After three and a half weeks on the road, I am back home once again. The reason I know I am home is contained in a comment I recall but not the author of the comment:
“Home is where you can say anything you like cause nobody listens to you anyway.”
One of the things I accomplished in my not-so-abundant free time on the road trip was to finish reading Dan Jenkins’ “semi-memoir” (his description) His Ownself. Anyone who has read these rants for any length of time now knows that I think Dan Jenkins is a brilliant writer and this book is as good as anything he has written before. If you want a fast read that is completely enjoyable, I cannot recommend His Ownself highly enough. Here is a link to where you can get it:
Speaking of Dan Jenkins, much of his writing career and his life has focused on golf. This year, a 15-year old from Dallas – just down the road from Fort Worth where Jenkins grew up and began his career – will play in the US Open. Cole Hammer shot two rounds to a total of 132 in final qualifiers to make it into the field. I have a hunch that Cole Hammer and Dan Jenkins will meet at the event…
There are a few surprises in the baseball standings at this point of the season; some of the surprises are positive and some are not:
Positive: The Minnesota Twins are only 1 game behind in the AL Central race.
Not Positive: The Seattle Mariners are 6 games under .500.
Positive: The Houston Astros lead the AL West by 2 games.
Positive: The Texas Rangers are in second place in the AL West.
Not Positive: The “Moneyball” Oakland A’s are dead last in the AL West.
Positive: The Mets lead the NL East by a half-game.
Not Positive: The Reds are 5 games under .500.
Here are three more things to glean from the baseball standings as of this morning:
The White Sox are 3 games under .500 despite having been outscored by 57 runs in their 57 games this season. By comparison, the Indians have the same record as the White Sox and the Indians have scored exactly as many runs as they have given up.
The Phillies are in the midst of a dumpster-fire season. In 60 games, they have been outscored by 85 runs (worst differential in MLB by 27 runs) and they are a miserable 7-22 on the road.
The Texas Rangers, on the other hand, are 20-12 on the road and only 11-15 at home.
The Milwaukee Brewers are stinking it up on the field this year (dead last in the NL Central with the emphasis on the word “dead”) but their fans can expect culinary delights when they venture out to Miller Park. Here are a couple of the options fans may contemplate:
Inside The Park Nachos: This is taco-seasoned ground beef on a stick crusted with Doritos crumbs slathered with nacho cheese and sour cream and a dollop of dipping salsa.
Pulled Pork Parfait: The name is alliterative – and a bit disgusting at the same time. The dish consists of alternating layers of mashed potatoes and pulled pork drenched in gravy and chives. I would need a highly trained sommelier to recommend the proper wine to have with that bad boy…
The Beast: Just the name ought to make one check out other menu items for the sake of the well-being of one’s alimentary canal. This concoction is a sandwich served on a pretzel roll which is a good start. However, inside that pretzel roll, they put a bratwurst that has been stuffed with a hot dog and then wrapped in bacon. Just to complete the gastric disaster, they cover it all in sauerkraut and onions. Be sure to have industrial strength Maalox on hand for the 7th inning stretch if you eat this one.
Finally, a baseball note from Scott Ostler of the SF Chronicle:
“Angel Pagan says his back got out of whack from sleeping on a too-soft mattress. You’ve got a glass back, you make $9 mil a year and you can’t spring for a new mattress?”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………
The sports bar near my house has a nice oyster po boy that works great while watching a game on TV, which is the only way I get to watch games here in Oriental.
I wonder why sports venue managers think people want to load on “crap” like these offerings at Miller Field? I know there is an element of macho-ness to this, but some of the food you have described in your writings could feed a number of people a full meal and endanger the lives of entire families.
Doug:
Some of these concoctions would provide the caloric content sufficient to sustain a family in Darfur for a week.
You should also point out that the Tampa Bay Rays are in second place in the Al East despite having 12 players on the dl including 80% of their starting rotation!
David Egbert:
I am not all that surprised that the Rays are doing well in the AL East – although I must admit that I thought they would go in the tank as all those injuries piled up…