Archive for the ‘baseball’ Category

Watching Baseball last night it reminded me of my own break and return…

Posted: September 29, 2010 by datechguy in baseball
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…from the game.

It was 2002. It was the All Star Game and it was an exciting matchup, until the powers that be decided that it wasn’t worth finishing the game. They didn’t want to risk the pitchers/players when the pitchers ran out.

I could forgive greed and other idiocy, I could not forgive not being willing to play to win. I vowed I would not watch, or follow baseball period. I loved the game, still was playing in my tabletop game but would not watch.

I kept that promise all through the end of 2002 and even as though the Red Sox made the playoffs in 1993 I didn’t watch a single game that season. When the series began against the A’s I still didn’t watch. When they lost the first two I didn’t give a damn, until some guy at work kept saying it’s all over it’s all over. The Red Sox are finished etc.. I finally couldn’t stand it anymore:

“Look”, I said, “there is a reason why the series is best out of 5. Until the A’s actually win that third game they haven’t won anything.”

When they won game three and the fellow at work kept saying didn’t matter, I became more insistent saying that not only would the Sox win game 4 but game 5 too. I watched game 4 and I was hooked, just in time for the series with the Yankees.

Even worse I was working a late shift during game 7 and the TV died just before the bottom fell out on Pedro. It came back just in time for Boone to hit the ball out of the park.

That was painful, much more painful than being down 0-3 the next year, that was annoying but it wasn’t the same.

It was the last real Red Sox pain I ever felt… after 2004 it is impossible for me to be hurt by the Sox again.

I will have 2004 and 2007 till the day I die and nobody can take it away from me or anyone else in Boston!

Voices of Main Street: Mary Giannetti at the Moran Square Diner

Posted: September 6, 2010 by datechguy in baseball, business, local stuff, short films/interviews
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Moran Square Diner The Sunday of Labor day weekend

If you have watched Mike Barnicle on TV you have probably heard him say the phrase “The people at Moran Square Diner” when talking about the average person and what he thinks.

Well the Moran square diner is a real place that has been cooking breakfast and lunch for people for

You don't get more old fashoned than that menu board

over 70 years. It’s named after Fitchburg Native Pat Moran who played 14 seasons in the major leagues. He played on both Chicago Cubs world series teams ( 1907 & 1908 ). but is best remembered for his 1919 World Series victory in 1919 (with some unsolicited help from disgruntled White Sox Players) as manager of the Reds. That’s a shame as the hardball times says Pat Moran might be the most underrated manager in baseball history.

Your breakfast cooked right in front of you

.wife and youngest stopped down for breakfast there today and the family was hard at work dealing with the Sunday rush. If you are looking for fancy this is definitely the wrong place for you, but if you want a good breakfast in a quaint old fashioned dinner cooked to a T this is the place. You will be hard pressed to find a better sausage patty and eggs.

When I told Mary during breakfast that I would write a post about the place she smiled, She was really surprised when I came back 15 minutes later camera in hand.I showed up after breakfast camera in hand.With the Sunday Rush on Chris had absolutely no time to talk to me, but Mary was able to find some time after a little wait. I didn’t mind. I enjoy a watching a master at work. You might not think of short order cooking as an art to master but then again you haven’t tried his breakfast and just watched as he goes through order after order.

Working steady

When you make your living $5-$6 dollars at a time you have very little room to factor in a bad economy so if you want some advice on making it in a diner, I’d listen to what Mary has to say. BTW I was actually surprised to find out that Cousin Mary and her Husband Chris are only the 2nd owners in all of those years. I still think morning Joe should broadcast from here some day

BTW somehow this post got mixed up with a post in defense of Stacy McCain that I put up earlier

I take a day off from the net and Stacy Gets attacked again…Update: What’s with the Diner, where did the post go?

Posted: September 5, 2010 by datechguy in baseball, business, local stuff, short films/interviews
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I planned on taking a day or two off with scheduled posts and what happens, the left goes nuts over Todd Palin talking to Stacy McCain.

I’ve already spent plenty of time defending Stacy from Johnson & Co. I’ve known Stacy via e-mail now for a year and in person for 9 months. He has stayed in my house, I have seen him up close and personal. I have shared a front room in a hotel with him and my hat still sits on his head on a daily basis.

On occasion he drives me crazy, he is an interesting passenger to share a car with, he is on perpetual hyper-drive, smokes like a chimney and is a coffee vampire. He has Watching him cuss out his pc when it is running slow is an experience.

But as a reporter who is better, who came up to Massachusetts crashing on a couch to cover Scott Brown on his own? Who while Andrew Sullivan et/al were pinning the Bill Sparkman suicide as “right wing violence” actually went to the scene of the crime to talk to people, who covered Mattie Fein in Ca36 when the paper there would not? And who flew to Alaska on his own dime (and the dime of those who hit his tip jar) to cover the Joe Miller victory first hand?

I haven’t done it as I don’t have the money or backing but Why didn’t the MSM do these things? Why hasn’t Andrew Sullivan done this he has the Atlantic to back him? Why hasn’t Charles Johnson, the new darling of the left? Who would do these things if Stacy did not?

This is why the left can’t stand him. He does this without caring what they say. All he does is get the story and fight for conservative values and victory. They can’t stop him so they have to attack. As a blogger and as a reporter he is worth any 6 of them.

On a personal level he is my friend, I would trust him with my own life and with my family’s. I have not seen him carry himself in any way that would make me think otherwise.

Finally I’ll say this to the Palin family in general and Todd Palin in particular. You have more to worry about by associating with my fedora than you do associating with Robert Stacy McCain.

Memeorandum thread here. And let me say it is disgraceful that there needs to be such a thread.

Update: Somehow this post got replaced by a post I’m scheduling for tomorrow on a local diner. I’ve managed to put it right and you can read about Moran Square in the morning

Barack Obama the most expensive free agent in history

Posted: August 30, 2010 by datechguy in baseball, opinion/news, politics, Sports
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Saw a tweet today from Reesdansie that said: America Held hostage day 588. I think that is unfair.

Held hostage implies that it was against our will, we did this to ourselves.

However with Manny on the brain it led me to this SI article from a few years ago of really bad free agent signings:

1. Hampton, $121 million, Rockies (and Braves). The deals for him and Denny Neagle ($55 million, five years) set the Rockies back five years. On the other hand, the complicated trade to send him away and get the Rockies on the path to the World Series was a stroke of genius. The Braves, who got him from the Marlins in November 2002, two days after Colorado dumped him, are known for wise pitching decisions, but this has to be their worst.

2. Carl Pavano, $40 million, four (long) years, Yankees. Never really looked interested. Changed agents more times than he actually pitched.

3. Albert Belle, $65 million, five years, Orioles. Brought surly mood, diminished power and bad hip to Peter Angelos’ brand of bad baseball

His list has 13 names on it with contracts worth a combined $925 million.

That is really the way we have to look at it. Barack Obama is a free agent who came with a lot of hype and the country got carried away with it, we thought we were getting the next Jackie Robinson, instead we got Pumpsie Green.

Bottom line Barack Obama is the most expensive free agent signing in history and he still has two years left on his contract!

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