No More Email

Trying to unsubscribe from a mailing list, this page is full of contradictions.



First of all, why does it say "Join the Team" if I'm trying to unsubscribe?



Ah, the best part of it all, we won't send you anymore email... except an email to tell you that we won't send any more email!!

Four-Way Tie?

There's a chance of a tie in the AL Wild Card race, with the loser of the AL East finishing out with the same record as the Indians, which would necessitate a play-in game for the playoffs. But what happens in this unlikely, yet awesome, scenario?

White Sox go 1-4 (losing final games versus Cleveland)
Tribe go 3-2 (winning only games versus ChiSox)
Yankees go 3-2
Red Sox go 3-2 (one AL East team must split their remaining two games versus Bal or Tor, and then come back to take 2/3 in the final series, while the other team must win both games versus Bal/Tor and lose 2/3 in the final series)

This would set up four teams with identical records (95-67). What then? I think it means three play-in games (for the two division titles, then with the losers going for the wild card). That would be the closest MLB ever gets to having a one and done "tournament" style playoff, and that's what I'm rooting for. Couple this amazing scenario with the Red Sox getting eliminated from the playoffs and it would be like a personal dream. The second best scenario eliminates the White Sox from the playoffs because that sort of collapse would be monumental. Hey, if the Red Sox could win the World Series, perhaps we could have this elaborate and complicated tie scenario!

Vinny's Back

Vinny Testaverde is back with the Jets. Brooks Bollinger is going to start, but does anyone expect him to play well versus the Ravens?

Let's face it, the Jets season is pretty much lost. It will take time for Pennington to recover from the shoulder injury (the only other active QB I can recall who's had major shoulder problems is Brian Griese) and while Vinny's a fan favorite, he's not getting any younger.

It was sort of funny to hear that Fiedler and Pennington traveled together to visit guru Dr. James Andrews.

By the way, the over / under for Sunday's Jets / Ravens game is 32 points. Can Anthony Wright and Brooks Bollinger put up those points? Has there ever been a game where the special teams and defenses might put up more of the points for both teams?

Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees - 9/22/05

Wow. The Yankees are back in first place. I would have never expected it.

For the end of the year, it was another $5 night at the stadium, so I got the chance to see the team one last time in '05 (unless some miracle scores me playoff tickets). This was quite a year for me and Yankee games. Please enjoy the photos.


This is where our seats were. Jorge Posada hit his 2nd HR in the area just to the left of this photo.


A-Rod should be the MVP. Let's face it, his offensive numbers are so similar to David Ortiz's and he also plays in the field! This "clutch" stuff I've been hearing about is total garbage. Not to mention, A-Rod, while he won't get a triple crown, is pretty damn close. As of today, 3rd in batting average, tied for 1st in HR and 4th in RBI. Granted Ortiz is 1st in HR and RBI but he's not even in the top 10 in BA.


Bruce Chen pitched very well against the Yankees earlier this year. Fortunately this game wasn't earlier this year.


Mike Mussina pitched a great, great game. But he was limited to under 80 pitches.


These fans were trying to start the wave. I think the people who like the wave the most are the ones trying to start it.


Coaches (counterclockwise from top left) Luis Sojo, Dave Cash, Rick Dempsey and Roy White. Only Dempsey stands in the white box by the base. Why does that box exist? Nobody ever stands in the box.

Overheard in New York

Here's one that I'll post here before submitting.

Overheard in a hospital lobby between two security officers:

Officer 1: Astroglide. Is that the one you use?
Officer 2: Oh yeah. It's much better than K-Y.
Officer 1: Really? I've never heard of it.

Citysearch

I was invited to something at "Top of the Copa." So I looked it up on Citysearch.

My result?

"We assumed you meant Top Of The Cove, instead of top of the copa."

No, in fact I actually meant, "top of the copa."

This reminds me of an old saying:

If you assume, you make an ass out of you and me.

525 posts, Google Talk, Weekend observations

This is post #525. The blog began back in May of 2004, and so I'm esitmating just over one post per day. If you were to combine the funny things or useful observations I've seen over the course of this time period, it would likely come out to less than one per day. That makes me wonder where the rest of the crap on this blog comes from.

Google Talk: I've had Google Talk for several months now but nobody I know uses it. Not sure why this is. In fact, I've never had a conversation using Google Talk. Instead, I just have it in my system tray, allowing it to notify me of when I get new GMails.

Weekend observations:

Two observations from the weekend. The first was on the bus, where a man (who looked a little hungover) took about 6 tries to put his metrocard into the slot but kept inserting it in the wrong direction. This was fairly amusing and betrayed the fact that he never uses the bus.

Second was at Whole Foods where behind the deli meat slicer was a huge sign that said, "do not touch blade directly with hand." While this seems a bit obvious, it was interesting to note such a huge sign. Wonder if some poor deli meat slicer had an incident that necessitated the posting of this sign.

New England Loses, Jets Win!

Of course, it wasn't the same game...

The Patriots lost for the first time since that freak game last December against Miami. The Jets beat Miami and it's a division full of 1-1 teams. The Jets didn't look great against Miami but it's so hard to gauge how good Miami is this year. The Dolphins made a lot of mistakes on offense but seemed to play good defense. The Jets played decent defense and average offense. It was clear the Jets weren't as bad as last week and the Dolphins weren't as good, but I think the degree is still in question. I felt like Peter King made an uninformed pick by picking Miami over the Jets. Of course, that wasn't the only one. In the first 13 games of the week, he went 3-10.

The New Super Size?

I went to McDonald's for breakfast today (a sin, I know) and when I ordered my meal, I had the following exchange with the server:

Server: Would you like another hash brown?
Me: Did you say, another hash brown?
Server: Yes, would you like an additional hash brown?

It took all my willpower to decline the crispy fried golden potato goodness, but I did. Afterwards, I wondered if I had essentially been offered a super size.

As an aside, I meant to order a #2 (bacon egg and cheese biscuit) but somehow ended up with a #3 (sausage mcmuffin). I guess I shouldn't have gone in the first place.

A Few Links

Here's a few links I found fairly interesting this morning / afternoon. Not sure why I noticed a sudden spike in stories I found interesting.

Youppi! changes teams. That's not a metaphor, he actually changed teams, since the Expos moved away.

Football's players union stinks. It's about time someone pointed this out in the press.

On a more serious note, a NY Times story about abortion. Seems like a lot of people have extreme positions on this issue, but this gives some insight into those people who have to struggle with the decision.

Unfortunately, linking to the NY Times may get a little more tricky in the coming days, as their new pay service will launch.

Blander

Just as when you add salt or pepper to make something more flavorful, someone should research into making an anti-seasoning in case food has been made too spicy or too salty. That way, if you're at a restaurant and the food is unbearably spicy you could tone it down a little bit. This could be a big hit.

Over-the-shoulder

First it's crossword puzzles at the Roberts confirmation hearings, now it's notes at the UN. You'd think politicians would be more aware of where the cameras are. Check out this Reuters photo.



"I think I need a bathroom break. Is that possible?"

Do you think the photographer was laughing hysterically up as he was catching this shot?

Roberts Hearings

Trying to avoid political posts, but there was some comedy in the Roberts confirmation hearings the other day. I have to admit, most of this was stuff that was observed on the Daily Show, but I find humorous enough to pass along.

There were a number of long-winded questions asked throughout the session, and a number of Hurricane Katrina references as well. But most amusing was Tom Coburn (R-OK) getting caught doing a crossword puzzle in the middle of the hearing!

Also, he gave this speech (click here for video)

"When I ponder our country and its greatness, its weaknesses, its potential, my heart aches for less divisiveness, less polarization, less finger pointing, less bitterness, less mindless partisanship, which at times sounds almost hateful to the ear of Americans."

Here are some great quotes from Coburn in the last year or so. Maybe he was talking about himself?

“I favor the death penalty for abortionists and other people who take life.”

“The gay community has infiltrated the very centers of power in every area across this country, and they wield extreme power..."

See this link for some more gems.

Let the Overreacting Begin (NFL)

Week 1 is nearly in the books, week 2 is on its way, let the overreacting in the media begin. As we know, and will hear all week, all the teams that have lost their first week games are awful, and everyone who won their first week game is going to the Super Bowl.

Big Games?

This weekend the Red Sox visit the Yankees, and my excitement level couldn't be any less. Jim Caple mentions similar feelings on ESPN.com (although I couldn't stand all those fans who jumped on the Red Sox "underdog" bandwagon last year; hopefully some of them will now go root for the Twins or A's).

Here's more reason to not be so excited. Even if the Yankees were to sweep the Sox, they'd still be one game back in the East, and then they face their nemesis, the Devil Rays, later in the week. The Yanks have lost the season series to Tampa, and that is the difference between being in first and second place. It's hard to imagine the Yankees keeping up a consistant run to make up ground on the equally inconsistant Red Sox. On top of that, the Yankee pitching staff is full of injuries. I still think their best hope will be to make the playoffs as the wildcard and then catch fire in the playoffs. Don't forget, the wildcard team has won the World Series the last few years.

If the Yankees take 2/3 from Boston and then sweep Tampa, then they'll have my attention again. I don't have the patience for the up and down stomach/heartache. I get enough of that from the Jets.

Fantasy Football

My fantasy baseball team is cruising around in 2nd place, but I just had my fantasy football draft. Here's my team, the number of starters at each position listed in parentheses.

QB (1)
Michael Vick (ATL)
Jake Delhomme (CAR)

RB (2)
Deuce McAllister (NO)
Curtis Martin (NYJ)
Kevin Barlow (SF)
Stephen Davis (CAR)
Fred Taylor (JAC)
Ricky Williams (MIA)

WR (3)
Reggie Wayne (IND)
Issac Bruce (StL)
Justin McCareins (NYJ)
Robert Ferguson (GB)

TE (1)
Daniel Graham (NE)

K (1)
Mike Nugent (NYJ)

DEF (1)
Philadelphia

Yes, I have a ton of running backs, but I imagine one of them will get injured soon, and I'll need to replace Robert Ferguson at WR with someone... I have no idea if my team is any good, all I know is during week 8, I have to replace quite a few players since the Jets and Indianapolis have BYE weeks.

A1 Steak Sauce

The people who make A1 Steak Sauce must be losing it. Either that, or I think they hired some marketing "genius" away from the folks at Snapple.



This is not the sort of corporate image I would have expected A1 Steak Sauce to try and build.