Check out my story today on local Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) instructor, Gene Simco. He's a black belt in this martial art (he holds other black belts as well) and for as deadly as he could be, he's a really nice guy.
I observed a recent class that had some law enforcement guys in it. Obviously, the martial arts comes in handy on the job, but they do it competitively as well. It really is a good workout. Nobody came out of that class without a ton of sweat. Except me. Wielding a high-speed pen and digital camera just doesn't burn the calories like you'd hope, ya know?
I told Simco that I'd watched UFC stuff before in TV and I found it brutal and awful. The kind of blood and guts stuff that turned me off, or never really on to boxing, when I took a sportswriting course long ago. Some of the greatest, most eloquent sportswriting stories have come from boxing, but I just never got it.
This MMA stuff, once you understand the strategy of it, is interesting, though. Little guys, big guys, all these different skill sets...boxers trying to pummel the jiu-jitsu guys before they can get them on the floor, because then it'd be over.
Still...it's icky with the blood. Although, from what I understand, traumatic head injuries in the MMA are less than just boxing alone. I think I'd just prefer to watch a non-punching martial arts competition, if any. Or maybe I'll stick to baseball. Then again, with all the mud-slinging and low-blows lately, MMA is looking pretty good.
Anyway, at one point in his career, Simco trained with the Gracie family. That name probably rings a bell to all you UFC fans. His site is one of the leading resources on BJJ..his web site has tons of info, books, DVD's etc. Check it out here.
For a funny recap of my one and only experience with martial arts, check out my Mommy Memoir blog today.
Hey, I heard pitchers & catchers reported...there's one name I'm looking forward to hearing more about...starts with an "S" and ends with "World Series." Er, I mean "-antana."
Photo: That's former Pace University football safety Steven Olivier on the floor doing the flipping...he's a Deputy in the local Sheriff's dept. Um...don't mess with him. Simco is standing to the right. I didn't get the name of the inverted person. It seemed like a bad time to ask...
Boston sweeps. I should be happier as a temporary fan, perhaps even used an exclamation point. But really, I'm not happy. Baseball's over. Over!!! I really, really wanted it to go to seven games. I wanted them to win in Boston, not to mention, how sad were the Rockies guys? Hate when they show that. Big Matt Holliday striking out is about as sad a thing as you're ever going to see in baseball.
Boston earned this, didn't they? You never saw them looking intimidated...never down, never lost their intensity. Boston had Beckett, big bats (.333 average!) and...bubblegum. Bubblegum on the baseball cap in Game 4? That's a good clubhouse attitude. Even the Boston pitchers were hitting. Kudos to Mike Lowell - I love that guy. Who wouldn't want a whole clubhouse of Mike Lowell's? I could think of worse. Which brings us to...
A-Rod. A-Rod...where you headed? If it's Boston - ouch. Maybe you should get a timely hammy-pull for the NY home games. Also, whatever. Boston's used to those kinds of salaries, sure, but if we're talking team chemistry, I think he's too much of an individual ego for that place. They've already got Manny. You don't need two...
Two....Does London need two NFL teams tearing up their futbol pitch? I think not. Did anyone care? See for yourself. When my hubbie and I lived in London, we used to watch games during the midnight shift. They'd show the games edited to a shorter, more action-packed game. No time to get snacks, in other words. The Brits looked bored. I'm thinking the American ex-pats were loving it.
Pats? Is that a 52 in the score?? Fifty-two?! It's an all-New England sports year...could this be a good omen for the Celtics, those boys in green??
Green? Gang Green is looking pretty gangrene this weekend. Oh, my Jets..my Jets! Three points. T-h-r-e-e. Chad. Sorry, man. They benched him in the 4th quarter and of course, Clemens looked wonderful. The defense was surely adjusting to the new QB, making him look that much better, but still. Methinks they're going to make the switch. Chad! Do pushups! Think Elway! Think bullet/rocket!
The rockets will be flying in Boston upon their return. It's close enough for me to travel to..and I do love a parade. Alas...I have to work and coach and laundry awaits and there's that Halloween-escorting trick-or-treaters thing.
Tough loss, Rockies. It was a magical season. Nothing to hang your heads about. Congratulations, Boston Red Sox! There's an exclamation point. And I meant it, too.
I don't have a lot of thoughts because the game hasn't started yet, but I guess I'll start with...
Did James Taylor rock that house or what? How cool is it to have JT doing the National Anthem for you? You can tell when a musician's grabbed the audience...it happened just now. I think the fans would be happy if a concert broke out after the game. I know I would if I were there.
But I'm not. Sigh.
Makes me kinda miss John Denver. The Rockies still pay homage to him at home games with "Thank God I'm A Country Boy, " but how incredible would it have been to have him there doing it live? Sigh again.
Wow, I'm getting all sappy and they haven't even thrown the first pitch!
Tonight's pitching matchup between Schilling and Jimenez will be interesting and...familiar. I'm 41, Schilling's on his way there (I love that grey in his beard!)...Jimenez is a mere 26. My women's volleyball team recruited three new players this season - all under 27 years old. The young whippersnapper setter subbed me out...of WARM-UPS!! Warm-ups!!!!! Curt, I feel your pain. More incentive to prove them all wrong.
After tonight's game, Jimenez will probably want to go out and party. Schilling will be home icing and popping Advil. Or at least I would if I were him.
Game on! And the daughter wants to go around the house and measure stuff with daddy's tape measure. Why?!! Why now?!!! Honey, there's a game on called the "World Series." It's like...a big game. But Mommy.........
A few years ago, I was an ultimate geek. Well, I preferred "enthusiast," but same thing. I was a Lord of the Rings movie nut! (LoTR) *crickets*
No, hey, come back. I won't bore you with talk of hobbits and elven rhunes or about how I met Billy Boyd (Pippin) and Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), two quite charming fellows (and Viggo's a Mets fan...need I say more?) and traveled across country in a blizzard to see four hobbits and a dwarf and a slew of Gondorian soldiers.
No, I want to talk to you tonight of the eerie parallel between the Journey of Frodo and the Ring of Doom to Mordor and the journey of another ring...the World Series Ring. *dramatic music*
If Stephen Colbert, a huge LoTR fan, were here, I think he'd agree - they are on a strangely similar journey...
It came to me when I posted that earlier LoTR quote. True, true, even the smallest person can change the course of the future. (see also Napoleon, Gandhi when he was sitting, Yoda and Randy Newman's fan club) But it's more than that. Read along with me the great words of JRR Tolkien and see if you don't see any similarities...
Yankees in Cleveland??? - Throughout the bogs and marshes and even the wooded Wilderlands of Middle-earth there are many varieties of biting and buzzing insects, from the harvest-flies of the Shire to the greater sickle-flies of the Midgewater Marshes and the Bruinen vile-flies of the Trollshaws. Most of these creatures are little more than disgusting nuisances, but some varieties are known to carry debilitating diseases. A single bite can make a brave adventurer easy prey for larger and more dangerous predators. (like the Indians!)
Middle Earth Fenway! --Suddenly they came out into open land again and found themselves under a pale evening sky pricked by a few early stars. There was a wide treeless space before them, running in a great circle and bending away on either hand. Beyond it was a deep fosse lost in soft shadow, but the grass upon its brink was green, as if it glowed still in memory of the sun that had gone. Upon the further side there rose to a great height a green wall ....
Snow capped peaks...Coors Field in October!! -On the third morning Caradhras rose before them, a mighty peak, tipped with snow like silver, but with sheer naked sides dull red as if stained with blood. ...They tramped on again. But they had not gone more than a furlong when the storm returned with fresh fury. The wind whistled and the snow became a blinding blizzard...
Where will the Ring end up? Who will have the ultimate power?!!! I don't know about you, but I feel the power of the Ring is great...and we haven't played Game One yet!
Boston is flying high right now. Congrats to the Red Sox! Cleveland played a great series. This game could've gone either way. Tough, tough loss for the Indians. It came right down to the last game - great series. Of course, the Mets were in the Indians position last year...one game shy of the Pennant. I feel your pain.
Boston's players had so much confidence, so did Cleveland - right up until Lofton was held up at third. Total momentum shift there. Solid hitting by the Sox, too. Great game.
Wednesday will be a tough night in our house. Hubbie wants the underdog of underdogs, the Colorado Rockies to win...I'll have to stand by my temp-team.
Whew. I'm beat. Cheering for your newly adopted Pennant-winning team is tiring.
What a game for Dustin Pedroia! Reminds me of that great Lord of the Rings line,
"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future..."
Random observations made by a casual fan during game 6 of the ALCS...which are driving my husband to distraction. I can't help it...I'm a "casual fan"...I have to keep busy somehow....
Fenway is a strangely shaped stadium. One too many at the pub for the stadium designers, methinks.
For the trivia question, they showed the highlight film for the '74 Boston game...Carlton Fisk's HR...then Joe Buck said who had the call. All I could think was...if Joe Buck had made the call it would've put people to sleep.
Boston is a spirited bunch...players and fans. I wonder if the fans boo their own players like in NY... they aren't tonight, that's for sure.
JD Drew has a sweet swing. I bet he's a good golfer. And...he's wearing my number. Cool.
I could be wrong but the beards of both Curt Schilling and Cleveland skipper Eric Wedge seem to be turning greyer by the minute.
I like that the Red Sox have just one main color on their uniforms - red. The Mets are sometimes blue, sometimes orange, sometimes black, then pinstripes or grey. If they're going to have that many, they better send a memo to the fans to tell us what to wear if we're going to the game. I'd hate not to match.
Oh! The Head of the Charles was this weekend in Boston! My friend used to row in that! I've never been to that one, but I went to the Oxford/Cambridge race in London when we lived there. They started the race on the Thames one block from our office...no chance I'd miss that. Guinness street vendors everywhere! A beer lover's dream.
Those pinetar helmets are just disgusting. Ick. Maybe the Yankees should have used them in Cleveland when the bugs attacked.
That was the longest three innings I have ever seen. I'll never make it through nine.
By virtue of my Mets fan-dom, I'm prohibited from wholeheartedly cheering the Yankees, but that doesn't mean I don't have respect for them. Joe Torre seems like a real class act and I can't believe they're letting this guy go. I can't believe they tied a "win the World Series/get a bonus" clause in his contract offer. What a slap in the face to a man who has given too many years to this club.
If they do that with him, what's to stop them from putting that clause in every Yankees player's contract? Hey, you want the big bucks, then win a World Series or you're gone. What message is that sending? If we're not the best, we're nothing? Pinstripes = elitist. I have to believe that every manager and every player (except Manny Ramirez, apparently) has the World Series gold ring as the ultimate goal. That's why you play. If it didn't matter, you'd be happy playing rec ball under the lights in your hometown.
There's only so much a manager can do to help a ball club to win. Just because you pay him a few million more than other managers doesn't mean he'll win more. Same for the players. Aren't you paying them for their potential, not their performance?
The fans who are crying that a new manager would light a fire under the players to gear them up to win has never played a lick of ball, ever, I bet. A good manager knows what makes a player tick, and it's not always fire & brimstone. Sometimes, a player just underperforms. Who knows how many factors come into play when a team takes the field. It's not all within the control of a manager.
Joe Torre added some class to the Bronx. He was above all the negativity and gave his team fatherly guidance.
Mr. Torre, I'd be proud to have you on my roster. As it happens, I have an assistant coaching spot open on my girls basketball team. I could use some help. A lot of help. This will be a rebuilding year, but I think we can learn a lot from you. Let me know. You're welcome anytime.
With the Mets gone, I have shifted my alliances, temporarily, to the Red Sox, for October only. Sadly, they are morphing into something resembling the Mets in September, which is to say, not good. Not very good at all.
I'm used to cheering the underdog though, I choose them over any others (see also: Jets, Knicks...any March Madness picks I make), so cheering the Rox won't be a stretch. I've become very good at crossing my fingers, adjusting the rally sleeve/cap, cursing at the TV - all the things that make a good underdog fan.
This prayer has been zipping around the internet, so I'll share it here (because that's all I got today!). I like the last line, for obvious reasons.
What is with TBS and the MLB playoffs? They suck so bad. The only saving grace is hearing Ron Darling's voice. A wee bit of Mets.
They drown out the crowd noises for every game except tonight's, where the booing became so annoying to listen to, it reminded me of the Mets and of course, made me want to turn it off.
I love Tony Gwynn but not in the booth.
Do we really need the steal arrow graphic thingie at first base? How important is that except as an advertising thing?
Speaking of advertising...what's with the hot babes in the blog ads for "True"..."Stop, Stare, Flirt, Go Now?" Uh, why don't I get a hot guy photo on my blog? There should be only one hot babe photo on my blog and she's riding a broomstick.
Why are they booing so much? Because their guy slid too hard into 2nd and was out? Come on, Arizonaians...you can't boo that. You certainly can't throw stuff on the field for that. You throw stuff when someone pulls a John Rocker. Then you throw rolls of coins, etc. You don't throw water bottles - what message does that send? I'm so mad, I could throw... an empty bottle... of...water? Where's the anger in tossing recycling?
Cal Ripken is like a foot taller than everyone else at the desk...what is in the water in Baltimore??
I'm not really watching the games. It's just on in the background. Maybe I like to pretend they're cheering for me.
I don't know any players' names except a few on Boston. And Helton.
I might watch that "Frank TV" show they've been advertising. He's funny.
I only checked once to see when spring training starts. Once...tonight.
"So Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and The Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning the east wind had brought the locusts. And the locusts came up over all the land of Egypt, and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever shall be again. For they covered the face of the whole land..." - Exodus 10:12-15 RSV
"I will send swarms of flies on you..." - Exodus 8:21-22
I think Jaba Chamberlain will never return to Ohio if he can help it. An eighth inning attack of mayflies, or "Canadian Soldiers" put Jaba's concentration - and vision - to the test.
Bugs: 1, Jaba: 0.
Oh, what timing hath the insect. Now, now, during game two of the ALCS they pick to hatch and mate? Don't they know there's a game going on? You can't have mating bugs flying around your head when you're pitching 100 mph. Oddly, the Indians pitcher didn't seem to mind...
It's not surprising the pinstriped boys from the big city can't take the bugs. Big flying rats? Bring em on. Massive swarms of tiny bugs? I'll see ya back in the Bronx.
Maybe Cleveland is a little closer to Thou? Maybe all those prayers from fans in Ohio caught the right wind up to the Big Guy?
Tied in the 9th.........
p.s. edclinch, this has your name written all over it!
It's no King Arthur...or Bugs Bunny for that matter, but...did anyone else feel sorry for that Mets fan in the outfield at the Indians/Yankees game on TBS? He was a curious stranger in Cleveland, no?
And could he have been any further away from the action? And just one row ahead of the incessant drum beating...haven't we been tortured enough as Mets fans?! First the crash and burn, then the worst seat, THE worst seat at the game? At least the Yankees didn't win. I mean, for him as a Mets fan. We're not really permitted to cheer the Yankees. I did feel a slight twinge for them, though, as the score crept high and higher in Cleveland's favor.
And the Phillies! Oy! Wake up East Coast teams! At least Boston is doing well so far.
They just switched over to the Arizona game and who's in the booth but Ron Darling! For you non-NY'ers, Ron is one in the trio of THE finest broadcast team in MLB. So it's not the Mets but at least it sounds like the Mets. I'll take it.
To all the West Coast fans just settling in for the Chicago/Arizona game....g'nite!
Mets fans are freaking out right now...I'm not. They all need a valium. Maybe they should have valium-giveaway nights at Shea before the playoffs. Cap Night, T-shirt night, valium night. Again with the booing of the pitchers and everyone else who isn't getting on base every time. Is this really working, the booing? I don't see John Maine being inspired to play harder because of the booing. You're not helping.
Maybe I just don't have enough of that tough city-love in me where I think that knocking some down will help them get up stronger the next time. There was a great cartoon in the New Yorker years ago with Mets players in the dugout. The boo's are raining down on them. One player says to the other, "The boo's I can handle. It's the silence of the educated fan that rankles." It was funny but I still hate the booing.
Ah, but enough about the booing of the Mets. Let's talk about the booing of Ken Rosenthal. Ken! Ken, I love your writing and sideline commentary, but now you're saying the Mets are "Pathetic?" Aw, c'mon. Show 'em some love. They held onto first place for too many weeks to count and now they're pathetic?!
I agree with the Omar Minaya comment about assembling a good mix of players. I think when Floyd and Franco left and Delgado's numbers fell, then he was injured, you weren't left with much in the leadership department. The young guys need leaders, even if not by their actions, but their presence in the clubhouse day-to-day. Tommy Glavine's great, but a leader every five days isn't the best situation.
Still, like any team, they'll have to dig deep if they want to play in October. Each individual but also as a team. If that bullpen is having a rough go of it, someone's got to pick up the slack. It's not singles tennis. If you stink in baseball, hopefully someone can pick you up and get your back.
I disagree about the pretty face comment, too. I think the substance is in the numbers, which of course I can't quote here because I would break my contract stipulation about unauthorized use of statistics by a non-statistical blogger. But I know I'm right... OK. Way too much typing for the AM. Carry on. Go Mets.
I found this interesting explanation of what Dog Days are:
It's the “dog days of summer” ...the hottest and muggiest part of the season. Webster defines “dog days” as...
1 : the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere 2 : a period of stagnation or inactivity
The brightest of the stars in Canis Major (the big dog) is Sirius, which also happens to be the brightest star in the night sky. In fact, it is so bright that the ancient Romans thought that the earth received heat from it. Look for it in the southern sky (viewed from northern latitudes) during January.
In the summer, however, Sirius, the “dog star,” rises and sets with the sun. During late July Sirius is in conjunction with the sun, and the ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, “dog days” after the dog star.
In New York this week it's hot and muggy. And there is stagnation. A low-pressure system has been hanging over our heads for a week now. You just can't get anything started with gray clouds looming.
Oh - you thought I was talking about the weather? I was talking about the Mets. There's a stall in the high. A stagnation. A pause before "the run" into September. Well, I hope it's just a pause.
I went to the game last night against the Padres. I think we might have a pitching issue. (Might?!) The back page on the Daily News said "Poison Pen." Ouch. Well said, but ouch. Don't get me wrong, it was a great game. Lots of ups and downs, but something's missing.
If there's a big ball of fire behind these dog days, it's coming a little too late in the game, in too late an inning. And it's not coming from the general direction of the bullpen.
And one more comment on the game...they boo'd Tom Glavine. That's just wrong. They nearly boo'd David Wright after his 2nd error (David Wright!!!). They boo'd Carlos Delgado every time he went to bat. They always boo Wagner, unless of course, he wins. I'm thinking all that extra hot air doesn't help blow the ill winds away.
But that's just me.
Here's a nice piece remembering Phil Rizzuto by Vic Ziegel in the Daily News.
Hey, the long-awaited (for me anyway) kickball story is up today. They used four of my photos for the piece in the paper but they're not online for some reason. They weren't exciting (see at right). But the story was in there and...(in non-sports news) the editor for the food magazine I wrote for used my photo for the cover. Not a photo of me, a photo I took of food. Food, I say! lol.
Anyway...a good week all in all.
Unlike the Mets, who look to get a win in the next few minutes but lost their outfielder, Carlos Gomez for six weeks from a broken hamate bone in his hand...on a check swing. I didn't see it, but damn. I would've wanted a least a double for a broken hand. Poor guy. Upside...Ledee's getting his shot.
I know, I know. It's March Madness. Don't worry, I flipped the calendar, but I would argue that May has much more pro sports Madness than March. Last night at the bar (how many times have I typed that?), we had from left to right on the televisions, a Yankees no-hitter, the Rangers/Sabres playoff game, the Mets/Marlins game and in the corner TV over the pool table, by special request from my volleyball friend Robin, the Nets were on.
There was a constant drone of cheering mixed with groaning with a panorama of sports (and beer) around us. That's way more madness than just NCAA hoops.
Intense Rangers fans outnumbered and out-cheered the rest of the bar fans. The Yankee fans, though holding onto a 9-run lead, were quiet, focused, praying the Rosary, nursing along the no-hitter. The Rangers fans were breathless from the excitement and far too many fans weren't paying attention to their dates.
The Mets fans, us, were squinting to see the score on the far TV but weren't too happy when we finally deciphered the deficit in runs. Robin, the only Nets fan, screamed like a woman possessed when they Nets closed the gap and...nobody cared.
I learned about this crazy "dropped stick" rule in the NHL when you're not allowed to pick up some guy's stick if he dropped it. Why you would is beyond me. I think if women made the rules, it wouldn't have to be a rule because a woman would just give the poor person their stick back and then play on. Men have to state, specifically, you may not touch the other guy's stick (read: so you can't beat them with it, break it in half over their heads or toss it willy-nilly into the crowd). Then again, if women made the rules, there might not be fighting in which case there'd be no actual game, as far as I understand the game.
Which is to say, not so much. Take for example...icing.
I thought the icing rule was gone in hockey. NOT! The guy who told us the "don't grab my stick" rule told us that rule, too...and, I might add, did not even touch the whole "grab my stick" double entendre opportunities in our discussion. That's how much these guys were into the game. I was so ready with the comebacks, too. Crickets. I've never felt so invisible.
Then we learned about the "no goalie in the net" thingie when they leave the open net, like a full court press, which was pretty cool but insane. And hey Rangers fans, uh, that was definitely a goal. **ducks flying debris**
The Rangers "won" after the controversial Sabres non-goal and we swiftly begged for the Nets, not Mets (raining and losing, not good on the HDTV) to move to the big screen. It was for naught - Nets lost.
And over there in the corner, the two lone Yankee fans looking desolate after another pitcher went down with an injury and a blown no-hitter. I felt the need to tell them the cause of their woes: Robin the Nets fan.
She said very, very outloud, "Oh, they have a no-hitter!" So, it was her fault. Email me for Robin's phone number. Six weeks on the DL for the pitcher and the Yankee "performance enhancement" coach got the pink-slip.
My neck hurts from all the whipping around to see the action. But I feel satisified sports-wise. If I smoked, I might have desired a post-multiple game cigarette.
A Mets loss is easier to take when Ranger fans are happy (unhappy Rangers fans in a bar = not a good thing) and the Nets nearly won. And the Yankees? Well, I feel for you. Really, I do. Really. No, seriously.
Little League report:
Big night for my son as recounted by my husband, since I was at volleyball (bad mommy!)...
The little league games are 6 innings, so the other team scored 4 in the bottom of the 6th forcing the game into extra innings. Jeremy started the game as the lead off hitter playing left field. By the end of the 6th, he had 3 at bats and was 0 for 2 with a walk and 2 strikeouts (both caught looking). No one scored in the 7th inning and in the top of the 8th there were 2 outs with bases loaded when Jeremy came up to bat. Normally you would let a few pitches go to see if the pitcher will walk in a run, but Joe the coach told Jeremy that the pitcher was throwing lots of strikes and to be ready to swing. Jeremy swung at the first pitch and missed. Then he swung at the 2nd pitch and hit a hard grounder in between short and third. The shortstop manage to knock it down backhanded, but struggled to grab it. He threw it to third since he had no other play, but all runners were safe. The next batter made out and we were ahead by a run. Pitcher Tyler D. made it a nail-biter by loading up the bases in the bottom of the 8th with 2 outs, but then struck out the last hitter.
So my son hit in the winning run...and the coach gave him the game ball!
Sports doesn't have to be all numbers and stats and testosterone! I'll share a slightly different angle on sports.
I'm a mom in New York. Go Mets, Jets, Knicks and Rangers.
If 
But the story was in there and...(in non-sports news) the editor for the food magazine I wrote for used my photo for the 
