Monday, April 28, 2008

A Challenge for the Ages



The Braves lost 2 of 3 to the depleted Mets this weekend, it was pathetic and I don't have anything else to say about it.

There is however, a day of history on the horizon. There exists, in certain baseball circles, a legend of a feat of unimaginable proportions. This accomplishment is greater than hitting for the cycle, pitching a no-hitter, or hitting 4 home runs in a game. It is called 'a perfect game', and no it is not accomplished by a pitcher. This feat is defined as an individual eating 9 hot dogs and drinking 9 beers during a 9 inning baseball game. Rumors exist that it has been accomplished before but solid proof is difficult to find. The legend of the 'perfect game' rivals that of Babe Ruth's called shot, bigfoot, and the lochness monster.

Unfortunately, proving any of the 3 aforementioned legends is just short of impossible, however the 'perfect game' is a legend that can be attempted by anyone at any time. If accomplished it will bring history to life, it will inject new blood into Americana and the game we Americans adore.

Three men stand ready to challenge fate and destiny and place themselves atop the Mt. Olympus of amateur competitive eating. Contestant one: The Godfather, Matt T. Matt is a powerful and aggressive eater who thinks 'quit' is the dirtiest word in the english language. Contestant two: Corky. This man is the single most talented amateur competitive eater that walks the face of the earth. To discount his chances of eating anything is to laugh in the face of death. Contestant three: 8 ball. This man is an unpolished gem of competitive eating. He easily consumes more for leisure than most men eat their entire lives.

So the challenge is presented and 3 men will hopefully agree to attempt this awesome and supernatural feat. Our Atlanta Braves offer an 'all you can eat and drink' seat which will be the forum for these attempts. A date has yet to be set but the world will know once schedules have been worked out.

God Bless America.

Friday, April 25, 2008

History part 2.

Last night was a little more history for the Braves. Brian McCann hit his first career triple. He displayed a great technique when sliding into third. It was a nice birthday present for Chipper who went 3/3 with a HR. Thanks to my pals at Walk off Walk for finding the video:

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

History





My partner in crime and I attended the game last night with the hope of witnessing something historic. John Smoltz came into the game only 4 strikeouts away from 3000, something that only 15 pitchers before him have done.

The crowd was small, as is usual for a weeknight game, but the atmosphere was more electric. Everyone was on their feet for each 2 strike count, anticipating 3000. And Smoltzie didn't make us wait long for it, getting it in the 3rd inning. They shot of some fireworks and inbetween innings we got a montage of Smoltz's other milestones.

Smoltz ended up with 10K on the night, the 2nd straight outing with 10Ks. Unfortunately the offense didn't show up and Smoltz took the L on the historic night.

I took a few pictures with my phone, which unfortunately didn't have a zoom.
























Sunday, April 20, 2008

Braves and Beer=A great weekend

My 3rd Braves game of the year was the most successful trip yet. A Saturday afternoon game lent itself for some heavy pre and post-game tailgating and quite a few Miller Lite's. We had a solid crowd of at least 10 people, most of whom are fantastic Braves fans and prodigious beer drinkers. Yesterday was an absolute clinic on how to tailgate for a professional baseball game.

The game itself was fantastic, another win for the red-hot Braves who after today's game have climbed back up to the .500 mark. Andruw Jones hit his 1st homer of the year, but that was about all the Dodgers did right all day. The Braves got a good outing out of Chucky James and the bats stayed hot enough for the Braves 3rd straight win. Chipper most cerainly enjoyed the standing ovations he got from our section with every plate appearance he had. Andruw probably didn't enjoy the ruthless heckling he received from one of our paying patrons, the Godfather. People around us didn't seem to like Andruw being booed but as the Godfather pointed out-"He was terrible last year, that's why I'm booing him. Plus I paid for a ticket, I can do what I want." I agreed whole-heartedly with this logic and supported his right to free speech.

Also, we had a cultural expert in the section. Some 50 year old fat guy appeared to be disturbed with our antics, most notably with our "aye,aye,aye" chants as Yunel Escobar came to the plate. He informed us that Yunel is Cuban, not Mexican and we certainly thanked him for letting us know. We did mention that they speak spanish in Cuba as well and Yunel chose a latino club song to play when he comes up to bat but that did not matter to the fat dude. He was disgusted with our behavior and was just looking to try and embarrass us. Little did he know, that isn't possible. We showed him that in more detail with a lot of man-contact, dancing, and a new tomahawk chop dance.

For anyone interested in this new phenomenom, it is called the 'tomahawk thrust'. It begins with both arms doing the tomahawk chop with the pelvis being thrusting simeoltaneously with the arms. Then one puts their hands behind their head and continues thrusting their pelvis in rhythym with the drum. Finally, one leaves one hand behind the head and takes the other arm and does a perfect sideways chop, all the while thrusting the pelvis. This dance will completely revolutionize anyone's Turner Field experience when it is done properly.

Anyway, I've got 3 games under my belt for the year and the Braves are 2-1. Looks like this could really turn into a great season. More to come...

Monday, April 7, 2008

A weekend of Bulldogs and Braves, not so much beer

So UGA looked great in my opinion on Saturday, even though the schedule is absolutely hideous this year, the team should be solid. As Buck Belue said about it 'you know you're in good shape when the head coach implies his only area of concern is the placekicker' position. Although the team does look good I am still trying to stay grounded, even pessimistic. The SEC is always the toughest conference and I have heard 'this is the year' quite a few times growing up as a fan. I was a year late on getting to see the last time it was 'the year' so I'm not wasting energy on anticipation anymore. If the team plays well and a few breaks go our way, who knows. If things don't go right we've still got a great young team and should be in good shape for the forseeable future.

The Bravos bounced back nicely this weekend, topping of a 'sweep' of the Mets by beating the golden boy, Johan Santana. Smoltz looked absolutely awesome which was good, but I am still concerned w/ his health. He doesn't need to be messing around with that shoulder and end up blowing it or his elbow out, that's Mike Hampton's job. It's way too early to say this but I'm saying it... If Chipper Jones plays 140 games and is moderately healthy, he will win the MVP this year. Hopefully a good road trip is on the way this week, a good win streak could really help set the tone for the season.

Oh and I forgot to update visit 2 to Turner Field for the year...
The Godfather scored tickets on the 11th row on the first base line for the 2nd home game last week. The seats were awesome and the weather was great. I am also happy to say that the Miller Lite flowed freely and they didn't run out this time. And w/ the luck already flowing for us, we ran into a friend who got us into the 755 club for the 8th and 9th innings. Not only is the view great from the club, they don't stop selling beer until something like 30 minutes after the game. Fortunately, the Braves pulled this one out to bring our record to 1-1 on the year as attending fans, not bad after going well below .500 last year.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

The Season has Begun

The Braves are off and running and off to a disapointing 0-2 start but no worries just yet as they have 160 games to right the ship.

I had the good fortune to attend the opening home game for the Braves last night and although the outcome was not the desired one, a good time was had by all. Tom Glavine was back in a Braves uniform and looked pretty good on the mound. The crowd was much more supportive than I thought they might be with the exception of a good friend of mine who booed the living hell out of old Thomas. The disgust on people's faces as he booed Glavine and heckled him about being an AARP member is something I will not soon forget. Apparently Pittsburgh has fans as well as there was a group of 5 or 6 real winners cheering for the Pirates like it was the World Series. I have a feeling our group was about 2 beers shy each of causing a real flap with them but since we were moderately sober, nothing ensued.

The frustration of Manny Acosta's poor outing made us decide it was time to leave the game before the real fireworks began in the bottom of the 9th. I must say that had we stayed in the stadium, that would not have happened-Braves fans owe us for that. I heard the comeback on the radio and saw the replay, amazing. But in true 2008 fashion, we gave up another extra inning homer, I'm definitely glad I was not in the stadium for that.

Anyway, Spring means Braves baseball and I couldn't be happier. Hopefully, the boys will start putting together some wins so heading down to the 'Ted' will be more fun.

One final note...The beer vendors in the outfield all ran out of Miller Lite in the 6th inning, if they want my business they had better fix that ASAP. I'm not nearly as effective a fan drinking Bud Select.