Big Week for Sean’s Ramblings

Thanks to DC Blogs and Deadspin, there were more visits to this site in the past 2.5 days than there usually are in an entire month.

On Thursday, DC Blogs linked to my bus story by writing “Harry Potter book interrupted by the sight of finger nail cutting woman. Metro bus story at Sean’s Ramblings.” Technically, the nail cutting incident took place on a Fairfax Connector bus, but that’s irrelevant.

On Friday, Deadspin linked to my recap of the Argentina-U.S. soccer match. As a comparison of how much Deadspin has grown, they linked to a post I wrote about Ben Roethlisberger attending a Penguins game in January 2006. On that day, I received 78 visits, a personal record at the time for most hits in a day. Yesterday, I received an incredible 848 visits, primarily from Deadspin readers.

The total number of visits on Thursday through 10:30am on Saturday = 1036! So thanks again to DC Blogs and Deadspin, and if you have not already visited these sites, I hope that you do (often).

Have a great weekend!

Copa America - U.S. vs. Argentina Live

I have not watched a full soccer match since last summer’s World Cup final (the Zidane head-butt game), but I am currently watching the United States-Argentina match as part of the 2007 Copa America in Venezuela. I honestly don’t know anything about this tournament, but I’m intrigued to see how the men’s national team fares against the outstanding Argentinean team. I should probably mention that the match is not on ESPN or ESPN2; it’s on Comcast’s Channel 31. I don’t even more the name of the station, but the telecast is in Spanish. No hablo español!

In looking at the starting line-ups, I know that the forwards for Argentina, Hernan Crespo and Lionel Andres Messi are amazing. Apparently, the U.S. team wants some younger players to gain international experience since Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Oguchi Onyewu and Clint Dempsey are neither in the starting line-up or even listed as substitutes. Instead, the U.S. is starting players such as Justin Mapp, Jay Demerit, Ricardo Clark and Marvell Wynne. I have never heard of any of these players except for Wynne because he was an outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates about 20 years ago. Based on the line-up, Argentina should win rather easily, but that’s why we play the game.

- The U.S. takes an early lead in the eighth minute! Eddie Johnson (one of the guys I know) got taken down in the penalty box. The ref made an excellent call in awarding a penalty kick, and Johnson scored on the PK. I have no idea whether or not the announcers agree with the call, but it looked like the right call to me.

- You’ll be glad to know that I can understand the advertisements on top of the screen. Bud Light and Toyota Trucks translate well.

- Argentina answers quickly with a Crespo goal in the twelfth minute. U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller (did you know he’s 37!) made the initial save, but the ball came right to Crespo with an open net. The game is tied 1-1 (or uno to uno).
- Each time I write Argentina, I’m tempted to write Arjewtino, which is a blog that I check out daily.

- Nothing really exciting has happened over the last 30 minutes, until now. Argentina’s midfielder Veron took a rocket shot from about 20 yards away. Keller got his hand on it and the ball deflected off and then over the crossbar. I know that Kasey is a professional goalie, but that had to have hurt his hand.

- That’s the end of the first half. This has turned into a blog journal, so I’ll probably write more for the second half. The score is still tied at uno.

- In case you were wondering, the preview for the Transformers movie also looks and sounds cool in Spanish! Oh, and Wendy’s has carne fresca! Plus, hearing the “Nationwide is on your side” jingle in Spanish is also neat.

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Welcome back (or just welcome).

- Not much has happened in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Allstate is now the sponsor at the top of the screen. There is also a ton of confetti all over the field. There really should be some type of Zamboni for soccer fields. That’s going to be a pain to clean after the game.

- Messi is very, very quick. About 15 minutes into second half, he got through and beat two U.S. defenders, but his shot went wide.

- D.C. United’s Ben Olsen is out. Eddie Gaven (who?) is in.

- Welcome to the game Eddie! You just got abused by Messi, who then gave a perfect pass to Crespo. Goal. (Or as the announcer yells, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal). After typing goal so many times, I wonder if it’s even spelled correctly. Anyway, I don’t know if Keller could have made the save, but he didn’t put himself in a good position. 2-1 Argentina in the 64th minute.

- Messi is just dominating the second half. He clearly looks like the best player on the field.

- In case you were wonder, Aaron Brooks (Oregon) was drafted #26 by Houston and Arron Afflalo (UCLA) went to Detroit at #27. Could another Aaron (Gray) go next? (Nope)

- I left the room for a minute to take my contact lenses out and missed another goal. Someone (it may have been Messi again) served a perfect cross into the center and Aimar headed the ball into the back of the net. He put the biscuit in the basket! Keller had no chance. After the goal, Argentina substituted Messi out of the game, and he received a huge ovation from the crowd. 3-1. (Game over?)

- Meanwhile, the U.S. brought in Kyle Beckerman, who has dreadlocks much longer than Adam Duritz. He looks kind of silly actually. I’m going to see if I can find a picture of him.

- Now would also be a good time to mention that the Spice Girls are officially reuniting and are planning an 11-city world tour. I'm excited about this.

- 4-1 Argentina. Carlos Alberto Tevez, who came in for Messi, scored on a breakaway in the 85th minute. The assistant referee missed the call as Tevez was offside by a few yards. (Game over!)

- I finally learned that I was watching Telefutura. Good to know.

- We’re now into the second round of the NBA draft. I expect Aaron Gray to go sometime in the next 10-15 picks.

That’s it for me. The U.S. played Argentina rather evenly for the first half, but Argentina has too much talent (Messi) and took over in the second half. I would have liked to have seen Donovan, Beasley and the other American regulars to see how they match-up against Argentina. Maybe in 2010 in South Africa. Before I sign off, here’s a picture of Kyle Beckerman, but without the dreadlocks, just long hair.



Update 6/29: Here are some real recaps from last night's match from The Washington Post and San Jose Mercury News. According to the second article, Marvell Wynne is a son of a former major league baseball player. It has to be former Bucco Marvell Wynne, right?

Witness

I’ve heard stories about this happening on the bus or Metro before, but I have never seen it in person…until yesterday. As I was sitting on the bus reading the fourth Harry Potter book, the woman next to me pulled out clippers and started cutting her finger nails. To make things worse, she left the cut nails on the floor of the bus. There are many problems with this entire scenario, but let’s just go with the most obvious. Who cuts their finger nails in a public place, especially on public transportation? This is something that needs to be done in private. While I admit to having poor grooming habits regarding my finger nails (that’s a nice way of saying that I bite my finger nails), at least I do this in private.

So now I need to figure out a nickname for the finger nail woman. I may have mentioned this before, but I sometimes entertain myself on my commute by coming up with nicknames for people who frequently ride the bus with me. This would include Sideburn Guy, Smoking Man, Crazy Lady Who Isn’t Crazy, The Woman Who Doesn’t Shut Up, Weasley (the guy has red hair and would fit in perfectly in the Weasley family from Harry Potter, except without that magic thing), and Disheveled Mike, who looks like a colleague of mine, except my colleague is always well-dressed and neat, and the guy on the bus is, well, not. Maybe I’ll just call her Rude Finger Nail Lady.

I never claimed to have original nicknames.

Sports Fan Checklist

ESPN’s Jim Caple recently compiled a list of the 101 things sports fans must experience before they die. It’s a pretty thorough list, although things start getting a little silly after the first fifty or so. Personally, I think there should be more baseball stadiums and college football and basketball venues, as well as Groundhog’s Day in Punxsutawney, but I digress. Here are the top fifty items on Caple’s list with the events I have attended in bold and my own comments:

1. Summer Olympics (every four years in a different city).
2. World Cup (every four years in a different country). I really should have done this in 1994 when the World Cup was in the United States. My dad and brother went to two games while I worked as a camp counselor in West Virginia.
3. Winter Olympics (every four years in a different city).
4. The World Series (every October, various cities). I've been to a Padres-Braves NLCS game, but will wait to go to a World Series until the Pirates make it. I may be waiting a very long time.
5. NCAA subregional (March, various sites). Seeing #15 Coppin State defeat #2 South Carolina in 1997 may be my favorite live sporting event experience.
6. Spring training (February-March, Florida and Arizona). I really, really, really need to do this. Hopefully, next spring.
7. NFL conference championship (January in various NFL cities).
8. The Masters (April, Augusta, Ga.).
9. Wimbledon (late June-early July, London). The cost for a daily pass in 2000 for all but the main two courts: $6!
10. Tour de France mountain stage (July in various rotating cities in France).
11. Premier League Soccer game (fall-spring, England).
12. Rose Bowl (New Year's Day, or thereabouts, Pasadena, Calif.).
13. NBA Finals (June, various cities).
14. College World Series (June, Omaha, Neb.).
15. Red Sox-Yankees game (April-October, Boston or New York).
16. Hall of Fame induction (July, Cooperstown, N.Y.).
17. Michigan-Ohio State football (November, Columbus, Ohio, or Ann Arbor, Mich.) This was not much fun. I got hit in the back of the head with a Sprite bottle because some drunk OSU student tried to throw it at a guy wearing a Michigan shirt and missed.
18. The F.A. Cup (fall-spring, England).
19. Duke-North Carolina basketball game (winter, Chapel Hill or Durham, N.C.).
20. The Stanley Cup playoffs (late spring, various NHL cities). I rescind my NCAA Tournament statement from above. The Penguins defeating the Sabres in Buffalo in 2001 IS my favorite live sporting memory.
21. British Open (July, Great Britain).
22. Cubs game in the Wrigley bleachers (April-September, Chicago).
23. A football game at Notre Dame (fall, South Bend, Ind.).
24. ACC basketball tournament (March, various sites). I'd rather see the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden.
25. A soccer game at Maracana Stadium (various dates, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).
26. Little 500 (late April at Indiana University).
27. Tailgating in the SEC (fall, SEC campuses).
28. U.S. Open golf (mid-June, various courses).
29. A game at Rucker Park (anytime, Harlem).
30. U.S. Open tennis (late August, New York).
31. Bayou Classic (November, New Orleans).
32. Kentucky Derby (May, Churchill Downs, Ky.). This should be in the top 10!
33. The Indy 500 (Memorial Day weekend, Indianapolis).
34. The All-Africa Amputee Football Tournament (Sierra Leone).
35. MLB Opening Day (April, various cities).
36. Boston Marathon (April, Boston).
37. Frozen Four (April, various cities).
38. Canadiens-Leafs game (winter, Montreal or Toronto).
38. Auburn-Alabama football game (November, Tuscaloosa or Auburn, Ala.).
40. Town ball in Minnesota (summer, towns throughout Minnesota).
41. The Iditarod (February, Anchorage to Nome, Ala.).
42. An NBA game from courtside (winter-spring, any NBA city).
43. Baseball All-Star Game (July, rotating cities).
44. Il Palio horse race (July and August, Siena, Italy).
45. Play Pebble Beach (year-round, Pebble Beach, Calif.).
46. Daytona 500 (February, Daytona, Fla.).
47. Running of the Bulls (July, Pamplona, Spain).
48. Triple Crown Surfing (November-December North Shore, Oahu).
49. Lady Vols game (winter, Knoxville, Tenn.).
50. Caribbean World Series (January, various sites).

The following are outside the Top 50 that I have either done or want to do:
51. Heavyweight championship bout in Vegas (sporadic).
54. Green Bay Packers game in the snow (December, Green Bay).
59. Calgary Stampede (July, Calgary, Alberta).
63. A Big 5 Game at the Palestra (winter, Philadelphia).
68. Sumo championship (various cities, Japan).
73. The Beanpot hockey tournament (first two Mondays in February, Boston).
74. Field of Dreams Ghost Sundays (select days in summer, Dyersville, Iowa).
88. "Monday Night Football" (September-December, various NFL cities).
91. Little League game (spring, early summer, everywhere). I watched my brother play little league. This should be about #413.
94. Hot dog eating championship (July 4, Coney Island).
100. A Harlem Globetrotters game (many dates, many cities).

As you can see, I have a long way to go. How do you match up? What events have you attended and what else would you like to see on this list?

Video Game Addiction

Brian Williams: Are you or your children addicted to video games? We’ll have that story coming up after this break. (This was paraphrased from Monday’s NBC Nightly News.)

Me: “I’m going to play Xbox.” (And I did.)


If you’re interested, here’s the NBC News video that I didn’t actually watch on TV.

Pittsburgh Sports News

I have not written much about sports lately, so I thought I would share a few items from the past few days.

First, Ron Cook writes about the possibility of Bill Cowher becoming the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Just for the record, I already predicted this in January.

The new Pittsburgh sports blog, Doubt About It, has an excellent contest where you can pick the worst Pirates team from the past fifteen years. You can vote for luminaries such as Randall Simon, Chad Hermansen, Keith Osik and Kevin Polcovich. There are some very difficult choices. By the way, the current Pirates have now lost five games in a row and are 13 games below .500.

Finally, it was a great weekend for the Penguins. First, they re-signed Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi, then, they drafted Angelo Esposito with the #20 pick, a player who would have been #1 overall pick if the draft was six months ago. Of course, very few people outside of Canada, Buffalo, Detroit, Pittsburgh and possibly 20,000 people in Anaheim care about the NHL.

Name That Tune – Pittsburgh Edition

Welcome to a special edition of name that tune featuring songs with a connection to Pittsburgh. Lyrics from six songs are listed below. Your challenge is to name the song title and artist. This is usually the place where I ask you to try not to search the internet for the answers since you either know the songs or you don’t. In this case, the song title for #3 and artist for #6 may require some internet research. Good luck!

1. "Kathy," I said,
As we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh,
"Michigan seems like a dream to me now.
It took me four days
To hitchhike from Saginaw.

2. New Orleans - New Orleans
Detroit City - Detroit City
Dallas - Dallas
Pittsburgh P. A. - Pittsburgh P. A.
New York City - New York City
Kansas City - Kansas City
Atlanta - Atlanta.
Chicago and L. A.

3. Heard about Houston? Heard about Detroit?
Heard about Pittsburgh, P. A.?
You oughta know not to stand by the window
somebody might see you up there

4. Well pick me up with a golden hand
I may see you, I may tell you to run
You know what they say about the young

5. Pittsburgh, Parkersburg, Gravelburg, Colorado, Ellisburg, Rexburg, Vicksburg, Eldorado, Larimore, Adimore, Habastock, Chadanocka, Shasta, Nebraska, Alaska, Opalacka, Baraboo, Waterloo, Kalamazoo, Kansas City, Sioux City, Cedar City, Dodge City, What A Pity

(Please note that I added the commas)

6. Pittsburgh’s Going to the Super Bowl.

Good luck!

Spam Text Message

Now this makes me mad. I received the following text message on my cell phone:

From swan@speedy.com.ar (big savings) S.a.ve over 83% all software (Windows V.ista) only $49.95 visit: www.boxsoftwares.com.

There are now spam text messages! I do not send text messages and rarely (possibly twice a year) receive text messages as it is not part of my cell phone plan. I believe I am charged 10 cents per text message, but cost is not an issue here. I’m just not a fan of text messaging. It is difficult to type and since I have no cell phone reception at home, my cell phone is generally off. If you want to reach me quickly, text messaging is not the way to do it. So when I saw that I had a text message, I was a bit surprised. Then, the surprise turned into a bit of anger when I read the message above. How did “swan” get my cell phone number? Is there a way to block this? Has anyone else received spam text messages?

Of course, even though text messaging is not for me, one of my favorite current commercials features the line “IDK, my BFF Jill.”

Updates

In response to my list of the greatest Icelandic bands, I received an e-mail from Wim Van Hooste, who seems to be an aficionado of Icelandic music. According to Wim, Dr. Gunni (everyone knows Dr. Gunni, right?) wrote a book & made a list of the 100 best Icelandic albums. Here is the top 5:

1. Sigur Ros
2. Björk
3. Megas & Spilverk Thjodanna
4. Studmenn
5. Trubrot

I correctly chose one of the top five!

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I also received an e-mail from Brian Shactman of CNBC, who is interested in doing a story on slug commuting, and specifically, to find out if it exists outside of the Washington DC area. Brian wrote that he has seen references to it in Pittsburgh and San Francisco, but is looking for more information. If anyone has any suggestions of how he can find out more, please leave a comment.

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I have finished re-reading the first Harry Potter book (Sorcerer's Stone) and watching the second Harry Potter movie (Chamber of Secrets). My plan is to rent the third movie (Prisoner of Azkaban) and then re-read the next three books before the seventh book is released next month. I promise to share my Harry Potter theories in the next few weeks.

Why I Would Make a Poor Celebrity (or Secret Service Agent)

Well, there are thousands of reasons for both of these, so let’s make this reason number 172. One of the apparent requirements of being a celebrity is that you need to wear sunglasses in public places. The picture of Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and Victoria Beckham hidden by her child at David Beckham’s final Real Madrid match is an example of this. Sunglasses, often coupled with wearing a hat, helps disguise celebrities in public from the commoners. If you look closely at the picture, you will notice that no one else is wearing sunglasses, so it can't be too sunny.

On to the premise of this post. I cannot be a celebrity because I don’t wear sunglasses. I have had several pairs of sunglasses over the years and have managed to either lose or break all of them. Based on this track record, I have not had a pair of sunglasses in probably six years. Therefore, I have a bit of a dilemma. If I buy a cheap pair of sunglasses, I won’t really care about them and will probably lose of bend them. Conversely, why would I buy an expensive pair of sunglasses if I’ve been fine the last six years without them?

That's about it. I don't have anything else to write about this subject. In full disclosure, I just saw the Tom and Katie picture and thought they looked silly and robot-like with the sunglasses. Plus, this was another opportunity to write about a Spice Girl!

(The picture is courtesy of Deadspin).

Spice Girls Reunion

Welcome to a special mid-day post! I am writing live from home today as our entire air conditioning and heating unit is being replaced. The final bill is not going to be pretty. Anyway, I have no idea how I missed this, but a Spice Girls reunion is apparently in the works. Mel C (Sporty Spice) appeared to be the lone holdout, but she seems to have changed her mind. I am actually excited about this. The world with the Spice Girls and “Girl Power” is a better place! There is also a rumor that there will be an extended Spice Girls gig in Las Vegas.

To celebrate this occasion, you can take this quiz to determine which Spice Girl you are. Apparently, I am Emma (Baby Spice):

You must be the kind of person that loves hugs and cuddles! Also you’re a peaceloving person. Whenever there’s a fight, you’re there to stop it. You love being around people and hanging out with your friends. You’re very loyal, dedicated and a fan of cute pink ‘n’ fluffy things ;-)

While I am loyal and dedicated and enjoy being around my friends, "pink 'n' fluffy things isn't really me.

Lost in Translation

During my time as a volunteer last weekend, I was interviewed by the "Epoch Times" for an article about Celebrate Fairfax. The article is in Chinese, but through the magic of Google translator, here is the section in which I am featured translated into English.

Sean of this year's festival is voluntary duties exhibitors (Exhibitor Relations). He told reporters Axis Friday, and six planet, his work 15 to 16 hours, from 7.00, 8:00, 23:00 to the end. Sunday relatively better, work 12 hours. Today is his first seven years in the "Celebration of Fairfax County," festival volunteer services. Since the introduction of a friend in a year after participate in volunteer work. Work in the first year of wearing apparel props and play the famous cartoon roles. Hot!
　　
He said, "to celebrate the county fee" festival organized by the staff and other volunteers is year after year he returned to the festival services. "It's so interesting, can we all get together. I want to be a part of it."

Hot!

Links To Start the Day

The Penguins are looking for a part-time Game Night Premium Seating Concierge. One of the responsibilities is to assist guests with any game day issues, concerns or special requests. You can look forward to answering questions about how to get a date with Sidney Crosby.

The Pittsburgh Comet interviewed Pittsburgh councilman Bill Peduto. This is the most famous blog interview I have seen by someone I know.

A long-time commenter has joined the blog world. Please welcome Daisy’s Dish, featuring product reviews and freebie information. Although it’s not for me, Daisy has a link for a free Pantene sample.

Courtesy of Arjewtino, Virginia’s Department of Motor Vehicles has an online personalized license plate generator. This is my favorite:










The D.C. Sports Bog interviews the one and only Sergeant Slaughter. I never realized how much he looks like Bill Cowher.

Name That Arena

With the Pittsburgh Penguins moving from Mellon Arena (it’s still the Civic Arena to me) in a few years, I wonder what corporation will pay for the naming rights of the new arena. Although Mellon may have the first opportunity to name the new arena, The Bank of New York Company, Inc. and Mellon Financial Corporation recently merged to become The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation. With the probable change of company management, who knows if they want the Mellon name on the arena. Plus, I can’t see a Pittsburgh arena with “New York” in the title. Since Heinz and PNC already have stadium sponsorships, what will be the name of the new arena? The following names are simply guesses:

• PPG Arena or UPMC Arena – Between either of these and PNC, Pittsburgh will quickly be known as the alphabet soup of stadiums.
• Bayer Arena – The slogan: The Penguins will give their opponents headaches. (I’ll be here all week.)
• 84 Lumber Arena – After reading about his birthday party and wedding, maybe Joe Hardy is like Richard Pryor in Brewster’s Millions and needs to spend all his money in a certain amount of time.

• WESCO International Arena – This is a Fortune 500/multinational electronics distribution and services company. I have nothing funny to write.

If I had to make a prediction, I’ll go with Dick’s Sporting Goods Arena. Fortunately or unfortunately, it will likely be dubbed “The Dick” rather quickly.

Impossible Undertaking

Inspired by something that Dan wrote several months ago, I decided that I would read all six Harry Potter books before the final installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, arrives on July 21. I started today. After going through my morning routine that is the Express, I completed a total of 54 pages on the bus and Metro. At this pace, I think it is unlikely that I’ll finish the first six books. Books four (Goblet of Fire) and six (Half-Blood Prince) are my favorite, so I’d like to re-read those. I think I have to read the fifth book (Order of the Phoenix) if I’m reading four and six. Plus, I should read the third book (Prisoner of Azkaban) since that seems to be the favorite book of many people I know. Is there anyway to cut corners here? I guess I could watch a couple of the movies to help get through things a little quicker, but I'd feel like I'm cheating.

Busy Week

Celebrate Fairfax was a great success, and the Pirates went 1-1 in the games I attended against the Nationals. Overall, it was a very good week. Well, except for the people who hate me because I do not love Daughtry. I'll write much more soon, but in the meantime we can ponder if Mick Jagger will leave the Rolling Stones to join his brother's band. (The answer is no.)

Celebrate Fairfax 2007

The 2007 Celebrate Fairfax! festival, Northern Virginia’s largest community-wide celebration, is this weekend, June 8-10, at the Fairfax County Government Center. The festival features over 80 bands and performers on six stages including headliners Live, Smash Mouth, Little Big Town and Eddie from Ohio plus Jimmie’s Chicken Shack, JunkFood, Welbilt and much more. The entertainment is only part of the festivities. There are also 400 exhibitors, vendors and crafters, a SciTech Center, County Expo program where county agencies create dozens of activities (it’s definitely worth going through this area), fireworks, a laser show, and of course, food (hooray for funnel cake!).

This year marks the 26th year of Celebrate Fairfax, and my sixth year of involvement. I’m obviously a little biased, but I have been to dozens of festivals, and Celebrate Fairfax is one of the best around. Plus tickets are only $10 for adults (even less if you use the coupons from the festival’s website or for kids) and you don’t need to pay an extra fee to see the headliners.

I will be at the festival as a volunteer for the entire weekend, so if you happen to see a guy wearing a nametag that says Sean, a Celebrate Fairfax shirt and possibly carrying a walkie-talkie, please say hi.

Freaking Daughtry

Ten years ago this summer, my brother and I took a 4,000-mile road trip across the eastern half of the United States. When we were not listening to tapes (the car did not have a CD player; it was 1997, so there were no iPods yet either), we scanned radio stations to try and find good music. We even tracked the songs we heard the most over the month-long trip. In case you were wondering, “The Freshmen” by The Verve Pipe, Hanson’s “MMMBop” and “Everyday is a Winding Road” by Sheryl Crow were the top three songs.

Anyway, during the past weekend, we drove about 13 hours, and while we listened to a few CDs, we switched to the radio for much of the way. Although I did not keep track of songs we heard on the radio this trip, Daughtry was the clear winner. Every time we hit the scan button, “It’s Not Over” or “Home” came through the speakers. I was indifferent about Daughtry before this weekend; now, I can’t stand him. I started swearing each time one of the songs played and quickly turned the station. Unfortunately, he would not go away. Daughtry was in Binghamton, Scranton, Moosic, Harrisburg, Northern Virginia and everywhere in between. I’m just grateful that Daughtry did not become the lead singer of Fuel as was rumored last year after Brett Scallions left the band. “Shimmer” and "Hemorrage (In My Hands)" are great songs; it would have been too bad if I had to start hating them because of Daughtry.

The sooner Daughtry becomes Bo Bice (meaning out sight and off the radio), the better.

UPDATE 6/5/07 @ 11:59pm I left a very long comment in response to the other comments. I also apologize for including Bo Bice in my Daughtry rant. At this time of night, I can't think of anyone to substitute in place of Bice.

Notes From The Road

I’ve been away for a few days, so I have not had the opportunity to write. It may also be tough to write this week between the Pirates-Nationals series and the Celebrate Fairfax festival. I’ll have much more about both of these as time allows. On to the notes:

The Ithaca Times had an interesting Q&A and picture with Josh Face, who appears to be famous for his tattoos. The guy pictured here is not Josh Face – that can’t be his real name – and unfortunately, the web article does not include his picture. There seems to be one question missing from the piece. If you have a complete face tattoo, do you still have to shave? I honestly have no idea how this works.

The Yankees’ debut of Roger Clemens this season has been delayed because “The Rocket” has a “fatigued right groin.” No, I’m not making this up.

I have never heard of Moosic, Pennsylvania until the past few days. Moosic is a borough located just south of Scranton in Lackawanna County. While not included in the Wikipedia description, Moosic makes the people come together. Moosic makes the bourgeoisie and the rebel.