Well, I don't know if it was because my expectations were so low, for this holiday.....or if I had just accepted the fact that it was going to be a long day, so I may as well try to make the best of it. But, I have to say...this past Thanksgiving was one of the best I've had in recent memory. We made it out to my Dad's house around 1 pm. And as usual, had to wait for a few family members to get there, for about half an hour. Once everyone had arrived, we dug in. Now, at my Dad's house on Thanksgiving, there is the usual holiday fare....turkey, ham, green bean casserole, hot rolls, etc. Most people usually have mashed potatoes, and some variety of gravy. Here is where my Dad's house is different. My stepmother always makes noodles. Frozen noodles, that are bland in flavor, lacks any seasoning of any kind, and are about as tasteful as paper. That's what is supposed to be used as gravy. I hate the noodles! However, I eat them to be nice to her. Once we had dinner, and desert. We left my Dad's after a few hours, and headed back to our house.
For some reason, we thought it would be a great idea, to invite a few friends over to my wife and I's house, for a Thanksgiving late night dinner. It actually turned out to be a huge success. My wife had a friend and her family show up, I had a friend and his family show up.....everyone got a long great, and got stuffed...some for the third time that day. The adults had a few adult beverages, everyone's kids got along great and played....it was actually a really good time. Again, I don't know if it was because my expectations were low...but I really enjoyed everyone's company and had a great time. So maybe I'll use this as a lesson, going forward with the holidays. Or, maybe not........
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Black Friday.
It's funny, when you think about it. All I said in the title section of the header for this blog, was two words. Yet, I'm sure all of you know exactly what I'm referencing....moreover you were probably flooded with all sorts of emotions about this day. Black Friday. A more suitable name, there could not be. The day after Thanksgiving, some 152 million shoppers will hit retail stores across the U.S. That's not counting all the people who decide not to get up at 3 in the am, but rather do their shopping from the comfort of their computer at home. 152 million shoppers! Black Friday. Such a dark nickname, for the opening day of the holiday shopping season. How did it get that nickname you ask? Well, the nickname actually goes back to the year 1975. Apparently some officers from the Philadelphia police force, coined the nickname because of the massive traffic mess it created in their city.
The day after Thanksgiving certainly isn't black for the retail stores, that are brave enough to open their doors to the public at 3-4 am. Most retailers cash in on Black Friday. In 2009, Americans spent over $10.66 billion dollars on Black Friday. Several retailers don't actually turn a profit on the year, until Black Friday. It used to be common practice, for most retailers to give their employees the day off, the day after Thanksgiving. Especially if they had to work on Thanksgiving. With the rate that people are spending money on Black Friday, the stores have responded by running their best deals of the year. As a result, it's all hands on deck for most retail shops.
You can imagine, with the increased traffic flow to some of these stores....and the limited space some stores have to deal with....it can be pretty crazy, and dangerous even, in some stores. As a matter of fact, there have been so many injuries, and deaths, that if you google Black Friday injuries, you'll have several sites dedicated to just that. Some sites have even ranked the most gruesome stories. Although, it is hard to deny some of the sales at these retail stores, the day after Thanksgiving....I think I'll do what the other half of America does, as far as holiday shopping. Which is wait until the week of Christmas to get it done. I like my sleep.
The day after Thanksgiving certainly isn't black for the retail stores, that are brave enough to open their doors to the public at 3-4 am. Most retailers cash in on Black Friday. In 2009, Americans spent over $10.66 billion dollars on Black Friday. Several retailers don't actually turn a profit on the year, until Black Friday. It used to be common practice, for most retailers to give their employees the day off, the day after Thanksgiving. Especially if they had to work on Thanksgiving. With the rate that people are spending money on Black Friday, the stores have responded by running their best deals of the year. As a result, it's all hands on deck for most retail shops.
You can imagine, with the increased traffic flow to some of these stores....and the limited space some stores have to deal with....it can be pretty crazy, and dangerous even, in some stores. As a matter of fact, there have been so many injuries, and deaths, that if you google Black Friday injuries, you'll have several sites dedicated to just that. Some sites have even ranked the most gruesome stories. Although, it is hard to deny some of the sales at these retail stores, the day after Thanksgiving....I think I'll do what the other half of America does, as far as holiday shopping. Which is wait until the week of Christmas to get it done. I like my sleep.
It's that time of year!!
In less than a week, most of you will be with various family members...hopefully enjoying each others company, and indulging in a massive amount of food. I'll be completely honest, up until I got married....I really enjoyed Thanksgiving. Now, we have to have the conversation (argument), about where we're going to go? How long are we going to be there? What are we going to take? What are we going to do afterwards? It's a production. I almost miss the days when I had to work on Thanksgiving. Which is sad, because the holidays are supposed to be about enjoying each others company, getting away from the grind....and just taking a break from it all. I don't know about you people, but I now dread the holidays. I tell you what my dream scenario would be, as far as how the holiday season should go. Wake up on Thanksgiving day, around 10:30 in the am. Have a quick breakfast...nothing heavy...maybe some toast. Then take a shower and get dressed, because company will be coming to our house for dinner around noon. I greet several members of our family, and take their jackets as they arrive. We have a bountiful dinner and watch some football. Then everyone promptly leaves, around 1:30 pm, and I take an hour nap. Keep in mind, all the while my wife is doing cleanup duty, and watching the kids. After the nap, I give my wife a hand with the rest of the cleanup, make myself a snack, and play outside with the kids. Because, the temperature is a beautiful 72 degrees, on this Thanksgiving day. Then around 8:00 pm, my wife puts the kids down for the night, and we have some friends show up, for a modest Thanksgiving dinner. We visit, maybe play some marbles, and have a few cocktails. Then our friends find their way to the door around 10:00 pm, and I play XBOX until midnight. My wife has been in bed for about an hour at this point....so that way, she can watch whatever she likes in the bedroom and I don't have to hear her complain about what I'm doing in the living room. Then a little after midnight, after I have done all I need to do to get myself ready for bed, I turn it in for the night.
Now, is that so bad to ask for? Sadly, here's how I see it all playing out. I wake up Thanksgiving day, around 6:00 in the am. I get the baby dressed, diaper changed, and feed him. My wife is on toddler duty, she gets him dressed and breakfast made. This brings us up to about 8:00 am. Now, I have to hear my stepson wine about being bored, so I suggest he goes outside to play. He does. I am still on baby duty, while my wife makes whatever dish she has settled on, to bring to her Grandmother's house in Neosho. The Grandmother who lives on a farm, and has a gravel drive up to her house, that is half mountain, half volcano. Which is pretty much a flat tire waiting to happen, but whatever....I would rather go there, than listen to my wife gripe. My wife finally finishes up around 11:00 am, and we get the kids together and leave our house in Carl Junction. We make it to the farm around 11:45 am. The toddler gets out and starts to play with his cousins, who have been there for about an hour already. They have been there early, because they live in Neosho, and got the message from the host about being there early. We did not. So after everyone gets settled and introductions/greetings have been completed it's about 1:00 pm. We sit down, wherever we can find a spot and eat. After dinner, it's about 2:00 pm. I have to listen to my wifes family complain about whatever situation, they are dealing with now....health, kids, job, take your pick. I do my best to engage them. Finally around 3:30 pm, we head back to our house. I have a massive headache. We get home, I take some Tylenol. It's about 4:15 pm. We have invited some friends over, much to my dismay. They show up and we have a small early dinner. Just enough to keep the bloat going. They are annoyed with the stepson, who is bouncing off the walls because since he's been up he's been on a steady diet of sweets and soda. All of our friends also don't have any kids he can play with that are his age, so he thinks it's a good idea to entertain our guests. His act gets old, now I am forced with a decision to make. Do I crack down on his behavior, or let him get all this energy out of his system, to the chagrin of our guests? I choose the latter, because I don't want to argue with my wife.
After this dog and pony show gets over, it's about 7:00 pm. At this point, I am shot. I do my best to help my wife with kid duty, and cleanup duty. Our guests have been gone for about an hour, and I don't foresee them coming back anytime soon. We clean up the house until we run out of energy, and then turn it in after we put the kids to bed. Kids in bed by 8:30 pm. Us about 9:30 pm.
Good times, good times.
Then comes Black Friday, and that's a whole other story in itself.
Now, is that so bad to ask for? Sadly, here's how I see it all playing out. I wake up Thanksgiving day, around 6:00 in the am. I get the baby dressed, diaper changed, and feed him. My wife is on toddler duty, she gets him dressed and breakfast made. This brings us up to about 8:00 am. Now, I have to hear my stepson wine about being bored, so I suggest he goes outside to play. He does. I am still on baby duty, while my wife makes whatever dish she has settled on, to bring to her Grandmother's house in Neosho. The Grandmother who lives on a farm, and has a gravel drive up to her house, that is half mountain, half volcano. Which is pretty much a flat tire waiting to happen, but whatever....I would rather go there, than listen to my wife gripe. My wife finally finishes up around 11:00 am, and we get the kids together and leave our house in Carl Junction. We make it to the farm around 11:45 am. The toddler gets out and starts to play with his cousins, who have been there for about an hour already. They have been there early, because they live in Neosho, and got the message from the host about being there early. We did not. So after everyone gets settled and introductions/greetings have been completed it's about 1:00 pm. We sit down, wherever we can find a spot and eat. After dinner, it's about 2:00 pm. I have to listen to my wifes family complain about whatever situation, they are dealing with now....health, kids, job, take your pick. I do my best to engage them. Finally around 3:30 pm, we head back to our house. I have a massive headache. We get home, I take some Tylenol. It's about 4:15 pm. We have invited some friends over, much to my dismay. They show up and we have a small early dinner. Just enough to keep the bloat going. They are annoyed with the stepson, who is bouncing off the walls because since he's been up he's been on a steady diet of sweets and soda. All of our friends also don't have any kids he can play with that are his age, so he thinks it's a good idea to entertain our guests. His act gets old, now I am forced with a decision to make. Do I crack down on his behavior, or let him get all this energy out of his system, to the chagrin of our guests? I choose the latter, because I don't want to argue with my wife.
After this dog and pony show gets over, it's about 7:00 pm. At this point, I am shot. I do my best to help my wife with kid duty, and cleanup duty. Our guests have been gone for about an hour, and I don't foresee them coming back anytime soon. We clean up the house until we run out of energy, and then turn it in after we put the kids to bed. Kids in bed by 8:30 pm. Us about 9:30 pm.
Good times, good times.
Then comes Black Friday, and that's a whole other story in itself.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Alley Cat update
Yep, it's that time! To find out how your fellow classmates fantasy football team is faring, in this unpredictable NFL season! Well, the Alley Cats are 4-5 and are sitting in 6th place. We had a devastating loss a couple of weeks ago, to the division leader....The Cork Soakers. But it's alright...we are looking towards the future! Specifically the final playoff spot. With around 4 weeks left in the fantasy season, the Cats are down...but not out! We are closer to out, than down now however. After the abysmal showing by Vincent Jackson last night against the Raiders. His quarterback, Philip Rivers was partly to blame, but Jackson was having trouble getting open against a Raiders team that is susceptible against the pass. Long story short, I got a pathetic 2.20 points from Vincent. Not good. I am playing a team by the name of Gator Nation this week, who is in 3rd place.
The good news is that after one game I have a lead against him. The bad news is that it's not even a 3 point lead. But, as I said....we are down but not out! Other members of the Cats are just going to have to pick up the slack, because I am NOT missing the playoffs this year. Consequently, if I did, it would mark the first year of the Cats not making the playoffs. So, lets just go ahead and keep the streak of winning and making the playoffs going. What do you say!? That's really all I got...have a good weekend everybody!
The good news is that after one game I have a lead against him. The bad news is that it's not even a 3 point lead. But, as I said....we are down but not out! Other members of the Cats are just going to have to pick up the slack, because I am NOT missing the playoffs this year. Consequently, if I did, it would mark the first year of the Cats not making the playoffs. So, lets just go ahead and keep the streak of winning and making the playoffs going. What do you say!? That's really all I got...have a good weekend everybody!
A strike against humanity.....
Some of you may not have heard, and in case you haven't, there's a fairly large scandal taking place right now in Happy Valley, PA. Penn State University, specifically. One of the most iconic figures in college athletics is right in the middle of this scandal. Joe Paterno. Up until a few days ago, Paterno had been head coach of the football program at Penn State. He had a reputation as being a fiery little guy, both on the field and off. In addition to building a stellar football program at the University, he also has raised millions of dollars for the school....either by donating his time for functions, such as a campus ball, where the proceeds from the tickets sold go directly to the school. Or by coaching the football team to a big bowl game, where upon millions of dollars goes to both the schools playing in the game. He has built a library, and other buildings at the school. There is a bronze statue of the man on campus. I told you about several of the good things he has done in his life, because if you do, or have, heard of the scandal Paterno is involved in at the school.....all of those things will become irrelevant to you. They have to me.
You would be hard pressed to find a former player of Paterno's, that had a bad word to say about him. In fact, several of his former players went on to coach with him at the school. One of those players, was a man by the name of Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky played on the defensive line for Paterno, and Penn State from the years of 1963-1965. After he graduated he got a few gigs coaching at some smaller schools, until Paterno gave him a job as defensive line coach at Penn State in 1969. By the year 1977, Sandusky had worked his way up to defensive coordinator. Sandusky, by all accounts was a great coach. In fact, was named assistant coach of the year, both in 1986 and 1999. In 1999 Sandusky retired from coaching. He remained a mainstay at the University, often hosting football camps at the school, for young children. Just about a week ago, the story broke...that Sandusky had been arrested and charged with seven counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, eight counts of corruption of minors, eight counts of endangering the welfare of a child, seven counts of indecent assault, and a handful of other charges. I'm going to spare you the gory details, but it turns out that Sandusky was basically using his football camp program to lure young boys to the campus, get them alone, and do things to them.....that makes you cringe to think about.
These aren't just allegations. This investigation has been going on for over 3 years. Sandusky has admitted guilt to these charges. If he's convicted he could face up to life in prison. Where does Paterno fit in to this scandal? Well, apparently in 2002....a grad assistant of Paterno's by the name of Mike McQueery, happened to witness one of these heinous acts. McQueery, was apparently bringing some shoes to the locker room, to put into Sandusky's locker. Which is odd to me that a man that wasn't on the staff, would have a locker at the football facility. It was apparently late at night when McQueery went into the locker room. He saw that all the lights were on, and the showers were running. After McQueery put the shoes into the locker, he turned and looked towards the showers. There he saw a naked Sandusky, having his way with a naked 10 yr old boy. McQueery, who was 28 at the time and a former football player, was so shocked by what he saw, that he didn't do anything to break up the scene, but rather left the facility and went to be consoled by his father. After talking to his father, McQueery the next morning, went and told Paterno what he had seen the night before. Paterno, shocked himself, told McQueery to go home and that he (Paterno), would take it from there. Paterno told the athletic director, Tim Curley, and the senior vice president for finance and business, Gary Schultz. Now, by the letter of the law Paterno did all that was required of him. Curley and Schultz did nothing with the information that was given to them, and in the course of the next 6 years 8 more boys were violated.
Here's where I have a problem with Paterno, and the rest of the lot that didn't do as much as they should have. McQueery should have broken up the scene in the locker room that night. He should have gone straight to the police after. Paterno should have gone to the police, after speaking with McQueery the next morning. And Curley and Schultz certainly should have done the same. The in-actions of these men, ultimately resulted in the loss of 8 boys innocence. The fact that Paterno didn't do his due diligence to see this matter through to the end, over the course of the 6 years is mind boggling to me. Not only did he not follow up on these allegations, but he allowed Sandusky to visit the facility any time he wanted. He allowed him access to the field, the locker rooms, the weight rooms (which he (Sandusky) was using as little ago as last week), he let him go to bowl games with the team, where he saw Sandusky with children. And Paterno, and his lot of minions did nothing! His lack of motivation in seeing a conclusion, to this matter is what got Paterno canned a couple of days ago. You may have seen footage of the riots on campus, of current students upset to see the icon go out the way he did.
That's the other thing that is disturbing in my mind. The amount of supporters Paterno has. If you find yourself, as one of these supporters.....I urge you to read the grand jury testimony from this case. If after you have read it, and you still find yourself thinking that Paterno got the raw end in this deal.....ask yourself a couple of questions. How would you feel if you were a parent of one of the victims? And you found out that Sandusky could have been stopped years before your son was violated, but the powers that be decided to sit on the evidence/information. How would you feel if you were one of the victims themselves? How would you feel almost 10 years later, knowing that if some people had acted properly....Sandusky would have been behind bars, instead of behind you? If you still find yourself believing in Paterno.....well, that just makes me sad.
You would be hard pressed to find a former player of Paterno's, that had a bad word to say about him. In fact, several of his former players went on to coach with him at the school. One of those players, was a man by the name of Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky played on the defensive line for Paterno, and Penn State from the years of 1963-1965. After he graduated he got a few gigs coaching at some smaller schools, until Paterno gave him a job as defensive line coach at Penn State in 1969. By the year 1977, Sandusky had worked his way up to defensive coordinator. Sandusky, by all accounts was a great coach. In fact, was named assistant coach of the year, both in 1986 and 1999. In 1999 Sandusky retired from coaching. He remained a mainstay at the University, often hosting football camps at the school, for young children. Just about a week ago, the story broke...that Sandusky had been arrested and charged with seven counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, eight counts of corruption of minors, eight counts of endangering the welfare of a child, seven counts of indecent assault, and a handful of other charges. I'm going to spare you the gory details, but it turns out that Sandusky was basically using his football camp program to lure young boys to the campus, get them alone, and do things to them.....that makes you cringe to think about.
These aren't just allegations. This investigation has been going on for over 3 years. Sandusky has admitted guilt to these charges. If he's convicted he could face up to life in prison. Where does Paterno fit in to this scandal? Well, apparently in 2002....a grad assistant of Paterno's by the name of Mike McQueery, happened to witness one of these heinous acts. McQueery, was apparently bringing some shoes to the locker room, to put into Sandusky's locker. Which is odd to me that a man that wasn't on the staff, would have a locker at the football facility. It was apparently late at night when McQueery went into the locker room. He saw that all the lights were on, and the showers were running. After McQueery put the shoes into the locker, he turned and looked towards the showers. There he saw a naked Sandusky, having his way with a naked 10 yr old boy. McQueery, who was 28 at the time and a former football player, was so shocked by what he saw, that he didn't do anything to break up the scene, but rather left the facility and went to be consoled by his father. After talking to his father, McQueery the next morning, went and told Paterno what he had seen the night before. Paterno, shocked himself, told McQueery to go home and that he (Paterno), would take it from there. Paterno told the athletic director, Tim Curley, and the senior vice president for finance and business, Gary Schultz. Now, by the letter of the law Paterno did all that was required of him. Curley and Schultz did nothing with the information that was given to them, and in the course of the next 6 years 8 more boys were violated.
Here's where I have a problem with Paterno, and the rest of the lot that didn't do as much as they should have. McQueery should have broken up the scene in the locker room that night. He should have gone straight to the police after. Paterno should have gone to the police, after speaking with McQueery the next morning. And Curley and Schultz certainly should have done the same. The in-actions of these men, ultimately resulted in the loss of 8 boys innocence. The fact that Paterno didn't do his due diligence to see this matter through to the end, over the course of the 6 years is mind boggling to me. Not only did he not follow up on these allegations, but he allowed Sandusky to visit the facility any time he wanted. He allowed him access to the field, the locker rooms, the weight rooms (which he (Sandusky) was using as little ago as last week), he let him go to bowl games with the team, where he saw Sandusky with children. And Paterno, and his lot of minions did nothing! His lack of motivation in seeing a conclusion, to this matter is what got Paterno canned a couple of days ago. You may have seen footage of the riots on campus, of current students upset to see the icon go out the way he did.
That's the other thing that is disturbing in my mind. The amount of supporters Paterno has. If you find yourself, as one of these supporters.....I urge you to read the grand jury testimony from this case. If after you have read it, and you still find yourself thinking that Paterno got the raw end in this deal.....ask yourself a couple of questions. How would you feel if you were a parent of one of the victims? And you found out that Sandusky could have been stopped years before your son was violated, but the powers that be decided to sit on the evidence/information. How would you feel if you were one of the victims themselves? How would you feel almost 10 years later, knowing that if some people had acted properly....Sandusky would have been behind bars, instead of behind you? If you still find yourself believing in Paterno.....well, that just makes me sad.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Top 5 St. Louis Cardinals memories
That's right, you've waited for it.....and now it's here! Thank you for being patient with me. Those of you that are subscribers are a loyal bunch, and I wanted to wait until this past postseason was over, and a few other things that are going on in my life....kind of settled down a bit, so I could give you a countdown worth your wait. So, without further delay.....my top 5 memories.
5. This memory takes place at the same game as the unassisted triple play. A few innings after the triple play had been turned, the Cardinals were losing the game. Bottom of the 8th inning, we manage to get a few runners on base. With runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, Bobby Cox, the manager of the Braves....decides to bring in his closer to get the final out of the inning, and no doubt...come back out for the 9th to get the last 3 outs for the save. Well, Albert Pujols had different plans. With the Cardinals down by 2 runs, Pujols faced John Smoltz, who was the Braves closer that year. And with a 1-2 count against him, Pujols launches a home run to left field. The drama wasn't quite over yet. In the top of the 9th, the Braves were trying to return the favor. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Jason Isringhausen pitching for the Cardinals, and 1 out, it looked like they just might do it. So, I stood up....my friends (who were Braves fans tried to hold me down), and I just started waving my hands, as if to get everyone in the ballpark to stand up and cheer for Izzy, to get the last 2 outs. Sure enough, they obliged me. And the Braves hit a ground ball to the shortstop, which Renteria turned a double play on! Great ending to a great game.
4. In 2005, the Cardinals were back in the NLCS playing the Astros....again. After splitting the first two games played in St. Louis, the Cardinals went to Houston to play the next three. The Cardinals dropped the first two games in Houston, and looked ugly doing it. In game 5, with the Cardinals trailing by a run....down to their last strike, they managed to get a base hit by David Eckstein to extend the game. Jim Edmonds then walks, and Albert Pujols steps to the plate. The Astros had their closer pitching, Brad Lidge. Pujols crushes a hanging slider off of Lidge, over the left field wall. And when I say wall, I don't mean the wall that, serves as the wall to the bleachers, or the wall of the Crawford Boxes. I mean the outer wall of the stadium! Which, if they wouldn't have had the roof closed to the stadium....that ball may still be flying! What was really cool about this game to me, was where I was watching it. I was in a bar in Chicago, I was living there at the time. And I was the only Cardinals fan in the place. So, when Albert crushes that ball....the whole bar just goes quiet. I still get chills.
3. The very next year, the Cardinals were back in the playoffs...in the NLCS, playing the Mets. We really didn't have any business being in the playoffs that year. We were very much a rag tag team, but we had a lot of scrappers on the team. And a rookie closer, who was on fire....Adam Wainwright. Game 7, was played in New York. Despite my better judgment, I went down to the bar my roomate worked at to watch the game. Since, he worked there, I guess you could say I was considered a regular. So, everyone knew I was a Cardinals fan. I bought some victory cigars before the game, kind of like a good luck omen. If you didn't watch it Game 7 was an unbelievable game. A couple of homeruns by some Cardinals players, players that you wouldn't have expected to be able to hit a homerun, came through big. And a clutch start from Jeff Suppan, set up the Cardinals to have the lead, going into the bottom of the 9th. Long story short, the bases get loaded. La Russa brings in Wainwright to pitch to the Cardinal killer himself, Carlos Beltran. Wainwright freezes him with a curveball and Beltran goes down looking. The entire bar went silent.....I still get chills. I passed out a few cigars to some Cubs fans....who didn't appreciate the gesture, but were still nice about it, and congratulated me. I then went up to the manager of the bar, who hates the Cardinals....I said, "Hey Ben, here's a cigar, we're going to the World Series." My roomate still talks about that.
2. Number 3, used to be my number 2. That is until, last Thursday night. In case you didn't know, or have been living in the dark the past week. The Cardinals have won the World Series for the 11th time. Game 6 will go down as, arguably the greatest game in World Series history. Not just Cardinals history, World Series history! With the game going into the 8th. The Cardinals trailed the Texas Rangers by 3 runs. Long story short, the Cardinals get a home run from Craig, and a clutch 2-run triple from David Freese, who was down to his last strike, and the Cardinals down to their last out, to tie the game. The drama wasn't done there. The Rangers get a huge 2-run homerun hit by Josh Hamilton to take the lead in the 10th. The Cardinals scrap back with 2 runs in the bottom half. Joe Buck, who was calling the game said it best. "The Cardinals just won't go away." Then after holding the Rangers in the top of the 11th, Freese comes up huge again. He hits a walkoff homerun to the deepest part of the ballpark. "And we'll see you tomorrow night..." That was Joe's call, paying homage to his father Jack, who used to call Cardinals games. Just an unbelievable game, and admittedly.....one I almost didn't watch. I almost turned it off in the 8th, because I just couldn't watch another team celebrate in my ballpark. Man, am I glad I didn't.
1. Speaking of Jack Buck, my all time greatest memory has a little to do with the man. When I was 12, my dad took me on a trip to St. Louis. Just me and him. We went to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield, the Arch in St. Louis, toured Busch stadium, and then saw a ball game after the tour. We were standing in line to get bleacher tickets. A lady, that was standing in line with us, struck up a conversation with my dad. Long story short, she was a regular to Cardinals games. She told us what row/seat to ask the teller for, as far as our tickets. It was because of her, we sat on the front row of the bleachers in right center. The Cardinals were playing the Reds. The Reds were taking batting practice, when we took our seats. One of their batting practice balls had rolled to the fence, right in front of us. An outfielder from the Reds picks up the ball, and without looking lobs it into the stands, right into my hands! The ball was marked with a red CR, for Cincinnatti Reds. The Cardinals won the game, courtesy of a late 3-run triple by Willie McGee. After the game, the lady we talked to before the game pointed out a few of the Cardinals in street clothes, that were leaving the game. I was able to get John Mabry, Mark Petkovsek, Mark Sweeney, and Ozzie Smiths autographs. She didn't need to point out the Wizard, I would recognize him anywhere, in any outfit. He was so nice to. He had a mob of people by his SUV. A few people started to push, trying to get closer....all he said was, "I'll sign everyone's autograph, please don't shove." And he did! It was unbelievable. While I was marveling at my baseball, my dad shouts..."Josh, get that guy's autograph, the guy in the white hair!" I looked over to the stadium, and coming out of a door to the ballpark, was sure enough, a guy with white hair. I ran over and politely asked him for his autograph. I had no clue who it was. He took my ball, and pen.....and looked at the ball before he signed it. My dad caught up to me, and was more excited than I had been earlier. "I just want you to know, I've listened to you on the radio since I was a kid!" It was Jack Buck. He smiled and said thanks. Then he asked me where I got the ball? I told him, and he smiled and said..."Sounds like you had a pretty good time at the game." He then asked if we liked the game, and where we were from. It was unbelievable.....what was really cool was seeing the way my dad lit up.
And that's it! Hope you enjoyed it, hope you didn't fall asleep reading it.....and hopefully it lived up to the hype! Have a good weekend everybody!
5. This memory takes place at the same game as the unassisted triple play. A few innings after the triple play had been turned, the Cardinals were losing the game. Bottom of the 8th inning, we manage to get a few runners on base. With runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, Bobby Cox, the manager of the Braves....decides to bring in his closer to get the final out of the inning, and no doubt...come back out for the 9th to get the last 3 outs for the save. Well, Albert Pujols had different plans. With the Cardinals down by 2 runs, Pujols faced John Smoltz, who was the Braves closer that year. And with a 1-2 count against him, Pujols launches a home run to left field. The drama wasn't quite over yet. In the top of the 9th, the Braves were trying to return the favor. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Jason Isringhausen pitching for the Cardinals, and 1 out, it looked like they just might do it. So, I stood up....my friends (who were Braves fans tried to hold me down), and I just started waving my hands, as if to get everyone in the ballpark to stand up and cheer for Izzy, to get the last 2 outs. Sure enough, they obliged me. And the Braves hit a ground ball to the shortstop, which Renteria turned a double play on! Great ending to a great game.
4. In 2005, the Cardinals were back in the NLCS playing the Astros....again. After splitting the first two games played in St. Louis, the Cardinals went to Houston to play the next three. The Cardinals dropped the first two games in Houston, and looked ugly doing it. In game 5, with the Cardinals trailing by a run....down to their last strike, they managed to get a base hit by David Eckstein to extend the game. Jim Edmonds then walks, and Albert Pujols steps to the plate. The Astros had their closer pitching, Brad Lidge. Pujols crushes a hanging slider off of Lidge, over the left field wall. And when I say wall, I don't mean the wall that, serves as the wall to the bleachers, or the wall of the Crawford Boxes. I mean the outer wall of the stadium! Which, if they wouldn't have had the roof closed to the stadium....that ball may still be flying! What was really cool about this game to me, was where I was watching it. I was in a bar in Chicago, I was living there at the time. And I was the only Cardinals fan in the place. So, when Albert crushes that ball....the whole bar just goes quiet. I still get chills.
3. The very next year, the Cardinals were back in the playoffs...in the NLCS, playing the Mets. We really didn't have any business being in the playoffs that year. We were very much a rag tag team, but we had a lot of scrappers on the team. And a rookie closer, who was on fire....Adam Wainwright. Game 7, was played in New York. Despite my better judgment, I went down to the bar my roomate worked at to watch the game. Since, he worked there, I guess you could say I was considered a regular. So, everyone knew I was a Cardinals fan. I bought some victory cigars before the game, kind of like a good luck omen. If you didn't watch it Game 7 was an unbelievable game. A couple of homeruns by some Cardinals players, players that you wouldn't have expected to be able to hit a homerun, came through big. And a clutch start from Jeff Suppan, set up the Cardinals to have the lead, going into the bottom of the 9th. Long story short, the bases get loaded. La Russa brings in Wainwright to pitch to the Cardinal killer himself, Carlos Beltran. Wainwright freezes him with a curveball and Beltran goes down looking. The entire bar went silent.....I still get chills. I passed out a few cigars to some Cubs fans....who didn't appreciate the gesture, but were still nice about it, and congratulated me. I then went up to the manager of the bar, who hates the Cardinals....I said, "Hey Ben, here's a cigar, we're going to the World Series." My roomate still talks about that.
2. Number 3, used to be my number 2. That is until, last Thursday night. In case you didn't know, or have been living in the dark the past week. The Cardinals have won the World Series for the 11th time. Game 6 will go down as, arguably the greatest game in World Series history. Not just Cardinals history, World Series history! With the game going into the 8th. The Cardinals trailed the Texas Rangers by 3 runs. Long story short, the Cardinals get a home run from Craig, and a clutch 2-run triple from David Freese, who was down to his last strike, and the Cardinals down to their last out, to tie the game. The drama wasn't done there. The Rangers get a huge 2-run homerun hit by Josh Hamilton to take the lead in the 10th. The Cardinals scrap back with 2 runs in the bottom half. Joe Buck, who was calling the game said it best. "The Cardinals just won't go away." Then after holding the Rangers in the top of the 11th, Freese comes up huge again. He hits a walkoff homerun to the deepest part of the ballpark. "And we'll see you tomorrow night..." That was Joe's call, paying homage to his father Jack, who used to call Cardinals games. Just an unbelievable game, and admittedly.....one I almost didn't watch. I almost turned it off in the 8th, because I just couldn't watch another team celebrate in my ballpark. Man, am I glad I didn't.
1. Speaking of Jack Buck, my all time greatest memory has a little to do with the man. When I was 12, my dad took me on a trip to St. Louis. Just me and him. We went to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield, the Arch in St. Louis, toured Busch stadium, and then saw a ball game after the tour. We were standing in line to get bleacher tickets. A lady, that was standing in line with us, struck up a conversation with my dad. Long story short, she was a regular to Cardinals games. She told us what row/seat to ask the teller for, as far as our tickets. It was because of her, we sat on the front row of the bleachers in right center. The Cardinals were playing the Reds. The Reds were taking batting practice, when we took our seats. One of their batting practice balls had rolled to the fence, right in front of us. An outfielder from the Reds picks up the ball, and without looking lobs it into the stands, right into my hands! The ball was marked with a red CR, for Cincinnatti Reds. The Cardinals won the game, courtesy of a late 3-run triple by Willie McGee. After the game, the lady we talked to before the game pointed out a few of the Cardinals in street clothes, that were leaving the game. I was able to get John Mabry, Mark Petkovsek, Mark Sweeney, and Ozzie Smiths autographs. She didn't need to point out the Wizard, I would recognize him anywhere, in any outfit. He was so nice to. He had a mob of people by his SUV. A few people started to push, trying to get closer....all he said was, "I'll sign everyone's autograph, please don't shove." And he did! It was unbelievable. While I was marveling at my baseball, my dad shouts..."Josh, get that guy's autograph, the guy in the white hair!" I looked over to the stadium, and coming out of a door to the ballpark, was sure enough, a guy with white hair. I ran over and politely asked him for his autograph. I had no clue who it was. He took my ball, and pen.....and looked at the ball before he signed it. My dad caught up to me, and was more excited than I had been earlier. "I just want you to know, I've listened to you on the radio since I was a kid!" It was Jack Buck. He smiled and said thanks. Then he asked me where I got the ball? I told him, and he smiled and said..."Sounds like you had a pretty good time at the game." He then asked if we liked the game, and where we were from. It was unbelievable.....what was really cool was seeing the way my dad lit up.
And that's it! Hope you enjoyed it, hope you didn't fall asleep reading it.....and hopefully it lived up to the hype! Have a good weekend everybody!
Starving for fame.
I try to stay away from reality television. The only television I watch, ususally revolves around sports. That said, there are nights, when I am home and my wife has control of the television. She, to her credit, usually does a really good job in landing on a program, we both would enjoy. To some extent, anyway. I, like I said earlier, don't care a great deal for reality television. Moreover, I don't care for the people on the shows, the people who make the shows, and the networks that air the shows. It's all garbage to me. The only reason it's on television, is because it's cheap fodder, for the networks to produce. That's right, like so often in life.....it all revolves around money. Where's the creativity behind putting a camera crew, in a B-list celebrities house, editing it, and then airing it a few months later. I don't get it. I don't get the attraction. I get why it's on. Again, it's cheap to make, and there is an audience for it. I just don't get why there is an audiene for it.
Case in point, the other night I was in the line at the grocery store. I happened to see the covers of a few of the tabloid publications. Which, is as far as I go, with the tabloid publications....the cover. I see that a couple of them are running stories about Kim Kardashian, and her new husband Kris. Apparently after just 3 months, she decided to file for divorce. Which is a bit of a surprise, because just a few months prior....the main headline on the newspaper tabloids, was that she was getting married to Kris. Or, where they were supposed to go on their honeymoon. What dress/designer, was she going to wear? And now....72 days after the wedding, she wants to call it quits. What a shocker. Almost as if, she didn't want to get married to the guy in the first place. Almost as if, she got bored with th guy when the cameras weren't following her around, or people weren't asking her..."What are you guys going to do next?". This, the made up wedding, just like most of reality television.....was/is a joke.
Some of you may be asking, "Who is Kim Kardashian anyway?". Good question. The best way I can describe how she achieved her celebrity status, is.....she is the daughter of a hollywood lawyer, who passed away, and who's mother married a fairly popular, at one time, olympic athlete. And she also has a sex tape. Yes, Kim Kardashian is the daughter of Robert Kardashian, who is best known as one of the "Dream Team". That's right, he defended OJ, when he was tried of killing his ex-wife and her boyfriend. Kim's stepfather, Bruce Jenner, won the gold medal at the 1976, olympic summer games in the decathalon. Besides the aforementioned, umm.....credits, Kim and her sisters star in a reality television show, called "Keeping up with the Kardashians". Produced and created by Ryan Seacrest, of American Idol fame. And that's really it. She is a star of our own creation. And as much as I can't stand seeing the magazines with her and her trumped up husband/boyfriend, whatever you want to call him, on them....I have sympathy for her. I really do. It must be really hard to be thrust into the spotlight at an early age, only to have the cameras turn off you....and onto the next big thing. You see it a lot with professional athletes who get long in the tooth, and have a hard time letting go. (Brett Favre).
I realize that this is the trend, and it's not about your accomplishments getting you attention, but rather how you look, or who you are hanging out with. I've said it before, and I'll say it again....I just miss the good ol' days of television. When you could turn on the TV, at 8 o'clock at night, and not see someone's dirty laundry being aired in front of you......or their cooka's.
Case in point, the other night I was in the line at the grocery store. I happened to see the covers of a few of the tabloid publications. Which, is as far as I go, with the tabloid publications....the cover. I see that a couple of them are running stories about Kim Kardashian, and her new husband Kris. Apparently after just 3 months, she decided to file for divorce. Which is a bit of a surprise, because just a few months prior....the main headline on the newspaper tabloids, was that she was getting married to Kris. Or, where they were supposed to go on their honeymoon. What dress/designer, was she going to wear? And now....72 days after the wedding, she wants to call it quits. What a shocker. Almost as if, she didn't want to get married to the guy in the first place. Almost as if, she got bored with th guy when the cameras weren't following her around, or people weren't asking her..."What are you guys going to do next?". This, the made up wedding, just like most of reality television.....was/is a joke.
Some of you may be asking, "Who is Kim Kardashian anyway?". Good question. The best way I can describe how she achieved her celebrity status, is.....she is the daughter of a hollywood lawyer, who passed away, and who's mother married a fairly popular, at one time, olympic athlete. And she also has a sex tape. Yes, Kim Kardashian is the daughter of Robert Kardashian, who is best known as one of the "Dream Team". That's right, he defended OJ, when he was tried of killing his ex-wife and her boyfriend. Kim's stepfather, Bruce Jenner, won the gold medal at the 1976, olympic summer games in the decathalon. Besides the aforementioned, umm.....credits, Kim and her sisters star in a reality television show, called "Keeping up with the Kardashians". Produced and created by Ryan Seacrest, of American Idol fame. And that's really it. She is a star of our own creation. And as much as I can't stand seeing the magazines with her and her trumped up husband/boyfriend, whatever you want to call him, on them....I have sympathy for her. I really do. It must be really hard to be thrust into the spotlight at an early age, only to have the cameras turn off you....and onto the next big thing. You see it a lot with professional athletes who get long in the tooth, and have a hard time letting go. (Brett Favre).
I realize that this is the trend, and it's not about your accomplishments getting you attention, but rather how you look, or who you are hanging out with. I've said it before, and I'll say it again....I just miss the good ol' days of television. When you could turn on the TV, at 8 o'clock at night, and not see someone's dirty laundry being aired in front of you......or their cooka's.
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