No thank you. I want to keep #3 right where he belongs, in Texas. Is he overpaid? Of course he is. But he’s the best player in baseball, and I fail to see how that can be considered a liability like a lot of the national media is doing right now because he expressed a human sentinement of “I don’t like losing”.
For more on the Rangers, see my Rangers site at http://www.rangerfans.com.
Chipotle!
Good news and bad news. One of my favorite restaurants is Chipotle. They have burritos to die for. Unfortunately, they’re not the greatest things for you. I’m on Weight Watchers and the points that the Chipotle Burrito takes up is about 75% of my entire food intake for the day. :eek: Still, it can be budgeted for, and they’re oh so great!
The bad thing about it is that they’re putting one in Mesquite, TX across from Town East Mall (in the old dead Colter’s BBQ spot). Putting one of them close to me is bad news. It will, on the the other hand, save a trip out to Plano (or in town to Dallas). The Mesquite location will be much closer.
My latest CD’s
The two latest CD’s I have picked up are Anthrax’s “We’re Coming for You All”, and Queensryche’s “Tribe”. I’ve been a big fan of both of these bands for some time. Queensryche is a band I’ve liked longer – as I’ve been listening to them since the mid 80’s. Anthrax not as long, and I don’t have as many of their albums, but I dig them, too. Here’s my comments on these two CD’s from my online CD collection….
Queensryche’s Tribe:
Queensryche’s first new studio album in four years finds the band partially reuniting with former guitarist Chris DeGarmo. He’s not fully back in the band, but did write for the album. And, it seems like the last few studio Queensryche albums. A few good hard tracks early on, and the rest seems like ballady stuff. I have only had this album for about 5 days when I wrote this, and have listened to it only a few times. I do like a lot of tracks on it (Open, Losing Myself come to mind), but I don’t think I’ve given this disc enough of a listen to have a formal opinion on it yet.
Anthrax’s We’ve Come for You All:
Anthrax returns with their first new album in quite some time. After the last several disappointing Anthrax albums, I didn’t hold out a lot of hope for this one. I got this one for free from a record label, but after listening to it for some time now I have to say that I would have bought it just the same. It’s the best thing since Sound of White Noise by far, and while not as good as White Noise, there’s plenty of good tracks here. What Doesn’t Die, Superhero (my favorite), Safe Home, Taking the Music Back… This is a good one, and I’m glad to see they have some good stuff in them. However, Scott Ian really needs to shave that goofy beard of his.
Kira is 3!
One of my two Tonkinese cats just had a birthday yesterday.
Kira Nerys Siegler turned 3 yesterday. She was the first of our two Tonkinese cats, and is a wonderful cat. She’s a great lap cat, a cat who loves to climb up on you and sit on your chest if you’re in the right position, a real friendly cat. I’m not exactly sure how well I can describe her – but if you’re a cat person, and are reading this, then you know the feeling of “she’s an awesome cat”, and can’t express it in words properly. :)
There’s more pictures of her online here if you want to check out some more pics of her.
Austin Gaming Expo 2003
Over the weekend, my brother and I attended the Austin Gaming Expo which took place in Round Rock, Texas. Most of it was related to classic gaming, with a big emphasis on the Atari 2600, but there was more modern stuff there (in fact, there were two seperate Halo tournaments going on).
It was nice for me personally, since I don’t get to see my brother much (as I live in Garland, TX and he in Norristown, PA). My brother flew to Dallas, and the two of us drove to Austin for the show. We didn’t buy much, only 5 Atari 2600 games. That drives our collection (my brother’s and mine) to something like 475 games. Our complete collection of Atari 2600 cartridges can be seen here.
Anyway, the show was great, although two things I felt were negative. First it was too small. Too many people showed up, and it quickly became a sea of humanity. Plus there wasn’t enough trading for my tastes. There needed to be more traders/sellers. There was some of that, but not nearly enough. Speaking of that, if anyone reading this happens to have an extra copy of Red Asteroids for the Atari 2600 (That’s the Red label PAL cart – Picture of it here – please let me know. I want one.
I’m looking forward to the 2004 show, it should be much better. Oh, and hi to John Romero who I bumped into in in the lobby after the show was over.
Update Aug 2006: The 2600 site I used to have which I reference in this site no longer exists, so I pulled out the (now broken) links.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
I went to see Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines over the weekend. I, like most folks hold Terminator 2: Judgement Day up as one of the greatest action movies ever. That still holds up today, as I watched T2 the night before going to see T3. T2 is still great. I was surprised at how well it held up.
And that feeling left me with some trepidation as to how T3 would play out. No James Cameron. No Linda Hamilton. What kind of Terminator movie would it be without Sarah Connor? Well, guess what? It can be one kick ass action flick!
I was utterly shocked at how much I liked this movie. I thought it was going to be bad, and was extremely surprised at how well done it was. Were there plot holes? Of course – it’s not like this is the greatest, most well written movie of all time. It’s a testoscerone laden explosion fest. And it worked. I’m not going to spoil anything for folks reading this who haven’t read the movie. But all I’ll say is this. The movie ends so wide open for a T4, it’s not funny. And, if we get a T4 based on what happened at the end of this movie… it won’t be a stupid added on sequel, either. It will be a great movie in it’s own right, which is unusal for a sequel, especially one with a 4 in it.
If you have seen the movie, then you owe it to yourself to read this review of the movie by Steve Krutzler of TrekWeb. In it he makes the movie out to be the greatest movie of all time. I wouldn’t go quite that far, but it was a great movie, and one I intend on buying on DVD when it’s released. I wasn’t planning on doing that beforehand, but then I thought it was going to be crap, too, and it wasn’t. Anyway, Steve’s review is pretty long, but he goes into length as to why we could get a T4, T5, & T6 and it would all make sense.
About the only truly negative thing I could say, and I admit it’s a nitpick is that there was no cool “Terminator music” in the opening credits. I would have loved to have seen that. I’ll be curious to see if a director’s commentary on the DVD talks about that.
Do yourself a favor. Go see it. Don’t let it leave the theatres – this is a “big” movie, and deserves to be seen in the theatres.
You’re Out – And You’re Ugly, Too!
by Ken Griffey, Durwood Merrill, Jim Dent
Synopsis: After decades of abuse and spittle, Major League umpire Durwood Merrill strikes back with some pretty incisive, funny, and no-holds-barred anecdotes. When his book stays in the game, it’s a real hoot, light and folksy; how can you not laugh with a guy who can admit that “Folks around the American League say I’ve sent a few pitchers to the Hall of Fame before their time because my strike zone tends to swell like George Steinbrenner’s ego”? It’s his own ego, though, that has him swinging for the seats and coming up short; he’s not much of a memoirist. Thankfully, like a good umpire, he keeps his personal interference to a minimum and mostly sticks to business, offering some tough prescriptions for what ails the game, and some solid dissection of the intricacies of his craft. His thoughts on Pete Rose might lead you to believe that Charlie Hustle is the book’s title character.
Joe’s Remarks: When I first bought this book, I wasn’t quite sure what to think. I had heard a few negative things about it, and kind of had a prejudice against it. Boy, was that wrong! I found this to be a very funny, lighthearted read (for the most part). There’s some really wonderful insights into what it takes to become a big league umpire – never quite realized all they went through in “Umpire boot camp” (my term). It’s not all fun and games, there’s a few stories about how an umpire friend of his was attacked and crippled on the streets of Dallas, and the latter part talks a lot about his charity works.
A great book – funny, light, and to be honest, something that surprised me in a very good way. What was personally annoying was that after I read this (during the last month of the 99 season), I wanted to watch Durwood, and then he up and retires during the playoffs. Damn. Really wanted to see him after reading his book. Oh well. Check it out, a good light read.
Seasons in Hell
Synopsis: Assigned to cover the Texas Rangers for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in early 1973, gonzo sportswriter Mike Shropshire looked forward to the perks and padded expense account that went along with the job. He never dreamed he’d have to earn every penny–following arguably the worst team in baseball history. Full of wild games and wilder nights, and the exploits of some of the most extreme characters ever to play the game, this book is Shropshire’s irreverent, behind-the-scenes look at the hell a truly pitiful team can raise between games and innings.
Joe’s Remarks: I wasn’t quite sure what to think of this one either. I bought it because of the tagline on the front about it being funny. I admit to not knowing a whole lot about the very early years of the Rangers (I didn’t move here until 1992, and didn’t really follow ’em until 1995), and the thought about reading a book all about them didn’t thrill me.
However, I quickly found out that this was a hysterically funny book. Mike Shrophsire has a very funny wit, and isn’t afraid to let it fly when talking about the Rangers of this era. His recollection of events is awesome, and makes for very funny reading. If you’re a fan of the Rangers, or even if you’re not, GET THIS! It’s a very great read, although I don’t recommend it for very small kids, as there’s more than just one or two cuss words in there. Still, for adults, it’s well worth it.
As of now, it appears to be out of print (unfortunately) – but the link I provide by clicking on the cover will allow you to order it. If you can find it on a bookstore shelf, get it now while you still can.
UPDATE Sep 9 2016: It’s back in print. You can get for about $5 via Kindle (and other formats). Linkage: http://amzn.to/2ckL7WP
Zim: A Baseball Life
Synopsis: For more than half a century, Don Zimmer, baseball’s beloved gerbil, has been the Zelig of the national pastime, the character in the corner of so many interesting pictures. He may have been only–as he likes to remind us throughout Zim: A Baseball Life–a .235 hitter, but he was a .235 hitter who played with Jackie Robinson on the only Brooklyn team to win a World Series. A year later, he was there, on the bench, when Don Larsen threw his perfect game. More than just an original Met, Zim was the first player ever photographed in a Mets uniform. As the Red Sox third-base coach in 1975, it was Zim who waved Carlton Fisk home in the bottom of the 12th to end the greatest World Series game ever played. Three years later, it was Zim, now the Sox manager, who watched in despair as Yankee shortstop Bucky Dent sealed one of the greatest late-season collapses in the annals of the game when Dent’s pennant-winning homer settled into the net atop the Green Monster. Of course, it was Zim who led the Cubs, of all teams, to a rare postseason appearance, and, approaching 70 at the turn of the millennium, it was Zim who added four championship rings to his collection as Joe Torre’s bench coach in the Bronx.
Bridging the gap between the game’s early years of integration and the advent of the $200-million-plus contract, Zim hasn’t just witnessed the history of the second half of 20th-century baseball, he’s embodied it, and he remembers it with a genial charm and disarming honesty that turns Zim into one of the more spirited and beguiling baseball memoirs to step up in some time. “I’ve had a hell of a life,” he admits with an amazed cheerfulness that’s evident on every page. –Jeff Silverman
Joe’s Remarks: I never was a big Don Zimmer fan until I saw the event that led to the caption of this book. I watched the game where he got hit in the head with a ball, and then came back out in a pith helmet. From that moment on, I was a Zimmer fan (as I am a Torre fan, even if I’m not a “Yankee” fan). Anyway, this book is a good read – Of course, I skipped to the chapter on his year or so as a Texas Rangers manager, which was my primary interest in reading the book. However, it’s a lot more than that. If you get a chance, pick it up. It’s good stuff.
Minor Players, Major Dreams
by Brett H. Mandel
Synopsis: Former high school ballplayer Brett Mandel yearned to experience a year in the minor leagues, so he convinced the Ogden (Utah) Raptors, about to embark on their maiden season, to let him chronicle that season from the perspective of a uniformed player. They agreed. The resulting saga describes the long bus rides, the bad food, the frustrations, and hopes that are all a part of baseball dreaming with affectionate good humor. The book’s true life, though, steps up in the poignancy with which Mandel draws his teammates, young men destined for the most part to fall short of their great desire. As a player, Mandel went 0 for 5 on the year, proving that the pen, long deemed mightier than the sword, can be mightier than the bat, as well.
Joe’s Remarks: What a wonderful book! I picked this one up, and it stayed in my stack of books to read for about 6 months. That was a mistake – I should have read it first. This is a great book if you’re a fan of baseball, particularly if you’re a fan of minor league baseball. This tells the story of Brett’s year with the Ogden Raptors in 1994 from the start to the end of the season. Brett’s writing style is very easy to read. I tend to do most of my reading before going to bed at night, which usually means I can take several sessions to actually finish a book, as I did with this one. Most books suffer from when you pick them up again, it’s not that easy to jump right in where you left off. This one does not have that. For me, it lent itself great to reading it in chunks. Brett was on the Raptors for a whole year, and this book is his recollection of the travels, details, and behind the scenes things most people will never hear about. Check this out – this book has nothing to do with the Texas Rangers, but it’s a great GREAT baseball book!
As an added bonus, I met the author during the summer of 2000 when Lynn & I went to Baltimore to see the Rangers play there. Brett and some friends were coming back from Cooperstown for the HOF induction ceremony, and were in Baltimore to see the Orioles play. He himself told me about the book, and we had a few moments talking about the Phillies, as we’re both from there. I wish I would have already read the book at this point, but Brett was a great guy to meet in person, too!