Overkill

Before the introduction of the Extra Innings package on cable, the only way a Yankees fan in Columbus Ohio could watch his (or her, in case there are others besides me) team was if a game was carried by Fox or ESPN as a national game.

There were a few drawbacks to having the Yankees being a national game, such as having to put up with the networks’ insufferable announce teams (both sides are guilty of this), “balanced” coverage, and awkward start times.

But for the past few years, as I’ve mentioned before, I pay to let MLB kick my ass subscribe to the extra innings get to watch pretty much every Yankees game (unless they’re playing Pittsburgh).    I also get to see them when they’re on Fox or ESPN, but there have still been some negatives-see the aforementioned drawbacks, and add the fact that Fox will often pre-empt a Yankees game with a game featuring the Indians or Reds.

Other than that, you would think that having your team as one of two featured during the weekly nationally broadcast game would be a good thing.  But there’s one instance when it’s not- when they face Boston.  For some reason, it seems that every weekend series featuring the Yankees and the Red Sox includes a Saturday game on Fox followed by a Sunday night game on ESPN.  And it always feels like these games are out-and-out slugfests (unlike last night’s awesome pitchers’ duel), are punctuated by shameless network self promotions, and last for six hours (but feel like 12 hours because of the horrible announcers both networks employ).

If it were once or twice a year, it wouldn’t be so bad.  But it feels like this happens every time these two teams play. Every year.

And it’s just gotten worse.

Oh, how I pine for those random games where they play the Royals or Baltimore that the networks don’t care about.

Best.Restaurant.Ever! (The Return)

If I’m ever on death row and it’s time for me to choose my last meal, I can’t say that I know what I want to eat.  But I do know where I want that meal to come from and who I want to prepare it.

In New Jersey, there’s a Japanese restaurant called Tomo’s Cuisine, chef-ed by a food magician named Tomo.  Back when I was in college, Tomo’s was located in South Orange and the Fat Triathlete and I frequented (and that’s putting it mildly) Tomo’s.  These days, it’s a tad more difficult, what with me living in Ohio and all.

Tomo’s has relocated to Little Falls, and on our trip to New Jersey this past weekend, the Civee, King Classic and myself (sorry, FT) stopped there for dinner on Sunday night.  The location may be different, but Tomo’s hasn’t changed a bit.

The place has six tables.  The other five tables were filled with people I assumed to be Tomo’s Sunday night regulars. Because it’s just Tomo and his server Fin, Tomo gets quite busy multitasking.  Because of this, Tomo has always had a set of rules in place, an older version of which appear below.  The rules are very important, and even though I knew these going in, I was pleasantly surprised to have rule #10 broken for me, as both Tomo and Fin remembered me even though I haven’t been there in eight years.

Anyway, about the food, it was spectacular.  Most people think of Japanese food as sushi.  Tomo can do sushi.  Tomo excels at sushi. But he does so much more than sushi.  In addition to a boatload of sushi, we also had a few appetizers, including a black seaweed salad, an asparagus/corn tempura, broiled conch in a soy/butter sauce and braised (for six hours) ox tail with potatoes and carrots.

As for the sushi, we got an assortment of rolls and nigiri.  Ordered a special surf clam (one of my favorites that I haven’t had anywhere else (or, rather, haven’t had as good anywhere else)), some salmon belly and two types of toro.

Altogether, if I ever get to pick a last meal, I’d want it to be something like that. It was great to go back (even if I had never been to the new place before).  On our way out, I thanked Tomo.  I could have thanked him a lot more, but remembering the rule about Tomo being very busy, I wanted to keep it short.

The unfortunate part about leaving was realizing that I wouldn’t have another meal like this until the next time the Civee and I were in New Jersey.

Now that I think about it, all I have to do is take 71 North, head east on Interstate 80, and it’s a straight shot to Little Falls.

Sure, it’s an eight-hour straight shot, but it’s worth it.

If you’re ever in the area:

Tomo’s Cuisine
113 Rt. 23 in Little Falls.
(Near the Willowbrook Mall.)
973-837-1117

When I Was There: The New Place

July 24, 2009
Yankees 8, Oakland 3

This past weekend, The Civee and I headed east to New Jersey to visit King Classic. It was a nice, relaxing trip (even if I ruined my phone by letting it get submerged during a rafting trip down the Delaware River).

One of the big events (and I’ll get to the other later) was a trip to the new Yankee Stadium on Friday night to see the Yankees host the A’s. There were seven of us, and for all, it was our first trip to the Yankees’ all-new, all-different stadium.

I hadn’t been to The Bronx since August 9 2002, when the Yankees hosted the A’s at the old stadium.  For that game, the Fat Triathlete and I had upper deck seats and stayed for every pitch of the 16-inning affair.

For Friday’s game, the first pitch was scheduled for 7, with the gates opening at 5.  We figured if we left at 3, that would give us enough time to explore the new digs before game time.

We were wrong.

Between the GWB tollbooths and navigating the South Bronx looking for a parking spot, we were stuck in traffic for four hours.  We barely made it in time to hear the National Anthem.   We got to our seats, located in the “main” section of the bowl, the upper half of the first level of seats.  The seats were great, and in a weird way, it felt like we were at the old stadium, with just a few minor differences.

Two of those minor differences bugged me, my only complaints about the new place:

1. The announcer, Paul Olden, while I’m sure he’s a nice guy, is no Bob Sheppard.

2. The location/look of Monument Park is horrible.  The old monument park was vibrant, out in the open, and surrounded by plant life.   The new park is in a gray little alcove beneath the center field batters’ eye.  It barely stood out from inside the stadium and looked a little depressing.  If you ask me, this off-season, the Yankees should switch Monument Park with the visitor’s bull pen and add some plants.  Doing so would make the new park within a park stand out more.

But anyway, enough of the complaints.

The Civee and I watched Joba Chamberlain struggle through the first (his only rough spot of the game until the eighth, when he was relieved) before heading downstairs to the ‘Great Hall’ to get some food.  If we had gotten to the Stadium earlier, we would have had enough time to adequately explore the place, but we only walked around a few sections because we didn’t want to miss any of the game.

The hall feature is nice and while I can see how some would complain about how it’s more of a mall atmosphere than a ballpark, I think the Great Hall is appropriate because it’s outside the field area (if that makes sense).  You can watch all the action, but if you’re in your seat, the hall doesn’t detract from your experience.

As an added bonus, you can see the field (or parts of it) through the hall, and there are enough monitors around the place showing the game with speakers blaring the game’s radio feed.

The Civee settled for some pizza, and I went for some hot dogs (the sausage stand was all out of sausage) and we headed back to our seats.  I’m a huge fan of the new seats.  I’m 6’4″, and there were times in the old stadium where my knees would be bumping up against the seat in front of me all game.  The seven of us in our group rotated seats (in the same section) throughout the game and I had no legroom or other comfort problems.

After giving up a run in the first, Chamberlain settled down, pitching a pretty good game.  The Yankees came back in the third, scoring two, and adding a few more runs in the fifth and sixth.

By the eighth, Joba had only given up two hits and struck out six.  He let two men get on, and was relieved.  Phil Coke got out of the jam and the Yankees struck for four runs in the bottom of the eighth sparked by a Jorge Posada solo home run.  By this time, the crowd was doing the wave and the Hip-Hip Jorge chant the Civee loves so much.

The A’s added two in the top of the ninth, but David Robertson recovered and finished off the game, and by this time, I was happy for two things:

-That this game didn’t go as long as the last game I attended.

-The Yankees winning.

We headed home while getting caught in another hour of traffic on our way.  Everyone seemed to like the new place.  For me, it was a great trip, and nice to see the Yankees finally get the stadium they deserve.

My one other comment about the stadium- people have said it’s not as loud as the old Stadium.  Maybe it seems that way on TV, or in those April games when the Stadium was half-full.  But on one Friday night in August, the New Yankee Stadium was just as loud as its predecessor.

What About Waaaalt?

This is the second entry in a series titled “IWant Some Freakin’ Answers.”  From time to time, I’ll talk about some of the things we’ve seen over the past five seasons of Lost that I’d like answered.  I’m not going to deal with topics we know will get answered (like the smoke monster), but rather those things that no one but die-hard Lost fans would care about.  It’s very likely that not everything will be answered, and even possible that some may be passed off as continuity errors, but Lost wouldn’t have obsessive fans if people didn’t care about the little things, right?

Out of all the Lost cast members, life outside the show has been most unkind to Malcolm David Kelley, who played Walt Lloyd (a.k.a. WAAAALT! or “My boy”).  Originally playing a ten year old boy, Kelley started his growth spurt in the years following Season 1, as he was removed from the show’s main cast (in a surprisingly benign way) while making cameo appearances throughout the following season.

During Season 1, we got the impression that Walt was not quite normal.  Called “special” by several people, Walt was kidnapped by the Others after flashing some knife throwing and bird attracting skills.  In addition, Walt also hinted at having the abilities of precognition and astral projection–all leading up to the question behind this week’s I Want Some Freakin’ Answers — what is (or was) up with Walt?

Originally portrayed as Michael’s rebellious kid (or alternatively, the kid Michael was stuck with raising) after crashing on the island, Walt quickly became friends with Locke and Hurley.  Locke and Boone taught Walt how to throw a mean knife, and Hurley taught Walt all about gambling (although, Hurley lost a lot of money to Walt, so maybe Hugo was really teaching him how not to play backgammon).  “Special,” a flashback episode devoted to Walt and Michael established that Walt was raised by his mother and an unwilling stepfather who was spooked by some weird things that happened whenever Walt was around.

More weirdness happened later in the first season, during a discussion between Walt and Locke.  Locke reached out to touch Walt, who got implored Locke “Don’t open it, Mr. Locke. Don’t open that thing.”  Spooked by his encounter with Locke and a chilling vision of things to come, Walt willingly left the island with his father on the raft, only to be kidnapped by the Others.

Even though he was in the care of the Others, Walt appeared to Shannon twice, speaking backwards (much like another little man from another place), warning of doom shortly before Shannon’s death.  Walt (or more likely, the Others) communicated to Michael through the Swan’s computer, who was slowly losing his sanity.  The trick worked, sending Michael off the deep end and giving the Others their bargaining chip in Ben’s plan to get Jack to do the spinal surgery which would save Ben’s life.

In a Missing Piece produced between the third and fourth seasons, we learned that the Others were just as scared of Walt’s powers as his step father was.  We didn’t learn anything of the powers or what benefit they would serve to the Island, but we learned that he was one scary kid.

After being captured by the Others, Michael is asked several questions about Walt, including “has Walt ever been somewhere he wasn’t meant to be?”  Partially because he was an absent father for most of Walt’s life, Michael is unable to answer these questions, but is able to bargain for his and Walt’s freedom, as well as a safe way off the island.  In a brief meeting, Walt tells Michael the others aren’t who they seem to be and that he spends his time taking tests.

Finally, Michael turns in Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley (in addition to killing Ana Lucia and Libby) and at the end of Season Two, sets off for civilization.  Here, Walt and Michael’s paths diverge.  Michael agrees to help the Others by posing as a spy on Widmore’s ship.  On the other hand, Walt goes back to school (but not before appearing to a near-death Locke on the island and urging him to finish up his work), and meets Jeremy Bentham/John Locke and travels to visit Hurley.

Walt meets Jeremy Bentham.

It would be nice in the final season to find out what was going on with Walt.  Why did the Others want him?  How did they know that he was special?  Did he have other gifts than killing birds and appearing in places he wasn’t supposed to be?  What did the Others get out of him?  And why was he so fearful about the hatch.

There are a lot of loose ends in regard to Walt.  And because he’s appeared on the show sparingly since the end of Season One, I don’t have many guesses as to how and if he fits in in the overall scheme of things.  If they were to bring him back, at least Walt would reach Malcolm David Kelley’s real-life age, so if they were to bring him back, now would be an appropriate time.

And hopefully, we’d find out whether Walt got that $83,000 Hurley owed him.

Weird Al: Skipper Dan and Beans

I’ve previously shared my opinion that “Weird Al” Yankovic is one of the greatest musical genuises of our time.  Al is known mostly for his song parodies, but he also has a large number of original songs, most of which are style parodies/homages.  Some of these, like Twister, Frank’s 2,000″ TV and Dare to Be Stupid (not to mention One More Minute, which isn’t an homage to any one artist) stand right up there with some of Al’s best parodies.

Well, Al has released his newest song, Skipper Dan, and if you ask me, it’s a style parody of a song that was huge last summer (and of which you could say I was a fan).  I think he’s got this one down- even to leaving out the guitar solo.

Skipper Dan

He didn’t even throw in a drum solo!

Pierre Chang: Man of Mystery

In an effort to post more (not to mention milk everything I can out of the Lost franchise before it ends next May), I’m starting a new feature (with a title inspired by Hurley) called I Want Some Freakin’ Answers.  From time to time, I’ll talk about some of the things we’ve seen over the past five seasons of Lost that I’d like answered.  I’m not going to deal with topics we know will get answered (like the smoke monster), but rather those things that no one but die-hard Lost fans would care about.  It’s very likely that not everything will be answered, and even possible that some may be passed off as continuity errors, but Lost wouldn’t have obsessive fans if people didn’t care about the little things, right?

The big mystery around the end of Lost’s first season was what was in the hatch.  We later found it was a station built to study the unique electromagnetic properties of the island by a group calling themselves the DHARMA Initiative.  Aside from the weird swan-specific symbols scattered around the station and on it’s boxes of food products, our (not to mention the Lostaway’s) first introduction to the Initiative came through the Swan Station orientation film, way back in Season Two’s aptly titled third episode “Orientation.”

Hosted by a man calling himself Doctor Marvin Candle, who only has the use of one arm, the film gives us some background about the Initiative, as well as details as to the function of the Swan.

After that, the Lostaways find different DHARMA stations, some of which have their own orientation films/videos, and while they’re hosted by the same person, he doesn’t always go by the name “Marvin Candle” and in some cases, has two functioning arms.

In “?,” Locke and Mr. Eko find the Pearl Station, where they find an old school video cassette tape of an orientation video.  Copy-written 1980, the gentleman hosting the Pearl video goes by the name Mark Wickmund and can use both arms.

In Season three, we see clips in the computer video for the Flame and the “Welcome to the Island” flick, but don’t catch the presenter’s name.

We don’t see any more DHARMA films presentations until the end of Season Four, when Ben has Locke view the Orchid‘s video. Again hosted by the same gentleman, but this time under the name Edgar Halliwax.  “Edgar” even has a custom Orchid-station Parka which Ben appropriates for his trip to spin the wheel.

Finally, in Season Five, we actually meet the man in a setting outside of the orientation films.  Everyone in the Initiative knows him as Dr. Pierre Chang, and he can use both his hands.  Throughout the season, we find out Pierre is a bigwig with the DI, is a scientist and acts periodically in DHARMA films. He has a son named Miles, and much to [future] Miles’ consternation, he likes country music.   We also see Pierre shooting the film for the Arrow Station, where he again calls himself Marvin Candle.  In Season Five’s finale episode, The Incident, Pierre loses his left hand in an accident while trying to shut the drill at the Swan site down.

So we know this about the man of mystery: His name is Pierre and he lost his left arm in a construction accident in 1977.  He shot the films for the Pearl, the Orchid, the Arrow and “Welcome to the Island” before 1977 (when he lost both his hands).  However, the years for the Pearl and Orchid videos are after 1977, so either the DI fudged the copyright dates, or that’s a continuity error on the part of the Lost creative team.

The thing about Pierre that I’d like some freakin’ answers to is what’s with all the different names?  Through the video for the Pearl, we learn that DHARMA is involved in studying psychology- though the answer to who’s the subject of the mind games – the observers or the observed, is up in the air.  And these fake names all being somewhat related (Candle, Halliwax, Wickmund) make it seem as if the whole situation is more than a continuity error.

The DHARMA members who are the audience of these films/videos are being lied to for some reason.  As seen in the episode Namaste, a large number of the DHARMA people know Pierre Chang (and one of my favorite moments of the episode is when Jack meets the man he knew as Marvin Candle, 27 years from that moment).  So who’s he fooling?

My guess?  There’s still more of DHARMA’s story to tell.  After the incident, the Initiative implemented some heightened security protocols–changing how people dealt/communicated with each other, in some cases, even cutting off communication between stations.  So giving people in each of its stations a unique frame of reference would serve to that advantage.  And with what little we’ve seen of the functions of the Pearl Station (they were being watched too, the notebooks that were the “fruit of their diligent work” went nowhere), the Initiative wasn’t above lying to its employees/test subjects.

One of the few things we know about the DI in the time period between the Incident and Desmond’s arrival is that Stu Radzinsky worked in the Swan.

And why not?  He had some science background, was a high-ranking member and even had a hand in designing the Swan.  But as Kelvin told Desmond, he also killed himself in that very station.

Here’s what I think:  Because of the incident, operators at the Swan (and other DI stations) were locked down- the Quarantine hoax was put in effect to keep workers confined to their stations.

Stu (who may have been punished for the incident with his tour of duty in the Swan) knew the truth.  To keep himself sane, and to pass along his knowledge of the DI, he started the blast door map before finally losing it (or his conscience got to him) and ending up as a spot on the ceiling.

As this extrapolation of Stu’s saga shows, there’s more of the DI’s story to tell.  As part of that story, I’d like some freakin’ answers as to why Dr. Pierre Chang’s IMDB credits can include the roles of Dr. Marvin Candle, Edgar Halliwax and Mark Wickmund.

The Luckiest Man

Seventy years ago today, the most famous speech in sports history was delivered.

Lou Gehrig, who had just retired from professional baseball, was being honored during a ceremony between games of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium.  Lou was prompted to speak, and without any notes or preparation, delivered something very memorable:

“Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.

“Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn’t consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I’m lucky. Who wouldn’t consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball’s greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I’m lucky.

“When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift — that’s something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies — that’s something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter — that’s something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so that you can have an education and build your body — it’s a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed — that’s the finest I know.

“So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I’ve got an awful lot to live for. Thank you.”

A few years ago, I read Luckiest Man, Jonathan Eig’s biography of Gehrig.  It was an amazing book about a man who was overshadowed by his teammate Babe Ruth, but who remains one of the most underappreciated superstars of all time.

In other Yankees-related events, it’s also George Steinbrenner’s birthday.

Happy birthday George.

Pop and Rock

Three non-Lost related blog updates in one week.  There must be something in the air.

Well, actually, I’m writing because of two music-related items.

The first- Michael Jackson’s died today.  For some reason, this makes me feel old.  I still have somewhere in my basement the copy of Thriller I received for Christmas all those years ago.  For as weird a guy as he turned out to be, he was extremely talented, and he helped make the 80s the greatest decade for pure pop music.

The second (and also music related)- according to Rolling Stone, yesterday was the 15th anniversary of the release of Weezer’s first single, Undone (the Sweater Song).  I didn’t hear it until a few months later, but ever since then, let me just say that things haven’t been the same.

And to celebrate this anniversary, I give you the reason Agamemnon went to Troy:

It Was a Beautiful Fish

Many years ago, my family and I went to Easter dinner at a somewhat-fancy restaurant.  While telling us the specials, in a non-specific European accent, the waiter remarked that the fish special, a red snapper was “a beautiful fish.”

My brother and I laughed at his comment and after placing our orders, spent some time imitating his declaration that the snapper was a “beeeeautiful feeesh.”  Partially because of his sales job, I ordered the snapper, and when it arrived at our table, I could see exactly why the fish deserved that description.  The fish was really good, and thanks to his description, it was one of the first times I ever thought of food as more than just something to eat.

Earlier this week, when grocery shopping, The Civee and I decided to get some red snapper, a fish that I have very little experience preparing, but one that I was eager to get on the grill.

While looking for recipies, nothing stood out–either we didn’t have all the ingredients, or involved more than grilling the fish.  However, we were also having corn, and I remembered was one recipe that called for grilling the fish inside some corn husks.  So I jotted down the procedure for using the husks and developed my own recipe using ingredients we had on hand at home.

There was one major deviation from the in-husk procedure that would probably be frowned upon by any serious culinary types.  We didn’t have any rope with which to tie the husks, so I used the next best thing: a Swingline.  I stapled together the husks (with enough room away from the fish), and it actually worked pretty well.  And while I’m kicking myself for not taking a picture or two, the fish came out, as the waiter would say, “beautiful.”  And just as important, it tasted good too.

For the salsa:

  • Juice of  two limes
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 2 roasted red peppers (jarred is okay), cubed
  • -1/4 cup honey
  • 1 bunch parsley, chopped

Combine ingredients, mix and refrigerate.

For the fish:

  • Red snapper filets
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon pepper
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt
  • 1 shallot, finely sliced
  • Husks from ears of corn (1 ear per piece of fish)

Soak husks in cold water for at least 30 minutes.

Brush fish with oil (olive, canola, whatever you like).

Mix chili powder, pepper and salt and sprinkle over fish.  place sliced shallots on top of the fish.

Strain the husks.  Try to lay flat and place each piece of fish inside one (should be able to fit).  place another corn husk on top.  Tie (or staple) closed so each husk packet will hold the fish.

Grill over high heat, skin side down for 6 minutes.  Turn over and grill for another two.

Remove fish from husks (being careful of staples if you used this method), serve topped with the salsa.

Chili Davis 1, King Classic 0

I haven’t done one of these in a while, but I figured this would be a good one to share in light of tomorrow.

August 21, 1996
Angels 7, Yankees 1

August of ’96 was a hot, humid month in New Jersey.  My summer vacation (which I worked through) was nearing an end, and by this point,  my father (King Classic) , brother (t-shirt boy) and I watched every Yankees game, hoping that this year’s run in first place would surpass the previous summer’s wild card finish.

Even though the team slumped in August, our hopes were high.  We had been to a few games earlier that year (the last year before we got the Sunday ticket plan) and my father wanted to go to the last day game before I had to go back to school- a mid-Wednesday affair against the Angels (then from simply “California”).

There was a back to school promotion going on, with all kids 14 and under getting a Yankees pencil case (containing pencils, a ruler, pencil sharpener and a few other things).  Even though I was going into my second year of college and was much taller than your average 14-year-old, the gate attendants gave me a pencil case, which I had until a few years ago.

Unfortunately, aside from a Derek Jeter home run in the bottom of the first, the Yankees’ offense wasn’t able to make it to the Stadium that day.  Even though they managed 10 hits in six innings against Jason Dickson (making his first Major League start) and another three against relievers Mike Holtz and Troy Percival, they weren’t able to bring anyone else home.

Even though the game ended up being a Yankees loss, the highlight for the day wasn’t in Derek Jeter’s home run. Nor was it in the five runs the Angels tacked on in the top of the ninth.  Instead, in that first inning, as the Angels scored their first two runs, something happened that changed us (well, more accurately, King Classic) in a deep and profound way from that day forward.

Our tickets were in the left field stands.  We were a few sections to the left of the fair pole, with King Classic sitting in the aisle seat, me the third seat in and t-shirt boy in between us. In the first, with Jimmy Key pitching for the Yankees and Gary Disarcina on first, Chili Davis hit a long fly ball that was headed our way.  It cleared the outfield wall by about 20 feet and the rest of the stadium booed as he and Disarcina rounded the bases to score the Angels’ first two runs of the game.  The ball was still headed our way, and mostly everyone in the section was on their feet, trying to be in position to catch the ball.

No one caught it.  The ball hit the concrete, proceeds to ricochet off the concrete and hits the one person not standing up for the home run ball in the arm.

My father.

After being hit by the home run ball, King Classic uttered something along the lines as “what was that?” while t-shirt boy and I laughed at him.

Someone else got the ball, but t-shirt boy and I walked away with something that will keep us laughing.

Happy father’s day, King Classic.