“Own the suck!”

I will be the first to admit that I was under no illusions that this season would differ greatly from the preceding twelve (12!).  My theory behind this new slogan is quite simple, really.

1. If the team is this bad, why not embrace it as opposed to rejecting it outright?
2. While the 1988 Orioles started the season 0-21, why not shoot to best that with a 1-24 record to start the 2010 season?
3. If we are going to be swept by what was deemed as the worst team in the AL East for this season, why not strive to be swept by the divisional competition?

In other words, if the Orioles are going to be bad, own it.  Don’t shy away from the ignominious distinction of being the worst team in the majors–as of this writing, the O’s are 1-11.  It reminds me of one of my favorite moments from The Simpsons:

Bart: No offense, Homer, but your half-assed underparenting was a lot more fun than your half-assed overparenting.
Homer: But I’m using my whole ass.

In other words, let’s not half-ass our attempts at sucking.  Let’s use our whole ass to suck.

My t-shirt idea to further the cause of “owning the suck,” with apologies for my feeble attempts at design:

Let’s honor the 2010 Orioles as being, in Homer’s immortal words, the “suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked.”

• The Henry Ford
  • My friend and I went to the Ford Rouge Factory tour during the afternoon at The Henry Ford.  Surprisingly, some of the movies during the tour really make you think about how far manufacturing has come in the more than 100 years since Ford introduced the assembly line method of production.
• Red Wings Hockey
  • I took in my first Detroit Red Wings hockey game on Friday night, watching the Red Wings defeat the Atlanta Thrashers 5-3.  I had a fun time at the Joe Louis Arena, and taking in a hockey game on Friday night reminded me of college hockey games at BU.  It helps that the Red Wings wear the same color jerseys as my alma mater.
• Michigan-Michigan State Football
  • While we did not go to the game in Ann Arbor, we met up with some friends to watch the game.  Admittedly, seeing the rivalry close-up was pretty fun.  Folks around here are pretty into their Michigan or Michigan State football.  Personally, I like seeing Michigan lose, so being around for that was enjoyable.
• Detroit Lions Football
  • While the product on the field is not what the fans would like, the facility at Ford Field is an excellent one.  We started by tailgating at Nemo’s, near the old Tigers Stadium.  We then hopped on a shuttle bus to take us near the field to head to the game.  The field is right next to Comerica Park, where the TIgers play.  Watching a game in a domed stadium is a different experience.  I am a little partial to M&T, but I ascribe that to my homerism.  Unfortunately, the Redskins won.

Tomorrow, I will be working remotely while I get ready to fly back to Baltimore.  It has been a fun trip, and the break was a welcome one, especially catching up with two good friends.

Ravens LosS to the Titans

While I was able to take my grandfather and uncle to their first Ravens game on a beautiful day, I was unable to ensure they saw a win.  While I do think the roughing the passer penalty was a bit specious at best, a loss cannot be laid at the hands of the officials alone.  The defense stopped pressuring the quarterback late in the game, and that hurt them.  Now, the tough road stretch begins.  I still am surprised at how the Ravens are doing considering most folks thought they would suck.  Ray Lewis is truly playing like a man possessed (and 10 years younger). 

Red Sox and Rays in the ALCS

While I sincerely wanted the Angels would defeat the Red Sox in their Divisional Series, the fates and playoff history conspired against me.  The Rays, on the other hand, easily handled the Ozzie Guillen-managed White Sox.  (Aside: My hatred for Ozzie Guillen is a deep-seated one, and I find his managerial skills to be highly over-rated.)  Now, my allegiance swings to the Rays.  I would like to see them go from worst to first–even a World Series win.  If they do it while beating the Red Sox, even better.  Anything that slightly reduces the smug nature of most of the visiting Red Sox fans when they visit Baltimore brings a smile to my face.  Besides, I now have a night of drinking riding on this.  Go Rays!

College hockey begins

Important only to me, but my alma mater is ranked 2nd in the Hockey East preseason Coaches Poll and ranked 9th in the Division I Men’s Poll.  I miss watching college hockey. 

So, I will be thinking of all of you toiling in the cube farms while I am out chasing a tiny white ball along long fairways. 

• Friday night, I joined some coworkers (and friends) at Mick O’Shea’s for some Happy Hour Guinness (Guinni).  Friday turned out to be a bit more busier than normal, so it was a welcome respite.
• Yesterday, I puttered around the house, taking care of a couple of things in advance of going to last night’s Ravens preseason game.  The only thing on my agenda yesterday was to get a haircut in the afternoon, and that was an easy mission to accomplish.  Yesterday was, for the most part, a fairly lazy day for me.
• Speaking of the game last night, I am still amazed by how early folks start tailgating–even during preaseason.  My afternoon haircut yesterday was before 2:00 PM, and I was chuckling at some of the early tailgaters that had already set out their spreads.
• My lone comment from last night’s game (as I am keeping it to just one): How about passing the ball a bit more than the Ravens did in the 1st half?
• Today was spent finishing up my laundry, tidying around the inside of the house, and getting some small tasks done around the house.  I also spent part of the day making a random list of things to get–a sort of macro-personal to-do list.

Any other productivity today was blunted by the wonders of a MythBusters marathon on Discovery.  Thankfully, the DVR has helped with any hindrance today.

I will admit to being a sports fan, but sometimes one needs to draw the line as to how fiercely to defend one’s hometown team.  I want to hear nothing of how heated this rivalry is.  Some things are just plain stupid.

In my mind, it is yet another reason to heap scorn upon the fans of both teams.  Only would fans of either of these teams have such a trivial debate end with such an extreme outcome.

Stay classy, Yankees and Red Sox fans!

Giving the rebuilding journey the team is embarking on, I fully expect this team to lose 100 games.  They have very little offensive firepower for the AL East, and they are relying on a lot of untested youngsters in the starting rotation.  Even worse, Daniel “Nuke LaLoosh” Cabrera gets trotted out every fifth day.

Still, there is a tiny ray of hope that this team is headed in the right direction.  They finally cut Jay Gibbons, owing him nearly $12 million over the next two years on his contract.  Peter Angelos is actually eating a contract for the long-term health of his franchise.  Given the last ten years of ineptitude on his part, I am surprised to see this decision. Now, if only that same roster decision can be made for others–Jay Payton and Aubrey Huff being two names that immediately come to mind.

So, maybe, just maybe, there is a small bit of light at the end of this long and very dark tunnel my hometown team has been stuck in.  Maybe.

Here’s hoping that vaunted “offensive genius” has better luck being offensive elsewhere.

Of course, that also means that Deadspin has a chance to post my favorite PhotoShop effort.  I still chuckle every time I see this photo.

Last night, the Ravens were in the Monday Night Football spotlight.  Again, when the lights are the brightest, the Ravens put on an even worse performance.  In a performance that will win them no accolades, the defense allows 5 touchdowns in a rout.  The offense proceeds to turn the ball over 4 times, and the team commits needless penalties.

One can make the argument that the defense played as expected without two of their starting cornerbacks, and another argument can be made about the playing conditions caused the turnovers.  Nonetheless, the turnovers and penalties are caused by what in my mind is poor discipline.  Poor discipline comes from poor coaching.  No matter how you try to spin it, the coaching of Brian Billick and his staff has left much to be desired thus far this season.  I am not even going to mention the incredibly poor play calling.

After Monday night, the second half of the NFL season is going to be a long one for the Ravens.