Stop The Insanity!

PETA, the narcisistic hippie vegetarian group, has released its list of Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Ballparks for 2008. I will not recite the whole list here, it can found on their website. I have no problem with vegetarians or eating healthy. But ballparks are meant to be for ballpark food, just as there is movie theater food, ice cream stand food, and bar food. Here's some examples sold at various MLB parks:

- mock chicken sandwiches- ooo-kay....
- crab-free crabcake sandwiches- how is this possible???
- vegetarian cha-cha bowls- "filled with black beans, rice, shredded zucchini, and pineapple salsa"- really ridiculous...
- Harvest vegetable wraps- "spinach tortilla wraps layered with grilled portobello mushrooms, roasted zucchini, roasted red peppers, lettuce, and diced tomatoes"- sighhh
- "The Poppy" sandwiches- "roasted eggplant, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes"- unbelieveable..
- Of course the "normal" veggie fare- Veggie burgers, veggie dogs, sushi, etc.

For the record, I have a problem with new ballpark foods that I like in other non-ballpark settings, like soup, salad, dinner platters. A ballpark is meant for hot dogs, peanuts, beer, Cracker Jacks. Catering to every single person on the planet who may show up at your stadium is ridiculous. Fast food has gone in the same direction, serving apple fries at Burger King and flatbread sandwiches at Dunkin Donuts. Just somebody, please, stop these idiots before they go to far. Problem is, I think that they already have.

The Ghost of Trade Deadlines Past

MLB's trade deadline is tomorrow at 4PM, and it's always an exciting time for fans of contending teams who are waiting for one big bat or big pitcher to put their team over the top. But do they really help? Most of the time, I would say no. Sometimes it does pay huge dividends and they give away nothing for that one missing piece. And sometimes it completely blows up in that team's face, as they give up their future for 2 months of glory. And they might not know how bad it was until a decade later. Here are some of the most one-sided July trades in recent years:

1987- Tigers get SP Doyle Alexander
Braves get minor league SP John Smoltz

Often considered the worst July trade. Alexander went 9-0 and led the Tigers to the division title, but imploded in the playoffs and stunk up the joint the next two years. Smoltz? Now in his 21st year with the Braves, led Atlanta to 15 consecutive division titles and a World Championship, and is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

1988- Yankees get DH Ken Phelps
Mariners get RF Jay Buhner

The Yankees were trying to break a 7-year playoff drought and had no place to play Buhner. Phelps hit .224 and left at the end of the year as the Yanks finished 5th. Buhner had a 14 year solid career with the M's, hitting over 300 homers and leading the Mariners to their first playoff appearance in 1995.

1990- Red Sox get RP Larry Andersen
Astros get minor-league 1B Jeff Bagwell

The Red Sox did make the playoffs in '90, but got killed by the A's, and Andersen had 1 save in 2 months. Bagwell? He only went on to a 17 year, probable Hall of Fame career with the Astros, amassing 450+ home runs and becoming the face of their franchise.

1993- Braves get 1B Fred McGriff
Padres get minor leaguers Melvin Nieves, Donnie Elliot & Vince Moore

The Braves get the bat they desperately needed in McGriff, who is a main component of their winning their third division in a row. McGriff was also there to help the Braves win it all in 1995. The three tomato cans the Padres got did nothing in their careers.

1997- Mariners get RP Heath Slocumb
Red Sox get C Jason Varitek, SP/RP Derek Lowe

This is the most lopsided one, in my opinion. Slocumb (above) pitched 2 years for the M's, getting a total of 13 saves with a 5.00 ERA. Varitek and Lowe were the cornerstones of the first Red Sox World Championship in 86 years in '04, and Varitek was there to help them win another in '07.

1998- Astros get SP Randy Johnson
Mariners get SP Freddy Garcia, SS Carlos Guillen, RP John Halama

This isn't really as one-sided as most of the others, but still worth mentioning. Randy went 10-1 as a 'Stro and pitched two great games in the first-round of the playoffs, but Houston couldn't score. Randy left for Arizona that fall. Garcia, Guillen and Halama were a main part of the core of the Mariners team that won 116 games in '01, but they also got bounced quickly out of the playoffs.


I will look at this year's trade deadline deals on Friday, but we may not know till 2018 who got the better end of the deal.

Keith On The Soup

One of the funniest shows on TV got even funnier with a cameo from Olbermann this weekend.

Walter O'Malley Finally Gets His Due

This weekend's Baseball Hall of Fame induction includes a man who deserved to get in years ago. Dodger owner Walter O'Malley was revolutionary in his thinking by expanding baseball west beyond Missouri. He has been hated for 5 decades in Brooklyn for taking their Dodgers away, and he has often been portrayed as the evil in the whole situation. The truth is that Brooklyn politician Robert Moses had much more to do with it by thwarting every effort to replace outdated Ebbets Field. (Moses' only "solution" was to offer swampland in Queens- the exact spot where the expansion Mets later built the beyond-horrendous Shea Stadium)

Regardless, O'Malley was a man who took care of those around him and ensured continuity in his organization. From 1953 through 1996, with Walter and later son Peter running the team, the Dodgers had 2 managers and 4 general managers. Some teams go through that in one year. With that consistency came much success, as the Dodgers won 6 World Series in that time, and were always a contender for pennants and divisions. It's no surprise, then, that since the O'Malley's sold the team in 1997, the Dodgers have gone through 7 managers and 6 GMs, and have won 1 playoff game.

O'Malley was also the driving force for building Dodger Stadium, considered one of the finest in all of baseball. He also had drawn up plans for a dome and pay(cable) TV decades before they came to fruition. Walter died in 1979, and it's good to see that 30 years after his death, he is getting his rightful induction into Cooperstown.

Jon Stewart Makes Fun of NEPA

Well, actually makes fun of McCain, but the Scranton reference makes it all the funnier. Look for it around 4:15 in the video.

Final Trip To The House That Papa Built

On Tuesday night, Staci, Mary, Jimmy & myself took the trip out to the Bronx one last time for old Yankee Stadium. The three of my road-mates were happy with an 8-2 Yankee win over the Twins. The trip was nostalgic, as Mary and I spent many Sunday afternoons in our childhood at Yankee Stadium. Our grandfather ran bus trips from Scranton out to the Bronx, and they were always entertaining and some of the best memories of our childhoods. Our last trip was in 1994, as the rising ticket prices and the horrible strike finally made my grandfather decide it was not worth it any longer.



In the 15 years leading up to that, though, Papa always got great seats and tried to find the most entertaining weekend- we were there for Bobby Murcer Day, Phil Rizzuto Day (when they brought a cow out on the field for him), Billy Martin Day. We also got to see Tom Seaver throw his 300th win against the Yankees, to this day the only true milestone I have witnessed live.



So, Mary and I remembered all this and more, from "iced tea" to lucky numbers. Mary even made me a pepperoni and butter sandwich, just like Grandma used to (we were not allowed to eat at games- "why would we spend $2 on a hot dog when we can make 20 sandwiches for the same amount?" HA!). We were able to get seats right behind where Papa always got his seats, so we had the same view as the old days. Another sign of changing times- seats that cost $7 in 1987 are now $75. Some things remain- Bob Sheppard's amazing voice still echoes from the PA system, and the outfield bunting and scoreboard are the same. But the days of Mattingly, Winfield, Guidry are long gone. And so are the days of $2 hot dogs, $7 seats, and Papa's bus trips. But somehow, 10 years after he left this planet, Papa was there Tuesday night, ensuring one more win for his Yankees in front of his two eldest grandchildren. And he was smiling as the strains of Sinatra played one last time for us in Yankee Stadium.

Birthday Weekend

Staci and I had a quiet, but fun, birthday weekend. We started out on Friday night going to see "The Dark Knight," a fantastic movie that is worth seeing even if you're not a fan of superhero movies.



On Saturday, we drove 10 miles up the road to Limeport, PA to see an old amateur stadium that was celebrating its 75th anniversary. Limeport Stadium truly looked like it was from "Field of Dreams," down to the cornstalks past left field. It also has a very unique feature- centerfield (above) is on a high slope, as it has a huge boulder underneath it that could not be removed with 1933 technology. It is also 485 feet to deep center, and trees and flagpoles are in play. It was great seeing such a preserved piece of history, and they also had a game starring the New York Mutuals Vintage Baseball Team. The Mutuals (see pic below) are part of a league that follows 1860's-1880's rules. Such as:

- no gloves are used
- anything caught on one bounce is an out
- pitchers can throw under- or over-hand



They also wear original wool uniforms, and the umpire stands on the first base side instead of behind the plate. It was really neat to see baseball played in this way. Afterward, we enjoyed a nice dinner and went home to watch "Semi-Pro" and drink a bit.

On our birthday yesterday, we went to an Iron Pigs game. Even though it was standing room only, and they were playing the Scranton/WB Red Barons, or whatever they're called now, we had a good time. All in all, a low-key but eventful birthday weekend.

BK35- The #1 Songs

Not my number 1's per se, but the song that was #1 on the US pop chart on each of my birthdays since July 20, 1973. It's an eclectic mix, to be sure, some classics like Billy Joel and Prince; some one-hitters like Sir Mix-a-Lot and EMF. So here they are, from Billy Preston (above) in '73 to Katy Perry in '08.

1973- Billy Preston- Will it Go Round In Circles?
1974- George McCrae- Rock Your Baby
1975- Van McCoy- The Hustle
1976- The Manhattans- Kiss & Say Goodbye
1977- Barry Manilow- Looks Like We Made It
1978- Andy Gibb- Shadow Dancing
1979- Donna Summer- Bad Girls
1980- Billy Joel- It's Still Rock & Roll To Me
1981- Air Supply- The One That You Love
1982- Survivor- Eye of the Tiger
1983- The Police- Every Breath You Take
1984- Prince- When Doves Cry
1985- Duran Duran- View to a Kill
1986- Peter Gabriel- Sledgehammer
1987- Heart- Alone
1988- Richard Marx- Hold Onto the Nights
1989- Martika- Toy Soldiers
1990- Glenn Medeiros & Bobby Brown- She Ain't Worth it
1991- EMF- Unbelievable
1992- Sir Mix-a-Lot- Baby Got Back
1993- UB40- Can't Help Falling In Love
1994- All-4-One- I Swear
1995- TLC- Waterfalls
1996- 2Pac- California Love
1997- Puff Daddy- I'll Be Missing You
1998- Brandy & Monica- The Boy is Mine
1999- Ricky Martin- Livin' La Vida Loca
2000- Matchbox 20- Unwell
2001- Usher- You Remind Me
2002- Nelly- Hot In Here
2003- Beyonce & Jay-Z- Crazy In Love
2004- Usher- Confessions, Pt.2
2005- Mariah Carey- We Belong Together
2006- Nelly Furtado- Promiscuous
2007- Rhianna- Umbrella
2008- Katy Perry- I Kissed a Girl

If you'd like to see what was #1 on your birthday or special day, go to a site I've used for years, This Day in Music.

Chase Utley Is My Favorite Non-Dodger

Not really, but he's getting closer. Why? Well, first his hilarious ESPN Fantasy Baseball ad this spring- "My wife and my best friend in the same mock draft lobby?"



Then, there was this at the Home Run Derby on Monday, apparently the only show left on TV that does not have a 7-second delay. Chase had something to say to Yankee fans as they booed him at introductions:



Priceless! He's funny, and he doesn't put up with ridiculous booing from fans whose team doesn't even play his Phillies? What a guy.

Another funny sports video to close the week out, courtesy of YouTube. This is circa 1992, when Jim Rome is just gaining national prominence and ESPN2 was still an infant. Rome is poking at Saints QB Jim Everett by continually calling him female tennis star Chris Evert. And hilarity ensues!



Have a good weekend everybody!

New JibJab Video!

Some of you may have already seen this, but JibJab.com, maker of hilarious non-partisan videos, has just been posted, set to the tune of Dylan's "The Times Are A-Changing." And it stars Obama, McCain, and...Kenney? Watch carefully toward the end of the 2 minute video:

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Yes, not only does JibJab make great videos, but gives you the chance to star along in it. It's good to have some light-heartedness in a political year that has been anything but.