Just A Baseball Fan

A couple of weeks ago, my cousin, John, called me up and asked if I would be interested in attending a Baltimore Orioles game. He’s a season ticket holder and had an extra for the last weekend series against the Boston Red Sox. At the time of his call, the Orioles were still in contention; and with Boston in first place, it seemed like an excellent opportunity to watch some good baseball by playoff teams. Well, as you know, since then the Orioles fell out of the playoff race and this series was just to finish up the season. Because I don’t get to see my cousin very often, I still decided to attend the game with him and just enjoy the evening.

Being a bit of a foodie and the game being played at night, I suggested we leave early for Baltimore and try a place that had great sandwiches. I left my house by 1245, gassed up, and was on my way to Arlington to pick up John by 1300. As soon as I hit 301 north, I heard on the radio that there were three accidents on 295 going into DC; two going southbound (which shouldn’t affect me), but the third was northbound right at my exit. Long story short, by trying to go around and take side streets, it took me two hours just to get to Arlington, and I saw parts of DC which are scary even in broad daylight.

I decided we would eat at Chap’s Pit Beef that was featured on both Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-In’s, and Dives” and Travel Channel’s “Man vs. Food”. Chap’s uses an in-door charcoal grill to cook their meat and a deli slicer to pile it high. I had the Richwich (named after Adam Richman), which is beef, corned beef, turkey and sausage on a sub roll; while John had the Tom Dog, which is turkey, sausage and cheese on a sub roll. We also shared a large order of French fries with gravy (a staple in Baltimore). The meat was tender, delicious, and the food was awesome. We were both wishing we wore stretchy pants. No Boog’s BBQ for us tonight.

Oh, yeah, there was a game. My cousin's seats were directly behind home plate in the upper deck. The weather was a perfect 70 degrees without a cloud in the sky at game time. Was texting Zeb about Red Sox fans wearing fake beards because there were two groups wearing them. Shortly after the game started, I had to leave my seat because my manager called me on my cell phone because one of our field offices lost air conditioning, and they had to shut down our agency’s off-site back-up servers in their LAN room and keep the suite’s doors open making the place unsecure. I thought, “We pay GSA a hefty management fee,” and spoke to our admin officer on site and told her to call GSA and demand an emergency portable AC unit be delivered as soon as possible. By the time I got back to my seat it was the third inning and that’s when the game started to get interesting. (They got the portable AC unit installed this morning and was able to secure the suite.)

The game lasted 3 hours and 20 minutes with 26 hits, and I lost count of how many pitchers. Orioles scored one-run in both the second and third innings. Boston answered with one-run in the fourth, fifth, and sixth. Boston’s pitcher, Junichi Tazawa, was really pounding the strike zone; but I guess he was putting too much of the ball over the plate and not on the corners which resulted in giving up two runs and got the loss. Jim Johnson pitched the ninth looking for his 49^th save. Jonny Gomes batted with a runner on second base and saw five straight 95 mph fastballs forcing a full-count. Gomes froze when Johnson threw him a 86 mph slider for a called third strike to end the game. Final score 6-5.

I made it home by 0120 and had a scotch. I hit the rack by 0245 almost too tired to sleep.

Burger? What Burger?

I wonder what Brent Musburger thinks about this commercial… as for me, I’m grabbing a breakfast biscuit in the morning.

My Day at Miller Park

Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI, opened in 2001, but I never had the opportunity to watch a Brewers’ game there because every time I was home in Sheboygan was either during the off season or the Brewers were on the road. This year, I found myself needing to be in Chicago for work on April 2^nd. After talking with my wife, I decided to extend my stay to spend the week with Dad, and I set about the possibility to finally making it to the park.

Easter Sunday fell on March 31^st, but I wanted to spend the day with my family in Virginia. I made plans to fly to Milwaukee Mitchell Field for April 1^st and talked with my Dad and brother-in-law, Steve, about going to opening game on that same day. At first everyone seem enthusiastic about going; but an on-line check for tickets found that it was sold out or available at five times face value, and winter keeping its grip in the region, soon opening day wasn’t viable. Luckily we decided that early because my flight ended up being delayed twice at Reagan National Airport, and I didn’t land in Milwaukee until mid-afternoon.

Talking that night with my Dad, he told me that with the cold spell going on and with his knee and hip replacement and recent back surgery, he wanted to decline going to the game with me. I understood his plight and tried to get Steve to go, but he’s more of a Packer fan and willing to brave the weather for them than the Brewers. Yeah, I don’t think that even if the Brewers won the World Series would they ever supplant the Packers. However, my two nieces, Abbi and Ashlie, were both enthusiastic about going to a game as long as their boyfriends came along, and we decided to go to Wednesday, April 3^rd’s last game of the series against the Colorado Rockies.

After the girls got off of work on Wednesday, we all met up at my sister’s house and headed for Milwaukee by 4:45 for the 7:10 game. We decided not to tailgate because it was a windy 42 degrees, which I think was the high temperature for the week I was there.

What I think is funny was everyone asking if we had tickets for the game. While I wouldn’t try it in a good baseball town like Boston or St. Louis, but with opening day being only two days before, it being a mid-week game, and no promotions going on, I’m used to walking up to the ticket window at a park and being able to get decent seats. That held true to form and we got second level seats on the third base side for $40 a ticket, and didn’t have to pay any handling or Ticket Master fees. I considered the parking in the general admission lot to be a reasonable $10.

We entered the stadium from the center field area and walked around the concourse. I saw the tributes to the Milwaukee Braves World Series win; former Brewer greats like Hank Aaron, Robin Yount, and Paul Molitor; the 1923 Milwaukee Bears team from the Negro National League; and, of course, current players and managers. I quickly found a team store and bought a throw-back Brewer cap with the “MB” glove and ball logo to go with my Robin Yount throwback jersey.

Walking around the park, I saw the Sausages and Bernie Brewer getting pictures taken with kids young and old; and the iconic food courts serving hot dogs, bratwurst, polish and Italian sausages and chorizos.

 

We found our seats in Section 225 by 7:00 and they were great. With the dome closed and all the steel structures for the retractable roof, the field looks like an airplane or dirigible hanger. The park was clean and the food and stands and restrooms were close to us. An amusing site in the section next to ours was a guy in a Ricky Vaughn “99” Cleveland Indians jersey. Has anyone else seen a jersey like that in other parks?

Of course I had to try one of their Klement’s bratwursts but was greatly disappointed. Granted, we in Sheboygan think we know how to cook brats the best because we’re the home of the vastly superior Johnsonville sausages, which isn’t even the best brat is town, (I prefer Meisfeld’s when in Sheboygan, and don’t get me going about serving it on a hot dog bun); but flat-grilling bratwurst is just sacrilege. I know they have to mass prepare bratwurst for the crowds, but to not even have an option for a charcoal grilled brat is an opportunity lost. I guess that’s one of the reasons people tailgate is to get their brats done right. Oh well, I guess I’m going to have to go back and try some of their other food selections; and I’m sure there’s a lot of hidden gems to discover.

Before going to the game, I reviewed some posts from people who had gone and recommended the Leinenkugel Summer Shandy, a pale and wheat Weiss beer brewed with blackberry juice and natural lemonade flavor. I liked it so much, I had two. Even though it was 42 degrees outside and a comfortable 70 degrees inside, the beer is perfect for summer days especially after yard work. I bought a six-pack last week and had one on Saturday after cutting the grass.

The game? Oh yeah, they played one. The Rockies jumped out to a 2-0 lead but the Brewers fought back to make it 2-2. The Rockies made it 4-2, but the Brewers got it to 4-3 with Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun hitting back-to-back doubles. However John Axford couldn’t hold it close giving up three runs in the 9^th. I think the Brewers are going to be also-rans this year because of pitching.

After the game, I had to run around to the front of the park to see the statues. It was cold and windy with the kids anxiously waiting for me; however, it was too dark to get good pictures, even though I took some.

I’m hoping to catch another Brewer game when they come to DC at Nationals Park during the 1^st through 4^th of July. But it may be difficult because the first three games are at night and then fighting the traffic on the 4^th with all the tourists wanting to see the fireworks. At least the game on the 4^th is a day game, but last year I believe the temperature was 105. At least I’ll be able to get my Ben’s Chili Bowl fix.

Johnny Walker Green Label

The word "blended" to the ears of scotch snobs usually elicits a negative reaction.  Now I'm new to the world of scotch and admittedly do not have the most discerning palate but what I have discovered is that I much prefer single malts, which means single vat and not a blend.  I currently own two bottles of fine 12-year-old single-malts, a Glenfiddich and a Glenlivet, both of which are lovely (the English in me coming out).  Both of these come from the same region but have very different and distinctive tastes.  So in my quest to see what else was out there and possibly go up a step in quality, I did some research reading scotch reviews on blogs and narrowed it down to two choices, the 15-year-old Glenfiddich Solara and the 15-year-old Johnny Walker Green Label.  But when I discovered that the Johnny Walker was a blend, I had decided to go with the Glenfiddich.
While I was waiting for last weekend to get here and visit the New Hampshire State Liquor Store where booze is cheaper, I received a reply to an email I had sent to the blog writer I liked the most.  I had mentioned what I had experienced and discovered thus far and where I was leaning in my next purchase, and he talked me into the Johnny Walker.

Go for the Johnny Walker Green.  The Glenfiddich Solara is excellent, but I think the Green has the edge and is excellent for someone like you who is just getting into scotch.  It will not disappoint! Matter of fact, I had an old college chum over last weekend and got out a new bottle of Green Label and while it has been maybe a year since my last glass of it, I shook my head at how damn good it is!  Tremendous stuff and I think you will like it because it is somewhat similar to Glenfiddich 12.

 Thanks, Jason, for your help...you were right.  Although I have YET to try the Solara, I am very happy with the Johnny Walker Green and drank about a third of the bottle last weekend after the Bruins game, listening to tunes in AA's dungeon.  (Thanks again, bud,  for the great ticket, grub, tunes and friendship)  I would highly recommend Jason's blog for scotch reviews, including his review of Johnny Walker Green Label.  Cheers to you, Jason!
The Green Label is very complex, owing to the fact that it's a blend of four 15-year-old single-malts from four different distillers from the four corners of Scotland.  From the Johnny Walker website:

Four signature malts provide the key taste influences for this 15-year-old whisky. Talisker™ introduces power and depth of character, Caol Ila™ contributes mystery and intensity and, at its heart, Cragganmore™ provides a sweet maltiness, while Linkwood™ adds a final touch of finesse.

So if you've had the Black Label, which I have, and didn't like it, don't use that as a reason not to try this.  This has opened my mind a bit regarding single malts versus blends, though I still plan to mostly stick to single malts for now; but who knows where my preferences will go the more I try different ones.

Scotch and Jazz

I know neither scotch nor jazz fits the sports pub theme but it's the mood I'm in tonight and just wanted to throw a curveball.  So I'm sitting here sipping some Glenfiddich on the rocks and listening to some jazz.  I'll only share one but I'll tell you all the ones I went through tonight.

This song most definitely fits sipping scotch.  Can't you hear the ice cubes jangling in the glass?


I listened to these songs in this order as I was sipping my scotch:  "La Vie en Rose," Louis Armstrong; "Summertime," Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald; "Black Coffee," Ella Fitzgerald; "The Very Thought of You," Nat King Cole; "Unforgettable," Nat King Cole; then "Stormy Weather" by Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and my favorite version, Etta James.
Hope you enjoyed my little interlude.  Back to our usual programming.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Cousin Lynnsey drinking my (3rd) Prelude

No, not Christmas...bah humbug.  It's the most wonderful time of the year because Shipyard Brewing's Prelude Special Ale is available again.  As many of you know, my go-to beer is Shipyard's excellent Export Ale but the Prelude I love even more.  It is not one of those fruity, pumpkiny, overly-spiced winter abominations; it is just what the title says, a nice heavy special ale with a rich nutty flavor.

Last evening was the official launch party date for Prelude, coinciding with Maine Beer Week, and was held at the four Portland Pie locations.  So yours truly and four other family members met at the Scarborough location to eat some very fine pizza, have fun together and, of course, partake in several Prelude Ales.

I'm not very good at describing flavors or discerning spices...you'll just have to go get your own.  I promise you will love this just as much as we do.  Rick and George, this is the very same present I brought you last winter.  Suffice to say we all had a very good time together and drank several glasses of this very fine ale (and kept an eye on the Bruin game too).

No longer a scotch virgin

Since this is a sports bar, we do occasionally offer up alcohol reviews; and since I was given a bottle of The Glenlivet for Valentines Day, I thought this would be the perfect occasion to write another review.  Keep in mind that I don't have the most discerning palate and rarely taste what reviewers describe in ales or alcohol.  "It's got a nice spice note" or "a floral or fruity finish"...okay, if you say so.
I had often thought about investigating scotch because I have heard many people talk about how much they like it; that it's their preferred daily decompress medicine.  But my tastes are more towards the sweet, and so would tend to order a cocktail out at dinner or make myself a bourbon and ginger ale at home.  While I like bourbon very much, I've never enjoyed it straight.  I've found it too strong alone; and the better quality the bourbon, the stronger I find it.
Well, that's not the case for me with scotch, certainly not this fine twelve-year-old single-malt.  It has a very smooth woodsy flavor throughout the mouth on the first drink, with a slight biting finish.  That biting finish is nowhere to be found on the second and subsequent sips.  I do drink it on the rocks and am finding that scotch is much more susceptible to the quality of the water used in the ice than your average cocktail.  As the ice melts, it's watering down the scotch, of course, which is fine, but whatever else is in the average tap water does not blend well at all.  And while I find ginger ale to be a perfect partner for Jim Beam, I cannot imagine it or any other mixer blending well with scotch.
Needless to say, I find The Glenlivet enjoyable sip after sip.  I can't give it a real high recommendation simply because I don't have much to compare it to, other than the "rail" scotch with which I was initiated by my good friends Rick and George.  Salud, fellas!  It is certainly superior to rail but I look forward to trying some other brands and higher qualities of The Glenlivet to compare.  I can certainly see myself regularly enjoying a Glenlivet on the rocks until the bottle is empty.

Another great DC roadtrip

Just a little background first:  This is now four years in a row that I've made a trip to DC to see friends and go to games.  The current streak started when I had to get to RFK and see the Nats play there before their move to the new stadium.  I'd always bemoaned the fact I hadn't gotten to RFK when I lived in DC in the early 1980s.  My defense?  You couldn't possibly get a ticket to a Redskins game there.  The hole in my defense?  The Washington Federals of the USFL.
The roadtrip thing has been going on for some time between my brother and I, although the above is the last one we've done together.  A lifelong friend of his and a good friend of mine (Tim) had season tickets to the Nats.  So we stayed with him and then the next day we went to a game at PNC in Pittsburgh.
The next year my roadie also included New Britain, CT, near where my brother was working and Norfolk, where another friend lives, and then on up to DC to see Rick and George and go to a game during the inaugural season of the Nats' new stadium.  This is the famous "fan of the game" game.
Lo and behold on the Nats' schedule the following year is the Red Sox, playing in DC for the first time in 40 years.  So down to DC I go again.  One other special thing about that game is not only did I go with George and Rick but Tim and AA were also in attendance.
Now on to this year's trip.

Today's special: Red flannel hash

Having some leftover pork roast from last night's entree, it seems the perfect excuse to make a Zebster's favorite that's not made often enough...red flannel hash.
You'll need:  Obviously some pork roast (or corned beef) cubed, one medium onion, couple tablespoons of minced garlic, a couple medium beets and about four medium potatoes.
It's quite quick and simple.  I think any hash tastes best if made in a cast iron skillet using lots of bacon fat (hooray, bacon fat).  So dice up the onion and saute in the pan of sizzling bacon fat (hooray, bacon fat) along with the garlic as you're cubing your potatoes and beets, getting a nice golden edge to the potatoes.  Then add in your beets and pork to heat through, salt and pepper (or whatever other spices you'd like) to taste.
It's a meal made from leftover meat, so the exact quantities of ingredients is really based on what you have on hand and the size of the veggies you have obviously.
Since this is a tavern and the hash will have a red tint to it, I'll suggest a nice Killian's Irish Red to wash it down.

Food Of The Gods... Hot dogs!

Since there's no game tonight I figured that i'd discuss one of my other true passions. Yup, i'm talking about those nitrate-laden intestine-wrapped bunch of ground-up unmentionables, the glorious Hot Dog. Amen.
My trip to Maine this weekend (my real home regardless of where i've lived since I actually resided there) yielded a revelatory revisiting of an incomparable Maine red. On our way out of town, my lovely wife Meg and I stopped in at the Houston-Brooks auction house to bid some folks adieu. The Megster felt a bit peckish and decided to snag a grilled-to-order aforementioned weenie. She offered me a bite as we were pulling away... and I nearly went off the road. That was some good, boys, let me tell you. I'm pissed now that I didn't turn around and go back in to ask what brand they were between mouthfuls of two or three more. I'd forgotten how fantastic they are! (I know there are several brands - Jordan's and Kirschner come to mind but i'm sure there are others - so one of you bastards has to fill me in as to what my ass is gonna grab the next chance I get.) Since i'm one of those guys who routinely goes 20 miles out of his way solely to grab a good dog, this was one of the more pleasantly unexpected hot dog experiences i've had lately.
Anyway, it got me to thinking about the best dogs i've had...
The late, lamented Barney's of Waterville has to be very near the top, what with their onions lightly grilled in bacon fat... drool, drool. (The currently operating "Bolley's" just down the street fills in as a fine substitute, however.)
"Coney Island Hot Dogs" in Worcester, Ma. - complete with a huge neon sign that has been around for nearly the 70+ years the place has - pretty much noursished me the 4 years I went to school there. While it's about the only reason I'd willingly cross the city line now, i've done so countless times.
"Caswell's Seafood" in Weymouth, Ma. makes my current local favorite, a foot-long gem with a perfectly toasted buttery bun. Throw some cheese on there, i'm nearly aroused.
"AA's Kitchen" (I've been known to make some killer dogs myself so I had to throw that in.)
Last but not least... A Fenway Frank at it's namesake. Sure it's rather pedestrian and ridiculously expensive but could there possibly be a more satisfying hot dog experience than that? The green of the wall contrasted with that of the grass, the noise, the smells, the cold lite beer... and a Fenway Frank as you settle in to watch the first pitch. Nearly perfect.

And you?

J.W. Dundee Sampler 12 Pack

I tried a new variety pack this last week end. I took it up to share with Dad. This 12 Pack had 3 each of J.W. Dundees Pale Ale, Hefe Wiesen, Amber Lager and Honey Brown Lager.

The Wiesen was excellent, of course I have a soft spot for it, with 2 plus years in Germany hefe wiesen is a sentimental favorite, and I can't remember not liking one. This one had a nice flavor, good color and the short after taste I like. I'm not a big one on long after taste. If I want to taste it again, I'll burp. (Ok it's gross, but admit it you laughed). The wiesen was one of those beers that was as good a little warm as it was cold.

The Honey Brown Lager was good too, though, unlike the wiesen, better ice cold than luke warm. It had a nice sweet flavor, that made it a good sipper brew, but don't take too long.

The Amber Lager was nothing special, a good brew for a hot day to quench the thirst, it had more flavor than Bud, but that doesn't take much.

The Pale Ale I left for last as I'm not a use fan of Pale Ales, I find them ok, but not to my tastes usually. So I hesitate to say it was a good Pale Ale, but I did like this one. Since Dad went back for the last one, I'm assuming he thought it worth the time. Of course it could just be it was handy, you all know Dad.

Stone Brewing and Charity

so, MM and I went to a charity event last night at the bar called The Penguin last. There was a raffle and silent auction. I thought I would report on the beer I drank and one of things I bid on.

First the bid, a signed Pedro ball! It sold for $240! I peaked at below $200. I think it might be worth over $400.

Second the beer,... I tried a few by Stone Brewing Co. of San Diego. the IPA was great - right there with Harpoon's - great fruitiness:) http://www.stonebrew.com/tasting/ipa/index.html. the other one I tried was http://www.arrogantbastard.com/index2.html. Whoa Nelly! 7.2% alcohol. It was quite good, but definitely had a kick. A few of them and you would be on your butt.

Weekend with Bro

So while the Poots were off in NYC for the weekend, I headed on down to Bro's for some sibling bonding. Friday night we went out to eat at a local TexMex place with a more tradition menu than most "Mexican" restaurants. I had the canista de puerco. Mmmmm, thick slices of pork seasoned with Mex spices with refried beans and rice, which you could eat separately or roll all together in a tortilla with sour cream. Plus we had a Dos Ecces and sampled some different Tequilas.

Saturday morning we started with Bro's special cheesy scrambled eggs and bacon and then headed off for the Sam Adams Brewery tour. I liked how the "tour" was an expeditious run-thru of the process so that you could hurry up to the sampling. LOL We got to take home the 7-ounce sampling glass, and we had the Boston Lager, Summer Ale and Honey Porter. I bought a t-shirt "take pride in your beer."

Then it was off to Fenway. We ate some grub at Game On, checked out all the souvenirs at the souvenir shop and then went on to the guided tour of Fenway Park...pretty cool indeed, though not as thorough as far as access to the park as we had hoped. But we did get to go up on the Green Monster and learned a fair bit of trivia about the park and the team. We had hoped to go inside the Green Monster and or onto the field but no such luck. We killed some time before the ballgame (came across an anime convention -- no, we didn't go but saw enough w/out going LOL Munchkin would've loved it)

So off to the ball park early to watch some batting practice and get ready for the game. Would Curt Schilling get his 200th win? This game wasn't one Bro already had tix to, so he got special tix for the game. Wow, were they great. Thanks Bro! Nice and spacious with our own table. So I kept score of the game for the first time in ages. We were just left of home plate looking right down on it and could see the whole field. Well, Curt didn't have his best stuff but over 7 innings gave up 4 runs and the Sox scored 6 for a win and Curt's 200th win. Pretty cool to have been there.

We spent Sunday putting up Bro's ceiling fan, listening to the beer drinkin and Merle Haggard cd's I'd made for him; then watched some of the Indy 500 and Sox game before I headed back to Maine. Thanks for a great time, Bro! I got home in time to watch the Coke 600 and guess who won? That's right, Kasey Kahne! Woooo hoooo!

The picture? Me that night at Fenway from our seats, wearing my Sam Adams t-shirt. Picture taken by Bro with my cell phone.
Sam Adams Red Sox Schilling family Boston