A Load of BS

Tonight, Major League Baseball went back in time and brought 46,121 fans to Montreal, Quebec. They came to see an exhibition game that felt more like a playoff game between Canada's team, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Montreal Expos' most celebrated brothers, the New York Mets. Tonight was Opening Day 10 years too late in a city that deserved a championship in 1994, and deserved anything but what it got ten years later. Now, 20 years removed from their glorious dream season that wasn't, Major League Baseball came back to pay tribute. They returned to the scene of the crime, two years tardy for the late Gary Carter. For years, Expos fans came to Olympic Stadium disguised as empty seats. Tonight, it was an international holiday. A capacity crowd returned to The Big O ready to forgive and primed to celebrate the game, because they were just happy to be there again. They shamed every other team's fanbase with their fervor and were rewarded with an absolute classic that...

I am blessed in one regard. Every time I write something worthwhile in my blog and give my wife or my friends a sneak preview, they tell me what an amazing writer I am. Believe me, the compliments are much appreciated. They often wonder why I don’t write for a living. This is where I run into problems. For starters, how does one find a suitable outlet for a rant disguised as an “article”, written by a “professional writer”? How does one get paid for writing? A while back, I wrote the occasional sports “ranticle” (if you will) for Bleacher Report. Of course, I wasn’t paid for my contributions, but I received plenty of exposure. Some of it was positive, like Kendrys Morales’ offensive prowess. Another issue was the quantity of my submissions. The main reason why I’ve never pursued a career in writing is because I can’t just write for the sake of writing. If nothing motivates me to the point of putting fingers to keyboard, what do I do? I didn’t want the quality of my work to suffer b...

Life is a constant power struggle between the head and the heart. More often than not, the heart sides with the past while the head aligns itself with the future.   As you may know, I have recently rediscovered my love for Walt Disney World ("WDW"), specifically Epcot (or EPCOT Center, as it was once called). Yesterday, I found an impassioned article by Disney blogger and uber-fan Suzannah Mitchell. It sang the praises of the old EPCOT Center and lamented its demise, while offering love and hope for the future and the current incarnation of Epcot. Ms. Mitchell is definitely not alone on an island (Pleasure Island?). There are many others, including myself, who have grown up with the old EPCOT and echo her sentiments.   The battle between the head and the heart rages on. The kid in me loves EPCOT Center and misses it terribly, while the adult in me appreciates what Epcot has to offer.   For most children born & raised on the east coast, the main selling p...

This morning, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo of the once-famed “Mike and the Mad Dog” radio show did New York a solid. He made their sports fans sound even more arrogant and thick-headed than their reputation would indicate. This time, he unleashed his fury on the city of Seattle, and he couldn’t be more wrong. The Seattle Seahawks are off to their second Super Bowl in team history. They have become a model NFL franchise in a span of four years. In Pete Carroll’s first year as coach, the ‘Hawks made an improbable playoff run, during which they knocked off the defending champion New Orleans Saints. In the process, they resurrected the career of Marshawn Lynch, who gave birth to “Beast Mode”. We all knew they weren’t ready for prime time, but it was a foreshadowing of things to come. Soon after, key defensive personnel like Earl Thomas and the ever-outspoken Richard Sherman grew into their own. Two seasons ago, they caught lightning in a bottle in the form of quarterback Russell Wilson. ...

Really, it had to be done.

So, I started writing my book recently. I don't want to say too much about it, or reveal its contents. I will say this. Part of the book is a story that I've been forming in my head, wanting to write for several years now. Another part is one that I am loosely basing on the life of an acquaintance. From there, I'm adding autobiographical elements. The story is more or less a setup for the overall thesis, which will be revealed at the end. All in all, I believe it will be a book worth writing. I have no timetable for it's completion. It'll take however long it takes. As long as it's finished, that's all that counts. To be continued...

In an effort to maximize my video game entertainment dollar, I am skipping the PS4 and focusing on the one gaming device I have left: The Original Wii. I am not a fan of the Wii controller, so I decided to buy games that utilize the "classic controller" that look and feel similar to the one that PlayStation uses. I bought Madden 12 a while back for my football fix, and just recently bought WWE '12 to satisfy my wrestling fix. Here's the thing. When I play wrestling games, I have to be the ultimate booker. I'm changed some of the lame-ass WWE PPV names. I'm bringing back Backlash, No Mercy, and even Clash of Champions for early October. I'm fine with letting the CPU pick the winners, but I choose what the matches are and who turns face/heel. I have a system for what matches go on each show and each PPV (i.e. Superstars features divas, midcarders and cruiserweights, including 190-lb. Daniel Bryan, while RAW and Smackdown feature t...