I love the United States. There's so much here to see, to do, the creation of it, the "pick yourself up by your bootstraps" mentality that this country has always stood for. Until now. Everybody wants a hand out. And I'm not talking about welfare. People think they're owed something, when in reality, you get what you deserve.
Now I'm going to talk about welfare. I believe it's noble to help a person in need stay afloat until they can take care of themselves. One of my favorite scenes in Cinderella Man is when James Braddock goes to the Welfare Office as a last resort so his children can come back home to live. After he catches a break and wins a few fights, he goes back to the Welfare Office and pays everything back. That's the ideal scenario for Welfare. But times are much different now. Most jobs require a drug test just to get hired. A drug dealer can receive Welfare while making money selling drugs if they wanted. Or someone could sit at home receiving it while getting high. The same goes for women that don't do anything but have children so they can receive more government assistance. It's horrible and it's wasting the hard working Americans money that should be used for more important things, like paying off the National Debt.
It's mind-boggling to me why there aren't provisions in place to end this. So drug tests cost money to perform. What doesn't cost money these days? If it's a deterrent to a quarter of the people on Welfare that abuse the system, that still helps! The worst case scenario would be everyone passes the drug test and we wasted money paying for that, but I've seen government buildings on military bases get renovated to be torn down. I've seen hundreds of thousands of dollars spent to clear an area, just for another to be unattended, causing the same amount of money to be used to clear that land when it's needed. Which brings me to my next point.
Useless government spending needs to stop. This isn't just a Conservative platform, it should be an American platform. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money, but we've been doing a lot of spending, and spending, and more spending, and we're not making anything (China is). The United States brought in $2.5 trillion in tax revenue last year, whereas we owe $16.7 trillion in debt. Without spending a penny of what the U.S. government receives in taxes, it would take over seven years to pay that off. We spend over 10% more a year than what we collect. Russia spends exactly the same amount the bring in from taxes: 34.1%. Germany? 3% more. Norway spends less than they bring in! Can you imagine us doing that? In my State & Local Government class in college, one of the assignments was to create a budget for all the tax money. It was the toughest assignment I had to do, seeing all the programs that I thought needed to be funded. It's not easy to decide where to spend and where to cut, I know, but the money has to be saved somewhere.
Although this article does clear up one of the major issues I previously had with Congress after watching the news, something has to be done regarding Congress. It's not run for the people anymore, it's run by the special interest groups. The majority of the public doesn't participate in the democratic process. When people don't take a stand and be heard, something still happens. The people that will stand up and be heard are. And unfortunately, those people are being paid by major corporations that are only interested in making as much profit as possible. You don't think the NRA enjoys it when Congress talks about putting bans on guns? What happens when the conversation even starts? People go out and buy more guns and ammunition, putting money in the corporations' pockets.
The list of problems facing the country is long. These are just a few that initially came to mind. But don't just expect things to get better because you want them to. Sometimes you have to do something about it. It starts with getting angry. If seeing the issues doesn't anger you, then you've already given in and have come to terms that this country is going down the wrong path and nothing can be done. If you're angry, then there's still hope. Something can be done still! Get involved with the issues. Talk about it. Be respectful, but you will ruffle feathers. People hate talking about politics. Political talk brings about disagreement, which brings out arguments on policy which brings out the people that say stop talking about it all together. The inaction of those people is exactly the problem that needs fixing if REAL change is going to take place. You don't have to agree on everything, but at the very least, you should agree that there is a problem that needs fixing. The process of coming up with a solution is the fun part.
Thanks for taking the time and reading,
Andy
Monday, August 12, 2013
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Friday Night No Lights
I had a pretty uneventful Friday to my standards, or anybody's standards really. I literally did nothing but get ready for the +New England Patriots preseason opener with the +Philadelphia Eagles. I read articles and watched interviews so I had a better grasp of who all was playing and what to expect. I'm a diehard Pats fan, so my excitement level was through the roof. I had cereal, four corn dogs, and then went and got a double cheeseburger and fries combo for the game. During the game I had a whole bag of popcorn. Couple all that with a few sodas and I had racks on racks on racks of bad calories that day.
Because +NFL Network decided to put the +Dallas Cowboys and +Oakland Raiders game on before the Pats game was over, I made my move...to the high school track for a 11:30 pm run. When I pulled up, I thought to myself "This is ridiculous and you're an idiot for running this late. You're going to get at the very least robbed, but more than likely you're getting murdered." So I honestly took all the valuable stuff in my car to the track with me and put it on a bench. Hopefully the would be drug dealers and shady people would just bust my car up thinking I parked it there and went on a trip with someone else.
I usually wear headphones when I run, but I wanted to hear everything because of this article about how running without gadgets every now and again is great for you. (They were right! I ran my fastest 5k!) But I didn't want to just hear my breathing and how my feet were sounding when landing, I also wanted to make sure a car wasn't pulling up or something was coming to attack me. (I did hear something: bats. Coming from an area of the track with the least amount of light. I made sure to run that corner every single time as fast as possible.) But thankfully, nothing ever attacked me from the woods or from the road.
After about a mile, I began to think that it was possible to set a personal record time for my 5k because I actually felt really good. I was used to going to Gold's Gym that late after work and running on the treadmill while watching a movie in the studio. After about 2.5 miles, I started to realize something was going on in my shoe. I wasn't sure what it was, but it was making the orthotics in my right shoe feel like it was coming out of place. 3.1 miles in, I stopped and got some Gatorade. It was right around midnight and I still felt pretty fresh, so I got back to running. I thought my longest run ever was 5.21 miles, so I stopped at 5.25, only to realize after ending the run that it was actually 5.31, so I missed a personal best there. I definitely could've gone another mile if I wanted to, but I was safe and pressed my luck enough. So I stopped running, stretched for about 10 minutes and headed home to shower.
When I got home and took my shoes off in the bathroom, I looked at my sock and the whole top of it was covered in something red. I thought there might've been something that busted in the shoe like a piece of fruit (I know, fruit? Really?!) because I didn't feel any pain. I took the sock off and my toes were covered in blood. I took the shower, still not feeling any pain, cleaned off my feet really well with a rag, got out, dried off, etc. etc. The sharpness of my toenails where I didn't round them off all the way had cut through the skin of two of my toes. How this happens to me, I don't know.
But there are three morals to this story. Number one: don't run in dark places in the middle of nowhere at night. It's scary. Not even a rape whistle would help you. (I did run faster though, so it might be something to this approach). Number two: If it's not raining and you feel something squishy in your shoe, it's probably blood. Number three: Round off your toenails! They are incredibly sharp and will tear through skin!
Once again, thanks for reading!
Andy
Because +NFL Network decided to put the +Dallas Cowboys and +Oakland Raiders game on before the Pats game was over, I made my move...to the high school track for a 11:30 pm run. When I pulled up, I thought to myself "This is ridiculous and you're an idiot for running this late. You're going to get at the very least robbed, but more than likely you're getting murdered." So I honestly took all the valuable stuff in my car to the track with me and put it on a bench. Hopefully the would be drug dealers and shady people would just bust my car up thinking I parked it there and went on a trip with someone else.
I usually wear headphones when I run, but I wanted to hear everything because of this article about how running without gadgets every now and again is great for you. (They were right! I ran my fastest 5k!) But I didn't want to just hear my breathing and how my feet were sounding when landing, I also wanted to make sure a car wasn't pulling up or something was coming to attack me. (I did hear something: bats. Coming from an area of the track with the least amount of light. I made sure to run that corner every single time as fast as possible.) But thankfully, nothing ever attacked me from the woods or from the road.
After about a mile, I began to think that it was possible to set a personal record time for my 5k because I actually felt really good. I was used to going to Gold's Gym that late after work and running on the treadmill while watching a movie in the studio. After about 2.5 miles, I started to realize something was going on in my shoe. I wasn't sure what it was, but it was making the orthotics in my right shoe feel like it was coming out of place. 3.1 miles in, I stopped and got some Gatorade. It was right around midnight and I still felt pretty fresh, so I got back to running. I thought my longest run ever was 5.21 miles, so I stopped at 5.25, only to realize after ending the run that it was actually 5.31, so I missed a personal best there. I definitely could've gone another mile if I wanted to, but I was safe and pressed my luck enough. So I stopped running, stretched for about 10 minutes and headed home to shower.
When I got home and took my shoes off in the bathroom, I looked at my sock and the whole top of it was covered in something red. I thought there might've been something that busted in the shoe like a piece of fruit (I know, fruit? Really?!) because I didn't feel any pain. I took the sock off and my toes were covered in blood. I took the shower, still not feeling any pain, cleaned off my feet really well with a rag, got out, dried off, etc. etc. The sharpness of my toenails where I didn't round them off all the way had cut through the skin of two of my toes. How this happens to me, I don't know.
But there are three morals to this story. Number one: don't run in dark places in the middle of nowhere at night. It's scary. Not even a rape whistle would help you. (I did run faster though, so it might be something to this approach). Number two: If it's not raining and you feel something squishy in your shoe, it's probably blood. Number three: Round off your toenails! They are incredibly sharp and will tear through skin!
Once again, thanks for reading!
Andy
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Running Socks
You know you're getting serious about running when the style of sock becomes important. It feels like my socks are rubbing up against the bottom of my feet too much, making it burn a little. Is that because my socks aren't snug enough? Or is it because the socks aren't thick enough? Or is it both? I'm starting to notice that the socks I'm using while running make a pretty big difference in how my feet feel when I run. I would love to hear some feedback on which ones are good and where I can find them!
Thanks in advance!
Andy
Thanks in advance!
Andy
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Daily Thoughts
One of the things I keep thinking when filling out job applications is this: Why is it "White Caucasian" and "African-American?" What else would I be? A White African-American? And how many generations of African-Americans do there have to be for the African to be dropped? If they're African-American then I'm Scottish/German-American. First off, I don't think it should matter what race someone is anymore to get a job. The best candidate should get it. Period. Lastly, I don't think the majority of black people in the United States relate still to their African ancestry. The typical white person can name off like 5 different countries that they're mixed with. Let's move past the race identifications, please?
Moving on...
I realized today that almost every time I go out to my parents I take food with me to cook or have my mom cook. It's like a mini-Thanksgiving. The other day I took pork chops with me and they supplied the vegetables, today it was chicken breast and they supplied the vegetables. I'm not the type of child that goes to their parent's house to eat a free meal and leave. I usually go, help out with something, and then eat something that I brought. It's nothing more I love doing in my free time than spending it with them.
Lastly....
Why do people text you and then when you reply they don't text back? Typical scenario:
Texter: "Hey! What are you doing?"
Me: "Oh, nothing much. What about you?"
..................
End of conversation.
What happened there? Were they looking for something fun to do and texted me in hopes of joining me in a fun activity before getting disappointed that I was doing the same thing you were doing? Orrrrrr, did they get attacked by an angry mother bear? Oh, look. A post on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram from them. They're alive. Shoot. I was hoping I wasn't the boring one. Maybe I should just lie next time and say I'm spelunking into a cave or about to wrestle a lion.
Moving on...
I realized today that almost every time I go out to my parents I take food with me to cook or have my mom cook. It's like a mini-Thanksgiving. The other day I took pork chops with me and they supplied the vegetables, today it was chicken breast and they supplied the vegetables. I'm not the type of child that goes to their parent's house to eat a free meal and leave. I usually go, help out with something, and then eat something that I brought. It's nothing more I love doing in my free time than spending it with them.
Lastly....
Why do people text you and then when you reply they don't text back? Typical scenario:
Texter: "Hey! What are you doing?"
Me: "Oh, nothing much. What about you?"
..................
End of conversation.
What happened there? Were they looking for something fun to do and texted me in hopes of joining me in a fun activity before getting disappointed that I was doing the same thing you were doing? Orrrrrr, did they get attacked by an angry mother bear? Oh, look. A post on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram from them. They're alive. Shoot. I was hoping I wasn't the boring one. Maybe I should just lie next time and say I'm spelunking into a cave or about to wrestle a lion.
Social Media Pet Peeves
I don't get aggravated often, but there are certain things that really set it off for me. I've written down my top 5 social media +Facebook+ Fan Page +Twitter Followers Deluxe +Instagram pet peeves. Here we go.
1.) Grammar, spelling, punctuation: How do you get a high school degree, and much worse, a COLLEGE DIPLOMA, and can't form sentences? Is our educational system that bad? The answer is simple: yes. According to the Huffington Post, the U.S. ranks 17th in education out of the 40 developed countries they studied. Teachers don't get paid enough, that's why the people that would be good teachers don't teach. They do something else and get paid for it.
2.) Fake happy birthday wishes: Why even bother posting on a person's Facebook or whatever if all you're saying is a simple "happy birthday"? Even worse would be "happy bday" or my biggest pet peeve "HBD". HBD? Really? No thank you. What are you accomplishing with that? Don't waste your time typing the 3 letters and hitting enter or clicking post.
3.) Selfies: It's okay to post a selfie every once in a while when you're wearing something really nice or you just got a haircut. But more than one a day is stretching it. Are you that full of yourself that you need everyone to see a picture of you several times a day? And what's with all the hash tags?
4.) Asking for Retweets (RT) or Like My Status (LMS): Why on Earth do you need someone to retweet you just because it's your birthday? Or even worse, just for the hell of it? "Hey @Celebrity! Can I get a retweet?" Or "Hey @Celebrity! Can I get a follow back?" Why should they follow you? Because they're going to read what you say and y'all are going to become best friends? No! You just want to be popular. If you have to beg someone to do something for you then that's not something a person that deserves popularity would do. I really like when stories are asked to be retweeted to help people that are in need or when something needs to be brought to attention, but come on. "RT me, bro!" No. You're blocked. "LMS!" No. Why? Unfollow.
5.) Relationship statuses: "I love you baby! Can't wait for you to get home!" ...........Wait...What? You live together. You're dating/married/friends with benefits....Why. Can't. You. Text. Call. Email. Fax. Smoke Signal. Them. That? This has "Look at my perfect relationship, World!" written all over it. That's great you've found someone you love, if you even really love them, but you're just begging for attention. Stop.
Let me know if I missed any or if you think something else should be above these 5! I'm sure there are plenty more that I'm not even thinking about but these were all taken directly from looking over Facebook and Twitter from the past few hours.
Thanks for reading,
Andy
1.) Grammar, spelling, punctuation: How do you get a high school degree, and much worse, a COLLEGE DIPLOMA, and can't form sentences? Is our educational system that bad? The answer is simple: yes. According to the Huffington Post, the U.S. ranks 17th in education out of the 40 developed countries they studied. Teachers don't get paid enough, that's why the people that would be good teachers don't teach. They do something else and get paid for it.
2.) Fake happy birthday wishes: Why even bother posting on a person's Facebook or whatever if all you're saying is a simple "happy birthday"? Even worse would be "happy bday" or my biggest pet peeve "HBD". HBD? Really? No thank you. What are you accomplishing with that? Don't waste your time typing the 3 letters and hitting enter or clicking post.
3.) Selfies: It's okay to post a selfie every once in a while when you're wearing something really nice or you just got a haircut. But more than one a day is stretching it. Are you that full of yourself that you need everyone to see a picture of you several times a day? And what's with all the hash tags?
4.) Asking for Retweets (RT) or Like My Status (LMS): Why on Earth do you need someone to retweet you just because it's your birthday? Or even worse, just for the hell of it? "Hey @Celebrity! Can I get a retweet?" Or "Hey @Celebrity! Can I get a follow back?" Why should they follow you? Because they're going to read what you say and y'all are going to become best friends? No! You just want to be popular. If you have to beg someone to do something for you then that's not something a person that deserves popularity would do. I really like when stories are asked to be retweeted to help people that are in need or when something needs to be brought to attention, but come on. "RT me, bro!" No. You're blocked. "LMS!" No. Why? Unfollow.
5.) Relationship statuses: "I love you baby! Can't wait for you to get home!" ...........Wait...What? You live together. You're dating/married/friends with benefits....Why. Can't. You. Text. Call. Email. Fax. Smoke Signal. Them. That? This has "Look at my perfect relationship, World!" written all over it. That's great you've found someone you love, if you even really love them, but you're just begging for attention. Stop.
Let me know if I missed any or if you think something else should be above these 5! I'm sure there are plenty more that I'm not even thinking about but these were all taken directly from looking over Facebook and Twitter from the past few hours.
Thanks for reading,
Andy
Monday, August 5, 2013
What I Miss About Baseball
Learning a sport, you don't appreciate the intricacies of the game. In baseball, you start out learning how to throw, catch and hit. That's it. Everything else doesn't matter in the beginning stages of the game. Runners on first and third with one out? Who cares where the ball is SUPPOSED to go? Priority number one is catch the ball; figuring out where to throw it is unimportant to a 7 year old. But to a 26 year old that hasn't played the game in 8 years...I miss the intricacies.
I miss pitching and trying to outsmart or overpower the hitter. He was late on the last fastball outside, maybe he's guessing inside fastball. It's two strikes, maybe he's thinking I'll throw a curve ball in the dirt. If I do throw a curve ball in the dirt, is my catcher going to block it? Or is going to get to the backstop and he's going to be safe at first? Once he gets on first, how long do I hold the ball before throwing it home? Do I quick pitch home, holding the ball long enough not to get called a balk? Or do I wait, and wait, and wait before going home just before the batter calls time?
I miss playing center field, watching where the catcher's going to set up before shifting to where I want to be before the batter swings. I miss the varying chatter before every pitch to support the pitcher. I miss runners challenging my arm, trying to take an extra base or score on a short fly ball to the outfield. I miss do or die situations at the plate where you absolutely have to throw out the runner or the game is over. Please try to score. I DARE you. Do I throw it all the way in the air or do I throw it short and let it take a bounce before getting there?
I miss being on third base with the game on the line and only one out. Make a bad pitch and I'm coming home. Go ahead and try throwing that curve ball in the dirt. Or the fly ball to the outfield that may or may not be deep enough to score on. I remember being on third base with my brother up in extra innings and him hitting a grounder to third base. The third baseman looked at me then turned and threw to first. As soon as he turned, I was breaking towards the plate. The throw was arriving from first when I was coming home. Do I run the catcher over, or do I slide around the tag? The plate wasn't being blocked so I slide to the outside of home and swiped my hand across home in front of the tag, ending the game.
I miss the whole team gathering together at the plate or anywhere else on the field after a walk-off victory. It's nothing better than the pressure of the game being on the line and not knowing what the outcome is going to be. The exuberance and relief that's felt when it's your team that comes out on top, there's no happier moment in sports. There are personal achievements that may make you happy looking back, but the instant gratification of winning and celebrating with the entire team? It's irreplaceable.
But what I miss most about baseball is the time I spent with my dad learning the game. Ever since I was 6, he was there to teach me how to play. Before my mom hurt her back, her and Dad used to play in whiffle ball games with us. After her injury, it was just Dad. The thousands of pitches he threw my brother and I over the years, the hundreds of hours he spent teaching us how to hit, how to pitch will never be forgotten. He was my coach. He knew how to press my buttons to make me mad enough to be better.
I remember when I hit my first home run, it was after a yelling match between the two of us. Every pitch he would throw it harder, and when I yelled at him to slow it down, he told me to just hit the damn ball. I did; over the fence. My anger at him turned to jubilation. My first home run. I put down the bat and ran out the park to get the ball and save it. There's a whole slew of balls I've collected over the years, but that old, mungy one that was completely brown from the dirt stains it had endured over the years is memorable. "March 30, 1996: Andy's 1st Home Run" my mom wrote. He asked if I wanted to hit again once my brother had hit, but I didn't need anymore swings that day. My job was done, and so was his.
When I look back on playing baseball, I always think of a moment with my dad. He was always there to coach me, to support me, and make suggestions. It's a shame that not every kid growing up has that father figure in their life that takes all of their free time and devotes it to their children. Dad set the bar high for us, as strangers would come up to my brother and I after games or at the grocery store and say how great of a ballplayer he was growing up. He broke many pitching records, including the lowest ERA for a pitcher in Virginia as he was selected All-State. That was my goal while playing; to be better than my dad. But now that I'm older, my goal is to be half the father he was.
Thanks for reading my story,
Andy
I miss pitching and trying to outsmart or overpower the hitter. He was late on the last fastball outside, maybe he's guessing inside fastball. It's two strikes, maybe he's thinking I'll throw a curve ball in the dirt. If I do throw a curve ball in the dirt, is my catcher going to block it? Or is going to get to the backstop and he's going to be safe at first? Once he gets on first, how long do I hold the ball before throwing it home? Do I quick pitch home, holding the ball long enough not to get called a balk? Or do I wait, and wait, and wait before going home just before the batter calls time?
I miss playing center field, watching where the catcher's going to set up before shifting to where I want to be before the batter swings. I miss the varying chatter before every pitch to support the pitcher. I miss runners challenging my arm, trying to take an extra base or score on a short fly ball to the outfield. I miss do or die situations at the plate where you absolutely have to throw out the runner or the game is over. Please try to score. I DARE you. Do I throw it all the way in the air or do I throw it short and let it take a bounce before getting there?
I miss being on third base with the game on the line and only one out. Make a bad pitch and I'm coming home. Go ahead and try throwing that curve ball in the dirt. Or the fly ball to the outfield that may or may not be deep enough to score on. I remember being on third base with my brother up in extra innings and him hitting a grounder to third base. The third baseman looked at me then turned and threw to first. As soon as he turned, I was breaking towards the plate. The throw was arriving from first when I was coming home. Do I run the catcher over, or do I slide around the tag? The plate wasn't being blocked so I slide to the outside of home and swiped my hand across home in front of the tag, ending the game.
I miss the whole team gathering together at the plate or anywhere else on the field after a walk-off victory. It's nothing better than the pressure of the game being on the line and not knowing what the outcome is going to be. The exuberance and relief that's felt when it's your team that comes out on top, there's no happier moment in sports. There are personal achievements that may make you happy looking back, but the instant gratification of winning and celebrating with the entire team? It's irreplaceable.
But what I miss most about baseball is the time I spent with my dad learning the game. Ever since I was 6, he was there to teach me how to play. Before my mom hurt her back, her and Dad used to play in whiffle ball games with us. After her injury, it was just Dad. The thousands of pitches he threw my brother and I over the years, the hundreds of hours he spent teaching us how to hit, how to pitch will never be forgotten. He was my coach. He knew how to press my buttons to make me mad enough to be better.
I remember when I hit my first home run, it was after a yelling match between the two of us. Every pitch he would throw it harder, and when I yelled at him to slow it down, he told me to just hit the damn ball. I did; over the fence. My anger at him turned to jubilation. My first home run. I put down the bat and ran out the park to get the ball and save it. There's a whole slew of balls I've collected over the years, but that old, mungy one that was completely brown from the dirt stains it had endured over the years is memorable. "March 30, 1996: Andy's 1st Home Run" my mom wrote. He asked if I wanted to hit again once my brother had hit, but I didn't need anymore swings that day. My job was done, and so was his.
When I look back on playing baseball, I always think of a moment with my dad. He was always there to coach me, to support me, and make suggestions. It's a shame that not every kid growing up has that father figure in their life that takes all of their free time and devotes it to their children. Dad set the bar high for us, as strangers would come up to my brother and I after games or at the grocery store and say how great of a ballplayer he was growing up. He broke many pitching records, including the lowest ERA for a pitcher in Virginia as he was selected All-State. That was my goal while playing; to be better than my dad. But now that I'm older, my goal is to be half the father he was.
Thanks for reading my story,
Andy
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Back At It!
Sorry for the delay in writing! I really haven't had much motivation and ideas to write about since graduating from Longwood. I've been focused on finding a good paying job to start a career. There are a lot of applications done, resume tweaks, cover letters written, phone interviews, in person interviews, but only one job offer. I'm sure I'll have something here before too long.
Not only at am I back at blogging again, I'm back to running. I've had so much trouble with my feet and knees in the last couple of months. Trying to power through it was a horrible decision. I would wake up with my feet feeling like they had been on hot coals all night. I have tried a few different shoe inserts in my shoes, I even tried new shoes from Lucky Feet off of Hull Street by Baby's R' Us. The shoes helped a little, but I was still in a lot of pain. That Dr. Scholl's foot pressure reader at Wal-Mart recommended the most expensive inserts and they didn't even work. I have high arches. The ones from Finish Line didn't work either. After doing some reading, I found out that the Walking Company at Stony Point had a similar device like the Dr. Scholl's reader at Wal-Mart, but it was more sophisticated. The inserts they recommended were made with cork to stabilize the arch. It's been night and day how much better I feel even just standing up, much less walking/running. If you're having any sort of foot pain, I would highly recommend going to the Walking Company and getting inserts for your shoes. They're about $20 more expensive than most inserts, but it's a whole lot better of a product. I bought a pair for running/exercising and a pair for casual wear. Overall, it was about $130 I spent, but I've spent more on a pair of shoes that were supposed to be for my foot and running style anyways. Ease into wearing the inserts though because it can be painful putting pressure on a spot that's not used to it. After a week it'll feel better than ever.
One of the other things I did daily was ice my feet. Icing is a pain in the butt on any part of the body, but icing the bottom of my feet is HORRIBLE! The foot bath doesn't work filling that with ice and water because the top of the foot is more sensitive than the bottom. The best thing to do to ice the bottom of your feet is to fill an empty two-liter bottle up with water and freeze it. Roll it back and forth on your feet so it doesn't feel as cold; it's just as effective. Calf stretches are critical to the arch, immediately easing most of the pain.
My knees felt somewhat better with the new inserts, but they still didn't feel great. I incorporated in different leg exercises to strengthen my quads and hamstrings which stabilize the knees. It's been a significant improvement in how they feel during the day, but more specifically when I run. They don't pop like a knuckle nearly as much as they used to when I get up out of chairs or off the ground. I'm encouraged that my knee troubles are going to be less of an issue with the lifting and stretching that I've been doing since the injuries.
I hope this helps you out if you've had any problems getting into a running routine or just pain in general from working on a hard surface. I never realized how vital my feet were until they acted up on me. I didn't even want to stand up, that's how bad it had gotten.
Well, I hope this gets me started on blogging again. Once again, sorry for the lack of writing, but I'm back to blogging and back to running.
Not only at am I back at blogging again, I'm back to running. I've had so much trouble with my feet and knees in the last couple of months. Trying to power through it was a horrible decision. I would wake up with my feet feeling like they had been on hot coals all night. I have tried a few different shoe inserts in my shoes, I even tried new shoes from Lucky Feet off of Hull Street by Baby's R' Us. The shoes helped a little, but I was still in a lot of pain. That Dr. Scholl's foot pressure reader at Wal-Mart recommended the most expensive inserts and they didn't even work. I have high arches. The ones from Finish Line didn't work either. After doing some reading, I found out that the Walking Company at Stony Point had a similar device like the Dr. Scholl's reader at Wal-Mart, but it was more sophisticated. The inserts they recommended were made with cork to stabilize the arch. It's been night and day how much better I feel even just standing up, much less walking/running. If you're having any sort of foot pain, I would highly recommend going to the Walking Company and getting inserts for your shoes. They're about $20 more expensive than most inserts, but it's a whole lot better of a product. I bought a pair for running/exercising and a pair for casual wear. Overall, it was about $130 I spent, but I've spent more on a pair of shoes that were supposed to be for my foot and running style anyways. Ease into wearing the inserts though because it can be painful putting pressure on a spot that's not used to it. After a week it'll feel better than ever.
One of the other things I did daily was ice my feet. Icing is a pain in the butt on any part of the body, but icing the bottom of my feet is HORRIBLE! The foot bath doesn't work filling that with ice and water because the top of the foot is more sensitive than the bottom. The best thing to do to ice the bottom of your feet is to fill an empty two-liter bottle up with water and freeze it. Roll it back and forth on your feet so it doesn't feel as cold; it's just as effective. Calf stretches are critical to the arch, immediately easing most of the pain.
My knees felt somewhat better with the new inserts, but they still didn't feel great. I incorporated in different leg exercises to strengthen my quads and hamstrings which stabilize the knees. It's been a significant improvement in how they feel during the day, but more specifically when I run. They don't pop like a knuckle nearly as much as they used to when I get up out of chairs or off the ground. I'm encouraged that my knee troubles are going to be less of an issue with the lifting and stretching that I've been doing since the injuries.
I hope this helps you out if you've had any problems getting into a running routine or just pain in general from working on a hard surface. I never realized how vital my feet were until they acted up on me. I didn't even want to stand up, that's how bad it had gotten.
Well, I hope this gets me started on blogging again. Once again, sorry for the lack of writing, but I'm back to blogging and back to running.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Movie idea and SNL short skit ideas!
Wow! Sorry for the delay in writing again! I've been kind of recovering from graduating and such to where I've focused all my attention on thinking about jobs and not stuff to write. Maybe writing again would change my luck.
So I've had a lot of free time on my hands and have come up with a couple ideas for movies that I would definitely watch. Here we go.
The first idea I had came to me while watching baseball and hearing the announcer talk about the pitcher losing his confidence and getting sent down to the Minor Leagues to regain it, but instead of a player losing their confidence, it's the actual announcer that is having trouble. A lot of announcers have pretty awesome home run calls or strike out calls. This particular announcer is considered the best in the business. He always gets the marquee games of the week to do for national television broadcasts. Players love him because of how he can really put a spotlight on their performances, making their names and faces easier for the casual fan to remember. Signature catchphrases include "That ball is crushed like ice and out of here!" "Looks like they're making a call to the bullpen. Let's see which mad cow they're after." and finally "Strike three! Don't call it a comeback cuz this one's over folks!" But Mel "Bergy" Burgess (announcer's name) lets the fame go to his head. He starts drinking and fooling around with loose women. Initially, everyone likes some of the new catch phrases he comes up with, but his calls get explicit and he starts to mumble into the microphone, forgets about the game and starts discussing his plans for after the game.
After a few weeks of unacceptable behavior on the air, the producers decide to fire him. His problems are put on display in the national media, making networks stay away from him. A few that have past relationships with him call him in for an interview and they come close to giving him a chance, but he would slip up and say the wrong thing, forcing them to pass on him. Mel's longtime analyst partner tries to straighten him up by inviting him to live with him and his wife, but that doesn't work out. Eventually he has to move in with his parents who don't even watch sports. They don't even have cable, forcing him to watch the Price is Right and soap operas all day. To get away from it all, he goes to the local Little League field and listens to the All-Star games on the radio. The radio announcer knows baseball but isn't very entertaining, so Mel asks him in between innings if he can come on the air with him. Ratings were pretty low because the station wasn't very popular to begin with, but once word got out that Mel was announcing people listened from all over.
Mel did so well that the radio station was going to offer him the largest salary of any on air personalities in the state of Pennsylvania. But there was tragedy at his previous tv station with Mel's analyst buddy (Ted Greenwell) and Mel's replacement being killed in a car accident. Mel is asked to come back and do the Major League Baseball All-Star game in honor of Ted. His performance was spectacular and the executives want him to return to the booth, but he had come to love working back in his hometown and doing all the local sports there for the station. Of course there's a love interest too that has no idea who he is but he met at the Little-League field because she's a single mother and her son is one of the star players for the winning team. There's a lot of anticipation on the decision, but he decides to go back to work for the national tv network (Just kidding, he picks the radio gig! But there is an alternate decision in the movie saying he actually chose to return to tv to keep people on their toes.) Eventually, he marries the woman from the ballpark and the son goes on to play professional baseball for the Phillies. Mel does the radio broadcast for every game so they can watch every game he plays in.
This is definitely a comedy movie, but there are some dramatic moments! Let me know what you think!
I also have an idea of a short skit that has a 40 year old man that was a slow, chubby little kid growing up that loved tennis but wasn't good enough to play. Worse yet, he wasn't good enough to even be a ball boy even though his dad was a high ranking official. He always was the first one cut during ball boy tryouts for the U.S. Open and would walk the few blocks home from the stadium. When the company he worked for on Wall Street went under around the same time his dad was retiring from being an official, he thought he would give being a ball boy one more shot. After training for weeks, he was ready for tryouts and was actually selected (with the help of a bribe from his dad). Everything was going great in the first few games that he was a ball boy. After fumbling one of the balls, he started to lose his confidence. While there was a few seconds in between the next point, he looked down and noticed his shoe was untied, but he didn't have enough time to fix it. The first serve was hit into the net on his side, and as he started to take off towards it, his shoelace catches underneath his foot and he goes tumbling into the net. After a few seconds of rolling around on the ground, he sees the ball is still a few feet away and crawls towards it in pain. With a final lunge, he grabs the ball, lifts it up to show the crowd, and raises to his feet with the ball still held high above his head. After nobody claps, he walks off the court only to receive a standing ovation as soon as he is out of sight from the crowd.
The other idea I had was more of an SNL skit. A man needs money and everyone says they enjoy talking to him, so he starts up a hotline to where he has conversations with lonely people to help cheer them up. One caller doesn't want to be cheered up though, she wants to be talked dirty to. After offering ten times more than he usually charges for the conversation, Andy (that's me!) agrees to talk dirty to her. He's actually really good. He still wants to offer the conversation services initially, but the money is just too hard to turn down. In his phone introduction, the choices are "For a personal and fun conversation, press 1. To listen to all of your wildest desires, press 2. You have chosen an incorrect number, press 2 now damn it!" By the end of the skit he's saying things that he has no idea what they mean and dressing like a pimp.
Let me know what you think!
So I've had a lot of free time on my hands and have come up with a couple ideas for movies that I would definitely watch. Here we go.
The first idea I had came to me while watching baseball and hearing the announcer talk about the pitcher losing his confidence and getting sent down to the Minor Leagues to regain it, but instead of a player losing their confidence, it's the actual announcer that is having trouble. A lot of announcers have pretty awesome home run calls or strike out calls. This particular announcer is considered the best in the business. He always gets the marquee games of the week to do for national television broadcasts. Players love him because of how he can really put a spotlight on their performances, making their names and faces easier for the casual fan to remember. Signature catchphrases include "That ball is crushed like ice and out of here!" "Looks like they're making a call to the bullpen. Let's see which mad cow they're after." and finally "Strike three! Don't call it a comeback cuz this one's over folks!" But Mel "Bergy" Burgess (announcer's name) lets the fame go to his head. He starts drinking and fooling around with loose women. Initially, everyone likes some of the new catch phrases he comes up with, but his calls get explicit and he starts to mumble into the microphone, forgets about the game and starts discussing his plans for after the game.
After a few weeks of unacceptable behavior on the air, the producers decide to fire him. His problems are put on display in the national media, making networks stay away from him. A few that have past relationships with him call him in for an interview and they come close to giving him a chance, but he would slip up and say the wrong thing, forcing them to pass on him. Mel's longtime analyst partner tries to straighten him up by inviting him to live with him and his wife, but that doesn't work out. Eventually he has to move in with his parents who don't even watch sports. They don't even have cable, forcing him to watch the Price is Right and soap operas all day. To get away from it all, he goes to the local Little League field and listens to the All-Star games on the radio. The radio announcer knows baseball but isn't very entertaining, so Mel asks him in between innings if he can come on the air with him. Ratings were pretty low because the station wasn't very popular to begin with, but once word got out that Mel was announcing people listened from all over.
Mel did so well that the radio station was going to offer him the largest salary of any on air personalities in the state of Pennsylvania. But there was tragedy at his previous tv station with Mel's analyst buddy (Ted Greenwell) and Mel's replacement being killed in a car accident. Mel is asked to come back and do the Major League Baseball All-Star game in honor of Ted. His performance was spectacular and the executives want him to return to the booth, but he had come to love working back in his hometown and doing all the local sports there for the station. Of course there's a love interest too that has no idea who he is but he met at the Little-League field because she's a single mother and her son is one of the star players for the winning team. There's a lot of anticipation on the decision, but he decides to go back to work for the national tv network (Just kidding, he picks the radio gig! But there is an alternate decision in the movie saying he actually chose to return to tv to keep people on their toes.) Eventually, he marries the woman from the ballpark and the son goes on to play professional baseball for the Phillies. Mel does the radio broadcast for every game so they can watch every game he plays in.
This is definitely a comedy movie, but there are some dramatic moments! Let me know what you think!
I also have an idea of a short skit that has a 40 year old man that was a slow, chubby little kid growing up that loved tennis but wasn't good enough to play. Worse yet, he wasn't good enough to even be a ball boy even though his dad was a high ranking official. He always was the first one cut during ball boy tryouts for the U.S. Open and would walk the few blocks home from the stadium. When the company he worked for on Wall Street went under around the same time his dad was retiring from being an official, he thought he would give being a ball boy one more shot. After training for weeks, he was ready for tryouts and was actually selected (with the help of a bribe from his dad). Everything was going great in the first few games that he was a ball boy. After fumbling one of the balls, he started to lose his confidence. While there was a few seconds in between the next point, he looked down and noticed his shoe was untied, but he didn't have enough time to fix it. The first serve was hit into the net on his side, and as he started to take off towards it, his shoelace catches underneath his foot and he goes tumbling into the net. After a few seconds of rolling around on the ground, he sees the ball is still a few feet away and crawls towards it in pain. With a final lunge, he grabs the ball, lifts it up to show the crowd, and raises to his feet with the ball still held high above his head. After nobody claps, he walks off the court only to receive a standing ovation as soon as he is out of sight from the crowd.
The other idea I had was more of an SNL skit. A man needs money and everyone says they enjoy talking to him, so he starts up a hotline to where he has conversations with lonely people to help cheer them up. One caller doesn't want to be cheered up though, she wants to be talked dirty to. After offering ten times more than he usually charges for the conversation, Andy (that's me!) agrees to talk dirty to her. He's actually really good. He still wants to offer the conversation services initially, but the money is just too hard to turn down. In his phone introduction, the choices are "For a personal and fun conversation, press 1. To listen to all of your wildest desires, press 2. You have chosen an incorrect number, press 2 now damn it!" By the end of the skit he's saying things that he has no idea what they mean and dressing like a pimp.
Let me know what you think!
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Robbing A Bank
Sometimes I think that life isn't exciting enough and there needs to be something that I can do to change that. I love movies where there are bank robberies, but I don't want to do it for the money or anything; I just want to try a few things. It would have to be a bank where I don't know anybody though because I don't want to permanently scar any of my friends. It also has to be some complete absurd tactic I use to get the job done, like maybe the old finger under the shirt trick to act like it's a gun. The kicker is...I want to return the money. Maybe circle around the building and place the money back in front of the main entrance after adding a "I'm sorry" note that I had previously written. I would color just the end of my hair and wear a hat where just that part of the hair is showing. Probably would wear a bandana over my face and cheap sunglasses. Maybe throw in some fake tattoos that wash off so when they describe my appearance they'll look for clues that aren't there anymore.
I probably could tell a few employees at the bank and maybe even the branch manager to let them know I'm going to do it as a training experience of some sort. That way, when a robbery does actually happen they'll know what to do. Some dumbass is always going to try to rob a bank, so they should definitely be prepared for it...Wait, if I robbed the bank, then I guess I would be a dumbass. Obviously I would never do that unless they came to me asking that I do it as a training experience. But wouldn't a high speed chase on a closed off road be fun? Ok, I've found my calling in life. I'm going to Hollywood!
I probably could tell a few employees at the bank and maybe even the branch manager to let them know I'm going to do it as a training experience of some sort. That way, when a robbery does actually happen they'll know what to do. Some dumbass is always going to try to rob a bank, so they should definitely be prepared for it...Wait, if I robbed the bank, then I guess I would be a dumbass. Obviously I would never do that unless they came to me asking that I do it as a training experience. But wouldn't a high speed chase on a closed off road be fun? Ok, I've found my calling in life. I'm going to Hollywood!
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Marriage, Pregnancies, Etc...
It's always fun going to a ballgame or a public event and someone puts up on the scoreboard "Will you marry me (insert name, we'll go with Marie in this scenario)?" She's kind of confused and wondering what he's pointing at on the scoreboard, and then she actually figures it out. "He's proposing to me here? Right now? Oh my God! I've had two beers already because I get kind of bored at baseball games!" Then she starts to freak out and says yes. I'm sure she didn't even think about it. She can't say no. Who does that? Then it's awkward because she probably rode with him. Do they stay and watch the game? Does she call a taxi or a friend to come pick her up because she doesn't want to sit there with that loser that just asked her to marry him in front of 5,273 people that are strangers? Never mind! It doesn't matter! Because they always say yes!
But what if she didn't? What if she did say no? Every girl that says yes these days will have the picture of the ring posted on Facebook or Instagram within minutes to tell the world that she's engaged. But what does the girl that said no do? Does she take a picture of the guy crying? Or what about a picture of her giving the ring back to him? Maybe even one of her ring finger without a ring that has the caption "Guess who said no?" Just throwing it out there. I'm like the channel TNT...I know drama.
There's also that accidental pregnancy that happens when things go wrong. Condoms are 99.9% affective, which means that if you have sex 100 times, you've got a 10% chance of getting her pregnant. 10% for some guys is closer to 90%. It's going to happen. Then what? Do you try to work things out? Of course! Does it work out? No! By the 5th or 6th month, she realizes that she hates him. Or he realizes that she's crazy. Either way, marriage is not in their future. Sometimes it works though, which is great! I root for those couples because I don't like seeing kids grow up in split families. I know some great couples that have worked out and it's awesome. But I know some that haven't...and it's bad. I'm not talking Michael Jackson bad, I'm talking Ike and Tina bad. Britney and Kevin bad. Mmm...Not good.
Which brings me to my last topic: Family decals. I remember the first one I saw and thought how cool it was. Then more started popping up. Now every minivan in Chesterfield County has one. Back to the single mom. This is your opportunity to stand out. You probably drive a Camry or Honda Accord, 4 door, black, blue or red. Put that decal on there! Just you and a baby. No dad. He's not in the picture. Maybe a cat or small dog. That does two things. Number one, it shows you're creative. Number two, it show you're awesome and single! Advertise that fact! I may just go get the decal or me for my car to replace the six parking decals I'm about to finally take off after 5 years of college.
But back to the moral of the story; switch it up! Be unique! Don't be afraid to say no. It always makes for a great YouTube video. And I love YouTube videos! In honor of this post...here ya go!
Failed proposals
But what if she didn't? What if she did say no? Every girl that says yes these days will have the picture of the ring posted on Facebook or Instagram within minutes to tell the world that she's engaged. But what does the girl that said no do? Does she take a picture of the guy crying? Or what about a picture of her giving the ring back to him? Maybe even one of her ring finger without a ring that has the caption "Guess who said no?" Just throwing it out there. I'm like the channel TNT...I know drama.
There's also that accidental pregnancy that happens when things go wrong. Condoms are 99.9% affective, which means that if you have sex 100 times, you've got a 10% chance of getting her pregnant. 10% for some guys is closer to 90%. It's going to happen. Then what? Do you try to work things out? Of course! Does it work out? No! By the 5th or 6th month, she realizes that she hates him. Or he realizes that she's crazy. Either way, marriage is not in their future. Sometimes it works though, which is great! I root for those couples because I don't like seeing kids grow up in split families. I know some great couples that have worked out and it's awesome. But I know some that haven't...and it's bad. I'm not talking Michael Jackson bad, I'm talking Ike and Tina bad. Britney and Kevin bad. Mmm...Not good.
Which brings me to my last topic: Family decals. I remember the first one I saw and thought how cool it was. Then more started popping up. Now every minivan in Chesterfield County has one. Back to the single mom. This is your opportunity to stand out. You probably drive a Camry or Honda Accord, 4 door, black, blue or red. Put that decal on there! Just you and a baby. No dad. He's not in the picture. Maybe a cat or small dog. That does two things. Number one, it shows you're creative. Number two, it show you're awesome and single! Advertise that fact! I may just go get the decal or me for my car to replace the six parking decals I'm about to finally take off after 5 years of college.
But back to the moral of the story; switch it up! Be unique! Don't be afraid to say no. It always makes for a great YouTube video. And I love YouTube videos! In honor of this post...here ya go!
Failed proposals
Monday, April 29, 2013
The Curse of the Bambino: When Good Times Weren't So Good
The
Curse: When the Good Times Weren’t So Good
The Sultan of Swat, the King of
Swing, the Great Bambino, the Babe: all were nicknames given to the legendary
baseball player George Herman Ruth, Jr.
Although he first played in the Major Leagues for his hometown team, the
Baltimore Orioles, Babe Ruth became well-known across baseball when he began
pitching for the Boston Red Sox, who were the winners of the World Series in
three out of the five years that Ruth played with them, the last being in
1918. After the 1919 season, then owner
of the Boston Red Sox, Harry Frazee, sold Ruth to the New York Yankees for
$125,000. It is unknown as to the exact
reason why he did it, but the sale of Ruth would forever change baseball. “The Curse of the Bambino” would haunt the
Boston Red Sox for the next eighty-five years.
After the sale of Babe Ruth by the
Red Sox, the city of Boston began mocking team owner Harry Frazee. For sale signs were erected on public
landmarks to express discontent with the team for trading one of its best
players for money. Little did the city
of Boston or Frazee know, Ruth’s trade would begin decades of dominance by the
Yankees, and many losing seasons and heartbreaking loses for the Red Sox. All time greats played for both teams;
DiMaggio, Gehrig, Ford, Berra, Mantle, Maris, and Jackson for the Yankees; while
Foxx, Williams, Yastrzemski, Doerr, and Fisk for the Red Sox. Twenty-six championships were won by the
Yankees during the span between Ruth’s trade and the Red Sox victory in 2004. Ted Williams of the Red Sox was the last
player in the Major Leagues to hit .400 when he hit .406 in 1941 at the age of
23.[i] Until
Miguel Cabrera accomplished the feat in 2012, Carl Yastrzemski was the last
player to win the Triple Crown of hitting (most homeruns, RBIs, and highest
batting average) when he did so in 1967.
Roger Clemens had the most strikeouts in a game for the Red Sox when he
struck out 20 in 1986. With all the
individual accomplishments and records of the Red Sox players, one thing eluded
them, a World Series Championship.
The closest the Red Sox came to
winning a World Series following the trade of Ruth came in 1946. After a year in which the Red Sox finished
the season 12 games ahead of the Yankees for first place, they were up 3-2 over
the Cardinals in the World Series. What
looked like their first championship since 1918, the “Curse of the Bambino”
changed all that. Ted William’s
struggles at the plate continued as he went on to hit .200 in the series. After losing game 6, the Red Sox were tied
with the Cardinals in game 7 before St. Louis was able to score in the bottom
of the 8th to pull ahead for good.[ii] It was the last time Ted Williams would get
to play in the World Series. He broke
down and cried after the loss.[iii]
Once again, the Red Sox would
experience a period of losing, failing to reach the World Series until
Yastrzemski and the 1967 team captivated the city with their play. While finishing in ninth-place the year
before, the first-place Red Sox became known as “The Impossible Dream” team
after winning the pennant on the last day of the season.[iv] Although Yastrzemski continued his
magnificent hitting, Bob Gibson of the Cardinals pitched three complete game
victories, helping St. Louis win the World Series in seven games. The season was not a complete waste though,
as the team’s play helped spur the fans to flock back to Fenway Park and watch
baseball night in and night out.[v]
It seemed as though it was the Red
Sox were primed for a championship in 1975.
In game 6 of the World Series against the Reds that year, an unlikely
hero, Bernie Carbo, hit a three-run homerun to tie the game at 6-6. Still tied 6-6 in the bottom of the 12th
inning, hall-of-fame catcher, Carlton Fisk, hit a historic homerun over left
field’s Green Monster. The image of Fisk
waving the ball to stay fair while going up the first-base line is an
everlasting moment in baseball history.
Unfortunately for the Sox, game 7 was forgettable as they blew a 3-0
lead and went on to lose to Cincinnati.[vi]
Three
years later in 1978, a seemingly insurmountable lead that was as high as 14
games in the middle of the summer had dwindled down to 4 games when the Yankees
came to Fenway for a 4 game series September 7-10. The Yankees trounced the Red Sox so badly
that it was remembered as the “Boston Massacre.” To make matters worse, the two teams were
tied at the end of the season, forcing a one-game playoff. Down 2-0 with two men on base, Yankees’
light-hitting shortstop, Bucky Dent, hit just his 5th home run of
the season, giving them a 3-2 lead that they would not relinquish.[vii] The Yankees would go on and defeat the
Dodgers in the World Series. In Boston,
Bucky Dent would always be referred to as Bucky (Bleepin’) Dent because of his
heroics.
The
idea of a curse on the team didn’t exist until 1986 when the team was just one
strike away from winning their first World Series in 68 years.[viii] Just as Raymond Arsenault wrote in his review
of sports in Boston during 1986, “Near-misses in 1946, 1967, and 1975 sustained
the hope that somehow, someday it might happen.”[ix] Everything seemed different in 1986. Roger Clemens won the Cy Young and MVP awards
after posting a 24-4 record and Wade Boggs was already a three-time batting
champion.[x] After coming back from a 3-1 deficit against
the California Angels in the American League Championship Series, the Red Sox
advanced to the World Series to play the New York Mets.
The
Red Sox were leading the series 3-2 against the Mets and only needed one
victory in New York to end 68 years of frustration. In a thrilling game went into extra innings
tied 3-3, the Red Sox scored two runs in the top half of the 10th
inning to go ahead 5-3. In the bottom half
of the 10th, pitcher Calvin Schiraldi retired the first two hitters,
leaving the Red Sox one out away from a victory. Three straight singles by the Mets scored a
run and kept their hopes alive. New
pitcher Bob Stanley entered the game to get the final out. With the count two-two on Mets’ hitter Mookie
Wilson, the Red Sox were a strike away from the title. Two foul bowls kept the Mets’ hopes alive
before Stanley threw a wild-pitch past catcher Rich Gedman, allowing the tying
run to score. Stanley blew the save, but
the game still wasn’t over.[xi] The Red Sox clung to hope only needing one
more strike to get one more out. No
problem, right?
The
count was full to Mookie Wilson but the Mets still had a runner on third. Stanley’s next pitch was hit on the ground to
first baseman Bill Buckner. Bill Bucker,
the vital member of the Red Sox team that season posting solid batting numbers,
but more importantly in this scenario, the same man who had played good defense
all season long. The slow roller by Wilson
was one of the most routine grounders possible, yet the ball still managed to
get under the glove of Buckner and scoot into right field, allowing the winning
run to score from third. Thoughts of
previous disappointments were running through the minds of Red Sox fans
watching the game. Not just Red Sox
fans, but everyone watching couldn’t believe what they had just seen. The Red Sox also held a 3-0 lead into the 6th
inning of game 7, only to the game 8-5.
The unlikely circumstances surround the loss of the World Series by the
Red Sox made fans seem like their team really was cursed since they hadn’t won
a title since Babe Ruth was traded to the Yankees.[xii]
Fuel was added to the fire of a
possible curse in 2003 when the Red Sox and Yankees fared off in the American
League Championship Series. The Red Sox
had come from a 0-2 deficit in the Divisional Series against the Oakland
Athletics to advance in dramatic fashion.
The Series with the Yankees was neck and neck, both teams winning three
of the first six games to force a game 7 at Yankee Stadium. Behind the strong pitching performance by
their ace Pedro Martinez, the Red Sox were leading 5-2 going into the 8th
inning. Having thrown over 100 pitches,
Martinez was tiring. He gave up hits to
Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, and Hedeki Matsui to allow another run. Still clinging to a 5-3 lead, Boston manager
Grady Little came out to the mound to check on his pitcher, but decided to
leave him in to face Jorge Posada.
Martinez proceeded to give up a blooper double to Posada, which allowed
two more runs to score and tied the game at 5-5.[xiii]
Little had no other choice but to
replace Martinez at that point. The game
would stay tied into extra innings.
Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield was dominant in the previous two games that
he pitched in the series. He would come
into the game in the bottom of the 11th inning in hopes of
continuing his dominance and force another inning of baseball. Aaron Boone, the Yankees third baseman who
had been struggling for most of the series stepped in to face Wakefield. Boone had lost his starting job at third to
Enrique Wilson, but when Wilson he was pinch-hit for earlier in the game, Yankee
manager Joe Torre inserted Boone into the game.
Wakefield’s first pitch was his signature knuckler. It floated towards home plate, dancing
through the air like always when Boone geared his bat back before unloading on
the pitch, hitting it into the left field stands for a walk-off homerun. Yankees fans would cheer “1918” as a reminder
to the Red Sox of their last World Series victory and the “Curse of the
Bambino” that haunted the team ever since.[xiv]
Just a year after the heartbreak the
Red Sox suffered against the Yankees, the two teams were playing each other
once again in the American League Championship Series. This time, the Red Sox seemed
overmatched. The Yankees beat the Red
Sox in Yankee Stadium to take the first two games of the series before winning
game 3 at Fenway Park by a score of 19-8.
No team had ever come back from a 0-3 deficit in baseball history, so
everyone assumed the series was over; everyone except the Red Sox. They knew that if they could just win game 4,
they had a shot at doing the impossible.
First baseman Kevin Millar said before game 4 “Don't let us win
tonight. This is a big game. They've got
to win because if we win we've got Pedro coming back [today] and then Schilling
will pitch Game 6 and then you can take that fraud stuff and put it to bed.
Don't let the Sox win this game."[xv] Down 4-3 in the bottom of the 9th
inning with the greatest closer in the history of baseball, Mariano Rivera
already in to close the game, Millar drew a walk. Dave Roberts was brought in to pinch-run for
Millar. After an unsuccessful pickoff
attempt by Rivera, Roberts was off with the next pitch, barely diving into
second base before Jeter could receive catcher Jorge Posada’s throw and apply
the tag. Red Sox third baseman Bill
Mueller would single up the middle past Rivera and Roberts would score from
second, tying the game at 4-4.[xvi]
David
Ortiz, anointed by the Red Sox ownership as the most clutch hitter in Red Sox
history, hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 12th inning to
keep the team’s hopes alive. The next
night was just as eventful as the previous.
It finally seemed as if the ghost of Babe Ruth had quit haunting the
team that traded him. In the top of the
ninth, after the Red Sox had once again scored a run off Rivera in the previous
inning to tie the game 4-4, Yankees hitter Tony Clark doubled down the right
field line with a runner on first. The
ball took a funny bounce and landed in the Fenway Park stands, keeping the
runner on 3rd and the game tied before Ortiz came up to hit in the
bottom of the 14th inning.
With runners on 1st and 2nd, Ortiz muscled a
single into centerfield past the diving Derek Jeter to bring home the winning
run and force a game 6 in New York.[xvii]
Game
6 was another drama filled night, but it didn’t take extra innings like the
previous two games. Red Sox pitcher Curt
Schilling, who had a tear in one of the tendons of his right ankle, needed a
medical procedure done on his ankle just to pitch. He was traded for from the Arizona
Diamondbacks to pitch in these types of games for the Red Sox, so he gutted
through seven innings and only allowed one run.
The Red Sox went on to win the game 4-2, but it will forever be
remembered as “The Bloody Sock” game because of the blood that was seeping
through Schillings sock while he pitched.[xviii]
In
game 7, the score was never even close.
The Red Sox jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, beating
the Yankees 10-3 to advance to their first World Series since 1986’s
heartbreaking defeat. No team in the
history of baseball had ever overcome a 0-3 deficit to come back and win the
series. Boston was used to being on the
other end of those types of unbelievable comebacks, but for once, they were the
ones celebrating.[xix] The World Series was never dramatic, with the
Red Sox sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals to end their 86 year drought. More importantly, the “Curse of the Bambino”
that had plagued their team and fan base was a thing of the past. No longer could the Red Sox say they were
destined to fail.
When
the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1919, nobody thought that it
would take long for them to win another championship. They had won just two years earlier and had
five total in their team’s brief history, so winning was commonplace. After generations of failure, where some fans
lived their whole life without seeing the Red Sox win the final game of the
season, Boston’s team was back on top. People
could forget the pain of losing games 6 and 7 of the 1946 World Series. 1967’s loss in game 7 against the Cardinals
was no longer a sore subject. Neither
was blowing a 3 run lead in game 7 of the 1975 World Series. Red Sox fans were over the loss from Bucky
Dent’s homerun in the one game playoff from 1978. Bill Buckner’s error, along with being one
strike away from defeating the Mets in 1986 was forgiven. Aaron Boone’s homerun to defeat the Red Sox
in 2003 was no longer worth losing sleep over.
All the devastation of the previous 86 years was quickly forgotten with
the victory in 2004 by the Red Sox. “The
Curse of the Bambino” was lifted. The
Red Sox were the lovable losers no more and the pessimism that fans showed because
of the previous failures turned into hope.
They only had to wait three more years to witness their next World
Series win. The baseball Gods had
finally forgiven Harry Frazee for selling arguably the best baseball player
that ever lived.
[i] Holtzman, Jerome, “Greatest
Hitter Ever? He’s Up There With Ruth,” Major League Baseball, http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/mlb/news/tributes/mlb_obit_ted_williams.jsp?content=holtzman
[ii] “The Curse of the Bambino,” Sports Illustrated, 2001. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/2000/03/22/the_curse_timeline/
[iii] Leuchtenburg, William E., “The
Boston Red Sox, 1901-1946,” Edited by Randy Roberts in The Rock, The Curse, and the Hub: A Random History of Boston Sports (Cambridge:
Harvard University Press, 2005), 56.
[iv] “The Curse of the Bambino,” Sports Illustrated, 2001.
[v] Carroll, John M., “The Year of
the Yaz,” Edited by Randy Roberts in The
Rock, The Curse, and the Hub: A Random History of Boston Sports (Cambridge:
Harvard University Press, 2005), 95.
[vi] “The Curse of the Bambino,” Sports Illustrated, 2001.
[viii] “The Curse of the Bambino,” Sports Illustrated, 2001.
[ix] Arsenault, Raymond, “Beantown,
1986,” Edited by Randy Roberts in The Rock, The Curse, and the Hub: A Random
History of Boston Sports(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2005), 340.
[x] Ibid., 345.
[xi] Ibid., 347-348.
[xii] Ibid.
[xiii] “History of ‘The Curse of the
Bambino’: From Babe to Bucky to Boone to Buckner, It Was Bad,” NBC Sports, Oct. 28, 2004. http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/6323070/.
[xiv] Weinberg, Rick, “39: Aaron Boone’s
Home Run Crushes Red Sox,” ESPN 100
Memorable Moments of the Past 25 Years. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/espn25/story?page=moments/39.
[xv] Shaughnessy, Dan, “The Dream
Stays Alive: Sox Avert Sweet As Ortiz Homer Sinks N.Y. in 12th,” Boston Globe, Oct. 18, 2004.
[xvi] Ibid.
[xvii] Ryan, Bob, “Where to Start in
This Latest Endless Epic?” Boston Globe,
Oct. 19, 2004.
[xviii] Ryan, Bob, “Magnificent
Schilling Gabe Them a Strong Foothold,” Boston
Globe, Oct. 20, 2004.
[xix] Hohler, Bob, “Miracle Workers:
Resurgent Red Sox Storm Into World Series, Leaving Stunned Yankees Behind,” Boston Globe, Oct. 21, 2004.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)