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Showing posts with label General. Show all posts
Showing posts with label General. Show all posts
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Random Thoughts on a Sunday Night
So I never wrote that World Series preview I promised, did I? The truth is, I was all geared up to break down why the Phillies (or Giants) would triumph over the Yankees, but when the Yanks were unceremoniously kicked to the curb, it sort of took the wind out of my analytical sails. But as it turns out, that was a good thing. I haven't watched a World Series in which I had no rooting interest for quite some time - probably the first since 2005. It was a wonderful experience. I only wish it had gone six or seven. But I think we have to realize that that just may not happen as much anymore thanks to the extra round of playoffs. The last year that the World Series was a best-of-nine was 1921. From 1922-1968, which was the last year before the advent of the League Championship Series, the World Series went to seven games 43% of the time (20 out of 47). Since, it has gone to seven only 32% of the time (13 out of 41). Is that a bit of small sample size theater? Probably. But I think that there's something to the theory that these days, the players are exhausted by the time they reach the World Series, and this is decreasing the likelihood of the Fall Classic reaching the sixth or seventh game. It's the best reason I can think of to not expand the playoffs.
Some other random thoughts on a Sunday night:
- This Rajon Rondo fella might make it. Nine or more assists in each of the C's first seven games, and he has the team on a roll. In an unrelated note, I was a little concerned at the outset that the O'Neal's would steal some of Perk's minutes when Perk returns in February/March, but so far those concerns are unfounded. Shaq can't stay healthy, and Jermaine O'Neal is a very animated corpse.
- One side effect to being a father is that, unless you have limitless energy - something I thought I had but have been proven dead wrong - you inevitably fall behind on pop culture. Luckily, I have built my holiday cd mixes as a safeguard against falling behind for too long, at least in terms of music, but I am definitely slacking. I still haven't picked up Drake's LP, but I'm looking forward to digesting that, as well as new material from Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Wiz Khalifa, 7L & Esoteric, Rah Digga, that Boy George & Mark Ronson collabo and a whole slew of randomness. Oh, plus the Freddie Gibbs and Wale CD's I downloaded three months ago but still haven't listened to.
- Work will soon commence on my latest version of my favorite 100 movies. Shoo-ins include Toy Story 3, The Town and The Social Network. Also, stay tuned for my new take on Avatar.
- I was watching True Lies the other night. Whatever happened to Tia Carrere? I liked her.
- Speaking of which, Netflix and it's streaming online presence are making it really difficult to justify ever buying a DVD or Blu-Ray ever again. I added True Lies to our instant queue in approximately 26 seconds.
- After today's whupping in Cleveland, Tom Brady is just 3-8 in stateside road games since returning from being Pollard'ed. One win was last season against the Bills, a team the Patriots haven't lost to since September 7, 2003. The other two came earlier this year. In the drubbing of the Dolphins and the squeaker over the Chargers, the Patriots won with total team efforts. In them, Brady basically put up the same stat line - 19 completions, 150 yards passing (153, 159), with one TD and no picks. In other words, he wasn't leading the charge. He wasn't doing anything detrimental, but he wasn't leading the charge. Brady has hardly been himself this season, but in each game, he'll put it together for one series, which makes his numbers look good. In games where you get blocked field goals, TAINTS, or the other team forgets to play to the whistle, it's no big deal. When Peyton Hillis won't stop running over defenders though, it's a different story. The Pats need Brady to get back in top form, or they may have to draft a legit QB of the future very soon.
- I love that Microsoft Phone ad. "Really?!?"
- Random idea the other day - who says no first to a Torii Hunter for Jacoby Ellsbury and Jonathan Papelbon swap, the Sox or the Halos? Bring on the Hot Stove.
Some other random thoughts on a Sunday night:
- This Rajon Rondo fella might make it. Nine or more assists in each of the C's first seven games, and he has the team on a roll. In an unrelated note, I was a little concerned at the outset that the O'Neal's would steal some of Perk's minutes when Perk returns in February/March, but so far those concerns are unfounded. Shaq can't stay healthy, and Jermaine O'Neal is a very animated corpse.
- One side effect to being a father is that, unless you have limitless energy - something I thought I had but have been proven dead wrong - you inevitably fall behind on pop culture. Luckily, I have built my holiday cd mixes as a safeguard against falling behind for too long, at least in terms of music, but I am definitely slacking. I still haven't picked up Drake's LP, but I'm looking forward to digesting that, as well as new material from Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Wiz Khalifa, 7L & Esoteric, Rah Digga, that Boy George & Mark Ronson collabo and a whole slew of randomness. Oh, plus the Freddie Gibbs and Wale CD's I downloaded three months ago but still haven't listened to.
- Work will soon commence on my latest version of my favorite 100 movies. Shoo-ins include Toy Story 3, The Town and The Social Network. Also, stay tuned for my new take on Avatar.
- I was watching True Lies the other night. Whatever happened to Tia Carrere? I liked her.
- Speaking of which, Netflix and it's streaming online presence are making it really difficult to justify ever buying a DVD or Blu-Ray ever again. I added True Lies to our instant queue in approximately 26 seconds.
- After today's whupping in Cleveland, Tom Brady is just 3-8 in stateside road games since returning from being Pollard'ed. One win was last season against the Bills, a team the Patriots haven't lost to since September 7, 2003. The other two came earlier this year. In the drubbing of the Dolphins and the squeaker over the Chargers, the Patriots won with total team efforts. In them, Brady basically put up the same stat line - 19 completions, 150 yards passing (153, 159), with one TD and no picks. In other words, he wasn't leading the charge. He wasn't doing anything detrimental, but he wasn't leading the charge. Brady has hardly been himself this season, but in each game, he'll put it together for one series, which makes his numbers look good. In games where you get blocked field goals, TAINTS, or the other team forgets to play to the whistle, it's no big deal. When Peyton Hillis won't stop running over defenders though, it's a different story. The Pats need Brady to get back in top form, or they may have to draft a legit QB of the future very soon.
- I love that Microsoft Phone ad. "Really?!?"
- Random idea the other day - who says no first to a Torii Hunter for Jacoby Ellsbury and Jonathan Papelbon swap, the Sox or the Halos? Bring on the Hot Stove.
Monday, February 01, 2010
Tweeting The Numbers Recap
Finally, the finish line. Here are all the posts in case you missed them: #'s 00-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-82 and 83-99.
Looking back on this project, one thing I can tell for sure is that football teams have an inherent advantage since they use the majority of the numbers from 1-99, whereas other sports mostly stop in the high 50's. To wit:
#'s 00-99, Favorite Players, By Team:
Patriots: 34
Red Sox: 18
Celtics: 13
BU Hockey: 7
Bruins: 5
General: 4
Rockies: 3
But when you knock out #'s 61-99, it's a far different story:
#'s 00-60, Favorite Players, By Team:
Red Sox: 17
Patriots: 15
Celtics: 13
BU Hockey: 6
Bruins: 4
General: 4
Rockies: 3
That Patriots number is more than halved. However, I am surprised to see that even in this scenario, the Pats sneak in ahead of the Celtics, whom I consider my second favorite team after the Red Sox (with the Pats being third). Although I suppose it shouldn't be that big of a surprise since there are only 12 players on a basketball team and 53 on a football team...
The Runner-Up, or "Apologies To" players were also in line with the second graph:
Runner-Up Players, By Team:
Red Sox: 45
Patriots: 31
Celtics: 29
BU Hockey: 21
Bruins: 15
Rockies: 13
General: 2
This seems to fit a lot better. The Sox are my first love, and I had a winner or runner-up for them for every number from 1-53, with the exception of #33 (I just couldn't bring myself to include Jason Varitek. I truly can't stand him, and he is going to further tarnish any legacy he once had with another season of back-breakingly bad performance in 2010, which will be his third straight such season and fourth in the last five years. One of the biggest mistakes of the Theo Epstein regime was his four year, $40 million contract after the '04 season. It would be THE biggest if not for the words "Edgar Renteria." But I digress.). The Patriots once again rank high due to the combination of sheer numbers as well as a decade-long dynasty, and the C's and Terriers finish strong. Though to be truthful, the Terriers would have probably done better had I not finished so many nights after a BU game at T's Pub or The Dugout. Looking through my old Images of Sports: Boston University Hockey book, there were several players who I knew I liked, but couldn't remember how much I liked them. And as many of my friends will tell you, I have a poor memory to begin with, and that's before you add $2 Bud Lights to the mix.
The most difficult numbers were definitely #24, #4, #8, #14, #15, #17 and #38. Comparing those players, and remembering others like Willie McGinest, Jason Allison, Troy O'Leary and Sherman Douglas were definitely a fun trip down memory lane. I would recommend it highly if you have a few hours to kill. And let's face it, after the Super Bowl this Sunday and the Beanpot final next Monday, with the Bruins and Celtics fading, the Patriots never talking about their draft/free agency plans and the Sox still a month or so from Spring Training games, every New England sports fan is going to have some time to kill this month.
Looking back on this project, one thing I can tell for sure is that football teams have an inherent advantage since they use the majority of the numbers from 1-99, whereas other sports mostly stop in the high 50's. To wit:
#'s 00-99, Favorite Players, By Team:
Patriots: 34
Red Sox: 18
Celtics: 13
BU Hockey: 7
Bruins: 5
General: 4
Rockies: 3
But when you knock out #'s 61-99, it's a far different story:
#'s 00-60, Favorite Players, By Team:
Red Sox: 17
Patriots: 15
Celtics: 13
BU Hockey: 6
Bruins: 4
General: 4
Rockies: 3
That Patriots number is more than halved. However, I am surprised to see that even in this scenario, the Pats sneak in ahead of the Celtics, whom I consider my second favorite team after the Red Sox (with the Pats being third). Although I suppose it shouldn't be that big of a surprise since there are only 12 players on a basketball team and 53 on a football team...
The Runner-Up, or "Apologies To" players were also in line with the second graph:
Runner-Up Players, By Team:
Red Sox: 45
Patriots: 31
Celtics: 29
BU Hockey: 21
Bruins: 15
Rockies: 13
General: 2
This seems to fit a lot better. The Sox are my first love, and I had a winner or runner-up for them for every number from 1-53, with the exception of #33 (I just couldn't bring myself to include Jason Varitek. I truly can't stand him, and he is going to further tarnish any legacy he once had with another season of back-breakingly bad performance in 2010, which will be his third straight such season and fourth in the last five years. One of the biggest mistakes of the Theo Epstein regime was his four year, $40 million contract after the '04 season. It would be THE biggest if not for the words "Edgar Renteria." But I digress.). The Patriots once again rank high due to the combination of sheer numbers as well as a decade-long dynasty, and the C's and Terriers finish strong. Though to be truthful, the Terriers would have probably done better had I not finished so many nights after a BU game at T's Pub or The Dugout. Looking through my old Images of Sports: Boston University Hockey book, there were several players who I knew I liked, but couldn't remember how much I liked them. And as many of my friends will tell you, I have a poor memory to begin with, and that's before you add $2 Bud Lights to the mix.
The most difficult numbers were definitely #24, #4, #8, #14, #15, #17 and #38. Comparing those players, and remembering others like Willie McGinest, Jason Allison, Troy O'Leary and Sherman Douglas were definitely a fun trip down memory lane. I would recommend it highly if you have a few hours to kill. And let's face it, after the Super Bowl this Sunday and the Beanpot final next Monday, with the Bruins and Celtics fading, the Patriots never talking about their draft/free agency plans and the Sox still a month or so from Spring Training games, every New England sports fan is going to have some time to kill this month.
Tweeting The Numbers, #'s 83-99
This is my seventh and final post on my favorite players of all-time by jersey number. It's been quite a journey. After this, I'll write a quick recap post as well.
#83, Wes Welker. Only player I found in q&d search w/ more recs than Welker's 346 in 3 yr span was M. Harrison w/354. J. Rice's best: 342.
#84, Shawn Jefferson. The deep threat. He led Pats in Y/C in all 4 seasons (min. 30 recs), including league leading 22.7 in '98.
#85, Nick Buoniconti. Apologies to: Jermaine Wiggins. The HOF linebacker was way before my time, but Pats only have so many HOF'ers.
#86, Stanley Morgan. The ultimate deep threat, he avg'd 20+ Y/C his first 6 yrs. When he ruined body on turf, Pats finally switched to grass.
#87, Ben Coates. Was so sad when "Winter" Coates was released. His 96 receptions stood as record for TE's for decade be4 Gonzalez broke it.
#88, Hart Lee Dykes. Apologies to: Terry Glenn. Only played 2 yrs due to knee & eye injuries, but avg'd 16.2 Y/C & could have been great.
#'s 89-92 - Nobody.
#93, Richard Seymour. 1 of key cogs in the Pats dynasty, his trade this yr signaled end of era, tho it took us til Jan. to admit it.
#94, Ty Warren. Seymour's book-end on the d-line, Warren needs to prove next year he can be healthy and effective at the same time.
#95, Roman Phifer. 1 of the key, if not THE key, veteran free agent addition in the heralded free agent group of the '01 season.
#96 - Nobody.
#97, Matt Gilroy. Apologies to: Jarvis Green. BU's 2nd Hobey Baker winner is a great story & it was fun to watch him mature into champion.
#98 - Nobody.
#99, Mike Wright. He's been only a role player, but a damn entertaining one. W/ 5 sacks this yr, maybe he can be more in '10 & beyond.
#83, Wes Welker. Only player I found in q&d search w/ more recs than Welker's 346 in 3 yr span was M. Harrison w/354. J. Rice's best: 342.
#84, Shawn Jefferson. The deep threat. He led Pats in Y/C in all 4 seasons (min. 30 recs), including league leading 22.7 in '98.
#85, Nick Buoniconti. Apologies to: Jermaine Wiggins. The HOF linebacker was way before my time, but Pats only have so many HOF'ers.
#86, Stanley Morgan. The ultimate deep threat, he avg'd 20+ Y/C his first 6 yrs. When he ruined body on turf, Pats finally switched to grass.
#87, Ben Coates. Was so sad when "Winter" Coates was released. His 96 receptions stood as record for TE's for decade be4 Gonzalez broke it.
#88, Hart Lee Dykes. Apologies to: Terry Glenn. Only played 2 yrs due to knee & eye injuries, but avg'd 16.2 Y/C & could have been great.
#'s 89-92 - Nobody.
#93, Richard Seymour. 1 of key cogs in the Pats dynasty, his trade this yr signaled end of era, tho it took us til Jan. to admit it.
#94, Ty Warren. Seymour's book-end on the d-line, Warren needs to prove next year he can be healthy and effective at the same time.
#95, Roman Phifer. 1 of the key, if not THE key, veteran free agent addition in the heralded free agent group of the '01 season.
#96 - Nobody.
#97, Matt Gilroy. Apologies to: Jarvis Green. BU's 2nd Hobey Baker winner is a great story & it was fun to watch him mature into champion.
#98 - Nobody.
#99, Mike Wright. He's been only a role player, but a damn entertaining one. W/ 5 sacks this yr, maybe he can be more in '10 & beyond.
Tweeting The Numbers, #'s 61-82
Five down, two to go. Find the first five posts here, here, here, here and here.
#61, Clay Buchholz. Finally started to show the potential dominance last yr, & even w/ Lackey now in the fold, Sox need Buchholz in '10.
#62 - Nobody
#63, Joe Andruzzi. Apologies to: Paxton Crawford. Few moments in Patriots history will top when he was intro'd w/ his brothers after 9/11.
#'s 64-68 - Nobody.
#69, Eugene Chung. He actually was terrible, but we got a BIG kick out of making fun of him back in the day, & for that I love him.
#70, Logan Mankins. Hopefully we'll watch him for a long time, but I held my breath when I saw he was out of position in Pro Bowl last nite.
#'s 71-72 - Nobody
#73, John Hannah. The dean emeritus of Patriots offensive lineman, I always heard about him but he retired just before my conscious life.
#74 - Nobody.
#75, Vince Wilfork. Big Vince Wilfork had a spectacular debut, helping the Pats win the Super Bowl his rookie year. I hope he stays.
#76 - Nobody.
#77, Raymond Bourque. Apologies to: Mike Compton. 1 of last B's gms I went to was Ray Bourque night. Avs had no right to retire his # tho.
#78, Bruce Armstrong. Best Pats o-lineman of my conscious viewing life, I'm still jealous that my wife went to Bruce Armstrong Day w/out me.
#79 - Nobody.
#80, Troy Brown. My favorite Patriot of all-time. Troy Brown Makes First Downs. He did whatever was needed. Hire him as O-coordinator!
#81, Randy Moss. Say whatever you want about him, but he's always been entertaining. I'm overjoyed he was able to recharge his career in NE.
#82, Vincent Brisby. 1 of key Pats from early '90's wasteland years, Brisby was an afterthought by the time the Pats reached Super Bowl.
Next Up: #'s 83-99
#61, Clay Buchholz. Finally started to show the potential dominance last yr, & even w/ Lackey now in the fold, Sox need Buchholz in '10.
#62 - Nobody
#63, Joe Andruzzi. Apologies to: Paxton Crawford. Few moments in Patriots history will top when he was intro'd w/ his brothers after 9/11.
#'s 64-68 - Nobody.
#69, Eugene Chung. He actually was terrible, but we got a BIG kick out of making fun of him back in the day, & for that I love him.
#70, Logan Mankins. Hopefully we'll watch him for a long time, but I held my breath when I saw he was out of position in Pro Bowl last nite.
#'s 71-72 - Nobody
#73, John Hannah. The dean emeritus of Patriots offensive lineman, I always heard about him but he retired just before my conscious life.
#74 - Nobody.
#75, Vince Wilfork. Big Vince Wilfork had a spectacular debut, helping the Pats win the Super Bowl his rookie year. I hope he stays.
#76 - Nobody.
#77, Raymond Bourque. Apologies to: Mike Compton. 1 of last B's gms I went to was Ray Bourque night. Avs had no right to retire his # tho.
#78, Bruce Armstrong. Best Pats o-lineman of my conscious viewing life, I'm still jealous that my wife went to Bruce Armstrong Day w/out me.
#79 - Nobody.
#80, Troy Brown. My favorite Patriot of all-time. Troy Brown Makes First Downs. He did whatever was needed. Hire him as O-coordinator!
#81, Randy Moss. Say whatever you want about him, but he's always been entertaining. I'm overjoyed he was able to recharge his career in NE.
#82, Vincent Brisby. 1 of key Pats from early '90's wasteland years, Brisby was an afterthought by the time the Pats reached Super Bowl.
Next Up: #'s 83-99
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Tweeting The Numbers, #'s 51-60
And the beat goes on. Previously, I covered #'s 00-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40 and 41-50. These are tweet-style to keep it concise, and emphasis is given to guys whom I watched play.
#51, Jerod Mayo. Apologies to: Julian Tavarez. He slumped a little in his 2nd year due to injury, but Mayo will spread it on again next yr.
#52, Carl Corazzini. Apologies to: Stojko Vrankovic, Ted Johnson, Mike Boddicker. Cheating a bit, this was Captain Carl's # on Bruins.
#53, Chris Slade. Apologies to: Joe Kleine, Tomo Ohka. His 51 sacks are 3rd on Pats all-time. Slade had 4+ sacks in all 8 seasons w/Pats.
#54, Tedy Bruschi. Apologies to: Ed Pinckney. Always better player in minds of Pats fans than he really was but we don't care. We love Tedy.
#55, Willie McGinest. Apologies to: Eric Williams, Tim Lincecum. McGinest always forgotten when people talk about diff btw new & old Pats D.
#56, Andre Tippett. Apologies to: Franklin Morales. W/ McGinest, only Pat w/ more sacks than Slade, Tippett had name a child could remember.
#57, Calvin Pickering. Apologies to: Steve Nelson. My friend @harding_at_mlb stumped for Nelson, but big Cal was just too much fun to watch.
#58, Jonathan Papelbon. Apologies to: Matt Chatham. I actually don't much like Paps & his absurd poor man's Rocker-tude, but I respect him.
#59, Roosevelt Colvin. Injuries prevented him from being an A+ signing, but Rosey was a hard worker who was effective when healthy.
#60, Hanley Ramirez. Unfortunately, he only had 2 PA w/ Sox, but I'll always root 4 him. Sox got '07 WS, but would have had more w/ Hanley.
This post marks the end of consecutive #'s. As I get into the 60's, I mean I could keep offering players for each number, but it wouldn't be genuine. It would be naming them just to name them. Two posts to go!
Next Up: #'s 61-82
#51, Jerod Mayo. Apologies to: Julian Tavarez. He slumped a little in his 2nd year due to injury, but Mayo will spread it on again next yr.
#52, Carl Corazzini. Apologies to: Stojko Vrankovic, Ted Johnson, Mike Boddicker. Cheating a bit, this was Captain Carl's # on Bruins.
#53, Chris Slade. Apologies to: Joe Kleine, Tomo Ohka. His 51 sacks are 3rd on Pats all-time. Slade had 4+ sacks in all 8 seasons w/Pats.
#54, Tedy Bruschi. Apologies to: Ed Pinckney. Always better player in minds of Pats fans than he really was but we don't care. We love Tedy.
#55, Willie McGinest. Apologies to: Eric Williams, Tim Lincecum. McGinest always forgotten when people talk about diff btw new & old Pats D.
#56, Andre Tippett. Apologies to: Franklin Morales. W/ McGinest, only Pat w/ more sacks than Slade, Tippett had name a child could remember.
#57, Calvin Pickering. Apologies to: Steve Nelson. My friend @harding_at_mlb stumped for Nelson, but big Cal was just too much fun to watch.
#58, Jonathan Papelbon. Apologies to: Matt Chatham. I actually don't much like Paps & his absurd poor man's Rocker-tude, but I respect him.
#59, Roosevelt Colvin. Injuries prevented him from being an A+ signing, but Rosey was a hard worker who was effective when healthy.
#60, Hanley Ramirez. Unfortunately, he only had 2 PA w/ Sox, but I'll always root 4 him. Sox got '07 WS, but would have had more w/ Hanley.
This post marks the end of consecutive #'s. As I get into the 60's, I mean I could keep offering players for each number, but it wouldn't be genuine. It would be naming them just to name them. Two posts to go!
Next Up: #'s 61-82
Tweeting The Numbers, #'s 41-50
We're not actually halfway through the numbers, obviously, as we're only to 41, but in actuality we are. With many of the higher numbers I don't have a favorite player because once we reach the high 50's we shift almost exclusively into football numbers, and most 60's and 70's for football numbers are of course, offensive linemen. And there are not a lot of offensive linemen with whom you form an emotional connection, am I right? Most of the time, when you notice an offensive lineman, it's because they just f****d something up. But I digress. Here are #'s 41-50. You can find the first four posts here, here, here and here.
#41, Jason Allison. Apologies to: James Posey, Ugueth Urbina. Had 83, 76 & 95 pt years 4 B's, but injuries ravaged him. He was done @ 30.
#42, Jackie Robinson. Apologies to: Chris Ford, Ronnie Lippett, Mo Vaughn. If not 4 Joe Cronin, Jackie & Willie Mays may have been Red Sox.
#43, Kendrick Perkins. Apologies to: Alan Embree. The only thing more fun than watching Perk play is listening to him be interviewed.
#44, Danny Ainge. Apologies to: Orlando Cabrera. What, you thought I was going to pick Marion Butts?
#45, Pedro Martinez. Apologies to: Otis Smith. My favorite baseball player ever. Watching him pitch was/is like watching Picasso paint.
#46, Bob Stanley. Apologies to: Jacoby Ellsbury. Was Game 6 the Maine native's fault? The wild pitch didn't help, but no, not his fault.
#47, Bruce Hurst. Apologies to: Robert Edwards. I don't really know what to say about Hurst. He was always just kind of there.
#48, Tully Banta-Cain. Apologies to: Tony Fossas. 1 of many examples of player that is best in Pats system, TBC had good sense to come back.
#49, Tim Wakefield. Apologies to: Joey Juneau. Likely the last of his species to have impact at MLB level, we'll never forget about Timmy.
#50, Mike Vrabel. Apologies to: Eddie House, Mike Timlin. All 3 were role players who stepped up in clutch, but for time, Vrabel was more.
Next Up: #'s 51-60.
#41, Jason Allison. Apologies to: James Posey, Ugueth Urbina. Had 83, 76 & 95 pt years 4 B's, but injuries ravaged him. He was done @ 30.
#42, Jackie Robinson. Apologies to: Chris Ford, Ronnie Lippett, Mo Vaughn. If not 4 Joe Cronin, Jackie & Willie Mays may have been Red Sox.
#43, Kendrick Perkins. Apologies to: Alan Embree. The only thing more fun than watching Perk play is listening to him be interviewed.
#44, Danny Ainge. Apologies to: Orlando Cabrera. What, you thought I was going to pick Marion Butts?
#45, Pedro Martinez. Apologies to: Otis Smith. My favorite baseball player ever. Watching him pitch was/is like watching Picasso paint.
#46, Bob Stanley. Apologies to: Jacoby Ellsbury. Was Game 6 the Maine native's fault? The wild pitch didn't help, but no, not his fault.
#47, Bruce Hurst. Apologies to: Robert Edwards. I don't really know what to say about Hurst. He was always just kind of there.
#48, Tully Banta-Cain. Apologies to: Tony Fossas. 1 of many examples of player that is best in Pats system, TBC had good sense to come back.
#49, Tim Wakefield. Apologies to: Joey Juneau. Likely the last of his species to have impact at MLB level, we'll never forget about Timmy.
#50, Mike Vrabel. Apologies to: Eddie House, Mike Timlin. All 3 were role players who stepped up in clutch, but for time, Vrabel was more.
Next Up: #'s 51-60.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Tweeting The Numbers, #'s 31-40
Here's the first three posts - #'s 00-10, 11-20 and 21-30.
#31, Kieran Millan. Apologies to: Cedric Maxwell, Brandon Meriweather, Jon Lester, Sean Fields. His great play helped BU to the 08-09 crown.
#32, Kevin McHale. Apologies to: Don Sweeney, Antowain Smith, Derek Lowe. Every NE kid used to stand under his hoop & mimic McHale's moves.
#33, Larry Bird. Apologies to: Anson Carter, Kevin Faulk, Colin Wilson. Only athlete who could intrigue me enough to read 2 autobiographies.
#34, Paul Pierce. Apologies to: Byron Dafoe, Kevin Turner, David Ortiz, Rich Garces. The Truth is the only player of whom I own 2 jerseys.
#35, Reggie Lewis. Apologies to: Andy Moog, Patrick Pass, Rickey Henderson. Taken too soon, he was nearing Jordan/Drexler/Miller status.
#36, Lawyer Milloy. Apologies to: Tom Gordon, John Curry. Who is the best Pats safety ever, this guy or the next guy? Could be a fun debate.
#37, Rodney Harrison. Apologies to: Bill "Spaceman" Lee. Both Milloy and Rodney appeared in 2 Super Bowl's as Pats, but Rodney won both.
#38, Ubaldo Jimenez. Apologies to: Tyrone Poole, Curt Schilling. Tough call, but Ubaldo is great guy while Schilling is pompous windbag.
#39, Mike Greenwell. Apologies to: Sam Cunningham. My first Red Sox poster as a kid was of "The Gator." So underrated. Had 6+ 3B 5 times.
#40, Dwight Evans. Apologies to: Dino Radja, Mike Haynes. I'm cheating here, as Dewey only was #40 for 2 years, but I wanted to pick him.
#31, Kieran Millan. Apologies to: Cedric Maxwell, Brandon Meriweather, Jon Lester, Sean Fields. His great play helped BU to the 08-09 crown.
#32, Kevin McHale. Apologies to: Don Sweeney, Antowain Smith, Derek Lowe. Every NE kid used to stand under his hoop & mimic McHale's moves.
#33, Larry Bird. Apologies to: Anson Carter, Kevin Faulk, Colin Wilson. Only athlete who could intrigue me enough to read 2 autobiographies.
#34, Paul Pierce. Apologies to: Byron Dafoe, Kevin Turner, David Ortiz, Rich Garces. The Truth is the only player of whom I own 2 jerseys.
#35, Reggie Lewis. Apologies to: Andy Moog, Patrick Pass, Rickey Henderson. Taken too soon, he was nearing Jordan/Drexler/Miller status.
#36, Lawyer Milloy. Apologies to: Tom Gordon, John Curry. Who is the best Pats safety ever, this guy or the next guy? Could be a fun debate.
#37, Rodney Harrison. Apologies to: Bill "Spaceman" Lee. Both Milloy and Rodney appeared in 2 Super Bowl's as Pats, but Rodney won both.
#38, Ubaldo Jimenez. Apologies to: Tyrone Poole, Curt Schilling. Tough call, but Ubaldo is great guy while Schilling is pompous windbag.
#39, Mike Greenwell. Apologies to: Sam Cunningham. My first Red Sox poster as a kid was of "The Gator." So underrated. Had 6+ 3B 5 times.
#40, Dwight Evans. Apologies to: Dino Radja, Mike Haynes. I'm cheating here, as Dewey only was #40 for 2 years, but I wanted to pick him.
Tweeting The Numbers, #'s 21-30
Check out the first two posts here and here.
#21, Mike Eruzione. Apologies to: Bill Sharman, Randall Gay, Roger Clemens, Eric Young. BU/Miracle on Ice captain or "Texas Con Man?" Tough!
#22, Dave Meggett. Apologies to: Wily Mo Pena. Had 3 of 4 best seasons as a Patriot & was Pro Bowler during the '96 Super Bowl season.
#23, Michael Jordan. Apologies to: Frank Ramsey, Antwan Harris, Luis Tiant. Do I even need an explanation?
#24, Manny Ramirez. Apologies to: Terry O'Reilly, Sam Jones, Ty Law, Dwight Evans, Dexter Fowler, Travis Roy. Toughest #. All great choices.
#25, Hal Gill. Apologies to: K.C. Jones, Troy O'Leary, Kenny Magowan. Hard to beat O'Leary's '99 ALDS Gm 5 heroics, but enjoyed Gill era.
#26, Wade Boggs. Apologies to: Glen Wesley, Raymond Clayborn, Jeff Francis. End was bitter, but only Teddy better pure hitter w/ Red Sox.
#27, Carlton Fisk. Apologies to: Danny Fortson, Terrell Buckley, Bryan Ewing. Ah, Carlton Fisk Day, when NPD's & my dad shouted @ strangers.
#28, Michel Larocque. Apologies to: Tony Delk, Corey Dillon, Curtis Martin, Doug Mirabelli. My first yr @ BU, he was 17-4-1. I was hooked.
#29, Ricky DiPietro. Apologies to: Pervis Ellison, Keith Foulke, Jorge De La Rosa. His 3 line passes were legendary. Wish he stayed longer.
#30: Mosi Tatupu, Patriots: Apologies to: ML Carr, C's; Sam Horn, Sox; Jim Craig, BU. Mosi still my all-time favorite Pats special teamer.
Next up: #'s 31-40
#21, Mike Eruzione. Apologies to: Bill Sharman, Randall Gay, Roger Clemens, Eric Young. BU/Miracle on Ice captain or "Texas Con Man?" Tough!
#22, Dave Meggett. Apologies to: Wily Mo Pena. Had 3 of 4 best seasons as a Patriot & was Pro Bowler during the '96 Super Bowl season.
#23, Michael Jordan. Apologies to: Frank Ramsey, Antwan Harris, Luis Tiant. Do I even need an explanation?
#24, Manny Ramirez. Apologies to: Terry O'Reilly, Sam Jones, Ty Law, Dwight Evans, Dexter Fowler, Travis Roy. Toughest #. All great choices.
#25, Hal Gill. Apologies to: K.C. Jones, Troy O'Leary, Kenny Magowan. Hard to beat O'Leary's '99 ALDS Gm 5 heroics, but enjoyed Gill era.
#26, Wade Boggs. Apologies to: Glen Wesley, Raymond Clayborn, Jeff Francis. End was bitter, but only Teddy better pure hitter w/ Red Sox.
#27, Carlton Fisk. Apologies to: Danny Fortson, Terrell Buckley, Bryan Ewing. Ah, Carlton Fisk Day, when NPD's & my dad shouted @ strangers.
#28, Michel Larocque. Apologies to: Tony Delk, Corey Dillon, Curtis Martin, Doug Mirabelli. My first yr @ BU, he was 17-4-1. I was hooked.
#29, Ricky DiPietro. Apologies to: Pervis Ellison, Keith Foulke, Jorge De La Rosa. His 3 line passes were legendary. Wish he stayed longer.
#30: Mosi Tatupu, Patriots: Apologies to: ML Carr, C's; Sam Horn, Sox; Jim Craig, BU. Mosi still my all-time favorite Pats special teamer.
Next up: #'s 31-40
Tweeting The Numbers, #'s 11-20
Let's keep this train rolling. To recap, these are my favorite players by jersey number, and I'm doing it tweet style to keep it short and sweet. Check out the first post here.
#11, Drew Bledsoe. Apologies to: Dana Barros, Bill Mueller, Dan Spang. Drew's comeback in PIT in '01 one of most moving performances ever.
#12, Tom Brady. Apologies to: Adam Oates, Pumpsie Green, Ellis Burks, Mike Grier. He's fading now, but after 3 rings he could only go down.
#13, Dan Marino. Apologies to: Delonte West, John Valentin, Nick Bonino. My first Halloween sports "costume" was a teal Marino jersey.
#14, Bob Cousy. Apologies to: Sergei Samsanov, Steve Grogan, Jim Rice, Carl Corrazzini. The definition of crotchety, old, yet beloved, man.
#15, Tom Heinsohn. Apologies to: Dustin Pedroia, Rick Meagher, Kevin Millar. Yes he's a homer, but he was once CBS' color guy for reason.
#16, Peter McArthur. Apologies to: "Satch" Sanders, Jim Lonborg. Not best group, so I'll go with guy I saw play, even if he never won.
#17, Todd Helton. Apologies to: John Havlicek, Dick Radatz, Jack O'Callaghan. Hard. Met Helton & Radatz, respect both & other 2 true champs.
#18, Chris Drury. Apologies to: Dave Cowens, Reggie Jefferson. We used to have saying: Jack Parker is God, & Chris Drury is Jesus. Go BU!
#19, Joe Thornton. Apologies to: Tom Tupa, Fred Lynn, Josh Beckett, Chris Bourque. Essentially stopped caring for NHL after B's traded him.
#20, Barry Sanders. Apologies to: Ray Allen, Gino Cappelletti, Kevin Youkilis, Chris Iannetta. Once went to Lions-Pats preseason just 4 him.
Next up: #'s 21-30.
#11, Drew Bledsoe. Apologies to: Dana Barros, Bill Mueller, Dan Spang. Drew's comeback in PIT in '01 one of most moving performances ever.
#12, Tom Brady. Apologies to: Adam Oates, Pumpsie Green, Ellis Burks, Mike Grier. He's fading now, but after 3 rings he could only go down.
#13, Dan Marino. Apologies to: Delonte West, John Valentin, Nick Bonino. My first Halloween sports "costume" was a teal Marino jersey.
#14, Bob Cousy. Apologies to: Sergei Samsanov, Steve Grogan, Jim Rice, Carl Corrazzini. The definition of crotchety, old, yet beloved, man.
#15, Tom Heinsohn. Apologies to: Dustin Pedroia, Rick Meagher, Kevin Millar. Yes he's a homer, but he was once CBS' color guy for reason.
#16, Peter McArthur. Apologies to: "Satch" Sanders, Jim Lonborg. Not best group, so I'll go with guy I saw play, even if he never won.
#17, Todd Helton. Apologies to: John Havlicek, Dick Radatz, Jack O'Callaghan. Hard. Met Helton & Radatz, respect both & other 2 true champs.
#18, Chris Drury. Apologies to: Dave Cowens, Reggie Jefferson. We used to have saying: Jack Parker is God, & Chris Drury is Jesus. Go BU!
#19, Joe Thornton. Apologies to: Tom Tupa, Fred Lynn, Josh Beckett, Chris Bourque. Essentially stopped caring for NHL after B's traded him.
#20, Barry Sanders. Apologies to: Ray Allen, Gino Cappelletti, Kevin Youkilis, Chris Iannetta. Once went to Lions-Pats preseason just 4 him.
Next up: #'s 21-30.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tweeting The Numbers
Whenever I go to places like Noodles & Company, where they give you a number while you wait for your food, I always try to think of athletes who have that number. I know, I'm a dork. But it got me thinking recently - what are my favorite athletes by jersey number? Well, I got curious, and whenever I get curious, as my wife so often reminds me, I make a spreadsheet. So that's what I did. I made a spreadsheet with my favorite Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, Red Sox, Rockies and BU ice hockey players by number, with a column for other random players as well. And since there's obviously a lot of numbers, we're going to do this twitter style - every number spelled out in 140 characters or less, complete with runners-up (runners-up will be listed in that same order - Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, Red Sox, Rockies, Terriers, random). Tonight - #'s 00 through #10.
#00, Robert Parish. "Chief" was showstopper, from his rainbows, to decking Laimbeer, to having a lb. of weed shipped to his house.
#0, Walter McCarty. Apologies to: Leon Powe. I still love Waltah, but Leon Powe "Da Monstah" may have trumped him had he stayed.
#1, Bobby Doerr. Apologies to: Reggie Lemelin, Jamey Carroll. Loved reading about him in "The Teammates," req. reading 4 Sox fans.
#2, Troy Tulowitzki. Apologies to: Doug Flutie, Carl Everett, Eric Gryba. Fun to watch in the field & at the plate. Future MVP.
#3, Dennis Johnson. Apologies to: Stephen Gostkowski, Jody Reed, Eric Young, Jr., Tony Amonte, Ryan Whitney. "Fiddlin & diddlin!!"
#4, Adam Vinatieri. Apologies to: Bobby Orr, Sherman Douglas, Jackie Jensen, Sean Sullivan, Chris Webber. Adam edges Orr slightly.
#5, Nomar Garciaparra. Apologies to: Kevin Garnett, Carlos Gonzalez, Tom Poti. Nomar never won it all but he captured post-strike RS Nation.
#6, Bill Russell. Apologies to: Gord Kluzak, Johnny Pesky, Brian Collins. Only way to top a Shrewsbury native is to have 11 rings.
#7, Trot Nixon. Apologies to: Phil Esposito, Dee Brown, Dom DiMaggio. The original Dirt Dog was as New England as a Carolina boy can be.
#8, Antoine Walker. Apologies to: Cam Neely, Carl Yastrzemski. I'll never forget 'Toine b*tch*ng out the tm in Gm 3. Best. Comeback. Ever.
#9, Ted Williams. Apologies to: Rajon Rondo, Vinny Castilla. Not only greatest hitter ever, but smart enough to write a good book about it.
#10, Rich Gedman. Apologies to: Dmitri Kvartalnov, JoJo White, Dante Bichette, Dave Silk. Worcester native & the Rocket's catcher.
Next Up: #'s 11 through 20.
#00, Robert Parish. "Chief" was showstopper, from his rainbows, to decking Laimbeer, to having a lb. of weed shipped to his house.
#0, Walter McCarty. Apologies to: Leon Powe. I still love Waltah, but Leon Powe "Da Monstah" may have trumped him had he stayed.
#1, Bobby Doerr. Apologies to: Reggie Lemelin, Jamey Carroll. Loved reading about him in "The Teammates," req. reading 4 Sox fans.
#2, Troy Tulowitzki. Apologies to: Doug Flutie, Carl Everett, Eric Gryba. Fun to watch in the field & at the plate. Future MVP.
#3, Dennis Johnson. Apologies to: Stephen Gostkowski, Jody Reed, Eric Young, Jr., Tony Amonte, Ryan Whitney. "Fiddlin & diddlin!!"
#4, Adam Vinatieri. Apologies to: Bobby Orr, Sherman Douglas, Jackie Jensen, Sean Sullivan, Chris Webber. Adam edges Orr slightly.
#5, Nomar Garciaparra. Apologies to: Kevin Garnett, Carlos Gonzalez, Tom Poti. Nomar never won it all but he captured post-strike RS Nation.
#6, Bill Russell. Apologies to: Gord Kluzak, Johnny Pesky, Brian Collins. Only way to top a Shrewsbury native is to have 11 rings.
#7, Trot Nixon. Apologies to: Phil Esposito, Dee Brown, Dom DiMaggio. The original Dirt Dog was as New England as a Carolina boy can be.
#8, Antoine Walker. Apologies to: Cam Neely, Carl Yastrzemski. I'll never forget 'Toine b*tch*ng out the tm in Gm 3. Best. Comeback. Ever.
#9, Ted Williams. Apologies to: Rajon Rondo, Vinny Castilla. Not only greatest hitter ever, but smart enough to write a good book about it.
#10, Rich Gedman. Apologies to: Dmitri Kvartalnov, JoJo White, Dante Bichette, Dave Silk. Worcester native & the Rocket's catcher.
Next Up: #'s 11 through 20.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Couch Notes
Notes while trying to pass the time on a boring Sunday night:
- What is the point of King of the Hill? I know it was canceled, but does Fox really need to show the final episodes? Who is still watching this show?
- The rate at which we consume media these days is frightening.
- I'm looking forward to my fourth annual end of the year "best of the year" CD's. I need to pick up some more CD's to round it out and represent recent releases, but this year's could be the best yet.
- The Patriots can still make the playoffs. But it's not looking good.
- The Celtics are ready to repeat. And while Paul Pierce is still the C's best player, I think it's an open question now as to who the second best player is. That's not a knock on Kevin Garnett, but rather a nod to how well Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo have played so far. Tony Allen has played remarkably well in the sixth man role, subbing for Rondo, Ray, or Pierce, depending on who needs a spell.
- I think the only people who don't know that college football needs a playoff are the six commissioners from the six "BCS" conferences.
- What would I do without Slash Film, Baseball-Reference and Cot's Contracts?
- I wasn't surprised to find out that the "deals" during Black Friday were pretty much the most classic definition of the bait-n-switch. Unreal.
- Facebook is addictive.
- Sometimes I predict really stupid things, like when I predicted that Washington would notch the seven seed in the playoffs this year, or that the Giants would only go 8-8 this year. But for every stinker, I get one nugget in there, like predicting the Hawks to emerge and grab the 5 seed this year...ok, it's not a one to one ratio, but I'm not wrong all the time!
- Do I really have to wait another two months for Lost to come back? Come on...
- 24: Redemption did little to redeem 24's crappy sixth season, although the 7th season does seem to have a lot of good story lines. We'll see I guess.
- Why is there still no great hip-hop blog? Someone help me out here if you have any suggestions.
- I've got nothing.
- What is the point of King of the Hill? I know it was canceled, but does Fox really need to show the final episodes? Who is still watching this show?
- The rate at which we consume media these days is frightening.
- I'm looking forward to my fourth annual end of the year "best of the year" CD's. I need to pick up some more CD's to round it out and represent recent releases, but this year's could be the best yet.
- The Patriots can still make the playoffs. But it's not looking good.
- The Celtics are ready to repeat. And while Paul Pierce is still the C's best player, I think it's an open question now as to who the second best player is. That's not a knock on Kevin Garnett, but rather a nod to how well Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo have played so far. Tony Allen has played remarkably well in the sixth man role, subbing for Rondo, Ray, or Pierce, depending on who needs a spell.
- I think the only people who don't know that college football needs a playoff are the six commissioners from the six "BCS" conferences.
- What would I do without Slash Film, Baseball-Reference and Cot's Contracts?
- I wasn't surprised to find out that the "deals" during Black Friday were pretty much the most classic definition of the bait-n-switch. Unreal.
- Facebook is addictive.
- Sometimes I predict really stupid things, like when I predicted that Washington would notch the seven seed in the playoffs this year, or that the Giants would only go 8-8 this year. But for every stinker, I get one nugget in there, like predicting the Hawks to emerge and grab the 5 seed this year...ok, it's not a one to one ratio, but I'm not wrong all the time!
- Do I really have to wait another two months for Lost to come back? Come on...
- 24: Redemption did little to redeem 24's crappy sixth season, although the 7th season does seem to have a lot of good story lines. We'll see I guess.
- Why is there still no great hip-hop blog? Someone help me out here if you have any suggestions.
- I've got nothing.
Friday, January 06, 2006
New Title
I figured that since I don't really talk about baseball on the blog anymore, that I would change the title. Love to hear feedback on it. It has a double meaning, let me know if you get both meanings...
One more update: my darling wife passed the hardest 1/4 of the CPA exam. As long as she passes the other three by 5-31-07, she'll be a certified CPA. Yee haw!
Coming Soon: Album Review of Biggie Duets
One more update: my darling wife passed the hardest 1/4 of the CPA exam. As long as she passes the other three by 5-31-07, she'll be a certified CPA. Yee haw!
Coming Soon: Album Review of Biggie Duets
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Condiment Rankings, Part I
Condiments are a vastly underrated component of the food world in which we live. Today, let's look at store bought condiments. Tomorrow, we'll look at condiments that you get at various eating establishments.
#1) A1 Steak Sauce - I don't know how you could pick anything else.
#2) Kraft Light Parmesan Cheese - On top of Mt. Smoky...
#3) Ranch dressing - Always a great choice. Hard to screw up ranch dressing. Fat Free Hidden Valley Ranch with Bacon is especially good.
#4) Heinz ketchup - None of that Hunt's crap.
#5) Kraft Light Mayo - Hellman's had its day in the sun, but that time is over. In general though, don't buy mayo these days, trying to wean myself off my once disastrous mayo habits.
#6) Kraft Thick and Spicy Honey BBQ sauce - Mmm...honey bbq sauce.
#7) Tostitos Chili con Queso - Perfect with Tostitos Gold chips and NFL football (preferably Pats)
#8) Caesar salad dressing - Along with ranch dressing, these 2 dressings make salads palatable.
#9) Log Cabin Maple Syrup - Always look to find good local maple syrup, like in Vermont and Canada, but when you have to go grocery store, nothing beats Log Cabin. Move over Aunt Jemima!
#10) Tie - French's Honey Dijon Mustard and Sour Cream - Sour cream of any brand is good, as is honey or dijon mustard. French's has combined both, and there's not a lot better than that. Except the other 9 items on this list of course.
You may look at this list and say, hey what the hell happened to peanut butter and cream cheese? Well my faithful reader, those are good enough to actually be meals, so they don't fall under the condiment umbrella. The deciding factor is, would you eat a spoonful of it without anything else? For these eleven condiments, the answer is likely no (never say never). For peanut butter and cream cheese, I have eaten spoonfuls, and probably will again in the future, so they get bumped up to "meal" status. Tune in tomorrow (or whenever I get to it) for the fast-food list.
#1) A1 Steak Sauce - I don't know how you could pick anything else.
#2) Kraft Light Parmesan Cheese - On top of Mt. Smoky...
#3) Ranch dressing - Always a great choice. Hard to screw up ranch dressing. Fat Free Hidden Valley Ranch with Bacon is especially good.
#4) Heinz ketchup - None of that Hunt's crap.
#5) Kraft Light Mayo - Hellman's had its day in the sun, but that time is over. In general though, don't buy mayo these days, trying to wean myself off my once disastrous mayo habits.
#6) Kraft Thick and Spicy Honey BBQ sauce - Mmm...honey bbq sauce.
#7) Tostitos Chili con Queso - Perfect with Tostitos Gold chips and NFL football (preferably Pats)
#8) Caesar salad dressing - Along with ranch dressing, these 2 dressings make salads palatable.
#9) Log Cabin Maple Syrup - Always look to find good local maple syrup, like in Vermont and Canada, but when you have to go grocery store, nothing beats Log Cabin. Move over Aunt Jemima!
#10) Tie - French's Honey Dijon Mustard and Sour Cream - Sour cream of any brand is good, as is honey or dijon mustard. French's has combined both, and there's not a lot better than that. Except the other 9 items on this list of course.
You may look at this list and say, hey what the hell happened to peanut butter and cream cheese? Well my faithful reader, those are good enough to actually be meals, so they don't fall under the condiment umbrella. The deciding factor is, would you eat a spoonful of it without anything else? For these eleven condiments, the answer is likely no (never say never). For peanut butter and cream cheese, I have eaten spoonfuls, and probably will again in the future, so they get bumped up to "meal" status. Tune in tomorrow (or whenever I get to it) for the fast-food list.
food
Have you ever had a left over oven-fried pork chops sandwich on wheat toast, with shredded cheese and fat free bacon ranch dressing? well, i did this afternoon, and it was delicious.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Been a while
Checking in, haven't posted in awhile. Just relaxing tonight, I haven't technically had a day off since the 7th, (I called in last Tuesday) and I don't have to work tomorrow. Not that I'm going to be really taking it off. I have some SRO work to do, for my newest account. Most of my attention recently has been focused on my upcoming event I am planning at the Rockies. My colleague and friend John John are planning the spectacular "First Annual College Night with the Colorado Rockies". It's going to be a great time. We have been all around the Denver area making visits at colleges, getting the word on the streets. Today I was up in fabolous Greeley, home of the Monforts, at Aims Community College. They had what was probably the nicest community college campus I have ever seen.
My fabulous sister-in-law Chandel Marie left us this past Saturday, having spent a month with us here in the D-Town. She was doing field work over at Children's Hospital, where she built invaluable experience as she strives to become a Child Life Specialist. She's doing great so far.
My sister Laila is also about to make a big step, she's got her bags packed for the Big Apple. She's wanted to move to the Dirty Rotten since she was 17, so I'm glad she's finally taking the plunge. It just seems like something she has to do. Hopefully she can keep her head above water, or I will make fun of her a lot. But I don't anticipate that. I think she'll do just fine for herself.
Me, it's another day another dollar, just filing Prospectus Notebook articles and hoping for the best for my wife and myself. Say a prayer for her, she takes the first leg of her CPA this weekend.
My fabulous sister-in-law Chandel Marie left us this past Saturday, having spent a month with us here in the D-Town. She was doing field work over at Children's Hospital, where she built invaluable experience as she strives to become a Child Life Specialist. She's doing great so far.
My sister Laila is also about to make a big step, she's got her bags packed for the Big Apple. She's wanted to move to the Dirty Rotten since she was 17, so I'm glad she's finally taking the plunge. It just seems like something she has to do. Hopefully she can keep her head above water, or I will make fun of her a lot. But I don't anticipate that. I think she'll do just fine for herself.
Me, it's another day another dollar, just filing Prospectus Notebook articles and hoping for the best for my wife and myself. Say a prayer for her, she takes the first leg of her CPA this weekend.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Weddings, Receptions, and Honeymoons, oh my!
On July 9, I went to the best wedding I've ever been to. Which is fortunate, because it was my own wedding. The day started harmlessly enough, as my sister took me to an overcrowded IHOP. We didn't wait long, being a party of two. I had my traditional Cheese Blintz with Strawberries and Sour Cream, with a bagel and cream cheese on the side. I don't remember what Laila had, but I remember she liked it a lot.
Following breakfast Laila had to scamper off to the hotel, and I was left alone with my parents and my friend Kevin, who was staying at my parent's house with me. We hung around for awhile figuring out what everyone in my wedding party was doing. My best man Nick, and my three cousins Dave, Danny, and Russ, all ended up coming over to the house to get dressed in our tuxes with Kevin and I (Kevin was also one of my groomsmen). Only my groomsman Andy, who didn't have a lot of sleep that week, had to meet us at the church.
Once we arrived at St. George's Orthodox Cathedral we had some time to kill. The only other person at the church was Fr. Michael, and he was as usual tending to some business in the church office, so we kept to ourselves. The cathedral has a wall with plaques that remember parishioners who have passed away. I used to see the same names on the wall each Sunday, but looking at it that day drove home the point of how infrequently I'm there now that I live in Denver. In any event, people started filing in, and since it wasn't appropriate for Nick and myself to stand in the front of the church and just hang out and wave to people, we went into the altar. I was in the altar no more than two minutes when I got the first of many annoying requests from the photographer to come outside and take some pictures.
Once back in the altar, I was able to properly greet the other clergy who would partake in our Wedding ceremony, Bishop Basil, Fr. Romanos, and Dcn. Seraphim. It was a pleasure to see them all, and catch up, however briefly.
Before I knew it everyone had arrived and it was time for the ceremony to begin. Nick and I actually emerged from the altar late, as two of the groomsmen and bridesmaids had already arrived on the altar. Oops! But I was there in plenty of time to see my beautiful bride walk down the aisle. She looked exquisite in her gown, and I was glad to wait so long to be surprised by it.
The only hiccup in the ceremony was when Summer had to sit down from the heat. She's so cute, I wanted to sit down with her, it was so hot in the church. The church has an extremely high ceiling, and the air conditioner definitely wasn't turned on in time to cool the church sufficiently. Nevertheless, the ceremony continued unabated. The Orthodox ceremony is not like the typical ceremony we are used to seeing from Hollywood, but it is much more meaningful, rooted in our beliefs of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The ceremony took about 45-50 minutes, and then Summer and I walked back down the aisle as husband and wife.
We decided not to do a receiving line, because they are extremely awkward and we were worried it was going to start raining as well. After we walked back down the aisle, we sat down in the limo to quickly catch our breath. Then we headed back onto the church lawn to take pictures. We took bridal party pictures, family pictures, just us pictures, so many pictures. I was very concerned that it would start raining and ruin Summer's beautiful dress though. Once we were finally done with pictures, we hopped into the limo and he drove us the fifteen or so miles to the Indian Meadows Country Club, where we had our wedding reception extraordinaire. Right after Summer and I stepped inside, the sky opened up and it poured for a half hour. We got in just in time.
Following breakfast Laila had to scamper off to the hotel, and I was left alone with my parents and my friend Kevin, who was staying at my parent's house with me. We hung around for awhile figuring out what everyone in my wedding party was doing. My best man Nick, and my three cousins Dave, Danny, and Russ, all ended up coming over to the house to get dressed in our tuxes with Kevin and I (Kevin was also one of my groomsmen). Only my groomsman Andy, who didn't have a lot of sleep that week, had to meet us at the church.
Once we arrived at St. George's Orthodox Cathedral we had some time to kill. The only other person at the church was Fr. Michael, and he was as usual tending to some business in the church office, so we kept to ourselves. The cathedral has a wall with plaques that remember parishioners who have passed away. I used to see the same names on the wall each Sunday, but looking at it that day drove home the point of how infrequently I'm there now that I live in Denver. In any event, people started filing in, and since it wasn't appropriate for Nick and myself to stand in the front of the church and just hang out and wave to people, we went into the altar. I was in the altar no more than two minutes when I got the first of many annoying requests from the photographer to come outside and take some pictures.
Once back in the altar, I was able to properly greet the other clergy who would partake in our Wedding ceremony, Bishop Basil, Fr. Romanos, and Dcn. Seraphim. It was a pleasure to see them all, and catch up, however briefly.
Before I knew it everyone had arrived and it was time for the ceremony to begin. Nick and I actually emerged from the altar late, as two of the groomsmen and bridesmaids had already arrived on the altar. Oops! But I was there in plenty of time to see my beautiful bride walk down the aisle. She looked exquisite in her gown, and I was glad to wait so long to be surprised by it.
The only hiccup in the ceremony was when Summer had to sit down from the heat. She's so cute, I wanted to sit down with her, it was so hot in the church. The church has an extremely high ceiling, and the air conditioner definitely wasn't turned on in time to cool the church sufficiently. Nevertheless, the ceremony continued unabated. The Orthodox ceremony is not like the typical ceremony we are used to seeing from Hollywood, but it is much more meaningful, rooted in our beliefs of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The ceremony took about 45-50 minutes, and then Summer and I walked back down the aisle as husband and wife.
We decided not to do a receiving line, because they are extremely awkward and we were worried it was going to start raining as well. After we walked back down the aisle, we sat down in the limo to quickly catch our breath. Then we headed back onto the church lawn to take pictures. We took bridal party pictures, family pictures, just us pictures, so many pictures. I was very concerned that it would start raining and ruin Summer's beautiful dress though. Once we were finally done with pictures, we hopped into the limo and he drove us the fifteen or so miles to the Indian Meadows Country Club, where we had our wedding reception extraordinaire. Right after Summer and I stepped inside, the sky opened up and it poured for a half hour. We got in just in time.
Once inside, we joined our bridal party in a room set off from the reception, where we enjoyed some appetizers and cocktails. Kevin gave a really nice, but brief toast, as did my mother, and then it was time to be introduced to our adoring public. Everyone filed in, announced by the DJ, Summer and I going last. Nick had us stay out on the dance floor while he gave the Best Man toast to the entire audience, and he did a fantastic job. He fooled everyone in the crowd when he said, "And I'd like to thank the two people who brought us here, without whom this event wouldn't be possible....the BARTENDERS!" That was funny. We mingled with people before and after dinner, making our way to every table. It was great so see everyone. We had people come from all parts of the world: lots of local people obviously, but also
Overall, the reception went off without a hitch. The DJ didn't have a real great music selection, but it was good enough to keep our drunk asses on the dance floor. We also got a brief set of Arabic music from Richie and Eddie, which was classic, almost everyone danced to it. The photographers, while annoying, did a good job. The flowers were good, because I never noticed them and the women loved them, which is exactly how flowers should be. And the food was tremendous, our host Kenny went out of his way to get us some of the juiciest prime rib I've ever had, and we got tons of compliments on it.
Once the reception was over, Summer and I changed and my dad whisked us off to the
When we got to the airport, I was stunned to see so many people in line so early in the morning. Good ole US Air. Fortunately, there was a separate line for flights to
Once on the ground, we went through customs, which wasn't too bad, and found the bus that we got with our package deal, set up by my cousin Lorrie, who's a great travel agent. I wasn't ready to truly relax until we got into our room. We had a momentary scare on check-in when they told us there were no king-side beds available in our room size, and that we would need to pay $50 a night extra to upgrade. After I explained to the woman at the front desk that we were honeymooners, the room that we were supposed to have magically appeared. Funny how that works.
We did a whole lot of nothing that Sunday, just hanging around in our room and resting. To be sure, most of the week followed that same pattern, hanging around in our room, at the pool, or on the beach. I didn't end up getting much of a tan, but Summer did because she already had a base tan. We had an all-inclusive package, so we ate all of meals at the hotel minus one dinner. The only other food we ate consisted of some popcorn when we went to see War of the Worlds, and some Haagen Daaz after said movie. The dinner we had outside of the hotel was at the Amazonia Steakhouse, which was incredible, I highly recommend that to everyone visiting
Other things we did in
The trip back was not much fun at all, between our delayed flight from Aruba, running through the Philadelphia airport to catch a connecting flight, our temporarily lost luggage, and finally our delayed flight out of Denver to Boston, which forced us to rely on a $70 cab ride rather than my friend Johnny to take us back to Centennial, but I don't want to dwell on the negative. I got to spend a wonderful week with my family, a wonderful week with just my baby, and in between I had the best wedding any man could ever hope to have. Amen.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Holy Hiatus Batman
It's been almost a whole month since I've made a post to this blog. That is a long time. I have had my reasons, I assure you. Not only have I been super busy working three jobs and traveling a lot, but I have a wedding to plan. In eleven short days I will be wed, and then off on my honeymoon, so time has been short lately. Some thoughts on the sports world:
1) The Rockies have a better won-lost record this month than they had in April and May individually. While this is due mostly to the fact that the Rockies have spent most of the month at home, it should be viewed as progress nonetheless.
2) The Red Sox, despite tonight's poor showing, are on the verge of taking over the AL for good. The only team that poses a legitimate threat at this point are the White Sox, and I don't think they match up well with the Red Sox. They play extraordinary defense, but I think the Red Sox have the ability to batter their pitching staff to the point where it will not matter.
3) I am praying that Hakim Warrick slips to #18 in the NBA Draft tomorrow night. After reading today's writeups on ESPN and SI, that seems highly unlikely. He has been rumored to go to Golden State at #9. That would be a shame. I'm just hoping that Danny can avoid a foreigner or high schooler. I know the argument that the C's can afford to stash another young guy and continue to develop the current roster, but I'm not buying it.
4) So glad that the NBA avoided a lockout. And it couldn't have worked out better. Now if only the NBA can fix their TV problems, and make sure that the NBA Finals take less than 3 weeks to finish, it'll be all to the good. Most of the country, including me for the most part, just missed an exilirating NBA Finals.
5) Went to the US Women's Open yesterday. Highlights:
- School buses carting around spectators and volunteers from the parking lots to the course. Classy.
- The weak attempts to make everyone surrender their cell phones and cameras at the gates. Cause that happened.
- The Denver Post listing the tee times as Eastern time. Fu^&*ng morons.
- My good friend Meg leaving me free tickets. Good lookin'.
- Watching some exciting, if not underwhelming golf. The women had a tough time with the uphill holes, which were the 9th and 18th. My friend Murr and I got to see Michelle Wie, Birdie Kim, the Pressels girl, and Stupples tee off from both the first and fifth holes. In between, we saw Annika tee off on 11. Annika was awful overall, but the drive we saw her hit she nailed perfectly. Maybe we should have followed her around all day.
- From the fifth tee we walked up to the 18th green, and parked there for the rest of the day. The best part there was standing around talking with some older fellow, gauging the hotness of the golfers. Winners were the Gulbis girl, Pressel, Paula Creamer, and Wie.
- When Birdie Kim knocked in for birdie from the bunker on 18, my friend Murr was able to grab the ball when she threw it into the crowd. AND got her to sign it. Simply amazing.
- Getting back to our car as it was starting to pour.
In the past month, as I mentioned, I got to do some travelling as well. I went home to do some wedding planning. During the trip I was home in Shrewsbury and Worcester, went to Boston to see my sister, went to Wright's Chicken Farm in RI for an eatoff, which I lost miserably, then drove to New York for what turned into my surprise Bachelor Party. I couldn't have possibly had more fun in a 24 hour span than I had that night. It was tremendous, and my friends went to seemingly incredible lengths to pull it off. I'm pretty lucky like that.
I also went to San Diego this past Friday. Got to see a great city, a great movie (Batman Begins - kick ass x 10), a great ballpark, and was able to meet a lot of members of the Padres front office, including CEO Sandy Alderson and GM Kevin Towers. Good times.
I probably won't be back with another post before I travel back to Shrewsbury for the wedding this weekend. I am going to see, perhaps for the last time, Roger Clemens pitch tomorrow night at Coors Field. Friday I am having my Denver Bachelor Party, and I fear/hope that I will end up face down in the gutter afterwards. How lucky am I to get 2 bachelor parties? Saturday night we head home.
Lastly, a pre-emptive congratulations to both my cousins Danny & Elsa, who are expecting their first child tomorrow, as well as my collegaue, client, and friend, Steven Goldman, whose wife will be delivering their second child through C-section tomorrow.
1) The Rockies have a better won-lost record this month than they had in April and May individually. While this is due mostly to the fact that the Rockies have spent most of the month at home, it should be viewed as progress nonetheless.
2) The Red Sox, despite tonight's poor showing, are on the verge of taking over the AL for good. The only team that poses a legitimate threat at this point are the White Sox, and I don't think they match up well with the Red Sox. They play extraordinary defense, but I think the Red Sox have the ability to batter their pitching staff to the point where it will not matter.
3) I am praying that Hakim Warrick slips to #18 in the NBA Draft tomorrow night. After reading today's writeups on ESPN and SI, that seems highly unlikely. He has been rumored to go to Golden State at #9. That would be a shame. I'm just hoping that Danny can avoid a foreigner or high schooler. I know the argument that the C's can afford to stash another young guy and continue to develop the current roster, but I'm not buying it.
4) So glad that the NBA avoided a lockout. And it couldn't have worked out better. Now if only the NBA can fix their TV problems, and make sure that the NBA Finals take less than 3 weeks to finish, it'll be all to the good. Most of the country, including me for the most part, just missed an exilirating NBA Finals.
5) Went to the US Women's Open yesterday. Highlights:
- School buses carting around spectators and volunteers from the parking lots to the course. Classy.
- The weak attempts to make everyone surrender their cell phones and cameras at the gates. Cause that happened.
- The Denver Post listing the tee times as Eastern time. Fu^&*ng morons.
- My good friend Meg leaving me free tickets. Good lookin'.
- Watching some exciting, if not underwhelming golf. The women had a tough time with the uphill holes, which were the 9th and 18th. My friend Murr and I got to see Michelle Wie, Birdie Kim, the Pressels girl, and Stupples tee off from both the first and fifth holes. In between, we saw Annika tee off on 11. Annika was awful overall, but the drive we saw her hit she nailed perfectly. Maybe we should have followed her around all day.
- From the fifth tee we walked up to the 18th green, and parked there for the rest of the day. The best part there was standing around talking with some older fellow, gauging the hotness of the golfers. Winners were the Gulbis girl, Pressel, Paula Creamer, and Wie.
- When Birdie Kim knocked in for birdie from the bunker on 18, my friend Murr was able to grab the ball when she threw it into the crowd. AND got her to sign it. Simply amazing.
- Getting back to our car as it was starting to pour.
In the past month, as I mentioned, I got to do some travelling as well. I went home to do some wedding planning. During the trip I was home in Shrewsbury and Worcester, went to Boston to see my sister, went to Wright's Chicken Farm in RI for an eatoff, which I lost miserably, then drove to New York for what turned into my surprise Bachelor Party. I couldn't have possibly had more fun in a 24 hour span than I had that night. It was tremendous, and my friends went to seemingly incredible lengths to pull it off. I'm pretty lucky like that.
I also went to San Diego this past Friday. Got to see a great city, a great movie (Batman Begins - kick ass x 10), a great ballpark, and was able to meet a lot of members of the Padres front office, including CEO Sandy Alderson and GM Kevin Towers. Good times.
I probably won't be back with another post before I travel back to Shrewsbury for the wedding this weekend. I am going to see, perhaps for the last time, Roger Clemens pitch tomorrow night at Coors Field. Friday I am having my Denver Bachelor Party, and I fear/hope that I will end up face down in the gutter afterwards. How lucky am I to get 2 bachelor parties? Saturday night we head home.
Lastly, a pre-emptive congratulations to both my cousins Danny & Elsa, who are expecting their first child tomorrow, as well as my collegaue, client, and friend, Steven Goldman, whose wife will be delivering their second child through C-section tomorrow.
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Moments
"You do have your moments. Not many of them, but you do have them..."
-- Princess Leia, The Empire Strikes Back
This seems like a fitting quote for this past weekend. My best man Hollywood Nicky was in town, and we had a great time. It was the first time I've seen him since I went home for the World Series, which is far too long. Fortunately, I was able to get some time off from work, and we painted the town burnt umber. It was an excellent prelude to June and July, when I will get to see him, and my family, when I make two trips back east, to the West side.
-- Princess Leia, The Empire Strikes Back
This seems like a fitting quote for this past weekend. My best man Hollywood Nicky was in town, and we had a great time. It was the first time I've seen him since I went home for the World Series, which is far too long. Fortunately, I was able to get some time off from work, and we painted the town burnt umber. It was an excellent prelude to June and July, when I will get to see him, and my family, when I make two trips back east, to the West side.
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Quick Hits
I'm very tired, but a few things need to get out:
1. Great, great, great, great, great win by the Celtics tonight. Keep whinin' Reggie. Incredible effort. To be up by 30 points before Pierce makes a field goal? Wow. I'll take 15 more of those please.
2. Schilling came back too early. Something is not right there.
3. Jaret Wright is injured, too bad.
4. Not only will Nomar not play again this season, but his career as an elite player is over.
5. Don't look now but the Rockies have won 4 of their last 5, and 5 of their last 8. The Rox split a series in Philly, and have taken 2 straight from the division-leading Dodgers. 6-11 isn't a world-beating record, but it's better than being 2-10. Keep it up.
1. Great, great, great, great, great win by the Celtics tonight. Keep whinin' Reggie. Incredible effort. To be up by 30 points before Pierce makes a field goal? Wow. I'll take 15 more of those please.
2. Schilling came back too early. Something is not right there.
3. Jaret Wright is injured, too bad.
4. Not only will Nomar not play again this season, but his career as an elite player is over.
5. Don't look now but the Rockies have won 4 of their last 5, and 5 of their last 8. The Rox split a series in Philly, and have taken 2 straight from the division-leading Dodgers. 6-11 isn't a world-beating record, but it's better than being 2-10. Keep it up.
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