Tag: Knicks

  • ODDS and ENDS: World Cup, Working Out at Home, and Saturday at 8:30pm

    ODDS and ENDS: World Cup, Working Out at Home, and Saturday at 8:30pm

    (Life ain’t always what it seems, oh, yeah…)

    Father exercising indoors by jumping, sweat on face, son sitting on couch watching TV with remote
    A father works out in the living room while his son watches TV.

    The World Cup has started, and I fell asleep watching Mexico and South Africa. Please don’t take that as a reaction to a very boring game. No, that is just what happens to me now when I sit down on the couch by myself; within fifteen minutes I will fall asleep. Anyway, Like I thought, Mexico won in a very bizarre red card heavy match. I thought that South Africa’s goalie, Ronwen Williams, was actually pretty good, it was just the rest of his team couldn’t keep their cool. Anyway, I also watched South Korea play and beat the Czech Republic. Korea didn’t look great out there, but they did look competitive, and when they play Mexico, I suspect that match will be filled with fireworks from the aggressive play. As for today, I intend on watching some of Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovinian, and I say some as I have errands that I need to run with the kid before the thunderstorms hit today. The big match will be USA v Paraguay. For me to believe in this Team USA, they have to win this match. They need to win their group and get past the first round of the knockout stage. Just saying…

    So, the kid is now on summer vacation, which for me means that I don’t have to get up at 5:30am. How that translated into today was that I over slept to 7am. Not a big deal, but it did throw off going to the gym, as I had to go and move the car for the street sweeper. This is a very long way to go to say that I had to go my calisthenics at home, in the living room, in front of the kid, who found all the exercises I do very funny. Mind you, I have only been doing this stuff for about a month, but my kid was confused and asked, “If you do all this stuff, why haven’t you lost weight?”

    LET’S GO KNICKS!!!

  • Sports News (Unedited)

    Tell me you saw the Knicks game last night!?!?!

    I saw it all except for the 3rd Quarter, and now, I’m kicking myself for that decision.

    See, this is how it went home in my home last night. We all wanted to watch the game, so me, the wife, and the kid we’re all sitting on the couch together. Because that’s what the Knicks do; they bring people together. And it was a painful 1st Quarter. So bad that the kid was asking me if we had to watch it, because it was so bad. But I was like, no! We stick with our team no matter what, because anything could happen. (Not that I believed that in the moment, but it seemed like the right message I should pass on to my kid.) By half time, it was time to put the kid to bed, and move on to other things. After the kid was in her room for the night, I played some Mario Kart, all the while knowing that I was going to go back to the game and see it through the end. When I put it game back on it was at the nine-minute mark with the Knicks down by fifteen. The wife joined me on the couch, and we watched the next eight minutes in relative silence, neither one truly believing what we were seeing. When Brunson scored and gave the Knicks their first lead, that’s when we started the “Holy Shit! I think they might win this!” comment back and forth to each other – like a Meisner exercise. And then the ending! I wasn’t sure what I has seen, had actually happened. It didn’t feel real – did OG really score that? Then the final play, time runs out, Knicks Win! And about a minute later, fireworks start going off in our corner of Harlem. Honestly, it had been a long time since a game completely enraptured me, blocking out the whole world, and also making me see and believe that you should never give up. Never, ever give up. Keep fighting.

    Which also brings me to the start of the World Cup today; Mexico v South Africa.

    I’m just excited for the whole thing to get started. I’m tired of waiting, and just want to spend the next month on the couch watching football, and yelling at the tv. You know, like the rest if the world.

    As for the first match, I have to put my money on Mexico, and I don’t think I am going out on a wire here. They are playing in Estadio Azteca, which will be a wild and rocking place, and with that much energy and excitement behind the Mexico team, I can’t fathom that South Africa will beat them. Hell, if RSA gets one goal on Mexico, they should consider it a win.

    Maybe this goes back to growing up in Texas and my friends, but Mexico is one of my favorite teams to watch. It always feels like they never live up to expectations, but they are a fun group to watch. As of writing this, I don’t know if Ochoa will be starting in goal, but lord in heaven, if he does, then I am expecting a clean sheet from him.

    The second game of the day is rather later for me, and I might be in the throes of putting a kid to bed, so I bet that I will catch the second half of South Korea and Czechia. I’m leaning toward Korea for this one, but I do know that their squad has been hampered by injuries. What that could mean is that South Korea might not go deep in the tournament, but I imagine that they should break out of the group stage. On the other side, being that I know nothing about Czechia, I’m hoping to be surprised and learn something new. A good match would be a fair result.

    Happy Sporting!

  • So… The Knicks Lost

    And it was all Trump’s fault.

    I sure am glad that The Orange One shut down all of New York just so he could fall asleep at the game.

    Hopefully, he learned his lesson and will stay the hell away from Madison Square Garden.

  • ODDS and ENDS: Candy, Tottenham Stuff, and Merch Store

    (So sue me if I go too fast…)

    The dirty secret of Halloween is that parents eat their kids candy when they aren’t looking. Any parent who denies this happens is a liar. We all do it. When we parents get together while taking the kids out Trick or Treating, it’s what we talk about; “What candy did they get? How much did they get? It’s just not healthy to let kids eat that much candy. We’re doing them a service.” The wife and I do buy a mixed bag of candy that we hide in the apartment and snack off of… but eventually, late one night, possibly after a few drinks, we reach into the kid’s bucket and see that she has three Skittles pouches, so she won’t miss one. And it’s awful when we do it, and we feel so guilty, but forbidden candy goes so well with watching Great British Baking Show.

    Seems like Tottenham is the only team I have left to support for the foreseeable future. Cowboys have crapped out, and I could care less about the World Series. Sure, I guess I could again try my hand at following the Knicks, they look like they should have a good season. No, it’s Tottenham Hotspur or bust! They are playing really well in the Europa League, and are sitting at 2nd in that tournament’s table. It just them in the Premier League that is pulling me down. Those three losses are like an albatross, and it also seems like they give up a goal right away at the start of each match… But… it’s still early.

    Oh, the Merch Store is open. Go get all your 1999 Blogging Gear are great low prices. Remember, each item sold goes to a good cause which is helping me buy a new MacBook Air, or sending my kid to college. All depends on how much we raise.

  • ODDS and ENDS: Autumn Morning, Lunch with Friends, and Sports Season

    (In this house, we narrate the dog’s thoughts.)

    Finally, and I mean FINALLY, it was an Autumn Morning around here in New York City. It was in the upper fifties, there was a breeze, you could put a sweater on – all the boxes were checked. For me, a person who hates the heat and humidity of Summer, this was like my birthday and Christmas morning all wrapped in one. Now we can turn the A/C’s off, leave the windows open, hell, maybe even have a cup of hot tea in the afternoon, but that one might still be a month off. Anyway, the season has changed. We are no longer stuck in something, but moving towards something different, and new.

    The other day, a friend from college was in town, and we got together for lunch. This particular friend I hadn’t seen in close to ten years, so I was looking forward to catching up. It was a good time, and I wish it could have been longer, but we made the most of what we had. As I get older, and have more of these catchups with friends, I am still impressed with how much people can change, while at the same time still stay that core person I met twenty years ago.

    It’s sports season for me, which on some level still feels odd for me to say. Growing up, my identity was brooding artist, so I couldn’t like sports. I have evolved out of that (A story for another day) and now I find myself enjoying the sports time of year. The Premiere League has started, as has the NFL. And let’s not forget about the Champions League and all of their exciting corrupt bullshit that is amazing to watch. Baseball is heading for the playoffs, and I will flirt around with following the Knicks, but I never go through with it. As I was sketching out this idea, I started wondering why have I latched on to sports so much in the last ten years? What is it about being middle aged and following as many different competitions as possible? I wonder if there is something to not wanting to admit that the people playing all of these sports are half my age, and by living through their accomplishments, I attempt to regain youthful physicality? Ha! I was never physical! I think it’s because sports are the only appointment TV left.