The Outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that -
We'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat.
But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
And the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat.
But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,
And Blake, the much despis-ed, tore the cover off the ball;
And when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred,
There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.
Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.
There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.
And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-
"That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said.
From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand;
And its likely they'd a-killed him had not Casey raised his hand.
With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two."
"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud;
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.
The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out.
- Ernest Lawrence Thayer ©
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer...
...with that in mind, I'm watching Joe Torre's Dodgers play the Red Sox =)
I almost blew a gasket when I turned on ESPN and they were covering Brett Farve's retirement press conference, at 1pm. C'mon, Bristol Boy's Club for Broadcasting has been covering this non-stop since Tuesday morning. (Of course, it beats college basketball, but, still...) Luckily, they moved the coverage over to ESPNNEWS, and a crisis was averted.
Well, of course, if you ask Hank Steinbrenner, ESPN created the Red Sox Nation.... And in the first fifteen minutes, the term "Red Sox Nation" has already been used at least seven times.
Peter Gammons is upcoming. I'm ready to hit the mute button. I can't stand that biased, marble-mouthed clown. His predictions are usually way off base, he rambles and mumbles his way though his segments, he's neither interesting nor entertaining. Though I did get a chuckle out of his stupidity the other day covering the Dodgers and Braves, coming back from a commercial, he blurted out something to the effect that he'd taken his steroids with breakfast. There was a pregnant pause before Gary Thorne was about to get out his plugs. If by steroids, he meant, "Centrum Silver," and by breakfast, he meant, "Muselix," then, its all good, but, otherwise, just another example of a thoughtless and inappropriate comment by a washed up reporter.
Dollars to donuts says that ESPN doesn't mention the BoSox scout who was just busted for punching the clown to a couple of teenagers in his hotel pool, a la Spade in Tommy Boy. (Hmm, I wonder if she is dating one of the... Yankees?)
I almost blew a gasket when I turned on ESPN and they were covering Brett Farve's retirement press conference, at 1pm. C'mon, Bristol Boy's Club for Broadcasting has been covering this non-stop since Tuesday morning. (Of course, it beats college basketball, but, still...) Luckily, they moved the coverage over to ESPNNEWS, and a crisis was averted.
Well, of course, if you ask Hank Steinbrenner, ESPN created the Red Sox Nation.... And in the first fifteen minutes, the term "Red Sox Nation" has already been used at least seven times.
Peter Gammons is upcoming. I'm ready to hit the mute button. I can't stand that biased, marble-mouthed clown. His predictions are usually way off base, he rambles and mumbles his way though his segments, he's neither interesting nor entertaining. Though I did get a chuckle out of his stupidity the other day covering the Dodgers and Braves, coming back from a commercial, he blurted out something to the effect that he'd taken his steroids with breakfast. There was a pregnant pause before Gary Thorne was about to get out his plugs. If by steroids, he meant, "Centrum Silver," and by breakfast, he meant, "Muselix," then, its all good, but, otherwise, just another example of a thoughtless and inappropriate comment by a washed up reporter.
Dollars to donuts says that ESPN doesn't mention the BoSox scout who was just busted for punching the clown to a couple of teenagers in his hotel pool, a la Spade in Tommy Boy. (Hmm, I wonder if she is dating one of the... Yankees?)
I'm a good cooker
Over the years, I've gotten to be pretty handy around the kitchen. I'll be the first to admit that watching Good Eats on the Food Network was one of my inspirations to stepping it up a notch. The fact that my wife grew up in a restaurant didn't hurt, either =)
At first, I thought that more was better. More spices, more flavor. Over time, I realized that it was just too overpowering and too much... spice overkill. What good is a seasoning if you can't taste it? And, if a meal is so seasoned that only you will eat it, that's no good, either. I'm much better about that now. Again, TV to the rescue, Chef Gordon Ramsay helped me to learn that simpler can be much better.
I'm horrible about writing my recipes down. I have a tendency to just throw open the cupboard door, and say, "Hmm, this looks good, this'll be tasty," and season to taste. I'm not afraid to experiment in the kitchen. Its fun, really, to just say, "What can I make with these ingredients?" and see what happens. (I'm getting lame in my old age, lol)
I'm also not afraid of opening a jar or a can. Fresh ingredients are just about always better than canned or jarred, but, quite frankly, I have somewhat of a life and don't always have the time to prepare fresh ingredients. (Okay, I have time to blog, maybe I don't have a life, lol) All of your recipes and cooking shows will always call for fresh ingredients, but with a 9-5 job and activities and - quite frankly - fresh vegetable costs rising - its just not practical all of the time. I'm just keeping it real.
With that in mind, let me jot down my recipe for salsa:
o 1 can diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed. I prefer the garlic/onion flavored can from my local Publix.
o 1 full size tomato, diced. Just because its a bit firmer than the canned ones. This may be a symptom of my overkill, but I feel better having some fresh ingredients in there :)
o 1 can pears, drained, rinsed, and diced. (Don't worry too much about dicing it, its all going in the food processor, but small chunks would be nice.) This'll give the salsa a little bit of sweetness. It comes in like an 8oz can, you could go for two cans if you'd like, I bet it'll give your salsa some nice colour. (If you try that, let me know how it works out for you! :)
o 4 jalapenos, seeded and diced. Very important that you seed the jalapenos, the seeds are the major source of their heat. (It doesn't bother me, I eat jalapenos raw, but most people don't do that, lol)
o 1/2 onion, diced
o 1/3 c scallions, diced.
o 1/4 c or about 3 tbsp garlic, diced.
o 1/4 c or about 3 tbsp parsley, minced. I've used both fresh and dried, I prefer the fresh, it smells sooo good. This might be a low amount, take a look at it before you buzz it and if it looks like you need more, go for it. (See what I mean about cooking from the hip? What you feel is right, probably is.)
o 1/4 c or about 3 tbsp black olives, diced. You can buy a tiny can of pre-diced olives which is perfect.
o Salt and pepper, again, go with what looks and feels right. I didn't measure or write down the amounts of each that I used last time.
Throw all in the food processor, pulse about 10 times. Makes enough for a party =) Can be stored in the fridge for at least a week. Maybe more, but its never lasted that long in my house. This salsa won't be overpowering at all, its a mild burn that just reminds you that its there at the end of the bite. People who don't like spicy food will eat it.
Later on down the road, I'll divulge my burger secrets. I make killer burgers.
At first, I thought that more was better. More spices, more flavor. Over time, I realized that it was just too overpowering and too much... spice overkill. What good is a seasoning if you can't taste it? And, if a meal is so seasoned that only you will eat it, that's no good, either. I'm much better about that now. Again, TV to the rescue, Chef Gordon Ramsay helped me to learn that simpler can be much better.
I'm horrible about writing my recipes down. I have a tendency to just throw open the cupboard door, and say, "Hmm, this looks good, this'll be tasty," and season to taste. I'm not afraid to experiment in the kitchen. Its fun, really, to just say, "What can I make with these ingredients?" and see what happens. (I'm getting lame in my old age, lol)
I'm also not afraid of opening a jar or a can. Fresh ingredients are just about always better than canned or jarred, but, quite frankly, I have somewhat of a life and don't always have the time to prepare fresh ingredients. (Okay, I have time to blog, maybe I don't have a life, lol) All of your recipes and cooking shows will always call for fresh ingredients, but with a 9-5 job and activities and - quite frankly - fresh vegetable costs rising - its just not practical all of the time. I'm just keeping it real.
With that in mind, let me jot down my recipe for salsa:
o 1 can diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed. I prefer the garlic/onion flavored can from my local Publix.
o 1 full size tomato, diced. Just because its a bit firmer than the canned ones. This may be a symptom of my overkill, but I feel better having some fresh ingredients in there :)
o 1 can pears, drained, rinsed, and diced. (Don't worry too much about dicing it, its all going in the food processor, but small chunks would be nice.) This'll give the salsa a little bit of sweetness. It comes in like an 8oz can, you could go for two cans if you'd like, I bet it'll give your salsa some nice colour. (If you try that, let me know how it works out for you! :)
o 4 jalapenos, seeded and diced. Very important that you seed the jalapenos, the seeds are the major source of their heat. (It doesn't bother me, I eat jalapenos raw, but most people don't do that, lol)
o 1/2 onion, diced
o 1/3 c scallions, diced.
o 1/4 c or about 3 tbsp garlic, diced.
o 1/4 c or about 3 tbsp parsley, minced. I've used both fresh and dried, I prefer the fresh, it smells sooo good. This might be a low amount, take a look at it before you buzz it and if it looks like you need more, go for it. (See what I mean about cooking from the hip? What you feel is right, probably is.)
o 1/4 c or about 3 tbsp black olives, diced. You can buy a tiny can of pre-diced olives which is perfect.
o Salt and pepper, again, go with what looks and feels right. I didn't measure or write down the amounts of each that I used last time.
Throw all in the food processor, pulse about 10 times. Makes enough for a party =) Can be stored in the fridge for at least a week. Maybe more, but its never lasted that long in my house. This salsa won't be overpowering at all, its a mild burn that just reminds you that its there at the end of the bite. People who don't like spicy food will eat it.
Later on down the road, I'll divulge my burger secrets. I make killer burgers.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
About me and this blog
Like my "About Me" says, I'm a part-time telecomm tech (I think of myself as a glorified cable puller, but, I'm getting better), an occasional petsitter, and a loan closer, from time to time. I used to be an escrow officer (with my own branch, for a while), a bag slinger with Disney Cruise Line, a veteran mailman for the US Army Reserve (with time in Haiti and Bosnia), and an ice-cream slinger at Magic Kingdom. I'm a huge Yankees fan, a Red Sox hater, and a closet NASCAR fan (no particular driver). I have two "zany" cats and a wife, in no particular order. I love subs (especially from Publix), pizza, and cheeseburgers - I'm a bit of a foodie, and I'm pretty handy in the kitchen. I enjoy camping - out of a tent, natch. I have a niece and a nephew, that I don't see enough of. Because of my brother and nephew, I keep loose tabs on WWE wrestling (Gawd, the writing is poor!). I love train wrecks, so I'm a big fan of gossip, especially celebrity gossip (I had full wood while watching Britney bottom out, lol)
IDK where this blog will lead, I'm sure that for the time being, it will be heavy on sports - a lot of Yankees baseball. I'm trying to become an NFL fan, but I don't have a team yet. (I follow the Pats because my boss is a huge fan, but I have that whole anti-Boston bias, so I don't like it :) I'm going to be posting my camping reports when we go, I know that I'll have a few things to say about real estate title, and I'm sure that I'll have something to say about my life, and life in general. Its a bit of an outlet for me for my writing bug - who knows, maybe I'll get motivated and throw some prose up here. (Back in high school, 15 or so years ago, I did a bunch of creative writing.)
Welcome aboard! Let me know what you think =)
IDK where this blog will lead, I'm sure that for the time being, it will be heavy on sports - a lot of Yankees baseball. I'm trying to become an NFL fan, but I don't have a team yet. (I follow the Pats because my boss is a huge fan, but I have that whole anti-Boston bias, so I don't like it :) I'm going to be posting my camping reports when we go, I know that I'll have a few things to say about real estate title, and I'm sure that I'll have something to say about my life, and life in general. Its a bit of an outlet for me for my writing bug - who knows, maybe I'll get motivated and throw some prose up here. (Back in high school, 15 or so years ago, I did a bunch of creative writing.)
Welcome aboard! Let me know what you think =)
Time to break out the Pinstripe 51 jersey....
That's right. Yankees baseball is back on television. I haven't spoken too much about the team of '08, besides the obvious off-season scandals:
o A Rod's agent, Scott Boras, announced that his player was opting out of his contract during Game 4 of the World Series. Rodriguez proceeded to renegotiate his contract with the Yankees, without Boras, and claims to this day that he hasn't spoken with Boras since. (But Boras still got a pay-day, so what does he care?)
o "PED-gate." Call me a cynic, but I still think that Pettite has something to prove. His teammates have forgiven him, the media has forgiven him, but at the end of the day, he ratted out his friend. That bugs me. Clemens, well... When you deny too much, you've usually got something to hide.
o Donnie Baseball followed Joe Torre to the Dodgers, then took the year off to deal with his divorce.
Oh, Bobby Murcer's most recent biopsy showed that his scar tissue is benign. Huzzah =)
'08 Bombers look good. Good enough to win it all, I doubt it... This is what I've learned about them so far:
Damon - OF/DH. He has a hot, hot trophy wife who lives in Dr Phillips (she was in SI last month). He reported to camp in shape this year (like everybody else - new manager Joe Girardi called everybody and told them to show up in shape) with the will to keep playing. IDK if this is his walk year or not.
Jeter - SS. Still just wants to win. Despite the Ivy Leaguers saying that he's the worst SS playing right now, he's not, his Gold Gloves prove that. The current Yankee captain, deservedly so. I still think of him as Mr November, even though they lost the '01 Series. The man.
Abreu - OF. Went to Taiwan last year - while Wang was in AZ. I haven't read too much about him this spring besides that. I still think that he's afraid to run into walls.
A Rod - 3B. Reigning MVP, just signed a monster contract, youngest player to hit 500 HR's, etc, etc, etc. Last year I coined him Mr. April for his monster start, then falling off the following month.
Giambi - 1B. Dropped a bunch of weight during the offseason, looks like he's finally worked off the extra weight that he put on while he was juicing. "Moves like a cat," I've read a few times, which is something that you NEVER read about Giambi. He may have earned the 1B job, Girardi had something like 5 or 6 people report to camp for that position. (I'm still not sure that it was a good idea to release Doug Mintewicantspellhisname, he had a .997 fielding percentage, but couldn't hurt a fly with his bat.) This is his walk year.
Posada - C. Signed a good 3 year contract during the off season. Shoulda been at least a contender for MVP last year (even though Rodriguez deserved it). If Jeter dropped dead tomorrow, he'd be the next Yankee Captain.
Cano - 2B. I didn't read anything about him this offseason, besides that he got reupped at the price that he was looking for. The Yankees refused to offer him as trade bait for Johan Santana, that says good things about him. I'm a fan. He's been in the batting champion race for the past few years (behind DJ). Still needs to work on his glove work.
Cabrera - CF. On the other hand, the Yankees did offer him up to the Twins, which I think is a mistake. Melky is a part of the future of the Yankees. Yes, they HAD a CF in Damon, but Melky earned his position when Damon was injured. I look for big things from this kid, hopefully he'll learn to be a bit more selective at the plate, but he's not too shabby. I like him, too.
I'm gonna sit back and watch the game, now. IPK has done well, just gave up a dinger, though, but as Girardi said, "Better that than a walk." Joba should be pitching next inning. I'll cover Yankees pitching in a later blog. Its gonna be interesting to watch them this year, that's going to make, or, as it has in so many years past, break them.
Oh, ESPN didn't show it, but Pete Abe's blog over at Lohud.com had this to say about the beginning of today's game:
The Yankees just had three wounded Iraq vets throw out the first pitch.
Johnny Damon, the national spokesman for the Wounded Warrior Project, was out there with Petty Officer 3rd Class Robert Roeder, Cpt. Jon Pruden and Sgt. Jace Badia. The crowd gave them a standing ovation.
o A Rod's agent, Scott Boras, announced that his player was opting out of his contract during Game 4 of the World Series. Rodriguez proceeded to renegotiate his contract with the Yankees, without Boras, and claims to this day that he hasn't spoken with Boras since. (But Boras still got a pay-day, so what does he care?)
o "PED-gate." Call me a cynic, but I still think that Pettite has something to prove. His teammates have forgiven him, the media has forgiven him, but at the end of the day, he ratted out his friend. That bugs me. Clemens, well... When you deny too much, you've usually got something to hide.
o Donnie Baseball followed Joe Torre to the Dodgers, then took the year off to deal with his divorce.
Oh, Bobby Murcer's most recent biopsy showed that his scar tissue is benign. Huzzah =)
'08 Bombers look good. Good enough to win it all, I doubt it... This is what I've learned about them so far:
Damon - OF/DH. He has a hot, hot trophy wife who lives in Dr Phillips (she was in SI last month). He reported to camp in shape this year (like everybody else - new manager Joe Girardi called everybody and told them to show up in shape) with the will to keep playing. IDK if this is his walk year or not.
Jeter - SS. Still just wants to win. Despite the Ivy Leaguers saying that he's the worst SS playing right now, he's not, his Gold Gloves prove that. The current Yankee captain, deservedly so. I still think of him as Mr November, even though they lost the '01 Series. The man.
Abreu - OF. Went to Taiwan last year - while Wang was in AZ. I haven't read too much about him this spring besides that. I still think that he's afraid to run into walls.
A Rod - 3B. Reigning MVP, just signed a monster contract, youngest player to hit 500 HR's, etc, etc, etc. Last year I coined him Mr. April for his monster start, then falling off the following month.
Giambi - 1B. Dropped a bunch of weight during the offseason, looks like he's finally worked off the extra weight that he put on while he was juicing. "Moves like a cat," I've read a few times, which is something that you NEVER read about Giambi. He may have earned the 1B job, Girardi had something like 5 or 6 people report to camp for that position. (I'm still not sure that it was a good idea to release Doug Mintewicantspellhisname, he had a .997 fielding percentage, but couldn't hurt a fly with his bat.) This is his walk year.
Posada - C. Signed a good 3 year contract during the off season. Shoulda been at least a contender for MVP last year (even though Rodriguez deserved it). If Jeter dropped dead tomorrow, he'd be the next Yankee Captain.
Cano - 2B. I didn't read anything about him this offseason, besides that he got reupped at the price that he was looking for. The Yankees refused to offer him as trade bait for Johan Santana, that says good things about him. I'm a fan. He's been in the batting champion race for the past few years (behind DJ). Still needs to work on his glove work.
Cabrera - CF. On the other hand, the Yankees did offer him up to the Twins, which I think is a mistake. Melky is a part of the future of the Yankees. Yes, they HAD a CF in Damon, but Melky earned his position when Damon was injured. I look for big things from this kid, hopefully he'll learn to be a bit more selective at the plate, but he's not too shabby. I like him, too.
I'm gonna sit back and watch the game, now. IPK has done well, just gave up a dinger, though, but as Girardi said, "Better that than a walk." Joba should be pitching next inning. I'll cover Yankees pitching in a later blog. Its gonna be interesting to watch them this year, that's going to make, or, as it has in so many years past, break them.
Oh, ESPN didn't show it, but Pete Abe's blog over at Lohud.com had this to say about the beginning of today's game:
The Yankees just had three wounded Iraq vets throw out the first pitch.
Johnny Damon, the national spokesman for the Wounded Warrior Project, was out there with Petty Officer 3rd Class Robert Roeder, Cpt. Jon Pruden and Sgt. Jace Badia. The crowd gave them a standing ovation.
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