Black Outs

If the Jets don't sell out and a game is blacked out on television, does it get blacked out in New Jersey or in New York?

Arrgh!!!

The first two pages in the New York Daily News sports section are about, not the Yankees, not the Mets, not the Jets, not the Giants, not even Tiger Woods.  It is about, hold your breath, Isiah Thomas.

And, in a shocking turn of events, it wasn't the NCAA, that bastion of morality and all things holy, except perhaps graduating athletes that read at about the 6th grade level and passing out greenies like they are candy and coaches that make millions.  But, then again, I graduated from the University of Minnesota and I couldn't make one out of ten free throws (wait, neither can Shaq).  It was the NBA that other upholder of all things moral (except for drinking, drugs, assualt and battery, imprisonment, you name it) that said this was just too much.

Hell, Isiah pushed K-Rod's arrest for assualt and battery against his father-in-law to to the second pages of the sports section (although it did make the front page right next to J. Lo's being rejected as an American Idol judge).

Too much Isiah, you have got to be kidding.

Nude female dwarf mud-wrestling is a step up from the Knicks, the NBA (King James with the "CHOSEN 1" tatoo across his back) and professional sports (how can I feed my family on just $12 million a year) in general.

Female dwarfs with a bikini wax are hot.

Here We Go Again

And yet another egotistical professional athelete who has to be paid more than anyone else in his position.  Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, who has been offered $120 million over ten years, won't accept the offer because Nnamdi Asomugha, cornerback for Oakland, will average $16.5 million over the next two years.

Meanwhile, a family of four attending a Jet's game and sitting in some of the cheaper seats at $120 a pop, paying $25 for parking, $8.75 for a beers, $6 for hot dogs, $5 for French fries can expect to drop about $600 to go to a game.  And that is before paying thousands for a PSL.

I am begining to hate professional sports.  Although I did just subscribe to Sports Illustrated so I could get a Vikings jacket.  Now, now my Jets fan buddies, I already have a couple of Jets jackets and I promise to only occasionally wear the Vikings jacket to torment you.

And the hundred or so Knicks tee-shirts I have (handed out for free back when I used to go to the games) are great for wearing to the gym and for dusting.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods after refusing to say he would accept a captain's pick for the Ryder Cup because he would play his way onto the team, has back-tracked.  Doesn't sound like he is quite so confident in himself anymore.

The only bright spot concerning "professional sports" is that Linda McMahon won the Connecticut GOP Senate primary yesterday.  Does anyone but me see a Palin/McMahon Presidential ticket in the future?

A Bright Day At Brighton Beach

Well, the day started out at Brighton Beach.  I had heard about a new "beer garden" right on the boardwalk so I decided to check it out before heading to a Cyclones game later in the evening.

Le Soleil Draft Barn




Beer garden might be a bit of a stretch, but it is a nice outdoor area for drinking beer.  It is the outdoor portion of Wintergarden, one of several Russian eateries along the boardwalk.  The interior is still Wintergarden, but one of the waitresses says that it will convert in the winter so the whole place will be Le Soleil Draft Barn.

They have a nice selection of beers.  I think they have about 120 different beers in bottles, mostly imported, and maybe a dozen or so on draft.

A Couple Of Cold Ones


I had a BrouCzech Lager and it really hit the spot.  It is brewed in Nova Paka, in the Czech Republic and the history of the brewery kind of goes back to the 13th century.  Kind of, because although beer was brewed in Nova Paka back then, that brewery is long gone, having burnt down several times over a 600 year period.  In 1871 a new brewery and malt house was built and that one is still brewing the beer.

The beer is 5% ABV and pours with a nice white head.  It is dark gold and has a pleasant malty smell with a  whiff of hops.  A good combination of the sweetness of the malt and the bitterness of the hops.  The sweetness is what lingers on the palate.  It comes in a 23 ounce bottle and went for a very reasonable six bucks.

Enjoying My Cold One


The Mysterious Chinese Woman prefers the summer white beers and they had a good one, a St. Berardus Witbier.  This is a Belgium beer and, although it looked lighter, it was actually a bit stronger than mine, 5.5% ABV.

It was a cloudy yellow, kind of the color of straw.  It had a lemony spice smell to it and tasted the same.  Very refreshing and quite perfect for sitting almost on the beach.  It was a bit pricier than mine at nine bucks a bottle, but nothing is too good for the Mysterious Chinese Woman.  Just ask her.  And they served it in the appropriate tulip glass.

We sat there and enjoyed our beers while watching the little kids play with their toy trucks on the beach.

My Turn, My Turn


And you could just enjoy watching the people walk by.

Or, At Least, I Could


They also have very good food here.  Wintergarden always had, in my opinion, pretty good food, as do all of the Russian restaurants on this stretch of the boardwalk.  We had shrimp and mussels and they were simply delicious.  At $12 they weren't cheap, but well worth the price.

A Tasty Beer And Beach Treat


After finishing up our beers (I had two) we headed on down the boardwalk towards where the Cyclones would be playing.  I was somewhat happy to see that the new rides in the space formerly occupied by Astroland were doing well and looked nice.

The New Steeplechase Park


But, of course, I had Ruby's on my mind.

Best Beach Dive Bar In The World


The place just continues to get more run down because, with the uncertain lease status, the owners don't want to sink any money into fixing it up.  They are down to just one bathroom now, but at least it is fairly clean.  And for the price of my beer at Le Soleil Draft Barn, here you got a Sam Adams out of the bottle.  If you wanted a glass it would be plastic.

Hey, Sam Adams Is Good Too


I will be sad to see this place go, but I am afraid Ruby's days are numbered.  It does keep hanging on, though and, in my opinion, really does deserve a landmark status.  They just don't build them like this anymore.

My next stop was the Freak Bar, adjacent to a modern version of a freak show.  No more pinheads and bearded ladies, but you still have heavily tatooed fire eaters, sword swallowers and contortionists. 

The Freak Bar


They even have a small brewery next to the place but you can't tour it.  You can only buy souvenirs.

A Brewery Lurks Within


Now, in my opinion, Freak Bar is even more of a dive than Ruby's.  Kind of like something you might find in a relatives basement.  Minimal is the word.

A Bare Bones Bar


This stuff on top of the beer cooler is about the extent of their decorating.  But at least I know where that monkey from "Toy Story 3" ended up.

How Far The Mighty Do Fall


The only reason Freak Bar doesn't qualify as the world's best beach dive bar is that it isn't that close to the beach.  It is in that still kind of seedy area of Coney Island.  The parts that make Coney Island what it is today.

Just Off The Beach


Being A Blockhead, I Had The Blockhead


I shouldn't have ordered this one.  Not only is it a hefty 10% ABV, it is a heavy Russian stout type of beer and not really suitable for a day at the beach.  Although being in Freak Bar you don't really feel like you are anywhere near a beach.  It is more reminiscent of the East Village in Manhattan back in the good-old-days when it was dangerous.  Well, the East Village is still dangerous, but now it is because of the strollers banging you in the ankles, not because of the drug-dealers and casual muggings.

After finishing up my beer we headed over to Peggy O'Neill's for our pre-game party.

Party, Party, Party


They had the standard pre-game fair, the always popular cheeseburgers, beans and Budweiser.

A Bit Of A Pre-Game Nosh


And the Mysterious Chinese Woman was ready for a bit of a snack.

Move It Along, I'm Hungry


More Of A Hotdog Person


And then we went to the game.  It really is a nice looking ballpark.

The View From Our Seats


And the Cyclones beat the Muckdogs in extra innings so it was a perfect day.

Again, I want to say thanks to Sean Murphy of MurphGuide for inviting us and look forward to attending more of his events.  They are always a fun time.  If you are in the New York City area, you should make a point of checking it out to see what is going on.

http://www.murphguide.com/

I.T.'s Baaaack

As you may have heard, the Knicks have rehired Isiah Thomas as a consultant.  Well, why wouldn't you want someone who, when he was president of the Knicks never saw the team win more than 33 games in a season and in the two years he was coach led the Knicks to a combined 56-108 record.  Oh, yeah, let's not forget that $11.6 million he cost Dolan and MSG in the sexual harassment suit brought by Anucha Browne Sanders.

And we won't even mention the Stephon Marbury fiasco for which we were still giving up fisrt-round draft picks this year and put the Knicks so far over the salary-cap they have just now dug their way out.

Sadly, everyone is predicting that Thomas is poised to take over the team again once Walsh is out of the picture, and that is liable to be sooner rather than later.

At least this time the New York papers didn't fall all over themselves praising this brilliant move, like they did for a certain quarterback a few years ago.  The headlines (yes, this kind of thing does make front page headlines in New York) were all disparaging.

"ARE THEY KNUTS" screamed the front page of the New York Daily New.  And inside you saw "SNAKE BACK IN THE GARDEN" and "Zeke gets rewarded for being a creep and loser."

The New York Post, by comparison, was relatively benign with "Thomas slithers in as Knicks consultant."

Even the staid New York Times headed their column on Isiah's return "A Bad Movie Is Getting A Sequel."

About the only thing Isiah hasn't been accused of, yet, is sending pictures of his penis via cell-phone to a former model and Sports Illustrated columnist.  That would be Brett Favre (the sender of the photo, not the former model).  But at least Brett isn't coming back.  Or is he?

On the bright side, the Brooklyn Cyclones defeated the Batavia Muckdogs in extra innings last night.  I will post about my day at the beach either later today or tomorrow.  Tonight I head to Staten Island to watch the Staten Island Yankees play the Williamsport Crosscutters.

Oh, just as a final aside, Isiah led Florida International to a 7-25 record last season.  Now you don't think their might be a conflict of interest regarding a college coach also working for a professional team in a capacity where he is "an evaluator of basketball talent," do you?

Just Meandering

One day we decided to just kind of meander around with no particular destination.  We decided we would just take one of the cute trams to wherever it went and then come back and get off if we saw somewhere interesting.  Before catching the tram, however, we had to catch the subway to the tram.

The Train To The Tram


Comfortable Seats, Though


We got off at Restaurades, just three stops and about fifteen minutes from where we are staying and caught the tram.

And Old-Fashioned Tram


The seating isn't quite as spacious and comfortable as on the subway.

A Tight Fit


But you get an interesting view from the rear.

Somewhat Like San Francisco


It was an interesting ride.  You went through a lot of older neighborhoods and wound your way through narrow streets.  Occasionally you caught glimpses of the river and we spotted a place where we wanted to stop off at on the way back.

Hey, The Yellow Umbrellas Just Called Out




Of course yellow umbrellas often mean touristy and this was no exception.  But not a bad touristy if you were just having a beer.

Touristy + Thirsty = Big Beer


And Soft Drinks For The Sisters


But the menu didn't look too appealing.  Typically tourist type of stuff and on the pricey side.  But it was a pleasant enough place to sit.  It was by the river and there was a nice view.

A Pleasant View


After quenching our thirst we wandered around a bit to take in the sights and to find someplace not quite so touristy for lunch.

Some Of The Sights








That last picture was of a whole school of fish going nuts right up by the pier.

We did find a nice looking semi-outdoor restaurant not too far away and it looked like there were a lot of business types eating, always a good sign. And it turned out to be a really nice place.

Very Nice Place, Indeed


Although it was quite hot and sunny outside, a very cooling breeze blew through. Much better than air-conditioning.

I wish I had taken more pictures or paid more attention to what we ate, but I didn't. I know I had clams in a white wine sauce, and they were excellent. We had a nice leisurely lunch, shared a bottle of wine, and I had an espresso and port as my after-lunch treat.

Living Like King And Queens


Of course there is always time for a day to turn a little sordid. I had spotted a tiny bar and had my heart set on popping in.  And I had obviously found a part of town where there was graffiti.  But the sidewalks are clean.

Kind Of Hard To Spot


It Just Called To Me


There weren't any other customers in the place, but somehow I felt right at home.

Not Touristy At All


All in all, it was a very nice day of sightseeing. And the tram, as good as any sightseeing bus, was the same price as the bus or subway. If you ever visit Lisbon, buy the one-day passes. We sure got our money's worth out of them.

Heading out to Coney Island for a Coney Island Cyclones game and party at Peggy O'Neill's. We are going out a bit early to stop at a beer garden in Brighton Beach. Then I will probably pop into Ruby's, and I want to check out the brewpub next to the Freak Bar.  A Bar Man's work is never done.

Interesting Timing

The day First Lady Michelle Obama arrived in Spain for a vacation the State Department removed a travel advisory warning African-Americans to be careful about going there.

The advisory had said "Racial prejudices could lead to the arrest of Afro-Americans who travel to Spain."

Come Again?

This blurb was in the New York Daily News today:

Space evaders:  Adrien Brody leads a group of humans being hunted by aliens on another planet in "Predators."

Hmm, if Adrien is on another planet, wouldn't he be an alien?

And. as long as we are talking movies, I saw "Inception" yesterday.  At last Sunday's barbecue there was much debate, among those who had already seen it, about whether or not Cobb was dreaming or awake at the end of the movie.  Me, I think he was awake (didn't the dreidel start to wobble?).

Now, is Deckard a replicant in "Blade Runner"?

A Visit To A Palace

One of the "must see" things when you visit Sintra is Palacio da Pena. It sits on one of the highest peaks of the Serra de Sintra and is quite spectacular, in a Disneyland sort of way.

Palicio de Pena








Palacio de Pena was built in the 19th century for Queen Maria II, Ferdinand Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. But I really have no idea who that is or what part in history she may have played. It is a cool castle, though.

Nice Views Too





As you may have surmised, the Mysterious Chinese Lady reads my blog, so here you go dear, one of those cute couple pictures I know you love.

Cutest Couple Of The Palace


And they even had a snack stand thing where you could buy a beer. Now this is the kind of palace I like.

Master Of All I Survey


There was a balcony that was extremely windy, for some reason. But the view was nice and I managed to get a couple of good fly-away-hair shots.

The Mysterious Chinese Sister-In-Law doesn't read my blog.

I Hope


On The Other Hand


The interior of the palace was very interesting as well, but you weren't allowed to take pictures. Because it was built in the 19th century it did have indoor plumbing. It was a bit disconcerting to see toilets and bathtubs in a castle.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Mysterious Chinese Sister-In-Law likes to climb towers and stuff so she was at it again here.

King Of The Palace


I Reign Supreme


It was quite an interesting palace to wander around in. And small enough so that you don't have to spend all day. A couple of hours, and that includes a beer break, is plenty.

This Would Look Good On My Wall


Unlike Quinta da Reglaeira, this isn't a place I would go back to again, but it was worth seeing once.

Still more to come on Lisbon, we packed a lot into this trip, so stay tuned.