opening day 08-play ball!

it's the first day of the season (not counting the japan games. or apparently last night's first sunday night baseball game-which i'll talk about as well) and i've decided to do a "live-blog" of sorts. i've already watched the tigers opening day game and it's now the top of the 3rd in the Giants-Dodgers game. but i've got some thoughts, and i'm sure to have more.

nats-braves sunday night baseball game:

• i love jon miller. joe morgan i can live without.
• the president race is a hoot.
• g.w. can't pitch worth beans, has had issues as president, but is stellar as a baseball commentator. seriously. i could listen to him 162 games a year.
• that's how a game should end. you can't script it better.

tigers-royals game:

• verlander is the real deal. do not be confused.
• the lineup is as scary as predicted.
• may be scary, but ya can't leave as many men on base and just expect magic to happen.
• who is the bullpen? honestly?
• clete thomas was a lakeland tiger while i was there. kinda cool to see him get a hit in his first major league at-bat.
• i love that it went to extras. would have rather seen verlander keep up the 1-hitter but a battle is good too.

giants-dodgers game:

• first thing i thought this morning: beat la.
• knbr is on in my car. j.t. snow is broadcasting now. does it get better?
• for the 2nd year in a row i didn't have to work on opening day. so i'm dressed in my giants gear, i had hot dogs for lunch, and i'm flipping between games. life is good.
• fox sports net bay area became comcast sports net at some point in the off season. it sucks. i swear their graphics are from 1996. i feel like i am watching broadcast network tv from the midwest, not a HD channel.
• it's the 50th anniversary of west coast baseball and both the giants and dodgers are celebrating. as they should. i'm really glad the move west happened, though i would enjoy seeing us win a world series while we're here. and i love this rivalry.
• i miss going to games at dodger stadium. only $7 tickets. getting trash-talked by a 7 year old and a grandpa within 20 minutes of each other. it really is good times.
• i'm calling the giants to finish 3rd or better in the west. call me an extreme optimist. i'm hoping and praying for a return of some gamers a la will the thrill, matt williams, and robby thompson. humm baby, gotta love the kids, right? let's see the next generation boys!
• duane kuiper made a lame barry bonds joke to open the broadcast. ugh.
• i honestly don't understand why you would start barry zito opening day. his record opening day is horrible. sure, we're paying him the big bucks, but can you honestly tell me that matt cain has not earned the right to be the opening day starter?
• kruk and kuip were just talking dodger dogs and how many they thought they could eat. reminded me of one of my super random life goals which is to eat a yard of dodger dog.
• i really can't stand the girl corresponents that broadcasts have now. they really ask such stupid questions and i just don't think there's any point in them being there. and i say this as a female who is trying to break into the baseball industry.
• vin scully can never die.
• jeff kent can. i hate that guy.
• already down 4-0 only top 4. it truly shall be a long season.
• the new giants ad campaign isn't bad. i like the "what would a gamer do?" thing. and matt cain, funny kid.
• brian bocock has been with san jose so i got to see him. and kid just made a sweet play over at short. the future starts now, let's get some runs now.
• they just talked about the awesomeness that is going to be opening night. i have tickets. i have to work. jenny=bummed.
• 7th inning streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch
• pickled bocock! will we ever score a run? i think its time for the rally cap.
• and there's your ball game.

why am i hooked?

so, i never in my wildest dreams thought i'd ever be watching american idol religiously, but that is in fact what my tuesday nights have become. this is the first season that i've watched from the auditions on. i got hooked around country week last year....when jordin sparks just blew everyone out of the water on a martina mcbride song. i remember getting goosebumps.

but this season. i kinda wish i had placed a bet with someone in the beginning because i have thought david cook was amazing since his audition. i just wanna go bowling with him, you know? boy has got skillz and i hope he wins, though in saying that i've probably just doomed him since nobody i cheer for ever seems to win it all (though i had picked jordin after the aforementioned martina number so maybe i'm only lucky in american idol).

my female pick is carly. and not just because she's got smith in her last name :) the lady can sing, but she really makes interesting choices in wardrobe.

and if michael johns makes the top 5 he owes it all to queen.

veer a la pelicula....

tonight, i watched casino royale again. i looooooove this film. always been a big fan of the bond. always enjoyed the intensely awesome openings, and this one is top-notch. seriously....don't know how they did it, don't care, i just enjoy it to no end. i swear that guy that bond is chasing through the construction site is a puma.
as i was watching, i realized that the next one is coming out soon. bond 22. though i believe it's actual name is quantum of solace. but i think i'm gonna stick with bond 22 for a while. anyways, i looked it up and it hits theaters november 7. and thus it got put into my calender. along with a few other highly important movie dates this year:
april 4--Leatherheads (clooney and jim from the office. doesn't get much better, i hope)
may 16--Prince Caspian
may 22--INDIANA JONES !!!!!!!! (really, the excitement level is about as high as you can get...though coming in neck and neck is......)
july 18--The Dark Knight (nolan directing christian bale again, katie holmes gone, and heath ledger as joker. i don't even know where to begin with my giddiness)

surely there are more that i am forgetting but those are the MAJOR ones to look forward to.

vampire? i think not. superhero? maybe.

my buddy and i started this little tradition. we refer to it as life-saving, because really, it is. we go get lunch then go give blood. it's good times for sure. especially now since you earn points for donating and then get to pick your own reward for your heroic-ness. it's all quite exciting, no doubt about it. no more none-used marie callendar's pie coupons. and i still have 2 coupons for a pint of baskin-robbins ice cream from giving blood a looooong time ago.
anyways, we went and got taco bell then headed over to the blood bank as usual. joked about how many points we've got and under no circumstances did we joke about having HIV. we did that once and learned it is not a joking matter (unless of course you are the creators of south park). anyways, he went in first and got through the questioning while i waited and played bejeweled on the iphone. then i got the call. and then i got denied. too low of iron. it was a bummer because not only did i not get to give, but now i was even further behind my buddy who had just received his one gallon donor license plate holder. the jealousy was raging (not that it's all a competition or anything. just trying to save some lives. but i do want me a gallon!). but on the plus side of the afternoon, the nurse lady told me i needed to eat a lot of carl's jr. and in-n-out, which is never a bad thing to have to do. plus, i had one of my best games of bejeweled EVER! even better than some random nights in the computer lab in college. also, i was told that i could come back again and try next week.
and come back i did. and my iron went down another point. but i was told to come back and try again next week.
and come back i did. and my iron went down another point. kinda troubling but i got the advice to eat more meat (which is not a problem for me, though that makes me curious as to why my iron was so low anyway). but i was told to come back and try again next week.
and come back i did. and my iron went up 2 points but was still a point below what they could accept. though they did appreciate my tenacity and courage to keep attempting. but i was told to come back and try again next week.
and come back i did. and sweet lord almighty i was good to give again! the receptionist made a comment about my stockpile of donor points i had going on. so i went to check it out and i really did have a crapload of points. apparently you get points every time you come whether your blood is accepted or not. i really don't do it for the points but i am getting free movie passes out of the deal. it'll be fitting when i use a movie pass paid with my blood to go see a superhero movie this summer.