Suite Spot Puzzler

This was in my sink. It used to be some kind of food. Can you guess what?

When it's about the game

I'm a 49ers fan.

This post has nothing to do with that.

Today, Alex Smith made a very uncommon decision for a professional athlete - one that wasn't driven by money. By restructuring his contract with the 49ers, Smith effectively forfeited a substantial sum of money to stay in San Francisco. With plenty of other teams still interested in the 24 year-old and willing to ante up with more green, Smith ultimately made his decision because of the fact that he "just wanted the chance to compete." It wasn't about the money. It wasn't about a hometown discount. It was about the sport.

Say what you will about his first four seasons or his future in the NFL. Say what you will about the 49ers and their upcoming QB controversy. But you've got to love to see an athlete bring his/her heart to a professional sport. It's what makes college sports engaging. It's what makes watching the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series exciting. The teams and athletes with the desire to prove that they can compete at the highest level remind us why their sport continue to captivate.

Kudos to Alex Smith for showing some maturity and some respect for the game. And Kudos to the 49ers for sticking with a guy that hasn't worked out in the past but is ready to fight for a job.

- KLB

A Couple Random Thoughts on a Friday-- 8

It's Friday and I'm Bored...

1. Currently President Obama is addressing the nation, and I have ESPN's Colin Cowherd streaming on radio talking about WR's declining in value at 36 years or older. Sorry TO stats prove that 36 year old WRs just don't cut the mustard, especially for a heavy salary. I wrote about it earlier this year in a football post, and of course, it has come true. Was there really ever any doubt? Marvin Harrison and Terrell Owens both released, two of the best WR's of the last 10-13 years cut one after the other. It's actually exciting, even if they land somewhere, they likely won't be the main attraction, even though TO will try to be it just isn't the same. It's kinda like a hot chic who is stuck up or stupid, and in some cases both. You see her from the other end of the bar/room and she is a knockout, someone you must have, and until you finally talk to her, maybe she's easy maybe she's not, but her pure snobbishness and stupidity just decrease her overall value. Sure she's still hot, but that's all she is, hot. She drops back to being just one of the girls, because one day a girl with both looks and personality steps up and becomes that girl, the IT girl. Guys usually don't realize this until they get burned a few times by the said dumb hot girl, and some girls never understand that the tan douchey guy with nothing but daddy's bank account is just that, a loser who hasn't done anything for himself. (Side note- I once heard a kid in college with these traits on the phone with his father and he called him daddy. Almost made me puke in laughter, a complete loser) TO and Harrison are the same thing, sure they'll always be known as one of the greatest WR's of our era, but now they are going to slowly fade to black and become just one of those other WR's. A role player of sorts! Strange when you think about it, but when isthe last time someone talked about Issac Bruce? The whole point of this is that Obama's method of personal speaking is so boring that I'd rather listen to an ESPN radio talk show host than our President. Oh well, I never really was cut out for politics!

2. Last week I mentioned that I was going couples bowling, well that's until I underestimated the popularity of bowling in NYC. Are you kidding me? Let me run down the night for you briefly... Start out at my boo's apt and hosed through a 6-pack of 16ozers, even though I drank one in the cab on the way there. The girls drank wine and the man watched sports-- did someone just mutter UTOPIA, guess I'm just hearing things. Went to our first stop, Lucky Strike, a new trendy bowling alley/lounge/club intended to be a swanky good time. We called ahead and were told that you only needed rezzies if you were getting bottle service. That should have been the red-flag warning we needed not to go there. Place looked amazing, but had a 3-hour wait tagged onto it. A 3-hour wait at a bowling alley that charges exurbanite amount of money to bowl. 5 bucks for shoes, and $15 per person per string. That's absurd! I understand we live in NYC, but that's train-robbery. Where I come from its 2 bucks for shoes and $2.50 per string. Sounds a bit more reasonable. From there we called a few places, they all had 2-hour waits, at this point I'm losing my buzz and just want to bowl and pee can you blame me? We tried one more place that we couldn't get the number for, the lanes at Chelsea Piers. They were full even after I told them I was a famous comedian, and the bouncer kinda believed me... for real. Luckily for us there was a brewery on a pier overlooking the water and we just had some fresh brews and joked around. Whoever thought bowling was so popular... they had me!!

Have a good weekend all--

Herbie

TGIM- (Thank God It's March)

Take a deep breath folks / Suite Spot faithful-- take it in, just like the hippie instructor at a yoga class tells you to. " Breathe in deep through the nose, and out through the mouth. Concentrate on things that make you happy as you take the kind air in, and embrace them as you exhale!" Nutty as that sounds, that's how happy I am as I write this post. MARCH is here, and for any of us who care about sports and beer, this is truly a great month, arguably the best of the year. Yes the weather still sucks, and it may rain as much as an ordinary month in London or Seattle, but we have so much going on. Its almost like a prix-fixed three course dinner menu. First Course- Spring Training, get the bats, gloves, and syringes out folks, the MLB is back for another season. Spring Training is boring to some, exciting for real fans and anyone involved in fantasy baseball. You get to see who's improved and what sleeper you're going to take 4 rounds ahead of where he "belongs." (side note, there is one guy in my fantasy league that without fail always picks the "sleeper" who does that, sleeps all year. Alex Gordon is a prime example of that- picked him 4 rounds and 2 years too early if anything) Either way, Spring Training is like the gateway drug of television. Your real shows are almost ending, but in May when they do, you won't hit that bender, you'll just get numbed by 9 good innings of your team every night. Main Course- March Madness, it almost goes without saying, this is the Mecca of any playoff in any sport. The World Series is great, Super Bowl is even better, but March Madness is 3 weekends of gold-plated television. Upsets galore, people who care more about perezhilton.com than the economy hoping that Duke will lose so they can win money and buy new shoes. Boyfriends actually love their girlfriends for this entire month. We get to fill out their bracket for free and maybe just maybe get a non-monetary kick-back if they win. Fellas you know what I'm getting at, and if you don't then dump her and find someone that does appreciate the finer things in life. March Madness is that much fun, the unthinkable can happen, and if for some reason your team wins, it's something you will never forget. Take it from me, my team, Syracuse, won in 2003! I remember every minute of the game, and every minute of the riot that followed. Inadvertent smoke bomb in the eye, very intentional billy club to the neck, and a random dude hanging from a tree in celebration falling after breaking the branch. That was also the first night I found out how a tongue ring felt. You just don't forget these things! While your chewing on that you have St. Patty's day, a marathon day of drinking to wash these sports down. I don't remember much of any St. Patty's day I've been involved with, except waking up early, Irish music, and seeing more ugly red-heads than usual. That's about it, but it is a solid time. For dessert, the NBA and NHL are both winding down and teams actually play hard with playoff implications with every game. Rejoice faithful March is here. Good luck on those brackets, stay away from Duke!!

The Itch

$42-51 - Las Vegas 4-Diamond Hotel on The Strip:   Monte Carlo

$89-99 - 4-Star Resort w/Spa Admission & More:    Treasure Island

$212 Roundtrip Direct Flight: NYC to LAS

Not only was I receiving tempting promotional offers in my email, but it seemed like everyone and their mother had a Vegas trip planned this February. The same month that marks one year since my last trip to Sin City. Put all of this together and I had myself one hell of an itch.

It's a good thing that Connecticut has two of the largest casinos in the world to help me scratch it. Well, as long as I could find someone else that was willing to partake in a bit of the excitement. Should be easy right? Back in college, all someone had to do was cough something that sounded like "casino" and there would be a car on the road within 30 minutes. But that was years ago. Now my friends are either asleep by 9pm or staying with their girlfriend after a busy day of going to the vet and having a cat spayed.

So there I was. Home on a Saturday evening, staring a night of Hulu in the eyes with my girlfriend out of town at a bachelorette party. Would it really look THAT bad if I headed up to Mohegan Sun by myself? Should I even tell people if I go? Should I lie and say that I went with somebody else? 

I realized that I was asking myself these questions for the wrong reason.  I wasn't uncomfortable with being in a casino alone. Heck, even when I go with a few buddies I typically found myself alone at a table. Instead, I felt uncomfortable with the prospect of what other people would think - especially if I lost. 

After a bit of self reflecting, I realized that I'm a 25 year old rock star (leg guitar) and rock stars don't stay in alone on Saturday nights. So I threw own a shirt, tie, and sports coat, grabbed a few lucky charms, and busted through the casino doors as if it were a Deadwood saloon. Moments later I found myself at a $15 dollar table, throwing back a few JDs, loving life. I must admit, though, that it's a humbling experience when you realize that counting cards isn't as easy as it looks. I wish I had my own Kevin Spacey to practice with. As the night went on my bets got bigger and my blood starting flowing faster. Nothing like an 11 to the dealer's 6 when you've got your largest bet of the evening on the table!

A couple hours later I found myself up a few bucks and had gotten my fix for the evening. But a new itch had surfaced! That extra cash was burning a hole in my pocket. It was time to spend. As soon as I stepped out of the casino I made reservations at my favorite restaurant for my girlfriend and I. After all, what good is a few extra bucks if your can't enjoy it with somebody else?

Gamble responsibly my friends, and remember to always put a 5 spot down on Lou Brown when you're throwing dice.

KLB