Happy Ireland Day

It's St. Patrick's Day!  A day originally intended to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland and Irish Christianity.  Now we drink beer and take drunk pictures and drunk text and drunk dial and drunk drunk drunk.

Hey, did you know St. Patrick's Day is a provincial holiday in Newfoundland (and, by extension, Labrador)?  I didn't.  Now I do.  Enjoy your day off of work, Newfie friends!  Your, uh, Saturday off of work.

Keep it real, y'all.  While enjoying your Guinness or your Kilkenny or your Smithwicks or your Harp or your Baileys or your Shamrock Shake or your anything but Corona, listen to this incomplete list of Irish rock 'n' rollaz.

(Right Click. Save As.)

Sinead O'Connor - Dagger Through The Heart

The Pogues - Sally MacLennane

Van Morrison - The Way Young Lovers Do

My Bloody Valentine - Lose My Breath

The Thrills - Say It Ain't So

The Cranberries - Hollywood

...and, of course:

U2 - Last night on Earth

[Extra points for naming that skyline.]

Commence Baseballing + Related Tunes

It's the most wonderful time of the year.
The hap-happiest season of all.

Baseballtime.


I have to remind myself not to take these spring training games too seriously.  The proven players are only here to warm up their bones, and tied games after the ninth finish as ties.  It's all casual and fun.

It's less casual and less fun for the invitees who, if they don't make the roster, spend another season in the mid-minors.
Less casual and less fun for the guys who tweak a muscle while trying to prove their worth.
Less casual and less fun for the guys who bunt baseballs into their own faces.
Less casual and less fun for the guys who fall down the stairs.
Less casual and less fun for the guys who could be broken beyond all repair.

Baseball giveth, and baseball taketh away.

This season will be wrought with drama and side-notes and other items of interest:
- who will take advantage of the new playoff spots?
- will the Red Sox and their new annoying manager get their act together?
- ...the New York Mets more so?
- Cardinals sans Pujols?
- Angels with Pujols?
- Tigers with Prince?
- can 49-year-old Jaime Moyer (and his 1-year-old Tommy John'd arm) still be useful?
- can 44-year-old Omar Vizquel... also be useful?

I can't wait.  I can't wait.

HEY,
These are some of my favorite baseball songs.
Right-click.  Save as.

The Baseball Project - Buckner's Bolero
Chuck Brodsky - The Bellyache Heard 'Round The World
Bob Dylan - Catfish
Belle and Sebastian - Piazza, New York Catcher
Ozma - Baseball