Top 3 of th Week: What I'll Be Looking For When I'm at Mets Spring Training This Week!

1) How Jason Bay Fits In
Oddly enough, even Mets owner, Fred Wilpon, called this offseason "torture," as the Mets failed to land a starter like Jason Marquis or Joel Piniero, or the catcher everyone expected them to sign, Bengie Molina. So it's shocking to see everyone, including the team's owner, overlook the acquisition of one of the top free agents on the market, Jason Bay. His bat will definitely help solidify the middle of the order, and we'll see if his clubhouse presence is as great as everyone makes him out to be. But you have to wonder if the team would have been better off spreading the money they paid Bay around to fill other holes (Gary Matthews Jr. and Kelvin Escobar getting you excited?!). GM Omar Minaya is convinced the free agent crop was no better than what they currently have on their roster...hmm..read on...



2) How the Open Competition Plays Out
So Minaya believes the likes of Fernando Nieve, Jonathan Niese or Nelson Figueroa were a better option than a proven vet like Marquis, Piniero, Ben Sheets or Jon Garland. So Mets fans are left to watch how this crop plays out for the 5th starter role. The catching situation just got a little more clearer, as the team signed Rod Barajas, essentially eliminating any competition there would have been in camp. He's a solid defender who's got some pop (17 HRs last year), so the all-of-a-sudden-discount-shopping Mets have some credibility behind the plate. (Josh Thole's not ready for the bigs, and Santos isn't the preferred backstop for pitchers). Angel Pagan and Gary Matthews Jr. will battle it out in center until Beltran comes back, and finally, Daniel Murphy will find the re-acquired Mike Jacobs taking grounders with him at 1st. But it looks like Jerry Manuel already claimed it's Murphy who's got the starting spot.



3) The Mood at Camp
We all know how the Mets season played out last year--too many injuries and too many mishaps on the field to compete. Couple that with the prior two years of September collapses, and you have yourself a sorry Met fan. The team believes that the injury bug is behind them ("Oh, yeah?" says a hobbled Carlos Beltran who will start the year on the DL), but with the return of Jose Reyes and a hopefully rejuvenated David Wright (10 HRs ain't going to cut it in 2010), the Mets should be better than they were last year. But there is no way they're better than the Phillies, who've upgraded with Roy Halladay at the top of the rotation. So while there's optimism that 2009 is behind them, let's see if things fall into place for the Mets to have a chance to compete in 2010!

So yes, I'm one of the few fortunate people who's getting paid to head down to spring training for work. And even if I got paid to write this blog and had to pay to go to spring training, I'd still go!
So with that said, this blog is taking a 2-week hiatus. I promise to come back though, and hopefully come back with a tan.

Have a good one, folks! And don't miss me too much!

Winter Olympics: I Care, But Not Enough to Watch!

First of all, I want to say I love America. And often times I have a hard time picturing growing up and living anywhere else. But because of what this great country has to offer, I am completely indifferent to supporting it and watching the Winter Olympics on television.



Let's watch American Idol or Modern Family, let's go to the gym, let's surf the web, let's go out the movies, let's meet up with friends. There's just too many better alternatives.

I do have to admit the Olympics are interesting, and if I didn't have the attention span of a 5-year-old I could watch an entire curling match. (I can't help but always wonder: how does one get involved in such obscure sports, and how is one satisfied with putting in years of training for that one chance at gold only to blow it by falling slightly or miising a medal by 1 hundreth of a second? I couldn't do it...)

As much as I love to see the entire world come together and compete, I realize I really only love to see it in the summer. There's something about the Summer Olympics that makes it more appealing. Maybe it's the events. Or maybe it's the lack of quality alternate programming.


Thus, I will continue to watch my regularly scheduled shows sans 30 Rock and The Office and flip to NBC between my commercial breaks and continue to go out and be social without any regret that I'm missing something big.

By all means, let's go USA. But God Bless America for giving me something else to do!

Top 3 of the Week: Why It's Ok to be Single on Valentine's Day

1) It's a stupid holiday anyway, right?
Once upon a time, Hallmark, Russell Stover and 1-800-Flowers got together with a business plan. "How can we collaboratively increase sales?" They asked. "I got it!" said, the same guy who appeared in the famous Got Milk - Oreo commercial [What should we call this cookie--man with stuffed mouth says 'I dunno' which resembles the sound of "Oreo"]. "Why not create Valentine's Day--one day a year where couples should recognize their relationship and love for one another and buy unnecessary gifts and cards!" And so, my friends, the story of Valentine's Day began.


2) Would you rather date someone you don't like?
I'm pretty convinced that each one of us could find anyone to date and be in a relationship if we wanted to. We could be like some people who immediately jumps to someone else once a relationship is over, or, OR...we can be selective, and decide that it's only worth being in a relationship or dating someone that we really care to like. And maybe, just maybe, it's ok to be selective and thus, stay single.


3) The Obligation of Doing Something
God damn it, holidays. Why must you always make people feel like they haveeee to celebrate it. I'm content with writing a blog on Valentine's Day ON Valentine's Day. Maybe that makes me a loser, one might argue. Maybe that makes me confident enough to know I don't have to feel obligated to go to a singles event, I don't have to sulk on my couch eating a tub of ice cream watching romantic comedies, and I don't have to feel sorry for myself. My time will come where I too will give in to this silly holiday and maybe next year instead of blogging, I'll get my unnecessary flowers and chocolates from a guy who's worth my attention :)

Just Google It.

So if you remember watching the Super Bowl, there was a commercial involving Google. I was thinking about writing a post on Google even before seeing that commercial, but damn Google beat me to the punch. The only way i would have known that they were having a commercial would have been if i just googled it.

Google has ultimately been the go-to site for anyone who has the Internet and needs an answer. In the past I've blogged about how we were able to survive without cell phones but how did we survive without Google?

How did we write a research paper without it?
How did we get details on health concerns we may have?
How did we know what restaurant we wanted to eat at without reading a food review?
And how did we know how to get there?
How did we know what actor we can't think of the name of or how old they really are?
How did we stalk our prospective boyfriends or gitlfriends? (just kidding... or AM I?)

Years ago, the word 'google' meant neologism that refers to a number of unconventional words, phrases, and pronunciations. Today, the phrase 'just google it' implies 'you'll find an answer that simply'. And often times, it's true.

So where WOULD we be without Google?

I guess I'm just going to have to google that to find out!


And just in case you missed the ad...

Touching Moment of the Week!

Was this not the most precious thing: to see Super Bowl MVP Quarterback Drew Brees holding his son with tears in his eyes after just leading his team to a Super Bowl victory!
ADORABLY TOUCHING!

I should have been rooting for the Saints all along!

Top 3 of the Week: Best Super Bowl Commercials

While we all watched what turned out to be a dominating performance by the New Orleans Saints, we also paid attention to the many commercials spots. Here's a list of the best of the night!

1) Snickers Featuring Betty White




2) Doritos - Boy Slaps Man




3) Bud Light's Lighthouse

Rant of the Week: Jersey-Are You-Shore It's Going to Be As Good?

The Jersey Shore is coming back for a 2nd season, but just HOW MUCH is going to be real this time around? I explain in this week's RANT OF THE WEEK!

Top 3 of the Week: Reasons to Get Excited for the Super Bowl

1) The Commercials & Half-Time Show
Ok this is where you non-sports fans come in. Count on the heavyweights Geico, E-Trade and Bud Light for some creative and humorous spots. I'm sure we can expect the usual talking animals, babies and celebrity cameos. But the best part about the commercials is the small talk conversation by the water cooler at work the next day. And how about that half-time show? The Who? The Who? That's right. After Janet Jackson's "Nipple-Gate," the NFL is steering clear of any pop stars who might, essentially, take the risk of showing their boob. So for the 3rd year in a row, classic rock has taken the forefront. Hopefully next year the NFL gets it right and takes a risk with someone like Lady Gaga!



2) The Party
Ok im getting fat just thinking about eating on Super Bowl Sunday. Is there anyone in America who is not downing chips and dip, wings, pizza and/or beer that night? Whether your out watching at a bar, attending a Super Bowl party or hosting one, Sunday is definitely not the day to have a salad and sushi. This is close to a 'National Binging Day' as it comes.



3) The Game
Oh yeahhhhh there's a football game right? That's the sentiment for most of America, as millions tune into the big game, but not many are focused on the actual game. Well here's the deal if you care or don't:
The powerhouses of the AFC and NFC, the Colts and Saints advanced (how my Jets came so close!), and both possessing two high-scoring offenses led by Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. You can be sure we'll see a lot of passing and a whole lot of scoring as these two teams may look like a video game on the field. But i also expect the Saints to be outscored by the Colts, as Manning (after all those years of being such a one-dimensional threat) has a solid defense built around him. But if defensive end Dwight Freeney is forced to miss the biggest game of his life due to an ankle injury, the matchup gets a little more even. But I'm still giving the Colts the win 30-24!