On to Phase 2; Lindsay's Night Out; Tiny Zoo; Pickup Football

On to Phase 2
With us having completed the regular season in the MAAC and finishing as the #1 seed for next weeks MAAC Tournament in Trenton, NJ (at the home of Yankees' AA affiliate Trenton Thunder), today is a day off.  I can't really say it's much needed since the rain earlier in the week coupled with commencement setup in the gym meant that we had two days off from practice (Monday, Tuesday) but it certainly isn't something I'm complaining about.

We had a game Friday and two Saturday with Iona, who always plays us tough, but took care of business and hopefully built up some momentum going into the four team playoff.  With the sweep, our regular season record is 21-2 in MAAC games (31-17 overall).  A pretty good year by any standards, but it really means nothing without some hardware at the end.

And that hardware is the MAAC Championship ring. 

The dogpile after the final out is recorded in the clinching game - that feeling (although I never experienced it as a player since our teams were slightly above average with talent and champions of boozing) was something I cannot explain.  It makes all the shitty practices at 6am in January with snow on the ground worth it.  It makes taking out and putting up the outfield fence (yes, we might be the only team in DI baseball that does this) worth it.  It makes not having music or a National Anthem (definitely the only school in the country not allowed to play it because the parks woman in charge is a complete piece of shit bitch) a little more tolerable.  But more importantly, it's something the players will never, ever forget.
We have a solid core of seniors, and for them, this is everything.  I just hope the rest of the guys realize what these four seniors have done for this program (almost 1,000 hits combined in 4 years) and play with a little pride for them (and themselves).  The most important thing though, is staying loose.  Remain focused on what it is we're there to do - win the whole fucking thing! (to quote the legendary Jake Taylor from Major League).  But we gotta stay loose, play loose, have fun, and just do what we've managed to do all year - win.

We just gotta go out there and do it.  Believe in ourselves. Trust one another.  And throw strikes and get good performances from our starting pitching.  When we go to the bullpen, we need tough SOB's coming into the game to get outs.  We need to scratch across runs anyway possible.  Solid defense needs to be paramount as well.

I can wax poetic about this and that and what everyone needs to do but in the end it comes down to one thing:  who wants it the most?

I'd like to think it's us.

Lindsay's Night Out
Last night was her first away from Nolan.  With me at a doubleheader until 5:30pm, my parents were nice enough to come in and help look after N & N while Lindsay got ready to go out for her friend Rosie's bachelorette party. 

She opted for the dinner portion of the party so she drove into the city to meet up with the girls.  She had some champagne and a glass of vino at dinner (at some Greek place on 60th) and got back to the apartment around 10:30pm. 

She had hangar steak, something I don't think I've ever seen her order at any point since we've known one another.  She never gets steak, but hey, I guess a baby makes you crave different things.

Overall she said she had a great time seeing everyone.  The next time we'll see them all is at the wedding in Syracuse sometime in June.  Jesse and Julia will be traveling with us to take care of the little man while we head to the wedding. 

Should be a cramped 5-hour ride to the Cuse.

Tiny Zoo (for iPad)
This game is seriously a safe version of crack.  The premise is simple - build the best virtual zoo ever!

And I am well on my way.  Call me a loser, go ahead - but you're a loser too because you're definitely checking it out right now.

I've got African elephants, jackrabbits, black bears, chimps, Indian rhino, red panda, an ocelot, cheetah, butterflies, and even a mustang.  I got plenty of shops and food vendors to keep my loyal customers happy.

I am currently waiting for the second expansion of my zoo to be completed (ETA 17h 50m) before I can add some more badass animals.
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=9171629383088672152
Seriously though, this game is like crack.  Remember FarmVille for Facebook?  This is that times 1,285.  At least.

Pickup Football
There's a park behind my building where all sorts of crazy shit goes on (see previous posts about boy's softball) but right now, there's a pantheon of men (some young, some with a full head of white hair) playing pickup football.  Maybe they're hoping to get picked up if the NFL is looking for replacement players.  They scream, hoot, and holler - and part of me wants to join the game, but I think I'd be a little too intense for the older guys out there.  I might be compelled to put on on his ass (yes, even though it is two-hand touch).

Sunday mornings year round is football in Riverdale.  There's some yarmulkes (pronouced:  YAH-ma-ka) out there too - I think they know they'll never make it the NFL as a player (however, as an owner, they might have their day). NY Giants QB Sage Rosenfels gives them a little glimmer of hope, though.  After doing a but of research - read: Googling "Jews in the NFL", the results indicate there are quite a few Jews in the NFL (here's a list).  Pretty surprising names on this list - and a lot don't even sound Jewish.  I mean San Diego's long snapper David Binn (apparently Jewish) used to date Pamela Anderson for shit's sake!  Binn there, done that - like most of Hollywood.

Mazel tov!

OK.  Nolan's been sleeping in his lamb swing while I've been sitting next to him writing this post and he's finally starting to stir, so I am gonna get going.  Lindsay is feeling a little worn down lately, so she's still in bed (it's 9:33am, practically a hibernation on a baby's clock) so she is trying to recuperate a little bit.  It wears me out so I can imagine how it must kick her ass - home all day with the dog and the baby.  She enjoys it immensely, I know she does - but that doesn't mean she doesn't get worn out.  I am sure she'll read this when she wakes up - hopefully feeling a little better.

Til next time knuckleheads.

Sigh-tings; 5 Guys; Only One is Perfect; Graduation

Sigh-tings
On the way back from Buffalo on Sunday - a very long ride given he fact that we blew a 4-run ninth inning lead - we stopped off to eat.  I needed to eat, and the shortest line was at KFC - not my first option, but certainly the best.  I ordered my meal, which came to $6.46 or something like that.  As I'm waiting, a lady walks in with coupons and proceeds to order a shit-ton of chicken and biscuits and sides.  Her total - $64.83.  Are you kidding me lady?  Who the hell are you feeding $64.83 worth of chicken to at 4:30 on a Sunday afternoon?  You're swine?  This is the problem with the country.  Then, she went outside for a smoke while she waited.  This lady has got some life going on.  Not only was she severely obese (which I assume is from eating excessively and/or competitively) but she smoked.  She might be dead in 8 years.  And it's an epidemic in this country - people eat out at fast food chains because it's cheaper than cooking healthy food at home - or is it? 

I am far from wealthy, but I do a pretty good job of cooking at home on a budget.  I mean shit, go on the Internet and type in "cheap dinner ideas" and I guarantee there'll be hundreds and thousands of recipes helping you out.

We went to Long Island yesterday (Lindsay, Nolan, Nathan, and myself) to get Lindsay's push present (for pushing out Nolan).  The ring came out very nice, so now she's got a engagement ring sandwiched between two wedding bands.  She deserves it.

We then took a trip to Target later in the day and as we were parking, the both of us noticed something totally random - two 50-something year-olds having a catch in the middle of the parking lot.  Needless to say, this is one of the oddest sightings I've had in my life.  One was a lefty (had a pretty good arm) and the other a righty (who was terrible).  There they were, throwing a baseball around at 5:00pm in a Target parking lot.  We shook our heads and kept to the course.

5 Guys
Quite possibly the best chain hamburger place around (and they make a mean hot dog too!).  The fries are plentiful as well.  You order - and they do everything for you.  There's a list of 15 or so items that can be added to your burger or hot dog and you just let them know what you want, so your hands stay clean - until you start eating.

The burgers (a regular contains two patties) is $5.29 and the hot dog is $3.49 but it's worth it.

Maybe the best part is that they have Fanta Birch Beer soda on tap, a favorite of mine.  I've stated my opinions on Birch Beer soda several times here on WRT and totally forget that the 5 Guys by my house in Levittown has it on tap.  As far as I'm concerned, it should be standard at every restaurant in America, if not the world.

Go find yourself a 5 Guys for lunch today.  But don't go for the large fries, they'll put you in a food coma.

Only One is Perfect
We lost our first conference game Sunday, making  Bethune-Cookman the only DI team in the country to still be undefeated in conference (and their regular season is complete, so barring a miracle by any of the other MEAC teams, they'll soon secure a berth in the NCAA Tournament.  We were the second until our epic collapse on Sunday.

We have two more MAAC weekends - this weekend versus second place Rider and the following Thursday/Friday versus Iona (who always gives us fits).  The conference playoffs start on Wednesday the 25th down in Trenton (at the home of the AA Yankees affiliate Trenton Thunder).  We need two more wins to secure the top spot in the tournament, which only means we'd be the home team every game.

Graduation
I gotta get going, there's some things to do around here to get ready for graduation - everything basically gets shoved into the back of the gym so that it looks halfway presentable in here.  Literally, everything that is not behind a fence here in this gym gets shoved in a 6' x 50' space behind the bleachers in the back of the gym.  And it's a wonder why shit always gets broken around here.

Anyway, I'm out.  We've got a game at 5pm against Sacred Heart up in Bridgeport, CT.  We leave at 2:30pm and are skipping batting practice.  Today is the last day of class and it's a Friday schedule, so we're able to get a game in.  Looking to get back in the W column before a big series this weekend - Senior Day Weekend.

Later yo!

Believe; Playlist-ism, Pt. 2

Let's try it again. After we scored four in the top of the 11th to break open a scoreless game, we let up five ... all with two outs ... to lose. Demoralizing. Sure. Embarrassing. You bet. Motivation moving forward proving to our guys that any team is dangerous (they were the worst team in the league). Absolutely.

We gotta regroup. We're still in a great position. Our bullpen needs to find their toughness. Strikes early are key. Location late is more important. And you know what? Confidence goes a long way - believing you're better than him. That can take you places. Pitching with intensity. Pitching like you're the best fucking guy on the field. That's what I like. I didn't have the best stuff when I played, but I was a tough SOB out there. I talked shit after I got someone out - I could. I backed it up and I believed in myself. O didn't doubt myself or my ability to execute a pitch. When I was out there, I was accountable for what I did. I wanted the ball. The results didn't always go my way, and when that was the case I was pissed off - at myself. I failed. If you've ever let 30 other guys down, you know what I mean. Unless you genuinely are that selfish and just roll with the "oh well" thing. Not "oh well" - it should fire you up inside when you fail - at anything. The next time out, I'd aim to be even better, tougher, meaner. We'll see if these guys have "it" or not the next time out.

Time for Playlist-ism, Pt. 2.  We've got three and a half MFing hours left. I want to see the family and help Lindsay out with the kid. He's being a handful still. I said a prayer he'd be good until I get home. We'll see if the big dude upstairs can help me (us) out.

Here goes.

- Feeling Good by Muse (1, so not feeling good)
- 6 Foot, 7 Foot by Lil Wayne (3+, just because he amazes me with the lyrics he comes with)
- The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows by Brand New (4, because they rule)
- Rolling In The Deep by Adele (5, this song is catchy and the album (yes I own the album) is awesome)
- Out Come The Bastards by This Is Hell (4+, aggression at its finest)
- Neon Tiger by The Killers (4, because I saw them in Boston and this song was great)
- Hurt by NIN (5+, "I focus on the pain, the only thing that's real" - epic song)
- Where Is Everybody by NIN (4+, they're a Top 5 band and every song is fuel)
- Sabertooth Tiger by Cage the Elephant (3+, fast, electro-rock)
- No Love by Eminem (5+, because all I can think of is Will Ferrell on SNL, ha, makes me laugh. Great song, and Lil Wayne is on it)
- Shake Me Down by Cage the Elephant (4+, love this jam because the lyrics ring true to real f'ing life)
- Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash (5, an American icon who cannot get anything less than a 5)

That's all for this edition. I hope maybe I inspired some to listen to some new music and I'm sorry if I went off on a tangent about believing in yourself.

Coming In

First off, a Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there (especially Lindsay) who has the.misfortune of spending her first alone with Nolan until later tonight when I return from the B-Lo.

The photo is of an airplane coming in for a landing only a few hundred yards away. The airport is right across the street from the hotel.  Lindsay always likes seeing planes.coming in, so this is for her. She hates flying but loves watching them, weird but true.

Speaking of hotels, the Holiday Inn Express has the best smelling shampoo, soap, and conditoner I've ever smelled.  It's a smell that's hard to describe - maybe spiced oranges mixed with apple cider? Whatever the actual flavor is called, I would drink it if they made it into something edible.  Seriously, that shit is awesome.

Tomorrow we go to get Lindsay her push present. I may get myself a tattoo as well commemorating Nolan. The tattoo parlor is right across the street from the jewelry store.  Talk about one stop shopping!

We're headed to the field now so I'm going to cut this.short.  Going for the sweep today over Niagara. We won 9-7 and 4-0 yesterday.  Our bullpen tried to blow it but we had just enough to get it done. Here's to a win today, otherwise that 6 hour bus ride home is going to be pretty shitty.

Once again, Happy Mother's Day! Enjoy yourselves ... you deserve it.

And Lindsay, I hope Nolan let's you sleep a little today since he's been a pill the last two nights. I'll be home later to help.

Much love!

Wipeout; Buffalo; Mother's Day; Ballin'

Wipeout
Spring Wipeout tonight was amazing!  The spring loaded giant boxing glove knocked the crap out of people - when they least expected it.  Always hilarious when people get knocked down an entire flight of stairs they just climbed.

And then there's the ever-present "big balls".  In case you've never watched it, as many of you never have, there's a series of four giant, red balls the contestants need to try to get over - almost impossible, although it's been done before:

One of the finalists even proposed - right before he got eliminated.  Pretty cool though.

Buffalo
Tomorrow we head up to Buffalo to take on the Niagara Purple Eagles on Saturday and Sunday.

We're 14-0 in MAAC play, but we haven't locked up a playoff spot yet.  Still have 9 games left so we gotta keep these guys motivated and hungry for more wins.  We're 24-15 overall, which is pretty good, but we know we still have a ways to go before we consider this a successful season.

Mother's Day
It also marks the first trip I'll make away from Lindsay and Nolan (I'll also miss a majority of her first Mother's Day).  It'll be tough but knowing that her mother is here til Sunday gives me a little solace.

She's been doing a great job with the little guy, who can be a handful - especially recently.  He's been very fussy before he passes out, but I guess he doesn't know any better, he can't speak so the only way to communicate is to cry.

When he's awake and alert, he makes some pretty funny faces though, kinda like his old man.  Right  now the both of them are passed out on the couch next to me.  I will go to sleep once they wake up so he can eat and I can change his diaper, around 11:00pm.  Then we'll be up for about an hour before he finally decides to sleep until 4:00am.  He sleeps pretty well once he decides to fall asleep, so I won't complain there.

Ballin'
I am still ballin' outta control every morning (except Tuesday, because it was a baseball game day).  My jump shot is getting better which is good, but it's a hell of a workout.

The trickiest part is accounting for the wind, which can be a real bitch sometimes because we're so close to the mighty Hudson River.

Whatever, it's all about adjustments.

I am going to browse the Internet and check out some of my friends blogs and comment, since I've been awful at that of late.

All Over the Place

Time is a hot commodity lately now that our lives have forever changed with the birth of our first baby, Nolan.

The kid is awesome - he cries when he wants food, needs a diaper change, or is tired - basically all things that us adults wish we could do. 

A lot of shit has been going on in the news lately, so I want to keep everyone up to date.

bin Laden Dead! - Let no one ever say a bad thing about US Intelligence.  Those men and women who work for our intel are amazing.  Not to mention the Navy SEALS (SEAL Team 6) who popped a cap in his head.  Great work!  Sure, the head of this terrorist movement behind 9/11 is gone, but there's plenty of splinter groups.  Terrorism will never be totally eliminated, but justice was served.  They gave him a proper burial at sea, which wasn't all bad - if it had been on land, it'd mark a place to meet and would almost be a tourist attraction of sorts.  He's in a bag, at the bottom of the ocean.  Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

N(issan)YC? - Nissan minivans, currently being produced in Mexico, are the next up for the NYC taxicabs.  I am not sure if they're going to be eco-friendly and electric, but I'm guessing they are.  Nissan makes good minivans?  I had no idea.  I guess with one child, I am not yet in the market for such a vessel.  The CR-V Lindsay is driving around in is family car enough for me.

Three Years for Murder? - A 16-year old has been sentenced to three years in an Indian juvenile facility for slitting his mother's throat in India.  Three years in juvie?  Come on.  He blamed the trauma caused by his parents divorce as the reason.  Really kid, trauma?  Is a divorce less severe than homicide?  I guess this red-headed freak thought so.  Oh, and the kids father is a professor at Pitt.  Good luck with that one.

Speaking of Pittsburgh - Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall is a total douche bag.  The tweets he made after the announcement of bin Laden's death are mind blowing.  Is this guy a fucking idiot or what?  Seriously, if you're a Steelers fan, you might want to think twice about cheering for this douche bag.  I hope Ray Lewis lays his dopey ass out.

Break Up the Royals - The Kansas City Royals are 2nd in the MLB in batting average, at a whopping .274 clip.  They are 4.5 games back of the surprising Indians, who everyone figured would play their season out like a modern version of Major League.  I guess you shouldn't be that surprised - they were 2nd in average during the 2010 season as well, at a .274 clip (not a typo).  Last year, they were 29th in pitching though, which is why they sucked. The season is still young, but enjoy it while it lasts Royals fans.

Ballin' - I was involved in my first pick-up game.  Five Spanish-speaking dudes and me.  I had no idea what the fuck they were saying the entire time, but I said "when you guys figure out what it is you're trying to figure out, let me know...in English" and they all laughed.  I played hard and went after the ball.  They were calling these ticky-tack fouls on one another, and I was really getting pissed.  It's street basketball - believe me, I'm not our for blood (or am I?) but just play the game.  There are NO free throws so what the shit is the point of calling a foul?  It was 3-on-3, my team won, 17-15, and I had 9 points.  I shot the ball a little bit, but my points game on my furious drives to the rack.  One guy on the other team said "this guy wants to win" - well no shit dipstick, what's the point of playing if I want to lose.  I'm a competitor.  Deal with is.  I am sure they'll see me again, and this time, they might want me on their team - unlike this time, when I was just some blanco who had no game.  WRONG pendejo's!

I'm out.  Time for a Guinness. 

Oh yeah, and we beat Fordham today, 8-0.  Our third shutout in the past three weeks.  It was a good win, especially since they're our intra-borough rivals.  They beat us earlier in the season, but we're a different team now.  Heading up to Buffalo this weekend to take on Niagara in a conference weekend - we better be ready to deliver a TKO.  I hate Niagara.  Niagara Falls are nice, but that's all.

And we have a pig roast.  Our third baseman's father is from there and has family there, and every year we go there we have a pig roast.  It really is a nice spread.  And the guys usually enjoy it, which is rare because kids bitch about anything and everything.

OK Guinness, here I come!

I'm on a Bus; Random Thoughts

I'm on a Bus
It feels like I'm experiencing deja vu all over again as we head out to NY Tech on Long Island for a 3:30pm game today.

We just crossed over the beautiful Throgs Neck Bridge and are officially in Queens.  What a drive.

Random Thoughts
I saw a lady earlier smoking on a cancer stick while walking her baby. Seems like a good idea no? Oh wait, not at all.

I brought my sunblock, yes! Score one for Mr. Forgetful over here. The sun is out in full force, so to prevent my ears from frying I'll break out the SPF30.

Ginger Ale and Sierra Mist are my two favorite carbonated beverages. (& Boylan's Birch Beer).

Shots are awful (except the Patron shots we stopped off for after our wedding ceremony).

I read UsWeekly - so what. It's right on the line of material that's interesting and easy to read (for a slow reader like myself).

People who drive with their blinker on for more than 2 miles should get a ticket. There should be a number you can call and have them busted.

Almost at the field, so I'll bid you farewell.

Nolan, Nathan, & Lindsay are enjoying this glorious day without me. I'll see them later (after I pick up PB and English Muffins for Lindsay).

Due Date; Library; Sigh-tings; Work

Due Date
Today is the official due date for Baby D, except this baby will not come out.  I had my money on yesterday, April 13th, but that didn't pan out either.  Lindsay has another doctor's appointment Monday, so we'll see how it goes from there.

The doctor told her she isn't going to go past a week after today, so by the 21st (hopefully not the 20th, that's Hitler's birthday) we should have a baby, I think.


Library
I walked in to work today seeing that it's shaping up to be an awesome day out there, and my first stop was the library.  Yes, the school library.  The one I hadn't been to in over three years (since I was completing my Master's degree).

The sole purpose was to print stuff out.  You see, my grandmother got me a jack-of-all-trades, bomb-ass printer for Christmas, but... ah nevermind.  Long story short, my computer shit out, I took it to the school tech guy who installed some bullshit OS on it and it isn't compatible.  Not enough time to go back and sit with this guy for three hours so he can uninstall this OS.  I gotta get on this, ASAP.

I had to print out tax return stuff - what a dent that is - and some stuff for the hospital.

Sigh-tings
- A 60-year-old man wearing an Ed Hardy sweatshirt.  And slip-on shoes.  And a t-shirt underneath.  Maybe it was Ed himself.  If not, this old bugger must not have anyone who cares about what he dresses like in public.

- A guy (maybe mid-20's) wearing a mesh Corona trucker hat.  Since when is the Bronx a spring break destination?  And didn't those novelty mesh hats go out a few years back?  I have a TB Rays one and Lindsay a Phillies one, but Corona?  Come on man, what are you auditioning for the Jersey Shore?

Work
Alright, it's about that time to head to work - actually, I'm there, just in a different area than normal.  I hope you enjoyed the photo of our team taking the 1 Train to Columbia for yesterday's game.  We wound up losing because of a few bad pitches and a costly error.  But hey, that's baseball.  6-5 was the final.  Our nation-long 10-game win streak is by the wayside as is our 6-game road win streak.  The important games are this weekend versus Marist, at home.

Conference games are what counts - they all count, but we'll never get an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, so midweek losses are water under the bridge.  Learn from the mistakes and move on.

Me, I'm moving on, from this tired library.  These kids are robots, pecking at the keys looking half in the bag.  Good for them.

Good Start

It's always nice to start off well, but it's all about how you finish.  Got more good pitching and a timely hit to take game three 3-1.  A crisp two hours and nine minute game, excellent.

Almost home, on the GWB now. May head to our favorite Sunday spot for food. But only if the "Bros n White Racks" marathon is over. It's her call, haha.

I am starving. All I had was a half bag of sunflower seeds throughout the game and an egg sandwich this morning.

After food I'll probably blog again from our terrace. With beer. And music. And Nathan running in and out. While wifester relaxes.

Nice little Sunday Funday. Or what's left of it.

Sunday Funday

Headed out to Jersey City again for game three of our series with the Peacocks.

Forecast says cloudy the entire day, so that's some good news for my neck, which has a very, very nice brown complexion, similar to cooked bacon.  I brought sunblock today so that my neck doesn't crisp up too bad, and I think I'll apply the Banana Boat SPF 30 anyway.

Our assistant coach is more concerned with what his uniform pants look like than anything else this morning.  As if he might get a pinch hit at-bat - oh wait, he won't.  At least he'll look good - coaching first!

There's some little kids day-care like basketball bullshit going on here in the gym, and I got here at 8:00 and was immediately bombarded with questions regarding this event.  I was never told what needed to be done for the event, but everyone assumed I did.  Way to start my day - bitterness is running high right now.

Anyways, time to get on the bus.  A few first inning runs will make my bitterness go away, I hope.  as long as we shut it down and take the third game.

Game Day

Just got in after a few stops - to get sunflower seeds and some Hot Tamales - and had some breakfast.

Now I've got to go get things ready for today's double dip with the St. Peter's Peacocks.  They're a tough team who always seems to give us fits when we meet.  They got the upper hand, since the game is in beautiful Jersey City - but let's not forget where we're from - the Bronx.

I've got tempered expectations for today, but I think we're a better team.  We've just gotta show up, play hard, play smart, and pitch.  I think we'll get our hits too, they just need to be timely and with men on base.

Tune back in later amigos and amigas!

Lunch Post

Just when I thought we'd get to practice outside, I was told otherwise. The light - but very steady - rain that fell last night has made our field more convenient for ducks to swim on than for us to practice on.  Northeast weather at its finest.

So I sit here in Subway, reading the Daily News, trying to learn what's going on in the world (or NYC).  Here's a few headlines I've come across so far.

"They're an Al-Bama Slamma!" - referring to Obama and Sharpton at National Action Network event in NYC. Not sure about any details of this meeting, I just loved the header.

"Granny gets 3 yrs. in voodoo kid-burn" - three years in prison for watching her six-year-old granddaughter get set on fire in a demon-casting ritual. Doesn't seem like enough to me.

"Rikers jailer busted in cocaine-for-freedom deal" - a corrections officer promised to spring an inmate for 3 kilos of coke. Good hire that was.

"Kin renew efforts for Big Pun Place" - relatives of the dead rapper want a Bronx street named in his honor.  Crush-a-lot Ave. doesn't sound like a good street to live on.

"Mike & Yikes" - back page title referring to Mets starter Mike Pelfrey, who lasted two innings against the Phillies and saw his ERA go to 15.63 for the year. And I really like Mike & Ikes.

No headline, but I saw Amar'e Stoudemire turn his ankle last night trying to get back on defense.  Imagine that, the Knicks playing defense? Ha.

Headed over to the field, maybe it's not as bad as before and we can get outside for practice.

DJ BJ; PPV; Game Off; Snooki: WWE Star; Calhoun Speech?

DJ BJ
DJ Mister Cee, a Hot 97 deejay, was busted for having oral sex in his car - WITH A DUDE!  He currently (I guess) hosts the "Throwback at Noon" and was on the air as recently as today.  The radio station manager said the allegations against him are not true.  Innocent until proven guilty?  I say guilty until proven innocent.

PPV
Since I've been getting some laughs out of some of you regarding the porn titles on PPV - or iN1 92 and iN1 93 - I will continue the trend.  Here's some clever movie titles from some big named originals:
Add Momma to the Train - not about an actual locomotive
Saturday Night Beaver - I don't think Amy Poehler or Andy Samburg are featured in this one
Ass Ventura: Crack Detective - Einhorn is Finkle! Finkle is Einhorn! Einhorn is a man!

Game Off
Today's game has been cancelled on account of rain and not having a tarp.  I don't think it's even raining out there now but the one hour of heavy rain did our field in.  We have only a mound tarp and a plate tarp, and because all the local yokels play on our field when we're not out there and push around puddles to accomodate their games, our field has some low spots where the water just accumulates and pools up.

Sure, the plate is OK (a little mushy) and the mound is fine (the dirt polymer we built it out of just allows the water to bead up and run off).  But the infield surface is shitty and soft.

Snooki: WWE Star
Check out this move in case you missed Wrestlemania on Sunday night.  Pretty impressive for a little troll to get across the ring and look somewhat athletic.

Calhoun Speech?
This was the pre-game speech to a national championship game?  There was no enthusiasm, no intensity, no nothing.  The game was awful too - besides the fact that they turned it on a little bit in the second half.  I heard the speech from the semifinal game, and it was uninspiring as well. 

Take nothing away from what this guy does on the court during games and in practice - it obviously works.  He's got three national championships to his credit, joining a short list of coaches with that accomplishment - John Wooden (10), Mike Krzyzewski and Adolph Rupp (4), and Bobby Knight (3).  Pretty impressive.

Game Day

Headed down to the field to see what the damage is from last nights rain - if it rained.

I know I went outside this morning to walk Nathan and it was overcast but warm.  Within 30 seconds, it started raining a little bit.

LIU heads over to our friendly, music-less confines for a 3:30pm game.  I hope the sun keeps peeking out and gets rid of the rain.

Lindsay is at the doctor.  Nathan is in his crate sleeping.

Oh, and last night for dinner, I had sweetbreads - the sweetbread of choice last night was calf brain.  And I will tell you this, it was freaking delicious.  A little soft as far as texture goes, but it was awesome - with crispy bacon and honeyed onions - oh man, I'd get them again.

Down to the field.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!