The Indians - "Next Year" for another year

I am a Cleveland Indians fan. I've been a fan all my life. Therefore, I am used to disappointment. That doesn't mean I like disappointment.

It is the last day of August and my last flame of hope for the Tribe has been extinguished. They just can't beat Detroit. Hell, they can't even score enough runs to beat the lousy teams. Does that make them a lousy team? I don't think so, but it does mean I can't get excited about this season any more.

A couple nights ago there was a telling event in my house. My 10 year old son is baseball nut. He LOVES to play the game and loves the Indians. As I was tucking him in I turned the radio on to the Indians game. He asked me to switch to the Browns (fourth) preseason game. When they have lost the interest of my boy in favor of a meaningless game for his third favorite sport that is your sign that this season is over.

Go Captains! Play Ball!

The family went to see the Lake County Captains tonight. It was a great night at the ball park. A warm, muggy night, but some swirling breezes kept it bearable.

Before the game, the field announcer, Grover, asked the boys if they wanted to call "Play Ball" after the National Anthem. They did not have to think twice. They are big fans and a chance to get on the field was fun.

Later in the game we visited Mr Deas and Brother Drew in the booth. We must have brought a little luck with us. The Captains won 19-2!

OK Disney - Why "Shamrock Day"?

With four little boys in the house, we inevitably will tune into Playhouse Disney. Most of the programming is enjoyable, and there are no commercials for toys, sugary cereal or whatever is being pimped to the kiddies on other channels.

I can sit through the multicultural PC stuff. Comes with the territory.

However, I saw something on the Playhouse Disney website that really "got my Irish up"! They are promoting party ideas for "Shamrock Day". See the picture of Mickey Mouse in a leprechaun hat.

I "get" that we all are encouraged to drop the Saint from St. Valentine's Day. It's about hearts and flowers. Have some candy hearts with corny or risque saying and pay no attention to that bishop and martyr.

But it does not work so well for St. Patrick's Day. I suppose you can call it St. Paddy's Day to make it a little more festive. But then you still have that problematic reminder that this is a day to honor a specific individual. And he was - please cover the children's ears - Catholic. It gets worse. He was a member of the clergy.

Hope your brogans are buckled tight. I've heard that some people actually observe this day by starting it in church.

So what is a multicultural politically correct network to do? It seems to only workaround is to rename it after a member of the clover family.

I would love to see the look on the faces of folks who came up with this solution when they find out the only reason anyone cares about the shamrock. Dig it, this dude Patrick used it to explain the Trinity to heathens. I expect next year we will find out all about Pot 'o Gold Day from Disney.

UPDATE: they are still at it in 2010 - Try to find the name Patrick or any mention of Ireland.

My son, the future investigative reporter

John came home from school today with a Barack Obama coloring book. A beautiful commemorative edition ready for individual crayon customization. It was a mini-biography of the president-elect. A whirlwind tour of Hawaii, Indonesia, Kenya, Chicago and DC.

On the last page it asks "If you could ask the President to do something, what would it be?" I misread it and asked John "If you could ask Barack Obama one thing, what would it be?" (I told him I'd ask him what his favorite baseball team is.) John thought for a moment and said "Where did you get all your money?"

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Tackle Me Elmo

Patrick was given an Elmo Live doll for his second birthday. The brothers "welcomed" him into our home in typical boy fashion.

A New Elf Yourself Creation

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

The Baseball Boys

John, James and Patrick make backyard baseball seem like a three ring circus.

It's all over but the trading

I seem remember the local paper used to have a smiling Chief Wahoo on the masthead when the Indians won and a frowning Wahoo with a crumpled feather when they lost. We would be seeing that sad little chief plenty this year.

One morning last week when I woke up our five year old, the baseball nut, he asked "Did the Indians win last night, Dad?" "No son, they lost" A very matter-of-fact observation followed from the tyke, "They stink!"

And so the rich family tradition continues.

The lovely Joyce K and the Boys on WKYC

The lovely Joyce K and her handsome sons appear in this story on our local NBC affiliate WKYC- TV (yes John, in HD)

Tribe Looking Better

I know it is a long season, so forgive me if I got a little depressed about how my Tribe was playing. I'm still not convinced that they are the AL Central favorites, but the last few days have been fun.

Today the weather was in the 80's - the blimp was overhead and my Cleveland Indians beat the Yankees, even with Paul Byrd on the mound. John asked me "Why does Uncle Drew think Paul Byrd is bad?" and Paul promptly served up his second homer of the night to Giambi. "That's why son, that's why!"

That's why they call it Fall

Dad didn't mind raking them up again & again & again...

That Was Painful...Better With Time

The "Stop Me When I Am Lying" crew must have all gone into the same disbelieving funk that I did. How could the Tribe just fall apart like that? The sting is still there, but seeing Colorado get swept ended the season mercifully.

What are we going to post about now? The Browns won back-to-back games. That is something. The presidential elections are less just about a year away. "Dancing with the Stars" has been entertaining.

I look at the search queries to see how people find this blog. During the Indians run in the post season, there was traffic related to "rally pie" and "it's Tribe Time now".

Today there was a new query that brought us a visitor - "how to stop our annoying brother from annoying us". OK - given that my brothers post here, I better be careful. But if you want my advise on the subject, here it goes. I am making an assumption that the annoying brother is a younger brother. They usually are the annoying ones. Wait twenty years or so. He may be just as annoying, but there is a chance that he will have moved far enough away that you won't be subjected to his pure annoying-ness as often. If you can't wait that long, fink on him to your parents.

Would you vote for this grin?

Our local ABC affilliate has a link on their page to have a photo vote. Each week they list a topic and you have a few days to upload your photo and then from the 500 submissions they receive, they pick the top 10. There were a few topics I had the "perfect" picture to submit but was to late. This week's topic "Goofy Grins". My children give me plenty of goofy grins all the time, but the most recent one I capture was my dear little Patrick. Well Patrick didn't make the top 10, but I still think its cute. What do you think?

Fishin' in PA

We caught a bass! (John is an excellent coach.)

Cool!

Fun at the splashpark!

{I have deleted the long advertisement that Verizon added here.}