Team Canada falls to 0-3

Team Canada: World Mounties suffered their 3rd straight loss last night to "You Look Like I Need a Drink". Even with the loss, the team has definitely improved since the franchise debut two weeks ago in a 17-0 loss, which was followed up by a 15-3 loss in game 2. Last night was a much closer 8-4 loss. The team is definitely moving in the right direction, just one bad 6-run inning last night cost us a chance to win. We'll get one...soon...I hope!

Pregame stretching (or, me falling down, pretending to stretch if you were actually there)

Shelley, Lauren (who doesn't play because she doesn't kick balls she says) and Jill during pregame ceremonies

The pregame gang signs obviously didn't do the trick

Me, scoring the 2nd run in franchise history...for the record Jill scored right before me.

Jill, shoeing away the cameras after a demoralizing loss. Stevens wiping away the tears, while Connie and Patrick laugh at them

Post-game party...we're all winners!

Being in the Right Place at the Right Time

This wasn't even actually me, but it directly affects me, so I thought I'd tell a quick story. A friend of mine (I won't use names so that there's no chance of anyone getting in trouble somehow) went down to Philips Arena yesterday to get us tickets to the Thrashers home opener, which is just over 2 weeks away now! While in line, my friend, we'll call her Bob, for fun. Bob noticed a bunch of people around the box office who apparently work for Turner. Security guard types is what Bob called them. Bob strikes up a conversation with one of em, we'll call him "Mohinder" (since I just watched Heroes last night!). Bob asks Mohinder why they're all here in the middle of a day on a Tuesday? Apparently, they work for Turner and they were all given free passes to redeem for 5 Hawks and 5 Thrashers games - 4 seats per game! (Must be nice!). Well, Bob picks up on the fact, that Mohinder may not be a Thrashers fan. Turns out, he is not. Bob also learns that Mohinder enjoys beer, and a trade is born. Bob offers some free passes to a brewery, which, we'll call "Sour Ice". So in exchange for some free beer at the Sour Ice brewery, Mohinder gives Bob his 5 sets of Thrashers passes, and Bob gives Mohinder several free admission passes to Sour Ice Brewery Tours.

It gets better! Bob then goes to the box office to redeem these for tickets. Unfortunately, these passes were not able to be used for opening night, but Bob, smartly, picked several weekend games throughout the season and not only got 4 free tickets to each game. But 4 of the 5 games are tickets for the lower level section! There is a game against the defending champion Detroit Red Wings, and former Thrasher, Marian Hossa, in March that is apparently selling fast, so we will be in the lower portion of the upper level. We'll survive!!!!

This is huge news because our friend "BJ" no longer works at Philips. So tickets are gonna have to be paid for a bit more frequently this season. Good start though!!!!!

Way to go Bob!!!!!!

My Hatred of the Braves Increases

As a Mets fan living in the ATL, life is rough. I've been to 8 games this year...

April 4: Mets @ Braves, ppd. rain
April 5: Braves 11, Mets 5
April 6: Braves 3, Mets 1
May 20: Braves 6, Mets 1
May 20: Braves 6, Mets 2
May 21: Braves 11, Mets 4
May 22: Braves 4, Mets 2
June 7: Phillies 6, Braves 2 (did I mention I'm beginning to hate the Phillies more than the Braves?)
Sept 18: Phillies 4, Braves 3

The Mets are now a half game behind the Phillies for first place and I know why. It's because the Braves hate me more than I hate them. This year the Phillies are 9-0 in Atlanta. That's right, they've won ALL 9 games. The Mets on the other hand, ALWAYS do terribly in Atlanta, and they haven't won yet in 6 tries. My theory - the Braves do NOT want the Mets to win the division. Enough so, that they intentionally lose all of their games to the Phillies, while they go all out against the Mets.

This weekend, the Mets come to Atlanta. I know I should stay away, you know, to help the team. But I can't. I'm definitely going Friday night, possibly Sunday if I can talk Lauren into it... I'll take Saturday off, gives them a fighting chance to win one game at least!

It was cool though, not only did I get free tix through work, right behind home plate...but it was $1 hot dog night! After spending two whole dollars on dinner, after looking at the ticket, it said that this ticket is good for a "$10 food, beverage and merchandise credit". After kickball last night (recap to come) I didn't feel like drinking, so I wasted my play money on a pretzel and a 85oz coke which was so big it was actually very difficult to carry. The pretzel wasn't very good and I managed to drink about one-twentieth of the drink. Oh well, it was free...sorta!

We sat next to this older guy who has been on a tour of all 30 major league ballparks and Turner Field was the 30th of 30 stadiums for him to visit. Pretty expensive hobby, but I would love to do that someday!

Down Goes Team Canada

Team Canada: World Mounties made their regular season kickball debut on Wednesday in front of a packed house crowd of, ummm, 5 fans. Before the first game even started, the injury report was significant. Ryan and Devon were both out with leg injuries. I was probable (knee), Cintron was questionable (work). I decided I will go ahead and include myself on the injury report (which, by the way, isn't real) to avoid any Tom Brady-like superstitious injuries.

Our inaugural season got off to a great start with me winning the paper-rock-scissors portion of the competition and earning home field for the game. And it pretty much was all downhill from there. After 3 innings we were down 3-0 when all hell broke loose. With 2 runners on base and two outs in the top of the 4th inning, a slow - and I mean SLOW - ground ball was hit to first where Cintron just had to pick it up and we'd be out of the inning. I didn't even watch, I was jogging off the field as if the inning was over. I look back towards first and somehow the ball got away from him and is rolling into foul territory. We never recovered. 8 runs scored in the 4th inning and all of a sudden we were losing 11-0. Yikes!

Fast forward to the bottom of the 5th. Time was running out, we were down 12-0 when I got my first hit of the year to lead off the inning. Rochelle followed me with another hit, when I got greedy and took off for third. I slid -d'oh - and was called out even though I was never tagged. I was pissed! And, bleeding...again. At least my knee pads came in handy. This time it was my arm (see below). After that excruciating inning was over, the umpire not only admitted that he blew the call, but that our game was over (we only get a one hour time slot). The problem was that it was only 8:24. (Rule #1 - "Each game will be 7 innings or one hour in length, whichever comes first."). Since we started at 7:30, we still had 6 more minutes. I begged and pleaded, telling the ump that since he blew that call, he needs to give us this one more inning...we had to at least try to score ONE run! Well, eventually he gave in and let us play another inning. And 5 runs were scored...but none by us. We lost 17-0.

Chicks dig scars, right?

Team Canada: World Mounties

The fall 2008 gokickball schedules were announced today and Team Canada: World Mounties (think - Team America: World Police spin off) inaugural kickball season will officially begin on Sept. 10th at 9:30pm against "Where my Pitches at?"

It is unfortunate that the league wasn't able to schedule a regular season game again bitter rivals "Flip cup is our first sport" (although we do plan on filing an appeal!) But we plan on not only taking them down in the preseason game on September 3rd, but also in the playoffs...if they even make it! (EDIT: They adjusted the schedules for us!!!!)

Team Canada: World Mounties Official Regular Season Schedule:

Wed, Sep 10, 2008 7:30 PM @ Where my Pitches At?

Wed, Sep 17, 2008 8:30 PM vs. K-ballers

Wed, Sep 24, 2008 9:30 PM @ You Look I Need A Drink (a team name typo??? I feel "like" there's a word missing)

Wed, Oct 1, 2008 7:30 PM vs. Drunk And Still Kickin'

Wed, Oct 8, 2008 9:30 PM vs. Flip cup is our first sport (HUGEEEEEEE!!!!!)

Wed, Oct 15, 2008 9:30 PM @ Loose Screws

Wed, Oct 22, 2008 8:30 PM vs. Sofa King High Rollers

Team Canada: World Mounties Official Roster:

Charlotte
Connie P.*

David C.

David W.

Devin

Erica

J

Jason R.

Jennifer*

Jill

Joe

Patrick*

Rebecca

Rochelle

Ryan*

Shelley

Stevens

*-Free agents, randomly assigned to our team...I have high hopes!

That's What She Said!

Me and Matt seem to have a little competition going, who could use the line "That's What She Said" the most. I'm pretty sure I've got this one in the bag!

It comes from the show "The Office" and the video below has 4 seasons worth of examples. Give it a try...it's fun :)

Fandangles, Take Two

Just about a month ago, some friends and I went to a restaurant called "Fandangles" - in the Sheraton - for "Downtown Atlanta Restaurant Week" and we had "An Awesomly Horrible Dining Experience". I wrote about it in my blog, still thinking that only my parents and grandmother read this thing. Well, turns out this internet thing is a pretty big deal. Pretty soon after I wrote my little story, I had this email waiting for me:

Good Afternoon Jason,

I just finished reading your blog and can’t tell you how disappointed and embarrassed I am about the awful dining experience that you had while visiting Fandangles earlier this week. I would love to have the opportunity to bring you and your friends back to Fandangles and give you the perfect dining experience that we are known for (complimentary of course). Please let me know if you would like to take me up on the offer and when you would be joining us. You can reach me by email or directly at 404-555-5555 [not really]. I look forward to hearing from you.

Warmest Regards,
Leola (Director of Food & Beverage- Sheraton Atlanta Hotel)

I DEFINITELY wasn't expecting anything like that. As I said, in my mind, only my parents and grandmother ever read this stuff, no matter how high the visitor tally gets. I told her we'd certainly give Fandangles another chance.

Well, about a month later we finally were able to get the group of 8 of us to schedule a night - Tuesday - to come back. Since we had 2 out-of-towners last time, we did feel the need to select two replacements, who wound up being Matt and Rebecca. As soon as we walked into the place, the hostess definitely recognized Erica from last time, which was pretty funny. We were also spotted by Robert, one of the managers who remembered us from last time. He seemed pretty excited to see us as he and really everyone else went out of their way to make sure we were happy...and we were! We were seated in a little open room off to the side were served drinks as we waited on the rest of our group.

Eventually, everyone showed up and we were seated. There were 2 bottles of wine waiting for us by the table and we were then greeted by our server, Fletcher, who also couldn't have been nicer. We were told we would be able to order from the full menu (we did ask, because during restaurant week, it was a limited menu). So that was nice. Although I had planned all along to order the same steak I had last night because it was so good! So we ordered a couple of different appetizers for the table, I'm not a seafood person, so I passed on most of the stuff ordered but I was all for saving room for my steak! I did try something that I think was called a "Taco Tower" which was really good. Finally the main course was served, and I did struggle, but I somehow finished my steak. I think I was the only one to leave without any leftovers, I'd never been so full!!!! And even after the main course, Robert "made" us all order desserts and brought us all an after-dinner drink, which was a 50-year old Grand Marnier. It smelled SO good that none of us really wanted to drink it, but Robert came out a little late and made fun of us for sipping on it. So I went ahead and took a big drink and of course spilled a good bit all over my face. I may have gotten away with no one noticing that though! For dessert we pretty much ordered one of everything and each shared. Everything was soooo good, but I was so full I barely touched the chocolate cake + ice cream I ordered.

So, just like last time, the food was excellent. However, unlike last time, the service was excellent. The only other thing we could've asked for were a couple of hotel beads to sleep off our food coma's :) (kidding)

Me and Matt stuffing our faces, while Rebecca (left) and Alaina (right) acted like civilized human beings...for some reason

Matt, Stevens, Rochelle, Peter, Erica, me, Rebecca...photographer: Alaina.

I don't remember what this was but it was friggin delicious! Everything was!

More pictures to come if Erica ever gets her lazy arse around to sending em!!!!

And here they are!!!! Some sushi appetizer...

Rochelle & Stevens (2 future kickball stars for Team Canada: World Mounties)

Erica & Peter...

Me & Rebecca (2 more future kickball hall of famers)
If anyone wants my secret to partial one-eye red-eye reduction, let me know...