Slow Day

Most of the time I am so busy I can barely think straight. I am always thinking that I can't wait until there is a time that we are slow. Then we get slow, and I get bored out of my mind, and wish that things could just be a little bit more interesting. I try to do some cleaning around the Athletic Training Room, but I just get annoyed with it and have to find something else to do.

Zeb is working four 10's starting this week and lasting through the summer. It's nice because it means that he gets 3 day weekends every weekend. But it also means that he has to get up 2 hours earlier every morning. And it also means that when he gets up at 5 AM and wants to chat as he gets ready for work, I also get woken up. Hmmmm.

I have to go be a speaker at Career Day at a local middle school on Thursday. I'm pretty nervous and I don't know what to tell these kids, they'll probably eat me alive. boo.

2007 MLB Calendar - June

Here's the next edition of 2007 MLB Calendar. It's a slow day around the old office, and I've resigned myself to doing the monthly cleaning chores. Impressive that I've held out this long... Hope everyone is well, it was a good episode of The Office last night, I'll definitely have to watch it again soon. Have a great weekend!

June 1: St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols opens a package from his mother in the clubhouse, pulling out a birthday card and a T-shirt that says: "Lordy, Lordy, Look Who's 40," but quickly buries the T-shirt in his locker before anyone can see it.

June 2: With reports surfacing that Roger Clemens is finally about to make up his mind, the Marlins hurriedly offer him the league minimum salary prorated over the remainder of the season. The offer is turned down.

June 3: Roger Clemens signs with the Houston Astros for $20 million, including a contract provision granting his request that all games he pitches in must be played in the backyard of his suburban home.

June 8: The Pittsburgh Pirates excitedly begin a three-game interleague series in New York against the Yankees and spend most of the opening game on their cell phones asking friends and relatives to turn on the TV so they can see that they actually are real major league players.

June 9: Looking to address the decreasing number of young black players in baseball, commissioner Bud Selig shows how much marketing savvy he has by releasing a rap album called "The Great Sport Of Baseball Is Really Quite Dope, Yo" under the name MC Selig.

June 10: With Randy Johnson's ERA hovering near 6.00 and his strikeout total way down, the Diamondbacks accuse the Yankees of trading them a different Randy Johnson than the one they turned over to New York two years ago.

June 11: Tired of getting embarrassed by him, the St. Louis Cardinals batting-practice pitcher begins pitching around Albert Pujols before each game.

June 12: Cubs fans begin lining up outside Wrigley Field hours before the gates open for a game against the Mariners in the hope of being one of the first 10,000 inside the stadium who will receive a free signed Kerry Wood MRI printout.

June 13: Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo collaborates with Reds fan Nick Lachey to record an album unofficially called "The Worst Album Ever."

June 15: The Los Angeles Angels take a one-hour trip from Anaheim to their hometown of Los Angeles to play the Dodgers.

June 16: Roger Clemens pitches his first game of the season and then promptly announces a four-day retirement to end when his spot in the rotation comes up again.

June 21: The Giants dangle young third baseman Pedro Feliz in the hope of landing a veteran leadoff hitter but are rebuffed when opposing general managers remind them that the 32-year-old Feliz is only young on the Giants.

June 22: Tony La Russa passes out during the eighth inning of a tight game against the Phillies, thereby allowing his left-handed reliever to stay in the game and pitch to two right-handed batters. Upon learning what he allowed to happen upon waking up, La Russa vows to never drink again.

June 23: Thanks to the continued mentoring of veteran Kenny Rogers, Tigers manager Jim Leyland announces that all of his young starters are now cheating asses.

June 24: Red Sox players play a prank on David Ortiz, telling him Terry Francona has penciled him into the lineup at first base and that he has to go buy a glove and learn how to field and catch before the 1:05 p.m. first pitch.

June 27: The Colorado Rockies become atheists after seeing that all their prayers have done absolutely nothing to help get them out of last place.

June 29: White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen releases his first book: "Ozzie Guillen's Spanish-To-English-Sailor Dictionary."

June 30: Standout Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman fields his first ground ball of the year against the Pirates, marking the first time all season Washington's pitchers didn't have a pitch hit for a home run or at least to the warning track.

The Office Preview

This week on The Office:

PRODUCT RECALL 8:30/7:30c TV14 04.26.2007
UNPRINTABLE? AN OFFICE IN CRISIS - The office is in crisis mode after a large shipment of Dunder Mifflin paper is accidentally sent out with an obscene watermark - and Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) tries to manage the media with an impromptu press conference. Jim (John Krasinski) and Andy (Ed Helms) also attempt to calm the high school principal who has sent out prom invites on the affected stationery. Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, B.J Novak, Phyllis Smith, Leslie David Baker, Mindy Kaling, Rashida Jones, Creed Bratton, Oscar Nunez, Angela Kinsey, Brian Baumgartner and Kate Flannery also star.

Also, check out the new version of The Office Quote Game. I scored a 0. It was REALLY tough. Worse than the first one. I wasn't even CLOSE on any of them. I guess I need to be watching my season 3 a few more times.

Late Pass Wednesday

We are pet owners!
It all started with this silly fish bowl vase thing from Target. We were there shopping for throw pillows for our new couch and loveseat, and I saw this. I wanted it, but then what would we do with it and were would we put it if we got it? Well, we could get a fish to put in it, and coincidentally PetSmart was right next door to the Target.
So thats where this guy comes in. We picked him out at PetSmart. I wanted a gold fish (sshh, don't say it in front of the fish though) but the lady at PetSmart said that the Beta was the fish that we would be the least likely to accidentally kill. And, we only have to clean his bowl once a week.
We named him Robinson, because we bought him on Jackie Robinson Day. (We've kept him alive for 10 days and counting!) His bowl sits on the coffee table in front of the TV. We're pretty sure he likes baseball, because he swims out of his plastic grass and hangs out when it's on TV. We aren't sure what team he likes the best yet, but we're just trying to get him exposed to as many different teams as possible so he can make an informed decision. So far we are thinking he might be a Brewer's fan. I'll let you know when we find out for sure.
The first few days we had him, he was really sluggish and just sort of "ho hum." I was pretty sure he was going to die, but now I think hes getting used to his bowl and getting used to Zeb taping on his glass.

Ball Four Excerpt of the Week

Reading through some article on ESPN.com I came across some quote stating that "you aren't a baseball fan until you've read Ball Four by Jim Bouton." So what did I do? I went out and bought the book. And that quote was right, because this book is basically Catcher in the Rye for baseball fans. Bouton played in the major leagues with the Yankees, and various other teams. This book is basically a no BS account of his playing days. Today's excerpt is Bouton describing his mixed feelings about one time teammate Mickey Mantle:

I once invested a dollar when Mantle raffled off a ham. I won, only there was no ham. That was one of the hazards of entering a game of chance, Mickey explained.

I got back by entering a fishing tournament he organized and winning the weight division with a ten-pounder I'd purchased in a store the day before. Two years later Mantel was still wondering why I'd only caught that one big fish and why all the other fish that were caught were green and lively while mine was gray and just lay there, staring.

I also remember the time I won my first major-league game. It was a shutout against the Washington Senators in which I walked seven guys and gave up seven hits and had to pitch from a stretch position all game. They were hitting line drives all over the place and Hector (What a Pair of Hands) Lopez bailed me out with about four leaping catches in left field. When the game was over I walked back into the clubhouse and there was a path of white towels from the door to my locker, and all the guys were standing there, and just as I opened the door Mickey was putting the last towel down in place. I'll never forget him for that.
...
On the other hand there were all those times when he'd push little kids aside when they wanted his autograph, and the times when he was snotty to reporters, just about making them crawl and beg for a minute of his time. I've seen him close a bus window on kids trying to get his autograph. And I hated that look of his, when he'd get angry at somebody and cut him down with a glare.
...
And I don't like the Mantle that refused to sign baseballs in the clubhouse before the games. Everybody else had to sign, but Little Pete forged Mantle's signature. So there are thousands of baseballs around the country that have been signed not by Mickey Mantle, but by Pete Privite.

Like everybody else on the club I ached with Mantle when he had one of his numerous and extremely painful injuries. I often wondered, though, if he might have healed quicker if he'd been sleeping more and loosening up with the boys at the bar less. I guess we'll never know.
...
I remember one time he'd been injured and didn't expect to play, and I guess he got himself smashed. The next day he looked hung over out of his mind and was sent up to pinch-hit. He could hardly see. so he staggered up to the plate and hit a tremendous drive to left field for a home run. When he came back into the dugout everybody shook his hand and leaped all over him, and all the while he was getting a standing ovation from the crowd. he squinted out at the stands and said, "Those people don't know how tough that really was."

Baseball Challenge Update

THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL CHALLENGE:

• Not much variety in the pitching choices this week, as the majority of us jumped on the Felix Hernandez and Brad Penny bandwagons. Unfortunatly for the group, most of us were then seen throwing ourselves off of aforementioned bandwagons with the same intensity felt by people jumping from a burning building.
• A-Rod scored approximately 5 trillion points this week for anyone who picked him, and Mark Buehrle pitched a No-No, much to the surprise of everyone who had vowed last season never to pick him again after several poor pitching performances, and one too many slip and slide trips during White Sox rain delays.
• Rumor has it that Damon may acutally be trying now. This has not been confirmed.
• High Score of the Week: Zeb (333)
• Low Score of the Week: Damon (184)

A-pril-Rod Resurection?

My opinion on A-Rod's impressive start to the season? Not Impressive.

My reinactment of yesterday's walk off homer?
Arod: "ooooh I am so awesome! look at me everyone, i am really, really great! Doesn’t everyone here in Yankee Stadium think I am amazing?!!? Look at me! I just helped us win a regular season game everyone! Call the New York Post! Wooooooooo! We just won one game against the Indians! Yesssssssssssssssssssss! I told you so! I told you all that I am awesome! Aaaaahhhhh!! Now you all are obligated to love me! Wwwwwoooooooooooooooooooooooo!”

Well, If you asked me about all of this, I would tell you that A-Rod owes us at least this much. And if you asked me, I’d tell you that hes not even close to breaking even with Yankees fans yet. Here are the top offenses that A-Rod owes Yankess fans for by my calculations:
- 2004 (a.k.a. “The Curse of A-Rod”)
- Trying to slap the ball from Bronson Arroyo’s hand like a little girl in the ’04 ALCS
- More post-season chokes than any human is able to count
- Constantly having to hear “A-Rod was a better shortstop than Jeter, and they should have never moved him to third base”
- Constantly having to hear about A-Rod being moved to 8th in the lineup in the ’06 post season.
- A-Rod/Jeter BFF Sleepovers, enough said.

So the way I see it, A-Rod is going to need to keep up this pace straight through October, and I might be convinced to call it a wash. Until that happens, I’ll believe it when I see it.

Better Know The E Street Band

Yes! It's that time again, time to increase your E Street Band awareness. This week is.....drumroll please......

Danny Federici

Also known as "Phantom" and "Miami Dan", Danny Federici is one of the members of the E Street Band who goes back the very farthest with The Boss. Watch out for his killer organ, keyboard, accordion, and most impressively, electronic glockenspiel skills.

Danny has always been one of the more anonymous members of the band, fitting for a man sometimes known as "Phantom." He earned the nickname long before the E Street Band, when he played in a band with Springsteen called "Steel Mill." The story goes that one night in the middle of a show he mysteriously disappeared from the stage just as police came to have a talk with him regarding a fight he had been involved in.

Check Danny out in the old school E Street Band picture above, he is the funny looking guy with long hair on the bottom right.

He reportedly had somewhat of a feud back in the day with former E Street Band member, David Sancious (keyboard & guitarist) who would constantly comment on Danny's playing and try to be "the boss" of him.

• As a side note, legend has it that the E Street Band took it's name from a street in Belmar, New Jersey where Sancious' mother lived, because she allowed them to rehearse in her home.

Looks like Danny got the last laugh however, as Sancious left the band before they really hit it big, and to this day it is considered debatable wheather or not Sancious was actually a founding member of the E Street Band or not.

This would look good in my office

Too bad Zeb doesn't have an office anymore

Late Pass Wednesday

I'm lazy today, so heres something old that should probably give you a laugh.

Baseball Challenge Update

THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL CHALLENGE:

• The bulletin board got quiet as people got down to business early in the week, but then got busy again with Laef/A-Ross wedding rumors. A ploy by Greg to get Laef's mind off the game? Maybe...
• Weather continues to be an issue for Zeb, but even the almighty M. Ross had his pitching staff rained out one day. So as A-Ross suggests, we all might want to save this link: www.weather.com
• Coming on the heels of both Carl Pavano & Mike Mussina being put on the 15-Day DL by the Yankees, Zeb places himself on the DL.
• High Score of the Week : Greg (287)
• Low Score of the Week : Damon (61)
• Low Score of the Week for People Who Are Actually Trying: Zeb (189)

After Jackie

60 years ago today, Jackie Robinson played his first game as a major league ballplayer. He was the first black player in the MLB - he was the first in any sport. Before Rosa Parks, before MLK - this was a big deal. I hope some of you got the chance to catch the coverage of Jackie Robinson Day on ESPN today. It's definitely nice to see that sometimes sports are more than just the game.

Check out some of these related links:
Jackie Robinson Day Photo Gallery
Jackie Robinson Foundation Website
Robinson Cano ESPN Magazine Article

HAPPY JACKIE ROBINSON DAY!!!

2007 MLB Calendar - May

Here is the next segment of 2007 MLB predictions, from espn.com page 2.

May 1: Pete Rose discloses on ESPN Radio's "Dan Patrick Show" that he continues to bet on the Reds -- every game -- to this day. He also discloses that he is $713 million in debt.

May 2: Alex Rodriguez invites everyone he knows over for a sleepover, but only his agent, Scott Boras, accepts. Rodriguez is disturbed to discover that Boras sleeps in a coffin.

May 4: Astros closer Brad Lidge finally figures out a way to prevent Albert Pujols from beating him by giving up a walkoff home run to the Cardinals batter hitting directly in front of Pujols.

May 7: Struggling Yankees starter Kei Igawa begins taking English classes so he can better understand the New York tabloid headlines that say he sucks.

May 8: Noting that obesity and a lack of exercise play major roles in the onset of diabetes, the American Medical Association renames diabetes "David Wells' Disease."

May 9: Cardinals shortstop David Eckstein is tragically decapitated by the Busch Stadium grounds crew when they mow the infield before the game and don't notice him doing calisthenics deep within the four-inch grass.

May 11: Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is reprimanded by the team for repeatedly asking female organization employees if they want to see his gyroball.

May 16: Citing the ineptitude of the Nationals' pitching staff, the design of the team's new stadium is changed to put the outfield wall more than 620 feet from home plate. It is also announced that the infield and outfield grass will be at least 12 inches deep.

May 17: With the Yankees' bullpen struggling mightily, owner George Steinbrenner tries to sign Ugueth Urbina to a contract to fix the problem.

May 18: Former A's pitcher Barry Zito pitches his first game in Oakland as a San Francisco Giant. Zito shows off his wealth to his old "Moneyball-ed" teammates after the game by treating them to appetizers at Applebee's, providing several especially destitute A's players their first food in several days.

May 22: Kerry Wood excites Cubs fans by hearkening back to his 20-strikeout rookie performance with a relief appearance in which he throws 20 consecutive pitches against the Padres without injuring himself.

May 23: Curt Schilling pulls himself from a start against the Yankees in the third inning so he can respond to a nasty comment left on his blog by Dan Shaughnessy.

May 24: Bud Selig apologizes to fans about the new out-of-market television package and says he is working on a new deal that will allow fans to see all out-of-market games, but not any in-market games.

May 25: Barry Bonds continues to be the most exciting player in baseball, hitting two home runs against the Rockies, and causing four more round-trippers in the field by playing routine fly balls into inside-the-park home runs.

May 27: With media outlets growing tired of his constant announcements about how he has yet to make up his mind about coming back to baseball, a desperate Roger Clemens parachutes naked into Yankee Stadium and announces he will make a decision in the next week before being whisked away by security.

May 28: Cardinals outfielder Jim Edmonds shows his age and declining physical abilities against the Rockies by making a sliding, game-ending catch on a lazy fly ball hit three feet to his right.

May 29: White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has a bit of a meltdown before a game against the Twins, submitting a lineup to the home-plate umpire with nothing but profanities and racial and homophobic slurs written in place of player names.

"The Office" Friday

Shun OFF

Andy is now Drew, and we have learned the intricacies of "shunning" as well as the hazzards of the office setting. I thought the office betting was pretty funny (especially enjoyed Creed eating the potato and Kelly's netflix explaination) and Jim and Pam seemed to be hanging out more while we saw less of Karen.
Try not to go jump off a building, but The Office is a repeat next week. Here is what you have to expect:

BACK FROM VACATION 8:30/7:30c TV14 04.19.2007
MICHAEL RETURNS FROM HIS JAMAICAN VACATION AS THE OFFICE PREPARES FOR A NIGHT OF INVENTORY - Still in "vacation mode" after his trip to Jamaica, Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) tries to hang on to his relaxed island vibe despite a wave of office hassles. But it becomes too much when an e-mail containing a racy vacation photo is forwarded around the office. Pam (Jenna Fischer) gets caught in the middle as Jim (John Krasinski) and Karen (guest star Rashida Jones) argue. Rainn Wilson, B.J. Novak, David Denman, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, Angela Kinsey, Oscar Nuñez, Phyllis Smith, Paul Lieberstein and Mindy Kaling also star. Creed Bratton, Ed Helms and Craig Robinson guest star.

Shun ON

Better Know the E Street Band

It's a sad but true fact, that these days, the level E Street Band awareness is at an all time low. So I have personally taken the liberty to use this blog as a platform for increasing the E Street Band knowledge of the world.

Today I will be starting with the cornerstone, the frontman for the E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen (a.k.a. The Boss). Now it may be called Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, and Bruce may have gone off on his own a time or two, but he has never been better than when is with the E Street Band.


Best known for "rocking out", squinting painfully when he sings, and awesome leg kicks with his guitar. He also plays a mean harmonica. He is a true rock star - and proved it by hooking up with his hot backup singer, leaving his wife and then marrying the background singer. He has sometimes been accused of mumbling when he sings.

Look forward to future editions of Better Know the E Street Band, as we take a peek into the lives of the rest of the E Street Band members: Clarence Clemens, Danny Federici, Roy Bittan, Patty Scialfa, Max Weinberg, Steven Van Sant, Nils Lofgren, and Garry Tallent.

Late Pass Wednesday

This one is really a doozey. As previously promised, here are the newspaper clippings of Zeb's headlines in the Bozeman Chronicle. He is quite the "local hero" these days. Well, maybe I'm exagerating, but he's only lived here what? 7 months? And he's been in the papers twice, and not for drinking and driving or holding up the liquor store either. Enjoy!

Zeb is the one in the reflection
Zeb is the one on the left

In other news, Zeb got thrown into the middle of an intersection in front of a speeding vehicle by a faulty fire hydrant yesterday at work. He has road rash on his booty. If you're lucky I might even take a picture of it and post it here on the blog. What do you think?

Those Crazy Office Monkeys

Don't ask me why I think these monkeys are so funny, but I do. Maybe it's because they remind me of the old "monkey movies" that used to be on TBS during the rain delays of Braves games? Whatever it is, I find these magnets that I got at Target to be delightful. I bought them for my office.

Baseball Challenge Update

Over the course of the MLB/Baseball Challenge season I plan to post up weekly updates concerning the goings on in the For Love of the Game Baseball Challenge Group. This will likely include who had big weeks, who crashed and burned and what the latest trash talk on the bulletin board was. Don't forget, that if you currently aren't participating in Baseball Challenge and would like to - it's NEVER too late to start. Hit me up here, and I'll get the invitation out to you right away. So here we go...

THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL CHALLENGE:

• M. Ross (A-Ross' brother) is the hyped newcomer. He has started off with strong picks, and even stronger trash talk. (gained the lead one day and promptly stated that he "liked the view from the top" only to lose his lead to Zeb the very next day) He fits right in with the Player Haters Ball (hate, hate, hate)
• Zeb also had a pretty solid week going, until he decided to ride with an ALL Seattle/Cleveland lineup ALL WEEKEND, only to be rained/snowed out ALL WEEKEND. No worries though, as he reminds Laef that last year he made up a 186 point deficit in only 3 days.
• Greg got rocked for -20 by A.J. Burnett, and is now holding down the bottom 3 with authority. Don't expect much of a fight for position from Strick or Damon though.
• Laef pulled off a respectable week, with no help from Pujols for the most part.
• A-Ross, I would say is leading the way in shit talking (must run in the family) despite only mediocre scoring. Nicely done.
• And me? Well, I've been distracted due to the fact that I'm battling a severe depression brought on by the realization that the Yankees have yet to put a starter on the mound who could get past the 5th inning. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

All this, and it's only the first week. Good thing that according to Zeb I only have one more week until I quit playing.

2007 MLB Calendar - April

The following are excerps from an espn.com page 2 article (brought to my attention by Greg). I took out the boring ones, and left the ones that I found funny. They are the daily predictions for what we might expect to see over the course of this 2007 baseball season.

April 4: Three days after the Cardinals are introduced as the reigning world champions at their home opener, the ever-supportive Busch Stadium crowd finally ends its standing ovation during today's fifth inning against the Mets.

April 6: The Reds announce that career-long center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. will remain in right field for the remainder of the season because he tore his hamstring and cannot get up.

April 7: Red Sox starter/blogger Curt Schilling live-blogs his start against the Rangers, causing the game to last more than eight hours as he types an entry after each one of his pitches. (www.38pitches.com)

April 9: Realizing he has much more free time during a game now that he is a full-time DH, Mike Piazza has a small salon installed into Oakland's dugout so he can get his tips frosted during games.

April 10: Bernie Williams gets back at the Yankees for not offering him a major-league contract by releasing a jazz guitar album full of angry riffs clearly directed at Brian Cashman.

April 11: Injured Tigers starter Kenny Rogers says he plans to spend his three months on the disabled list working with scientists to create a clear pine tar that cannot be spotted on a pitcher's hand.

April 21: The huge number of camera flashes from the Japanese media photographing Daisuke Matsuzaka's first major-league pitch to Hideki Matsui unfortunately sets both players aflame.

April 29: With the bases loaded for the Red Sox and only one out in the seventh inning of the Yankees' home game against Boston, Alex Rodriguez calls for an infield meeting at the mound so he can pass Derek Jeter a note that reads: "Will u b my bff? YES/no/maybe."

That does it for April....look forward to May-September in upcoming posts.

I'm a WEINER!!!

Hey guys! I just found out tonight that I won the contest on Curt Schilling's blog for a seasons subscription to MLBTV.com. YAY! Winning this contest took absolutally no skills whatsoever, it was a random drawing. But I am super psyched because it means that now I can watch baseball all day at work! Plus it's my own personal knock to the red sox nation, because Schilling posted on his blog ( www.38pitches.com ) that he hoped all red sox fans would win. But I guess the fact that Zeb gets to use it too kind of cancels the whole thing out. Oh well. I'm still sticking it to the man! Check out Schilling's blog in the next few days and MY name will be posted up along side the other WINNERS! Happy Easter Tomorrow!