My friend Tim was married to my wife's sister, Amy.
My friend Tim loved his family.
My friend Tim would do anything for you, and help whenever you needed it. He would never ask for anything in return.
My friend Tim and his wife Amy were with us when my wife's water broke in a restaurant in Valparaiso, Indiana. We needed to take his brand new car to the hospital. Luckily he had towels in the trunk so we wouldn't ruin his new leather seats. Michael, our youngest was born the next day.
My friend Tim would miss a short putt, and mutter under his breath over and over "f**kin' idiot". You couldn't help but laugh. Think about the movie Boogie Nights when Philip Seymour Hoffman's character, Scotty J. tries to kiss Mark Wahlberg's character, Dirk Diggler in the driveway-and is rebuffed-you get the picture...
My friend Tim was very proud the day his son Andrew was born.
My friend Tim was so happy when his wife Amy announced she was pregnant with their second child, Emma.
My friend Tim gave me a Steelers cap when our family moved to Pittsburgh. My wife Tammy would tell you I don't have the best shaped head for caps, so I kept it in my office on a shelf. That summer Tim and his family came to visit, and when I saw the cap I thought "Tim would really like this!" When I gave it to him he thanked me, and then my wife Tammy piped up, "Geez Jim, you're an idiot, Tim gave that cap to you last Winter!" Typical of Tim, we had a great laugh over that re-gifting incident.
My friend Tim loved the Cincinnati Bengals.
My friend Tim worked his way from the age of 16 as a stock/warehouse man at Grainger to a Branch Manager. He had a great 27 year career there.
My friend Tim preferred "sprinkle cheese" on his hot dogs rather than liquid cheese.
My friend Tim and I vacationed together with our families several times in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We were fortunate that our wives would let us go golfing in the mornings, while they took care of the kids. After one of our rounds of golf we decided to stop by a nondescript hot dog stand at the side of the road for lunch. We each ordered a footlong chili cheese dog and a Diet Coke. (It was liquid cheese, by the way.) We decided that we would sit at the old picnic table outside of the stand, both of us facing the road. Not realizing the picnic table wasn't designed for two, 240 pound men to sit on one side of the table, we toppled over, but still had the foresight to grab our footlongs and drinks...and didn't spill a drop. But neither of us wanted to put our food on the ground, so we just layed there like turtles on our backs!
We buried my friend Tim this past Thursday after his untimely death on Sunday, May 15th, 2011.
I will miss my friend Tim.
Dedicated to the memory of Tim Quinlisk. With love to his wife Amy, his son Andrew and his daughter Emma.
Showing posts with label Bengals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bengals. Show all posts
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
I Hate The Cardinals
I can't stand the Cardinals. After the Reds 6-5, bottom of the 10th inning walk-off (thanks Joey Votto) victory over them last night, my hatred has become crystal clear in my mind.
Living in Cincinnati, we are groomed to hate the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns. But it's hard to hate the Cincinnati Bengals' main rivals, as the Bengals are never competitive, and the Browns are never a factor. My Dad is from Western Pennsylvania and I lived in the Pittsburgh area for two years (not to mention my two brothers live there, and my daughter Mallory will be going to grad school at Pitt in the Fall), so I actually kind of like the Steelers. Plus the Steelers are the model NFL franchise and always seem to be in the playoffs.
On the other hand it's easy to find reasons to hate the Reds' rivals. In the 70's, the Reds competed in the National League West, and the Dodgers were their main competition. I hated those guys. Steve Garvey was pompous, Ron Cey ran like a penguin (duh) and Davey Lopes was a pain in the ass on the baselines. Their fans had no commitment to their team, arriving for the games late and leaving early.
Spin forward to now. I remember not liking the Dodgers back in the 70's, but I can honestly say I hate the Cardinals today. I get pissed when they beat the Reds. Last summer, when the Cardinal came to Cincinnati and swept three games in early August (including winning the infamous brawl game) I was sick to my stomach. But my beloved Reds used that sweep as a catalyst for the rest of the season and played well enough to win the Central Division by 5 games.
Why are the Cardinals the target of my wrath?
- They are successful, one of the model franchises in the National League, with fans who are loyal, passionate and with outstanding baseball intelligence. I hate hearing that (although it's probably true).
- Since the National League Central Division was formed in 1994, the Cardinals have won it seven times, more than any other team.
-Albert Pujols. I started out liking him. But my wife Tammy hates him. She thinks he cheats. I have to go with her, as life in my house would be miserable if I don't agree.
-The Brawl. OK, Brandon Phillips stoked the fire prior to the infamous brawl last summer when he fired off this ditty prior to the series:
"I'd play against these guys with one leg," Phillips told Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News. "I hate the Cardinals. All they do is bitch and moan about everything, all of them, they're little bitches, all of 'em."
And of course the over sensitive Cardinals decided to take it personally. So when Phillips led off in the second game of the series and customarily touched Yadier Molina's shinguard with his bat (as he has done for years) the fight was on. Oh, by the way-the Reds kicked the Cardinals asses in that fight! (coverage: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100810&content_id=13276098&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb)
- They are managed by the "Great" Tony LaRussa. I have already commented on his gamesmanship in a previous post. Is there any manager more overrated than LaRussa? He has been managing for over thirty years, yet only has two World Series victories. He only has two National League Pennants in 15 plus years with the Cardinals. Hell, if I managed that long I could have walked into two pennants with the talent the Cardinals have had over the years. His biggest accomplishment is that he has built up wins over a long period of time. Congratulations on your longevity, Tony.
Tony LaRussa has conveniently turned his back to the PED (performance enhancing drugs) abuse that took place on his teams over the years, and presided over two of the most infamous teams (The Oakland A's and the Cardinals) in the PED era.
Dusty Baker and Tony LaRussa don't like each other (it goes back to the 2002 National League Championship series between the Baker Managed Giants and the LaRussa Managed Cardinals). This article from September 2010 provides a good history of their rivalry: http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/inside_the_tony_la_russa_dusty_baker_rivalry/3161081
But it's LaRussa's arrogance that really grates on me. Red's Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman summarizes my feelings the best. On Feb 7th, 2011 he made this comment at an event at Marshall University in West Virgina:
“I'm not a big St. Louis fan, because I'm not a big Tony LaRussa fan. I refer to him as ‘Mr. Baseball' on the radio, because he acts like he invented the game.”
If it's good enough for Marty and Dusty not to like LaRussa, it's good enough for me.
This afternoon I'm going to the Cardinals, Reds game at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. I would like nothing more than another Reds victory over the hated Cardinals. Too bad Tony LaRussa won't be there (taking some days off due to shingles) to enjoy the drubbing.
Living in Cincinnati, we are groomed to hate the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns. But it's hard to hate the Cincinnati Bengals' main rivals, as the Bengals are never competitive, and the Browns are never a factor. My Dad is from Western Pennsylvania and I lived in the Pittsburgh area for two years (not to mention my two brothers live there, and my daughter Mallory will be going to grad school at Pitt in the Fall), so I actually kind of like the Steelers. Plus the Steelers are the model NFL franchise and always seem to be in the playoffs.On the other hand it's easy to find reasons to hate the Reds' rivals. In the 70's, the Reds competed in the National League West, and the Dodgers were their main competition. I hated those guys. Steve Garvey was pompous, Ron Cey ran like a penguin (duh) and Davey Lopes was a pain in the ass on the baselines. Their fans had no commitment to their team, arriving for the games late and leaving early.
Spin forward to now. I remember not liking the Dodgers back in the 70's, but I can honestly say I hate the Cardinals today. I get pissed when they beat the Reds. Last summer, when the Cardinal came to Cincinnati and swept three games in early August (including winning the infamous brawl game) I was sick to my stomach. But my beloved Reds used that sweep as a catalyst for the rest of the season and played well enough to win the Central Division by 5 games.
Why are the Cardinals the target of my wrath?
- They are successful, one of the model franchises in the National League, with fans who are loyal, passionate and with outstanding baseball intelligence. I hate hearing that (although it's probably true).
- Since the National League Central Division was formed in 1994, the Cardinals have won it seven times, more than any other team.
-Albert Pujols. I started out liking him. But my wife Tammy hates him. She thinks he cheats. I have to go with her, as life in my house would be miserable if I don't agree.
-The Brawl. OK, Brandon Phillips stoked the fire prior to the infamous brawl last summer when he fired off this ditty prior to the series:
"I'd play against these guys with one leg," Phillips told Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News. "I hate the Cardinals. All they do is bitch and moan about everything, all of them, they're little bitches, all of 'em."
And of course the over sensitive Cardinals decided to take it personally. So when Phillips led off in the second game of the series and customarily touched Yadier Molina's shinguard with his bat (as he has done for years) the fight was on. Oh, by the way-the Reds kicked the Cardinals asses in that fight! (coverage: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100810&content_id=13276098&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb)
- They are managed by the "Great" Tony LaRussa. I have already commented on his gamesmanship in a previous post. Is there any manager more overrated than LaRussa? He has been managing for over thirty years, yet only has two World Series victories. He only has two National League Pennants in 15 plus years with the Cardinals. Hell, if I managed that long I could have walked into two pennants with the talent the Cardinals have had over the years. His biggest accomplishment is that he has built up wins over a long period of time. Congratulations on your longevity, Tony.
Tony LaRussa has conveniently turned his back to the PED (performance enhancing drugs) abuse that took place on his teams over the years, and presided over two of the most infamous teams (The Oakland A's and the Cardinals) in the PED era.
Dusty Baker and Tony LaRussa don't like each other (it goes back to the 2002 National League Championship series between the Baker Managed Giants and the LaRussa Managed Cardinals). This article from September 2010 provides a good history of their rivalry: http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/inside_the_tony_la_russa_dusty_baker_rivalry/3161081
But it's LaRussa's arrogance that really grates on me. Red's Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman summarizes my feelings the best. On Feb 7th, 2011 he made this comment at an event at Marshall University in West Virgina:
“I'm not a big St. Louis fan, because I'm not a big Tony LaRussa fan. I refer to him as ‘Mr. Baseball' on the radio, because he acts like he invented the game.”
If it's good enough for Marty and Dusty not to like LaRussa, it's good enough for me.
This afternoon I'm going to the Cardinals, Reds game at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. I would like nothing more than another Reds victory over the hated Cardinals. Too bad Tony LaRussa won't be there (taking some days off due to shingles) to enjoy the drubbing.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Chad Ochocinco's Trial With Sporting KC, I Like It!
In typical fashion, Cincinnati Bengal wide receiver Chad Ochocinco has generated a wide range of opinions with regards to his trial this week with Sporting KC of Major League Soccer.
One opinion: This is just another Chad Ochocinco publicity stunt, meant to only promote himself. Sporting KC doesn't need this kind of distraction as they begin the 2011 MLS regular season.
Another opinion: Why now? Chad Ochocinco hasn't played since high school. Why would Sporting KC bring Chad Ochocinco into training, risking injury to team members as there is no way that he can keep up with the pace of these professional soccer players. What does Sporting KC gain, as the chances that Chad Ochocinco makes the team are very small.
I'm a Cincinnati Bengals fan, admittedly a tough thing to admit with the poor results the Bengals have had over the last several years. As a resident of the Cincinnati area, I've experienced life with Chad Ochocinco as a player, self-promoter, etc. My take? Chad Ochocinco is giving an honest effort to make the team. He respects the game, respects the players and has been very honest in his self-assessment as a player. Just look at some sample Tweets from his Twitter page, http://twitter.com/#!/ochocinco:
 |
| Chad Ochocinco at his Press Conference www.sportingkc.com |
One opinion: This is just another Chad Ochocinco publicity stunt, meant to only promote himself. Sporting KC doesn't need this kind of distraction as they begin the 2011 MLS regular season.
Another opinion: Why now? Chad Ochocinco hasn't played since high school. Why would Sporting KC bring Chad Ochocinco into training, risking injury to team members as there is no way that he can keep up with the pace of these professional soccer players. What does Sporting KC gain, as the chances that Chad Ochocinco makes the team are very small.
I'm a Cincinnati Bengals fan, admittedly a tough thing to admit with the poor results the Bengals have had over the last several years. As a resident of the Cincinnati area, I've experienced life with Chad Ochocinco as a player, self-promoter, etc. My take? Chad Ochocinco is giving an honest effort to make the team. He respects the game, respects the players and has been very honest in his self-assessment as a player. Just look at some sample Tweets from his Twitter page, http://twitter.com/#!/ochocinco:
ochocinco Chad Ochocinco
Headed to bed with a (humble pie) in the oven on low tempature,to be able to grace the pitch with elite futbol athletes is #Epic goodnight
ochocinco Chad Ochocinco
@3gerardpique I understand the skill it takes it to play at this level,I just love the beautiful game n have much respect for it,see u soon.
ochocinco Chad Ochocinco
I wish you all can see the skill it takes to play FUTBOL,even with my speed these guys still make me look like shit on the pitch#seriously
ochocinco Chad Ochocinco
Speed is nothing without control, let the ball do the breathing#TheBeautifulGame
ochocinco Chad Ochocinco
Taking the entire team to Fogo De Chao tonight,I'm the rookie in a sense so this should be fun,what are y'all doing?
Chad Ochocinco has been respectful and humble during his trail with Sporting KC. Will he make the team? I don't know. But I'm rooting for him.
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