October 19, 2003

Hi

    Saturday night, I went to another exciting MetroStars game. At least this time there was some scoring,
but not nearly enough. The Metros lost to the New England Revolution 2-1. At least they are in the
playoffs, unlike the other teams I root root root for. After wards I hit Shelley's to watch the end of Game
1 of the World Series, in which I have absolutely no rooting interest.
   
BASEBALL 2003
      Well just as I was dozing off Thursday night, Aaron Boone smacked a leadoff home run off Tim
Wakefield to put the Yanks in the World Series. For a while it looked like the Sox were going to pull it
off. They scored 3 runs quick and Pedro Martinez was pitching ...well, like Pedro Martinez. I had picked
the Sox to go to the Series, I had been hoping for a Red Sox-Yankees ALCS. It would be so much
sweeter to have the Yankees lose to thier arch-rivals. Steinbrenner, that obnoxious ass, would do
something stupid, like fire Brian Cashman and Joe Torre. He would never live it down. It would have been
something special, to watch the Yankees go down for the third year in a row.
    But alas, it was not to be, and more strangely, I wasn't all that shook up about it either. I like Nomar
Garciapara, and Johnny Damon, and Trot Nixon, but I can't stand Manny Ramirez and Pedro Martinez. I
thought that those two, and a few other Red Sox, acted like dicks during game 3. And although I can't
stand Jeff Nelson, and I would normally love to see that whining crybaby get his ass kicked, I'm sure that
a-hole Boston groundskeeper was being a total jackoff in the Yankee bullpen. I actually have personal
expirence with Red Sox fans.
    In 1992, I went to Fenway Park with Ray, Karl and Kevin (Buck) Ludwig. It was the last weekend of the
season, and both the Yankees and the Red Sox were out of contention. We still had to get bleacher
seats from scalpers just to get in. (Which worked out good for Buck, who caught a ball tossed by Bernie
Williams) Now, Fenway Park, in and of itself is beautiful. It was a thrill just to be inside.
    Problem was, we were surrounded by Red Sox fans, who screamed and swore the whole game. At
one point, the guy in front of us asked Karl to watch his language. I was about to ask him if he would
also tell the other 35,000 people to do the same, but I was told to shut-up by Ray. The topper of it all
was when some guy got hit in the head with a pretzel, he proceded to climb about 10 rows back and beat
the sh-t out of some kid who may or may not have thrown it.
And New Englanders act like New York is more dangerous than Bagdhad? Come on!
    To add insult to injury our van was broken into, nobody served us booze (we were 19) and none of us
saw any action. Don't get me wrong, it was a fun weekend, just getting away, but Boston itself provided
me with no particular thrill.
    So let them wallow in their self pity. I would have rather seen the Patriots lose their Super Bowl in 2002
than the Red Sox lose the other night, but I have to admit, it does my heart good to know that Boston
folks are crying in their Samuel Adams.

    And as for the Cubs? The other night, someone told Cubs manager Dusty Baker for his reaction after
he was criticized by ESPN analyst and former Met manager Bobby Valentine for some of his curious
managierial moves

"F-ck Valentine" Baker said

No Dusty, F-CK YOU!

    Because besides Bobby Cox, you are the most overrated manager in baseball right now. I'm sorry, I
know you took a team that lost 95 games last year, and turned them into World Series contenders, but
you had a 3-1 lead in your best of 7 series against a team that you were clearly better than, going back
to your home park with your two best pitchers on full rest going for you.
And you blew it.
    And I was pulling hard for the Cubs. Why? Because being a Ranger fan, I know what it's like to go
through both my own and my dad's lifetime without seeing my team win a championship and I know the
exuberation one feels when they finally reach the promised land? Partially.
    More to the point, I can just see the Marlins winning the whole ball of wax, then being sold off for
parts like some stolen Chevy Convertable. I can see Bud Seilig talking about what a shame that the
economics of baseball are such that a team can win the World Series, but not afford to resign it's top
players. Then he'll talk about contracting teams like the Twins, Royals and Expos, who have been around
for 30 years, but leave the 10 year old Marlins to play in front of 5,000 fans on a 110 degree night with
monsoon like thunderstorms im Miami.
And that would also mean that the Marlins would have as many World Championships as the Mets do.
The Mets have been around since 1962. The Marlins? Since 1993. Bill Clinton was President when the
Marlins started. JFK was in office when the Mets started. The Cubs? Teddy Roosevelt was President
when they last won a Series in 1908.
I can't root for the Marlins. I can't root for the Yankees. Wake me up when the World Series is over.

News Item: Staten Island Ferry Crash:

    I'm beginning to think that Mayor Bloomberg is cursed. As I said in a previous e-mail, this poor schlub
has had to deal with blizzards, blackouts, terrorist threats, and a crappy economy. He narrowly missed
us getting nailed by Hurricane Isabel, but now has to deal with the Staten Island Ferry disaster.
    Traveling on the ferry has to be one of the safest ways to travel. I can't ever remember in my lifetime,
hearing about any accidents on the ferry. The boat moves at 20 MPH or so, and when it docks, it moves
even slower. About the only problem you ever hear about is the occasional loser who decides to go for a
swim in New York Harbor.
    But 10 people died this week when Capt. Robert Smith apparently blacked out while steering the ferry,
causing it to ram into the concrete pier. The Pier sliced through the boat and anybody who was seated at
that side of the boat was either killed or decapitated.
When is it going to start getting better around here?

That's all from here. Have a Great Week
Bill