Another note for TC

If you watched yesterdays game, I am sure you were cursing me 1 minute into the second half.
Ah but ye of little faith, UGA came through and covered. Today, take those winning pretzels and think about Cinn/ATL over 44 1/2. Supposed to be sunny and 60 with 11mph winds. Perfect day for scoring. See Ya in Aruba !!!!

Lock of the week for you TC

While perusing the odds this week, I came across this dandy. Georgia (I know not much offense) getting 13 1/2 vs Florida. Thats big points for an SEC showdown regardless of UGA being ranked or not. Their D is pretty good. Take UGA and the points. If your worried, tease it and take UGA + 19 1/2 and the over at 35 1/2.

I Think Its Time To Move

AHHHHH my lovely state of New Jersey. We now deem that same sex "couples" have the same rights as married couples, I guess we are just waiting to see if they will allow same sex marriage. I guess I get confused. Lets try to break this whole thing down a bit. I will be honest, I have not heard many of the reasons that gay couples want 1. the same rights as married couples and 2. the right to marry. Being a guy and always thinking fiscally, one of my guesses may be to be able to be afforded the same benefits that an opposite sex married couple receives. For instance, any tax breaks, filing joint returns, medical benefits or the ability to purchase those for your "partner". From a total outside view, it make sense to me. If I was in love with another guy, we made some sort of commitment to each other, I would want us to the ability to provide for each other the same way my neighbor does, I get it. Here is where it gets dicey. Where does it end?

I have my best friend, his name is also Jim, we have been friends 39 years of our lives. We live in two different states, but still speak on the phone 3 to 4 times a week. I can honestly say I love him. If we both didn't have families, we could easily live under the same roof and get along great. We would always care about each others well being. The only thing that would make us different from a gay couple is we wouldn't be having sex. Heck, you couldn't even say you need to sleep in the same bed, because when we were in our early 20's, we did that on a summer vacation because it was the only room in the hotel that the AC worked!!!! My point being, shouldn't we be eligible then for all benefits? My same friend has two older Aunts that live together, and have for years, they never married. Shouldn't they be given those rights as well? Shoot, probably would have saved them a ton of dough over the years.

Do you want to stop all the debate, I do. The first step is to get rid of common-law marriage, either you make a fuckin commitment or you don't. If you aren't married, then you aren't married. Once that is gone, you have an easier way to define marriage. Prior to "gay activism" the dictionary definition of a marriage was this : the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law. Now there is second line stating person of the same sex as well. Anyway, the question would be going all the wayyyyyyyy back in time, why did people marry? I don't have the exact reason why, but my guess is that it had something to do with pro-creation more than it did wanting to spend your life with someone. The continuation of a blood line, the continuation of mankind. Here's a newsflash, put three gay male couples on an island, come back in 60 years and let me know how well the civilization is thriving. Shoot, go ahead and make it 100 couples, maybe that will give mankind a better chance to thrive.

This is not an anti-gay post. I may not agree with the lifestyle, but I have no right to tell someone how to live. At some point though, the U.S. has to draw the line on issues, not just this one. Hate to break the news to ya, but our founding fathers would be spinning in their graves if they knew how bastardized their original model for this country has become. Have we made a lot of changes for the better? We sure have, but don't fall into the mistake of thinking that all change is good.

OOOHHHH the Pain Part II

OH the agony.... of defeat. What a depressing, dissappointing, disheartening way to lose a game. When Endy Chavez caught that ball in the top of sixth and then doubled off Edmonds at first... I thought it was destiny. We start the bottom of the sixth and Scott Rolen hands us two base runners in scoring position with one out. All we need is a F&*&*in fly ball. Suppan, who the Mets made look like Clemens then K's Valentin. UUUUUGGGGHHHHHH. I don't even want to talk about the 9th. As far as Willie Randolph, awesome coach, all the right moves in my book. He can only only put the players in place, he can't execute for them. I say this, it was one looooonnnnnggggg commute home.

This type of situation would make an interesting psychological experiment. Let me explain. After Molina hit the homer in the top of the 9th you could hear all the air get let out of the stadium. We had a little boy sitting behind us, about 6 years old with his glove and Mets hat on. I think it took him until the end of the top of 9th to really realize what had happened. He began to cry and sob saying, "But I wanted them to win". It almost kinda broke my heart, his Dad was great, told him to stop crying, the game wasn't over yet, and sometimes those things happen. I looked at my friend I was with, John and said "I've been there".

Whne the game ended, it was weird to observe all the different reactions, most people were just deflated. I did see one woman maybe early 20's wiping tears but not full out crying. The guys in their older teens, maybe early 20's were all yelling how the Cardinals suck and cursing their heads off. When they came upon the random Cards fan yelling at them so then that fan has to worry about getting out of the stadium alive. And the older guys like myself all basically take the stand, if you didn't win, you didn't deserve to. I guess it would be kind of interesting to see if age, gender, social status, previous life experiences etc.. can determine how a person will react to win or loss in a game of this magnitude.

One last word, I do have to say, I really hate the home team fans (if you can call them that) that taunt fans of the opposing team. We had a few Cardinal fans a little bit behind us, they wore their colors. There were a few guys behind them that spent a ton of time trying to get other fans to taunt them, pointing at them yelling Cardinals suck, stupid shit like that. The bottom line was that these kids seemed to need the backing of a crowd to have the balls to say anything. These are same kind of people that if you git them alone would quiver and say, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it" Those fuckin people are a jinx. I did yell a couple times saying shut the fuck up, you'll jinx us, and damnit thats just what they did. I looked at those Cards fans through the game with end of each nail biting inning, and you know what, they were real fans. You could see it in their face, as the Cards sqaundered opportunities they were waiting to lose this game. Don't get me wrong, there is a etiquette to cheering for your team in a vistors park, you can cheer, but you must keep to yourself, no in your face stuff. If you start yelling about how your team rules or is so great, then I say, "Let the lions have you." If you cheer amongst yourselves you should be given nothing but free passage and a safe feeling that you can back to your car without getting something thrown at you.

Enough of this, I have tons of shows backed up on the Tivo that need watching.

Tonight's the night

Tonight is a big night. Game 7 NLCS with my Mets right in the middle of it. I will be sitting in the Mezzanine Box along the 3rd base line, pretty good seats. This is probably the most nail biting game I will ever go to, and I have seen some good ones. I was at game 5 when the Mets clinched the National League Championship in 2000. I was also there when they lost game 5 to the Yanks. I have seen my Dallas Cowboys win Super Bowl XXVII and I have also been to a few semi-final games to see my Bruins play, including an overtime win over Pittsburgh in 1991. This game tonight though will be the topper of them all, especially if the Mets win it. I expect the stadium to be pretty electric tonight, I hope the fans aren't lame. I was at game 2 of the first round and I was surprised at how many people were just sitting. You need to make noise at every opportunity. It can pump up your team and help deflate the other and can be instrumental in a victory. I guess we'll see what happens Go Mets !!!!!!!!!

OOOOOOOOOOHHHH the Pain

So, last week I started getting some pain in one of my upper teeth, my first molar to be exact. By this weekend, the pain got so annoying, I was having trouble enjoying the baseball games. I basically spent every minute sitting down, rubbing the outside of my mouth where the tooth was. I called on Sunday and found a dentist that opened at 5AM on Monday. He is the same one Tara goes to. So I get up at 4:40 this morning to take a shower in case they can see me. I call and they say yes come on in. I get there, fill out paperwork and by 6AM I was well on my way to getting my first root canal. The tooth that had the problem was a cavity in a tooth that was already filled. Apparently, all of my fillings are so old, they are starting to crack and loosen so the dentist wants to take care of those. I think he said he had trip to Fiji he needed to pay for.
Anyway, I do have a pain starting as the Novicane is wearing off, so I am waiting for the freaking CVS to open to go get my percosets. I should probably stop at the liqour store for a six pack as well and make it a good afternoon. What a way to start the week !!!

Step Aside Mike Lupica

I have been laying low on this Mets series. But as requested in a previous post, my analysis is much needed since my job isn't to get newspapers sold.

Currently down 2-1 in the NLCS, my Mets face a critcial game tonight. You definitely don't want to be down 3-1 with one game left in the visitors ballpark, I don't care who's pitching for you. I am sure some fans are running scared at this point. Let's review the series to this point.

Game 1 - Mets out pitch, out field and score just enough to win. They win the ballgame. Pujols cries about how Glavine wasn't that good, yet his team still lost. Mets Win this one

Game 2- Mets sit in the drivers seat pretty much the whole game Mota pitches OK but then doesn't learn from his mistake pitch. Shawn Green comes inches away from a catch which would have sqaushed the Cards hopes. Also, lets not forget about Delgado's error early in game (2nd inning) in which a run scored on, I believe they would have gotten out of that inning. Bend over big man!!!!! Cards don't win this one, the Mets lose it.

Game 3- Out pitched, out hit, and out fielded. The Cards pounded the Mets in every part of this game. Cards win this one.

We are now at pivatol game 4. All everyone is saying is what a pig Perez is. The bright spot for the Mets. He has shown flashes of brilliance including a great start against the Braves in early September. What about the Cards, there guy Reyes has over a 5 ERA. Key to a Mets victory, Get to Reyes early, the Mets bullpen can still out pitch the Cards pen, and I believe that is how this game will be won or lost. The Cards bats are riding high, if Perez can get through the first 3 without giving up a run, we will be in great shape.


Now lets sit back and watch and see if I'm right. Oh yeah, lock of the day. The Bengals giving 4 1/2 to Tampa. Put your mortgage on it.

School Bus Beating Caught on Tape

Not sure if you have seen the news in the last couple of days, but there was another incident of kids beating another kid on the school bus, this time it was girls. I am kind of amazed at how shocked the news reporters act when they report these incidents and show the tape. It's as if they have never gone to school before or for that matter never saw a fight in school. I will admit the problem I have with the fight(s) is all too often its NEVER an even match. It always 2 on 1 and like the most recent video of the two girls, some kind of sneak attack takes place. Call me crazy but when I was in school there was at least some kind of "ethics" to fighting. It was planned, we meet here after school, two people fight while about 3000 watch and when some guy says "I give" its all over. There were always guys that didn't abide by that, they would follow some weakling around and break his balls and slap him around a little. Usually the guys that used this tactic were losers in their own right, and if they are actually holding down a job somewhere I'd be surprised. By the time I was in high school, if you saw some cretin doing this to a much weaker person you would basically speak up and tell him to cut the shit or fight someone his own size. That was only when physical violence was involved, you pretty much stayed out of it when it was only verbal antagonizing.

So i guess thats what i find disturbing, whenever we see these videos, what we never see is someone coming to the aid of the person getting their ass wupped. Have we become a society that has such blinders on? So appauled by the violence of today that we ignore teaching our kids about it. Do fathers teach their children about these types of situations anymore? My Dad never taught me how to fight, but we definitely had more than one conversation about when you need to stand up and when you need to back down.

I guess I'm forgetting one thing, maybe all the rest of the kids felt the person who was getting wupped, deserved it. If they didn't, then their non-commital to get involved is a sad statement.

Oh and let me be clear, involvement can simply mean trying to break it up.

My First Music Post

You know, music has always been a huge part of my life, I love it. Ever since I was young, I have been into music. I got my first album in 4th grade, that was 1976. The album, which I still listen to today and I rank as a great one was Kiss Alive. Go ahead and laugh, but as far as hard rock goes, that album kicks ass. The first album I ever bought with my own money ELO - A New World Record. Sorry, don't really listen to them anymore. As I have gotten older my tastes are very diverse. To give you a hint, back in 1992 (I think that was the year) I saw two concerts in less then 7 days, big deal you say, we all have seen lots of shows. Look at the contrast of these two. The first was a Saturday evening at Madison Sqaure Garden, the performers Frank Sinatra w/ Steve Lawrence and Edie Gorme as the warm up. Less than 7 days later at the Ritz in NYC the return of S.O.D., the Stormtroopers of Death, arguably the best hardcore band of all time!!!

Whats my point, I don't really have one, but I guess it would be over time I have listened to and purchased tons of different stuff, some you forget about. This past weekend my daughter and I were baking Chocolate Chip Cookies and I was looking for something to listen to while we did it. I pulled out The Breeders- Last Splash I don't even know if they ever put out a second one. But this CD was good, I forgot about the songs, some brought back memories of the early 90's. I had wondered why i didn't listen to it more. The moral of this post... Listen to old CD's!!!

My pick for "newer" musicians that deserve you take a listen to - Erin McKeown.

That Exhausting Time of Year

There is something real exciting about your baseball team making the postseason. Maybe its for the fact that it doesn't happen all that often (unless you are a Yankee fan) The Mets are in this year, but those who don't follow baseball close are like, "Weren't they just in the playoffs?" Yes, they were, 6 years ago. That was the last time. That was a while ago. Anyway, now I have to watch game with my heart in my throat, hanging on each pitch hoping they can pull it out. In 2000, I was so emotionally drained by the end, I wasn't even upset when they lost game 5 to Yanks. I was just happy it was over and I could get back to my life and stop living baseball 24/7. It would be easier if I just didn't like sports, I would have a lot more time on my hands, I could become a more productive member of society, volunteer myself to different causes, make a big difference in the lives of others. All of those thoughts and ideas just makes me want to say, LET'S GO METS !!!!

Back in the Swing

Were have I been? That is what I am sure you've been asking yourself as you "visit me blog" for more words of wisdom, yet have come up empty handed. Time flies, I've been so busy at work, I haven't thought about putting anything down.

Anyhooooooow..... This is supposed to be the weekend that North Korea tests a nuke. I guess we'll see what happens. Those guys are like gnat, and the Earth is an ear. You really feel like they can't hurt you, but they continue to be a pest. I was reading an article about the "possible" test and this was the first paragraph. UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Friday urged North Korea not to carry out a planned nuclear-weapon test and warned Pyongyang of unspecified consequences if it did.

Unspecified consequences?????? If Kim Jong il reads this line, I can picture him laughing like in the Team America movie. I believe Kim Jong il or anyone for that matter would feel more threatened by an ultimatum from Napolean Dynamite then one from the U.N. Jeez people the lame U.N. is the biggest reason all these rogue nations are a threat to our National Security. It's full of a bunch blowhards who don't mean what they say. Basically we need to send in Nanny 911 and let her teach all of them that if you don't do what you say you're gonna, the "bad children" we'll just keep pushing the boundaries.

I'm convinced this world needs a good plague, not one that attacks immune systems but one that kills you if you are an ass. At least then we know there would be no more France.