Tag / Boiler Up!

by admin

Ballpark Tour: Cinergy Field

Stadium Name: Cinergy Field

Location: Cincinnati

Home Team: Reds

Years in Service: 1970 – 2002

Visits: 1

Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati’s version of the cookie cutter stadium that popped up in the late 60s and early 70s, opened on June 30, 1970 as the Reds hosted the Atlanta Braves.  In 1996, the stadium was renamed Cinergy Field thanks to a sponsorship deal with the local energy company.  Prior to the 2001 season, after the Bengals moved to their new home down the street, the stadium was reconfigured for baseball-only use, and portions of the outfield stands were removed to make room for the construction of the Reds’ new home, the future Great American Ballpark.  The 2002 season was the final one for the stadium, with the final game played on September 22 and the stadium was imploded on December 29.

In 2000, Ken Griffey Jr. joined the Cincinnati Reds, which put two of the most feared sluggers in the game in the NL Central.  When Sammy Sosa and the Chicago Cubs were scheduled to make an opening week visit to Cincinnati in 2000 to face Griffey for the first time, the idea a roadtrip was hatched.  Friday, April 7, 2000 started with Krispy Kreme donuts at the house before heading towards Cincinnati.  Along the way, there was a brief stop at Purdue. because why not, and the trifecta of a KFC/Taco Bell/Pizza Hut for lunch.  We arrived in Cincinnati well before the stadium opened, so some time was spent walking around the bustling metropolis that was, and continues to be, Cincinnati.

Our tickets were in the upper deck and, to be honest, I have little to no recollection of the game itself.  My one and only memory of the game is losing my balance and tumbling down 5-10 rows, landing on a group of fans below.  Certainly not my proudest moment.  I do recall some of the drive home after the game, which included listening to the White Sox/A’s game where Jose Valentin committed a number of errors for the eventual AL Central champs.  I would return to Cincinnati numerous times for games at Great American Ballpark, but those are tales for another day.

by admin

iTunes Top 100: #11 – 20

itunes_image My latest desktop computer arrived in late 2007, at which point I transitioned all of my music off of my laptop. 2 iPods, 2 iPhones, and an iPad later, that computer is still my main repository of music, with iTunes updating its stats every time I listen to something.

Having already gone through cassette tapes and CDs, it is now time to look at digital music with the Top 100 songs that I’ve listened to as of 6/2/2013, according to iTunes. Today we look at the the first half of the top 20.

#11: Harry Caray – Take Me Out To The Ballgame

Recorded in the mid-1970s, the Hall of Fame broadcaster leads a Comiskey Park crowd during the 7th inning stretch.

iTunes stats: 60 plays, most recently on 5/26/2013

#12: The Lonely Island – I’m On A Boat (ft. T-Pain)

The song, which debuted as a digital short on Saturday Night Live, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

iTunes stats: 57 plays, most recently on 1/28/2013

#13: The Outfield – Your Love

The at-bat music for White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham.

iTunes stats: 55 plays, most recently on 5/26/2013

#14: The Lonely Island – Natalie’s Rap (ft. Natalie Portman & Chris Parnell)

The second digital short from The Lonely Island featured Natalie Portman playing against type as a lewd gangsta.

iTunes stats: 47 plays, most recently on 1/16/2013

#15: Metallica – Harvester Of Sorrow

The at-bat music for White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko.

iTunes stats: 41 plays, most recently on 4/7/2013

Continue reading →

by admin

iTunes Top 100: #76 – 95

itunes_image

My latest desktop computer arrived in late 2007, at which point I transitioned all of my music off of my laptop. 2 iPods, 2 iPhones, and an iPad later, that computer is still my main repository of music, with iTunes updating its stats every time I listen to something.

Having already gone through cassette tapes and CDs, it is now time to look at digital music with the Top 100 songs that I’ve listened to as of 6/2/2013, according to iTunes. Today we look at the 20 songs tied for #76 with 16 overall plays.

#76: The Beatles – Eight Days A Week

Although it was a huge American hit, the group did not think highly of the song and they never performed it live.

iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 8/14/2012

#76: The Beatles – Paperback Writer

The single went to the number one spot in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, West Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Norway.

iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 5/20/2013

#76: Bell Biv Devoe – Poison

This 1990 hit from New Edition spin-off also appeared on Volume 2 of my mix tapes, and has been listened to three times since then.

iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 5/16/2013

#76: The Cast Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer – Overture/Going Through The Motions

Performed by series star Sarah Michelle Gellar at the beginning of the musical episode in season 6.

iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 4/28/2013

#76: The Cast Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer – Under Your Spell

Amber Benson performs the song which writer Joss Whedon called “pornography” and “probably the dirtiest lyric I’ve ever written, but also very, very beautiful”.

iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 4/28/2013

#76: The Cast Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer – Standing

Performed by Anthony Stewart Head as a ballad to Buffy that she does not hear, unlike the songs revealing truths elsewhere in the episode.

iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 5/15/2013

#76: Cracker – Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now)

Charted at number 1 on the US Modern Rock Tracks, arguably breaking Cracker into the mainstream.

iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 11/9/2012

#76: Darling Violetta – Angel Main Theme

The band performed 2 songs in a third season episode of Buffy before being tasked to perform the theme to the spin-off.

iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 5/16/2013

#76: Dr. Dre Feat RBX And Snoop Dogg – Let Me Ride

This 1994 Grammy Award winner for Best Rap Solo Performance also appeared on Volume 11 of my mix tapes, and has been listened to twice since then.

iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 2/5/2013

#76: Foo Fighters – Monkey Wrench

The first single from the band’s second album, the song chronicled the disintegration of singer/song writer Dave Grohl’s four-year marriage to Jennifer Youngblood.

iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 4/24/2012

Continue reading →

by admin

30 For 30 – Save Pennies To Go Somewhere You Really Want To Go

The fine folks at away.com have come up with a list of 30 Things Every Traveler Must Do Before They’re 30.  Of those 30, I’ve managed to accomplish 12 of them, or roughly 40% of them, some of which was even before I turned 30.  Today we look at #23 on their list, save pennies to go somewhere you really want to go.  When I graduated from college back in May of 1997, I gave myself a little buffer before starting my job in August.  The plan was to head out west for San Diego Comic Con.  The only problem with that was that things like traveling and attending a con costs money.  And, since I had put off starting my career, I had none.

So, I had to push my plans back a year for my first foray to southern California.  As summer of 1998 rolled around, I had managed to put together enough sheckles to head out to San Diego and split a hotel room with 7 other people.  I turned into a full-fledged vacation, getting out there well before the con started and hitting up the zoo and other tourist attractions around the San Diego area.

by jim

It’s Dancing Time

It’s that time of year again, as the nation’s attention turns to the college hoops scene for the next couple of weeks. I’m in three different pools again this year, one at work, one at my mom’s work, and one run by a friend. No Purdue in the tournament this year, so my picks were made mostly with my head and not my heart, though it pained me to have IU going as far as I did.
2013_Midwest_Rd1
I have Louisville coming out of the Midwest region.

2013_West_Rd1
New Mexico is my pick to come out of the West region. Continue reading →

by admin

The Big 14

The Big 10 is expanding again, with yesterday’s announcement that Maryland will join the conference in 2014 and the expected announcement today that Rutgers will follow suit.  Unlike the previous expansion, when Nebraska joined in 2011, there is no argument that can be made that this is being done for athletic or academic reasons.  This move is being made for one reason, and one reason only: to expand the reach of the Big Ten Network.

The hope is that cable outlets in Baltimore, Washington, and New York will pick up the network, bringing in millions in additional rights fees for the conference and its member schools.  Of course, this ignores the fact that New York is apathetic about college football in general and, specifically, Rutgers football.  Baltimore may also be a tough sell.

On the football field, the two new schools are expected to join the Leaders division, pushing Illinois to the Legends division in 2014.  This means that instead of Michigan, Northwestern, or Iowa, Wisconisn or Purdue will have yearly matchups with their “traditional” rivals from the east coast.  More teams also means that the amount of time it takes to rotate through the other division will be increased, potentially harming rivalries that have been around for 100 years or more.

On the basketball court, it is rumored that this expansion will lead to divisions there as well.  Again, this would lead to fewer opportunities to play traditional rivals while having home and home dates with a traditional basketball powerhouse like Rutgers.

Is this the end?  Probably not.  There are already rumors that the conference is looking to add an additional two teams, bringing the total up to 16.  Possible candidates that are being metioned include Florida State, North Carolina, and Texas.  Traditions destroyed, all so that someone in Manhattan might be able to get BTN as part of their cable package.  I hope the extra scheckles are worth it.

by admin

Mix Tape Monday – Tape #1

Earlier this year, we looked at the 20 volumes of mix tapes that I had made between 1989 and 1995, containing my favorite songs that I had gathered either from the radio, a cassette tape, or (eventually) CD.  In addition to those, I had 2 tapes that consisted of songs that I liked, but, for differing reasons, did not make it to the main set.  I thought it would be fun to take another look back at those two cassettes, how much I listen to those songs now, and why they did not qualify for the main set of mix tapes.

 

Side A

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Soul To Squeeze

This song was from the Coneheads soundtrack, released in 1993.  I’m not sure what held the song back, as it ranks high today in my list of favorite Chili Pepper songs.

iTunes stats: 2 plays, most recently on 8/29/2011

Aerosmith – Sweet Emotion

At some point, I stopped putting old songs on the main series of mix tapes and shunted them off to this collection.  This Aerosmith hit, originally released in the 70s, was re-released as the single from the Pandora’s Box boxset.

iTunes stats: 5 plays, most recently on 6/17/2012

EMF – Unforgettable

The one hit from EMF certainly should have made it to the main series of tapes.  Maybe I just never got it recorded until it was too late?

iTunes stats: 6 plays, most recently on 9/1/2011

REM – Drive (Live)

This live version of the debut single from Automatic For The People was recorded for Greenpeace.

Stone Temple Pilots – Plush

One thing I did notice was that for bands I ended up reallly liking, like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and STP, their first breakthrough hit did not make it on to my favorites tapes.

iTunes stats: 2 plays, most recently on 10/13/2010

Motley Crue – Kickstart My Heart

Again, not sure why this wouldn’t have made it to the main tapes, unless it came out before those tapes started.  The timing would have been close.

iTunes stats: 9 plays, most recently on 6/17/2012

REM – Stand

The title song from the Chris Elliot show Get A Life would have pre-dated the other collection of favorite songs.

iTunes stats: 10 plays, most recently on 7/13/2012

Guns N’ Roses – Patience

With the overwhelming success of Appetite For Destruction, a quickie EP was released with previously released material and this song, which would have come out right around the time the other series of tapes was starting off.

iTunes stats: 7 plays, most recently on 8/15/2011

Van Halen – Jump

Since this song came out in 1984, it was relegated to this backup tape as opposed to the main stream.

iTunes stats: 17 plays, most recently on 10/2/2012

Def Leppard – Bringin’ On The Heartbreak

This Def Leppard song easily pre-dates my collection of favorite songs, as it came out in the early 1980s.

iTunes stats: 7 plays, most recently on 5/25/2012

Side B

Continue reading →