The Detroit "D"

First I must admit that I am a bit of a sports uniform/logo junkie. Not that I collect them or anything, but I am just interested in the intricacies and details of uniforms. Well the other night when I was channel surfing and the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians were playing it brought to mind one of the biggest uniform discrepancies in all of sports, the Detroit “D” issue. As you can see from the photo, the “D” on the jersey and on the hat for the Tigers is completely different. After doing some research, the answer to this issue can be found here and here and basically what they are saying is that MLB has standard logos for print and web but no standardization for the product used on the field and that this isn’t just an issue for the Tigers, but a few other clubs as well (Yankees and Cardinals).

Now this may bore you or it might interest you, but I thought I would share with you some of the crazy stuff that goes through my head when I watch a ball game. Some things that I notice completely distract me from the game (like when Oregon broke out these for their bowl game.) It is a curse.

Cheryl, Freddy, Avril and Trent!?!?!

I watched more Dancing with the Stars than American Idol. Actually I watched the first few weeks of AI and then stopped when they got to Hollywood. I caught Dancing with the Stars in the best way possible . . . on DVR, so I watched only the dancing, and not all of the extras (which made a normal 90 minute show about 7). All I have to say after this season of DwS is that Cheryl Burke, 2-time champ, is HOT! >>>>>>>
(Yea Renea knows about my infatuation with Cheryl) and that if Apollo isn’t dating his partner (Julianne), then he needs slapped up-side the head.

_____________________________________________

Watching the Pirates game today, twice I saw Freddy Sanchez hit sac flies to score runs from third, only to have the runner on third hit home plate then walk right into the dugout without even acknowledging Freddy. I mean I know you feel like you did most of the work to get to third in the first place, but this guy just gave himself up to score you, the least you can do is wait for him and give him high-five or a fist bump or even a slap on the ass before you walk to the dugout. He’s just coming back from first, sixty feet away. Just give the guy a little love will yea . . . geez and they wonder why in a Post-Gazette poll 65% of the fans said the Pirates have already given up on the season.

_____________________________________________

Also a second thought to the “showin love” to a teammate, I think the fist bump may be on its way out. I am seeing a trend in celebratory hand gestures and I think we are heading back to the high-five. When the fad trickles down to golfers fist bumping caddies the fad is over.

_____________________________________________

If you get a chance read Trent’s blog about the lyrics to a Carrie Underwood song. I am not sure what is more funny, his interpretation or Kelly, my sister-in-law, in the comments calling him Grandpa Simpson.

_____________________________________________

Another thing to admit to: I like Avril Lavigne’s new album and I like her new song . . . There I said it, so if you see me in the car singing “Hey, Hey, you, you, I don’t like your girlfriend,” you will know why.

LOST

Renea and I are big LOST fans. We have been from the very beginning. Every episode, every crazy plot, every mysterious character, we are hooked.

Last Wednesday was the season 3 finale of LOST (which I have watched twice already), and just a few weeks ago they announced that they will be doing 3 more seasons with the story being completed in 2010. Also next year lost will move to a “24-esque” format where they will start in February 2008 and go for 16 straight weeks. I was a big fan of that format, but now that I am faced with the 8-month hiatus until it starts again I am not so much a fan.

I am finding with LOST that there are very few people to discuss the show with and to pick each other brains about what is happening. Some friends just watch it for entertainment and don’t really think too much about where the plot is going and what some of the underlying stories are, and other friends watch, but mock the different directions that the stories take and their plausibility.

I find it very fascinating and totally different than anything else on TV. The show Heroes is close, but the mysteries and levels of depth of what is happening to these characters is unmatched.

My recommendation, if you have never seen the show, would be to rent Seasons 1 and 2 and try to watch them back to back, then watch Season 3 when it comes out in the fall. This is an excellent show that actually will make me want to buy the DVD’s of the seasons. I have never seen myself as a TV-DVD guy, but after this episode I want to go back and relive the beginning experiences all over.

Positive Reinforcement

To my mother and all the mothers that may stumble upon my blog, Happy Mother’s Day.

This is a story that will make my mom and the mother of my son happy so consider this Mother’s Day presents extra-credit.

As a parent, you aren’t always sure how you are doing. How things you are teaching your children are working (It is far easier to tell if they aren’t), but every once in awhile you get a little something out of your child that makes you realize that you are doing ok and that your child might actually turn out to be a pretty good egg.

Today Owen and I went to Parkersburg to return a movie and it happened to be about the same time as lunch so I decided we should stop at McDonald’s to get lunch. We went in, ordered Happy Meals (yea I got one too, the Mighty Kids meal is pretty good and ends up being about the right amount of food for me) and then sat down. We were enjoying lunch and Owen was playing with the Shrek figure that came with the Happy Meal when he said to me, “Daddy, thank you for bringing me to McDonald’s.” I know it’s not much, but it speaks volumes to me about what kind of little guy we are raising. I have been told by both his grandmothers and others that he regularly thanks them and tells them that he loves them and is overall pretty appreciative, and he had done that both with Renea and I.

I just guess that it hit me today that he is “getting it” and that to me that is a huge deal. It is nearly impossible to get that, “Hey dad, you and mom are doing a great job raising me,” from a 3-year-old, but this was about as close as it is gets.