I've maintained a degree of anonymity since I began blogging four years ago. But I've dropped a few hints of things I like, other than the Mets. Such as...
I am a Man Who Likes His Tidbits
Ever since I was little, I've had the ability to discover and recall the most unusual bits of information. My brain is compartmentalized such that I find these nuggets fascinating and store them away in the deepest parts of my brain, ready for instant recall.
Sometimes the information manifests itself as a blog entry. Sometimes it's just a reference under "True ___ know..." Some of my favorite blog-related findings include ...
* Bill Buckner's team lost the game in which he made his major-league debut when a ball rolled through an infielder's legs.
* Jesse Orosco, whose primary uniform number as a Met was 47, finished his career with a record of 47-47.
* Don Florence holds the Mets record for most wins without a loss, with three.
I am a Man who Likes His Wordplay
One of the first newspaper articles I ever wrote was for the local weekly paper, about the author of a book on the history of weird puns ("Iron while the strike is hot.")
When I was in college, a journalism professor advised his students to be clever in their headline writing. The reader who appreciates it will enjoy it. The reader who doesn't get it won't be deterred from reading.
Those two instances have had a pretty strong influence on my blog, and they've had a pretty strong influence on me.
Just the other day, I asked a few people: "If the Mets shortstop makes an error, do I score it an X on Valdez," and I got laughter in response. In my posting on 6-5 Mets wins, I originally wrote that "Jay Payton was in the right spot" but realized I could have a little more fun by changing "spot" to "place."
Some of my favorite blog related wordplay includes
* What does a bad boy scout, or a member of the 1962 Mets earn? A DeMerit badge, of course.
* When a Braves outfielder taunted fans, than muffed a game-ending hit, he learned that Payback is a Botch.
*A pitcher who struggles against the Mets knows that A Penny Saved Is a Penny Burned.
* The Christmas-themed walk-off: Santa Klaus is Coming to Town.
* I also like musical wordplay...My favorite songs include Hava Aguila, Zum Ollie Ollie, and It's A Time of the Saenz.
I am a Man Who Likes His Seinfeld
If there is a second subject besides walk-offs in which I have an encyclopedic interest, it's Seinfeld. I've seen every episode multiple times. I know all the key lines. I even dabbled in writing a couple of "fanfic" scripts way back when. One of the best things about Seinfeld is that the quotes, the situations, and the minutiae from the show are totally relatable to real-life Mets situations.
I count 15 blog posts in which I've referenced the show in a significant way. You can link to all of them here.
I Am A Man Who Likes His Peanuts
Not the food, but the book. Right above the desk where I type is a framed handwritten letter from Charles Schulz to a fan. Right behind the desk is a framed copy of an article I wrote about the characters on the eve of the final Peanuts comic strip.
Without getting into the details, there's a lot in common between myself and a number of the strips characters. One of the things is a like of baseball. There have been some parallels between the Mets and Charlie Brown's baseball adventures...
Such as the similar scenarios faced by Charlie Brown and Tommie Agee.
Such as the similar scenarios faced by Charlie Brown and Carlos Beltran.
Such as the similar scenarios faced by Joe Shlabotnik and Don Zimmer.
-----
So that's me, in a (Pea)nutshell. I've been doing this for four years now and I'm guessing there are a few of you who are regular readers who I don't know. Feel free, if you like, to write me here.
I am a Man Who Likes His Tidbits
Ever since I was little, I've had the ability to discover and recall the most unusual bits of information. My brain is compartmentalized such that I find these nuggets fascinating and store them away in the deepest parts of my brain, ready for instant recall.
Sometimes the information manifests itself as a blog entry. Sometimes it's just a reference under "True ___ know..." Some of my favorite blog-related findings include ...
* Bill Buckner's team lost the game in which he made his major-league debut when a ball rolled through an infielder's legs.
* Jesse Orosco, whose primary uniform number as a Met was 47, finished his career with a record of 47-47.
* Don Florence holds the Mets record for most wins without a loss, with three.
I am a Man who Likes His Wordplay
One of the first newspaper articles I ever wrote was for the local weekly paper, about the author of a book on the history of weird puns ("Iron while the strike is hot.")
When I was in college, a journalism professor advised his students to be clever in their headline writing. The reader who appreciates it will enjoy it. The reader who doesn't get it won't be deterred from reading.
Those two instances have had a pretty strong influence on my blog, and they've had a pretty strong influence on me.
Just the other day, I asked a few people: "If the Mets shortstop makes an error, do I score it an X on Valdez," and I got laughter in response. In my posting on 6-5 Mets wins, I originally wrote that "Jay Payton was in the right spot" but realized I could have a little more fun by changing "spot" to "place."
Some of my favorite blog related wordplay includes
* What does a bad boy scout, or a member of the 1962 Mets earn? A DeMerit badge, of course.
* When a Braves outfielder taunted fans, than muffed a game-ending hit, he learned that Payback is a Botch.
*A pitcher who struggles against the Mets knows that A Penny Saved Is a Penny Burned.
* The Christmas-themed walk-off: Santa Klaus is Coming to Town.
* I also like musical wordplay...My favorite songs include Hava Aguila, Zum Ollie Ollie, and It's A Time of the Saenz.
I am a Man Who Likes His Seinfeld
If there is a second subject besides walk-offs in which I have an encyclopedic interest, it's Seinfeld. I've seen every episode multiple times. I know all the key lines. I even dabbled in writing a couple of "fanfic" scripts way back when. One of the best things about Seinfeld is that the quotes, the situations, and the minutiae from the show are totally relatable to real-life Mets situations.
I count 15 blog posts in which I've referenced the show in a significant way. You can link to all of them here.
I Am A Man Who Likes His Peanuts
Not the food, but the book. Right above the desk where I type is a framed handwritten letter from Charles Schulz to a fan. Right behind the desk is a framed copy of an article I wrote about the characters on the eve of the final Peanuts comic strip.
Without getting into the details, there's a lot in common between myself and a number of the strips characters. One of the things is a like of baseball. There have been some parallels between the Mets and Charlie Brown's baseball adventures...
Such as the similar scenarios faced by Charlie Brown and Tommie Agee.
Such as the similar scenarios faced by Charlie Brown and Carlos Beltran.
Such as the similar scenarios faced by Joe Shlabotnik and Don Zimmer.
-----
So that's me, in a (Pea)nutshell. I've been doing this for four years now and I'm guessing there are a few of you who are regular readers who I don't know. Feel free, if you like, to write me here.
Comments
As for your poll, though I'm partial to games I've attended (8 walk-off wins since 2006!), the Beltran homer vs. St. Louis gets my vote.(Though the game 4 years ago today certainly was a great way to usher in the Mets Walk-Offs era. Hey, didn't the Mets get a walk-off homer on 6/11/08 also? (Beltran vs. Arizona) Maybe something to look for tonight...)