Let Me Bore You

I am an obsessive person at times. I love the baseball and of course I have my favorite team which is the Mets. But when you are a Mets fan you occasionally have to shift your loyalties to other teams. Usually it happens in October when your team is out of it. so you root for a second team or a third depending on the outcome of the season. Every once in a while the World Series will feature teams I have no rooting interest in, case in point the 2003 World Series. It featured the team I hate more than any other, the Yankees and the Marlins.

So I will list the 30 baseball teams in the order of my rooting interests and a brief statement why.


1. New York Mets- Naturally it's my favorite team.
2. Seattle Mariners- I lived in Seattle for 14 years, I grew to like them in the Ken Griffey Jr. years. They have got great uniforms and got gipped by the terrorists in 2001.
3. Chicago Cubs- They haven't won since 1908! Could there be anyone alive who remembers?
4. Cleveland Indians- A team that didn't get respect and were beaten in the World Series recently by annoying teams like the Braves and the Marlins.
5. San Francisco Giants- They have yet to win since they moved to California. Willie Mays made that catch the last time they won against the Indians no less!
6. Philadelphia Phillies- When I first followed baseball, they were perennial winners in the National League East. They won a World Series in 1980.It's their only one and they have been around well over a hundred years.
7. San Diego Padres- They have been around since 1969 and have been in the World Series twice but lost. I do like the city and just like the Mets , they have yet to throw a no-hitter.
8. Milwaukee Brewers- They are the trendy pick this year to be the surprise team. I like them but they were the team that took over for the Seattle Pilots after only one season.
9. Kansas City Royals- Like the Phillies they were perennial winners in the American League West back in the 70's. They won one World Series title and it was tainted by a bad call.
10. Colorado Rockies-When they came into the league I like their uniforms and the fan support they had in the first few years was amazing. They are due.
11. Pittsburgh Pirates- They have suffered enough! They have the best ballpark, It's time!
12. Tampa Bay Devil Rays- They haven't been around that long but boy have they suffered! Give them one soon!
13. Washington Nationals-They haven't been in Washington long but they used to be the Montreal Expos who only had one post season experience during a strike shortened season that ended badly and worse had the best record by far in 1994 when the baseball lockout happened. I'd put them higher if they were still in Montreal.
14. Baltimore Orioles- They won a World Series back in 1983 when I didn't care who won.
15. Detroit Tigers- I rooted for them last World Series, and the fact they almost had the most losses in history a mere 4 years ago....
16. Boston Red Sox- They would be number three if they hadn't won in 2004, but I do like them plus as a Yankee hater, A Bosox win is alllll good. Except in 1986 of course!
17. Cincinnati Reds- They were my go to team in the 70's when the Mets sucked. They won in 1990 in a sweep against the A's with Sweet Lou as manager, I loved it!
18. Oakland A's- They are near the top of the bottom of the list which means every team that follows I'm not so interested in. Though, losing two out of three World Series back in the late 80s makes me have sympathy..
19. Houston Astros- They haven't won the World Series yet but are down this low for one reason: George H. W. Bush is a fan.
20. Chicago White Sox- They won in 2005, if they hadn't, they would be higher on the list.
21. Saint Louis Cardinals- Yeah, they beat my Mets last year, but they are the closest to the Yankees to World Series wins, 26-10. Plus they have great fans who tip well.
22. Minnesota Twins- Their stadium sucks, they do good in a limited budget, but they have won two World Series since the Mets last won.
23. Toronto Blue Jays- They also have won two World Series since the Mets last won and they have only been around since 1977, so there you are....
24. Atlanta Braves- I know it's heresy as a Mets fan but they could have been the team of the 90's merely by winning one more World Series title! Especially in 1996, or 1999 against the Yankees.
25. Los Angeles Dodgers- They beat my Mets back in 1988 but they have had some hard luck in recent years since the O'Malleys sold the team, They can win after the Mets win some.
26. Texas Rangers- They are the lowest team who has not won a World Series. They are this low for one reason, They once were owned by the evil George W. Bush.
27. California Angels- They should be higher, after all, they have been around longer than the Mets and humiliates the Yankees in post season, I guess I put them this low cuz they didn't win when Gene Autrey was alive.
28. Arizona Diamondbacks- I don't hate them and they did beat the Yankees in a great World Series in 2001 but they are just to new to root for.
29. Florida Marlins- They are dull, they have no fans, they had two winning seasons in their first ten years of existence and they won the World Series each times as a Wild Card team. Please.
30. New York Yankees- Last, certainly not least. They have won 26 World Series they can wait a century to win another. When you become a Mets fan, you have to hate the Yankees, it's not so much the other way around.


So there you are, a drunken musing to get me to sleep tonight.

Can't Wait!!!

I went down to Philly with the intent to see the Mets play the Phillies. It's easier to get there than to get to Shea and the park is so much better than Shea.

It's beautiful. The first time I went there I got there after the game started, so I wasn't able to appreciate what Citizen Park had to offer. Nothing beats the new ball parks. Pittsburgh in particular is soo nice with the best representation of the city it's at. Philly's doesn't have the view but it does have the cool park. And Greg Luzinski cooking ribs! When you get there early, you can explore places that aren't available after the game starts. See how the other half lives.

So, I am looking forward to when the Mets finally move into the new park they've had on the drawing boards since the late 90's. Shea was good for its day but that day is long gone and hopefully there will be a view of Flushing Bay in the new park.


The poster is one I've been working on for a while. I worked on it a first with it looking pretty bad, instead of following through it and making it look horrible, I started from scratch and it looks pretty good. I still need to make it better, but I just wanted to let my readers know what I'm doing in regards to my portfolio.

Now, Mets will you beat the Astros?

Starting to Move My Things.

Have you ever lived in a place you really liked and you have gotten to the point where you know you're moving out? It gets hard to enjoy the place. It's sad, all the hopes and dreams when you moved in has been dashed across the jagged rocks. You know in less than a month's time you're moving out, the stress of moving in the future. All the stupid things you got to do, like changing billing addresses and moving heavy but useful furniture. The first steps involve getting rid of the stuff that's not needed returning stuff that's not mine. I hate throwing out stuff that's not mine for fear of reprisal, who knows, maybe ten years down the line they might want it back like old comic books.

I still got clutter but not nearly what I had six months ago. Hopefully I'll get a smaller place that'll make my life less complicated. But out in the dullburbs, the likelihood of a place suitable for a bachelor artist is slim. Still my little room in this apartment was the only room that was completed for its intended use. Of course it was my space and the other rooms were suitable for my simple kinda life.When I want a simple life I don't mean "Simple Life" starring Paris Hilton. I'm not her.

I'm sticking with New Jersey for now, I will not go back to Seattle to live, I love my nephew too much but I just can't stand dealing with the Jersey corruption, the feeling you're getting ripped off, especially here near the shore. I may move to Pennsylvania in the future near the Delaware River or Maine or Vermont if my brother moves up there. Who knows? For now, it's here, it sucks, who knows what the future will hold? Any planning I had a year ago depended on the trust of other people, You really can only rely on yourself because when I have taken someone else's advice like taking my current job, well Burned Baby Burned.

You Know What Sucks...

...about growing up poor? Your dreams of growing up to be a philanthropist or a venture capitalist will not be fulfilled.

The Rain didn't Ruin the Day

Anyway, yesterday was my nephew's first birthday. It was a good day for all. since Scandad insists that everyone south of my brother go there together, it was slapstick all around. I drove to an exit on the Parkway to meet up with my mother after she picked up my aunt. Meanwhile, Papa was at a parade in Milltown, one of them little towns that are hidden amongst the bigger towns that always seem to have parades. Anyway, Dad thought that the parade was gonna run longer and told my mom to wait, wait a little longer than needed, so he left the confines of the parade, we picked him up and we were on our way.

We get to my brother's house a little after one, we were supposed to be the first ones there. We weren't, my brother hijacked me to put junk up the stairs, where my nephew Sean was waking up. Sean has been wearing one of those helmets that is being used to straighten out his head. It's one of those things that happens to young babies. My sister had to have a cast on her legs when she was a baby to make sure it grew correctly.

Sean is getting big and is getting a little less chubby. He has taken some of his first steps and had fun throwing his new toys around. He recognizes me every time I see him these days. This is getting to the best time of childhood from my point of view. Now, is the time I can start being Uncle Hero. I look forward to the times I can tell stories. I don't have to talk bout what I do for a living, I can just be the entertainer. I love kids. Hopefully in the near future I'll have one of my one, even if it's with a misguided situation which brings me to the adults.

I'm one of those guys who misses some of the little details. I never look at a woman's hand to see if it has a wedding band, and I am hanging with several couples who have kids and not one of them are married. Huh. Not that I'm judging, but I grew up Catholic, so I take marriage and children a bit serious, it's not morals as much as it's the responsibilities which I do take seriously, even though at the moment I'm barely getting by, but throw a curve my way and I make adjustments.

Anyway, I had more beers than I had since my relationship ended. I have gotten to the point where I'm not likely to be an angry drunk. I didn't get drunk anyway. I had good conversations with my brother's friend Sara from the state of Vermont. She was knitting a sweater for Sean that was in danger of being too small for him.

We left around 8 before any fireworks. My aunt left her purse, we had to go back, and my mom drove me to my car at the rest stop on the Parkway, so I can drop my father at his car at the Shillelagh club in Belmar. I got home just in time to see the Mets blowing it again against the Rockies. If only the Rockies played only the New York teams, they'd be the best team of all time. So I turned it to the Yankees and saw Dave Rigetti throw a no hitter. Of course the game was from 1983.

So a good day, the best in a long time.

Happy Fourth!

I still like the fourth of July despite the fact that i have worked most 4ths in recent years. This one's special because it's my nephew Sean's first birthday. It's easy to remember to buy him presents, I just hope I resist the urge to always do a patriotic theme.

I'm So Offended!

So, I've applied to another job and one of the requirements is that I get a physical. Now, I haven't had a physical in decades so some of the changes involved were new to me. I see some of the aspects of what people have been complaining about in regards to the healthcare system. My physical wasn't that extensive. Pee in a cup, vision test, hearing test, etc. etc. One thing I noticed is I did not have to do a "Turn around and cough" routine.

Do they do this anymore? Or is it only the male doctors that do that? I thought back to the time when they did do it. It was back in the days when I was in school at a certain age where it was very unwelcomed to have a grown man grab my balls. One time it was when there was a group of us guys dressed down to our scivvies (I was 14) in a room doing that test. Could there be a more embarrassing way to do this? What about the peekers? What about the "jr. league" contestants? Why did they insist on doing this at a very delicate time in our lives?

Now back to today. I'm 40, not insecure and more open minded in what the test would find out about my health. So I was kinda bummed , I wanted to know if I'm have cancer or something. But alas. Anyway, I'm in good health, a little high in the pressure department, probably due to the stress I'm going through right now.

Anyway, what was I offended by? Well, while I was waiting for the doctor, I looked around seeing containers with the label biohazard. One of them was a bag that held the gowns we wore during the exam. So, basically I'm thinking the old clothes I wear are biohazards! Every time I do laundry I'm carrying a bag of biohazards.


ewwwww! Still, I never liked doing other people's laundry.