Pedro's The Boss

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Double Header: New York Mets @ Philadelphia Phillies

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Last night was one of the most memorable experiences that I've ever had at a ballpark.  What started out as tickets to the day game of a double header turned into seeing both halves of the double header, including a night game that saw one of the most dominant pitchers of this generation.

 

I forgot to bring my digital camera, so the only pictures I was able to take were with my phone which takes pretty lousy pics, most of which came out too blurry to even bother keeping.

Game One

Pitching: John Maine vs. Kyle Kendrick
Results: Phillies defeated Mets, 5-4

Our tickets for the day game were SRO, so we found a decent spot at the silver bar on the third base side to see Kyle Kendrick pitch his first big league start of the season.  He was a rookie sensation in 2007, but was far less effective last season and spent most of this season in the minors to work on developing a change up.  He's made a handful of appearances out of the Philadelphia bullpen and hopes to work his way back into a crowded Phillies rotation.

The Phillies bats didn't waste any time putting runs on the board.  With two outs in the bottom of the 1st, Chase Utley drew a walk and Ryan Howard followed it up with an RBI double to put the Phillies up 1-0.  They opened up the game off of Mets reliver Tobi Stoner with a pair of home runs.  The first was a solo shot from Ben Francisco in the bottom of the 4th, and the second was a two run homer from Shane Victorino in the bottom of the 5th to put the Phillies up 4-0.  The Phillies scored what would end up being the deciding run in the bottom of the 8th when pinch hitter Andy Tracy singled to right field to Eric Bruntlett, who was pinch running for Matt Stairs from second base.

Kyle Kendrick put up a solid performance, giving up two runs on seven hits and a walk over 7 ⅓ innings.  He struck out the side in the top of the 1st and was throwing a shutout for the first seven innings of the game before giving up a two run homer to Anderson Hernandez in the 8th and subsequently getting the hook.  Tyler Phillips was brought in from the bullpen to record the last two outs of the 8th before the ball was given to Brad Lidge in the 9th.

Lidge may have had the greatest season for a closer in the history of the franchise in 2008, but his production has fallen off of a cliff this year and last night's game was no exception.  He started off the 9th giving up a single to Jeff Francoeur, who then promptly stole second.  He got Carlos Beltran to ground out, but gave up a single to Josh Thole that scored Francoeur.  Luis Castillo struck out for the second out, but Thole stole second and then scored on a Jeremy Reed single to center field to bring the score to 5-4.  It was looking like the Mets were going to claw their way back and give Lidge another blown save, but he pulled it together to strike out Angel Pagan to end the game and pick up his 29th save of the season.

We stopped by McFadden's for dinner after the first game of the double header.  I had a cheesesteak, but I kind of wished I had ordered what Angie got after I saw it.  She had the Dublin Burger, which is a half pound cheddar cheeseburger topped with bacon, onion rings, and barbecue sauce.

On the way back to our car, we ran into a father and son who weren't able to stay for the night game of the double header and were trying to sell their tickets.  The seats were better than anything I've had at Citizens Bank Park, and they were only asking face value for them, so we said what the hell and bought them and headed back to the ballpark for the night game.  It ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made.

Game Two

Pitching: Tim Redding vs. Pedro Martinez
Results: Phillies defeated Mets, 1-0

When you enter through the left field gates, it puts you at the end of Ashburn Alley where a row of giant baseball cards are hanging on the wall to let you know the Phillies lineup for the game.  My jaw dropped when I saw that it was going to be Pedro Martinez.  He's been one of my favorite players in the sport since he pitched for the Montreal Expos when I was a teenager, and I was thrilled when he signed a mid-season deal with the Phillies two months ago.  Going to the night game meant that I was able to see one of my favorite pitchers and a no-doubt future Hall Of Famer take the mound for my team, and he would be going up against a hated division rival who just so happens to be his former team.

photo credit: Matt Slocum - Associated Press

Philadelphia Daily News (September 14, 2009)

The night game had another surprise when actor Tony Danza, who starred in Taxi and Who's The Boss, came out to sing the national anthem.

My phone was about to die before the first pitch of the night game, so I asked a nice dude in our section to take a photo of us before it did.

Pedro Martinez is going to be 38 years old next month so his days of being the most dominant pitcher in baseball are in the past, but he has been more than solid for the Phillies since signing with the team in the middle of July, going 4-0 with a 3.64 ERA in six starts, and striking out 27 batters while only walking 4.  Last night's start against the Mets has got to be his best start in a Phillies uniform.  He threw 130 pitches over 8 shutout innings, giving up six hits and two walks with 7 strikeouts.  The Phillies bats were only able to put up one run in the night game when Chase Utley hit an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning to score Jimmy Rollins, but one run was enough.  After pitching eight scoreless innings, Ryan Madson came in to slam the door on the Mets to pick up his 8th save of the season and to improve Pedro's record with the Phillies to 5-0.

 

Philadelphia Inquirer (September 14, 2009)

Citizens Voice - Wilkes Barre, PA (September 14, 2009)

This was a day at the ballpark that I'll never forget!

Cowboy Cookies

Cowboy Cookies
Wilkes University - Wilkes-Barre, PA

The dining hall at school has kind of a hybrid oatmeal and chocolate chip cookie that I've never had before.  They're called Cowboy Cookies, and they're absolutely delicious!

Taking The Fun Out Of Woodstock

Taking Woodstock (2009)
Cinemark - Moosic, PA
This film is evidently based on the the true story of Elliot Tiber.  This is the man who was responsible for getting the permit to bring the 1969 Woodstock festival to Max Yasgur's farm in Bethel, New York.  If the film is to be believed, he's also the man who wasted his opportunity to take part in the most iconic moment in the history of rock & roll.

As for the movie, it somehow manages to make Woodstock feel dull and boring, and it tops off a disappointing story with a cringe-worthy scene that borders on antisemitism.  I can't think of anyone that this movie would appeal to on any level.

I Am A Colonel

Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, PA

Today is the first day of the Fall semester and my first day at Wilkes University.  My original plan was to transfer from Luzerne to Bloomsburg University after my sophomore year.  I got accepted, but Wilkes is a better fit for me for a few reasons.  I've also changed my major from Secondary Education / English to Psychology with a minor in Sociology.  The plan is still to pursue a teaching opportunity in Japan after graduation, but my long-term goals have shifted away from public school and toward counseling at-risk youth and maybe teaching at a community college.

Two years down, two years to go.  Let's do this!

On The Road Again

Angie took a picture of me on the way to the drive-in on Friday, and I actually don't look half bad for a change.

A Bloody Double Feature

Halloween II and Inglorious Basterds
Garden Drive-In - Hunlock Creek, PA

On the last Friday night before the start of the Fall semester, we decided to take in a double feature of Rob Zombie's Halloween II and Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds at the Garden Drive-In.

The Garden Drive-In is a two screen outdoor theater.  The features that we were seeing were on the larger main screen at the back of the lot.  The second screen was showing a family friendly double feature that started off with Aliens In The Attic.  The advertisements for it sort of reminded me of a movie that came out when I was a kid called Spaced Invaders.  The second half of that double feature is a movie called Shorts.  I haven't heard of it, but it was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino's partner-in-crime, Robert Rodriguez.

Our first movie of the night was Rob Zombie's sequel to his remake of Halloween.  I'm not usually a big fan of remakes, but I liked Zombie's take on the Michael Myers story in the movie that came out two years ago, so I was looking forward to the direction he was going to take the story for Halloween II.

Unfortunately, Halloween II is a massive step down from his first remake.  Quite frankly, I think it's one of the worst horror movies I've ever seen.  It feels like it's trying to be an artsy fartsy with a bunch of scenes of a woman with a horse that were just plain ridiculous.  Whatever Rob Zombie was trying to achieve with this movie, it didn't work... at all.

 

The second half of the double feature made this a night to remember.  For as much as I disliked the first movie of the night, I absolutely loved Inglourious Basterds.  The sixth film from writer/director Quentin Tarantino is a war movie that takes place during World War II in Nazi-occupied France.  It's the story of a platoon of Jewish-American soldiers, led by Brad Pitt, who are on a mission to kill Nazi soldiers in the most brutal way possible.  It's difficult to say too much without spoiling major plot points, but it is an incredible movie unlike anything you've ever seen before.

We're Caught In A Trap

WARM 590 Top 40
Scranton PA - November 9, 1969
Elvis Presley's last single to hit the Billboard Hot 100 before his death was released forty years ago today.  Suspicious Minds is my favorite Elvis song, and one of my favorite songs of the 1960's.

Can Your Heart Stand The Shocking Facts...

RiffTrax Live: Plan 9 From Outer Space
Cinemark - Moosic, PA
This was a hell of a lot of fun.   How can you go wrong with Mike, Crow and Tom Servo from the MST3K crew riffing on an iconic Ed Wood cheesefest?  As an bonus surprise, Jonathan Coulton performed his ode to undead office politics, Re: Your Brains.

Best Pancakes On The Planet

The Abbey Gourmet Coffee House
Winters Avenue - West Hazleton, PA
The banana walnut pancakes at The Abbey are EPIC.  This easily makes my top ten list of favorite things to eat.

Exciting Socks

Hometown Farmers Market
Tamaqua, PA
Surely they can't be 1st quality and best price?  Wow!

The Captain Turns 60

Sports Illustrated
February 23, 1976
Happy 60th birthday to the one and only Bobby Clarke.

Do You Want To Make $1.50 The Hard Way?

Barack Obama's Balls

Now In Donkey Kong Yellow

Tommy Hilfiger ad
Nintendo Game Boy Color (1999)
Ten years ago, Nintendo had a deal with Tommy Hilfiger where you could get a special yellow Game Boy Color with the Tommy Hilfiger logo in the center.  Like the ad says, it cost $57.50 with any $50 purchase of clothes.

I never had one of these, but I had some of the clothes when I was a teenager in the 90's.  My grandparents always thought it was called Tommy Heffelfinger for some reason.

Reading's Greatest Pitcher

Pedro Martinez
Reading Phillies (2009)
Ruben Amaro Jr. was in attendance at FirstEnergy Stadium last night to watch Pedro Martinez pitch for the Reading Phillies against the Trenton Thunder.  Pedro struck out 11 in his rehab appearance, and the Phillies Double A affiliate won 8-4.  The three time Cy Young Award winner should be in Philadelphia very soon.

Freakier Friday

Orphan
Cinemark - Moosic, PA
I don't know if this technically qualifies as a horror flick, but it's definitely a freaky movie.  I figured out the twist about ten or fifteen minutes before the reveal, but it was still satisfying all the same.

Love Will Always Find You

The Wedding Singer: The Musical Comedy
Dutch Apple Dinner Theater - Lancaster, PA

When I was second grade, my elementary school brought my class on a bus trip to the Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre to see the Man of La Mancha musical performed by the Daedalus Productions touring group.  To the best of my recollection, it's my only exposure to theater until today.

It's Angie's birthday, so we got tickets to go to the Dutch Apple Dinner Theater in Lancaster to see the musical theater adaptation of the Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore romantic comedy, The Wedding Singer.

They don't allow photography inside of the theater, so I was only able to take pictures of the outside of the building.  Just to give you an idea of this place, I "borrowed" the above photo from the Dutch Apple website.  You can see the buffer area near the upper right corner.  The food was delicious, with turkey, fish, roast beef and plenty of veggies and other side dishes.  It was the kind of foods you'd typically find at a place like the Old Country Buffet, but it tasted much better.  Honestly, I would come here to eat even if it was just a restaurant.  There were also dozens of cakes and pies to choose from for dessert.  Everything was fresh and delicious.

The Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore roles were played by Michael and Jillian Zygo, who are a married couple that has been touring with this show all year.  I know absolutely nothing about musical theater, but I think that they, and the rest of the cast, did a great job.  As much as I love the movie, I think I might actually enjoy the musical even more.  The songs were catchy and funny, and it had just enough differences from the film to keep things fresh and interesting without changing the story that made the movie so special.

The Hunt For The Horcruxes

Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Regal Cinema - Laurel Mall - Hazleton, PA
No spoilers here for anyone who didn't read the book, but if you've been a fan up to this point, you're really going to want to see this.  This is, in many ways, the equivalent of The Empire Strikes Back in the Harry Potter universe.

The Big Piece

Ryan Howard
Times Herald (July 13, 2009)

Co-Starring Ron Paul

Brüno (2009)
Cinemark - Moosic, PA
Well, that was a movie.  I guess this one will fall under the category of "I laughed, I had a good time, I don't think I'm going to watch it again after today".

Crystal Pepsi Soda Machine

Crystal Pepsi soda machine
Greenville, OH
I'm remember seeing a few of these back in the day, but I haven't seen one in a long time.  This machine is still in operation dispensing modern beverages.  Shared by The Upstairs Room on Flickr.

Flyin' Hawaiian All-Star

Today is the last day to vote for Shane Victorino to make the National League All-Star Team.

Numerology Memories

A mathematical rarity will be taking place today.  For just a second in the afternoon, it will be 12:34:56 on 7/8/9.

I'll never forget how excited my grandfather was when something like this happened just after my tenth birthday.  He very happily told me "At 12:34 and 56 seconds today, the date will be 7/8/90".

Peanut Chews Goes Hollywood

Peanut Chews
Just Born (2009)

The reigning NLCS and World Series MVP can now be found on special packages of Peanut Chews.  If I ever bump into Cole Hamels at the ballpark with one of these in my pocket, I'll have to ask him if he wouldn't mind autographing one.

The Blue Comet Diner

Blue Comet Diner
Route 309 - Hazleton, PA

We stopped at Blue Comet for something to eat when we got back to Hazleton after the ballgame and fireworks on the 4th.  This is a place I used to go all the time in the 80's and 90's.  Grandma, Grandpa, Nana and I used to stop here after Grandma and Nana got out of church on Saturday when I was little.

Back in the 80's, you could get pretty much any dinner off of the menu for $5 or less including scallops, which was one of my favorites.  My grandfather usually ordered liver and onions.  One of the random memories always think of when I come here is my Nana rooting through her purse to find her bottle of saccharin tablets to use in her coffee.  She didn't like Sweet N' Low or Equal, which is what every restaurant had back then, so she carried her own supply with her.  They also had a great selection of cakes and pies for dessert.  To this day, I haven't found a coconut cream pie that's as good as the one I used to have here when I was a kid.

Before they remodeled, when you went in the front door, you were in a small lobby area that had a pay phone, a coat rack (I think), a Ms. Pac Man machine, and three video poker machines.  My grandfather always gave me a quarter or two to play Ms. Pac Man after dinner while he and my grandmother played the poker machines.  They were labeled "for entertainment only", but like pretty much every other video poker machine in town, they "paid off", so if my grandparents got to a certain score, they'd go get the cashier who would come out to verify, then give them money right out of the register.  That was Hazleton in the last days of Mob City.  I never thought it was unusual until I got older and left the area and realized that most places don't have mini casinos in their local restaurants.

These days, the Blue Comet is barely recognizable from the 80's.  It's gone through many different owners; one of whom had an addition built onto the building.  The outside and inside have been remodeled several times, so at this point, the only part of the restaurant that even looks vaguely similar is the neon sign out front.

The most recent change is that every booth now has a MegaTouch machine.  It's fun, and I understand that time marches on, but I really miss the way this place used to feel back in the days when they still had ash trays on every table.