A few baseball mysteries

I know, I know I’m very late tonight. 

Here is mystery number one.  The Cubs are playing the Dodgers tonight, and they are on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.  I was fully expecting this game to be blacked out here since Major League Baseball, for some strange reason, thinks we are part of the Cubs television market.  Major League Baseball also thinks we are in the White Sox market, the Twins Market, the Royals Market and the Brewers Market.  I don’t know why.

But I digress.  As I was saying, I optimistically set the TiVo up to record the game but I was expecting ESPN News.  Imagine my surprise to discover we are actually getting the Cubs game tonight.  Even though they are in Chicago.  Strange. And we are losing 8-0.  Perhaps the blackout would have been better.

Here’s another mystery.  Earlier this week the Cubs called up Jake Fox from Des Moines.  He was hitting over .400 here in Iowa.  He was killing them.  So the Cubs called him up.  And here’s a funny story.  The I-Cubs had Jake Fox jersey night on Wednesday night.  But Jake Fox was in Chicago. 

So they called him up and what is he doing?  Riding the pines.  He’s been pinch hitting, but not playing. Now I have to ask you, why would you put a guy who is hitting over .400 on the bench?  Wouldn’t you want him to have a chance to hit three or four times a game instead of just once?  I know I would.

And finally, the last baseball mystery of the night.  Why does Lou Pinella still have a job?

More food that can kill you – National Burger Month edition

National Burger Month has almost come to an end.  How sad.  I think next year we will have a National Burger Month party to commemorate the occasion, but since I just thought of that just this minute, it’s a little late to do anything about it this year.  C’est la vie.

And, now the final killer burger of the month:

The Giant Pizza Burger

I have to say, this does not even look at all appetizing to me.  But if you feel differently, you can find the full account of its assembly at supersizedmeals.com

Oh my.

The birthday party

So there I was this week, chugging along, accomplishing Things, doing the laundry, minding my own business when suddenly it hit me:  Holy Crap, Princess O’s birthday party is Saturday!  I had that thought on Thursday.  Happily it is not difficult to plan a party for six 10 and 11 year old girls.  They pretty much entertain themselves.

All that I was really required to do was purchase food and beverages, and assemble goody bags. 

The Princess decided she did not want pizza for her party (big surprise), she decided we should have a deli tray instead.  She also wanted watermelon and potato chips. Easy peasy.  I got some ham, some turkey and a new jar of peanut butter yesterday. And this morning I wrestled the watermelon into submission.  I also got to make her a cake.   Unlike her ingrate brother, she actually wanted a homemade cake.  Yippee.

 

 

remains of a proper homemade cake

 

 

 

While I was out shopping yesterday I also got some really cool reusable bags in the you’re in luck it’s a buck section at Target to use for the goody bags.  I thought those would be better than lunch bags.   Each guest got some (sugar fee) bubble gum, some gummi bears and a small stuffed kitty.  And the bag of course.  I thought that was a pretty good haul.

The party went something like this:

• giggle
• eat
• giggle
• eat
• play in the mud
• go home

I am calling it a successful afternoon, and there is even leftover cake.  Yum.

Bacon flavored vodka

www.bakonvodka.com

There are no words…

I am downloading Twilight

Tomorrow I will put it on my Ipod. This is terrible.

Odds and Ends

Tonight we have Princess O’s chorus concert.  Tomorrow we have baseball practice and softball practice.  Saturday we have a game and a birthday party.  I’m tired.

***

Danny Gokey wants to be on Dancing with the Stars!  Yes! Yes!  Yes!  I think this is a fabulous idea.  So what that he isn’t really a star?  He’s no less famous than some of their other contestants (Holly Madison, really?) And so what that he can’t dance?  You are not supposed to be able to dance.  That’s the point!  I really hope DWTS takes him up on this.  That would be so much fun. 

***

This article gave me a moment’s pause.  I mean, I knew drinking pop was bad for you but I had no idea it could do all that.  Then I read the article and felt better.  The people in the study had been drinking something like three liters of cola a day.  I did the math just to be sure.  Three liters is about nine cans, so I’m safe.  Besides, I can stop anytime I want to.

***

I bought the Twilight DVD today.  What is wrong with me?  I do not want to like this as much as I do.  And it came with a code so I can download from ITunes free.  Now I can put it on my Ipod and watch it everywhere I go.  This is probably not a good thing.

Farewell tooth fairy

The Princess lost a tooth last night.  It was her last baby tooth.    Awww.

It was a rather bloody affair, reminiscent of your favorite slasher film.  This is unusual for her.  She’s not usually a bleeder, that particular title is reserved for the C-man.  Last night, however, was apparently the exception to that rule.

All’s well that ends well though, and now she is a dollar richer.  She left the tooth fairy the following note

Dear Tooth Fairy

Please leave my tooth you know the drill.  Blah blah blah.  It’s my last one so make it special.

I love it.

Of course the tooth fairy just left a dollar like she usually does. Princess O was kind of cheesed off about that this morning.  Really, I thought she should be proud of the tooth fairy for remembering to leave anything at all.  Besides the tooth fairy has to be careful about setting a precedent I – I mean she – might not remember when the C-man loses his last tooth.  Because at the rate he’s going that won’t be until about 2018.  My memory is not that good.

Photos from Minny as promised

Take me in to the ballgame…

See, you have to go inside to the ballgame in Minneapolis. They play in a dome.  Get it?  I’m so clever sometimes…

Yes, the children and I spent our Memorial Day at the MetroDome watching the Boston Red Sox beat up on the Minnesota Twins.  It was delightful.

We walked over to the stadium after we checked out of the hotel.  The location was perfect.  We arrived at the old ballpark in plenty of time and had a good look around.

I told the kiddos I had never seen a ballgame in a dome before but I was mistaken. I forgot I saw a game in Milwaukee at their new retractable dome thingy a few years ago.  But that seemed much more like being outside.  This felt like watching a ballgame in a shopping mall.

We proudly wore our Red Sox gear.  This did not sit well with the TC, the Twins mascot.  He was walking down the concourse as we were coming back from buying the C-man some pizza.  The kids went up to say hi and get high fives.  When he spotted their Sox t-shirts he was not pleased and pantomimed an angry disposition.  Then he took the C-man’s pizza and started walking away.  Well, the C-man’s eyes got about as big as dinner plates and he took off after TC at a good clip.  TC walked about 10 steps, then turned and gave the pizza back.  I think C-man actually thought he was going to take it!  Poor guy.

Our seats were in the family section and each ticket came with a free hot dog and small soft drink.  All for the low low price of $19 apiece.  I love secondary markets.

We kept score by committee, with each of us taking a half-inning at a time.  I say by committee, but what really happened is that I would tell them what to write down after each play.  They came up with a very clever way to write the backwards “K” for a called strikeout.  They just turned the scorecard upside down and wrote a regular “K”.  A simple solution with hints of genius.

Poor C-man did not get to see David Ortiz. But we did see Youk and Tek-Money and Ellsbury, who remains on pace for dreamiest eyes in the American League.   The Sox had a three-run lead going into the bottom of the ninth and Pappelbon got the call.  I had been hoping we would see him since I bought the tickets.  Before the bottom of the ninth started I said to the children, ”alright ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.  Here is the moment you have all been waiting for.  The moment when Pappelbon takes the mound and makes the Twins hitters cry!”  Then he gave up a two-run homer.

But the Sox prevailed in the end and everybody was happy.

I will do a Slide Show in a minute.

The Monaco Grand Prix report

I feel like I really have to savor every race this season, even the ones I don’t like.  And I don’t much like Monaco.  It’s all very beautiful and glamorous, but the track is very claustrophobic, with no room for error, and not much room to overtake.

And anybody can blow it.  In the first session of qualifying Ferrari’s Felipe Massa kissed the barriers and wrecked the nose on his car.  Happily he was able to get back around to the pits for a new nose and still make it to Q2.  Lewis Hamilton was not so lucky.  He lost his car too but he planted the back end into the barrier.  That is not as easy to fix, and he ended up qualifying 16^th.  Ouch.  Then just to make matters worse he had to change his gearbox.  That’s a five-spot grid penalty, which had him starting dead last. 

On to the race.  First of course is the grid walk with Peter Windsor.  Mika Hakkinen was there.  He used to be an F1 driver, and was one of my favorites.  It’ always happy to see him. 

And then there was Peter’s interview with Ginger Spice. To me this is everything that is wrong with the Monaco Grand Prix.  It takes place when all the Beautiful People are in Cannes for the film festival.  So you get lots of famous people walking around the grid saying things like “I love fast cars”.  And you wonder if they have any idea how lucky they are to be down there with those fast cars, and if they have any idea at all what they are looking at.  I would wager Ginger Spice did not.  Meanwhile people like me would give body parts to be where they are and we would appreciate it.

Okay, rant over.

I actually got up early yesterday to watch the race live.  I recorded too though, in case Tom wants to watch it when he gets home.  I might want to watch it again.

Jenson Button was on pole.  Kimi Raikkonen was second, and Rubens Barrichello lined up third.  Alonso was ninth.  Nelson Piquet Junior qualified twelfth. That’s pretty good for him.  He had told the press before the race that he wanted to qualify in the top ten.  Well, it’s good to have goals.

Sadly it was not to be for Nelson, and then Sebastien Buemi ran into the back of him and ended both of their races. 

Heikki Kovalainen crashed out too, and so did Sebastian Vettel.  That happens a lot in Monaco.  In the end Button won again.  That’s five out of six for those of you keeping score at home.

The next four races will be on Fox TV instead of Speed TV.  This always seems like four races wasted.  Especially this season when there may not be a next season.  Sigh.