Tuesday Tweets

New THIS IS HELL video for "Acid Rain":

This Is Hell Release "Acid Rain" Music Video dlvr.it/1vNgDd

— Alter The Press! (@AlterThePress) July 24, 2012

I'm guessing Jimmy Fallon is being sarcastic:

Traffic is awesome in NYC today.

— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) July 24, 2012

That's a bold statement, but it just might be true:

Valdespin might have the worst OF arm since Johnny Damon #Mets

— Earl (@ttlsportsblog) July 24, 2012

They are on fire as of late:

Hard to compare 5- and 4-team divisions, but one could argue AL West is tougher than AL East right now, given emergence of A’s.

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 24, 2012

Artie Lange is priceless:

How do you sum up why the Kardashians are famous?Simple:Robert got O.J. Off & Kim got Ray J off.The End.

— Artie Lange (@ArtieQuitter) July 24, 2012

Anyone else have playoff fever?:

Said one GM this morning: "Yesterday felt like the trading deadline. There were so many calls."

— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) July 24, 2012

I was guilty of this once (the sign, not the ramming):

*Baby on board* Oh really? Thanks for letting me know, I was about to ram into your car, but now I won't.

— Men's Humor (@MensHumor) July 24, 2012

100% right:

Ichiro overrated if you need him to lead off and star. He's underrated if you need him situationally. That is all Yanks need from him.

— Colin Cowherd (@ESPN_Colin) July 24, 2012

When a reeling team gets desperate:

Shocker: Snooki got booed at the Mets game last night dlvr.it/1vLmZr #mlb #hbt

— Hardball Talk (@HardballTalk) July 24, 2012

Have a great Tuesday.

Dickey in the Headlines

I saw two headlines from the other night when the Yankees beat the Mets and RA Dickey in the rubber match of the Subway Series in Flushing.  Got me thinking.  What other inappropriate headlines have there been courtesy of RA?

Granted, this guy is tough to root against.  He does everything right except play for the Mets.  But seriously, he was just cursed with a tough name.

Seattle Times (WA):  Cano, Yankees touch up Dickey in 6-5 win over Mets
The Columbus Dispatch (OH):  Yanks wallop Mets' Dickey
CBS (NY):  Yankees Beat Dickey, Mets
New York Post (NY):  Bombers Knuck Dickey Around; Dickey Charms Snakes As Mets Take Rubber Game; Mets' Dickey Spiked While Covering 1st Base


I'm a fan of RA.

Cool Names - Sports Edition

There are a lot of weird names out there in the world. 

Navaeh seems to be popular because it's "heaven" backwards.  God Shammgod is a guard from Providence by way of NYC.

Here's a collection of some unique names from the sports world, in no particular order.  I'm aiming for active players only.

1. Kila Ka'aihue - first baseman for the Oakland A's, not surprisingly from Hawaii
2. Captain Munnerlyn - cornerback for the Carolina Panthers, but he is not the captain
3. Dirk Nowitzki - forward for the Dallas Mavericks, it's just fun to say .. Dirk Dirk Dirk
4. Placido Polanco - utility player for the Phillies, talking about fun to say
5. Richie Incognito - guard for the Miami Dolphins, but he's undercover
6. Bronson Arroyo - pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, long hair don't care and he's with the band
7. Jon Jay and Lance Lynn - outfielder and pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, because everyone loves saying names that begin with the same letter
8. Kaka - soccer player from Brazil, just because it makes you laugh
9. R.A. Dickey - pitcher for the New York Mets, just because it makes you laugh
10. Metta World Peace - forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, who is serving a suspension for elbowing James Harden in the head, ironic

That's good for now.  

Day Games

Because I'm a stay at home dad, there are some perks, namely getting to spend all day every day with Nolan.  There is also baseball.

Surprisingly, baseball on television captures Nolan's attention for periods of time.  He'll look at the TV and then back at me as if to say, "What's going on here?" - and it's kind of funny.

Early in the season, there have been plenty of day games for me us to watch.

We watched the Reds walk off on the Cardinals the other day.
The Nationals walked off on the Mets yesterday.

Today I'm flipping between the Angels/Yankees game and the Rays/Red Sox game.  My loyalty to the Yankees runs deep however, and coupled with the fact that I can only take listening to the Red Sox announcers for 60 seconds at most, the Yankees game has remained on 99% of the time - even for commercials.  The Red Sox guys call the players by their first name like they are best buddies.  And their accents I haven't quite warmed up to yet.

I wish MLB Network would put on the Tigers/White Sox game on - through four innings Max Scherzer has 8 K's and through 5 Jake Peavy has 7 K's.  Three hits, 1 HBP, and one caught stealing combined.

Oddities

• Tigers closer Jose Valverde was perfect in save chances last season - 49 for 49.  He blew one this year in his first chance, against the Red Sox.  He did pick up the win, however.
• The Mets are 4-0?  Really?
• The Rays and Padres are the only two teams with a grand slam
• The Padres are hitting .266 in day games compared to .109 in night games
• The Phillies have only 4 extra base hits - Hunter Pence has a 2B and HR, John Mayberry and Freddy Galvis have a 2B each
• The New York Yankees pitching staff has the 2nd worst WHIP at 1.74 (Atlanta is 1.78)
• The Red Sox have the worst ERA in the majors at 6.75
• The Rays are the only team with a BB:K ratio instead of a K:BB ratio
• The Braves and Twins remain the only two teams without a win

Have a great Tuesday, freaks.

Instagram Feature; MLB Opening Weekend

Instagram Feature
If you've been thinking to yourself, "there sure are a lot of pictures on the top of this page" when you check out WRT, you're right, there are.  My Instagram feed is fed right to the blog.

Thanks to the people at Instagram for bringing their platform over to Android.  I can finally snap and shoot photos with my phone and share them with the world.  There's plenty of filter options to make it look like I'm a really good photographer.  I promise not to take pictures of the sky - those are severely played out and have become boring to look at - unless it's a kick ass shot.  And I am not a hipster.

MLB Opening Weekend Storylines
Baseball season is here and so are the premature headlines that are shaping the baseball world.

Here's some shocking stories and some that aren't so shocking.

• SHOCKER - The New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles are both 3-0.  They swept the Braves at Citi Field, holding them to just seven runs while scoring twelve of their own.  Johan Santana was the only starter not to get a W (Niese and Dickey both got W's).  Lucas Duda has two homeruns and David Wright is hitting .667.  For the O's, the pitching has been the story - 5 runs allowed in their three-game sweep in Minnesota.
• NO SHOCK - The World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals are picking up right where they left off and are 3-1.  They beat the Marlins in the first game stateside and then took 2 of 3 from the Prince-less Brewers.  They did all this on the road.  Carlos Beltran looks rejuvenated and Lance Lynn threw an absolute gem, striking out eight Brewers in 6.2 innings on Easter Sunday.
• SHOCKER - Yankees and Red Sox are both 0-3.  The good news for the Bombers is that the last time they started 0-3, they won 114 games and the World Series in 1998.  They got dominated by the Rays, who many experts believe will win the AL East.  Bobby Valentine was hoping to have a better start, but his Red Sox were swept by the Tigers.  They coughed up a ninth-inning lead and an eleventh-inning lead yesterday - you think they miss Papelbon?
• NO SHOCK - The Twins lack of offense.  Justin Morneau, Denard Span, and Josh Willingham are the only three with more than one hit.  Joe Mauer is hitting .100.  Mauer and Morneau are really the only two Twins who can do some damage.  It's going to be a long season in Minnesota.

Some "By The Numbers" stuff.

•  4 - Players with 3 HR's - Yoenis Cespedes, Jay Bruce, Miguel Cabrera, and Corey Hart
• 10 - # of hits for Rafael Furcal, the only player in the majors with double digit hits
• 1 - Duane Below of the Tigers is the only pitcher with 2 wins - both in relief.
• 3 - Saves (2) + Wins (1) for Rays reliever Fernando Rodney, in 1.2 innings pitched
• 2 - Losses by Red Sox reliever Mark Melancon in his 1 inning pitched this season
• .500 - Fielding percentage of Angels 3B Mark Trumbo (3 errors in 6 total chances, in 2 games)
• #8 - Kurt Suzuki has thrown out 3 of 8 runners - the 5 SBA in four games is alarming for the pitchers
• 5 - # of teams sitting at 3-0 as well as teams stuck at 0-3

Let's remember, it's only three games (four for some).  I am not hitting the panic button with the Yankees nor am I anointing the Orioles the favorite in the AL East.  It is what it is, one weekend.  There are still 158/159 games to - buckle up.

Case of the Monday's

Yankees in 1st
Thanks to a recent mini-slide by the Red Sox, the Yankees are a game up in the L column.  A 15-8 June for the pinstripes is ehhhh and the fact that they're ahead of Boston even though they were swept by the Sox at the Stadium earlier in the month.  The Sox are 15-7 in June. 

The Yanks host the Brewers to end the month while the Sox head to "The City of Brotherly Love" to take on the MLB-best Phils.  Here's a chance to put some distance between them.

With a Subway Series looming to begin July, the Yankees can't afford to look past the Beer Guys (44-35, 1st Place in NL Central) while the Sox take on the lowly Ass-tros after their Philadelphia trip.

Marlins Lose on Wild Pitch during IBB attempt
The "Case of the Mondays" came early for the Marlins, who are in a downward spiral during June.  This is something very embarrassing for a pitcher - throwing away a pitch out.  What's worse?  Throwing it away with a man on 3rd with the score tied at one in the 10th inning.  Poor Steve Cishek.

Poor Marlins too:
- 10 games under .500 (34-44)
- 3-22 in June (including a 8 straight L's to begin the month and another 11 game skid)
- their manager in 80-year-old Jack McKeon - he might be 90 by time this month is over
- they're 6 games worse than the Mets

All About the Kardashians
Khloe Kardashian is 27 years old today.  They get enough air time with "Khloe and Lamar" so I will no go into depth about her or them.

187
I am not referring to my inner Snoop Dogg, rather stating that today is the 187th day of the year.

Aria
The Las Vegas hotel I am seriously considering staying at when Lindsay and I travel this November.  Neither of us has ever been there, so we figured it'd be a good place to go for our 2nd anniversary.  May take a three- or four-day excursion out there, take in The Strip.

And then there were none
The Williams' are done at Wimbledon.  For the first time in the history of their professional tennis existence, both sisters were eliminated in the same round.Venus got pumped by Bulgarian TsvetanaPironkova 6-2, 6-3 while Serena lost 6-3, 7-6 to Marion Bartoli of France.  Better luck next time, or not.  This is further proof that grunting gets you nowhere.

Nathan
Going to LI to pick up the fur kid later on.

Happy Birthday's

  Just browsed a list of today's famous birthdays (courtesy of www.famousbirthdays.com) and found it interesting that there are no interesting birthday's today.  This prompted me to google "today's sports birthdays" and although I have yet to view the results, I'd imagine I can round up some pertinent information on at least 1 or 2 of these athletes.

  1.  Happy Birthday to Joliet, IL native Jesse Barfield.  51 years young today, he was once a featured gun out in right field, known predominantly for a cannon otherwise knows as his right arm.  He led all outfielders in assists from 1985 to 1987 - surprisingly, people kept trying to take an extra base on him.  He finished his career with 162 outfield assists - well short of Tris Speakers 449 career assists, but still a huge number for a 12 year career.

  Some of his on-field accomplishments included making the 1986 AL All-Star team (0-3, 2K), winning 2 Gold Glove Awards (1986, 1987) as well as a Silver Slugger Award (1986).  For his   After 8+ seasons north of the border, he was traded to the NY Yankees for left-handed pitcher Al Leiter.  He remained with the Yankees until after the 1992 season, when he took his game overseas and played for the Yomiuri Giants for a season in 1993.

  Barfield can still be found at Yankee Stadium for the yearly Old Timer's Day - throwing old dudes out at home with regularity.

  Over his 12-year MLB career, he amassed 241 HR, 716 RBI's, and 1,234 strikeouts (in 1,428 games).  He wasn't so much known for his bat, but he had an arm that base runners of his era will not soon forget.

  2.  Former NY Islander defenceman Denis Potvin turns 57 today.  He was the 1st overall pick in the 1973 NHL Draft and was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 1991.  Although he is currently one of the voices of the Florida Panthers, it might best be remembered when the Islanders and Rangers played at the Garden, Ranger fans chanting, "beat your wife Potvin, beat your wife." over and over and over again.  Unless you've been to a Rangers game, you don't know the tempo or cadence of that chant, but you get the picture.  Another favorite of Ranger fans, albeit less original, were the "Potvin Sucks!" chants that bellowed from the rafters of MSG.  They were all jealous of his beard.

  I was brought up an Islanders fan (it gets harder and harder to root for them) but I will stick by them.  They play in a dump, so the end product really is no surprise.  He and Brian Trottier are the only two players Islanders to play 1,000 games for the team, a list that isn't likely to grow anytime soon.

  Let's Go Islanders!  Let's Go Islanders!  Potvin helped lead the Islanders to an unprecedented 4 consecutive Stanley Cup victories from 1979-80 to 1982-83.  (even though on the 1980-81 Cup, it reads "Ilanders").

  3. NY Mets right handed knuckle-baller RA Dickey is 36 today.

  4. Former Ohio State standout RB and current criminal Maurice Clarett turns 27 today.

  5. Puerto Rican boxing great Wilfredo "Bazooka" Gomez (44-3-1) turns 54 today.

  SF Giants are two wins away folks.  SUCKA!  All you Rangers fans with that stupid air high five or magic fist or claw, whatever you wanna call it.  Doesn't seem to be working thus far.  Still a ways to go, but it's a good start for the renegade Giants.

Jerry Manuel for "Jackass of the Year"

  Here's a quote from Jerry Manuel as reported by the AP:

  “Obviously I’m disappointed, discouraged, frustrated,” Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. “When you get this kind of news it’s … we’ve just been through a lot. We seem to continue to have difficulties keeping things from—having these type of injuries or these type of setbacks. Every year it seems like we get a little something here or there.”

  Jerry, take a look in the mirror and around the clubhouse you helped build.  You've been through a lot because you brought in a bunch of high-priced crap.  Or maybe it's the fact that you can't even finish a sentence.  And every  year you do get a little something here or there, and it's never anything good.

  I am not a Mets fan, but I do feel for those who are.  When the skipper of your team is as incapable as this guy, you can't help but feel bad for fans.  Spending their hard earned money night after night at CitiField to watch a glorified AAA team?  No thanks.

  Wilpon, fire this guy.  He's a lame duck and will continue to be so. 

  Go Yankees!!

We're talkin' NY baseball

Yankees Win.  The-e-e-e-e-e-e Yankees Win!

OK so it wasn't a huge win, but seeing how Boston and Tampa Bay both lost, it gave the Yankees another day to be alone at the top of the AL Beast.

Andy Pettitte was an absolute monster last night, going seven strong innings while scattering seven hits in the Yanks 9-3 win over Arizona.  The ageless one improved to 9-2 on the season and is looking forward to an impending All-Star nod.  His ERA dropped to 2.48, he struck out seven batters, and threw 73 of 113 pitches for strikes.  Unlike previous nights starter AJ Burnett, Pettitte limited the damage with 2-out - allowing only a fluky 2-run single to P Dan Haren in the second inning. (Haren is hitting .452 this  season with 6 RBI.)

The Mets bounced back from their Subway Series loss, pounding out 18 hits in a demolition of the Tigers, 14-6.  Both starters were equally terrible - Justin Verlander (2 IP, 5 R) and Jonathan Niese (4.2 IP, 6 R). (Niese, for whatever reason, went back out after a 90 minute rain delay.  That's no way to treat a young arm Jerry Manuel.)  Verlander's relief was just as bad as he was - Jay Sborz had an MLB-debut to forget - .2 IP, 3 H, 5 R - and left with 67.50 ERA.  It'll get better Jay.  Angel Pagan was huge for Los Mets (4-6, 3 R, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI) and David Wright had a solid game for the Mets (3-3, 3 R, 2B, 2 BB, 2 RBI).

I don't get to watch many Mets games - but from what I remember, they have some lollygaggers.  Maybe I just think they loaf around, or maybe it's from my disdain for the way Carlos Beltran plays the game.  I am not so sure the Mets miss him - Pagan is hitting .304 with 34 RBI and 41 R to go along with 14 SB.  Pretty good production for a guy with a $1,500,000 salary. (Beltran makes $11,000,000 and hasn't stepped on the field.)

Crap, it's late, gotta get ready for work.  T$H's new album Weight of the World is awesome.  I'll discuss later.

All things offensive

1. The Yankees offense is offensive.  After getting owned by Takahashi Okanashi or whatever his name is last night, the Mets took game one, 4-0.  The Yankees have scored a measly FOUR runs in the past three games after lighting up Roy Halladay. 

Those starting pitchers have a combined ERA of 4.21 this season.  I mean that is pretty average by MLB standards.  It's not like they faced three big names either - Jamie (Abe Vigoda) Moyer, Kyle (Don't Call me Howie) Kendrick, and Hisanori Takahashi.  Had it been Cole Hamels, Johan Santana, and Mike Pelfrey, maybe, but those three stooges? 

I guess it really goes to show you how good these guys really are.  Even the guys who you think belong on a club team can beat anyone on any given day.  Rings true with the Yankees.  They get to hit against Mike Pelfrey today, so things aren't getting any easier.  They counter with Phil Hughes, who is having just as good a year as Pelfrey. (Both are 9-1 with a 2.39 and 3.11 ERA, respectively)

Trying to avoid dropping four straight today, and fourth straight to the Mutts.

2. USA World Cup Soccer Team.  This is supposed to be the 14th ranked team in the world, and all they can manage is a 2-2 draw with Slovenia (25th)?  I mean it seems to me that every time there's a World Cup, the US media tries to pump it up and make it a big deal, but the results are always the same.  As my buddy Ralph said to me on Facebook, "what a joke. Every four years its the same over-blown hype about nothing. why do they even bother playing this sport anymore?"

I suppose the USA is fortunate their remaining game in Group C is against Algeria (30th), but they need a point.  Their best match was against the best team they've played, England (8th). 

Truth be told, soccer is an international sport.  Not a national one.  We have our national pastime, BASEBALL.  And if you're looking for "America's Team", that'd be the Dallas Cowboys of the National FOOTBALL League.

3. The oppressively hot temperature in our apartment.  It's only 10:00 am and it's already starting to feel like a sauna in here.  Nathan is moping around because he's so damn hot in here.  Time to crank up the box fan - no we aren't poor, we have an air conditioner in the bedroom.  Immediate relief, although Nathan seems to think it's a good idea to sit behind the fan.  He's not the brightest dog.

The windows in this place allow cold air to pump in during winter, and don't keep the place cool in in the summer.  They might as well be made of clear cellophane.  I am not going to let the curtains and drapes block the windows, because then we'd get less of a breeze than we already get. 

I hate it here.

4. Wayne Knight's role in FOX's new show, The Good Guys.  Rumor has it, he is only going to be in one episode.  What?  Maybe he wanted it that way.  I ran in to him recently in Dallas in a CVS on Main St.  He even took his headphones out of his ears and had a little conversation with me.  Seemed like a really good dude.  I will post the picture in it's own post.

According to givememyremote.com, he plays a low-level clerk at the County Records office.  Read it yourself, I'm not plagiarizing.

Time to get in touch with my brother.  He answers his phone somewhere between very rarely and never.  I hope it's very rarely.

((((parentheses))))

MLB:  Former teammate of mine (with the NECBL's Manchester Silkworms) Chris Denorfia had the only hit (a double to right field) for the Padres (in the top of the third inning) as the Mets staved off a double-header sweep with a 3-0 win (Padres won 4-2 in game one).  Mets starter Jonathan Niese faced only one batter over the minimum and poured it in with an 0-0 count (19/28 first pitch strikes).  The game took a neat two hours and eighteen minutes (almost a half hour quicker than the first game).  The Padres did have one bright spot (or two, Denorfia saved them from falling victim to a no-no).  They rolled a 5-4-3 TRIPLE PLAY!!  Jon Garland got Ruben Tejada to hit a one-hopper to 3B Chase Headley, who stepped on the bag, threw to second base (Lance Zawadzki) who then completed the triple play by getting Tejada at first (by a step). 

It was the eighth triple play turned by the Padres, and the tenth the Mets have hit into (not this year, obviously).

NBA:  Lakers lead the Celtics at the half (45-42) and are looking to go up three games to one (I hate Boston).  Pau Gasol is displaying his dominance (13 pts., 3 reb., 2 blk.).  Ray Allen (0-13, 0-8 3pt. FG in Game 3) finally hit a jumper (at the 11:00 mark of the 1st quarter) to give the Celtics the early lead (3-2).  He still only has one FG (1-6, 0-2 3pt. FG).

How in the hell did these Jersey Shore idiots make it on the CMT awards??  I'm watching a repeat of the show last night - Snooki is a little troll, The Situation is kind of funny, and Paula Deal uses way too much butter, but is awesome (she just said she could grate cheese on The Situation's abs).  I'm glad she got TKO'd at the bar.  She reminds me of one of those little good luck trolls (minus the luck).

Sorry my Paint skills are (severely) lacking.

I need a better program to edit pictures (maybe that'll be a gift to me, from me).

(Later world!!)

MLB Draft

The MLB Draft is on television tonight (it started at 7pm EST) on MLB Network.  No surprise to see super-douche Bryce Harper go #1.  I got my DraftTracker up on the computer because I can't stand to listen to it.  I like the DT because they give a pretty in depth scouting report on these kids, and it allows me to go back to my d1baseball.com site and scour through the teams to find these guys' stats.  The Mets are on the clock and selected Matt Harvey, a local kid (Mystic, CT) from UNC.  Stud-like numbers this year in Chapel Hill - 8-3, 3.09 ERA, 96 IP, 80 H, 35 BB, 102 K with a miniscule .224 BAA, in the almighty ACC.  Not to mention he throws low- to mid-90's  Good for the Mets, good for Harvey. 

The Astros are on the clock now, I think they can use some help right now.  Astros pick is in:  Delino DeShields Jr., son of former Expos great Delino DeShields.  I think they should have found a stud arm but DD Jr. is probably a stud.  Good bloodlines with plus speed.  Seems like a guy in the Michael Bourn mold.  I played against him in the Cape Cod Baseball League back in the summer of 2002.  I was a Bourn Braves guy and he was a Y-D Red Sox guy.  I'm pretty sure I struck him out - my first appearance was against Y-D and I threw 3 perfect innings with 5 K's.  He had a good summer that year - he was a sophomore at Houston.  He hit .287 with 23 SB's - I was 2-1 with a 3.96 ERA in 36.1 IP with 34 K and 11 BB.  Respectable numbers from a RHP from a small time collee program.

Lindsay and Nathan are here now, she is busting my balls saying they're more interesting, which is true.  They're pretty awesome.  I'm tired of watching this slow-as-shit draft.  It's like the NFL draft, it is taking forever. 

Live well.

Creatures of habit

I'm talking about homo sapiens, menschen, esseri umani, humanos, 인간, human freakin' beings .  And not just myself - all of us.  Example:

I just realized it better than ever as I walked Nathan down the block.  I saw the same two guys the past three times I've walked Nathan.  Standing outside the same door and smoking the same cigarettes..  Now call it coincidence, call it what you will, but this wasn't over a span of several days, it's been  only two days, and I've seen these two guys like clockwork.  Maybe outside of that door is their "happy place" or "safe zone" to smoke their cancer sticks - only they know. 

I tend to stray on side of caution, walking on the other side of the street - not because I'm afraid of them, as a matter of fact, I'd probably kick the crap out of one or both of them, at once.  I just don't want them ashing on Nathan's head.  They wear thick eyeglasses, and the one time I walked on their side, they damn near stepped on his paw.  (His thick glasses have nothing to do with anything whatsoever)

I don't think humans are strictly lazy, which directly leads to them performing the same tasks in the same spots at the same times.  I'm not really sure what causes us to do what we do, but we do.  And sometimes it's creepy. 

When I was in college back in 1999-2003, there was a local we called "The Denim Creeper."  He had the illest Canadian tuxedo I've seen to date, and he had one walking path - up and down Waldo Ave.  Top of the hill to the bottom, and right back up.  It was unreal, almost surreal.  At any given point during the day, poof, there he was - patrolling the sidewalks of Waldo.  Then there was "Window Tom," who hung out in his window all day long, greeting passers-by.  He had this giant powder blue car, comparable to a 20' Sea Ray.  With alternate side of the street parking a law here in NYC, he had to move it, but I'll be damned if he didn't get the same two spots on either side of the street every freaking time.  Those two guys are prime examples of creatures of habit.  I can also recall a guy who used to wear a NY Mets hat and ate lunch at Burger King practically every day - but again, I'm guilty because I saw him every day.

Reflecting on my years spent here in the bastard borough of the Bronx, and as weird as some encounters and individuals may be, I've learned.  I've learned from the strangest of people.  I've seen some of the strangest people.  And I've met some of the most unique people.  Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to get the hell out of the Bronx and have some normal neighbors to invite over, BBQ with, shoot the shit with.  But you take your situation with a grain of salt - what can you do but try to make the best of whatever life hands you.

We are all creatures of habit, until someone or something can prove otherwise.  I know I bite my nails when I get nervous, I wear the same shorts to bed most nights, I always put my socks on left foot first.  I always put my left leg through my pants before my right.  Lindsay pours her milk into the bowl and then adds her cereal to it so it remains crunchy - me, I can give a shit, I dump half the box in there, and pour milk over it.  It's scary if you think about the way you do things, even things as menial as getting dressed - I bet you do it the same way 95% of the time, you creature of habit.

I WANNA ROCK!!

Scoreless in Queens

A quick post before bed - the Phillies still have yet to score a run in Queens yet this year.  It's in the bottom of the 7th and the Mets lead 3-0.  How the Phillies fail to score runs is beyond me.  Their offense is great.  Crazy sport this baseball is.

Going into tomorrow with a fighters chance - elimination game at 3pm.  Let's do it.

King bed is calling my name.

NL (L)East

With the Mets deciding to finally play some baseball, there seems to be a race for supremacy in the NL East.  Well, the supremacy belongs to the Phillies, but there is at least a race for first place.  Only 2.5 games seperate the 1st-place Phillies from the 5th-place Nationals.

The Mets shutout the Phillies again last night.  The Phillies haven't scored a run against the Mets in the last 22 innings - since their 9-run outburst in the 4th inning against ace Johan Santana on May 2nd.  It doesn't get any easier for the Phillies, as Mike Pelfrey takes the bump for Los Mets, but the Phils will counter with Cole Hamels.  The Phillies roughed up Pelfrey the last time they faced him, to the tune of 6 runs and 8 hits in just four innings. 

The Mets are looking for a 3-game sweep, the Phillies are looking for some momentum heading into two road trips withing the division, at the Marlins for a three game set and then traveling to Atlanta for three.  It's a big stretch for the Phillies.

The Nationals are only 2.5 games back, but when Stephen Strasburg starts taking the hill every fifth game, that 2.5 may get a little closer.

The NL East is a tight race and seems to want to stay that way.  If I was a fan of any of those teams, I'd be psyched.  Instead, I hope Jerry Manual gets fired, Hanley hustles, Strasburg dominates, Heyward takes Strasburg yard, and Doc Halladay gets back to his early-season domination

Fire Jerry!  Time for an omelet..

José Lima...

...Rest In Peace.  This post is dedicated to the passing of former-MLB pitcher José Lima, 37, who died last night in his home in Pasadena, CA of an apparent heart attack.  "Lima Time" will no longer be observed during a game, but will never be forgotten.

From what I remembered of José Lima, he was a wacky, fun, and very average pitcher for most of his 13-year MLB career.  His 1998 and 1999 seasons with the Houston Astros were two of his best.  In '98, he went 16-8 with a 3.70 ERA and in '99 he won 21 games, posting a 3.58 ERA.  He was also a singer, and sang the National Anthem at his own Dodgers game once.

I always recall seeing a game on TV or watching highlights on SportsCenter and noticing José Lima's hair being different colors and his facial hair changing almost daily.  He was eccentric and unscripted, unlike these guys now, with their antics after a big out or save.  His teammates loved him and the fans loved him - and one manager in particular had a great line, "He was an animated guy and a fierce competitor and he got people excited," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said.  When people remember you for those aforementioned traits, you left your mark.

Lima played for the Tigers, Astros, Royals, Dodgers, and Mets during his 13 seasons, as well as spending the beginning of the 2003 season with the Atlantic League's Newark Bears.  His career ERA of 5.26 is nothing special, but he brought something to the park that stats did not  indicate - a love for the game and a man who had a great time playing the game.  He respected baseball - and you don't often see that today (see: Hanley Ramirez).

José Lima will be missed.  RIP and it'll always be "Lima Time".

Here's a little photo gallery of images I've scoured the internet for of José Lima:

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Mr. Softie just stopped by - well, we stopped him, he was parked down the block.  Lindsay got herself a vanilla cone dipped in chocolate.  I didn't get anything, times are tough here in the Bronx, I had $4 in my wallet.  Pathetic, I know.  Gotta provide for the wife and kid (or in our case, Nathan).   She ate the ice cream coated in the chocolate and fired the rest in the garbage.  Oh well, next time I'll ask Mr. Softie if he can coat the ice cream in layers.

Just started reading a new book, my favorite author, Chuck Klosterman.  The book, Downtown Owl, is a novel about the small town of Owl, ND.  He's written for The NYT Magazine and The Washington Post and his previous books have covered topics ranging from the relationship of rock music, mortality, and love (Killing Yourself to Live:  85% of a True Story) to the history of glam metal (Fargo Rock City:  A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural Nörth Daköta) to previously published columns and articles on pop culture (Chuck Klosterman IV).  I just like his writing style, give him a shot.  You'll probably chuckle to yourself like I do.  Nathan's been trying to learn to read Downtown Owl:

Yankees vs. Mets - not looking too good for the Yankees so far.  Bay kills the Yankees.  Stupid throw by Russo out in LF - C.C. needs to get out of this jam - I hate José Reyes, stupid hair, nonchalant actions - just stay on the DL foo!  Damn, 2-0 Mets.  Alex Cora, seriously?  See, there goes Bay, HR to deep left-center.  Crap!  I'm going to switch topics, this game isn't going how I had anticipated.

Today's Birthdays:

Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Rocks!! Happy Birthday to comedian Drew Carey, who's 52 today.  I think he's still the host of the new The Price is Right.  When I'm home weekdays (which is never), I'd watch it.

Author, sports-columnist, radio-personality Mitch Albom, who's books my mother loves, is also 52 today.  I hate his hair, it's always covering his ears and just looks stupid, but he's great on "The Sports Reporters" on ESPN.  Keep up the good work Mitch, and cut the hair over your ears.  But Happy Birthday nonetheless.




Game's on - C.C. singles, Jeter singles, Gardner is so fast but hits into the 4-6-3 DP.  Will someone please step up and get some hits off Santana?  Teixeira blows!  Game's off - channel surfing instead. 

Back to work tomorrow.  Graduation was a success, everyone walked across the stage for the first time ever.  It was about 100° in the gym, but they had 8 fans that cooled off the faculty.  Parents, family, and friends suffered in the sweltering humid gym.

Flipped it back on and back off - Joe Morgan is a moron.  I was hoping his new job as special advisor for the Reds would help ease him off the SNB set, but no such luck.  Him and Jon Miller - match made in heaven for a black and white silent film.

I'm done with this game for good - Food Network is going on, even if it means I have to watch "Down Home with the Neely's". 

Monday tomorrow - time for some zzzz's.

Sunday Not-So-Funday

Today is shaping up like it's gonna be a wash - woke up this morning at around 6:15am, took Nathan out for a walk (he took care of business), felt some raindrops come down (forecast says 30% chance of rain), and remembered I have to break down 3,600 folding white chairs at 3:45pm after the commencement ceremony. 

I also saw that the Yankees lost to the Mets, 5-3, the Magic look like they just want to end their season already, showing no fight whatsoever against the Celtics, and I saw the Flyers shut out the Canadiens for the third time this series to bring them one win from a Stanley Cup appearance.  Are you kidding me?

I took Nathan out last night when the Yankees had bases loaded and one out in the 8th inning, expecting to hear a neighborhood erupt after a big hit - I was let down.  There was no big hit - all they did was get a bases loaded BB and a FC groundout by Derek Jeter.  I walked back in to see Mark Teixeira strike out in the 9th, and ultimately turned the game off, not wanting to see K-Rod's antics following the final out of the Mets win - apparently every save requires a song and dance.  Just take a flyer from Mariano and shake the catcher's hand, and talk about the inning. 

I flipped on the Magic-Celtics Game 3 - and immediately turned it off.  Boston was up 75-47 going into the 4th quarter.  Looking at the box score, Dwight Howard (7 pts., 7 reb.) is highly overrated.  I mean like Hideki Irabu overrated.  He's so coy and funny in press conferences, but he has way too many games where he doesn't even show up - you're supposed to be an NBA Superstar - nope.  I'll take a pass.  Nice shoulders though.

And Michael Leighton is a name Flyer fans are loving right now - the hottest goalie in the NHL shut out the Habs for the third time this series (111SA/108 SV) and have the longshot Flyers a game from the Finals.  I'll be honest, I haven't watched a whole lot of NHL Playoff hockey this year, but if the Flyers are in the Finals, I'm watching - I was a huge Flyers fan growing up, I have no idea why, I think I used them on NHL '94 all the time, with Lindros, LeClair, Renberg, Desjardins, Brind'Amour, the immortal Ron Hextall in net.  The wraparound was a classic goal scoring move.  Let's go Flyers!! 

Time to head to the diner again, I am getting close to being able to memorize the menu.  Then it's off to send off our seniors from ever sitting in a college classroom again.  Congratulations guys.  The only thing left for them to do in college after today is play baseball - good for them.

Signing off!

Misc.

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

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

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

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

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

Hands Off!  Let's go Yankees!!