New Technology For Me!

I got a Flip Camcorder for Christmas, so here is my first short video to all those we are missing tonight. Happy New Year!

Ought-8 In Review

2008 was an up-and-down year for me, plenty of good and not-so-good. Staci & I settled into married life in Quakertown, and grew to really like the area. It was another tough financial year, as I worked as a low-paid intern again (while driving 130 miles a day), and Staci got closer to completing her doctorate. Some of the highlights:

Jan. 14: I started my 2nd year in baseball, this time as Asst. Director of merchandise with the Wilmington Blue Rocks.

Feb. 13: My first niece, Alannah Rose, was born to sister Colleen.

Mar. 31: We attended our first stadium opening, as Nationals Park in DC opened.

Jul. 31: Manny Ramirez is traded to the Dodgers, one of the best days of my Dodger fan-dom.

Sept. 2: Staci & I celebrate 1 year of marriage.

Sept. 5: My first playoff game in the minors. My current team, the Blue Rocks, gets beaten by my old team, the P-Nats, 1-0.

Oct. 9: We go to my first Dodgers playoff game, against the Phillies. They, of course, lose.

Nov. 4: In one of the most historic days in my lifetime, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. After the last 8 years, most of us were still pessimistic for good news. And yet at 11PM on this night, we got what we all need- hope. Hopefully, this time next year I will be writing about the forward progress of the country.

I also added 4 new stadiums (DC, Toronto, KC, and St Louis), as I inch closer to my goal. We're looking forward to a fun-filled and exciting 2009, despite not knowing where we will be living, or what jobs we'll have. Happy New year everyone!

Christmas Videos

As our 2-week Christmas "tour" of the East Coast begins tomorrow, I thought I'd post a couple videos of Christmas videos of yore.

This first one is Billy Squier and the highly-underrated "Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You." The video is from 1981 and is complete with the original MTV VJ's.



And who can forget the Hall & Oates take on "Jingle Bell Rock"? Here is the cheesy video from '83 in all its glory:



Have a great Christmas!

2008- The Year In Pics

2008 was a wild ride for us, and luckily we have the pics to prove it. Enjoy the slideshow I've put together, and have a great holiday!

The '90s and Beer

I heard someone mention Bitter Beer face the other day, and it got me thinking of those great Keystone Light ads in the mid-90's.



SO, naturally, this led me to look for the other funny campaign from the college years, Miller Lite's "Dick" campaign. Much less heralded, but funny nonetheless.



As I always say, gotta love the You Tube.

Thankful For...'08

As I stated here last year, I've always liked to list things that I am thankful for, both serious and amusing, on Turkey Day. And even though it's been a rough year in a lot of ways, there are still things to be thankful for:

- a wonderful wife in Staci, who is always there for me;
- friends and family, especially this time of year when we get to spend a little more time together;
- successful seasons for the Dodgers, Cowboys, and Penn State;
- the fact that "Lost," "24," and "Scrubs" will all soon be back on, saving a mostly horrible fall TV season.
- and lastly and most recently, the crazy lady who hit the car that just bought our hours-old flat screen TV.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Hot Stove Notes- 11/21

With all the baseball awards having been given out, the concentration now shifts to free agents and random news. Here is just some things that have my interest in the cold of winter:

- The CC , Teixiera, and Manny Sweepstakes are officially underway. While I am nervous about the Dodgers stepping up, I still think LA will sign Manny. And while I find it intriguing that Teixiera may end up with the Nats, DC needs pitching more than another bat. OK, they need everything. But he will probably end up with Anaheim. CC will sign with the Yankees, especially now that Mussina retired. Speaking of...

- So Mike Mussina is done. And the ridiculous debate begins- is he a Hall of Famer? Before this is decided, can we please get back to Jack Morris, Bert Blyleven, and even Orel Hershiser? All three were big game pitchers who won championships and Cy Youngs, and were at some point considered the dominant pitcher in their league. Mussina has never been any of those things. His stats are great, but I don't think that's enough until these other pitchers are given fair consideration.

- Yankees owner George Steinbrenner officially handed over control to son Hal (not Hank, to many comics' dismay). I have never been a fan of Steinbrenner, who fired managers every other day and started the ridiculous free agent salaries back in the '70's. But I can appreciate what he did for the Yankees, who were in serious trouble when he bought the team in 1973. He made them a team to be revered and hated again, leading them to 6 championships in the last 35 years.

A Great Sports Weekend...Finally!

Rooting for your sports teams can be schizophrenic. Witness my teams the last 3 months. The Dodgers went from looking horrible in August to making the NLCS in October (Before breaking my heart). The Cowboys started 3-0, then lost 4 of 6. Penn State went from 9-0 to losing a winnable game last weekend. So I had little hope for PSU and the Cowboys this weekend. We were at the Penn State game, thanks to Jason and Megan, and even with a shaky 1st half against an inferior team, and pouring cold rain, we had a great time and Penn State demolished Indiana, 34-7.



Then the first Cowboys game I've seen in a month (thanks to living in Eagles-land) led to a 14-10 win over the hated Redskins. My boy Romo looked decent in his return and Marion Barber ran all over the place. We are now 6-4, and probably saved our hopes for the playoffs.

Yes, sports are schizophrenic, but weekends like this remind me why we put ourselves through the torture.

Something To Believe In

"Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world."- Abraham Lincoln

"This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time — to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth — that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America."- Barack Obama

To say I'm still coming down from last night's exhilarating Obama victory is an understatement. After so many horrible things that have happened in the last eight years, including 2 elections that were questionable at best and fraudulent at worst, I was cynical that people would do the right thing yesterday. I was afraid that people would either believe the ridiculous lies that have been spread, or decide that they could not deal with a black president, or think the world would literally end if they voted for Obama. The American people proved me wrong. They decided they, too, were ready to take their country back, that they wanted financial security, national security, and health care that could protect them and their loved ones. I have never been more happy to be wrong.

There are many challenges ahead of us, and President-Elect Obama will make mistakes, as he freely admitted last night in his speech. But true leadership will be restored, and perhaps most importantly, the world may look at us with a little more favorable light, and nothing bad can come from that. And for those who still don't believe in Barack Obama, who will never admit that this great man will bring this country back from the depths of Hell, well, you will benefit from this new administration as well. And isn't that what America is all about?

For my wife's take see here.

Vote!

No matter who you are voting for, make sure you vote today! There are few things that compare to being able to vote in a Presidential Election. This is my fifth, and the feeling of excitement and pride are the same today for me as they were in 1992. Should be a very exciting night, more tomorrow right here on BBBP.

Monday Funnies

Once again, SNL and Family Guy delivered the best comedy of the weekend. SNL skewered Keith Olbermann, imitated fairly well by Ben Affleck. I'm sure Keith will have a good take on this tonight.



Sometimes, an obscure movie reference that you and your friends have been quoting for years shows up on Family Guy, and you can revel in the fact that there are others out there who get you. Here's FG's take on Planes Trains and Automobiles:

The Game That Will Not End

The World Series was headed in the same direction as every Series since '04- boring, predictable, one-sided. Then, Monday night during Game 5, Mother Nature stepped in. Torrential rain, 25 MPH wind, a tie game in the sixth, and the Phillies and Rays could play no more. Yesterday was worse, and tonight may not happen either. So, the first suspended game in World Series history may not be played till Halloween. And suddenly, the dead-to-rights Rays have the momentum. If they can pull off a win in a game they were losing until the sixth, and get back to the indoor friendly confines of The Trop, then who knows what might happen? At the very least, we have an interesting Series again.

Literal '80's Videos

Hilarious takes on two classic videos- "ever wish songs just sang what was happening in the music video?"- from FunnyorDie.com.

Tears For Fears- "Head Over Heels"

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

A-Ha- "Take On Me"

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

DEVIL-Free Series

Tomorrow begins the '08 World Series, and while it's lacking my Dodgers, it does have the best worst-to-first story since the '69 Mets. I will be rooting for Tampa, though it is a shame that they no longer have the Devil in their name. This has the makings of a great 6 or 7 game series, with two evenly matched teams with power and pitching. This is the last 10 days of the '08 baseball season, so let's make it count, boys!

And Boom Goes The Dynamite

The Dodgers' dreams ended last night, as they lost game 5 of the NLCS to the Phillies. And while I am still bummed, I am less suicidal than I was last night. In retrospect, this is further than I had hoped for the Dodgers to make it this year. As late as 3 weeks ago, it didn't even look like we'd make the playoffs, so our 1st NLCS in 20 years ain't too shabby. Plus, I got to end my own baseball season by seeing my first Dodgers playoff game last week. And congrats to the Phils, who have waited a long time as well. Though I will be rooting for the DEVIL Rays from here on out.

NLCS Notes- 10/13

It was good to finally put a Dodger win in this NLCS, as they won 7-2 last night. The first 2 game sin Philly, they looked flat, not scoring enough, not fighting the same way they have the last month and a half. Last night, the Dodgers finally looked up to the task, as Hiroki Kuroda pitched wonderfully, and also gave a little retaliation for the head-hunting that wife beater Brett "Boom Outta Here" Myers and Clay Condrey have engaged in. And for all the talk of Manny being a carefree goofball, he had to be held back by numerous teammates when the benches cleared. At least this looks like a series again, and hopefully we'll continue to see great baseball from the Dodgers the next few nights.

'83 Revisited

It's hard to imagine a significant rivalry for teams that are 3000 miles apart. But once upon a time, the Dodgers and the Phillies were that rivalry, which they will renew in the NLCS tomorrow. This will be the fourth time these two team have faced each other for a chance to go to the World Series, but the first time in 25 years.

The first two times, in 1977 and 1978, LA and Philly were unquestionably the two best NL teams of the late '70's. And both times, the Dodgers came out on top. Unfortunately, those aren't the ones I can recall.

In 1983, my love for the Dodgers continued to grow. A World Series in '81 and a near-miss in '82, the '83 Dodgers looked like the real deal. A great pitching staff with Fernando Valenzuela (above), Rick Honeycutt, and Jerry Reuss; a bullpen with Tom Niedenfuer (2 years before the meltdown); and a starting lineup that included Pedro Guerrero, Steve Sax and Dusty Baker. The Phillies were solid as well, with the likes of Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt and Juan Samuel. But this was the Dodgers to lose. They had beaten the Phils 11 out of 12 times during the regular season.

Unfortunately, the Phils came to play. Except for a great win by Fernando, the Dodgers were completely dominated and lost in 4 games. I can remember listening to the games on the radio, as we were moving at the time and didn't have cable. It was brutal, as I had become spoiled into thinking my team would always win. 25 years later, the Dodgers have let me down more times than I can count. 20 years between playoff victories, for one. Now, for at least 4 games, I can pretend I am 10 again, with optimism that my Dodgers can beat the Phillies. At the very least, I can watch in on TV this time.

Scranton and The Bird

Two of the most consistently funny shows on TV hit it out of the park this past weekend. First, there was SNL, always a sure bet during political season. They opened with a spoof of the VP debate, which was spot on. The funniest part to me was Joe Biden (Jason Sudekis) ranting about coming from Scranton, "the worst place on the planet." See below:



Then, there was Family Guy, which was as funny as it's been in awhile, as Peter became super-obsessed with the "Bird Song"- see one of the many funny clips below:

Division Series Notes- 10/5

The Dodgers finished off the Cubs early Sunday morning, 3-1, to advance to the NLCS for the first time in 20 years. Hiroki Kuroda (above) continued the string of great starting performances, and questionable Jonathan Broxton was able to close it out. Next stop Philadelphia, who finished off the Brewers on Sunday. The euphoria I felt as the game ended is indescribable, 20 years is a long time not to win any playoff series. The series vs. the Phils should be even harder, as LA will be taken more seriously than the Cubs took them.

But that's not till Thursday. For now, I will bask in the glow of finally being paid back a little for being a diehard fan.

Division Series Notes- 10/3

The Dodgers won again last night, a 10-3 thrashing of a bad-looking Cubs team. In 2 nights, the Dodgers have won more playoff games than they had in 20 years. Manny continued his amazing hitting with another home run, extending his postseason record to 26 dingers. Manny is the first Dodger to hit home runs in consecutive road playoff games since...Kirk Gibson. Wow. As bad as the Cubs played (4 errors and such), the Dodgers played that well. Besides taking advantage of the mistakes, they also played good hit-and-run, timely bunts, and Chad Billingsley (above) pitching his ass off. Now it moves to LA for Game 3, where we face the best Cubs pitcher in Rich Harden.

In other LDS news:

- The Phils beat baseball's best pitcher and thumped the Brewers 5-2. Milwaukee barely squeaked in, lost their #2 pitcher in Ben Sheets, and kept pushing CC on 3 days' rest. But Brett Myers looked unhittable and Philly should finish them off quickly this weekend.

- The Tampa Bay rays won their first-ever playoff game, 6-4, as Evan Longoria hit 2 home runs in his 1st 2 at-bats, becoming only the 2nd player to ever accomplish that.

Division Series Notes- 10/2

In "Could it be true?" news, the Dodgers beat the Cubs in Game 1 of their NLDS, 7-2. This brings the Dodgers' record in the playoffs since the fateful 1988 season to 2-12. Jose Lima won a game in '04 that barely kept the series alive. This time, James Loney (above) became the 3rd Dodger to ever hit a grand slam in the postseason (Ron Cey and Dusty Baker were the others in 1977), and MVP candidate Manny hit a home run as well that he golfed out. I have allowed myself a brief moment of joy, now back to the belief that we will return to our playoff-failure ways tonight.

In other 1st round news:

- Phils won over the Brewers, 3-1, for their first playoff game win since 1993. Brewers need to win today with the best pitcher in baseball, CC Sabathia, or it's over.

- Red Sox beat the Angels for the 10th playoff game in a row. Home losses don't bode well in the first round, and Anaheim needs to regroup quickly.

Playoff Preview

Here we are, at the most exciting time of the baseball year, as the playoffs start in just a couple of hours. It's really nice for me this year, as a) the Dodgers are in the hunt, and b) there is not a team that I hate in the playoffs for the first time since time since '93 (thanks mostly to no Yankees and/or NL West rivals). There are some great stories this year as well. Just a couple to watch:

- The Tampa Bay Rays will be the darling of everyone who doesn't have a horse in this race, having come from worst to first and with alot of young talent.
- The Chicago Cubs will try to break their 100-year curse with a World Championship.
- The Milwaukee Brewers dodged a huge collapse to make the playoffs for the first time since 1982.

Some intriguing possible World Series matchups:

- Red Sox vs. Dodgers- Manny vs. his old teammates
- Angels vs. Dodgers- The LA team vs. the pretends-to-be-LA team in the first-ever Southern California Series
- Rays vs. Brewers- The Fox execs' heads would explode at this small-market match-up, but 2 teams that have never won it all is always exciting.
- White Sox vs. Cubs- an all Chicago series would be super-annoying, but would make a Cubs victory all the more satisfying.

So here are my predictions:

NLDS

Cubs over Dodgers in 4 games
Phillies over Brewers in 5 games

ALDS

Rays over White Sox in 5 games
Angels over Red Sox in 4 games

NLCS

Cubs over Phillies in 7 games

ALCS

Angels over Rays in 6 games

World Series

Cubs over Angels in 7 games

Remember, these picks are un-scientific and not guaranteed to make you any money whatsoever. Enjoy the next 4 weeks of baseball at its best!

Preseason Baseball Picks Revisted- AL

As decent as I did with my NL predictions in March, is how bad I did with my AL predictions.

The good:

I had 1 of the 4 playoff teams right (Red Sox).
I knew that the Orioles would stink and the Yankees would be mediocre and miss the playoffs.

The bad:

Just about everything else. My other 3 playoff picks (Mariners, Indians, Tigers) were pretty horrible, with 2 of those teams finishing dead last in their divisions.

I will not let this deter me, though, as I will make my new playoff predictions tomorrow.

See my original AL choices here, here, and here.

Preseason Baseball Picks Revisted- NL

With playoffs set to begin on Wednesday, it's time to look back at my National League Predictions.

The good:

I predicted 3 out of the 4 NL playoff teams (Brewers, Dodgers, Phillies).
I had the Phils and Mets as 1 and 1A in the NL East and got killed for that. Needless to say, I was absolutely correct.
The Pirates, Braves, Rockies and Giants all stunk as bad as originally thought.

The bad:

My 4th playoff team, the Padres, were the 2nd worst team in the NL.
The Nats were not as improved as hoped, in fact they were the worst team in baseball.
The Cubs were much better than thought, even though I did pick them 2nd.

Tomorrow, the AL.

For my original predictions, see here, here, and here.

NL West Champs!!

The Dodgers clinched the NL West division last night, and oh, what a feeling! A team that is clearly different since the acquisitions of Casey Blake, and of course, Manny Ramirez (above). Joe Torre went as far to say yesterday that Manny taught this team how to play. It has been an exhaustively up and down year for the Boys on Blue, but now we head to October, and for the first time since 1988, they have a few days to set their rotation (every appearance since then, LA didn't clinch till the final 2 days of the season). Anything can happen in October, and it will be a little more fun for me now.

Midwest Trip Part Two- St. Louis

After 2 days in KC, we drove back to St. Louis to spend some time there. We started this leg of the trip at the Budweiser Brewery, which was alot of fun, alot of interesting buildings, and Staci even got to pet one of their dalmatians.



We then headed to the Arch, and though we didn't go to the top, we got to sit underneath it and look out at the Mississippi River.



Finally we finished up at Busch Stadium III, #26 on my stadium list. Only 3 years old, it is a beautiful stadium, I saw a little bit of Atlanta, Baltimore, and Philly in their design. And the view looking out at the Arch is fantastic. The only disappointment was not getting to meet my hero (and current D-Backs bench coach) Kirk Gibson. It is very fan un-friendly down by the dugouts which made it impossible to get close enough. But I did get to watch him lead BP, and as you can see from the picture (#23 on the left), he's got the same swing that made him a legend 20 autumns ago.



A great trip, to be sure- and now the planning begins for next year's baseball journeys!

Midwest Trip Part One- Kansas City

Staci and I had a nice 4-day weekend in Missouri, flying into St Louis, then immediately driving 3+ hours to Kansas City. We began our trip at the Negro League Museum, which was both fascinating and sad.



Friday night, in an effort to get both famous aspects of KC culture, we went to BB's Lawnside BBQ, a fantastic rib joint that doubled as a blues bar. Neither disappointed, as both the music and food were out of this world.



On Sunday, we went to a Royals game. Stadium #25 for me was nothing special, but it was still a decent ballpark, and it may be my favorite location for an MLB park yet, as it was nestled on the outskirts of town, with no traffic and a laid-back atmosphere. Kansas City was a place I wouldn't mind visiting again.



Coming up tomorrow: St Louis.

New Funny Or Die Videos

As you can tell, I am taking it easy this week on the blog, as a combination of enjoying vacation and fear of jinxing my sports teams. So, to tide those of you over who faithfully read this log everyday, here are some new FunnyorDie videos to enjoy.

First up, a new one from Will. Not Safe For Work:

See more Will Ferrell videos at Funny or Die

And one with Gina Gershon as Sarah Palin. It's not as funny as Tina Fey's portrayal on SNL, but it's close. No matter where your politics are, I think you will find it humorous.

See more Gina Gershon videos at Funny or Die

Blue Rocks Highlight Video

Just a little video snapshot of the '08 Blue Rocks Season. Thanks to Atlee for this great snippet:

Final Day In Blue Rocks Country

It's come down to this- 8 months after my first day in Wilmington, my internship, and 2nd year in baseball, comes to an end. While I will not miss my legendary commute (131 miles/day), I will miss the friends that I have made here and the thrill of 70 baseball games that were each fun and unique. By the numbers:

71 Games
25 Tarp Pulls
4800 Rocky Beanies Sold
552 Hours Spent Driving
24,104 Miles Driven

Where will my next baseball destination be? Who knows? I will keep you updated right here for all future developments...

Seven Years..

Can it really be 7 years since 9/11? It seems like so much more recently, as every moment of that day is as clear to me as if it was yesterday. I'm sure that many people feel that way- it resonates in a way that few events do. The end of innocence, in some ways. And regardless of how you feel about the events that have occurred since (the opportunists, the using of this day as a reason for political campaigns, war, invasion of privacy, etc), it is important to remember first and foremost, the 3500 people who died that day. So take a moment today to remember those people- and also remember the feeling that for a small moment in time, in the days and weeks that followed 9/11, of being a unified country, one with no squabbles, hard feelings or partisanship. A time where we were all truly one nation, with a unifying cause. I leave you today with the legendary Cardinals announcer Jack Buck, who on the return of baseball on September 17th, 2001, read a poem that can speak to us all.

The Sports Weekend That Was

The best thing about pessimism is that when things you thought would go wrong don't, you can experience a small amount of surprised happiness. My sports weekend was filled with that kind of happiness. If you read my previous post, you can see the things I thought would go wrong. For one, euphoria wins out. Here's the review:

Dodgers-D'Backs fight for the NL West

My prediction: Dodgers will get swept and our season will be over.

What happened: Dodgers swept the 3 games and took a 1 1/2 game lead in the NL West.

Blue Rocks-P-Nats Carolina League Playoffs

My prediction: Rocks win Friday night, forcing a game 4 during a hurricane Saturday. After a record 12 tarp pulls, we finish the game at 2AM Sunday morning, a 16-inning thriller that we lose 12-11.

What happened: A gut-wrenching 1-0 P-Nats win on Friday night as the rain beared down on us, dodging multiple bullets.

BK's Sunday Steppers Fantasy Baseball Team

My prediction: my entire team stops hitting, my pitching takes a nap, and I lose 13-12 on a walk in the final game of the weekend.

What happened: After a close weekend battle, my team pulls away on Sunday and I beat Lazardus 18-4, to move on to the 2nd round of playoffs.

Worries about PSU and the Cowboys were also unfounded, as they both crushed their opponents. And to throw a cherry on top of it all, Golden Boy Tom Brady of the Cheat-riots was hurt in the 1st quarter and appears to be done for the year. A good sports weeekend all around.

Playoff (And Stress) Overload

This weekend brings together three major playoff scenarios, all of which could leave me euphoric or miserable come Monday morning. First, the Dodgers play the Diamondbacks in a pivotal 3-game series. The Dodgers are 1 1/2 games back in the NL West and need to win 2 of 3 to make a serious shot at the division. My prediction: they will get swept and our season will be over.

The Blue Rocks play the P-Nats here tonight in game 3 of the 1st round of Carolina League playoffs. The Rocks have lost the 1st 2 games in extra innings. My prediction: they win tonight, forcing a game 4 during a hurricane tomorrow. After a record 12 tarp pulls, we finish the game at 2AM Sunday morning, a 16-inning thriller that we lose 12-11.

And my Yahoo fantasy baseball league playoffs continue- my Sunday Steppers take an 11-11 tie into the weekend. My prediction: my entire team stops hitting, my pitching takes a nap, and I lose 13-12 on a walk in the final game of the weekend.

And I haven't even mentioned the Cowboys' first game and Penn State's 1st real game, both happening this weekend as well. I could be a complete mess as Sunday turns into Monday. Stay tuned for updates on all.

NFL Playoff Predictions

AFC Wild Card Games

Browns over Jaguars
Patriots over Jets

AFC Divisional Playoffs

Colts over Browns
Chargers over Patriots

AFC Championship

Chargers over Colts


NFC Wild Card Games

Packers over Bucs
Giants over Rams

NFC Divisional Playoffs

Saints over Packers
Cowboys over Giants

NFC Championship

Saints over Cowboys

and finally...

Super Bowl XLIII

Chargers over Saints

Enjoy the season!!

NFC Predictions

NFC North

1. Green Bay Packers- 9-7
2. Minnesota Vikings- 8-8
3. Detroit Lions- 6-10
4. Chicago Bears- 3-13

NFC South

1. New Orleans Saints- 10-6
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- 9-7
3. Carolina Panthers- 6-10
4. Atlanta Falcons- 2-12

NFC West

1. St Louis Rams- 10-6
2. Seattle Seahawks- 8-8
3. Arizona Cardinals- 8-8
4. San Francisco 49ers- 3-13

NFC East

1. Dallas Cowboys- 12-4
2. NY Giants- 10-6
3. Washington Redskins- 8-8
4. Philadelphia Eagles- 6-10

Playoff Teams

Cowboys, Packers, Saints, Rams, Bucs(wild card), Giants(wild card)

Tomorrow: Super Bowl prediction...

AFC Predictions

With the new NFL season starting tomorrow, it is time for the surely wrong BK picks. Today, the AFC:

AFC East

1. New England Patriots- 12-4
2. NY Jets- 10-6
3. Buffalo Bills- 7-9
4. Miami Dolphins- 4-12

AFC North

1. Cleveland Browns- 10-6
2. Pittsburgh Steelers- 9-7
3. Baltimore Ravens- 6-10
4. Cincinnati Bengals- 3-13

AFC South

1. Indianapolis Colts- 13-3
2. Jacksonville Jaguars- 11-5
3. Houston Texans- 8-8
4. Tennessee Titans- 7-9

AFC West

1. San Diego Chargers- 13-3
2. Denver Broncos- 9-7
3. Kansas City Chiefs- 5-11
4. Oakland Raiders- 3-13

Playoff teams

Patriots, Browns, Colts, Chargers, Jaguars (wild card), Jets (wild card)

Tomorrow: NFC Predictions

Happy Anniversary To Us!

One year ago today, Staci and I took our vows on a baseball field in front of everyone we love. It was a great day, not only because of us, but because the experience we believe that everyone in attendance had. It was a celebration, not only only of our love, but the love and support of all those surrounding us. In the year since, between jobs, financial dispair, car problems galore, moving, etc, Staci and I have found our strength in each other. And I know that we will continue to do so. Happy anniversary, baby- to the most wonderful wife a guy could ask for.

Playoff Bound

It became official last night- despite losing to the P-Nats, because of a Frederick loss, the Blue Rocks are in the playoffs. It was a rare double celebration, as Potomac clinched the 2nd half division title, and Wilmington got the wild-card berth. I am happy to see my team make it, but not thrilled about a few more long nights working. Hopefully it leads to a ring.

So today, in honor of this accomplishment, I leave you with the Jim Mora "Playoff???" rant. The whole thing is funny, but around 40 seconds is the famous part.

An Historic and Proud Day For America

"It is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.

America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.

Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America."- Barack Obama


Watching Barack Obama last night, a night after Bill Clinton's wonderful speech, was like seeing Mickey Mantle play with Joe DiMaggio. One man, a veteran of 20 years who is one of the great orators of our time, with the younger future who just may surpass the veteran as a speaker. And on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's historic "I Have a Dream" speech, Barack Obama officially became the first African-American candidate of a major party. And Obama did Dr. King proud. He covered every topic, including gun control, war, the economy, and healthcare. He shied away from nothing and showed this country that he will be ready to lead. There are problems to overcome, as we are sure to still see racism in this election from voters- you need look no further than Obama speeches on YouTube under comments and see disgusting drivel from cowards who can hide behind their computer screens. But there is hope- and while I am still cynical that this country's voters will let me down- again, we can only dream that 8 years of Katrina, senseless war, never-ending recession, and $5 gas, will lead the way to make this country great again.

For my wife's eloquent take, go here.



See the entire speech below:

Bill Brings The Heat

“They actually want us to reward them for the last eight years by giving them four more. Let’s send them a message that will echo from the Rockies all across America: Thanks, but no thanks. In this case, the third time is not the charm.”- Bill Clinton

After watching the speeches of Michelle Obama, Ted Kennedy, and Hillary Clinton during this week's Dem National Convention, Bill Clinton had alot to live up to. And as always, he hit it out of the park last night. Clinton backed off the primary season comments that he made as he supported his wife, saying that Hillary supported Obama, and "make that two of us."

Clinton gave the kind of speech that made him a great orator during his 8 years in office. He even came out to the stage to "Don't Stop," his theme song in '92. This wasn't his best work, but it was great and sealed the unity for the Dems that was sorely needed.

To watch the whole speech, see below.

I'm Back!

I know you all missed me, but I'm back from a much-deserved vacation and ready to bring you all things baseball, football, and poitical. For today, as I ease back into work with little sleep and even less patience, enjoy some classic funny clips.

Afternoon Delight-



Jeopardy- "An over-sized hat- it's funny."

Eleven

Abigail turns 11 tomorrow- in other words, 2 years from teen, 7 years from college. Amazing how the years just fly by, and you're left looking pictures like the one above or below, and wondering how it has just passed you by. Abby is very skilled musically, reads everything she can get her hands on, does excellent in school, and is the sweetest person you will ever meet. I'm very proud of her, and I can't wait to see what her future brings. Not too quickly, though. :) Happy birthday Abby-girl!

Our first picture together- August 23, 1997


Christmas 2004

Now Batting...

After 2 postponements because of rain, we finally got our softball game in at Frawley Stadium yesterday. It was the Interns (us) vs. Full Time (them), and I was the Frank Thomas on the A's, old man with all the kids. We won 22-18, and I am happy to say that my line reads: 2-5, 2 RBIs, 1 Run scored; also played a solid left field. We even got our own walk-up music: I had "Rock Rock Til You Drop!" by Def Leppard; "My Hero" by Foo Fighters; and "Overkill" by Men at Work. The fact that I didn't embarrass myself after not playing an organized game in 16 years (and 70 pounds lighter) is the best part to me. And to play on an actual professional baseball field for the first time in my life ranks up near the top of my 2 years in baseball.

Fun Filled Frawley Stadium

The 14 in 17 finally came to an end last night, and even though I am still sleep-deprived, vacation is now less than 2 days away. A few highlights of the homestand:



- 80's wrestling superstar King Kong Bundy(above) made an appearance on Friday, and he was a big draw. He looks exactly the same as he did in the days of taking on Hulk Hogan. Still wearing the same uni-tard as well.



- Judy Johnson/ Negro League Tribute Night was Saturday, and it was amazing to see some of the remaining living legends grace the field here. It won't be long till we only have memories of these fine gentleman, so it's nice to see them in the flesh.



- Current Phillie and former Blue Rock Chad Durbin (above) was here to promote his charity work, and signed autographs. I got to speak with him and he is a very down-to-earth guy. How nice it would be to see more major leaguers recognize their roots and be a positive influence.

- And on a personal note, I was the winner of the Blue Rocks Intern Spelling Bee, which took place on the field during the game on Sunday. Ranks up there with the Sauerkraut Award. It's nice to know I can still do something that I was able to do in 4th grade. You can see the link to my profile here.

Welcome Back Maddux

Greg Maddux, the greatest pitcher in the last 30 years, is set to be traded back to the Dodgers, where he helped us win the 2006 NL West. Maddux is not what he used to be, but still has had a respectable 2008 on a horrible Padres team that gave him no run support. Maddux can slide into the 4th slot of the rotation behind Billingsley, Kuroda & Lowe, a pitching staff that already has the league-leading ERA. This may be the last piece for LA in the quest for the West. And best I can figure, this is the first time a 350+ win pitcher (Maddux) and a 500-home run hitter (Manny) have been on the same team. The closest I could find was eventual home run king Hank Aaron and 363-game winner Warren Spahn, but Hank had only 366 homers at the end of Spahn's career. And, that, my friends, has to count for something.

Sweep!

I am so terrified of jinxing the Dodgers that I debated writing this for a couple of hours. But the recent 4 game sweep of the Phillies is just too good to pass up. For starters, it was the 1st four game sweep the Dodgers have had against the Phils since 1962, and the first they've had against anybody in 4 years. Two huge 9th inning rallies, courtesy of Andre Ethier and Nomar. And last night, Hiroki Kuroda (above) pitched his brains out in a 3-1 win. Kuroda and Chad Billingsley have become the co-aces of the Dodgers' league leading pitching staff.

We are still only tied with the Diamondbacks, as they have played better lately as well. But the schedule favors us down the stretch, so unless we fade down the stretch as in the past (see: 2007, 2005, 2002, etc..), the Dodgers may be well on their way.

TWIB Notes- 8/14

- What a great year this is turning out for pennant races. When was the last time 5 divisions were still this close this late in the year? How about never- since the change to 6 divisions in '94, most races have been confined to wild-card and a couple of divisions. Have you even really heard anything about the wild-card yet? 2 divisions are tied as of this morning: NL West (Dodgers- D'Backs), NL East (Phils- Mets), and AL Central is 1/2 game difference (Twins- White Sox). Should be an exciting last 40 games for all involved.

- Could we possibly see an NL MVP and NL Cy Young who weren't even in their league on July 1st? It's never happened, but Manny Ramirez (Dodgers) and CC Sabathia (Brewers) are making a case. Sabathia is 7-0 since joining the Brewers and has them poised to make their first playoff appearance since 1982. Manny is hitting .467 with 5 HRs and 16 RBIs in 12 games with LA. Both are probably long-shots just because of a lack of games in the NL, but should that really be a punishment? I don't think so.

- Team USA Baseball won this morning against the Netherlands. If we don't win the gold medal, we will never see baseball in the Olympics again. Something to play for, indeed.