June 1 - History in the Making

Several things to cover on this most glorious day - my birthday.

Birthdays - First and foremost, I'd like to thank God for making this all possi...oh wait, I didn't win an award - I did make it to my 29th birthday.  Thanks to all those close to me, and far from me, and those who I've yet to meet.

Ryan Darcy is 29 years old today.  He is the man, a loving husband (to Lindsay), and a dog owner (Nathan).  I will not go into too much detail, as there may be some creepy stalkers out there (as if anyone reads this blog anyway).  Today, I plan on doing whatever the I want, so tough shit trying to reign me in.  Got a nice Bose sound dock for my iPod, since all I have as far as audio equipment is lousy laptop speakers, a nice dinner and show from my dog, and Red Sox tickets for July.  I am steadfast in my allegiance to the Yankees, but taking in a game at Fenway will be fun.  I share my birthday with plenty of famous people, although I've never rubbed shoulders with any I'm about to mention.

Marilyn Monroe would have been 84 today, but she passed away in 1962, so we won't go too deep into her life - she was an actress, singer, and model in her time, and for good reason.  She dated Yankee great Joltin' Joe DiMaggio for a short while - they even eloped in 1954 and went to Japan, of all places, for their honeymoon.

Also checking off another year on their calendar is actor Morgan Freeman, of Shawshank Redemption and Lean on Me fame.  He's a hell of an actor and turns 73 today.  He also played the role of God in Bruce Almighty as well as Evan Almighty, both very funny movies.  Happy birthday Mo.

Supermodel Heidi Klum turns 37 today, but doesn't look a day over 25.  I guess that's the whole idea of a supermodel.  She's married to Seal - I can't figure out what the hell is wrong with that mans face.  She hosts "Project Runway," but she has also done Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue several times.  Tough life.  Happy Birthday to all.

Big Z also turns 29 today.  Carlos Zambrano, happy birthday you nut job.  I hope you keep dominating in the bullpen out there in Wrigley.  Don't let the boo birds get you down - you can always pull a Rick Ankiel and start swinging it, you got a mean stroke. 





Local News Today - There have been several manhole cover explosions today - one on Jerome Ave., one on DeKalb Ave., and one on Bainbridge Ave.  There are also high CO levels detected.  The authorities are on the scene, if you know what I mean.

Also, a woman in her 20's was found and pronounced dead at 5:40 this morning on E. Gun Hill Rd. with an apparent gun shot wound to the head.  Police are investigating.

Thank God everything bad happens on the other side of the Bronx.  Knock on wood.

Events - In 1792, the great state of Kentucky became the 15th state.  Four years later, Tennessee was granted it's statehood.  KY was never a territory but was part of Virginia and TN was part of the Southwest Territory prior to its statehood.  Good BBQ'ing down there, from what I hear.  Only been to Louisville, KY and Nashville, TN.   Lot of Elvis wannabes as well.  There are nine minor league baseball teams in Tennessee and two in Kentucky.  The state drink of Kentucky is milk, while the state fruit is the blackberry.  The state fruit of Tennessee is the tomato and the state wild animal is the raccoon.  Who knew states official wild animals.  Only in the South y'all.

Sports History - In 1925, Lou Gehrig replaced Wally Pipp, which consequently started his streak of 2,130 consecutive games played.

Misc. History - In 1941, 12.59" of rain fell on the plains in Burlington, KS, still a state record.  The rain must fall mainly on the plain, in Kansas.  In unrelated news, in 1880, the first pay telephone was installed, so go ahead and drop a quarter in and call someone you love, just to say hello.

Back to work, blah!

Tens-Day

Ten points of emphasis that are running through my mind this morning:

1. MAAC Tournament.  Game one at 3pm vs. Canisius.  Game one is ever important in a double elimination format, and I think we'll come out loose and ready to play.  We're the #4 seed after all, and we have nothing to lose.  Everyone else is supposed to be better than us, all we gotta do is play the game hard, have a little fun, play some defense, pitch well enough to keep us in the game, and score more runs.  That formula translates to wins.  That's pretty evident.
2. A Mosque at Ground Zero?  I don't think this is something that NYers should have to deal with.  I was watching Channel 5 and there was a debate on it and all three on the panel said it wasn't a good idea.  The money ($100 million) is being funded by Islamic countries, and how the hell do we know who this money is coming from?  It also serves as a reminder of that grim day on September 11, 2001.  "I don't deny anyone a church or a mosque, but if I were to walk by that mosque, I would think of my son's plane," Hanson, of Easton, Conn.  (NY Daily News).  I am not against it either, but the fact remains that almost 3,000 Americans perished in the 9/11 attacks.  NYers did a great job of coming together and bouncing back, but they don't need any more reminders.  Not 100' from where Tower 1 once stood.
3. DWTS winner announced.  I'll be honest, I watch this show but generally don't pay much attention.  The Bruno guy is hilarious though, and I look forward to hearing his comments.  Nicole Scherzinger beat out figure-skater Evan Lysacek and ESPN's Erin Andrews.  Not sure if this was a shocker or not, but either way, I'm looking forward to seeing this Bruno Tonioli guy again.
4. Phoenix Suns tie series with Lakers 2-2.  I hate the Lakers, as I've stated before.  What won them the game?  Simple, their bench, which was non-existent in the first three games of the series.  The Suns bench scored 54 points last night (76 previous three games).  Good for you Phoenix, take the series.  I don't need another Celtics-Lakers finals.
5. 2014 Super Bowl at Meadowlands Stadium.  Good to see a Super Bowl being played in a cold weather state.  Bloomberg said it, this region is a great place to come to.  NYC is an awesome place and I know people from all over the country attend the Super Bowl every year, and many probably have never been to the NYC area.  Bob Golic is saying that weather shouldn't be an issue in the biggest game of the year, but in 2007, Super Bowl XLI was played in the rain down in Miami.  It's cold in February, sure, but why not.  Why the hell not?  Good for you NFL, now let's hope the Giants or Jets are playing.
6. Yankees woes!  A.J. Burnett finally settled down and was throwing a good game - 5 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K and 75 pitches before the rains came and washed out the game against the Twins.  His last three starts before last night were a mixed bag.  He got rocked vs. Tampa on the 19th, pitched well vs. the Twins on the 14th, and was tattooed by the Red Sox on the 9th.  I hope he uses it as something to build off, because his stuff is way better than he's showed the past few.  The Yankees, however, are 6-3 in games he starts.  Still waiting for a 10+ strikeout game.
7. King beds.  At home, me and Lindsay and Nathan share a double bed.  After sleeping in this king bed in the hotel last night, it brings me back to my thoughts whenever I stay in a hotel - king beds should be mandatory.  It's like sleeping in an in-ground pool.  The thing is huge.  Maybe it's the hotel bed idea, that they are always so comfortable (except at a Days Inn).  
8. "Future gay terrorists."  This is stuff that shouldn't happen.  A soldier is under investigation after a video was posted on Facebook.  The video showed two children who were asked, "Are you going to grow up to be a terrorist?", to which the children gave thumbs up.  Chances are they didn't understand English, but seriously, are you that stupid that you'd:  1. say something so ignorant to two kids, and 2. post it on Facebook?  Stupid ass.
9. Flying anytime soon?  Here's a few tips to securing some cheaper airfare.  1. Very few seats are ever on sale - when you see a low price deal, book it.  2. Tuesday is the best day to shop for airfare, at around 3:00pm.  3. Friday and Sunday are the most expensive days to fly, so plan accordingly.  4. Book at least two weeks in advance, maybe even three weeks.  Here's a test I just did on Southwest Airlines - if I wanted to fly from NY to Denver: in 5 days, $311; in 12 days, $219; in 20 days, $189.  5. Pack a carry on bag.  Baggage fees suck.  6. Fly midweek.  Have a good flight.
10. Back to the Bronx.  Some local news from the Bronx.  This morning, two parents are under arrest after leaving their baby in a parking lot near 161st St.  Both parents say they thought the other had the child.  Maybe they thought there was a Yankee game that the kid wanted to see. 

OK, time to get ready for a late breakfast.  It's nice not having to wake up at 7:30am and get to the park at 9:15am to start batting practice.  Let's hope we can dust the sand out of our eyes and play a great game today.  Lindsay is coming up today, Nathan is staying in Long Island.  We'll miss that pup.  He's become the unofficial mascot of the Jaspers.

Misc.

TV:  Lindsay is watching "Real Housewives of NY" on DVR and this "Countess" is singing this song, and this boob who's playing the piano is convincing her she sounds good - this is total trash, I want to throw the remote through the television, but I'll hold back.  Here's the link for those of you who love torturing yourself:  LuAnn's Craptastic Song.

Music:  The first random song of the day today was "1901" by Phoenix.  Makes you want to nod your head a little bit.  I'm not a huge fan of it, but I might let it play all the way through - here's a link to this one:  "1901".

Local News:  According to NY1, more than 40% of streetlights are out on our local highways here in the Bronx.  Here's the breakdown:  Major Deegan (I-87):  38%; Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95):  46%; Henry Hudson Parkway (US-9):  43%.  Not only are we dealing with pot-hole filled roads, but the damn light aren't working either.  The Alexander Hamilton Bridge, however, is in complete darkness.

Sports:  The Yankees blew another game last night, to the Red Sox - Mariano got the loss because Marcus Thames went from hero to goat in the course of 24 hours.  Dropped a pop-up in short right field - bad baseball play.  Tonight they open up a two-game set with the best team in baseball, the Rays.  Tonight's pitching matchup is: Wade Davis (TB) 3-3, 3.38 ERA vs. A.J. Burnett (NY) 4-1, 3.31 ERA.  Fixing to be a pretty tight one, unless Davis pitches like he generally does against the Yankees - 5.73 ERA in two home starts vs. NY in his career.  This is his first time taking the bump in the Bronx.  I just hope Carlos Peña decides not to get hot - he's only hitting .191 with 5 HR this year.  Friday, the Yankees head to Queens to open up their weekend series with Los Mets. 

Miscellaneous:  Lindsay has been asking me what I want for my birthday for the past few weeks and I honestly have no idea what I want.  I am a very good gift giver, but when it comes to telling people (Lindsay) what I want, I struggle.  Nathan is here, next to me, chewing his rawhide - he loves the stuff, but only the ones with a bacon flavored treat in the middle - gives him something to work for.  He snagged a piece of Lindsay's steak tonight - I made steaks with an avocado/jalapeño/mango/salsa mixture - pretty good.  Dessert is Ben & Jerry's Key Lime Pie flavor - it's a limited batch. 

Hands Off!  Let's go Yankees!!