Remember when I said the party was just getting started at the CWS? That is called a blog tease. It's kind of like when a chick flirts with you long enough to get you to pay for something (dinner, drinks, etc.), while giving you a semi, before leaving you hanging with nothing to show for it. It's kind of like that, except much less exciting. I was planning on delivering on my tease because, A) I thought I had something to offer and B) I hate those chicks. I don't want to hate myself. I'll leave that to the emo kids. Anyway, after I thought about it, I realized that despite everyone in the entire town knowing we had an AWESOME time, there were only a few things that stood out in my mind from Sunday and Monday before Addy left.
We continued to stick it to the NCAA by way of bringing my 'binoculars' to the game. Although we sat right behind home plate, they were very useful in keeping the buzz of college baseball alive in the stadium. It kind of sounded like a world cup soccer match. That was probably just in my head.
I was encouraged by some middle-age lady folk to 'take it off!' as I walked by their tailgate. After I told them to be careful what they wish for, I joined their tailgate for the remainder of the night. Evidently I made a good impression, because somewhere in between listening to one lady's life story and drinking their beer, a dude took my picture and sent it to his sister-in-law telling me he would introduce us.
Later we saw Christopher Walken wandering through the lot. He came up to us and asked us if we wanted to go smoke a couple cigars out on the dock. To which we of course answered, 'Stogies? Why not?'
Ok, one of the above things didn't happen, but I'm not telling which. Addy later caught a ride to the airport from a girl he met one night in Omaha over a year ago when passing through. If you met a girl for one night, could you make enough of an impression on her so that, over one year later, she would give you a ride to the airport if you randomly showed up and asked her to? I think you need super powers to do that. Through deductive reasoning, I have determined that Addy is a superhero. My best friend is a superhero. I thought it would be cool to know a superhero, but once I realized he uses his powers to help himself only, instead of others, I got over it.
Thank goodness I got that out of the way so I can bring up the main topic of this post. Has anyone seen that fairly new Pizza Hut commercial that has been airing for the last few weeks? It has two little leaguers talking about how losing isn't bad because their coach takes them to Pizza Hut afterwards. Don't try and tell me it's supposed to be light-hearted and funny. Make a joke about something that doesn't give losing a thumbs up. What kind of message are we sending to America's youth with this crap? What kind of people work for Pizza Hut advertising? How did they get their jobs? I bet it wasn't with that attitude.
'Oh darn! They didn't go for our ad pitch and now we are homeless and jobless. Don't worry, once I have a slice of pepperoni lovers, it won't matter anymore! Who cares if we lost the job!? Someone will take care of us, even if we can't do it ourselves. Someone will pay for my gas and my mortgage, it'll be like Christmas!'
Sorry I blew up. Maybe I'm overreacting (although highly unlikely). I need one of my three readers to weigh in on this and tell me I'm not crazy.*
*Hint - That means if you think I am crazy, keep your opinion to yourself.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
I Love My Frogs!
The College World Series has been going on since last Saturday and what a glorious few days it has been. This may be the best time of year in Omaha, and I was lucky enough to be able to share it with some of my closest friends. Addy, SSWY, and Jum all made the trek from their respective regions of the country to celebrate NCAA Baseball's best student athletes and the last CWS at Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium. Remember, the NCAA clearly is about academics first and foremost. Then, if there's time, they try and squeeze in some athletics.
Jum and I had some CWS experience, but Addy and SSWY were rookies and anxious to get their feet wet. So anxious in fact was SSWY, he couldn't sleep Friday night. That may have been because he had to work late and then drive to Omaha so he could join us at our tailgate at 8 AM. Fantastic effort SSWY. Give him a round of applause. Saturday was a good day and a lot of stuff happened. One thing that didn't happen, was us getting kicked out or even slightly bothered by the tailgate security/police. Despite the new security measures that were implemented for the last CWS at Rosenblatt, we were able to stick it to the NCAA for about 12 straight hours on Saturday. While SSWY and Jum had to return home on Sunday, Addy and I stuck around to do it all over again on Monday, before his flight home. Come to think of it, we didn't do too bad of a job on Sunday either, but that's for another time.
As we are entering the tailgate lot with 1,000,000 other cars, we blasted some vuvezelas from Addy's iPhone app and we bumped Supwitchugirl's 'I Love My Ducks' with some slight lyrical changes. Instead of 'I smell roses,' we belted out 'I smell Rosenblatt.' Instead of 'I love my Ducks,' we rocked 'I love Horned Frogs.' That was the team's bandwagon we decided to jump on. We jumped on it all the way.
Soon after we parked, we became friends with the 10 middle aged ladies directly next to us. Soon after that, a catchphrase for the day was born. As SSWY pulled of his hat in a quick like motion, his sunglasses flew off, and one of the ear pieces detached from the rest of the frame. Before you could say 'I love Horned Frogs!' one of the ladies was at SSWY's side fixing it. When she handed the glasses back to him she said, 'Easy Trigger,' which triggered raucous laughter from the rest of us (pun intended).
Of course it wasn't enough to just tell people we were TCU fans, we had to show people. We accomplished that by purchasing four Horned Frog hats. The die-hard fans/vets of CWS (Jum and I) also were sporting some fantastically purple shirts.
Jum and I had some CWS experience, but Addy and SSWY were rookies and anxious to get their feet wet. So anxious in fact was SSWY, he couldn't sleep Friday night. That may have been because he had to work late and then drive to Omaha so he could join us at our tailgate at 8 AM. Fantastic effort SSWY. Give him a round of applause. Saturday was a good day and a lot of stuff happened. One thing that didn't happen, was us getting kicked out or even slightly bothered by the tailgate security/police. Despite the new security measures that were implemented for the last CWS at Rosenblatt, we were able to stick it to the NCAA for about 12 straight hours on Saturday. While SSWY and Jum had to return home on Sunday, Addy and I stuck around to do it all over again on Monday, before his flight home. Come to think of it, we didn't do too bad of a job on Sunday either, but that's for another time.
As we are entering the tailgate lot with 1,000,000 other cars, we blasted some vuvezelas from Addy's iPhone app and we bumped Supwitchugirl's 'I Love My Ducks' with some slight lyrical changes. Instead of 'I smell roses,' we belted out 'I smell Rosenblatt.' Instead of 'I love my Ducks,' we rocked 'I love Horned Frogs.' That was the team's bandwagon we decided to jump on. We jumped on it all the way.
Soon after we parked, we became friends with the 10 middle aged ladies directly next to us. Soon after that, a catchphrase for the day was born. As SSWY pulled of his hat in a quick like motion, his sunglasses flew off, and one of the ear pieces detached from the rest of the frame. Before you could say 'I love Horned Frogs!' one of the ladies was at SSWY's side fixing it. When she handed the glasses back to him she said, 'Easy Trigger,' which triggered raucous laughter from the rest of us (pun intended).
Of course it wasn't enough to just tell people we were TCU fans, we had to show people. We accomplished that by purchasing four Horned Frog hats. The die-hard fans/vets of CWS (Jum and I) also were sporting some fantastically purple shirts.
I was getting made fun of for my stylish faded tank. Naturally, I told the boys that I was ripping the sleeves off my brand new TCU shirt before I got out of the store. Don't hate my arms because they love the sun.
Now we had our tailgate spot held down and we had our team gear; there was only one thing left to do, sit down and take it all in. There were good tunes, good company, good weather, and most importantly, good beverages flowing for most the rest of the day. Addy and SSWY got some free tix to go and check out the inside of Rosenblatt, which was something that wasn't actually planned as a Saturday activity, so that was nice. Good for the rooks. By the way, the view is breathtaking; I'm surprised they even game back to the tailgate.
We were making some bloodies throughout the day, so this line from a Bloomington Bros. video (about 20 sec mark) started being repeated quite a bit, 'Wait a second....... a little BM?' Later on, Addy and I began a great rendition of Go Cubs Go at the top of our lungs because the guy next to us was leaving, and he just so happened to have a cubs shirt on. Makes sense right? We ended up closing down Pauli's (a big CWS bar), dodging a major bullet (thanks Karma), and crushing some Taco Bell (2nd night in a row). I can't say enough about the solid performance from 8 AM to 2 AM, all the way around. Bravo boys and girls. It's too bad we lost two boys on Sunday, because the party was just getting started....
Lookin' good fellas. Thanks for bringin' the 'A' game.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Meow, T Fell, The K, and me.
A few weekends ago, my favorite baseball team was playing a weekend series against the Kansas City Royals down at The K. Now, The K is no Target Field, but it is a beautiful ballyard and I enjoy watching games there for a few reasons. A) The Royals haven't exactly enjoyed what one would call success for a few years now, thus leaving the stands fairly empty, allowing us to buy the cheapest tickets available and sit basically wherever we please, B) It is quite a nice park and the setting of my first outdoor MLB game after countless games in the now former Twins 'ballpark' (I use the term ballpark very loosely), and C) Chili Cheese Fries (thanks Jum Hammonds).
The boys (Meow and T Fell) and I made the trip down on a Saturday morning for a 6:10 start. The forecast originally had rain scheduled but had changed during the week to a beautiful, sunny and 70 forecast. Naturally when we hit the MO border, the rain started falling. Fortunately we didn't care if it rained on our parade. If anything, it made us more determined to have a good time. We did just that.
Beginning of the K-C sucks chant
It's amazing that he saw less than 2 innings of ball. Looks like a champ in this pic.
The boys (Meow and T Fell) and I made the trip down on a Saturday morning for a 6:10 start. The forecast originally had rain scheduled but had changed during the week to a beautiful, sunny and 70 forecast. Naturally when we hit the MO border, the rain started falling. Fortunately we didn't care if it rained on our parade. If anything, it made us more determined to have a good time. We did just that.
Beginning of the K-C sucks chantIt happened to be Zack Greinke bobblehead day (BONUS!) and despite us entering the park five minutes before first pitch, all three of us got a souvenir. Way to support your staff Ace, Royals fans! As you may be able to tell from the video and that great pic of me on the cooler, we were feeling no pain as the game started. That all changed very quickly for Meow. I'm going to say it was in the middle of the 2nd inning when we saw and heard some fireworks, but it wasn't from a player hitting a home run. These particular fireworks were in the stands, in our row and aisle. Some of the fireworks even hit me! Meow decided to listen to the roar of the crowd from our tailgate spot for the remainder of the game, which went 12 innings in a Twins victory. All in all, a great success. I may have even caught a little shut-eye between pitches.
It's amazing that he saw less than 2 innings of ball. Looks like a champ in this pic. 
Moral of the story: Drink Keystone Ice in moderation
Monday, June 14, 2010
A Dream So Real
I had a dream a short time ago and I figured it was worth mentioning in this well read publication. It was the best dream I’ve ever had in my life, and I know what you’re thinking so get your mind out of the gutter. You know how sometimes you have dreams that seem so real, but when you try and tell someone about it, the details escape you? This dream was nothing like that. I still remember every moment as if it really happened.
It was early morning, I had just woken up from a glorious slumber, and I found myself feeling excited. I found myself so excited I could hardly sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it was the excitement only a baseball fan can feel. Why was I excited? Maybe it was because it was a Monday and I wasn’t going to work. Maybe it was because I wasn’t waking up alone on this particular morning (Addy was sharing the bed). Maybe it was because I was extremely psyched for the Diet Mtn Dew breakfast I was about to have. All those things probably played a minor part in my excitement, but the real reason was something that I’d been counting down to since August 30, 2007. After 957 days, the time had finally arrived. Did I mention I was excited?
As the bus whisked my boy Addy and me away towards our destination, our smiles grew so wide that nothing, not even a little rain, could wipe them from our faces. We arrived at the greatest place in the world shortly after 8 AM. We were a liiiiiitle e-a-r-l-y for the day’s event, but we didn’t mind, there were plenty of activities to keep us busy for the next four hours.
As the time approached Addy and I decided to talk to the media about this joyous occasion. We did an interview with the local newspaper and even got some TV time. We did our best to take it all in from start to finish. There were multiple videos shot and hundreds of pictures taken even before the event began. Looking back, I only wish there would have been more time. Although there seemed to be plenty of time, it all flew by so quickly.
When the doors opened, the first of many climactic moments brought on a feeling of pure elation set in, and my passion bucket began to overflow. Addy and I were now joined by Ant, and as we walked around the glorious structure, it was a real dream like feeling. Now I know that this is already a dream I am describing, so yes, I am saying that in my dream it was so surreal, I was in a dream-like state. Ya dig? The sights, the sounds, the aromas I saw, heard, and smelled that day will forever be etched in my memory.
As the event wore on for another three hours or so, I kept waiting to wake up from this dream, but I never did. I'm still waiting to wake up. I'm not sure what I experienced was reality, and yet all signs are still indicating it was reality. A dream-like reality that I don't ever want to wake up from. I guess that means, I lived the dream. Chances to live your dreams don't come around but once in a lifetime. I took advantage of my chance, and if you have 13 and 1/2 minutes of your life to spare, let me share a little part of the dream I lived. Enjoy. (No you don't have to sign up for anything, just press play until it does, and close any pop-up windows because they are worthless)
It was early morning, I had just woken up from a glorious slumber, and I found myself feeling excited. I found myself so excited I could hardly sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it was the excitement only a baseball fan can feel. Why was I excited? Maybe it was because it was a Monday and I wasn’t going to work. Maybe it was because I wasn’t waking up alone on this particular morning (Addy was sharing the bed). Maybe it was because I was extremely psyched for the Diet Mtn Dew breakfast I was about to have. All those things probably played a minor part in my excitement, but the real reason was something that I’d been counting down to since August 30, 2007. After 957 days, the time had finally arrived. Did I mention I was excited?
As the bus whisked my boy Addy and me away towards our destination, our smiles grew so wide that nothing, not even a little rain, could wipe them from our faces. We arrived at the greatest place in the world shortly after 8 AM. We were a liiiiiitle e-a-r-l-y for the day’s event, but we didn’t mind, there were plenty of activities to keep us busy for the next four hours.
As the time approached Addy and I decided to talk to the media about this joyous occasion. We did an interview with the local newspaper and even got some TV time. We did our best to take it all in from start to finish. There were multiple videos shot and hundreds of pictures taken even before the event began. Looking back, I only wish there would have been more time. Although there seemed to be plenty of time, it all flew by so quickly.
When the doors opened, the first of many climactic moments brought on a feeling of pure elation set in, and my passion bucket began to overflow. Addy and I were now joined by Ant, and as we walked around the glorious structure, it was a real dream like feeling. Now I know that this is already a dream I am describing, so yes, I am saying that in my dream it was so surreal, I was in a dream-like state. Ya dig? The sights, the sounds, the aromas I saw, heard, and smelled that day will forever be etched in my memory.
As the event wore on for another three hours or so, I kept waiting to wake up from this dream, but I never did. I'm still waiting to wake up. I'm not sure what I experienced was reality, and yet all signs are still indicating it was reality. A dream-like reality that I don't ever want to wake up from. I guess that means, I lived the dream. Chances to live your dreams don't come around but once in a lifetime. I took advantage of my chance, and if you have 13 and 1/2 minutes of your life to spare, let me share a little part of the dream I lived. Enjoy. (No you don't have to sign up for anything, just press play until it does, and close any pop-up windows because they are worthless)
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