Primate is on the web!

My buddies and I invented this game at summer camp one year. Check it out. Hopefully it's addictive and maybe keeps those arithmetic skills sharp.

http://dev.duck-walk.net/primate/

Citi-Field Follow-up: Jackie Robinson Day & The Mets first Regular Season Win @ Citi-Field

I got to check out the Mets new home at Citi-Field this week for their 1st ever regular season win at the new ballpark. There is a great feel to this ballpark, however I'm a little disappointed about some things that were hyped up that don't seem to live up to the organizations prior claims. The bigger problem is that there doesn't seem to be quite so much at the ballpark the reminds you of the METS... which, after all, it is their stadium.

All the promos for Citi-Field hyped up how every seat would have un-hindered views of the field and that you could go pretty much anywhere in the stadium and see the ball game on a screen if not in front of your face. Well both of these things are just not true. The view of left field from my seats as you can see (first picture at the top) is quite obstructed. But the new ballpark does have many great new features. The food service definitely seems to have gone up a notch and walking around the lower level provides great views and plenty of standing room with cup holders if you want to watch from fairly close. Lines at the bathrooms between innings are definitely not eliminated, and overall the park could do more to highlight the Mets. For one thing... where is the blue? What's with the black homerun fence? I understand the homages to the Mets hometown NL predecessors, but it should be clear that this park is for the Mets. The Budweiser and Citi advertisements on the centerfield billboard are bigger than any Mets sign in the place. But overall, it feels very comfortable for watching baseball and should be a great home for years to come.

Check out some pictures:

Doing a lap around the lower level promenade is pretty enjoyable


Jackie Robinson Day

All the players in all games in MLB that day wore #42 to honor Jackie Robinson. His widow Rachel Robinson was on hand for the festivities.

The Jackie Robinson Rotunda highlights the players social and professional legacy while giving a nod to Ebbets Field.



Dunk Tank.. not so wet



Cowbell Man Lives on at Citi-Field. One of the few reminders of Shea


The Final Pitch: The Mets get their first official season win at Citi Field.



Goodnight From Citi-Field

Related Post: Citi Field Preview

Giant's season... RIP

Well, it was a good run for the Giants this season. But the reasons they didn't make the Super Bowl are plenty...

a) The lack of Plax and the end-season controversy surrounding it.
b) Consistently under utilizing a solid running game
c) Too much time off before the Division Series
d) A generally weak end to the season. Especially in contrast to the strong start.

Rather than dwell on the lack of the Giants in the Super Bowl... I've decided to share some of the more entertaining commentaries on LAST season from one of New Joyzey's own.


Carl on the BCS and College Football

Carl on the Giant's red throw-back jersey's from last season

They're goin to the Super Bowl!!

Dex's Style Chili

I made some chili this weekend for an office chili contest. I'm sharing the recipe for you to make, alter and enjoy for football season. Warning: it's pretty spicy as given but you can modify to suit your tastes.





Ingredients:

2 lbs of cooked Cajun seasoned ground beef
2 12 oz cans of small red beans
3 12 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
About 2 cups of water

1 red pepper
1 green pepper
2 jalapeño peppers
3 cloves of garlic
1 chopped onion
A handful of dried Japanese style chili peppers
Several heaping tablespoons of chili powder
A handful each of oregano, paprika, cumin

½ cup of mesa, water, flour, sugar mix
2 tablespoons salt

Crushed red pepper &/or cayenne pepper sauce to taste for hotness
(As if it isn’t spicy enough already!)
shredded cheddar for topping

Steps:

1) Chop peppers, onion & garlic
2) Add tomatoes, water, chili powder & spices
3) Bring mixture to a boil - Let simmer approx 30 minutes
4) Cook beef (or leave out and substitute more beans later for vegetarian)
5) Let beef simmer in chili approx 30 min.
6) Add beans and flour mixture. More tomatoes if desired
7) Let simmer another 15-45 min depending on patience
8) Let cool and enjoy. add shredded cheddar. Serve with beer and tortilla chips

Citi Field Preview

Well it's another disappointing October for Mets fans. Once again lack-luster pitching led to a late season breakdown which kept the promising ball-club from making the playoffs.

Oddly enough, this Tuesday I found myself in the epicenter of the Mets breakdown... the right-field bullpen. My Dad invited me to tag along while he visited the construction site for Citi Field which will be the new home of the Mets starting next season. Before checking out Citi Field, we walked over to shea's bullpen. The outfield fence had been removed so I was able to go over and grab some dirt from the warning track to keep as a momento of the Mets days at Shea.


Overall I think Citi will be a great place to watch baseball. They've build a concrete stand for the world famous homerun apple in center field (most likely it will be a newer, shinier apple with the original one located somewhere in or around the stadium).



The shape of the field is quite different from the simple pitchers park layout of Shea. The left field fence is quite high and at dead center it is slightly higher in front of where the apple will be. Right field is especially strange coming in at a strange angle and going back out again with the upper deck hanging slightly over the field. I wonder if this will require any strange ground rules.



All the seats are angled towards the infield with cup holders so no more kicking over your neighbors beer onto someones back. Your average seat at Citi Field will be closer to the field giving the stadium a much cozier feel. It really has been built specifically for baseball and the bathrooms and concessions will be much more plentiful. There's also considerable outdoor space with concessions even in the upper levels. The whole place is interestingly laid out, and the routounda, though still unfinished, makes it feel like your entering someplace really special.

Check out the photos and I'll post some more if I can locate them.

Sarah Palin must not be allowed anywhere near the Oval Office

Okay, so this proves it... that Sarah Palin knows truly nothing about the world and foreign policy. To some extent she's just dancing around a question that she doesn't know much about. But the fact that she's dancing around such a simple discussion is what makes this ridiculous...: Sarah Palin must not be allowed anywhere near the Oval Office!!

Her ignorance here is SHOCKING for a person who's running for a position which may potentially make her Commander in Chief of this country. Bush is a President who many have tired to justify as ok, so he's not that bright, but he has smart people around him. But apparently John McCain, smart or dumb as he may be, does NOT have smart people around him because they selected this ignorant person as a VP candidate.

Watch and be dumbfounded....



This debate tomorrow should be a riot. I don't know if I'll even be able to watch the whole thing through the pain of watching this fish out of water.

What are you gonna give me in return...?

Political Irony