Ok, I have to admit. Technology is pretty freaking amazing.
Right now, I'm sitting in the Providence train station, waiting for the 2:21 to New York's Penn Station. I'm listeninh to music being played through my sunglasses and typing this entire post on a PDA cell phone that is barely bigger than a deck of cards (so please ignore any typos - my fingers are like 146 times bigger than the keys...)
I also just browsed the web, trying to find some reaction to the Joe Girardi firing, and came across the news that Buck Showalter also got fired.
Now, I can understand the Nats dumping Frank Robinson, and the Cubs not renewing Dusty Baker. The Giants' firing of Felipe Alou is puzzling in that he's been able to withstand the Barry firestorm for three seasons and not really crack.
The Marlins firing of Girardi only makes sense if they are trying to lose 150 games so Jeffrey Loria can take the team to Portland, San Antonio, Vegas, or wherever else they might end up. I mean, you just don't fire the probable manager of the year unless winning is like priority #38 on your "to-do" list.
But Buck Showalter has done nothing but keep the Rangers at least moderately competitive with zero pitching and a roster full of young players for the last five years. They were in the AL West race (after dealing their best player for a bag of balls...) for the first 2/3 of this year before finally collapsing.
Maybe the Rangers wanted to make a push for one of the other available managers. Maybe they think that they can follow in the footsteps of the Yankees and Diamondbacks an win the World Series immediately after parting ways with Buck.
The move just doesn't make much sense on it's face. Maybe I'm missing something.
Of course, these are the things that happen when you blog on a PDA cell phone from a train station.
I'll be back tomorrow.
Lata.
10/4/06 - 3:45PM
Just want to recap my thoughts while riding the Amtrak from
First of all, I carry way too much crap with me. I have my laptop in my backpack, along with the charger, my cell phone, my travel cell phone charger, my PDA phone (for e-mail access without a wi-fi connection for the laptop), my PDA travel charger, my sunglasses, my MP3 sunglasses (along with the case and charger), my headphones for the laptop, a lunchbox with some soda and random foods in it (which probably should have been refrigerated longer) and, of course, clothes & toiletries. I’m going to
On a positive note, I’m riding Amtrak to
Not to mention that they have power outlets at every seat in my car (which I think is the quiet car, since the sound of me tapping the keys on the keyboard is currently the loudest noise in here), and it’s about 1/3 full, so I have plenty of space for everything I need to use. Now if only they had Wi-Fi access… I think I’d be willing to pay $9.99 for unlimited use on the train.
I actually wrote a full blog post while sitting in the train station (see above). Unfortunately, they had no Wi-Fi access either, and my PDA phone can’t access the page I need to upload the information, so it’s stuck on my device until I either get home or find a hotspot. God I’m such a geek.
I’m really looking forward to tonight – I am a fan of every one of the writers/online personalities that is going to be present except for one, and the only reason I can’t say I’m a fan of that one is that I haven’t had a chance to read any of his work yet. This is going to be cool.
Ha – the power of the Atkins diet plan. I wish I could describe the looks I just got around the train car when I pulled out my Foxwoods lunch bag and retrieved some deli meat, cheese, pepperoni and Diet Pepsi. Priceless…
Funny story – I told my mother and cousin that I was coming down to
Oh man… polarized sunglasses, a laptop screen, and nature whizzing by my window at 80mph… I feel some serious motion sickness coming on. Luckily, I have a stomach full of pepperoni, deli cheese and Diet Pepsi. That oughtta look interesting… Nevermind - it passed.
All I need is about 30 seconds on a wi-fi network so I can modify some blog settings and I’ll do all this on the PDA. Almost had enough time at the last stop – might have to wait until the next one. Yes, I know. I already said it above. I’m a total geek.
Naturally, the “next stop” was
Ha, that’s pretty funny. And it proves just how blind I actually am. Remember up top how I wondered if I was sitting in the Quiet Car on this train? Well, there’s a sign, directly above my head, that says “Quiet Car – no cell phones”. So what does the guy across the way from me do? He pulls out a cell and starts talking. The conductor – who is about 6’5”, 330, just gave him a stern talking to. Really seemed to put a hop in the conductor's step as he charged down the aisle at the first sign of cell phone usage.
I gotta say, aside from the lack of internet access (which, really, in 2006 this should be a staple of all travel) I may never drive to the
That’s it – I give up on trying to find Internet access. I’m taking a nap.
10/5/06 - 12:35AM
Thoughts on tonight's Varsity Letters Reading Series...
1) I'm doing something wrong. I need to get the word out about myself, and fast. Because I'm basically the same age as the two most well known people at the event, and I'm still schlepping around at a 9-5. Something just ain't right.
2) After wasting the better part of the last seven springs/summers playing fantasy rotisserie baseball, it was a little surreal to meet one of the guys that invented it tonight. This man has contributed so much to the downfall of corporate America that if we ever become a Socialist nation, he will need to have at least one territory named after him. And that's kinda cool.
3) There's nothing quite as enjoyable as meeting a "Yankees" fan who openly tells you she "...didn't used to like the Yankees because they don't have their names on their shirts, and it's hard to remember their names..." Naturally, she's wearing a #2 midriff T-shirt.
4) By the way - Becky & Jackie... it's not personal. I'm just a Boston guy - you know how we get... I'll still take you up on the beer & wings offer anytime, and my big screen is still available next time you take a road trip north.
5) I really need to get on the ball and pick up Will Leitch's books. Looks like I'll be using that Amazon.com Prime membership more than I expected...
6) And not that it wasn't before, but Deadspin might become my new "first stop in the morning after fantasy football" webpage.
OK - this makes two posts today from a cell phone in a train station. My thumbs hurt, and I need a nap.
Lata.
posted by Big D @ 9:05 AM
1 Comments:
you got a wings and beer offer from becky? she was adorable! and the first and only nets fan I've ever met.
are you goin' next month?
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