All-star Party 2010

7/13/10.

I thew together the All-star bball party dip a little late..the crappy photo seems appropriate, since this year it looked like a kid threw it together. And yet, it still held up to its reputation. Gotta respect a homemade dip with this many ingredients. For my previous All-star dips and ingredient lists: check it. Hey, the NL won!

Parental Visit

Mom in Italia, 6/18/10.

I've been remiss about posting photos from our last two weekends (garden photos are easy to pop up here). So, here are a few from the weekend when my mom visited. We took another venture on a scrapbook bus trip hosted by Right at Home (in North Attleboro, MA), and spent the day riding around in neighboring states on scrapbook missions. I'm not sure where exactly we went (Mass., maybe CT?), damn did we cover a lot of ground. The time with mom was great, as it always is.
Chris & I drug mom all over the place - to some of our favorite spots and even to a new one. She cheered on Chris at his softball game (below) and watched movies with us late into the night. As far as visitors go, Mom is incredibly easy and I love that she can chill out in our Providence-pad.

6/19/10.

6/19/10.

All-Star Game, 2009

Party food. Taken, 7/14/09.

Presenting the 11-ingredient, many layer All-star Baseball Game dip. This year, I thought I'd give props to St. Louis for hosting the game (mom suggested the tin-foil...Awesome). Layers: re-fried beans, sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, jalapenos, black olives, and homemade guacamole (avocados, white onion, cilantro, green garlic, lime juice). Clearly an upgrade from last year's dip, which didn't have a warning track.

We had Mets, Redsox, and Yankees fans at the house for the game...coming together in the same spirit of the All-stars. Respect.

NYC & Providence Vacay

Chris & his "pops" in the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, 5/13/09.

These last two weeks have been for Chris and I exactly what a vacay should be - no stress, no worries, nothing but enjoying time with friends and family. I had such a great time...and we were able to surprise Danielle on her b-day and catch up with Brian, all while in town. Must share, more pics from the last two weeks:

Outside of Citi Field, Chris with his parents.

The Jackie Robinson Rotunda in Citi Field.

Outside of CitiField.

We spent this last week catching up with Anne & Ashley here in Providence. One afternoon we headed down to Newport to meet up with Craig & Rosie for one of the most-fun & funnest 7 or so hours, bbqing and playing corn-hole. Did you know that CornHole has an official set of rules? I'll let the pictures of the latter speak for themselves.

Corn-holing in Newport, 5/19/09.

<Corn off the grill. Sooooo good. Note: No corn is harmed in the game of Corn Hole.

A breakfast goodbye at Julian's. See you at the wedding!!

Citifield

Citifield, taken 5/13/09.

Our first visit to the new Mets Stadium -- Citifield. Too bad Shea, this field rocks. Truly a park built for the fans, no matter where you are sitting, you feel closer to the field. I love it. Wednesday's game was a nailbitter, despite the loss in the 12th inning. So glad we could see a game with Chris' parents. Go Mets!

Caber-Reyes

Corny name, but a great gift for Jose Reyes fans -- thank you Craig & Rosie! Pitchers and Catchers...mid-February. Can't wait.

To tide you over until then? Bleacher Preachers debut their new season this Tuesday night from 5-7 pm. Tune in online and have a listen!

Sayonara, Mets

Saturday's game was by far the best baseball I've ever seen in person. Sunday's drive back to Providence? Sad & tragic. And not just because I actually shouted out "Delgado, I Believe!" in the car. Once again, the Mets have broken my heart.

Dominance on the Field

Obviously, I'm not talking about the Mets.
Philosophy and Theology, in their epic battle of department softball games, continued the tradition this semester, despite Nature's denial of athletic abilities to those granted the gift of intelligence.

Funny hand-magic vodoo coming from second base?
Taken 9/19/08.
Providence, RI.

Coach Jack Phillips

Sweet piece of nostalgia. This is my father's baseball team in college (1968). My dad, who is a total stitch (when he's not being ornery), is sitting in the front row, third from the right. He sent this to me because his coach (sitting next to him, second from the right) was Coach Jack Phillips, from the 1947 World Series-winning Yankees. Clarkson College recently named their new stadium after Phillips. Note: My dad was wearing those horned-rimmed glasses as I was growing up (he now has contacts). They're somewhat sheik now. Claire's dad on NBC's Heroes is sporting a nice pair.

It is truly amazing that after all these years I still hear new stories like this about my parents --they're not big reminiscers, so the stories trickle out slowly. The few I have heard, however, are great. I, in contrast, have converted all major & amusing events in my life (meaning, all of them) into captivating stories that my friends have heard ad nauseum.

Delgado for MVP

We're missing the double-header today because Fox is broadcasting the Phillies instead of the Mets, but Delgado's incredible performance in the last few months has re-ignited our enthusiasm, which led to the purchase these new Mets jerseys. My jersey cost $8, while Chris' was $40. Both included shipping and both were e-bay steals. Can you believe that official jerseys normally run between $90 and $250 at the clubhouse? What a waste.

Bring your Kiddies, Bring your Wife...*

On July 24th, I finally witnessed (in person) a kick-ass baseball game. Typically, when I attend a game, the team I'm rooting for, loses. But not this time, for once! Chris' father bought Mets tickets for the 'kids' and himself while we were in town for a wedding & baptism. The game happened to be the tie-breaker of the Mets-Phillies series, with the Mets placed 2nd in the league.

The Mets have had a rough year so far, given all the guys on the DL and the drama surrounding Zen Willie getting fired. (Zen Willie...whom I greatly miss). Overall, no one has been playing exceptionally well. But after a 10 game winning streak, the tides seemed to be turning and we were perfectly positioned for a good game. Sure enough, the Mets & the Phillies were tied 1-1 in the 7th and thanks to Delgado's 2-run double in the bottom of the 8th, the Mets won 3-1, launching them into FIRST PLACE (for the first time this season-I think).

Most likely, this will have been my last Mets game in Shea stadium. So sad. Starting next year, they'll be in the new stadium, Citi Field. You can see it through what used to be the opening in outfield, next to Shea in the photo below. I hear there will be slightly bigger seats, which means no sweaty strangers pressing up against you.
All in all, a great game and a great day. Oohhhh. But since then, what has happened to the Mets?

*The original Mets song: Meet the Mets, meet the Mets, go on out greet the Mets/bring your kiddies, bring your wife/ guaranteed to have the time of your life..." Gotta love the "bring your wife" line.

All-Star Game 2008

All-Star Game 7-Layer Dip

7/16/08.

This year, for the All-Star game, my 7-layer bean dip was kicked up a notch. It shouldn't be called a 7-layer dip since I actually use 10 ingredients (if pre-made salsa is an ingredient). Guacamole (in my mind) should always be made from scratch. (Ingredients: re-fried beans, salsa, shredded cheese, olives, jalapenos, avocados, a white onion, garlic, cilantro, & sour cream). The writing & bases are made from piped sour cream.

I soooo love baseball.

Mets fire Zen Willie

Long live Willie Randolph, or Zen Willie from Brooklyn, as I've re-named him this year. Willie Randolph, the manager of the New York Mets, along with the pitching coach & first base coach, was fired today after weeks of rumors that his job was on the line. Not to paint Willie as a victim, but I recognize that the New York managers are under a lot of pressure during slumps and no one could get over last year's end-of-season collapse (historically the worst *ever*). I'm sad to see him go. Let's just hope the new start shakes things up so that the Mets start playing like they should.

ESPN's Report
Buster Olney's Editorial (not sure what I think about this -- interesting though that Willie's comments about the players in front office meetings seemed to get leaked to the media.)

Fenway Goodness

Fenway Park, Boston, MA. May 21, 2008.

Pedro does it Clean

Ahhh, Pedro. As he explains, "I did it clean"

"...I have a small frame and when I hurt all I could do was take a couple of Aleve or Advil, a cup of coffee and a little mango and an egg -- and let it go!" he said. Hysterical.

(Espn removed the Pedro video.)

Being a Mets Fan.

"The greatest end-of-the-season collapse in the history of major league baseball." (-either Keith Hernandez or Ron Darling after today's game)

I'm not disappointed in the Mets this year. It's dirtier than that. I feel like I've been teased. Disappointment is what you feel when you lose a game. Or when you don't do as well on a test as you thought you had. Or when you receive a crinkly bubble shirt for your birthday. I feel teased. I don't mean being called names on the playground. I mean, your friends says they'll come to your party, but they never show. Or someone says "I baked you a cake" and then they eat the whole thing with no explanation.

This year I further committed to the Mets and to baseball. I spent the summer watching Ken Burns' documentary Baseball and I cried when I got to Jackie Robinson's death. Reyes solidified his spot as my favorite player last year and this year Moises fought second. I even got over Milledge's immature slip-ups and was proud of Glavin as he was honored for his 300th win. Once again, I let myself believe and get excited and hope. And then I watched the "greatest collapse" in baseball's history.
Damn you Mets. You're such a dirty tease!