The Weekend I actually Stayed in Town (and watched a lot of baseball)

- That's right folks, for the first time in since the first weekend of September, I stayed within city limits. It is really damn nice not having to travel for once. For those who get bored with getting out of town barely once or twice a month...you don't know how nice it is. It was nice to sit back, relax and...as I look back at it...watch a lot of baseball. My take on the weekend....Sunday Style:

Beisbol!

- Maybe the fact that I'm in a city with a team in the MLB playoffs, but October seems to be the best month of the year for sports. Think about it. National Football League teams start to heat up and teams are getting ready to kick into high gear. College football is in full swing and the conference contenders establish themselves this month. Major League Baseball settles the championship this month. This is the only month everybody can forget about the economics and just watch baseball in as pure form as you can get with cry baby millionaires. Not only that, you can speculate on the upcoming NBA season. It doesn't get much better than this...that is unless I win the lottery.

- The Cubs advanced in the playoffs. We get to see more (over)reactions from that player's wife (see last tuesday). We get to see the Chicago fans go absolutely ga-ga (kind of annoying when you're not a die-hard Cubs Fan). This will be a fun week and I should probably take advantage of the fact that I live less than a mile from the ballyard. It seems that Wrigleyville is going nuts right now (just like when Wisco went to the Final Four)...I need to enjoy the street festivities at least once this fall.

- I was watching the team celebrate over the pitchers diamond just now. In the background you could see someone getting hauled off in 'cuffs. Its just like Hank Aaron's 715th...but with more violence.

- The Marlins get a way to go for upsetting the Giants. I watched the end of games three and four and was blown away at the drama. Ivan Rodriguez owns the diamond. He gets the winning RBI's, owns the homeplate collisions as a baserunner and a catcher, and is clutch as shit! The rest of the team is a bunch of never-will-be's who love to play the sport and after playing most of the season in an empty stadium, they get to play on the big stage. I'm rootin' for the Marlins....Everybody's doin' the Fish.

- I was watching the Sox/A's game today and when the A's were up 4-3 in the 8th inning, I noticed the their closer was up and there was one out. I checked the Bears game, then fell asleep. Next thing I know, I wake up to the final score of both games. Note to self: stop falling asleep at the end of games.

- The Twins were taken out of the playoffs by those fuckin' Yankees. Every year, it goes like this: the Yankees lose a game, the media say that they're done, next thing you know...a few freak things happen during a game that change the momentum of the series (i.e. 7th Inning of thursday night's game, the Jeter play to get Giambi out back in '01) . Before we know it, the Yankees advance. I'm sick of it. What sucks about the Yank's win is that they play a team who will be coming off a greuling and emotional draining five game series. Its another cakewalk for the team representing everything that's wrong about baseball.

- I won't give you the list, but there are quite a few former Brewers playing on the teams that made the playoffs this year. We're not talking about star players who demanded an exit from Brewtown, but the ones who sat through the perennial 90+ loss season. From my count, I've noticed that there are at least two former brewers from the last three seasons (and a few from the mid-to-late 90's) on the 8 playoff rosters. It kind of pisses me off, but at the same time, you gotta give credit to those former brewers who didn't turn out to hate baseball after spending a season in Milwaukee. At least they didn't spike themselves.

- My NL darkhorse pulled the upset. If you want to root for the little guy this season, root for the MArlins.

- I'm done.

The Steak Game!

- The Steakhouse I ate at last night was okay. As one of the 'little guys' I could respect their work. It was a little tough, but tasty. I won't waste reviewing their potatoes or veggies, but their Pea-Pods were damn good. Although I tend to avoid red meat in my diet, I like steak. I won't go out for it every week but every six weeks or so, I'm glad to indulge. Last night I determined that enjoying steaks at different steakhouses would be a fun hobby. Being in the big town, there are plenty of places to check out. Every steak outing would be a different experience. If I'm going to rate Steak Houses as a hobby, I should pick a cut and stick with it. If I know the steaks aren't that good, I go for the Prime Rib. There's more that the kitchen can do for the flavor in that case. With a t-bone or New York Strip the meat has a lot more to do with its taste. Thus, I think that the measuring stick for the steakhouse rating game will be the the New York Strip or Prime Rib. And every six weeks or so, I'll check out a different steakhouse and rate it.

The Last 48 Hours!

- Some people say they don't like the idea of a m(o)ustache on me. Some say it makes me look like I'm from a different ethnic group. Others say I look awful. Hell, nobody at the workplace has even made a mention about it. That's before they gave it a chance. It doesn't take long for me to make a convert of the disbelievers. I can't explain it...but the 'stache has a unique power about it.

- I witnessed a presentation of those percussionists who wear blue. Its a sensory overload of music, sight, and feel. I could tell that the drummers listened to a lot of Rush. It was surreal at times. I didn't expect how intelligent the humor was in this display. Unfortunately, most in the crowd were probably hypnotized by the sound and the fury to get the most interesting messages. It was art for the common man, but entertaining nonetheless. I'd see it again in a year or two.

- My caller-ID batteries are dead in my living room. I've been too lazy to replace the batteries or check the other display to see who's calling. Then again...I realize that Caller I.D. ruins the fun of getting phone calls. The element of the small surprise you get when a hot chick (or old friend) calls out of the blue. However, since telemarketers call about seven times a day, I don't mind having to rely on the Caller I.D. like a trained Ape.

- This post is a lot longer than I had intended...sorry.

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