Took a little break from the blog. Didn't get the dream job...the guys who did are pretty good though...no complaints there.
My last blog post previewed the NCAA tournament. Needless to say, my bracket blew up....with the exception of one team. The Connecticut Huskies.
My analysis for tonight's game: Both teams will feel the nerves. Nervous teams equals turnovers equals trackmeets. Everyone is predicting such a low scoring game but I think it will be the opposite. Count how many times tonight you hear the announcers say 'Butler does not want to get into a trackmeet with UConn!' UConn will outrun Butler and put up 3 times as many points in transition. this game will mark the end of an era in UConn basketball as Kemba will be leaving, but the young kids will step up. Kemba goes for 33, Lamb adds 16 and the surprise of the game, Alex Oriakhi, puts up 15 and 15. 81-72 UConn.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Madness
This song is great and the music video is potentially even better. Check it out.
Today is one of the 5 best days of the year. MLB Opening day, NFL Wild Card weekend (counting it as one day) come to mind as being pretty awesome, too.
Wanted to take a moment to go through my bracket a little bit. As I look back on it I realize, man am I a homer for the Big East. No earth shattering upsets picked in the first round. I do have both Richmond and Utah St. winning as 12 seeds. I feel like these are pretty popular picks, though.
My Elite Eight gets a little interesting... Kentucky, Syracuse, Texas, UConn, Kansas, Georgetown, Old Dominion, and St. John's. Yes, I fully expect the Southeast bracket to explode and end up in an Old Dominion vs. St. John's quarterfinal match-up. My final four boils down to Syracuse, UConn, Kansas, and the Johnnies. Championship game is UConn beating Kansas with a 72-69 score.
Is it improbable for UConn to win 5 straight to take the Big East and 6 straight to take the NCAAs? Of course it is. How awesome would it be if they did though? In two weeks we could be looking at Kemba Walker as one of the greatest post-season tournament players in college basketball history. They definitely will have a few hurdles, though, if they want to get there.
Hope everyone enjoys today. Let the madness begin.
Today is one of the 5 best days of the year. MLB Opening day, NFL Wild Card weekend (counting it as one day) come to mind as being pretty awesome, too.
Wanted to take a moment to go through my bracket a little bit. As I look back on it I realize, man am I a homer for the Big East. No earth shattering upsets picked in the first round. I do have both Richmond and Utah St. winning as 12 seeds. I feel like these are pretty popular picks, though.
My Elite Eight gets a little interesting... Kentucky, Syracuse, Texas, UConn, Kansas, Georgetown, Old Dominion, and St. John's. Yes, I fully expect the Southeast bracket to explode and end up in an Old Dominion vs. St. John's quarterfinal match-up. My final four boils down to Syracuse, UConn, Kansas, and the Johnnies. Championship game is UConn beating Kansas with a 72-69 score.
Is it improbable for UConn to win 5 straight to take the Big East and 6 straight to take the NCAAs? Of course it is. How awesome would it be if they did though? In two weeks we could be looking at Kemba Walker as one of the greatest post-season tournament players in college basketball history. They definitely will have a few hurdles, though, if they want to get there.
Hope everyone enjoys today. Let the madness begin.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Kings and Things
Probably one of the best ways to know when someone has reached 'icon status' is when they're promoted to having one name. Elvis. Bono. Madonna. Even modern musicians - Beyonce. Usher. Beiber? Superstars having one name are not uncommon in sports, too. Obviously, international soccer is big into it...Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Pele. Other than that, the NBA is probably the next league where you can identify players by their first names - Kobe, LeBron, Carmelo. Baseball never really picked up the one name thing, but they're all about nicknames and there are some great ones. Hammerin' Hank, Mr. Cub, Lefty, The Kid, The Chairman of the Board, The Babe, The Mick, The Iron Horse, The Say Hey Kid, The Wizard of Oz, Pudge. Where did these come from?! Kind of makes me curious what the nicknames of the future will be.
Getting back on track a little bit, I originally got on the topic of Elvis thinking about his nickname - The King (Elvis has the one name icon status AND a definable nickname? Now THAT is big time). Why did I think about The King? Because I watched The King's Speech tonight...obviously. I'll start off by saying, after seeing this film it absolutely deserved to win the Oscar for Best Picture and Colin Firth no doubt deserved Best Actor. When I wrote about Black Swan, I mentioned how the directing stood out to me. Watching The King's Speech, the part that stands out to me is the script and blocking of the story itself. Fittingly enough, it won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. In a story about words and the problems that can come when one delivers those words, it's fitting that the words themselves (or in this case sometimes the fragments of words, or the pauses between words, or hesitation between syllables) are the part that stand out to me. Of course, a lot of this has to do with Firth, as well. Imagining that every stutter was written into the script is ridiculous. It was really the ability of Firth to become his character that made his disjointed lexicon flow so freely. Definitely a performance worthy of Best Actor. I'm giving The King's Speech 5 stars out of 5. Photo: Elvis Presley doing his thing Credit: Google images; The King's Speech Movie Poster Credit: The Weinstein Company
Thursday, March 10, 2011
In Kemba We Trust
For anyone who did not see it today:
Absolutely unreal. Kemba Walker is a beast. I bet the Heat wish they had him right now as their closer instead of LeBron.
UConn takes on Syracuse next. I still remember the pain felt during that 6 overtime loss. Win or lose vs. the 'cuse, I think the Huskies have a 4 seed in the dance locked down.
To get back to Kemba, it'll be interesting to see where he goes in the draft. One negative for him is that he's tiny. Not sure how he'd match up against Williams, Rose, Rondo and the other top point guards in the league. He's definitely got some intangibles, though. Depending on his show in the tourney he could turn into a lottery pick - look at what one good tournament did to put Stephen Curry on the map and into a 7th overall pick.
EDIT: Just hit me I wrote that post while failing to comment on Jim Calhoun's happy dance after the shot. Truly incredible. Please watch that video again and take note.
Video: Kemba Walker draining the winning shot vs. Pitt on 10-Mar-2011 Credit: ESPN
Absolutely unreal. Kemba Walker is a beast. I bet the Heat wish they had him right now as their closer instead of LeBron.
UConn takes on Syracuse next. I still remember the pain felt during that 6 overtime loss. Win or lose vs. the 'cuse, I think the Huskies have a 4 seed in the dance locked down.
To get back to Kemba, it'll be interesting to see where he goes in the draft. One negative for him is that he's tiny. Not sure how he'd match up against Williams, Rose, Rondo and the other top point guards in the league. He's definitely got some intangibles, though. Depending on his show in the tourney he could turn into a lottery pick - look at what one good tournament did to put Stephen Curry on the map and into a 7th overall pick.
EDIT: Just hit me I wrote that post while failing to comment on Jim Calhoun's happy dance after the shot. Truly incredible. Please watch that video again and take note.
Video: Kemba Walker draining the winning shot vs. Pitt on 10-Mar-2011 Credit: ESPN
Dream Job Essay: MVP Race
Below is my 'essay' submitted for the dream job. My thoughts on the 2011 MVP race...enjoy...
This seems like it would be taking the easy way out, but I can't really see it any other way. My pick for NL MVP has to be Albert Pujols. My main reason is very simple. So simple it only needs two words to describe: Contract Year.
I'm a huge fan of statistics, too, which provide even more evidence. First and foremost, the guy is averaging 40.8 home runs a year for his career. The past five NL MVPs are averaging 41.8 homers a year. No matter what, the old adage still applies - chicks dig the long ball.
I think my new favorite stat is FanGraphs' WAR. While it's impossible to compare players across generations due to updates in technology, expansion, *cough* PED's *cough*, etc., I think WAR allows for the most even playing field when it comes to this. In a comparison of Pujols with the past three NL MVPs not named Pujols, the numbers are pretty incredible. All 10 of Albert's seasons in the majors except for one (his 2nd year in the league) were better than each of Votto, Rollins, and Howard's MVP seasons. Again, barring injury, this is pretty much a lock.
Also let's not forget those two magical words which go without explaining: Contract Year.
The AL MVP race is much less clear in my eyes. For this award I'll be calling upon my expertise, The Yankees, and will say that the 2011 AL MVP will be none other than Alex Rodriguez. The case for A-Rod is much less about statistics and performance, as it was with Pujols, but more about mental strength and health. Everyone knows what Rodriguez can do when he is healthy - he is purely a monster. Being the fastest to get to 600 home runs, he has proven he can hit the long ball. He is the active leader and 17th all time in RBIs, showing he can drive in runs. He also has the ability to get hotter than any player I have witnessed in my lifetime and carry a team on his back with a 14 home run month. There is no doubt A-Rod has the baseball ability to win AL MVP. Let's take a look at what has held him back though - his health and his head. For the first time since his MVP year in 2007, Alex is healthy. He has shed about 10 lbs. coming into camp and I can tell you from seeing him in person last week, the dude is ripped. On the mental side, Alex was winning MVPs in 2005 and 2007 when New York hate him for not being Derek Jeter. Since then he's been a clutch performer in crunch time, gotten his personal life in order, and won a World Series. The pressure is off and now it's just time for him to play....which he is damn good at. Alex Rodriguez, your 2011 AL MVP. Getcha popcorn ready, Cameron.
Monday, March 7, 2011
MLB Dream Job
So I haven't posted this on here until now (ha...I didn't want anyone else to know about it who didn't already), but Major League Baseball is looking for someone for what they call their 'Dream Job'. The idea is that they'll hire one person, set them up in an apartment New York City starting on Opening Day 2011 (March 31) and follow their experiences as they watch every game of the entire baseball season, blog about it, chat about it, and pretty much overdose on baseball until the playoffs are over in October. I've read a lot of people's opinions saying how this would be overkill and how they would go nuts after watching so much baseball literally every day for the whole summer. ha...I couldn't disagree more, though.
Needless to say, I applied for Major League Baseball's Dream Job.
Ever since I've applied my imagination has gone a little wild with how ridiculously awesome it would be to actually get selected. People toss around the phrase 'once in a lifetime experience', but honestly if this isn't exactly that then I'm not sure what is. I can genuinely say I'm at a point in my life where I would pack up to move to the Big City without hesitation...which isn't a bad thing! (ha...who needs an apartment?)
I know I'd have a great time with this job, too. I'm pretty sure anyone who knows me (slash who has talked to me, lived with me, partied with me) would know this would be about baseball, sure....but it would also be about having a kickass time living in the best city in the world in my 20's while living out a dream. I really think the goal is to have it be kind of like a reality show for baseball fans - it's got to have the baseball knowledge (check) along with that humor and reality aspect to keep people engaged (check). I'm thinking baseball meets reality meets Charlie Sheen.
Getting to the application process, it consisted of writing a few essays talking about why I'd be perfect for the job and who I thought would be winning the AL/NL MVP awards this season. I'll post those up here in the next few days. I also had to create a 2 minute video introducing myself, showing who I am, that I'm comfortable on camera, etc. I'll try to get that on here too....ha I think it was pretty good. Guess that experience as a POPS emcee in high school paid off. I had to talk about my past experience (as I write this, it hit me I never mentioned anything about any singing/acting/public speaking experience....damn) and I had to submit the link to this blog (if you're looking at this - What up Major League Baseball! Make the right decision and pick me!).
So that's about it. I'll be sure to update if I hear anything. In the meantime, leave some love...let me know if you think this is the right gig for me. Who knows, your comment might be the last piece to make MLB pick me!
Needless to say, I applied for Major League Baseball's Dream Job.
Ever since I've applied my imagination has gone a little wild with how ridiculously awesome it would be to actually get selected. People toss around the phrase 'once in a lifetime experience', but honestly if this isn't exactly that then I'm not sure what is. I can genuinely say I'm at a point in my life where I would pack up to move to the Big City without hesitation...which isn't a bad thing! (ha...who needs an apartment?)
I know I'd have a great time with this job, too. I'm pretty sure anyone who knows me (slash who has talked to me, lived with me, partied with me) would know this would be about baseball, sure....but it would also be about having a kickass time living in the best city in the world in my 20's while living out a dream. I really think the goal is to have it be kind of like a reality show for baseball fans - it's got to have the baseball knowledge (check) along with that humor and reality aspect to keep people engaged (check). I'm thinking baseball meets reality meets Charlie Sheen.
Getting to the application process, it consisted of writing a few essays talking about why I'd be perfect for the job and who I thought would be winning the AL/NL MVP awards this season. I'll post those up here in the next few days. I also had to create a 2 minute video introducing myself, showing who I am, that I'm comfortable on camera, etc. I'll try to get that on here too....ha I think it was pretty good. Guess that experience as a POPS emcee in high school paid off. I had to talk about my past experience (as I write this, it hit me I never mentioned anything about any singing/acting/public speaking experience....damn) and I had to submit the link to this blog (if you're looking at this - What up Major League Baseball! Make the right decision and pick me!).
So that's about it. I'll be sure to update if I hear anything. In the meantime, leave some love...let me know if you think this is the right gig for me. Who knows, your comment might be the last piece to make MLB pick me!
SS!
Even Robinson Cano likes it!
Photo: Robbie Cano at spring training in Lakeland, FL Credit: ME!
Madness
Today is March 7th. The sun is shining (even though it's still only 36 degrees outside), the snow has melted (except for what were formerly huge piles), things are starting to look more green and lively (but maybe that's just me). Oh yeah, one more thing - Selection Sunday is 7 days away!
Whether you like basketball or you don't, you probably agree with me when I say that the NCAA Basketball Tournament is the best post-season in all of sports. Especially in a season like the 2010/2011 NCAA season, where no one team has proven itself to be the best, I believe this tournament will show a level of parity only seen once every few seasons. I could very well see a 4, 5, or 6 seed not only making the final four, but winning the championship. The reason for this is that parity. In some ways, this can be seen just by taking a closer look into the Big East and the teams they will be sending to the dance.
An important thing to remember about March Madness that it's kind of like the NFL playoffs - how you did at the beginning of the season means very little compared to how hot you are entering the tourney. If we take a look into the Big East, we find teams like Pitt and Notre Dame - both likely destined for 1 or 2 seeds, and both with the ability to get hot for two weeks and win 6 games in a row. Looking to the 2nd tier of Big East teams, we find Syracuse, St. John's and Georgetown. Probably 4 or 5 seeds in the tourney, but the same applies for them. Especially looking at St. John's, they seem like a team which is peaking at the precise time needed to make a run. If we look even further down then we get to UConn and Villanova. Depending on what happens in the Big East Tournament, these two teams could see 6 or 7 seeds in the tournament. Both teams have had marquee wins this season, though, and both have the ability to get hot and make a run, as was seen in their pre-season tournaments. Didn't even mention WV or Louisville here, both also clearly with the ability to make some noise. Either way, it will definitely be exciting. Need to get through the gauntlet that is the Big East Tournament first, though.
Want to take a minute to give some press to the Lafayette Leopards men's basketball team for beating American last night (in double overtime!) in the semis of the Patriot League tournament. They'll be playing Bucknell on Friday for a spot in the NCAA tournament. As the 6 seed in the Patriot League tournament nobody even imagined Lafayette would make it this far. Sure would be cool, though, for them to get one more win and make the dance for the first time since 2000.
While we're on the topic of Madness, I watched Black Swan the other night. After hearing all the buzz surrounding this movie and seeing Natalie Portman win the Oscar for Best Actress, I knew it was a must see. Before getting into the content of the movie itself, I think a big thumbs up first needs to go to Mila Kunis for her performance. She portrayed what I saw as the perfect dark counterpart to Portman's character. Definitely a huge career move for her as she goes from the chick on That 70's Show and Meg Griffin to a role like this. This role will show producers her ability to play a serious character and will move her into an entirely new tier of potential roles.
As for the movie itself, I thought it was great. Very interesting story, but I feel like the best part of this film was the directing. You can really see the energy which went into every camera angle, every movement on screen, every line delivered. Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler) will no doubt be winning an Oscar for Best Director in some point during his career which seems to just be getting underway. Also, it get's me even more excited for The Wolverine, which Aronofsky is directing. Overall, Black Swan gets 4.5 stars out of 5.
Photo: Black Swan Movie Poster, Credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Whether you like basketball or you don't, you probably agree with me when I say that the NCAA Basketball Tournament is the best post-season in all of sports. Especially in a season like the 2010/2011 NCAA season, where no one team has proven itself to be the best, I believe this tournament will show a level of parity only seen once every few seasons. I could very well see a 4, 5, or 6 seed not only making the final four, but winning the championship. The reason for this is that parity. In some ways, this can be seen just by taking a closer look into the Big East and the teams they will be sending to the dance.
An important thing to remember about March Madness that it's kind of like the NFL playoffs - how you did at the beginning of the season means very little compared to how hot you are entering the tourney. If we take a look into the Big East, we find teams like Pitt and Notre Dame - both likely destined for 1 or 2 seeds, and both with the ability to get hot for two weeks and win 6 games in a row. Looking to the 2nd tier of Big East teams, we find Syracuse, St. John's and Georgetown. Probably 4 or 5 seeds in the tourney, but the same applies for them. Especially looking at St. John's, they seem like a team which is peaking at the precise time needed to make a run. If we look even further down then we get to UConn and Villanova. Depending on what happens in the Big East Tournament, these two teams could see 6 or 7 seeds in the tournament. Both teams have had marquee wins this season, though, and both have the ability to get hot and make a run, as was seen in their pre-season tournaments. Didn't even mention WV or Louisville here, both also clearly with the ability to make some noise. Either way, it will definitely be exciting. Need to get through the gauntlet that is the Big East Tournament first, though.
Want to take a minute to give some press to the Lafayette Leopards men's basketball team for beating American last night (in double overtime!) in the semis of the Patriot League tournament. They'll be playing Bucknell on Friday for a spot in the NCAA tournament. As the 6 seed in the Patriot League tournament nobody even imagined Lafayette would make it this far. Sure would be cool, though, for them to get one more win and make the dance for the first time since 2000.
As for the movie itself, I thought it was great. Very interesting story, but I feel like the best part of this film was the directing. You can really see the energy which went into every camera angle, every movement on screen, every line delivered. Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler) will no doubt be winning an Oscar for Best Director in some point during his career which seems to just be getting underway. Also, it get's me even more excited for The Wolverine, which Aronofsky is directing. Overall, Black Swan gets 4.5 stars out of 5.
Photo: Black Swan Movie Poster, Credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Saturday, March 5, 2011
The Land of Mary
In the crouch is AA catcher, Austin Romine. Standing against the wall watching, AAA catcher Jesus Montero. Montero is currently one of the top 5 prospects in all of baseball and widely acclaimed as the best hitter in the minors right now. Romine, on the other hand, is seen as a much better all around catcher (better arm, better catching defense). While he doesn't have nearly the potential at the plate of Montero, he projects to be a major league level starter - sort of like an AJ Pierzynski (sp?) type. Not too bad, actually.
Both are catchers, but both play an integral part in the future of the Yankees. Why? Because the Yankees WILL be trading one of these two guys within the next 6 months for starting pitching. It's not a maybe, it's a definite. I don't even think the Yankees will wait until the deadline. I could see a trade coming in early May. Either way, one of these two players will be gone and the debate will begin as to whether the right guy was traded.
To tell you the truth, I'm not sure who I would trade right now. While I've never seen Montero in person (I've seen Romine a ton with him being in Trenton), I'd suggest to keep them both if at all possible. While both are top 100 prospects right now, I can only see their stock getting better. Montero will be a mid-season call up and has the potential to make a big impact. Or, if Cervelli is actually injured (doctors still reviewing the MRI of his foot), I'd make Montero the backup behind Martin to start the season.
I completely understand the value of starting pitching. I feel like sometimes, though, the potential of a prospect may overshadow the realized value of a starter (even though it probably shouldn't). My advice to the Yankees - trade a package of Ivan Nova, Eduardo Nunez, Joba Chamberlain for a starting pitcher...but hang on to your catching depth in the minors.
...at least until Gary Sanchez comes along.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Toast of the Town
Pretty awesome idea though.
EDIT: ah, and reason for not buying 3...or c) It's like $55 bucks or something!
Danke!
Just looked at my pageview stats and it looks like I've gotten hits from Germany and Russia! What up Europe!
Sorry if you stumbled upon this while trying to find a recipe for borscht!
Sorry if you stumbled upon this while trying to find a recipe for borscht!
I'm Back...Don't Jump!
What's up blog! I'm back from my trip down to Tampa - it was pretty much amazing. Didn't get to post as much as I had hoped down there (the blogger app I downloaded for my Incredible didn't work! I need to get that figured out). I'll be doing full recaps and posting pictures over the coming week though! Ended up going to three games - Yankees/Phillies @ Tampa, Phillies/Yankees @ Clearwater, and Tigers/Yankees @ Lakeland. Of the three stadiums, I must say I think I liked Lakeland the best, Tampa second best, and Clearwater the least. I mean, they were all great (in particular because of the 75-80 degree weather), but I really enjoyed something about how small and 'cozy' the field at Lakeland was. Anyway, pictures to come later.
One quick word on the NFL labor talks....WHO CARES. Does anyone really think they're going to miss games this season? Absolutely not. There's no chance in hell either side lets it get to that point. To ESPN, please stop giving us the play by play on labor negotiations and get back to talking about sports.
Speaking of sports, UConn has a huge game this weekend against Notre Dame. Win and they'll be in a pretty good position to pick up a 1st round bye in the Big East Tournament. College hoops are weird this year....there isn't a good team. I genuinely believe it UConn can get hot (like they did in Maui) they've got a good chance to go far in the tourney.....pretty much the same can be said for any other top 25 team, though.
Saw two new movies recently - I'll get some posts up about those too. Pretty happy with how the Oscars turned out. Still need to see The King's Speech - I'll get to that this weekend. Wish 127 Hours had gotten more recognition, but at least I can promote it on here! SEE 127 HOURS. That's all for now.
Ah! One more thing has happened since my last post! Congrats to Jeff Gordon for breaking his 66 race winless streak! Only got to watch part of the race, but I'm glad he's off the pine. (I realize it seems like this has turned into a NASCAR blog - I promise, once baseball season starts that will be its primary focus!)
One quick word on the NFL labor talks....WHO CARES. Does anyone really think they're going to miss games this season? Absolutely not. There's no chance in hell either side lets it get to that point. To ESPN, please stop giving us the play by play on labor negotiations and get back to talking about sports.
Speaking of sports, UConn has a huge game this weekend against Notre Dame. Win and they'll be in a pretty good position to pick up a 1st round bye in the Big East Tournament. College hoops are weird this year....there isn't a good team. I genuinely believe it UConn can get hot (like they did in Maui) they've got a good chance to go far in the tourney.....pretty much the same can be said for any other top 25 team, though.
Saw two new movies recently - I'll get some posts up about those too. Pretty happy with how the Oscars turned out. Still need to see The King's Speech - I'll get to that this weekend. Wish 127 Hours had gotten more recognition, but at least I can promote it on here! SEE 127 HOURS. That's all for now.
Ah! One more thing has happened since my last post! Congrats to Jeff Gordon for breaking his 66 race winless streak! Only got to watch part of the race, but I'm glad he's off the pine. (I realize it seems like this has turned into a NASCAR blog - I promise, once baseball season starts that will be its primary focus!)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Grandy Man Can
The 2011 Tampa Spring Training trip is finally here! I write this post from my hotel room in Tampa, within walking distance from the Yankees Spring Training Complex. The sunburn is already starting to set in and I've already had a few awesome experiences.
The morning began very early (5am) with a bittersweet trip to the airport. Philly airport is pretty laughable. I think it took about 90 seconds for me to get from the sidewalk, through security, and to the gate. The guy in line in front of me getting a bagel this morning left his wallet on the counter and I tracked him down to tell him to go back and get it - hopefully a sign that karma will be on my side this trip!
Flight was great - exit row seats have their perks. Seems odd to me though...we took off 30 minutes late but still somehow landed about 10 minutes early. Grabbed a quick shuttle from the airport to the hotel (weird that I remembered the shuttle driver from last year? weirder that he remembered me too?). Checked in at the hotel and the shuttle guy, Mike, offered to drop me off at the complex...sweet.
Immediately went over to the side field just in time to see Jeter and Cano run by, soon to be followed by Arod, Tex, and many others. Batting/fielding practice was underway. I took the time to get to know the people around me - newly engaged couple to the left (I made sure to have them promise me if they got the baseball they were holding signed they would use a ball point pen and not a sharpie); grandma, mom, and kids to my right (the grandma was a Red Sox fan...but surprisingly not an obnoxious one!). We spend the afternoon yelling to the players as they walked by and talking about random stuff - the Yankees, the weather, restaurants around here, etc.
Yogi Berra was at camp today, too. Always good to see him getting shuttled around from field to field in a golf cart. Pretty incredible that he won 10 (10!!) World Series.
One thing I enjoyed about today was seeing some of the younger less well known guys. Soon after Jeter and Cano took the field, Jorge Posada came running on with another guy in uniform running next to him. Amidst the yells for Jorge (hip hip Jorge!), I made sure to get in a 'There we go Brandon Laird!' to which he turned right to me, gave me a thumbs up, and milked it for everything it was worth.
On the autograph front, nobody was really signing today...which was unexpected. Managed to get Brad Suttle (A Ball 3B prospect) on a card and that was about it. Went into Steinbrenner Field for a little after the side fields had ended and watched some of the younger kids practice bunting. As this was happening 'the line' formed. Anyone who has ever been down here to Steinbrenner Field knows about 'the line'. It's pretty much a line of people that begins right next to the Yankees dugout, goes up the stairs to the walkway and starts snaking around the stadium. Last year, I was there on a day when Reggie Jackson was at the end of the line signing autographs. Today I had no idea what the line would be for though. Needless to say, if you see a big line forming, you get in it. The guy behind even asked me what the line was for to which I told him I have no idea - but I told him my Reggie story. Turns out nobody was signing and the line was for nothing....sweet.
Started the walk back to the hotel and figured I'd stop at the Yankees lot exit and watch some of the players leave (I wasn't the only person there - don't think I'm crazy for doing this). Nick Swisher drives a nasty tricked out Camaro, Brett Gardner has a huuuuge SUV, Jeter has his red Corvette, Posada has a reddish (borderline pink?) Jeep type truck looking thing. The color really threw me off though. Finally, Curtis Granderson has a black SUV. How do I know this? Because he stopped his car while leaving the lot and signed some autographs for the few people who still remained there. Managed to get a ball signed and get a picture with him - he actually got out of his car and took pictures with us. Real chill dude and a class act. In reality, it only took about 2 minutes of his time, but it was very cool.
That about wraps up Day 1. No success getting the Mariano authentic jersey signed...hopefully tomorrow.
The morning began very early (5am) with a bittersweet trip to the airport. Philly airport is pretty laughable. I think it took about 90 seconds for me to get from the sidewalk, through security, and to the gate. The guy in line in front of me getting a bagel this morning left his wallet on the counter and I tracked him down to tell him to go back and get it - hopefully a sign that karma will be on my side this trip!
Flight was great - exit row seats have their perks. Seems odd to me though...we took off 30 minutes late but still somehow landed about 10 minutes early. Grabbed a quick shuttle from the airport to the hotel (weird that I remembered the shuttle driver from last year? weirder that he remembered me too?). Checked in at the hotel and the shuttle guy, Mike, offered to drop me off at the complex...sweet.
Immediately went over to the side field just in time to see Jeter and Cano run by, soon to be followed by Arod, Tex, and many others. Batting/fielding practice was underway. I took the time to get to know the people around me - newly engaged couple to the left (I made sure to have them promise me if they got the baseball they were holding signed they would use a ball point pen and not a sharpie); grandma, mom, and kids to my right (the grandma was a Red Sox fan...but surprisingly not an obnoxious one!). We spend the afternoon yelling to the players as they walked by and talking about random stuff - the Yankees, the weather, restaurants around here, etc.
Yogi Berra was at camp today, too. Always good to see him getting shuttled around from field to field in a golf cart. Pretty incredible that he won 10 (10!!) World Series.
One thing I enjoyed about today was seeing some of the younger less well known guys. Soon after Jeter and Cano took the field, Jorge Posada came running on with another guy in uniform running next to him. Amidst the yells for Jorge (hip hip Jorge!), I made sure to get in a 'There we go Brandon Laird!' to which he turned right to me, gave me a thumbs up, and milked it for everything it was worth.
On the autograph front, nobody was really signing today...which was unexpected. Managed to get Brad Suttle (A Ball 3B prospect) on a card and that was about it. Went into Steinbrenner Field for a little after the side fields had ended and watched some of the younger kids practice bunting. As this was happening 'the line' formed. Anyone who has ever been down here to Steinbrenner Field knows about 'the line'. It's pretty much a line of people that begins right next to the Yankees dugout, goes up the stairs to the walkway and starts snaking around the stadium. Last year, I was there on a day when Reggie Jackson was at the end of the line signing autographs. Today I had no idea what the line would be for though. Needless to say, if you see a big line forming, you get in it. The guy behind even asked me what the line was for to which I told him I have no idea - but I told him my Reggie story. Turns out nobody was signing and the line was for nothing....sweet.
Started the walk back to the hotel and figured I'd stop at the Yankees lot exit and watch some of the players leave (I wasn't the only person there - don't think I'm crazy for doing this). Nick Swisher drives a nasty tricked out Camaro, Brett Gardner has a huuuuge SUV, Jeter has his red Corvette, Posada has a reddish (borderline pink?) Jeep type truck looking thing. The color really threw me off though. Finally, Curtis Granderson has a black SUV. How do I know this? Because he stopped his car while leaving the lot and signed some autographs for the few people who still remained there. Managed to get a ball signed and get a picture with him - he actually got out of his car and took pictures with us. Real chill dude and a class act. In reality, it only took about 2 minutes of his time, but it was very cool.That about wraps up Day 1. No success getting the Mariano authentic jersey signed...hopefully tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
40 Hours and Counting
If you love baseball, I mean really love baseball, you need to go to spring training at some point. You may have heard this before, you may think "yeah, that might be cool", but I'm telling you right now - you need to.
I'll be leaving for Tampa on Wednesday morning for what I consider my 'yearly pilgrimage' to Yankees Spring Training. While this will only be my third time there and second in a row, this trip is something I can hopefully do until my hair is gray.
Imagine going to a high school baseball game. Imagine sitting on the grass watching the game, sitting in sun soaked bleachers, going for a better look and standing up against the fence 15 feet behind home plate. Now imagine the batter on the other side of that fence is Derek Jeter, the guy stopping grounders at third is Alex Rodriguez, and the player throwing warm up tosses along the 1st base foul line is Mariano Rivera. That is what spring training is like. At no other time during the year can you be so close to icons that you can usually only see on tv, or from far away if you're lucky enough to get to a game in person.
A fond memory is of last year, walking into Steinbrenner Stadium where the Yankees hold their spring training for the first time and walking right down to above the Yankees dugout on the first base line. Batting practice and fielding drills were going on. Jeter was at short taking grounders and throwing them across the diamond to who? Tino Martinez. Perched at second base observing everything was who? Yogi Berra, with Yankee skipper Joe Girardi next to him. Next to the batting cage giving a quick hitting lesson to some Yankees of the future was who? Mr. October, Reggie Jackson. The list goes on from there - Ron Guidry, Goose Gossage, David Wells, Graig Nettles, Mickey Rivers, and more. To a casual fan, this was a cool experience. To a huge fan of the current team and the team's history, this was a slice of heaven.
Looking around the spring training complex you don't just see other fans, you see friends. Like minded people who have the bug, just like you do. People crazy enough to stand around watching people throw a ball back and forth. People who have taken time off from work and planned a vacation solely around standing there watching guys throw a ball back and forth. There doesn't even need to be a spring training game going on - actually I think I prefer laid back nature of the practices even more than games. In the air is the smell of freshly cut grass and hope for a new season.
No matter what team you are a fan of, spring training is a time to celebrate. Your team is in first place. Enjoy it.
I'll be leaving for Tampa on Wednesday morning for what I consider my 'yearly pilgrimage' to Yankees Spring Training. While this will only be my third time there and second in a row, this trip is something I can hopefully do until my hair is gray.
Imagine going to a high school baseball game. Imagine sitting on the grass watching the game, sitting in sun soaked bleachers, going for a better look and standing up against the fence 15 feet behind home plate. Now imagine the batter on the other side of that fence is Derek Jeter, the guy stopping grounders at third is Alex Rodriguez, and the player throwing warm up tosses along the 1st base foul line is Mariano Rivera. That is what spring training is like. At no other time during the year can you be so close to icons that you can usually only see on tv, or from far away if you're lucky enough to get to a game in person.
A fond memory is of last year, walking into Steinbrenner Stadium where the Yankees hold their spring training for the first time and walking right down to above the Yankees dugout on the first base line. Batting practice and fielding drills were going on. Jeter was at short taking grounders and throwing them across the diamond to who? Tino Martinez. Perched at second base observing everything was who? Yogi Berra, with Yankee skipper Joe Girardi next to him. Next to the batting cage giving a quick hitting lesson to some Yankees of the future was who? Mr. October, Reggie Jackson. The list goes on from there - Ron Guidry, Goose Gossage, David Wells, Graig Nettles, Mickey Rivers, and more. To a casual fan, this was a cool experience. To a huge fan of the current team and the team's history, this was a slice of heaven.
Looking around the spring training complex you don't just see other fans, you see friends. Like minded people who have the bug, just like you do. People crazy enough to stand around watching people throw a ball back and forth. People who have taken time off from work and planned a vacation solely around standing there watching guys throw a ball back and forth. There doesn't even need to be a spring training game going on - actually I think I prefer laid back nature of the practices even more than games. In the air is the smell of freshly cut grass and hope for a new season.
No matter what team you are a fan of, spring training is a time to celebrate. Your team is in first place. Enjoy it.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
26th and Twelve
The Daytona 500 ended up being a great race. Jeff Gordon crashed out early and went on to finish 26th. Found myself rooting for Dale Jr. at the end (I used to hate him before he joined Hendrick), but he crashed out near the end too. The win went to 20 year old Trevor Bayne, which is pretty cool. Kind of crazy thinking about winning a race like that at 20 years old.
NBA All Star game is on right now. If anything, it's entertaining. These guys take it seriously for the first half or so then it just turns into a dunk contest at the end. Wonder what the total over/under was for the game. I feel like the scores of these things is always 152-144. In other news, AC Milan won today - they're pretty much dominating Serie A. Gattuso had an assist, which is rare because he's usually too busy beating dudes up to worry about scoring/passing. Also it was a pretty bad weekend for UConn. New goal is to finish 8th or better so they can at least get a first round bye in the Big East Tourney.
Watched Twelve tonight. Didn't really know what to expect. Knew it was released at 2010 Sundance, but not much more. Turned out to be a letdown, to say the least. After the first minute of the movie it was set up to have potential - drugs, sex, rich kids, violence, drama...been done before, but still capable of being decent. After watching the movie though, it's safe to say the best part of this flick was that it was narrated by Kiefer Sutherland....which makes me guess that probably 10% at least of the film's 5 mil budget went to him. Also 50 cent was in it playing, you guessed it, the drug dealer. Almost as bad type casting as when I was Doody in Grease. Anyway, I give the movie a 1.5/5...they're lucky they had Jack Bauer on their side.
Two days until Tampa for Yankees spring training. Will be posting a lot from down there with updates and pictures of me hanging out with all the players...ha.
Photo: Twelve movie poster; Credit: Gaumont, Radar Pictures
NBA All Star game is on right now. If anything, it's entertaining. These guys take it seriously for the first half or so then it just turns into a dunk contest at the end. Wonder what the total over/under was for the game. I feel like the scores of these things is always 152-144. In other news, AC Milan won today - they're pretty much dominating Serie A. Gattuso had an assist, which is rare because he's usually too busy beating dudes up to worry about scoring/passing. Also it was a pretty bad weekend for UConn. New goal is to finish 8th or better so they can at least get a first round bye in the Big East Tourney.
Watched Twelve tonight. Didn't really know what to expect. Knew it was released at 2010 Sundance, but not much more. Turned out to be a letdown, to say the least. After the first minute of the movie it was set up to have potential - drugs, sex, rich kids, violence, drama...been done before, but still capable of being decent. After watching the movie though, it's safe to say the best part of this flick was that it was narrated by Kiefer Sutherland....which makes me guess that probably 10% at least of the film's 5 mil budget went to him. Also 50 cent was in it playing, you guessed it, the drug dealer. Almost as bad type casting as when I was Doody in Grease. Anyway, I give the movie a 1.5/5...they're lucky they had Jack Bauer on their side.Two days until Tampa for Yankees spring training. Will be posting a lot from down there with updates and pictures of me hanging out with all the players...ha.
Photo: Twelve movie poster; Credit: Gaumont, Radar Pictures
Saturday, February 19, 2011
The Intimidator
In what is turning out to be a NASCAR filled weekend, I wanted to write a post about Dale Earnhardt. I never liked Dale Earnhardt. Watching him growing up it seemed like he was a jerk and he was a bully. Hearing about him 10 years later, he was exactly that...but I've come to the realization that wasn't a bad thing.
For those of you who don't know, yesterday marked the 10 year anniversary of Earnhardt's death on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Earnhardt was in 3rd place trailing only behind his son in 2nd and his teammate in 1st. Rather than being aggressive on the track (as he always was) and trying to beat his son and his teammate, Earnhardt spent the last 10 laps of the race blocking everyone else from his position in 3rd to give them an opportunity to go for the win. Winning the race wasn't important to him, but being a part of the success of his teammates was, which should be commended.
I don't really have too many of those 'I remember where I was when ____ happened' moments. September 11th, 2001 is one - Mrs. Cohen's 2nd period English class. February 18, 2001, the day Earnhardt died, surprisingly is another one. I was with my family in the airport heading down to Florida for February vacation. I had watched the beginning of the race at home then we left to drive to JFK or LaGuardia for our flight. Upon arriving at the gate, the first thing I needed to do was find a tv to get the results (Gordon crashed and finished 30th). It's kind of weird that I remember that much detail about the day and the event.
In the years following Earnhardt's death NASCAR made drastic improvements to track and driver safety (evidenced by this crash in 2009 in which nobody was hurt).
You can say Earnhardt was a jerk and a bully, but that's just who he was on the track. If you're not trying to be the best at what you do, then you shouldn't be doing it at all. Earnhardt was the epitome of that. He was a competitor and losing wasn't an option, except if it was to his teammate and his son.
EDIT: You definitely need to watch that youtube video I linked above. After the crash you'll see that the driver of that Aflac car gets out of his vehicle (which is in flames) and runs down the front straightaway across the finish line so he can finish the Daytona 500. Pretty cool.
For those of you who don't know, yesterday marked the 10 year anniversary of Earnhardt's death on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Earnhardt was in 3rd place trailing only behind his son in 2nd and his teammate in 1st. Rather than being aggressive on the track (as he always was) and trying to beat his son and his teammate, Earnhardt spent the last 10 laps of the race blocking everyone else from his position in 3rd to give them an opportunity to go for the win. Winning the race wasn't important to him, but being a part of the success of his teammates was, which should be commended.
I don't really have too many of those 'I remember where I was when ____ happened' moments. September 11th, 2001 is one - Mrs. Cohen's 2nd period English class. February 18, 2001, the day Earnhardt died, surprisingly is another one. I was with my family in the airport heading down to Florida for February vacation. I had watched the beginning of the race at home then we left to drive to JFK or LaGuardia for our flight. Upon arriving at the gate, the first thing I needed to do was find a tv to get the results (Gordon crashed and finished 30th). It's kind of weird that I remember that much detail about the day and the event.
In the years following Earnhardt's death NASCAR made drastic improvements to track and driver safety (evidenced by this crash in 2009 in which nobody was hurt).
You can say Earnhardt was a jerk and a bully, but that's just who he was on the track. If you're not trying to be the best at what you do, then you shouldn't be doing it at all. Earnhardt was the epitome of that. He was a competitor and losing wasn't an option, except if it was to his teammate and his son.
EDIT: You definitely need to watch that youtube video I linked above. After the crash you'll see that the driver of that Aflac car gets out of his vehicle (which is in flames) and runs down the front straightaway across the finish line so he can finish the Daytona 500. Pretty cool.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Nothing Associated With the AARP Has Ever Moved This Fast
NASCAR is a very under-appreciated sport. People ask me why I watch NASCAR and I tell them it's like a shot of adrenaline for 3+ hours. Pretty intense. There's something about this type of competition, too. All the cars are pretty much the same. It's not like one driver can have more horsepower in his machine than another....they're all pretty much identical with the exception of engines and manufacturers. Because of that, it's me vs. you - let's see who can go faster. How can you not like that?
Anyway, today are the Gatorade Duels. These duels are used to determine starting positions for the Daytona 500 which is on Sunday. Jeff Gordon is already locked into the 2nd spot in the 500, though, because of his qualifying time. Hopefully he can put on a good show in this duel, though.
Finally, JG dropped DuPont for his new sponsor, the AARP. Seriously? I'm just waiting for him to add Just for Men on his quarter panel...
7:27pm - Just wanted to see if I could edit a post....and I can. JG finished 12th. Had some trouble on the re-starts and a caution with 5 to go didn't help. At least he avoided a wreck. Sunday should be fun.
Anyway, today are the Gatorade Duels. These duels are used to determine starting positions for the Daytona 500 which is on Sunday. Jeff Gordon is already locked into the 2nd spot in the 500, though, because of his qualifying time. Hopefully he can put on a good show in this duel, though.
Finally, JG dropped DuPont for his new sponsor, the AARP. Seriously? I'm just waiting for him to add Just for Men on his quarter panel...
7:27pm - Just wanted to see if I could edit a post....and I can. JG finished 12th. Had some trouble on the re-starts and a caution with 5 to go didn't help. At least he avoided a wreck. Sunday should be fun.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Shawshank, UConn, and Other Drugs
Things are pretty good right now.
UConn beat Georgetown tonight, which is awesome. It'll be tough, but I think being one of the top 4 seeds in the Big East tournament is a pretty realistic expectation for the Huskies. Tough matchup this Friday @ Louisville - hopefully they can avenge their 1 point loss at home from earlier in the season. If Kemba, Jeremy Lamb, and Oriakhi fire on all cylinders during the NCAAs (which they're going to this year!), they could make some noise....just sayin.
Finished Love and Other Drugs tonight. Pretty good movie. Tale of two halves (much like a UConn game)....first half was funny and kind of like a porno. Second half was much more serious and possibly a little tear jerking. All around a good movie though with a pretty good message. I'll give it a 3.5/5.
Turned that movie off and had the great surprise to find The Shawshank Redemption on AMC. Apparently they're playing it over and over all week or something....makes me wonder how many times I'll watch it. Over/under is set at 2.5. It goes without saying, but this movie is absolutely a 5/5 and likely my favorite movie of all time. Best quote: "Get busy living, or get busy dying." Good advice, Red.
In closing, just want to give a shout out to Gennaro Gattuso - the most badass soccer player in history. Sucks that he's getting old. He already is done playing for the national team and I feel like he's got at most 2 more years with AC. Check the video out if you haven't seen it yet. The last time Gattuso got this much press was for taking off his shorts after Italy's World Cup win. Way to go, Rino.
T-6 day until Tampa.
UConn beat Georgetown tonight, which is awesome. It'll be tough, but I think being one of the top 4 seeds in the Big East tournament is a pretty realistic expectation for the Huskies. Tough matchup this Friday @ Louisville - hopefully they can avenge their 1 point loss at home from earlier in the season. If Kemba, Jeremy Lamb, and Oriakhi fire on all cylinders during the NCAAs (which they're going to this year!), they could make some noise....just sayin.
Finished Love and Other Drugs tonight. Pretty good movie. Tale of two halves (much like a UConn game)....first half was funny and kind of like a porno. Second half was much more serious and possibly a little tear jerking. All around a good movie though with a pretty good message. I'll give it a 3.5/5.
Turned that movie off and had the great surprise to find The Shawshank Redemption on AMC. Apparently they're playing it over and over all week or something....makes me wonder how many times I'll watch it. Over/under is set at 2.5. It goes without saying, but this movie is absolutely a 5/5 and likely my favorite movie of all time. Best quote: "Get busy living, or get busy dying." Good advice, Red.
In closing, just want to give a shout out to Gennaro Gattuso - the most badass soccer player in history. Sucks that he's getting old. He already is done playing for the national team and I feel like he's got at most 2 more years with AC. Check the video out if you haven't seen it yet. The last time Gattuso got this much press was for taking off his shorts after Italy's World Cup win. Way to go, Rino.
T-6 day until Tampa.
On the first day...
So this is it. This is the blog.
I've been thinking about doing this for a while. Not really sure why. I think it's more for me than it is for 'you' (if there is a 'you').
What will I write about in this blog? A lot of stuff? Seems like so many times during the day I see something and I think to myself, "blog-worthy". Most of it's probably dumb stuff that just makes me laugh....but at least I'll have a place to put all that so I can come back and laugh whenever I want!
Other things I'll talk about will be two 'passions' (I guess you could say they're passions?) of mine....sports and movies.
Don't be too impressed by the title of this blog too ;) It kind of just came to me.
On your marc, get set, goooooo
I've been thinking about doing this for a while. Not really sure why. I think it's more for me than it is for 'you' (if there is a 'you').
What will I write about in this blog? A lot of stuff? Seems like so many times during the day I see something and I think to myself, "blog-worthy". Most of it's probably dumb stuff that just makes me laugh....but at least I'll have a place to put all that so I can come back and laugh whenever I want!
Other things I'll talk about will be two 'passions' (I guess you could say they're passions?) of mine....sports and movies.
Don't be too impressed by the title of this blog too ;) It kind of just came to me.
On your marc, get set, goooooo
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