2009 – Top 10 highlights of the year

My top ten highlights of my personal year, 2009.

1) Shane entering kindergarten – something we’ve been anticipating and actually looking forward to; he’s doing phenomenally!

2) Selling our Atlanta home – something we’d anticipated and looking forward to probably more than number one if for no other reason the pure chest pains it caused.  Dumped it after it being on the market for 9 months.  What a deal the owner got.

3) Evan walking!  Yeah, this was going to happen anyway, but his mobility means I don’t have to carry the pudgeball around everywhere (at 17 months, he’s 27lbs!!)

4) Disney trip – always fun.  How’d we only go once this year?

5) Poker again – finally started hosting games occassionally again and have met some really nice folks.

6) Syracuse basketball – been lucky enough to attend three of the best Syracuse games in the last few years in ’09 – the SIX OT game as part of the Big East Tournament last March, then the Cuse manhandling Cal and UNC at the same Garden this past fall!

7) Holiday parties – we had our return of our annual post holiday holiday party in January followed by an egg hunt in April and Shane and Evan’s birthday parties.

’8) Cooperstown/NY State Fair

9) Lawsuit over.

10)…..the Yankees win….the Yaaaaaannnnnkkkkkeeeeesssss WIN their 27th World Series Championship!

Catching up; Syracuse Triumphs at MSG

Ok, it’s been a few weeks since my last post.  Lots of material just no time to write.  I’ll catch up as much as I can over the next week or so. 

Am going to start off with the first thing wrambling in my mind which is Syracuse thumping California and UNC pretty good to take down the Coaches vs. Cancer, Y2K Classic at Madison Square Garden last Thursday and Friday.  I was fortunate enough to buy tickets last spring for this fall’s event and more fortunate to meet up with my good friends the Drabick’s down there - she of the powder blue and he of the Orange pursuasion.  The right color won out.

We’d met up Thursday at Stout at 133 W. 33rd St. and had a good time in spite of the shoddy service.  Although I’d normally chalk it up to business and right before game time, well, there were other tables getting their food before us.  Oh well.  Fortunately Scott and I, we’d opted to split the check 50/50, both had the same mentality,…we tip based on the level of service.  Enough said.

We came in ranked #24 in the Coaches Poll and non-ranked in the AP.  Beating Cal was a pleasant surprise after losing 3 starters from last year’s team, but then walloping UNC, the defending national champs, quite another.  It’ll now be fun watching the 10th/9th ranked Orange play the year out at a minimum being able to watch the highlights on ESPN since they’re ranked.

XXVII

I was 30, 30 years old the last time the New York Yankees, the most prolific team in sports history, won their last World Championship.  I’d only been hitched for 3 years, kidless, still living in Atlanta, heck, I used to wear suits and ties in those days (yuck). 

Nine years.  Nine years is a long time!  And what a year.  This team was a blast to watch.  They were a true team.  Sure money helps but you still have to play and win as a team.  The chemistry on this team this year was amazing.

Congratulations New York Yankees for winning number 27!!!

Yankees Win!!!

NY, NY, Game Two of the 2009 World Series

I wasn’t supposed to go but when a friend of mine from Atlanta said he was coming up, well I certainly wasn’t going to back out.  I had realized I’d not been to a World Series game since Games 4 and 5 of the 1996 World Series.  Game 4 was the one the Yanks down two games to one and down 6-0 in the game, stormed back thanks to a 3-run home run off the bat of Jim Leyritz that sailed over my head and out in left field to tie that game at 6 with the Yanks winning 7-6 while Andy Pettitte closed down Fulton County Stadium with a 1-0 gem.

So when Arum said he was coming up, well c’mon, I gotta go right?  There was only the matter of tickets.  In comes Stub-Hub but not without the large price-tag to go along with it.  Oh well.  So be it.  Only live once and as long as the result wasn’t as bad as the previous game’s 6-1 drubbing to the Phils Ace Cliff Lee, well, this had a shot at being a great game.  It was Pedro “Who’s your Daddy” Martinez versus Mr. (ahem) Clutch AJ Burnett. 

We ate at the Hard Rock before the game thanks to Arum’s connection there was no wait.  We proceeded to watch batting practice and even went down to monument park, where I said hello to Thurman.

#15, Thurman Munson

It was the first time in my life visiting monument park.  We proceeded to our seats and the first three innings were quiet as the Phils held a 1-0 lead.  Mark Texiera pounded a home run and it was followed up a couple innings later by Hideki Matsuii’s solo shot giving the Yanks a 2-1 lead.  An insurance run later, Mariano sealed the victory.

As I write this, the Yanks are up 3 games to 2 and are back in NY tonight for Game 6.  Thought about going, but $600 seems a little steep.

 

Coldspring, NY

When we lived in Atlanta, and especially in Los Angeles, we always ensured we did the touristy things.  We’d ensure if there was something to do within 30 miles of where we lived, we did it.  I’ve had people telling me they’ve lived in LA for 30 years and haven’t done the La Brea Tar pits, or an Angels/Dodgers game, or the Getty, or Griffith Observatory, LA Zoo etc.  So in coming back to New York, especially upstate, we’ve set our sites on ‘doing stuff’ especially on nice crisp fall days.  The destination last weekend, Cold Spring, NY.

I’d read from another blog (of all places) about Cold Spring.  I’d never been, in spite of growing up only 30 minutes from there and frankly probably couldn’t have found it on a map if need-be.  But I’d read it was an antiquing town, somewhat historic and all in all, we found it to be a nice drive.

The temperatures were in the upper 50′s, so it made for a nice fall day.  We’d parked near the train station and ate at a restaurant right by there.

The Depot in Coldspring, NY

The food was above average, although the service was a tad slow.  Didn’t seem the waiter wanted to be there.  I reflected as such on the gratuity and we moved on.  We walked down to the train station (because Shane wanted to) and he enjoyed the trains flashing by. 

Train tracks in Cold Spring, NY

So we moved on to the shops in Cold Spring and it really is an antiquing town.  The main stretch must have about 20 shops if not more.  Although some of the items could assuredly be labeled as junk, I suppose one man’s garbage is another man’s fortune. 

Mainstreet in Coldspring, NY

We didn’t find any junk to put in our home, figuring we likely have enough junk as is.  We’re finally 95% unpacked so it’s nice to have a somewhat junk free home.

The afternoon wrapped up with a nice ride home where Thing 1 passed out and Thing 2 wasn’t too far afterwards.  Worth a drive to this town on the Hudson River.

Safe, out, fair, foul, strike, ball…

The umpiring this post season has been absolutely horrible.  The only positive for a Yankees fan is that more than half of these calls have gone their way.  But as a fan of the game, it’s unacceptable to see these major league umpires, the best of the best, making such poor calls.

What is even worse is when they do a makeup call.  Nick Swisher gets nailed on a pick off play clearly by the Angels, yet is called safe.  He makes it to third later in the inning with only one out and seemingly scores when he tags from third on a deep fly ball to center.  The Angels appeal and they call Swisher out, when clearly replays show the 3rd base umpire McCleland looking to centerfield to view the catch (and not on the tagging runner’s foot to see if he left the bag early).

Fortunately, it doesn’t appear any of these poor calls have cost either side a game….yet.

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Addendum to my post….

Tim McClelland did it again! This is not borderline ridiculous…it is ridiculous!!!!!!

Situation: One out in the top of the fifth inning, ground ball back to the pitcher, who throws home; Posada’s caught in a rundown and the Angels catcher runs him back to third. Cano moved from second to third on the play. But when the catcher finally neared Posada at third, he noticed that Cano was — for some unknown reason — standing flatfooted a few feet off the base. Catcher alertly tags Cano and then turned back to tag out Posada, who was experiencing yet another similar lapse of judgment on the other side of the bag and foul line.

Memories of Dale Berra and Bobby Meachum both getting thrown out in tandum at home rebouns, but Umpire McClelland, despite standing just a few feet away and having the entire debacle right in front of him, only ruled Posada was out. Cano was welcome to third??????????

This is absurd!!! Here’s what McClelland had to say about the play after the game:

“On the play with Cano and Posada, I thought Cano was on the base. I was waiting for two players to be on the base, and when there was never the situation where both of them were on the base at the same time. When he tagged Cano, I thought Cano was on the base, and when Jorge touched the base and continued and tagged Posada out, I thought Posada was out …

“(The replay) showed that Cano was off the bag when he was tagged. I did not see that for whatever reason …  I’m just out there trying to do my job and do it the best I can.” 

That McClelland’s mistake was minimized by the subsequent out by Melky Cabrera(notes) — the Yankees scored no runs off the snafu — is irrelevant.   

Where does it end???  Instant replay?  Ugh.

Yankees win,….the……..Yankees win!

Just plain exciting.  The post season ARod needed thus far….let’s hope it lasts!

Yankees Win!!!!!!!!!