Tuesday Night @ The Trop

Greetings from the trip home…from the Trop!  Another great game down here in what is loosely referred to as “South Florida.”  As of this post, the Rays lead the Wild Card by ½ game, but Boston is up on Baltimore which would tie us up once again.  As always, I have a few things I would like to bring to your attention:

1.       Tropicana Field is just an ugly place to play baseball.  Since most of you are familiar with what was formerly the worst place in America to play baseball (the HHH Metrodome), let me just say that if this Dome had a baggy, it wouldn’t even be allowed to host a high school baseball regional. The outfield and warning track wouldn’t pass for a playing surface at the Creighton University Baseball practice field.  I’ve never seen turn that ugly…that said, this team is doing some things right with the atmosphere and accessibility of the stadium.  There are plenty of parking spaces and eatery options around the stadium, and the drive there is absolutely beautiful culminating in a 10-15 minute drive over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge which is mostly over oceanic waters (and awesome).

2.       The fans at the Rays games are pretty 50-50 when teams like the Yankees and the Red Sox play there.  Since over half of the population of this area is retired from the Northeast, this shouldn’t be surprising…but it should be noted that the stadium was STILL only 75% full…if that.  Now, for a kid from out of town looking for a reasonable ticket…this isn’t the end of the world.  I paid $25 for a ticket in left field and sat three rows back and one section over from the foul pole…not too shabby. (Side Note: Except for the fans I sat next to…they didn’t bring any kind of excitement to the game.  I finally had to start heckling the Yankee right fielder just to get a rise out of the surrounding Yankee fans.)

3.       One of my favorite parts…which should come to no surprise to those of you who are aware of my affinity for WWF wrestling…was the moment in the 8^th inning when Brian Knobbs (known as one half of the Tag Team phenomenon known as the Nasty Boys) came onto the big screen and started screaming at fans to “get pumped up” and proceeded to beat his head against a trashcan lid to prove his point…needless to say…I got out my chair and screamed until my voice wouldn’t allow me to continue.  Unfortunately…

4.       The Rays also have this thing that will make some pretty serious noise if they make the playoffs…it’s called “DJ Kitty.”  (It should be noted that I hate the very idea of “DJ Kitty”…it’s reminiscent of the Rally Monkey…but worse)  Everytime the Rays are trailing in a game, the VA staff plays a video of a cat…with a backwards Rays cap…and fake arms…DJ-ing a fake phonograph along to the beat of a hit from the 90’s.  You know what?  I absolutely couldn’t stand it…but it got the people goin…and you can’t argue with results…(speaking of…)

5.       Shortly after they played this infamous cat video, Joyce blew the roof off of the Trop with a 3 run homer.  I’ve never seen a fan base (which averages roughly 64 years of age) jump out of their seats that quickly.  The Rays went from 1 run down to 2 runs ahead and we never looked back.  In addition to this 3 run blast, I got to witness a triple play…live (Note: I know I am not giving the triple play the credit it deserves…trust me when I say that I flipped out when it happened…calm down baseball fanatics)

Despite everything I said previously, Tropicana Field played a great host for tonight’s game.  I can see why the team is pushing for a new stadium, but I loved every minute of my time there.  All in all it was a successful day in St. Pete (which is where the Tampa Bay Rays actually play).  For personal reasons I will temporarily place my traditional love for the Yankees (which I will not get into here and now) on hold.  I will be cheering for a “Raytober” this year in hopes of catching a few playoff games down this way!

Comedy, UFC, and The Burger Bomb...The Weekend that Was

Welcome back everyone^ I hope you all had a great weekend.  I want everyone up North to know that I'm a little (not a lot, but definitely a little) jealous that Fall has arrived where you're at.  It has always been my favorite season, and I hope you're all enjoying it.  Anyway...onto the weekend:

This weekend was a busy one!  Starting on Thursday (which I’m aware is not the actual weekend, but bar with me), I went with some co-workers to a place called “The Freezer.” The decor reminded me of a bar back in Sioux Falls, SD called Borrowed Bucks Roadhouse in that there was quite a bit of corrugated metal and they were no-nonsense.  The place does not employ a service staff nor is there a formal menu…only some paper plastered to banisters with menu items written in magic marker.  As a table we had roughly 5 pounds of Cajun-style shrimp on the table and a full order of crab legs. Overall, I couldn’t have been happier.

Friday, we (2 couples, a brother, and myself) went to Ocala, FL which is about 20 minutes away from where I’m at to watch a comedy show which LA (one of my co-workers) won on the radio.  The early comedians in the show were pretty bad…one in particular had no business being on stage…anywhere…ever (he was from Wyoming.  Sorry BS).  The headliner, though, was absolutely hilarious.  He was a former drug addict who told us that he is always approached after shows to be told that he looks like some kind of character or celebrity.  Now, it should be said, that this man is not a good looking man.  He likened himself to Gollum from Lord of the Rings, but I didn’t really see the resemblance.  No, I’d say he was more of a combination of a strung-out Bradley Cooper, mixed with the Bitter Beer Face guy from the Keystone Light commercials in the 90’s…are you picturing this yet?  Now take those looks and mix in the mannerisms of Brickma from the movie Rookie of the Year? I’ll give you a minute to remember your childhood (or google it)…got it!  To say the least, he was hilarious. 

After the comedy club, we went to a frozen yogurt place called Mochi (at the insistence of AM, a PTA in the clinic I work at) where you can pick from 8…count ‘em 8^ different flavors of yogurt (including but not limited to: pecan praline, cake batter, pistachio, and something called coco-nilla which was pretty, pretty good) and put on as many toppings and you could find (which I did with a fervor that has yet to be mached).  It’s all self serve, so I took my time by adding brownie pieces, peanut butter sauce, and a slew of other toppings.  My time management was a little lacking…which didn’t sit well with the increasingly long line behind me. At the end of the line, you weigh your cup so they can charge you by the ounce…mine was 17oz…and it was delicious.  I’ll be back there roughly once a week from now on…obviously

On Saturday, LA, JK, and I decided to go down to Tampa to eat at Tampa Bay Brewing Company and then go to a sports bar to catch the UFC fights. (side note: LA is a co-worker as I mentioned before, but JK is her boyfriend…he also happens to have graduated from Creighton’s DPT program 2 years ago…and he is dating LA.  Good things.)  Upon arrival at TBBC, I instantly had to try the Oktoberfest.  Yes, it was great, but it was not the star of the trip…the star of the trip is seen in the photos below.  It’s name is the Burger Bomb and let me tell you that I’ve never been more excited to eat anything in my whole life.  Since it’s their burger, I’ll let just copy the description from the menu:

Burger Bomb – ½ pound burger with bacon, cheddar, French fries, and onion rings wrapped in our own pizza dough and finished with a side of our horseradish ale sauce.

Putting it into terms that Nebraskans will appreciate: it’s a Runza that’s been injected with a heavy dose of awesome.  It was an absolute pleasure to devour this thing.  Upon being served, the bartender told us that not only was the burger delicious, but he was impressed and proud of us for having the gall to order it.  After finishing it, I was absolutely starving…clearly…so I was forced to order hot wings at the sports bar we went to afterwards.

And that’s it for the weekend happenings!  The fights were good, the food was good, and the company was fantastic…all in all it was another great weekend!  I’ll try to get a post in on Tuesday as I’ll be at the Rays vs Yankees game at “The Trop.”  Depending on the travel situation, I might be able to get a post written on the drive back to Citrus County…note how I said might.  Alright, I'm tired.  Everyone have a good night and I'll see you back here Tuesday.

SCT-VII

JCAM from NE brings us this week's SCT.  Enjoy^

This is the B1G response to ZJW’s SEC weekend.  I am a long time Iowa Hawkeye fan (insert joke here) and also went there for a few years.  I usually attend at least 1 game a year and ever since I left Iowa I have been an enormous jinx every time I happen to go to a game.  To shed some light on how legitimate this jinx is I will give some examples:

1.        The last time I saw Iowa win live was Northern Illinois 2006. (Those of you that remember that was when Garrett Wolf was running for 250 yards a game.)  Iowa went on to lose out at home that year.   

2.       In 2007 (Iowa’s worst season in a decade) I had tickets for the Michigan State game and at the last minute while I was in Iowa City I had to miss the game. (I was giving a police report…but that’s another story.)  It was Iowa’s one good win that season as they beat Michigan Stage in double overtime. 

3.       The following year in 2008 there were 7 home games, and I happened to attend the only one they lost to against Northwestern (I hate Pat Fitzgerald).

4.        Iowa’s 2009 season happened to be one of their best ever, capped off by them winning the Orange Bowl.  Of course that was the 1^st season in 7 years I didn’t attend at least 1 game.

5.        In 2010 I went to the Ohio State-Iowa game.  Iowa ended up losing late in the 4^th quarter on an insane scramble by Terelle Pryor.  After that loss I knew I had to break the jinx so I decided to visit some friends up in Minneapolis and go to the Iowa-Minnesota game. This should have been a sure win as Minnesota was playing with an interim coach and was already 2-9 with a loss to the University of South Dakota (sorry ES in Las Vegas.) As I am freezing my arse off in Minnesota’s stadium watching this melt down unfold before my eyes I realize that I have a legitimate jinx that may need divine intervention to snap. 

Bringing this up to date, I had been offered tickets to the Iowa-Pitt game a few weeks ago and originally said yes, but after the heartbreaking loss at Iowa State the week prior, I decided against it.  One of my best friends who we will refer to as “Beast” ended up getting a few tickets for dirt cheap a few days before the game and pretty much forced me to go against my will.

I leave Omaha and head to Des Moines Friday night so we can get an early start on Saturday since it was an 11am game.  We leave from Des Moines at 4:30am on Saturday morning to get a parking spot and pick up some gear (editor’s note: in case you didn’t grow up in LeMars, IA or haven’t conversated with a person from that area, the term “gear” is typically reserved for items usually purchased at a gas station).  Our normal tailgating spot known as “the hill” had been shut down for the first time ever, and I figured this had something to do with my jinx. Luckily, another one of my friends had gotten a spot to tailgate out at Finkbine Golf Course which is about a 10 minute walk to the stadium.  As I get to the golf course I realize it’s not in the parking lot, but in the middle of the driving range (strange I know but it was actually pretty cool).   I was self conscious about my jinx all day, and the entire time we were out at the golf course I was half expecting some tailgater, a few beers deep, to tee up a golf ball and drive it straight into my forehead .  

After surviving the tailgate for a few hours, I made the trek to the game.  I was sitting in my seat well before the game.  I got split up from beast earlier and was wondering where he was because I had never seen him late to a game before.  Beast had gone to another tailgate to give his brother an extra ticket.  While there, he and his brother decided to do lineman drills in the middle of the tailgate. (Of course, Why wouldn’t they?) While showing the group a proper blocking drill, Beast ended up dislocating his middle finger at a 90 degree angle 15 minutes before game time.  (This must have been my jinx rubbing off on him for forcing me to come along.) Those of you that have never met Beast need to know that he is definitely a performer.  Not wanting to miss an opportunity to show off, he proceeded to show other tailgaters what he had done.  He proceeds to walk up to a group of girls to show them what happened and two of them instantly start vomiting in public (no exaggeration).  Luckily for Beast, there was a doctor nearby that snapped his finger back into place and taped it up for him before he headed off to the game.  (This in itself was an over the top performance.) 

Finally about 5 minutes before the game starts, Beast finally shows up at the game where I’ve been waiting for at least 20 minutes already.   He tells me the whole story as we settle in to watch what I hope will be the game to break the jinx.  It is slightly overcast and pretty chilly (perfect football weather) and we are sitting about 30 rows up right next to the student section.  As the game starts, I realize my jinx is starting to kick into high gear.  Iowa came out completely flat and couldn’t move the ball offensively running or passing.   If there could possibly be anything worse than their offense, it would be their defense.  Pitt was putting on a clinic through three quarter and brought the score up to 24-3 with no ending in sight.  It is about this time that I begin to get text messages from others who knew of my jinx.  I will give some examples word for word:  “U suck…why would u ever go to a game” and, “Please go home” and,  ”I hope you’re happy…leave the stadium and walk as far as you can” and my personal favorite:  “Leave.” 

It is about this time that my luck begins to change, Iowa finally starts driving the ball and scoring.  With 16:16 left in the game they are down 27-10 and proceed to finally put something together.  A quick touchdown drive followed by a 3 and out, followed by another touchdown drive to bring the score to 27-24.  Not once up until the middle of the 4^th quarter did I truly believe that Iowa had a chance to win, but now I was beginning to think that they just might pull something out in spite of me being there.  It is about this time that ESPN has a screen shot on the crowd for about 10 seconds.  Right in the middle of this is Beast and I.  I watched this on DVR later and can distinctly read Beast’s lips screaming at me “We are going to win this F’ing game.”  (Unfortunately he is not waving his taped up dummy finger around.) Iowa proceeds to get another touchdown to put them up for the first time 31-27 with a few minutes left in the game and Kinnick is absolutely erupting.  Pitt begins to drive the ball down the field but ended up throwing the game deciding interception a few plays later sealing the first victory I’d seen live in 5 years. 

GO HAWKS!!     

I look forward to this Sunday's post in which I'll be revisiting the Tampa Bay Brewing Company which should make for a good post.  Enjoy the weekend!

Correspondence 2sday!!

After a month of anticipation, we’ve finally arrived at our second Correspondence Tuesday!  Enjoy^

JJ in MT writes: Is it still rainy season down there in Florida?

Not really…but kinda?  It seems to rain a couple times a week, but for the most part the weather has settled down into a sunny and warm climate (as I write this, it’s raining…).  No, the new season is “Love Bug” season which is much worse.  Apparently every April and September, little fly-like bugs descend upon Florida and wreak havoc.  They are named “Love Bugs” because they are actually 2 bugs in one (image here: http://bit.ly/qr02pH ).  Why are they so bad you ask?  Let me break this down for you:

1.       The bugs’ innards are extremely acidic.  So you don’t want to squash them on anything valuable…like say…a leather car seat (note: I may or may not have done this before learning what it was…stress)

2.       The bugs are VERY attracted to the smell of gasoline.  So you find them all over the highway and when they smash into your car…they splatter their acidic goo all over your car…taking the paint off if you don’t wash them off every few hours.  And let me tell you blog readers…these bugs like to congregate in numbers!  Their like a cloud of smoke when you drive through them on the highway except they leave a residue that your wiper fluid only partially wipes off… (note: I may or may not have allowed some love bug guts to sit on my car too long). 

ES in Nevada writes: Do you have a favorite local meal?

Fantastic question ES.  As I’ve written in the past, Citrus County is largely a melting pot of residence from the Northeast and Upper Midwest.  So the term “local cuisine” doesn’t really apply down here unless you think of seafood.  So to speak to “local” food as it would apply to the state of Florida, I have had more seafood since I’ve been here than I’ve had in my entire life.  There is a local restaurant called “The Freezer” which I will be going to this Thursday to try.  Apparently they have phenomenal fresh shrimp and grouper.

Now to speak to “local” food as it would apply to who lives here: there is an unbelievable pizza place that was recommended to me by a patient who was a native of Brooklyn.  I ordered the large meat lovers pizza…had my first bite…and literally could not stop eating until it was gone.  It had bacon, pepperoni, ham, hamburger, sausage (without that fennel seed that I hate) and (my favorite part) meatballs!  Needless to say, I’ve been back a couple times.

DW in ND writes: Who did you end up sending the Super Hot wings to? Because I was definitely shot down. Also – has the skin grown back on your lips?

Listen DW, RT and I decided that there was no way that the USPS would allow something that toxic to enter the mail system.  The last time I heard, the wings were still sitting (uneaten) in RT’s fridge which is where I suspect they will remain until some unlucky form of mold tries to grow on them.  And yes, the skin on my lips has returned…the deep purple color has dissipated as well.

CM in TN writes: Have you grown tired of the red polos?  Do you wish you had another color for success?

Let’s be clear, I will never…ever hate the fact that I get to wear red polos on a daily basis.  It helps that I didn’t purchase a bunch of plain red polos to wear to work…I got a couple different shades and designs so it isn’t as monotonous as it sounds.  If I have one regret, it’s that it has taken away from my ability to wear my favorite red polo.  I feel like I can’t wear it anymore because I wear red so often. 

AS in IL writes:  How excited/nervous are you for the Dundee Dozen with me during capstone?  Also, what is the over/under of Omaha burning down during those two weeks?

(Ok so back story: before I left Omaha, I tried to finish the Dundee Dozen which is 12 scoops of ice cream and 12 toppings piled onto a cookie sheet.  If you finish it in 20 minutes, you get your picture on the “wall of fame.”  During my first run, I finished it all in roughly 26 minutes after having had a large supper.  AS has said that next time around we will accomplish the goal together and take a picture for the wall of fame.)

Back to the question: I’m more excited than nervous.  I feel like I’ll need to step up some of my dairy eating habits before that time, but as this will be my second time going in, I feel like I’ll be more prepared.  As for Omaha?  All bets are off…I’d say that Omaha has a better chance of burning down than NOT burning down at this point.

JM in MN writes: I dreamt last night that big noses were the next big “it” thing in Hollywood.  Can you see this day ever happening or at least help me cope with my own big nose?

First of all JM, you and I have some of the girthier noses that have ever been produced by humans…there’s no getting around this.  I don’t think Hollywood will ever come around on this one.  To prove my point I’ll enlist a case study:

Let’s look at an actor who was once the hottest thing that Teen Beat had ever seen. His name? Jonathan Taylor Thomas.  In 1991, he began doing work on Home Improvement in the role as Randy Taylor. In 1994, JTT gets to play the voice of Young Simba on Disney’s The Lion King (a movie you can catch in theaters for the next week or so in 3D).  In 1995, he hit America with the double tap known as Tom and Huck and Man of the House…classics to those of us who were just about to hit our pre-teens at that time.  Now you’re saying to yourself: “Zach, JTT was gorgeous.  He didn’t have a big nose…if anything, his fault was that he was TOO good looking!”  There’s no denying it…he had it all…that is until he got an unassuming role in 1996…as the voice of Geppetto’s little puppet boy…IN THE ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO!

Let’s look at his filmography since 1996: Speedway Junky? Walking Across Egypt? Within two years he was even off of Home Improvement!  IMDB him once…his career went on a downward spiral.  No offense to BS in PA, but the poor guy was even forced to act in a couple episodes of Smallville…now if that’s not proof of the nose bigotry taking place in Hollywood, I don’t know what is.

As for you JM in MN…hold your head high and remember: Things could be worse…you could be bald…like our next writer

JCAM aka The Worst aka Dry aka “OHHHHH NOOOOO! Look everyone…IT’S JUSTIN” in NE writes: How long does it take to clean the pool?

The answer here is an easy one: we have a self cleaning mechanism that keeps everything clean…and the pool is screened in to keep love bugs and wild life out…so the pools is clean!

The following are comments from readers:

SN in FL writes: You forgot to write about the port-a-potty!

And she’s right…I dropped the ball!  The bathroom facilities that were provided for the tailgate in Gainesville were extravagant!  They had flushing toilets and could have passed as more of a bathroom than the one I left behind in the last house I lived in!  Again, job well done.

DW in ND writes: I really appreaciated XX from America’s SCT story!  Hilarious.

I’m not sure where he is right now, but if he’s reading…I’m sure he appreciates your enthusiasm.

And that’s all for this month’s Correspondence Tuesday!  Thanks to all the readers who made it fun!  Still looking for a story for this week’s SCT so if anyone has a good story, send it my way.