Just call me "Hands of Stone" and other observations

Hi There,
Before we get to the other stuff, I'll start off with what happened Saturday night. Went with Dan and the Ashs' to Joe Bruno Stadium to see the Valley Cats play the Staten Island Yankees. If you've never been to a game at HVCC, go. It's a nice minor league ballpark and the prices are fair. The highlight of the trip was dinner at Ted's Fish Fry, which is one of Miner's favorite places. Now for the low lights. First, I directed the driver to the wrong entrance. Then Yankees got clobbered 11 to 2 and to top it off my mediocre athletic ability got showed off. During the game a foul ball goes over our heads, takes a bounce off the walk way, hits a light pole and comes back our way. It was beggin' for me to catch it and be a hero. But nooooo! I had the ball in my sights, hits my outstretched left hand and I couldn't snag the dang thing. Now you know why I don't play softball or give massages. Hands of Stone. Those who can't play the game either end up broadcasting or keeping score. I do both.
Football and other fall sports get under way and for me the first thing when I go check out practices is always look at the numbers of kids playing. Especially with smaller schools like Warrensburgh and Fort Edward. Two or three key injuries and the season teeters on the brink of extinction. Its harder to get kids to make that kind of commitment to football. With jobs, girlfriends, the so-called extreme sports and computers; the desire to actually do 2 a day practices, hit the weight room, make football not an easy sell. I know kids who play often tell me they'll go knocking on their friends doors begging them to try out and join them on the team. There is something still cool about wearing a varsity jacket right?
How many straight years can Mets fans endure the wheels falling off the bus? A couple of collapses, injuries and now this past week the teams' pitching ace is served a civil lawsuit over rape charges and the closer beats up his girlfriends father in the teams family room in front of children and is charged with assault. Francisco Rodriguez also has had runs ins with a coach, team executive, and a Yankee before a game last year. Anger management classes is just the start K-Rod. I don't think a complete house cleaning is in order. I would love Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz to sell to someone who'll first re-establish the Mets history to Mets fans. Next they need to find a team leader who give this team some swagger. The last two guys who took that job and relished it were dumped; and now the guy who should be the leader Jeff Francoeur has been buried in a platoon with the return of Carlos Beltran.
Brandon Phillips just shut up please! That brawl in the first inning of the Cards/Reds game was such a moronic display of idiocy. Hope the foot in mouth disease is being treated. Any simpleton knows you never diss your opponent like that right before you play 'em with first place on the line.
SF Giants pitcher Jonathan Sanchez also joined Brandon Phillips in the nurses office for foot in mouth disease when he predicted the Giants would sweep the Padres this weekend. Didn't happen now did it John? One more note on the flailing friars of San Diego. Can we just get it over with and hand the NL manager of the year award to Bud Black now please.
I may have hands of stone, but if a foul ball is headed for my girlfriend, unless she was an allstar softball player in high school or college; I'm re-enacting the scene from, "The Bodyguard" where Kevin Costner dives in front of Whitney Houston to save her from getting shot. You've been living in a cave recently if you haven't seen the video of that guy at the Astros game with his hat turned sideways dissing his woman and letting her get plunked. Moron. He was probably worried his beer would be spilled. They interviewed the happy twosome during the game and they later appeared on the CBS Morning Show. CBS really has a morning show? I did not know that.
To quote Bob Uecker from "Major League" in regards to Dustin Johnson and the 2 shot penalty assessed to him for grounding his club on the 18th hole at the PGA championship, "Personally I think he got hosed on that call." That was one mighty small bunker. Looked like trampled ground to me.
I'd rather be strapped to a chair with duct tape and forced to watch "Paul Blart, Mall Cop" or any other movie starring Kevin James and Adam Sandler than watch "Hard Knocks" on HBO.
It must have been one really slow news day for Bill O'Reilly. Why is he dissing Jennifer Aniston for her desire to have a child and raise it as single parent?
Talk about stating the obvious. Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi said she is not a role model! No duh!
This weeks sign of the apocalypse. Forgive me, its technically from last week. Kate Gosselin went on a camping trip in Alaska with Sarah Palin. That one made my skin crawl. I'm not making some of this stuff up people.
The age spots have been exploding all over my arms and body with the knowledge that two of my favorite movies "Caddy Shack" is now 30 years old and "Back to the Future" is 25.
Finally, two things to leave you with. The go-cart race is coming up this Wednesday and WCKM is now on Facebook. Check it out and be our friends, please...Leccese out.