MJ Playing DK

Today would have been Michael Jackson's 52nd birthday.  I'm not a religious man, but I'd like to think that his spirit is chilling out in an arcade in another world, free from the people who exploited him and his talents for practically his entire life.

The Past vs The Present

Monday, August 23, 2010
Houston Astros @ Philadelphia Phillies
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Pitching: Brett Myers vs. Joe Blanton
Results: Astros defeat Phillies, 3 - 2
[Photo Album]

Notes: Seeing former Phillies come back to Citizen's Bank Park on their new teams has always been something I look forward to.  Seeing Joe Blanton pitch against Brett Myers, two members of the 2008 World Champion Phillies rotation going head-to-head, is like a dream come true.

Another former Phillie, Michael Bourn, started off the game strong for the Astros.  He singled off of Blanton, stole second, and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Hunter Pence.  The Phillies tied the game in the third when Carlos Ruiz hit his sixth home run of the season.  They took the lead later in the inning after Chase Utley hit an RBI single that allowed Jimmy Rollins to score.

In the sixth, Bourn again singled and stole second, but he didn't score this time.  Rookie phenom Domonic Brown, who made his major league debut less than a month ago, came into the game to pinch hit for Joe Blanton in the 7th to start a rally, but Shane Victorino hit into a double play to end the inning.

The game got away from the us in the eighth when another former Phillie, Jason Michaels, singled off of Ryan Madson.  Bourn came back to haunt us again in a controversial moment when he bunted to put runners on first and second.  We were having dinner at Harry The K's by this point in the game, so I was pretty far from the action, but on the monitors, it looked to me like Ryan Howard tagged him out.  Besides that, Bourn ran a mile outside of the basepath which should have resulted in an out even if Howard missed the tag, but the umpire called him safe.  Charlie Manual agreed with me (and every fan in attendance, and every sensible fan watching at home), but he was ejected from the game for arguing with the ump.  It was a ridiculous call, and it led to the Astros win.  Carlos Lee singled with two outs to score Michaels and Bourn to give the Astros a 3 - 2 lead which they held for the win.

The first base umpire was the real MVP of the game for Houston, but if you're looking solely at the Astros lineup, the 2005-2006 Phillies (Brett Myers, Michael Bourn and Jason Michaels) defeated the 2010 Phillies last night.

Wildwood In The 80's

This photo was taken sometime in the early 80's and was used for a Wildwood postcard.  I can almost smell the ocean air when I look at this.

The Opening Act For Tears For Fears

Scott Pilgrim vs The World
AMC Loews 34th Street - New York, NY
We made it to the city on Thursday a few hours before the doors opened for the Tears For Fears concert.  There was an AMC Theater across the street and we had time to kill, so we decided to go see whatever movie was playing next, which ended up being the 3:40 showing of Scott Pilgrim vs The World.

I'm told that this movie is based on a series of graphic novels.  I can't say that I've ever read them, so I have no idea how close this comes to the source material, but it was an enjoyable flick.  There were large parts of the movie that made me feel as if I was watching someone play an elaborate video game, but I'm pretty sure that's what they were going for.  It has some funny moments, but some of the humor kind of fell flat with me.  This is one of those movies that I'm glad to have gotten to see on the big screen, but one screening is plenty for me.  

The Ride of Your Life

Wilkes University
Henry Student Center - South Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA
Hold on tight.  We're going to the restroom.

Family Visit

My grandmother's cousins, Carol and Mary Lois, were in town today and stopped by for a visit.  Carol is the woman to the right of my grandmother in the white shirt, and Mary Lois is sitting in front of them.  We had a very nice time drinking coffee and looking at old photos of the family, and pictures that Mary Lois took when she was visiting our family in Italy.

I Am Head Over Heels

Tears For Fears
August 19, 2010 - Hammerstein Ballroom - Manhattan Center - New York, NY

Tears For Fears is one of my favorite bands of all time, and I can't begin to explain how amazing it felt to see them.  I'll write more about the show later, but for now, here is the setlist:

For Quazy Energy

Quisp cereal
They brought back one of Jay Ward's most beloved breakfast creations.

A Boat Ride Through The Dungeon

Castle Dracula: Dungeon Boat Ride
Nickel's Midway Pier - Wildwood, NJ
This is the other video that was recently shared by Onneff69 on YouTube.  This is a complete video of the Dungeon Boat Ride portion of Castle Dracula.  My family and I went to Wildwood every summer in the 80's when I was a kid, and this boat ride was one of the parts of our vacation that I enjoyed and looked forward to the most.  I'm very thankful that someone captured this amazing attraction and shared it with the world.

A Walk Through The Castle

Castle Dracula
Nickel's Midway Pier - Wildwood, NJ
Youtube user Onneff69 shared a couple of amazing home videos that were recorded in June 1991.  This is a walkthrough of one of my favorite places in the world and a cherished memory from my childhood.  Unfortunately, Castle Dracula was burned down by two teenagers in 2002 so future generations will never be able to experience first hand how truly awesome this place was.

Make Out Like A Bandit

Easy Pickins Quiz scratch-off card
McDonald's (1980)
The Burt Reynolds classic Smokey & The Bandit 2 premiered in theaters thirty years ago today.  Back in the day, you could stop at McDonald's for a bite to eat on the way home and save $2 on the movie soundtrack if you knew a little bit of history about the 17th President of the United States.

Spider Man Catch

Hiroshima Carp vs Yokohama BayStars
August 3, 2010
Center fielder Masato Akamatsu of Hiroshima makes an unbelievable catch that robs Yokohama 3B Shuichi Murata of a home run. This has gone viral as the "Spider Man Catch".  [Source: CBS]

Off The Beaten Path: Third Base Luncheonette

Off The Beaten Path (WYLN TV)
Third Base Luncheonette
A third-generation restaurant that are known around town for two reasons: having tasty hoagies, and being run by the parents of Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon. If you're watching a game in Hazleton and someone hits a triple, chances are that you've been conditioned to get hungry in a way that would make Pavlov proud.