Baseball. Blogging. Whenever.

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Viva Democracy


With perks like these, you'd think the folks in Congress wouldn't beat baseball up over steroids and stuff as often as they do. I mean really, isn't a bribe worth anything in Washington anymore?

Tickets for Wednesday's World Series game are nearly impossible to come by at face value. But that isn't the case if you are a member of Congress or one of their aides.

Federal lawmakers and people who work for them have gotten their hands on scores of tickets to the sold-out World Series games this year between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies courtesy of a perk not available to the public.

Major League Baseball and the teams sell a limited number of prime seats to lawmakers and congressional aides at face value, often hundreds of dollars less than the going rate.


(thanks to reader Rich C. for the link)
Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 2:02pm (6) Comments

My Morning in Exile


Just want to thank everyone for all the kind words in my little ego thread yesterday. It's humbling to say the least. I feel like Johnny Fever after he told people to go throw garbage on the steps of city hall and they actually, you know, did it. I'll try to get back into my usual snarky-ass ways as the day progresses, but I'll admit: it would be way easier if Bailey Quarters were here to help me get my mojo back like she helped Johnny in that episode. Alas.

  • Whenever I get mad at someone who won't engage me or doesn't care what I think, I fantasize that I have them in the witness box and I'm cross examining them within an inch of their lives. While it isn't anything that extreme in this case, here's me giving Mike Lupica the treatment.


  • My above reference to mojo notwithstanding, I'm pretty sure mojo is a b.s. concept.


  • Who is Manuel going to go to if the Phillies have a lead late? Lidge? Madson? Bedrosian? McGraw?


  • The Yankees aren't so dumb that they'd actually give Johnny Damon more money based on one heads up play, are they?


  • Mattingly may be the heir apparent in L.A. Time will tell whether that role will play out more Prince Williamish or more Czarevich Alexei Nikolaevichish.


  • Chase Utley is not the best second baseman ever. And despite what the commenters may say, I DO sing better than Albert Einstein did. Prove me wrong.


    • BTW: Happy 59th birthday to Markie Post. (Call me).
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 11:00am (18) Comments

    Great Moments in Being Vicente Padilla


    Ladies and gentleman, the man on which Joe Torre depended to stave off elimination in the NLCS:

    Dodgers pitcher Vicente Padilla accidentally shot himself in the right leg, the Dodgers confirmed Tuesday, but the wound is believed to be minor.

    Whatever. I couldn't get too mad about that, even if I was a Dodgers fan. What I can't abide, however, is the fact that one of my NBC colleagues stole the Warren Zevon reference I was going to drop. I'm not going to get a chance like that again. At least until some ballplayer loses their head in a war in the Congo.

    I haven't officially signed my NBC deal yet, but rest assured, prior to doing so I will check the fine print to make sure that I have the authority to have Harkins killed if something like this happens again.
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 5:31am (6) Comments