random jersey sighting, July 30 edition

Tonight was the Nats vs the Phillies at nationals park. what's with the lack of caps? I am on my used Dell inspiron 3700, which I think was state of the art about 6 years ago. The keys stick. It's difficult to make the shift key work. "n's" are difficult since the "n" key has had an especially hard life.

So, top jersey, far and away, spotted at the game tonight, a Michael Vick jersey. It hits almost all the random jersey sighting criteria. Wrong sport, no relation to either city playing, and, the real kicker, the player is in jail!

Jersey spotted that I covet: A 05 chad cordero all star game BP jersey. I am heading to e-bay now to see if I can find one.

Jersey that I wore: 2004 Expos BP jersey. I figured since they were playing like the 04 expos, I would wear the jersey for the occasion.

Random Jersey Sighting

In addition to collecting jerseys, I also enjoy spotting them on others. I especially enjoy spotting odd, out of place ones.

The trifecta would be:

Wrong sport for the event you are at

Not a team native to that city (so a Redskins jersey at a Nationals game = not too random)

Obscure player

Bonus points awarded for minor league teams, defunct teams (I saw a Quebec Nordiques jersey at a Caps game), or defunct leagues (USFL, XFL)

So, if you were at a Cubs game at Wrigley and you came in sporting your Craig Hentrich jersey (punter for the 96 Packers), then you would be the winner.

Last night at the Nationals I thought I had a winner with a sighting of what I thought was a jersey for rookie pitcher John Lannan. Though he is a National, he is hardly a household name, and they don't sell John Lannan jerseys off the rack at the team store.

But I double checked and the name and uni number don't match, so it must have been a random guy with the same last name with a custom jersey.

So the winner ended up being a guy with a Buffalo Sabres shirt. Wrong sport, wrong city, wrong time of year, team not in playoffs.

So congrats random Buffalo guy. You showed your team spirit, though it didn't really count.

Vice Watch: Buy me a Jersey

I am not a man of many vices, but the ones I do have I embrace fully. Beer, clearly to anyone who has known me more than 5 minutes, is one of them.

But I have a weakness for jerseys. Especially baseball, but almost any sport is of interest.

I acquired a new jersey at the Nationals game last night. Not an official, but what is called a "fashion" jersey. Its not something the players wear, but it could be. This one is white with red sleeves and blue trim. "Washington" is printed across the chest like it is on the official away jersey (which is gray - as is baseball custom). It also features the 2008 Nationals Park inaugural season patch on the sleeve.

The Nats only have 3 official jerseys, 4 if you count the batting practice jersey. This is far too few. Most clubs have 4 - not counting the BP jersey. Some clubs, like the Padres, seem to have dozens.

In my personal collection I have the home and away jerseys. I have the 05, 06 and 07 BP jerseys (the 08 is the same as last years). I don't own the red alternate jersey that is usually worn for home Sunday games since it looks just like the 05 BP jersey. I also have a Senators jersey and two Expos jerseys - one the 04 BP jersey - the last in Expos history, and a Cooperstown Collection powder blue jersey. And I have two "fashion" jerseys (the one mentioned above and one from the last year at RFK).

Then I have 3 Cubs jerseys which I share with the Mrs, who grew up a Cubs fan. I have the home pinstripe, the away and the 06 BP jersey.

I also have a Brewers jersey, because I have to like a team called Brewers. I also own a powder blue Blue Jays jersey. That was a memento from our trip to Toronto a few summers ago.

And that's just in baseball. I also have 2 Capitals & 2 Redskins jerseys. I'm sure I am leaving one out...

You may ask why not Wizards? Well, for one I am not a big NBA fan, and I don't really like the way the Wizards jerseys look in general. Plus they are tank tops. I don't want to pay big bucks for a glorified wife-beater.

I have in the past considered a DC United jersey, but never went through with it. Seems a waste of money that could be used on a baseball jersey. Plus they now have a big VW logo on them. Corporate logos on jerseys is common in soccer. I sell sponsorships for a living, so I guess it makes me something of a hypocrite to say I don't like corporate logos on jerseys.

There are some out there I would still like to get, which is what the wife worries about everytime I go to a ball game...

I am in the Red Carpet Club (you are not)

I seldom have cause to feel smug. I am not super wealthy by Northern Virginia standards (world standards, hell yeah, I am rolling in the money). I don't drive a fancy car (but it is paid for). I live in a nice house, but nothing lavish.

But when I fly, look out. I have access to the United Red Carpet Club.

As the picture shows, nice people ask to see your club ID. No ID? I'm sorry sir, you will have to wait with the rest of the commoners on the concourse. Have a nice flight.

Once inside you get fairly comfy chairs. Free soft drinks. Bar drinks that are at bar prices, not airport bar prices (usually 6 bucks for mixed drink), and snacks! Christine especially loves the Walkers Shortbread cookies. SO much so that I have to get extras to bring home.

Since I have a nice place to chill before a flight I usually get here early so I can enjoy my moment of smug. And it does help you relax before a flight.

So if you are in O'Hare right now, text me and I will let you in. I can get up to two guests in. First come, first served.

I think I was at a family picnic on Sunday

So the Leo family picnic was Sunday. In case you were wondering what a WASP like me was doing at a picnic for Leo's, I am related to them by marriage.

It was a wonderful July day, with a great gusty breeze that kept the temps quite nice.

I also brought with me an old friend, Beefeater Dry London Gin. And tonic, ice, and lemonaide. The three, when combined, make for a very refreshing summer drink. The picnic started at noon, and every so often "uncle Chris" would pay a little visit to "uncle Beefeater".

We didn't leave until 7. And everytime I went back to visit my dear uncle, there was less and less of him. I started to think that someone else was dipping into my stash. Not that sharing would not be welcome.

By my last visit only 200ml (estimated - might be less than that) out of the original 750 remained. It was streached out over 7 hours, but still, that is a lot of gin, even for me.

I am pretty sure the various cousins would have been quite nice without uncle Beefeater, but why fly solo if you don't have to?

Flight Of The Conchords - The Humans Are Dead

Escape to Miller Park

The plan is to make a break for Miller Park, about 80 miles away from my current location. The in-laws don't know it yet. I may have to save my self and leave Christine. Thank God for the rental car. No longer am I a prisoner of the in laws.

Playing the Ponies

I am heading the Arlington racetrack today with the Mom-in-Law. I have gamed in Vegas, but have yet to play the ponies. Jackie (the Mom-in-Law refered above) plays with some frequency, and it is a nice day, so it should be fun. Riches and wealth here I come!!!

Don't let Vader in your foursome

Julius, our Kitty Boy, had a troubled youth

For a joyride that is likely to end in an accident, try Philly!

For the fourth consecutive year, drivers in Phoenix, Ariz., are the safest big city commuters, according to Allstate. Phoenix motorists can expect to bump into another vehicle on the roadway every 9.8 years – slightly more frequently than the national average.

Rank/City
Collision Likelihood Compared to National Average Average Years Between Collisions
84. Phoenix, Ariz. 1.5% more likely 9.8
112. San Diego, Calif. 9.9% more likely 9.1
126. New York, N.Y. 13.2% more likely 8
153. Houston, TX 23.5% more likely 8.1
161. San Antonio, TX 25.7% more likely 8.0
167. Dallas, TX 27.6% more likely 7.8
176. Chicago, Ill. 32.3% more likely 7.6
182. Los Angeles, Calif. 41.5% more likely 7.1
187. Philadelphia, Pa. 50.4% more likely 6.6

Ok, so the tables were lost on this, but I can absolutley relate to this data. The one accident I ever got in that was my fault was in Philly. I can tell you why. They have no street signs. I'm not kidding. And when they do, they are small, bend and dirty.

I got really lost and when trying to figure out where I was I rearended some poor fellow, who was nice about the whole thing.

At least I didn't get a lye bomb tossed in my face. My eye doctor related to me once that when she was working her internist rotation in a Philly hospital, she would see the victims of such attacks. The cleaning fluid that ended up in my eye seemed rather common when compaired to that. She was offered a full time job in Philly after her rotation. Wonder why she didn't take it?

Rolling Blackouts a non-issue in North Korea again this summer

I love this picture. It shows the real workers paradise that is North Korea. But I guess we can't pin too much global warming on them, since they don't really have things like power plants. Well, I guess they do, powered by Stalin era diesel engines or some such thing.

Do embargos really work? Castro still around. Kim, still around. China, as much as they make noise about keeping us in check need us. No US, no one to buy their stuff. You are much less likely to nuke the hand that feeds you.

Kitty Fight