So the Tigers are off to an MLB leading 36-18 start. It is a long time coming for this once proud franchise. This is slightly tempered by the fact that Mike Maroth is out for 3 months (at least) after having surgery to have bone chips removed from his elbow. This has caused a lot of panic on the Sports radio waves here in Detroit, wondering how we are going to survive and suggesting swinging a big trade for a pitcher such as Florida's Dontrelle Willis.
First, let's be real, Maroth is really only our 3rd-5th best pitcher, depending on the day. Without him, we still have 2 lefties in our rotation, which is more than most teams aside from the dreadful Royals. We also have Wil Ledezma in AAA, who is a lefty who started in the rotation last year. So let's not make it out like we are losing the best pitcher in baseball.
Now to the second point, those same radio shows have said that to get Willis (or somebody similar) we would likely have to part with rookie phenom Joel Zumaya, who is blowing hitters away in a setup role right now. (Obviously Justin Verlander is untouchable at this point) I argue that Zumaya should be untouchable too...and not just because he is a big part of our future...he is a huge part of our PRESENT. I'm all for making a move to bolster an already solid pitching staff, but not when it comes at the expense of our tremendously solid bullpen.
The final point of this relates to the first point, in that our biggest problem is not the need to replace a starting pitcher, it's to add a better bat to the lineup. The spots of LF and 3B should be the primary targets. Somebody left handed would be great too, but not very likely in the 3B column...although DH is a possibility. Craig Monroe, the current LF is decent, but would be better as a platoon player, replacement. Brandon Inge, the 3B, would be awesome as a super utility man. He could likely play OF, 2B, 3B and C. SS in a pinch wouldn't be a big stretch either. 1B would also be a possiblity. Basically he can play anywhere if necessary. By adding a solid bat to the lineup, you would shore up the lack of depth on the bench by moving Inge/Monroe to the bench, and add some great versatility to your lineup.
So far Dombrowski has been making a lot of great moves (many of them questioned by me when the happened...namely the Weaver trade, signing Kenny Rogers...). Let's hope he doesn't make a knee-jerk reaction to the Maroth injury and trade Zumaya away.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Kentucky Derby trip report
Thursday night – Poker night
Got on the road by about 530pm, for the drive to Louisville. The drive was pretty uneventful with me and Victory sharing the driving, with me starting and finishing. Doug made sure to sleep enough for the 2 of us. Got to the hotel at about 11:30, to check into the other 2 rooms. They gave me a room that Paul had already checked into, so that was a hassle getting keys to the right room. After that we left for the casino, where Paul was likely playing poker. I sat down at a 10/20 table with Doug, and lost about 100, until Sonny got there and we both sat down at a 2/5 no limit table.
Very early on I caught a huge hand, a player raised to $20, and I called with 77. Another player re-raised to $75, two players (including the original raiser) called, and I called to close the action. The flop was a beautiful 722, and I check-raised the original player all-in, winning about a $1200 pot. I flopped pretty good for the rest of the night, making about $860 when all was said and done. I also got quite a bit of booze in me in the short time we were there. Left the casino about 4:30am, since we had the Kentucky Oaks on Thursday. Sonny won about 850, Paul won about 200, and Doug lost 500 or so.
Friday (Oaks Day) - Sonny’s trip gets bad
We bought some scalped tickets so the 5 of us could sit together, though it took a little work to get Victory in our section. I decided I wanted to miss just about every race, despite picking several winners. The day culminated in the Oaks when I failed to bet on a 47-1 shot I liked a lot…who happened to win the race. Sonny had the trifecta for $1, but there was an inquiry and objection on the 3rd place finisher for bumping. After the objection was upheld, the 3rd place finisher was disqualified to 6th, and Sonny no longer had the trifecta, which paid about 12K (meaning he would have gotten half of it). Consider that bad beat #1 for Sonny.
When we were back at our car having a beer for the road, I mentioned something to Sonny about missing the race, and he proceeded to give me a NASCAR victory celebration with his beer (termed a Jimmie Johnson), spraying my head with Budweiser. This would become a theme for the night.
After the races we needed some food, so we went to the hotel buffet, which was the most terrible buffet ever, especially for $20. The choices were non-existent, and they didn’t even have somebody slicing the prime rib. The service was also horrible. Sonny and Doug were getting progressively more drunk, with Sonny being the worst. Sonny gave Doug 2 additional “Jimmie Johnson’s”, and Doug dumped his beer on Sonny in the restaurant. At that point, Paul, Victory and I left, and Doug and Sonny proceeded to dine and dash on their portion of the tab. Victory was pretty fed up with my friends at that point and wasn’t going to go out. I was tired, as well as annoyed with them, and realized that my best play was to stay in with my girl. Paul stayed in as well, and Doug and Sonny went out and got more drunk, apparently seeing some free concert in downtown Louisville, where they played a lot of Bon Jovi.
Saturday (Derby Day) - Sonny’s trip gets worse…much worse
Derby day started off with a bad beat, as the track doesn’t allow you to bring sunscreen or coolers inside, we were planning on buying both of those on the track. Unfortunately the place was sold out of both by 10am (nice planning). I bribed the beer people for a box (makeshift cooler) and some ice, and bribed someone else to get Victory some suntan lotion.
Derby day was awesome, not too hot, not too cool, and we got a nice spot on the far turn. Betting was difficult as they decided not to put the TV’s out near the betting windows like EVERY other Derby I’ve been to. This made it impossible to really see the odds on the horses I was betting. The lines were huge, and the tellers were the dumbest/slowest/worst that I had ever seen. I was losing, but a little more slowly then the Derby. Sonny started making out of control bets, with tickets that cost $1000+. After the Derby, in which me and Sonny hit a pick 4 (pick winners of 4 straight races) that paid about $1500, we just standing around bullshitting. At that point the track is starting to clear out, even though there are 2 more races. People are throwing footballs and Frisbees all around. All of us were within a few feet of each other talking when a football, thrown from at least 30 yards away, hits Sonny right in the back of the head. The ball just dropped straight to the ground after hitting him, as his head seemed to absorb most of the blow. Fortunately we had all had about 6-8 big beers at that point (except for Victory), so Sonny didn’t quite feel it.
After the Derby, we got cleaned up (not Doug and Paul…Doug decided he was afraid of the water outside of Michigan and went showerless for the trip). We went to Caesars Indiana for some more gambling and dinner. Sonny was in degenerate mode, and instead of eating went straight into the casino to either do some damage to himself or the casino. I was playing 2/5NL, Paul 10/20, Victory 2/4, and Doug was just drinking at the bar and then eventually went to sleep in the car. About 130am, Sonny came down drunk as hell and said “The casino took a bad beat.” That translated to Sonny being up about 8K. I told him to sit down at poker with me, but he disappeared after I told him Doug was in the car. I wrongly assumed he was at the car.
After my game broke up, I got in the 20/40 game, and started running it over. As I got my last beer at 230am at last call, Sonny came up and said “I think I’m about to get kicked out of here, are you ready to go?” I told him I would be ready after I finished the 2 beers in front of me. 5-10 minutes later his self fulfilling prophecy came true, as he came over with 3 members of the security team, telling me he had to leave. At this point I was pissed as he has gotten me kicked out of several casinos, and was tired of that ruining my fun, so I told them to get him a taxi. Their claim was that he threw a bottle at somebody. I knew he wouldn’t do that, but I’ve seen childish outbursts at the casino before and figured he knocked an empty off the table with a pseudo Karate chop (this he later confirmed). I thought that was the end of the story, so we decided to leave about 330am. I was up about 750, so poker was nice to me for the weekend.
Walking out of the casino, Sonny is walking towards us, with security again, but this time in handcuffs. Apparently after waiting with them for the cab, he refused to get in it. After some give and take with the security (who actually were cops), and him refusing their choices to get out of there, they arrested him. At that point, they wouldn’t release him to me, and gave me a phone number and address to the jail.
There is no official word on how Sonny finished for the night, but suffice it to say if he was throwing/hitting bottles around, it was not a good night.
Sunday morning – The culmination
I called the jail at 9am, and they told me he wouldn’t be released until 515pm. This put a crimp in all plans, as we were supposed to drop him off in Indianapolis for a 130pm flight. The cops wouldn’t let me drop his bag off either, so we were forced to leave his bag at the hotel front desk. To make a long story short, he finally got out of jail after a big struggle with the bail bondsmen, and has a court date set for trespassing and public intoxication (or something to that effect). I’m not sure how the court date will shake down since he lives in Vegas. Maybe we can somehow tie it in to next years Derby.
We got back into town at about 6pm. My end result for the trip was down about $500 or so…including all of the money I spent on admission, food, beer, etc….Thankfully Caesars was there, as I have won a decent amount of money every time I have played poker there….which is probably 5-6 times at least.
Got on the road by about 530pm, for the drive to Louisville. The drive was pretty uneventful with me and Victory sharing the driving, with me starting and finishing. Doug made sure to sleep enough for the 2 of us. Got to the hotel at about 11:30, to check into the other 2 rooms. They gave me a room that Paul had already checked into, so that was a hassle getting keys to the right room. After that we left for the casino, where Paul was likely playing poker. I sat down at a 10/20 table with Doug, and lost about 100, until Sonny got there and we both sat down at a 2/5 no limit table.
Very early on I caught a huge hand, a player raised to $20, and I called with 77. Another player re-raised to $75, two players (including the original raiser) called, and I called to close the action. The flop was a beautiful 722, and I check-raised the original player all-in, winning about a $1200 pot. I flopped pretty good for the rest of the night, making about $860 when all was said and done. I also got quite a bit of booze in me in the short time we were there. Left the casino about 4:30am, since we had the Kentucky Oaks on Thursday. Sonny won about 850, Paul won about 200, and Doug lost 500 or so.
Friday (Oaks Day) - Sonny’s trip gets bad
We bought some scalped tickets so the 5 of us could sit together, though it took a little work to get Victory in our section. I decided I wanted to miss just about every race, despite picking several winners. The day culminated in the Oaks when I failed to bet on a 47-1 shot I liked a lot…who happened to win the race. Sonny had the trifecta for $1, but there was an inquiry and objection on the 3rd place finisher for bumping. After the objection was upheld, the 3rd place finisher was disqualified to 6th, and Sonny no longer had the trifecta, which paid about 12K (meaning he would have gotten half of it). Consider that bad beat #1 for Sonny.
When we were back at our car having a beer for the road, I mentioned something to Sonny about missing the race, and he proceeded to give me a NASCAR victory celebration with his beer (termed a Jimmie Johnson), spraying my head with Budweiser. This would become a theme for the night.
After the races we needed some food, so we went to the hotel buffet, which was the most terrible buffet ever, especially for $20. The choices were non-existent, and they didn’t even have somebody slicing the prime rib. The service was also horrible. Sonny and Doug were getting progressively more drunk, with Sonny being the worst. Sonny gave Doug 2 additional “Jimmie Johnson’s”, and Doug dumped his beer on Sonny in the restaurant. At that point, Paul, Victory and I left, and Doug and Sonny proceeded to dine and dash on their portion of the tab. Victory was pretty fed up with my friends at that point and wasn’t going to go out. I was tired, as well as annoyed with them, and realized that my best play was to stay in with my girl. Paul stayed in as well, and Doug and Sonny went out and got more drunk, apparently seeing some free concert in downtown Louisville, where they played a lot of Bon Jovi.
Saturday (Derby Day) - Sonny’s trip gets worse…much worse
Derby day started off with a bad beat, as the track doesn’t allow you to bring sunscreen or coolers inside, we were planning on buying both of those on the track. Unfortunately the place was sold out of both by 10am (nice planning). I bribed the beer people for a box (makeshift cooler) and some ice, and bribed someone else to get Victory some suntan lotion.
Derby day was awesome, not too hot, not too cool, and we got a nice spot on the far turn. Betting was difficult as they decided not to put the TV’s out near the betting windows like EVERY other Derby I’ve been to. This made it impossible to really see the odds on the horses I was betting. The lines were huge, and the tellers were the dumbest/slowest/worst that I had ever seen. I was losing, but a little more slowly then the Derby. Sonny started making out of control bets, with tickets that cost $1000+. After the Derby, in which me and Sonny hit a pick 4 (pick winners of 4 straight races) that paid about $1500, we just standing around bullshitting. At that point the track is starting to clear out, even though there are 2 more races. People are throwing footballs and Frisbees all around. All of us were within a few feet of each other talking when a football, thrown from at least 30 yards away, hits Sonny right in the back of the head. The ball just dropped straight to the ground after hitting him, as his head seemed to absorb most of the blow. Fortunately we had all had about 6-8 big beers at that point (except for Victory), so Sonny didn’t quite feel it.
After the Derby, we got cleaned up (not Doug and Paul…Doug decided he was afraid of the water outside of Michigan and went showerless for the trip). We went to Caesars Indiana for some more gambling and dinner. Sonny was in degenerate mode, and instead of eating went straight into the casino to either do some damage to himself or the casino. I was playing 2/5NL, Paul 10/20, Victory 2/4, and Doug was just drinking at the bar and then eventually went to sleep in the car. About 130am, Sonny came down drunk as hell and said “The casino took a bad beat.” That translated to Sonny being up about 8K. I told him to sit down at poker with me, but he disappeared after I told him Doug was in the car. I wrongly assumed he was at the car.
After my game broke up, I got in the 20/40 game, and started running it over. As I got my last beer at 230am at last call, Sonny came up and said “I think I’m about to get kicked out of here, are you ready to go?” I told him I would be ready after I finished the 2 beers in front of me. 5-10 minutes later his self fulfilling prophecy came true, as he came over with 3 members of the security team, telling me he had to leave. At this point I was pissed as he has gotten me kicked out of several casinos, and was tired of that ruining my fun, so I told them to get him a taxi. Their claim was that he threw a bottle at somebody. I knew he wouldn’t do that, but I’ve seen childish outbursts at the casino before and figured he knocked an empty off the table with a pseudo Karate chop (this he later confirmed). I thought that was the end of the story, so we decided to leave about 330am. I was up about 750, so poker was nice to me for the weekend.
Walking out of the casino, Sonny is walking towards us, with security again, but this time in handcuffs. Apparently after waiting with them for the cab, he refused to get in it. After some give and take with the security (who actually were cops), and him refusing their choices to get out of there, they arrested him. At that point, they wouldn’t release him to me, and gave me a phone number and address to the jail.
There is no official word on how Sonny finished for the night, but suffice it to say if he was throwing/hitting bottles around, it was not a good night.
Sunday morning – The culmination
I called the jail at 9am, and they told me he wouldn’t be released until 515pm. This put a crimp in all plans, as we were supposed to drop him off in Indianapolis for a 130pm flight. The cops wouldn’t let me drop his bag off either, so we were forced to leave his bag at the hotel front desk. To make a long story short, he finally got out of jail after a big struggle with the bail bondsmen, and has a court date set for trespassing and public intoxication (or something to that effect). I’m not sure how the court date will shake down since he lives in Vegas. Maybe we can somehow tie it in to next years Derby.
We got back into town at about 6pm. My end result for the trip was down about $500 or so…including all of the money I spent on admission, food, beer, etc….Thankfully Caesars was there, as I have won a decent amount of money every time I have played poker there….which is probably 5-6 times at least.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Derby time!!!
Missed my Derby scratch goal, but that was mostly because I didn't have much desire to play. I did win some money on baseball and basketball since that time, so I'm feeling comfortable for the Derby.
Should be a great time, can hardly wait.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
My new spam filter
This topic could probably go under my "General Annoyances" entry, but since it's something I will likely have to deal with every day (except Sunday and holidays) for the rest of my life in the US, I thought it deserved it's very own entry.
If I had a spam filter on my physical mailbox at my house, I would likely have 3 extra minutes of time every day. It's beyond ridiculous all of the crap that I get. If I accepted all of the offers I get, I would likely have 150 Capital One credit cards, I would have refinanced my house 124 times since I bought it (almost 2 years ago), and I would have 10 different lawn services working in my yard.
It's definitely at the point where that mail is almost completely worthless to me. Aside from the occasional magazine I get to which I subscribe or get for free, I have no need for it anymore. Invariably, nearly everything I get is immediately thrown in the trash, most of it without even reading it....bills, take care of them all online....checks, direct deposit....letters, get them on e-mail...nothing else worthwile. The only thing that I can think of that I don't get online is a water bill, which of course is a 3x5 index card which I never seem to get anyway as it's probably stuck in the Gardner White mailer that I receive 3 times a week. I honestly can't recall paying a water bill in a long time. It sure isn't because I quit using water.
Oh well, there is no good close to this topic, so that's it.
If I had a spam filter on my physical mailbox at my house, I would likely have 3 extra minutes of time every day. It's beyond ridiculous all of the crap that I get. If I accepted all of the offers I get, I would likely have 150 Capital One credit cards, I would have refinanced my house 124 times since I bought it (almost 2 years ago), and I would have 10 different lawn services working in my yard.
It's definitely at the point where that mail is almost completely worthless to me. Aside from the occasional magazine I get to which I subscribe or get for free, I have no need for it anymore. Invariably, nearly everything I get is immediately thrown in the trash, most of it without even reading it....bills, take care of them all online....checks, direct deposit....letters, get them on e-mail...nothing else worthwile. The only thing that I can think of that I don't get online is a water bill, which of course is a 3x5 index card which I never seem to get anyway as it's probably stuck in the Gardner White mailer that I receive 3 times a week. I honestly can't recall paying a water bill in a long time. It sure isn't because I quit using water.
Oh well, there is no good close to this topic, so that's it.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
I need some Derby scratch...
Since the Super Bowl, I've been running bad, betting bad, etc.... Through some frivilous spending and poor budgeting, I've allowed my bankroll to slip to the lowest point it's been in over a year.
So basically, I need to build up some money. The first step is to win/earn some spending/gambling money for the Kentucky Derby in less than 2 weeks. To do that, I've decided to go back to my bread and butter, and exclusively play the $200 SNG's on Partypoker. I also decided to give the regular SNG's a shot, foregoing the faster and more frantic Turbo version of the SNG's. I realize that I may be sacrificing my hourly rate by doing this, but I also think I will be able to decrease my variance and improve my ROI (return on investment). I haven't played any SNG's for a few weeks (aside from a few cheapies with the girl on her account), so I feel re-invigorated.
Before I started last night, I had an abstract goal of 2K in earnings by the Derby. Assuming a conservative 10% ROI, this would require playing 93 SNG's. Possible, but not likely, especially being the non-speed variety. So I guess I just have to run good.
I played about a 2 hour session last night, keeping 3 SNG's open at a time. The first one I made a miscalculation and moved in with Ah9h on a 6 high flop. Too bad my opponent had 99 and eliminated me in 7th. I won the next 2 that I finished, then grabbed a 2nd, finished 7th when my KK ran into AA and grabbed third (losing with AA to 99 all-in preflop). All told I played 6 SNG's with 2-1st, 1-2nd and 1-3rd for a nice $1700+ profit.
Generally I will get more than 6 of them finished in 2 hours, but I tried to keep extremely focused, and only kept 3 of them open.
Hopefully I can build on this result in the next few days and go on a major heater. I will be happy just meeting my goal, but after nearly getting there in 1 day, it will be a disappointment to not build on it further.
Friday, April 14, 2006
The honeymoon is over
A few weeks after the "Boston Lobster Feast" crab leg fiasco, I decided to roll the dice and have some crab legs along with my steak at "Outback Steakhouse". As the title indicates, the honeymoon is definitely over, and me and crab legs will be taking an extended break from one another. Within 4 hours of eating them, I had severe stomach issues. Part of it was our last week of basketball, with the gym very hot due to the warm weather and the fact that it's an elementary school gym, but I would say the crab legs were the straw that broke the camel's back.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
General annoyances
I've been kicking around starting a bitching blog, about certain things that just annoy the piss out of me. This list will constantly be added to as more things come to my mind. After a month or two, I should have a pretty good list, and realize that I probably shouldn't socialize with people.
- Traffic lights that are out - 4 way stop signs aren't that complicated, and people handle them with ease every day in residential neigborhoods. So what is it about the 4-way stop being on a main road that causes all hell to break loose
- Construction - I realize that living in Michigan makes it a living hell every Summer, but is every project an 8 month long fiasco? The construction is made worse by the assholes that ride in the left lane all the way down to where it narrows. This is a civilized society, chances are you are less important than me so wait your god-damned turn. They should make a Budweiser Real Men of Genius commercial for the guy that plays sheriff with his large truck/SUV and blocks the 2 lanes of traffic to stop these dildo's from cutting in line.
- Customer Service - Customer service in retail outlets continue to go downhill as people get more and more lazy. I am a very easy person to speak to in a store, generally when I go there, I know what I want, how I want it, what I'm going to pay, etc....in essence I do my homework before I get there. All that I require is a brief acknowledgement of me being in the store, and perhaps the associate pointing me in the right direction. What I don't need is you sitting on your fat ass behind the counter, chatting away with your co-workers pretending I'm not even there.
- People who park 2/3 or more shaded to one side of the line, forcing me to either match their parking job, or risk having all of the paint removed from either my driver or passenger side door. Is parking really that difficult that you can't park straight???? Trust me, you aren't that important that you can't take an extra 30 seconds and straighten your shit out.
- People who "must" back their cars into their parking spot. This usually happens at work, and invariably, they are the ones who can't park straight in the first place.
- Restaurants that insist on having their employees sing some stupid Happy Birthday song to a middle aged person. You can tell the dishwasher in the back who is just mouthing the words doesn't want to be there. You can also tell that the annoyingly perky waitress in the front loves this part of her job as well. (This annoyance is not as valid when dealing with a child's birthday.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Orlando Trip Report
Wednesday
Flight was supposed to leave at 7:45pm, out of the Northwest terminal. Got to the airport early, and decided to have a few drinks at a bar I don’t remember. We go to the gate to board at 7:15ish, and they say the plane is having a problem with the “Reverse thruster” and we will have to wait another hour before they decide what to do. This is worse than an hour delay, as this is an hour and then decide. I wondered what the significance of the reverse thruster was, as we were likely to be flying forward the entire way. Apparently it is a big problem as they determined we would be taking off from a different gate at 9:00pm. We went back to the bar and played two small games of poker. Since none of us had chips, sugar packets had to suffice. Out of the 2 games we played, I won 1 and finished 2nd out of the 3 of us in the other. Profit of $5!!!
On the flight I sat in the middle, it was miserable trying to get my armrest position comfortable, and was a very long 2.5 hours. After waiting to get our bags, and car, we finally got out of the airport. By the time we checked into our condo, it was 1:30am. Too late to go to the bar. Fortunately we picked up beer and played some poker with far more important stakes. With a 3 bedroom condo and 4 of us, 2 people would have to share a room. Since Jim wasn’t coming in til Thursday, he lost by default. The winner would get the big bedroom with a double bed, it’s own bathroom and a TV. We dispatched Greg and Dan and I went headsup. I managed to survive him hitting trips on me twice, and I caught him on a bad bluff when I had trips, and managed to win around 4am. (Golf tees were used for chips) It was time for bed and a 9am tee time.
Thursday
Damn that alarm went off quick. Pretty warm day, 70-75ish, but overcast. The finger I hurt in flag football was somewhat painful, but didn’t affect my game. I played god awful and shot 89. Greg birdied the first hole but that was among his lone highlights. Dan struggled mightily if I remember. The course was Forest Lake (I believe). Tale of two different 9’s…front 9 was links style, back 9 was cut out of the forest. I putted absolutely horrendous (a recurring theme throughout the trip).
After golf we played some tennis. First I played Greg, and since it was only my second time playing this year (and in the last 4 years for that matter) it started ugly, as I went down 2-0. I came back and won that set 6-2. Then I played Dan and waxed him 6-0. After Dan and Greg played, me and Dan played again, and it was a game of runs, I was down 1-0, up 4-1, down 5-4, then won 7-5. At that point we were pretty exhausted and decided to take a nap. I couldn’t really sleep as I was enthralled in “Titanic”, so I was tired when we got ready to go eat and drink.
Dinner was at Longhorn Steakhouse. Got a tasty filet and then it was off to the festivities. We went to Rachel’s, a strip club / bar near the airport. We went there 2 years ago but I didn’t remember much of it. Apparently Orlando is notorius for having terrible titty bars though. The girls were very attractive, but the law requires them to cover their nipples, so they wear tan round band aids over them. How I failed to notice this 2 years ago is beyond me. Other than the band aids their boobs just hang out like any other titty bar. So what is the point of the band aid???? Must be conservative bible thumping law making at it’s finest. Jim got in and we picked him up at the airport and it was back to the titty bar. Stayed til close to 2am, then went back to the condo. Also watched the basketball…amazing comeback by UCLA against Gonzaga.
Friday
Damn that alarm went off quick for another 9am tee time. It was incredibly windy, and a little cooler, probably only 65 or so. Played Stoneybrook, in the middle of a housing development. My putting was again dismal, as was the rest of my game, and I struggled to an 85. I did get my first birdie of the trip, rolling in a long putt on a par 3. Everyone else struggled again on the course, could have been the booze, etc…. On the 2nd hole Jim couldn’t find his sand wedge. He started blaming Northwest, etc….it turns out the group behind us found it on the first tee. I remembered after the fact him chipping around the tee with it while we were waiting, and I even commented on him “chili-dipping” a chip. He had no recollection of this.
After golf, went back and played some doubles. It was me and Jim against Dan and Greg. Jim and I won in 2 pretty close sets, and it was quite a few laughs.
After attempting a short nap, it was off to eat. We all craved seafood, so we first went to Joe’s Crab Shack, longer than an hour wait…next we went to Captain Nemo’s all you can eat buffet, smelled shady and had quite a wait, so we tried a place called Boston Lobster Feast, for a seafood buffet. As far as seafood, I only eat Crab legs, and occasionally lobster, so that’s what I focused on. For $32 you can be sure I was going to get my money’s worth. The food was ok, but a little nauseating having to clean the lobster yourself…fortunately the waitress did mine. After what seemed like a dozen trips to the buffet, we were finally full (and they were shutting down the buffet). After that we went to Universal Studios City Walk, a big group of bars/clubs/etc….first stop was Pat O’Briens…by this point Greg and I were both having major intestinal issues, and in a race to the bathroom he beat me to the only stall. Waiting for him I nearly sharted myself, and finally was able to relieve the pressure. While at the bar, all 4 of us had to visit the restroom multiple times. Needless to say, Boston Lobster Feast would not be a repeat destination. Watched the end of the basketball at Pat O’Briens and in the courtyard, then went to dance club that was a sausage fest, then went to a Cigar/Martini bar, and bought some cigars for the course and home. Following that it was to Margaritaville to close out the night. Pretty good times aside from the crappy seafood.
Saturday
Again the alarm came fast for our 9am tee time. It was chilly and windy, and I was the only one in the group smart enough to wear pants. The course was the worst and easiest of the bunch, I shot 79, with 1 birdie. Everybody played better, but I think it had a lot to do with the course. I did 3 putt a par 5 I hit in 2, and then 4 putt a par 3 that I hit in regulation….all on back to back holes. Jim lost his camera on the course, although based on his incident yesterday, we weren’t sure whether to believe him or not. It still hasn’t turned up, and somebody at the course likely gained a camera. I think Jim is losing his mind, or early Alzheimers is setting in.
After that we went on a snipe hunt trying to find a Sonic Burger joint, or any other place that we can’t get at home (as I generally do with Jack in the Box any time I go out west). The trip was fruitless, so we went to Steak and Shake. Went back to the condo and took a nap through the Texas/Louisville game. For dinner we played it safe and hit Hooters. After Hooters we went to the Boardwalk (lame) where we were accosted by girls on a Bachelorette party. Jim got conned into giving the chick a $1 to suck some beads on her neck. Unfortunately for us, it was all he could talk/think about the rest of the night. We went to House of Blues next at Pleasure Island, and listened to a blues band headed by a 15 year old kid. Incredible guitarist, and pretty good voice too. He tried to sing/portray body language with a little too much soul, but in time he’ll learn substance over style. I was a mess that night as I was dead tired, so I just kinda sat there and watched.
Sunday
Last day of our trip, we moved our tee time back to 11:40, giving us a few more hours of sleep. Packed our stuff in the car and left early for breakfast. I had been craving Waffle House, but they were packed….2 Waffle Houses and 1 IHOP later, we were eating Shoney’s….a real downer to Waffle House.
The course was Shingle Creek, on a resort and conference center which hadn’t opened yet. Very nice course and area. I played terrible, and lost interest on quite a few holes, shooting 89 with 2 birdies. But they did have some pretty good Bloody Mary’s.
For the trip my putting was awful, and the rest of my game wasn’t much better. It was my worst stretch of golf in years, bar none.
After the golf, we got to the airport, ran into Chris Collinsworth, but didn’t get a picture, just said hello. We were welcomed to the airport with a 1.5 hour delay…..perfect, just what I wanted, to get in at 1:30am and have to work at 8am. Jim decided to get a Fantasy baseball magazine, and proceeded to buy a Sports Illustrated. He started reading it and exclaimed “Why is everything in Spanish???” It turns out he bought an SI Latino. The flight was pleasant though, as we got an exit row. I sat in the aisle and had the seat in the middle empty, so I sprawled.
As a wonderful side note to the weekend, I left my car in the street at Dan’s house, and his paper delivery woman backed into it, scratching the back bumper and misshaping it slightly. You know how those Envoy’s like to hide in a blind spot.
Flight was supposed to leave at 7:45pm, out of the Northwest terminal. Got to the airport early, and decided to have a few drinks at a bar I don’t remember. We go to the gate to board at 7:15ish, and they say the plane is having a problem with the “Reverse thruster” and we will have to wait another hour before they decide what to do. This is worse than an hour delay, as this is an hour and then decide. I wondered what the significance of the reverse thruster was, as we were likely to be flying forward the entire way. Apparently it is a big problem as they determined we would be taking off from a different gate at 9:00pm. We went back to the bar and played two small games of poker. Since none of us had chips, sugar packets had to suffice. Out of the 2 games we played, I won 1 and finished 2nd out of the 3 of us in the other. Profit of $5!!!
On the flight I sat in the middle, it was miserable trying to get my armrest position comfortable, and was a very long 2.5 hours. After waiting to get our bags, and car, we finally got out of the airport. By the time we checked into our condo, it was 1:30am. Too late to go to the bar. Fortunately we picked up beer and played some poker with far more important stakes. With a 3 bedroom condo and 4 of us, 2 people would have to share a room. Since Jim wasn’t coming in til Thursday, he lost by default. The winner would get the big bedroom with a double bed, it’s own bathroom and a TV. We dispatched Greg and Dan and I went headsup. I managed to survive him hitting trips on me twice, and I caught him on a bad bluff when I had trips, and managed to win around 4am. (Golf tees were used for chips) It was time for bed and a 9am tee time.
Thursday
Damn that alarm went off quick. Pretty warm day, 70-75ish, but overcast. The finger I hurt in flag football was somewhat painful, but didn’t affect my game. I played god awful and shot 89. Greg birdied the first hole but that was among his lone highlights. Dan struggled mightily if I remember. The course was Forest Lake (I believe). Tale of two different 9’s…front 9 was links style, back 9 was cut out of the forest. I putted absolutely horrendous (a recurring theme throughout the trip).
After golf we played some tennis. First I played Greg, and since it was only my second time playing this year (and in the last 4 years for that matter) it started ugly, as I went down 2-0. I came back and won that set 6-2. Then I played Dan and waxed him 6-0. After Dan and Greg played, me and Dan played again, and it was a game of runs, I was down 1-0, up 4-1, down 5-4, then won 7-5. At that point we were pretty exhausted and decided to take a nap. I couldn’t really sleep as I was enthralled in “Titanic”, so I was tired when we got ready to go eat and drink.
Dinner was at Longhorn Steakhouse. Got a tasty filet and then it was off to the festivities. We went to Rachel’s, a strip club / bar near the airport. We went there 2 years ago but I didn’t remember much of it. Apparently Orlando is notorius for having terrible titty bars though. The girls were very attractive, but the law requires them to cover their nipples, so they wear tan round band aids over them. How I failed to notice this 2 years ago is beyond me. Other than the band aids their boobs just hang out like any other titty bar. So what is the point of the band aid???? Must be conservative bible thumping law making at it’s finest. Jim got in and we picked him up at the airport and it was back to the titty bar. Stayed til close to 2am, then went back to the condo. Also watched the basketball…amazing comeback by UCLA against Gonzaga.
Friday
Damn that alarm went off quick for another 9am tee time. It was incredibly windy, and a little cooler, probably only 65 or so. Played Stoneybrook, in the middle of a housing development. My putting was again dismal, as was the rest of my game, and I struggled to an 85. I did get my first birdie of the trip, rolling in a long putt on a par 3. Everyone else struggled again on the course, could have been the booze, etc…. On the 2nd hole Jim couldn’t find his sand wedge. He started blaming Northwest, etc….it turns out the group behind us found it on the first tee. I remembered after the fact him chipping around the tee with it while we were waiting, and I even commented on him “chili-dipping” a chip. He had no recollection of this.
After golf, went back and played some doubles. It was me and Jim against Dan and Greg. Jim and I won in 2 pretty close sets, and it was quite a few laughs.
After attempting a short nap, it was off to eat. We all craved seafood, so we first went to Joe’s Crab Shack, longer than an hour wait…next we went to Captain Nemo’s all you can eat buffet, smelled shady and had quite a wait, so we tried a place called Boston Lobster Feast, for a seafood buffet. As far as seafood, I only eat Crab legs, and occasionally lobster, so that’s what I focused on. For $32 you can be sure I was going to get my money’s worth. The food was ok, but a little nauseating having to clean the lobster yourself…fortunately the waitress did mine. After what seemed like a dozen trips to the buffet, we were finally full (and they were shutting down the buffet). After that we went to Universal Studios City Walk, a big group of bars/clubs/etc….first stop was Pat O’Briens…by this point Greg and I were both having major intestinal issues, and in a race to the bathroom he beat me to the only stall. Waiting for him I nearly sharted myself, and finally was able to relieve the pressure. While at the bar, all 4 of us had to visit the restroom multiple times. Needless to say, Boston Lobster Feast would not be a repeat destination. Watched the end of the basketball at Pat O’Briens and in the courtyard, then went to dance club that was a sausage fest, then went to a Cigar/Martini bar, and bought some cigars for the course and home. Following that it was to Margaritaville to close out the night. Pretty good times aside from the crappy seafood.
Saturday
Again the alarm came fast for our 9am tee time. It was chilly and windy, and I was the only one in the group smart enough to wear pants. The course was the worst and easiest of the bunch, I shot 79, with 1 birdie. Everybody played better, but I think it had a lot to do with the course. I did 3 putt a par 5 I hit in 2, and then 4 putt a par 3 that I hit in regulation….all on back to back holes. Jim lost his camera on the course, although based on his incident yesterday, we weren’t sure whether to believe him or not. It still hasn’t turned up, and somebody at the course likely gained a camera. I think Jim is losing his mind, or early Alzheimers is setting in.
After that we went on a snipe hunt trying to find a Sonic Burger joint, or any other place that we can’t get at home (as I generally do with Jack in the Box any time I go out west). The trip was fruitless, so we went to Steak and Shake. Went back to the condo and took a nap through the Texas/Louisville game. For dinner we played it safe and hit Hooters. After Hooters we went to the Boardwalk (lame) where we were accosted by girls on a Bachelorette party. Jim got conned into giving the chick a $1 to suck some beads on her neck. Unfortunately for us, it was all he could talk/think about the rest of the night. We went to House of Blues next at Pleasure Island, and listened to a blues band headed by a 15 year old kid. Incredible guitarist, and pretty good voice too. He tried to sing/portray body language with a little too much soul, but in time he’ll learn substance over style. I was a mess that night as I was dead tired, so I just kinda sat there and watched.
Sunday
Last day of our trip, we moved our tee time back to 11:40, giving us a few more hours of sleep. Packed our stuff in the car and left early for breakfast. I had been craving Waffle House, but they were packed….2 Waffle Houses and 1 IHOP later, we were eating Shoney’s….a real downer to Waffle House.
The course was Shingle Creek, on a resort and conference center which hadn’t opened yet. Very nice course and area. I played terrible, and lost interest on quite a few holes, shooting 89 with 2 birdies. But they did have some pretty good Bloody Mary’s.
For the trip my putting was awful, and the rest of my game wasn’t much better. It was my worst stretch of golf in years, bar none.
After the golf, we got to the airport, ran into Chris Collinsworth, but didn’t get a picture, just said hello. We were welcomed to the airport with a 1.5 hour delay…..perfect, just what I wanted, to get in at 1:30am and have to work at 8am. Jim decided to get a Fantasy baseball magazine, and proceeded to buy a Sports Illustrated. He started reading it and exclaimed “Why is everything in Spanish???” It turns out he bought an SI Latino. The flight was pleasant though, as we got an exit row. I sat in the aisle and had the seat in the middle empty, so I sprawled.
As a wonderful side note to the weekend, I left my car in the street at Dan’s house, and his paper delivery woman backed into it, scratching the back bumper and misshaping it slightly. You know how those Envoy’s like to hide in a blind spot.
Fantasy Baseball Draft #1
Last night I had my fantasy baseball draft. We use fantasy points scoring as opposed to roto, with 12 teams and weekly scoring. My plan was to avoid overpaying for closers, as that has happened in the past. I also intended to focus on hitters this season, as I thought the pitching crop was very deep and even. The only closer I was targeting was Chris Ray, as I think he is going to have a very nice season for a later pick. I had the 2nd overall pick in the draft.
Below are my picks, and my thought process:
1st: Albert Pujols – 1B: I actually had Texiera ranked slightly higher, but think Pujols is the far safer pick. His production has been unmatched since his rookie season. The key is to get somebody in this round to get guaranteed numbers.
2nd: Michael Young – SS: I like to have strength up the middle, and have Young as my top rated SS. I also have him 5th overall on my draft board.
3rd: Chone Figgins – 3B, 2B, OF: I wasn’t very big on him last year, but he was my highest rated 3B left, and his positional versatility is huge. Getting him gives me a lot of flexibility later on.
4th: Rich Harden – SP: He was the pitcher I was targeting all along. As long as he stays healthy, I have him pegged for a breakout season.
5th: Victor Martinez – C: Anyone who has played with me knows I love to have a great catcher, and I got the best by far here. This guy is only going to get better, is in a potent lineup in a great ballpark. I had him 8th overall on my draft board.
6th: Brad Wilkerson – OF: This was the first of my picks that I didn’t really feel great about. I needed to get some OF’s, and he was my top rated one left. He had a bad season last year, but was injured and playing in the cavernous ballpark in Washington. This season he moves to the bandbox in Arlington, and I think he returns to his 25+ HR numbers.
7th: Matt Holliday – OF: Might have been a reach here, but I liked him a lot. I think he has the potential to make a big jump from last years nice numbers, and like the Colorado ballpark factor. Since I don’t have any stud OF’s, I wanted to try to get some guys with upside to make up the gap.
8th: Noah Lowry – SP: This guy was lights out last season, and is very underrated. With Bonds back, his win numbers may make a big jump if he pitches like he did last season.
9th: Rickie Weeks – 2B: Another very young player with a very high ceiling. Played great in limited duty last season. 2nd base is a very thin position, and even with Figgins versatility, I thought it would be important to jump on him here. My alternatives were another pitcher or outfielder, but nobody was really jumping off the page.
10th: Jason Isringhausen – RP: So much for not grabbing any closers. His value here was great. This guy is the unquestioned guy in STL, and gets a lot of save opportunities. Generally only works 1 inning tops, so is not asked to do too much. I was actually surprised looking at his numbers at how consistently good he really is. I was targeting Coco Crisp with this pick, and he went 3 before me.
11th: Troy Glaus – 3B: I think he’s a season ending injury waiting to happen, but couldn’t believe he was still here, after guys like Rolen, Beltre, Ensberg and Blalock were taken (I had Glaus as my 5th 3B, ahead of all of the guys mentioned). Getting him allows me to DH him, or play him at 3B and let Figgins play OF or 2B.
12th: Doug Davis – SP: I needed to grab some more pitching, and he was my 15th rated SP. Gets a lot of K’s, and plays on a team that many feel are up and coming, which should help his win total.
13th: Chris Ray – RP: The closer I was targeting the whole time. I didn’t think I could afford to wait another 20+ picks. The guy has nasty stuff, and his progression looks very similar to BJ Ryan last year.
14th: Geoff Jenkins – OF: Needed another OF, and he was my highest rated. Won’t put up huge numbers, but is very consistent and you can likely pencil him in for 25HR and 85 RBI’s.
15th: Austin Kearns – OF: Here’s upside. The guy has had huge injury problems and could be a complete bust, but that’s what the 15th round is for. I’m basing a lot of this pick on Cincy trading Sean Casey and Wily Mo Pena in the offseason, meaning that they are clearing a spot for Kearns full time. Some could argue that trusting an organization as inept as Cincy is a recipe for disaster, and I can’t argue it.
16th: Jon Lieber – SP: Don’t particularly like him, and he plays in a bad ballpark for pitchers. But the guy is an innings eater, and will get some wins. He’ll give up a lot of hits too. He’s a guy that I am counting on for my 4th SP, basically a spot starter. I was thinking about taking Foulke but he went 1 pick before me.
17th: Jose Guillen – OF: This guy won’t be good for clubhouse morale, but when he is right, man can he hit. Plays in a bad ballpark, otherwise he might be picked 5 rounds earlier. He seems over his wrist injury, and I’m hoping he can be a starter in weeks where his team is on the road. There is also the potential of Washington trading him at the midseason point to a team in need of hitting.
18th: Brad Penny – SP: Panicked with this pick, as I wasn’t really prepared for it as the picks went really fast right before it. I decided my pitching was my weakest spot so I grabbed another starter in Penny. If he’s healthy, he is very solid. Plays in a pitcher friendly ballpark.
19th: Mike Gonzalez – RP: 19th round and still an unquestioned closer?? Pitt has gotten a lot save opportunities in the past few years (how else could Mesa put the save numbers up that he did??). Gonzalez did well in this capacity last year, and I think 30 saves is very possible here.
20th: Brad Radke – SP: Don’t really like it, as he is on the downside of his career. But again I thought SP needed some work, so I grabbed him. The nice part is that he is a #2 or 3 pitcher there, so he won’t be going up against aces all the time. A bounceback year makes this a great pick. Otherwise he’s a spot starter at best. Fortunately that’s all I need from him.
21st: Jeff Francis – SP: Yuck. Can’t believe I took a Colorado SP. He has been decent in Colorado as well as on the road. Merely a spot starter at this point.
22nd: Wily Mo Pena – OF: In a platoon situation still, but man can he hit HR. Should love the Monster in LF, and if he can beat Trot Nixon out, he is in a potent lineup. Strictly bench material at first.
23rd: Chad Orvella – RP: Another closer??? WTF??? At this point the pitchers are garbage, so I figured getting another potential closer was a coup here. If he does get the closer job, it’s a great pick, otherwise it’s waiver wire fodder.
24th: Paul Byrd – SP: Never liked him, but he’s the #3 starter on an improving team. Showed some life last season, so it seemed worth a shot. Don’t be surprised to see him on the waiver wire shortly.
25th: Jason Vargas – SP: Tough to find anything in the scrap heap of pitchers now. This guy does get some strikeouts and is pure upside. If the Marlins somehow surprise everyone, this guy could have a nice season.
26th: Craig Wilson – OF: 2nd to last pick of the draft, and a pretty nice one. Adds to the OF depth.
Overall very happy with the draft, stayed with my plan of focusing on hitting, and have some question marks at pitcher. But I have a nice mix of innings eaters and guys with upside for the back end of the pitching staff. I think this team will be top 3 in the regular season.
Below are my picks, and my thought process:
1st: Albert Pujols – 1B: I actually had Texiera ranked slightly higher, but think Pujols is the far safer pick. His production has been unmatched since his rookie season. The key is to get somebody in this round to get guaranteed numbers.
2nd: Michael Young – SS: I like to have strength up the middle, and have Young as my top rated SS. I also have him 5th overall on my draft board.
3rd: Chone Figgins – 3B, 2B, OF: I wasn’t very big on him last year, but he was my highest rated 3B left, and his positional versatility is huge. Getting him gives me a lot of flexibility later on.
4th: Rich Harden – SP: He was the pitcher I was targeting all along. As long as he stays healthy, I have him pegged for a breakout season.
5th: Victor Martinez – C: Anyone who has played with me knows I love to have a great catcher, and I got the best by far here. This guy is only going to get better, is in a potent lineup in a great ballpark. I had him 8th overall on my draft board.
6th: Brad Wilkerson – OF: This was the first of my picks that I didn’t really feel great about. I needed to get some OF’s, and he was my top rated one left. He had a bad season last year, but was injured and playing in the cavernous ballpark in Washington. This season he moves to the bandbox in Arlington, and I think he returns to his 25+ HR numbers.
7th: Matt Holliday – OF: Might have been a reach here, but I liked him a lot. I think he has the potential to make a big jump from last years nice numbers, and like the Colorado ballpark factor. Since I don’t have any stud OF’s, I wanted to try to get some guys with upside to make up the gap.
8th: Noah Lowry – SP: This guy was lights out last season, and is very underrated. With Bonds back, his win numbers may make a big jump if he pitches like he did last season.
9th: Rickie Weeks – 2B: Another very young player with a very high ceiling. Played great in limited duty last season. 2nd base is a very thin position, and even with Figgins versatility, I thought it would be important to jump on him here. My alternatives were another pitcher or outfielder, but nobody was really jumping off the page.
10th: Jason Isringhausen – RP: So much for not grabbing any closers. His value here was great. This guy is the unquestioned guy in STL, and gets a lot of save opportunities. Generally only works 1 inning tops, so is not asked to do too much. I was actually surprised looking at his numbers at how consistently good he really is. I was targeting Coco Crisp with this pick, and he went 3 before me.
11th: Troy Glaus – 3B: I think he’s a season ending injury waiting to happen, but couldn’t believe he was still here, after guys like Rolen, Beltre, Ensberg and Blalock were taken (I had Glaus as my 5th 3B, ahead of all of the guys mentioned). Getting him allows me to DH him, or play him at 3B and let Figgins play OF or 2B.
12th: Doug Davis – SP: I needed to grab some more pitching, and he was my 15th rated SP. Gets a lot of K’s, and plays on a team that many feel are up and coming, which should help his win total.
13th: Chris Ray – RP: The closer I was targeting the whole time. I didn’t think I could afford to wait another 20+ picks. The guy has nasty stuff, and his progression looks very similar to BJ Ryan last year.
14th: Geoff Jenkins – OF: Needed another OF, and he was my highest rated. Won’t put up huge numbers, but is very consistent and you can likely pencil him in for 25HR and 85 RBI’s.
15th: Austin Kearns – OF: Here’s upside. The guy has had huge injury problems and could be a complete bust, but that’s what the 15th round is for. I’m basing a lot of this pick on Cincy trading Sean Casey and Wily Mo Pena in the offseason, meaning that they are clearing a spot for Kearns full time. Some could argue that trusting an organization as inept as Cincy is a recipe for disaster, and I can’t argue it.
16th: Jon Lieber – SP: Don’t particularly like him, and he plays in a bad ballpark for pitchers. But the guy is an innings eater, and will get some wins. He’ll give up a lot of hits too. He’s a guy that I am counting on for my 4th SP, basically a spot starter. I was thinking about taking Foulke but he went 1 pick before me.
17th: Jose Guillen – OF: This guy won’t be good for clubhouse morale, but when he is right, man can he hit. Plays in a bad ballpark, otherwise he might be picked 5 rounds earlier. He seems over his wrist injury, and I’m hoping he can be a starter in weeks where his team is on the road. There is also the potential of Washington trading him at the midseason point to a team in need of hitting.
18th: Brad Penny – SP: Panicked with this pick, as I wasn’t really prepared for it as the picks went really fast right before it. I decided my pitching was my weakest spot so I grabbed another starter in Penny. If he’s healthy, he is very solid. Plays in a pitcher friendly ballpark.
19th: Mike Gonzalez – RP: 19th round and still an unquestioned closer?? Pitt has gotten a lot save opportunities in the past few years (how else could Mesa put the save numbers up that he did??). Gonzalez did well in this capacity last year, and I think 30 saves is very possible here.
20th: Brad Radke – SP: Don’t really like it, as he is on the downside of his career. But again I thought SP needed some work, so I grabbed him. The nice part is that he is a #2 or 3 pitcher there, so he won’t be going up against aces all the time. A bounceback year makes this a great pick. Otherwise he’s a spot starter at best. Fortunately that’s all I need from him.
21st: Jeff Francis – SP: Yuck. Can’t believe I took a Colorado SP. He has been decent in Colorado as well as on the road. Merely a spot starter at this point.
22nd: Wily Mo Pena – OF: In a platoon situation still, but man can he hit HR. Should love the Monster in LF, and if he can beat Trot Nixon out, he is in a potent lineup. Strictly bench material at first.
23rd: Chad Orvella – RP: Another closer??? WTF??? At this point the pitchers are garbage, so I figured getting another potential closer was a coup here. If he does get the closer job, it’s a great pick, otherwise it’s waiver wire fodder.
24th: Paul Byrd – SP: Never liked him, but he’s the #3 starter on an improving team. Showed some life last season, so it seemed worth a shot. Don’t be surprised to see him on the waiver wire shortly.
25th: Jason Vargas – SP: Tough to find anything in the scrap heap of pitchers now. This guy does get some strikeouts and is pure upside. If the Marlins somehow surprise everyone, this guy could have a nice season.
26th: Craig Wilson – OF: 2nd to last pick of the draft, and a pretty nice one. Adds to the OF depth.
Overall very happy with the draft, stayed with my plan of focusing on hitting, and have some question marks at pitcher. But I have a nice mix of innings eaters and guys with upside for the back end of the pitching staff. I think this team will be top 3 in the regular season.
Monday, March 27, 2006
No deal!
Was flipping through the channels tonight and stumbled upon the "hit" show "Deal or No Deal". This might be the worst, most mindless television show ever shown on television, which is saying a shit ton considering the garbage that's on TV now.
Are we as a society actually this stupid to actually enjoy this crap??? Oh wait, I already know the answer to that.
Are we as a society actually this stupid to actually enjoy this crap??? Oh wait, I already know the answer to that.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Party Acceler-8-tor Bonus Week 6
Week 6 Results:
SNG play only this week
$200's (38 played, 4-5-5): +$830
$500's (23 played, 3-3-4): +$3810
Week 6 results: +$4190.00 plus bonus money (approximately $200)
Net results (for the full 6 weeks)
Cash tables
50/100 (128 hands): +$112.50
30/60 (550 hands): +$741.21
20/40 (111 hands): +$117.50
NL 3/6 (23 hands): +$31.39
1/2 PL Omaha: -$192.00
Sit and Go's
$1000's (4 played, 1-1-2-0): +$2040.00
$500's (82 played, 6-10-10): -$3460.00
$200's (252 played, 32-35-32): +$10680.00
Multi-tables tourney's
$100's (7 played, 2 cashed): +$103.90
$200's (2 played, 0 cashed): -$430.00
$350's (1 played, 0 cashed): -$375.00
Total poker results: $9369.50
Bonus dollars earned: $1025.00+$200(approximate)
Total for 6 weeks: $10594.50
SNG play only this week
$200's (38 played, 4-5-5): +$830
$500's (23 played, 3-3-4): +$3810
Week 6 results: +$4190.00 plus bonus money (approximately $200)
Net results (for the full 6 weeks)
Cash tables
50/100 (128 hands): +$112.50
30/60 (550 hands): +$741.21
20/40 (111 hands): +$117.50
NL 3/6 (23 hands): +$31.39
1/2 PL Omaha: -$192.00
Sit and Go's
$1000's (4 played, 1-1-2-0): +$2040.00
$500's (82 played, 6-10-10): -$3460.00
$200's (252 played, 32-35-32): +$10680.00
Multi-tables tourney's
$100's (7 played, 2 cashed): +$103.90
$200's (2 played, 0 cashed): -$430.00
$350's (1 played, 0 cashed): -$375.00
Total poker results: $9369.50
Bonus dollars earned: $1025.00+$200(approximate)
Total for 6 weeks: $10594.50
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Florida time
I leave for Orlando tomorrow for the annual golf vacation. 4 rounds on Thursday thru Sunday. Much needed respite from life. Warm weather, beer, debauchery, etc....good times.
I'm in 1st place in the lone NCAA bracket pool, but lost one final 4 team in Pitt...I am still looking good if UConn wins, with Duke making the final 4, we'll see...it's not really the money in that, it's the pride of beating 37 other people.
Probably will have a poker update tomorrow with the past weeks results. I have a lot of play that I need to get done to make my bonus (next week will even be tougher being out of town for 5 days). Also have a few errands to run before my trip. Haircut, bank, sunglasses, etc....
I'm in 1st place in the lone NCAA bracket pool, but lost one final 4 team in Pitt...I am still looking good if UConn wins, with Duke making the final 4, we'll see...it's not really the money in that, it's the pride of beating 37 other people.
Probably will have a poker update tomorrow with the past weeks results. I have a lot of play that I need to get done to make my bonus (next week will even be tougher being out of town for 5 days). Also have a few errands to run before my trip. Haircut, bank, sunglasses, etc....
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Oh what a night!!!
After my fantasy football game last night (incidentally a 42-37 win where I scored 2 TD's and had 2 INT's), I decided to log a very short SNG session.
I played 9 SNG's, with 3 1st's and 3 2nd's for a very tidy profit. All of this was done at the $200 level, save for 1 loss at the $500 level. I was running exceptionally well, getting great cards for the most part, having them hold up, and having people just giving me their chips. I also was making very good decisions, and not running into too many big hands. I can only think of one bad beat put on me, and I put probably 2-3 on people, which isn't that many considering how many bad beats occur in these speed SNG's.
My lone regret from the session was the short length of it, as I had to go to bed to be able to work this AM.
I played 9 SNG's, with 3 1st's and 3 2nd's for a very tidy profit. All of this was done at the $200 level, save for 1 loss at the $500 level. I was running exceptionally well, getting great cards for the most part, having them hold up, and having people just giving me their chips. I also was making very good decisions, and not running into too many big hands. I can only think of one bad beat put on me, and I put probably 2-3 on people, which isn't that many considering how many bad beats occur in these speed SNG's.
My lone regret from the session was the short length of it, as I had to go to bed to be able to work this AM.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Party Acceler-8-tor Week 5 Bonus
Week 5 Results:
SNG play only this week
$200's (33 played, 3-7-6): +$2505
$500's (19 played, 2-2-1): -$1070
$1000's (1 played, 0-0-1): +$735
Week 3 results: +$2170.00 (buddy was -$800), +$2970.00 plus bonus money (approximately $175)
Net results (for the full 5 weeks)
Cash tables
50/100 (128 hands): +$112.50
30/60 (550 hands): +$741.21
20/40 (111 hands): +$117.50
NL 3/6 (23 hands): +$31.39
1/2 PL Omaha: -$192.00
Sit and Go's
$1000's (4 played, 1-1-2-0): +$2040.00
$500's (59 played, 3-7-6): -$7270.00
$200's (214 played, 28-30-27): +$9850.00
Multi-tables tourney's
$100's (7 played, 2 cashed): +$103.90
$200's (2 played, 0 cashed): -$430.00
$350's (1 played, 0 cashed): -$375.00
Total poker results: $5177.50
Bonus dollars earned: $1025.00
Total for 5 weeks: $6202.50
SNG play only this week
$200's (33 played, 3-7-6): +$2505
$500's (19 played, 2-2-1): -$1070
$1000's (1 played, 0-0-1): +$735
Week 3 results: +$2170.00 (buddy was -$800), +$2970.00 plus bonus money (approximately $175)
Net results (for the full 5 weeks)
Cash tables
50/100 (128 hands): +$112.50
30/60 (550 hands): +$741.21
20/40 (111 hands): +$117.50
NL 3/6 (23 hands): +$31.39
1/2 PL Omaha: -$192.00
Sit and Go's
$1000's (4 played, 1-1-2-0): +$2040.00
$500's (59 played, 3-7-6): -$7270.00
$200's (214 played, 28-30-27): +$9850.00
Multi-tables tourney's
$100's (7 played, 2 cashed): +$103.90
$200's (2 played, 0 cashed): -$430.00
$350's (1 played, 0 cashed): -$375.00
Total poker results: $5177.50
Bonus dollars earned: $1025.00
Total for 5 weeks: $6202.50
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Walmart Trip report part deux
Last night I was playing tennis with Mert and 10pm. At 9:30 I was on my way to the Livonia Y. The only convenient places to buy tennis balls was Walmart or Meijer. Since Walmart is a little more convenient to 96, I decided to roll the dice once again. What followed was the Walmart I’ve grown to know and love.
Got in there, and guided by intuition I found the sporting goods (mind you, I was not guided by any signs). Got the balls I needed and I was up and running. Apparently the store closes at 10pm, and in order to get a headstart on their night operations, there were large cardboard boxes of stock on the floor of nearly every aisle. Cute.
Got to the checkout and this is where the fun begins. I have two cans of tennis balls, so I’m looking for a quick checkout. Of the 2 aisles open (aisles 8 and 22 for those keeping track, on opposite sides of the checkout area), aisle 22 is the “speedy” checkout. Both lines are long. I am the 8th person in line. Apparently they have not heard of the self checkout…although I have a hunch that given the clientele as well as the staff, this would be a huge bottleneck. Anyways, as the line is SLOWLY moving forward, I notice the woman in front of me had a damn near full cart. I try to draw attention to this by looking at the cart, looking at the sign, looking back at the cart and laughing, but she is oblivious. I am hesitant to say anything to her, for fear of her (A) popping a cap in my ass, or (B) sitting on me.
The “Speedy” checkout has a clearly marked sign saying “10 items or less”. I attempt to count as she is unloading onto the conveyor that will only comfortably hold 2 items. I get to 28, with a tolerance of +5/-2 items. The cashier says, “You have more than 12 items.”, apparently completely inventing the 12 item rule, and the woman (you can imagine what she looks like) says something about them only having 2 aisles open, which apparently allows you to skirt any limits that said Walmart imposes.
This experience was a flat 1 on a scale of 1-10, they could have been giving the tennis balls away and it wouldn’t have been worth the aggravation.
On a tennis note, despite not playing in 4-5 years, having a raquet with less tension then desired, and having a grip crumble in my hands (apparently raquet grips tend to degrade when in the basement for years), I easily handled Mert 6-0, and was up 3-1 in the 2nd set when the Y closed.
Got in there, and guided by intuition I found the sporting goods (mind you, I was not guided by any signs). Got the balls I needed and I was up and running. Apparently the store closes at 10pm, and in order to get a headstart on their night operations, there were large cardboard boxes of stock on the floor of nearly every aisle. Cute.
Got to the checkout and this is where the fun begins. I have two cans of tennis balls, so I’m looking for a quick checkout. Of the 2 aisles open (aisles 8 and 22 for those keeping track, on opposite sides of the checkout area), aisle 22 is the “speedy” checkout. Both lines are long. I am the 8th person in line. Apparently they have not heard of the self checkout…although I have a hunch that given the clientele as well as the staff, this would be a huge bottleneck. Anyways, as the line is SLOWLY moving forward, I notice the woman in front of me had a damn near full cart. I try to draw attention to this by looking at the cart, looking at the sign, looking back at the cart and laughing, but she is oblivious. I am hesitant to say anything to her, for fear of her (A) popping a cap in my ass, or (B) sitting on me.
The “Speedy” checkout has a clearly marked sign saying “10 items or less”. I attempt to count as she is unloading onto the conveyor that will only comfortably hold 2 items. I get to 28, with a tolerance of +5/-2 items. The cashier says, “You have more than 12 items.”, apparently completely inventing the 12 item rule, and the woman (you can imagine what she looks like) says something about them only having 2 aisles open, which apparently allows you to skirt any limits that said Walmart imposes.
This experience was a flat 1 on a scale of 1-10, they could have been giving the tennis balls away and it wouldn’t have been worth the aggravation.
On a tennis note, despite not playing in 4-5 years, having a raquet with less tension then desired, and having a grip crumble in my hands (apparently raquet grips tend to degrade when in the basement for years), I easily handled Mert 6-0, and was up 3-1 in the 2nd set when the Y closed.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Party Acceler-8-tor Week 4 bonus
Week 4 results:
Cash Tables:
50/100 (128 hands): +$112.50 (damn nice since I lost 1K on one hand where I flopped middle set and my opponent flopped top set)
30/60 (60 hands): +$492.00
3/6 NL (23 hands): +$31.39
Sit and Go's
$1000's (3 played, 1-0-0): +$1305.00 (buddy was +$1185.00): +$120.00
$500's (21 played, 0-3-3): -$3630.00 (buddy was +$380.00): -$4010.00
$200's (9 played, 1-2-1): +$665.00
Multi-table tourney's
None that I can remember
Week 3 results: -$2589.11 (plus bonus money - $175)
Net Results (for the full 4 weeks):
Cash Tables
50/100 (128 hands): +$112.50
30/60 (550 hands): +$741.21
20/40 (111 hands): +$117.50
NL 3/6 (23 hands): +$31.39
1/2 PL Omaha: -$192.00
Sit and Go's
$1000's (3 played, 1-1-1): +$1305.00 (buddy was +$1185.00): +$120.00
$500's (40 played, 1-5-5): -$6200.00 (buddy was -$360.00): -$5840.00
$200's (181 played, 25-23-21): +$7345.00
$100's (3 played, 1-1-0): +$473.00
Multi-table tourney's
$100's (7 played, 2 cashed): +$103.90
$200's (2 played, 0 cashed): -$430.00
$350’s (1 played, 0 cashed): -$375.00
Total Poker results: +$2207.50
Bonus dollars earned: $850.00
Total for 4 weeks: $3057.50
Right after a very nice week comes an ugly week. My record in the $500 SNG's has been dismal. Amazingly for the entire week I didn't finish worse than 7th. That could tell me that I am playing too tight early (though I don't think I'm doing anything different), not catching any cards early, not catching any cards at bubble time or getting unlucky at bubble time. It's likely a combination of all of those factors, plus I am probably not playing aggressive enough. The play has continued to be downright terrible, which is what is the most frustrating about it.
For this week, I think I need to focus on the $200 SNG's to get my confidence (and bankroll) boosted. I probably won't get a lot of play in this weekend. I just need to get in enough time to earn the week 5 bonus, as the end bonus is adding up (should be around 2K at the end).
Cash Tables:
50/100 (128 hands): +$112.50 (damn nice since I lost 1K on one hand where I flopped middle set and my opponent flopped top set)
30/60 (60 hands): +$492.00
3/6 NL (23 hands): +$31.39
Sit and Go's
$1000's (3 played, 1-0-0): +$1305.00 (buddy was +$1185.00): +$120.00
$500's (21 played, 0-3-3): -$3630.00 (buddy was +$380.00): -$4010.00
$200's (9 played, 1-2-1): +$665.00
Multi-table tourney's
None that I can remember
Week 3 results: -$2589.11 (plus bonus money - $175)
Net Results (for the full 4 weeks):
Cash Tables
50/100 (128 hands): +$112.50
30/60 (550 hands): +$741.21
20/40 (111 hands): +$117.50
NL 3/6 (23 hands): +$31.39
1/2 PL Omaha: -$192.00
Sit and Go's
$1000's (3 played, 1-1-1): +$1305.00 (buddy was +$1185.00): +$120.00
$500's (40 played, 1-5-5): -$6200.00 (buddy was -$360.00): -$5840.00
$200's (181 played, 25-23-21): +$7345.00
$100's (3 played, 1-1-0): +$473.00
Multi-table tourney's
$100's (7 played, 2 cashed): +$103.90
$200's (2 played, 0 cashed): -$430.00
$350’s (1 played, 0 cashed): -$375.00
Total Poker results: +$2207.50
Bonus dollars earned: $850.00
Total for 4 weeks: $3057.50
Right after a very nice week comes an ugly week. My record in the $500 SNG's has been dismal. Amazingly for the entire week I didn't finish worse than 7th. That could tell me that I am playing too tight early (though I don't think I'm doing anything different), not catching any cards early, not catching any cards at bubble time or getting unlucky at bubble time. It's likely a combination of all of those factors, plus I am probably not playing aggressive enough. The play has continued to be downright terrible, which is what is the most frustrating about it.
For this week, I think I need to focus on the $200 SNG's to get my confidence (and bankroll) boosted. I probably won't get a lot of play in this weekend. I just need to get in enough time to earn the week 5 bonus, as the end bonus is adding up (should be around 2K at the end).
Monday, March 06, 2006
Quizno's Prime Rib sandwich report
Quizno’s has been heavily advertising their new Prime Rib sandwich, so I decided since I am a regular there, I would give it a shot.
The Sandwich:
It has a generous helping of sliced Prime Rib, peppercorn sauce, mozzarella cheese, and onions (of which I didn’t get). The price is $1.50 more expensive than most subs on the menu. It comes with white bread as the default selection.
Sandwich presentation:
I will hold off and not grade this portion. The bread was kind of soggy, and the cheese was not very evenly distributed. However, it is well known that at the Ann Arbor Quizno’s I frequent that the particular person who made my sandwich is the worst sandwich preparer I have ever dealt with. Meat, cheese and lettuce regularly hang off of the bread, and dressing is unevenly distributed. She basically takes no pride in the artistry of sandwich presentation. She is the younger, large woman for anyone who has visited that location.
Unlike Arby’s though, the commercials are indicative of the amount of meat you will get.
Taste:
Overall pretty good, as stated above, the poor presentation likely did not allow this sandwich justice. The peppercorn sauce is not as zesty as I anticipated, though reasonably tasty. I would recommend getting this sandwich with extra cheese (as you can never have too much). I will be giving this sub another chance, but at this point it is not good enough to take over for the usual Mesquite Chicken, and I would even rank it below the Chicken Carbonara.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
What's so Civil about war?
The intention of this blog isn’t to highlight my views on this Presidential administration, as those views are very well known.
There are several reports out of Iraq that says the country is about to go into a Civil War, but the Bush administration continues to deny this rumor. Based on previous incidents involving this administration, a denial is just about the surest sign of a report being true. They couldn’t even come clean about a simple hunting accident, but we honestly expect them to tell the truth about the war that they created?
Anyways, back to the Civil War thing. Our government doesn’t really like us to think on our own, but I’m going to do a novel thing and perform some critical thinking. This seems like a natural progression for a country that is creating a brand new government. Our own nation went through a Civil War some 75 years after the nation was formed. There have been several Civil Wars throughout history. Is this not a good thing (loss of life and damage to the country neglected)? These people have never fought for their own rights and ideology before. Isn’t that the point of this “liberation” we performed? The truth is that we only want to create a government that agrees with us, which while understandable, is an incredibly naive and unrealistic approach.
The simple truth is that this is an unwinnable war. Any government that is supported/approved by the US is not going to work there, as we are viewed as imperialistic at best. The country is going to continue to spiral out of control until we get the hell out. Things are getting worse over there all the time. I suppose the argument is that an Al Qaida government could start, which is why we can't allow the civil war to happen. But aren't the only Al Qaida in Iraq the ones that we created by going to war with them?
But George Bush refuses to ever admit a mistake, and he believes that by admitting that there is civil unrest and possibly a Civil War, he thinks it would be portrayed a failure. His PR/Spin machine needs to get completely revamped. I could spin this thing perfect for him…this is what his next statement should be…“Of course a Civil War is starting, these people are finally fighting for their beliefs. This often happens when a nation begins. This is a complete success for our Iraq policies.”
Now back to reality, we know that none of the above will happen, except an actual Civil War and denials of it actually taking place, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
There are several reports out of Iraq that says the country is about to go into a Civil War, but the Bush administration continues to deny this rumor. Based on previous incidents involving this administration, a denial is just about the surest sign of a report being true. They couldn’t even come clean about a simple hunting accident, but we honestly expect them to tell the truth about the war that they created?
Anyways, back to the Civil War thing. Our government doesn’t really like us to think on our own, but I’m going to do a novel thing and perform some critical thinking. This seems like a natural progression for a country that is creating a brand new government. Our own nation went through a Civil War some 75 years after the nation was formed. There have been several Civil Wars throughout history. Is this not a good thing (loss of life and damage to the country neglected)? These people have never fought for their own rights and ideology before. Isn’t that the point of this “liberation” we performed? The truth is that we only want to create a government that agrees with us, which while understandable, is an incredibly naive and unrealistic approach.
The simple truth is that this is an unwinnable war. Any government that is supported/approved by the US is not going to work there, as we are viewed as imperialistic at best. The country is going to continue to spiral out of control until we get the hell out. Things are getting worse over there all the time. I suppose the argument is that an Al Qaida government could start, which is why we can't allow the civil war to happen. But aren't the only Al Qaida in Iraq the ones that we created by going to war with them?
But George Bush refuses to ever admit a mistake, and he believes that by admitting that there is civil unrest and possibly a Civil War, he thinks it would be portrayed a failure. His PR/Spin machine needs to get completely revamped. I could spin this thing perfect for him…this is what his next statement should be…“Of course a Civil War is starting, these people are finally fighting for their beliefs. This often happens when a nation begins. This is a complete success for our Iraq policies.”
Now back to reality, we know that none of the above will happen, except an actual Civil War and denials of it actually taking place, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Party Accel Bonus Week 3 results
Week 3 results:
Cash Tables:
None
Sit and Go's
$500's (10 played, 1-1-2): +$700.00
$200's (56 played, 8-6-6): +$1960.00
$100’s (2 played, 1-0-0): +$282.00
Multi-table tourney's
$100's (2 played, 2 cashed, 16th and 22nd out of nearly 600): +$648.90
$200's (1 played, 0 cashed): -$215.00
$350’s (1 played, 0 cashed): -$375.00
Week 3 results: +$3000.90 (plus bonus money - likely to be another 200 or so)
Net Results (for the full 3 weeks):
Cash Tables
30/60 (490 hands): +$249.21
20/40 (111 hands): +117.50
1/2 PL Omaha: -$192.00
Sit and Go's
$500's (19 played, 1-2-2): -$2570 (buddy owned 840 of this): -$1730.00
$200's (172 played, 24-21-20): +$6680.00
$100's (3 played, 1-1-0): +$473.00
Multi-table tourney's
$100's (7 played, 2 cashed): +$103.90
$200's (2 played, 0 cashed): -$430.00
$350’s (1 played, 0 cashed): -$375.00
Total Poker results: +$4895.61
Bonus dollars earned: $460.00 + this week’s bonus (like 215 or so)
Total for 2 weeks: $5355.61 + this week’s bonus
I finally had the kind of week that I had been waiting for. I still don’t feel like I’ve been running good, but my numbers suggest otherwise.
A few comments about the new Party SNG structure, and the speed tourney’s. This past week all of my results were in Speed tourney’s. You can get many more finished in the same amount of time. The quality of play across all levels has been atrocious. That being said, they take some getting used to, and one is going to have to deal with a tremendous amount of bad beats. You also can’t try to accomplish other tasks (like laundry) while multi-tabling these, as the action is far too fast and furious. The play is very mechanical and boring as well, but it is a cash cow. Long term I can see these adversely affecting my game due to the ultra aggressive play required. But at this point I’m just going to try to bank as much profit as possible during the last 5 weeks of this Party Bonus offer.
Cash Tables:
None
Sit and Go's
$500's (10 played, 1-1-2): +$700.00
$200's (56 played, 8-6-6): +$1960.00
$100’s (2 played, 1-0-0): +$282.00
Multi-table tourney's
$100's (2 played, 2 cashed, 16th and 22nd out of nearly 600): +$648.90
$200's (1 played, 0 cashed): -$215.00
$350’s (1 played, 0 cashed): -$375.00
Week 3 results: +$3000.90 (plus bonus money - likely to be another 200 or so)
Net Results (for the full 3 weeks):
Cash Tables
30/60 (490 hands): +$249.21
20/40 (111 hands): +117.50
1/2 PL Omaha: -$192.00
Sit and Go's
$500's (19 played, 1-2-2): -$2570 (buddy owned 840 of this): -$1730.00
$200's (172 played, 24-21-20): +$6680.00
$100's (3 played, 1-1-0): +$473.00
Multi-table tourney's
$100's (7 played, 2 cashed): +$103.90
$200's (2 played, 0 cashed): -$430.00
$350’s (1 played, 0 cashed): -$375.00
Total Poker results: +$4895.61
Bonus dollars earned: $460.00 + this week’s bonus (like 215 or so)
Total for 2 weeks: $5355.61 + this week’s bonus
I finally had the kind of week that I had been waiting for. I still don’t feel like I’ve been running good, but my numbers suggest otherwise.
A few comments about the new Party SNG structure, and the speed tourney’s. This past week all of my results were in Speed tourney’s. You can get many more finished in the same amount of time. The quality of play across all levels has been atrocious. That being said, they take some getting used to, and one is going to have to deal with a tremendous amount of bad beats. You also can’t try to accomplish other tasks (like laundry) while multi-tabling these, as the action is far too fast and furious. The play is very mechanical and boring as well, but it is a cash cow. Long term I can see these adversely affecting my game due to the ultra aggressive play required. But at this point I’m just going to try to bank as much profit as possible during the last 5 weeks of this Party Bonus offer.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Johnny Carino's trip report
Background:
My parents got me a gift card for my birthday to Johnny Carino’s. Victory and I went on Saturday night around 7pm to the one right next to Westland mall. Apparently they are a chain, but I have never been to one.
Seating:
We were immediately seated, which was impressive, given the business of that area. Perhaps that area has finally built enough restaurants to satisfy the overwhelming demand. The restaurant ambience reminded me of a Papa Vinos/Macaroni Grill, with a very open kitchen adjacent to the seating area.
Bread:
Some of the best bread I’ve had at an Italian restaurant in a while. They do the whole oil on plate thing for butter. I’m not sure how I feel about it, but it’s a nice change of pace. The two of us finished the roll, and decided it was best to not ask for more.
Salad:
Both of us got a Caesar salad. We swapped because I tend to like more dressing, but this thing was damn near inedible, as it was literally coated in Caesar. I asked the waitress about it and she said she didn’t know why they were putting so much today, so it wasn’t typical. She offered more, but I was quite happy waiting for my entrée.
Entrée’s:
I got Chicken Alfredo, while she got the special, which included Lasagna, Chicken Parm and Spaghetti. The Alfredo was very good, with the chicken cut into very small strips, which is different than what I am used to. The serving size was gigantic to me, and I could barely eat half of it. The lasagna was very cheesy and good. The chicken parm had a zesty breading on it which was pretty tasty as well. The spaghetti was average. Again the serving size was enormous.
Service:
Young girl who was pretty good. Food came out in good time, drinks stayed full, etc…basically what you ask for in service. She also took much of my good natured ribbing very well (salad comment among others). Victory seemed to like her too so I tipped her over $6 on our $29 bill.
Ratings:
Seating: 9
Bread: 8.5
Salad: 3
Entrée: 7.5
Service: 8.5
Overall rating: 7.5 (a solid 7.5 though, the overall rating can never be better than the entrée, and while the salad is a minor hiccup, docking significant points due to a salad is queer)
My parents got me a gift card for my birthday to Johnny Carino’s. Victory and I went on Saturday night around 7pm to the one right next to Westland mall. Apparently they are a chain, but I have never been to one.
Seating:
We were immediately seated, which was impressive, given the business of that area. Perhaps that area has finally built enough restaurants to satisfy the overwhelming demand. The restaurant ambience reminded me of a Papa Vinos/Macaroni Grill, with a very open kitchen adjacent to the seating area.
Bread:
Some of the best bread I’ve had at an Italian restaurant in a while. They do the whole oil on plate thing for butter. I’m not sure how I feel about it, but it’s a nice change of pace. The two of us finished the roll, and decided it was best to not ask for more.
Salad:
Both of us got a Caesar salad. We swapped because I tend to like more dressing, but this thing was damn near inedible, as it was literally coated in Caesar. I asked the waitress about it and she said she didn’t know why they were putting so much today, so it wasn’t typical. She offered more, but I was quite happy waiting for my entrée.
Entrée’s:
I got Chicken Alfredo, while she got the special, which included Lasagna, Chicken Parm and Spaghetti. The Alfredo was very good, with the chicken cut into very small strips, which is different than what I am used to. The serving size was gigantic to me, and I could barely eat half of it. The lasagna was very cheesy and good. The chicken parm had a zesty breading on it which was pretty tasty as well. The spaghetti was average. Again the serving size was enormous.
Service:
Young girl who was pretty good. Food came out in good time, drinks stayed full, etc…basically what you ask for in service. She also took much of my good natured ribbing very well (salad comment among others). Victory seemed to like her too so I tipped her over $6 on our $29 bill.
Ratings:
Seating: 9
Bread: 8.5
Salad: 3
Entrée: 7.5
Service: 8.5
Overall rating: 7.5 (a solid 7.5 though, the overall rating can never be better than the entrée, and while the salad is a minor hiccup, docking significant points due to a salad is queer)
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