QOW, The Mustard Club, and a few others..

I will start with a delayed posting of the Quote of the Week. This one belongs to Mike Hamel. When asked if he had to choose one condiment, ketchup or mustard exclusively, which one would it be? He answered emphatically.."Mustard, Ketchup Sucks!"

While I don't quite think that ketchup "sucks", I am a part of the Mustard Club. This club should not be exclusive, but for now it is still the minority..but it's growing. Current members are:

Myself
Anthony Miller
Mike Hamel
John Snyder "Slice"
Joe O'Neill
"Colonel" Mustard (Clue)
Chad Mustard (Browns)

All that is required to join the club is to simply choose mustard as your number one condiment. What's in it for you?? Well, some great tasting food, and a feeling of living dangerously. If you would like me to add your name to this list, comment me and I will do so.

Some crazy stuff happening in sports. Baron Davis is a Clipper now! (Yuck!!) Tony Armas is back in the Bigs..(Yes!!) And on the Fantasy Front I continue to tray and field a healthy team in the KBSL league. Today I see I had a trade accepted and fixed my 3B hole, but now find out Byrnes is back on the DL...UGGGHH

P.S. This from Rotoworld:

Free agent Shea Hillenbrand signed with the York Revolution of the independent Atlantic League on Tuesday.

There was no real interest in Hillenbrand in the offseason, though perhaps that would have changed if he was open to accepting a minor league deal. It was still surpising that no team threw $1 million at him, considering he's not all that different from the player who just received a $6.5 million guarantee the previous winter.

That's a pretty serious player coming to town. I think I even had him a few years ago in the KBSL.

Cool Stuff!!

Quote of the Week

This is going to be a short post tonight but I wanted to get the QOTW out for everyone this week. This weeks entry is a shared award. It is shared by Dr Nussbaum, Jamie Koultonovich, and Julie Miller. All 3 said the following statement within the same week:

"You're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't."

Nussbaum on Hannah's bite, and the possibility of an ensuing HIV test for baby Clair: Well, you're "Damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't" I like to be on the safe side.

Koultonovich had another take on the expression. She used it when describing the hot weather they encountered in FLA while on vacation, and then the 95+ temps of last week. " We got back here and now it's hot as hel* here." [It's one of those "You're damned if you do, and your damned if you don't"type things.]

Julie Miller then used that same line 2 days later while Logan was getting his hair cut. "He wants it short, but I like it long." "It is the summer time I guess, and he has been begging me to get it cut." "I guess I'm Damned if I do, and damned if I don't."

3 people and 3 times in 1 Week most definitely wins the QOTW. Congrats to these 3 on their accomplishment. Good Luck to all next week!!

Finals, Animals and the QOW

I just finished watching game 4 of the NBA finals. I must say this has been the most entertaining finals series I have every watched. It helps that both of these teams are stacked, and it's really a crap shoot on who will win it. It now appears the Celtics will, as they just capped a 24 point comeback over the Lakers and lead the series 3-1. Just what we need, another Boston team winning a title. Can Philly get just one?!? Pierce is proving to be the best player on the court in this series. The Jayhawk out played Kobe tonight, and is a huge reason the Green team is on the verge of another NBA title. Amazingly, they are winning these games without much production from BIG BABY . Hopefully this great series will help distract from all the negative Donagey pub. Go figure, the NBA was really throwing that Kings game against the Lakers years ago. Heck I can't blame them either. Look at how entertaining this years series has been! Who the heck wanted to see the Kings and Nets??

BIG BABY reminds me I almost forgot about BIG BROWN. Wow, what happened?? I thought that was about as big a lock as I can remember in horse racing and the pony finishes last? Wow. Glad I didn't make it out to the OTW this year. I wouldn't have bet him out of the last post at the Derby, and would have bet confident in betting a lot on him at the Stakes. Shows why I never do well at betting the horses I guess.

I think the animals are trying to take over our yard. Just stay out of the house!! It gets worse each day it seems out there. Let's see, of course we had the snakes out there, the mice that were in the shed, and now the groundhogs are back eating the Mulberries in the yard. What I am very surprised at is the birds!! These grey birds are fearless of humans. They don't bother me out there, but it is truly amazing. This one particular one followed me all throughout the yard while I was mowing this week. He went from tree to tree, and even walked beside me on the ground..just looking at me. I'm not sure if he liked me, or didn't trust me. Hopefully his mind is at ease...I'm just there for the mowing buddy. I would consider taking on a new bird friend but probably not until August, so check back with me then.

Now the quote of the week.. Well, this week the honor goes to Joseph O'Neill of Gerhardt. When I was showing him the new UPS coverage map with the states colored to show the transit times from Dallastown, he asked me "Now is this just for Ground or is this for Air shipments too?"

Nope Joey, the Next Day Air Shipments are delivered the NEXT DAY. Congrats to Joe for scoring his 1st QOW.

Good Luck to all this week!

Injuries set in, and the start of the quotes of the week

Injuries are beginning to crush my Van Buren Boys' teams. In the mixed league I now have Byrnes, Sheffield, Schmidt, and Carmona all on the shelf. In the NL league I boast Andruw Jones, Pedro Martinez, Rafael Furcal, and Clint Barmes. Ryan Zimmerman is probably headed there soon, as he hasn't played at all this week for me either. Zimm leads a VBB lineup that is in a lot of trouble this week playing without 2 guys, and having my best hitter in a bit of a slump right now. Luckily Randy Winn continues to be the man and he is keeping me in it.

Some noted transactions this week. I picked up 1-8 Barry Zito and Jason Giambi who had been hitting .211 as of Mid May. Call it a hunch, but I think these guys are going to have huge 2nd halfs.

I would like to start a new segment called "Quote of the Week". I actually wanted to start this last week, so I am going to lead off with 2 entries.

The 1st 2 winners both go to my wife. We'll start with the inaugural quotes:

Week of May 18th: When skimming through the DVR'd programs I noticed that Laura had decided to record the "Bachelorette". I asked her about it and she said "Yeah, I'm kind of into it this year, it's a girl this time."

And now the winning entry for this week, May 25th:

While getting her teeth cleaned by her MJ I watched Avery and Hannah in the waiting room until it was time for my cleaning. I eventually brought the girls back to the dental office because it was really hot in the waiting room and Hannah wanted to get down to crawl. Laura said "Don't let Hannah crawl around here, there is plaque flying everywhere!!" Yep, that's a winner! Congrats to LBB for her 1st 2 entries.

Who will make this list next?? I'll be searching for the next great quote, so Bring It!!

Various Items..Catching up AGAIN

I'm doing a pathetic job of keeping this up to date. Let's try it again...

Bowling is over..thank goodness. The absolute worst year I have personally ever had on the lanes. I waited 37 weeks for a good match, and well, I guess I will have to wait until week 1 of next year because 38 and 39 were no better. We got bludgeoned in the 1st round of the playoffs and that was that. I'm looking forward to collecting my money at the banquet though. :)

How impressive are the Dodgers? Is Joe Torre the difference? Could I be that wrong about the importance of a baseball manager?? Maybe this is so. An impressive start to a team that had most of these components last year but just couldn't get anything done. Rafael Furcal has been a pleasant surprise as well, which makes me happy as I look to defend my KBSL title. No, it hasn't gone well so far, but I'm going to stick with it and hope for the best.

Is their a more overrated piece of clothing then a coat? Yes, there are times when they are needed, but those are really few and far between. I mean why do you wear a coat to work if you jump in your car, drive there, get out and walk right into your building and then take it off. That's not as bad as when you go shopping, or out to eat and then struggle to find a place to put the coat while you are inside. Of course if you wear it, you'll roast. For the most part, I'm done with the jackets.

Thumbs up to the new tax refunds we all just got. I dig it. I doubt it will ultimately boost the economy, but it surely is a nice gesture. I'll be sure to buy at least one new item with it so that I am not being Anti-American.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day, and we are heading to Hershey Park for the day, weather permitting. I think it should be a cool time, and I am starting to get pretty excited about going. You can never see that Chocolate World Tour too much, and if I see the Hershey Kiss walking around I just may give him a shot!! (Inside Joke..but hysterical.)

American Idol Season Whatever it is... In a nutshell, this season sucks. David Cook should win, but the writing is on the wall for him after last week and it is Archuleta who will win this thing. My prediction?? David Archuleta will be the 2nd worst AI ever. No one can ever top Taylor Hicks, but this guy will be close. I bet he will have 1 heck of a Christmas Album though. He's got so many things on his side right now, it's inevitable the "Prodigy" Will win it all.

Lastly, I have to mention Survivor in this post. Erik, one of the "Fans" this year has got to go down as the dumbest contestant of all time in the history of Survivor. 4 people get voted off in front of him by the girls alliance, and blindsided and when in the final 5 he gives up his immunity idol necklace!?!? This kid may be cut out to be a Ice Cream Scooper all his life after that stupidity he showed.

Another great idea...another disappointment

Another one of my "invention" ideas I have come to find out is already in existence. While pushing Avery on the swing today at Cousler Park I came up with a brilliant idea for a booming new trend. Satellite Dish covers. When I say that, I mean covers with designs on them such as your favorite sports teams. Or perhaps you would prefer to have one to accent the season, such as a snowman for winter, or a scarecrow for fall. This could be similar to the flags people put out in their yards, or the mailbox covers you can buy. Well, after doing the dreaded Google search, I found out they already are marketed.

This I must admit was even harder to swallow then the "Clothing Exchange" website idea I was nearly as excited about earlier this year. That dream ended at Genova's when MJ told me she saw that idea on Oprah earlier that month. No, this one was tougher to take. This was tangible, marketable, and probably in a boom market with so many people making the switch to the dish.

It's off to the drawing board for the next big idea...i'll keep you posted. After I patent it that is.

From one Monopoly to the other..the saga continues..

Today Verizon contacted me because Comcast had been in contact with them to take over my phone number to start digital phone service. Having DSL and the phone through them already to keep my business they were willing to offer me their own "Triple Play". Apparantly Verizon and Direct TV have an agreement to be bundled together. After a phone call back to Verizon, this is what I was offered now...

DSL- $14.95 Grandfathered rate
Unlimited Calling anywhere in the US and Canada- $ 24.99
Direct TV Choice Extra Plus DVR Package- $ 39.99
1 DVR and Standard Receiver- No Charge.
A $50.00 "Stay With Verizon" bill credit.

$ 79.00 total for all three services, and the channel package is actually really good. This is normally a $59.99 package. I was paying $80.00 for just cable up to this month. "Real Nice"

The install is scheduled for Saturday, February 16th.

We'll see what happens when I call to cancel my Comcast this time.

The latest dish..on the dish

So today was the scheduled install of my Dish Network Satellite. I finally made the plunge after making many phone calls, working out deals, and becoming pretty sick of going through all of it. Today the scheduled install was between 1-5 PM. They showed up at 6:30 for what I found out would be a 3 hour install. No thanks. Also I was supposed to be getting one of the new Dual LNB HD dishes so I would only need 1 as opposed to 2. Turns out that wasn't the case. On the plus side, the installer was American, and he thought he knew my brother from playing basketball at UTEP.

I rescheduled my install for Wednesday between 9-12, but after my call to Comcast, I believe I will be staying with the Big Guys after all. Bottom line is I was switching for savings, and once I went to the customer cancel line I was given an offer that worked for me without the headache. My once $80.00 cable bill now goes to $99.00, but I now have Cable, Phone, and Cable internet for that price, and they are even kind enough to throw in the HD DVR for free. I'll take it. I improve my Internet speed, get a DVR, and drop my $141 bill to $99. Mission accomplished..at least for this year. They only guarantee it for one year, so the headache will probably resurface next February. Good Times.

What a game last night! It was great to see the Patriots lose, especially with Seau, Moss, and yes even Donte Stallworth aboard. Oh yeah, I forgot how annoyed I was with Wes Welker last night. One thing's for sure, the Pats should have franchised Vinatieri, they can't win the big one without him. Aren't the Patriots becoming much like the Yankees lately?? They sign all these big name free agents, only to forget there were reasons these guys (Seau, Moss) never won. Whether it's coincidence or just plain bad luck, you have to wonder why it is that way.

6 Months Between Posts..Catching Up

Wow!! that sure is a bit excessive. Fact of the matter is I don't have as much free time as i used to, but I would like to get back to this at least with a weekly post. Since July of 07' obviously a lot has happened. Hannah is 7 months now, Avery is almost 3, and going to Pre School, and I have been at my "new" job long enough to be eligible for vacation.

The newest change is my new vehicle. I am now leasing a 2008 Ford Edge, Sync included. I picked it up on January 16th, and filled up for the 1st time today. It took only 2 days after the expected shipping date and with the holiday layoffs, I was thrilled with that. I love it. The ride, the look, the maneuverability and of course how awesome is the SYNC?? No more fumbling for my phone when I drive, and over 6000 songs available at my disposal with simply a voice command, or from one of the 6 MP3 CD's in the 6 disc MP3 changer. Amazing technology and it works surprisingly well.

Hannah now says her 1st word! She says "Da Da." Although I don't think she really knows what she is saying, it's amazing to hear 1st words from your kids. So precious. She really is the perfect baby. Always happy and content, and sleeps wonderfully. Truly a blessing since Avery is and probably always will be, a handful. Avery is doing great and is really becoming a little sweetheart. She is very strong willed, but can be the sweetest little girl when she wants to be. Everyone is doing really well.

On the job front..well it is going good. Now that I am set with a 8-4 shift, things are going extremely well. It is no longer a struggle physically, and it is always nice once you are not the new guy anymore. I like pretty much everyone I work with too, so the switch has been a success.

Wow it is just crazy it has been this long since I have posted..if anyone still reads this then Welcome Back! I'm going to make a real effort to keep this updated...now that we have the girls on a consistent schedule, I should be able to do this without too much of a problem.

I guess that's it for now. I will make a Super Bowl prediction. Patriots will win (out on a limb here) 34-23. 11 points probably won't cover the line, but my feeling is the Pats always seem to play these games tight. All of their wins have been competitive games so I'd probably bet with the points (I believe the line is 14) if I were to bet on this one. For what it's worth after a perfect post season record last year, this year I was a mere 6-4 this year. Not so hot.

A lot to get to

NBA Takes: 1st off Kobe Bryant is the most selfish person in the NBA and it isn't even close. He demands a trade because the Lakers aren't winning titles? He put himself in this situation when #1 he resigned there, and #2 basically ran Shaq out of town. Then the guy has the wherewithal to mention that he "needs to be somewhere where he can win a title." Um, least I checked this arrogant SOB has 3 already!! I like this guy less and less everyday, and mostly because of his off court stuff he does. I hope he doesn't get traded and stays miserable in LA. What a horrible situation he is in there...does that guy have any sense of reality? Probably not. They aren't going to get Garnet, and even if they did I would sort of rather have Odom anyway for that team.

The draft was no real surprise. I like that the Celtics went and got Ray Allen although it will kill them down the road, who cares at this point..you see Paul Pierce doesn't have any titles, yet doesn't cry like a baby like some people. The China guy the Bucks picked seems like a wasted pick. The Chinese government most likely won't let him play in Milwaukee..I guess most of them have never been there I am sure.

Grant Hill signed with the Suns, effectively ending his career. (See Jalen Rose) I suspect he will be doing insider stuff for ESPN News by 2009. At least that will get rid of Dee Brown though.

Other News: The 4th of July was uneventful. A cookout at my parents was decent, but nothing to get super excited about. The rain made it a bust for the fireworks.

Hannah is a good girl. She is very mellow compared to Avery, and is starting to get herself straightened out with the days and nights. I however, am still adjusting.

Random Thoughts: I got Chinese food on Friday night from Jumbo near Westgate. My fortune cookie read: "Don't let yourself get to consumed by life to not enjoy the little important things." Nice advice..but where is the fortune?? We opened 4 of them and they all had advice on them. I would like them to officially change these to be called "Advice Cookies". The next time I go, I am in fact going to ask them if I can have actual fortune cookies. What BS...I mean they don't even taste that good, you just want the stupid fortune!!

Barry Bonds is close..yay!! Just a few more Barry!! And I don't fault the guy at all for not doing the homerun derby. He's already won that thing..what's the point now? Kobe anyone?? I respect Bonds for simply not giving a damn what people think about him, that's admirable.

I can't think of a worse time for television shows then this summer...they are pretty much all pathetic, and it got even worse tonight when I watched the Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament on ESPN 2. 50,000 grand prize?!?

I'm glad the Chinese dude lost the hot dog eating contest. The dude vomited, sorry you should lose automatically. And the fact that he tried to then eat the vomit should have cost him more then just 3 hot dogs..nasty.

I hope Federer get's rocked again my Nadal tomorrow.

Venus Williams won Wimbledon. What a drag, I thought we were finally done with these sisters. What happened to Sharapova?? Venus is 10 times more annoying then Serena, which makes it worse.

Is Aerosmith the greatest band of all time? Can you really disprove that statement? I think they have to be considered the best. Maybe the Beatles, but I don't know...I mean it isn't their fault that a lot of them were killed, but Aerosmith has more staying power. I say this because someone at work tried to tell me that the Doors were the greatest band of all time and Led Zeppelin was second. Stop it, please.

Avery Lizzie (Mcguire) Meets Hannah (Montana)

Well, yesterday we had our second child, Hannah Grace. She weighed in at 7 lbs, 9 oz, and measures 19.5 inches. After a long day at the hospital on Monday, today, Tuesday, I brought Avery in to meet her baby sister. It went pretty much as expected..she was excited to see her, but after a few minutes was on to something else. Pretty much what you would expect from a 2 year old. Hannah so far has been an excellent baby. Very content, and likes to be held. The complete opposite of Avery when she was born. Avery was brought down to us the 1st morning after we had her because she was waking up all the babies in the nursery..Hannah slept 5 hours straight her 1st night! A great start for our palindrome daughter. It has been tough this time because I can't spend all my time at the hospital with Laura and the baby since we have Avery at home. Laura is doing well after the surgery though, and we hope to have her come home on Thursday.

What a strange feeling to have 2 children now. You sometimes think (At least I did) it is impossible to love anyone as much as your 1st child...but amazingly you do! The following weeks and months should be interesting once everyone is together to coincide. Nonetheless our family is complete, and what a wonderful, blessed feeling it is to be able to have 2 healthy children.

Here are some pics from the past few days:

Rocky Balboa, Interleague, and the Finals

Well, I finally saw Rocky 6. If you are a fan of the Rocky films,( and really how can't you be?) then you will enjoy the final chapter of the story. It is surely better then Rocky5, although there are not nearly the quality of quotes in 6 vs 5. I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and feel like there is closure to the story. One more chance to relive the Balboa music, training montages, and watching the eye of the tiger one more time was really great. A must see for Balboa fans.

When interleague started, I loved it, and couldn't think of any reason why people would be against it. Now a few years into it, I don't like it anymore. It doesn't make any sense..trying to stir up rivalries from previous world series? Sure the occasional Subway series is entertaining..but every year? It just takes away from it all if you ask me.

Quickly on the Finals...BORING. What a shocker with another Spurs Finals. Not even LeBron can spice this one up. Is anyone enjoying these 1st 2 games?

Getting Old...it sucks

Today was a perfect example of the deterioration of the human body as we get older. At work today a squirrel got into the electric transformer thus shutting down all power at Gerhardt USA. The squirrel can rest peacefully knowing that he provided the employees 3 hours of pure recreation as the plant was pretty much useless without power. This should have been a good thing right? 3 hours of doing nothing but getting paid for it? Well, not so much. After the 1st hour the novelty was gone, and I realized that this was going to be more of a hassle for me then anything when they did turn the power back on..but that's not the real news. The real news is what happened during the down time. I went out front to take another look at the fried squirrel (It really was impressive), and saw a couple guys throwing the football around outside. I know 2 of them, so I figured this would be a good chance to get to know some other people from the shop. Without really warming up that much (myself that is) We were throwing deep, and it started to get to the point where it was let's see who can throw this thing the furthest. On a side note there was a guy there his name is Brad, and he was saying how he was hating the fact that he was turning 30 in a few weeks, and that he couldn't believe how much trouble he was having catching and throwing the ball since he hadn't done it in a while. I mentioned to him that I just turned 30 this past year, and it does suck, and that "you can get hurt doing the stupidest little things now." What foreshadowing. I went for the long toss, really reared back to try and unload, and what happened? I heard a pop in my lower back, and realized I pulled one of those muscles back there or something. What an idiot. I didn't let on that I hurt myself, but I was, and am in a bit of pain right now. Lucky for me when they turned the power on in a bit I was swamped with work, including several heavy dies, and 3 truck shipments I had to unload. "Real Nice." I can't wait to play in this golf tournament Saturday with this ailment..should be a blast. Could there possibly be a worse injury for golf then this? Bottom line? Getting Old Sucks.

Random thoughts while alone for 8 hours...

• Wow, I'm glad Jordin won. She will be a great idol representative. Besides, Blake already got to sing with Sir Mix A Lot! What's better then beat boxing with Swap Meet Louie himself?

• So much talk about the gas prices which are soon to eclipse the 3.00 a gallon mark. Yet no talk of the president being a billionaire Oil Tycoon? Things that make you go hmmm.

• Someone needs to bring back the player manager, better yet, someone needs to un retire after they have been elected into the hall of fame.

• The Nationals are 10-4 in their last 14 games. Wow

• The Portland Trailblazers get the 1st pick and will select Odom from OSU. Suddenly they will have a dominant inside presence with Lamarcus Aldridge already developing.
  

• I really, really don't want a Spurs/Pistons series.

• Brett Myers is hurt...good.

• How is it possible I haven't seen Rocky Balboa yet?
  

1 Week In

Well, the 1st week is over for me at the new job. And the verdict is...it's a change. What a week. Monday was slammed busy and while Thursday was pleasantly light, Friday was back to being busy again. This lifestyle change, and that is certainly what it is, is going pretty well, and I think I am getting adjusted. I put in over 47 hours this week after totaling about 35 a week before, and it's more demanding, but I'm up for the challenge.

The Cavs beat the Nets tonight to set themselves up to be annihilated by the Pistons this week and what will set up another boring NBA finals matchup of Spurs vs Pistons. More Big Shot Bob, and more Timmy, to go along with the same cast of Pistons characters. Can this series please end with a Chris Webber technical? How great would that be if he called another illegitimate time out?

How about American Idol? Finally 2 people I like made the final! I don't even care who wins, but I am pulling for Jordin Sparks who i thought all along would have a great shot at winning. I predicted it would be Richardson and Sparks, but Blake stepped up and took it from CR (And rightfully so). My prediction is Sparks as the AI and the Pistons as NBA champs. (Yawn)

Derby Day, and My Thoughts on Bonds, and Steroids

Well, my horse didn't win the derby, again. In fact I like to bet with a few different options, rather than placing all my hopes on one thoroughbred. Well, we showed up at the OTW with exactly 30 seconds to bet once we walked through the door. (I thought it was a 6:30 start vs 6:15) So with no time to make any other bets or do any research, we placed two 15 dollar bets to show. Neither horse came in. A little discouraged because of how rushed everything was, we decided to stay and bet on a few other races. This was much more successful, as we ended up picking winners in the next 2 races, winning a little over $60. It feels so much better leaving a winner then a loser let me tell you. I'd like to thank the Lancaster OTW for my dinner Saturday night at Longhorn Steakhouse.

Ok, so Schilling is in the news for blasting Bonds. In fact, it's trendy to blast Bonds these days isn't it? He's an easy target...not very likeable, most likely took steroids that helped him aid in breaking the homerun record, and soon pass Hank Aaron as well. I like Curt Schilling, I do, and his comments don't bother me. If that's the way he feels, then he should stand behind that and not backtrack on what he said. It's a pretty stupid thing to say as a public figure, but these people just don't get it, and I doubt they ever do. My feeling is this..Bonds is the greatest hitter in my generation (ok A-Rod is close) and to me is sort of Babe Ruthian. Here's the thing, not many people alive right now remember Babe Ruth playing. He could have been the biggest creep in the world. Now I don't think that he was, but it's possible..because we don't know. In every sport there are people cheating in their own ways. McGwire with the Creoteen, which wasn't illegal when he was taking it, but now is..how is that different? What about the fact that the Ruths' and so forth played against tired arms most of their career. If you honestly think that the game was the same then as it is now, then your oblivious. My point? The point is that athletes today are better then they were ages ago. The more and more it becomes a business, the better and better they will continue to get. If you think that steroids is cheating, then how do you feel about other performance enhancing drugs? I.E. Createen or the stuff you buy at GNC? They didn't have that in the 1920's. What about Gatorade? Or other sports drinks? Think a more hydrated ball player would be a better ball player? I can go on and on..each era had their own stuggles, and it's own advantages to it. People are up in arms about Bonds passing Henry Aaron. Why? Bonds is a better player then Aaron. He was since he came into the league. Not taking anything away from Hammerin Hank, but I highly doubt anyone honestly thinks that he was better then Ba Bo. So what's the deal? Henry Aaron had to deal with racism etc etc in the 70's. I'm sure that was tough as he approached Ruth's record, and it's terrible anyone has to go through that. What about Barry? He deals with enough too. And that's not even bringing up the point that the dude is walked 3 times a game. Is Bonds a good person? I don't know him, but from what I "hear" no, he's not. Do I care? Nope. Why should I? How is my life going to change when Bonds hits 756? It's not. No one's like will change, not even Aaron's. People aren't defined by records they hold, they are defined by Hall of Fame careers. Does anyone now think that Ruth is a bum? Nope. He's still gargantuan in stature, Paul Bunyanesque. Another question? Does anyone ever want a record broken? In recent memory, people were excited when McGwire passed Maris for the single season home run mark. When Bonds passed that 2 years later, no one wanted him to do it. This makes no sense. Bonds is daylights better then McGwire as a baseball player, so why wouldn't you want the games best player, holding it's most prestigious record? Bottom line is Barry Bonds is the greatest player of my generation, and I am going to enjoy this run to 755. I think you should too.

Going Down in a Blaze of Glory

What a final performance by Phil Stacey last night. Singing "Blaze of Glory" by JBJ I couldn't think of a better way to go out. It would of been nice to see PS or Chris Richardson one more week at the expense of Lakisha Jones, but hey, they made it pretty far. Let's go Blake and Jordin!!

In what was a relatively strange draft for the Eagles this past weekend, I was pretty happy to see them get a QB, and what could turn out to be a pretty nice fullback in Tony Hunt from PSU. He has the size and makeup to be pretty effective in the Birds offense. Other then that pick, nothing to get too overly excited about as far as I'm concerned. The QB pick I liked because as much as I like Donovan, it's really tough to think that he will ever be the same as he was prior to this injury. To have a guy waiting in the wings for 3 years down the road and be ready to step in there was a smart choice in my opinion. Especially when you factor that Donovan has been hurt 3 of the last 4 years as it is.

This Saturday is the run for the roses, and my money will be on Any Given Saturday to show. This horse looks good! I mean you want to see a good looking thoroughbred, there you have him. Let's hope this man does well because I haven't won any big money since Fusaichi Pegasus took 1st place in 2000. Heck I even missed Smarty Jones and he was from Philly.

Here's to Any Given Saturday and his start of his run to the Triple Crown!

Bye Bye Birdie, Driving Looks, and Stop Signs

Well a lot has happened since my last entry. I've been slacking as it has been over a week! Anyway the biggest news is that I accepted the position at Gerhardt this morning. Which means that in 2 weeks I will be starting my new endeavor and hopefully what will turn out as a great opportunity for me. A 54% raise is hard to pass up even though it may come at the expense of my fantasy sports teams, and I will truly miss the extra time I had to spend with my little girl. I hope Avery Lizzy still likes me as much when I don't see her as often. :(
My next segment I want to talk about something that has been on my mind lately and came to a head again this morning and that is the looks you get when you are driving. Everyone is a frickin tough guy when they are behind the metal enclosure that is their automobile. Again this morning as I pull out of the development when I get to the stop sign off of Aslan Dr turning on to Greenbriar Road you have to pull out pretty far to see oncoming traffic. It isn't a choice, you have to do it. Anyway, so almost every day when I do this I get people staring me down as if I am going to hit them..RELAX, I am just trying to see so I DON'T hit you. So today this guy actually has the balls to slow down and really stare me down. I had enough..I pulled out and followed this guy to the oncoming traffic light and instead of making a left, I went straight into the Weis so I could pull beside this guy. When I do..he will not look at me. I really wanted to tell this guy off, it is something that has been bugging me for months and this guy just took it too far. Needless to say the spineless jerk didn't give me the time of day and I ended up having to go a less direct way to work. Bastard.

Lastly, what is up with the stop signs in West York? When you travel down these side roads in WY there is no rhyme or reason why they put them where they do. Traveling the same direction, i went through 3 intersections with no stop signs, then all of a sudden you have one and the side street has none. It isn't even a 4 way job, they just have the right away. This happens throughout the streets. Talk about dangerous, almost every time you drive down there you run the risk of getting plowed by someone not paying attention. Why can't things make sense anymore?

Trade, Charlie Manuel, The Revs

Well, the Iceman will be gone from my team Monday, but he had a big night last night adding a triple, a double, and a HR to his totals. Thanks for the memories Jason. I'd like to welcome Brian McCann, Pat the Bat Burrell, and David Wright back to my team. It's nice to have Wright back, he's a guy I was happy to had landed, and hopefully Burrell can be competent enough for me in LF, since I had to give up pretty much all of my depth to get Billy Wagner, and my latest maneuver. (Thank you Maracas and KK)

Before I leave baseball, Charlie Manuel needs to be fired. No, I am not one of those people who think because a team gets off to a bad start they should just fire the manager, but he is clearly not doing a great job in Philly. The latest last night on the botched pitching swap allowing Restovich to go in to the game later when he was supposed to have been already used was just a game managing mistake you can not make. Also the move of Myers to the pen, while brazen, is in my opinion, not a good idea. Why would you put your best starter in the bullpen when there is nothing wrong with his arm? Yeah Yeah I know they have Leiber there now, but it just doesn't make any sense why you would put a guy like Myers in the bullpen.

I'm glad to see Sanjaya go home last night. He had worn out his welcome, and it's good to know that I won't have to hear him anymore, and also that it gives Phil Stacey another week in the competition, he did well this week.

Rajon Rondo from the Celtics is the man. He and J Rich managed to help the Courts hang on for the win in my basketball roto league. I hope the Warriors do well in the playoffs!

The York Revolution well you just knew they would figure out a way to screw this up. Opening day at Sovereign Bank Stadium was scheduled for May 12th, and of course, the stadium will not be ready then. They have pushed it back now until June 15th..we'll see. Now I have driven by the stadium several times in the past 3 months and was wondering how in the world they were going to finish this in time, but they have to right? You can't miss opening day in your inaugural season, especially when people are skeptical about this anyway..they managed to do it. I'm excited about having a baseball team, but I certainly hope this isn't a sign for what is to come. You go from finding out Tike Redman is going to be center fielder, to finding out they have managed to drop the ball in a big way. R-E-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N!

The Ice Man, Freaking Scams!!, Idol Fodder

Hello everyone I'd like you to meet the Ice Man. No, I am not talking about Mr. Finger Roll himself George Gervin, I am talking about Jason Bay. You may know Bay as the Pirates only All Star last year. Perhaps that he is a Left Fielder, or that he is from Canada. I simply like to refer to him as the Ice Man. Why is this? Because the guy has been eternally cold this season so far. You just keep waiting for him to do something, and then finally he will go 1 for 4 with a solo homerun.

Come on JB, this is not the All Star I thought I was getting! I am looking for some big things from you this year, let's get your head on straight here and start hitting would ya? Here I am tracking a Pirates day game again and wouldn't you know it, Bay is 0-2 with 2 walks. Twice walking with a guy on 3rd. Swing the bat big man! Don't just do it for me, (although that would be pretty cool) do it for all of your friends up north. You have a whole country counting on you..Larry Walker doesn't play anymore!

On to the scam thing..I just received an email that I can get a week free from Jillian Michaels work out and diet plan, what the heck, I'll take a look at it..we all could use some direction. The email title reads:

Join today and get this special
1-Week Free Trial!

You've got nothing to lose!

So I clicked on it to see what was up..and in the disclaimer it says:

*Your credit card will not be charged during your free trial period. However, valid credit card information is required.

If you're not 100% satisfied, simply call customer service to cancel your subscription before your free trial ends -- no charge. If you choose to remain a member, your service will continue uninterrupted and you will be enrolled under our standard membership agreement.

Jillian Michael's online program is just $4 a week, billed quarterly (every 13 weeks), with a five-week minimum commitment. Your credit card will be charged $52 at the beginning of each quarter. You may cancel at any time and receive a refund for the unused portion of your subscription, other than the five-week minimum commitment of $20, which is non-refundable.

Actually I stand to lose at least $20.00, so that is not a free week, and is not "nothing to lose". Scam as to be expected. At least we can still get music for free!!

Tonight on Idol is a tough one..I am picking Lakisha Jones and Phil Stacey in the bottom 2. Lakisha is a long shot, but I think Haley might have done enough to prevent her from being down there this week. I suspect if they pull 3 down it will be Jones, Scarnato, and Stacey. I say that Phil goes home tonight, but he has had surprising staying power, and he was wise to leave the hat on last night.