The Rolling Stones & Buddy Guy - Champagne & Reefer

Muddy Water’s classic blues jam from Martin Scorsese’s Shine A Light.  Great concert DVD/documentary.

How Old Are We?

I don’t like to talk politics when I don’t really know what I’m talking about (read: all the time), but I feel like I just have to say this.  On a day where everyone expected Congress to pass the bailout bill, it fell apart in the House of Representatives and ultimately died.  If you are like most, you probably feel like the economy is going to dive to Great Depression levels.  Although I am not as pessimistic as the media (I think we will be out of this in 6 months), I do think it was important for that bill to go through today.  However, as everyone knows, it didn’t.  What really bothers me is the fact that after the bill died, instead of starting over, the only thing both parties could do was blame the other, like they were 5 FRICKIN YEARS OLD.  You know, uh, we are in a financial crisis here, right?  Republican Ass Hat/Democratic Idiot: Not my fault!

I have no doubt that individually, most of the politicians who run our country are good, caring people.  Together, they accomplish about as much as a wet fart in public: you think it’s gonna be all good and funny at first, but it just ends up a wet, embarrassing mess.

Car Crash

I must admit that sometimes, I get a little bit of pleasure watching teams (or people) crash and burn.  It’s a bit shameful, yes, but it happens.  Being a huge Tiger Woods fan, I occasionally cackle inside when I think about Phil Mickelson self-destructing on the 18th at the US Open.  During the Super Bowl last year, I rooted hard AGAINST the Patriots.  This is odd behavior for me.  I don’t ‘hate’ Phil Mickelson, I actually like him a lot.  The Patriots had that loss coming to them, but I don’t dislike them either.  Sometimes it’s impossible to root for certain people in certain situations.

Being a Cubs fan, I often find myself hating on the White Sox.  After all, they are the inferior team in this city.  But really, they have what we want: a World Series. Sometimes my dislike for them stems more out of jealousy than out of actual hate, at least since 2005.  The Cubs have already made the playoffs and look like they can’t be stopped.  I would love nothing more than for the Cubs to meet the Sox in the World Series.  Chicago would probably crumble under the sheer blasphemy of the situation, but we would all go down having a good time.  So for once, as I sit here waiting out the rain delay before the Sox game, I hope they win.  Go Sox.

It’s Back!

Finally!

If I Can Make It There, I’ll Make It Anywhere

At a certain point in every man’s life, there is a realization that people are going to remember you (or not remember you) for the things you’ve done and for the things you’ve left behind.  Your legacy is largely based on what you have done, but also on the places you resided, the events you participated in, the people you surrounded yourself with.  I guess I’m trying to say that to me, legacy and personal tradition go hand in hand.  No, tradition may not have a score or a finite value attached to it like legacy usually does, but it is just as meaningful.  As I get older, I’m understanding that sometimes it’s better for things to not change, for things to always be the way they are.

Tonight was the final game played at Yankee Stadium, the home of the New York Yankees.  I traveled to New York City over the summer with my Dad for the sole purpose of seeing the stadium one last time.  My Dad didn’t grow up in New York and was never a fan of the Yankees, but I’ve come to the understanding of why he was so adamant about going to see it.  The Yankees represent tradition and history, maybe more so than any other franchise in all of sports.  There is a certain bond that forms between large cities and their teams.  Maybe it’s due to the sheer number of people who are all hoping for the same outcome, or maybe it’s the fact that for those two or three hours, we are all together and enjoying ourselves; we see our team as almost another family member.  Of course, we don’t literally live and die with their wins and losses, but it sure comes close.  How else would you describe the emptiness that a hard loss brings, or the sheer joy that comes from a great win?  The New York Yankees, and Yankee Stadium, are a wonderful example of the greatness of sports, and tradition.  One of my favorite stories of any Yankee is that of Derek Jeter.  Long time Yankees PA Announcer Bob Sheppard fell ill over the past year and has been unable to announce this season.  Rather than have the substitute announcer introduce his at bats, Jeter requested that the tape of Bob Sheppard doing it in years past be played.  This is certainly no big feat or gesture, but it’s the small routines, the small traditions that make up the larger tradition.

After watching some of tonight’s ceremonies and honoring of former players, I couldn’t help but want to be there, witnessing it all first hand.  I don’t know why it takes things like watching a ceremony on tv to get me to understand, but I’m starting to do just that.  I can only hope that I am able to leave some legacy for my children and my family, but even more than that, I hope to leave them with traditions that they not only enjoy, but want to pass on to their own children.  Maybe one day they will tell their kids about the hundreds of times their dad brought them to a Cubs game, and how much fun they all were, no matter how good or bad the team was, and how he would always buy them hot dogs until they felt like exploding.  Whether it be landmarks like Wrigley Field or Yankee Stadium, or something as trivial as what I order everytime I go to Portillo’s with my Dad (chili dog with cheese, no onions, a large fry, and a large chocalate shake, please), I’m going to start embracing, and celebrating, the traditions of my own and those of the people around me.