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.

Click to continue reading Hope I Die Before I Get Old

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.

Please take this moment to update your bookmarks, as the old Blogger site will no longer be updated and will disappear eventually.
You can use CTRL+D to set a bookmark in Firefox and IE.
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Thanks for visiting!

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.

Click to continue reading Opening Day Thoughts

“Baseball Stud”

This is the title of an article in this weeks New York magazine featuring - no, not Julio Franco - yes, Mr. D. Wright. The article begins with him bowling in Port St. Lucie (not on the same evening that TBF and I debated the virtues of bowling vs. mini-golf, and instead had dinner and went to sleep early since we were so damn tired - but everyone else saw him at the bowling alley), and continues with some choice quotes from his teammates.

I like it because it isn’t fawning and it’s also not trying to knock him down either.

“Ohhhwaaa!” DeLuca shouted. “See that? Not the play. But see that smile? That’s what I’m talking about! That charisma! I’m telling you, man, he’s our Jeter.”
“Our wives love him,” added Gomez, for emphasis.
“Our wives want to marry him!”
“They really do!”
“Hell, I want to marry the kid,” said DeLuca, clinking bottles with Gomez. “I said to my wife—I said, ‘Honey, if I don’t come back, it means I ran away with David Wright.’ He’s helped bring the fun back to this team, okay? Which, believe you me, was missing for a long, long time.”

...which is probably what they’re taling about when they say “The women want to marry him - and the men want to marry him too.”

 

Sunday, April 01, 2007

MetsGrrl Mailbag: Mets beat reporter Narty Moble answers fans’ questions

In honor of Opening Day and the new look and location for MetsGrrl, we are thrilled to welcome MLB Mets beat reporter Narty Moble, making a special guest appearance with the Mailbag. Narty, over to you:
                 
Dear Narty: I was curious as to what you thought about why the Mets did not go after Johan Santana harder in the off-season.

Joe P., Carroll Gardens

I’m sorry to break it to you, but Johan Santana was not available. The Twins would be foolish in the extreme to trade Santana now.

 

Click to continue reading MetsGrrl Mailbag: Mets beat reporter Narty Moble answers fans’ questions

Friday, March 30, 2007

new creative, part 2

The other side of the G platform:

it’s just TERRIBLE. blech.

but it’s a nice counterbalance to seeing this multiple times during my commute:

[I don’t have a real problem with Mariano (neither does TBF, for the record), I just find the photo creepy. Not to mention not needing to be publicly exhorted to read the bible by anyone.]

——-

Thursday, March 29, 2007

opening day tickets!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I’m slogging through email at work, when an email lands in my inbox from one of the various “benefits” offered to us. I say “benefits” because up until now, I have found the application of that term to be dubious at best.

Until just now.

“Working Advantage has tickets for exciting Mets games this season, including Opening Day on April 9! Be there at Shea Stadium in Flushing, NY to cheer for the Mets as they battle for this year’s championship.”

OPENING DAY?!

So I click and dial TBF at the same moment.  I read him the email.
“‘Upper Level Seats, Sections 44 or 46 available for $29.00 per ticket.’”
TBF: “That’s WAY out there.”
“I know.”
“Forget about pictures.”
“I know.”
“Forget about seeing the Diamondvision.”
“I know.”
“Do we even know what row?”
”’ The general seating section listed above is guaranteed; however, specific rows and seats cannot be requested or guaranteed. You will be assigned the best available seats, within our reserved block, based on the date and time of your order.’”
“Arghhh.”
“I know. But it’s face value - okay a little more.”
I try mets.com in case they suddenly made seats available and didn’t tell anyone, and open up StubHub in another window. The StubHub ticket quantity has taken a nosedive from 1600 seats down to 900 seats. In the meantime, TBF is looking to see what’s available in Seven-packs - and that’s even worse seating locations than what we’re currently being offered.

I bought the tickets.

I am, however, pissed at the Mets that they didn’t make these seats available to the general public, or to account holders. And I should be principled enough to not buy these, given as much as I’ve bitched about things on here.

But I’m not that principled and I want to go to Opening Day. I suck.