Whine & Cheese

Busy Weekend

It is not too often that we have plans for Friday, Saturday and Sunday...

Tonight, we have the latest offering for our Broadway Across America series... Golda's Balcony.  With overwhelming majority of the shows being musicals, it is nice to get to see a play every so often.  Although I have to say, the show poster evokes Evita ... that is, if the Argentinian first lady ever made it to old age.

But as you can see there is something more to look forward... Golda is played by none other than Valerie Harper!  This seems like another example of the typical C-listers we get on touring productions... but I have to say I am pretty excited to see Valerie.

Sure everyone loved Mary Richards, but even as a kid I related more to Rhoda Morgenstern... she was definitely less perfect and pretty than Mary and a little "different."  And while Mary might have had the hat toss, I always remember Rhoda running through the streets of NYC in her wedding gown.

So funny how things work out... some 30 years later, I never could have imagined that I would be seeing Valerie in-person ... playing an Israeli Prime Minister... and attending that show with my boyfriend.

Saturday, we butch it up and attend our first Diamondbacks game of the season.  As I have mentioned before, it is always a funny transition to go from the theater to the ballpark... at the theater, we might as well be donning rainbow flags and "I'm not gay, but my boyfriend is" t-shirts... whereas at the ballpark, a pair of guys get nary a second glance.  Once again, we are in a season ticket "sharing" program with one of Todd's co-workers... we have new (and allegedly improved) seats this season, so we'll see how that goes.  It will be a look at the newest D-backs, the roster has certainly changed a lot this past year... and our World Series championship most certainly seems eons away.

Finally on Sunday, we head down to Tucson to return Lucy the pug to Todd's parents who are back from a Washington DC vacation.  It was decided that we hold onto her until Sunday so we can celebrate Easter... even though none of us will technically be celebrating it in a traditional manner (i.e. going to church).  We certainly have mixed feelings about returning her... she has been a good distraction and helpful to us and Toby after our loss of Mindy last week.  So we'll be headed into unchartered "one dog" territory.  I asked Todd if we could bring Toby along for the trip... he has never been down to visit Lucy's home (or, for that matter, an extended car trip period)... but I just couldn't bear the thought of leaving him all by himself for the day.  I know, I am projecting human emotions on a dog... but I am just concerned (realistic or imagined) about this transition.  Probably more for me, than Toby.

So that's the agenda... will be back a little later today with some insight of what I look like... well, kinda... check back later.

Swans, Witchhunts and Birdies... Oh My!

We had quite the event-packed weekend... here are the highlights:

On Friday night, as part of our Broadway Across America season ticket package, we saw Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake.  And this definitely was not your grandma-ma's Swan Lake...

As you may know, it was the groundbreaking take on the classic ballet... but the "swans" are male!  So think of it more as Brokeback Lake... as it turned out to be the a homo-erotic crossfire worthy of the OK Corral! 

So you are probably thinking this was a slam-dunk, "loved it" from us... well, not exactly.  I have to admit that the "high brow" arts (see also: "foo foo" or "la-ti-da") arts are not exactly my cup of tea.  So put ballet, opera, and even museums on that list (though there are certainly exceptions)... I know this is a shocking revelation from a guy whose life seems to swirl around reality television!   

But while quite well-done and truly quite visual stunning, this production, at several points, just seemed interminable!  Our eyes were rolling over into the back of our heads quite in step with Swan's famous music.  While you think the eye candy would counteract all of this (which ok, admittedly it did at times), the male cast seemed more like a bunch of eunuchs... as noted by the absence of any body hair in the above picture.  So again.. not bad by any stretch... and while nice to see something different for a change, just give me back our good 'ole fashion musical!

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On Saturday, we caught a matinee of the re-released because of Oscar nomations, Good Night, And Good Luck.  It was really quite a good film, that really as much about today's world as it did during the Joseph McCarthy witchhunt era of the 1950's... funny, you wouldn't expect anything currently politically from writer/director George Clooney, now would you!?  Haha!

So now we have seen 3 of 5 Best Picture nominees, which has to be some kind of record for us in the past couple of years.  While this was quite good, we would probably still put it in the third slot after Brokeback and Munich.

As mentioned, the movie definitley proves the old adage that history repeats itself.  After one of Murrow's (played expertly by David Stratharin) takes on dissent... a person in the theater actually applauded.  In their Oscar issue (out this week), Entertainment Weekly sums the movie up far better than I ever could... so I will leave you with their words...

"How shocking it is, this movie keeps reminding you, that there was a time in this country when politicians could get away with fearmongering and intimidation.  When they could rise to power by preying on people's paranoia.  When they could cow the nation into thinking dissent was somehow disloyal."

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Finally, on Sunday we headed up to Scottsdale and the FBR Open... the big PGA stop in town.  Now I am thinking you are pretty stunned that I would go to a golf tournament... well, Todd was "rewarded" with VIP tix through work... so the day did not cost us anything other than gas... parking was free (for everyone)... but we got also got tix which allowed us entry to "Member's Club" tents along the fairways with free soda, snacks, sandwiches... and even wine & beer!   So I guess that explains it!

This is pretty much one of the biggest parties to hit town.  This year another attendance record was set (over 82k on Sunday, which is always down because it falls on Super Bowl Sunday... over 168k attended on Saturday!) and it was the largest "gallery" for any PGA event ever.  Though I am pretty confident there is a pretty significant percentage of the crowd that probably never sees a golf ball struck - it is a "seen and be seen" event.  We did, however, watch some golf.   

I can probably count on one hand the number of golfers I could recognize by site (Tiger, as usual, was not here)... and we did get to see them... Jesper Parnevik, Vijay Singh, and of course our "local" hero... former Sun Devil, Phil Mickelson.  Otherwise, we had to figure out who was who by the names on the back of the caddies.

Probably the highlight of the afternoon was seeing Phil hit a tee shot about 5 feet from the hole at the par 3 Hole 16.  Hole 16 is legendary... it has to be golf's version of a Roman Coliseum... almost completely surrounded by sky-boxes and revelers who cheer the golfers as they enter thru a tunnel and yell (or moan) at every shot.  So Phil's birdie at this hole was particularly memorable.

So who won?  A fresh from college, 23-year old named J.B. Holmes.  We saw him and the other tournmanet leaders when we initially hung out at the par 3 Hole 4.  Now, I still couldn't pick him out of a police line-up if I had to... but I guess I should remember that name so I can say "I was there when..."   This was only JB's 4th tour event... so a major win so soon in his career (Tiger won on his 5th event), by an impressive 7 strokes, and the winner's check for $936,000 certainly seems like a hell of a good omen to me!

4000K Club

Last night, it was a thrill to be at the ballpark and see Randy Johnson get his 4,000th strikeout. The Big Unit becomes only the 4th pitcher in MLB history to accomplish this feat. Despite being far from a sell-out for this Tuesday night game vs. the San Diego Padres, there was still a perceptible buzz at the ballpark from the moment I entered the ballpark with Johnson just 8 strikeouts away from the milestone.

Strikeout 3,999 was recorded in the 7th inning and all the ballpark video screen lit up with the number. The ballpark was seemingly on its feet for each and every pitch of the next inning. We loudly cheered each strike and groaned just as loudly when a Padre was retired with a ground-out or fly-out. Then it happened. With one out in the eighth, Jeff Cirillo swung for strike three! There was a firework-like display of camera flashes from the stands. The crowd erupted, almost missing (or barely caring) about Diamonbacks catcher, Robby Hammock, throwing out a player at third for a double play ... ending the inning.

Johnson publicly stated he did not want a stoppage of play at the big strikeout -- so it was nice that it came at the end of a half inning. The accomplishment deserved to be cheered loud and long -- and that is exactly what the 34,000+ fans did. Johnson tipped his cap to the appreciative crowd - sending up another roar. It was one of the longest ovation that I can remember anytime or anywhere (well barring the 2001 World Series). The crowd did not quiet until the next Diamondback stepped up to the plate to start the bottom of the 8th.

I have to admit to having a "Jessica Simpson" moment. After the strikeout, the Jumbotron showed the members of the "4000 K Club" (just for the record the others are Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, and Steve Carlton). I turned to Todd and said ... "Shouldn't it be the 4K club, isn't 4000 K really the 4 million club?" Giving me his best "are you really that dumb" Nick look, I realized my error. In baseball lingo, a strikeout is referred to as a "K" -- so my interpretation of K being defined as a 1,000 was pretty darn stupid in this context. But heck, I don't think Jessica would know that a K can represent a 1,000 or a strikeout! [Though comparing my intelligence to Ms. Simpson might not be exactly patting myself on the back now that I think of it]

So thanks to Randy Johnson for giving us Diamondback fans two things cheer about this season -- first a rare perfect game and now this milestone career mark. They have been about the only 2 things to be happy about in this truly dismal season.

Getting Spoiled

In kind of a work slump of late. My workload is fairly unpredictable. About a month ago it was hair-pulling busy. These past two weeks have been blister-inducing thumb twiddling. One of the advantages of working from home is at least you don't have to "look busy" ... one of the hardest things "to do" back when I worked in a traditional office environment. But with this current extended "break," it is hard to muster up an energy for anything... and re-gain momentum even when some minor work rolls in. A key to working at home is self-discipline, something that I admit is not one of my strongest character traits.

So in my boredom this morning, I have just been spoiled, spoiled, spoiled! And I don't mean in the "treating myself to something special" kind of way. No, I am talking about tv show spoilers ... something that I have a love/hate relationship with...I love being surprised, but can I turn away from a spoiler? Rarely.

One of the great things about TiVo is that you get pretty used to watching TV when you are ready for it (as opposed to when the networks dish it out to you). But the bad part is that you sometimes find out stuff you don't really want to before you have a chance to watch it. With shows like Survivor and American Idol I know I have to watch them that night. Avoiding the result the next morning is virtually impossible given my Internet habits.

We are a week behind on two of our Sunday staples, Sopranos and Queer As Folk. We watched last week's QAF last night and the previews for the next episode (airing later that night) promised something shocking. I thought the TiVo program info had already given away the surprise...so I did not expect to get spoiled, but whatya know something else happened and I found out about it!

We did the same thing with Sopranos watched last week's episode (the one w/ Tony's totally f*cked-up dream sequence) as last night's recorded on TiVo. With the show taking next week off before the season finale, I figured we'd just get back on schedule next weekend. But by now, I should know that the next-to-last episode of Sopranos is often more eventful than the finale... so, without going into any more details, let's just say a web site headline and a morning talk show discussion gave it all away. [UPDATE: Geesh! Not even safe from spoilers when looking at your blog search engine hits!]

The French Open started today...and as per my habit, I checked tennis scores on the Web first thing this morning. Andre Agassi's shocking loss to a total unknown was already in the books. I turn on ESPN's coverage .. which was in its 2nd of its like 762 hours of coverage over the next 2 weeks... and dare I even think that I would see live coverage?! No, Mr. Agassi is only halfway through his crash-and-burn...and by the time that match gets done, I know the results of the matches that ESPN is airing later in the telecast. I know, I should just not look at tennis scores on the Web...but how else am I going to find out how the non-Americans are doing?

Finally to end the morning spoiling, I read that most of the current cast of 24 (except Kiefer, of course) has not been resigned for next season. But this I take with a grain of salt, I think this is their M.O., as the likes of Sherry Palmer and Nina Meyers have returned to the show after not being "re-signed" at the end of previous seasons (though I have my doubts we will see those two ladies in Season 4). Even if the "un-casting" does come true, I think it will be fine... one thing you learn on 24 is never to get attached to any characters...and besides, I think the show really needs a totally new spin when it returns for its uninterrupted ("un"-preempted) run come January.

An Idol-Free Blog: Defending Marriage, The A-Rod Acquisition, and Pugs

The same-sex marriage debate continued to rage this week... with the President being "troubled" by the San Francisco marriages and the First Lady finding it "shocking" - for some reason I have a feeling that those same words were thrown around when the country was in the process of ending slavery and giving women the right to vote. (I know, I know...it's different... we choose to be an abomination!)

But nevertheless I have been trying to come up with some ideas to defend the sanctity of marriage. Since the government seems to want to be involved..and since there are tax benefits for being married...I offer the following:

* Taxation or other financial penalties for separations, annulments, and divorces. While we're at it why don't we have a sliding fee schedule for the length of the marriage. Say $25k for Britney and Jason's 24-hour marriage (a flagrant violation of sanctity!)...while let's just impose a fine of $5k to Cruise and Kidman since they last 10 years.

* Another fee schedule for marital digressions. Infidelity of course would top the list though let's not forget about the oft-named "irreconcilable differences" (shouldn't you have thought more about these things before entering this sacred union?)

* Collect more money for children born out of wedlock...while many of these folks did do the correct thing by not using birth control...if they were participating in the act that leads to possible procreation shouldn't they be married?!

I figure this is just a start to help reduce the federal deficit!
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The big news in sports this week (see I am not that gay! errr...well...ummm) was the Yankees signing of Alex Rodriguez (seen hear with his equally lovely wife). Talk about "the rich-get-richer"... like the Yankees need another All-Star player on their roster. Even though I think he is pretty much a jerk it was predictable that if Steinbrenner see something he likes, he buys it! Now that is a philosophy I can relate to ... I go out and get a second TiVo, George gets A-Rod... no difference, right?!

But even despite the headline grabbing new addition, baseball aficionados should know that a team can't buy a World Series championship (stack the odds in your favor, well yes)...just ask the 2003 Florida Marlins.

I am hoping it translates into some good market value when it comes selling some of our season tickets when the Yankees come to town vs. the Diamondbacks this June.
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Not that I did not think it before, but pugs are very cool dogs...or else we are
puppy-sitting a pretty darn cool one until next week. This dog loves to show affection, has oodles of personality and really gets into playing fetch with a dog toy (and without destroying it...imagine that)! Now there is no way I am returning our own beloved bassett hound Toby, but I guess he just shows his love in different ways... like moaning and taking our seats/bed when we're not looking! ;-)

What Football Game?

No big surprise what was on everyone's mind in the past 24 hours. I had one of my biggest "Google" and other search blog hit days ever.

Here were the top search words:
Super, Bowl, Janet, Jackson, Boob, Picture, Justin, Boobs

Interestingly enough, no hits for the word "breast"...but two "beasts"!

And how out of hand has this story got...

The FCC calls it "classless, crass and deplorable"... so how is that different from someone eating pig anus on "Fear Factor" or...well, pretty much any reality show on Fox?

TiVo issued a press release calling Jackson's flash the most viewed (and re-viewed) moment in the digital video recording company's history.

So I guess a lot of folks really were offended and embarrassed!
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Is it just me or does Tom Brady's whoop at the end of his "I'm Going to Disney World" commercial sound an awful like the one Howard Dean let out at the end of his "I Have A Scream" speech?

Super Bowl Hijinks

There are those joke articles "My TiVo Thinks I'm Gay"...but yesterday our TiVo pretty much proved it. For those not familiar with TiVo, you can set an option to record suggestions or things it thinks you'll like based on your viewing history. Well, after moving from the big-screen TV into to the kitchen for a little dessert... we hear the familiar sounds of "All Things Keep Getting Better" off in the distance...our TiVo made the switch from the Super Bowl over to NBC's "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy" marathon. Pretty funny!

Ok, I feel like I am already late to the game over Janet Jackson's...or should I say Miss Jackson's "accidental" exposure during the halftime show. I have to admit I totally missed it! Sure I saw Justin rip something off and Janet acting all surprised but I just figured it was part of the act (after all, the last line of the song is "I'm gonna get you naked by the end of this song")... but I didn't think (or look) twice. There was no way this was an accident despite all the morning-after apologies for the "wardrobe malfunction" (now there is euphemism you'd expect to hear more from the government). First Jackson's breasts were amply pushed up and on display during her teaser commercials, the "malfunctioning" piece exposed said breast a little too perfectly, and to top it off Jackson had on quite the elaborate pasty (pastie?) on. For a closer looker, check out the photo on Madlife's blog (it is the February 2nd entry if you are reading this after the fact).

Survivor: All Stars looks like it is going to a be a ton of fun. The game is going to have to be totally "re-thunk" since everyone knows each other to some extent or another. I was slightly surprised over Tina's ouster. I confess to being gullible...falling for Mark Burnett's bait-and-switch editing and believing the scheming Jenna would go with Rupert and Rudy taking the "high road" and not siding with "the past winners must go first" argument. I am sure the tide will turn...it is an obvious ploy to get rid of the Sole Survivors...and I don't think Burnett will sit back and allow that to happen...

Oh, I guess I should say that the actual football game ended up being pretty darn entertaining after a pretty slow start...good thing since the commercials I thought were pretty off this year (a couple of exceptions...the donkey dreaming of being a clydesdale and the horse-farting sleigh ride). But one question... is it an NFL requirement that quarterbacks must be cute?

My Hottest Hotties: Male Division

Today, I turn my attention to re-ordering and analyzing the male side of VH-1's 100 Hottest Hotties. Unlike yesterday's female hotties, I had no shortage of candidates. It was a pretty difficult task...like having to choose between the Oreo Cheesecake and the Brownie Sundae. As I said yesterday, if I did this list again tomorrow it would probably come out entirely different. I am sure I am missing somebody (in all likelihood your favorite!)... but nevertheless, here it goes:

1: Brad Pitt (#6 overall/#3 male) - Ok, pretty obvious choice -- but obvious for a reason... if you asked anyone to name a hot guy (including straight men), I would think Pitt's name come up over and over again...just the epitome of beautiful. The only time he goes mildly astray is when he does the beard/scraggly hair thing... hottest looks on-screen: "Thelma & Louise," "A River Runs Through It," and "Ocean's Eleven" - I don't care what Shania Twain might say... he does impress me much!

2: Matthew McCounaughey (#72 overall/#31 male) - My biggest ranking order quibble on the VH-1 list... how could Matthew be so far down?! Great bod, wonderful head of hair and a southern drawl that makes one simply melt...and on top of that he has no qualms about hanging around the house naked...what's not to love?!

3: George Clooney (#16 overall/#8 male) - Back in his big-hair day's in the 80s (remember "The Facts of Life"?) he was cute...but "ER" and beyond he has become a very classically handsome guy...that wry smile is very sexy.

4: Nick Lachey (#51 overall/#22 male) - Ok, Nick is pretty much the "stud d'jour" thanks to MTV's "The Newlyweds" but his rugged good looks and bod are good enough to earn him a spot on the list...even if it is for 15 minutes. When does he find time to work out?

5: Justin Timberlake (#14 overall/#7 male) - I was never a huge fan of the brillo-headed member of N'Sync...but over the past few years he has grown on me. This Rolling Stone cover pretty much solidified his spot on the list.

6: Ben Affleck (#82 overall/#35 male) - Like his ex-fiancee, if I don't see or hear from Ben in the near future that'll just be fine with me. He can look a little gruff and "ordinary" at times...but other times he still rates high on the hot factor...like this GQ cover.

7: Prince William (#42 overall/#18 male) - After some awkward looking younger years, it appears that his mother's DNA has thankfully kicked in. Another classically handsome fellow... even if he wasn't the future King of England, couldn't you just see him in a Ralph Lauren ad?

8: Tom Cruise (#18 overall/#9 male) - For me, Cruise's killer smile and great head of hair win out over his bod. Even though he was deemed hottest in his "Top Gun" and "Cocktail" days, I prefer the "Jerry Maguire" somewhat older Tom.

9: Derek Jeter (#45 overall/#19 male) - Token athlete on the list...really don't get to see him all that much since we live in a NL baseball town...but saw him in person during the 2001 World Series... great bod (particularly the posterior).

10: Ashton Kutcher (#3 overall/#1 male) - The current "it" guy and VH-1's top male pick...while I don't think he is #1, the combo of prettiness and mischievousness is appealing...Demi fatigue knocks him down a peg or two....but he also did a "worth more than a second look" Rolling Stone cover.

Also on the VH-1 list and deserving mention are: Jude Law, Hugh Jackman, Paul Walker, and Sean William Scott

As if those 14 guys were not enough...my mind wandered to all those who did not land on the list... I collect them here as they are...
Missing in Action:

Las Vegas hottie: Josh Duhamel - Hey if VH-1 can throw actors from "The OC" on their list, why not include the best new face on primetime...daytime viewers have long known about Duhamel since his day's as lady-killer Leo on "All My Children." Something was needed to balance all that T&A on NBC's "Las Vegas" and since James Caan ain't gonna do it Josh certainly pulls his weight...and you can see ALL he has to offer thanks to some nude "art" photos he posed for early in his career.

Goofy hottie: Zach Braff - What's not to love about the adorable star of "Scrubs"? Sure Braff is not going to win any beauty contests...but the cutie really does have more than okay bod when he occasionally shows it off for comedic effect.

Get a lot of blog hits hottie: Nate Berkus - I have talked about him quite enough, catch him on Oprah and I dare you not to include him on a hottie list!

Undertaker hottie: Peter Krause - Another not-so-obvious hottie, but there is a simmering sexiness to the star of "Six Feet Under" ... definitely more frisky in his days on "Sports Night."

Tennis hotties: While Andy Roddick made VH-1's list (#57 overall/#25 male), give me Carlos Moya or Marat Safin over him any day.

Queer Guy hotties: While I often tire of him telling me how to shave and the need to use "product," Kyan Douglas is definitely the hunk of the "Fab 5" in my opinion...and since his sole purpose is really just to sit there and be cute I should also mention Jai Rodriguez.

Queer Guy "For Pay" hottie: Gale Harold - A lot of gay men (or even straight women) would probably not mind being just another notch on the bedpost of Brian Kinney - the sex-crazed character Harold plays on Showtime's "Queer As Folk."

Singing Latino hotties: I guess we have to wait to see a VH-1 "What Ever Happened To?" special to get Ricky Martin back on a VH-1 list. But even if they are going on who's currently on the radar what was the reason for leaving Enrique Iglesias off their hottie list?

Carpenter hotties: For the past several years Ty Pennington has been making folks swoon over at "Trading Spaces"... but, in my eyes, the latest carpenter in town, Carter Oosterhouse, is steadily gaining ground on him.

Reality hotties: These guys come quickly to mind: Colby Donaldson ("Survivor Outback" & upcoming "All Stars"), Josh Souza ("Big Brother 1"), Reichen Lehmkuhl ("Amazing Race 4"), and heck even throw in "Survivor" host Jeff Probst.

Whew! I am exhausted now...have a great weekend! ;-)

America The Beautiful... Not

I am still around! Have just been fighting a chest cold for the past few days and coupled with "real" work, I thought best to keep the whining to myself.

I guess I should chime in about Dubya's State of the Union speech since that seems to have been a pretty popular blog topic of the week. Not much to add to the other blogs that I have read, you either love it or hate it depending on which side of the political fence you fall on ... obviously I was on the "non-love" side. The closing of the speech was the absolute clincher... steroids=bad, sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers=bad, "activist judges"=bad, sanctity of marriage=good, prisoner re-entry initiative=good. So even though I have "dignity and value in God's sight," my right to liberty and pursuit of happiness apparently falls somewhere below ex-cons.

On a totally different topic...have been tuning in to tennis' first Grand Slam of the year... the American...errr, I mean Australian Open on ESPN. It is the same quibble I have with pretty much the majority of US television tennis coverage - you would think no one is playing the tournament except for Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and Venus Williams. I know it is all about ratings...but heck, if someone is tuning in at 11pm EST to watch the Australian Open I am guessing they are a tennis fan who doesn't need to be lured into watching some American thoroughly rout some teenager from the Czech Republic or Russia.

Okay to end on a positive note...something "American" and "Beautiful"... I am still getting through VH-1s "100 Hottest Hotties" series... once I get through it all I will share my own revisionist list. But I have to tell you right now... something is seriously wrong if Matthew McConaughey is way down at #72!

Quick P.S. -- Just read that my favorite sitcom Scrubs is being moved off of Thursdays since American Idol trounced The Apprentice on Wednesday... NBC Thursday is now.. Friends, Will & Grace, Apprentice and ER... with Scrubs moving over to Tuesdays at 9:30pm EST... up against one of my other faves ...24... damn you the Donald and NBC!!

Shucking "The Children of the Corn"

What a difference a day makes... another phone call to the Diamondbacks regarding our season tickets... this time with a bit more "bite" ended up with good results... seats in the equivalent section on the opposite side of the field (we are moving from the 1st base/right field to the 3rd base/left field) and 10 rows down (closer to the field). Apparently, it really does not do you any good to try and be "nice" in these type of situations. For the full story go here.

Our new seat assignment should get us away from the somewhat annoying family who had seats behind us for the past couple of years. What made it worse is that I went to grad school with the "dad." You think in a 40,000 seat ballpark you would not end up seated by someone from your past! The funniest part is that we never acknowledged each other's presence. I knew it was him from Day 1 -- but we were not friends in school (I always thought he was an arrogant ass), so I never felt a need to strike up a conversation. To this day, I never really knew if he recognized me.

Nothing had changed though in the 10 years that have passed -- he was still a know-it-all. I would say I often eavesdropped on his conversations -- but I don't think you can call it eavesdropping when the person is talking so loudly that there is little you can do to NOT hear him (and believe me I tried)! He spouted off about anything and everything...mostly pulling from his deep knowledge of baseball. Why he is not a major league manager I really do not know?! One of his "favorite" things to do was to report the out-of-town scores ("Colorado's up 6-2 over the Padres in the bottom of the 6th") or make wild assumptions based on score changes ("The Giants have another run...Bonds must have homered"). If I wanted to know the scores, I would just look at the scoreboard myself!

It did not take us long to dub his two young sons "the children of the corn." Not unlike Dad, they showed often eerie signs of having encyclopedic knowledge of the game. They knew every player and would often question Dad about a player was not playing their normal position or why a play was "scored" a certain way. The things that would come out of the mouths seemed well beyond their years. I really hope they have friends.

So now we will just have to wait to see what the new season bring us when it comes to people watching (and hearing)... like Mr. Gump's box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get.