GodsendJen

I've been mesmerized by the Stanley Cup finals. I'll admit it.  The improbable road that Edmonton has travelled makes for a great story--and what has at times looked like both horrible and incredible hockey.  Despite this, the "Quest for the Cup" sure hasn't consumed my life...but some people appear to be more taken in than I've been.  Exhibit A:  My-NHL.com.  MyNHL was this year's marketing push by the league, but I don't think they are behind this site.  Whoever these funsters are, they are making excellent use of a video camera and a bubble hockey table.

Here is my favorite one so far....possibly because I too believe Rod Brinda'mour is a bit rough on the eyes.  Check them all out at http://my-nhl.com/

This week's races.  I think I need a video gallery now.

Butterfly

FreeStyle

Backstoke

When I was growing up I remember trying earnestly to convince my cousin Chad, whose birthday fell on Christmas Day, that my birthday was better because grown-ups care more about Flag Day than Christmas. 

I've since realized the foolishness of that argument and thought that in honor of my birthday it would be fun to create a list of other cool stuff that turned 30 today. You would think that the wonder that is google would make this easy.  Sadly the only pop culture event I could find attributed to my birthday was the premeir of the Gong Show.

What I did turn up was a few terrible things that happened on June 14.

1940: Auschwitz, the largest Nazi concentration camp was established in German-occupied Poland
1954: The first national civil defense drill was held. 
1985: TWA Flight 847 was hijacked by Lebanese Shi'ites after takeoff from Athens, beginning a 17-day ordeal

Other events attributed to "Today in History"

• In 1775, the United States Army was founded.
• In 1777 we adopt the stars and stripes.
• 1789 - Whisky distilled from maize is first produced by American clergyman the Rev Elijah Craig. It is named Bourbon because Rev Craig lived in Bourbon County, Kentucky.
• In 1846, a group of U.S. settlers in Sonoma proclaimed the Republic of California.
• In 1946 Donald Trump was born.
• In 1951 the first Univac Computer was dedicated.
  
• In 1954, President Eisenhower signed an order adding the words ``under God'' to the Pledge of Allegiance.
• In 1976...well that's when I showed up.

Cheers to getting older.

Wow. For spots enthusiast who didn't know already, there is a company out their helping you in your battle to make sure junior appreciates your college team.  Team Baby Entertainment has a selection of DVDs and other merchandise to start the brainwashing training out on the right foot. Soft merchandise includes sunshades, mobiles, puzzles and books.  The DVD itself features officially licensed footage of Hokie sports, mascot, marching band and campus attractions to expose children to Virginia Tech in an exciting, playful and educational manner. I don't know what's worse: that we brand our kids so young, or that I want to buy the dvd for my nephew.

I hear that normal women spend endless amounts of time fretting over our clothes and shoes.  A blouse that suggests without revealing. A skirt that shows the perfect amount of leg.  Heels high enough to make you look curvier but short enough to keep you from towering over your date. All this after we spend hours in the dressing room at Victoria's secret trying to find something that balances sexy and practical without having so much lace you'll spend the whole evening scratching.

Maybe, just maybe we aren't alone in this quest.

A highly entertaining article over at Slate gives a fun little rundown of the quandary men face in choosing their underwear.  Forget scratchy lace issues.  This article mentions the concerns of floppage, bubble buts, the y-front, containment and trunks. What does this fascinating read suggest all men should wear?  Boxer briefs. 

In Praise of Boxer Briefs. An Underwear Manifesto.

Here is some shaky camerwork for you sporting enthusists.  And for the swimming enthusiasts among you, be warned that 8 year olds don't really have the perfect backstroke technique yet.

I always knew that people had some pretty crazy ideas for inventions.  This site does a good job of poking fun at them.  Its run by a stand-up comic and an illustrator, and they put those skills to good use.  Beware of your viewing location though.  Some inventions might not be safe for work.

I finally broke down and got a new camera.  I'll spare you the technical details, but so far I'm happy.  I will try to add a video I took soon...I just need to figure out how to best edit it first. This is my favorite picture so far, from Dorothy's swim meet. For more shots, see the photo gallery.

I've never been a Roger Clemens fan.  I've been in awe of his ability as an old man in the game, but lets face it.  He played for yankies in Boston and Yankees in NY.  He helped Houston oust my team from the playoffs two years ago.  When he pitches, batters get hit.  All good reasons not to like him.

But now comes his whirlwind tour through the minor leagues. Rehabbing players, especially pitchers, were always a good reason to hit The Diamond when I lived in Richmond.  But they were nortoriously unhappy to be their at times.  (The Time-Disgrace ran a large photo of Mark Wholers talking on his cell phone from the dugout.  It pretty much exemplified his attitude about a daytrip to the minors.)  Maybe its all because Koby plays for Lexington, but Clemens looks like he is embracing this experience. His first stop was filled with improbables.  He gets to play with his son.  Fans with $8 tickets got to watch the legend up close, and enjoyed free windshield wiper fluid to boot.  Hotdogs were $0.25/each.  Here are some bits I've really enjoyed reading about the last few days:

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports...

The best right-handed pitcher in baseball over the last 50 years is making his first comeback start tonight for the Legends, the Houston Astros' Class-A farm team. Clemens -- you can call him Rocket -- wanted to leave the Legends' players with more than memories of a clubhouse overrun with ESPN cameras.

Spreading the wealth

On Sunday afternoon Clemens went on a $7,000 shopping spree. When he was finished, it looked as if the Legends' clubhouse had been hit by a Rocket.

See that 42-inch plasma television, the one that retails for $2,069.99? The Rocket visited a local electronics store and said he'd buy it -- if they could have it installed by 8 p.m. The store dispatched three guys to the clubhouse to get it done.

While you're at it, bring along another 20-inch TV, equipped with a DVD player and VCR. Don't forget the microwave. Or another DVD player.

The carpet was cleaned, the showers scrubbed. Even the furniture was rearranged. The old L-shaped, tobacco-stained couch was replaced by a pair of jumbo, plush black leather couches and two oversized leather chairs. The new furniture was arranged theater style so the players could enjoy the stack of DVDs Clemens purchased. He autographed the Bernie Mac movie on top of the stack:

"Mr. 3,000, starring Roger Clemens. Time for another comeback!"

"I just wanted to have some fun with it," said Clemens, 43. "I wanted the guys to figure out I'm not going to bite."

The Daily Quickie and Houston Chronicle both mention the Windshield Wiper Fluid windfall for fans:

What about the wiper fluid?!

If Clemens provided any highlights in his "One-Night-Only!" stop in Lexington, it was that his strikeouts in the 3rd inning that earned all fans in attendance free wiper fluid, as part of a regular Legends promotion.

Clemens didn't even KNOW about it until his son, Koby, alerted him to it at the top of the 3rd. Frankly, if Clemens threw the Ks simply motivated by the wiper-fluid giveaway (and because he COULD), I respect him now more than ever.

It's not exactly calling a home-run shot, but it was, by far, the most entertaining detail of the night: What a classic "You Know You're a Redneck Minor-League Baseball Fan" moment.

Free wiper fluid might not top the Legends' "Mullett Night" from May or "Baby Shower Night" in July, but I'm pretty sure fans weren't cheering the giveaway anyway.

(Although you have to ask if there's enough fluid to go around: The listed capacity of the Legends' stadium is 6,017; last night, they announced 9,222. If nothing else, local drivers will sport sparkly windshields.)

Pat Forde mentions the arrogant lucky young man who hit that first inning home run:

Thanks to Clemens' careful scripting of his comeback from semi-retirement, Lexington lucked into the biggest event in the Class A franchise's five-year history. Much the way Drennen lucked into a hanging split-fingered fastball that allowed No. 22 for the Lake County Captains to take No. 22 for the Cooperstown Immortals deep.

"I was thinking that he had a great number, so I'd hang him a split," Clemens joked after step one in his comeback attempt to amaze America once more. "I hung it to him, and he did what you're supposed to do with it. ... I'll ask him how he liked the room service."

I'm not sure that Drennen's teammate appreciated that homer though.  Clemens plunked him in the elbow. Reports are that he made a trip to the visitor's clubhouse to check on his status after he left the game.

Clemen's next stop? Playing for the Astros' AA team in Corpus Christi on Sunday. They are even selling Roger Clemens Hooks Jerseys.

I've never eaten at Sugo but I might have to add it to my list of "must try" places.  A recipe of theirs was featured in today's AJC for Federico's Pork Braciole. The chef was flattered that someone would try to make what he refers to as a "highly complex" dish at home, so he included his phone number with the recipe so people could call him if they ran into problems and needed help.  Here is a snippet from the article:

If you want to re-create the best meal you've ever tasted, you'd better be prepared to work for it. This recipe will take a home chef at least two evenings to prepare, but the work could actually be spread over three or four days...

If you'd like to attempt this braciole at home, plan to roast the garlic and caramelize the onions one day, and then stuff and roast the tenderloins the next. And if you get stuck, Castellucci invites you to call him for advice (phone number above). "Sincerely, anybody that puts in the effort to re-create a complex dish like this, I want them to know that if I have six calls at once, I'll take theirs first."

The menu descriptions sound like they might use just a little too much "stuff" for me but if the chef cares this much about his food it might be worth a venture.

Buy 10 of these babies and they will make you the dealer and give you a state, or even your own region, as territory.  Just think of all the fairs, gun shows, flee markets and nascar races you could sell these at...



Cruzin Cooler

Head over to Hey Jenny Slater and check out the rundown of who your college football team would be if they were a Simpson's character.  All I can say is that dude has way way way too much free time on his hands.  I don't agree with making my boys Krusty the Klown, but overall its amusing so go already.  Thanks to Deadspin for highlighting it today.

Some highlights:

Notre Dame: Montgomery Burns
Been around since the beginning of time; the amount of money and power he controls is massive, absurd, and quite frankly, a little scary. The kind of guy everyone in town loves to hate -- but they'd switch places with him in half a second.

Miami: Snake
A straight-up thug and proud of it. If you don't fear him, you're a fool; if you don't dislike him, you're just a dick.

Florida State: Police Chief Clancy Wiggum
Oh, man, what a season. It's no cakewalk being an aging football coach, juggling a punchless offense and a growing nepotism controversy like so many juggling balls . . . two, I suppose. Still an authority figure, mainly because nobody else stepped up to take the job, but getting easier and easier to laugh at.

Virginia Tech: Krusty the Klown
Famous, powerful, living the kind of celebrity life anyone in his circle would gladly trade for. Yet each is haunted by his own demons of self-loathing -- Krusty is constantly worried he's going to be exposed as a no-talent fraud, while the Hokies are constantly worried they really are going to be pumping gas one day for the kids over in Charlottesville.

Virginia: Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
Went through long, difficult, trying ordeals to get from where they started out (the slums of India, a 32-77-1 record in the 1970s) to where they are now . . . which still ain't that good, unless you like working in a convenience store or spending your postseason on blue Astroturf. Then there's the whole mustache thing.