Married Life

Greensboro, NC -- Today marks the first blog as a married man.  Hooray!  Does it feel any different being married?  No.  But, I do feel a sense of obligation and responsibility to my new, beautiful wife.  I'm already getting slapped on the wrist for not check with her about planning a trip to check out a SEC game next month; Oregon-Tennessee.  

The big, iron spotlight has now fallen.  It's kind of sad now that it's all over, but there's also a sense of relief.  Each weekend, my life was consumed by some wedding appointment, or my bank account was constantly being drained over frivolous needs.  I also have more free time, which means more blogs and better analysis on the weekly podcast, The Less Desirables. 

The wedding party, wedding emcee and TLD co-host Trivia Tim, our parents, and Graylyn all did a spectacular job with the wedding festivities.  Despite the rain, the events were not altered too badly.  We had to move the cocktail hour inside, but other than that, nothing else was affected.  I had a little snafu with my tuxedo rental (missing pieces), but that's what a best man is for.  Great job to everyone involved, and thank you to our guests for coming.  I'll touch on the honeymoon in the next blog.

Yadkin River Valley, Day 2

Greensboro, NC -- We returned to the Yadkin River Valley on Sunday to snap more photos of vineyards signs with us in them.  Since we're having a "wine themed" wedding, each of our guest tables at dinner will be named after a North Carolina vineyard.  A photo of that vineyard with us in it will be displayed in the center of the table.  The other reason, and perhaps more important, is to taste more local wines.  Here are the places that we visited, but did not try any of their wines:

• Westbend Vineyards
• RayLen Vineyards (closed on Sundays)
• Brandon Hills Vineyard
• Allison Oaks Vineyards
• Shadow Springs Vineyards
• Sandy Ridge Vineyards

We did stop, interact, and taste several wines from two vineyards; Misty Creek Vineyards and Hanover Park Vineyard.  The proprietor for Misty Creek must have been one of the nicest people that I have ever met.  With a gentle demeanor, the owner provided a dazzling display of his finest wines.  He even offered us a free puppy after his dog recently gave birth to five puppies.  A true gem of a winery with first class service.


On our second stop, we tried a generous tasting of wines crafted by the owners themselves.  At this place, the husband and wife ownership concocted several blends by mixing various wines (similar grapes but different ages) together.  The "HP Reserve," a $42 bottle, was perhaps the best wine that I tasted all weekend.  A power couple of art instructors, the owners' marriage brought them to the south of France on their honeymoon where a dream of owning their own vineyard became a reality in the Yadkin Valley.  Just another treat along the Yadkin River trail.
 

A Late Spring Trip to the Yadkin River Valley

Greensboro, NC -- I had the distinct pleasure of taking a day trip to the Yadkin River Valley, which is an area in the northwestern part of North Carolina.  The area rests about 25 miles northwest of Winston-Salem.  The climate boasts superb conditions for the growing of wine grapes, complete with red clay mud (soil), sufficient sunlight year-round, and cool breezes from the Blue Ridge Mountains nearby.  While we didn't get to try all of the vineyards on our agenda, we made two pit stops; Shelton Vineyards and Stony Knoll Vineyards.

Shelton Vineyards is a well-known vineyard in NC where you can find a good selection of their wines in your local super markets.  Their red wines are very flavorful; even their Merlot didn't have that typical dry-out taste.  We had the opportunity to chat with Mr. Ed Shelton personally during our last leg of the wine tastings; the "sweet" wines.  As Mr. Shelton told us, the land in Dobson, NC used to be a large dairy farm, and in the early 1990's, he and his brother got the idea to grow grapes.  While the rest remains history, Shelton Vineyards has exploded into one of the top 5 (I believe) wine producing vineyards in our state.  The area of land was magnificently maintained -- a crown jewel in this rural area of the state!

Stony Knolls Vineyard was a much smaller producer located on the banks of the Yadkin River.  Again, we had the opportunity to chat with owner Mr. Van Coe over his prized possessions.  In this area of the state, you make the land work for you.  It's your source of income since there are no office buildings or other edifices to produce revenue.  Mr. Coe was very proud of his investment, and rightfully so.  He had a 6 year old tasting room that captured the environment of the rest of the property.  I was impressed with the vineyard's output considering its size and staff.  Mr. Coe explained to me that he's working on getting his wines to commercial mainstream since you can only consume them at select hotels at this time.

If you haven't had the chance to venture to the Yadkin River Valley, I highly recommend a day trip to the area.  The muddy waters of the river slice through the best land to grow grapes and produce eloquent wines.  As Mr. Shelton said, "Let's start a wine party!  People would never fight or disagree, unlike tea parties, coffee parties, or 'beer' parties."  Well put.

NFL Draft Tweets

Greensboro, NC -- The NFL Draft has come and gone, but yet, I still couldn't resist posting these tweets from the weekend despite the 3 weeks that have elapsed. 

• "Patriots collecting draft picks like Larry King collects wives.''

-- @LASportsAgent, sports agent and attorney Mark Slough, in the midst of the Patriots' tradefest on the Friday night of the draft.

• "Ohio U has pick before Ohio State.'' 

-- @Coach_Eck, Ball State offensive line coach Jason Eck, after the Patriots took Ohio University wide receiver Taylor Price with the 90th pick, before the first Buckeye went in the draft.

• "LenDale White traded for a ham sandwich, which he ate.''

-- @adbrandt, former NFL executive Andrew Brandt, now of National Football Post, after Seattle acquired the disappointing (and sometimes overweight) White and defensive lineman Kevin Vickerson simply for swapping draft spots in the fourth and sixth rounds Saturday.

Grand Day for Winston-Salem

Greensboro, NC -- At long last, after three and a half years since the idea was first proposed, Winston-Salem is opening their new ballpark downtown tonight.  While I am not attending the game, and the game is being played during this writing, the park's beauty is nothing but magnificent.  I pass by the 610,000 bricks twice a day to my "day job."  The park currently holds 5,500 spectators, but the key to the park is that it's accessible in 360 degrees.  When I attend ballgames, I like to walk around the park and coddle my beverage in the outfield (at minor league games).  However, it's always a pain to walk in a "U" to get from the entrance (right side of the field) to the left field area.  In this park, you can walk in any direction around the field.

The Winston-Salem Dash (get it, Winston "dash" Salem) are hosting the Potomac Nationals amid cloudy skies, but it's currently 75 degrees.  It wasn't easy to reach this day -- there were many setbacks along the journey.  There was strong citizen opposition out of fear of raising taxes and ultimately, using the monies for more needed expenditures, such as schools and roads.  The team and the city ran out of money in November 2008.  In April 2009, B's Bistro blogged about the ballpark progress.  It wasn't until September 2009 that BB&T stepped in to bridge the financial gap, and work on the park resumed.  It was sad to see a 70% completed park sit there for 10 months untouched.  With a tight deadline of Opening Day 2010, the workers and the city finished the park in the nick of time.  It's a beauty with the city's unique skyline sprinkled across the asymmetrical outfield wall.  I plan on taking in a game this month; I guarantee it'll be worth the wait.

The "Great" Offseason Trade

Greensboro, NC -- If the Redskins aren't going to dab their hands into the slim free agent pool this year, they might as well make a splash with a cannonball-sized trade.  This deal isn't necessarily about money, but it's still Snyder politics at its core; bring in the best player available and start selling jerseys.  While I do believe the Redskins offense will be much improved both at the quarterback position and overall coaching, the team is not one player away from a deep run in the postseason.

This trade will forever forbid our eyes from seeing Sam Bradford don the burgundy and gold.  I believe that it would make more sense if the new regime built their team from the ground up, as in drafting a quarterback and rebuilding the offensive line.  These quick fix patches -- like potentially signing Flozell Adams -- provide very little depth and stability at critical positions.  While most sources and fans believe that the trade will work out well for the Redskins, including my trusted source Peter King, I don't believe that it'll bring long term success or improve the team by several wins.  Jason Campbell probably wasn't the solution at quarterback, but most of his dropbacks that resulted in sacks were not his fault. 

Games are won in the trenches with your offensive and defensive lines.  If your offensive line is stable, any capable running back can find the holes, and any professional quarterback that has sufficient time will eventually find the open receiver.  If your defensive line can apply pressure to the quarterback, and force the offensive into doing things that they don't want to do, then the defense will be successful.  Until the Redskins realize that games and championships are not won at the skill positions, it won't matter who is coaching the team or calling the shots from the front office.  Drafting Oklahoma State OT Russell Okung would be the next best step for this franchise.

I believe that we can get a year or two of good quarterbacking from McNabb.  He's mobile, he still has a strong arm, and he's smart.  It's going to be difficult rooting for him at first because I've cheered against him since I was in high school.  These intra-divisional trades are always odd and unusual.  They usually don't occur because one or both teams are fearful of looking foolish, and aiding the opposition, if the trade doesn't pan out in their favor.  It'll be interesting to see what the Eagles do with the 37th pick in this month's deep NFL draft.

Opening Day

Greensboro, NC -- In the greatest sport of them all, we all know that time begins on Opening Day.  When every team has a sense of hope, this first Monday in April should be a national sports holiday with all of the day games and the NCAA Championship to cap off the night.  But in today's space, we're here to make our predictions for the upcoming baseball season, so here goes:

Division Winners
AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Twins
AL West: Angels
AL Wild Card: Red Sox


NL East: Phillies
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Rockies
NL Wild Card: Braves


Playoffs

ALDS: Yankees over Twins; Red Sox over Angels
NLDS: Phillies over Rockies; Braves over Cardinals


ALCS: Red Sox over Yankees
NLCS: Phillies over Braves


WS: Red Sox over Phillies


MVP's
AL MVP: Mark Teixeira, 1B, NYY
NL MVP: Albert Pujols, 1B, STL


Cy Young's

AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez, SEA
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, PHL


Rookie of the Years
AL Rookie of the Year: Austin Jackson, DET
NL Rookie of the Year: Jason Heyward, ATL

The Secrets of Fine Dining & Relationship Growth

Greensboro, NC -- In addition to writing and podcasting, I read a ton of different blogs, sites, and books, as well as listen to several newscasts, mainly NPR.  How else do I gather the information that I scribble here without being interested in the news?  I recently crossed the path of this social, economics-driven blog, called "Relationship Economics" by David Nour.  Nour, an Emory University graduate (like myself!) poses some interesting economic questions with a social bend to them.  I like this post from last year, named "Change Our Questions."  I'm going to re-post Nour's blog entry from last April below because I occassionally experience this situation with my fiancee when we're "fine" dining.

My wife and I were at a great local restaurant recently and noticed that they were doing terrific business, while many others are suffering. I couldn’t help but wonder why?

Through a closer lens, I noticed:

• Seemingly loyal customers (you can tell, because they know the menu without having to look at it!) created by great past service which reinforce strong personal and business relationships;
• Extremely attractive ambiance where people want to hang out (casual, comfortable with an understated elegance);
• Appeal to diverse age groups (our favorite three categories: just married – still gagah over each other, married with kids – typical conversations about school issues and concerned about the babysitter back at the house, and empty nesters – free at last!)
• Diversity of menu items (notice I didn’t say quantity of menu items!)

Which made me think about some of the companies all around us: when any organization reduces staff, cuts back on travel and entertainment, minimizes its marketing or advertising campaigns, and generally shrinks its market presence, it is in a doom loop. A critical part of any company’s reputation is its brand equity – a fundamental contributor to that brand equity, is the organizations portfolio of relationships. In many companies, those relationships (within as well as external to the organization) are being ignored!  You simply cannot cut your way to growth!

How are you preparing for the market recovery?

Arizona Wrap-up

Greensboro, NC -- It took me a over a week to recover from my travels out west, specifically to Scottsdale, Arizona for a couple of days of bachelor debauchery and catching a glimpse of some Spring Training baseball games.  The weather was absolutely perfect; 84 degrees, sunny, and skies as pristine as the Scottsdale streets.  Since it hardly ever rains, the roads and concrete throughout the greater Phoenix area are as clean and smooth as glass.

Day 1, A's at Cubs -- The Cubs offense looked very strong with Derrek Lee hitting a bomb during his first at bat.  Geovanny Soto looks more comfortable with the bat.  There was no sign of Alfonso Soriano, but maybe the hitting magician, Rudy Jaramillo, the Cubs' new $800,000/year coach was working his magic on "Sori" behind the scenes.  I'm not sure if the Cubs have the explosive offense that they think they do, but don't count out Jaramillo's influence.  I smell another 3rd place finish in the NL Central with Sweet Lou hanging them up at season's end.  There's not too much to say about the A's, other than their pitching and defense must make-up for their dreadful offense.  I saw Rickey Henderson in the dugout, who I'm sure was brought in to teach the youngsters some baserunning skills.  They'll need to steal some bases -- and contradict the Moneyball rules -- in order to generate some runs this year.

Day 2, Rockies at Giants -- In a beautiful park in downtown Scottsdale, the Giants and Rockies squared off in an intra-divisional, ace-pitching match-up of Jeff Francis and Matt Cain.  I'm always suspect of the Rockies pitching playing in the thin air of Denver, but they have some hurlers with excellent make-up; Francis, Hammell, Jimenez, and Cooke.  Conversely, I feel the same way about the Giants' offense -- putrid.  It's tough to manufacture runs when it's cold in the middle of the summer at your home ballpark, and the ball doesn't "fly out" of the park in the hot summer air.  But, it's difficult to generate runs when you don't have a masher or two in the middle of the lineup.

I had the distinct pleasure of residing in the W Hotel during my stay in Arizona.  On my final night, the Phoenix Suns hosted a Celebrity Event in the pool area of the upscale hotel.  I met Amar'e Stoudemire, Jason Richardson, and Leandro Barbosa.  All nice guys out on the town for the evening. 

So, what's the point of flying out to Phoenix to report on some Spring Training games?  It's fun, it's an escape of the cold weather for a few days, it's drinking beer at 1:00 in the afternoon, it's a surreal scene in anticipation of the opening of the greatest sport of them all.  Plus, it was my best friend's bachelor party.  Amen.

Muse and their Uprising

Atlanta, GA -- The level of sound produced at The Arena at Gwinnett Center last night almost tore off the roof in this suburban area.  Opening their first show together for their North American tour, the Silversun Pickups and Muse put on a raucious performance for the sold-out arena.  The SIlversun Pickups opened the evening with a groovy 30 minute set, closing out with a lethal performance of "Lazy Eye."  By their sound, dress, and style, one can easily conclude that this band came from alternative doldrums of New York or Los Angeles.  LA it is.

Standing on three pillars that spanned from the stage floor to the roof, Muse opened their show by opening the pillars at the equator.  With each member launching into the group's newest hit, "The Uprising," the crowd went into hysteria.  The set list included all of their major hits, including "Undisclosed Desires," "Maps of Problematique," and "Starlight" over a 19-song, 2-hour performance.  Trying to master the sound and acoustics within a closed building requires a great amount of skill.  Muse and their technicians certainly mastered the volume levels.  Taking a page out U2's book, whom they recently opened up for on their tour last year, Muse utilized an impressive array of laser lighting, stage props, and sound to put on a stellar performance last night.  The sound itself is a fusion of mid-90's artist Our Lady Peace and early 2000's artist System of a Down.  The rifts and melodies topple the hard, grunge rock sound, which is a good thing when you're looking for a distinctive sound.  Based on this performance, I'm looking for Must to be the "breakout" artist for 2010.  They've been around for quite awhile (mid 90's), so maybe they're just "late bloomers."  This breakthrough North American tour could be the key to the band's uprising.

Thoughts on the Olympics

Greensboro, NC -- I believe that I've tuned in more to these Winter Olympics than any of the prior games in my life.  Coincidentally, the USA is performing mightily at these games between hockey, skiing, speed skating, and ice dancing.  At every Olympics, an American star is born -- somebody who we either never heard of or heard very little about prior to the games.  I must admit, as a sports junkie, I've never heard of Apolo Ohno before.  The only reason I've heard of Bode Miller was that he was an alcoholic, and it costed him heavily in the Torino games.  The wonderful ice skaters on TV last night have been non-existent until they took the ice this week.  There is very little exposure on these athletes, yet the way that they're able to perform certain tricks, fly down a mountain or ice luge at 90 mph is not only very brave and breathtaking, it is commendable.  The boundaries of their comfort zones must have no limits, or they were shattered at an early age.

With either the Russians or the Canadians being eliminated tonight in hockey, the Americans have an excellent shot to capture Olympic gold.  Germany has begun to catch us in the medal count, but there's only a week left.  I'd love to see the gold for men's hockey -- it would show just how far the team has come from the pitiful performance at the 1998 Nagano games.

Welcome 2010

Greensboro, NC -- Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year since the last time that I formally checked in. I have many updates to provide you -- the first being the most important. On October 2nd, I proposed to Ms. Kaylin Murphy. We will be getting married this summer in nearby Winston-Salem, NC.

Second, as you can tell, the blog posts have been non-existent since last summer. I have embarked on a new project that have taken my musings and thoughts through audio waves. Along with my partner "Trivia" Tim Beeman, we have started a weekly podcast called "The Less Desirables." Our website is up and running at: TheLessDesirables.com. We touch on everything -- music, movies, sports, beer, technology, economics, and pop culture. It's a little bit of your world dolloped on a 30-minute platter every Wednesday evening. Be sure to check us out on our website, or by downloading the podcast on iTunes (available every Wednesday night).

I will still be blogging frequently, but the substance in the blogs may be less verbose. The writings and preparation that goes into a blog post will go into the production of the weekly podcast. In essence, you'll still be getting my same blogging material, but just in a different format. With NFL free agency, Spring Training, and an upcoming trip to Atlanta to see MUSE, a lack of material won't be a problem. Cheers.

Quibbling about the Braves

Greensboro, NC -- Unlike the past couple of years, the Atlanta Braves have a bevy of starting pitching. With the rotation finally stable, the focus now shifts to the offense, which has bee lackluster at best. I love the acquisitions of Nate McClouth and Adam LaRoche. LaRoche brings some much needed power to the lineup. McClouth has played great defense and solidified the centerfield position, but the offense has been average at best. With very little money to spend this offseason, my primary question is such: who is going to bat cleanup? While Brian McCann is a solid hitter, he's best suited for the 5th or 6th spot. Every playoff team has a solid 3-4-5, and the Braves are lacking in that category.

The answer may just be in AA-Mississippi. Jason Heyward, a top outfield prospect, has been smoking the ball since his promotion to AA. He may be the next Miguel Cabrera, in that, he's the best offensive solution on the market, he's cheap, and he has the potential to put up huge offensive numbers. Like Cabrera earning the late call to the show in 2003 when he was with the Marlins, Heyward could easily slide into the 5th or 6th spot, play some LF, and contribute mightily to this sagging lineup. Look for his call before September 1st rolls around IF the Braves are desperate for offense. Otherwise, we'll see Heyward penciled in the Opening Day lineup in 2010.

San Fran in a nutshell

Greensboro, NC -- My short time is San Francisco was phenomenal, sans the plane ride home to North Carolina via Atlanta. Here's a short summary of what I saw and did out west:

Wednesday, July 8th -- Landed around 2:30 p.m. local time and took the BART up to our hotel, which was located just west of the financial district downtown. After gathering some information from fellow tourists and hotel staff, we walked up and down the steep hills of Chinatown to the east side of town. "Ice" met up with us and per his co-worker's recommendations (Note: Since Ice was on business travel, his company picked up his tab, no wonder the cheapskate wanted to go there!), we ended up at the swank "Gary Danko's" just south of Fisherman's Wharf. After blowing a large sum of money on carefully prepared meals that were about the size of a quarter, we called it a night after a quick walk through Ghiradelli Square and 22 consecutive hours awake.

Thursday, July 9th -- After a good night's sleep, we awoke to take the bus north towards the Golden Gate Bridge. We foolishly thought that the bus would drop us off closer to the bridge, so a 3-4 mile walk along the bay dumped us at the base of the bridge. Thinking that the friendly trolley bus on wheels would take us up the bridge, we jumped on a tour in mid-session, which took us all the way back to Fisherman's Wharf. Nevertheless, we were able to soak in some hidden facts, saw where Joe DiMaggio got married, where Nancy Pelosi, Danielle Steele, and John Madden lived in the posh Pacific Hills neighborhood. A short walk over to a very the steep hill brought us to Coit Tower. We were able to obtain a 360 degree sight of the city and the bay. To fill up our empty stomachs, we ate at the famous "The Stinking Rose" because their food stinks (pun intended). After lunch, we checked out the famous Russian Hill, aka the most crooked street in America and proceeded to walk to the top of the hilly street. A real, rail riding trolley car greeted us at the top, and we rode the vehicle hanging on the sides back to the hotel for some R&R. The ballyhooed ferry ride to Alcatraz capped the day off... the tours didn't primarily focus on the famous residents themselves; more so, on the prison and life on the island.

Friday, July 10th -- Our last full day in San Francisco. We had the best idea yet -- rent bikes! We were able to see many places, get around easy, and it was cheap! On the bikes, we rode across the Golden Gate Bridge and back -- yes we finally made it across -- we had lunch on the infamous Union Street shopping district, we rode down to Alamo Square park where the famous "painted ladies" row houses reside. It's also where the opening theme song of "Full House" was shot. Speaking of "Full House," we rode past the fabled Tanner abode on Broderick Street. After returning the bikes, and riding the bus through downtown Beijing... err San Fran, it was time to head to the ballpark. AT&T Park easily slips into my top 5 parks visited. However, the night was about the game itself, which was odd considering when you're on the road to see a new park, you don't really pay much attention to the game. On my "To See and To Do List Before I Die," there lies one bullet point: "To see a no hitter live." CHECK!

Saturday, July 11th -- We departed San Francisco for the day, picked up a rental car, and drove up to Napa Valley. The main drag was just as I pictured, large wineries and vineyards, grape trees, and eloquence abound. We toured the St. Clement, Beringer, and Sutter Homes wineries. The winery structures were meticulously crafted; however, one disappointment was the servers themselves. Not a lot of personality and not a lot of wine wisdom. We ditch Napa in the late afternoon and connected to the sweeping Pacific Coast Highway, navigating the winding and curvy streets overlooking the ocean. The scenery was surreal. A picture perfect spot enveloped as we reach the hills overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and the city to the south. A contemporary, authentic Chinese food meal closed out the evening in town.

Sunday, July 12th -- We woke up, we left the hotel and the city, had lunch, and then jumped on a plane. Details of the plane ride will be chronicled in another blog.

The best line that I heard to sum up San Francisco is, "you can't take a bad photo anywhere." The statement is true as evidenced by out 660 shots in less than 5 days. I would highly recommend San Francisco to anyone -- it's packed with sights, plenty to do, it's unfortunately expensive, but the food for the most part, is worth it!

Westward Bound

Greensboro, NC -- I'm headed out to California tomorrow morning until late Sunday night, touring around the greater San Francisco area, as well as a day trip to Napa and Sonoma. With Pearl down in Uruguay and Monty in Aussieland (hey, I'll be closer than NC), I had to take some adventurous trip even if it was within 'Merica's borders.

According to my itinerary, the highlights of the trip will be the Alcatraz night tour, the Giants-Padres game at AT&T Park, and a wine tasting bonanza in Napa Valley. Colored in between the lines are riding the famous cable cars, checking out China Town, Ghiradelli Square, the Coit Tower, Fisherman's Wharf, a stroll across the Golden Gate Bridge, and riding bikes down the crooked Russian Hill. Last, but not least, I will be stopping by the infamous Tanner house in Alamo Square and running like a clown that was Uncle Joey in "Full House."

I doubt that I'll have time for a blog due to limited internet access out there, so full coverage of my trip to San Francisco can be found right here next week. Enjoy your week, folks!

We Have Liftoff!

Greensboro, NC -- The U2 360 Tour has officially kicked off in Barcelona, Spain. Unlike the past couple of tours, U2 beginning the tour in Europe, unlike the Vertigo (San Diego), Elevation (Miami), and Popmart (Las Vegas) tours. Thanks to the time zone difference, we're able to obtain the set list at this evening hour since they were probably playing around 3:30 p.m. local time. Here's the list:

Breathe
No Line on the Horizon
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Beautiful Day
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Angel of Harlem
In A Little While
Unknown Caller
Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Pride (In The Name of Love)
MLK
Walk On
Where The Streets Have No Name
One
-------
Ultraviolet
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender

Let's breakdown the album selection:
Boy: 0
October: 0
War: 1
Unforgettable Fire: 3
Joshua Tree: 3
Rattle & Hum: 1
Achtung Baby: 2
Zooropa: 0
Pop: 0
All That You Can't Leave Behind: 3
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb: 2
No Line on the Horizon: 7

I'm not sure how much weight you can put into the first set list of a tour. However, what can be derived from here is your skeleton list; those core songs that will be played every night. The core songs usually compose 75% of the list, leaving 25%, or 5-6 songs switched in and out depending on the night. I am surprised that 2/3 of the new album was played, but maybe that's about right compared to other bands with new material. The 2000's (last three albums) dominated the set list. Boy, October, Zooropa, and Pop were all shut out tonight, but we can't rule out that we won't hear "I Will Follow" this summer.

As far as surprises go, the one rarity in the list was "Ultraviolet," with the very catchy chorus of "Baby, baby, baby, light my way" from Achtung Baby. All of the usual suspects were present... "Where The Streets Have No Name," "Pride," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," and "One." "New Year's Day" was the one usual tour song that was expunged. Anyways, let's see if the list changes slightly or dramatically on Thursday night. There are, of course, other important factors of the show, such as how did the band sound? One cannot take into account the commenters and fans' remarks on the web site because they have amateur ears. I'd like to hear a musical expert's take on the show. It couldn't be any worse than the disaster in Las Vegas for the opening of the Popmart tour. Rock on!

Crazy Week in the News

Greensboro, NC -- Everybody had to know that when the news of Farrah Fawcett's passing this morning was released to the public, the third (and usually the biggest) victim was only a matter time. The frail and puny Michael Jackson passed away this afternoon after a reported cardiac arrest to his heart. Growing up, I wasn't very much into his music and music videos. "Michael" reached the peak of stardom in the 80's, well before I started listening to music in the early 90's. By that time, MJ was entangled in a messy lawsuit that I didn't quite understand at the time. However, looking past his utterly bizarre behavior since that time, it must be recognized that MJ was one of the three pillars, or icons of the history of the music industry worldwide. Elvis, John Lennon, and Michael Jackson are considered to be the three biggest music stars that the world has ever known. For that, we can ask ourselves, "where were you when you learned that Michael Jackson had passed away?"

For the readers: If you were in charge of designing the "Mount Rushmore of Music," who would be etched in stone?

Back in the nativeland, an ode to the victims of the terrible Metro crash on Monday. I used to take that "red line" route home from school growing up. Thank goodness that avid "BB reader" Arny left work "on-time" on Monday.

Now Tweeting

Winston-Salem, NC -- Good news... you can now follow B's Bistro on Twitter on the following site: http://twitter.com/bpattridge. We'll be posting live statuses and news in real time. The information will be streaming to you quicker. However, the blog posts will continue to roll in.

Good News for Winston-Salem Baseball

Winston-Salem, NC -- Last night, the Winston-Salem board approved unanimously (7-0) to continue with the construction of the downtown ballpark in Winston-Salem. Since I drive by the ballpark on my route to work everyday, I can attest that the park hasn't been touched since January.

One key note in the article from the Winston-Salem Journal that needs to be pointed out is that the team will need to sell 350,000 tickets in order to pay back the $12M loan. That averages to about 4,000 tickets per game. I'm not sure how that goal can be attained. I know that the Dash are playing in an old ballpark now and averaging close to 500/game. How do they expect to average 4,000/game over the span of 20 years? Unlike Greensboro, Winston-Salem, to my knowledge, does not have the fan support. The city does not have the regular fan support in attendance. The city consistenly brings teams (minor league hockey), festivals (Hot Ribs, Cool Music), and events into downtown, but the residents do not show up consistently or in large numbers. Winston-Salem is more of a "blue collar" town than Greensboro, so I'm not sure if the Dash and the city can count on their residents showing up in large clusters to games on a consistent basis, even if it's a new park.

Baltimore is still baseball's home park

Greensboro, NC -- After attending absolutely zero ballparks this season, I made up for my park absence in haste last week. Starting with my hometown's beautiful edifice in downtown Greensboro, I stood in left field watching the Grasshoppers take on the Hickory Crawdads in a long, three and half hour marathon. On top of that, I was completely boxed out by Sean in our only attempt to pluck a game ball; a towering home run that splattered into the damp, muddy hill. A trip down I-85 on the following Sunday led me to the home of the Kannapolis Intimidators (nicknamed for hometown hero Dale "The Intimidator" Earnhardt). The park was a bit quirky with the press box and "luxury" suites residing on the first base (right) side of the park. A tasty bbq platter at nearby Porky's capped a fun day (and weekend) in the sun.

After an hour and a half trip westward down I-40 in the middle of the week, we encountered some good luck in Hickory. At about 6:30 p.m., heavy rains dominated the forecast, which forced us into grabbing a meal and beverage at the Ol' Hickory Tap Room. By the conclusion of our meal, the rain had cleared, the stadium was empty, and we soaked up the wet seats lining the visiting team's dugout in earnest. Out of all the minor league towns that I've been to, Hickory may be the smallest.

After heading back to Maryland this past weekend to return Sean to his domicile, I checked the schedule this weekend and noticed that the Braves were playing the Orioles at "The Yard." Going back to Camden Yards was thrilling. It's a comfortable place, whereby it was a place that I visited frequently growing up as a kid in the hot summers. After touring through numerous minor league parks and major league parks, there's no better ballpark in America. It's cozy, it has the best urban backround, the brick meshes with the city, the green painted steel matches the lush grass on the field. There's no other park that can match up to this asymmetrical field. If there is, I'd bet Camden is better.

Charlottesville, Virginia

Greensboro, NC -- I'm out of action today, nursing an extremely sore throat from the weekend. I thought that I would take this short time to inform you about my recent travels to Charlottesville, Virginia. Charlottesville is a quaint, colloquial town located in the center of Virginia. It is rich with history being the birthplace of both U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. After a quick 3 hour trip from Greensboro, we arrived at the UVA campus. The campus and town themselves are very artsy. The rhythms and melodies of Dave Matthews Band's music echo their hometown -- groovy, artistic, and playful.

After rising early at the Cavalier Inn, a former UVA dormitory, my group quickly traveled to the great Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson. The 45 minute tour was very inciteful about Jefferson's life, inventions, thoughts about slavery, etc. The house was well thought out when it was constructed. After a lunch break and short drive down the parkway, we reach "Mishe's Tavern." Owned by a Revolutionary War soldier, this famous tavern provided a sanctuary for overnight travelers to relax and have a beer. There wasn't much to the bar and quarters, but the place was chock-full of Revolutionary era antiques. Toured out, we headed over to Jefferson's own vineyard, "Jefferson's Vineyard." The name of the vineyard is a bit ironic because Jefferson himself attempted to make wine, but his efforts were ultimately fruitless (pun intended). Nevertheless, the vineyard had a well decorated tasting room and patio to enjoy some fine wines. To top the day off, we headed downtown to sample the best dishes of Charlottesville. Sticking to the wine theme, we tried "Sipps" and left satisfied. All of the restaurants downtown open up to a brick-paved street, which is cornered off for pedestrians only. So, many of the restaurants, like ours, had tables set-up in the middle of the street.

Jefferson's Monticello (rear)

We had to squeeze in the final piece of the "President's Pass" on Sunday morning, which was "Ash Lawn," the home of James Monroe. Ash Lawn was a little further out from Charlottesville, but our intimate tour group (2 people and our group) made the trip worthwhile. Our knowledgeable tour guide walked us through the original home of Monroe. The home was very similar to Jefferson's -- old, beautiful, well-restored, etc.; it just didn't have all of the inventions. As the tour guide put it; "in Charlottesville, there are three levels; 1. God; 2. Jefferson; 3. Everyone else." Well said. Our trip concluded with a self-guided tour of The Rotunda at the UVA. Jefferson designed the Rotunda as the centerpiece of the campus. Further, it was a symbol to bring faculty, staff, and students together. All three of Jefferson's strongest attributes are on display in this town: 1. Political; 2. Religious (freedom); 3. Intellectual (UVA).

Monroe's Ash Lawn (side)

If you haven't been to Charlottesville before, and you're a bit of a history buff, this place is one for you. It's a perfect weekend getaway.

Do Not "Play Ball!"

Greensboro, NC -- In the words of Bono, "time is irrelevant, it's not linear." That lyric surely rings loudly to the Winston-Salem residents overseeing an eyesore of a ballpark. The word on the street is that many of the subcontractors are having difficulty obtaining payment. Billy Prim, owner of the newly named Winston-Salem Dash is attempting to buy out his partner, which has caused all but a standstill in the park's construction. With many residents curmudgeonly reluctant to approve funding for the new stadium, I'm sure many are feeling betrayed. As for the team itself, the Dash (renamed this season for the new park, but named for the dash between "Winston" and "Salem"), have embarrassingly had to move back to Ernie Shore Field, which is now owned by Wake Forest. To make matters worse, the team is off to a very slow start, and attendance has been putrid. I drove by the new ballpark about a month ago and snapped a few photos. Not much has changed since then, if anything at all.

As you can see, the seats have yet to be installed. The concourses have yet to be developed. This skeleton all but guarantees that there will be no baseball here in 2009.

I snapped this photo in motion because the home plate corner of the park is bounded by Business Interstate 40 and Peters Creek Parkway. The brown brick facade shows much promise!

Washington's Team

Greensboro, NC -- After another 2 pick draft and crazy offseason spending spree by the Redskins, a dozen win season by the Wizards, and a huge stumble out of the gate by the "Natinals," DC does have one team it can focus its attention: The Washington Capitals.

After a come from behind, 7 game series against the frustrated New York Rangers, the Caps were skating high into the NHL match-up of the year: Ovechkin vs. Crosby. If you didn't see tonight's game, you missed a scintillating, duo hat trick performance by the Pens' and Caps' star players. The Caps now take a 2-0 lead heading into Pittsburgh.

Ted Leonsis, the Capitals' first class owner, realized during the 2004 season that trading for star players (Jaromir Jagr) and spending on pricey free agents (Robert Lang) isn't the correct way to build a consistent playoff team for a sport based on team unity and cohesion, very much like football, and to a certain extent, basketball. By building the core of the team through the draft -- Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Green -- then supplementing the team through low priced free agents -- Federov, Kozlov -- the Caps used the standard blueprint for building a perennial playoff team. Fans from DC are delighted that one team finally did it right.

You would think the Caps could share their blueprint with their city friends, but Snyder and Lerner choose to hum their own tune. Coincidence or not, Leonsis is the most approachable owner in DC (and in sports for that matter); he wants you to contact him, and he listens. Snyder and Lerner both shun the spotlight and their fans' reception... and their teams are awful... karma?

The Nationals have a choice next month to go the "Capital Route" and draft uber prospect RHP Stephen Strasburg with the first pick in the MLB draft. For a team needing a facelift, or a face for that matter, Strasburg would solve many of the teams' problems: pitching depth, a franchise player, an ace, etc. Of course, all they have to do is negotiate with Scott Boras. Let's go Caps!

2009 MLB Predictions

Greensboro, NC -- One of the best days of the year is upon us... Opening Day! Always remember, "Time begins on Opening Day."

Here goes my picks for the season:

AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Chicago White Sox
AL West: Los Angeles Angels
AL Wild Card: New York Yankees

NL East: Philadelphia Phillies
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Card: New York Mets

ALDS:
Red Sox over White Sox
Yankees over Angels

ALCS: Red Sox over Yankees

NLDS:
Mets over Cubs
Phillies over Dodgers

NLCS: Phillies over Mets

WS: Red Sox over Phillies

AL MVP: Mark Teixeira, NYY
NL MVP: Ryan Howard, PHL

AL Cy Young: Josh Beckett, BOS
NL Cy Young: Carlos Zambrano, CHC

AL ROY: Matt Wieters, BAL
NL ROY: Cameron Maybin, FLA

Front Office Mayhem

Greensboro, NC -- Until the Chicago Bears came in and thankfully scooped up QB Jay Cutler from the Broncos for two 1st round picks and a 3rd round pick, I was utterly stunned that the Redskins were in pursuit. If Cutler (17-20) came to DC for Campbell (16-20), we could be sure that Mike Shanahan was next. Coveting star players is what the Redskins do best, not drafting, teaching, and developing players, like the Pats, Colts, and Steelers do. As soon as a "star" is brought to DC, the glitter falls off.

If Jason Campbell had Jay Cutler's personality, then he would be demanding a trade right now. With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, I can't see the Skins bringing him back unless he has a Pro Bowl season. Same goes for Zorn and the playoffs. We can all praise Snyder for putting the steep prices back into the team. But we cannot laud him for his fantasy football style, GM abilities. The best person that Snyder could buy right now is an intelligent GM. These lavish spending sprees had led to sub .500 teams for a decade now. You woulld almost want to root against the Redskins, so that they learn a lesson. However, they never will with Snyder in charge. So, when the next best player becomes available via trade or free agency, look for the Redskins to play their best game; the money game.

Update 4/3 from The Washington Examiner via SI.com: In the end, Denver did not want Jason Campbell. And that's why Jay Cutler is headed to Chicago. According to a source involved in the discussions, the Redskins were closing in on a three-way deal Thursday afternoon that involved Cleveland quarterback Brady Quinn going to Denver. The source said he was told that the deal was likely to happen soon. The Examiner reported that a deal was close. Indeed, a CBS affiliate in Denver also reported that Jay Cutler had told them he was told by his agent that he was going to Washington. ESPN also reported that the Redskins were at the top of the list and a deal could happen at any time. However, the deal involving the Browns unraveled, prompting Chicago to jump back in and offer a less-complicated deal, knowing the Broncos liked Bears quarterback Kyle Orton. The source said Denver's preference of quarterbacks was Quinn and then Orton. They were not high on Campbell. So, rather than do a three-way deal with Washington and another team, the Bears, according to an NFL source, called to offer Orton, two first-round draft picks, and a third-round pick in exchange for Cutler and a fifth-round pick.