My blog n'at

Flyers made it into the Stanley Cup Playoffs on the last day of the season with a shootout goal and now they’re playing for the Cup. How in the freaking world did this happen? Teams 1-3 were knocked off right away and then the Pens fell to Montreal in 7. This has been one screwed up playoffs and if the NHL commercials about “History will be made” weren’t so god awful they would be praised for accuracy. Actually it should be “This is some fucked-up repugnant shit.”

I’m seriously torn but here’s what my decision came down to.

If your reaction is “you’re not a TRUE Pens fan” I must retort with “neither are you bandwagon!”. I’m not saying I’m cheering for the Flyers, I’m saying I pick them to win. I remained a ticket holder in the Mellon Arena during the dismal early 2000′s. Where were you when 8000 would show up to the games and before the Crosby era. You can’t question my fandom because you cant get past made up hatred for a a team you didn’t know existed 2 years ago.

Do I still hate the Flyers? You bet your sweet ass I do but they’re representing the East right now. OUR conference. They deserve OUR support. As much as it hurts me to say it, they made it to the show this year and the Pens didn’t.

Hey everyone, we need your help with something that was just brought to our attention and will take you less than 2 minutes but we need you to do it ASAP since the deadline is May 31st!. Pittsburgh Magazine is holding its Best of the Burgh competition again this year and there is not ONE mention of craft beer or podcasts. We want to change that and here’s how you can win something very badass in the process.

1. Go to : http://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/Pittsburgh-Magazine/April-2010/Best-of-Pittsburgh-Survey/
2. Scroll to the bottom and in “Did we miss something? – Best of Other” type in “Should I Drink That – Best Craft Beer Podcast”
3. Submit

Now you can fill out the rest if you’re so inclined but the main thing is to get us in the OTHER category.

Pittsburgh is booming with great craft beer destinations and no where in “Food and Drink” do you find a category for them. Pittsburgh needs to be aware of the incredible craft beer culture we have in this city and by submitting our names you’re helping to get the word out!

Now, since we like to reward you for your help here’s what you get, let us know you voted (honor system here folks, we trust you) and you will receive 5 entries for… 2 tickets to see Zane Lamprey’s Drinking Made Easy Comedy Tour at Mr. Small’s Theater on June 8th at 8pm! You may know Zane from his hit TV show Three Sheets so now you can hang with SIDT & Zane in the same night! Its a drinking doubleheader!

Get out and vote!

DEADLINE IS MAY 31ST!!!

Thanks for all of the support in the walk this year! The 3 mile walk started at North Shore park by Heinz Field, passed through PNC Park, to and across the 16th St Bridge, through downtown, across the Clemente Bridge and finishing at PNC Park.

I wish I could say I was stunned but I’m not. I’m disappointed and realistic. The Pens team that came out against Montreal in game 7 was not a Stanley Cup caliber team. 2 Years in a row they played to the cup finals and beating most of the odds it was only a matter of time before they came up short.

Last night? Christ hey didn’t even show up! Down 4-0 in a game 7 shows that the towel was thrown in early. We knew at the 10 minute mark of the 3rd period it was over. You just had that feeling that no matter what happened next it wouldn’t be enough. People started to pose for pictures in the stands with each other. F-balcony was taking pics like it was the last day of highschool and by the time the final buzzer sounded we all stood and gave the Pens and the Igloo one final round of applause. Showing their gratitude to the fans the players rose their sticks to the sky and saluted the fans. The fans who sold out the place 165 consecutive times (including that night).

No one ripped signs down or started stealing anything that wasn’t tied down. You saw a tip of the hat or a pat on the back and fans graciously walking out. I admit I was a bit choked up. I walked around one last time, stopped at the Cathedral Prep jersey hanging on the wall, looked out at center ice and exited Gate 3 slapping the door on my way out.  This is the only home myself and all Pens fans have known and next year we move across the street. I was there for Three Rivers Stadium, the place I called home every summer from 84 until the mid 90′s,  on its last day and finally the  implosion

Last night was an emotional sendoff but a fitting one. Teaspoon will have questions for me on what it was like going to games there and I’ll be ready to tell them. How many professional places can you still piss into a trough anyways! Now I have my first summer free of sports and I’ll have to fill that void with moving. Yeah there is Pirates baseball but seriously… its the Pirates.

Right before everyone left the video above was played and the voice of Mike Lange said for one final time “Ladies and Gentlemen, Elvis has just left the building.”

end scene

In keeping with hockey tradition, the 2010 playoff beard.

April 11, 2010 – May 13, 2010

Recap of last night coming later when I grasp the reality that my summer is now free.

Today could be huge in many ways.

1) Today would have been my dad’s 76th birthday. Cheers old man, wish you could be here for…
2) game 7 of the Pens/Habs series and
3) Potentially the last game EVER at Mellon Arena

Now I know that every game that I’ve attended could have very well been that for me and the arena but tonight the harsh reality is here. It’s game 7! Around 10pm EST tonight someone will be calling to make tee times and I hope its not the Pens.

With all of the talk today about the game I want to bring something up. Your superstitions have nothing to do with the outcome. Previous records in game 7′s, with home ice and blah blah blah. What tonight comes down to is who wants it more. Who gets the bounces and who gets the calls. Doesn’t matter what market you live in the news will skew the odds so that your team will be favored. Fact of the matter is both teams are dead even. Playing in Pittsburgh is a plus for the Pens because of fan energy but besides that put away your inflatable whatevers and that jersey you haven’t washed in a year.

If the Pens lose I’m ready to walk out one last time. I’ve said my goodbye to the arena already. I just don’t wanna shave this dead sexy pimpin beard I have off yet. Not like this at least.

LETS GO PENS!

I have a serious dilemma. I need to find cable and internet service. Phone, eh I guess but not a biggie. I need yinz guys to help me decide on who’s good and who sucks in Pittsburgh. I’ve had all of my services through Armstrong for the past 3 years and they have been rock solid with very VERY few outages and rocking internet speeds.

The house is already wired so my options are Direct TV, Verizon Fios and Comcast. I’ve had Comcast in the past and besides bitchy tech people the service was good. I hear nightmares about Fios from geeks but the house is already wired for it so that’s why I’m considering it. My only concern for Direct TV is the signal during bad weather storms.
Here is what I want/need.

1. Fast internet – I work from home on occasion, I’m online all the time working on something, do some video conferencing along with  a lot of data transfer and dont download movies. In other words I can’t afford downtime.
2. TV – the most important amenity in a house with an infant
   1. Hockey – I get every Pens game during the season. This cannot change. No blackouts or any of that jazz.
   2. HD – the more HD the better. That’s all I watch now unless its
   3. kids programming – Sprout, Disney and Nick Jr. are a must with a 1yr old in the house
   4. Movies – not important but a plus
   5. Watch in multiple rooms – not important but a plus
   6. Don’t give me that “dude just download your shows.” You can live like that if you want, I cant.
3. Phone – I really don’t care about having a home phone since we have a boatload of cell minutes and long distance but Lushie likes it so whatever package is available I guess we’d take.

Direct TV sent me a flier on a great deal for 1yr but it expires at closing time so that may not be an option.

So Pittsburgh, what do you suggest and who do you want to get stabby with?

4 years ago today sickpuppy and I launched SIDT. We figured that it would last 10 shows and maybe a couple hundred downloads from friends. This evening we’re releasing EP63 and are pushing 700,000 downloads.

I thought about doing a “state of SIDT” address for today but realized that required a lot of work and I have beer to drink. I know we say this every year but we’ve kept our promise, wait till you see what we’re gonna do next. 2010-11 has already shaped up to be unreal and we will be doing more with our social media sites getting you guys even more involved.  iphone/droid apps are in the works, more with the DD hotline and goodies I havent even told sickpup about.

I will say this, our 5th anniversary is going to be a freaking bash

Thanks everyone for the support and don’t forget to call…

cheers!

The mortgage has been approved! Now starts the countdown to the closing and 4 months of craziness. Honestly I cant wait for the day I can turn my keys into the landlord and say goodbye to the evil that is his office staff. But hey lets be positive!

I was stunned to find out everything happened so fast. Again I’ve heard nightmares of these things dragging out and was told by the bank it wouldn’t be until the end of May before we got an answer. No complaints at all coming from this side of the table.

The only thing I’m waiting on now is a few repairs that came up in the home inspection. Hey if all else fails and things fall through I know I’m approved and can work off that.

Right now Lushie and I are scoping out where some key stores are located. Target, Home Depot, Giant Eagle and the craft beer store. Unfortunately none of those are walking distance so I may have to stay local. I’m a sucker for home town hardware stores so who knows what I’ll find. We’re going to start going through the mess in our basement this week to figure out what to pitch come Memorial Day weekend. I’m looking forward to tossing a lot of old papers and junk that I have no idea why I kept.

My mom is hellbent on me bringing my stuff I have at her house in Erie. What this stuff could be besides baseball cards and a box of misc. junk in her attic is beyond me. Talk to her and you’d think that I have a wing of the house. She keeps talking about a box of vcr tapes and even after I say pitch them (seriously, everything is on You Tube now) she insists that I go through them.  Can I burn them without killing something in the air?  Probably not, they’re from the 80′s and have more toxins than Aqua Net.

I am bringing down some of my dad’s tools so that will mean more than anyone could know. When my dad was alive he collected some of the best tools known to man; he never used them but had to have them. Plus he always took pristine care of his tools… all the way down to painting them gold or fixing with duct tape.

Dad, now it’s my turn.

Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. I’m walking for my son, Teaspoon, who was born 8 weeks early. He did not have an easy start in life but thanks to all the great nurses and physicians in the NICU he is happy and healthy today. Not all families are as lucky as us, some children have life long health problems and some never make it home. The March of Dimes wants to change that, they want all preemies to be like Teaspoon, healthy and happy.

Please support my walk. Support the March of Dimes. Support babies like Teaspoon who just want a chance to make a difference in this world. Making a secure donation is easy: just click the ‘donate now’ button on this page. Thank you for helping me give all babies a healthy start!

The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

You can donate and/or sign up to walk on the website below.

http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=3100581&ct=4&w=4405758&u=dderda&bt=11

Here is the info on the event:
Date: May 23, 2010
Address: 115 Federal Street, Pittsburgh, PA  15212
Walk Distance: 3 miles
Registration Time: 8:00 AM
Start Time: 9:00 AM

For those of you already walking with other groups let us know and maybe we can meetup!

I hope to see you there while having a good time walking for a great cause!

Thanks!
Spoon, Lushie & Teaspoon

If you have any questions please let us know!

Dear Christina,

WTF! Seriously, wtf are you doing! I just watched your latest video and have to ask, are you that upset Lady GaGa has been able to do what your X-tina personality failed to do almost 10 years ago? Honey, you are turning 30 this year. Stop with the “this is the real me and if you don’t like it fuck you.” Face it, your time to be edgy like that has past and as you saw previously that not only made you a joke but ruined your image. Yeah I get reinventing yourself but please, you’re looking pathetic trying to be someone who’s obviously taken over your fame.

Christina, you have one of the most incredible voices but yet you choose for whatever reason to screw up your career with the consistency of Big Ben. You have the potential to be one of the classiest women in music. You’re still hot but you’re also from Wexford; you’re not gangsta or edgy. Do yourself a favor, figure out what exactly it is you want.

Love,
spoon