the tide is high

well it was yesterday.....rumors of my demise at the hands of the Atlantic Ocean are just not true.....this Piscean attacked the current off Donnavans Reef and Won....I have taken drunker swims in rougher water than yesterday and lived to yak about it.....I'm a Navy Man for goodness sake.......however....had I succumbed to the brutal surf and actually drowned yesterday......blame would rest squarely on the shoulders of one Chaz Higgins......who not only allowed me stumble into the ocean with approx 20 beers under my belt, but he encouraged it....."Go Jump in the Water and cool off" he says to me....shortly after a noreaster blew through the tiki bar and left 20 foot seas in her wake.......and swim I did.....the rip tide pulled me a 1/2 mile down the coast before I could finally fight my way back onto land...just in time for another twelve beers at the friendly confines of Donnavans........all in a days work lads....all in a day work......anyone up for Euro 08 ? The Nazis verse the spaniards at half two....

UGA VI R.I.P

well it is now apparent that at least two readers were on this blog yesterday.....Uncle Den Den from Bayridge checked in to say he will glady make the trek to Hotlanta 09 , and now it is clear that Uga VI , the Georgia Mascot was reading this blog as well......Uga VI took a massive heart attack yesterday and passed away.....he must have read my post about the impending journey to dixie 09 and the shocking threat was too much for his little heart to handle.....Uga VI by the way was the winningest mascot of Bulldog History.....good luck replacing him.....the door has been left precariously open for the Yellow Jackets

College Football preview

so I'm drinking ice cold beeer on the train home the other night and my thoughts turned to college football.....the way I see it, coach Johnson can have the Yellow jackets playing for the Natl Championship in 2 or 3 years max....maybe even this year...not that far fetched....they play in a BCS conference...a weak one at that, and they have an annual game against instate rival The Georgia bulldogs....who, come Dec; could conceivably be the #1 team in the nation......so run the table, beat the dogs and you could have a shot at the title game....more likely next year when the dogs have to come into buckhead....again I plea to thee....we should make a trek to Hot lanta for that game in 2009.....ah the whiskey will be flowing in dixie....we can march to the shore like good ol Gen Sherman and burn everything in our path leavin little in our wake.......

and whom pray tell should be awaiting the wramblin wreck in that title game???

The Fightin Illini of course....Juice Williams and Co will take the big ten by storm , if they can survive the Nittany Lions they will be home free......the buckeyes will be left for dead after takin a beatin on the coast at the hand of the trojans.......and USC ? pac ten too tough.....watch Neuiheisel and the Bruins ruin USC's season....

not expecting much from the beloved Irish...except a better effort....not more wins per se, but certainly closer games and more offense....they just don't have the weapons yet to compete....Chaz has to build the finest O and D lines in the nation and then try to recruit an athelet or two to excel behind those lines.....let's face it , the top ranked either cant or dont want to go to ND.

Sail Navy down the field and sink the Army , SINK THE ARMY grey....The Mids will keep marchin under Nahamatuulo......with Emu enchilada behind center the offense will click....defense is always another story....not ready to compete with the BCS schools on that note, but not far bahind......very important first season sans Coach J , can not afford to take a step back.......one game I'll you right now....Mo Mo if your readin this, don't move the line on me......Navy will kick the living crap out of Rutgers @ Navy Marine Corp Stadium on the third Saturday in September.....we have a score to settle with those punks.......

anyway there is sooo much more to disect and so little time to do it.....what with dedicating 16 hours a day to the imbibing of ice cold beer and all.....who has timw to Blog ?? I had set my alarm early this morning because I had an inkling my loyal readers were wondering what I was wonderin about the upcoming season....60 days and counting.

until next go round...stay cool....Drink lots of fluids....

Graves Vs Graves

so I was going to enter the contest in the Daily news to win a chance at having my dog cloned.....but then I got nervous....what if I win and the cloning is successfull, and GRAVES doesn't get along well with her cloned self ?? We could end up with a Graves vs Graves , no holds barred, death match in the backyard ......I could go to jail like Mike Vick.....would definitely need to pick up some shrooms to fully enjoy the match though....

good beer site

if you have a moment check out this beer website for tractor brewing in New mexico......I have tried the beeeer ...it's very good......their website has a theme song AND EVERYTHING...

www.getplowed.com

we'll start our own league

NEW YORK -- The National Hockey League is threatening to kick out Madison Square Garden, the owners of the New York Rangers, as punishment for accusing the league of violating antitrust laws.



The NHL filed court papers Wednesday that included a draft letter from commissioner Gary Bettman. In its court filing, the NHL asked a judge to agree MSG has breached its contract by challenging league rules and that it can force out MSG.



Madison Square Garden sued the NHL in September, saying it violated antitrust laws by monopolizing control of team promotions. And a judge said in November the league seemed within its rights to take control of the team's Web site.



Messages left with MSG were not immediately returned.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Breaking News

1010 wins is reporting that a crazed Rutgers football Fan is stalking Deborah Harry AKA Blondie………..the exuberant fan was spotted in Echo and the Dublin House last night……..film at eleven.

Freed Willie

Well Willie did have to go , but that was not the way to do it….he was never an embarrassment to the organization, he never pointed fingers….he took success in stride with setbacks…I will give him credit for that…..he was not a good Manager….and I do not think he had a feel for the game…..after 3 years if you asked me what his style was…I could not answer…..he followed the torre Book to the letter…….he should have been released on Sunday Morning……the team should have had to play a double header knowing they were partly responsible for Willie getting fired on Fathers day…..Omar should have sat in front of the cameras in Shea and answered all of the media inquiries……The team should have been forced to board that plane to lala land without a manager…..lock em in a room for 5 hours and see if anyone has anything to say….Omar is hoping this all blows over before he and HIS band of misfits returns from the coast….I started calling for willies head after game 7 verse the Cards…I still feel that he alone cost us a World Series…….but the entire team is to blame for the last 18 months of nonsense that has engulfed them……willie didn't blow three straight saves….willie didn't fail to get out of the first inning in 2 of last 4 starts….willie didn't decide to mope and stop stealing bases…..they owe all of that to themselves…….i hope the Shea faithful boooooo's them off the field upon their return……

we're bigger than Jesus

Well now I am not going to so far as John lennon did when he used the above phrase to compare the Beatles surging popularity, But now that Cracker Jack and Strovika have navigated their way through cyber space into the 20th century and actually located this Blog , it is only a matter of time before Sweater Nite takes over the world…..the join the already crowded circle of readers that habitually check in ( dano, my brother Steve and people doing Google searchers on their employees…imagine their shock).

I may have to jump back into the campaign …."gato 4 El presidente" and sell ad space to Hooters….if it was good enough for Big Brown it's good enough for Svetter Nite.

Quote of the Day

Elections are won by men and women chiefly because most people vote against somebody rather than for somebody.


Franklin P. Adams (1881 - 1960),

the plot thickens

This article ran in the NY Post this morning compliments of Anthony Affrunti , I knew Dutrow was not happy with Desormeaux ....read the quotes at the bottom......he should have let Miss nevin ride the Champ.

June 10, 2008 -- The mystery surrounding Big Brown's dismal performance in the Belmont Stakes remained unsolved yesterday.

Roy Williamson, the Head Starter for the New York Racing Association, has seen his share of distractions that a horse can face before or during a race. To him, no absolute cause could be found.

"I wish I could tell you that he was acting up in the gate, but that didn't happen," said Williamson. "I couldn't say that it was one definite thing, but there were a lot of equipment and people all over the track."

Williamson wouldn't rule out that the contingent of photographers along the inside rail and the 15-foot high camera tower that was located 30 yards from the gate could have spooked Big Brown.

"There were a lot of people moving around," he siad. "I was looking at pictures of the race on the Internet. I noticed Kent (Desormeaux) was pulling on the rein to straighten him out where the cameras were.

"I remember seeing a lot of cameras. You may never figure out what could have gotten to him."

Trainer Rick Dutrow, who vanned the colt to his Aqueduct barn yesterday morning, was not pleased with Kent Desormeaux's ride aboard the horse who was to be the next Triple Crown winner.

"Getting the horse from the gate to the first turn like that is not to play the game," said Dutrow.

"I'm sure he didn't have any idea what the hell was going on going into the first turn the way [Desormeaux] was switching him all over the damn track. I don't know what he was doing."

Boot Camp

23 years ago this day , June 10th 1985 , I left the borough of Churches to see the world.

I remember leaving my house at 554 76th street that morning, my Mother and Father gave me a miraculous religious medal to keep me safe. Donny Hoff, Steve Mac and John Ryan were waiting on the steps of my house at 6:00 A.M. to walk me up to the recruiting station at 86th street…..I Boarded a Bus for the MEPS station on Fort Hamilton Army Base , was "sworn in" , pledged to defend the constitution against all enemies , both foreign and domestic , and then bussed out to Kennedy Airport…….caught a flight to Chicago that Night and boarded another Bus to the Great Lakes Naval Station …..did not get assigned a rack until 3:00 a.m. …..had a brutal hangover from my last night in the ridge, was grateful to finally get some shuteye……..not for long…….approx 5:30 A.M. they came in with garbage cans and baseball bats , creating quite the ruckus, shouting, cursing , swearing , welcome to the Navy son……..do you know what NAVY stands for ?

Never Again Volunteer Yourself.

And thus after getting my head shaved , my illustrious Naval career began.

Feels like two lifetimes ago.

Michelle Nevin

nice to see a lass from the Emerald Isle in the spotlight...check out the quotes below

Originally from County Tipperary, Ireland, Nevin has worked for Dutrow for more than six years. Her blonde hair stands out on the track when she exercises the stable star in the mornings at Belmont Park. She knew what to expect on Tuesday.

“I knew he was going to be ready for this today so I didn’t want to do too much,” Nevin said. “I was just sitting back on him.”

Dutrow said Nevin has done a better job of handling the horse in workouts than jockey Kent Desormeaux, who has guided the Boundary colt to four wins this year.

“The only two times I’ve ever seen this colt have bad workouts is when Kent is up. That’s why I didn’t go with Kent. The horse was a mess with him,” Dutrow said. “It has just been unbelievable every time in the mornings, except for the times Kent breezed the horse.”

On Tuesday, Nevin again proved up to the task. Exercising with Big Brown every day, she has come to appreciate the colt’s intelligence.

“We’ve come to an agreement of, ‘I won’t bother you if you don’t bother me,’ ” Nevin said. “I don’t do much more than just sit there because he knows what to do.”

After Tuesday’s breeze, the final serious workout planned for Big Brown before the Belmont Stakes (G1) on Saturday, Nevin relaxed in the stable area, joked with Iavarone, and enjoyed a cigarette. She confessed to being nervous before the breeze.

“Today, there was a bit of pressure because we didn’t want to leave his race on the track,” Nevin said. “He was eager and happy.”

I smell a rat

can't quite put me finger on it yet , but there is something amiss about the shocking outcome of the Belmont Stakes.......I won't draw conclusions just yet, but I will raise a few blips from the week that seem out of sorts.

First and foremeost , what is going on with Dutrow v Desromeaux ? one hour after the race, Rick Dutrow is barnside answering questions and he says " I haven't spoken to the jock yet ".........2 things wrong here....A) WHY NOT ? your the effen trainer of a triple crown horse, something went drastically wrong ....why didn't Dutrow make a Bee line to Desormaux to ask "What the Eff just happened? " B) on a smaller note , usually when a trainer and a jockey have success at any level , let alone the grandest stage of them all, you tend to expect them to form some kind of a bond.....does't the Jock have a name ?

Second quote from Dutrow that raised my eyebrows....I was a little drunk last night at 7:30 , but I swear Dutrow said you can't blame this horse, the horse did nothing wrong.......so whom is at fault? The Jock ? the trainer? The syndicate owners? Belmont Park itself? the heat? who should we blame? unfortunately Ricky did not elaborate , but my hunch is he has his mind set on blaming the jock without a name.

And what did the jock have to say ? Two quotes bothered me......A) "there was nothing wrong with the horse, but i pulled him up because the race was over"....really? probably right, but does not a champion of this caliber deserve the right to gallop out down the stretch , had we not seen explosions from this horse in the past, sine when is it the right thing to do to quit , unless the horse was hurt , why do you risk injury by asking the horse to stop running in the homestretch?
was Desormauex trying to make the story about HIM, and overshadow everything else....was Desormaux trying to win favor with PETA ? vying for the humanitarian of the year award......my feeling is unless thay are not telling us the truth and there was something wrong, then he should have went way ride and turned him loose one last time....we'll never know.

B) when asked a question about Big Browns' training the past two weeks, Desormaux snapped back " How should I know , ask Michelle, she's the only one who rides him"
what is that all about? sounds like sour grapes.....he was of course referring to the little irish Lass Michelle Nevin who is the exclusive exercise rider for Big Brown.....why is desormeaux throwing her under the bus? is he trying to question Dutrows practice routine?

I have not quite figured it out yet friends, but there is more to this story than meets the eye.....for all his faults, Dutrow showed a human side, when he said "whatever else happens , this horse is a great champion and he is going to live a nice life, even if he never races again" ....I think when you get past his bravado and cockiness, Dutrow loved this horse and I do not think he would risk Big Browns life for his own fame.....but I have been wrong before, and I have a redwood forest worth of loosing tickets to prove it.

Rise and shine it's belmont time

Well it may not have quite the feel of Derby Day , where hope springs eternal for 20 of the finest horses in the land, but the Belmont Stakes are still special to some. As my loyal readers can attest, I have not been in the Big Brown camp for the first two legs of this triple, but I am starting to believe we are in the midst of greatness....I am going to enjoy watching this Beast complete his mission....for triple purposes I will include Tale of Ekati and Dennis Nolan of Cork ....even though he quit on those poor little girls from Bishop Ford because he wants to hang out on the avenue or something.....just kidding DasDas...we wish you the best...OLA may have an opening if Dano falters....

on an unrelated side note....did anyone else see lazarus Pierce of the Celtics come back from the dead in the 4th quarter.....true guts and determination....these NBA stars are warriors....the poor guy was taken to the locker room in a wheel chair and somehow managed to comeback on the court and play 5 minutes later....I don't even care if X-rays showed no damage...this was another celtic miracle...

side side note....Brendan Malone of the Penguinis with clam sauce took a slapshot to the face.....broken nose and 46 sticthes......skated off the ice under his own power and came back into the game after gettin stitched.....SHHHHHH don't let that story get out,

401-Keg

This gem comes to us from us Johnny Pooch....sound advice for all to follow, assuming you live in a state where they give ya a nickel back...

All:

If you had purchased $1,000.00 worth Nortel stock 1 year ago, it would now be worth $49.00...

With Enron, you'd be left with $16.50 of the original $1,000.00…

With WorldCom, you'd have less than $5.00 left…

If you purchased $1,000.00 worth of Delta AirLines stock, you'd be left with $44.00; if you bought United Airlines, you'd have NOTHING left….

BUT…if you'd purchased $1,000.00 worth of beer a year ago, drank all the beer, and recycled the cans, you would have $214.00.

Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily, and recycle.

This is called the 401-keg-plan.

Party Tickets

no not the good ones....not the hand stamping that gets you into a Keg party.....but the Party Tickets for the Repubs and Dems........all kidding aside, I think there is a better chance of Mccain-Hillary ticket than there is of Obama-Clinton.....Johnny Mc already alientaed the conservatives in this country, he may try to destroy the democratic party by wooing the former first lady......of course he would have to Nate her shortly after the election.

Dark Memories

I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Dead Wings choke just 30 seconds away from the Cup , I wish I could have stayed awake until the wee wee hours to see the dejected look on their fans faces when they had to exit the Joe Louis arena , realizing they either had to be in work in a few hours or wasted a vacation on a celebration that never materialized……at least for now…..I am certainly not a penguini with clam sauce fan, but I hate them less…..not sure if they can pull this one off……I kinda hope they loose the Cup in front of their fans and have to watch the wings celebrate on the igloo ice. ……..when my team is eliminated I tend to hope for maximized displeasure for everyone else.

I must say though it did bring back some ugly memories……….We had a Game 5 Nightmare of our own back in the glory run of 1994.

I remember leaving work at 44 Wall to catch my ride up to MSG that night, my boss graciously told me I could take off the following day after the Rangers won the cup, I left the office just after the market close at 4:00 . Craig Paz and Kevin Carney picked me up on the West side Highway at Rector Street after they came out of the Battery Tunnel , We had a Victory Playmate cooler in the back seat with cold Beer and Champagne on ice…..we even got a spot on the same block as Mustang Sally's , we hung at the car drinking beers ……the city was electric , but different , I couldn't really put my finger on it , but something was strange…..we walked up to 7th ave once it was ok to leave the car on the street without risking a ticket, and BAM…..Chaos………there had to be close to 5,000 police officers on 7th…a battalion of squad cars, scooters, motorcycles etc etc……and people ? All over the place, they came out of the woodwork, you could not get in any bars and every intersection was clogged……makeshift aluminum foil Stanley Cups were abundant……it was surreal ……we were buying loose beers from the deli on 7th and 30th and just soaking it all in. When we began to enter the plaza by Gerry Cosby's there were Police Horses and Barricades , you needed a ticket to go up the three steps to the old bowling alley entrance. There was a Classic band playing the Hits from 1940……effin bizarre we thought……who are these people and where did they come from.? We took some photos for historic purposes and headed into the arena.

Once inside there was a return to normalcy , same old knuckleheads in their same old seats….we bought some beers and went to the window overlooking the Post Office……..Holy Cow…..The Post Office was a staging area for the NYPD ……if we thought 7th ave was bad, there were legions of Police by the Post Office, Riot gear and Armored vehicles, Horses by the dozen , it was a little scary in a way……as if the city was bracing for an attack by a foreign army……kind of like the scene before game 7 of the devils 1992 ….the day of the Rodney King riots…..ahhh but I digress, that's a story for a different day…….

As we settled into our seats and awaited Mr. Ammoranti , I had the feeling there were quite a few frontrunners amongst us……people that had not been to a game in years, but could afford to scalp in and wanted to be a part of what they had missed all year…..unsettling to me……..but not enough to deter me from enjoying the clincher….lets get this thing started already….

The Anthem was nuts , could not hear a note , the lights came on , the puck was dropped, the crowd roars its approval for every hit , every pass, everything………WE WANT THE CUP…..WE WANT THE CUP….the place was rocking with that chant early on...I honestly do not recall the specifics , which is weird for me , but to my recollection we scored 10 minutes in…Tik I think, but it was ruled offside…..nobody heard the whistle, and while we were busy celebrating , there was a scrum on the ice and Buek was ejected…..the goal was disallowed and now we were down a defenseman…….BAD KARMA……..

Canucks scored first, and I had a sick feeling………..1-0 after two periods……..a lot of negative energy in the building , people more angry that they scalped in then they were about the game…….the 5-0 coronation victory parade "love in" was not gonna happen….if we were gonna win the cup tonight, we were gonna earn it…..the third period starts and the building is coming alive………….not for long…….2-0 canucks…………..enough already…….this is the closest we have been to the cup in 50 plus years…..LET's GOOOOOO…………….3-0 canucks……….i really don't remember the goals…..I do remember shooting daggers with my eyes and those sob's in their black jersies celebrating on my ice…….that sick sick feeling that had always been in the back of my mind was now at the forefront……holy manure……we will never win the cup…………..Ranger goal…..3-1……I don't even cheer….i'm sick………few minutes later Ranger goal 3-2…….holy mackerel….no way………..place is jumping……MESSIER GOAL…..tie game…….tie game……..all these years later I try to remember exactly what was happening in the arena , but it's fuzzy…….it was almost like an out of body experience……...It was a euphoric feeling in the building……it was the greatest comeback in history….down 3-0 in the third period……rallying back to win the Cup after 54 years and I am here……..people were jumping up and down and hugging each other…..beer was spilled all over the blues…..triumph and relief……on a hot June night……nerve racked and sweating….it was kind of like the moments after Matteau Matteau………one small problem…….Matteau's goal ended the series….tonight we were tied……..and therein lies the problem……..now it really comes into focus……canucks almost immediately gain control of the puck , there is a dump in to the seventh avenue goal to Richters right…our side of the garden ….and I can see the puck coming off the boards ….Momesso ? Fires it at Richter tough angle…..save…..but the rebound is banged home in a second………all the momentum comes crashin down……the chest pains…..that dull headache….it's all back……….then it's 5-3……and then 6-3……..i don't recall the walk out of the building….the next thing I clearly remember is sitting on the hood of the car outside of Famous Rays pizza on west 4th street with Kevin and craig ……eating a slice and then reaching into the cooler for a cold Bud…..and Having to move the champagne bottles out of the way……..we sat there for an hour or so, listening to sports talk radio and the maniacs that were calling in from the ledge….insisting we would never win the cup…….it was a hot june night, we were angry and drunk……the last thing we wanted to do was to go back to bayridge……………as Frampton would have asked of Detroit……"do you feel like I do? " I hope they do.

Chaz Hockey Pool

A New format was unveiled by Chaz on Sunday morning for the Hockey Pool 2009.

16 skaters will assemble at 5:00 P.M. on the first Tuesday after the regular season ends......each man will deposit $100.00 into the hat, and simultaneously withdraw a little white sheet of paper with a playoff team listed upon it.

At 6:00 p.m. we will have a group handshake and agree to split the pot 16 ways to avoid the possibility of loosing any money or risk having some fun for two months and root for a team you normally would not.

At 6:05 Chaz will hand each skater $100.00 , as their stake in the winnings , and we will declare the pool to be a success.

Just like politically correct T-Ball , no winners, no loosers, nobody keeping score......what fun.

The Woodman Visits

Tropical Storm Dano blew into Monmouth County for a 24 hour sojourn , and it was deemed an immediate success....From the friday Night bonfire, to breakfest of Champions by the pond and a trek to the track, all went well......Crank craig, the Polar opposite , brought terrential downpours with him and his band of merry makers on the bus, and the threat of the first tornado to hit the Shore in a Century........luckily the rain cleared and a good time was had by all, drinking and gambling and chatten about the stanley Cup Finals....In case you miised it, Charlie Higgins was selected as the Fan of the Day and interviewed on the Jumbo Tron , he gave a Plug to PC's and yours truly........craig said he was the biggest thing to hit TV since Jackie Gleason