Polish Food, Deb's Creations, Astros & Scrabble...sounds like visitors!

Last weekend, Deb and I welcomed my parents for an extended visit over the weekend.  We hadn't seen them since our last trip home to Florida, so what better time to have them come visit then now!  Near 100 degree days, near 100 percent humidity, near 100 scrabble games...just kidding on the last one (but not by much)!!

To touch on the last one first, my and I love Scrabble.  Perhaps, borderline, obsessive...but we love it.  We play till after midnight and we are cut throat.  Since I am writing this blog post, I could say mom is the most "viscious" but I can't.  My mom says I play like that...  But hey, it's part of the strategy.  If you don't challenge the word because you can't afford to take the gamble of losing, you just have to accept it's a word!  That is until after the game is over and you look it up.  This is usually when my mom says "you stinker!" because I've snuck something in!  Can't remember the scores and win/loss from the weekend, it was fun!!  Even had a bruschetta break thanks to Deb and her amazing cooking and baking!  She made a killer meatloaf, ziti, and homemade ice cream, just to name a few!

We didn't just play Scrabble, we took my parents to a local Polish restaurant, Polonia.  Really, though, it's the only one in town.  It was awesome!!!

 Potato pancakes, sausage, sauerkraut, veal,...., oh man, I'm read y to go back!

We also took in an Astros game.  It was the FIRST game they won this year that we were at!  (FYI, we went this weekend too, and they won again!)  My mom even sported an Astros jersey.  They played the Braves, her all-time most-disliked team!  Chipper Jones...you're not welcome at my parents house!  Haha.  You could stop by our place, I'd love to chat...you all know me and baseball!

Overall it was a great visit...they always go by too fast.  See you all next in Florida!

Baseball, Softball, etc

After 68 games in Houston, I think we all have a good idea how the season is going. With only 26 victories and a 0.382 winning percentage, I'll borrow our friend Lisa's line and stick it in the Astros' mouths..."I'm done!" And to add more disappointment, the Indians only have 26 victories, themselves... I am getting to the point of dusting off my old Mets gear to find a team to root for! I guess I have a growing appreciation for the Cardinals by way of Deb, so for now I'm not hopeless in October. At least I'm not a Pirates fan, or worse...an Orioles fan!

It's been a rough year for Cleveland and Houston, but I think it's time to fold and make some trades. Play for next year or 2012, don't protect your pride, just do what needs to be done!

With my pessimistic attitude towards my favorite teams, it was perfect time for summer softball to start back up! There's nothing better than 95 degrees and 90% humidity...actually, just about anything sounds better than that! But throw in some cold (crappy) beers and good friends, it's worth it.

Last Thursday was our first week back, and we split the day going 1-1. First game we held a 13-8 lead into the last inning...go figure, we lost 15-13 a la a couple bad plays in the field. I was 1 for 3, with a single, run and RBI. I reached on a fielders choice also...overall hitting the ball hard all three times. Second game we did quite better, won cleanly 13-3. I had my best softball game to date, going 3 for 3 with 2 HRs and a double, 4 RBIs and 3 runs. The first homer was of the inside the park variety, definitely was flying as fast as I could around the bases...

With the weekend here, last night I had the guys over for drinks. Deb's away to Denver for the weekend, so she missed out on the fun. We watched Strasburg impress, the Astros lose, and a night full of Roma and Buster chasing each other around. Kiddy came out for a minute, but realized she liked the comfort and security of our bed more!

Oh and Roma and kiddy are getting more and more friendly, they are civil and we have even seen the two chasing each other. Friendship perhaps? Time will tell, but they are definitely quite comfortable with one another, check out Midnight befriending Roma's bone. Sisterly love? I know that there's always a sibling rivalry, so we'll see how it all pans out. For now, though, we'll enjoy their growing bond.

Aside from baseball, and Debbie being gone for the weekend (Denver for father's day), it has been a pretty good week overall......

Go Away Sun!!...& Opening Day with the 'Stros

GO AWAY SUN! I heard that being yelled a few times...

Anyways, it was awesome to go to another opening day, our 4th in a row for the Astros. No surprise, they keep losing! That's why I predicted them to do nothing this year, except kept the NL Central Cellar warm! Bunch of benchwarmers!

Deb and I arrived at 545 or so and it was blazing heat! Everyone was there already...JR, Spicer, Brian, Louis, and Luis...you could see the misery on their faces! It was HOT and it's not even the summer! Brian and Spicer were all over the product placement with their Papa John boxes (photo above).

They had the dome open so they could have paratroopers fly in and land on the outfield, it was pretty cool.

All in all, baseball's back, so it's awesome. Texas heat, not so awesome! Astros and awesome can't be used in a sentence, except this one. This is going to be a looong summer for Astros fans! Too bad, I'm an Indians fan!!!

Terence's 2010 MLB Preview...well, my "thoughts" at least

Baseball's back baby!!! I will spare everyone this year and limit my baseball blogs. I tried last year to start my own blog, the short-lived "Terence Babbles Baseball." Just like Speed 2, it was well-hyped but not a success. (In my personal opinion my blog and Speed 2 were GOLD!) Anyways, spring training is ongoing, the free agent class is thinning, and opening day seats are all set (for the Astros...4th year in a row, not my World Series favorite, Cleveland)!

Yes, my pick for the World Series is the Cleveland Indians. Granted I'm probably one of the few people that would say this...but as they are my favorite and most loved team, what kind of fan would I be if I didn't say the Indians?? I have been following the website mlbtraderumors.com since last year when my friend Owen sent it to me...and I was instantly hooked! It doesn't only cover the rumors, but all the transactions too! For me, it's the best. They did a spread on the Indians offseason moves last month...Cleveland's Offseason in Review. Not sure things like "the Indians' winter hammered home the fact that they're in full rebuilding mode" or "the Indians' veteran sell-off began last summer and should continue in 2010" really look promising for my prediction, but I'm holding to it!

There's been plenty of Cinderella stories throughout sports...why not Cleveland? It's been a long 62 years since their last championship! Prediction 91-71, 1st Place in AL Central. Toppling the Wild Card Yankees (bunch of dbags) in the Division Series, the Angels in the Championship Series, and the Cardinals in the World Series. Odds of going down like this...12,000 to 1! HA! If it does, I'm buying a lotto ticket!

As for my other teams I like to follow...the Astros and Cardinals. The Astros did nothing of substance. With a healthy team, they could be moderately successful, a few games above 0.500 or so, but I wouldn't hold my breath. They are going to be 77-85. The Cardinals did well signing Holliday long term. I'll bet they continue to succeed and see them going 90-72 this year...heading to a frustrating loss in the World Series to the Indians.

Oh that was fun...can't wait for the season to start! Baseball is back and I'm ready for it!!

Astros Win!

It took the Astros over four calendar months to finally win a game that we went to! Granted we've only gone to few, but still...a 1-6 record is pretty bad.

Deb surprised me with game tickets, which was really nice. Probably because we've been so busy with the wedding, plus trying to save for it and the honeymoon. It's been okay not going to games for the most part, as watching baseball in HD on a 46" screen has much to be happy about anyways! (I lobbied against it, but now don't know how we did it before!)

Here we are:
A view of our seats (before the game and the seats got filled):
And during the wave, was really impressed by how well everyone did on it. Many times it is so bad only a few participate, but this time it was rolling around the stadium with good motion. Deb and I paid homage to JR, like always, with his how do I say "girly" way of doing it. We had a great night!
After the game we headed to see Julie & Julia.
I must say I was not thrilled about going from my favorite game to see a girly movie, but overall it was okay. Amy Adams playing Julie Powell was quite funny as it reminded me (and the way Debbie was laughing and giving me those looks) related to her at times. I think my evidence is in her blog posting from last night! :-) But in all reality, she doesn't give herself enough credit. She has made me some pretty incredible dishes that I haven't been able to duplicate when I've tried...the souffle, this one penne pasta with sausage, and ALL her baking! Her baking is insane!

Astros Lose, Surprised? Don't be...

...yup, the Astros are WINLESS in games I've been to this year! I think all of Houston would be screaming at me if I went to the amount of games as I did last year. Last year I was to 32 (if I recall) and they were 20-12 or so. That was doable. This year...no wins!

When it was 5-0, and the Astros had two men on base, I got up and went for nachos. I tested the jinx...well it wasn't me (I think), because they grounded into a double play and ended the inning. By the time I got back to our seats, there were two solo homeruns hit, making it 7-0!!! Needless to say, the game ended 8-1. They got that one measly run in the bottom of the ninth...after we all left! (Maybe it was me, but 1 run is hard to win a game by!)

Overall it was a fun game, hanging out with the JR and Jenn, Luis, Marc, Matt and Jason. Had fun, just wish they could've pulled off a win. I guess we'll find out if things can change this Friday when Deb and I head to the game. (It's Retro Workout T-Shirt giveaway day...)

Oh, taking the loss today was okay considering we paid $1 for our seats! Thanks JR for taking care of that! Definitely can afford games for a buck! If only we could combine dollar hot dog day with dollar seats...now that'd be a sellout, no doubt!

Mom & Pop Kadlec Arrive Tonight!

Tonight my parents come to town for the weekend. Debbie and I are taking tomorrow off and with the holiday on Monday, we'll have a solid 4 days to entertain! Tomorrow we are headed out to Blue Bell and perhaps a winery (or two), closing out the day with dinner at Leslie's Houston restaurant of choice, Cafe Red Onion (recommended by my former Honduran colleague, it surely hasn't let us down yet). They won't allow us to bring guests. Oh well. Saturday will be relaxing around home and some local stops, maybe the Terra Cota exhibit down at the museum. We were supposed to go to the opening members party tomorrow, but they will only allow members...literally. Or perhaps a movie... Sunday we are going to do brunch then some MLB! We are sitting 12 rows off the field for the finale of the Silver Boot Series...Astros and Rangers. I'm not into the I-45 series and the rivalry (the past few years it really doesn't come across like 'much' of a rivalry). And Monday will be an open day for more relaxing and the final day for Scrabble between my mom and I.

With tonight through Monday, I'll throw out the number 17. That's my estimate on how many scrabble matches my mom and I have! I won't wager on how many I'll win as I don't want to jinx it! Gonna be a great weekend!!!

The "Lowly" Indians

Over the weekend the Indians were shut out TWICE, spanning 19 innings (that's a span of three games!) without scoring a run. I have been giving the Astros crap, but they have listened to me and improved. They are sitting in 5th place in the NL Central only 3 games under .500. However, the Indians have not.

Today the Indians enter with the worst, yes the worst, record in baseball. Not just the AL, but all of baseball! Sitting at 11-21 is terrible. Now comes my defense of the worst team in baseball...targetted at Cheryl and her trash talking "Nationals" propaganda. See the Nationals winning percentage sits at .345 where the Indians winning percentage is at .344. That's one-thousandth of a point separating these two basement dwellers.

Last week when the Nationals and Astros played, I read the recap and the way it started made me laugh, "...two last place teams vying for a win..." Go figure the game was suspended in the 10th and neither team will pick up a victory until July when they finish that game! But over the weekend the most depressing read was about the Indians getting shutout twice:

"In the first two games, the Tigers pitched consecutive shutouts in Cleveland for the first time in nearly 101 years. Hall of Famer Ty Cobb was 21 years old when the Tigers did it on July 3 and 4, 1908."

It's sad when you have to compare the Indians play to games over 100 years ago! The first line was so accurate..."the Indians are digging themselves a deeper hole every day."

I think I might go home and watch the Major League movie series, at least the Indians WIN! Ahhh...

Astros Game...Anyone Suprised that they LOST!!!

With Debbie working nights today and tomorrow, it was just me and some of her Nasa coworkers and spouses. Had a good time hanging with everyone and we had some great seats! I'm on a good streak so far this year...every game has been in the 100-level! Tonight we sat in Section 127 right behind 1st base. Check out the photo...

Great seats, eh?

Tonight was pink jersey giveaway night for all ladies 16 and over. Well obviously that was not me, so I was out of luck. But after we gave up on catching a home run ball in the Crawford Boxes, I saw one of the ticket ladies give a jersey to a guy. So JR and I went up to her and asked for one...and she was happy to oblige and gave us each one! So even though Debbie didn't make it to the game, I got her a nice pink jersey!

Had a great time talking baseball and taking a night off from...well, nothing! Even the dome was OPEN in 90 degree weather, it was a nice time at the park...aside from the 'Stros losing. Not that I was really surprised...but the Indians did win! So it was an okay day in MLB.