Wednesday, October 28, 2009

World Series - Game One

Live blog and here we go…

7:11 – Welcome to game one live (sort of) coverage!  I’m here at the Kreppentino Kastle and about to dig into some Thai chili tacos while watching the YES pre-game coverage.  Dinner of champions.

7:13 – Did you know that Ryan Howard is pretty good?  I didn’t.  However, I think I’ll know by the time Tim McCarver says it for the 40th time.  Think I’m going to be taking a lot of shots at McCarver tonight?!  You bet!  I put the over under on 15 1/2 insults.

7:18 – A-Rod has rediscovered the joy of baseball.  According to Kim Jones, this can’t be measured.  >nodding head<

7:21 – Replays of home runs off of Carl Pavano.  Good times.

7:32 – If I have to be reminded one more time that Mark Grace is a world champion…  And Ozzie Guillen?  Really?!

7:34 – Thai chili tacos are awesome in case you were wondering.

7:36 – Crap.  Mark Grace picked the Yankees in 6 games.

7:56 – I’ll just skip over the first pitch stuff.  Better on my stress levels.  Speaking of stress levels, Patron is good.  Actually…  I’ll skip over McCarver too.  Thank God for TiVo.

7:58 – They needed to do some real face work on that Wayne’s World commercial, huh?  First DirectTV commercial I’ve seen like that.

8:02 – And here we go…  You’re not fooling anyone Jimmy Rollins.  Not with your predictions and not with your bunt attempts.

8:03 – Jorge looks okay after a little scare.  This stadium sounds loud.  Two out.

8:08 – You never want to walk Chase Utley in front of Ryan Howard like that.

8:09 – And that’s why.

8:10 – I know they replaced the umpires in this series to make sure you had more senior guys in there, but come on, you can’t let Werth just jog down the baseline like that on you.  Gerry Davis, this is your house!  Although, you have to admit, the Phillies are disciplined at the plate so far.

8:11 -  Wow!  3-1 count with the bases loaded and he gets out of it!  I need to have more faith in Carsten Charles.  Bottom one.  Let’s start making this happen.

8:16  - “Invictus” directed by Clint Eastwood.  Huh.  I don’t know.  Let’s hear your take in the comments.

8:17 – Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia starting game one of a World Series.  Cleveland fans cannot be happy right now.

8:19 – That was an awful bunt by Damon.  Was he even trying there?

8:23 – Isn’t that cute?  I can make a tree grow in my Prius by maximizing my fuel economy.  Seriously, WHAT WORLD DO I LIVE IN NOW?!

8:26  - C.C. looks a little rusty.  Seven days off is too much.  Speaking of C.C., I thought his best attribute was his fastball and stamina.  Apparently, McCarver thinks it’s his smile that lights up the camera.  Two quick outs though.

8:27 – Rachel just asked me if I knew that Captain Lou Albano died.  I said “yes”, but then realized I thought she was talking about Tom.

8:33 – I’d complain about the hitting, but Cliff Lee looks locked in.  Even his catcher doesn’t seem to know where the ball is going to end up.

8:35 – And Jorge gets it going.

8:41 – Pitching dominating so far.  Is Jay-Z the most overrated person in the history of music or is it just me?  Okay…  WHAT?!  Jimmy Rollins was in M.C. Hammer videos?  I am now going to You Tube to call up “Pray”.

8:43 – We need to pray just to make it today…  What I miss?  Oh…  Great job by Melky running that ball down.  It looked playable, but without Gardner out there, you never know.

8:51 – Crap.  Utley looks like Joe Mauer up there.  Actually, Joe Mauer wishes he looked that good this postseason.

8:56 – Blackberry Storm?  Cool.  Making a frosty beverage at work?  Also cool.  Nick Swisher’s batting this postseason?  Not cool.  Speaking of beverages, I’m switching to Johnnie Walker Swing.

8:59 – And the captain breaks the silence!  Let’s hope the second time through the lineup is a lot better than the first.

9:01 – Did anyone see how much the postage was for Johnny Damon mailing this game in?  Seriously, I know he’s a bad hitter against Lee lifetime, but he looks beyond lost right now.  And Joe Buck, does everyone have to be the greatest at everything?  That sounds like a sentence that should be reserved for McCarver.

9:03 – I suppose “Invictus” couldn’t be worse than “Victory”.  Is David Spade done profiting off of Chris Farley’s corpse yet?  I guess not.

9:05 – Kate Hudson brought her dad to the ballpark to meet her new boyfriend.  How cute.

9:10 – C.C. appears to be on cruise control now.  On an unrelated note (and aren’t they all tonight), did you know that Marge Simpson will be on the cover of Playboy magazine in December?  There’s a centerfold too.  Yeah… insert your own carpet/drapes joke here.

9:19 – Lee strikes out the side.  Just plain ugly.  If they can’t hit Lee, C.C. could stand on his head and it won’t matter.

9:27 – Fox shows the graphic “You still have LeBron” which must anger Cleveland fans everywhere.  …okay, let’s be honest, there’s only Cleveland fans in Cleveland.  Oh, and suck it, Jimmy Rollins.

9:37 – On one hand, it’s nice to see the umpires get a call right for once.  On the other hand, that probably wouldn’t have been necessary if they didn’t blow the check swing call on Cano to begin with.  In other news, suck it, Jimmy Rollins.

9:46 – I’m really getting tired of writing “crap” and “Chase Utley” in the same post.  Argh.

9:48 – Tim McCarver’s definition of “the same spot” = 200 feet away in a completely different deck of the park.

9:55 – If this blog suddenly stops, it’s because I’m very statically charged for some reason and I’ve accidentally fried my hard drive.  Anyway, I must see “Men Who Stare at Goats”.  That movie looks very entertaining.  Surprisingly, not a Coen brothers movie.  And yes, Cliff Lee is officially driving me mad right now.  I feel like I’m watching a Yankees World Series game from 2003.

10:05 – Now Cliff Lee is just rubbing it in.  Did he really have to catch the ball like that?  Really?!

10:10 – Joe Buck’s definition of “a little off” = 7 innings with 2 runs scored.  They should have a sports broadcaster’s license.  Part of the test would be what you should do if you have nothing interesting or accurate to say.  That is… shut the hell up.

10:13 – Interesting.  “God Bless America” with no doctor and the lady singing it sings the first verse anyway.  I wasn’t expecting that, however, I enjoy the change of pace.

10:24 – Cliff Lee tags Posada on the ass.  The only way this could get more embarrassing is if Brett Gardner attempts to steal second base but comes up a foot short at the end of his slide like Willie Mays Hayes.  Oh well, here comes Phil Franchise.

10:26 – Finally, some interesting and relevant commentary.  Yes, I do want to know that Hughes is much more comfortable from a full windup and that’s why he may have had issues in Anaheim.  Still don’t like you, Jimmy Rollins.

10:30 – I believe I just heard Jimmy Rollins say, “he has a slow move” (to first).  I can’t believe how arrogant these Phillies are.  From Pedro thinking the Yankees fans are afraid of him for some reason, to the five game prediction of Rollins, to the way Lee and Rollins are acting in this game.  Don’t get me wrong, so far, I suppose they have a reason to be arrogant in this game.  We’ve done nothing to prove them wrong.  But still…  And Rollins steals second.  You can ask Rachel.  I called that one five minutes ago.  That was almost as sure as Dave Roberts stealing second in 2004.  This could get very ugly, very quickly.

10:33 – Well, at least Hughes didn’t give Victorino anything good to hit.  That’s going to be it for him though.  I hope he gets it going or the Yankees won’t be winning anything.

10:40 – Great job by Damaso Marte!  We’re not out of it yet, but I like the move to David Robertson right here.  …although, Joba would have been fine too.  What happened to Phil Coke anyway?  Looks like Marte has definitely moved up the Girardi depth chart.

10:48 – Well, I guess arrogance has it’s place.  After seven and a half, I think we’re about done here for the night.  While I would like to think a walkoff pie is possible, it’s not looking good here.  Only expect updates if this gets good again or absurdly bad.

11:08 – That’s it.  I’m not live blogging anymore.  I end up with a World Series loss and a terrible president.  Or maybe George Steinbrenner should stay away from the stadium.  Or maybe the Yankees just shouldn’t suck so much.  Whatever it is, I’m turning off the computer now.  If they come back, they come back.  I’m done.  Hope you enjoyed.

World Series Bound

So, here we are.  162 regular season games later.  A 7-2 playoff record.  The final series against the defending champs.  Either way, there’s a story for Fox here.  Either the beginning of a dynasty or the resurrection of an older power.  I’ll go with the latter thank you very much.

Great season.  I’m shocked with how much I have been involved with the Yankees this year even though I haven’t written at all about them.  From the very beginnings in spring training and the WBC to this final series, I have been glued to the TV.  (even when that meant watching the ticker at the bottom of the screen on ESPN in a casino bar on a cruise ship)

If they don’t win, I’ll be disappointed.  Not because they should have won.  The Phillies are a good team and deserve credit and respect.  No, I’ll be disappointed because they’ll be the first Yankee team in quite some time that was likeable.  For a bunch of absurdly paid millionaires, they acted like kids out there all season long.  Professional kids, but kids nonetheless.

Well, game one is tonight.  Maybe I’ll try a live blog to see what that’s like.  Hopefully it will go better than my election day live blog and we’ll end the curse of Mike Mussina.

WHAT?!

Final Thoughts on the Cruise

In general, NCL has greatly stepped up their game since our last cruise in November of 2006.  The service has greatly improved to what I would consider “normal” for a cruise line.  I believe this is due to their new “STYLE” program which rewards excellent contributors.  Three years ago, the employees had much less incentive with the auto-tip program.

The food has vastly improved as well.  While not quite as good as Princess Cruise Line, there were certainly some excellent moments.  The steak house, Teppanyaki, and Chinese all showed the greatest improvements, but all restaurants were much better.  I was very pleasantly surprised there.  (and the french fries were as excellent as last time)  Combine this with the flat screens that showed you how full a restaurant was and dinner time was made much simpler and more stress free.

While the entertainment definitely took a dive, the cruise staff was as personable and friendly as ever.  I blame the entertainment’s sanitization on the average age of the ship (62).  While that may have made for less fun things to do, it made the casino a lot less crowded.

Overall, I’m glad that NCL continues to innovate and it makes me what to cruise with them more often.  I actually am a bit saddened that they don’t have any 3 or 4 day cruises out of New York.  They would make an excellent cruise for a bachelor party.  Oh well.  Vegas it is… I guess.

The person who created the flat bottom taco really is a genius…

Not only does it help keep the taco stable, but you can fit so much more meat and toppings in it.

What?!  These are things you need to know.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

PEI and Sydney

Price Edward island is an amazingly beautiful place. They appear to have civilization (read: walmart) there and are a suprisingly interesting island considering their economy appears built on a fictional character from a 1908 book and summer tourism. While it appears to be an ideal retirement place, I have a feeling that the winter months are too brutal to live there year round. Our tour guide was a Red Sox fan, declared the province part of "Red Sox Nation" (which I doubt), and then proceeded to rip on me for my Yankees hat. The most absurd part was when he ripped on the Yankees for an absurdly large payroll. Glass house? I'd like to introduce you to a stone thrower.

Sydney, while I didn't get to see too much of it, appears to be the Allentown of Canada. Nova Scotia did not impress me much, but it's nice to see some of my Scottish heritage on display for once. I'll have some Johnnie Walker tonight in tribute.

I love this cruise and I don't want to go home. That is, of course, normal for me on a cruise, but I often wonder why this is the only vacation that can relax me this way. Maybe it's the constant gentle rocking of the boat. Anyway, speaking of relaxing, tomorrow we hit the spa.

Speaking of hitting, is Arod a "true Yankee" yet or does he gave to hit a walk off homer in game seven of the World Series? I don't know which way you "Paul O'Neill is my hero" mouthbreathers lean these days. Please leave your answer/hatred in the comments, thank you.

Bingo jackpot is over 5 grand and I'm looking forward to hitting that to pay for this cruise. It could happen? Right?

Maybe I just need another sip of this drink from a fishbowl. Yum...

Saturday, October 17, 2009

One of the coolest things I've ever seen...

This far north and in this time of year, the constellation Orion (the mighty hunter) is directly on the horizon and turned on its side. It is so weird. I've viewed this point in the sky so many times in my life and it is crazy seeing it so bright and from a completely different point of reference.

Also, I can't believe that people actually live this far north. The temperatures alone on Oct 15th are giving me a new appreciation for the Titanic. I don't think i'd want to live up here without incredible snow removal and several backup generators.

Oh, and the white hot party was lame. Not surprising. On the other hand, the comedian who I ripped on publically took things rather graciously. Rachel and I also managed to win movie trivia tonight. Chalk another win up for this cruise.

...And finally for this evening, I paid tribute to Mike Patton by singing Lionel Ritchie's "Easy". Good times.

Okay...

The Italian food on this boat sucks. I imagine this must be what the Olive Garden is like. Why that restaurant is crowded every night is beyond me. The Asian place which has much better food is always empty. Oh well, more Asian food for me. Yeppanyaki and mongolian hot pots, here I come.

Quebec, PQ

It has been a while since I've been here. I don't really remember any of it. The tour was much better than Halifax and much shorter.

We stopped at Beaver Tails and got a maple butter tail. That made my day. Beaver Tails apparently has an Obama Tail now. It's just a tail with a big O made of whipped cream and chocolate sauce. What do you know? Just as lame as his presidency!

...Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week, please remember to tip your waitress.

Anyway, glad to be out of the cold and back on the boat. Looking forward to a great night including the White Hot Party. This should be interesting.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

33 degrees out right now

Who's idea was it to take a cruise to Canada, anyway?

We have arrived in lovely Quebec after an exciting sushi and karaoke night. Very clear day, but quite cold. Good thing we'll be on a bus for a while. Our ship pulled up right outside Chateau Frontenac. I should have some good picture taking opportunities today. First time in Quebec City for me in about 15 years. Let's see what I've been missing...

We won bingo!

Twice! And so did 24 other people in the same game. Split jackpot? $12 dollars each. Wow.

Went to a comedy workshop, lounging around and getting ready for Quebec. Can't wait.

Round two of the geography game is tonight. Need to school some people again.