.

Oh, and we saw @Tom_Colicchio.  I wanted to say hello, but after I gathered up the courage, he headed to the bathroom - or so I thought.  I headed in too, because I had to go, but he wasn't there.  I actually hung out in there a little longer than I needed to, hoping he was going to head in there.  No luck.

We then walked a few blocks to the subway to head across town (to the East Side) to get to the doctor.  Took the L train to Union Square and hopped on the 6 train uptown.

Doctor visit lasted all of 5 minutes - baby was moving around a lot but looked OK.  It's heart was beating and it was swallowing pretty well.  Go baby, go!
We then walked across a snow-covered Central Park to get to the West Side, where we hopped on the 1 train at 72nd Street.  Saw a neat photo op of a wooden bridge with some snow on it.  Click!

Man oh man, did we hear some weird shit on that train ride home - specifically from two twenty-year-olds.

Here's a sampling of their conversation:
Male: Yeah, my mom doesn't like you too much, she's afraid if we hang out I'll start doing drugs
Female: Well , I do research on the drugs I do.
Male: That's cool.  I want to do cocaine as my last drug as I'm dying, because I figure it would kill me anyway.
Female: Yeah, I only do drugs that aren't bad for you.  I have never done cocaine but mushrooms are good.
Male: I saw Henry's friend at GameStop on 86th, he got a job because his girlfriend broke up with him or some shit
Female: Yeah, Damian right?  He wanted me to get this piercing (on her right cheek), so I did it.

Oh their poor, pathetic souls.  I truly feel for their parents - I think.

We got home, I took Nathan out, and we just flipped on the Syracuse/UConn game.  18-12 UConn leads.  Seems like an ugly game so far, but I'm hardly watching - blog takes precedent.  And Lindsay is in and out of sleep on the couch.

Duke is on the road at Maryland at 9:00.  They need a bounce back win after the embarrassing loss to St. John's.

The Middle (8:00) and Modern Family (9:00) are also on.  Yikes!

Looks like big decisions need to be made here in the Darcy apartment.  It really feels like it's midnight, and I have to be up at 4:45 am for practice tomorrow.

Good night.  Go Duke!  And my feet hurt.

Syracuse Slump; UConn Crumbles; Duke is Doody

Two Big East powers suffered losses yesterday.  One mediocre Big East team is going to town on the behind of #3 Duke today.

Syracuse has hit some tough times of late, dropping their fourth straight game, at Marquette, 76-70.  Marquette broke the 2-3 zone and shot 6 of 13 from beyond the arc.  The difference was their inside game and ability to draw contact in the lane.  Syracuse shot 8-14 at the free throw line - Marquette was 24-33 from the stripe.  They really should have blown out the Orange but missed 9 free throws.  Still, a 6-point win over a Top 10 team (not for much longer).  My guess is that Syracuse will drop into the 20's in the rankings.  Most teams that suffer four game skids fall out of the Top 25, but their schedule will keep them there, namely their wins over Michigan St., Notre Dame, Cincinnati and St. John's.

UConn had a chance but I sounded off on that yesterday after a freshman thought he was the leader of that team.  Wrong.  Tough loss for the Huskies.  2 OT's.  I remember when me and Lindsay went to the Garden to see the Syracuse-UConn 7 overtime game a few years back - that was the best college basketball game I've ever seen.  UConn is still 17-3 and will probably fall to 10th or so.  Like Syracuse, their wins over Michigan St., Kentucky, Texas, Villanova, Tennessee and Marquette will help them maintain Top 10 status.

We'll see who's hungrier on Wednesday as UConn hosts Syracuse at 7:00pm at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.  It'll be a game worth watching, I can guarantee that.  I am guessing it'll be on ESPN.  I hope, for everyone else's sake, they put it on national TV.

And finally, before I pass out for a few hours, I get to the last story I want to touch on - St. John's kicking the snot out of #3 Duke.  I've come to grips with the reality that Duke is a pretender without Kyrie Irving.  They've been mediocre at best since he's gone down and have only held on to their Top 5 ranking because others have stumbled along the way.  They are not a Top 5 team.  No way.  Down 22 points at Madison Square Garden to a St. John's team that itself is a pretender.  11-8 overall.  4-5 and in 11th place in the Big East standings.  I guess this is why Duke is the only team from the mighty ACC in the Top 25.  One thing I'll say about the Johnnies is they're battle tested - this is the final game in an 8-game stretch against Top 25 teams.  They've lost five of them with their wins coming against Georgetown (overrated) and Cincinnati (pretender).  Their third will be against Duke (pretender).  It's a sad state of affairs and it's tough to watch.

All three teams we root for here in our Bronx apartment are struggling.  We're not the type to rest on the past either - sure Duke won the National Championship last season, but they've done nothing this year.  Sure Syracuse was a high pre-season Big East picks, but they've underachieved thus far - especially of late.  UConn is overachieving - they were not picked to make any noise in the Big East.  It'll all get sorted out once March Madness comes around.  One thing's almost for certain - all three teams will be in the Field of 68 (or whatever the number is).

Practice was good today - our defense looked a little better and the pitchers who were live today threw strikes.  Velocity was down once again, like the first day, but they located, which is a good sign.  It's still early and I know the velocity will come around.  I also know that it's easy to pitch well against the guys you are comfortable being around.  The true test comes on February 25th at 4:00 pm down in Cullowhee, NC against Western Carolina.  For now, I'll continue to keep you updated as to our progress leading up to the first game.

OK, I'm done (just like Duke).

Pissed, Pleased, Pathetic

Pissed
So I get on the elevator on the eighth floor, heading down to the first.  A girl, who is speaking in some far eastern language into her blue tooth, gets in after me.  She proceeds to block the sensor for a good minute before choosing her final destination - 7th floor.  She couldn't walk down the twelve steps it takes to get there? 

I guarantee she waited longer for the elevator to arrive on the eighth floor than it would have taken to walk.  Guaranteed.

It happens more times that not.  If I am taking an elevator, I am taking it at least four floors.  I feel anything less than that and it's just quicker to head right to the stairs.

Sorry, but had she been more focused on where she was going and less focused on her conversation, she might have realized she was only travelling one flight down.

Pleased (kind of)
This morning marked the first day of practice for the baseball team here.  We started at 5:45am and by 8:30am, we had done more than most people on campus will do all day.  We had four pitchers go live, 35 pitches - some looked OK and some looked less than OK.  Velocity was down for all four, but they located pretty well.  The infielders had a rough go at it - taking ground balls on the basketball courts can be tricky - they get on you a little quicker because of the wood.  The hitters looked as expected - unable to really square up too many balls against the live arms.  Overall, for Day 1, it wasn't great, but it wasn't awful.  At least no one got hurt.  Day 2 tomorrow begins at 7:45am - lucky me, getting to sleep in tomorrow.

Pathetic
Duke.  Yes, I am a huge fan and they did beat Boston College by 16 at Cameron Indoor.  The thing that scares me is that only five of the nine players who saw the court scored - Singler and Ryan Kelly had 14 apiece, Seth Curry had 20, Nolan Smith 28 (and 8 assists), and Mason Plumlee chipped in 8 (and 12 rebounds).  And of the 200 minutes, they accounted for 164.  The bench got 36 minutes and was 0-4 with 4 rebounds, 0 assists, 2 turnovers, 4 steals (all from Miles Plumlee), and 4 personal fouls.  They better get their shit in order down there in Durham.

Orange Crushed; Orange Crush-er; UConn hosts Orange Coat; Duke at Wake;

Syracuse's awful first half doomed them.  Down eleven at the half, at home, to #7 Villanova, the #3 Orange never were able to dig out of the early hole they dug themselves.  The presence of Kris Joseph in their lineup again (he suffered a head injury against Cincinnati and sat out at #5 Pitt) wasn't enough, even though he did pour in 23 points.  He managed only one rebound and shot 8-16 from the floor.  Rick Jackson, aka Double-Double Machine, added 16 points and 13 boards but the rest of the team (besides Brandon Triche, 14 points) struggled mightily.  The Orange shot 39% for the game while Nova shot 46% (including a +14 advantage from the stripe).  Villanova bounced back nicely after their last-second loss to #10 UKem...UConn in Storrs to improve to 16-2, 5-1 in the Big East.  The Orange dropped their second game in a row and fell to 19-2, 5-2 in the Big East.  Villanova travels to Providence Wednesday.  Syracuse host Seton Hall on Tuesday.

#1 Ohio State survived another tough test within the Big Ten, escaping the always hostile Alumni Hall with a 73-68 win over #23 Illinois.  After trailing at the half by a point, the Buckeyes did just enough in the 2nd half to hang on.  They're 7-0 in the Big Ten with their average  margin of victory a measly 7.8 points (they beat Iowa by 22 and Indiana by 18).  Their next one is a prime time match up versus thormoo's #14 Boilermakers on Wednesday at 9pm.  The Illini head to Hoosier Country on Thursday.

Ohio St. is good, but this 7-man rotation they have is going to come back to get them come tournament time.  A key factor in this one was the charity stripe - Ohio St. was 24-27 and the Illini were 8-10.  Tough to win when you get outscored by 16 at the stripe - ask Syracuse.  Jared Sullinger (27 points, 16 boards) is a beast though.  Had Kyrie Irving stayed healthy, it'd be a battle for best freshman in the country. 

#8 UConn hosts Bruce Pearl and his orange coat'ed Vols today.  Pearl is coaching this non-conference game because his suspension is only for SEC games.  Kemba Walker's knuckle-ball tear-drop gave them the win versus #7 Villanova the other night.  Tennessee has some group of athletes, but they don't always come to play.  So far, they're leading the Huskies 21-15 following the third media timeout.  UConn shooting 37% and Kemba has a goose egg.  U U U aaaah U, That's Who!  Let's go UConn, the Big East needs this one.

#4 Duke heads to Wake Forest as a 23 point favorite at 4:00pm.  I will be stuck here laying down floor decals for tomorrows men's game on MSG.  Wake has fallen on some tough times this season with some of their losses coming to Stetson, VCU, Winthrop, UNC-Wilmington, and Presbyterian.  I didn't even know Presbyterian was a Division I program.  I think Duke will struggle early, but pull away late, as they did the other night against Virginia.  They need to come out of the gate hard and put the game away by the first media timeout.  Wake, 0-4 in the ACC, only faces Duke this one time, so this may be their lone chance at a court storming.  Personally, it better not happen, but crazier things have happened. (see Presbyterian Blue Hose; yes, that is their nickname).  Let's Go Duke!

This women's game is almost at the half, therefore I have to sacrifice my office to the officials for 15 minutes.  38-21 Marist at the half.  Yikes!

Duke taking NC State to the Wood Shed; World's Wildest

I have a few minutes to sneak a post in before the second half starts and The Middle.


Duke (at the half)
The last loss Duke had in the state of North Carolina was last January 20 to NC State.  At the half in Raleigh, Duke leads 42-28.  Duke is clearly the  better team out there, but ACC games are ACC games - they're all hard-fought battles.  I've mentioned how Mason Plumlee has been a waste of time on the offensive end - I stand firm on that - but he's earning his scholarship based solely on defense.  Seven (7) blocks in the first half to go along with five rebounds.  Ryan Kelly - also badmouthed by me - hit his first shot of the game, a 3-pointer to put Duke up 3-0.  He has 4 points.

NC State hasn't helped themselves, hitting 8 of 37 shots.  Keep it up wolfpack.

World's Wildest
For some reason I am always drawn to TruTV when World's Wildest Police Chases are on.  Love that shit.  Tune in sometimes.  It all goes back to the posts referring to stupidity.  Some - errrr, all - of the people on those shows are idiots.

OK - gotta go.  The Middle is on.

Duke's Slow Start; BEast-ly Big East

Watching this game on ESPN3.com (instead of the Manhattan game that's in my own gym) and am scratching my head as to how a team as good as #1 (for now) Duke can struggle so mightily.

They've mustered only 11 points in the first 12 minutes to start this game against a Virginia team that has played eight straight at home - I expected the always hostile Cameron Indoor to have some effect, which it clearly hasn't. 

Duke's big men (Plumlee and Kelly) have been no-shows so far this season.  Sure, Mason Plumlee has 8 rebounds already (and averages eight a game on the year) but he hasn't scored yet, but Kelly's five points per game and 3 rebounds per game are atrocious numbers for a guy like him.

Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler have been steady all season.  Singler's shooting percentages are slightly better than last year as are Smith's.  The injury to freshman phenom Kyrie Irving has hurt them big time.  He was putting up 17 a game, dishing out 5 assists, and really made them go.  He was, essentially, the WD-40 of this Duke team.  With him still in there, they beat Florida State.

Right now, I'd rather watch paint dry.  Down 15-11, their offense is inept, they're playing sloppy, and they're getting out hustled.  Halftime can't come soon enough - Coach K needs to get into them a little bit.  Losing two ACC games in a row is a no-no in Durham.

This game here is 22-19 Manhattan in case anyone was wondering.

#4 Syracuse had a tough match up (on paper) today as they hosted #25 Cincinnati at the Carrier Dome.  The Bearcats came in with a gaudy 16-1 record and got manhandled by the Orange (18-0), 67-52.  Cincinnati has played a joke of a schedule with their only two tests coming in Big East play - they lost by 11 at #7 Villanova and now by 15 at #4 Syracuse.  Next up for them - at #9 Notre Dame.  It's not getting easier for Cuse either as they head to #5 Pittsburgh next. 

The Big East is the best conference in college basketball and you can't even make an argument against that.  Five teams in the Top 10 and three others ranked in the AP Top 25.  Marquette, West Virginia, and St. John's are all contenders too this year.  Half the teams in this 16-team beast of a conference are in the AP Top 25.  Are you kidding me?

33-22 Canisius has stormed back.  See what I'm missing because of this blog?  Hahaha.

Tuning out here.  Halftime is almost here.  Duke is down 2.  Referee's use my office as their halftime quarters.  Later!!

Tragedy in AZ; Oh Duke!; Heat get Cooled Off & Karma's a Bitch

This Jared Loughner guy is some piece of shit.  This phenomenon is something that seems to happen all too often.  But who's at fault? 

Police?  Not really.  You can't expect them to keep an eye on every single person alive - scouring profiles, internet posts, articles; interviewing friends, classmates, acquaintances.  It's not realistic. 

The guy?  Probably.  His parents?  Unless they're legally blind in both eyes, then yes.  They're just as much a part of this mess as their son.

I am not waxing poetic about what it takes to be a parent (Lord knows I have no idea, but I'll let you know come April).  But this is your son, your flesh and blood.  You can't tell me they don't speak or communicate with him.  I  know it's wrong to judge a book by the cover, but this guy looks the part of a killer.  He's looks like a cold, deviant, psychopath. 

He kept articles on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in a safe.  What do you keep in a safe?  Money?  Jewelry?  Family heirlooms?  Chocolate even.  But the things you generally associate with being kept in a safe are things that hold some value to you.  I never had a safe.  If I had, I probably would have put my Frank Thomas (The Big Hurt) baseball card collection in there - instead, I stuffed them into shoe boxes.

Communicate.  I am 29 years-old and speak with my parents regularly.  He was what, twenty-two?  As parents, you have got to see something wrong, abnormal, off with your son.  All it takes it communication.  When I was twenty-two, I spoke with my parents regularly.  Maybe this guy's family was a pack of jackasses, or maybe they were just too dumb to see what a monster they had raised.  Were they embarrassed?  Afraid of him?  Ignorant?  Blind?  I'm going with all of the above. 

What happened was a tragedy.  Are there more people like this loser running around out there in the US?  Yes.  Are we gonna stop them all?  No.  Just make yourself aware of the people you surround yourself with.  If someone looks shady, chances are they are.  If you hear them talking about creepy shit, walk the other way and/or tell the police.  Be safe friends, family, co-workers, Blog Army!

On a lighter note (for some), sports.  As you already know, #1 Duke lost in Tallahassee last night to the unranked Seminoles.  There was no inside game for Duke, the shooting was horrid, and they made this Derwin Kitchens guy look like Michael Jordan.  Miles Plumlee is soft which directly related to their lack of an inside presence.  Five points and five rebounds a game?  You're 6'10" tall.  Act the part.  Thirty-one percent shooting?  35 three-point field goals attempts?  15 turnovers to 9 assists?  It seems like every time they play down there, they lose (it's actually only the third time in 9 years).  Derwin Kitchens?  10.2 PPG on the year and he goes off for 22 points?  Put a hand in his face, the guy was 9-13.  Anyway, it was a good run as #1, we'll see how far they fall from here.  Back to Cameron Indoor for a game against the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday.  (I'll be stuck at Draddy for a Manhattan game).

NBA basketball sucks.  Except when the Clippers (13-24) beat the Heat (30-10) and LeBron James gets hurt, all in one night.  I don't wish ill upon anyone, but this guy just runs his mouth left and right.  Blake Griffin is a BEAST (24 pts./14 rebs. - 30th double-double this season).  LeBron only sprained his ankle, so he probably won't be out for long, but he tweeted about karma the other day when the Lakers pumped the Cavs by 55.  Soon after, karma bit back.

Time to get busy!

Duke and non-HD suck tonight; Duke not sucking

Sorry for the myriad of posts today, lots going on.

Lindsay found me the Duke game on television. Couldn't find it for the life of me, said it was on MSG+2, which I didn't even know was a channel. Turns out, channel 414 on Cablevision is iOSPH.

Too bad Duke looks like shit, as does watching the game in non-HD. I used to be no big deal when this whole HD thing wasn't even a blip on the radar. It's so dark and grainy, and Duke hasn't scored a point this half - this refereeing crew are horseshit.

The channel keeps losing sound as well. Then I got the colored bars, typically found during a programming test.

LET'S GO! Two big baskets - Curry for a long two and Singler from deep. Curry fouled, shooting three. I'm a huge Duke fan in case you didn't know, and I've gotten away from posting about them, there's just too many other things to write about. I see and hear lots of crazy stuff everyday and then put it I to blog form before I forget it - because ultimately (and relatively quickly) I'll forget it. I need memory pills. It's weird, I do crossword puzzles and love puzzle games, but nothing seems to help my ailing memory. I take lots of pictures too, they help out in a pinch.

Back to the game. Let's Go Duke!

Added to post title. They're up 5 now after putting together an 11-0 run.

Duke 2010 Championship Rings

2010 NCAA Champion DUKE University rings - pretty sweet.