Archive for November, 2009

I love New Orleans. Had a blast at the Saints game a few years ago.

Posted on November 30, 2009. Filed under: General |

Saints are introduced at the Super Dome

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Shut up, haters. Derek Jeter is SI Sportsman of the Year.

Posted on November 30, 2009. Filed under: Baseball, Sports, Yankees | Tags: Derek Jeter, Haters, Sports Illustrated, Sportsman of the Year |

Yeah, yeah, I can hear you all bitching and moaning. Derek Jeter is SI Sportsman of the Year? This year?

What’s that you say? Derek Jeter is a media darling? Who’s worse? Jeter, Favre or Tebow? (This was an actual debate on Twitter yesterday, and honestly Jeter has got nothing on Favre or Tebow).

Jeter is Sportsman of the Year

Did you just say that Jeter is overrated? That the Yankees have the highest payroll in the league? He can’t go to his right?

Well, I don’t care. Honestly. I’ve spent years defending being a Yankee fan and a Jeter supporter. And you know what? You should all just shut up. The man is good. He’s a leader. He’s a solid citizen. He comes through in the clutch. And why shouldn’t he be recognized for his accomplishments? Despite being a Yankee.

And why not this year?

My friend Stefanie, an unabashed Jeter fangirl, saved me the time and effort of putting together Derek Jeter’s resume.

Minor League Player of the Year
Rookie of the Year
All-Star Game MVP
World Series MVP
4 time Gold Glove winner
Hank Aaron Award winner
Roberto Clemente Man of the Year Award winner
4 time Silver Slugger Award winner
New York Yankees Captain
FIVE time World Series Champion

And if that isn’t impressive enough, I’ll add a few more for good measure:

Yankees franchise leader in hits (surpassing Lou Gehrig this season)
10 time All-Star
6 time All-Star starter

This year, he adds Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year to the resume. And deservedly so. Haters be damned.

Oh, if you want to read SI’s article announcing Jeter’s selection, it’s here. The reasons look pretty legitimate to me.

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Happy 40th Birthday, Mo

Posted on November 29, 2009. Filed under: Baseball, Sports, Yankees | Tags: Happy Birthday, Mariano Rivera |

I have a lot of dates in my Blackberry calendar. Lunch dates. Doctor’s appointments. Dinner plans. Anniversaries. And birthdays. Lots and lots of birthdays. Birthdays of friends. Birthdays of friends’ kids. Birthdays of family members.

In all these dates – in all these birthdays – there’s only one birthday of someone I don’t know personally. Someone I’ve never met. So why is this date in my calendar?

Because this person deserves to have his birthday noted. But not just in my calendar. In the calendars of every Yankee fan who has ever seen him pitch. Check that – of every Yankee fan. Period. This date belongs to the one, the only, the incomparable, Mariano Rivera.

Happy 40th Birthday Mariano

Mariano’s birthday is November 29, 1969. And today he turns 40.

And like a fine wine, the man just keeps getting better with age. As I said in my recent Blogger Nine Innings Q&A in the Daily News with Jesse Spector, we need to take a moment to really fully appreciate just how awesome Mariano is. Since 1995, Mariano has been mowing down the opposition with such regularity that it’s astonishing. I’ve lived in New York City longer than Mariano has been pitching for the Yankees (gasp!), and yet it seems like yesterday he was a rookie.

Fast forward to 2009. In his 15th season. 14 years after his Major League debut. Think about it rationally. Logically. Did you really expect a 39-year-old coming off off-season shoulder surgery to have as incredible and dominant a season as Mo did this past year? Admit it. You didn’t. You couldn’t. How can he possibly keep doing this? Keep fooling the opposition. Sawing off their bats. Making them shake their heads in disbelief.

At the risk of sounding way too cheesy on his birthday, Mariano has been a gift to Yankee fans. I’m always surprised at how many people – Yankee fans included – take him for granted. We are truly fortunate to see him pitch. And if having Mariano’s birthday in my calendar is one way to express my gratitude, so be it.

Happy Birthday, Mo. And here’s to many many more.

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And one last shot for the road

Posted on November 28, 2009. Filed under: General |

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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Thanksgiving Adorableness with Sam now available on Flickr

Posted on November 28, 2009. Filed under: Family, My nephew Sam |

I’ve added two new sets of pictures from Thanksgiving week to my Flickr collection. The first is called (Not Quite) Thanksgiving 2009 with Sam. The second is Sam’s First Thanksgiving.

There’s a cornucopia of adorableness in there, plus some nice shots of Santa Monica. And dogs. And Thanksgiving goodness.

Collection: My Nephew Sam.

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