Here's why I can't get excited about the Sox yet, even though they have the best record in baseball: they suck when I watch them. Besides the weekend with huge comeback against the Yanks's bullpen and the four-homer game, I have seen them win a grand total of twice. After Monday, they're now 4-11 when I'm watching. For a team with a winning percentage of .643, that's just dumb. I have watched Schilling get roughed up three times; seen Ortiz hit two dongs and Manny none; probably not seen a hit out of Lugo or Varitek (Crisp just left that club with his 4-4 night on Monday) and barely even seen Papelbon, period.
Getting excited for the draft, and it's still a week away. Very excited to see where Julian goes. As a Knick fan, the last few years have been spent enjoying other teams, rooting for close series and exciting moments or performances. However, if Julian somehow goes to the Bulls, resulting in my two favorite players on the planet playing on the same team...we won't get into that. Deal with it if it happens.
What has me most worried right now is the fact that I have not played a single round of golf yet this year. Not one. It's almost July! Usually by now I have paid off my season pass 1 1/2 times over. The reasons I can think of for this travesty are listed here:
1) No time due to working two jobs and studying. Least likely reason; I dealt with this time constraint last summer as well.
2) Other hobbies. I am still in noonball mode, and have been playing a lot of tennis, after not playing at all last summer. Softball and 5 on 5 league at the new "Rucker" take up a night each week as well. This reason is bullshit. There is no way that tennis should come before golf, and usually I scale back noonball as well.
3) I broke par my last round of the year in 2006. This could be the most likely reason, but it worries me the most. Breaking par has been my holy grail since I started golfing when I was 14 years old. Every round the last couple years (since it became a possibility) was geared around that. I had countless legitimate chances to do it, but choked every time, including the round in 2003 when I was -2 going into the last hole, only to drive my ball into the water, triple bogey, and then go home and try to slit my wrists with a golf tee. When I finally broke par last year, I knew I could relax and enjoy the winter. What I was not counting on was spring coming around and me failing to get the fever, which usually hits right after the Masters. I am last season's Pittsburgh Steelers, personified.
So it has me worried that I have not got the itch to go play; plus the fact that I am letting down my dad and others who want to enjoy one last summer of golfing with me before I move. I am scheduled to play a round tomorrow morning, but I would be lying if I said I was properly excited for it.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Vegas On My Mind
Went and saw Ocean's 13 last night. It was pretty good, still not near as good as 11, but much, much better than 12. Anyways, throughout the movie they showed multiple aerial shots of The Strip, and I could feel my heart rate increase every time. And as I predicted to Jill as we left the theater, I had trouble sleeping last night, and when I did fall asleep, I dreamt about playing blackjack in the high-roller area of Caesar's Palace.
I have always enjoyed gambling. First it was innocent one dollar bets on baseball games with my dad when I was 8 or 9 (remember Sid Bream scoring ahead of Bonds's throw? Yeah, that cost me a week's allowance.) Then it was college basketball pools, and random bets (usually with Dunph or Bergman) as I got older. Then I turned 18 and Gamblor (the feeling in our stomachs we would get when we wanted to go the casino, as coined by Mike Haley) took over. Our senior year of high school consisted of geting out of class at 12:30, jumping in Ike's truck and driving 100 mph to Mahnomen to make it there in an hour, gambling til 5, and racing back to make it to basketball by 6:30. A couple years later the poker craze hit, and I got the fever like everyone else in the country. After that cooled off, an online gambling account with Dunph and three trips to Vegas within 12 months ensued. This progression was all fairly predictable, and probably inevitable. With my personality, gambling was gonna be in my lifestyle. I probably enjoy gambling too much, but despite the recent shellackings that Vegas has handed out, I am still up money over my whole life, and I know when to quit (with a couple memorable exceptions.)
However, Vegas has undoubtedly taken it to a whole new level. I enjoy gambling, I enjoy drinking, I enjoy joking around and busting balls with buddies, and I enjoy bullshitting with random people. When all these things are together in one setting, it's no surprise I love Vegas as I do.
When I sift through this rambling and try to find my point, I guess it's this: I don't think I can wait for Ike's bachelor party next May. Vegas must come sooner.
I have always enjoyed gambling. First it was innocent one dollar bets on baseball games with my dad when I was 8 or 9 (remember Sid Bream scoring ahead of Bonds's throw? Yeah, that cost me a week's allowance.) Then it was college basketball pools, and random bets (usually with Dunph or Bergman) as I got older. Then I turned 18 and Gamblor (the feeling in our stomachs we would get when we wanted to go the casino, as coined by Mike Haley) took over. Our senior year of high school consisted of geting out of class at 12:30, jumping in Ike's truck and driving 100 mph to Mahnomen to make it there in an hour, gambling til 5, and racing back to make it to basketball by 6:30. A couple years later the poker craze hit, and I got the fever like everyone else in the country. After that cooled off, an online gambling account with Dunph and three trips to Vegas within 12 months ensued. This progression was all fairly predictable, and probably inevitable. With my personality, gambling was gonna be in my lifestyle. I probably enjoy gambling too much, but despite the recent shellackings that Vegas has handed out, I am still up money over my whole life, and I know when to quit (with a couple memorable exceptions.)
However, Vegas has undoubtedly taken it to a whole new level. I enjoy gambling, I enjoy drinking, I enjoy joking around and busting balls with buddies, and I enjoy bullshitting with random people. When all these things are together in one setting, it's no surprise I love Vegas as I do.
When I sift through this rambling and try to find my point, I guess it's this: I don't think I can wait for Ike's bachelor party next May. Vegas must come sooner.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Jersey Love
Fantastic post by French on his favorite jerseys; see it if you haven't. Here's mine:
Honorable mention: Early 90's Portland Trail Blazers, Montreal Canadiens, the aforementioned Dallas Maverick jerseys designed by P. Diddy, the old Quebec Nordiques, and the 1998-2003 Kansas Jayhawks.
#10. Phoenix Suns. The Barkley era.
#9. Anaheim Mighty Ducks. I mean, it's an old-school goalie mask in the shape of a duck. Who knew purple and green went so well together? Gordon Bombay, apparently. Bonus points for this jersey being born in the Goodwill Games against the Iceland team.
#8. Ohio St. Buckeyes Basketball. The white and red ones are pretty cool, but the gray does it for me.
#7. Houston Astros. Unreal that this was an actual jersey. How could you play well wearing that?
#6. Michigan Wolverines Basketball. Specifically from the Fab 5 era. The jersey itself is decent, but this one ranks so high because without the Fab 5 introducing baggy shorts and all black shoes, who knows if we would be out of the nut-hugger era yet. And for that I am grateful.
#5. Atlanta Hawks. Just really, really cool. The Hawks need to go back to these, and quick. They haven't been good since they got rid of them. In a related story, the logo pictured below the jersey took me about 9 years to comprehend, for some reason. That thing was like a magic eye or a Where's Waldo for most of my childhood. Don't ask me why.
#4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That is the sweetest shade of orange ever, and any helmet featuring a orange-skinned, winking pirate with a knife in his mouth is OK by me. Did they have models audition for that helmet? Is there a guy who looks like that? If so, I want to meet him.
#3. Minnesota North Stars. Great colors, great logo.
#2. Denver Nuggets. Yes, the same Nuggets jerseys that French hated. Love the rainbow skyline that wraps all the way around, and the Rocky Mountains look downright majestic in those things.
#1. San Diego Chargers. I can't even begin to describe the awesomeness of these baby blue beauties. Every time I do a season with San Diego in Madden, it is guaranteed that they wear these throwbacks every game.
Honorable mention: Early 90's Portland Trail Blazers, Montreal Canadiens, the aforementioned Dallas Maverick jerseys designed by P. Diddy, the old Quebec Nordiques, and the 1998-2003 Kansas Jayhawks.
#10. Phoenix Suns. The Barkley era.
#9. Anaheim Mighty Ducks. I mean, it's an old-school goalie mask in the shape of a duck. Who knew purple and green went so well together? Gordon Bombay, apparently. Bonus points for this jersey being born in the Goodwill Games against the Iceland team.
#8. Ohio St. Buckeyes Basketball. The white and red ones are pretty cool, but the gray does it for me.
#7. Houston Astros. Unreal that this was an actual jersey. How could you play well wearing that?
#6. Michigan Wolverines Basketball. Specifically from the Fab 5 era. The jersey itself is decent, but this one ranks so high because without the Fab 5 introducing baggy shorts and all black shoes, who knows if we would be out of the nut-hugger era yet. And for that I am grateful.
#5. Atlanta Hawks. Just really, really cool. The Hawks need to go back to these, and quick. They haven't been good since they got rid of them. In a related story, the logo pictured below the jersey took me about 9 years to comprehend, for some reason. That thing was like a magic eye or a Where's Waldo for most of my childhood. Don't ask me why.
#4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That is the sweetest shade of orange ever, and any helmet featuring a orange-skinned, winking pirate with a knife in his mouth is OK by me. Did they have models audition for that helmet? Is there a guy who looks like that? If so, I want to meet him.
#3. Minnesota North Stars. Great colors, great logo.
#2. Denver Nuggets. Yes, the same Nuggets jerseys that French hated. Love the rainbow skyline that wraps all the way around, and the Rocky Mountains look downright majestic in those things.
#1. San Diego Chargers. I can't even begin to describe the awesomeness of these baby blue beauties. Every time I do a season with San Diego in Madden, it is guaranteed that they wear these throwbacks every game.
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