Sorry for not posting for so long, but I'm back (fall semester was rough).
Look for updates soon!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Friday, September 12, 2008
I'm Baaaaaaaack!
Sorry for the long layoff. I was on vacation followed by getting re-acclimated to grad school. I'll have my thoughts on the Olympics and the political conventions in later posts (If you think I'm re-hashing the mess that was Browns training camp, you're nuts!) Today's post will just be a few random thoughts.
Congrats to:
- City for winning the Second Division title
- The Captains for making the playoffs
- The Aeros for being two wins away from the EL title (Game 3 tonight at 6:05 in Trenton and on 1350 AM with pregame at 5:50.)
- Sarah Palin may be just the boost McCain needed to energize the GOP's conservative base and take the election.
- NASCAR is all set for the chase. This should be fun. Granted, it would be more fun if they were running the old "aero" cars and had a true points race, but it's all that's left to watch in the way of 1 mile+ oval racing now that IndyCar's season is over (there is a non-points race Oct. 26th, but that's a street race).
That reminds me: Congrats to ICS Champion Scott Dixon!
That's all I can think of right now. By the way, some of the Hairpin's handiwork will be on display in Downtown Cleveland beginning next month. Along the new "Euclid Corridor HealthLine" transit line on Euclid Ave., there will be touch-screens with pictures and sound bites on Cleveland history. The sound bites on the Cleveland Arena are from an interview I conducted and I was heavily involved in the photo selection process.
That's all for now, see ya soon!
Congrats to:
- City for winning the Second Division title
- The Captains for making the playoffs
- The Aeros for being two wins away from the EL title (Game 3 tonight at 6:05 in Trenton and on 1350 AM with pregame at 5:50.)
- Sarah Palin may be just the boost McCain needed to energize the GOP's conservative base and take the election.
- NASCAR is all set for the chase. This should be fun. Granted, it would be more fun if they were running the old "aero" cars and had a true points race, but it's all that's left to watch in the way of 1 mile+ oval racing now that IndyCar's season is over (there is a non-points race Oct. 26th, but that's a street race).
That reminds me: Congrats to ICS Champion Scott Dixon!
That's all I can think of right now. By the way, some of the Hairpin's handiwork will be on display in Downtown Cleveland beginning next month. Along the new "Euclid Corridor HealthLine" transit line on Euclid Ave., there will be touch-screens with pictures and sound bites on Cleveland history. The sound bites on the Cleveland Arena are from an interview I conducted and I was heavily involved in the photo selection process.
That's all for now, see ya soon!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Pro Football HOF weekend
The HOF game was pretty interesting this year. There was the sheer irony of Peyton Manning missing a game in NE Ohio (think week 17, last season), the Colts onside kick to start the game and the new year of professional outdoor football, and the colts frantic attempt to come back at the end. Friday was pretty cool, too. I visited the Hall of Fame (If you haven't been there recently, it's worth another visit. There's been a lot of changes in the past year.) and attended the Browns scrimmage, which was awesome until it degenerated into karaoke night between the scrimmage and the fireworks show. I have this strange feeling that Paul Brown would never have stood for the Browns field being used in such a way.
By the way, the hall had an excellent exhibit on pro football and patriotism (players/owners in military, NFL in wartime) that will be on tour soon. No specifics on when and where yet, but I'll keep y'all up to date.
Speaking of historical displays, I should be able to divulge details soon of where you can see a historical exhibit for which I was, in veeeeeeery small part, responsible (this was my secondary project, my primary project is a little farther from yielding any public displays).
Earth to Ryan Garko, Earth to Garko, do you copy?
I have narrowly averted two sports debacles in the past month. I was seriously considering attending Crew v. West Ham (West Ham fans started a melee in the section where I was going to sit) and the Brickyard 400 (the saddest excuse for a stock car race EVER due to worthless tires) but changed plans at the last second.
NBA schedule is out. Cavaliers open 10/28 @ Boston, the Bobcats are in Cleveland two nights later for the Cavs' return to the Q. Celtics are here 1/9 and 4/12, Lakers are here 2/8, and since I know that at least one Jazz fan reads this blog, Utah's at the Q on 11/15.
talk to y'all later!
By the way, the hall had an excellent exhibit on pro football and patriotism (players/owners in military, NFL in wartime) that will be on tour soon. No specifics on when and where yet, but I'll keep y'all up to date.
Speaking of historical displays, I should be able to divulge details soon of where you can see a historical exhibit for which I was, in veeeeeeery small part, responsible (this was my secondary project, my primary project is a little farther from yielding any public displays).
Earth to Ryan Garko, Earth to Garko, do you copy?
I have narrowly averted two sports debacles in the past month. I was seriously considering attending Crew v. West Ham (West Ham fans started a melee in the section where I was going to sit) and the Brickyard 400 (the saddest excuse for a stock car race EVER due to worthless tires) but changed plans at the last second.
NBA schedule is out. Cavaliers open 10/28 @ Boston, the Bobcats are in Cleveland two nights later for the Cavs' return to the Q. Celtics are here 1/9 and 4/12, Lakers are here 2/8, and since I know that at least one Jazz fan reads this blog, Utah's at the Q on 11/15.
talk to y'all later!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Bits of Comedy
I have this strange feeling that John Kerry may be Barack Obama's running mate. It all goes back to his "57 states" comment.
I'm working on a list of the "Ten Immutable Laws of Good Country Music." The list is incomplete at this moment, but among them will almost certainly be "adding a banjo to preteen bubblegum pop music does not make it country."
If a tree falls in the press area at a McCain speech, does it make a sound?
crapwagon.com (that was the punchline)
On to a couple of serious notes
- In regards to the World Court's attempt to halt Texas' execution of an illegal immigrant because the Mexican consulate was not contacted: What good was a consulate going to do when the man had already admitted guilt? By the way, I am not in favor of frying rapists. It's too humane for such scum. I tend to favor hanging or human pinata.
- Regarding all this talk about getting rid of oil by using alternative energy: there are two problems here
- All of the truly viable alternatives are for electrical power, not transportation. I don't know about where you live, but here in Ohio we use coal, not oil, to produce electricity.
- The only currently viable vehicular alternative (hybrids) only reduces oil usage. It doesn't eliminate it.
I'm not saying don't pursue alternatives, but be realistic about their benefits. Now if we could harness the wind our politicians spew out this campaign season....
I'm working on a list of the "Ten Immutable Laws of Good Country Music." The list is incomplete at this moment, but among them will almost certainly be "adding a banjo to preteen bubblegum pop music does not make it country."
If a tree falls in the press area at a McCain speech, does it make a sound?
crapwagon.com (that was the punchline)
On to a couple of serious notes
- In regards to the World Court's attempt to halt Texas' execution of an illegal immigrant because the Mexican consulate was not contacted: What good was a consulate going to do when the man had already admitted guilt? By the way, I am not in favor of frying rapists. It's too humane for such scum. I tend to favor hanging or human pinata.
- Regarding all this talk about getting rid of oil by using alternative energy: there are two problems here
- All of the truly viable alternatives are for electrical power, not transportation. I don't know about where you live, but here in Ohio we use coal, not oil, to produce electricity.
- The only currently viable vehicular alternative (hybrids) only reduces oil usage. It doesn't eliminate it.
I'm not saying don't pursue alternatives, but be realistic about their benefits. Now if we could harness the wind our politicians spew out this campaign season....
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Buncha random stuff
Now that the Indy Lights races from Mid-Ohio have aired, I can story. Last lap, what has been a disaster of a rain-plagued/shortened race is now ending under yellow. All Jonny Reid has to do is take the final turn onto the start/finish straight and take the checkers to win the second race of Mid-Ohio's Twin 100s. Inexplicably, he pulls into the pits and hands the victory to James Davison. Reid finished 9th. Bombardier R142 summed this up nicely on TrackForum, "If he wins Indy 100 times, he's never going to live this down."
I attended the first Browns practice of the new year. As usual, it was a short walk through in shorts, but it was good to see outdoor football back. Look for reports from the Hall of Fame festivities next week.
Casey Blake trade just happened. I'll post more after I have time to examine further. for those who haven't heard yet, he was traded to the Dodgers for a good high-A catcher and an iffy AAA reliever (who will likely be the anchor of the Tribe pen within three weeks).
By the way, Indians home vs. Minnesota tonight and tomorrow with Detroit coming in for four next week. City hosts Bermuda tonight in a should win and a virtual must win in order to earn a crucial bye to the semifinals. Aeros home vs. Binghamton tonight and tomorrow with Erie in for the week. Captains host West Virginia through Monday, Greensboro in for the week.
Two more Tribe prospects are going to the Olympics as Aeros reliever T.J. Burton and K-Tribe outfielder Nick Weglarz have been selected for Team Canada. Hopefully, the Tribe can work out a deal to get Choo down to the minors temporarily so he can play for South Korea and try to win a medal and get out of a military obligation that could keep him off the Indians roster for two years.
On a parting note, I urge any IndyCar fans who view the Brickyard 400 as some kind of desecration to calm down. There's nothing wrong with a track hosting multiple races, it's perfectly normal.
I attended the first Browns practice of the new year. As usual, it was a short walk through in shorts, but it was good to see outdoor football back. Look for reports from the Hall of Fame festivities next week.
Casey Blake trade just happened. I'll post more after I have time to examine further. for those who haven't heard yet, he was traded to the Dodgers for a good high-A catcher and an iffy AAA reliever (who will likely be the anchor of the Tribe pen within three weeks).
By the way, Indians home vs. Minnesota tonight and tomorrow with Detroit coming in for four next week. City hosts Bermuda tonight in a should win and a virtual must win in order to earn a crucial bye to the semifinals. Aeros home vs. Binghamton tonight and tomorrow with Erie in for the week. Captains host West Virginia through Monday, Greensboro in for the week.
Two more Tribe prospects are going to the Olympics as Aeros reliever T.J. Burton and K-Tribe outfielder Nick Weglarz have been selected for Team Canada. Hopefully, the Tribe can work out a deal to get Choo down to the minors temporarily so he can play for South Korea and try to win a medal and get out of a military obligation that could keep him off the Indians roster for two years.
On a parting note, I urge any IndyCar fans who view the Brickyard 400 as some kind of desecration to calm down. There's nothing wrong with a track hosting multiple races, it's perfectly normal.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Thoughts from Mid-Ohio
It was nice to see OW cars navigat a hairpin, even if it was the Keyhole and not THE HAIRPIN at Burke. The weekend was pretty fun. Congratulations to Honda 200 winner Scott Dixon and Acura Sportscar Challenge overall winners Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner. What follows are my thoughts regarding the IndyCar and ALMS races. My thoughts on the Indy Lights and World Challenge races will be posted later after they have appeared on tape-delay TV. I was unable to make it to the track on Friday, so I missed the IMSA Challenge races.
The track was pretty well laid out with the exception of having the finish line on a heavily obstructed straightaway (no viewing mounds or grandstands had any view of it). They should move it to the start line between the Keyhole and the Esses.
The staff was extremely friendly and competent. No complaints here.
The merchandise was also top-notch (especially the plush woodchucks!). The only problem here was the lack of grid sheets for the ALMS and ICS races.
Had a good time wandering around the ICS paddock (not enough time to check out the ALMS garages). I had a chance to talk with some pit crew members, including those from the cars of Justin Wilson, Marty Roth, and Milka Duno, as well as crew members from the Indy Lights team of Dillon Battistini.
I kept thinking how good of a NASCAR course Mid-Ohio would be, then I reminded myself that they'd just end up emasculating it a la the NASGLEN.
By the way, does anyone find the irony in Roth Racing's garage placement next to the restrooms, given their recent fortunes (lack of sponsorship, being forced to shutter the #24 car)?
With all the ethanol being used in these races, I'm shocked there was any corn left in the cornfields surrounding the track.
The viewing areas were packed for the ICS race. I was kinda shocked that they were less so for the ALMS on Saturday.
A tip to anyone attending an ALMS race in person. The lights on the side of the cars indicate the top 3 in each class: 1 light = 1st place in class, 2 = 2nd, 3 = 3rd.
All in all a fun weekend and well worth the sunburn and exhaustion. My next update should be on Thursday with a recap of Wednesday's opening Browns practice. My thoughts on Mid-Ohio Indy Lights (you don't want to miss this one) will be posted on Friday as the races will air Thursday on ESPN2 (2PM).
The track was pretty well laid out with the exception of having the finish line on a heavily obstructed straightaway (no viewing mounds or grandstands had any view of it). They should move it to the start line between the Keyhole and the Esses.
The staff was extremely friendly and competent. No complaints here.
The merchandise was also top-notch (especially the plush woodchucks!). The only problem here was the lack of grid sheets for the ALMS and ICS races.
Had a good time wandering around the ICS paddock (not enough time to check out the ALMS garages). I had a chance to talk with some pit crew members, including those from the cars of Justin Wilson, Marty Roth, and Milka Duno, as well as crew members from the Indy Lights team of Dillon Battistini.
I kept thinking how good of a NASCAR course Mid-Ohio would be, then I reminded myself that they'd just end up emasculating it a la the NASGLEN.
By the way, does anyone find the irony in Roth Racing's garage placement next to the restrooms, given their recent fortunes (lack of sponsorship, being forced to shutter the #24 car)?
With all the ethanol being used in these races, I'm shocked there was any corn left in the cornfields surrounding the track.
The viewing areas were packed for the ICS race. I was kinda shocked that they were less so for the ALMS on Saturday.
A tip to anyone attending an ALMS race in person. The lights on the side of the cars indicate the top 3 in each class: 1 light = 1st place in class, 2 = 2nd, 3 = 3rd.
All in all a fun weekend and well worth the sunburn and exhaustion. My next update should be on Thursday with a recap of Wednesday's opening Browns practice. My thoughts on Mid-Ohio Indy Lights (you don't want to miss this one) will be posted on Friday as the races will air Thursday on ESPN2 (2PM).
Thursday, July 17, 2008
All-Star Thoughts
Ah! What a week. The final All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. While I had long believed that nothing could live up to the hype generated for this week, I was proven waaaay wrong. Let's look back at the All-Star Break that was, Woodchuck Hole style!
Sunday - Futures Game - great performance by LaPorta. USA still gets head handed to them by World.
Monday - Home Run Derby - Sizemore fails to advance out of first round. I was pretty bummed until Josh Hamilton's performance came along. 28 homers, 13 in a row. That he didn't win it was a travesty. I often disagree with WKNR's Kenny Roda, but he made an excellent point in saying that the Home Run Derby should also have a carryover from the Semis to the Final, not just from the Quarters to the Semis.
Tuesday - All-Star Game - Most people view 15 innings of prime-time baseball as a never-ending bore. I regard it as a little slice of Heaven, especially with a scorecard in my hand. Seriously, what's more fun than the challenge of finding space on a scorecard for the 15th inning, especially at 1:30 in the morning? As fun as the scoring was, the game was even more exciting: numerous stolen bases and plays at the plate, watching the best of the best (the fan vote this year confirmed that fans are capable of looking past names and voting in the best guys) go at it, and best of all, key contributions from Indians players. Two shutout innings, one hit given up by Cliff Lee and Grady Sizemore scoring the game-tying run. The best part of the ight, however, was the pregame ceremony with the Hall of Famers standing in the field alongside the starters. To see that many of the greatest to play the game in both this era and those prior was awesome. My concern, however, is that many people watched this ceremony and didn't recognize many of the names being announced. Seriously, it amazes me how many people follo a sport and don't know it's history. My advice to such people is to pick one sport they follow and learn the history of it, you will enjoy that sport so much more knowing where it came from.
Wednesday - LaPorta and Stevens named to All-Star team, WA-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Here's some All-Star trivia
- This year marked the fourth and final time that Yankee Stadium hosted the All-Star Game.
- The first three times it did, the Yankees won the AL Pennant, a streak that will likely be broken, given the strong play of the Red Sox and the Rays.
- While Yankee Stadium is the ballpark to host the All-Star Game and World Series action in the same year on multiple occasions, one other team has done it twice, albeit in two different ballparks. Who was that team? (answer in next entry)
My uncle made an interesting observation at a Captains game I attended with him recently: How does baseball expect to develop players in leagues with two-man umpire crews? However, that is just what baseball now does in half-season and single-A ball. My uncle also had a great solution: increase the luxury tax on high payrolls and put the money towards hiring the extra umpires needed to put three-man crews in all of organized baseball.
One concluding thought: WTAM's Kevin Keane claims that baseball is the "one sport invented by God." Given Mr. Keane's line of reasoning, could it be more than mere coincidence that the Rays suddenly improved after dropping "Devil" form their nickname?
Again, look for my Mid-Ohio updates this weekend. If you're in the Northern Ohio area this weekend, you may want to stop by the races as many of the cars and drivers from the Indianapolis 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans (including the winners of both races) will be running. Le Mans cars on Saturday, Indy cars on Sunday. I'll post a full listing of weekend sports activity in NE Ohio tomorrow.
Sunday - Futures Game - great performance by LaPorta. USA still gets head handed to them by World.
Monday - Home Run Derby - Sizemore fails to advance out of first round. I was pretty bummed until Josh Hamilton's performance came along. 28 homers, 13 in a row. That he didn't win it was a travesty. I often disagree with WKNR's Kenny Roda, but he made an excellent point in saying that the Home Run Derby should also have a carryover from the Semis to the Final, not just from the Quarters to the Semis.
Tuesday - All-Star Game - Most people view 15 innings of prime-time baseball as a never-ending bore. I regard it as a little slice of Heaven, especially with a scorecard in my hand. Seriously, what's more fun than the challenge of finding space on a scorecard for the 15th inning, especially at 1:30 in the morning? As fun as the scoring was, the game was even more exciting: numerous stolen bases and plays at the plate, watching the best of the best (the fan vote this year confirmed that fans are capable of looking past names and voting in the best guys) go at it, and best of all, key contributions from Indians players. Two shutout innings, one hit given up by Cliff Lee and Grady Sizemore scoring the game-tying run. The best part of the ight, however, was the pregame ceremony with the Hall of Famers standing in the field alongside the starters. To see that many of the greatest to play the game in both this era and those prior was awesome. My concern, however, is that many people watched this ceremony and didn't recognize many of the names being announced. Seriously, it amazes me how many people follo a sport and don't know it's history. My advice to such people is to pick one sport they follow and learn the history of it, you will enjoy that sport so much more knowing where it came from.
Wednesday - LaPorta and Stevens named to All-Star team, WA-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Here's some All-Star trivia
- This year marked the fourth and final time that Yankee Stadium hosted the All-Star Game.
- The first three times it did, the Yankees won the AL Pennant, a streak that will likely be broken, given the strong play of the Red Sox and the Rays.
- While Yankee Stadium is the ballpark to host the All-Star Game and World Series action in the same year on multiple occasions, one other team has done it twice, albeit in two different ballparks. Who was that team? (answer in next entry)
My uncle made an interesting observation at a Captains game I attended with him recently: How does baseball expect to develop players in leagues with two-man umpire crews? However, that is just what baseball now does in half-season and single-A ball. My uncle also had a great solution: increase the luxury tax on high payrolls and put the money towards hiring the extra umpires needed to put three-man crews in all of organized baseball.
One concluding thought: WTAM's Kevin Keane claims that baseball is the "one sport invented by God." Given Mr. Keane's line of reasoning, could it be more than mere coincidence that the Rays suddenly improved after dropping "Devil" form their nickname?
Again, look for my Mid-Ohio updates this weekend. If you're in the Northern Ohio area this weekend, you may want to stop by the races as many of the cars and drivers from the Indianapolis 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans (including the winners of both races) will be running. Le Mans cars on Saturday, Indy cars on Sunday. I'll post a full listing of weekend sports activity in NE Ohio tomorrow.
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