Sports

Time to think about what was achieved in 2010 and what the goals should be for 2011. I think the sports goal in 2010 was achieved although I only got to 8 different major league baseball parks vs the goal of 10 (set by Primetime, 10 in '10). The 8 where Fenway, Citi, Citizens Bank, Busch, Kauffman, Coors, Camden Yards and Dodger.  I did visit Target Field in Minneapolis but it was in February and under a thick layer of snow (much like the Metrodome). What was unique was that I did see a game in all 4 continental US time zones.

Apart from seeing the Phillies many times I also saw The Blue Jays, Cardinals, Mariners, Royals, Astros, Padres, Orioles, Red Sox, Mets, Cubs, Nationals (saw Strasburg's last game), Rockies, and Pirates.

Also got to Eagles games (5), a Colorado Rodeo, Villanova Basketball vs UConn & DePaul, The Sixers, The Flyers, Manchester United vs The Philadelphia Union and Wing Bowl (the Greatest Sporting Event).

Also participated in 2 fantasy football leagues (making the playoffs for both and winning one Regular Season), one Baseball league (winning the regular season), the World Cup fantasy league (too much belief in the Aussies and Portugal), and one third place finish in the Companies Softball Team's tournament. Happy to say I played alongside Primetime (The Tecate Player of the Tournament), T- Bone (Runner Up for the Tecate Player of the Tournament), Bone Marrow (Manager of the Year) and Footnote.

Can't forget the winning of the Company's Scavenger Hunt with T-Bone and three others, and about 20 rounds of golf in 3 states.

What did you do?

Christmas Cards

We went to a friend's house for dinner last night to celebrate Christmas. One of the things the wives like to do is go through the Christmas Cards our friends received and discuss the photos. Boy do they get some interesting ones and I don't mean interesting good. Pictures are out of focus, the kids are too far away, and in some you can't figure out the name of the kids vs the pets. I'm happy to report the cards we received were nowhere close to theirs.

Although a little mean spirited at this time of year, it is fun to look back and wonder what people were thinking. It is also fun to compare cards from the same family from different years.

Rest assured any cards received from readers of this blog were not critiqued.

Wing Bowl Attendance

From an very long email exchange.

MinuteMan – Cast Iron,  Although I am out of sight most of the year, it is difficult to come to grips with the fact that I am out of mind during such a festive time of the year. I am willing to shoulder my disappointment and find my own way to Wing Bowl. I only hope that I am welcomed with open arms, rather then the cold shoulder which I have felt thus far. Looking forward to it.             

Puddles - wow. 

Primetime – Minute Man - I am willing to sub you in for Puddles.  Steel is out this year as his boating shoes and tied sweater-around-the neck look almost got us all killed two years ago. 

MinuteMan - From what I hear he didn't want to come anyway. Someone spilled Miller Lite on his pastel green shirt which ruined his day.

Puddles - I am coming whether you like it or not.  See you at Las Vegas Lounge

Coach – Cast Iron promised me a seat at the table this year.  I will wear my Ravens jersey to boot! 

Puddles - And if anyone questions my dedication to Wing Bowl, just know that I am leaving my ski vacation in Wyoming on Wednesday to be back for Friday.  I could have easily stayed until Saturday.  So I am coming...

T – Bone - Can't believe you are looking for credit for that Puddles. Wing Bowl should clearly take priority. Your family should be giving you credit for going to Wyoming because you should be home mentally prepping for the finest sporting event of the year.

Puddles - noted....

Coach - Back to Minute Man - his lack of attention and caring for his TASI fantasy league and Baltimore/DC fantasy football teams should be taken into consideration. 

Primetime - DC/Balt crew needs to buy some tickets then.  Coach - we didn't think you were going to do it....always a lot of hype and then no Coach.  Minute Man was looking into into purchasing them..

Coach - As part of the Drew Brees/Arian Foster trade with Cast Iron, there was a "sweetner" to the deal. 

Bone Marrow - That deal really didn't work out too well for Cast Iron so I'm thinking the "sweetner" has fallen off the table. Just a guess on my part.

Puddles - I would tend to agree with Bone Marrow.

Coach -  Cast Iron is nothing but a man of his word and of the utmost integrity.   I have no doubt, well maybe some......... 

Minute Man - While my fantasy dedication is debatable, my zest for wing bowl can never be questioned. If you all remember, I was the one who was in the parking lot tailgating in '08 and '09 before anyone else even got there. While Steel was looking for a matching pocket square,  I was drinking Bud heavies with Ronnie from Fishtown and Craig from Mt. Airey.

Puddles - hahaha.  Minute Man has a point.  Steel....no comments???

Primetime - I think Steel was drinking Zimas that day.

Bone Marrow - Does Steel still work with us?

Steel - This is a little disappointing to see my boatshoes got me knocked off the wingbowl list especially considering the fact that I flew in from Pittsburgh the night before and got a hotel room for it. If that's not dedication what is?

Minute Man - The Boat shoes didn't bother me, it was just the looks we were getting walking in with a guy with argyle socks matching his madras shirt and a peacoat. 

Coach - Did he have a matching scarf as well?

Steel - of course

Steel - and an ascot, top hat and cane.

T- Bone - Actually, we already have our red smoking jackets picked out courtesy of Jos A. Banks for this year's wing bowl. (They are on sale) We are going to bring some class to this event. Perhaps Steel might feel more comfortable wearing that?

Steel - I was actually planning on coming anyway and I'll be sporting a seersucker suit this year. A little out of season but still a classic.

Minute Man - A fresh enthusiastic view towards Wing Bowl. It's a Christmas Miracle!!! Cast Iron - Since you are the season ticket holder, can we get a run down for how many extras we need to get with some additional out of towners showing up.

Cast Iron - Sorry for my tardy response. I have just finished setting up my camp site in the Corestates, oops First Union, oops, Wachovia, oops Wells Fargo Center parking lot. I wanted to get down to Wing Bowl early to avoid the rush. I packed a selection of velvet smoking jackets this year. I think I'll go with the maroon, although the sky blue is tempting.

Minute Man - Always good to have a home base set up. I want to get my plans in order. Do you have an extra ticket not being used? If you do I'll take it, but if not, no problem, I will get one online.

Coach – Minute Man: I was able to secure a pair of tickets. Cast Iron and his little "Fockin" friends from Philly can now go offically go "fock" themselves.  I say this all in the spirit of the holiday season as we celebrate the release of the newest in the "Meet the Fockers" movie trilogy.

Puddles - Coach, I will believe it when I see it.

Cast Iron - Good job Gentlemen. I'm looking forward to a great day.

Coach - Puddles: There is a financial investment now, so no worries about me showing. Second - you of all people should not be calling people out in public for bailing on prior commitments!

Bone Marrow - perhaps we should consider actually tailgating prior...

Bone Marrow - Excellent second point!                 

Puddles - Coach, you have never been to Wing Bowl.  And you say you're going every year. I did bail on a few things last year.  But 2011 is a new year. And you’re from Baltimore. sorry. 

Coach - Puddles, Puddles, Puddles - always deflecting...  You will make a great father.  And, if recall correctly, you now live in you're NY, leaving your beloved Philly for the second time in less then 5 years.  Cast Iron may be a transplant from Sydney, but he remains loyal to his adopted home town. 

Puddles - Coach, perhaps I moved, but at least I can put together a sentence. 

Coach - Tough to type while you're in the bathroom....

Puddles - UGH!  WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION!

Primetime - Just another day in the "office" for Coach.  

A Classic Joke

From Bone Marrow:

Two women were sitting quietly together, minding their own business.

Playoffs

From our Fantasy Football Site courtesy of Coach:


AND DOWN GOES Cast Iron!!! In arguably the second biggest upset of the day (Tom Couglin punting to DeShawn Jackson was clearly #1), embattled owner T-Bone, armed with players he acquired from the choir boy owner, Primetime ("did the Giants REALLY allow 28 points in the final 7 minutes to the Eagles"), smacked controversial league commissioner, Cast Iron like a bad catholic school girl right out of the play-offs. However, the league was expecting some sort of reversal of the outcome as Cast Iron will surely find a loophole and declare victory nonetheless. In the meantime, we are left with a historic photo memory which pretty much sums up yesterday's events. 

Team Owner T-Bone Standing Over Fellow Owner and Mentor Cast Iron

English

vs

I love Philadelphia and how words are pronounced.

For some a "crick" is not a pain in the neck but a body of water. For others that is known as a creek. 

Beer

The Beer Exchange went very well today. We had 9 people and 7 different beers (three people purchased the same beer). The Saucy Minx, being one of the 3 that purchased the same beer, went over and above by buying 24 oz bottles. The 6 beers I got were Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale (2 bottles, one 24 oz and one 12 oz), Victory Hop Devil Ale, Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA, Heavy Sees Winter Storm Category 5 Ale, and Lagunitas Maximus IPA. I had the Lagunitas Pils earlier this summer which I liked. I'm looking forward to the samples. I purchased the Dundee Festive Ale which I liked a month or so ago.

I also threw out the idea of an orphan beer exchange. I, at least, like to try a lot of different beers. I'll buy a case drink most of it, and then move onto the next case. I always have 1 or 2 beers left when I move on and they just sit there in the fridge. If everybody else did the same we could easily bring all the stragglers along and probably get to try at least a few different beers or revisit some old favorites.

Big shout out the the Minx's husband. You are a saint.

T-Bone

The episode from Seinfeld where George wanted the name T-Bone. The reason why we named our T-Bone.

T-Bone Video from Seinfield

So much...

So much to write. Eagles had a huge win on the Giants. I lost both of my fantasy football playoff games. Had a great lunch at Smith's (Smith's) with great friends and we swapped a lot of stories. He is a sample:

- Bone Marrow went to the Eagles game with work colleagues and customers who clearly weren't real fans when they decided to leave the game with 8 minutes to play. We all know what a bad decision that was after the Eagles scored 4 touchdowns to with the game 38 -31.

- Should Grandparents (if physically able) purchase Christmas gifts for their Grandchildren themselves? I think so. Even if you agree to purchase something should they then choose the best gifts to be from themselves? I think not.

- Is P90X dangerous? Just ask Prime Time. Does he have a story.

- Much like the green jacket at the Masters, we are thinking of a red blazer for our fantasy football league, and potentially to wear to Wing Bowl. Just to add a little class to these events. As a more festive choice a red Stewart Tuxedo Dinner Jacket is also an option. Both are available at Jos A Bank. Did you know they are having a sale tomorrow? Jos A Bank

- 6 Wing Bowl tickets have been purchased. Primetime, T-Bone, Bone Marrow, Puddles, Johnny and I will be attending.  A fantastic day.

 - Footnote went to the Sixers - Lakers game, to meet Kobe I believe, but instead saw Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Mike Vick and DeSean Jackson.

 - T-Bone is considering tweeting his fantasy football players and Eagles players to give them tips for the upcoming games.

Serious Business

One of my children attended a middle school dance last night. I had chaperoned one earlier in the school year and it was pretty tame. The boys stayed with the boys and the girls stayed with the boys, and on occasion they may talk for a minute or two and then go back are report to their friends. Overall they were all well behaved.

Anyway the next dance comes up and I'm fine with letting our 7th grader attend after seeing it first hand myself. The big news out of the dance was that an 8th grader decide to experiment with alcohol. He was so sick that they had to call an ambulance and take him to hospital. Why do kids do that? Just stupid.

Fogo

I went to one of my favorite restaurants yesterday for the first time in a year. Fogo De Chau is a Brazilian Steakhouse. The concept, as described from their website is "gaucho way of preparing meat in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Today, our gaucho chefs still expertly grill each of our 15 cuts of meat and offer you continuous tableside service." The waiters walk around with the meat, mostly red, on skewers and carve it at the table for you. You can eat as much as you like, which is generally a lot. They also have a good salad if you prefer. The key is to manage the card in front of you. One side is red the other green. When the card is turned to red they don't serve you, but when you turn it over to green, the flood gates open and the meat starts coming, until you turn it back to red.

The meat coma afterwards is a guarantee. I have been there 26 times, and it never gets old.

The 4 Horsemen

A discussion occurred about the signing of Cliff Lee by the Phillies.

Bone Marrow - "You probably already saw this one but just in case! Hey have the Mets made any moves this winter yet...Captain America got any inside info?"

Primetime - "I would like the Mets to move out of the NL East at this point. "

Bone Marrow - "yep - the Gulf Coast League would be about the right fit for them!"

Primetime - "that was below the belt Bone-Marrow. Typically Philly fan."

Bone Marrow - "well in typical knucklehead Met fan fashion you put it on a silver platter for me to crush it."

Primetime - "Prime Time does not appreciate this unwarranted act of aggression and abuse Bone Marrow."

Bone Marrow - "Prime Time...seriously???

Cast Iron -  There was a picture of 4 Mets. We just couldn't see them as this was a front view. If the picture was from behind the horses, what would be see?

Primetime - "Dead serious....name was given...not requested by me like T Bone.  It's stems from my dual fantasy football and baseball championships where the press have compared me to the great duel pro-athletes Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders (Prime Time).  I LOVE it."

Bone Marrow - "Cast Iron - what the frig were you thinking when bestowed that one?  Quite frankly, I'm a little surprised."

T-Bone - "Yes, but I do not refer to myself in the third party tense. --- (T Bone loved Cast Iron's comment by the way. )"

Primetime - "Well I do refer to myself in the 3rd person and Prime Time thought Cast Iron's comment was class-less. "

Happy Morning

I woke this morning to hear that the Phillies signed Cliff Lee to a 5 year $120 million deal. We have the best starting rotation in baseball. Just wonderful.

After hearing this good news I checked the fantasy games from this weekend. When I went to bed T-Bone was leading by less than a point over Puddles with less than a quarter of football to go. Puddles has won the Championship the last 2 years and knocked my team out last year. I was very nervous to play him again. His teams always step up in the post season. T-Bone's team has been winning but mainly due to favorable match-ups. Come this morning T-Bone held on to win and will play me next week in the playoffs. Although I won't be happy to lose, it would be better that it is to T-Bone.

Finally Wing Bowl tickets go on sale today. This has been described as the greatest "sporting event" ever. If you ate a lot of chicken wings in college, does that make you a collegiate athlete?

Fantasy Stories

I thought I would go back and copy the original stories from our early Fantasy Football Seasons.

Aug. 19, 2008

Stop you're hurting me!!!!

In breaking news, Eli Mannings 2008-2009 season is now questionable due to a broken nail..Check back soon for more updates. 


McNabb Rips Fans

"I can't take any more of these frontrunners!"

Similar to recent comments by Jimmy Rollins, McNabb recently lashed out on what he calls the "front-running" Philadelphia fan base. "We have complete front-runner fans like Puddles, Cast Iron, and T-Bone. How I am supposed to produce when these are the type of fans we have to deal with on weekly basis. You don't see Giant, Raven, or Steeler fans acting like this. It's just Philly man. I'm tired of these crazy people." Most experts have picked the Eagles to finish dead last in the NFC East. One thing is for sure, when the Eagles are playing at home with fans like these, it should be called home field Disadvantage. 


Eli Transitions
Aug. 21, 2008


It did not take long for Eli Manning to move on after his career ending pinky nail injury. He is now auditioning at malls across the country to be one of Santa's elfs, a role which seems much more suitable for Eli. Can you see Eli at the King of Prussia Mall starting December 1st... 

DiNics

T-Bone, Bone Marrow and I were joined by a celebrity guest today when we went to Reading Terminal. We spent sometime discussing what nickname we should use and decided upon "Footnote (until we think of something better)", but Footnote for short.


We got to RT early and after the Today show piece decided on DiNics. We had a very good roast pork sandwich. The sharp provolone added a great deal to the sandwich. Between the 3 regulars we rated this a very strong 4.5*. It it was slightly more juicy it might have received the very exclusive 5*, only achieved by The Rib Stand, Beck's and Miller's Twist. The key to DiNics is to get there early to beat the crowds. The counter was full prior to noon today and with a bit of luck we did find a seat in the regular seating area. I'm looking forward to trying some of their other sandwiches when the other three have a catch up day.


Shout out to Bone Marrow's son. I'm looking forward to the You Tube video.


Rumor has it that Minx is now reading the blog and may post a comment. 

Christmas Stories

Christmas can be very stressful, especially when kids are involved. Kids always have such huge expectations at this time of year, everything needs to be perfect and stay the same or get better each year.

Minx (a nickname given by Primetime) was telling me today about her Christmas Tree. She and her husband put the tree up, maybe a little crooked, decorated it, confirmed that indeed it was not straight, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. However that could wait.

From a deep sleep Minx is woken by something falling. She thinks that is just something in her kids bathroom. She gets up and confirms that was probably the case, and relived goes back to bed.

She wakes, gets ready for work and about to leave the house when the not so straight tree, is now even less straight, in fact it now explains the noise in the middle of the night. The tree is on the floor, decorations are broken, and a mild panic is setting in so that the kids don't see it.

Time is ticking before the little angels wake, and Minx has to get to a meeting. What should be done? It wasn't straight to begin with, so with less time and in a panic it is unlikely to be straight this time. What to do? Of course you would rope the tree and tie it up so it won't fall again. Merry Redneck Christmas.

Rivalries

This was posted on our fantasy website by the Coach:

NEWS FLASH : ATTENTION! Baltimore City Police have issued a warning for women in the Baltimore City area. A known sex offender will be arriving in town sometime this week. He is usually wearing black and yellow and hangs out in womens bathrooms. He responds to the name of Ben. This warning will be in affect until sometime early Monday Morning. 


Don't you just love rivalries?

What does it mean to Split?

Puddles recently got engaged to a lovely girl who many of us have know for a number of years, and she clearly settled when she said yes to Mr Designer Sweat Pants. Anyway I was speaking with PrimeTime (aka Captain America, aka Green T) catching up on Thanksgiving and he said to me that Puddles and his fiance split for Thanksgiving. Wow I was shocked that he was so casual about it and he didn't seem surprised by it. I then realized that they each visited their own families over Thanksgiving and that they were still engaged and would be back together the next week. Funny how a turn of phrase can mean two different things.

Fantasy Football Playoffs

Playoffs are here. This is a very exciting team in our league. 6 teams made it. Me, ManU, Bone Marrow, T-Bone, Steel, and Puddles. I'm a little nervous that Puddles made it as he has knocked me out the last 2 years and then has gone on to win the league. If he wins this year he will not be invited back.

Thanks to Mrs Bone Marrow for noticed the segment on the Today show on the 5 best foods as judged by Adam Richman from Man vs Food. DiNics Roast Pork Sandwich from Reading Terminal made his list. We haven't been to DiNics yet. The line is always long which can only indicate that it is good. I think we will try and hit it in the next week. Here is the link for the video. 5 Favorite Meals

Old Clothes

I went to the attic tonight to find my Tuxedo for an event next week. I had a basic idea where it was and pulled the garment bag out, had a really quick look at it, one black Tuxedo in there, found some sweaters now that it has turned cold, closed up the containers, closed up the attic, put everything away, and decided I should try the tux on.

Who knew that I had kept the first tux I owned something like 20 years ago. Good news is that tuxedos don't change too much, bad news is that I have. Anybody need a nice double breasted tux?

Back to the attic tomorrow to find the right tux.

New Beers

Tried two new beers today. The first was Winter's Bourbon Cask Ale by Michelob which is aged in Bourban Oak Casks and whole Madagascar Vanilla Beans, and the second was Anchor Brewing Company 2010 Christmas Ale. Both were ok and not really to my taste.

All 6 winter beers came in brown bottles.

Thursday revisited

Thursday night was a good time. We went to the Eagles - Texans game and saw a good game. I was lent some fan vision devices to take with me. What a great idea. My main complaint of going to live football game is that you don't get the replays like you get at home, injury updates, challenge replays etc. The fan vision gave you all that including stats, live TV and local commentary. I listened to the game, watched it live and look at replays that weren't shown on the big screen. If you have the chance to use these devices it is worth a look.


Before the game we did go to the Good Dog Bar & Restaurant in Philadelphia (Good Dog Bar). With perfect timing and a whole lot of luck we got the last table. I did get the Good Dog Burger. It is described as "1/2 lb. of house ground sirloin, stuffed with roquefort cheese, topped with caramelized onions, served on a toasted brioche bun". It was delicious as usual. 


Earlier in the week the family was watching an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network called Fresh, Filled and Fried. You guessed it the Good Dog was on it. The first part was the Duck Pot Pie which I will save for lunch in the near future, but they also talked about the truffled cheese steak empanadas  described as stuffed with thinly sliced ribeye steak and truffled cheddar cheese, served with a flying fish seasonal sauce for dipping. I had to order it, and was not disappointed. The pastry was perfectly cooked, the insides tasted like cheesesteak and the dipping sauce perfect.


Also got to try 3 beers. All good but I like them in order Sly Fox Pikeland Pils (in a can), Southampton Double White, Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale. It has been a good couple of weeks trying new food and beer. 

Saturday

Big sports day today in the house. Number 2 had a swim meet at a local university this morning and knocked 4 seconds of his personal best in the 50 backstroke. The meet also only last 2 hours which I think was a personal best. This compares to the meet last week that had all the same events but lasted 3 and half hours. I'm not sure why some adults feel the need to stretch every kids sports into a major league game.

Number 1 then had a basketball game that was close through the whole game. The game had 5 seconds to go, he had the ball in his hands, drove to the basketball, was fouled (although not called), but sunk the basket to win the game, as time expired.

Nicknames

Wow I got my first comment, first follower and what seems like a rant from a sleep deprived mad man. The comment brings up some very interesting questions.

First what makes a nickname? T-Bone chose his, everybody else was given theirs. Which is right? No real answer to that. How many people can remember how a nick name came about anyway? Can a nickname change? I thing so. After Captain America's comment regarding being a two sport fantasy winner and his comparison to Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders he gets another nickname. PrimeTime, and he likes it.

Second question, what makes a collegiate athlete. When I hear the term I'm think football players at Auburn, basketball players at Villanova etc. But what is it? Only players playing division 1 sports or all levels? Is it all sports, or is it just major sports, is it only players on ranked teams? or does it matter. I'm sure that everybody has a different opinion.

Big Trade

The Coach who is on the bubble to make the playoffs decided that he would put his team on the block. A quick call and I had netted Drew Brees and Arian Foster. A huge pick up considering what I gave up, Ryan Fitzpatrick and the law firm of BenJarvis Green - Ellis. This is the last week of our regular season with the top two teams getting a first round bye, which is huge. It also cost me a bottle of vodka of a brand to be named later.

I tried the Red Hook Brewing, Winter Hook, Winter Ale (Red Hook) tonight. This has a stronger flavor than the other three, and probably my least favorite so far. Still very drinkable though.

Off to the Eagles Texans game tomorrow night which should be a great game with an Eagles victory. Hope to eat at the Good Dog Pub before the game. They have a great burger, the Good Dog Burger, which has blue cheese in the patty. Delicious.

Firsts

Back to Reading Terminal today with the full group (Bone Marrow, Captain America and T-Bone). We decided to try Mexican Food at the 12th Street Cantina. We all had very high expectations. I was thinking that it would be very much like Beck's Cajun in taste, quality and experience. Unfortunately this was not the case. We have had other experiences were one of us has been disappointed, but others have had good meals but not this time.

T-Bone was warned by Captain America that the Taco meal might be small, but he bravely ordered it anyway. He got one Taco, not much of a meal. Maybe two Tacos make a meal, 3 would be a bonus. One better be the best Taco ever. It was "just a Taco". Bone Marrow went with Pork Burrito, which started good but ended average. Captain America and I went for the chicken and black bean burrito. We were thrilled with the weight and knew that we would be full. Unfortunately it was more black bean than chicken. Overall the food was 2*. They did score a 1/2 * for on site seating, good sauces and great jalepenos.

Dinner came round. We decided to order out and I got a fantastic Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak. It had tomato and lettuce on it which was a surprise but really added to the taste. As a side note this is as close as I get to eating a salad. With it I sampled a Winter Ale from Blue Point Brewing Company (Blue Point Brewing). Although I preferred the previous two I tried, this was still pretty good. It was a well balanced amber ale that wasn't too heavy but had plenty of taste.

Wegman's and Beer

There are many strange laws in this fine country and one of them is the purchase of beer in Pennsylvania but over the last couple of years it has become a bit easier. One of those changes is selling beer at Wegman's grocery store. Of course it isn't perfect and you can only purchase 16 12 oz beers. Apparently it dates back to when beer came in 16 oz bottles and therefore you could get 2 six packs.

Anyway we were in Wegman's on Saturday afternoon and I slipped away from the family to browse the beer section. I would describe myself as a green bottle beer drinker. I generally like lagers and pilsener style beers and if you look closely they come in green bottles but I like to try different beers too. As we are entering the holiday season I decided to purchase a 6 pack of winter holiday beers. The first one I tried was a Dundee Festive Ale. The website describes it as a hearty and full bodied ale. (Dundee Festive Ale) It was good and worth the try.

The next one I tried was a Brooklyn Brewery Winter Ale (Brooklyn Brewery). Again I was surprised how much I liked it. It wasn't too heavy and very drinkable.

2 for 2 isn't bad. I'll knock the others off this week. I think I'll organize a beer exchange for Christmas. No better way to try a lot of different beers for a fraction of the cost.

Thanksgiving

We slept late, and as we got ready to play football it started to snow. The boys were very excited to play football in the snow (as was I), but it soon turned to rain but decided we would go out anyway. We arrived at the field with no other families in sight. After a phone call and a couple of minutes our numbers doubled. We started to play volleyball, which was surprising fun in the rain and cleats. Two more families arrived and football beckoned. We had players from 9 years old to 50, and ended up with only a few tears and no injuries. Best of all I can even walk today.

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner. Fantastic food and got to try some wines I had wanted to try for a while. We opened a bottle of Wirra Wirra Shiraz Viognier Catapult 2006. It was really good and was only $17.99 from the state store. Also had a Hardy's Botrytis Semillon which I think was only $9.99 and was great too. Shiraz and a sweet dessert wine are probably my favorites. Well you could throw in a good Tawny Port and I would be a happy man.

Thanksgiving Prep

T-Bone, Bone Marrow and I headed to Reading Terminal Market for some Thanksgiving Preparation. After some discussion we decided that Bassets Original Turkey should be the destination for lunch. We were are suitably impressed with the offerings. Bone Marrow raved about the Turkey Platter with Mac & Cheese, T-Bone went for the Turkey Club, and I had the Turkey Cheese Steak. The turkey was moist, the bread good (after all it is all about the bread). A score of 4 asterisks was awarded.

We then went done to Beiler's Bakery. As of this morning the 3 apple fritters, and 6 donuts disappeared to a chorus of cheers from the family. This place was packed too. Pies were flying off the shelves, and everybody was in a holiday mood.

Happy Thanksgiving.

What is a Philadelphian?

I had a busy couple of evenings that I thought was very Philadelphia. Sunday night was spent at the Eagles v Giants  game which had the good guys winning and taking first place in the division. Not sure which was the best part, the win, or ShEli's fumble to give us the chance to win.

Last night was spent at the Flyer's game which they also won. Today had a great Cheesesteak at Reading Terminal and then off to the Union League for a function. All very Philadelphia, but not according to some.

This morning I was talking to one of my boys about the last two nights. He asked what I had eaten at the Flyers. I said a Hamburger. What else he asked? I said ice cream. That still wasn't enough information. Ok I had beer too. I thought here comes the lecture, but no, he said what else. Nothing else. He said really? Yep really, why? You didn't have crab fries? You are not a Philadelphian.

For those that don't know Chickie's and Pete's Crab Fries are good, really good. Try them.

How did it start?

We had been going to Reading Terminal Market consistently for a few years, but we always went to the Rib Stand for lunch. Don't get me wrong, the reason we kept going back was that the Rib Stand is excellent. The Boneless Rib sandwich, cheese, hot sauce (not really hot), and two sides. I always go double mac & cheese, but potato wedges and green beans are available. If you can finish the you are well satisfied.

But one day, Bone Marrow observed that there may be other places within the market that may be worth a try. So we set ourselves a challenge, to eat at all the restaurants.

We walked around the market and determined which places we could eat lunch and which places were really just butchers, poultry, seafood, and vegetables. We were looking for prepared food and boy did we find it. Fifty something places to try. At the moment we are about half way through, and we have tried the full range. We have 3 five asterisks (star, a story for another time) places, one half asterisk, and many in between. We have had the surprisingly good, the disappointing and the ones that didn't live up to their reputation.

We started at the end of June and I always had it in my mind that we would finish it by the end of the year. After only completing a couple in June, none in July and only a few in August the task looked impossible. We got back on track in September and really picked it up in October and November, and that is where we are now.

At one stage I was so focused on completely the task that the end became more important than the experience. In a moment of true clarity T-Bone reminded us that by rushing and cutting corners we were not doing the challenge justice. We took a step back and decided that a more realistic time frame was to finish by Wing Bowl. Which means the Friday before SuperBowl. Wing Bowl is another post all together but is a great day enjoyed by many. I even offered T-Bone a new nick name as Yoda, but he refused. It is a good lesson that a brief moment of being lucid doesn't make one Yoda.

Now that you have the background we will visit many of the establishments and our comments over the coming posts.

Journal or Diary

Is a blog a journal or a diary? This was the question that was posed to me. I suppose it depends who is writing it. If I have to choose it is a journal. Typical male answer. Like Greg says in Diary of a Wimpy kid:


"it's NOT a diary, it's a journal!" Greg insists, preferring the less-sissyfied designation


Don't forget to vote for the "This Year in Baseball Awards". Vote Phillies, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Carlos Ruiz. You need to check out Mark Buehrle's play as well in must see play.

This Year in Baseball

Comment of the Day

After the best players were stripped from Captain America's football team, ManU (who has a pretty good team) was asked why he didn't want any players. Straight faced he said, "When you own a candy store, why would you want a Tootsie Roll?" He really needs to be brought down to size.

As a rookie he was only invited into the league to play the role of patsy. I'm very disappointed that he couldn't even do that. I'm not sure that he will be invited back next year.

Big Sports Day

Eagles win Monday Night Football and are tied for the NFC East lead. Roy Halliday wins his second Cy Young Award, and Villanova Basketball is looking good. However the big news is the Fantasy Football Fire Sale that occurred this morning.

Captain America decided that his chances of making the playoffs where next to impossible and as such posted the following on the league website:

Captain America, GM of the SSBs, announced the liquidation of his team after a very difficult and disappointing season. 

"We knew it was a rebuilding year for us, but we didn't expect this." 

The team was riddled with injuries to its top draft picks throughout the season and is currently ranked # 1 by CBS Sports in terms of schedule difficulty. When asked to comment on some of ups and downs of the season Captain America commented, "The loss to Johnny in the Toiled Bowl really killed any momentum we had this season. The highlight for us was pulling off the only blockbuster lopsided deal with Minuteman and cutting Commissioner Cast Iron out Gekko style. I have nothing but great respect for the commish, but that felt great." 

SSBs will be taking calls and emails promptly at 9:00 ET Tuesday morning for any offers (monetary or food/beverage) in exchange for any players on their current roster. 


Of course I had to take advantage of this and snagged the top Tight End and Kicker, and an upgraded WR. T-Bone, Puddles, Johnny and Steel all took advantage of the sale, taking QBs, Running Backs, TEs and WR.

By the end of the day Captain America posted the following:

Team owners/GMs T-Bone and Cast Iron were camped outside of fellow GM Captain America's office at 5AM this morning to take part in the fire sale. There was a flurry of activity and quick negotiations once the bell sounded at 9AM. By 9:47AM the SSBs most valued assets were sold off to other owners in the league through a frenzy of discussions, emails, texts, and IM's: 

Captain America commmented, "It was an orderly wind-down process and I feel that each owner/GM who contacted our organization today felt satisfied with their new team additions. There was plenty of wealth to spread around just in time for the holiday season." 

Captain America continued by stating that the team has already emerged from bankruptcy and will continue to field a team for the remaining three games of the season. Granted it will be in a much reduced capactity. 

Captain America finished the press conference by stating, "We will continue to actively monitor the team and set lineups so that we may look to add at least 1 more win to our already pathetic season. All that play the Shoe Shine Boys will still have to face a an acitve but crappy team." 

In a related story, rumors are circulating that Minuteman's Team may soon be seized by league officials for re-distirbution to league owners due to lack of participation. Another possible liquidation may be on the horizon sooner than anyone thinks. 


After all this what did Captain America get? A 12 pack of Tecate, a dozen Doughnuts, a box of cookies, and a steak sandwich. Of courses Puddles didn't offer anything and the trade will be reversed unless he steps up and compensates Captain America.

Better news I get to play Captain America's stripped team this week and currently favored by about double the points. Knowing how these things have gone before I'm bound to go down by double digits.

Monday Night Football

Wow. 28 points in the first quarter. Largest road team lead in the first quarter in NFL history. McNabb signs a huge extension and then does nothing to help his team (hardly surprising). I don't think he will have to worry about a 2 minute drill tonight.

Bone Marrow is a little nervous with DeSean's long touchdown, and I'm sure that now that Maclin scores he is even more nervous. He is playing Puddles who has both DeSean and Maclin as his WR. He was 130 points up at kickoff and now only 90. Still enough to win.

Captain America losses to ManU. He puts up 200 points beating 6 other teams and still can't buy a win. I beat T-Bone in a very low score and pathetic affair. It looks like Minuteman may have woken up this week to beat the league leader Steel. It will all depend if the Eagles can keep a lid on the Redskins scoring, and Cooley not doing anything for Steel. Johnny should easily beat Coach. Coach starts McNabb so a beating is what he deserves.

All up a good night so far.

E-A-G-L-E-S

Fantasy Football

I'm in two fantasy football leagues, but I'll only talk about one today. This is its sixth year for this league and has ten teams with 8 of us having played together for a number of years. It is a lot of fun and only played for bragging rights.

This week I'm playing T-Bone who is leading the league despite having an average team that just manages to win by playing the teams that aren't performing as well that week. That compares to Captain America (Green T) who has a decent team but manages to play the better performing team each week. Captain America is unlikely to make the playoffs, which is too bad as he won out fantasy baseball by riding a hot second half team. He again is outscoring most of the league and unlikely to win the week. Anyway with a bit of luck I should hang on to win with two good Steelers going to night vs the Steelers Defense. Unfortunately in our league a defense can put up big points. Last week the team I was playing (Puddles) put up 50 points playing the Packers D. It is not often that I want the Cowgirls to score points, but they are so pathetic this year they can't do anything. Of course they are scoring 33 points this week, but against the Giants will give the Eagles a chance to lead the division.

The other 5 players are The Coach, Steel, ManU, Johnny and Minuteman. ManU and Johnny are both Rookies in our league, Coach is a founding member, Steel is always competitive, and Minuteman although having played for a few years, generally forgets to play about half the games, and finishes last. Not this year though that will be Captain America.

Let the games begin

I have been thinking about writing a blog for a little while and after some encouragement from a few friends it begins. What will be written will be anybody's guess. Mostly observations and experiences about food, sports, travel and people.

The current experience is eating my way around Reading Terminal Market (Reading Terminal Market). Reading Terminal is a farmers market inside the old Reading Railway Building in Philadelphia. There are 53 eating establishments, that we consider that we need to try. Who's we? I'm fortunate to be joined on this journey by three friends - Green Tee (also know as Captain America), T- Bone, and Bone  Marrow. We are about half way through and eaten at the very good, The Rib Stand, Millers Twist and Beck's Cajun, all 5 star in our opinion, to the average, to the very bad.

Now that this is up and running we will revisit some of the ones we have completed, and comment on the new ones we try.

Anyway enjoy the ride. Comments are welcome.