Its beginning to look alot like...

Well... It is and was that time of the year. The yearly ritual of stuffing our faces with Turkey was quickly pushed aside for the Holiday Glee. As soon as you woke up from your nap, saw the Lions lose and the Raiders crush my heart yet again, your neighborhood store already putting candy canes in the window and annoying Signing Santa trinkets.

What is the rush to get to Christmas? It just means a mad rush to an awkward looking cake.

Stores and business are forcing the general public to accept Christmas earlier and earlier just to fleece Americans from their hard earned $$$$. Editors Note: Please buy your christmas tree next year from Tylers Trees NYC (www.tylerstreesnyc.com). We are a highly professional and skilled laborers dedicated to bringing Holiday Glee.

However, just like most big Holidays, Christmas is alot alot of hype. As a young lad, it is a holiday that parents would leverage and invigorate the fear machine so that kids would do their chores. "Does little billy want a new red bike??? We'll Santa is watching and if you don't power wash the deck, you are going to get coal in your stocking."

Is that fair? Absolutely! And i will milk the holidays for my kids starting in September.

What is not fair, however, is when you get older and you have no hope of good presents. For weeks, my family asked me what i wanted for the Holidays. I really had no idea...

So it came time, Christmas morning and present surrounding the tree. Its sad to say, i had a smile from ear to ear when i opened a box of that contained 12 pairs of adidas socks.

Are socks and underwear what i have to look forward to for the rest of my life?

I guess... Hand me the power washer... I'll work for a little more excitement next year.

PS- Early Bird Special- Place your Tylers Trees Order now and get a free pair of socks (Offer limited to the first 12 customers)

The Epic Battle: Bathroom Attendants

Editor's Note: I have not posted in quite some time and there is truly no reason other than to say I have been lazy, Entourage started, and Sam Adam's Summer Ale is alot more appetizing than sitting in front of the computer that I already sit in front of all day long attempting to post a blog entry. I shall be better from here on out.... I promise (I don't like Sam Adam's autumn seasonal beer).

Well... I went out to drinks last night with my boss and former co-worker who is moving to Seattle at Dos Caminos last night. Dos Caminos is always a good time that can lead to some trouble. However, after several margaritas, nature was telling me it was time to go to the bathroom.

An thus, the Epic Battle begins...

I first want to pose the question: What is the purpose of the bathroom attendant? Most often, the bathroom is hardly even clean! Isn't you job to clean the bathroom when no one is around? I don't expect there to be an empty Corona above the urinal.

So after finding the most sanitary position to relieve myself, the true conflict begins...

Of course im going to wash my hands, however is washing my hands a non-verbal binding agreement to tip the guy? Why is this such a deserving service that i need to decrease my net worth by $1. I have been washing my hands for 24 years, however i dont reward myself with any monetary compensation, let alone do i feel proud about it. It is routine and expected part of my bathroom regime.

However, how do you avoid the clearly unnecessary tip? If you dont wash your hands, you are simply dirty. If you do wash you hands and bail on the attendant, you are a jerk.

This dilemma is on par with the whole "If a tree falls in a forest, does it make a sound?" quandary.

Also, when will i be in a position to need the various items that they have out there? I can see gum coming into play often, but do i really need aftershave, cologne or any of that mumb-jumbo? If i went out and didnt put that on, then im an idiot. If im overly self-conscious and require more musk then deport me to central jersey slick back my hair.

Regardless, the bathroom attendant will be a fixture atany trendy place i go. Why cant they just realize that the true service is a) keeping the bathroom clean, b) opening the grimmy nasty door for people.

NOTE: There has been only one bathroom attendant in my life time that has actually earned his tip! He was at the club Body English at the Hard Rock Hotel. This dude stood 10 feet away and threw the paper towels like a frisbee across the bathroom to the sink area. My net worth decreased by $2 on that occassion.

Top 5 Most Devastating Sports Moments

Well... Sports... Its part of my life... and sadly a large part of my life. At a very young age, i realized that my growth disorder was preventing me from being a viable professional athlete. This picture is of me when i peaked in my athletic career... 4th grade... when everyone was short !

Annnnnddddd.... I digress... About three years ago i was at a charity event that had a bunch of big name athletes (Jerry Rice, Robert Horry, Gary Payton, Eddie George, Tony Hawk, etc...) and at the after party, i needed an "in" to talk to all the women at the party. How could i compete with Gary Payton! We'll... i instantly became a triple crown jockey and thus, a legit professional athlete... BOO- YEAH!

Aaaannnnnnnnddddd.... I'm back... For those that know me, i grow anxious about my sports teams. I endure Raider games, celebrate Laker wins & Championships :-), jump for joy when the Dodgers are televised on the east coast, and follow the Maize 'n Blue.

However, with every great win, there are painful sports memories.

Below are my top 5 Most Devastating Sports Moments in my life.

1. The Tuck Rule- It was a fumble. I hate Walt Coleman. Enough said.



2. 5th Grade Basketball - While on the Curtis School A Team, we travelled to JTD (Arch rival) and mid-way through the third quarter, the ref called me for palming the ball on four (4) consecutive plays. I got taken out..........


3. 2005 NBA Finals - The lakers were such a highly favored team I was eagerly anticipating running around Michigan with Laker Championship gear... except... they got run off the court.



4. Circa 1991 - Dodger Stadium - Random Game - As a young lad, my grandmother would take my mom, brother and I to Dodger games. We would sit right next to the Dodger's batter's box. Well... Orel Herschiser began chatting it up with Mama Millman and i couldnt understand why... and now i do. Having Orel Herschiser hit on my mom doesn't sit well with me... or my dad.



5. Appalachian State- I mean, DI-AA... You are Michigan! If you are going to schedule a cupcake, you better win! What makes it even worse, a routine field goal was blocked to win the game. COME ON!

Spontaneous Subway Singing

Well… Last week, while on the 4 train en route back from the Yankee Game heading to casa de Heller/Millman, an interesting and provocative question was posed: What song will have the greatest chance of provoking the entire subway car to sing?

Is this some weird sociology experiment? Did I pay attention in that class in college enough to know if sociology was the area of applicable study to find the answer to my previous question? I did take sociology 101 freshmen year, so i was probably motivated to learn and didn't realize the social distractions all around me... However, i did have class with Garret Rivas "The Show" and Jake Long, so it couldn't have been tremendously hard.

Then i thought... What songs can I reference and recite at ease???

• Randy Newman - “I Love LA”


• Aladdin Soundtrack – “A Whole New World”


• Sublime – “What I Got”

All very good songs, but very niche… Then i thought... What factors would contribute to a successful spontaneous subway sing session (notice the consonance):

• Does Age play a roll in this (Yellow Submarine by the Beatles vs Get Low by Lil Jon)?



• Does geographic location matter (NY vs Boston vs LA)?

However, the answer dawned on us… The Number One song to spur spontaneous singing on a subway isssssssssssssssssss……………… Happy Birthday!

And thus, some random dude wearing a Mickey Mantle T-Shirt jersey was serenaded by an entire subway.

However, the question has altered… What is the 2nd most likely song that will be the catalysts for spontaneous singing on a subway car???

I think the front runner is: Coolio – “Gansta’s Paradise”...

However, what are your thoughts? Post your suggestions in the comments.

The New and Much Longer Commute

Well... sorry for the delay in the posts... Busy times with work and Lake Show. It is no excuse and i will follow up shortly with another post.

------------------------------------

Well... each and every day, people wake up and repeat the same steps until they go to bed. For me, that routine involves a moderately long commute that involves three forms of transportation: subway, train, and boss picking me up from the train station.

My day starts at 6:22 and is incredibly not efficient. After a quick shower, i engage in a daily struggle to dress myself. Its a battle to watch SportsCenter, guess the weather, and item by item cloth myself.

Then begins the commute... down the elevator and around the corner where someone ALWAYS has put out bird food. Every morning, the pigeons scatter and kamakaze dive bomb poop all around me. Into the subway and up to Grand Central where the stairs up to Grand Central have been incorporated into the Millman Get Fit regime. (Note: There have been recent sightings of me forgoing the subway and huffing it from 42nd to 30th)

Upon boarding the hour and 10 min train ride, that is when the fun begins... and by fun, i actually mean a super-sized portion of potential badness.

Here are couple things that you could expect on the train...

• At least one person playing punk music on their iPod at a way too early hour... (Editor's note: is there an appropriate hour for punk music?)


• Someone uncomfortably snoring next to you


• Coffee spills and no one owns up to it to warn you that it has trickled down and seaping into your briefcase


• Waking up at the last stop and no one is the train and everyone failed to wake you up...


• Perfect weather going into the tunnel to get to Grand Central, and a monsoon when you get out with no umbrella. Eureka! A guy selling umbrella's! within 3 seconds the umbrella is rendered useless and inside out.

With all this potential badness destined to ruin my commute, their is one silver lining: The Bar Car.

The Bar Car is the solve to the happy hour that everyone misses by working outside the city. It is sheer bliss but a small battle to drink enough to get buzzed but not too much where you have to break the seal on the train.

SO when you are driving home, or smushed between someone on the subway, just think that you pretty much know what you are getting... I am getting an hour and a half of potential badness with a small side of potential bliss.

In-Flight Entertainment

Well... Lets just say I had an interesting flight back to the NYC this weekend. I flew home to Los Angeles and spent the weekend sitting at the beach. It was a perfect weekend but the true story starts on the flight home.

With many of the long-haul flights, airlines have personal TVs with ample channel, movie and music choices.


I sat down in seat 30-D on Delta Flight 719 leaving LAX and arriving at JFK. As soon as the plane took off, i immediately launched in the in-flight Trivia. It was truly a duel with the person in 18-A. Came down to the last question. Who doesn't know that the wickets on a cricket pitch are 22 yards apart! Come on!




So after my display of brilliance, I settled in, relaxed the seat belt, gained the inside elbow position on the arm rest (crucial for a comfortable flight) and began looking through the movie options with my aisle side hand (needed to maintain my elbow position).


There were some solid choices including Benjamin Button, Doubt, Body of Lies, and Slum Dog but I picked "The Wrestler." I heard it was good and I heard it was Mikey Rourke's comeback (Editor's Note: Who is Mikey Rourke?).


WELLL... i was entertained a little more than expected!

About 45 minutes in, Randy the Ram (Mikey Rourke) visits a gentleman's establishment and his favorite stripper Marisa Tomei.

Below are the thoughts that entered my mind as the scene progressed.

• I bet Delta cut this scene out. Woah... Wait... This isn't censored at all.


• This is awkward... realllly awkward. (I immediately scan who is sitting around me) No kids around me. CRAP! One just ran by and Marisa Tomei was twirling like a draddle on the pole.


• Should I Fast Forward? No... this scene is very very very very crucial to the character development.


• What next? What next? Oh... Randy the Ram is getting a private dance.


• The grandma in 31-C is giving me a disgusting look. Is that a naughty look? Barf Bag! Where is it?


• Here comes a nun... GREAT! Hide! (I proceeded to put the hood of my sweatshirt over my head but continued to watch)

So...what is a guy suppose to do in that situation? I'm not mad at Delta for having a terrific selection of movies but there should have been a warning that said "STRIPPERS IN THE MOVIE!"

Regardless, for anyone that saw the movie, Marisa Tomei looked great and for those that didn't see the movie, the movie was great and Marisa Tomei was even better.

VOTE TOP RIGHT IN THE POLL FOR MOST AWKWARD MOVIE POSSIBLE TO WACTH WHILE ON AN AIRPLANE.

Joy to the Condiment

Well... Let's be honest, as we order food, the typical person doesnt place enough emphasis on the choice of supporting condiment. The condiment can make or break a meal.

The choice is essentially no different that choice we make every time you go out in the winter (not applicable in LA): is it cold enough for a jacket? If you bring a jacket, do i check it at the bar? Am i going to hold it all night? Do i really want a side of sweet and sour sauce? Is that jar of sweet and sour sauce cluttering the table too much thus reducing the opportunity of having a pitcher of beer or water and diminishing the any chance of proper hydration.

It's a big choice and many restaurants realized the growing importance to made condiments a profit center. No longer can you go to McDonalds or Burger King and get 3 BBQ sauces, 2 Honeys, 4 Ranches, and 1 Sweet & Sour packets. They'll charge you and won't think twice about it.

So this begs the question... what is the best condiment?

• Ranch- I think this is essentially the most versatile. It can go with anything and easily go with more if people expand their comfort zone. I've done ranch with breaded chicken & spaghetti and it was quiet good.



• Honey Mustard- A good honey mustard is one with a little spice. Best Honey Mustard to Date: Todaro Bro's & Maize 'n Blue Deli. The Honey Mustard kicks in towards the end of the bite and doesn't overwhelm the fundamental ingredients.



• BBQ Sauce- This has a more narrow application but i feel like it was a pioneer in the condiment expansion era so it deserves to be listed.

However, i think there needs to be proper attention towards those that support condiments.

• Young Greg Heller- While manning his desk at Mr Deutsche's Bank, he also is known for his condiment drawer which is fully stocked at all times.



• Mike Nicoll- Will put ketchup on everything... including and not limited to cheerios, oranges, & salad.



• Mitchell Daar- Has been known to put crushed red peppers (maybe considered a spice) on everything.



• Tyler Kupper- Not only orders three additional side of thousand island, but takes it the next step and manufactures his own during dire times.

Regardless, i think its about time that the condiment lobby steps up its efforts in making the condiment category a proper part of the food pyramid.

I'm sure this will spur more discussion, feel free to post in the comments section.

Lake Show, Baby! Lake Show

Well... It's Simple. I grew up on the West Coast. I live on the East Coast and there is a stupid time change that separates me from my sports teams.

I can handle not watching the Lakers dominate Sacto on a regular basis (Editor's Note: see below for reason why Sacto sucks) during the regular season but i would not be a loyal fan if didn't watch every minute of every game in the playoffs.


PLAYOFFS (CLICK HERE)



So what is the impact of the PLAYOFFS and this time change paradox, you ask?

• I will be wearring my Mamba MVP Tupac-esque t-shirt very frequently with minimal if any washes in between.



• There will be frequent "LAKE SHOW, BABY! LAKE SHOW" chants before, during and after each and every game (regardless of time and place).


• Depending on the Lakers Performance various drinks/shots and/or acts will have to be consumed/performed... I am a firm believer in rituals/habits/superstitions/voodoo:



• Prior to each and every game, one michelob light will have to be consumed.


• If Kobe does his big balls dance at any point (see picture from the movie Major League), I will have to replicate the dance immediately


• If DJ Mbenga (Click Link on Name) plays and scores i will have to do wall-sits for 5 minutes


• I will go to bed at 1 am and wake up extremely tired the next day, thus prompting the boss to root against the Lakers

Regardless, this is a big post-season for the Lakers. They lost last year to boston and now its their time to shine with Andrew Bynum back. Personally, This is also the time where home is brought to the East coast and I can enjoy the same excitement as anyone in SoCal.

Below:

Every other year, starting senior year of high school, a select few of die-hard Laker Fans would take a voyage up to Sacto for the Lakers v Kings game, stay in a Motel 6, bring cow bells and be rowdy to no end. During these trips, beers were thrown on Glush and landed on me, a cowboy threatened to kick our ass, and horses looked like cows. Here are a couple pictures for those trips:

The Results are in...

Well... Thank you for all of the support in my 2 mile endurance race against my boss. As many of you already know, i was not triumphant (See picture- This is about 1.5 miles into it). Overall, Friday ranks as one of my saddest days in my young life. To be precise, it is the 2nd saddest day after losing the 3rd grade spelling bee in the first round on the word "business."

Is the competition over? Have I lost? I need only to reflect on the wise words from Bluto (Jon Belushi) in Animal House to rally my spirits and go back and compete.

“OVER? Nothing is over until we decide it is, was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor??? It ain't over now, because when the going gets tough....................The tough get going!” ~ Bluto

I will not sit down and take this defeat like most will... I will not endure endless office ridicule! I will not go quietly into the Night! I willl not Vanish without a Fight! The inches I need to win are all around me!

Thus, I am proposing the Five Star Sports Gauntlet Competition which will span the summer with the following events:

• Horse Basketball Shooting



• Archery



• Connect-4 Competition (Sponsored by Jason Glushon)



• Dave & Busters Triad: Mini Golf + Batting Cages + Go-Karts



• Home Run Derby (on the Westport Little League Field)



• Bocchi Ball



• Fans Choose (Please vote on what the 7th event will be)- The winner was Chubby Bunny Competition

I believe the events outlined above represent a nice blend of different mind-games and athletic tests of strength and skill.

I will provide continuous updates throughout the summer.

Note: Inspirational quotes in red are from the Movie Independence Day (Side note: What has happened to Jeff Goldbloom???) and Any Given Sunday.

Race Results

RACE RECAP TO COME SHORTLY... CURRENTLY IN AN ICE BATH

I Bet You...

UPDATES IN RED

Well... those are the three words that will peak anyone's interest.


I have come to learn that in the working world, anything can become a wager. It reminds me of the movie Rat Race starring Mr Bean.



The realization begain with a couple people that everyday would peer from their 3rd floor perch starting 5 minutes before the shuttle bus arrived and would bet the over/under on the number of people that would wait for the bus. Then came the bet about eating an entire cupcake in one bite...





In the mundane work day, the thrill of a wager comes easy. And at Five Star Sports, a day rarely goes by without some sort of challenge or wager. The the most memorable being the field goal kicking competition pitted Tyler vs me. Lets just say its hard to lose when you are perfect from 30 yards.... (Pictured Me kicking and Tommy Harwood- All Mission League Holder)


Thus, comes today's wager: My boss vs Me in a 2 Mile Run

Location: Westport, CT
Time: 7:45 am
Date: This Friday
Tale of the Tape: Boss

• Age: 45ish


• Weight: 220ish 250ish


• Height: 6'1"ish


• History: Ran the New York Marathon and Boston Marathon (Failed to definitively prove completion of races)

Me

• Age: 24
  
• Weight: 157


• Height 5'6"


• History: Ran the mile in 4th and 5th grade (Best finish, 8th out of 37 runners)

Here is my propsective training regime up until the race:

1. Run today (Complete- Nearly punted a foo foo dog on the corner of 37th and 3rd)


2. Wednesday Morning: Run/Apartment stairs regime (Pending wake up) Did not happen


3. Wednesday Night: Go to Open Bar Charity Function Wednesday Night- Complete


4. Thursday Morning: BOOM FITNESS Elyptical and Plylo-metric workout (Pending hangover... probabilty 3%)- Did not happen


5. Thursday Night: Drinks with co-worker + deep tissue Massage + carbo-load


6. Friday Morning: Game Day and time to tune into the Domination Station

There are several side bets being developed and i will report on those as they become formalized. I welcome your predictions on the race via the poll near the top!

Feel the BURN!

Well... It is about that time of the year when you start thinking about the changing weather, which signifies spring, which segways into summer which translates to beach time, which triggers the thought "I'm a fat ass... I need to lose weight."



So with the weather pretty decent in the NYC, this weekend was the Official start of the "Brian Millman Get Fit Campaign 2009." (NOTE: There will be merchandise on sale in a couple weeks. You can expect items like head bands, sweat towels and potentially barf bags to be featured items.)



Below will be a couple staples of the BM Get Fit regime:

• Aloha Means Goodbye Elevator- Living on the 8th floor of my building provides me with the natural opportunity to use the stairs. Conditions of usage: The stairs will be the default unless i am drunk, or i am carrying more than a $5 Footlong.


• BOOM!- I plan to frequent Boom Fitness at the corner of Park and 33rd. There you will find me on the elliptical in the far right corner doing about 35 minutes on the Cross Training program. Conditions of Usage: this will only happen if i have clean socks and i'm not hungover.


• Sedale Threat School of Jump Shots- I plan on going to the ghetto courts on 26th and 2nd to get a little clinic going. I will bring my Mar Vista hoops style game to the east coast. Again, Richard Page was the coach and i credit him for my denfensive tenacity but also credit him, for my poor left hand and lack of height.


• Food- I am not really going to change my eating habits too much, however i foresee less pigs in a blanket for dinner and more salads +protein shakes.
• Alcohol- I will most likely continue to hydrate after workouts with Bud Light. Occasionally, after a very good workout i will have a Jack on the rocks.

I guess with any good campaign, i should set out goals and thus here is a another bullet point list of randomness:

1. I would like to run for more than 4 blocks without stopping to stretch. By stretching it is a clever ploy to actually catch my breath.


2. I would like to be able to fit into my board shorts which i left in Los Angeles. I am not switching to a pair of board shorts with an elastic waist. I graduated from that when i was 7 years old.


3. Currently, i have a naturally place to rest my beer while laying on the couch (See picture). Ideally, that would not there.


4. Be able to dunk a basketball on a six foot rim.

New York Dogs

Well... let me say that i'm completely biased on this subject. My views are tainted. They are completely one sided.



First, the best dog in the world is Brandy. My parent's beagle. It doesnt matter that she chews through the carpet or wakes up at 5 am, or even eats an entire wheel of cheese when no one is looking. Just know Brandy is the best.



Second, i am sick an tired of the inhumane treatment that the majority of new yorkers engage in towards animals on a daily basis.



Here is a list of grievances I would file with PETA:

• Hideous fashion- I dont understand why people feel compelled to put stupid sweaters and hats on dogs to make them cute. Does it make them cute? No? Usually the dog is a whimpy little nothing dog that is hideous to begin with. Its a smoke and mirrors mission. You can't put something cute on a hideous dog and expect people to think the dog is cute.


• Fuu Fuu Dogs- 90% of dogs in New York are little nothing dogs as described above. They walk outside and shiver and whimper. You see them being carried as an accessory and not walked as a dog. They are no different than a purse. Next thing you will see are girls bedazzling their fuu fuu dogs.


• Sidewalk bathrooms- Honestly, this stems back to an incident in 9th grade when i stepped in poop en route to Bling Bling at the Whiskey on Sunset (a lot of LA references there... sorry if you are lost). There is no reason why a dog should poop on cement. Its not natural. Its not fresh. Its prone for bad things and disgusting smells. Further... there aren't many hoses to clean your shoes in New York and it behooves me to clean fecal matter in my sink or bathtub.


• Freedom to be a Dog- Dogs love to sniff and chill, sniff and chill, then go meander to a new spot and sniff and chill. In an apartment, there is only so much sniffing and new smells available. That is why dogs have such a negative rep... You always find dogs near the toilet because that provides the most unique smells. Everything else in an apartment probably smells like pinesol and frebreeze.

A couple tri-state dog shout-outs:

• Casey Schulweis- Always up to no good. The King Golden Retriever of the UES.
• "Go" Blue Mintz- You think you are a small fuu fuu dog but you weigh 70 lbs and love eating my rainbow sandals.
• Lacey Azus- Always a cutie.

The White Zone is for Loading and Unloading...

Well… This isn’t a long blog post but I wanted to thank everyone for the support thus far. I am going to post a couple times a week. Its hard to claim a productive day at work when I devote time to posting.


So here is the only thing I want to comment on…


This is specific for people that travel and have been to Detroit via the McNamara Terminal… the fountain is the most soothing thing ever. You know what I’m talking about!


I contend that if you have a hangover, you would simply need to sit down and get lost in its greatness.


It’s a miniature version of the Bellagio Fountains.

In all the hustle and bustle of a major airport, the fountain is an eye opening window of tranquility.

In the middle of the criss-cross of travelers, the families searching for their flights, the friends hustling to make their connections, the fountain transcends all barriers (language, race, collegiate affiliation) by providing a subtle touch of reassurance about the persons pending flight. The jets of water pierce up in a perfect flight plan and descend back to the water for an easy and gentle landing. (Look at the little kid in the picture... Mesmerized!)

Easy.

Simple.


Smooooooth.


So, next time you are at an airport, notice the small things. They may distract you from the angst of travel.


NOTE: People from Ohio St do not have the mental capacity to realize the fountain is a piece of art. They would either interpret it as a water fountain or toilet.

Grass Patterns in the Outfield

Well... with the start of baseball season you begin to think about the little things that make baseball great.

• The little helmets filled with ice cream
  
  
• People filling out box scores and struggling to know what to do when a team bats through the line-up


• The impeccably good accuracy of peanut ushers


• Seeing a fan camped under a foul ball, boxing out the sweaty guy with mustard stains on his shirt, only for it to doink off his hands and the stadium boo-ing (not singling anyone out... but there was a remarkably similar instance involving my roommate last season)
• How teams pay homage to St. Patrick's day by wearing Green hats, jerseys and chalk the lines green.

It signifies the start of spring, the beginning of summer and the familiar chatter of a stadium.

For me, i immediately think of Dodger/Doyer Baseball and many many afternoons and nights spent at Chavez Ravine rooting on Dave Hansen (HOF utility infielder... I made up the HOF part) and Kaz Ishii as they battled to entice LA fans to come early and stay late.

It also brings me back to my days of North Venice Little League where i played as a catcher for the minor league St. Louis Cardinals (Coached by Richard Page) and the major SF Giants. Let's just say that i made benito santiago's arm strength look whimpy.

While playing at North Venice, i mowed the three fields and always wanted to make patterns in the outfield.

I think the grass pattern in the outfield is very much under-utilized. The Red Sox and Mets do it all the time (pictured below). It serves no purpose other than make the blimp shot really really cool.

But, if you take a deep dive into the patterns, you realize its a work of art. Mainly because they are working with a canvas which is 90 feet x 90 feet. Think about what Van Gogh did with a canvas which was 36 inches x 48 inches.

The primary question that i have is: How do they make it look SO good when they are SO close and its SO big??? Is the grass cut in different lengths to make the designs or is it cut in a different direction?

Editors Note: This is when I get quasi-weird and relate it to business.

Is it outside the realm of possibility, that teams will convert this into sellable inventory? When teams become a sponsors, they can put their logo in the infield grass? Imagine the McDonald's Arches or something like that.

PS... I think its slightly funny that I inserted an "editor's note" as I am the Editor. Somehow I felt like it would bring a little more credibility to my disclaimer.

Side note: I think after this week, im going to reduce the frequency of my blog to one to two times a week and send an email when i post. Still trying to figure out how people can sign up to receive an alert but not trying all that hard. Send me an email if you want to be on the distribution list.

Lunch and Water Coolers

Well... I dont really care what anyone says but lunch is by far the most important meal of the day.

I can understand why it is so underrated and frequnetly overlooked. It is a meal that gains appreciation over time. This conclusion came to me only since i joined the work force.

Lunch serves mutiple purpose beyond just stuffing your face with food.

1. It serves as the natural break in the middle of your work day
2. It provides a widely accepted reason for the daze you are in for the 30 minutes after lunch (i.e. Food coma)
3. It provides a reasonable exit strategy to avoid important meetings (sorry, i cant make that meeting. I'm having lunch with someone outside the office).

While people always talk about the water cooler talk, i think the lunch table talk has more substance behind it. How in depth can you really get at the water cooler? Lunch is an hour of time to talk about whatever. At the water cooler, you only have a tiny dixie cup or one of those cones to fill up. That can't be more than 5 ounces of water. SIDENOTE: Why the Cone? Never understood that... I have only seen ut work at The Apple Pan

If someone was doing an efficiency study, priority #1 would be the water cooler. Why are the cups soooo small? Don't you think they would provide at a minimum 12 ounce cups which will quench the thirst but not result in frequent refills???

Just a thought...

Day 1 etc...

Well... what i realized after Day 1 is that i am probably going to start most of my blogs with "well..."



So i had a clocks widget that didnt really function at work but now that i'm home i pretty much realize its garbage.



The benefits of the Blog:

• I can say what I want...


• The content of my blog is whatever I want...

Thus, here is what i'm think about right now...

As we start baseball season, we have to recognize change. The Dodgers have recently switched their Spring Training facility from Vero Beach, FL to Glendale, AZ.

Here is a youtibe video from the AP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3lutF1HfNw&eurl=http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=tdi.closingBell&utm_source=cb_email&utm_medium=email&utm&feature=player_embedded

Enjoy!

The Office Life Style

As I sit at my desk, and stare at my picture of the Ohio St cheerleaders running across the Super Dome field with flags spelling their school, O-O-H-I, i wonder what i can do to make my desk a little bit more fun without a visit from HR.

Is a massage chair appropriate?

Could I watch Family Guy on my second computer?

Can I replace my lower filing cabinets with a cooler filled with.... errrr..... Diet Coke?

Should i set up a meeting notice every day at 2:30 and check out the freeway congestion in LA on sigalert.com?

Maybe, i can cut pictures out of a national geographic and make a jungle scene.

Ultimately, i think enjoyment in a cube lifestyle is directly correlated to the amount of sun in the office space. My building hardly has any and the long endurance/low sun foliage that they have on the counters is slowly turning yellow.

Im pretty envious of Reg, who you would assume to work in a funny environment, seeing that he organizes comedy shows. Or Mitch that plays tic-tac-toe on the white board and call it work. For everyone else, you know what i'm talking about.

Well, i guess that is the life style... no sun + TPS reports.

My First Blog

Well... I'm from the West Coast but now live in New York with friends all over the place.

Thus, I figured, I might as well start a blog so that the people that want to know what I'm up to can easily do that.

The content:
Who knows? It can be anything from what I'm up to now, to how the Lakers are up to, to the rent in New York, or how dirty the dishes are in my sink. I could even blog about the rising North Korea crisis and their launch of their "satellite" missile.

Frequency:
I guarantee that there will be at least one post per week by Wednesday. There will most likely be more however sometimes i get busy or sometimes i get lazy.

Look for more to come!