Friday, October 27, 2006

Da Champs

Here I sit in my chair, my "final season for Busch Stadium" 2005 shirt (that I've worn for 3 days straight) on under my Ozzie Smith jersey, holding my 1979 Topps Ozzie Smith rookie card and drinking a Budweiser Select and the Cardinals have just won the 2006 World Series.

I love sports. I've rooted for many teams for a variety of reasons in a lot of different sports over the years. I've seen a lot of great contests and have a lot of great memories. Of all the teams I've rooted for, I have been a Cardinals fan all my life. Tonight MY team are the champions.

The last time this happened, it was 1982 and Cards' fans have endured a lot of heartbreak since then. Not tonight.

I am overwhelmed with joy. Now I get to watch the post-game stuff until I puke.

Thank you, Cards.

PS: I just gotta say that Leyland's comments after the game show incredible class. Hats off to you, Mr. Leyland, and your Detroit Tigers.

Get Duncan out of there!

OMG, the Cards are SO lucky that Chris Duncan's errors haven't cost them any more than they have tonight. LaRussa needs to get that motherfucker out of there now!

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Cards up 3-1!

Wow! What a game! The Cardinals pulled it out in the 8th and now they're up 3-1 in the World Series! I'd love them to win it at home for the fans! One more win!

GO CARDS!

Everything's late....rained out, snowed in.


Last night was supposed to be game 4 of the World Series.

Trish and I were waiting for the game to start. They kept saying that the game would start in 15 minutes, then 30 minutes....45. We ordered chinese food and the place said it'd be 30-35 minutes. Ususally this means 15-25 minutes, tops. However, after about 45 minutes, I started to worry. After an hour, I called. They said they'd been very busy and had gotten the food out late. About 5 minutes later they called back and said that the delivery guy had dropped the food and it had to be remade. About 10 minutes after that, he arrived. The food, which is usually piping hot, was lukewarm. Still good, but obviously there was a break-down somewhere. Shortly after our food arrived, they called the game. Boooo!

And then, this morning, I awoke to find everything coated in snow. It didn't just snow, the snow is wet and sticky and the wind is still blowing hard (and still snowing in the above picture). We have about 2 feet in the back yard and Jax, our big black lab likes to bound through the drifts. Shitty weather. Makes one glad I work at home full-time :)

Sunday, October 22, 2006

I hate previews

I think I used to watch the "next week's preview" of my shows that were at the end of every episode, but I don't recall. I stopped doing this several years ago...maybe it's because of TiVo...but I find it extraordinarily annoying now. Warning - profanity ahead.

From where did our fascination with previews come? I don't want to see what is going to be on ER next week. Why? Because they generally twist the little clips so that you're expecting something different than actually happens. They'll fabricate responses like showing Dr. Kovac saying "To Hell with you, Carrie" and the chief of staff replying "You're fired". But when you see the actual episode, it's taken in context like Kovac is quoting someone else saying that and Carrie is actually saying "You're fired" in a hypothetical circumstance. Previews create bullshit additional fictitious dialogue to an already fictional series. I hate it.

Know what else I hate? Previews of movies or TV shows that are shown months early. Wait, strike that....YEARS early. I don't mind if it's a singular preview in March of a movie that I really want to see, like a 15-second plug for the new Star Wars movie that is coming out in December. But when you're sitting in the theatre and they show you something really cool and then at the end it says "Fall of 09", I just have to say "What the fuck?!". Why? Do filmmakers really need to start the hype 2-3 years before a film is to aire?

It's the same damned thing with TV shows. It's spring and you start seeing previews for the fall season. Do I need to know who McDreamy is going to be fucking in September when it's only April? I think not. I don't mind so much if the previews are occasional, but when they are on EVERY FUCKING COMMERCIAL BREAK, I get annoyed. I love Nip/Tuck. But the beginning of every break starts with the same music and a plug for the new FX series "Dirt". When I first saw it, I thought "OK, that looks kinda cool.". However, even with TiVo, I have now been so inundated with the irritating ads that I don't want to see it anymore. Do you know the worst part? Dirt starts in February. FEBRUARY! Motherfucker! I have to watch this lame-ass shit for 5 months? Suck my ass!

The last type of preview I hate are programs that show you a preview IN the show of what you'll see after the break. Dr. Phil does this. Project Runway does this. A myriad of other lame shows do this. It is ridiculous. I don't want to sit and see snipets of what I'm going to see after the break. Just go to fucking commercial, get it over with and then show me what's next. Don't tease me or reveal what is going to happen in 2 minutes (or 10 seconds with TiVo), just fucking show it to me! BASTARDS! "Coming up on Project Runway..." Tell you what, Heidi, why don't you take your fucking previews and stick them up your perpetually pregnant ass. I swear Seal must have his cock "aufed" more often than a 12 yr old who just hacked his way onto a porn site. Just go to commercial and come back and finish the shit, OK?

Have we really managed to reduce our attention spans so drastically that we have to see whats coming up in 2 minutes or we'll change the channel? "Wow! I really like Lost! I can't wait to see what's coming up after the break." *halfway through a Carls Jr. ad with some slovenly actor allowing a burger's juice to run down their chin like a fast-food money shot* "Ohhh, I think I'll switch over to Bowling!" I mean...Come on!

Cards Win!

The Cards have their first World Series win in the books! I didn't watch it very closely because I was at a party. The Tigers fan who was at the party wasn't happy with the results, which is understandable.

Today we have to decide if we start the smokin-hot McNabb who plays the Bucs (8th in pass D) or our "backup" QB Leftwich who plays against the horrible pass D of the Texans (31st in pass D). Leftwich is a game-time decision, so we've got to watch carefully to figure out if he will even play. And we play the only other 5-1 team in our league. This matchup will create a clear "leader". Nerves!

EDIT: Luckily we stuck with our stud. We started McNabb who threw 3 interceptions early and things were looking bad. But he ended up with 34 points, whereas Leftwich only got 6. We're up 20 points going into the afternoon games. Tomorrow our opponent has TO and Dallas D, so we need to score as much as possible!

Thursday, October 19, 2006

YES!

The Cards are going to the Series!

They had to make it interesting. Game 7. In the rain. Shea Stadium. 9th inning, winning run on base.

I was so tense. When Molina hit the homerun, I did a dance in the living room that Trish called "disturbing". Later she described it as "Embarassing...and I was the only one who saw it". I guess it was something between the Special Olympics and Dancing with the Stars.

What a crazy game...

Saturday it starts all over...

GO CARDS!

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

BK chicken sandwich

There's just something different about Burger King's chicken sandwich. First of all, it's long. It's more hot-dog in length rather than the customary circular or square of other restaurants. Second, while it is breaded, it doesn't have an overabundance of breading. I attribute this to the perfectly flat and shapeless formation of the patty from chicken meal which I'm sure is made from beaks, elbows, butts and other parts of the chicken. There is no muscleculture or unique shapes for that batter to get caught in, causing crunchy bits of breading that, while they can be tasty, can also jab the roof of your mouth like the spear of a roman soldier. And who wants a roman soldier in your sammich? I certainly do not.

BK's chicken sammich is succulent. Sure it's fatty. It's probably more fatty than a burger, actually, but when you're looking for fast food, it's all about the taste, right? Today I'm enjoying about my 3rd sammich in the last 3-4 years. I can hear you asking now "But Chas, if you likea da sammich, why you have so few?" Good question. The answer: BK sucks.

Well, at least the BKs in Colorado Springs do. What are my gripes with the BKs of Colorado? I'm glad you asked. First of all, they wouldn't take credit cards for a while. What kind of major chain doesn't take credit cards today? Morons! One time I ordered and went to the window. When I got there they said "we don't take credit cards at the drive-through" They mentioned "at the drive-through" as if to say "come inside and use it!", so I asked if they took cards inside and they said they did. Frustrated, but really wanting my sandwich, I pulled out of the drive-through and went to park. I went to the cashier and told them I had an order and was here to use my credit card. The teller pointed me towards a little ATM machine and said something like "you can use that". Not wanting to pay an $18.75 fee (oh yeah, plus the $5 my bank would charge for using a off-shore atm-credit-account thingy) for my $4 sammich, I politely declined and calmly walked out. It went something like: *throws hands in air* "Fuck that!" *pushes the door hard on the way out*

A couple of times, I drove through the take-out lane and asked "Do you take credit cards?". After hearing "no". I just drove on. I even tried to call their customer service one time and got the runaround, so I just hung up. I would have left comments on their web site, but they had no way to do that.

At least once in the year or two to follow, I actually had cash and went into the store to buy a sammich. I don't know why I didn't go through the line now that I had cash. I went into the store and nobody was at the counter. I stood there and, after a couple of minutes began looking over the little warmers to see if anyone was in the back. One lady saw me, but kept working. Finally someone came up to the front, but they went to the drive-through, totally ignoring me and gave someone their order out there. I waited 5 minutes, which in fast-food time is like giving your professor 30 minutes before you leave the classroom. Frustrated (becoming a theme?) I stormed out the door, meeting a family of four on the way out. "Good luck!" I snarled at them and the mother and father looked at me and the father hesitated and said "Oh no. Bad?" I replied "Waited for 5 minutes and was completely ignored". I got some satisfaction at seeing them head back to their car as I drove away.

Now they take credit cards and their customer service is a little better, but they still need some work. Today their breakfast menu was still up at 11:15am. When I politely asked if they were serving lunch, I got a firm "yes". Since I don't have the "value meal" number memorized (thank God), I then said "Well, I'd like a chicken sandwich meal, but I don't know the number." She replied "That's a number 9". I waited for a few seconds and then said "I'd like a number 9". It appeared on the little menu monitor thing. I asked for no mayo and to add cheese. Later I found that they took the mayo, but didn't add the cheese. The fries were ridiculously hot and the sammich was great. Maybe they're working at getting it right. Too bad they didn't have their shit together years ago when I was eating fast food more than 2x/month. It's nuts that a place that is one of the top chains in the country concentrates on making those ridiculous big-plastic-headed king commerials and can't serve their food correctly.

Monday, October 16, 2006

T I V O


"Oh Tivo, I love you so!"

What would we do without our 3 Tivos? We might have to actually leave the bed to watch Monday Night Football! How barbaric!

MNF

OMG, the Cardinals (football this time) are beating the Bears 14-0 in the first half. Not only are the Bears losing, but Anquan Boldin, the last player our opponents in the CBL have to play, has already gotten 50 yards and a TD. And our Kicker (Rackers) just missed a 50-yard FG, which would have widened the gap quite a bit. Booooo!

EDIT: Wow. Grossman (who just happens to be Trish's Yahoo!-league QB) has thrown 3 picks and I think he's fumbled twice! Arizona just looked to have put the game away, but the Chicago D just got their 2nd TD! Now the game really gets interesting! At least our Kicker now has 12 points and we've got the 2nd-highest total for the week, essentially securing our win. CRAZY!

EDIT: Holy shit! THREE TDs by the Chicago D....and then Rackers misses a 40-yarder and the Bears pull it out to win 24-23. Wow...

Sunday, October 15, 2006

No more Delgado/ Go Taints/ a successful proposal

Well, the Cards ended up winning last night. And tonight things were looking good for the Cards. However, thanks mostly due to Carlos Delgado, the Mets just opened up the game and are now leading 11-3. It makes me sick. I don't even want to watch any more. Some might say "Well, the series will just be tied if the Cards lose", but I don't want the Cards to lose at all. Game 5 is tomorrow in St. Louis and then the last two are in New York. I'd love to see the Cards win the league at home.

Does anyone else think those John Lovitz Subway commercials are the most idiotic thing that's been on TV in a long time? Hate 'em! And they play them at almost every break of football or baseball. Argh!

Still, today hasn't been a total wash. We (the PoonDog Taints) have taken a comanding lead in our Fantasy Football matchup this week. We only have to hold out against Anquan Boldin on Monday night, and we still have Neil Rackers. Speaking of the league, I've managed to put the link and an imbedded java link of the league standings in my sidebar. Pretty spiffy.

Yep, today hasn't been all bad. Been a nice lazy day, which is good, considering I was pretty stressed yesterday while preparing to propose to my girlfriend, Trish. Obviously things went well, or my blog would probably be considerably more morose. I'll post more details on that later. :)

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Spiezio, my hero


I'm a lifelong Cardinals fan. Tonight is the 3rd game of the NLCS and the Cards and Mets are tied at one win each. Scott Spiezio was put in for future-hall-of-famer Scott Rolen last night and he got a clutch hit. Tonight it's the 4th inning and the Cards are up 5-0. Why? Spiezio.

As a true Cardinals fan, thank you, Scott. Your emperial (his red goatee) rocks!

Fantasy Football

This is my fourth year playing fantasy football. The first couple years I did the best I could, but only managed a few wins. Still, every year I get a little better and my team wins a few more games. Last year, with the addition of my girlfriend to management, we just missed the play-offs. This year we're 4-1 and hope to win our matchup this weekend, putting us firmly in first-place in our division.

I first experienced fantasy sports back in the mid-90s. At the time I was in a league with a friend and some people from the local paper and network TV stations. They were sportswriters and newscasters and I was just someone who loved baseball. I soon learned that there was more to managing a fantasy team then just picking your favorite players. Over a few years I was in a variety of baseball leagues, including draft and auction style. There are merits to both, but I think the auction-style is more fun, even if it takes longer. I don't remember how I fared in those early years, but I guess I didn't win or I'd remember.

It's changed a lot in the last several years, too. Today you have web-management, official scores and a plethera of sites that provide updates, information and advice. Back in the 90s we read USA Today, calculated our own scoring and faxed our score-sheets to the commissioner. For any transactions you had to call the commissioner and for research you basically had newspaper or magazines.

For our league (Colorado Beer League) we have a website that allows you to run reports, gives you up-t0-date news, allows you to track scoring real-time and handles all types of transactions, from waivers to IR to trades. There's even a message board and chat window. This year the software we use has even added a java-based program that will let you track not only your matchups, but the matchups of the rest of your league. Another great thing is it lets you view the scoring of each NFL game, so you can keep tabs of all players, not just those owned by a manager in your league. This is great for determining pickups as the season progresses.

Why do any fantasy sports? Well, 4 years ago when I started fantasy football, I wasn't that big of a football fan. I used to like football when I was a kid, but over the last 10 years or so, I've been more interested in watching my baseball Cardinals or cheering for the NHL's Colorado Avalanche. However, 4 years ago when I started playing fantasy football, I found that I learned a lot more about the game. I learned the teams, I learned the players and almost every matchup had meaning for me. Every year since I've become more interested in football. Now, on almost every Sunday, I am glued to the TV. We watch our team, cheer for our players and I eagerly await the results of each game. THAT is the reason to get into fantasy football (or any other sport) - because you will enjoy the sport that much more. Try it!

Girl and dog, Dog and girl

To Henge or not to Henge?

I have seen a few programs on the History and Learning (TLC) channel recently about henges. Henges are basically circles that were used by ancient civilizations to denote a specifically important site. You've heard of Stonehenge, but they've found evidence of hundreds of henges around the world. Stonehenge is made of...stone...but not far from stonehenge was another henge made from huge timbers that they have named, incredibly, woodhenge.

Anyway, when thinking of a name for my first blog, I figured it could be a henge, and since Al Gore's blog is probably called "Webhenge", I had to name mine after what the world wide web has essentially replaced - paper. I really don't know if there was ever a real paperhenge in the world, but I'm fairly certain someone has been building an Alumihenge in my garage with the bags of cans I intend to take to recycling.