Continuation of a curse

Ever since the season of 2006 when the Detroit Tigers made it to the World Series, they have been on ESPN on occasion.  The only problem is that they always seem to lose when they are on ESPN.  I have insisted that there has been an 'EPSN curse' ever since the World Series.  And it continued tonight.  After their first win in this most recent series with the Yankees, I was hopeful for either a sweep or at least two wins out of the three games.  However, they got spanked last night, 0-11 and I turned the channel after they were losing 1-8.  The channel they were on?   ESPN.  

Some, like my wife, think that I am just nuts.  However, it is true.  They need to stop playing on a national stage until they make it back to the playoffs (and they WILL).  Whenever they are on a local Fox Sports station, they do just fine.  They took two of three from the Royals this past weekend, and all three games were broadcast on Fox Sports Kansas City down here (and I would assume Fox Sports Detroit).  

They have done okay on other channels such as TBS, FOX, and TNT, but ESPN is their white whale for some reason.  I can't pin point it.  

Weekend off

I have the weekend off.  The first weekend I have had off since the last weekend of March.  Technically, I had easter sunday off, but it was not a real day off because of all the stuff we did.  So yeah, three weeks in a row I was at work during the busiest times.  I'm not really complaining because it wasn't all that bad, but still.  

We are heading up to Topeka Saturday to attend an art auction called Concealed Revealed which was started in 2004.  It is an effort to stop violence against women that was started by students who attended Washburn University, so it is for a great great cause.  

And then on Sunday, we are moving eastward to Kansas City to partake in the great american past time.   BASEBALL!  The Tigers are playing the Royals this weekend as they wrap up a road trip.  They will only be playing in KC this weekend and then once more during the week in May.  The weather is still up in the air.  There is a chance of rain Sunday afternoon, but I am hoping that it will blow over by game time.  

counterproductive planning

I have been very tired and run down lately, something I attribute to work.  Early mornings and no naps afterwards...bad combination.  So I figured I would try to get a head of the game and go to bed an hour earlier than usual, which meant about 8:30, read for a little bit, and then fall asleep.  I would wake up around five o'clock with close to eight hours of sleep, something I haven't had on a work day in a very long time.  The first part went great.  Fell asleep as soon as my head it the pillow, but my body had other plans for the morning.  

It is apparent this early morning, that my body doesn't want eight hours of sleep, it only wants about seven.  In the grand scheme of things, one hour is not a big deal, but on a day to day level, it really is.  So instead of waking up around five, it was four o'clock.  Wide awake.  Fantastic.  On the other hand, it did allow me to make some more coffee, download some podcasts, update my fantasy baseball teams, write this, and watch the weather.  

But I would have enjoyed that last hour of sleep.  

Pete Rose, HOF or not?

Ever since I found out about Pete Rose and his betting on baseball, I have been strongly against his being in the hall of fame.  Many think that he should be in the hall of fame because he is the all time leader in hits for major league baseball and he was a great player.  And he did always play hard, but dude what the hell?  Why do something that stupid?  It's not like he was getting paid for what he loved to do...oh wait.    

And then, I heard the best case someone put up for him being in the hall of fame.  Let him in, but on the bust that would display all of his achievements also put somewhere on there 'banned for life from the sport of baseball for illegally betting on the game.'.  I have seen many interviews he has done, and I honestly don't think he regrets betting on the game, and that is just sad.  But if they would slap that statement on a plaque with his picture on it, it would be justified.  It would be a permanent black eye for him.  

It is kind of a win win situation.  The Pete Rose supporters get to see him getting into the hall, and the Pete Rose naysayers get to see him permanently embarrassed by the proposed plaque of shame.  I would be satisfied if this ended up being the case.  

more playoffs

The NBA playoffs start today, but my question is....

Who gives a shit?

NHL playoffs

The Detroit Red Wings start their defense of Lord Stanley's Cup tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets.  It is great to see new teams in the playoffs this year.  This is the first time for the Blue Jackets to be in the post season.  

Now, with the NHL playoffs starting that means that players will start their traditional playoff beards.  Not being able to play hockey, I do what I can for my team in this tradition, and part of it is not making wild predictions or gloating.  I believe that the sports gods look down upon fans who brag about their team and punish their team.  Seriously.  Along the lines of sports karma.  

So much to the dismay of my wife, I am growing out my beard to support my team.  

GO WINGS!

healthy day

The Tigers are on TV right now so no music....I love baseball season.  

One thing that I do enjoy about the spring is that the weather is nice enough to go outside and walk.  It is in the mid fifties to low sixties with some wind.  And sunny.  Very nice.  In Kansas, the summer season is horrible for outdoor exercising because of the temperature.  It gets into the triple digits and all you want to do is go sit by the pool, which we have at the apartment complex!  

So we went for a walk today.  Nothing extreme, just about thirty minutes around the neighborhood behind the apartment.  It is one of the cookie cutter neighborhoods where all the houses look the same.  The urban sprawl that takes away fields and trees around this area.  

Afterwards, I had a nice and green lunch.  Salad with some 'not salad'.  The term 'not salad' was brought into our language by Kim and Marc.  'Not salad' consists of stuff like cheese, bacon bits, croutons, salad dressing, etc.  The good stuff.  The stuff that makes salad tolerable.  The way I see it, as long as the salad outweighs the 'not salad', it is still good for me.  

All in all, a healthy day.  Now I am sitting down and enjoying the Tigers winning their game right now (2-0, bottom of the 6th).  

There is no title today.

I have had this nagging cough for about five days.  I haven't been sick recently, I just have a cough.  It is starting to bug the hell out of me.  It isn't a cough from a cold, or allergies, it is just....there.  BAH!  And it only seems to be around at night and in the morning.  I don't know how to kick it.  If I were sick, I could deal with that.  I could take medicines or drugs and get better, and feel the progress of the illness going away.  But not this.  Oh no.  It is hanging around and flipping me off from the inside.   

Bastard cough.  

A funny thing happened on the way to the disc golf course today...

Went out today with Marc to play some disc golf.  I am just getting into the sport and am not very good, but it is fun.  A chance to walk around outside and enjoy some fresh air.  Saw a few things that made me raise an eyebrow.  

1. At the gas station filling up, I saw someone get out of their car with an ipod playing.  Not playing in their car, as in plugged into the radio, but in their ears.  Distracting, but not as bad as...

2.  Someone texting on the highway.  I know that lots of states are starting to crack down on this, but it needs to be sped up.  This guy was on the HIGHWAY!  Going anywhere from seventy down to about fifty five.  Not safe.  

And the last thing....

3.  Pretty sure I saw a drug deal go down.  I consulted Marc and he said it sounded like it too.  I figured two Indians can figure out what a drug deal looks like, plus I've seen enough cop movies.  One guy standing on the corner and another one walking down the sidewalk and then they stop and talk for a little bit.  Then, a hand shake and walking away.  

Nice.  Drugs, music, and phoning all in one drive.  

oops.

Sooooo....I know that there are still one hundred and sixty one games left in the season, but last night did not build my confidence.  The Tigers lost.  Bad.  5-12.  I know that they were facing an excellent pitcher in Roy Hallady, but wow.  Verlander was a bit erratic, which is scary because he is the ace of the staff.  

It is a long season, and I will chalk this up to first game jitters.  But if they start off the season losing their first seven games like they did last year, I will have to re-evaluation my ninety win season prediction.  

Please prove me wrong guys.  Please.  

Opening Day post

Today is opening day for the majority of the MLB.  A lot of sports casters and sports achors are down on the Tigers.  They don't have faith in the bullpen.  Which is understandable.  The past two seasons, the middle relief pitchers have been shaky at best.  The worst decision the organization ever made was letting Chad Durbin go after the 2006 season.  He was consistent, and even became a starter during the season because of injuries.  And now?  He is in the bullpen for the Philadelphia Phillies and won a World Series with them last year.  

So not everyone is up on the Tigers this year, but I am.  They stayed below the radar this offseason with their acquisitions, which was smart.  Last year they made a huge move and only half of it paid off (congratulation to the Florida Marlins for dumping Dontrell Willis before anyone else knew he sucked).  They moved Nate Robertson (who apparently is pleased with the move) to the bullpen because he was awful last year.  I think this will be just like Durbin in the pen in 06.  If someone gets injured, they have a backup plan for the fifth starter.  Plus, he has the stuff to pitch in tight spots.  

The offense will be better without Gary Sheffield.  They now have a younger bat in the DH spot in Marcus Thames, who I still am not sold on.  He strikes out too often.  Sheffield was trying to do too much for himself.  He is one home run shy of five hundred, which isn't saying much.  This milestone has been eclipsed many times over and doesn't have the prestige it once did.  

In the end, I feel that my Detroit Tigers will end up with a ninety win season, but it won't be enough to make the playoffs.  For some reason, the Minnesota Twins find a way to win, or be in contention for, the Central Division every year.  And that is how it will end up.  The Twins, Tigers, Indians, Royals, and White Sox.  Top to bottom for the division.  

Would I like to see the Twins in second and the Tigers in first?  No, I would love it.     

GO TIGERS!  

Weekend trip recap

Curretly playing:  From Under the Cork Tree by Fall Out Boy

As posted earlier, Andrea and I took a trip out to Colorado Springs to see her brother.  It was nice to get out of Wichita, even if it was just for a few days.  We did a ton of walking, which was good.  I brought my hiking boots that I don't get to use often and broke them in a little bit.  The city is very nature oriented if you want it to be.  Wichita does have a ton of parks, but there isn't a lot to look at.  It's all flat.  This was the first time I had been to Colorado, and it was beautiful.  I can't remember seeing mountains ever.  When I was younger, our family took a road trip to California, but we went south through New Mexico and Arizona and skipped the mountainous states.  And I'm sure we saw mountains while we made the trip, but who pays attention to the geography at eight years old?  

Pike's Peak is right there in Colorado Springs.  And Adam told us that they have a city ordenance that prohibits buildings from being too tall so they don't block the view of the mountain from downtown.  Pretty neat idea.  I would most definately be distracted for a few weeks if I lived there.  I would always being looking up at it.  

The first day we were there, we went to the Garden of the Gods.  Rock formations and trees.  When the person who originally owned the land died, he placed in his will that this area could go to the state only if it were to remain free to the public.  How sweet is that?  They could make a killing off of this place, even if they charged a small fee (say, five dollars).  But no, it is free to walk around.  You can also get a permit to rock climb.  There are specific spots where you can and cannot, but still a great way to spend the day.  

The last big thing that we did while there was visit the Air Force Academy.  They have a well known building on the campus, the Cathedrail.  It was constructed in the early fifties when the academy was founded.  Every person, of every faith worships there.  Catholic, presbyterian, baptist, muslim, buddist, and so on.  That is one thing that is great about it.  It doesn't matter what religion you are, you use the same building.  There is something to be said about that.  Religious what?  Religious tolerance...

April? Really?

Currently playing:  Consolers of the Lonely by The Raconteurs (Jack White's other band)

Holy shit, it is the beginning of April!  Pretty much the first thought I had today when I woke up.  The past couple of years have had this feeling.  During the school years, it was the opposite.  The vacation months would fly and before you knew what was going on, you were back at school and looking forward to the next summer break.  

The first and last couple of months fly by now, leaving the middle months to drag on and on.  Maybe because the summer months are hotter than hell here and are painful to live through.  One bad thing about working in a cooler all day is walking outside when it is over one hundred degrees and the wind is coming out of a huge hair dryer.  Maybe because work is too chaotic to notice what day or month it is at the end of the year.  Or maybe, just maybe, it is all in my head.  Most def.  One thirty day month goes on just as long as the next one.  Just like hours in a day, they all go by sixty minutes at a time.  

There isn't some strange forty five minute hour or twenty day month out there (or......is there?).