People have asked me how I feel about Manny being traded by the Sox. Please watch the following video, then continue reading*:
For what it's worth, I am positively thrilled that the Sox finally dumped that asshole. I could put up with him for a while, and we all did, but it grew tiresome over the last couple of weeks. The open criticizing of management and the fact that he actually said "The Red Sox don't deserve me," is enough to give him the boot. Not so worried about giving up Moss and Hansen, unfortunate, but necessary, especially considering that the Sox got Jason Bay in return. I can see him hitting 4th behind Ortiz, or even 3rd, in front of him. The options abound. They'd better lock him up asap, I'd love to see him in a Sox uniform for a long long time.
* Note that the video is complete with an all-white gospel choir, with an awkward, far too excited soloist. Made me laugh entirely too much for my own good. Look, it was either this or a clip from Sister Act, your choices were limited.
31 July 2008
28 July 2008
I think some may find this more interesting than others...
Our Fearless Leader came into office with a $128 billion budget surplus, courtesy of the dastardly Clinton Administration. He leaves office, and you, me and our grandchildren with a record $482 billion deficit. So much for "fiscal responsibility" and "controlled spending."
Just FYI.
Our Fearless Leader came into office with a $128 billion budget surplus, courtesy of the dastardly Clinton Administration. He leaves office, and you, me and our grandchildren with a record $482 billion deficit. So much for "fiscal responsibility" and "controlled spending."
Just FYI.
22 July 2008
I've been putting off writing about this, but as more people seem to get into cycling this time of the year (The Tour de France is well into its second week for those who don't know), we hear more and more about how tarnished the sport is by use of blood-boosters and other PEDs. Now, I've not ranted on this subject before, though it comes into play in nearly every sport I watch, especially baseball, but I'm ridiculously tired of people dismissing cycling because of "rampant" drug use.
Let's explore this a little, shall we? So far this year, 4 riders have been kicked out of the Tour and arrested for EPO use. Four of 168. That's 2.38% of all participants. While not every professional cycling team is invited to the Tour, or the Giro d'Italia, all the relevant ones are. These are the best of the best riders in the world. Look at it this way, if this were professional baseball (just in America), this would amount to 381 players caught using PEDs (2.38% of 16,000 players). And cycling is the dirty sport? Please. If you believe for a second that under 400 players in baseball were using steroids, HGH or even amphetamines throughout the Steroid Era, you're only fooling yourself.
And yes, I understand that the people who are being found to use are the ones winning stages, but isn't that the whole point? They use to win, and it works. Just ask Barry Bonds or Mark McGwire how it worked out for them. The governing body of cycling, the International Cycling Union (UCI), has done more to actively eliminate EPO and other PEDs in its sport than any other professional body, maybe outside of the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency.
There are even entire teams committed to clean riding, who face more strict blood testing than the average rider. Most notably the America-based Team Garmin-Chipotle (formerly Team Slipstream) which has hired only clean riders for their team, has Christian Vandevelde in 6th place at the Tour right now, less than 5 minutes off the pace, as well as Denmark-based Team CSC-Saxo Bank, which holds the Yellow Jersey and is the number one overall team in the Tour, has faced 1000 tests over the last year and a half.
I defy you to identify one sport, much less two teams that are doing as much to fight PED use in their sport as Team Garmin-Chipotle and Team CSC-Saxo Bank are. This bashing of the sport is silly, and though I am a newcomer to it, I'm already tired of hearing the crap.
EDIT: An interesting in-Tour blog by Team Garmin-Chipotle rider David Millar: "If you’re close to giving up on cycling, I can understand that. I almost did after all; but please don’t give up on us. And when I say us, I mean them. Because I am an ex-doper, I have to earn my right to be believed and trusted. But there are many who don’t. They need to be believed in. Christian [Vandevelde] is going to need every ounce of his being to pass the Alps. I believe he will do it. I hope you believe he can and will and that he is doing it with our dreams in his hands. Vive Le Tour."
Let's explore this a little, shall we? So far this year, 4 riders have been kicked out of the Tour and arrested for EPO use. Four of 168. That's 2.38% of all participants. While not every professional cycling team is invited to the Tour, or the Giro d'Italia, all the relevant ones are. These are the best of the best riders in the world. Look at it this way, if this were professional baseball (just in America), this would amount to 381 players caught using PEDs (2.38% of 16,000 players). And cycling is the dirty sport? Please. If you believe for a second that under 400 players in baseball were using steroids, HGH or even amphetamines throughout the Steroid Era, you're only fooling yourself.
And yes, I understand that the people who are being found to use are the ones winning stages, but isn't that the whole point? They use to win, and it works. Just ask Barry Bonds or Mark McGwire how it worked out for them. The governing body of cycling, the International Cycling Union (UCI), has done more to actively eliminate EPO and other PEDs in its sport than any other professional body, maybe outside of the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency.
There are even entire teams committed to clean riding, who face more strict blood testing than the average rider. Most notably the America-based Team Garmin-Chipotle (formerly Team Slipstream) which has hired only clean riders for their team, has Christian Vandevelde in 6th place at the Tour right now, less than 5 minutes off the pace, as well as Denmark-based Team CSC-Saxo Bank, which holds the Yellow Jersey and is the number one overall team in the Tour, has faced 1000 tests over the last year and a half.
I defy you to identify one sport, much less two teams that are doing as much to fight PED use in their sport as Team Garmin-Chipotle and Team CSC-Saxo Bank are. This bashing of the sport is silly, and though I am a newcomer to it, I'm already tired of hearing the crap.
EDIT: An interesting in-Tour blog by Team Garmin-Chipotle rider David Millar: "If you’re close to giving up on cycling, I can understand that. I almost did after all; but please don’t give up on us. And when I say us, I mean them. Because I am an ex-doper, I have to earn my right to be believed and trusted. But there are many who don’t. They need to be believed in. Christian [Vandevelde] is going to need every ounce of his being to pass the Alps. I believe he will do it. I hope you believe he can and will and that he is doing it with our dreams in his hands. Vive Le Tour."
17 July 2008
Today's bike ride:
8.1 miles
31 minutes.
First 4 miles: 18 minutes (13.3 mph)
Last 4 miles: 13 minutes (18.46 mph)
Average mph: 15.67 mph
Negative Split! First time ever over that distance. (A special thanks goes out to that rich, Boathouse Row douchebag who wanted to race me. You inspired me to average 21.2 mph over the last mile and a half to whip your ass. And you thought I was letting you stay ahead of me because you were faster. HA.)
Rock on.
8.1 miles
31 minutes.
First 4 miles: 18 minutes (13.3 mph)
Last 4 miles: 13 minutes (18.46 mph)
Average mph: 15.67 mph
Negative Split! First time ever over that distance. (A special thanks goes out to that rich, Boathouse Row douchebag who wanted to race me. You inspired me to average 21.2 mph over the last mile and a half to whip your ass. And you thought I was letting you stay ahead of me because you were faster. HA.)
Rock on.
15 July 2008
Semi-Liveblogging the Mid-Summer Classic (two hyphens in one sentence, nice). I'm going for a stream of consciousness kind of thing here, not aiming for proper grammar, etc. Usually the ellipses (...) mean I've skipped some things, so if it doesn't makes sense, that's why. Enjoy:
Thoughts from Pregame: Lots of awesome old Hall of Famers kicking around... last season of Yankee Stadium... yadda yadda yadda... Why did I think Brooks Robinson was black?... More shit about Yankee Stadium... whatever, I'm zoning out...
1st-3rd Innings: Boring as hell... nothing at all doing. 0-0 through 3.
Top 4th Inning: Albert Pujols gets thrown out at 2nd on a laser from Ichiro. Hasn't major league baseball learned not to run on Ichiro yet? Please. Rookie mistake, bet it costs the NL the game (Remember I was right on this one the last time I liveblogged a baseball game).
Bottom 4th: Milton Bradley reaches on an error by Hanley Ramierez (surprise!), then promptly gets picked off of first by Carlos Zambrano. More rookie mistakes in an All-Star Game. Yippee.
Top 5: Matt Holiday hits a homer to deep right... 1-0 NL, great, some offense, I think I'll wet my pants.
Bottom 5: Nate McClouth is now in center for the NL, my new favorite player on a shitty team... Infield single and a walk and the AL has something brewing with Ichiro coming up... aaand he strikes out. Of course. And even though Jeter did his best to strike out looking, he bounces out to the pitcher... 1-0 NL through 5.
Top 6: Ugh, why is Francona playing Varitek? This is embarrassing for all involved... Maybe he won't have to hit... Lance Berkman gets about 94% of that one and drives in Hanley Ramierez on a deep sac fly to center, 2-0 NL.
Bottom 6: Josh Hamilton singles then steals second, great, he just gave Buck and McCarver reason to continue fellating him, awesome. Sidebar: Does the NL have any catchers capable of throwing out a baserunner? Come on, this is an All-Star Game! 2-0 NL through 6.
Top 7: Francona goes to Minnesota closer Joe Nathan in the 7th. Damn, I think he really does want to win this thing... Who sent Eric Karros to the Joe Buck School of Broadcasting? He used to be good at his job.
7th Inning Stretch: OMG! IT'S JOSH GROBAN SINGING GOD BLESS AMERICA! HE'S LIKE, TOTALLY DREAMY!
Bottom 7: Who the hell is Ryan Ludwick and why is he playing left field in the All-Star Game? I expect to at least have heard of these guys... Good move, Francona pinch hits Navarro for Varitek, smart man (Though Navarro strikes out looking). Holy crap, it's J.D. Drew! What the hell is he doing here?!? (Though he is having a great season, I still don't take back what I said about him at the start of the season) And just as I finish shitting on him, he hits a game tying homerun, 2-2! You know why Edison Volquez gave up that homerun? It's because he wears his hat like an idiot. The brim goes in the front you douche. 2-2 through 7.
Top 8: Papelbon in to pitch, to ringing cheers of "Overrated!" by the lovely pro-NY crowd. Gives up a single then slams the door on a strike out with a 96+ heater. Overrated my ass. Another poor throw by a catcher puts the go-ahead run on third with one out, awesome. Adrian Gonzalez hits a sac fly to score Tejada, 3-2 NL. Nice effort by Navarro, not even trying to make a tag. Jackass.
Bottom 8: Some guy from SF quickly mows down two batters, now Hurdle goes to Billy Wagner... Awesome, I smell a comeback. HA! Called it! Sizemore steals second and is knocked in with an RBI double by Tampa rookie 3rd baseman Evan Longoria! God, I'm good at this! 3-3, headed to the 9th.
Top 9: K-Rod in to pitch the 9th, apparently Francona is holding off on pitching Mo Rivera until he has a lead... I guess... Francona's going to Rivera with one out and a runner on second in a tie game. Looks like someone finally pulled his head out of his ass and decided he wants to win. HUGE strike him out/throw him out double play to end the inning! We're headed to the bottom of the 9th, tied at 3.
Bottom 9: Dempster mows down Kinsler and Navarro, putting the game in the hands of J.D. Drew... delicious irony. I bet if he hits a homerun they'll cheer him. Not so fast though, Drew goes down looking, in the ultimate let down... Time for extras.
Top 10: The NL is 9-0-1 in the 10 extra inning All-Star Games. Good, maybe this will be over quick, because, to be honest, the length of this game is way out of proportion with my interest in it. This is delicious, Rivera is going to blow it, and I don't even care at this point. Or maybe not, Uggla grounds into a 4-6-3 DP, and we're still tied into the bottom of the 10th.
Bottom 10: Oh Dan Uggla, you may want to forget this A-S Game. You ground into a DP to end the inning, and then you misplay a chopper up the middle to put the tying run on, and then let the next batter put one right under your glove, with Michael Young going first to third. I'm about ready to call this one, with runners on the corners with no outs. They intentionally walk the bases loaded, and Sizemore grounds into a fielder's choice to, of all people, Dan Uggla. Evan Longoria grounds into a fielder's choice and Justin Morneau grounds out to short to extend the game. Dan Uggla owes a few gentlemen some beers for this inning.
Top 11: Joakim Soria lets up a hit, gets 2 Ks and a fly out. Good lord, why isn't this over yet? (And yes, I'm in it till the end)
Bottom 11: Kinsler leads off with a bloop single... I'm willing this game to be over... make it happen AL. Good Christ, Kinsler gets caught stealing at second, basically because Navarro can't get a bunt down to save his life. And it also looks like Kinsler was safe... God hates me. Drew singles up the middle... if Navarro could bunt, maybe we would have had a play at the plate on that one, but we will never know. It's up to Michael Young now (and, dude, I'm begging you...). Young singles, but Navarro is thrown out at the plate by Nate McClouth... Dionner Novarro has become my least favorite baseball player ever, just in the last 5 minutes. Carlos Quentin grounds out to 3rd... you've got to be kidding me.
Top 12 (and I wanted to go to bed an hour ago): Nate McClouth for MVP. He beats out what was meant to be a sac bunt to put runners on first and second with no outs. Watch, now they'll get like, an unassisted triple play or something. Oooh, or not, Russel Martin puts down a bunt (that was clearly going to go foul. Morneau, you silly Canuck), putting runners on second and third with one out. Intentional walk to Tejada bringing, oh dear Lord, Dan Uggla to the plate. Watch, I'm calling a 5-4-3 DP... WOW. He swung the bat exactly one half times and struck out... Asshole, there, I said it, it's out there now. WOW, George Sherrill, O's closer, comes in and strikes out Adrian Gonzalez with the bases loaded. For the record, Uggla and Navarro are now 1 and 1a on my list of least favorite ball players ever.
Bottom 12: Oh man! Oh man! Oh man! Damn it! I thought Guillen had enough of that to get it out, but he stands on 2nd with a lead-off double! Somebody bunt him to 3rd please. Sizemore grounds to 2nd, moving the runner to third , same idea as the bunt, especially because you could tell it was what he was trying to do... Lead-off double is squandered... I don't even feel like thinking anymore...
Top 13: Nothing happened. Nothing. I'm over it.
Bottom 13: I must really be getting tired, I'm having way too much fun sitting here by myself saying "Marmol" over and over again... Another Uggla error. Whatever, it won't matter. Drew steals second. This one is over with a base hit. No such luck, Carlos Quentin strikes out and curses so loud the mikes pick him up. Nice for all those kids watching the game... wait... I'm the only one left watching this Godforsaken game...
Top 14: Sherrill has another easy inning, one long, loud out by Nate McClouth providing the only excitement. One could hear the crowd groan when they realized the ball wasn't going out.
Bottom 14: Someone give me a gun so I can kill myself.
Top 15: Yawn. If I didn't have to pee so much from all the water I've been drinking, I'd be asleep by now.
Bottom 15: First and second, one out, a hit from Drew would win it... I'm not holding my breath... Drew walks...
1:37 am, Wednesday: Justin Morneau scores on a Michael Young pop-fly to right field... and I couldn't care less... I just want to go to bed now... I've earned it. You all owe me for torturing myself like this. Seriously, remind me that if I ever want to do something like this again, that I would prefer to be waterboarded.
UPDATE: Ok, one more thing. Somehow, J.D. Drew wins the MVP. A cute little trophy and a nice new 2009 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid. And of course, he gets booed. Shitheads. He might have just helped you win home field advantage for the World Series. Stupid. Ok, now that that's over, good night.
Thoughts from Pregame: Lots of awesome old Hall of Famers kicking around... last season of Yankee Stadium... yadda yadda yadda... Why did I think Brooks Robinson was black?... More shit about Yankee Stadium... whatever, I'm zoning out...
1st-3rd Innings: Boring as hell... nothing at all doing. 0-0 through 3.
Top 4th Inning: Albert Pujols gets thrown out at 2nd on a laser from Ichiro. Hasn't major league baseball learned not to run on Ichiro yet? Please. Rookie mistake, bet it costs the NL the game (Remember I was right on this one the last time I liveblogged a baseball game).
Bottom 4th: Milton Bradley reaches on an error by Hanley Ramierez (surprise!), then promptly gets picked off of first by Carlos Zambrano. More rookie mistakes in an All-Star Game. Yippee.
Top 5: Matt Holiday hits a homer to deep right... 1-0 NL, great, some offense, I think I'll wet my pants.
Bottom 5: Nate McClouth is now in center for the NL, my new favorite player on a shitty team... Infield single and a walk and the AL has something brewing with Ichiro coming up... aaand he strikes out. Of course. And even though Jeter did his best to strike out looking, he bounces out to the pitcher... 1-0 NL through 5.
Top 6: Ugh, why is Francona playing Varitek? This is embarrassing for all involved... Maybe he won't have to hit... Lance Berkman gets about 94% of that one and drives in Hanley Ramierez on a deep sac fly to center, 2-0 NL.
Bottom 6: Josh Hamilton singles then steals second, great, he just gave Buck and McCarver reason to continue fellating him, awesome. Sidebar: Does the NL have any catchers capable of throwing out a baserunner? Come on, this is an All-Star Game! 2-0 NL through 6.
Top 7: Francona goes to Minnesota closer Joe Nathan in the 7th. Damn, I think he really does want to win this thing... Who sent Eric Karros to the Joe Buck School of Broadcasting? He used to be good at his job.
7th Inning Stretch: OMG! IT'S JOSH GROBAN SINGING GOD BLESS AMERICA! HE'S LIKE, TOTALLY DREAMY!
Bottom 7: Who the hell is Ryan Ludwick and why is he playing left field in the All-Star Game? I expect to at least have heard of these guys... Good move, Francona pinch hits Navarro for Varitek, smart man (Though Navarro strikes out looking). Holy crap, it's J.D. Drew! What the hell is he doing here?!? (Though he is having a great season, I still don't take back what I said about him at the start of the season) And just as I finish shitting on him, he hits a game tying homerun, 2-2! You know why Edison Volquez gave up that homerun? It's because he wears his hat like an idiot. The brim goes in the front you douche. 2-2 through 7.
Top 8: Papelbon in to pitch, to ringing cheers of "Overrated!" by the lovely pro-NY crowd. Gives up a single then slams the door on a strike out with a 96+ heater. Overrated my ass. Another poor throw by a catcher puts the go-ahead run on third with one out, awesome. Adrian Gonzalez hits a sac fly to score Tejada, 3-2 NL. Nice effort by Navarro, not even trying to make a tag. Jackass.
Bottom 8: Some guy from SF quickly mows down two batters, now Hurdle goes to Billy Wagner... Awesome, I smell a comeback. HA! Called it! Sizemore steals second and is knocked in with an RBI double by Tampa rookie 3rd baseman Evan Longoria! God, I'm good at this! 3-3, headed to the 9th.
Top 9: K-Rod in to pitch the 9th, apparently Francona is holding off on pitching Mo Rivera until he has a lead... I guess... Francona's going to Rivera with one out and a runner on second in a tie game. Looks like someone finally pulled his head out of his ass and decided he wants to win. HUGE strike him out/throw him out double play to end the inning! We're headed to the bottom of the 9th, tied at 3.
Bottom 9: Dempster mows down Kinsler and Navarro, putting the game in the hands of J.D. Drew... delicious irony. I bet if he hits a homerun they'll cheer him. Not so fast though, Drew goes down looking, in the ultimate let down... Time for extras.
Top 10: The NL is 9-0-1 in the 10 extra inning All-Star Games. Good, maybe this will be over quick, because, to be honest, the length of this game is way out of proportion with my interest in it. This is delicious, Rivera is going to blow it, and I don't even care at this point. Or maybe not, Uggla grounds into a 4-6-3 DP, and we're still tied into the bottom of the 10th.
Bottom 10: Oh Dan Uggla, you may want to forget this A-S Game. You ground into a DP to end the inning, and then you misplay a chopper up the middle to put the tying run on, and then let the next batter put one right under your glove, with Michael Young going first to third. I'm about ready to call this one, with runners on the corners with no outs. They intentionally walk the bases loaded, and Sizemore grounds into a fielder's choice to, of all people, Dan Uggla. Evan Longoria grounds into a fielder's choice and Justin Morneau grounds out to short to extend the game. Dan Uggla owes a few gentlemen some beers for this inning.
Top 11: Joakim Soria lets up a hit, gets 2 Ks and a fly out. Good lord, why isn't this over yet? (And yes, I'm in it till the end)
Bottom 11: Kinsler leads off with a bloop single... I'm willing this game to be over... make it happen AL. Good Christ, Kinsler gets caught stealing at second, basically because Navarro can't get a bunt down to save his life. And it also looks like Kinsler was safe... God hates me. Drew singles up the middle... if Navarro could bunt, maybe we would have had a play at the plate on that one, but we will never know. It's up to Michael Young now (and, dude, I'm begging you...). Young singles, but Navarro is thrown out at the plate by Nate McClouth... Dionner Novarro has become my least favorite baseball player ever, just in the last 5 minutes. Carlos Quentin grounds out to 3rd... you've got to be kidding me.
Top 12 (and I wanted to go to bed an hour ago): Nate McClouth for MVP. He beats out what was meant to be a sac bunt to put runners on first and second with no outs. Watch, now they'll get like, an unassisted triple play or something. Oooh, or not, Russel Martin puts down a bunt (that was clearly going to go foul. Morneau, you silly Canuck), putting runners on second and third with one out. Intentional walk to Tejada bringing, oh dear Lord, Dan Uggla to the plate. Watch, I'm calling a 5-4-3 DP... WOW. He swung the bat exactly one half times and struck out... Asshole, there, I said it, it's out there now. WOW, George Sherrill, O's closer, comes in and strikes out Adrian Gonzalez with the bases loaded. For the record, Uggla and Navarro are now 1 and 1a on my list of least favorite ball players ever.
Bottom 12: Oh man! Oh man! Oh man! Damn it! I thought Guillen had enough of that to get it out, but he stands on 2nd with a lead-off double! Somebody bunt him to 3rd please. Sizemore grounds to 2nd, moving the runner to third , same idea as the bunt, especially because you could tell it was what he was trying to do... Lead-off double is squandered... I don't even feel like thinking anymore...
Top 13: Nothing happened. Nothing. I'm over it.
Bottom 13: I must really be getting tired, I'm having way too much fun sitting here by myself saying "Marmol" over and over again... Another Uggla error. Whatever, it won't matter. Drew steals second. This one is over with a base hit. No such luck, Carlos Quentin strikes out and curses so loud the mikes pick him up. Nice for all those kids watching the game... wait... I'm the only one left watching this Godforsaken game...
Top 14: Sherrill has another easy inning, one long, loud out by Nate McClouth providing the only excitement. One could hear the crowd groan when they realized the ball wasn't going out.
Bottom 14: Someone give me a gun so I can kill myself.
Top 15: Yawn. If I didn't have to pee so much from all the water I've been drinking, I'd be asleep by now.
Bottom 15: First and second, one out, a hit from Drew would win it... I'm not holding my breath... Drew walks...
1:37 am, Wednesday: Justin Morneau scores on a Michael Young pop-fly to right field... and I couldn't care less... I just want to go to bed now... I've earned it. You all owe me for torturing myself like this. Seriously, remind me that if I ever want to do something like this again, that I would prefer to be waterboarded.
UPDATE: Ok, one more thing. Somehow, J.D. Drew wins the MVP. A cute little trophy and a nice new 2009 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid. And of course, he gets booed. Shitheads. He might have just helped you win home field advantage for the World Series. Stupid. Ok, now that that's over, good night.
Interesting buying guide for helping the uneducated (read: me) learn more about choosing the right bike for them. It also makes one think of how costly bikes really are:
"It is shocking, but, pound for pound, a high-performance bicycle or bike frame costs more than even the most exotic sports car. On average, a complete high-end bicycle weighing less than 17 pounds will cost in the neighborhood of $4,000: that’s $235 per pound. A $200,000 sports car weighing 3,000 pounds has a per pound cost of $66. If a high-end bicycle were a high-end sports car, it would cost in excess of $700,000! There are some high-end bike frames which cost in excess of $5,000: these 2 pound frames would translate to an automobile costing in excess of seven million dollars! Obviously, the decision to invest in a high-end bicycle should not be taken lightly, and it’s a decision that demands a wealth of information."
And I thought my bike was pricey...
"It is shocking, but, pound for pound, a high-performance bicycle or bike frame costs more than even the most exotic sports car. On average, a complete high-end bicycle weighing less than 17 pounds will cost in the neighborhood of $4,000: that’s $235 per pound. A $200,000 sports car weighing 3,000 pounds has a per pound cost of $66. If a high-end bicycle were a high-end sports car, it would cost in excess of $700,000! There are some high-end bike frames which cost in excess of $5,000: these 2 pound frames would translate to an automobile costing in excess of seven million dollars! Obviously, the decision to invest in a high-end bicycle should not be taken lightly, and it’s a decision that demands a wealth of information."
And I thought my bike was pricey...
14 July 2008
In the interest of my performance in the MS 150 Ride, I've begun sampling energy gels for the ride. I've concerned myself mostly with taste and consistency over straight performance of the gel, because basically, there will be rest stops so I can load up on carbs if I need to (I imagine it would be somewhat embarrassing to bonk on a charity ride). I'll be looking into Clif Shot, Hammer Nutrition, Enervitene, Gu and Power Gels among others, starting tonight with Hammer Gel:
Flavor: Raspberry
Consistency: Really thick
Ingredients: Long-chain Maltodextrin, Water, Raspberry Puree, Energy Smart® (Fruit Juice, Natural Grain Dextrins), Raspberry Flavor, Black Raspberry Flavor, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate (as a preservative), Amino Acids (L-Leucine, L-Alanine, L-Valine, L-Isoleucine), Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride
Performance (How I feel afterwards): UPDATE. After about three hours I crashed. Hard. Didn't even make it to the end of the Home Run Derby without shutting my eyes for a bit. Maybe it was because I didn't do much in the way of strenuous physical activity, but I was knocked out. I sure could feel my heart thumping in my chest though... Bad news I think, and somewhat disappointingly ineffective.
Conclusion: I've gotta say, it tasted... ok, but damn was that a disgusting thing to have in my mouth. The consistency was very thick, and the fact that it was warm I'm sure didn't help. I'm hoping that things get better from here. I'm looking to put in about 30 miles tomorrow, so I'll be sampling Hammer Gel Orange, and/or Enervitene Orange at some point on the ride.
Also, if any of you have a particular favorite amongst these products, I'm totally open to suggestions.
Flavor: Raspberry
Consistency: Really thick
Ingredients: Long-chain Maltodextrin, Water, Raspberry Puree, Energy Smart® (Fruit Juice, Natural Grain Dextrins), Raspberry Flavor, Black Raspberry Flavor, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate (as a preservative), Amino Acids (L-Leucine, L-Alanine, L-Valine, L-Isoleucine), Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride
Performance (How I feel afterwards): UPDATE. After about three hours I crashed. Hard. Didn't even make it to the end of the Home Run Derby without shutting my eyes for a bit. Maybe it was because I didn't do much in the way of strenuous physical activity, but I was knocked out. I sure could feel my heart thumping in my chest though... Bad news I think, and somewhat disappointingly ineffective.
Conclusion: I've gotta say, it tasted... ok, but damn was that a disgusting thing to have in my mouth. The consistency was very thick, and the fact that it was warm I'm sure didn't help. I'm hoping that things get better from here. I'm looking to put in about 30 miles tomorrow, so I'll be sampling Hammer Gel Orange, and/or Enervitene Orange at some point on the ride.
Also, if any of you have a particular favorite amongst these products, I'm totally open to suggestions.
09 July 2008
This is absolutely priceless. Some highlights:
"Fred Lewis’ face apparently caught on fire and they put it out with a bear trap."
"Cody Ross’ face froze in 1986. The face he was making: ‘dipshit’."
and finally,
"Big Papi is not the most handsome of men. Great hitter. Head shaped like a trash can."
HA! Love it!
"Fred Lewis’ face apparently caught on fire and they put it out with a bear trap."
"Cody Ross’ face froze in 1986. The face he was making: ‘dipshit’."
and finally,
"Big Papi is not the most handsome of men. Great hitter. Head shaped like a trash can."
HA! Love it!
06 July 2008
I've been going through my iPod trying to put together a playlist for the upcoming bike ride. I've had something put together for a while, that I used to listen to during warmups for my lacrosse games. I've added a lot more to it (I'm up to about 6 and a half hours of music), including a section of more mellow music in the middle to relax a little bit, after the louder, more aggressive music. Send me some suggestions so I can expand my collection for the ride. I'm looking to get up to about ten hours of music.
03 July 2008
Ok, sorry, long time no talk. Let's catch up:
- Team Waterworks is now up to five riders, with at least two more to come, possibly four.
- I met and exceeded my fundraising goal thanks to some amazing people, kicking around the idea of raising the goal to $1000, I'll keep you all posted.
- I haven't gotten on a decent ride in almost a week due to weather or illness (more on that later), so I've got to get back into the swing of things.
- NHL free agency opened on July 1st, and the Bruins signed... Michael Ryder? I'm hoping this is the Michael Ryder of two or three years ago, not last year... Glad they could blow their shot at Marian Hossa, Miro Satan, Mark Streit, Wade Redden, or even Brian Rolston. But alas, let's aim low guys, because the playoffs is ok, not the Cup.
- Got wicked sick today. Killer migraine. Tunnel vision, nausea and vomiting, the whole works. My boss even gave me shit about leaving sick from work, even though it was work that caused the problem. They're replacing the windows at the office, while simultaneously repainting the inside. In replacing the windows, they have the frames sealed up with Plexiglas... while painting. Negative ventilation. Awesome fucking idea guys. City planning at its best. I was in the building for 20 minutes before I got set off by the smell... Awesome fucking day today...
Anyhow, happy 4th to all, have a fun and safe holiday.
- Team Waterworks is now up to five riders, with at least two more to come, possibly four.
- I met and exceeded my fundraising goal thanks to some amazing people, kicking around the idea of raising the goal to $1000, I'll keep you all posted.
- I haven't gotten on a decent ride in almost a week due to weather or illness (more on that later), so I've got to get back into the swing of things.
- NHL free agency opened on July 1st, and the Bruins signed... Michael Ryder? I'm hoping this is the Michael Ryder of two or three years ago, not last year... Glad they could blow their shot at Marian Hossa, Miro Satan, Mark Streit, Wade Redden, or even Brian Rolston. But alas, let's aim low guys, because the playoffs is ok, not the Cup.
- Got wicked sick today. Killer migraine. Tunnel vision, nausea and vomiting, the whole works. My boss even gave me shit about leaving sick from work, even though it was work that caused the problem. They're replacing the windows at the office, while simultaneously repainting the inside. In replacing the windows, they have the frames sealed up with Plexiglas... while painting. Negative ventilation. Awesome fucking idea guys. City planning at its best. I was in the building for 20 minutes before I got set off by the smell... Awesome fucking day today...
Anyhow, happy 4th to all, have a fun and safe holiday.
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