Yeah, some people want you to keep quiet...I know plenty of people want me to be quiet...But we know that just isn't going to happen...Sometimes shit needs to be said...Even if it upsets people...Why hold it in?  'Cause some one on facebook may unfriend you?  They aren't your friend if they can't take you telling the truth, or sharing how you feel about something...

New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist caught some shit for venting his frustration after the Rangers lost game one to Boston Thursday night, in OT...Lundqvist was upset with himself for the 3-2 loss...But he also voiced his frustration with the teams lack of offense so far in the playoffs...He said what every single Rangers fan has been saying for weeks...But people thought it was wrong for him to call out his teammates...Why?  Why can some hack write about how horrible the power play is, but the guy carrying the team can't?

I'm not joking, I read a blog that pointed out that Lundqvist hasn't been good in OT...Well, couldn't that also be pointed at the rest of team for defensive breakdowns, and lack of scoring!?!  There was even a comment that Thursday night Lundqvist wasn't at his best...Well, the 2 previous games he threw shutouts...And yeah, if you watched closely, he wasn't at his best...And with that said, he made 45 saves on 48 shots...And his teammates blocked over 20 shots that night...If not for Lundqvist, Thursday night, the Rangers would have been destroyed...So he blew off some steam, and rightfully so!

But things got worse...Sunday the Bruins blasted Lundqvist and company 5-2...I had hoped Henrik popping off would have charged them up...And actually some of the Rangers did look like they took it up a notch...But the Bruins had a lot more jump...The series goes back to New York now...I'm not worried yet...The Rangers just need to do what they did against Washington...They'll be alright...

-Saturday horse racing took a ding again...They've been dying for a Triple Crown winner but it won't happen again...Just as favorite, Orb started to make his move, Titletown Five and Departing tried making their own moves, and pinched Orb in...He got stuck in the pack and couldn't do a thing...I had Departing winning, (Thanks Eddie Olczyk) but no one was catching Oxbow...That horse ran a hell of a race...With that said, I'll still be watching the Belmont...there are a number of exciting horses, and this thing should be wide open.

-Saturday morning Little Beeze and I headed off to our first baseball practice...Things are running behind this year...New organization running the league, and they're trying to figure it out...The practice was good...I've got a lot of good hitters...And my two best fielders, are girls...They both have great baseball sense...I can already tell it's going to be a good season...Had a number of parents that stuck around and helped out...Nice change of pace!

-Cleveland weather update...We have officially skipped Spring and are into Summer...80 degrees this weekend and my kids wanted to go ice skating Friday night...

And when we weren't at the Rink, or Baseball practice...Little sis, wouldn't leave big brother's side...

-And lastly, The Cleveland Indians...I'm shocked...There has been a lot of rumbling about the Tribe having low attendance...Well, considering a 24oz Pabst cost $10, Parking $20...And every road in the City is ripped up or closed...and the last two seasons the team fell apart after the All-Star Break, I'm guessing people are playing it safe with how they spend their money...It also doesn't help that while the Tribe is playing great, all the Sports talk shows in town are talking about the fucking Browns for some reason...

Have a week...

The Beeze.

One bike ride.  Several abject lessons.  First lesson, I’m without question in the most squishy shape of my life.  Second lesson, and the real basis of this story, I’m without question raising Beeze’s progeny.

After spending an entire weekend plus suffering from one of the most miserable allergy attacks of my life, I decided it would be optimum timing to go biking through the woods.  In retrospect, I do see the folly in this thinking, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.  I piled my Mini-Mo into the Jeep with a couple of bikes and off to the rail trail we went.

I went off looking like the over-weight, middle-aged dude I am.  There I am in my plaid shorts that fail to coordinate with anything in my dresser, a sweatshirt that is farthest most away from coordinating with these shorts as anything in my closet, riding my wife’s 15-year old mountain bike that is meant for a person shorter than myself…and, you know, a female.  Thing is, you know you’re middle aged when you just don’t care how foolish you look doing this – but you toss a smile out to the female passers-by anyway…you know, just in case they don’t think you look as stupid as you’re sure you do.

We live in a little town that was a bustling industrial center in the late-1800’s.  Located at the intersections of three rivers, it provided sufficient water power to run the myriad mills that dotted the landscape here and provided jobs for the 3000 residents who lived in town at the time.  Railroads were built to support the outflow of commerce and the inflow of raw materials.  However, it turned out that the very reasons industry was able to thrive were the same reasons the state decided to place a reservoir here to support the growing population in Greater Boston.  So, being thoroughly rational, they ripped apart the industrial base and parts of several towns, and flooded the river basins to create the reservoir.  It took more than 50 years before the population of the place reached the pre-reservoir totals.

Left behind were a lot of railroad tracks and at some point someone decided to convert  them to walking/hiking/biking trails.  Very nice feature of the town.  It also happens to serve as a fire-fighter training area, so there’s all these weird things designed for training purposes – there’s this 100’ sand hill they  do something with.  Mini-Mo loves this and before we even started our bike ride, he wanted to go up the hill.

So there he goes, scampering up this hill.  He turns around, thrusts two devil-horns up in the air, looks at me, and proceeds to RUN back down.  Top speed.  He gets about ¾ of the way down and dives – like a Tim Raines dive into second kind of dive.   PLOP!  Face first. When he skids to a halt, He stands up, looks at me and says, “It was like I was on fire!”  I wasn’t quite sure I knew what he meant, until he said “I had a fart that had a taste,” at which point I was pretty sure he’s actually Beeze’s kid.  Apparently, he had just suffered a tasty-fart fueled dive downhill.   If I had a brain, I would have recorded what was sure to be a disaster, but somewhere in the back of my head I was thinking something less than “record for posterity” and more along the lines of “father of the year” and “potential evidence;” as such I failed to record it as a video...I did however grab a pic of it - so this story must be true.

We rode 2.5 miles up and down the trail – the goofy kid and fat old man in his crazy cat-lady wardrobe riding the small, rusty women’s bike and sweating his butt off then packed everything back up into the Jeep and head home for bedtime.  I get him home, he starts getting ready for bed, and I’m heading in to tuck him in when I realize he’s got a gargantuan hole in the crotch of his boxers.  I’m left to guess that he in fact really did fart himself down that hill – so much so it tore right through the fabric of his skivvies.   I tell him to change out of them, he asks why, and then immediately sticks his butt in my direction and threatens to “use it on” me.  He’s not quite 8 and he realizes the heavy machinery he’s packing, meanwhile I’m realizing that Beeze is probably my son’s real father. 

Did you watch the Kentucky Derby? Would you always watch horse racing if the jockeys looked like this...

Maybe you'd like them to wear something that the wind can blow through....

Saddles are overrated too....

I could post pics of chicks with horses all day...And I could find them doing kinkier stuff too...But I'm just stalling...Yes, stalling....Stalling to say that the best I could do this year with the Kentucky Derby was pick the horse that finished third...

Did I spend too much time studying horses this past week, which has led to my disappointment? Or did I not spend enough time? Listen, I was throwing money down on Orb, (the winner) who ran a great race...He came in as the favorite...The big money wasn't there to be made on him...I took my shots on Revolutionary, Itsmyluckyday, and Java's War....I played with a couple different Trifecta's...But nothing...

In our family bet, Little Beeze said fuck you dad...He put his money on Orb (winner, winner, chicken nugget dinner)...Molls went with her Uncle's pick and took Verrazano (14th place)...My oldest daughter had Revolutionary (3rd place)...I had Itsmyluckyday(15th place)...My wife had Mylute (5th place)...Yeah, studying up did me a whole lot of good...Fucking schooled by them all and their lack of knowledge and nonsensical ways of picking horses...

-I'm also stalling because I don't want to talk about the NHL playoffs...Especially my New York Rangers being down 2-0 to the Washington Capitals...Saturday they lost 1-0 in OT...That's a tough one to take there...I expect Lundqvist to play great...But the way Holtby has played through the first two games is unreal...The next two games at MSG...The Rangers need to take them both, and then play the best of 3...

There is something else that I have been noticing in the NHL playoffs...I noticed it the past few years...The physical play, and chippyness has intensified...The NHL playoffs are always more intense then the regular season...The urgency is always cranked up...And the physical play always seems to go up a notch...But the last few years it seems like it has gone to another level...And this year, there are games where it seems like 'Well it's the playoffs!' is just being used as an excuse for the physical play, chippyness, and penalties, and some players just being total dickheads! (See The Montreal Canadiens/ Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks when looking for major dickheads!)

-Any Lacrosse fans out there? I don't watch Lacrosse on a regular basis, but if I'm flipping around the channels with nothing to do, and there's a college Lacrosse game on, I'll watch it...It's got a bit of a hockey feel to it...So, the NCAA Tournament is about to get underway, so I thought I'd give you the seeding for the tourney...

(1) Syracuse (Big East) vs (16)Bryant (Sunday @7:30)

                    Anyone else hungry right now?

Well, Spring has sprung...It reached over 60 degrees in the Cleve Sunday...The Indians home opener is set to kick off...So, based on past history, it will either rain, snow, have heavy fog, or the city will fall into Lake Erie...But no matter what, Clevelanders will be out in full force, getting shit-faced, and many will have no idea what happens in the game...Because let's be honest...Opening day is just fake holiday type of thing...Like Valentine's day! But it gives people a reason to take an extra day off and pound beers..."America, FUCK YEAH!"

I took my extra day off Friday...The wife and I had some things to take care of in the morning, and it was nice to have an extra day with the kids while they were on Spring Break...Minutes after I got home from work Thursday, the UPS man showed up with 3 large boxes...When I ordered bunk beds for my daughters, I didn't expect them to show up in this many pieces...

I got them about 97% done in about 2 hours...Then I took a long break...Friday afternoon I finished them up....

Then we just had to wait for the mattress for the bottom bunk to show...It showed up at 7:00AM Saturday morning...I wasn't pleased about that timing...But Molly and her big sis love their bunk beds...

We spent plenty of time hitting a few parks this weekend, with the touch of Spring we had...We also stopped for a bite to eat, where Molly hammed it up for the camera, and people around us...

The wife took the older two to see Jurassic Park on the big screen, while Molls and I watched baseball and napped...The new bed is comfy...

-So far I have found myself getting into the baseball season much easier then normal...Maybe it's the fantasy teams that have me watching closely...I've been battling my impatience with guys starting slow...and the occasional guy starting well, who is going to tank in a month...I've been all over the waiver wire, looking for the next great break out player...And seriously, Chris Davis, calm down and save some for July...Holy fucking hot start batman! Dude is making a bunch of us look stupid!

The Indians will enter their home opener at .500...They have 4 with the Yankees, 3 with the White Sox, and 3 with the Red Sox on the home stand...They better take advantage of the Yankees...The Tribe has already shown a Jekyll and Hyde side...The Rays 4 and 5 starters shut them down in back to back games, then Sunday the Tribe shredded Cy Young winner David Price...Hey, if this sorry team can go .500 all year, that's a step in the right direction...Oh, and while it's early...That off season trade, sending Choo to Cincy, and bringing the Indians Stubbs and Bauer, looks fucking awful...Stubbs blows...I don't care how much speed the guy has...It doesn't matter if he can't get on base...And Bauer, looked like the head case his ex-teammates described him as...

-Last week we saw the NHL trade deadline lead to a frenzy of activity...Like the Penguins getting Brendan Morrow and Jerome Iginla...Morrow has looked horrible and lost...Shocking for such a heady, steady player...Iginla said he wanted to do what was best for Calgary...SO he said no to an offer from Boston, that would have been better fro the Flames, then the deal Pittsburgh made...Why should we be surprised? He hasn't looked that great out there...

So Boston settled for old man Jagr...I was shocked they didn't go after some one who was more then a rent-a-player...So far he has been okay with the Bruins, but the guy is old, and can't put up the minutes...

The Minnesota Wild landed one of the top guys out there, in Jason Pomminville...This guy plays bot ways...Has great hands...A great shot...Good speed...Total game...The Wild can smell a run, and they struck...They gave up their goalie of the future in Matt Hackett and another top prospect Johan Larsson...Buffalo getting Hackett may be a sign of things to come for Ryan Miller...He's been the face of the team, and he's a top tier goalie, but they are a small market team trying to catch lighting in a bottle with a young, deep team that won't send them to bankruptcy again...

The trade that shocked many was the New York Rangers dumping sniper, Marian Gaborik...Not so much that they moved Gabby...That writing was on the wall...He's gotten lazy many times in his career...And if you don't play by coach John Tortorella's rules, you're gonna be gone...The shock was that the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have quietly crawled into the playoff hunt, made the deal for Gaborik...They gave the Rangers Derrick Brassard, who in his first game at MSG had a goal and 3 assists...They also got Young defenseman John Moore who was a top prospect for the Jackets...He had a goal in his Ranger debut...They also got Derek Dorsett who is injured, but adds some grit, and balls the Rangers have missed...

Based off of the youth and talent of Moore, and Brassard, I see this as a win for the Rangers...But for Jackets fans, who saw the team trade their star Rick Nash to the Rangers last year for not much, this had to be nice to see...The team fighting for the playoffs, and they trade some youth for a proven 40 goal scorer...If nothing else, it shows Columbus fans the team really is heading in a new direction...

The Rangers also added size, strength, grit, and talent, when they traded some draft picks to San Jose for Ryane Clowe...As far as the score sheet, Clowe has been awful...But he does all the little things too...And that makes him perfect for Torts...And he fit right into the Rangers system...In is first game with the Rangers he had 2 goals and an assist...His first two goals of the season...Saturday he added another assist, and is seeing more ice time...The change of scenery is paying off...

I was pissed about the NHL lockout/strike, but to be honest, I've really liked this shortened season...It has actually made the regular season count for something....The games seem more intense...The NHL doesn't want to talk about cutting down the season, but it may be something they should look at...

-Before I go...Why not close with a classic tune from my youth...Perfect for the Indians home opener!

Catch the fever!

Have a week...

The Beeze.

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Easter weekend...And I hope your Easter Bunny was as giving as this one!

My week was crazy...We'll start on Thursday...I took Little Beeze and his older sister to Holy Thursday Mass...It was required for part of their RCIA class...A number of the kids from school were going to lead the procession into mass with candles...Before they even stepped off, a little girls hair caught fire...No, the boy wasn't involved...Her mother screamed and got it out quickly, but her pony tail was gone...Then the mother, trying to fight it as hard as she could, let out a 15-20 second battle with saying "Mother Fffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuu----cccccccccckkkkk" in the back of the church....The dashes are where her voice dropped out, and we all thought she caught herself...

Then, during the homily, an old lady passed out...Some one called 9-1-1...And she woke up loudly, puking all over herself...The EMT's rolled in, and not so stealthy took her out...All this has me fearing what was going to happen at the Easter Vigil Saturday night, where Little Beeze was being baptized/confirmed, and he and his sister were making their first communion...

And the fear ran high as Saturday's mass started at 9:00PM, outside with a bonfire, candle lighting, and walking into a dark church...Sounds safe right!?! Everything went okay...Long...2 and a half hours, but okay...We got home, to find Molls wide awake...It wasn't until after 12:30AM when they were all asleep...Then I had to put on my fucking bunny ears and hide Easter baskets and eggs...

Sunday, my house was full of over-tired, sugared-up kids, all in need of a nap...And my wife and I running on coffee and wanting naps...It was a lazy day, especially after the ham, mashed potatoes, corn, lamb chops, and asparagus...

But there was some time for dancing...

But it wasn't all church, food, and dancing this weekend...

-There was some intense NCAA Hockey...There were plenty of upsets that took place...In the East, Union upset Boston College before falling to #1 seed Quinnipiac...In the Northeast, #1 seed Umass- Lowell had to battle Wisconsin, and New Hampshire to get to the "Frozen Four"....In the Midwest, #4 St. Cloud State gave #1 seed Notre Dame a 5-1 beating...This was a shocker since the Irish had been one of the hottest teams going into the tourney...Then St. Cloud beat #2 seed Miami (Ohio) to advance...And in the West #4 seed Yale upset #1 Minnesota and #2 North Dakota to earn a trip to the "Frozen Four"...

Quinnipiac, St. Cloud State, Umass-Lowell, and Yale will head to Pittsburgh to play the "Frozen Four" April 11-13...I'm annoyed by the break they take, but they know they'll get no coverage at all with the basketball tourney going on...

-As for basketball, my bracket was pretty much screwed...But Marquette losing killed me totally...Hows yours?

-Sunday night, Major League Baseball kicked off it's season with the Astros and Rangers...Most of the rest the teams get going Monday...I'm slightly excited for the season, if only because it gives us hope that Spring is here...Even though my local Weather guy gave us a heads-up for more cold and possible snow this week...Of Course! Probably get a blizzard for the Tribe's home opener next week!

I have to say, there is something about Baseball that is bothering me...I never liked the inter-league stuff to begin with, but now with this inter-league game every day crap...It just doesn't make sense when you have two leagues that have different rules...It's time to take a stand...Either DH for everyone, or no DH at all...Bud, you stupid old coot, it's time to make the call already!

-Sunday, a friend of mine posted this LINK on my facebook page...If you were ever concerned about the charities athletes setup, and where the money really goes, you were right to be concerned...Only 8% of the funds in one of Baron Davis' foundations went to charity...Lamar Odom doesn't know what his Charity does...You call Randy Moss' charity, and it's a private residence in Manitoba...There is $300,000 unaccounted for from an Alex Rodriguez charity fundraiser...Give it a read...It could save some people from wasting their money!

-My wife has been a fan of "The Walking Dead"...I saw a few bits and pieces, but never really cared...This week, she got me to watch a bunch of episodes...Which lead up to me watching the season finale...You know what this show did...It fucking annoyed me! Some how, magically, when people die they turn into a Zombie...No explanation...It just is...Fucking childish writing there! Didn't this shit go down in 2010 supposedly...Why the fuck are they driving a 2013 car! Shitty advertising ploy there! I found myself wanting a lot of these people dead...

SPOILER ALERT: One traitorous bitch got what she deserved!

But seriously, America...Between the ads for video games and movies and other TV shows I was seeing while watching a bunch of episodes of "The Walking Dead" I have to ask...When the fuck are you going to grow up? Enough of this Zombie and Vampire shit...Seriously Yes, "Reality TV" makes me sick...But beating these two stupid trends to death has just become lazy! This Zombie, and Vampire shit can eat my ass!

Have a week...

The Beeze