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.

Olympic Fever- Catch It!

A sleepless night last night (I've been awake since 2:30 AM) led to something good for once. Once I realized that I was not getting back to sleep, I started flipping through NBC's kajillion channels of Olympic coverage. Some of what I saw:

- US Women's Gymnastics qualifying 2nd with some great moves.
- US Men's Swimming Relay as Michaal Phelps worked his way to a 2nd gold already with a dramatic finish.
- Long distance scull race.

OK, so they weren't all winners. But I can't remember the last time I watched so much Olympics in one sitting. '96 Atlanta, maybe? And now I can't wait to see some more. The Olympics certainly is not what it was back in the day, when we hated Russia and vice versa. In fact, that's all sports talk has mentioned today (but at least it's not Brett Favre coverage). I can remember 1984 Los Angeles like it was yesterday, you couldn't tear me away.

But there are good storylines, great athletes, and hopefully many more wins for the US. And instead of just watching baseball, men's basketball, and women's volleyball, I might sit around and check out a good archery match.

For the take of the man who rooted for the USSR in the 1980 Hockey game, go here.

Dan & Keith Discuss Favre

Ahh, a preview of the Big Show:

Paris Shoots Back

Hilarious response by Paris Hilton to being used in McCain's "Barack is a celebrity" ad. Contrary to rumor, Paris did not memorize her lines. Thanks to FunnyOrDie:

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

Star Wars Night at Frawley Stadium

I am excited about this one, as are most of the front office. So in honor of tonight, here's a couple of clips from Family Guy's take on the Star Wars universe:

Musical Interlude

I can't remember the last time I thought a video was cool, but Gnarls Barkley's new song "Who's Gonna Save Your Soul" fits that bill. Check it out, if you've ever had your heart broken, you will relate. Gets a little strange, but that's what makes Gnarls such an interesting group.



And for a time when even commercials were great videos, let's go back to 1983 (dont know why the video says 1988). Michael Jackson (pre-creepy) and MJ impersonator Alfonso Ribiero (pre-Carlton on Fresh Prince) dance thru the streets.

14 Games In 17 Days...

...starting tonight. The good news is that after this, all that is left is 4 more games (and possible playoff games). To get to that point, there will be no sleep, lots of money spent on gas, and probably more rain than Seattle. But the finish line is out in the distance...

King of the Kraut

I was bestowed the Sauerkraut Award at work during our last staff meeting. You may ask yourself, what the heck is the Sauerkraut Award? Well, it is a fun award to break up the monotony, given to the person who has gone above and beyond during the last couple of weeks. I was awarded it for personalizing hundreds of kid camp shirts for the marketing department. There are many rules to the Sauerkraut Award, including not forming alliances to award to friends or department buddies, but the most important rule is that you do not eat the Sauerkraut Award. I will keep this proudly displayed at my desk as I try to find the next recipient.

TWIB Notes- Trade Deadline Edition

Here are the winners and losers from the most exciting trade deadline in a decade:

Winners

Dodgers- Of course I am starting with my boys in blue. Casey Blake and Manny Ramirez (see my previous post) add playoff experience to a young team.

Brewers- Traded for CC Sabathia (above) 3 weeks ago, and all he has done is go 4-0 with 3 shutouts and a 1-something ERA. Milwaukee loving baseball for the first time since Molitor and Yount.

White Sox- This move is getting bashed by some, but adding Ken Griffey Jr to their lineup is an immediate upgrade. And Griffey getting a chance on a contender is fantastic as well.

Yankees- Once again this year, the Yanks give up nothing and get everything they want. The idiot teams who agree to this are the ones to blame. Damaso Marte, Xavier Nady and an HGH-free Ivan Rodriguez are not marquee names, but should fill the holes the Yankees needed.

Check Back In October

Red Sox- Addition by subtraction, as they say. Manny was mailing it in, but Jason Bay is not an upgrade, and Big Papi may not get pitched to the rest of the year. Boston may just be good enough to get past this.

Cubs- Rich Harden is a great pitcher if he stays healthy for more than a month. A curious move for a team that has dealt with the Prior and Wood injuries for 5 years. So far so good for the Cubbies, but will he last till October?

Angels- Why do people love this move? Mark Teixiera adds great offense, but the Angels are up by a zillion games in the AL West. Supposedly picked up for the postseason, Teixiera has never played a postseason game, and pitching, not hitting, wins in October.

Rays- Did nothing, and that was they should have done. Will it pay off? If they continue their magical season, it should be with the chemistry and youth that got them here.

Phils- Joe Blanton may be the kind of quiet deal that makes the difference is the NL East.

Losers

Braves- Gave up 4 top prospects last year for Teixiera. This year, got serviceable Casey Kotchman and 1 prospect for Teixiera. Yikes.

Astros- Traded prospects for LaTroy Hawkins. They are currently 14 games out in the best division in baseball.

Pirates- Traded their 3 best players for alot of prosects, but none that stand out. Sound like the last 15 years for the Pirates? That's because it is.

Nationals- Worst team in baseball should have traded for more prospects. Instead, did nothing and then released 3 veterans (LoDuca, Lopez, and Estrada) immediately after the deadline. You couldn't get anybody back for those guys? Anybody??

Mets, D-Backs, Twins- All in hotly contested races and made no moves of note. Could be the reason none of them make the playoffs.


My baseball comrade Lazardus has returned from a hiatus that would make Tony Kornheiser proud. Check out his thoughts here.

ManRam Heads West

Every year, the Dodgers are in the discussion for the biggest names in baseball at the trade deadline. And every year the Dodgers do next to nothing. Instead of Alfonso Soriano and CC Sabathia, they choose Hee Sop Choi and Scott Proctor. Not this year, though. In the biggest in-season trade in Dodger history (not exaggerating, you can look it up), the Dodgers traded 2 overrated prospects for future Hall of Famer Manny Ramirez. The Dodgers, with the best pitching and the 15th best hitting in the NL, have effectively won the division (barring more injuries or an '07 Rockies-like winning streak) with this move.

Now I am not nieve, Manny is a flake who makes cell phone calls and takes bathroom breaks during innings. But he also is the main reason the Red Sox won 2 World Series in 4 years, and he is a free agent at the end of the year, which means he will be playing his ass off for one more $100 million dollar contract. The biggest key to me is that we did not trade any of our future stars like Matt Kemp or James Loney. I can't remember the last time I was this excited about something the Dodgers have done, as it has been a long 20 years since our last championship. And this may not be the year either, but things look alot better than they did 24 hours ago.