Fridays Are Odd Days

 Fridays are odd days for me. I come in to work on Fridays and at the very start my brain is already focused on the end of the day and "Beer O'clock". It's hard for me to keep myself motivated. The only thing that keeps me going is that doing something makes the day go faster. I go around looking for someone who needs help. I find things that needs finishing. I clean up things just to kill time.

I avoid starting anything new on Friday, if possible. I avoid it because it could delay the end of the day. I also avoid afternoon meetings, if possible. I add "meetings" to my work calendar covering the entire end of the day. That way no one can schedule a real meeting for me after 2:00 on any Friday. 

I used to think I was alone doing these things. But most of my coworkers say they have the same feelings on Fridays and even confessed to being unproductive on Fridays. I try to avoid being unproductive. I just try to not miss leaving on time, or better yet, leaving a bit early. That first weekend beer is always soooo good!

I wonder if everyone is the same elsewhere in the work world. I am sure there are some people who are just workaholics and gung-ho all the way into Friday evening. I've known a few. I have also known some folks who are worthless on Fridays, all day. I just wonder if the Friday afternoon bug is a universal thing everywhere. I feel like it probably is.

No matter what, I am ready for the weekend to start Yessir! Less than an hour and it will be Beer O'clock once again. TGIF!!!

Hello Again Mr. VP

 This morning I had a contractor onsite for some work. When he was done his work I escorted him outside to leave. As I headed back toward the doors I heard someone calling to me. I didn't recognize him at first. He was an older gentleman, moving with some effort toward me, asking if I was an employee here. When I told him I was and asked how I could help him he introduced himself to me and started telling me he needed some help.

I instantly recognized him once he was closer and told me his name. He had been the Vice President of the company when I started here back in 1987. He and the other big cheeses had sold the company 25 years ago and gotten their golden parachutes. He retired shortly after that a wealthy man.

Quite a blast from the past for me.

I told him who I was an that I remembered him. He claimed to remember me, but I doubt that. The thing that really got me while we spoke was how very old he looked to me. He said he was 83 now but he sure looked and moved like a much older man. When he left the place decades ago he was in good physical condition. Someone who was decisive and capable. Now, not so much.

He had an issue that our HR helped him with. Then we stopped outside and spoke for a while. He said he has slight dementia and has some bad moments at times. He said his wife has very bad dementia and is in very bad health. We spoke about all the people we once worked with and where they were now. It was nice to reminisce with someone from the old days. 

All the while we spoke, I kept thinking how old and slow he was. How he was not anything like I remembered. It was kind of unnerving. 

Sometimes it is odd when you meet up with a person you haven't seen for a long time. In this instance, a quarter century. The drastic change was a lot to take in. 83 years old doesn't seem that old to me but he sure hasn't aged that well. It makes me wonder what I'll be like when I'm that old. I hope I'm not so frail.

Before he left I decided to let him know about an incident that I instigated way back in the early 1990's. I let him know that the one day when he drove in and there was a little red truck parked in his private VP parking space, that it was my doing. That day I had played a joke on one of my coworkers, the guy I referred to as G in all the old G stories on this blog. I had noticed that G didn't lock his truck door so I snuck out and pushed his truck into the VP parking spot (it was a manual transmission). Then I waited.

Sure enough there was a call over the intercoms companywide that whoever was parked in the VP parking spot was to go out and immediately move their vehicle. HR was investigating! Old G was hot when he found out it was him. Plus his original spot was taken and he had to park farther away. 

That was fun.

When I told the old VP he instantly remembered that day. He had a good laugh. I told him that was how us 20-somethings played pranks on each other all the time back in those days. He got a smile out of it today. Back then, he wasn't amused. Not at all.

As he left I watched him and wondered about all the people who have come and gone from this place. I wondered how many of them would look at me with the same reaction I had with Mr. VP. This is the kind of encounter that will keep you thinking for a long time after. 

 Today is Friday. I am meeting an old friend for drinks after work. She once worked here and called herself my "work wife". She left a few years ago but we still get together regularly to catch up. I miss her being here, for sure.  

She and I were close with another co-worker. He was the Site Engineer here. He also left a few years ago. We became so close that we had a routine on Friday of going to our own happy hour. Sometimes significant others came along, but that was rare. We called ourselves the Three Musketeers. So original, eh? It was such a regular thing that the bartender became used to us being there at the same time every Friday and she knew us by name, knew a lot of our personal stuff too. She would have our drinks ready as soon as she saw us coming. 

We also began hanging out together socially. I became friends with her husband and with his wife. Still am to this day although she and I rarely see each other. I spend a good deal of time with engineer guy and his wife though. 

It's hard to be in the workplace and have people you like to work with and become close to them, then they leave. There is a hole in the daily grind that cannot be filled. To this day, we all agree that the bond we had made work much easier. Even when things got hard, and sometimes things got really hard, we were able to be calm and cool together and accomplish good things. 

The unfortunate flip side is that now none of us have found anyone in the workplace that we can feel that reliance upon. I have been on an island since they left. Other people have replaced them place but it's not the same. They both have stated the same thing. They feel much lonelier at work without the dynamic we shared.

So, I'll meet up with her tonight and we'll have a nice time. We'll talk about life and tell each other how much we miss being together. Then we will mosey back to our separate worlds until the next time. It's a bittersweet kind of deal, feeling the excitement of seeing someone you miss and then feeling the loss when time is up. Again and again, we do this. It's kind of an odd thing that we humans do to ourselves, isn't it. 

I have been trying to do a post that would summarize the differences between where I am now and where I was during the initial years of this blog. After a few attempts I realize that isn't really possible. Everything comes off lame, contrived. So, I'm just going to write stuff. Things from the past will eventually come up and that way I will update the life changes.

It's funny reading thoughts from the past. Apparently back then, 20+ years ago, I had a serious Starbuck's addiction. It was a recurring theme then. Today, not so much. Starbuck's is still good to me, but I rarely go there. I do still have a morning coffee but only one in the wee hours and it is simply a way to ease into the day. I sit in the quiet and watch the sunrise, listening to the birds waking up and slowly sip coffee until it does its magic and I have to run to the bathroom. LOL

TMI? Maybe, but truth.

Speaking of truth, one important thing I do want to write about is this: 

One mistake I made (and this will come up many times I'm sure) is that I didn’t keep the original blog a secret. I allowed Nicci (the now ex-wife) and other family and friends to know about it. That resulted in my posts being very restricted. I couldn’t be 100% honest due to the repercussions. So many posts are not what I really wanted to say. Some are as close to false as I would allow myself to be. Rereading those posts, I can remember the feel of how I held back, how I posted half-truths and only alluded to things I wanted to say. I remember the frustration of wishing I hadn't let certain people know about the blog. Over time, I'm sure this led to the burnout I felt. Now, after all this time has gone by, I won't have that handicap. I won't let anyone know I'm posting again; except any blogger friends I may be able to contact. Lesson learned.

Something else I noticed from the old days were many posts about "reality TV". The truth there is that I never liked those shows. It was obvious they were not reality. Just a show. That stuff was part of life because of the relationship I was in. Not anymore. I cannot stand those types of crap and since I have my freedom, they are never part of my life.

The only truth I did see in my review of those "reality TV" posts is that I still think Jessica Simpson is a babe. That was real. I honestly don't know what she is doing these days but there was a certain charm about her that I still smile about when I think of her. 

Anyway, gonna stop blabbering on about the past. Time to return to the present..... *sigh

Welcome Back!?

After several years gone by, 16 to be exact, I started wondering about the Yankeebob blog and if it was still out here on the internet. Somehow over the years it slipped my mind that it even existed. What a sad thought. 

 So I looked and found that it was still here. Nice surprise. So for the last couple weeks I have been rereading the entire blog. Every post, every comment. In doing so I have gone through a myriad of emotions. Good and bad, melancholy and happy. Sometimes laughing out loud. Sometimes shedding a few tears.

Reliving the blog posts made me think to check out my old emails in the account I used for the Yankeebob blog (I never delete them). In those emails I found a treasure trove of memories from my Blogger Friends of the past. That really led me down an emotional path. I realized that I missed the friendship and camaraderie that developed via blogging. I missed the interaction with the people a lot and it made me wonder at how I could have left that fall by the wayside. There were some close friendships made and lots of private moments shared. I feel very sorry at losing those connections. I feel kinda dumb about it, to be honest.

I have a lot of impressions I want to document. A lot of feelings I want to document. So many subjects I want to cover that I cannot do it all at once. Things like the emotions the blog made me relive, the truth behind so much of the content, the stages of life I remember with each post and what was really happening. Mostly I really, really want to try and reconnect with some of my blog friends. After reading the conversations on the blog and the private emails we exchanged, I feel like I have lost so much by not keeping up with the special people I met on blogger.

I plan on trying to do some posting in the upcoming days to document my reactions to being back at Yankeebob. I want to do some writing before I forget how it made me feel to relive everything again. What I have initially learned is that posting here was an awesome idea because it documented stages in life that I have forgotten about. Rereading it helped me remember where I was at the time and what I was going through. The blog did its job because that is what it was designed for anyway, eh?

Maybe, by some miracle, when I restart good old Yankeebob, maybe someone from the past will take notice. Wouldn’t that be some kind of special!

To be continued……..

One For The Thumb!!!!

The Yankees Win! Theeeeee Yankees Win!!!!!









The core group. I bet this one is so sweet for them. :)




The hero in my eyes. Along with Matsui of course.



I have always known Andy was awesome. This Series proved that once again.

I am really speechless today. I'm on cloud 9 with a silly grin on my face that will last a very long time. All the nerves, all the pacing my basement while watching the games, all the pleading and yelling and hoping and all that angst while they played was so totally worth it. The championship comes around rarely and I will relish this one. Savor it.

Damn, what a great day.

The Yankees are World Champions again, as it should be.

So Tell Me Why We Don't Enforce This Here!

Another email from a friend. I could not say it any better. If we don't start living these principals now our culture will not survive.

READ THIS_____SO VERY TRUE!!!!!!!

America, Canada, all Europe.....need a President like this




Prime Minister John Howard Australia:
Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.

Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques.
Quote: 'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians'.

'This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom'. 'We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society . Learn the language!'

'Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.'

'We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.'

'This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom,

'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'.'

'If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.'



Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves, American citizens will find the backbone to start speaking and voicing the
same truths.

If you agree, please SEND THIS ON.

Iowa

I got this via email this morning. Kind of makes you wonder a bit, eh?


"Iowa"

MAKES YOU THINK
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IOWA (THE HEARTLAND OFAMERICA ) AND
THE DECAYING CESSPOOL THAT WE CALLED NEW ORLEANS
NEW ORLEANS KNEW THAT A HURRICANE WAS COMING AND CHOSE TO DO LITTLE ,
THEN EXPECT THE GOVERNMENT AND THE TAXPAYERS TO REBUILD THE CITY AND
THEIR HOMES BETTER THAN THEY WERE PRIOR TO THE HURRICANE
IOWA JUST WATCHED IT RAIN AND DEALT WITH IT

Where are the Hollywood celebrities holding telethons
asking for help in restoring Iowa and helping the folks
affected by the floods? Where is good old Michael Moore?




Why is the media NOT asking the tough questions about
why the federal government hasn't solved this problem?
...Asking where the FEMA trucks and trailers and food services are?





Why isn't the Federal government moving Iowa people
into free hotels in Chicago and Minneapolis ?





When will Spike Lee say that the Federal government
blew up the levees that failed in Des Moines ?





Where are Sean Penn, Bono, and the Dixie Chicks?




Where are all the looters stealing high-end tennis shoes,
cases of beer and television sets?




When will we hear Governor Chet Culver say that he wants
to rebuild a 'vanilla' Iowa .... because that's what God wants?




Where is the hysterical 24/7 media coverage complete
with reports of shootings at rescuers, of rapes and murder?




Where are all the people screaming that George Bush hates
white, rural people? My God, where are Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Oprah, and Ray Coniff Jr?




How come in another two weeks, you will never hear about the
Iowa flooding ever again? Where are the government bailout vouchers? The government debit cards?



















There must be one hell of a big difference between the value of the people of Iowa and value of the people of Louisiana .
Pass this unedited, undoctored, factual information forward..... to get Americans thinking.
Let's float this one around for a while in contrast to all
of the hullabaloo that New Orleans received.....

Grats To The Phillies

Congratulations to the Phillies and all their fans. Grats especially to my friends Kent and Rob, the only 2 Phillies fans I know personally. (One would think I'd know a lot more since I live in PA. Hmmmm....) It's a great feeling when your team wins it all. Enjoy it. :)

"I Feel So Bad..............

...........just like a ballgame on a rainy day." Remember that Elvis song? Thats what I was thinking last night watching the World Series. Just before the Rays scored to tie the game. I felt like they would stop the game and the Series would end on a rain-out. That would suck. No matter who you want to win, thats a crappy way to win.

Luckily the Rays tied the game and then they called it. That made me happy.

One other thing I have been meaning to post about. Has anybody else been as disgusted by the choices for singing of the National Anthem? The singers and the way they have butchered the song have gotten progressively worse with every game. That fat-ass singer from Game #4 made me turn the TV off until it was over with. She really sucked ass! Last night was the only decent version done so far and it was John Oates called in at the last minute.

Anyway, thats my bitch for the morning. Hopefully the weather clears up and the game(s) can resume soon. So far it's been a well played Series with the only blow-out being Game #4. Let's hope it stays that way.

I'll Watch The World Series This Time Around

If you heard a huge sigh of relief over the weekend it was emanating from PA. I am still feeling the relief thanks to the Rays eliminating the sux. Last week when they dropped Game 5 after being up 7-0 I was freaking out. I was sure they would choke after that but they didn't. Now I can watch the World Series and enjoy it. :)

Yes, my hatred for the sux is that strong. If the Yankees can't be in it, they can't be or I go nuts. Enough of that...........

So tonight the Rays and the Phillies start thier World Series. I'm going to watch it with a calm, cool spirit. No angst at all because I don't care who wins. I just hope for good games.

I suppose some would think that I would be rooting for the Phillies since I am in PA but thats just not the case. I don't mind them. But I'm not a fan. Besides, they are National League. It's hard for me to root for a National League team. I would have if Joe T. would have gotten the Dodgers into the show but.....

That being said I'm not big on the Rays either. They have a fun team to watch. I'm just not a fan.

So tonight I will watch for the love of the game. I will appreciate it for what it is, the greatest game there is, and enjoy it while it lasts. After this series the off season comes again. That is the worst time of the year. So Baseball fans, enjoy this next week. I know I will savor it.

The End Of The Greatest Era Ever

I'm sitting here watching the many ESPN specials about the last day of Yankee Stadium. I'm not afraid to say that I have a lot of tears in my eyes (and on my face) right now. As I take it all in I realize that I am part of a blessed generation. Watching all the amazing memories that others share and seeing the replays of great times in Yankee Stadium I realize that a lot of those are my memories also. I have been a Yankee since 1970-ish, avidly, living and dying with them pitch by pitch. In that time frame there have been some amazing moments.

My earliest memories, the ones I can remember clearly, were watching them play in the 'other' New York baseball park. When they were actually on television and my parents would allow me to watch them anyway. Mostly back then I had to try and find them on the radio. I remember laying in the sun as a kid, ear to the radio, listening intently to every game I could get reception for. I wondered back then why they didn't play very well. I took me some time to realize they were away from Yankee Stadium while it was being renovated.

I was only 10 when the Steinbrenner era began. I remember watching the A's teams of the early 70's and wishing the Yankees would get to the World Series. Then once Yankee Stadium was renovated and the boys moved back home, things changed. The 1976 Yankees were a good team. That season was the one that really made me eat, sleep and dream Baseball. Chris Chambliss sent the Yankees to the World Series that year with his walk-off homer. I could hardly stand to go to sleep between games. Unfortunately The Yanks ran into the Big Red Machine that year. I remember being so crushced by that loss. But they had been in the Series. I was happy with that.

Then came 1977. That season started for me with so much excitement. Somehow I knew we were going to the Series again. I just felt it. I watched the magic of Graig Nettles and the heroics of Reggie that year. Reggie and his 3 homers on 3 pitches off 3 different pitchers. I was psyched.

In 1978 when the Yankees were so far behins in August I was sure we would come back. Guidry was 25-3 that year. I expected him to win every time he pitched. So when he pitched the one game play-off I felt confident. Then Bucky Dent buried the sux and we were back to the World Series.

I had an Algebra teacher that year who was a Yankee hater. My first experience with one of those. When the Yanks lost the first 2 games of the series, he bet me they wouldn't come back. He ate his words (and paid up too) when the boys won 4 straight and the World Series.

Watching the show I realize just how much Yankee history I have experienced. I remember crying when Thurman Munson was killed in 1979. That afternoon game after the funeral was televised and Bobby Mercer single handedly won it for them.

I was watching when the "George Brett pine tar incident" happened. I remember when Billy Martin removed Reggie from the game because he felt Reggie wasn't putting in enough effort. (Then Billy got fired again.) I watched as the Yanks went down in the Series against the Dodgers in 81. I thought for sure they would win that one since it was Los Angeles again. No such luck.

I remember watching Rickey Henderson run the bases in New York. That was great. There just wasn't a great team around Rickey or Dave Winfield. Too bad too. Rickey sure put a spark in a Baseball game. I watched both perfect games by David Cone and David Wells, saw both no hitters by Doc Gooden and Jim Abbott. I somehow missed the one by Righetti.

Naturally I got to see the Yankee resurgence of the 90's. I was crushed again by the loss to Seattle in 1995. I remember in 1996 wondering who the heck that new Shortstop was. I had heard rumors about Derek Jeter. Now look where that has gone. He is a true Yankee. I cheered hard in 1996 when the boys won. I died a little when they lost in 1997. I was in New York, at a Yankee bar, when the Indians knocked the Yankees out of the post season. Talk about a somber bunch when that game ended. I was there to try and get tickets but that didn't work out. The bar was fun though.

I knew 1998 was going to be special. After the ending in 97 I just knew the season would be great. It turned out to be the best season a Baseball team ever had. The best any team may ever have. That year was the best. I just knew every game the Yankees were going to win. I had that feeling every time they took the field. They won most. After the World Series sweep that year I managed to get autographed balls from Andy Pettite and David Cone in the off season. That 98 team was the best team ever. I really believe it was. They proved it for 2 more years after 98.

The mystique and aura of the Yankees always seemed to come out in the post season. The Ghosts took good care of the team. Those ghosts seem to have left us after the announcement of the new Stadium was made. I think the old Yankees are pissed about their home being abandoned. Personally, I think it sucks too. There can be no other explanation for the end of the 2004 season. Joe Morgan just said he believes the mystique will transfer next door to the new Stadium because of the fans. If the fans go along, so will the mystique and aura. I hope so but mostly I hope the ghosts forgive Steinbrenner and move in with the team. :P

Just walking into Yankee Stadium you know there is something very special. If you've never had the chance to see it, you really have missed something. If I had known the last time I was there that the Stadium was going to be lost to us, I would have brought more than just the memories back home. The first time I walked into The Stadium was awe inspiring. I was amazed by how things just opened up when you walked through the entryway and could see the field the first time. It was quite a sight. I was star-struck when I waled thru monument park and when I looked out on the firle where all the best of the best played Baseball. It's hard to describe. If you experienced it, you know what I'm trying to say. If you haven't, I'm sad for you.

The memories keep coming thanks to the ESPN specials. The Aaron Boone homerun is probably my favorite memory of all time. Playing the post season against the sux is hard. To play extra innings in game 7 was more than most people's nerves can bear. I was a wreck. When Boonie came up in the 11th I remember thinking "Good, he is a good hitter." One pitch later and I was stunned with the rest of the world. I stood as Aaron swung and found myself hopping up and down until the ball was officially called a home run. Then I was freaking out. All alone in my private basement with no one to share it with. That is a vivid memory for me.

I think game 4 & 5 of the 2001 World Series rank up there with that one. Those come back wins by miracles on both nights give me the same excitement. I don't know that there ever was a better 3 games played in a World Series than the ones the Yankees won that year.

Back to the show...... Wow, the ovation for Bernie Williams was amazing. We all love the Yankee great and Bernie has been away too long. Seeing Paul O'Neill and Tino back in uniform brought tears to my eyes. I sure miss David Cone, Bernie, Scotty Brosius, Paulie and those great guys. The biggest rounds of applause are for Bernie, Scott, Paulie and Tino. It is huge for Bernie. I guess I am not the only one who misses them.

If you can't understand all this sentiment, you arent a Yankee. I get it and so do the other Yankees around. To me, being a Yankee is not about being a fan. It's about being a part of something a bit above a Baseball team. Thats how I feel anyway. The truth is that there is The Yankees and there are 29 other teams trying to be like them. There are fair weather fans who can call themselves fans. I am not a fan. I am a Yankee. It's been in me since I first saw a Baseball game. I don't know why but that's just how it is. I'll borrow a quote from The Yankee Clipper, Joltin Joe DiMaggio to explain it to you. "I wanna thank the good Lord for making me a Yankee." I was made one too and I am happy with that. lol

I'm very sad that the Stadium is going away. The Stadium is the hallowed ground for Baseball. Even the haters respect what has happened there. It's more than a place to play. It's the center peice of Baseball history. It can not be replaced.

I like the quote from the first show I saw today. "There may be another Yankee Stadium..... but there will never be another House that Ruth built." The new Yankee Stadium just can't be the same, can it? Maybe in another 85 years someone else will be melancholy about the great moments in it as it is being closed. Let's hope so. But this one true original Yankee Stadium will be sorely missed.

I Really Don't Know What To Say.......

These are strange days indeed. What can you say about the 2008 underachieving Yankees? This will probably be the first time in 14 years we aren't playing October Baseball. I just can't imagine it. If/when it is reality I'll try to deal with it. Right now it's just not something my brain can wrap around.

Last night was disgusting. When you tie your hopes on Ponson you know things are bad. It's just sad, this season. It's tiring. We are not out of it yet but the team seems to play like they are out of it already.

And wtf are they doing with the ESPN telecasts showing the red sux winning the pennant and calling it one of the greatest moments in Yankee Stadium history? It's the last year for the greatest stadium in the history of baseball and they are showing moments from other teams. They showed several sux moments and called them great. There is something really wrong about that.

Last night made me feel really tired. If the Yanks don't get on a very serious tear we (Yankee) baseball fans will be having an apathetic playoff season.

What Would Joe D. Think?

The Yankees are playing like a scrub team. How can you make a run and get from 9 games back to just 3 games and then make a run the other way? We are 6.5 games back almost instantaneously.

Play baseball for shits sake.

Play like Yankees.

Pudge!

Just one word... Pudge!

I have always been an Ivan Rodriguez fan. Now I have an even better reason to cheer him on.

I can't wait to see him in pinstripes.







The Yankees have made some nice deals lately. We have unloaded some dead *coughfarnsworth*cough weight too. I'm feeling it people. :)

What Can I Say?

All I have to say about last night is that every single time Kyle Farnsworth comes in to "pitch", I have that nasty sinking feeling in my gut. Then he validates that feeling. *sigh

LaTroy Hawkins gives me that same feeling.

The Yankees are consistent at least. Over the past decade they have wasted more time and money and ultimately games on pitchers that everyone in the Baseball world knows are useless. But they don't seem to get it. The list is getting large. Along with the 2 listed above we had gems like Sidney Ponson, Randy Johnson (who everyone knew would not be effective in the AL), Roger Clemens, Hideki Irabu, Jaret Wright (who was the worst decision they ever made), Tom Gordon. I'm probably missing some more.

Whatever.

The lack of relief pitching is going to hurt. I sure hope they have something special planned for before the trade deadline.

Dread

I have been away living at the Beach for a week. It has been sweet. 10 days away from work makes for a happy YB. :)

But now here I am back at work. There is nothing that fills a person full of dread like the last day of a great vacation. Knowing that you have to get to bed early and will be up early to get ready for work really screws up a nice day. Yesterday everything was discolored with a touch of grey.

Even the Yankees lost. But they are on a good streak and are not far from first place so I am still optimistic about the season. They have won 10 out of 13 and are now out of the basement. Truthfully the rest of the division isn’t all that impressive other than Tampa Bay. Who woulda thought that one? The Devil Rays remind me of the Oakland A’s from a few years ago. Their pitching is awesome. But unlike those A’s I don’t know that they have the offense to sustain the momentum. They are good though. At least the bums from Boston aren’t in first place. That’s a plus until the Yanks get back where they belong.

I had an interesting experience on my birthday. Yes, last Tuesday was my Birthday. Birthday at the Beach this year. Too cool! We went to a nice restaurant for dinner after being beach bums all day. When we arrived we were the only ones in the room. They seated us by the big picture window looking out over the water. Then another couple came in and during their conversation with the Hostess (whom they were related to) we learned that it was the guys Birthday too. We laughed about it and chatted back forth for a little while. I had only ever met one other person that had the same Birthday as me and it was kind of neat.

Then another couple was led into the room and seated near to us. There were only 4 tables along the big window and the whole room was empty so I wondered about it. Then the Hostess started laughing and told us she had to seat the new couple at the window because the woman was having her Birthday also. She said when that couple walked in she jokingly asked if it was one of their B-days and the woman told her it was hers. lol

So now we had 3 people celebrating a Birthday at the same place.

Then a younger couple came into the room with a small child. A cute little girl. They were seated nearby but not with us Birthday people. The Hostess told them about the 3 b-days and they thought it was hilarious. Then it happened again....

Another couple was led in and seated at the last window table. That woman was also celebrating her Birthday. Now we had 2 women and 2 guys all in a row having birthday dinners. We ended up seated boy-girl-boy-girl too. It was an odd occurrence. I have now met 4 people with the same birthday as mine. After all this time never having met more than the one person and now I know (of) 3 more. What are the odds? lol

Anyway, here I am once again, back to the grind. Not much to look forward to except seeing the Yanks on TV tonight. There is no Lottery drawing until tomorrow night so I don’t even have that to look forward to. But maybe by Wednesday I will be able to retire. There’s something to hope for. I’ll let you know. :P

Breaking The Silence

Some time ago I decided that when/if I posted about the Yankees they would lose. It was one of those silly superstitions I developed from the Yanks actually losing after I would post about their exploits. lol Most Baseball people have silly superstitions galore. Its one of those odd things about being a Baseball person that comes with the territory.

So the past 2 months have taugh me a lesson. The Yankees lose plenty with or without my blogs influence. Now I have to face the truth.... I have absolutely no affect on the outcome of the games whatsoever. All I can do (as always is the case) is live and die (inside) when they play. So now I'm thinking this blog can be a Yankee blog once again, especially since I have no interest in blogging about anything else anyway. :P

So, this years Yankees...... Oy! The season started out rough but all during April I kept telling people that having a totally new Manager and coaching staff was the issue. The players aren't. I figured that the team would come around once they all got used to each other and then the Yanks would get on their usual roll. Well, we're all still waiting for that aren't we?

I really like Joe Girardi but so far I'm wondering if he isn't quite the motivator the team needs now. I have seen quite a few games this year and the basic team feel is odd. Kind of like they don't care. I thought that near the end of April and then I watched the Mets series and the team as a whole seems worse. Like they are just going through the motions.

As I watched the Yanks and Mets I was thinking that someone more like Willie Randolf would be a good Manager for the Yankees. Joe Girardi seems like a better fit for the Mets. Willie is a lot like Joe Torre and teh Mets need someone who handles that young group better. Wouldn't it be cool if 2 teams who think they have Manager issues could trade Managers for a month? Exchange Willie for Joe and see how things go. If things work better, then they could make a deal. That would be a sweet idea.

Not that I think Girardi won't turn the thing around. I still believe he will. The Yankees are too good a team to not turn things around. Plus the Yankee farm system has a lot of good youngsters that Joe G. will be a help to. But for now I think the team as a whole hasn't gotten behind the new management style yet. But thats just my feeling at the moment.

Being in last place and especially losing to the stinky old Orioles sucks. I sure hope they get it going soon.

It all will be a distant memory once the Yankees are back in first place where they belong anyway. I'm not too scared yet but I sure will feel better when they start playing like Yankees again. *sigh

The Most Disturbing TV Commercial Ever

I saw the most disturbing TV commercial this morning. Keep in mind I didn’t have sound on when I saw it so I wasn’t sure what was happening until the last seconds were showing.

It was a commercial for Charmin Bathroom Tissue where the 3 Bears theme was used. The Baby Bear came from behind a tree and had white things all over his butt. Mama Bear tried various ways to get the white things off his butt, including wiping with a towel and even using a vacuum. Nothing worked. Then they showed Baby Bear coming from behind the tree after using Charmin. (This is when the light bulb in my head went off.) He shook his butt showing no white things were stuck.

I realized then that this commercial was implying that we have toilet paper bits stuck on our butts all the time. Not just dingle berries, but used, sticky, gross toilet paper bits. Worse yet it implied that people were inspecting each others butts and (maybe) even removing those bits of used toilet paper.

Who do you know that has someone inspect their ass for left behind toilet paper? I don’t know anyone.

Then they showed a test where “another leading brand” and Charmin were wetted and drug along something and the other brand left bits behind. Typical BS thing you see in commercials. Charmin left no bits behind. I’m sold!

The coup de grace was the ending. Papa Bear came from behind the tree, complete with a newspaper under his arm, and shook his butt at Mama Bear and Baby Bear to show them he had no left over bits of used toilet paper stuck on his ass. That to me means Mama Bear must have been helping him out with the same problem.

I’m sorry. Maybe I’m over thinking this but no way is there anyone checking out someone else’s ass crack for toilet paper residue. Who would even consider doing that? What would make the Charmin people decide to put something like that in a commercial? Plus, I can’t imagine that being a great selling idea for poop paper. If a person has a problem with a dirty butt after going to the can, it’s probably not a toilet paper issue.

Maybe the ad people are truly out of good ideas.

Shopping With Lisa

YB: Hey, look over there.
L: Yes, Victoria’s Secret. I saw it.
YB: Well....???
L: I know, I model & you buy..... I remember.
YB: So? Finally going to give in?
L: No. Trust me, you don’t want me to model that stuff for you.
YB: Oh please. Every guy around would love for you to model for them. You know that.
L: No I don’t. Besides, we’re friends.
YB: Yes, but not forever.
L: What does that mean?
YB: Seriously? We’ve talked about this.
L: About us being a couple? Yeah, I remember. Probably will happen someday.
YB: Is that bad? lol
L: Nope. But it might be weird after all this time.
YB: Oh well, you know the truth Lisa. Someday we’ll just give up trying to find “the right one for us” and accept that we are the only people who can put up with us for long periods of time.
L: Yes, we are like mirrors of each other. It’s weird.
YB: You know it’s true.
L: I know but it’s still weird.
YB: So we’ll never stop wasting our time then?
L: Probably not. It’s our way.
YB: Yes, you are right. But still I think when we are about 85.....
L: 85?
YB: Yeah, we’ll be 85 and everyone we know will be dead.....
L: Nice.....
YB: ......then we’ll finally get together and be a couple.
L: Why so old?
YB: Because we never do things the easy way.
L: True. Well you better start working out now.
YB: Working out?
L: Yes. Even when I’m 85 I will be wanting good sex. You need to be ready.....
YB: Oh boy.....
L: .....when I am ready. You know I’m demanding.
YB: So I better start stocking up on Viagra?
L: No, no drugs. You better be ready because you want me.
YB: Hmmm..... at 85 that could be hard.....
L: It better be.
YB: LOL, you know what I mean. Hard to be ready on demand.
L: Yes, but at 85 I’ll still be me, ready when I’m ready.
YB: Yeah, probably. Will you wear Victoria’s Secret when you are 85?
L: Why would you want me to wear Victoria’s Secret then?
YB: Because some day I will get you to model for me. Even if it doesn’t happen until age 85 I’ll feel like I accomplished something.
L: OK, I get that. At 85 I will model for you.
YB: Good, then I promise you I will be hot and ready for you when you do.
L: How can you promise that?
YB: After 55 years waiting for it? Please!
L: LOL Good answer. But I will want it more than just the few times I wear Victoria’s Secret.
YB: Yes, that’s where Viagra comes in.
L: Maybe I will have to allow it sometimes.
YB: Yeah? Why the sudden change of heart?
L: I want the full treatment. You better be as good as I think you should be.
YB: Hmmm...... what the heck does that mean?
L: You are no secret to me. Remember some of the girls you were with are my friends.
YB: .....aanndd....
L: ...aanndd we all talk. Believe me, that is the truth about women.
YB: So you know my secrets then?
L: All of them.
YB: Not all.
L: All.
YB: Oh....
L: So you better work out and have Viagra. I have expectations.
YB: Oh.... just what have you and ‘the girls’ been talking about?
L: Everything.
YB: Everything?
L: Everything.
YB: Oh.... hmmm.....
L: What?
YB: Maybe we need to go to Victoria’s Secret now.
L: I told you not today.
YB: But think of it as an investment in your future.
L: Huh?
YB: I need more practice to keep up with your expectations. Model for me so I am inspired to go ‘practice’.
L: Ha ha. No.....
YB: Why not?
L: We’re not old enough. Talk to me when we are 85.
YB: *sigh