The Wedding

I had a blast this weekend at my friends Wally and Jonna’s wedding. Memories are a little hazy but thanks to my wife filling in the blanks and looking at some of the pictures (thanks Kris) I am beginning to remember all the details. Some of my personal highlights.

Seeing all the old Peace Frogs in the same room again was great. I played softball with these guys in the early 90’s and that was the most fun team I was on. I was thinking about it and I could not remember when that many of us had been in the same place at the same time in years.

Don’s new nickname is Hot Stuff. You had to be there to appreciate it.

Howard and White Boys still rock. I haven’t seen them in awhile and seeing them perform for the after party (a huge shout out to Wally and Jonna for booking them) was a blast. Those guys still rock and I loved hearing them again.

That old Dixie Land band also rocked. I could not remember their name but they played the “Afternoon Social” and they were a riot. Watching those guys switch instruments and play all those old songs definitely warmed my heart.

I thought Mike’s toast was fantastic. It spoke from the heart and was both funny and touching.

Whoever made the call on Ricobene’s at the Afternoon social that was a great call. That breaded steak really hit the spot.

I wish I had some pictures of the event but the re-chargeable batteries in my camera took a dump. It is probably a blessing in disguise because in the condition I was in I don’t think there would have been many keepers.

Lastly a huge shout out to the bride and groom. I have been to a lot of weddings in my day and that one was an instant classic. It was 13 years in the making but betting on Wally and Jonna making it is about as sure of bet as you can make. I wish them all the best.

More Ipod Fun

I am in the office today by myself. Most of our satellite offices are closed for the holiday. I am in the office by myself. Since most of our other offices are closed, there is not a whole lot going on today in our site in downtown Chicago.

I brought my Ipod with me to keep me company today and since I don’t have much going on, I again will list the next 25 songs that come up on my shuffle option. I realize that I do in fact open myself up to embarrassment but, what the hell. This always seems to kill a little time.

Sister Golden Hair, America – I kid you not. This is the first song that comes up of the nearly 2,000 on my Ipod. I have talked about my love for not only this song but the soft rock styling’s of America. This song is infectious pop tune that is simply irresistible.

Darling Nikki, Prince – Possibly the quintessential Prince tune. It is raunchy, dirty, and a complete jam. My favorite song off of Purple Rain and one that while it got no air play (for obvious reasons) shows off the kinky side of the man from Minnesota.

Hold Me Know, The Thompson Twins – Okay, this is one left over from when my wife and I still shared our Ipod. I like a lame 80’s song as much as the next guy, but this one is pure shit. No excuse for why I left this one on my device and I will be deleting it tonight.

Centerfold, The J. Gelis Band – My Ipod must be stuck in the 80’s. I used to jam to this in 7^th grade and well I guess some things never change. I am more of a Freeze Frame guy from the same LP but, this for a pop 80’s tune doesn’t hurt.

I’ve Been Everywhere, Johnny Cash – This is a great fuckin song. Before it became popular in a TV commercial for some lame travel website, I was rocking to this Cash disc. Unchained is Cash’s best record he did post 1990. He recorded it with the backing of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and it was the freshest thing he had done in eons. Trust me even if you aren’t a country fan, (and I am really not one either) give this record a chance.

Swingtown, Steve Miller Band – It is hard not to like the Steve Miller Band. While I wouldn’t call myself a devotee by any stretch of the imagination, I kind of like the guy. Swingtown is one of those classic rock tunes you have heard a million times and never seem to mind. This is a decent enough jam that does not grate on you.

Alabama Song, The Doors – I would probably list the Doors as my favorite American band of all time. They were definitely the best to come out of the 60’s. In this little ditty I think you have to have a drink in your hand to fully enjoy.

I Alone, Live – Maybe I should get nuked for this one. Still, I will defend it. Live was one of those mid 90’s bands that you landed on one side of the fence on. I landed on the side that dug this record. Sure, it gets ripped on a lot and I kind of understand why. Yet, there is something about it that I hooked into. In my mind, it rocks. Throwing Copper is one of those discs that you never take out and then one day you re-discover and it and realize it was pretty fucking good.

Dark Star, Crosby Stills and Nash – I always relate this song to my Mom who used to jam to it back in the day. I still have a soft spot for it as well. I am a big CS and N guy. This pretty little song is one of my favorite from their catalog. Those 3 guys were just meant to sing together.

Ace of Spades, Motorhead – Could there possibly be a stranger segway from one song to another? Say what you want about this song, but you cannot deny its hard rock appeal. It has everything a hard rock jam needs, a kick ass, fast guitar solo, hard ass drumming and Lemmy.

That’s Life, Frank Sinatra – Here we are beginning to see the dangers of the Ipod shuffle. To go from Motorhead to Sinatra you basically get a case of whiplash. I am Italian. As such it is in my D.N.A to like Sinatra. He is one of my favorite crooners and really how could he not be.

Tire Swing, Kimya Dawson – I believe the last time I tried this exercise I wrote about my enjoyment of the Juno soundtrack. Here is another one from that disc. This song in particular is quirky enough and different.

So Lonely, The Police – Well, what can I say about this one. If you don’t like this song, I really don’t think I want to know you. As much as Stuart Copeland is the shit, this may be my favorite work of his. So much so, that I air drum to this song even at work not caring if I get caught or not. I am Police junkie, have been for over 20 years and I will be to the day I die.

Rock This Town, The Stray Cats – Hey I am a fan of Brian Setzer. As so, I also dig his early work as a member of the Stray Cats. I am getting to become more and more of a rockabilly fan as I get older and have a new appreciation for bands like this. Sure, it is not the most difficult music to perform, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable.

Teenage Lobotomy, The Ramones – Punk icons The Ramones are one of my favorites. This is Joey at his vocal best. Funny, just yesterday I caught the Ramones documentary End of the Century on cable. Sad, that Dee Dee, Johnny and Joey are all gone now.

Man in the Box, Alice in Chains – Back when any band coming out of Seattle that could play two cords was getting signed along came Alice in Chains. Obviously Nirvana was the head of that class. I would put Alice in Chains second of those bands. Poor Layne Staley who like so many before him was never able to conquer his demons.

Follow You Follow me, Genesis – I am a much bigger fan of Genesis during the Peter Gabriel years. Still, some of the Phil Collins era stuff is decent. This is one of those songs that I kind of dig. Tony Banks lays down a catchy enough keyboard track and before the band completely jumped the shark they put out this decent record.

Down by the River, Neil Young – Man I dig this song. Neil Young is one of my favorites, much to the dismay of my wife. To me he has one of the best voices in rock history. Down by the River is one of those songs that is quintessential Neil. Pretty in parts, rocking in others and blended together to tell a story that you can’t help but groove to. This song features some of Young’s best guitar work.

Give a Little Bit, Supertramp – A classic rock standard. At some point if you grew up in the suburbs in the 70’s it was a law that each household must own a copy of Breakfast In America. I know it was in my household and well, I guess I still kind like this record. Call it a guilty pleasure if you must, but I will own to it.

Thunderstruck, AC/DC – Post Back in Black most of the catalog from my favorite Australian rockers is to put it kindly, sporadic at best. The Razor’s Edge was the album they were touting when I saw them live in the early 90’s. This song was an anthem at the time and well, I guess it still kind of is.

Snow, The Red Hot Chili Peppers – Yes, the Chili Peppers duped me again. I was such a huge fan of these guys in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Then I heard Scar Tissue and became disillusioned. So, you are asking why is this song on you Ipod? I really don’t have an answer other then, I bought this cd and felt I had to download a couple of tracks from it to justify my purchase.

Fall Out, The Police – This was very, very early release from the Police. This was when the band was still searching for an identity. This is one of the only songs where you can hear the original Police guitarist Henry Padvoni. About as punk as the Police ever really got.

Baby Got Back, Sir Mix-a-Lot – How can I justify this one? I will try. I listen to this song and it takes me back to my college days. Back when I hung out in Lincoln Park and Bamboo Bernie’s and bars like that, I danced many a times to this song with some anonymous college co-ed. I am not proud of this one but, that is the main reason I have it on my Ipod.

California Sun, The Rivera’s – One of my favorite surf guitar songs. I have an affinity for this type of music even though I have never been on a surf board in my life. This song in particular is catchy and a classic. It is hard not to like this one.

Rudie Can’t Fail, The Clash – I would have been surprised if my Ipod could have gotten through 25 songs without the Clash appearing. This one off of one of my favorite, if not my favorite LP of all time, London Calling finds the Clash rocking the reggae beat like they did from time to time. For 3 guys about as far removed from Jamaica as you could get, it somehow works.

Stealing Muffins

I work for a travel agency but I am not a travel agent. A lot of suppliers looking to drum up business come into our office and bring in breakfast or lunch for the agents in the office in an effort to sway business to them. The thinking is if you give an agent a corn muffin, when said agent is on the phone booking a trip for some executive they will somehow be persuaded to steer them to their hotel or airline.

I have no idea if this works or not since, as I said I am not a travel agent and do not do any booking. However, I do enjoy corn muffins. So, my co worker and I have to play this game whenever a supplier comes in bringing treats. One of the drawbacks of getting your hands on a free muffin is that you actually have to talk to the supplier who brought them.

As I am not an agent I really have nothing to offer them. I just looking to score some free breakfast. The look on these peoples faces when you tell them that you are not an agent and you are in IT, trust me is not worth a piece of coffee cake. So, what I will usually do is wait for the sales people to leave and pick through what is left after the agents have had their pick.

This usually leaves me eating lemon poppy seed muffins or a multigrain onion bagel. But I am cheap, the food is free and hey beggars can’t be choosey. It also means I am eating this crap at like 10:30 and it is somewhat stale (as it has been sitting out for at the very least a couple of hours.)

My co worker and I will take turns every 15 minutes or so at around 10ish to see if they left and the coast is clear. We will slowly walk past the lunchroom and if there is no one there we attack like a dog on a piece of prime rib.

I know what you are thinking. Why not just spend the $2 and buy your own breakfast? I guess there is something exciting about scoring a free scone. It breaks up the monotony of our work day and I must say the only way on onion bagel tastes good is if it is free.

Baseball Blog

Yes, as if I don’t have enough shit out on the internet that nobody reads, I have created yet another site to post my half assed opinions on. However, this one will be a different. I am creating a baseball only blog.

My logic is simple. Most people who come over to my old school blog really don’t care about baseball. Yet, I love writing about the sport. So, I made a decision. My personal blog will be just that. I will limit it to, anything that pops in my head non-sports particularly baseball related.

My new site which you can find at http://10withamop.wordpress.com/ will be dedicated to the great sport of all, baseball. If you are a fan of the game give it a look. If you aren’t this way I won’t overly bore you with the little details of the game that I and other baseball geeks like me care about. I consider myself to be an expert on nothing. The only thing I could considered to be remotely highly educated on is the subject of the sport.

I have this Rain Man like ability to remember names and lineups of players. My buddy Chuck and I will throw at a team and a year and see if how close we can come off the top of our heads to naming their everyday lineup. (In case you are wondering yes we are geeks.)

Anyway, if you give shit peep it out. I haven’t spent a lot of time on it as of yet and it still looks very basic. I promise I will spend some time and make it look a little better.

Nick's Hall of Fame Picks

There are twenty three former players on this years Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. If I had a vote only 2 of those 23 would receive my endorsement. Here would be my ballot.

Harold Baines – No. A very good and consistent hitter, but being a DH for a vast majority of his career hurts him. Baines was a solid Major Leaguer but in order to get in as a DH you need to put up astronomical numbers in my book. Frank Thomas will be the first primary DH to get in.

Jay Bell – No. Bell had a couple of nice seasons in Arizona and Pittsburgh but is in no way a Hall of Famer.

Bert Blyleven – No. If there is a Hall of Fame for very good players and nice guys then Blyleven would be a shoe in. However, I can not induct a guy who won only 20 games once and while he played 22 seasons was only an All Star twice. In 22 years he only got Cy Young votes in 4 years. Blyleven played a long time and because of that some of his stats look better then they are. I saw him pitch and he was never an elite starter.

David Cone – No. This is actually closer then I thought it would be. Cone received Cy Yong votes in 5 separate seasons winning the award in 1994.Cone’s biggest problem is that he didn’t pitch long enough. He was arguably one of the best pitchers of the late 80’s and early 90’s. In my book he makes a better case then Blyleven but he is still a tad short on the overall numbers.

Andre Dawson -Yes. It seems every year I type the same thing endorsing the Hawk. Am I biased in that I saw him play everyday for six seasons, probably. But, that does not mean the guy doesn’t belong. Dawson, was a five tool player that was MVP on a last place team in 1987. In nine different seasons Andre received MVP votes. He was an all-star 8 times. He won 8 gold gloves for his defense. He hit 438 homers and stole 314 bases playing a large part of career in the knee killing dome in Montreal. To me the criteria for the HOF is was he the best player at his position for a significant period of time, and in my mind he was.

Ron Gant – No - Do I really need to explain this one.

Mark Grace - No. I want names and numbers of people who vote for Grace. As much as I am biased in favor of Dawson that is how biased I am against Grace. Grace batting 3^rd or 4^th for much of his career never drove in 100 runs. Tommy Herr drove in 100 runs once. Grace never hit more then 16 homers. I know he had the most hits in the 90’s. Big deal, he was a base clogger who can take his pack a day Marlboro habit and stay in Arizona.

Ricky Henderson - Yes. Ricky will be a first ballot hall of famer. And he deserves it. As weird as he was, that does not take away from what he did as a player. Not only does he have more stolen bases then anyone he has almost 500 more then anyone else. Think about that for one second. That is mind blowing. He was MVP in 1990 and without question he was the greatest leadoff hitter of my lifetime. Henderson is also the leader in walks which for a guy who was not a huge homerun hitter is saying something.

Tommy John – No. I have nothing but respect for John who came back from a horrific injury at the time which led to a surgery being named after him. But, to call him a Hall of Famer is a large reach. There again needs to be a stipulation between someone who was adequate for a long time so, their numbers are inflated and the truly great players. John pitched in 26 seasons and didn’t win 300 games or strike out 3,000 hitters. A solid major leaguer but not a great one by any stretch.

Don Mattingly – No. I will say he is close. His biggest problem is that he only played 14 years. However, during a 6 year run that began in 1984 he was one of the best players in either league. He was over .300 each season, knocking in over 100 each year except one in that stretch. Another plus is that he received MVP votes in 7 of his 14 seasons winning the award in 1985. With all that evidence, I still have a hard time thinking of Mattingly as a HOF’er. His career was short and that hurts him, a lot. For some reason he retired at 34. If he played another four or five productive years I would be all for him getting in. As it is I can not vote for him. But he has a compelling case.

Mark McGuire – No. This has zero to do with steroids. McGuire was an awesome power hitter. That’s all he was. He never hit for average, nor was he very good with the glove. I know he was paid to hit the long ball and he was very good at it. But, I can not forgive his other glaring deficiencies.

Jack Morris – No. No way a guy with that ERA should get in. If he were to get elected it would be highest ERA ever for a pitcher to be enshrined. In 18 seasons Morris won 20 games once. In 18 seasons he never won a Cy Young. As a matter of fact he never finished higher then third in the voting. His supporters point to the fact that he won more games in the 80’s then anyone. I ask who won the most games from 85-95? My point is that it is a useless statistic. He was great in the postseason and that means something to me. But, in no way was he ever in my mind a Hall of Famer.

Dale Murphy – No. Murphy was great for a couple of seasons. But, when he lost it he lost it in a hurry and he was not even a shell of his former greatness. Just can’t vote for a guy who didn’t play at a high level long enough.

Jessie Orosco – No. Orosco is proof that if you can throw left handed you can have a very long career. He appeared in more games as a pitcher then anybody else. He had a hell of a run. If there was a longevity hall of fame he would be in on the first ballot.

Dave Parker – No. But, he is another player that gets overlooked. For awhile in the late 70’s to early 80’s Parker was one of the most feared hitters in the game. He received MVP votes in 9 seasons. He had a rocket arm and won 3 gold gloves. He is hurt by the low power numbers. In 19 seasons Parker only hit 339 homers. His candidacy is just as legit as Rice but, he didn’t play in Boston.

Dan Plesac – No. I will miss Dan on the Cubs post game show. Plesac had a nice career but in no way was a Hall of Famer.

Tim Raines – No. Raines was a very solid major league ballplayer. He put up some really good years in the 80’s with the stolen base and is fifth all time in that department. However, he was only adequate in the outfield and while his average is nice at .294 for a singles hitter that is not high enough.

Jim Rice – No. The Boston bias with Rice is insane. This guy was a very good player who had three monster seasons in the late 70’s. To me that is not a hall of famer. Many people claim Rice should get in ahead of Dawson. Well, Dawson had more hits, homers, RBI, stolen bases and won 8 gold gloves. Rice was a great power hitter but in my book his greatness was not over a long enough period. He is close but in my book not worthy.

Lee Smith – No. I loved Lee Smith and still am pissed the Cubs traded him when they did. With that said Smith was the king of the one inning save and was never someone I would ever consider dominant. In 19 seasons he received Cy Young votes in 4 of them. He was a great closer but not in the same league as Sutter, Gossage, and Rivera.

Alan Trammel –No. I really gave a good and hard look at Trammel this year after I read some information about him touting his candidacy. And you know I have underestimated him. But, not enough to believe he should be in the HOF. Trammel did receive MVP votes in 8 seasons. He was an All Star 6 times and wound up with some very impressive numbers for a shortstop. Still, he is not what I would call a HOF player. Trammel was a very good all around shortstop and again while he was good, I just don’t think his numbers are what anyone would call great. I agree he was better then Ozzie Smith, but I would argue that Smith has no business being in the Hall of Fame either.

Greg Vaughn – No. Nice career but if he gets a vote it should be investigated.

Mo Vaughn – No. Actually had a nice six year run in Boston capped off by winning the MVP in 1995. (Even though Albert Belle had better numbers.) But, once he left the coziness of Fenway he sucked.

Matt Williams – No. A guy who other then a couple of nice power seasons was just an average Major Leaguer.