Monday, April 09, 2007

coney island baby

While you wait for MG to warm up and download her photos, take a look at this thing of beauty: “Sister Reyes,” written by Lou Reed - okay, written by Lou Reed in my fantasy dreamland.  If you know anything about Lou, you must read this. Ah, heck, you should read it anyway.

(Unless you’re an uptight white boy from New Jersey or something. Then it will bother you big time.)

Until I realized it was fake, all I could do was sigh and think that there was no point in me ever writing anything about baseball again.

I must own this. Like, NOW

TBF will be overjoyed that it’s wearing classic pinstripes and the blue hat with the orange button. No, really.

Friday, April 06, 2007

Hope I Die Before I Get Old

The other day, there was a post over on Hot Foot, ranting at Joe Buck for talking about how “old” the Mets team is. Now, while we all hate Joe Buck for our own deeply personal reasons, he’s not the only one who’s taken this tack and I’m kind of confounded as to why. There’s a parallel in rock and roll (hence the title of the post), where I am tired of the pathetic jokes about aging rockers, instead of noting that Bruce Springsteen is in better shape now than he was in his 20’s, that blues musicians play literally until the day they die, that the Rolling Stones are still doing what they do and don’t completely suck, that Dylan released some incredibly vital music in the last few years. Instead of being glad that these people are still on the planet, the tone is mocking. I was thinking about all of this last night, when TBF and I were sitting in Carnegie Hall at the Bruce Springsteen Tribute, and the man himself showed up. Watching him up there surrounded by musicians of all ages, but especially younger ones, I noted to myself that very few of the kids up there could play the shows he does right now and be as physical as he is.

In professional baseball, it’s even more confusing to me. Why isn’t the story instead about how age in professional baseball has been redefined? Why isn’t the story about how fantastic it is that there are ‘old’ players in baseball who are still achieving? Why isn’t the media fascinated as to how these people stay in shape and stay competitive? Aren’t there real lessons for people to learn here? Shouldn’t we hold up folks in their 40’s who are healthy and in shape as role models? Yes, they have different challenges than individuals in their 20’s - but that’s the point.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

mets v. cardinals, 4-4-07

After Beltran’s home run, TBF got up, went over to the kitchen, and came back carrying the broom. Earlier in the evening he was threatening to start cleaning up the entrance hallway, and I thought he was expressing that he’d seen enough of the game and was ready to start domestic activities.

And then I got it.

Welcome to the new MetsGrrl!

Hi! Welcome to the new digs.

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I can’t believe Cow-Bell Man lost!

....to the Rats From Taco Bell, no less. Cow-Bell Man would kick their asses any day. (Or at least hit them with his cowbell).

At least he beat out the “Jeter & A-rod Sleepovers” category.

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Geekery: Baseball widgets for your desktop

For those of you (like MG) who are chained to a computer all day, this great article from Wired covers all the widgets, gadgets and other technological goodies that will keep you up to the minute on all the upcoming baseball goodness. Mac, PC *and* platform-agnostic.

If anyone knows where I can find a box score program for Palm, please drop me a line. We saw someone using one last year during the NLCS and TBF’s eyes lit up. As he described it recently, “On the one hand, it’s like the world’s most perfect gift; on the other hand, there’s no way I’d ever give up doing it on paper.” I, on the other hand, am not a luddite.

Opening Day Thoughts

Two years ago, TBF and I had just started dating, and I was stressing about an appropriate gift to buy him to commemorate Opening Day. I didn’t give a damn about baseball, but I knew he did. (I bought him a map of the US with all the baseball stadiums and the ideal routes for a stadium roadtrip marked out.)

Last year - wasn’t a great day for me and I remember coming home on the subway watching everyone heading out to Shea. TBF wasn’t here, and I was still trying to find my way through baseball by myself. I could have bought a ticket and gone, but I didn’t want to go alone. Instead, on one of the worst days of the year, I have to watch the blue-and-orange masses headed out to Shea as I head home.
So, this year was going to be different.

“What opening day traditions do you have?” I asked TBF with ebullience.
Blank look. And a recitation of Opening Days he has missed or the few times he got to attend. A note that he would be keeping score.
I am somewhat - make that very - disappointed, as I expected there to be a long list of arcane traditions that had to be followed, and was eager to do so. I don’t know what you do or you don’t do. I was hoping there was a script I could follow, a tradition I could borrow since I didn’t have one of my own and I felt kind of forlorn without one.