Sunday Softball Blogging

Our short-handed Hebrew Academy team lost to Beth Emeth today in a weather-shortened game, 15-5. Not my best game; I was only 1-3 with one run scored.

We're 3-2 now, and still looking pretty good, though.

Labels: Personal, Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 12:07 AM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Sunday Softball Blogging

I played in my first doubleheader today. We lost the first game, 17-11. Not particularly eventful, but I went 4-4 with 4 runs scored. It was our first loss of the season so far.

The second game was the most intense softball game I've played in my two years. We were up by about eight runs going into the fifth inning (out of seven) and our pitcher began grooving pitches and the other team hit a couple of home runs. Suddenly, we're going into the bottom of the seventh and we're only up 13-11. They got two baserunners and then next batter hit a groundball back to the pitcher, and it should have been the third out. However, the first baseman dropped the ball, didn't get the out, and then picked it up and overthrew home plate. Two runs scored, and their best hitter came to the plate with the score tied and a man on. We intentionally walked him (much to the chagrin of the other team's captain) and managed to get the next guy out. We scored a run in the top of the eighth as the rain started to come down, and held them in the bottom of the inning for a 14-13 victory. And I finished 3-5 with 3 RBIs... don't get a lot of those, normally.

We're 3-1 now, a far cry from last season when we didn't win a single game. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the season.

Labels: Personal, Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 11:33 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

I Won My Match!

I am tremendously antisocial right now... I could've spent the last two nights out on the town, and instead am completely glued to Six Feet Under.

Oh well, during the few hours I managed to get myself out of the house, I had my weekly tennis match. I just joined a USTA league, and I've gotten my butt kicked in two singles matches and one doubles match -- I didn't even win one set in the three matches! I just didn't appear to be ready for prime time. In the singles matches, I'd been playing in the #2 slot, which was the lower seed. Today, the #1 didn't show up, so I had to play #1. I figured that it would be another ass-kicking, maybe even worse than the other matches (though that would barely be possible).

But, in a miracle on ice, I mean hardcourt, it didn't play out that way. My opponent had a really, really nasty serve -- he aced me on the first two serves of the match, and it seemed hopeless. However, he was a really, really erratic player, with no real strategy, and didn't have many other court skills other than that serve to speak of... and as I learned to handle the serve and as it slowed down, his advantage dwindled. I played him to a tiebreaker in the first set, but I lost it. In the second set, I went up 3-1 before he won three straight games and took a 4-3 lead. I then proceeded to win the last three games of the set, and we went to a ten-point tiebreaker for the third set.

I won the first two points of the tiebreaker, and then he took the next three. I tied it up at 4-4, but then he took the next four to put me on the ropes at 4-8. The adrenaline must've kicked in, however, and I could suddenly do no wrong. I played him to a 9-8 lead, and then after a 20+ shot totally defensive rally, my opponent put a shot into the net. Final count, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 1-0 (10-8). Go me!

In other sports news, Kaz Matsui has the best player card ever at the moment (h/t K-Hole).

Labels: Personal, Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 12:06 AM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Favre's Done and I'm Old

(Posted from Richmond, CA, outside of San Francisco)

So, Brett Favre retired today... I still remember his first game with Green Bay ('91? '92?); he came in for Don Majikowski and just looked special... I remember thinking to myself, "This young guy's going to be good. There's just no way he isn't." And then I made a point of watching his next game.

I was like 11 years old then. Now the dude is old, gray, and crying at his retirement press conference... I'm ancient.

Labels: Personal, Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 1:30 AM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Totally, Totally, Totally

Heading out for the night, but I figured I'd share a pretty good coach meltdown with y'all:

Labels: Humor, Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 8:51 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

The Giants? Really?

Talk about improbable... congratulations, G-Men!

Labels: Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 10:05 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

The Dallas Reich

Well, we finally know the answer to a question we've all wondered about for a long time... who would Hitler root for in the NFL if he were alive today?

Turns out, the answer is the Cowboys. And he's a big T.O. fan (no surprise there!). See for yourself:

Labels: Humor, Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 2:14 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Lafayette, CO -- 756!

In case you hadn't heard, Barry Bonds just hit his 756th.

The Giants can now quietly get back to being 15 games under .500.

Should be a lot of really good Barry-less baseball to play in the NL over the remainder of the season.

Labels: Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 12:01 AM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Poughkeepsie, NY -- Not Quite "Air"-Worthy

OK, terrible pun, but...

I've heard a few people in the last few days try to seriously compare LeBron James with Michael Jordan. He's nowhere near that, though -- does anyone remember His Airness being a non-factor for a whole game (or really even part of one)in any of the Bulls' six championship seasons? Even when MJ was putting up a stinker like his 3-18 bomb against the Knicks in the '93 playoffs, he was still the focus of the game the whole game.

Last night, other than a 30 second stretch in the fourth where he hit two threes, James was a non-factor. In the Finals!

By the way, I'll be finishing off the Albany photo series from two weeks ago over the next few days -- I only have two or three more entries left.

Labels: Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 8:00 AM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- Dave Winfield and a Side of Mashed Potatoes

Quick fun baseball fact from Dave Winfield's Wikipedia page:

During the 1994 baseball strike, which began on August 12, Winfield was traded to the Cleveland Indians at the trade deadline on August 31 for a "player to be named later." The 1994 season was cancelled two weeks later, so Winfield did not play for the Indians that year and no player was ever named in exchange. To settle the trade, Cleveland and Minnesota executives went to dinner, with the Indians picking up the tab. This makes Winfield the only player in major league history to be traded for a dinner.

He proceeded to hit .191 the next season for Cleveland, so I hope dinner wasn't expensive.

Labels: Comedy, Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 4:02 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- DAAAAAANG!

I mean, DEEEEENG, as in Luol Deng, the small forward for the Chicago Bulls who are about to win their first playoff series since Jordan stuck that 18-footer in the face of Bryon Russell in June '98 (I remember watching that game, right at the end of high school, in Epstein's basement on Davis Ave.... those were the days [sigh]).

Deng's averaged almost 30 PPG in Chicago's mauling of the Heat. Whatever happened to Duke players not succeeding in the NBA? Elton Brand, Carlos Boozer, and now Deng. A long way from players like Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, William Avery and Jayson Williams...

I'll reiterate a prediction that I made to Ari last week -- either Chicago or New Jersey will represent the East in the Finals. Chicago will beat Detroit. My expert take :)

Labels: Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 3:30 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- It's All Over

Texas got crushed by USC today, and now that I've lost half of my Final Four, I'm probably done -- this'll likely be my last post on the tourney until the Finals, but we'll see...

Labels: Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 7:57 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- How Far the Mighty Have Fallen

Everything was looking so good, and then down goes Wisconsin... I'm not sure how much that'll hurt me, but I have them in my Final Four. Texas is losing right now at the half, and if they don't win, that's two Final Four teams down. I lost Virginia Tech, too...

Suddenly the tournament lost a lot of appeal...

Labels: Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 6:17 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- Eight In

Tennesee wins yet another close game, despite the fact that their ridiculous offense (they scored a first round record 121 points against Long Beach State) was held in the seventies.

I have Florida and Wisconsin in the next two games. I'm not feeling all that confident in the Wisconsin pick, and I have them in the Final Four...

Labels: Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 2:36 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- Almost Perfect!

Took 7 out of 8 today, and 15 of my top 16 are in... but I know nothing about college basketball!

Labels: Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 12:04 AM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- Five In...

Pitt pulled it out. I really couldn't be doing any better -- 19 for my last 22!

Labels: Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 8:24 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- Four In!!!!!

Vandy wins! Vandy wins!!! Did anyone else have them in the Sweet 16? This guy did!

Labels: Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 8:11 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- ANOTHER OVERTIME???

Somehow, after being down by about 15, VCU has sent the game to OT. Come on, Pitt...

Labels: Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 8:04 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- Tied Up...

Somehow, VCU came back on Pitt, and that game is knotted up at 67. Meanwhile, in double OT, WSU-Vandy is tied at 69.

Wow... some tourney!

Labels: Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 8:02 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- Three In...

Georgetown beats BC, and I'm looking good. Vandy's taking Washington State to OT... Pitt's about to win, so that's another one for me.

Labels: Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 7:44 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- Two in, Barely...

Texas A&M just pulled out a victory against Louisville... see ya, Pitino.

Vandy/Washington State is the game to watch right now for me... if Vanderbilt wins, I'm in totally excellent shape.

Venturing out into the snowy beyond. Back later.

Labels: Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 6:26 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- My Bracket Flashing Before My Eyes...

Right now, with 5:30 left in the A&M/Louisville game, Edgar Sosa is the worst person in the world...

Labels: Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 6:00 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- One In, One Out

Oh well, lost Maryland in a close one, and that's OK, because I had them losing in the next round and they were one of my biggest question marks.

14 games left. A&M had better pull their game out against Louisville, or I'm screwed -- I have them in the championship game.

Labels: Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 5:20 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- I'm March Mad!

I rarely watch college basketball these days, but I guess all it takes to get into it is filling out a bracket. I think everyone in my building heard me from the top floor when I screamed "YEEEEEAAAHHHHH!!!!" a few minutes ago when Ron Lewis hit the long three-pointer than sent the Ohio State-Xavier game into OT and saved my bracket.

I'm doing really, really well... Won all but two games yesterday, and every one of my Sweet Sixteen teams are still in it. That'd be something if I were to win my pool...

Labels: Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 3:24 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- The Levees are Fixed

Something important we missed while we were paying attention to Katrina.

Dennis Roddy links Bush's handling of Katrina with his handling of Iraq.

Many people still refuse to leave New Orleans, and the mayor coldly decrees that police officers will no longer hand out water to those who remain. Forced physical evacuations are OK, but you can't deny the people water. The mayor also mentions that nearly 10,000 people could be dead in New Orleans, but the levees are finally fixed.

Massachusetts state government will no longer keep Microsoft Office file formats as standard, opting instead for OpenDocument. As far as I know, this is unprecedented.

Just as Jerry Rice, one San Francisco legend, departs his sport, another is ready to return, with his team 5 1/2 games out and a month to go. If he's even 60%, you have to like their chances.

Labels: Katrina, Sports, Technology

posted by jbrzoska @ 9:25 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- Farewell, #80

Blame for the mishandling of the relief efforts is flying:

Bush is trying to undo what many Republicans described as considerable damage to the White House inflicted by Bush's crisis management. "Almost every Republican I have spoken with is disappointed" in Bush's performance, said William Kristol, a conservative columnist with close White House ties. "He is a strong president . . . but he has never really focused on the importance of good execution. I think that is true in many parts of his presidency."

Andrew Sullivan, Paul Krugman, and Bob Herbert blame the administration. The Conservative Voice blames our godlessness.

Meanwhile, Mary Landrieu "counterpunches," and CNN compares the rhetoric with the events on the ground. The BBC wonders whether Katrina has saved the media.

I have to admit, as a Democrat, at the beginning of the hurricane, I thought to some extent, "Crap -- this is when Bush is going to shine; he's very good at rallying the troops around this sort of event, as we saw in 2001." I remember rooting for Bush and being rather proud of the way he was handling 9/11; no matter what the facts have turned out to be, you can't argue that the Republicans put on a really confident and inspiring show for the first days, weeks, and months afterwards. I can't feel the same way here. I'm watching Bush, Chertoff, and Brown lately and feeling really ashamed. Their actions over the last week have simply been the antithesis of "coming through." I'm not reveling in it, I'm really pretty sad about it... there are other areas where I don't mind laughing at the Bushies, but this is not one of those.

It's not a matter of big government or small government -- it's about the RIGHT government! The one we have in place is indubitably the wrong one.

And Jerry Rice, the greatest ever, finally calls it quits. "Rice will close his career with 38 NFL records, including those for career receptions (1,549), yards receiving (22,895) and touchdowns receiving (197)." He'll be missed!I'm listening to the Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions... how great is Traveling Riverside Blues?

Labels: George Bush, Katrina, Sports, Supreme Court

posted by jbrzoska @ 3:00 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- The Blue Plate

I had a great dinner tonight at The Blue Plate in Chatham, NY. I'd been there once before, and was excited to go back. I had a really succulent leg of lamb after devouring an entire loaf of bread with their olive/mushroom/sundried tomato spread.

Thanks to Steve Harris from SI, we can see that Cindy Sheehan, joined here by the ever-loquacious Reverend Al Sharpton, is still getting a lot of attention from the media. That's great news, and I think Steve agrees. Thanks, Steve!

Andruw Jones jacked two more today, as Atlanta beat Milwaukee. The guy is just having a season far beyond what I'd expect from him, carrying the NL lead in both homers and RBI going into September. Meanwhile, I'd bet that Roger Clemens would've like to have Andruw as a teammate today, giving up no runs in 6 innings and lowering his ERA to a microscopic 1.51 but getting a no-decision as the Astros lost 1-0 to the mediocre Dodgers.

Labels: Iraq, Restaurants, Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 10:15 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Albany, NY -- Cindy in the Spotlight

Quick post tonight; I'm in the thick of it at work.Cindy gets just a bit more attention.... hopefully it will help more disasters like this one from happening. Meanwhile, some other protesters unfriendly to her cause have been amassing as well. Don't they realize that they're just promoting the death of our soldiers?

Paul Shirley, the former Phoenix Sun benchwarmer/blogger, has resurfaced on Sports Guy's blog. He's one of the funniest sports personalities I've ever read, and certainly has a second career ready-made when he retires.

Labels: Iraq, Sports

posted by jbrzoska @ 11:05 PM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Seattle, WA

My day was more or less uneventful; I headed to the University of Washington to set up for a conference, then went back to the hotel and worked with my boss. UW has a neat college town near Lake Union, and I hope to post some photos of it tomorrow.

Last night, after I got to the hotel, I went to have dinner and a drink or two at the hotel restaurant. Shortly after I'd ordered my first drink (a rum and coke), I began to chat it up with the bartender, who'd recently relocated from Windham, NY, a ski town slightly south of Albany on I-87.He'd told me of an Italian restaurant nearby that he said was so good, that if they were open on Sunday night he'd take away my beverage and kick me out of the bar (what, with all of the experience I have this week at getting kicked out of places).

I ventured the four blocks on foot to Pasta Freska, which was pretty unassuming both inside and out. It was a rare experience -- the waiter comes to the table and asks you what foods you absolutely won't eat. He then brings out whatever the cook's whims dictate.

Piano jazz in the background, first on the "menu" tonight was a salad with a light caesar dressing, followed by eggplant parmesan in a spinach bechemel sauce with a hint of pesto served straight from the pan -- maybe the best eggplant I've ever had. I accompanied the first course with a Maradi beer, an Italian brew golden in color, smooth in texture, and just a little sweet. The second beer of the night was a Mac and Jack African Ale -- reddish hue, a little fruity -- not all that distinguishable from Sam Adams Summer Ale, one of my favorites. I'd had it back in Helena and liked it a lot. Next was spaghetti with marinara and feta alongside a piece of chicken roulade stuffed with ricotta and smothered in a delicious dark mushroom sauce. Scallops, halibut, mushrooms, capers and spinach in a tart white wine sauce. I had no idea, but the waiter pointed out that this dish was -- PICATTA!!!! If you don't get the reference, do yourself a favor and consult your local video store and rent Beavis and Butthead Do America, for the love of all that is good!

Of course, what Italian night out would be complete without a basket of garlic bread? For dessert, they served a plate with a small piece of fudge cake, a sliver of tiramisu, and a scoop of orange sherbet.

Pasta Freska's waiters refer to their dishes as "surprises", and this critic asserts that all of them were pleasant. Of course, to be a real critic, this poseur needs an alimentary vocabulary broader than "delicious."

Apparently, the Iraqi constitution is not going to be completed on schedule. This isn't all that surprising... the elections had a pretty high turnout because each of the factions that were surpressed under Saddam showed up in large numbers -- the Shiites because they saw their opportunity for power, and the Kurds because their leaders told them that the election was the first step towards an independent Kurdistan. Of course, the Sunni turnout was very low. The constitution needs to be agreed upon by all parties -- if 2/3 of voters in three of the 12 provinces vote "no," then the constitution is null and void. I'm just not confident that the different groups in Iraq are going to be able to think beyond their own interests, and the events of the last few days seem to support that.

The Gaza pullout is underway, and with a few exceptions, appears to be going as planned. I don't trust the Israelis so much, but getting the settlers out of Gaza and a few of the 120 settlements in the West Bank is a good start.

Harvard is starting a program to study the origins of life. Many religious types discount evolution because it doesn't sufficiently explain how the first life was formed, but that's not the point of the theory of evolution. I'm happy to see this effort, and it's certainly a reaction to the recent surge in support for the quack-science "theory" of intelligent design. I'd agree with the scientist in the article who says, "My expectation is that we will be able to reduce this to a very simple series of logical events that could have taken place with no divine intervention," but have a feeling that we won't find out the answers in our lifetime. It's no easy task to look back five billion years and find answers. It is, however, inexcusable to attribute something to God because we have no other answer. It's very much equivalent to when Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes) asks his dad how the vacuum cleaner works, and he replies "Magic."

In today's More Cowbell, Sports Guy pleads Johnny Damon's case for some MVP votes. I agree with him completely. Damon's having a fantastic season, and his hair's gotta be worth at least some consideration!

Labels: Politics, Restaurants, Sports, Travel

posted by jbrzoska @ 12:15 AM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post

Portland, OR

While on my journey to pick up my prepaid cell phone (more on this in a bit), I headed over to Division St., which is apparently the area of southeastern Portland that Elliott Smith used to haunt. It's in an area that's mostly industrial (photo, photo, photo), and I wasn't inclined to spend much time there. Suddenly, the bleakness of some of his early music seemed to make a lot of sense.

It wasn't until after I'd ordered it that I realized the tribute I was making to Elliott by grabbing a shot of Johnny Walker Red Label at the hotel bar this evening.

According to sweetadeline.net it's been announced that the upcoming artsy-looking Sony flick Thumbsucker will feature three Elliott songs -- among others, the movie starts Vincent D'Onofrio, Keanu Reeves, and Vince Vaughn. And from the trailer, I have absolutely NO idea what the movie is about.

I didn't write any music in Portland, as I'd hoped, so for the heck of it, I'm going to post one more recording I've done of one of his songs. It's an acoustic version of his song "Cupid's Trick", done last year around this time.

I always love Frank Rich, who's been on vacation the last couple of weeks. He states in his latest piece that someone needs to tell President Bush that the war in Iraq is over, but I think that Dubya is already aware of that, because he appears ready to move on. We know what "all options are on the table" means when it comes to Iran... it's a matter of time before the Cindy Sheehans of Operation Iranian Democracy are marching in front of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. War sucks, and there may be no song that illustrates its pain and senselessness better than Billy Joel's Goodnight Saigon.

It was a night for the old men to shine in the majors tonight. 43-year-old Roger Clemens threw a two-hitter over eight shutout innings, and still drew a no-decision to the Pirates. His ERA stands at 1.32, and yet he's only won 11 games halfway through August -- has a pitcher ever gotten less run support from his team?

Roger is a veritable tyke next to Julio Franco, who, at 10 days shy of his 47th birthday, hit his 9th home run of the season. If he hits another homer next week or later, he will become the oldest player to hit a round-tripper in the bigs. He's showing few signs of slowing down -- he's hitting .292 this season, just a few ticks off of his career average.

A lot of John Mayer's music doesn't quite do it for me, but I've heard a song of his over and over in passing lately that I can't identify but sounds pretty good. I think it's a new single. Does anyone know anything about this? If so, send me an e-mail. And congrats to him on his Song of the Year Grammy for "Daughters." That song isn't my cup of tea, but check out the song "Clarity" on the same album, Heavier Things. It's an amazing song, and his great website features streaming audio of several songs on that CD, including "Clarity."

I went to Best Buy just southeast of Portland today to pick up a Virgin Mobile prepay phone to temporarily replace my Blackberry. I paid $80 for a basic phone and 300 minutes, which should cover me for the next five days. $80 is reasonable enough to me, but as I reviewed the pay plans, it occurred to me that this is just another way in which ironically, the poor pay more than the better-to-do for the same services. For instance, if someone uses 10 minutes each day for a month on a normal plan, he'll pay $40 and still have minute to spare. However, if that same person gets a prepaid phone, he'll pay $75. The materials included with the prepaid phone were pretty misleading -- their example shows what one will pay if he uses 112 minutes in a month, but how many people only average 4 minutes per day on their phones? I easily break 1,000 minutes every month. Virgin Mobile clearly targets lower-income individuals, as well -- nearly all of the images on their packaging and website feature younger and minority individuals.

If you need my temporary phone number to reach me this week, send me an e-mail.

Labels: Music, Poltics, Sports, Travel

posted by jbrzoska @ 5:15 AM Trackback Link 0 comments links to this post