It’s the overall feeling.  It’s what hit my gut when I read the New York Times article reporting that the Red Sox most clutch hitter tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003.  I hate to use this often invoked classic, but….say it ain’t so.  It’s hard to swallow the fact that David Ortiz will be included with notorious assholes like Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and to some extent, Roger Clemens and Jose Conseco(who is laughing the hardy validation laugh right now and will be for some time) and Manny Ramirez.  Big Papi never slapped the ball out of someone’s glove running to first or whored it up with strippers and that harbor for schlong known as Madonna.(A-Rod)  Never wasted a great career by hitting the juice and being arrogant about it(Bonds, Sosa) Never acted like a complete asshole(Clemens) never held his team hostage(Ramirez).  He’s Big Papi, lovable gentle Giant that makes salsa and never says boo to anyone.  All those clutch hits during the 2004 season, the amazing 54 HR’s and 137 RBI’s in 2006.  That hit in game 4 aginst the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS that sent the winning run home…..I’m tearing up as I remember all this.  There’s no crying in Baseball. 

Disappointment.

Like when you found out wrestling was fake.  There is no Santa Clause.  Milli Vanilli was lip syncing.  It hurts to me because I hold professional athletes to a standard of physical excellence.  The wonder of a player being able to set a record on athleticism and grit alone.  Being inspired by teammates, fans, and the urgency of the moment.  Being in the zone.  Yes, I’m an idealist.  To me Baseball is an escape for a few hours from reality.  Now some of my heroes are acting like elected officials.  Now we have to take all that bullshit from obnoxious Yankees fans.  Even THEY couldn’t win a World series on steroids…that doesn’t really help.  It especially hurts because of the bold stements he made during spring training this year, saying that anyone caught using PED’s should be banned for the season.  How could a guy who is alleged to use PED’s say something so audacious?

Disappointment.

I would like to think good players felt compelled to use PED’s lest they get left behind by those cheaters using them.  Fear of losing their spot and years of hard work to a guy who is taking the big short cut.  That they really didn’t know what they were taking.  That protien shake contained banned elements uknown to the consumer.  That doesn’t work for me either.  Please just release the infamous “list”.  Let’s get it out of the way so Baseball can move to the next era.  I hope whoever is slowly leaking these names from these “Sealed” documents is using that money to feed the hungry. 

I’ll still root for Papi when he steps up to the plate.  I’ll just have to add a * to my rooting. 

AC/DC is taking over Gillette Stadium tonight, and there’s going to be a lot more going on than Angus’s guitar solo! When you see something crazy at the show, you’ve got to share it with the class…

I mean US!

So, leave all of your funny AC/DC moments, and drunk, puking, naked people stories here! And give me a full report on the concert too!

I can’t wait to hear what happened to you!

Good luck and be safe!

Beer, the great leveller.  Thousands of years ago the Egyptians and Chinese used it as not only a recreational beverage, but also an elixir for various ills.  I don’t know if they ever had to use beer to improve race relations( cripes, I don’t have that much time).  This Thursday, President Barack Obama will us the Nectar Of The Gods as a lubricant to help us all move forward from a amazingly stupid incident between a white Cambridge Cop and a black Harvard Professor.  I’m convinced that Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.(or as his good friends President Obama and Governor Duval Patrick call him, “Skip”) overreacted to a cop answering a call to protect his property.  Although he was the only one to bring up race in this incident, you have to add class to this too.  I say this because in the Police report it states that Mr. Gates whipped out the classic “You have no idea who you’re messing with” and “You haven’t heard the last of it”.  If you were friends with the President Of The United States and The Governor Of Massachusetts wouldn’t you throw that gem out there too?

Now “Skip” and Sgt. James Crowley are headed to the Oval Office to throw back a couple O’ cold ones and iron this whole thing out like a Little League Coach and an Ump who had a tiff about a blown call.  At this pivotal moment in American race relations, what beer should be served to cool the burning embers of prejudice?  The President prefers the All-American/Belgian owned Budweiser.  Giving the “Birthers” another straw to grasp at.  It’s a beer for the common man.  After a hard day of battling Congress, the Iranians, and “Birthers”, you need a true American Classic Lager to quench that embattled Liberal thirst.  I can see Barak bellying up to the local Dive after the Secret Service has cleared the joint and loosening his tie after that first cool relieving sip.   “Skip” is partial to the crisp Pilsner taste of Becks, a fine brew from Germany.  Home of Karl Marx .  The Father of Communism.  The sharpness of the malty delight helps wash away the years of exploitation by the Capitalist hierarchy. Or the legendary Jamaican Lager, Red Stripe.  A brew born out of British Colonial power by two enterprising Industrialists.  I’m sure the Righties will peg him for a Commie, Socialist, Anti-Patriotic, America hater for choosing an import.  Sgt. Crowley is a fan of Blue Moon, a sweet Belgian White brewed in Colorado.  A sweet mellow Ale brewed in a mellow state that gave us South Park and prime skiing.  A beer that will help any public servant forget all the crap he took all day on the job.  Plus, the label matches the uniform.  It almost looks like a Department patch.  If Blue Moon had their own police force they would hand out bottles to suspects of age to alleviate confrontation at the scene.  The country would be a much friendlier place.  But I think this will be the most awkward beer among men since that party at Stephon Marbury’s place.

I was hoping for a local brew to be represented.  After all, the incident happened in Cambridge.  How about a couple of  Towers from the Cambridge Brewing Company?  Maybe a Growler of Harpoon I.P.A.?  Leave the Oval Office smelling like the Beer Works after a Sox Game.  I would Have also included some shots.  A beer and a shot can calm even the most hateful racist.  But that would lead to men crying, then taking Marine One for an impromptu foray to Ocean City for some Kamikazes and Ski Ball.  The President would be calling in the next day saying he didn’t calibrate his alarm well enough, “Skip” would give the ever reliable, “Food Poisoning” excuse, brought on by a racially profiling fried dough vendor.  Sgt. Gates would use one of his hundreds of Union sick days to sleep it off.  We should all have a special day to drink beer with friends or strangers and discuss the social ills of our nation…oh yeah we already do…it’s called Saturday.  Well,  good luck to the regular guys club meeting at the White House.  Watch out for road blocks on your way home.  

Use the comment space below and let me know what beer they should be drinking at this historic meeting.  Be careful, the future of Racial Harmony depends on it.

I’ve interviewed Zakk Wylde a few times.  This is the common scenario: A couple of questions about music, then a brawl about the friggin’ Yankees.  Despite being one of the greatest guitar players ever and leader of Black Label Society,  and a long time Ozzy Osbourne Axeman, he’s still a Bastard Yankees fan.  Here: Zakk also talks about his relationship with Ozzy(the Boss), his appearance in the movie “Bones”, and Tweeting about everything BLS.

http://hosted-media.podzinger.com/waaf/archive/Mike_Hsu_Feature/2009-07-27_Interview_or_verbal_brawl_with_Zakk_Wyld.mp3

This is a limited edition release from Redhook.  Brewed as closely as possible to the way old Belgian Trappist Monks would do it while trying to maintain a vow of silence or celibacy.  This particular small batch is designated by Redhook for summer, but it’s not infused with lemon or light and breezy like most Summer Seasonals.  It poured a reddish amber with a thin sudsy head.  It had a apple cider aroma with a little spice, maybe clove.  I let it sit long enough to see Jason Bay reach first and then get thrown out trying to steal second.  The first sip was a sweet, rich, classic Belgian ale taste with sweet cinnamon spice and vanilla.  The high carbonation counteracts the richness with a tart finish.  I let it sit for another inning and the richness let up and the vanilla flavors came forward.  The carbonation also dissipated.  I let it sit through a horrific 6th inning with John Smoltz  unravelling and giving up 3 home runs and a double.  Thankfully, the 10.2% ABV killed a little of that pain.  The warmth of the high alcohol content became more apparent as it hit room temperature.  The fruitiness and spiciness prevailed and the consistency became creamy.  Let this one get to room temp before digging in, or enjoy the dramatic changes as it warms.

So, you’ve got your bike… The weather is good… Now what? Where do you go now? Well, I thought it was a good question for the Biker Blog, so let’s come up with some ideas!

First, try a Charity Motorcycle Ride. It’s a fun way to ride in a big, safe group and do something good for a deserving charity.

Keep your eyes on the Charity Events Page we’re always updating it with new rides etc. If you have a ride you want listed… Email me at carrie@waaf.com

If a Charity Ride isn’t happening, and you’re looking for a nice ride and good food at your final destination… This is open to suggestion.

Here’s one…

I recently discovered that an old college friend of mine opened this place 3 years ago. It’s on Water Street along the ocean in Plymouth, Ma. It’s got an outdoor patio, so you can park your bike on the street and keep an eye on it.

The food is great, and not too pricey. It’s in a great spot if you’re on your way to or from the Cape,  or you just want to visit Plymouth’s famous ROCK!

Check out their menu on their official website:

Blue-Eyed Crab

Plot out your ride by clicking here for directions!

Now, I’ve made a suggestion to you…

Where do like to ride? What route do you take? Send links, pictures, directions etc! Let’s get out on the roads and enjoy the rest of this summer!

See you on the street!

On September 20th, you’ll be able to buy the new album Backspacer from Pearl Jam.

Today we got the new son ‘The Fixer’. Once again, Pearl Jam is showing us, that they are not afraid…

afraid to try something new or different,

afraid to upset their fanbase of people who want them to record Ten part 2,

or afraid to just say ‘f*ck it’!

The don’t have anything to prove, do they?

They are the ONLY grunge band to stay together and continue recording and touring, since grunge defined the Seattle experience. They have done their own thing all along! This is their 9th album, and they are showing NO signs of slowing down anytime soon.

If you haven’t heard it yet, check it out here… and let me know what you think!

 Commander Sark could not be reached for comment.

The day the French actually were victorious….against themselves.  Vive La Revolution!   Now here’s the Greatest Band In North America to celebrate:

Any excuse to play Rush.

Check this out:

Is it wrong for me to think texting is a from of Natural Selection?  Is it callous of me to believe that people who text while walking, driving, eating, or operating power tools get whatever consequences befall them?  Am I unsympathetic to think, while it is a tragedy, someone kills themselves texting while driving brought it on themselves?  Should a person go to jail for a minimum of 20 years for killing someone texting and driving?  Or let’s their kid walk into traffic because they’re to busy texting?  If the kid gets hit by a driver who was texting, should they both get 20 years?  Because we really don’t have to text.  The world made it to this point without texting.  If we wait a few minutes and pull over, would it kills us?  Better than killing yourself or falling into sewer full of feces and sanitary napkins trying to get that LOL in there to whoever else is receiving your text.  That person is probably manufacturing nuclear weapons or air traffic control parts.  In my humble opinion, this chick deserved to be immersed in poop gravy for not watching where she was going.  Sure, I’ve wandered into a few doors, street signs, other people, while checking out a hot ass or trying to figure out if that bum was dead or just sleeping.  I’m not the best driver on the streets either.  But c’mon, can’t the friggin’ text wait!  Can’t you just Stop for a few seconds, move your technologically obsessed ass to the side of the isle so I can get to the Ramen Noodles?  PLEASE?  Now this dumbass’ parents are trying to turn this into a money making opportunity.  “Good thing you were texting and fell into that manhole, now we can send you to college on a law suit scholarship.”  Too bad she’ll flunk out of high school because she thinks Texting is spelled “txtng”  and she writes everything in abbreviations.  “I thnk I wld do wel at Hvrd becuz I can txt rlly fst LOL”  Yes, LOL indeed.