Showing posts with label pirates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pirates. Show all posts
Weigh-In Wednesday XIV
I weighed 176.8 today, which is pretty normal for me now. I would still like to lose about ten more pounds. I believe this is doable, I just need to make a few more adjustments.
Listening to sports radio can be really frustrating. For about a week now, all I have heard is how the Pirates need to go out and trade for a bat. Because that is the easiest thing to do. I understand the frustration fans have with watching this team. I would love to see some power-hitter in the lineup. Unfortunately, who is out there that the Pirates can trade for?
Looking at a list of 2013 free agents does not look very promising. Maybe the Buccos could trade James McDonald and Alex Presley for Curtis Granderson. Or wait, how about Joel Hanrahan and Starling Marte for Andre Ethier. Oh, you mean the Yankees and Dodgers might not go for that? Weird.
I guess they could try to pry Kendrys Morales away from the Angels or maybe go after Matt Adams. I wonder if Detroit would be willing to give up Brad Eldred (not that he would really be an upgrade since he never hits well in the majors). Aside from some unproven AAA masher, there really are not many options.
Listening to sports radio can be really frustrating. For about a week now, all I have heard is how the Pirates need to go out and trade for a bat. Because that is the easiest thing to do. I understand the frustration fans have with watching this team. I would love to see some power-hitter in the lineup. Unfortunately, who is out there that the Pirates can trade for?
Looking at a list of 2013 free agents does not look very promising. Maybe the Buccos could trade James McDonald and Alex Presley for Curtis Granderson. Or wait, how about Joel Hanrahan and Starling Marte for Andre Ethier. Oh, you mean the Yankees and Dodgers might not go for that? Weird.
I guess they could try to pry Kendrys Morales away from the Angels or maybe go after Matt Adams. I wonder if Detroit would be willing to give up Brad Eldred (not that he would really be an upgrade since he never hits well in the majors). Aside from some unproven AAA masher, there really are not many options.
Pirates Opening Day 2012
There is no better day than Opening Day. It should be a national holiday. Do I say this every year? Probably. Anyways, Lindsey and I went to the game because we are awesome people. Although, allow me to complain about something (which everyone else has already complained about): why the hell would they schedule the Phillies opening day?
This is one of the few series that sells out regardless of when it is (mainly because it is cheaper for Phillies fans to drive to Pittsburgh than to buy tickets at their own damn park). Opening day is one of the other days that sells out. Why combine them? Just seems silly to me.
Anyways, now that I have that out of my system. We got up pretty early and left for the park. Unfortunately, this year we could not afford to get a hotel room and since I had to work the following day, we knew we would not be going out after the game. As always, we left a little too late and then hit traffic and barely had time to tailgate with Ryan and his friends. At this point most of them were pretty drunk. Next year we will remember to leave earlier (or stay the night before).
We had a few beers with them then went inside. We found our seats and realized something. They were under the overhang and in the shade we were actually kind of cold. We stayed there for the first two innings, then we went for a walk and found a spot on the rotunda.
It was much better up there. Also the majority of the people up there were Pirates fans, there were mostly Phillies fans in our section.
As most of you know, the game was pretty good. It started off with Alex Presley and Jose Tabata getting on base, and the Cutch hitting into a double play.
After that, Roy Halladay and Erik Bedard had an awesome pitching duel. From the rotunda we could really see how close Mayberry was to not catching the ball by Barmes and someone else (cannot remember at the moment). Halladay did not give up another hit the rest of the game. Pretty crazy.
After the game, we ended up sitting in traffic for about two hours. Yeah, game ended during rush hour. After two hours we finally made it to Monroeville and ate some sushi at the mall. Yep, it was a pretty awesome day. And yes, that is a picture of us beside Ralph Kiner's hands. Give that man a real statue!
This is one of the few series that sells out regardless of when it is (mainly because it is cheaper for Phillies fans to drive to Pittsburgh than to buy tickets at their own damn park). Opening day is one of the other days that sells out. Why combine them? Just seems silly to me.
We had a few beers with them then went inside. We found our seats and realized something. They were under the overhang and in the shade we were actually kind of cold. We stayed there for the first two innings, then we went for a walk and found a spot on the rotunda.
It was much better up there. Also the majority of the people up there were Pirates fans, there were mostly Phillies fans in our section.
As most of you know, the game was pretty good. It started off with Alex Presley and Jose Tabata getting on base, and the Cutch hitting into a double play.
After that, Roy Halladay and Erik Bedard had an awesome pitching duel. From the rotunda we could really see how close Mayberry was to not catching the ball by Barmes and someone else (cannot remember at the moment). Halladay did not give up another hit the rest of the game. Pretty crazy.
After the game, we ended up sitting in traffic for about two hours. Yeah, game ended during rush hour. After two hours we finally made it to Monroeville and ate some sushi at the mall. Yep, it was a pretty awesome day. And yes, that is a picture of us beside Ralph Kiner's hands. Give that man a real statue!
Pittsburgh Sports Stuff
AJ Burnett and the DH Debate
As most of you know, Burnett injured his eye socket during a bunting drill and will probably miss some time. Last night, I heard one of the guys on 93.7 The Fan saying that if the NL had the DH, then this would not have happened.
He made a good point that it seems like MLB will probably push towards a DH in both leagues over time, especially now that there is expanded interleague play starting next season. He kept saying that owners want the DH because they do not want their investments hurt doing something that is not necessary for them. Although, what if Albert Pujols trips over first base after hitting his first home run with the Angels, destroying his knee and missing the entire season? Wouldn't we find it ridiculous if the Angels owner started saying that running the bases after a home run should be removed from the game?
This got me thinking about the DH and whether or not I would actually care if the NL started using it. Then I had a brilliant idea: at the beginning of the game, have a coin toss, the manager that calls it correctly gets to choose whether or not they will use the DH. Before you laugh, think about the strategy for a second.
-If you are playing against a team with a dominant ace, say Justin Verlander, you may want to elect not to use the DH. That way if it is close, the Tigers might have to pull him earlier than they would like in order to pinch hit.
-You can force a team to make a tough decision about their lineup. Using the Tigers again, they may have to keep Fielder on the bench in order to have a stronger defense behind them. Or if they do go with Cabrera at third base, a team could try and take advantage of a weakened infield.
-If a team has a pitcher with a little pop in their bat, they may want to elect to allow him to hit. Zambrano (back in his good pitching days) comes to mind, or maybe Micah Owings. I especially like the idea if a team has a monster hitter who really cannot field.
-There would also be major strategy changes in building a team. Obviously there are not enough elite power hitters to go around for every team. I think you would start to see teams employ more one-dimensional players who just crush balls or strikeout.
If Bud Selig decides to institute a league-wide designated-hitter, then I hope he stops by here to read this and use my coin-toss idea.
Hines Ward
The Steelers decided to part ways with everyone's favorite wide receiver, Hines Ward. I honestly wish he would just retire, but instead he will go to another team and most likely play about half the season before being cut.
One thing I will never understand though is the way some Steelers fans never see any fault in Ward. The guy has been voted the most dirty player in the league by his peers a few years in a row, yet Steelers fans say that he is just hard-nosed. If a Raven played like him, they would hate that guy. I guess that is the way it is with all teams though.
The other big question is whether or not Ward deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. I am going to say yes. I think he gets in, but it takes a few tries.
Greatest Games
On Mike and Mike this morning they were discussing Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game. They were asking the question if that was the greatest single game ever. They mentioned Don Larsen's perfect game in the World Series as probably the greatest performance in a game ever. I actually cannot argue with this one.
Unfortunately, they started naming other great things and they immediately went outside of team sports. They never once mentioned hockey. I am sure there have been some amazing hockey game performances. the one that came to mind immediately was Mario Lemieux's five goals in different ways (shorthanded, full strength, power play, penalty shot, and empty net). I just think that one is cool.
I can imagine Gretzky had some amazing games as well. Or what about some goalie performances? It just boggles my mind that ESPN does not even try to pretend to care about hockey.
As most of you know, Burnett injured his eye socket during a bunting drill and will probably miss some time. Last night, I heard one of the guys on 93.7 The Fan saying that if the NL had the DH, then this would not have happened.
He made a good point that it seems like MLB will probably push towards a DH in both leagues over time, especially now that there is expanded interleague play starting next season. He kept saying that owners want the DH because they do not want their investments hurt doing something that is not necessary for them. Although, what if Albert Pujols trips over first base after hitting his first home run with the Angels, destroying his knee and missing the entire season? Wouldn't we find it ridiculous if the Angels owner started saying that running the bases after a home run should be removed from the game?
This got me thinking about the DH and whether or not I would actually care if the NL started using it. Then I had a brilliant idea: at the beginning of the game, have a coin toss, the manager that calls it correctly gets to choose whether or not they will use the DH. Before you laugh, think about the strategy for a second.
-If you are playing against a team with a dominant ace, say Justin Verlander, you may want to elect not to use the DH. That way if it is close, the Tigers might have to pull him earlier than they would like in order to pinch hit.
-You can force a team to make a tough decision about their lineup. Using the Tigers again, they may have to keep Fielder on the bench in order to have a stronger defense behind them. Or if they do go with Cabrera at third base, a team could try and take advantage of a weakened infield.
-If a team has a pitcher with a little pop in their bat, they may want to elect to allow him to hit. Zambrano (back in his good pitching days) comes to mind, or maybe Micah Owings. I especially like the idea if a team has a monster hitter who really cannot field.
-There would also be major strategy changes in building a team. Obviously there are not enough elite power hitters to go around for every team. I think you would start to see teams employ more one-dimensional players who just crush balls or strikeout.
If Bud Selig decides to institute a league-wide designated-hitter, then I hope he stops by here to read this and use my coin-toss idea.
Hines Ward
The Steelers decided to part ways with everyone's favorite wide receiver, Hines Ward. I honestly wish he would just retire, but instead he will go to another team and most likely play about half the season before being cut.
One thing I will never understand though is the way some Steelers fans never see any fault in Ward. The guy has been voted the most dirty player in the league by his peers a few years in a row, yet Steelers fans say that he is just hard-nosed. If a Raven played like him, they would hate that guy. I guess that is the way it is with all teams though.
The other big question is whether or not Ward deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. I am going to say yes. I think he gets in, but it takes a few tries.
On Mike and Mike this morning they were discussing Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game. They were asking the question if that was the greatest single game ever. They mentioned Don Larsen's perfect game in the World Series as probably the greatest performance in a game ever. I actually cannot argue with this one.
Unfortunately, they started naming other great things and they immediately went outside of team sports. They never once mentioned hockey. I am sure there have been some amazing hockey game performances. the one that came to mind immediately was Mario Lemieux's five goals in different ways (shorthanded, full strength, power play, penalty shot, and empty net). I just think that one is cool.
I can imagine Gretzky had some amazing games as well. Or what about some goalie performances? It just boggles my mind that ESPN does not even try to pretend to care about hockey.
2012 Baseball Predictions
Who knew this would be such a popular topic that everyone would be asking me about it? Okay, only Offord and Ryan asked me about it, but whatever.
NL East
Phillies
Braves
Marlins
Nationals
Mets
The Phillies are still the best team in this division. The biggest problem they have will be replacing Ryan Howard's bat for the early part of the year. Also, staying healthy is always a huge concern for them. The Braves will be right on their heels all season, it will definitely be interesting. The Marlins and Nationals are both just a step behind those two teams. I could see them flipping for third place. The Mets...well, they have Ike Davis.
Insane Division Pick: Johan Santana wins 15 games this year and is in the running for Cy Young.
NL Central
Cardinals
Brewers
Reds
Pirates
Cubs
Astros
Yes, the Cardinals lost Pujols, but they get Wainwright back and they signed Beltran. They have plenty of questions though: can Berkman play like he did last year? Can Holliday continue to rake without Pujols in the lineup? The Brewers lost Prince, but still have Braun for the entire year. They will be pretty damn good. The Reds made some moves and they could also contend for first place (this will be a close race). The Pirates made plenty of huge moves (no they didn't). The Cubs and Astros...wow.
Insane Division Pick: Berkman will get hurt and Matt Adams (from Philipsburg!) will be called up to the Big Show.
NL West
Giants
Dodgers
Diamondbacks
Rockies
Padres
If the offense can put up some numbers, then the Giants should be able to win this division. The Dodgers will be decent, Kemp and Kershaw? They just need an owner to come in to excite the fan-base. The Diamondbacks will not play like they did last season. Ian Kennedy will not win 21 games. The other two teams are there.
Insane Division Pick: Trevor Cahill has more wins for the D-backs than Ian Kennedy.
NL Wildcard: Braves defeat Brewers
NLDS: Phillies defeat Giants, Braves defeat Cardinals
NLCS: Phillies defeat Braves
NL MVP: Matt Kemp, the dude will just continue where he left off.
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, until he dies, he will be my nomination.
NL ROY: Julio Teheran
Pirates Record: 77-85, I see them getting better, but only because the hitting gets better (especially Pedro). If the pitching staff stays healthy, they should be able to hit this goal.
AL East
Yankees
Red Sox
Rays
Blue Jays
Orioles
Yes, the Yankees are still the cream of the crop. The Red Sox will not collapse like they did last year, but they have plenty of question marks. The Rays pitching staff should be good enough to keep them competitive all season. The Blue Jays are good, but they have plenty of holes. The Orioles...wow, they are going in a direction.
Insane Division Pick: Michael Pineda goes 9-13 with a 5.23 ERA;Jesus Montero hits 35 HRs this year.
AL Central
Tigers
Royals
Indians
White Sox
Twins
The Tigers should run away with this division. As long as everyone stays healthy and Cabrera is not absolutely terrible at third base, they will be very good. The rest of the division is pretty bad. That is why I think the Royals could step up and finish in second place. Granted, I do not think they will have a great record, but seriously, this division will be pretty bad.
Insane Division Pick: Robin Ventura gets pissed during a Rangers game and charges Nolan Ryan.
AL West
Rangers
Angels
Mariners
Athletics
I realize that the Angels signed CJ Wilson and Albert Pujols, but I think the Rangers still have a more complete team. The only major question about the Rangers is how good will their relievers be and can Yu Darvish be a good replacement for Wilson.
Insane Division Pick: Pujols has his worst season ever. .275/29 HRs. Actually, that would be insane.
AL Wildcard: Angels defeat Red Sox
ALDS: Angels defeat Yankees, Tigers defeat Rangers
ALCS: Tigers defeat Rangers
World Series: Phillies defeat Tigers, Verlander vs. Halladay. Makes me hard just thinking about it.
AL MVP: Prince Fielder
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander
AL ROY: Jesus Montero (I predicted him last year too, eventually he will win this award).
Royals Record: 82-80. They give hope to Pirates fans.
Christmas Time
I realize that most of you are dying to know what Lindsey and I did for Christmas (I am guessing the majority of you saw us at some point). Also, I am sure you are all eager to hear about the awesome gifts I received. So, here it goes.
These are some pictures of our tree. Pretty obvious actually, unless you are blind, but then if you are blind, how would you be reading this?
You cannot see it, but I bought myself a pretty sweet Thor ornament. It is hanging somewhere on the tree.
The interesting thing is that we do not have all that many ornaments. Looking at our parent's trees, I realized that ornaments come from children, which could be problematic. Soooo, I am going to make it my goal to buy random ornaments throughout the year.
Also, you cannot see one of Lindsey's presents hiding in the tree. I am shocked that she did not find it.
Anyways, let me tell you about a gift I bought for Lindsey. She kept saying (since about October) that she wanted jewelry. In fact, about 837 of her friends had to tell me at some point that I should buy her jewelry. When I went shopping, I told her that I could not get her anything from a jewelry store because it was too crowded and the places pissed me off.
I then went to Kohls and bought her a necklace for $13. I allowed her to open that first, and I could tell that she was slightly disappointed. Then, after she opened everything, I told her to get the box out of the tree. She was quite pleased with the actual necklace.
We also did plenty of traveling from the holiday. On the 23rd we left here and went to Philipsburg (65 miles), to visit my Pap, Gram, and Aunt Sandy. Then we stayed at my Mom's house. The next day we woke up and went up to my Dad's house with my brother, Lora, and Aubrey.
That is my Dad with Aubrey (in case you were wondering, she is Lora's daughter, and if you were wondering who Lora was, well that is Adam's girlfriend). The guy wearing pajama pants (at noon) is my Dad.
We left Dad's house and went back to my Mom's and exchanged gifts there and watched the Steeler game. Then we left and went to Lindsey's dad's girlfriend's house, where we ate dinner and played some games. She lives in Westmont, which is 90 miles from Philipsburg.
The next morning we went to Lindsey's mom's house and exchanged gifts there. Then we left there and went to my Pap and Gram's house in Spring Valley (another 90 miles). We played poker and enjoyed great company, then came back home. Pretty much drove almost 350 miles in those two days.
So what did I get for Christmas? These are in no particular order and if I miss anything, that does not mean I did not like it, just that I cannot see it from where I am sitting.
-Quesadilla Maker
-Socks, boxers, undershirts
-My coat and scarf
-Steelers and Pens pictures (3 total)
-Dartboard
-Macy's giftcards
-Star Wars spatulas
-Beard trimmer
-Community season 2
-Beerfest
-Batman hoodie
-Pirate hat and a gray Clemente jersey
-Penn State shirt
-Money
-GPS
-Tie and a sweater
-Wallet
-Phase 10
-Sheetz giftcards and other assorted things
I am trying to convince Lindsey to write her own damn post about what I got her...
Anyways, it was a great Christmas and I want to thank everyone for the wonderful gifts. And the good times.
You cannot see it, but I bought myself a pretty sweet Thor ornament. It is hanging somewhere on the tree.
The interesting thing is that we do not have all that many ornaments. Looking at our parent's trees, I realized that ornaments come from children, which could be problematic. Soooo, I am going to make it my goal to buy random ornaments throughout the year.
Also, you cannot see one of Lindsey's presents hiding in the tree. I am shocked that she did not find it.
Anyways, let me tell you about a gift I bought for Lindsey. She kept saying (since about October) that she wanted jewelry. In fact, about 837 of her friends had to tell me at some point that I should buy her jewelry. When I went shopping, I told her that I could not get her anything from a jewelry store because it was too crowded and the places pissed me off.
I then went to Kohls and bought her a necklace for $13. I allowed her to open that first, and I could tell that she was slightly disappointed. Then, after she opened everything, I told her to get the box out of the tree. She was quite pleased with the actual necklace.
We also did plenty of traveling from the holiday. On the 23rd we left here and went to Philipsburg (65 miles), to visit my Pap, Gram, and Aunt Sandy. Then we stayed at my Mom's house. The next day we woke up and went up to my Dad's house with my brother, Lora, and Aubrey.
That is my Dad with Aubrey (in case you were wondering, she is Lora's daughter, and if you were wondering who Lora was, well that is Adam's girlfriend). The guy wearing pajama pants (at noon) is my Dad.
We left Dad's house and went back to my Mom's and exchanged gifts there and watched the Steeler game. Then we left and went to Lindsey's dad's girlfriend's house, where we ate dinner and played some games. She lives in Westmont, which is 90 miles from Philipsburg.
The next morning we went to Lindsey's mom's house and exchanged gifts there. Then we left there and went to my Pap and Gram's house in Spring Valley (another 90 miles). We played poker and enjoyed great company, then came back home. Pretty much drove almost 350 miles in those two days.
So what did I get for Christmas? These are in no particular order and if I miss anything, that does not mean I did not like it, just that I cannot see it from where I am sitting.
 |
| This is the stuff I bought with those giftcards |
-Socks, boxers, undershirts
-My coat and scarf
-Steelers and Pens pictures (3 total)
-Dartboard
-Macy's giftcards
-Star Wars spatulas
-Beard trimmer
-Community season 2
-Beerfest
-Batman hoodie
-Pirate hat and a gray Clemente jersey
-Penn State shirt
-Money
-GPS
-Tie and a sweater
-Wallet
-Phase 10
-Sheetz giftcards and other assorted things
I am trying to convince Lindsey to write her own damn post about what I got her...
Anyways, it was a great Christmas and I want to thank everyone for the wonderful gifts. And the good times.
2011 MLB Prediction Results
Let us look at how well I did this season with my predictions:
NL East
I got the first two correct with the Phillies and Braves. I also knew the Mets would be better than the Marlins. Unfortunately, the Nationals had to screw things up by finishing in third. I was right that Stanton would become an elite power hitter, unfortunately he did not hit 40, so I get no real credit.
NL Central
I did not get one team right. Pretty damn dumb on my part. Let us look at how I did with my Pirates against certain pitchers:
Greinke: 3-1 against the Buccos. So they did at least beat him once.
Halladay: 2-0. Okay, I was a little off on that one.
Lee: 1-0. Not looking good.
Lincecum: Did not even pitch against them.
Zimmerman: Same as Lincecum.
Bailey: Homer beat the Buccos, but he gave up three runs.
Gee: He beat the Pirates twice, and had a great game where he went eight innings of one run ball.
Lohse: He was 2-1 and did not shut them out either.
NL West
I at least got the Dodgers correct! Go me! I do not think anyone predicted Arizona winning this one, so whatever. Mat Latos started the season hurt, but did not get hurt during the season. I also want to point out that the Giants would not have won the division if Posey had been healthy the full year. Just saying.
I got the wildcard wrong, I got the NLDS completely wrong. I will point out that I said the NLCS would be between a division champion and a wildcard from within that division (Phillies/Braves) and instead it was the Brewers/Cardinals.
I did not get any of the awards right, but I did mention Freddie Freeman, who ended up in second place for ROY. I was also a little under on Troy Tulowitzki's stats, he was just .302/30. My bad.
I did predict the Pirates record correctly, which is pretty awesome. I should have entered a contest or something.
AL East
I got three out of the five correct. If the Red Sox would not have had their monumental collapse, I would have nailed the entire division. Way to go Pirates for ruining that one for me (trust me, I am more than happy being wrong, if it means being at PNC to see the Red Sox lose). The Yankees finally brought up Montero, and I am pretty sure people will want to see him more often next year instead of Jorge.
AL Central
I only got the Royals right in this one. Who knew the Indians would be a good team. Or that the Twins would absolutely suck? Not this guy. At least I predicted that Grady Sizemore would get hurt. Still no word whether or not he is doing softcore porn yet.
AL West
I got the Rangers and the Mariners right.
The only things I got right were the Rangers winning the ALDS over a team and the Royals record.
Needless to say, this was a bad year for me.
NL East
I got the first two correct with the Phillies and Braves. I also knew the Mets would be better than the Marlins. Unfortunately, the Nationals had to screw things up by finishing in third. I was right that Stanton would become an elite power hitter, unfortunately he did not hit 40, so I get no real credit.
NL Central
I did not get one team right. Pretty damn dumb on my part. Let us look at how I did with my Pirates against certain pitchers:
Greinke: 3-1 against the Buccos. So they did at least beat him once.
Halladay: 2-0. Okay, I was a little off on that one.
Lee: 1-0. Not looking good.
Lincecum: Did not even pitch against them.
Zimmerman: Same as Lincecum.
Bailey: Homer beat the Buccos, but he gave up three runs.
Gee: He beat the Pirates twice, and had a great game where he went eight innings of one run ball.
Lohse: He was 2-1 and did not shut them out either.
NL West
I at least got the Dodgers correct! Go me! I do not think anyone predicted Arizona winning this one, so whatever. Mat Latos started the season hurt, but did not get hurt during the season. I also want to point out that the Giants would not have won the division if Posey had been healthy the full year. Just saying.
I got the wildcard wrong, I got the NLDS completely wrong. I will point out that I said the NLCS would be between a division champion and a wildcard from within that division (Phillies/Braves) and instead it was the Brewers/Cardinals.
I did not get any of the awards right, but I did mention Freddie Freeman, who ended up in second place for ROY. I was also a little under on Troy Tulowitzki's stats, he was just .302/30. My bad.
I did predict the Pirates record correctly, which is pretty awesome. I should have entered a contest or something.
AL East
I got three out of the five correct. If the Red Sox would not have had their monumental collapse, I would have nailed the entire division. Way to go Pirates for ruining that one for me (trust me, I am more than happy being wrong, if it means being at PNC to see the Red Sox lose). The Yankees finally brought up Montero, and I am pretty sure people will want to see him more often next year instead of Jorge.
AL Central
I only got the Royals right in this one. Who knew the Indians would be a good team. Or that the Twins would absolutely suck? Not this guy. At least I predicted that Grady Sizemore would get hurt. Still no word whether or not he is doing softcore porn yet.
AL West
I got the Rangers and the Mariners right.
The only things I got right were the Rangers winning the ALDS over a team and the Royals record.
Needless to say, this was a bad year for me.
Cry Me a River
If you are offended by vulgar language, this post will most likely offend you.
I have had a few bad days and I figured you would love to know about it. Thursday I went down to Pittsburgh for the Pirates game. Unfortunately, no one would go with me, which I was actually okay with.
I went to Rivers Casino first and played Three-Card Poker for about two hours. At one point, I was up $150, but then I went on a losing streak and ended down $25. I walked over to the game and had great seats (I used my coupon and got a free ticket). The Buccos lost to the Dodgers and pretty much played like crap. I then left and came home.
I changed into my Steeler jersey and went over to the YP to watch the final preseason game. Needless to say, I had a bit too much to drink and Lindsey had to drive me home when she was done with work. Yay for being responsible!
The next day when we got my car, I noticed that my mirror was knocked off and my Batman hoodie was missing. Ugh, some asshole decided to steal my favorite hoodie!
Today I went to work a few hours early because we were getting the Washington & Jefferson College football team and I did all the work setting it up, so I wanted to be there to make sure it went smoothly. It definitely went well. Unfortunately, later things happened and I ended up staying and pulling a 14 hour day (15 if you count driving time).
Sadly, on the way to work, I got pulled over and the cop gave me a speeding ticket. Great, a speeding ticket, at work for 14 hours, missed college football, favorite hoodie stolen, lost money at the casino, saw the Pirates lose...ugh.
Then as I was in the shower, it occurred to me to stop being such a fucking crybaby! I mean seriously Josh, get real. These are your problems? Grow the fuck up. There are people who have no jobs, no car, no spare cash to go to a casino or a baseball game. There are people who work 15 hours a day for shitty pay. There are people who wonder where they will sleep tonight or if they will have anything to eat. You are whining about losing a hoodie? Granted, it was a gift from my brother, but let us look at some of the facts:
-You left your doors unlocked in Ebensburg. Of course someone is going to open the door and take your hoodie. Way to go moron.
-You got a ticket because you were speeding, suffer the consequences dickwad.
-You worked that long because you wanted to help out and you know that at some point you can leave early. Do not act like you were forced into it. Hell, you could have left early since you came in early.
-You lost money at the casino because like a dumbass, you decided to up your bet because you thought you were on a hot streak. You know better than this! When you gamble like an idiot, you deserve to lose.
Instead of crying about what you do not have, be thankful for the things you do have: a beautiful girlfriend, who loves you even when you are an idiot; a great family; a job that you actually enjoy; a place to live; and you know, all that other stuff.
I have had a few bad days and I figured you would love to know about it. Thursday I went down to Pittsburgh for the Pirates game. Unfortunately, no one would go with me, which I was actually okay with.
I went to Rivers Casino first and played Three-Card Poker for about two hours. At one point, I was up $150, but then I went on a losing streak and ended down $25. I walked over to the game and had great seats (I used my coupon and got a free ticket). The Buccos lost to the Dodgers and pretty much played like crap. I then left and came home.
I changed into my Steeler jersey and went over to the YP to watch the final preseason game. Needless to say, I had a bit too much to drink and Lindsey had to drive me home when she was done with work. Yay for being responsible!
The next day when we got my car, I noticed that my mirror was knocked off and my Batman hoodie was missing. Ugh, some asshole decided to steal my favorite hoodie!
Today I went to work a few hours early because we were getting the Washington & Jefferson College football team and I did all the work setting it up, so I wanted to be there to make sure it went smoothly. It definitely went well. Unfortunately, later things happened and I ended up staying and pulling a 14 hour day (15 if you count driving time).
Sadly, on the way to work, I got pulled over and the cop gave me a speeding ticket. Great, a speeding ticket, at work for 14 hours, missed college football, favorite hoodie stolen, lost money at the casino, saw the Pirates lose...ugh.
Then as I was in the shower, it occurred to me to stop being such a fucking crybaby! I mean seriously Josh, get real. These are your problems? Grow the fuck up. There are people who have no jobs, no car, no spare cash to go to a casino or a baseball game. There are people who work 15 hours a day for shitty pay. There are people who wonder where they will sleep tonight or if they will have anything to eat. You are whining about losing a hoodie? Granted, it was a gift from my brother, but let us look at some of the facts:
-You left your doors unlocked in Ebensburg. Of course someone is going to open the door and take your hoodie. Way to go moron.
-You got a ticket because you were speeding, suffer the consequences dickwad.
-You worked that long because you wanted to help out and you know that at some point you can leave early. Do not act like you were forced into it. Hell, you could have left early since you came in early.
-You lost money at the casino because like a dumbass, you decided to up your bet because you thought you were on a hot streak. You know better than this! When you gamble like an idiot, you deserve to lose.
Instead of crying about what you do not have, be thankful for the things you do have: a beautiful girlfriend, who loves you even when you are an idiot; a great family; a job that you actually enjoy; a place to live; and you know, all that other stuff.
College is Overrated
Most people thought this was a ploy to get a team to offer him more money. And it obviously worked, but the thing that cracked me up, was the number of people saying that they could understand why he would want to go to college.
This is something I read somewhere "he may want to go to college to get his degree in case baseball does not work out." Umm, yeah, that is all well and good, or he could take that huge signing bonus he received and tuck about $100,000 away in case he gets hurt and wants to go to school. That should cover it.
I could understand if he was deciding to go to college because he was not considered a huge prospect, but he would have probably been a top fifteen pick if he had not scared everyone away with that letter. Yes, he could go to college and do very well and end up being a top five pick, but what if he gets hurt, ends his career? Or because of injury, gets drafted in the eighth round.
It reminds me of those college football players who stick around for their senior year, yet they are already considered a top draft pick (I am looking at you Peyton Manning). I wanted Manning to get hurt so bad and end up never making it to the NFL. Oddly though, now I actually like Peyton Manning. That is a different story though.
What other things would there be that Josh Bell would miss out on? The college experience? Banging a bunch of college girls? Look, I am sure with his huge stash of cash, he will be able to stay up late and sleep with some hot girls. Hell, he can swing by any campus and probably pick up a few girls. Hey Josh, anytime you want to go out at PSU, let me know, I'll show ya the hot spots!
Hell, this is good advice to any young person who has no clue what they want to do with their life. If they only want to go to college in order to party, here is my suggestion: go to a huge college and become a bartender. Seriously, move to PSU/UT/OSU...wherever. Become a bartender, you will have money all the time and you will get to do some serious partying. Once you get tired of the college town, move to the beach and do it for awhile. As you are doing this, tuck away a little money in case you decide you want to go to school. Then, go to a technical school and become a plumber or a HVAC repairman. Best advice I could ever give anyone!
Cubs Game
The Place That Shall Not Be Named gave me and a coworker tickets because we are part of a peer-advising program (I am the adviser). I was a little bummed because I figured they would have us in the luxury box, but instead we sat up in section 316. As you can see, the seats were good, there are no bad seats at PNC Park.
Not much to say though, the Pirates lost even though newly acquired Derek Lee hit two home runs.
We went to Rivers Casino before the game and I played three-card poker again. I won the first two hands and immediately thought "oh boy, here we go." Then, they switched dealers, every time they switch dealers on me, I end up going on a losing streak. I should just leave the table. After that I lost every single hand and I had decent hands. If I had a K73, the dealer would have a K84. The dealer was even making comments about it. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. I dropped my $100 in about ten minutes, not very cool. Hell, I was broke before my beer arrived, haha.
It was a fun time though, drank some beer, saw some baseball, ate some food, and fed my gambling addiction. I cannot complain.
We went to Rivers Casino before the game and I played three-card poker again. I won the first two hands and immediately thought "oh boy, here we go." Then, they switched dealers, every time they switch dealers on me, I end up going on a losing streak. I should just leave the table. After that I lost every single hand and I had decent hands. If I had a K73, the dealer would have a K84. The dealer was even making comments about it. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. I dropped my $100 in about ten minutes, not very cool. Hell, I was broke before my beer arrived, haha.
It was a fun time though, drank some beer, saw some baseball, ate some food, and fed my gambling addiction. I cannot complain.
Monday's Antics
Last week I looked at my schedule and realized that Lindsey and I were both off on Monday. I decided we should head to Pittsburgh to watch the Buccos take on the Reds. We left here around 3:00, which was a little later than I would have liked. I wanted to get there pretty early so we could head to the casino. Unfortunately, Lindsey got stuck doing errands, which sucked for me since I woke up early, even though I worked third shift the night before and fell asleep around 8:30 a.m.
We got to the stadium around 5:00 and hopped in line for tickets. I know, can you believe I just typed those words: a line for tickets...Anyways, I had coupons that I bought from work so our tickets were free. We then walked over to Finnigan's for some beers and food.
As we sat there eating, it started to pour down rain and then it started thundering. I checked on twitter and found out that the tarp was being put on the field and the game would be delayed. We sat there and had a few more beers.
We finally went over to the stadium at about 7:45. We sat down (our seats were in section 127, pretty good considering they were free). The game started and things started out poorly. With the bases loaded and two outs the lightning and rain returned. At first we were not get wet because we were just under the second level, but then it started raining harder and we decided to get up and walk around.
We adventured around the park for a bit, but then we grew bored of walking and went to grab a beer. I bought a Penn Pilsner and we stood around waiting for the start of the game. I was able to get some peanuts off the people beside us, which I think embarrassed Lindsey. I turned and asked the guy if I could have a peanut, he looked at me like I was nuts (HAHA, pun intended!), but then his wife was like "yeah, you can have some." I took one because I am not greedy, but then she laid a huge handful on our little table. When they got up to leave she gave us some more. I like that lady.
The rain was coming down pretty hard and it really did not look like there was any end in sight. It slowed down just enough for us to make a decision: stay and wait it out, or head to the casino. If we stayed and the game started around 9:30 or 10:00, the game would most likely not be over until 12:30 or 1:00. We would not get home until 3:00 or 4:00.
After considering all of that, we decided to leave and go to the casino. Lindsey met her friend Kristina there and I went over to play three-card poker. I started with $100 and after losing the first couple of hands, there was a dealer change. This lady was fantastic!
Actually, she was a terrible dealer. Twice she misread my hand and was about to short me money, luckily the guy beside me caught it since I was watching the Pirates game on a TV above us. Then, she paid me out as a winner when I clearly had nothing. Luckily the guy beside me did not say anything. Aside from those idiotic things, I was also on a nice hot streak. At one point I had $400 in chips. I kept hoping Lindsey would come by and say that she was ready to go.
Granted, I could have quit playing and just walked away, but what fun would there be in that? Anyways, she never came around and the original dealer came back. I then hit a major cold streak. The kind of streak where if you have a pair of kings, the dealer gets a pair of aces. Ugh. I had a king/jack/ten once and the dealer flipped a king/queen/ten. What kinda bullshit is that? I ended up walking away with the same $100 I started with, which I gave to Lindsey to put towards our vacation.
We left the casino around midnight and guess what? The game was just ending. Apparently it started as soon as we left and went fairly fast. Ugh, how dumb was I? Granted, I had a lot of fun at the casino, but I would have rather been at the game. Oh well, live and learn I guess. Also, my luck if we had stuck around then there would have been another storm and another delay or a postponement.
The last two pictures made me think of Gotham City and it is pretty obvious why they chose to film the new Batman film in Pittsburgh...
We got to the stadium around 5:00 and hopped in line for tickets. I know, can you believe I just typed those words: a line for tickets...Anyways, I had coupons that I bought from work so our tickets were free. We then walked over to Finnigan's for some beers and food.
As we sat there eating, it started to pour down rain and then it started thundering. I checked on twitter and found out that the tarp was being put on the field and the game would be delayed. We sat there and had a few more beers.
We finally went over to the stadium at about 7:45. We sat down (our seats were in section 127, pretty good considering they were free). The game started and things started out poorly. With the bases loaded and two outs the lightning and rain returned. At first we were not get wet because we were just under the second level, but then it started raining harder and we decided to get up and walk around.
We adventured around the park for a bit, but then we grew bored of walking and went to grab a beer. I bought a Penn Pilsner and we stood around waiting for the start of the game. I was able to get some peanuts off the people beside us, which I think embarrassed Lindsey. I turned and asked the guy if I could have a peanut, he looked at me like I was nuts (HAHA, pun intended!), but then his wife was like "yeah, you can have some." I took one because I am not greedy, but then she laid a huge handful on our little table. When they got up to leave she gave us some more. I like that lady.
The rain was coming down pretty hard and it really did not look like there was any end in sight. It slowed down just enough for us to make a decision: stay and wait it out, or head to the casino. If we stayed and the game started around 9:30 or 10:00, the game would most likely not be over until 12:30 or 1:00. We would not get home until 3:00 or 4:00.
After considering all of that, we decided to leave and go to the casino. Lindsey met her friend Kristina there and I went over to play three-card poker. I started with $100 and after losing the first couple of hands, there was a dealer change. This lady was fantastic!
Actually, she was a terrible dealer. Twice she misread my hand and was about to short me money, luckily the guy beside me caught it since I was watching the Pirates game on a TV above us. Then, she paid me out as a winner when I clearly had nothing. Luckily the guy beside me did not say anything. Aside from those idiotic things, I was also on a nice hot streak. At one point I had $400 in chips. I kept hoping Lindsey would come by and say that she was ready to go.
Granted, I could have quit playing and just walked away, but what fun would there be in that? Anyways, she never came around and the original dealer came back. I then hit a major cold streak. The kind of streak where if you have a pair of kings, the dealer gets a pair of aces. Ugh. I had a king/jack/ten once and the dealer flipped a king/queen/ten. What kinda bullshit is that? I ended up walking away with the same $100 I started with, which I gave to Lindsey to put towards our vacation.
We left the casino around midnight and guess what? The game was just ending. Apparently it started as soon as we left and went fairly fast. Ugh, how dumb was I? Granted, I had a lot of fun at the casino, but I would have rather been at the game. Oh well, live and learn I guess. Also, my luck if we had stuck around then there would have been another storm and another delay or a postponement.
Baseball First Half Results
Anyways, you can find my original prediction's here.
In the NL East, I have the division race pretty much on point except that the Marlins and Nationals are flip-flopped. I was also right about how much Nationals fans are loving Werth. Haha, suck it Washington! My insane prediction was that Mike Stanton would hit 40 HRs, which probably will not happen, but he does have 18 and he missed games with a nagging quad injury. Also, it took him awhile to really get rolling. This kid is going to crush balls for a long time.
I completely screwed up the NL Central. Who would have predicted it this way? Ryan thought the Cubs would win the division, I think we can all agree that one is probably not going to happen. My insane pick is actually way off: the Pirates lost to Greinke and Halladay, but beat Lohse. They have lost twice to Dillon Gee, but none of those were shutouts. They have not faced the others yet.
My NL West picks are almost exact if you take out the D-Backs. Apparently they decided to be pretty good as well. Hey, Mat Latos started the season hurt and is not having a very good year. He will probably not win 20 games.
My NL MVP was Troy Tulowitzki. He is having a good season, but not the best player in the league type season. Statistically speaking, Matt Kemp and Andrew McCutchen are having the best seasons, if the Pirates win the division or even break their losing streak, I think people will mention Cutch as an MVP candidate. As of now though, the kind of guy that the writers love to vote for is either Jose Reyes (if he stays healthy all season, and stays in the NL) or Ryan Braun.
My prediction for Rockies players has not helped them at all. It looks like the Cy Young award is a nice race between the Phillies staff and Jair Jurrjens (you could toss a few other names in there as well). Honestly though, I think Roy Halladay will end up winning it from this point on.
ROY awards are difficult, they should be split into pitcher/hitter. Espinosa seems to be the leader in the NL, although, Freddie Freeman is heating up and could possibly pass him.
Over in the AL East, I was almost completely right except for the Red Sox being in first place, fortunately they are only one game above the Yankees. I was right about the Blue Jays not hitting as many HRs as last year, but what I hinted on was that Jose Bautista would not continue to destroy baseballs...I was way wrong.
 |
| Who knew? |
I pretty much nailed it with the Rangers, but Ryan was close with his Angels pick as they are only one game back. I was completely wrong with the A's though. Minus the hitting part.
Naturally my picks in the AL awards races are way off. Jose Bautista is the favorite for MVP and Weaver/Verlander are probably the main Cy Young candidates. It looks like Mark Trumbo could probably win the ROY.
Anyways, there is still a good amount of baseball left and anything can happen. Hopefully more of my predictions are right and if they are going to end up wrong, let us just make sure it is the Buccos that completely wreck my division picks. I would love to have to buy playoff tickets...
Fantasy Baseball Week Fourteen
Oh bloody hell! I hate you world! If I would have written this yesterday, I would have said that I beat Ryan 6-5. Unfortunately, after a stat correction took away a stolen base from Eric Hosmer on Sunday, Ryan ended up winning that category, which means we tied 6-6. UGH!
Anyways, my team played pretty well. I finally won batting average and OBP with a .295/.358. I also won RBIs, Saves, Ks, and ERA. It was definitely a nice change of pace.
My best hitter was some guy that collected his 3000th hit. I would tell you all about his huge week, but most of that was due to his five-hit day against the Rays. Also, I could tell you that Sabathia was my best pitcher, with two wins and 20 Ks, and 0.00 ERA/.75 WHIP.
Instead though, my player of the week, my big hero was definitely Alex Presley. He hit .368/.429 and also scored five runs. Not too bad for a guy just called up because of Tabata's injury. If there was a category for looking like a 12 year old, Presley would have dominated for me.
Anyways, my team played pretty well. I finally won batting average and OBP with a .295/.358. I also won RBIs, Saves, Ks, and ERA. It was definitely a nice change of pace.
My best hitter was some guy that collected his 3000th hit. I would tell you all about his huge week, but most of that was due to his five-hit day against the Rays. Also, I could tell you that Sabathia was my best pitcher, with two wins and 20 Ks, and 0.00 ERA/.75 WHIP.
Instead though, my player of the week, my big hero was definitely Alex Presley. He hit .368/.429 and also scored five runs. Not too bad for a guy just called up because of Tabata's injury. If there was a category for looking like a 12 year old, Presley would have dominated for me.
Happy Birthday Ryan!
Hey Ryan, hope you had a great birthday...
Last year on your birthday did you think: "Man, I bet next season the Buccos will be in second on my birthday and will be four games over .500. In fact, they will be this good without Pedro Alvarez, Ross Ohlendorf, Ryan Doumit, and Chris Snyder. Karstens, Morton, Maholm, and Correia will be some of the better pitchers in the NL."
If you did think that, I would have liked to smoke whatever it was you were smoking.
Oh, and since the ladies out there complain that I do not show enough pictures of sexy guys, here is one of Ryan and I pretty drunk...
Last year on your birthday did you think: "Man, I bet next season the Buccos will be in second on my birthday and will be four games over .500. In fact, they will be this good without Pedro Alvarez, Ross Ohlendorf, Ryan Doumit, and Chris Snyder. Karstens, Morton, Maholm, and Correia will be some of the better pitchers in the NL."
If you did think that, I would have liked to smoke whatever it was you were smoking.
Oh, and since the ladies out there complain that I do not show enough pictures of sexy guys, here is one of Ryan and I pretty drunk...
Beating the Red Sox and Being There to See It
I think most of you know that I hate the Red Sox. My hatred started years ago, the exact moment was probably during the whole A-Rod trade stuff. The Sox acted like it was so unfair that the Yankees traded for A-Rod. They cried up and down about how the Yankees were creating a monopoly and all sorts of other bullshit. They failed to mention that they were in the running for A-Rod, they were going to send Manny to Texas.
From that moment on, I started to really dislike Red Sox fans and it only got worse. Anyways, the Pirates played them this weekend and there was a lot of talk about this being the most attended series in history. I contacted my place of work to see if they had tickets and sure enough they sent me four tickets in section 120. I decided to see if my mom and step-dad wanted to go to the game. They said hell yeah.
Unfortunately, it was a pain in the ass to find a hotel room. Everything in the city was booked (there were two conventions and the game), but I lucked out by finding two single rooms up near the airport. We took a cab to the game (it cost $32) and decided to go to the casino to kill some time.
Me and Harmon (my step-dad) played three card poker, which I tried playing before on the cruise, but did not really enjoy it. I figured I would play a few hands, if I did not like it, I would go to the blackjack table. I lost my first $60 after a bunch of hands of getting crap. I put another $60 in and figured if I lost this, I would go to the ATM and get money for the game and call it quits.
I hit a straight, which put me up a good amount, but still not back to even. It was funny because I was down to my last $20 and Harmon had to spot me the $10 so I could bet on the straight. I then went on a pretty decent hot streak and I had a nice chip stack going. Unfortunately, like most streaks, it came to an end and I started going back down, I was down to about $80 when I hit a straight flush, which paid me almost $400. Lindsey and mom came over to see how we were doing, they did not believe that I just hit a straight flush, until the dealer started counting out my chips.
Lindsey then took $200 of the money and cashed it in. I played for a little bit longer and ended up cashing out with $235. We went to dinner at the buffet upstairs and I was a good son and paid for the meal. We then headed over to the game.
Damn, the place was packed! It took forever to get a beer and get to our seats. Our seats were pretty great and there were only a few Red Sox fans in our section. During the third inning, Lindsey and I went up to meet Offord and his future wife. On the way back to our seats we stopped for another drink and that was when Overbay hit the three-run homer. Damn! I missed it.
The game was pretty intense. Every moment seemed like the Red Sox could just score a ton of runs. But then, the Pirates would get the guys out that needed out. It is hard to imagine Jeff Karstens dominating that lineup, but somehow he did it. As soon as Gonzalez hit his homer, I said to Harmon that they needed to pull Karstens. Hurdle allowed him to stay in to give up another one and bring the game to 5-4. Luckily the Buccos got another run and they went into the 9th inning with a two-run lead.
It was great to be there for Hanrahan's entrance. You see it on TV or watch it on YouTube and it is cool, but at the game it is one million times cooler. Did everyone else almost have a heart-attack during that inning? I thought Xavier Paul caught that ball, I was cheering like an idiot (like everyone else). I seriously thought Gonzalez was going to catch up to one of those fastballs. The entire place was on it's feet. This was a game in June and the place was that crazy. Can you imagine how crazy that city will be if the Buccos make the post-season?
After the game we went to Mullen's and drank a few beers outside on the corner and then took a taxi back to the hotel. Once there, Lindsey and I went to the bar and started bullshitting with a couple of Red Sox fans. They were actually very nice. The one guy kept saying how great of a city Pittsburgh is and how this is the most beautiful ballpark he had ever seen.
We had a great time and we could not have asked for a better game to be at. I cannot wait to go back down for another one.
From that moment on, I started to really dislike Red Sox fans and it only got worse. Anyways, the Pirates played them this weekend and there was a lot of talk about this being the most attended series in history. I contacted my place of work to see if they had tickets and sure enough they sent me four tickets in section 120. I decided to see if my mom and step-dad wanted to go to the game. They said hell yeah.
 |
| She looks so cute... |
Unfortunately, it was a pain in the ass to find a hotel room. Everything in the city was booked (there were two conventions and the game), but I lucked out by finding two single rooms up near the airport. We took a cab to the game (it cost $32) and decided to go to the casino to kill some time.
Me and Harmon (my step-dad) played three card poker, which I tried playing before on the cruise, but did not really enjoy it. I figured I would play a few hands, if I did not like it, I would go to the blackjack table. I lost my first $60 after a bunch of hands of getting crap. I put another $60 in and figured if I lost this, I would go to the ATM and get money for the game and call it quits.
 |
| I think this is Youkilis swinging and missing. |
I hit a straight, which put me up a good amount, but still not back to even. It was funny because I was down to my last $20 and Harmon had to spot me the $10 so I could bet on the straight. I then went on a pretty decent hot streak and I had a nice chip stack going. Unfortunately, like most streaks, it came to an end and I started going back down, I was down to about $80 when I hit a straight flush, which paid me almost $400. Lindsey and mom came over to see how we were doing, they did not believe that I just hit a straight flush, until the dealer started counting out my chips.
Lindsey then took $200 of the money and cashed it in. I played for a little bit longer and ended up cashing out with $235. We went to dinner at the buffet upstairs and I was a good son and paid for the meal. We then headed over to the game.
Damn, the place was packed! It took forever to get a beer and get to our seats. Our seats were pretty great and there were only a few Red Sox fans in our section. During the third inning, Lindsey and I went up to meet Offord and his future wife. On the way back to our seats we stopped for another drink and that was when Overbay hit the three-run homer. Damn! I missed it.
The game was pretty intense. Every moment seemed like the Red Sox could just score a ton of runs. But then, the Pirates would get the guys out that needed out. It is hard to imagine Jeff Karstens dominating that lineup, but somehow he did it. As soon as Gonzalez hit his homer, I said to Harmon that they needed to pull Karstens. Hurdle allowed him to stay in to give up another one and bring the game to 5-4. Luckily the Buccos got another run and they went into the 9th inning with a two-run lead.
 |
| Hanrahan warming up... |
It was great to be there for Hanrahan's entrance. You see it on TV or watch it on YouTube and it is cool, but at the game it is one million times cooler. Did everyone else almost have a heart-attack during that inning? I thought Xavier Paul caught that ball, I was cheering like an idiot (like everyone else). I seriously thought Gonzalez was going to catch up to one of those fastballs. The entire place was on it's feet. This was a game in June and the place was that crazy. Can you imagine how crazy that city will be if the Buccos make the post-season?
After the game we went to Mullen's and drank a few beers outside on the corner and then took a taxi back to the hotel. Once there, Lindsey and I went to the bar and started bullshitting with a couple of Red Sox fans. They were actually very nice. The one guy kept saying how great of a city Pittsburgh is and how this is the most beautiful ballpark he had ever seen.
We had a great time and we could not have asked for a better game to be at. I cannot wait to go back down for another one.
Pirates Above .500
The Pirates are above .500 and this is the latest they have been above that mark since 1999. Remember, there last winning season was 1992. There are people out there who have never seen the Buccos as anything other than a shitty baseball team. I am one of those fortunate folks who remember them being great and to see them winning even though they have no offense makes me extremely happy. So here is a cool video that the many Pirate fans via Twitter have posted multiple times.
Josh Harrison's Minor League Song
This was the song Josh Harrison used in the minors. Apparently his brother recorded it for him. It was pretty cool to hear when he was at Altoona. Does he still use this for the Pirates?
Fantasy Baseball Week Nine and My Thoughts on Gerrit Cole
I hate fantasy baseball! Okay, that is not true, but I hate when my team plays better, but still loses badly. I lost 8-3, but the worst part about that is on Sunday it was 7-5 and I was very close to tying or overtaking in a bunch of categories. Sadly, my team played crappy on Sunday. I was winning ERA, and then Drew Storen decided to give up three runs in a 1/3 of an inning. That did not help my team, nor did Jon Rauch or Wade Davis, bunch of jerks.
Also, I noticed something all week: Drew Stubbs is very good at starting a game with this line: 1/1, 2 Runs, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 SB and then he will go hitless the rest of the game. That irritates me. I can only give credit to one of my players: David Ortiz. Everyone else was either a .300 hitter or a .190 hitter, but Ortiz (Hosmer hit .400) hit .545 with 2 HR, 5 Runs, 6 RBIs, and a .583 OBP. NICE!
In the other league, Offord and I continue to battle for last place. My team has been plagued by injuries. I keep offering some of my pitching to guys for some hitting, but no one will respond to a trade. Actually, that is one of the many things I dislike about this league. Trades take way too long to process (and the only way people will trade is if it is staggeringly in their favor). The commissioner says it is three days, but Ryan and I have traded twice and it feels like about a week to process. It took so long on our last one that one of my players went on the DL, which caused the trade to be canceled. We did the trade over minus some players and it ended up being over two weeks. One of those guys I was getting rid of was Adam Dunn, in that time he hit .125 with one HR. I could have done without that shit. I honestly doubt I will play in the league next year, which people will think that I am just upset about not doing well, but that is not it.
Gerrit Cole
The Pirates drafted Gerrit Cole from UCLA with first overall pick of the draft. I know many people wanted Anthony Rendon, but after watching how he dropped, I am guessing teams were weary of his injury problems.
After watching video of Cole pitch for Team USA, I am very happy with this pick. He apparently used a different delivery and his fastball had some nasty movement. I am sure the Pirates will work with him to throw more that way (more like Charlie Morton). I love the idea of having more power pitchers in the system. We now have Tallion, Allie, Heredia, and Cole (as long as he signs) to work with. It makes sense to go with the power arm, if something happens to one of the others, you still have someone to work with.
Also, read Kristy Robinson's article about his chat with media.
Also, I noticed something all week: Drew Stubbs is very good at starting a game with this line: 1/1, 2 Runs, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 SB and then he will go hitless the rest of the game. That irritates me. I can only give credit to one of my players: David Ortiz. Everyone else was either a .300 hitter or a .190 hitter, but Ortiz (Hosmer hit .400) hit .545 with 2 HR, 5 Runs, 6 RBIs, and a .583 OBP. NICE!
In the other league, Offord and I continue to battle for last place. My team has been plagued by injuries. I keep offering some of my pitching to guys for some hitting, but no one will respond to a trade. Actually, that is one of the many things I dislike about this league. Trades take way too long to process (and the only way people will trade is if it is staggeringly in their favor). The commissioner says it is three days, but Ryan and I have traded twice and it feels like about a week to process. It took so long on our last one that one of my players went on the DL, which caused the trade to be canceled. We did the trade over minus some players and it ended up being over two weeks. One of those guys I was getting rid of was Adam Dunn, in that time he hit .125 with one HR. I could have done without that shit. I honestly doubt I will play in the league next year, which people will think that I am just upset about not doing well, but that is not it.
Gerrit Cole
After watching video of Cole pitch for Team USA, I am very happy with this pick. He apparently used a different delivery and his fastball had some nasty movement. I am sure the Pirates will work with him to throw more that way (more like Charlie Morton). I love the idea of having more power pitchers in the system. We now have Tallion, Allie, Heredia, and Cole (as long as he signs) to work with. It makes sense to go with the power arm, if something happens to one of the others, you still have someone to work with.
Also, read Kristy Robinson's article about his chat with media.
Curve Home Opener
I went to tonight's Altoona Curve home opener (two years in a row, woo-hoo) against the Richmond Flying Squirrels. The Curve won 2-0 and looked pretty good. I got there early enough to see the unveiling of the Eastern League Champions banner (it is out in center field, so I did not take a picture, plus it is just a blue/red banner, nothing spectacular).
Aaron Thompson was the Curve starting pitcher and he pitched very well. He pitched four innings of no-hit ball with only one walk, He finished with 6.0 innings pitched, two hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. The first hit he gave up was a lead-off triple to Jose Flores. He then struck out Juan Perez and got Johnny Monell to ground one to third baseman Jeremy Farrell, who was playing in and was able to throw Flores out at the plate.
In the sixth inning Joel Weeks (no relation to Rickie) singled to lead off, Farrell then made an error, and after a sacrifice bunt, there were runners on second and third. Thompson then struck out the next to batters to get out of the inning. I have no clue how accurate the scoreboard radar gun was, but Thompson hit 89 most of the time and 90 a couple others. I never saw anything above 90 mph.
The Curve hitters made Eric Surkamp look very good. Starling Marte, Jordy Mercer, Tony Sanchez, and Miles Durham all struck out, but then Quincy Latimore doubled up the third baseline. They finally scored their first run when Sanchez walked and then scored when Durham hit a double in the fourth inning. Jordy Mercer hit a home run in the fifth inning to make it 2-0.
Marte hit a single to right field in the seventh inning, then stole second base. He moved to third base on a ground out by Mercer to the first baseman. He then got caught in a rundown on a ground ball hit by Sanchez to the third baseman. Sanchez was able to get to second, but it was identical to the play against the Squirrels earlier. With the infield playing in, I would think Marte would stay close to third on a ground ball hit to his side, maybe I am wrong.
The other guy I wanted to really see was Brock Holt, who played second base and lead-off. He hit the ball sharply each time, but twice to the second baseman and twice to the outfield. Also, relief pitcher Michael Dubee made a great catch on a hard bouncer up the middle. He moved out of the way and caught it behind his back then turned to throw the runner out.
The triple by Flores was a ball I thought could have been caught by Latimore. He seemed like he was going to catch it, then slowed down to play it off the wall, but since he was so close to the wall and where it hit, the ball bounced past him and Marte had to field it to throw in. Not too many triples off the LF wall...
Lineup
Brock Holt 2B 0-4
Starling Marte CF 1-2, HBP, SB, K
Jordy Mercer SS 1-4, HR
Tony Sanchez C 1-3, K, BB, Run
Miles Durham 1B 1-4, 3 Ks, 2B, RBI
Quincy Latimore LF 1-3, 2B, BB, K
Jeremy Farrell 3B 0-4
Brad Chalk RF 3-4
And now for some pictures and videos. I love going to minor league games, for $10 I was able to sit in the second row behind home plate by the visitor's dugout.
I think you can see that Holt hits the ball hard. If not, just take my word on it.
The Curve closer Noah Krol has a funky sidearm delivery and does not seem to throw very hard, yet this was him getting a strikeout.
Aaron Thompson was the Curve starting pitcher and he pitched very well. He pitched four innings of no-hit ball with only one walk, He finished with 6.0 innings pitched, two hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. The first hit he gave up was a lead-off triple to Jose Flores. He then struck out Juan Perez and got Johnny Monell to ground one to third baseman Jeremy Farrell, who was playing in and was able to throw Flores out at the plate.
In the sixth inning Joel Weeks (no relation to Rickie) singled to lead off, Farrell then made an error, and after a sacrifice bunt, there were runners on second and third. Thompson then struck out the next to batters to get out of the inning. I have no clue how accurate the scoreboard radar gun was, but Thompson hit 89 most of the time and 90 a couple others. I never saw anything above 90 mph.
The Curve hitters made Eric Surkamp look very good. Starling Marte, Jordy Mercer, Tony Sanchez, and Miles Durham all struck out, but then Quincy Latimore doubled up the third baseline. They finally scored their first run when Sanchez walked and then scored when Durham hit a double in the fourth inning. Jordy Mercer hit a home run in the fifth inning to make it 2-0.
Marte hit a single to right field in the seventh inning, then stole second base. He moved to third base on a ground out by Mercer to the first baseman. He then got caught in a rundown on a ground ball hit by Sanchez to the third baseman. Sanchez was able to get to second, but it was identical to the play against the Squirrels earlier. With the infield playing in, I would think Marte would stay close to third on a ground ball hit to his side, maybe I am wrong.
The other guy I wanted to really see was Brock Holt, who played second base and lead-off. He hit the ball sharply each time, but twice to the second baseman and twice to the outfield. Also, relief pitcher Michael Dubee made a great catch on a hard bouncer up the middle. He moved out of the way and caught it behind his back then turned to throw the runner out.
The triple by Flores was a ball I thought could have been caught by Latimore. He seemed like he was going to catch it, then slowed down to play it off the wall, but since he was so close to the wall and where it hit, the ball bounced past him and Marte had to field it to throw in. Not too many triples off the LF wall...
Lineup
Brock Holt 2B 0-4
Starling Marte CF 1-2, HBP, SB, K
Jordy Mercer SS 1-4, HR
Tony Sanchez C 1-3, K, BB, Run
Miles Durham 1B 1-4, 3 Ks, 2B, RBI
Quincy Latimore LF 1-3, 2B, BB, K
Jeremy Farrell 3B 0-4
Brad Chalk RF 3-4
And now for some pictures and videos. I love going to minor league games, for $10 I was able to sit in the second row behind home plate by the visitor's dugout.
 |
| Brock Holt |
 |
| Starling Marte |
 |
| Tony Sanchez |
I think you can see that Holt hits the ball hard. If not, just take my word on it.
The Curve closer Noah Krol has a funky sidearm delivery and does not seem to throw very hard, yet this was him getting a strikeout.
Pirates Opening Day 2011
For those of you unaware, I was at the Pirates home opener on Thursday. This was my third opener in a row (I went down for the 2003 opener against the Red Sox, but the game was rained out, or maybe it was the second game, whatever). I hope to continue this tradition for a long time. Unfortunately, my friend Steve was not able to go this year. Fortunately, Lindsey was able to go and we had a fantastic time.
Sadly, the Pirates lost the game and if you are expecting any in depth coverage of the game, well I am sorry, that is not really what you will find here. Go to WHYGAVS or any to Pirates Booty. Instead, I will tell you about the adventure that took place.
We got up early and left so that we could check into our hotel and just walk to the game. We stayed at the Wyndham Grand. I did not realize it was such a classy hotel. We pull up in my super-cool, non-bear destroyed Yaris and are greeted by the valet. This was new to me. I normally stay in shitty motels where the guy tells you to park in back by the dumpster. Also, the bellhop wanted to help me with my bag...all I brought was a backpack, I told him I could manage.
We drop our stuff at the room and hustle across the bridge to the stadium. Ryan tells me where he and his friends are tailgating and we make our way over there. We drink some beers with those guys and then head into the game.
We sat in the front row of left field. It was such a great day for a game. Sunny and warm (I got a little sun-burn on one side of my face). The saxophonist from O.A.R. performed the national anthem, which was pretty good.
The guy behind us had his five year old son with him. He was teaching his kid about gambling, which seemed a bit odd to me. He was telling him who they had to root for on the board because daddy had money on those teams. I am not a huge gambler, so I really have no clue how people bet on baseball games. While Jose Tabata was warming up, the dad yells to him in Spanish for a ball. Tabata tossed it to him and the dad had to lean way over the wall in front of us to catch it. Pretty nice grab actually.
After awhile though, I felt bad for the kid because his dad knew nothing about the Pirates (or baseball in general). He told his boy that Pedro Alvarez is from Venezuela and that Andrew McCutchen was on the All-Star team. Me and two guys beside us decided to make fun of him for a good chunk of the sixth and seventh inning.
Once the game ended, we walked over to McFadden's and met up with Ryan. We had a couple beers, but then everyone had to leave. Lindsey and I went over to the hotel and decided to get ready for dinner. We went to SixPenn to eat. The food was very good, but as with all fancy restaurants, I always feel like I am starving when I leave.
After dinner we went to a bar called Olive or Twist (get it?) and drank a few beers with a couple we ran into while walking around town. They were pretty cool for about thirty minutes, but after that I was definitely getting tired of listening to the dude talk.
We got pretty drunk and went back to the hotel and went to bed. The next day we got up and decided to go to the Waterfront for breakfast. Lindsey wanted to try IHOP, or as she called it: IOP. Apparently the H is silent. The food was decent, but the place was not very organized (I am guessing it must have opened very recently).
Our plan was to go to Lindsey's cousin's (Danielle, who is married to Brent Johnson) house and see the new baby and then meet up with her friend and go to the Pirate game. We could not go see the baby until around three, so we had a lot of time to kill. We went to Target and then drove around in the rain for a few hours. We basically saw most parts of Pittsburgh. We visited the family and then met up with her friend at Bahama Breeze in Robinson. At this point we were decidedly against going to the game because it had been raining hard all day.
Once dinner was over, we finally came home. I was exhausted. I had to work at 6:30 a.m. I wish I could have been at Friday night's game, but at the same time I am kind of happy we did not make it. I would love to be at an exciting extra inning game like that, but only if I did not have to work super early the next day. Also, I figured there would be a rain delay for sure. Oddly enough, once we left the city and the game started, the rain stopped.
It was a fantastic time and I cannot wait to go to more games this year. I already have a few lined up and I am going to try and organize something huge, so I will let people know about that at some point...
Here are the rest of the pictures from the game...
They claim that Carlos Gonzalez is 6'1, but I really do not believe it. He came much closer a few times and he looks to be about 5'10 or so...
The Pirates can never get rid of Ryan Doumit. Only because I love hearing Danzig's "Mother" when he comes to bat.
This is a terrible picture. It is of the team warming up. Way to go photographer...
I bet as they are walking, the pitchers were probably bitching about having to walk all the way back across the field after the opening ceremonies.
Much better than last year's picture with me fondling a statue's balls....
I took this one after dinner. What a beautiful stadium...
UPDATE!!!
I completely forgot about the kid who jumped over the wall and ran across the field. Lindsey asked me if that was the first time I ever saw that and I do not think it was, I believe I saw that when I was very young, but I remember something like it. Anyways, the guys beside me were laughing at how dumb the kid is, since he got tossed from the game and most likely went to jail for the night. Way to spend Opening Day!
Video from 333greystreet...
Sadly, the Pirates lost the game and if you are expecting any in depth coverage of the game, well I am sorry, that is not really what you will find here. Go to WHYGAVS or any to Pirates Booty. Instead, I will tell you about the adventure that took place.
We drop our stuff at the room and hustle across the bridge to the stadium. Ryan tells me where he and his friends are tailgating and we make our way over there. We drink some beers with those guys and then head into the game.
The guy behind us had his five year old son with him. He was teaching his kid about gambling, which seemed a bit odd to me. He was telling him who they had to root for on the board because daddy had money on those teams. I am not a huge gambler, so I really have no clue how people bet on baseball games. While Jose Tabata was warming up, the dad yells to him in Spanish for a ball. Tabata tossed it to him and the dad had to lean way over the wall in front of us to catch it. Pretty nice grab actually.
Once the game ended, we walked over to McFadden's and met up with Ryan. We had a couple beers, but then everyone had to leave. Lindsey and I went over to the hotel and decided to get ready for dinner. We went to SixPenn to eat. The food was very good, but as with all fancy restaurants, I always feel like I am starving when I leave.
After dinner we went to a bar called Olive or Twist (get it?) and drank a few beers with a couple we ran into while walking around town. They were pretty cool for about thirty minutes, but after that I was definitely getting tired of listening to the dude talk.
We got pretty drunk and went back to the hotel and went to bed. The next day we got up and decided to go to the Waterfront for breakfast. Lindsey wanted to try IHOP, or as she called it: IOP. Apparently the H is silent. The food was decent, but the place was not very organized (I am guessing it must have opened very recently).
Our plan was to go to Lindsey's cousin's (Danielle, who is married to Brent Johnson) house and see the new baby and then meet up with her friend and go to the Pirate game. We could not go see the baby until around three, so we had a lot of time to kill. We went to Target and then drove around in the rain for a few hours. We basically saw most parts of Pittsburgh. We visited the family and then met up with her friend at Bahama Breeze in Robinson. At this point we were decidedly against going to the game because it had been raining hard all day.
Once dinner was over, we finally came home. I was exhausted. I had to work at 6:30 a.m. I wish I could have been at Friday night's game, but at the same time I am kind of happy we did not make it. I would love to be at an exciting extra inning game like that, but only if I did not have to work super early the next day. Also, I figured there would be a rain delay for sure. Oddly enough, once we left the city and the game started, the rain stopped.
It was a fantastic time and I cannot wait to go to more games this year. I already have a few lined up and I am going to try and organize something huge, so I will let people know about that at some point...
Here are the rest of the pictures from the game...
UPDATE!!!
I completely forgot about the kid who jumped over the wall and ran across the field. Lindsey asked me if that was the first time I ever saw that and I do not think it was, I believe I saw that when I was very young, but I remember something like it. Anyways, the guys beside me were laughing at how dumb the kid is, since he got tossed from the game and most likely went to jail for the night. Way to spend Opening Day!
Video from 333greystreet...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)