Mouth-watering Omaha Steaks

Monday, October 28, 2013

World Series: sleepless in St. Louis

With the Red Sox holding a 3-2 lead going back to Fenway, it’s been three straight nights of tardy bedtimes.

But it’s been a great show. Not always perfect baseball, but exciting baseball. Games ending on obstruction calls and pick-offs. The Red Sox making errors almost every game, but getting the clutch hits when they need them.

The World Series is especially great to watch on TV (free TV!) because of detailed coverage with numerous camera angles. There are countless replays showing the spin on the ball, the bats vibrating as they make contact with a pitch, you can count the gray hairs in the pitcher’s beard.

The pitch tracker shows how often the home plate umpire misses the call, which has been surprisingly often. It goes both ways – both teams, balls instead of strikes, strikes instead of balls – so I guess it evens out at least.

Most enjoyable is being able to enjoy the sport for the sport itself. It took me decades to learn not to hate certain sports teams. Somehow, the more I hated them, the better they did.

Now, I might or might not have a rooting interest, but have settled down to the point of being able to like just about every team. My cheering this week is for the Series to go a full 7 games.

The final out means no more baseball until next spring, and another long winter is nearly upon us.

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I vaguely remember a few years ago when the baseball coverage would show the statistical chance of success in each current situation – for example, how often a team would score, say, with a man on first and one out in the eighth inning. This feature disappeared as quickly as it surfaced – I suspect, because it ruined the game for fans.

Baseball is about hope – hope that something good will happen in each situation even though the chances are somewhat remote. There’s a chance of a home run on every pitch, but if you figure out how often a home run actually occurs, it’s not very often (it appears to be safely under 1 percent). I suppose it’s like if at a casino, you were clearly informed before each bet how much the odds are against you. That’s no fun.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Garage sales: lost in suburbia

Followed “garage sale” signs into a neighborhood of a 10-year-old homes in a strange town on our way up north.

Picked up a couple little things. Then got lost. Couldn’t find our way out of the twisting and turning maze of how housing developments are built these days.

After three passes by the same parked truck, without a GPS to talk us through it, and even the sun hiding behind the clouds, I did the next best thing. No, it wasn’t asking for directions.  Just started following another vehicle, hoping it was headed “out” and not home.

It was, and we were saved.

So why do they design housing developments like a board game instead of the traditional square-block method with numbered and alphabetical streets so you can find your way in and out?

They’ll probably talk about the pleasing appearance of curved streets and irregular sight lines (but not that there are only two siding colors to pick from). My theory is that they can get even more homes per acre squeezed in, and thus it’s more profitable.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Sports: World Series winners

How hard is it to get to the World Series and win it?

This year, we’ll have a team that will win its third title within 10 years, whether it’s either the Red Sox or Cardinals.

If we look at the last nine seasons, several teams repeat appearances while a few others show up once and then are gone. Here would be the standings:

NATIONAL:
San Francisco 2-0
St. Louis 2-1
Philadelphia 1-1
Colorado 0-1
Houston 0-1

AMERICAN:
Boston 2-0
New York Yankees 1-0
Chicago White Sox 1-0
Tampa Bay 0-1
Detroit 0-2
Texas 0-2

So in that list, we notice:
• St. Louis is in its 4th World Series in 10 years
• of those that made it in consecutive years, the Phillies split while the Rangers lost both times.
• Detroit is 0-2, and just missed getting there again this year
• Texas at 0-2 was the victim of the Cardinals’ storybook comeback in 2011, twice down by two runs and at the last strike before rallying to tie, again fall behind, and then win
• The storied Yankees have made it only once in the last 10 years.
• The high-paid Dodgers came close this year but didn’t make it. The low-paid A’s haven’t made it to the Series but have been in the playoffs often.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Book review: Ball Four

In honor of the World Series, a baseball book: "Ball Four" by Jim Bouton.

This is an old one, which was highly controversial in its day. Written primarily in diary form, Bouton tells the day-to-day stories from throughout the 1969  season with the Seattle Pilots and Houston Astros. (The Pilots existed for only one year, becoming the Milwaukee Brewers the following season.)

Although it blew the lid off the baseball world at the time, it does show players as human beings going through the stress, drudgery, excitement – all the ups and downs of a several-month long season – and including the late nights, drinking, swearing, fights, contract issues, etc. Everything that happens behind the scenes, but in those days, as not acknowledged publicly.

I remember that I read it as a kid then, but nothing particular came back to me, other than the names of many famous players who were the stars at the time.

Some of the best lines:

• Pilots manager Joe Schultz: “It’s a round ball and a round bat and you got to hit it square.”

• Pitching coach Johnny Sain: “The world doesn’t want to hear about labor pains. It only wants to see the baby.”

• Baseball second-guessing: “If a guy can’t hit the curve ball, keep throwing the damn things until he proves to you he can hit it” followed by “ You can’t keep throwing a guy the same thing. He’s bound to hit it.”

• And along those lines, pitching scouting reports often talk about a player being a good first-ball hitter. “I want to hear somebody say ‘Good third-ball hitter. Likes to hit that third pitch.’ Then I’ll have learned something.”

• Greg Goossen, doing a Casey Stengel impression: “We got a kid here named Goossen, twenty years old, and in ten years, he’s got a chance to be thirty.”

Friday, October 18, 2013

Hiking: Banning State Park

Hiked the Quarry Trail, about a 2-mile loop that features the area’s history as a sandstone quarry back into the 1800s.

To do this, pick up a brochure at the park office. It has summaries that correspond to marked points on the trail. Park at the picnic grounds lot and you can go right to the trail.

We started out at the boat landing instead and followed the river for several hundred yards, which gave us more scenic views and the opportunity to do a little scrambling on the sandstone formations.

Where the Quarry Trail turns around, there is the option to go out another quarter-mile to Hell’s Gate, a narrow passageway and rapids that caused many logjams back in the days of logging.

We only had time for this trail, but had a gorgeous sunny fall day – not too hot, not too cool, no bugs, no worries. (That comes when it’s back to work.)

Banning has more to offer, including a bat cave. The office worker said it was closed off at the time and recommended a return trip another time. Sounds like a deal.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Travel: Kettle River

When you think of Hinckley, MN, what comes to mind? Grand Casino. Tobie’s – the famous “halfway to Duluth” point. The fire museum.

But there’s another less-noticed, nearby treasure: the Kettle River.

We took a wide western loop on back roads to get there for a Columbus Day weekend trip, traveling on a rainy
Saturday. Due to the late season this year, we just managed to catch what seemed to be the last day of colorful leaves.  By Sunday night, Monday for sure, the trees were noticeably more barren than just 24 hours before.

Instead of hotels, we gone the private rental way the last few years and have never been disappointed. vrbo.com (vacation rentals by owner), lakeplace.com, homeaway.com – they all work basically the same. Rent a private property for your vacation instead of a commercial site.

In this case, we got a cabin on 25 acres abutting the Kettle River for about $170/night. There even was a canoe to use, though we didn’t take it out. The leaves were in full color, so we made several hikes into the woods right on “our property.”

We also followed the Kettle River in Banning State Park (more in another post shortly) as well as in Sandstone.
Tried a little fishing, but didn’t put in the effort to give it a fair shot. The currents were a bit odd, as our bobbers tended to drift upstream instead.

The Kettle was a nice memory place as that was one of our stops on our very first trip to Duluth long ago. And it remains a nice get-away place to visit, especially with the privacy of a rented cabin.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Sports: our teams aren't all losers

As sports fans, we sometimes like to joke – or seriously complain – about how big of losers our favorite teams are.

If you look at the numbers, though, the picture isn’t quite as bleak as one might imagine.

Let’s start with the Vikings, who I refuse to spend three hours a week with these days. Through last season, their all-time regular season record, excluding ties, is 426-355, a .545 winning percentage. Not bad, really. Throw in the playoffs, and it dips to .538 with a 445-382 mark.

Through 2013, the Twins – since they became the Twins and not the Senators – stand at .498 with a 4,204-4,243 record. As recently as two years ago, they were above .500 all-time.

The Wild, who haven’t been around as long, are chugging along at 431-381 (again excluding ties, which there are a lot of in hockey) for a .531 mark.

Finally, the Timberwolves have actually won 731 games in their existence with 1,107 losses for a .398 percentage. I would have thought it to be much worse, given all the miserable seasons and should-have-been-lottery-draft-picks.

Bottom line: they’re not so bad. The competitive balance of pro sports is so strong that you have to be really awful for a long time, and even then you win 4 out of 10.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Restaurant review: Biaggi's, Eden Prairie MN

Got the opportunity to visit Biaggi’s wine room with a group of friends – a private dining experience with house-selected foods paired with samples of wine.

Unfortunately, since I’m not much of a wine guy and not too refined on the whole fine dining thing, I neither fully grasped the experience or am qualified to evaluate the offerings.

The service was excellent with a brief introduction before each of the four courses, explaining what was before us, both the food and accompanying wine.

Everything was tasty enough, but from my humble view, it turned out to be what I somewhat expected: as with fine dining, it’s about the atmosphere and presentation, not the quantity. This ain’t no casino buffet. We really could have used at least twice as much food as was served for the number of people present.

So if you choose to spend the money, know what you’re getting into. If that’s your scene, it’s a wonderful night out. If you’re more into the food itself than elegance, make a different choice.

Someone joked about stopping at Burger King on the way home. Which wouldn’t have been a bad idea.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Sports: getting popped by the cable bubble

I’m not in the right group. I stubbornly refuse to pay for television – either cable or satellite – so I just don’t fit.

Most of the time, free tv over the broadcast airwaves is satisfactory, since I don’t have enough time to watch a lot of sports anyway. But now, with most of the Major League Baseball playoffs only on cable, I’m left on the outside, having to go to someone else’s house, a sports bar, or just track scores online.

Here’s a long but interesting article about the “sports cable bubble.”

To sum it up, a lot of pepole who don’t care at all about sports are being forced to pay for them through their cable packages. You have buy a “bundle” of programming which most likely includes some channels you don’t want. For some people, that is sports.

But by making all those people pay for sports even if they don’t want it, there is so much money coming in that even average professional athletes can earn millions of dollars a year.

It also means that the pay-tv companies are so profitable that they can force more and more programming into a paid-only format, like what is happening with MLB now. Enough people pay, either willingly or through forced bundles, that those like me don’t have many freebies left anymore.

It’s a balancing act for big-time sports to have enough of your product shown free on tv to get enough interest from enough people that enough of them will pay for it so you don’t have to give it away anymore. Unfortunately, the scales are tipping way in their favor right now.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Running: best photos from Twin Cities Marathon

Been digging through all the cover of the Twin Cities Marathon and 10 Mile races.


Here's just a terrific set of photos from the Pioneer Press/Twin Cities.com. Oh, the joy and the pain!

Some other interesting ones:

Photos along the way

Chewbacca costume

Dave Ryan show

narrative of the 10-Mile

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Running: favorite moments in the Twin Cities 10 Mile

• The weather: despite gloomy predictions, it opened up into perfect running weather, at least most of the morning.

• The start: I was concerned our corral would go out too fast, but they didn’t. Twenty yards in, I thought “This will be easy.” Nice confidence-builder.

• It must have been easy. I was unofficially timed at 0:00 flat for the first mile (forgot to start my watch).

• Crossing the Franklin Ave. bridge, with the sun just starting to peek out, was a peaceful scene.

• Even more spectacular, approaching St. Thomas – against the sun with many runners’ breath visible in the crisp autumn air.

• The “Holiday Road” music blasting at Summit and Oxford was a great lift. Thanks.

• I wanted to yell something like “Lower my taxes!” while passing the governor’s mansion, but somehow missed the opportunity.

• On the final descent past the cathedral, one guy had a camera and was shooting pictures on the run. Hope he got some good ones.

• The sweat check and pick-up was remarkably efficient and well organized. Clearly, this wasn’t a government-run operation.

• Carrie Tollefson: the lady had a baby four months ago, ran a full marathon today in just over three hours, and a few minutes after that did a full media interview on the big screen without a huff or puff. I was impressed.

Best of all: sharing the last 7 miles with the Twin Cities Marathon course. It was like getting to run a  marathon but cheating. And it was like running the junior varsity race and then settling in to watch really good runners finish.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Running: anticipation for Twin Cities 10 Mile

I wonder what the neighbors think. It’s 44 degrees Wednesday morning. I’m out standing in my driveway in a t-shirt and shorts from 6:30 to 7 a.m.

That’s because I’m training for the Twin Cities 10 Mile. The running will be easy. Two things I’m not good at are waiting and being cold. I expect that I’ll have to multi-task and do both at the same time Sunday morning; that’s why I’m practicing.

My back hurts when I stand in the same spot too long. I doubt they’ll let me bring a lawn chair into the starting corral. So I’m on the home stretch of training for this event. I’ve got over 800 miles of running (or jogging) logged this year. Now the difficult part: the pre-race wait. Dressing appropriately for running and waiting are different things.

I’m also trying to plan ahead. Usually I don’t like to wear a cap running, but Sunday I will because we will be running into the sun. That’s another thing about running: it goes better when I can see where I’m going.

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Why am I doing this?

That’s a question that pops into mind every once awhile. In this case, I can certainly do it cheaper and more conveniently – I can run 10 miles for free any day I choose around home, and without waiting.

Here, it’s the spectacle of the event itself. Almost 10,000 runners crowded into city streets. Something beyond my usual choices, something way beyond my comfort zone. Going to the extreme (when I got this wild hair two years ago, it was “I run 3 miles a day, no problem going 10.”) Not much different, right?

Then add in the start and finish points: the Metrodome, a much better and more valuable facility than many people give it credit for; and the state capitol, where I went in sixth grade to see the golden horses (and maybe learn something).

I’ll either be hooked beyond hope and back every year, or satisfied that this was my one and only entry into a race of this proportion. We’ll be like wildebeests rushing across the Serengeti, which brings up the disturbing question: if someone goes off course and into the river, will we all follow?

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Bicycling: do you really need a helmet?

First, I admit to growing up before cars even had seat belts. Bicycle safety consisted of learning the hand signals and then paying attention to traffic.

Sorry, but I just shake my head in disappointment and sympathy for today’s bike helmet culture. Yes, there are situations where wearing a helmet is absolutely necessary.

But, I believe there are ones where it’s equally foolish. On a vacant trail at 6 in the morning on a weekday, you do not need a helmet. There is no other traffic. Maybe there’s a small animal or hole or a spot of loose sand. But do you have that little confidence in your ability to operate a bicycle? If so, is it really any fun?

Be smart, but if you’re going to enjoy the outdoors, enjoy the outdoors, and that means sometimes shedding the overdone safety measures when there isn’t that much risk present.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Sports: baseball uniforms

Here’s an interesting question on the “controversial” topic of baseball uniforms from MLB:

My preference falls with the guy who says let the home team choose first, and then the visitors need to pick something contrasting.

Whites and grays are fine, but get old after awhile. I do like the occasional switch into some colored tops. But even though it doesn’t affect the game, when both teams wear the same colors, it’s just not as good to watch.

In any sport, it’s nice to have differing uniform colors. Once in awhile even in football or basketball, the “white” uniform will be so loaded with other colors, the contrast between teams is lost. Dominant red vs. blue, green vs. gold, or whatever is best whenever possible.

What I really dislike is the overdone “throwback” uniforms. They tend to be really ugly. Maybe if the home team wore them for an occasion honoring something, but don’t make the visitors do it, too! Once every three yeas or so, a throwback mixes it up a bit, but otherwise stick to regular uniforms and either put more talent on the field or lower ticket prices.