All these months later...

Since my last post quite a bit has happened.

Left Roswell, Georgia where I was comfortably staying with my Aunt and Uncle. Moved back to Florida instead. Began banquet bartending at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. Realized that life path would lead me nowhere. Enjoyed the warm weather throughout April and May. Bowled a lot. Played beach volleyball as often as possible. Returned to my basketball and running routine around the apartment complex. Rode my bike along the 30-A scenic road nearly everyday. Hated my job. Worked minimal hours. Had to eat quickly near the end of my shifts, often while standing. Conversed most of the time with foreigners that would forever be trapped in the service industry. Received a phone call one day from my brother informing me that he quit his job at Jim and Ralph's. Stayed about a week after that conversation, believing that home was where I needed to be. Bye, bye Sandestin.

I planned a pretty awesome trip home. A stop in Atlanta. A Memorial Day weekend beach day back in Lancaster. Nationals v Brewers at new DC stadium. Yanks v. O's at Camden. Time spent with Joe and Eddo. Return home.

Settled into my brother's basement. Worked sporadically (DeLinda's, Gates Rec, Painting) till summer camp started. Went camping at Sugar Creek. Spent another summer as camp counselor at Gates Rec. Planned and participated in a kick ass bike race, "A Star is Born," which was one of the highlights of the year. Kickball on Tuesdays. Softball on some Thursdays. Played lots of disc golf. Applied for jobs with no luck. Finished camp. volunteered for Camp Daydreams, a week-long camp that really inspired me to find a career involving sports and kids.

Began the fall helping out with after-school program and working weekends at DeLinda's. Anxiousness set in. Kept applying for jobs. When almost all other hope was gone, received a call from Monroe YMCA. Interviewed and landed the job. Start in two weeks!

Come one, come all

Coming this Summer......Bike Race V: All Grown Up (nothing more than a proposed title, but I am actively thinking of a better one). If anybody has ideas for themes, routes, or anything race-related please let me know.

I am hoping to hold the next race in August, and on a Saturday. Preferably the 16th. Start and finsih lines, as well as the party venue have also yet to be determined.

The goal is to find more racers than the previous year. 23 participants in 2007. So we got some work to do. More information will be forthcoming shortly, but I figured anyone interested could save that date in August. (And tell everyone they know about it). Any suggestions would be beneficial and I would also love to see some out-of-towners in the race.

One checkmark for the Empire

In the Posada v Varitek debate, I am giving the edge to the man in pinstripes. I think you raised some interesting points and I am here to firmly state my case for #20. Posada is a lifetime .276 hitter coming off a career year. He is good for 20 bombs and 90 RBIs each and every season. Likely hitting 6th in the lineup will give him plenty of opportunities to produce. Let us also not forget that his mentor, Joe Girardi, is returning to coach the team.
Varitek is only a year younger, does not put up equal offensive numbers as Jorge, and is only a marginally better defensive catcher if that. Hip, hip, Whore-HEY.

Next stop, center field. This is such an interesting matchup. Melky Cabrera and Jacoby Ellsbury. Even a Red-Sox hater like myself can give Ellsbury credit for what he accomplished last year. He is lightning fast and provided the spark that I believe put Boston over the top in 2007. On the other hand, we've got my main man Melky. I love the way both of these guys play the game. Cabrera was off limits during any trade discussions this off-season, even with Johan dangling out there to entice Steinbrenner. He has a cannon for an arm, pop in his bat, and will fill a valuable spot in the batting order wherever they chose to hit him. Each player has a lot of potential and I think one of them will have a breakout year and the other will succomb to the pressure of being an everyday center-fielder in an unforgiving baseball city.

!Fantastico idea Domingo!

Let's alternate positions and have a dueling position battle between the '08 World Champ Red Sox and the '08 Going to miss the playoff Yankees. I will spin the wheel first...."No whammies, no whammies, ......STOP" Okay I shall start with the Catcher position.
Jason V-tek -vs- Georgey(?) Posada

Although Posada put up career offensive numbers last year, I have to point out several facts that cannot be ignored. 1) He's like 36. His career will be dwindling. 2) Last year was a contract year. He will come back to Earth or Venezuela and remember he's a .250 hitter. 3) These are weak points so I will combine them; He has no chin and he doesn't wear batting gloves. C'mon no gloves?!? Next you'll tell me he takes the short bus to Yankee Stadium.
To his credit, his wife has huge fake cans.

Captain V-Tek: Also on the decline of his career. Still a better defensive catcher and the man can call a gem of a game. Like previously stated, the Captain of the World Champion Red Sox. The far better wrestler of the two. Two points for the body slam of (g)A-ROD. And this is not confirmed, but I've heard he taught Pedro how to perfect the "Don Zimmer Head Slam." I will leave it up to our fellow bloggers to decide who wins this very lopsided matchup... I will await your rebuttal.

Voice of Reason

I have it on good authority, presumably from ESPN's John Clayton, that Derek Anderson accepted a monster contract to stay in Cleveland after reading my thoughts on the matter. I knew DA and I were boys, but my scope of influence on his decision-making surprised even me. 3 years, $24 miilion bananas. Reliable QBs are rarer than a decent Eddie Murphy movie at this point. Does that mean David Carr still gets a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal?

March is here and that means the slow weeks between Super Bowl and possibly the best time of the year in sports is almost upon us. I am not talking about spring training, although seeing baseball on TV yesterday afternoon was very encouraging. The upcoming NHL playoffs are great drama for sure, but even they pale in comparison to......March Madness. Especially that first weekend of the tourney. The excitement and unpredictability of NCAA's postseason is what makes college basketball unquestionably a better game than the NBA.

Hey Nate, lets do a little preseaon breakdown of Yanks/Sox coaches, lineups, and pitching staff. Take each position and debate which team has the advantage. And at the end can come a prediction.

What Gives???

DA, say it ain't so. I stuck up for you when all the Brady Quinn lovers told me that you were nothing more than a flash in the pan. I protested that a proven NFL Quarterback (albeit only one season that crumbled when it mattered most) should be given the benefit of the doubt over an untested rookie. But then you changed everything. Rejecting 3 years and $20 million. WOW, what a turn of events. Good Luck Mr. Anderson. Especially if you take the money and run to a place like Miami or San Francisco or Houston. The Browns looked like an up-and-coming, offensively talented bunch. Braylon Edwards played out of his mind last season. And you turn your back on your teammates after just ONE good season. There must be more to this story. Its the city of Cleveland isn't it? Or maybe the ugly uniforms? Or is it solely about the money? Make it while you can because the shelf life for a QB not named Manning or Brady is shorter than Clear Pepsi.

Hello to all

Well it took him many phone calls and constant nagging so hear I am. Just kidding Dan. This really is a good way to keep in touch. Especially because no one seems to know where you will be from one minute to the next. To every one in the West Coast hope all is well. Same to those on the East... (The better coast, where Mobb Deep rules and Tupac is still dead.) Thats for Steve and Mel. Here on the DC front times have been better. It is going on month 4 with no job and I can't take anymore Sportscenter. Tell me, are they just coming up with these Best Highlights of all time to keep Chris Berman around. My gosh shut up all ready and we will see you next year before football. As for Sportscenter I tried to ban watching it because of the lack of hockey highlights. I mean they can show Westminister Dog show highlights but not so as much of a hat trick or good fight from anybody. So I switched to ESPN news. Quess what...no hockey there either. Well not that I got that out of my system it is time to go back to the job search. Thank god for unemployment. Hope to hear from you all soon!

Oh Dannyboy

#48 was one of my favorite Sabres over the past few years. He was excitable, sneaky, and reminded me of Dave Bagley. Never the best player on the ice, Danny Briere's clutchness helped to make Buffalo a perennial contender for the Cup, just as Bagley's flare for the dramatic ingited a state championship run nearly ten years ago.

The Sabres were so damn close the past two years. The first Stanley Cup in team history seemed to be within reach. I can vividly recall phone conversations with both my brother and father before the third period of Game 7 against the Hurricanes. "Stanley Cup here we come!" I answered both of their calls with trepidation. I am far too superstitous to make those kind of phone calls. And, predictably, in another "what could have been" season, our dreams were shattered over the next twenty minutes. Last year the team fired on all cylinders until hitting the wall during the playoffs. I believe their high-octane offense just ran out of gas. They survived the Islanders and Rangers on heart, relying on last-second victories to outlast teams that looked hungier. But Ottawa was too talented and they flattened the President Cup winning Sabres. Yet another season of broken dreams.

The off-season hurt even more. Both Drury and Briere bolted for more money in bigger markets. And, now they will attempt to carry their new teams to the promised land. Meanwhile, the Sabres are treading water and have yet to establish a new identity. This new group certainly does not possess that "it" factor of previous years. And last night's game versus Philly was a defining moment. Blowing a 3-goal lead. Scoring first in a shootout. Miller allowing the tying goal. And Briere standing at the red line with a chance to not only win the game and equal Buffalo in the standings, but also give us Sabre fans one more reminder of what made him so damn special. If you don't know what happened next, then just use your imagination. Just as Dave Bagley did time after time for the Gates-Chili Spartans, Briere came through when it mattered most.

ESPN viewers are on drugs

Greatest Highlight?

Boise State - statue of liberty play

This has to be some kind of joke. It may not make it past the final four on sportscenter, but getting that far is absurd. Flutie, Immaculate Reception, and 1980 Miracle on Ice are obvious choices. I have no problem with any of those highlights, but Boise freakin' State. A bowl game in 2007 against Oklahoma. Please. Let us not over-dramaticize that moment. It was a nice play. Creative. Deceptive. And Boise State winning that game was a great underdog story. But Greatest Highlight EVER??? Instead of focusing more on the problem, I am here to offer replacements.

The Band is on the Field - Cal v Stanford (it was in the ESPN bracket but lost to one of those plays up above)
Music City Miracle - And not just because of the Buffalo connection
The Block - Hakim Warrick's game-winning block against Kansas in the National Championship game
The Flip - Derek Jeter cutting across the field against the Oakland A's in the 2001 Division Series, intercepting the throw between first base and home, and flipping it to Posada to punch out Jeremy Giambi at the plate.
And, recent nominee, The Helmet Catch - SU grad David Tyree making the play of the Super Bowl and helping take down the previously undefeated Patriots (oh, but wait, pushing this play into top play ever might be premature. Somewhat like saying a Boise State touchdown in the '07 Fiesta Bowl is in the running.)

Ladies and Gentleman

Hola Domingo and fellow amigos. I'm really anxious to get rolling with the upcoming Fantasy Baseball Season. So unless your still figuring out ways to cheat Commisioner Krank, Let's get it on!! Danny, a few problems with your 1982-present Yankees Team. Where is Carl Pavano?!? Wasn't he the fearless hurler who came in for Game 7 of the '04 ALCS to shut down the Rolling Red Sox. Isn't he the one who "earned" about a million dollars for every run he surrendered? HA! When I have time I'm going to field a team of the biggest flops for the Yankees. You probably guessed Pavano will be my starting pitcher. But wait, Kevin Brown (who is on the Yankee payroll until 2017) might object to that. Krank, the $20 you owe me for football can just be my payment for this upcoming baseball season. Are we still cutting teams like previously discussed? Hope all is well with everyone. -Nate