Teamwork

This was a really tough shot to get thanks to a stupid sheet of plexiglass between me and the monkeys.

Catching a ballgame

Apologies for the image quality there, it’s a cell phone shot.

Anyway, yesterday I took my first journey to Chase Field to watch the Diamondbacks play the Phillies.

It was a good game, close all the way, with the D’Backs eventually winning 8-6 with the save by former Astro Chad Qualls. Why did we trade him again?

Oh, yea, back on topic. It’s a nice ballpark. Definitely big, maybe a little too big, but a 48k-seat stadium’s going to look huge and empty when there are just short of 30k there.

They’ve got good hot dogs, but all-in-all (at least where I was sitting) the food selection was lacking and a bit disappointing in my book. I won’t pass final judgment on it, though, until I’ve been to some more games and had more of a chance to wander around the park.

The weather yesterday was beautiful. Sunny with a high in the upper 80’s with a nice breeze. It’s kind of weird for me to call 90 degrees beautiful, but not having humidity really does make a huge difference. The only issue was the sun. I’ve tanned some since I came here, but my legs got their first real dose of it after buying a pair of shorts last week. They’re pretty roasted.

All in all, it’s a nice ballpark. I liked Minute Maid Park in Houston or Coors Field in Denver, but beats the pants off of the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Not sure at this point when I’ll be going back, but I can’t wait to really explore the place.

Popping out

My Twitter followers will recognize this picture:

Well I guess I’d better start responding to text messages more…

Last night I got a phone call from my mom asking if I was ok.

My brother had called her freaking out because I’d not responded to a text from him in a few days. He was worried that something like this was going on:

The Silence of the Lambs

Moral of the story? Always answer text messages.

Changes

After a lot of thinking, I’ve made a decision. A big one.

I mentioned a while back that I was going back out to Phoenix for another visit.

Well, that visit has turned into a stay.

Yea, that’s right, I’m finally nowhere near hurricanes!

WOO-HOO!!!

Bending down

Video of the day: Tiger Woods ad parody

There are a ton of these, but this one is my favorite:

"Earl and Tiger" Nike Ad Parody: The Risks of VD from Adam Cohen on Vimeo.

Little bird.

So I went bowling today…

…for the first time in at least a year. Bowled two games with Jennifer (my incredibly awesome in every girlfriend who can make some mean chocolate-chip pancakes) and didn’t do too peachy.

Then again, I was rusty so I didn't really think I would.

But at least the games were close. She beat me 80-79 in the first game and 97-90 in the second.

I can live with that.

“Inside the Park: Voices of Baseball” covers all the bases in poetic beauty

A while back, J-Mag Guthrie approached me about doing a review of her new book Inside the Park: Voices of Baseball. How could I turn her down?

I’ve known “Annie” (She went by the name Astro Annie on the Astros web forums) for about 6 years. Even dated her daughter (but that’s a story for a different day). She’s written baseball poems and parody songs for as long as I’ve known her, so I wasn’t surprised when she told me about the book.

I finally got the chance to read it on Friday while I was waiting on my flight to Phoenix and found it to be a wonderfully-written collection of poems on a variety of topics. She has poems covering a wide variety of topics and perspectives, including bench players, veteran pitchers, fans, umpires, and even the broadcasters.

The poem that struck me the most was the one covering Shoeless Joe Jackson, who proclaimed his innocence in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal until the day he died. I loved it.

As someone that considers himself anything but a poetry junkie, I have to say that I was really impressed with it. Definitely a great read for any baseball fan, especially one that’s more into poetry than myself.

The death of Stupid Quiz Sunday

I’ve made the executive decision that last week’s Stupid Quiz Sunday will be the last as a weekly series, though the feature will likely make an occasional appearance as I come across interesting quizzes..

I’ve just lost interest in the feature, there’s nothing else to say, really…

Meerkat!

Another one from the Phoenix Zoo

In semi-related news, this afternoon I’m jumping on a plane and heading out there again.

Video of the day: Rainbows and Unicorns

I lol’ed:

A new path

It is with a heavy heart that I am today announcing that I am leaving blogging.

It was a very tough decision to make, but I realized that I simply won't have the time for it with my new career in the nude skydiving business.

I’m sure y’all are wondering to yourselves “What’s the nude skydiving business?”

Well, we jump out of planes. Naked. Yes, that’s right, not even a parachute. Trust me, there’s no better feeling in the world and it’s nowhere near as dangerous as it sounds. You see, the trick is landing on a huge stack of mattresses that you put in the middle of a field. If you hit those, you’re fine. Just, uh, make sure to not miss the stack.

It's been a great ride, with a lot of great people I've met along the way.

I'm really going to miss y'all.

Oh, and…