Faith

I know you are just itching to hear what I have to say about baseball right now, but I'll get to that in a moment.

I can't believe I haven't mentioned this before, but Jason's girlfriend, Becky, is flying into Houston tonight from Birmingham. She workst at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. How cute. He's been looking forward to it for some time now, and it's pretty amusing to watch how he's cleaning EVERYTHING, washing every article of clothing, vacuuming each and every corner of the floor, and wiping down every surface imaginable in this apartment. It's hilarious until I realize I did the exact same thing last semester. Oh well. I'm glad she's coming to visit. Jason is usually in a good mood anyways, but since this week started, he's had that extra swagger only few men have. I'm happy for him; this weekend will do him good.

Wanting to do something special for Becky, Jason has decided to cook dinner for her Friday night over candlelight. Yeh, uhm, I think it's best I not be here during that, haha. It's OK though; I'm going to spend the night with Walker tomorrow after I get back from the hockey game(more on that later). Wanting to be even smoother, Jason wanted wine for their dinner, so he asked for my assistance in choosing the right one. I gladly helped him, and with his being 21 years of age, we went to the liquor store down the street and picked up a nice Australian Shiraz(my favorite region for wines :) ) for the boy and his lady. I gave him pointers on how to open the bottle, as well as how to store it and pour it into wine glasses. I also told him what were the right glasses for white wine. I feel confident that he's well equipped with the knowledge to be very Bond-smooth tomorrow night.

I guess I'll get to feel how Jason felt last semester when Mal came down, but I think I should be alright. There is tons happening this weekend...

Hockey. The season has started, and it is great. Time Warner is even providing FREE Center Ice(digital cable channel for all hockey) this entire week. BITCHIN!

Hockey #2. I was offered a ticket last week for the Aeros home opener tomorrow night. I'm extremely excited about it. I'm tagging along with Trey and some other guys before the game; we're going down to Two Rows for pre-game beverages and Golden Tee. Then at 7:00, we'll be off to the game in Trey's sexy Audi A4 Quattro listening to XM Radio. Don't worry; the Sox game is at 3. I wont miss a pitch.

Baseball. Oh boy. Our boys sure are in a hole, but to tell you the truth, I'm not as scared as you might think. 1) We were in this position 2 years ago against the A's; they won the first 2 games in a 24 hour span, but we returned with "Cowboy Up!" and took the next 3. 2) Do I need to mention the history that was made last year in the ALCS!?! 3) We have the best home record in all of baseball; however, the White Sox have the best road record. Wait a minute...who had the best road record last year? The Yankees. Who had "the best closer of all time"? The Yankees. Who had 4 tries to clinch but never did? The damn Yankees. 4) When Tim Wakefield and Curt Schilling are your Game 3 and Game 4 starters, you have to feel good despite Curt's lack of wow-ness the past starts. He's got the best postseason winning percentage of all time, so he knows big games. The Force will be with Curt. Wakefield has been our most reliable man down the stretch, leading the staff with appearances, strikeouts, wins, and opposing batting percentage. I like our chances with Timmy on the mound in Fenway. To quote Mallory, "Have Faith."

If ....I mean, WHEN we play Saturday night, I think the boyz and I are gonna head to Buffalo Wild Wings again(we watched Game 1 there). The place is awesome. I counted 32 televisions there, with one being High-Def LCD :) It'll be perfect for Saturday night, as there will be great baseball on, great hockey being played(see above) AND

Football. GREAT games on this weekend, with some of the big ones being Tennessee/Georgia(Mal will be there, 24th row from the bottom) and Penn State/Ohio State(Cory and Erin are going. Gameday will also be there. Look for Cory waving his arms crazily).

With all the buzz around this town and the media picking Houston to win the World Series, I have gotten caught in the World Series Ticket fever. I have joined forces with some of my co-workers, and we have all begun searching and plotting on the best ways to get tickets. The best-case scenario would be a Red Sox/Astros World Series, but even if that isn't the case, I'll go even if the Sox aren't in it. If the Astros dont make it, I get my money back. Good deal, right? I have to get them first, but I'm trying to make sure that wont be a problem. I was curious as to how fast tickets went, so I used the Astros.com website right as the LCS tickets went on sale, and I was able to "get" outfield seats only TEN rows from the field!! Hopefully, that trend will go with World Series tickets. I'll be there right as they go on sale. I am getting two tickets when I buy them. If the 'Stros make it, then I'm gonna fly Mal in the day of or before the game. If the Braves happen to win the LDS, then we may just buy two Braves World Series tickets, and since I am going to see Mall in Chattanooga during the World Series at the National League Park(Atlanta if they're in it), we could just hop right down to Atlanta. If you haven't guessed, Mal and I are determined to see a World Series game this year. Hopefully our boyz will be in the final mix...

Speaking of tix, I may break my record of NHL hockey games seen in one year. I am planning on going to the Avs game in Nashville on December 20. Detroit(my nemesis) and Pittsburgh(team of phenom Sidney Corsby) play in January before school starts. The Avs visit again during February. Finally, Pheonix comes to town late in the season. Why would I see the Coyotes? Only because their coach is none other than the Great One: Wayne Gretzky. Yes, that's alot of driving, but I think I can consolidate alot of those trips with other ones. For at least ONE of the games listed, I plan on getting ICE-LEVEL tickets. That means right in front of the boards. I have sat there only once, but it was incredible. I look forward to doing it again. Talk about great photo opps!

Well, Jason has just departed to pick up the girlfriend, so I will attempt to make my half of the apartment look halfway decent.

-H