Adding insult to injuries

Leaving a lot of hanging promises on the blog these days (still trying to get around to reading more of that health care bill), so I have to deal with at least one of the unfinished stories from last week.

Went to Citi Field last week for the first time. Beautiful stadium, but as many Mets bloggers and fans have complained about, noticeably devoid of Mets historical artifacts. (Not that there's much history being made lately, at least the kind of history we'd like to have recorded). The game was against the Phillies, whose fans must have bought up every available seat on eBay and Stubhub. Thanks to injuries to almost the entire starting lineup, the Mets fielded a team that was barely recognizable to the casual fan. But the game featured the return of Pedro Martinez to NY, which alone was enough of a storyline to provide some intrigue for what was otherwise destined to be an old-fashioned beatdown of the home team.

It started off just that way, with the Phils jumping toa 6-0 lead in the first inning on two three-run bombs. But rather than allow us to be miserable, the Mets insisted on feigning competitiveness by chipping away at the lead one or two runs at a time. An inside -the-park homer, a few triples, a terrific diving catch in right, Phils manager Charlie Manuel getting tossed arguing a call... all great things to watch that kept the game interesting and kept us from leaving early.

Bottom of the 9th, score is 9-6 Phillies, Mets get a leadoff triple courtesy of an error, then score a run courtesy of another. A weak single followed, setting up runners on first and second with no one out, down by only two. Mets fans are now on their feet. The Phillies fans in front of us, who were gloating and loving life for most of the afternoon, suddenly were a miserable anxious mess. Runners take off with the pitch, line drive up the middle caught by the second baseman, who then steps on second and then turns to tag the runner from first. Three outs, inning over, game over, thanks for coming to the ballpark today, drive home safely. The Phillies fans are silent in disbelief. The Mets fans are silent in shock. Then, realizing what just happened, all 38,000+ yell in unison- some in joy, most in despair- and process out of the stadium together trying to explain to themselves what just happened.

Unassisted triple plays had occured only 16 times before, and only once before in history had one ended a game. It was amazing to watch, and something I'll remember forever. Unfortunately, it means I'll wind up remembering this season too, which is something like most Mets fans that I'd like to forget.

System failure- Information Overload

Lack of posting recently certainly does not reflect lack of postable material. So much great stuff from the past few weeks, almost don't know where to start. Had a terrific week of vacation last week, spending time with my baby sis and her great family, then a few days at the Funny Farm with the McD's. Wrapped it up with a day and a half in Lake George, a place where I spent many a summer night playing mini-golf and skee-ball. Had a blast introducing my kids to things I did when I was their age and bringing them to places that haven't changed a bit in the 30 years that I've been going there.

Big thanks to Bucket for hosting me on my first trip to Citi Field. Was there on Sunday for a game you may have heard about, but more on that later...

My Prerogative

It goes without saying that everyone's got their likes and dislikes. But there are some things we all dislike that probably confuse us and everyone else, because it seems like we should like them. It's been a while since I dropped a Top 5 list on you, so I figured that this would be a fun way to get back into it.

Here then, without further ado, the Top 5 Things I'm Supposed To Like But Don't (in no particular order):

1. Harry Potter- Maybe it's not fair to list this, because I haven't read anything beyond the second chapter of the first book, and have only seen one of the movies. But that's my point, I guess. I'm a sci-fi/wizardry guy, raised on Star Wars and Dungeons and Dragons. You'd thing I'd be all into Harry. No desire at all.
2. Mustard- I'm a self-professed foodie. Love to eat, love to cook. Love flavors, especially strong flavors. Hate mustard. Can't stand it. I want to like it, because it's got cool varieties and goes with other things I like, but I just can't do it.
3. Modest Mouse- Might not be fair to put anything music-oriented on this list, because tastes there vary so much, but Modest Mouse is a band that based on other bands I love, you'd think I'd like. Every time I go to iTunes and buy something, or look at a band or track I'm interested in, Modest Mouse is on the list of suggestions for me. They've got critical acclaim and modest (pun intended) commercial success. But for some reason (I think it's the vocalist), I just can't get into them.
4. Scotch- Similar to mustard, this is something with a strong flavor that I really want to like, but can't. I love me some cocktails, and enjoy nothing better than sitting around with friends with an after-dinner drink just telling great stories. Scotch seems like the perfect fit there. I enjoy bourbon, and have had some really good scotches over time, but for some reason just can't develop a taste for the stuff.
5. Boston- I've been to Boston a few times, however maybe not enough to develop any kind of passion for the city. I love cities, especially the historical parts of them. Love the architecture, love the neighborhoods. So Boston should be just the kind of place I'd love. But of all the big cities I've spent time in, Boston fails to generate the attraction for me that all the others do. I love NYC, love Chicago, love SF and Seattle. Even like DC better than Boston. Go figure.

There's my list. Anything you can think of that you'd consider something you're supposed to like, but don't?

Day Laborers

Had a little microeconomics session at the dinner table last night. Owen was lamenting the fact that his bank account balance was not quite at the level he would like it (a pain many of us are feeling, right?). I was lamenting that there were certain odd jobs around the house that I needed to get done, but just didn't have the time to do them. Supply, meet demand.

We went about the discussion in a very business-like manner. I explained to him the job I needed done- the "tomato garden" (in quotes because it's less of a garden and more of a compost pile because of neglect) is an absolute mess. It's overgrown with weeds, has tomatoes rotting on the vine, and because it is at the end of the driveway, it is a visible sign of my lack of commitment to it. I told him the entire garden needed to be cleaned out, however he saw fit. All I asked was that the patch of ground be clean dirt by the time he was done.

I estimated that the job would take him about an hour, and I asked him to submit a bid for the work. He asked for $7, I countered with $3, and we settled on $4. I told him that he could subcontract out some work if he wanted to, and that if he did, he would pay his subcontractors from the lump sum I paid him.

Brendan of course wanted in on some action too. We had a similar discussion about detailing my car, so while Owen is doing his job today, Brendan will be detailing the interior of my car for the same price. We'll see how all this works out, but if all parties are happy by this evening, it could be the start of a new business relationship.

Beachin' it

Just back from our first ever trip to the Outer Banks, NC. Ciaran (or as the kids like to call her, Atti's Owner) and her brother Aidan rented a house there for the week and were kind enough to invite us down to visit.

We headed south Thursday afternoon, arriving there late in the evening in with enough time for an evening dip in the pool. Started Friday with a trip to Duck Donuts (fresh hot donuts hand-dipped in toppings and full of donuty goodness) and then walked the few blocks from the house to the beach. Great waves, plenty of sun- a perfect beach day. Capped it off that night with a shellfish feast- a take-out, cook-it-yourself steamer pot of lobster, crab, mussels and clams that was fantastic. Headed back to DE on Saturday with a little sunburn, great memories, and an appetite whetted for a return trip sometime soon.