Arriving early at a game
 

So I always arrive early, maybe sometimes too early, but if it's an hour before game time and I am not there something is wrong.

So, today, fall ball junior high game...and I am not only an hour early, I am 169 hours early.

New personal record, thank you very much.

John, we've gotta talk about your medication, bro. :)

Did you find a Starbucks and hang out or did you go home?

Now, that is a stupid question? ;) You don't need to "find" a Starbucks in that part of the country, Starbucks finds you!

As notorious as the Seattle area is for their coffee, I don't think they compare to Missoula, Montana. When I was there, not only was there a coffee shop or two on every block, but more vendors selling coffee out of a cart than soft pretzel vendors in Philly.:eek:

That is a lot of caffeine! Then again, if you lived in Missoula,.............:rolleyes:

Wisconsin has the same problem, except with bars.

Okay, it's not really a "problem," per se. We have the highest bar per capita rate in the nation. :D

Didn't go to Starbucks...we ended up trading games, so the umpire (Mr. Petkovitz) who was supposed to do the game will do the game I was supposed to do next game.

And...Starbucks coffee is horrible IMHO. Tully's and Seattle's Best are far better, and there are some indies that are better than they.

And...Missoula is a GOOD place. It is home to the Cracker Barrel nearest Seattle. Now before you go putting down Cracker Barrel, know there are also no Waffle House up here. And, look at a picture of a geoduck. Look it up. Not only do they eat those things, they can't even pronounce it.

Seattle's Best is a subsidiary of Starbucks

Have to agree with you there. I do Starbucks if they are the only option. Of course, when you just order a "large house blend" you get some seriously strange looks from some people :rolleyes:

Yeah, Missoula is a cool little town. Reminds me of Mayberry, except they now have some buildling over two stories. Barely remember seeing Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen at a bar with a load of taps.

If you want both Cracker Barrel and Waffle House in the same town, I highly recommend Texas. They even have Whataburgers and Chik-Fil-A out the ying yang. No Peet's Coffee or In-N-Out though. :D

I will now sit back and wait for Mike to have his fit of angina over the word "Texas". ;)

Yes, Starbuck's bought them a few years ago. However they still do things independently. For instance, SBC doesn't burn their beans when they roast them...

Don't tempt me...if I had my druthers, I would be back in TX tomorrow. What's good is when you have a Waffle house and Whataburger kitty-corner from each other, across from the mall where the Chik-Fil-A is sitiated.

+1 to both paragraphs. There are more than enough Starbucks up here, but Portland is full of independent places that make good coffee.

(Did I mention we have a lot of good beer here too? :D)

And Missoula is a great little town. I had a lot of fun when I was there.

psst - change your calendar to 2009 ;)

I'm actually the same....

If i am not there a half hour before game time I'm LATE! Sunday morning men's FP, game time is 845 for a DH, I am there by 8 - time to sip my coffee....get rid of my coffee:p ....and start getting my gear on, so that when my partner shows up at 830, i'm already half dressed, and then I can do the 2nd game on the bases, and jump in my vehicle and run home when we are done!

Sounds about right. Don't forget the 3 or 4 wing places, too. :D

I've discovered another treat since being here, and that is the brewed goodness that is Shiner Bock. I'm a bit of a beer snob but I think Shiner is one of my new favorites.

Not begrudging you your beer or anything, but there are many, many better brews than Shiner Bock. Some made right here in Texas. Ever had anything from Rahr's out of Ft. Worth. The Ugly Pug is a good one. Also, St. Arnold's has a bunch of good beer. (Their Winter Stout probably being my favorite.)

If you are ever up around Dallas, try a Humperdinks or a Two Rows. Both brew their own beer, and do a mighty fine job of it.

Thanks for the recommendations, Scott. I've heard good things about the various St Arnold beers but have yet to try any. I'll add all of those to my list of "must try" beers. :)

When Celis was here, and privately owned, they made some really good brews as well. However, now that they are part of a corporation that cares little about good beer, they are just a shadow of what used to be.

What corporation is that?

''

First Miller, and now Michigan Brewing!

I'm sure you meant "Lake Michigan Brewing", right? Oh, no, that has to be wrong. That would imply that there was some type of taste to it. :D

Thanks. What I found in a quick search was that Miller bought the company and then closed it down.

That they did. Then MB bought the rights. Either way, the beer hasn't been the same since it left the original Celis brewery back about a decade ago. Which is sad, because they produced a fine product.

Hey Tom, here is an interesting article I found in the Austin American-Statesman about the demise of Celis: Austin American-Statesman

It seems that we can turn any topic into a discussion about beer....

I'm not complaining.....I'm jus' sayin.....:cool:

Speaking of which, has anyone tried Ommegang's Three Philosophers? I think it's 9.8% alcohol, and is VERY good.

I have heard some great stuff about that brew, but sadly, it is unavailable in Texas.

The water of life, my friend. It can find its way into any conversation period. The only conversation better than one that includes beer as a topic is one that includes beer as a topic while you are drinking beer.

Anytime you're up this way, let me know. I'll get you some. :)

I'm suddenly pretty thirty and it's almost quitting time on a Friday. :D

Thanks for that... (and I fixed your link).

I left the Austin area in the mid 90's; I remember Celis and was not aware of what had happened since.

30?!?! You are only 30! Hell, you are just a pup, barely old enough to know anything about barley.

D'oh! Thirsty. I...uh...have a few years until I hit 30 actually. :o

Especially considering the ucking fidiot who started the thread has been clean and sober for 22 years. However, there are some good n/a beers out there. There's one, Clausterhaus or Clustersomething that is excellent, and the Guiness n/a is also pretty good.

Oh, and Miller was pretty good about shutting down local breweries. They bought out Oly up here and today, there's a brewery that can be bought in Tumwater, WA that turned out some pretty good beer...

:(
It was the water...

It was either Miller or A-B that bought Henry Weinhard's, who had been brewing in the middle of Dowtown Portland forever, about a dozen years ago. They shut down the Portland brewery (it's condos and retail now), made the stuff out of state, and now they sell it like it's the same old Henry's. Nice try. :rolleyes:

Well, thank you. I never knew it was broken.

Irish, thanks for the Commander Cody reference...
 

they played at my wedding on my sister's farm 15 years ago. Also, glad you appreciate a good philly soft pretzel too.

Without Bill Kirchen then. Too bad. He made that band!