Malt Shop Logic

I'm Terry Tate, and I approve this message.

As anyone who's seen the boxes I use for my Magic cards knows, I like to collect stickers. And whenever I see Moveon.org adds online, I figure it's the least I can do to have them pay a nickel or whatever for my click. So a month or so ago, I signed up for them to send me an Obama sticker (which I still haven't received, BTW). I also get silly emails from them, hyperventilating that racism will defeat The One, and so forth.

Today's was like a dream come true. If only my vote could really do this:

I mentioned this in my facebook status, but if you didn't know what I was talking about there's a group on facebook called Maggie's New York Style Pizerria Tenley Circle. It appears to have been founded by people who used to work there.

My favorite part is their discussion topics, the best of which, by far, is called "youngest child I ever served alcohol". Here is the only post so far:

Topic: Youngest child I ever served alcohol.
Displaying the only post.

Post #1
B. Wade Coleman (Washington, DC) wroteon October 17, 2008 at 8:29pm
I once served a couple of kids that had skipped out on there 2nd day of kindergarten. At first I said "not a chance," but it was a Monday day shift in August. I hooked them up and the slid me a 20 spot on there way out to catch their bus.

That's hilarious. But what's really hilarious is how rooted in truth it is. Though I don't recall ever having to overtip to get served. I guess that's just reserved for kindergartners.

Damn.

We Red Sox fans got so used to watching the Sox win in dramatic fashion, you figured it would happen again. Down 3-1 in the ALCS, the Sox came back to tie it 3-3. Then, tonight, Jon Lester held the Tampa Bay Rays to 3 runs, no mean feat considering that coming into Game 7, the Tampa Bay Rays had scored 40 runs in 6 games, an average of nearly 7 runs per game. You had to think that if Lester and the bullpen held the Rays to as little as 3 runs tonight, the Red Sox were nearly guaranteed a victory and berth in the 2008 World Series.

The game started promisingly enough, as Dustin Pedroia hit a pitch into the left field bleachers in the first inning to give the Sox a 1-0 lead. As a fan, I thought, "Here we go, this is it!" Instead, the Red Sox bats fell silent after Pedroia's home run. The Red Sox didn't score another run. Jon Lester pitched an outstanding ballgame, but it wasn't enough.

Still, I can't complain. The Red Sox have now been to the ALCS 4 times in 6 years, and have won 2 World Series titles. It's a good time to be a Red Sox fan.

The Red Sox have come back from the dead. After being down 3-1, the Red Sox have now tied the ALCS, 3-3. More importantly, they've stolen momentum. Now, the AL pennant and a trip to the World Series for the third time in five years rest in the hands of Jon Lester, who gave up 0 earned runs on 10 hits in 14 innings in his first two postseason starts during the ALDS against the Angels, but then got blown up for 5 runs on 8 hits in only 5 and 2/3 innings against the Rays earlier in the ALCS.

I am damn near giddy from the last 48 hours -- and in fact, about midnight on Thurday/Friday, I was giddily jumping up and down in my living room as the Red Sox scored 8 runs in 3 innings to take Game 5, 8-7.

If past is prologue, tomorrow promises to be a bad day for Tamp Bay fans. In 2004, the Red Sox came back from an 0-3 series hole, tied the series, then whipped the Yankees on the road at Yankee Stadium, 10-3. Last year, after trailing 3-1 in the series, the Red Sox tied it, then destroyed the Indians at Fenway, 11-2, in Game 7. So in the last two ALCS Game 7's, the Red Sox have beaten their opponents at home and on the road, and have outscored their opponents, 21-5.

Now, I'm not predicting that kind of blowout. My prediction for tomorrow is , 7-5, Red Sox over the Rays.

GO SOX!

victory dance victory dance victory dance victory dance


JIG ON OLD BROOKFIELD ROAD. YEEEEE-HAAWWWW!

Little things in life count. When I was living in DC, a little annoyance was that you couldn't get a decent hot dog there. Now that I'm in the Chicago area, it's not a problem - order the char dog.

Of course, now that I'm out here, I have been denied a Five Guys cheeseburger since aught-six. Fortunately, our long national nightmare is at an end. Five Guys is coming to Chicago.

Though the quality of the place certainly must be diminished from when it was just a few stores in DC to now more than 330 places, I will be there as soon as they open.

After Cherie's promotion (and associated transfer back to DC), the major milestones became:

1. Find a job (for me)

2. Find a home

3. Find daycare

As posted previously, I was able to find a job within my company very quickly. Tonight, we achieved milestone #2 -- we have a house!

We are the newest renters of a beautiful, 3-level townhome in Alexandria, VA. It's in a hidden gem of a development called Loftridge about a mile south of the Beltway, about evenly split east-west between 395 on the west and Route 1 on the east. It's 2 miles from Old Town, it's on a piece of property surrounded by forest and parkland, within easy walk/drive of a brand new baseball field complex, and it has great history -- including the property being the former residence of a Virginia governor and Lee family member, Fitzhugh Lee.

It has 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 2 half-baths, finished basement with fireplace (aka the future guest bedroom/den), living room with french doors out onto a beautiful deck, hardwood floors throughout, nearly new appliances in the kitchen, and a small, fenced yard that leads out to a huge common area -- a groomed field where the kids and dog can run around.

It is just about perfect -- out of the 16 or so houses we visited in a whirlwind 2.5-day househunting trip we took last week, it was #1 on our list. And, we got it. We'll probably make the physical move around the last week of October. Lewises, stand by for your first weekend cookout invite!

Hot damn. Now it's on to daycare -- and we're making progress there, too.

Google has implemented a feature that helps you prevent sending those drunk emails. I've often joked that BlackBerry's should have a breathalyzer feature. We're just one step closer now.

Oh the drama. Bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, man on 2nd, Jed Lowrie eaks out a single just beyond the outstretched glove of the 2nd baseman, Jason Bay sprints home from 2nd, and RED SOX WIN! RED SOX WIN! RED SOX WIN!

So long, Angels. We own you.

It's on to Tampa Bay and to the battle for the American League Pennant!

Your team is up 2-0 in the top of the 8th.

Your starting pitcher has shut out the Angels through 7, is humming along, is just over 100 pitches, has a strong, 24-year old arm...and then you yank him. Huh?

Then, you're on defense, your opponent has 1 man on and 2 out, and you feel the need to make another pitching change -- though your current relief pitcher only walked 1 after getting 2 outs, and has been solid all season after performing like a hero in last year's playoffs.

You have a bullpen filled with veterans with outstanding postseason performance records

So, what do you not do? You do NOT -- DO NOT! -- put in an inconsistent and sometimes wild rookie to get the final out in a pressure-packed 8th inning of a crucial playoff game.

That is BAD MANAGEMENT.

How do I know?

Because that rookie just walked a batter, threw a wild pitch (after getting the pitch signal wrong), then gave up a 2-run single. Now it's 2-2. Way to go...ASS.

Gaahh!