Aztecs Fight, Er, Dress In Costumes

Happy Halloween everyone! To celebrate, the San Diego State University baseball team held its third annual Halloween game over the weekend. Based on the video, it seemed like folks had a good time.



While the players dressed up in all types of costumes and, as the SDSU athletics website indicated, "the umpires came dressed as umpires for the third straight year," was there a Tony Gwynn sighting anywhere in the video? What did the SDSU head coach and baseball Hall of Famer wear?

Completely unrelated, stay tuned for a major announcement on Friday. You don't have to keep refreshing this page over and over, but you're welcome to do so while you wait.

Oh, if you don't understand the title, one of the chants during SDSU athletic events goes like this:

S (pause) D (pause) S (pause) U (pause)
SDSU
Aztecs Fight

I guess you have to be there.

h/t Deadspin

Sex Kitten

Like everyone else in the world, I receive Spam messages. While most of these messages find their way into the Spam folders, occasionally, some wind up in my Inbox like this recent message from someone called SexKitten.

Noticed your facebook profile and thought you were cute.
I would LOVE to chat with you on YAHOO messenger!
My screename there is swimmerchickyfy addme to chat i'm online now :)

xo

Here are my thoughts about this e-mail:

- Am I supposed to be attracted to or interested in someone with the name SexKitten? You could use cute, adorable, fun and numerous others adjectives to describe a kitten, but sex or sexy wouldn't be one of them. Now if this message was intended for Ziggy, I would understand (except for the fact that he was neutered years ago).

(Any excuse to share this picture of Ziggy as a kitten is welcome!)

- That's nice of you, um sexkitten, to notice my Facebook profile. Of course I look cute since I'm holding my son who was probably about 18 months in the picture. His cuteness clearly rubs off of me in the picture.

- Chat on Yahoo messenger? Does anyone actually use that?

- I'm confused. Is she swimmerchickyfy or sexkitten? From my experience, cats/kittens don't like water. Perhaps if they are trying to attack a swimming chick though they might get wet, but I don't see a connection here.

- xo? xo? How about jk or, well, or? Why not ox? Paul Bunyan likes oxen.

Clearly, swimmerchickyfy/sexkitten writes significantly less than my last admirer, Adriana.

Superstition Question

Let's say that you are a fan of a particular sports team and have been your entire life. Although your team has struggled so far this season, the team looked better the past few weeks. Coincidentally (or maybe not!), the team is 2-0 when you wear a specific Louis Lipps jersey while watching the game, but 0-4 when you do not. Although you realize that this is completely irrational, a small part of you feels that perhaps you are partially, albeit at a minuscule level, responsible for the record disparity.

Let's also say that you have a work conference that will overlap with a game played by your team. While dress is casual, the expectation is to dress professionally. I, I mean you, would probably wear a sweater and jeans. However, do you wear your team's jersey to this meeting? Does that fact that you will likely not see much of the game impact the decision? (Basically, do I you need to wear the jersey during the entire game while also watching the game in order for the team to win?)

Additionally, after the meeting concludes, you are going on a staff development event which will likely overlap with the second half or at least the fourth quarter. There should be televisions at the venue, but would you look silly wearing a jersey in a city that is hundreds of miles from your team and has their own franchise?

While you think of a good response to include in the comments section below, let's have Stevie Wonder take it from here!



(How can you perform a song on Sesame Street and not have Cookie Monster or Big Bird dancing along?)

Trivia Tuesday: Picture Edition

I think this should be fun. Your challenge is identify the pictures pictured below.

As always, please leave your answers in the comments section below and to not use the internet for assistance. Good luck!

This quiz is courtesy of the fine folks at District Trivia.

Monday Video (Lionel Richie: The Goalie)

Grammy-award winner Lionel Richie is certainly an extremely accomplished musician. However, did you know that he was also an amazing soccer goalie who may have inspired Tim Howard of the U.S. national team and Everton to take up the position* based on his play in the Commodores video for Lady (You Bring Me Up)?



A few notes about this incredible video.

- Since this could be a sanctioned soccer game with a referee, I’m shocked that no one seems to be wearing shin guards.

- Why does the referee use the safe sign so much? This isn’t baseball.

- At the 2:45 mark, throwing a ball into the goal is not a goal. The referee should be terminated for allowing this to happen.


* Richie inspiring Howard to be a goalie is probably not true, but can you dispute this claim?

The Birthday Boys

Anytime a group of Ithaca College graduates get a TV show, I'm going to write about it here. The Birthday Boys debuts tonight (Friday, October 18th) at 10:30 Eastern/9:30 Central (we'll go with 2:30 Mountain since I really have no idea what time this show airs in Denver ) on IFC. Here's a description of The Birthday Boys from the IFC website.

The Birthday Boys formed their sketch group at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Los Angeles in 2007. In addition to staging monthly sketch shows at UCB, they have performed at a number of festivals, including the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival. Their recent collaboration with Bob Odenkirk has produced a variety of live shows in L.A. and San Francisco. The group’s combined writing credits include IFC's Comedy Bang! Bang!, the MTV Movie Awards, and projects for Comedy Central, Fox, and Funny or Die. Members of the group have also appeared in The Office, Parks and Recreation, Childrens Hospital, Conan, NTSF:SD:SUV:: and Portlandia. Their most popular online work includes videos with names like "Ham Hat" and "Pooljumpers."

Bob Odenkirk, who is part of the show, introduced The Birthday Boys in this video.



The Ithaca College View also gave a really good portrait of The Birthday Boys and their Ithaca College history. (This is the first few paragraphs of the story.)

In Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, an electric red and yellow trolley car, aptly named Trolley, used special tunnels as a portal between the real world and the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

Sketch comedy group the Birthday Boys didn’t make it so easy for Car-y, a red convertible appearing in the pilot of their eponymous new show, which premieres on the Independent Film Channel this fall. The remote-control car’s path to the (apparently far less accessible) Land of Pretend takes Car-y down traffic-heavy U.S. Route 101 in Los Angeles and into increasingly dangerous situations. But Car-y’s true journey started almost a decade ago and more than 2,500 miles away—at Ithaca College.

In the car for the wild ride are IC alumni Jefferson Dutton ’05, Dave Ferguson ’06, Mike Hanford ’05, Tim Kalpakis ’05, Mike Mitchell ’05, and Chris Van Artsdalen ’05, who, along with Matt Kowalick, make up the Birthday Boys. “Our own TV show is some­thing we’ve been working toward forever,” says Ferguson. “It’s the ultimate goal for a sketch comedy group” and a new challenge for “the boys,” who have become known in Los Angeles for live shows at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and online for viral comedy videos.



Plus, Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette likes the show!

Hopefully, this show is a huge success, and The Birthday Boys can join the list of distinguished IC graduates. Go Bombers!

Major Announcement

Inspired by Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger (that's probably a phrase I never thought I would write), I'm proud to announce that he and his wife are expecting a second child to join Ben Jr. Actually, that's not the major announcement. My wife and I are also expecting a second child in April! That's the big announcement. Maybe the kids will be friends and Roethlisberger will get me free season tickets. I think I'm getting a off track.

I'm really excited about a new baby, but I'm a little scared. Just when I thought I got this dad thing figured out, a second child will make things a little more tricky. This is a huge change in defensive philosophy. When I'm alone with my kids, I need to shift from man-to-man (1 on 1) to a zone defense (1 on 2). In addition, when I'm with my wife, we will have to switch from a "comfortable" zone where one of us can take a quick break on the sidelines to a tight man-to-man D.

I totally blocked out the first few months of my son's life. I don't really remember the lack of sleep and the seemingly constant spit-up. However, he slept through the night at around five months and in hindsight was relatively easy. Sure there have been (and are) rough days where he will throw a tantrum for no apparent reason or not eat well or dump his toys all over the place, but basically, he's an easy-going kid who is cautious and is able to concentrate on an activity (such as playing with blocks or his cars) for much longer than your average kid. I have a feeling that the second child will be much more, um, challenging.

The late night feedings and the lack of sleep will be back. I'm sure I'll start worrying about making sure my new child eats enough and also keeps everything down. Back to the days of bottles and cleaning bottles. Two car seats! How do you take two kids out of the house by yourself?

I think the key here is my current child. Hopefully, by April he will be fully potty trained and able to help change diapers. Maybe he can take some late night feedings too!

While I'm sure I'll figure all of this out by April, if you have multiple kids (or even if you don't), please feel free to share any tips or lessons learned.

I Might Be a Hoarder

Let me preface this post by stating that hoarding is a very serious problem for many people and their loved ones. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been a TV show about hoarders. I am not trying to make light of hoarders and hoarding; I simply want to share my story which begins...now (or actually last Friday).

With the holiday weekend and constant rain in the DC area, I decided that it was time to be really useful by going through some boxes. In the first box, I found my graduate school application and papers I wrote for my grad school classes. I should probably mention that I attended graduate school in 1999-2001. Anyway, it was nice reading letters of affirmation and recommendation from my mentors. I couldn't throw that away. While I did discard several papers (yes, typed papers on, well, paper), I kept anything that included personal stories.

As I continued going through boxes, I came across the following:

- Baseball, football, hockey & Desert Storm cards
- Books, CDs, cassette tapes and VHS tapes
- Trophies
- A journal from my 1993 trip to Israel
- Two bottles of Class of 1997 wine (custom wine designed particularly for my graduating class) and a 6-pack of specialized beer given to me for being a groomsman
- An entire box of cards and letters. I have holiday cards and other letters from family members that have passed away. It's nice to see their words and handwriting.

All of these items and more have some type of sentimental value, were gifts or I feel like I may need/use some day, so I refuse to throw them away.

These items are located primarily in two closets, so it's not like I'm unable to walk in my home due to the boxes.

Many of you probably think I should discard this stuff. I'm not ready to do that. (Quick poll: I have empty cans of Pepsi and Coke from the 1993 trip. The cans are in Hebrew. Are they worth anything? Basically, should I keep the cans or recycle them? I'm letting you decide their fate!)

On the positive side, I may have some new items for the Found In My Basement Series. I also pitched nearly all bills from before 2012. Of course, I placed them in a giant box while I try to find somewhere they can be shredded.

Trivia Tuesday

Today is Tuesday, so why not a new, picture edition of Trivia Tuesday? Your challenge is to name the actress and TV show the actress appears in based on the pictures below.

As always, please leave your answers in the comments section below and to not use the internet for assistance. Good luck!

This quiz is courtesy of the fine folks at District Trivia.

Mario Lemieux Freaks Out A Kid

Mario Lemieux is one of the greatest hockey players of all time. He is not one of the greatest commercial actors of all time.



I realize that this video is from 1984, but who thought it was a good idea to have Mario actually pick up the kid?

Unrelated to creepy Mario, did you notice all of the companies listed in the commercial? Thrift Drug, Kaufmann's, Gimbels and even the Civic Arena are no longer around.

h/t to Mr. Brame via @jasonbrame via Deadspin

Pirates Won! (In My Dream)

I rarely remember my dreams, but this one was somewhat odd and certainly topical, so I wanted to share what should have happened in last night's Pittsburgh Pirates-St. Louis Cardinals playoff game. Please note that all of this truly did occur in my dream, so feel free to provide your dream analysis in the comments section below.

With the Cardinals up 6-1, the Pirates started getting runners on base and scoring runs. The Cardinals kept pitcher Adam Wainwright in the game too long until finally calling their bullpen and bringing Angela from The Office into the game. She had a great fastball, but couldn't seem throw a strike.

With the bases loaded and the Pirates down 6-5, the team brought in pinch hitter, Emeka Okafor. Why the 6' 10" Washington Wizards basketball player was on the Pirates makes as much sense as Angela from The Office being on the Cardinals. Anyway, Okafor hit a ground-rule double that should have been a home run. Since baseball has instant replay for home runs, I have no idea why this was not reviewed.

In the bottom of the 9th, the Pirates brought in Jason Isringhausen to finish the game. Isringhausen was the Cardinals closer for several years, but retired from baseball after the 2012 season and hasn't played for the Cardinals since 2008. He also never played for the Pirates.

I missed seeing Isringhausen retire the Cardinals in order as well as part of the top of the 9th inning since I was watching the game via DVR. Of course, the DVR acted like an old VCR where I would have to press stop to fast-forward and rewind with no idea where it would land when I pressed play again.

As the Pirates celebrated, Howard Stern sang "We Are The Champions" but in a serious manner and not in any type of ironic way. For some reason, the television also showed Jon Stewart several times while dressed in a suit like on The Daily Show set. Apparently, he was part of the Pirates organization and made the decision to have Okafor pinch hit.

Oh, despite playing the Cardinals, this was a World Series victory and not the divisional round series win.

I should mention that I watched this game with a housekeeper that I've never met and my mother-in-law. I also remember that I wanted to see the reaction to the Pirates win on Twitter.

So there you have it! While the game really went like this (and other accounts too), I like the version that occurred in my dream better.

L.C. Greenwood

Besides the government shutdown, there's another showdown going on in the Washington area. My son, still home sick from preschool, wants to watch Little Einsteins. I'm refusing to let him watch the show until he cleans up the blocks he dumped on the floor. He hasn't put the blocks away, so the TV has remained off. I wonder how L.C. Greenwood would have handled this. (Like that segue, there?)

Adrian Rawlings, who apparently is not the same Adrian Rawlings who played Harry Potter's father in the movies, contacted me about a post he wrote about the recently deceased L.C. Greenwood. Since I like giving young writers an opportunity, I agreed to share the post below. Of course, I also haven't had time to write lately due to a sick kid.

The football community in Pittsburgh and across the nation paused to honor the passing of L.C. Greenwood on September 29. As the powerful and dominant member of the Steelers' "Steel Curtain" defense, Greenwood succumbed to kidney failure at age 67. Greenwood was an integral member of the dominant defensive force of the 1970s Steelers, and played a central role in the 1975 Super Bowl, which was the first for the Steelers. During Greenwood's tenure with the team, he would help the Steelers win a total of four Super Bowls in just six years.
Size, speed and power were the central facets of Greenwood's game, and his relentless style helped inspire defensive players for generations to come. Greenwood used his athletic ability to turn into a veritable sacking machine, retaining the speed and agility he showcased in college even after bulking up to 245 pounds to play professionally.

Greenwood's career spanned from 1969 to 1981, during which he was an All-Pro twice and received six impressive Pro Bowl invitations. Greenwood's success in the NFL came as a surprise to many, as the lanky athlete out of Arkansas A&M wasn't selected until the tenth round. The teams who passed up Greenwood would soon regret doing so as they watched him blow by their offensive tackles to attack the quarterback. Greenwood would go on to record 73.5 sacks for his career, including four crucial sacks of Roger Staubach in the 1976 Super Bowl against the Dallas Cowboys.

Greenwood also used his height -- he was listed at 6'6" -- to swat away passes. His agility, speed and overall football sense allowed him to scoop up 14 fumbles throughout his career. In an era before huge publicity, Greenwood earned a reputation as a showman partly due to a stint in the 1973 season during which he wore a pair of custom-painted gold high-top cleats. The cleats, originally worn to support a healing ankle, would make recurring appearances after the Steelers lost on a game Greenwood did not wear the pair. Greenwood's physically aggressive and fast-paced playing style is one that now makes for short careers but Greenwood managed to avoid injury for the majority of his 13 years in the league.

At the end of his playing days, however, knee problems took their toll on Greenwood and he retired after helping the Steelers build the foundation for a dynasty that lasts to this day. Greenwood also left a legacy for the league, moving the game toward an era in which all players had to be bigger, faster and stronger, rather than each position having its own particular set of attributes. The higher bar for athletic prowess at every position can be traced back to Greenwood's accomplishments as a huge, speedy and skilled defensive end.

Greenwood also set a positive example for post-playing activities. Greenwood exited the NFL but remained active in the Pittsburgh community through his business ventures and motivational speaking appearances. By giving back to the community that long cheered him on, Greenwood brought his career full-circle during retirement.

The funeral for this mighty player is on October 7, but clips and remembrance for the football legend will be on every sports site and sports TV channels for days to come.

Adrian Rawlings is a sports and entertainment blogger,(Sean's note: What is the blog?) and he is at @adrianrawlings2

My Monday

Yesterday morning, I woke up expecting to have a typical Monday. Well, as typical as a Monday could be with the Pirates participating in a playoff game. After shaving and eating Honey Nut Cheerios, we discovered that my son, who made a significant amount of noise Sunday night/Monday morning but didn't actually wake up or at least call for us, had a temperature of 101.7. Typical Monday over. The bad news was that my son was miserable and couldn't attend preschool, but the silver lining was that I would have to stay home meaning that I could watch the 3:00 Pirates game.

I took my son to the doctor's office and learned that besides the fever he also had an ear infection. Apparently, it was such a textbook ear infection that the doctor wanted the visiting doctor/student doctor person to take a look. The resident doctor looked and confirmed that there was an ear infection. Um, thanks. Actually, she didn't really say anything. She just looked at his ear. I have no idea if she confirmed that there was an ear infection or if she just wanted to test the equipment.

We were given a prescription for an antibiotic, but since the pharmacy wasn't open yet, we went home. This began the day of Little Einsteins. If you're not familiar with this animated television show, I'm going to go on a quick tangent/vent here. Little Einsteins is my son's favorite show and one of the few shows we let him watch. Originally, I liked the show since it follows the adventures of four kids and their rocket ship as they travel the globe and is designed to teach classical music from artists like Mozart and Beethoven and shows art from Monet and Van Gough among others. Basically, there's a cultural and educational element to it. As I've now watched the show dozens if not hundreds of times, I have some concerns. Where are the kids' parents? How can Leo and Annie's parents let Leo fly a rocket ship? Shouldn't the kids have passports as they travel across borders? You think the military of various countries are okay with a rocket flying into their airspace? Why do Leo, June & Quincy praise Annie for all of her songs? She's no Lennon, McCartney or even Jewel. Finally, why doesn't Big Jet ever use its missiles? Seems like that could be effective.

After two episodes, we went to Wegmans to pick up the antibiotic. Since the prescription wasn't ready, we wondered around the store to pick up a few groceries and to see the trains by the milk section. While walking around a woman with a kid slightly older than my son stopped me and called me by name. I had no idea who this woman was but she clearly knew me. After she asked if I knew who she was, I went through my mental rolodex with a blank look on my face. Finally, I realized that this was someone I knew from high school in Pittsburgh that I hadn't seen in 20 years. Apparently, despite wearing glasses instead of contacts and having messed up hair due to not showering (and significantly less hair than high school), she recognized me since I was wearing a Pirates shirt. If you're going to see someone for the first time in 20 years, you'd like to look your best, or at least better than I did yesterday!

We didn't leave the house the rest of the day. My son fell asleep on me twice and barely ate anything. He was cuddly, but fairly pathetic. Pretty much like the Pirates offense against the Cardinals! Fortunately, the fever went down from 102 at the doctor's office to under 100 before bed time. He slowly returned to his normal happy self as the day went on as I hope the Pirates do in game five on Wednesday.

In case you were wondering, Ziggy was of no help yesterday. After his breakfast, he slept the entire day until it was time for him to have dinner.

Finally, my son is mostly back to normal today. The fever is gone and he's running, talking and singing, three things he did not do yesterday. He still doesn't seem to want any food, but he is so much happier than Monday.

Fall For Fairfax KidsFest 2013

With high temperatures supposed to be in 80s over the next few days, the 21st annual Fall For Fairfax KidsFest should be called the Late Summer For Fairfax KidsFest, right? I'll be here all night. Tip your waiters and waitresses.

Anyway, the Fall For Fairfax KidsFest is a free fall family festival designed for families with elementary and pre-K aged children. Hey, I fall into that category! The festival includes three stages of entertainment, scarecrow making,* pumpkin painting,* public safety and recycling-themed exhibits, pony rides,* a petting zoo, hay rides, model trains, instrument petting zoo, and the KidWay MidWay* (with more than a dozen rides and attractions) as well as more than 75 exhibits, activities and festival food (see below)! The little * there means that a program fee applies, however, there are plenty of activities that don't require fees. When we went last year, my son loved going on the Fairfax Connector bus and seeing the model trains. I have a feeling that these will be big hits for him again this year as well as the public safety vehicles and the Thomas the Tank Engine train table.



Here's what you need to know about the event:

WHEN: Saturday, October 5th from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. & Sunday, October 6th from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

WHERE: On the grounds of the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035

Plenty of FREE parking is available.

WEBSITE: Fall For Fairfax KidsFest website

FOOD: Yes!

Big Fat Daddy's - BBQ
International Grill - American/Greek
Jersey Mike's Subs - Subs, Chips, Cookies
Moe's Southwest Grill - Mexican
Orient Bowl - Asian
Phat Boyz Catering - Seafood/American
Royal Creamery and Espresso - American/Soft Serve
Rudy's Pizza - Pizza & Calzones
Thai Thai - Thai
The Tender Rib - BBQ
Top Dog Truck - Specialty Hot Dogs, including a Veggie Dog
Colonial Kettle Corn
Rod's Oasis Shaved Ice
Cotton Candy
Funnel Cake
Banquet in a Bun - American

I'm getting hungry.

So if you live in the Northern Virginia/DC area, come out to a fun kids event! See you there!

Pirates and Spaceballs (Two To Nothing!)

Driving to Pittsburgh on Tuesday evening with my brother, we were able to listen to the Pirates-Reds Wild Card game on the radio. Thanks to Benstonium, you can hear what we heard matched up with the television highlights. Please note Pirates announcer Greg Brown's call starting around the 1:30 mark and how he says "Two to Nothing." My brother and I said that phrase repeatedly throughout the ride, and knowing us, we'll say two to nothing like that for the next 30 years.



With that, the Pirates-Cardinals series begins on Thursday. I was all ready to share this Spaceballs video with the quote, "We meet again for the first time." In my mind, that's the relationship between the Pirates and Cardinals. They both know each other very well, but the playoff series is a completely different game. Of course, as you can see in the video below, I got the quote wrong. Bill Pullman actually says, "at last, we meet for the first time for the last time." Oh well. I'm sharing the Spaceballs video anyway since it makes me smile. (Oh, bad word at the 1:50 mark.)



Let's Go Bucs!

Bittersweet Day (Bob: 1927-2013)

Today should be a happy day as the Pittsburgh Pirates are playing in their first playoff game since 1992. After 20 straight losing seasons, it has been an extraordinary year watching Andrew McCutchen stake his claim as the National League MVP, Pedro Alvarez tie for the league title in home runs, and the pitching staff seemingly always getting key outs. Unfortunately, one of the biggest Pirates fans I know, my cousin Bob, passed away Friday night.

I try not to write about my family much, but I'm making an exception today. My cousin Bob is actually my Mom's first cousin. Does that make us second cousins or first cousins, once removed? Regardless, Bob was the youngest of four brothers who spent much of his life in the small town where my mom grew up. He served in the Army around the end of World War II and graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he was fraternity brothers with future Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter.

Bob and his brothers owned and operated the family business which was an automotive repair shop that also sold auto equipment and sporting goods. I clearly remember visiting the store as a kid, particularly the distinct smell of new tires. I'm not sure that my cousins were big fans of my brother and I running around the store, though we mostly stayed in the sporting good section. I got at least one baseball glove at the store as well as a set of golf clubs that I still have today. I don't remember whether or not these were gifts, but if not, I'm sure that they were significantly discounted.

Anyway, Bob retired and moved to the Sarasota, Florida area where he golfed regularly and even picked up bocce. He was also a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates Booster Club, where he served as a volunteer security guard at Pirate City in Bradenton. As a result, he attended countless Pirates spring training games either while volunteering or by simply watching the games on his off days. Four years ago, Bob hosted me in Bradenton where we went to two Pirates game, and he showed me around Pirate City. It was an awesome trip! He really liked taking me around Bradenton and talking baseball. Sure, we talked about family and other stuff, but many conversations seemed to revolve around the Pirates. Even then, he liked McCutchen. For the amount of time he spent around the Pirates during the 20-season losing streak, he deserved to see the Pirates in the playoffs again. As illogical and unrealistic as it is, I'd like to think he knew the Pirates defeated the Reds on Friday night before passing away.

Bob was an extremely generous man, and he will be missed greatly. I feel bad that I hadn't talked with him recently or nearly as much as I should have over the past few years. Sure, life has been busier with the addition of a child, but I still should have talked to him significantly more than I did.

While I'll really excited about tonight's game, I'm sure there will be moments when I think of Bob.