The blogs are starting to add up. Now serving #300.
I'm delighted to get to such a high number. When I first starting writing these in September 2010 under the blogger.com domain, I wasn't sure how long I'd be writing these for. Other attempts at maintaining blogs failed miserably. For the life of me, I can't remember the blog site that I wrote a couple dozen postings on during my college years, and I probably deleted most/all of the posts as I became more aware of the permanence of all things Internets. Then, Myspace entered the picture and I was able to share with everyone my emotion at the time of writing the blog as well as a song to go with it. I finally got around to deactivating my Myspace about a year ago.
I'm not even sure what got me writing again. I guess it was the easiest way for me to express my sports thoughts. It may have been out of boredom, not really sure. -My first blog set the tone somewhat for what was to come with this setting: a blog about sports, gambling, and uhhh, sports. From there, there was a fair share of immature, pointless blogs (kinda like this one). The blog after that was titled, "Florida: America's Wang." Classy, I know.
But I believe it has become a tad more mature and a lot more well-rounded. I've tackled some issues that have bothered me. I've had fun at my dad's expense, although I'm not sure where the picture for this blog went. I've tried to predict the past three seasons (including this season) of baseball, basketball and football, at a very low success rate. I believe the only prediction that's come close to being right was predicting Miami over OKC last year in the NBA Finals - didn't really take a brain surgeon for that.
I've also gotten political lately, starting with last year's SOPA madness that resulted in me writing a few letters to my local senators, even getting a nice response back from Mark Kirk. I won't bother linking the Dick Durbin one since, well...yeah. I also threw my support behind a president for the first time in my life. The last time I voted before 2012 was for John Kerry (as reluctantly as one could vote for someone), so these writings about Gary Johnson were refreshing to transcribe, as his beliefs align with my own about government's role in our lives and our society.
But what really took my blog into a new readership was the introduction into my online dating life. Based on the enormous views that I got from those blogs (three of my top 10 viewed blogs came from that seven-chapter series), there's nothing y'all like more than the juicy tidbits of single people's love lives. One of these top-viewed blogs comes from my date with the lovely and beautiful Jen, who I am still with to this day. One thing that came out of this blog series, outside of people being really curious with my love life, was the realization that my blogs about personal stuff (not the "what I ate for dinner" crap but more the "here's a fun new thing I'm trying out or a realization I've come to") were well-received and well-read. That doesn't mean I've abandoned my bread-and-butter which is sports, but I've kept that in mind while trying to balance the sports stuff with the fun, random life observations.
There's plenty of other things I could link up that I'm proud of writing, like my series on fans of out-of-town teams (I am looking to expand on that for next season - goal is to get at least 6-8 more fan bases represented). It was fun to get people to interact with me and make their stories come to life a little bit.
I originally titled this blog Hawaii 3-0-0, thinking I might end up writing about my pending Hawaii trip. As I've been known to do, I went off on a little tangent and ended up writing exactly one paragraph about it. Which reminds me, I created an urban dictionary word five years ago when hanging out with my cousin Frank. I found it as I was looking for the old blogging page that I used in 2004/2005. Here's the word, in case you are interested in looking at it: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=tangentation.
Anywho, I hope you all continue to read my blogs, no matter the subject. I hope to come up with some new ideas for blogs in the near future, including some potential new series of blogs.
Thanks for reading. Hope you continue to read for another 300 more and beyond.
3/07/2013
My Struggle to Get Interested in the Blackhawks and Hockey in General
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| Streak or not, the only way this season can end in true success for the Blackhawks is a reappearance of this Cup in city limits, at least in my eyes. |
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| Will this be on Chicago Theater in June 2013? |
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| A parade this time around could net about double the attendance. |
Hockey is a sport I wish I could get into, but I just can't. Maybe it's because the product translates poor to TV (at least to me). Maybe it's the lower scoring - although I'd disagree with that because I love me a 2-1 baseball game more than anyone I know.
I know I hate their way of distributing points in overtime/shootouts. The idea that a team can earn a point even when they lose the game seems absurd to me - a loss of any sort in any situation should not be rewarded, even if it comes in extra time. Think about it this way - would you want other sports to give losing teams credit for forcing overtime or extra innings and have weird baseball records like 78-72-12? Personally, I think the system before was just fine - maybe add about 5 minutes to overtimes and if it ends in a draw, so be it. To decide a winner on such an arbitrary process (the shootout) seems stupidly silly. Like my friend Jay said, it'd be like basketball ending in a free-throw contest (Dwight Howard vs. Blake Griffin could go on for days).
Perhaps me writing this much about hockey is actually a reflection of my inner-fan coming out - after all, why would I write this much about the problems I have with hockey if I didn't care. I don't think I'll ever be an active fan, which is a shame. Most of my close friends are big into the sport, and during these non-NFL months, it would bring me into the sports conversation for an extended period of time. At least long enough to pass the time until NFL comes around.
So to bury the lede - yes, I have noticed that the Blackhawks are on a historically sick run. Part of that has resulted in foolish decisions on my end, as I've bet against them a few times in this streak when a really high betting line presented itself. I think the streak is good for the NHL - hell, any positive coverage, even if portrayed by an ignorant hockey entity like ESPN, should be viewed as a good thing. With how bad a second lockout in ten years could have been for the sport, the NHL needs as much of this as they can. The longer this streak goes, the better it will be for them. This is somewhat comparable to what Cal Ripken's streak did for the MLB. Coming off of a strike in 1994, baseball needed a great story to attach itself to. And what a better story for them to come along than one that involves a sacred number (2,130) in a sport that attaches itself to sacred numbers.
As long as the Blackhawks continue to add to this streak, the NHL needs to do everything it can to promote it. Hockey has very little opportunities in the national spotlight and needs to capitalize on this so that they can turn casual fans like me (but not necessarily me - people who haven't experienced the sport) into lifelong fans. The long-time Blackhawks fans can bitch all they want about the bandwagon fans coming along for the ride, but I don't see the wagon getting any smaller anytime soon. With the old Wirtz in there, there was little reason for people to actually care about the Hawks - I give many props to those who toughed out those years as fans and stuck with them through the thinnest of thins.
As far as the bandwagon subject goes...To those long-time fans who complain about the bandwagoners, I say - Be open and accepting to their presence. Teach them about some of the nuances of the game (like explaining offsides, icing, etc.). As long as they are willing to become genuine fans of the Blackhawks and hockey in general, give them the respect you would want when you are learning about or finding interest in something for the first time. Besides, these fans aren't going anywhere.
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| As crazy as it seems, this crowd WILL be larger if there's a parade in 2013. |
3/01/2013
Fit Happens Chapter 4: Weight For It...How I Met Your Weight Loss Goals
Everybody loves (another) comeback story. It all starts circa November 2008.
Step 1: Decide to join a gym.
Step 2: Work out hard core for a 2-year period and lose 45 pounds. You become a running machine.
Step 3: Get a job where you work from home and start night class at the same time.
Step 4: Stop going to the gym. Plump up and regain a whole bunch of weight (and then some). You become a washing machine.
Step 5: Join weight loss contest with several friends in order to repeat/exceed results seen in Step 2.
Step 6: Don't repeat Step 4 - ever.
As I reside in Step 6, I have been complimented quite a bit about my decreased figure, including from some people who I wouldn't expect to notice such weight loss.
It's the beauty of changing ourselves for the better. Whenever a person decides to change something about themselves like quitting smoking or losing weight and they are successful for an extended period of time, his or her friends are quick to point out how much better they look (or in the case of smoking, congratulate them on the progress made in not smoking). Never mind the fact that you should have made better decisions about your diet or not started smoking in the first place - those people who focus on these things as a habit are not complimented nearly as much as they should be. We love comeback stories in sports, but it hits closer to home when the comeback is made by you or someone close to you.
(Editor's note: I had to edit some of the paragraph below because I wrote this story last night under the notion that I would be repeating as the monthly champ of Fit Happens. Since it didn't happen, I had to bite the bullet and edit it to the truth)
In the two months of the weight loss contest, I have already lost exactly 20 pounds (down to 215.6). I got a little ahead of myself by posting a picture of my weight after working out last night. I was so close to winning the first two months of the contest. It was something that I did not think was possible when entering the month. I figured that with all the weight I lost in January that I would have great difficulty going back-to-back. Nick took Month 2, but I am still on top of the overall leaderboard w/ 8.49%.
Now as far as the challenges ahead in March?
In the next chapter or so, I am going to try interviewing some of the other contestants to see their progress in this contest and what they have done to lose weight.
Step 1: Decide to join a gym.
Step 2: Work out hard core for a 2-year period and lose 45 pounds. You become a running machine.
Step 3: Get a job where you work from home and start night class at the same time.
Step 4: Stop going to the gym. Plump up and regain a whole bunch of weight (and then some). You become a washing machine.
Step 5: Join weight loss contest with several friends in order to repeat/exceed results seen in Step 2.
Step 6: Don't repeat Step 4 - ever.
As I reside in Step 6, I have been complimented quite a bit about my decreased figure, including from some people who I wouldn't expect to notice such weight loss.
It's the beauty of changing ourselves for the better. Whenever a person decides to change something about themselves like quitting smoking or losing weight and they are successful for an extended period of time, his or her friends are quick to point out how much better they look (or in the case of smoking, congratulate them on the progress made in not smoking). Never mind the fact that you should have made better decisions about your diet or not started smoking in the first place - those people who focus on these things as a habit are not complimented nearly as much as they should be. We love comeback stories in sports, but it hits closer to home when the comeback is made by you or someone close to you.
(Editor's note: I had to edit some of the paragraph below because I wrote this story last night under the notion that I would be repeating as the monthly champ of Fit Happens. Since it didn't happen, I had to bite the bullet and edit it to the truth)
In the two months of the weight loss contest, I have already lost exactly 20 pounds (down to 215.6). I got a little ahead of myself by posting a picture of my weight after working out last night. I was so close to winning the first two months of the contest. It was something that I did not think was possible when entering the month. I figured that with all the weight I lost in January that I would have great difficulty going back-to-back. Nick took Month 2, but I am still on top of the overall leaderboard w/ 8.49%.
| Dave | -16.0 lbs | -5.54 % |
| Hippo | -20.2 lbs | -8.18 % |
| LionEsquire | -18.6 lbs | -7.62 % |
| B-Bo Knows Weight Loss | -20.0 lbs | -8.49 % |
Challenge...Accepted:
As many of you have read in the previous blog, one of the challenges I set forth in February was not consuming any alcohol in the month of February after the Super Bowl. I am proud to say that I easily succeeded in this task. In addition to the happenings in Fit Happens Chapter 3, I had a few other times where drinks were present and I was really tempted. The last such instance was at Twin Anchors Ribs (great ribs), where a 40 minute wait meant that I had to stand like a sardine in a can while watching a bunch of people drink what I assumed was sweet, delicious craft beer out of the tap.
In addition to halting my alcohol consumption to nil, I have also increased the intensity of my workouts. It was my goal this month to be able to run on the treadmill for 3-4 miles by the end of the month, which I was able to do. I would have like to have worked out a few more times (I worked out 14 of the 28 days of the month - aiming for 100 gym visits during the 6 month contest), but the important thing is getting my ass motivated to the gym.
The diet has improved a little. A lot less snacking and eating/ordering out, more home-cooked meals. I ordered Pat's Pizza (the South Loop version) only once, which is a rare thing for me. I've only had Pat's twice in the current calendar year. If you've ever had their thin crust pizza, you'd know how easy it would be to down an entire pizza by yourself - ok, maybe not you, maybe the November, chubbier version of me would know.
I expected that losing 4-to-6 pounds was the realistic goal for this month, given (1) the fewer days in February and (2) the weight loss plateaus that come after a month or two of working out. Luckily, the combination above really worked in my favor, and I am happy to say that I exceeded this goal by a pound.
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| Not as light as the picture posted Thursday night, but still a 7 pound weight loss for February (exactly 20 lost overall) |
Sandcastles in the Sand
Now as far as the challenges ahead in March?
- Hawaii: Have I mentioned I am going to Hawaii for work this month? Oh....yeah. I'm going to Hawaii this month. Yeah, awesome. As far as my weight loss project goes, I hope I don't have to put it on hold while I am here. I know the idea of all expenses paid will make drinking tempting. I don't think it'll be much of a problem, but it does present its temptations. I'm hoping there's a gym I can work out there at least a few times.
- March Madness: Per my usual doings, I am taking off for the March Madness tourney. This has presented itself as an ugly convergence of gambling and beer in my recent past. Again, I believe my self-control is much better than before, so I should be ok. I may need to work out a little harder in the days to follow the first two days of the tourney.
- St. Patty's: Actually, this day shouldn't be a problem. I've never gotten into the spirit of this "holiday". In fact, I mostly despise it thanks to an incident involving my brother nearly getting ran off the road on the day of the Parade (that story is for another day).
Clap Bet
Now that the second month of the "contest" is over - which at this point has served its purpose and then some for all involved - I am looking to continue the weight loss and have adjusted my goals slightly based on the results of the first few months. Here are a few of the things I am cheering for myself to accomplish in the next four months and beyond:
- One of my original goals was to get under 200 pounds by the end of the contest. That still remains a goal, but I'd like to take it a step further and say I'd like to get under 195 (possibly to 190) by the end of June.
- I am looking to run a race at some point during this contest. I have a variety of races to choose from, but may be limited in my choices. The Shamrock Shuffle is in April and is an 8K. I'm not sure if I will be in the shape I'd want to be in to run an 8K. Even when I was back in shape in 2010, I was not running 8K or more outside of my intense 7.5 mile treadmill runs.
Other races I am looking to run: United Run for the Zoo at Lincoln Park and/or the Warrior Dash. Unfortunately, the latter requires me to race in the very first heat of runners, likely by myself since the group of friends I would like to go with are racing the next day. I'd be racing that day if it wasn't for a work conference in Florida I am going to that day.
The likely race to run is the Run for the Zoo. If anyone wants to join me for this, please let me know. By then, I believe I will be in 8 minute-mile shape. - Of course, one of my goals is a "No shit, Sherlock" goal: I am looking to win this contest. But I feel all of us agree that the weight loss contest was more of a motivating technique, a means to an end, to change behaviors that needed to be changed. I am delighted that the four of us have been keeping in constant contact during the two months, sharing our positive stories, motivating each other and congratulating certain milestones reached. Everyone has lost a significant amount of weight so far. At this pace, no one will have to worry about any of the detrimental sides of the bet (like changing avatars/gamer tags or wearing a dress to dinner with the guys).
- I am still looking to get to the gym 100 times in the 6 months. I have gone 28 times in the first 59 days of the year, meaning I have to average 18 visits to the gym per month the rest of the contest. If I am able to do that, I believe all of the goals above will be achievable.
In the next chapter or so, I am going to try interviewing some of the other contestants to see their progress in this contest and what they have done to lose weight.
I hope you enjoyed the latest legen.....wait for it.....dary Fit Happens chapter.
2/27/2013
No Comments: Why Most Websites Should Shut Down Commenting Sections
When opening up a website to read a story or watch a video, or hell, even an up-and-coming blog, you'll often see a comment section at the bottom of the page. It can be tied to people's Facebook pages or simply just a stand-alone comment section.
If all you do is read the comments section of pages, you are likely among those people who think the world is going to hell or already there. With the exception of a handful of people, most commentators on websites are complete morons.
In most web stories that allow commenting, the items posted usually end up devolving into very polarizing, ignorant, and absolute statements. I'm convinced that any story or video posted on the web that allows commenting can eventually become an argument about race, gender, religion, politics or sexuality.
A story about bubble gum? A couple comments down, you could get into an argument about abortion.
A lost dog? "Your" a racist.
The music industry failing? "F- you, you liberal piece of shit".
These particular examples might be made up - at least I believe I made them up. But if you look closely at the comments posted on the stories you read, your IQ will go down about 10-15%. And many of them may be on innocent stories like the topics I mentioned above - which have nothing to do with the t
Very little is gained from a comments section. I can understand why my friend Nick closed it off on his site (www.berserkhippo.com), even though I don't know how much spam/stupid comments he would get if he had it open.
The comments section on my blog is usually empty. When it's not, it's usually filled with coherent information that doesn't look like it was crafted at a junior high Klan meeting. I appreciate my audience and feel that they can comment on stories as they wish - and I look to respond to those folks as soon as possible. I would not hesitate to shut that function off if I felt like morons were taking over my blog with their ignorance. So to reiterate, this commenting beef is not with my folks - my comment people are great.
It's all the other sites, the sites that lend themselves to massive amounts of views and clicks. I believe many of these sites would benefit to go the way of my friend Nick and get rid of their commenting sections. Very little is gained from their presence on stories posted on Yahoo or some newspaper chain.
I hope that the people who randomly comment on stories here keep commenting, because they're usually well-versed folks. If I have to start moderating moronic comments, that may be the day I heed the advice I'm giving to the news conglomerates and shut down the ability to comment.
Added after blog post: looks like I already wrote a similar blog in July 2011. I guess this can happen from time to time when one is nearing 300 total blogs. The same moronic things are cyclical apparently.
If all you do is read the comments section of pages, you are likely among those people who think the world is going to hell or already there. With the exception of a handful of people, most commentators on websites are complete morons.
In most web stories that allow commenting, the items posted usually end up devolving into very polarizing, ignorant, and absolute statements. I'm convinced that any story or video posted on the web that allows commenting can eventually become an argument about race, gender, religion, politics or sexuality.
A story about bubble gum? A couple comments down, you could get into an argument about abortion.
A lost dog? "Your" a racist.
The music industry failing? "F- you, you liberal piece of shit".
These particular examples might be made up - at least I believe I made them up. But if you look closely at the comments posted on the stories you read, your IQ will go down about 10-15%. And many of them may be on innocent stories like the topics I mentioned above - which have nothing to do with the t
Very little is gained from a comments section. I can understand why my friend Nick closed it off on his site (www.berserkhippo.com), even though I don't know how much spam/stupid comments he would get if he had it open.
The comments section on my blog is usually empty. When it's not, it's usually filled with coherent information that doesn't look like it was crafted at a junior high Klan meeting. I appreciate my audience and feel that they can comment on stories as they wish - and I look to respond to those folks as soon as possible. I would not hesitate to shut that function off if I felt like morons were taking over my blog with their ignorance. So to reiterate, this commenting beef is not with my folks - my comment people are great.
It's all the other sites, the sites that lend themselves to massive amounts of views and clicks. I believe many of these sites would benefit to go the way of my friend Nick and get rid of their commenting sections. Very little is gained from their presence on stories posted on Yahoo or some newspaper chain.
I hope that the people who randomly comment on stories here keep commenting, because they're usually well-versed folks. If I have to start moderating moronic comments, that may be the day I heed the advice I'm giving to the news conglomerates and shut down the ability to comment.
Added after blog post: looks like I already wrote a similar blog in July 2011. I guess this can happen from time to time when one is nearing 300 total blogs. The same moronic things are cyclical apparently.
2/22/2013
An Early Look at MLB & Teams Who I Have My Eye On
Here's a look at each team's odds to win their respective divisions, according to 5dimes.com. The teams I have bolded below are the teams I find to have the best value, not necessarily who I think will win the division.
Tampa - Ever since their surprise World Series appearance years ago, the Rays have been in the thick of the AL East race. Even when they trade away pieces that people think will end the Rays' run, Tampa keeps rolling. With all the years of sucktitude that they had, the Rays were able to stockpile a wealth of young talent, which allows them to make these moves. This is the toughest division in the majors to predict, especially now with all the talent that Toronto acquired, but out of all the teams, I think the Rays have the best value.
Kansas City - The Royals made some moves. Wait...the Royals...made....moves? A solid starting rotation that can eat innings (Ervin Santana, James Shields & Wade Davis join Jeremy Guthrie & Luke Hochevar). They have some guys who can rake (Butler's one of the most under-rated guys in the majors). It'll take a strong effort for any of these AL Central teams to take the division away from the Tigers, but if there is going to be a team who does it this year, I believe it'll be the Royals (not the White Sox).
Oakland - If you watched the way they ended the year last year, you'd be hard-pressed to tell me that they should be a 6/1 shot to win the division. This team improved every month of the year, with a miraculous comeback to take the division from the Texas Rangers on the last day of the season. Yoesnis Cespedes is a stud and should get better this year. And now with them having the Astros to whip around, there should be a good shot of Oakland getting in the 85-90 win range again.
St. Louis - Every year, the Cardinals are in the talk for the playoffs. Outside of the Yankees, the Cardinals are the team you associate with making the playoffs on a consistent basis and having a reasonable shot to win the World Series every year. I don't even need to know what offseason moves they made, because simply put, they always make the right moves. Letting Pujols go was the smart move. (an aside: Do you see how bad A-Rod looks at the end of his huge deal with the Yankees? That could very well be Phat Albert in about five years.) St. Louis isn't a huge underdog in this division, but they're doggish enough to have value. Wainwright is scheduled to start the year - Carpenter is scheduled to miss the entire year. That didn't seem to matter a couple years back when it was the reverse that happened as they won the World Series in dramatic fashion.
Philly - Last year's prohibitive favorite to dominate the NL East thanks to a stalwart pitching staff, the Phillies ended up underachieving to a level that only the Marlins and maybe the Red Sox could relate to. A pitching staff with Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee can go far and do wonderful things together if they can stay healthy. With their increased age (Halladay will be turning 36 in May while Lee turns 35 in August), you can only hope they can pitch their elite-level 200+ innings. With Hamels in the mix, this will continue to be a devastating rotation. If they can get some production from some of their younger hitters (like Domonic Brown) and some of these older guys can find the fountain of youth or undetectable PEDs (I'm looking at you Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins & Chase Utley - a trio of guys who feel like have been with the team for 20 years together), they can easily contend again for the NL East crown.
Arizona - The Diamondbacks are a year removed from winning the division. While the Giants were busy winning their second World Series in three years and the Dodgers were spending money like Steinbrenners, the Diamondbacks made some rather curious moves, trading for Heath Bell (coming off a disastrous year) and trading Justin Upton in separate deals. However, like many of the other teams on this list, I like them for their pitching. Ian Kennedy, Brandon McCarthy, Trevor Cahill & Wade Miley are all capable of 200+ quality innings. Solid pitching can keep a team in contention till the very end, and I think Arizona is very capable of winning this division.
I'll be writing a blog in the next couple weeks with official predictions. I figured I'd get out of my lack-of-writing blues that seem to hit after the Super Bowl every year.
Happy Spring Training, y'all!
Tampa - Ever since their surprise World Series appearance years ago, the Rays have been in the thick of the AL East race. Even when they trade away pieces that people think will end the Rays' run, Tampa keeps rolling. With all the years of sucktitude that they had, the Rays were able to stockpile a wealth of young talent, which allows them to make these moves. This is the toughest division in the majors to predict, especially now with all the talent that Toronto acquired, but out of all the teams, I think the Rays have the best value.
Kansas City - The Royals made some moves. Wait...the Royals...made....moves? A solid starting rotation that can eat innings (Ervin Santana, James Shields & Wade Davis join Jeremy Guthrie & Luke Hochevar). They have some guys who can rake (Butler's one of the most under-rated guys in the majors). It'll take a strong effort for any of these AL Central teams to take the division away from the Tigers, but if there is going to be a team who does it this year, I believe it'll be the Royals (not the White Sox).
Oakland - If you watched the way they ended the year last year, you'd be hard-pressed to tell me that they should be a 6/1 shot to win the division. This team improved every month of the year, with a miraculous comeback to take the division from the Texas Rangers on the last day of the season. Yoesnis Cespedes is a stud and should get better this year. And now with them having the Astros to whip around, there should be a good shot of Oakland getting in the 85-90 win range again.
St. Louis - Every year, the Cardinals are in the talk for the playoffs. Outside of the Yankees, the Cardinals are the team you associate with making the playoffs on a consistent basis and having a reasonable shot to win the World Series every year. I don't even need to know what offseason moves they made, because simply put, they always make the right moves. Letting Pujols go was the smart move. (an aside: Do you see how bad A-Rod looks at the end of his huge deal with the Yankees? That could very well be Phat Albert in about five years.) St. Louis isn't a huge underdog in this division, but they're doggish enough to have value. Wainwright is scheduled to start the year - Carpenter is scheduled to miss the entire year. That didn't seem to matter a couple years back when it was the reverse that happened as they won the World Series in dramatic fashion.
Philly - Last year's prohibitive favorite to dominate the NL East thanks to a stalwart pitching staff, the Phillies ended up underachieving to a level that only the Marlins and maybe the Red Sox could relate to. A pitching staff with Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee can go far and do wonderful things together if they can stay healthy. With their increased age (Halladay will be turning 36 in May while Lee turns 35 in August), you can only hope they can pitch their elite-level 200+ innings. With Hamels in the mix, this will continue to be a devastating rotation. If they can get some production from some of their younger hitters (like Domonic Brown) and some of these older guys can find the fountain of youth or undetectable PEDs (I'm looking at you Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins & Chase Utley - a trio of guys who feel like have been with the team for 20 years together), they can easily contend again for the NL East crown.
Arizona - The Diamondbacks are a year removed from winning the division. While the Giants were busy winning their second World Series in three years and the Dodgers were spending money like Steinbrenners, the Diamondbacks made some rather curious moves, trading for Heath Bell (coming off a disastrous year) and trading Justin Upton in separate deals. However, like many of the other teams on this list, I like them for their pitching. Ian Kennedy, Brandon McCarthy, Trevor Cahill & Wade Miley are all capable of 200+ quality innings. Solid pitching can keep a team in contention till the very end, and I think Arizona is very capable of winning this division.
I'll be writing a blog in the next couple weeks with official predictions. I figured I'd get out of my lack-of-writing blues that seem to hit after the Super Bowl every year.
Happy Spring Training, y'all!
| MLB American League East Mon 4/1 1:05PM | |
|---|---|
| New York Yankees | +175 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | +185 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | +340 |
| Boston Red Sox | +600 |
| Baltimore Orioles | +750 |
| MLB American League Central Mon 4/1 1:05PM | |
|---|---|
| Detroit Tigers | -290 |
| Chicago White Sox | +645 |
| Kansas City Royals | +700 |
| Cleveland Indians | +1000 |
| Minnesota Twins | +2200 |
| MLB American League West Mon 4/1 1:05PM | |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Angels | -150 |
| Texas Rangers | +190 |
| Oakland Athletics | +600 |
| Seattle Mariners | +1450 |
| Houston Astros | +6000 |
| MLB National League East Mon 4/1 1:05PM | |
|---|---|
| Washington Nationals | +110 |
| Atlanta Braves | +225 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | +250 |
| New York Mets | +1700 |
| Miami Marlins | +3300 |
| MLB National League Central Mon 4/1 1:05PM | |
|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds | -130 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | +210 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | +580 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | +1050 |
| Chicago Cubs | +1800 |
| MLB National League West Mon 4/1 1:05PM | |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | -110 |
| San Francisco Giants | +230 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | +400 |
| San Diego Padres | +1900 |
| Colorado Rockies | +2500 |
2/17/2013
Fit Happens Chapter 3: The No Booze Cruise (Part 1)
As I did three years ago, I have devoted the month of February to no alcohol drinks whatsoever (editors note: we shall never speak of the events of February 3rd, which was reserved for the consumption of a plethora and variety of craft brews imbibed during the 49ers loss in the Super Bowl).
This no-alcohol month was done in two parts: (1) to give myself a challenge that I knew would be tough, especially with how many alcohol-based situations I am in on a weekly basis and (2) to help in the process of losing weight for the Fit Happens challenge.
I knew the chances of repeating as the Biggest Loser based on percentage for the month of February would be difficult, so I figured some kind of dietary change had to occur for this to happen (in addition to working out harder and more frequently).
I have kept track of all of the potential drinking opportunities and how difficult it was for me to abstain from drinking. I'm actually surprised at how often I'm in drinking situations, which surprises me that it surprises me.
Without further ado (listed by the date where temptation presented itself)
1st - As is the case every Friday, bowling always presents its share of temptation of delicious beer, usually 312. It is also harder to not drink when the team when you are bowling is a bunch of booze hounds - which was the case today. Seeing as though I bowled below average this particular week (peaking at a 191 in game 2) as our team got swept, a pint couldn't have hurt. Temptation Level: Medium
2nd - This day contained visits to two separate bars - Olivers and Zante's. Oliver's was with the family (not with my usual Wednesday night hooligans, so no difficulty there. Zante's was a different story.
Here's a story on Yelp a few years ago from someone who went there:
1/6/2011
This summary sums up my thoughts on the place. The best part of the place this particular night was that there was one table of awesome people and an awesome birthday girl. Otherwise, this review is how I feel about the bar. So needless to say, the urge to drink this night was particularly high. I did buy drinks...but they weren't for me. Ada (the birthday girl in question) and Jen enjoyed a lemon drop shot as part of my birthday drink gift. My 3-4 glasses of water were my only beverages consumed. Temptation Level: High; Total Bar Visits: 2; (Month-to-Date: 2)
3rd - (We're forgetting about this day. Damn Ravens)
6th - Wednesday night bowling doesn't usually have the same alcohol temptation that Friday does, but there are a few teams we enjoy bowling against whose enjoyment of a couple drinks might get our team to do the same. However, when the team you are facing is named "BYE" and has no people on the team, the possibility of being tempted by them is nil. After bowling is usually a trip to Olivers, but sticking with the theme of a BYE week, my usual duo of knuckleheads were both MIA - no appearance to Olivers necessary. Temptation Level: Low
8th - Another bowling night, but with a team that doesn't interact with us in a way that others do (where there may be a shot here and there), there was no temptation to drink, although sadly, I have to say we all did take shots from a shot glass. They contained water. I bowled well that night (610 series, topping out at a 241 in the first game), so that's all I really need from a bowling night I realized. Temptation Level: Low
9th - I went to visit my friend who lives in Bloomington. If you know anything about us, you'd know that pretty much every time we've hung out (dating back to the start of our friendship in college times), there has been a couple of beers consumed. We did go to a bar, but we just grabbed lunch and then hung out at his place before heading back home to the South Loop in the early evening.
After this was one of the most alcohol-filled situations I've been in: Geno & Jen's engagement party. Over two dozen people were at the party - I believe all of them except one thinning white boy with a faux hawk were drinking something that night. With celebration drinks and clinking glasses surrounding me, I stayed strong with my 36 ounce water jug (between Bloomington and this party, I refilled the jug about 8 or 9 times - over 300 oz's of H2O in my body throughout the day). Talking about brewing beer with Ed didn't help matters. We also went to a bar (The Shamrock) after for a couple of drinks. But, as is the theme with this story, I stayed strong. Temptation Level: High; Total Bar Visits: 2 (Month-to-Date: 4)
10th - Another day with G & J, another day of bowling, but surprisingly, not as much temptation. This bowling league on Sundays is more of a social league than a serious one, but on this particular day, no one on the team was drinking. I'm a substitute for the team, bowling when needed. Afterwards, we went to Diversey's to grab dinner and catch some of the Blackhawks game. Again, shocked to see no one was drinking. Jen and I left before the game ended. However, at the bar, I set up my next drinking temptation event, which coincidentally enough, involved going to a Blackhawks game. Temptation Level: Low; Total Bar Visits: 1 (Month-to-Date: 5)
12th - I was invited to go to a Blackhawks game with Geno, for the low price of buying him a couple rounds of drinks. At this point, he knew that I was not drinking this month - and as such, he respected my stance of not drinking this month. We took a free shuttle from The Crossroads to the United Center. After not drinking there amid a 3-2 Blackhawks defeat, I went back to the bar with Geno (but not before running into New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas, who I took a picture of with Geno). The urge to drink was a little higher than the previous temptation, but certainly not as bad as it's been this month. Temptation Level: Medium; Total Bar Visits: 1 (Month-to-Date: 6)
This no-alcohol month was done in two parts: (1) to give myself a challenge that I knew would be tough, especially with how many alcohol-based situations I am in on a weekly basis and (2) to help in the process of losing weight for the Fit Happens challenge.
I knew the chances of repeating as the Biggest Loser based on percentage for the month of February would be difficult, so I figured some kind of dietary change had to occur for this to happen (in addition to working out harder and more frequently).
I have kept track of all of the potential drinking opportunities and how difficult it was for me to abstain from drinking. I'm actually surprised at how often I'm in drinking situations, which surprises me that it surprises me.
Without further ado (listed by the date where temptation presented itself)
1st - As is the case every Friday, bowling always presents its share of temptation of delicious beer, usually 312. It is also harder to not drink when the team when you are bowling is a bunch of booze hounds - which was the case today. Seeing as though I bowled below average this particular week (peaking at a 191 in game 2) as our team got swept, a pint couldn't have hurt. Temptation Level: Medium
2nd - This day contained visits to two separate bars - Olivers and Zante's. Oliver's was with the family (not with my usual Wednesday night hooligans, so no difficulty there. Zante's was a different story.
Here's a story on Yelp a few years ago from someone who went there:
Frankfort, IL
3rd - (We're forgetting about this day. Damn Ravens)
6th - Wednesday night bowling doesn't usually have the same alcohol temptation that Friday does, but there are a few teams we enjoy bowling against whose enjoyment of a couple drinks might get our team to do the same. However, when the team you are facing is named "BYE" and has no people on the team, the possibility of being tempted by them is nil. After bowling is usually a trip to Olivers, but sticking with the theme of a BYE week, my usual duo of knuckleheads were both MIA - no appearance to Olivers necessary. Temptation Level: Low
8th - Another bowling night, but with a team that doesn't interact with us in a way that others do (where there may be a shot here and there), there was no temptation to drink, although sadly, I have to say we all did take shots from a shot glass. They contained water. I bowled well that night (610 series, topping out at a 241 in the first game), so that's all I really need from a bowling night I realized. Temptation Level: Low
9th - I went to visit my friend who lives in Bloomington. If you know anything about us, you'd know that pretty much every time we've hung out (dating back to the start of our friendship in college times), there has been a couple of beers consumed. We did go to a bar, but we just grabbed lunch and then hung out at his place before heading back home to the South Loop in the early evening.
After this was one of the most alcohol-filled situations I've been in: Geno & Jen's engagement party. Over two dozen people were at the party - I believe all of them except one thinning white boy with a faux hawk were drinking something that night. With celebration drinks and clinking glasses surrounding me, I stayed strong with my 36 ounce water jug (between Bloomington and this party, I refilled the jug about 8 or 9 times - over 300 oz's of H2O in my body throughout the day). Talking about brewing beer with Ed didn't help matters. We also went to a bar (The Shamrock) after for a couple of drinks. But, as is the theme with this story, I stayed strong. Temptation Level: High; Total Bar Visits: 2 (Month-to-Date: 4)
10th - Another day with G & J, another day of bowling, but surprisingly, not as much temptation. This bowling league on Sundays is more of a social league than a serious one, but on this particular day, no one on the team was drinking. I'm a substitute for the team, bowling when needed. Afterwards, we went to Diversey's to grab dinner and catch some of the Blackhawks game. Again, shocked to see no one was drinking. Jen and I left before the game ended. However, at the bar, I set up my next drinking temptation event, which coincidentally enough, involved going to a Blackhawks game. Temptation Level: Low; Total Bar Visits: 1 (Month-to-Date: 5)
 |
| Pierre & Geno |
13th - I headed to Atlanta for a few days, where I was to meet with my co-workers, including my new boss (who I had never had the chance to meet before). I was in my hotel room for several hours before I got a call from him to meet him at the hotel bar. As I did many times so far this month, I explained my no-drink situation, so my beverage of choice was water throughout the 48 hours together. I also managed to avoid drinking at a restaurant we went to when Jake got into town. I did take a shot of something - strangely, it was an oyster/calamari shot. I assured the new boss that I would be enjoying adult beverages with them on our company trip next month in Hawaii. Temptation Level: High; Total Bar Visits (including the hotel bar): 2 (Month-to-Date: 8)
14th - The second night featured dinner with a client in a downtown restaurant and visiting a pub where the boss wanted to see an old friend of his that he hadn't seen in a couple years. The client dinner was fantastic - no drinks, no worries. Same with the visit to the bar. We didn't stay there long, as every one of us was tired and wanted to get some shut eye. Temptation Level: Low; Total Bar Visits (including restaurant): 2 (Month-to-Date: 10)
15th - I got back into Chicago around 7:30 pm, just in time to get back to the suburbs for bowling. Like the bowling situation on the 1st, we faced a team full of guys who are never shy about their consumption of buckets full of piss water known as Coors Light. Avoiding drinking was not a problem though. Temptation was lower than normal, considering the team we are bowling against. One thing I did notice - as I go with beer drinking at bowling, so goes my team. Not once this month has my team had a beer to drink while bowling. Temptation Level: Low
More to come on this as the month finishes. I will also update everyone on my weight loss and whether or not I am able to defend my Biggest Loser crown from January. Peace!
2/10/2013
Big Boys Don't Cry; They Drink: A Reflection of a Sad Niner Fan's Super Bowl Experience
It took me a week to finally reflect on the Super Bowl. Here goes nothing.
That normal sadness that follows a Super Bowl usually has to do with the season being over. The normal depression after the game usually has to do with me incorrectly assessing the wagers I made on the game (New England, I'm looking at you in your last two appearances).
This year, I had no such thoughts. No lamenting that the last game of the season had just been played. And no sadness about wagers lost. I only had one wager that was directly tied to the game with a friend, but I didn't care if my San Francisco -3.5 bet lost. Winning by 1-3 points would have been ok with me too.
Instead, the Niners left me with a hole in my heart that I tried to preemptively fill with close to a dozen craft beers. I missed the halftime show as I stood outside in the cold drinking a Gumball Head. My appearance in the frigid air would have a repeat performance, right after Jacoby Jones opened the second half with a kickoff return for a touchdown. I went outside again, trying to keep myself composed as my favorite team was in the process of getting demolished.
Then, the infamous power outage, which served to drag on the pain and provide false hope at the same time. When the outage was fixed, the Niners stormed back but couldn't finish the deal. Yes, there was a hold on the Niners' last offensive play, but that wasn't what caused the game to be lost.
After all, a 28-6 deficit entering your first offensive play of the second half isn't exactly something you can pin on a missed holding call. Chris Culliver became a trending name earlier in the Super Bowl week for his comments denouncing the idea of having and playing with a gay teammate. On Super Bowl Sunday, Culliver trended for a different reason - #HorribleCoverage. He was burned on Flacco's TD to Boldin to open the game and on his last TD to Jacoby Jones. Not to mention a costly pass interference that extended a Baltimore drive right after the Niners closed the big gap down to 31-29.
There's many other reasons to blame for the loss: the declining play of the defense (which has quietly been a problem since Kaepernick has taken over), Harbaugh not calling a single running play inside the 10 on that last drive, and so forth.
All the while, when the Niners were coming back, I was acting like a drunken fool and taunting everyone in the basement with random actions that I can't quite even comprehend why I was doing them. It was all the more reason to justify my month of sobriety which started with the Monday after the Super Bowl and continues till at least the beginning of March.
Once I woke up with a little hangover on Black Monday, I was mostly over the loss. The thoughts of a meaningful NFL game not appearing for another seven months were soon the main thoughts.
And they remain my thoughts for now. College basketball is starting to get back onto my sports radar, particularly with March Madness a month away.
Stay tuned for a blog in the near future, where I will simulate the 2013 NFL Draft, but with a little twist.
That normal sadness that follows a Super Bowl usually has to do with the season being over. The normal depression after the game usually has to do with me incorrectly assessing the wagers I made on the game (New England, I'm looking at you in your last two appearances).
This year, I had no such thoughts. No lamenting that the last game of the season had just been played. And no sadness about wagers lost. I only had one wager that was directly tied to the game with a friend, but I didn't care if my San Francisco -3.5 bet lost. Winning by 1-3 points would have been ok with me too.
Instead, the Niners left me with a hole in my heart that I tried to preemptively fill with close to a dozen craft beers. I missed the halftime show as I stood outside in the cold drinking a Gumball Head. My appearance in the frigid air would have a repeat performance, right after Jacoby Jones opened the second half with a kickoff return for a touchdown. I went outside again, trying to keep myself composed as my favorite team was in the process of getting demolished.
Then, the infamous power outage, which served to drag on the pain and provide false hope at the same time. When the outage was fixed, the Niners stormed back but couldn't finish the deal. Yes, there was a hold on the Niners' last offensive play, but that wasn't what caused the game to be lost.
After all, a 28-6 deficit entering your first offensive play of the second half isn't exactly something you can pin on a missed holding call. Chris Culliver became a trending name earlier in the Super Bowl week for his comments denouncing the idea of having and playing with a gay teammate. On Super Bowl Sunday, Culliver trended for a different reason - #HorribleCoverage. He was burned on Flacco's TD to Boldin to open the game and on his last TD to Jacoby Jones. Not to mention a costly pass interference that extended a Baltimore drive right after the Niners closed the big gap down to 31-29.
There's many other reasons to blame for the loss: the declining play of the defense (which has quietly been a problem since Kaepernick has taken over), Harbaugh not calling a single running play inside the 10 on that last drive, and so forth.
All the while, when the Niners were coming back, I was acting like a drunken fool and taunting everyone in the basement with random actions that I can't quite even comprehend why I was doing them. It was all the more reason to justify my month of sobriety which started with the Monday after the Super Bowl and continues till at least the beginning of March.
Once I woke up with a little hangover on Black Monday, I was mostly over the loss. The thoughts of a meaningful NFL game not appearing for another seven months were soon the main thoughts.
And they remain my thoughts for now. College basketball is starting to get back onto my sports radar, particularly with March Madness a month away.
Stay tuned for a blog in the near future, where I will simulate the 2013 NFL Draft, but with a little twist.
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Do not come here on a weekend if you like your sanity. This place THINKS they are a Chicago club and so do the people that frequent it. They have a freakin' bathroom attendant... seriously thanks but I can wipe my own damn hands and I'm not paying you a dollar for a stick of gum. The door guys/ bouncers are rude (probably from the hair gel leaking through their skulls.
AVOID AVOID AVOID