"Take my hand and we'll make it I swear..."

1st Inning.

American History Lesson..."Give me Liberty or Give me Death!".  This past week saw the National Rifle Association hold its annual meeting in Houston, Texas.  This annual convention draws various members of society from the firearms/ammunition manufacturers, to 2nd Amendment enthusiasts, to members of the law enforcement/military community, and many politicians and celebrities.  Well, this year Patrick Henry showed up to give his famous speech. 

2nd Inning.

Movie I want to see...again.  My top 10 Teen Comedy Movies of the '80s Countdown Part 7--"Ferris Bueller's Day Off".  So, I was perusing the Netflix selections this past weekend and what do I find?  You guessed it...Ferris Bueller's Day Off.  I had not viewed this movie in several years and this time my oldest was interested in watching one of old dad's '80s comedies too.  The movie takes place in the Chicago area where high school senior, Ferris Bueller (played by Matthew Broderick), and his buddy, Cameron, and girlfriend, Sloane, decided to skip school and enjoy the day in downtown Chicago.  To get there, Cameron is persuaded to borrow his dad's prized Ferrari.  Their adventure finds them dining in a fine restaurant and almost being caught by Ferris' dad; going to a Cubs game; and Ferris singing 'Twist and Shout' in a parade.  All this while the principal, Ed Rooney, is out to prove Ferris is intentionally missing school and bust him.  A side plot point is Ferris telling his parents he is sick to get out of going to school then everyone in school and around Chicago wishing Ferris to get well.  This is a running joke throughout as Ferris' sister, Jeanie (played by Jennifer Grey in between starring in 'Red Dawn' and 'Dirty Dancing'), knows he is faking his sickness and she is also out to prove it.  Well, the movie ends with everyone pretty much getting what they want from that day...even Rooney finally catches Ferris only for Ferris to be saved by Jeanie at the last moment.  Special cameo by the one and only, Charlie Sheen, as a drugged out 'Boy in the Police Station' (per the credits).  I'm making a habit of this while chronicling this list but I don't have this one in my dvd collection either and it is a 'must-have'.  The trailer is below.  Enjoy!  

3rd Inning.

Sports...Ballpark beer/concession prices.  Last year my wife bought us a half-season ticket package for the Kansas City Royals to ensure my ability to get All-Star game tickets last summer.  Well, taking 3 children to the game can be very expensive if you don't know the best deals in the ballpark and we quickly learned what those were after a few games.  As you can imagine drinks are always expensive, especially the beer.  At Kauffman Stadium there are, of course, many vendors selling beer and it takes awhile to figure it out (I enjoyed the research on this).  You have the vendors walking the stands (no-no), you have the food concession areas in the concourse (no-no), you have a Boulevard Beer bar next to the Diamond Club behind home plate (bleh), and you have the little beer vendors in the concourse that sell draft and canned beer.  This is where I found the best deal--24oz Coor's Light for $10.  Expensive but overall the best deal and one usually lasts me most of the game.  The folks over at MSN.com put together a top-ten list of 'priciest ballparks for beer', check it out and my fellow Kansas City fans should rest easy, we didn't make the list.  If you have found a better deal at the K, please leave your tips in the Comments section of the blog! 

4th Inning.

Funny Videos...

• Will Sasso driving...I came across this little video of the actor/comedian, Will Sasso, doing a great Arnold impression while driving.  Will was a regular on the old MadTv show (which in my opinion was funnier than SNL). 

• Another funny video starring Patton Oswalt as the Penguin in a Batman sketch where Batman has an issue understanding death.

5th Inning.

This ole...baseball game.  Several weeks ago the wife and I were cleaning out our basement storage to prepare for our annual spring garage sale.  As we were cleaning I came across one of my old 'memory' boxes where I kept old elementary/junior high/high school items along with a few college ones.  In that box was a story I wrote about a baseball game played during one of my summer league years and I've decided to include it in this week's post.

"It was late in the summer of 1992 and the summer baseball league was almost over and we were playing in a tournament in Oak Grove, Missouri.  The tournament was double elimination so we had to lose twice to be out and go home.  Our team had beaten all the others so it came down to one game between us and a team from St. Joseph, Missouri...." (Continue)


6th Inning.

Random facts about me...I still believe Ross and Rachel were on a 'break'...I love a good bock-style beer...I take every opportunity to sneak up on Gina while she is in the laundry room and can't hear me and yell 'BOO'!...I believe that if a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter you DON'T talk about it...I have mini-bust statues of Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, Franklin, and Teddy Roosevelt that are actually old perfume decanters...I have 3 bookshelves here in my basement office and each one is organized for a different genre--History/Government, Comics/Fantasy/Sci-fi, and Sports/Yearbooks...I have lived in the following cities: Grandview, Missouri; Raymore, Missouri; Belton, Missouri; Kansas City, Missouri; Timbo, Arkansas; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Cordova, Tennessee; and Memphis, Tennessee...The first CD I ever bought was Doug Stone's "From the Heart" (big hit on that CD was

'Why Didn't I Think of That') to be played on the cd player I won the night of my high school graduation at the official after-grad party...If you were to view my spam folder for my personal email account you would think I have a 'size' problem, an erection problem, weight problem, but there are plenty of females ready to have a good time with me...only after I send my bank account information to those government fellas in Nigeria so they can wire me $12,000,000...

7th Inning.

Firearms Corner...How ammo is made.  With the craziness of the current ammo shortage I thought it would be good to post a video about how ammo is made in order to highlight the components used in the process.  Many sources in the industry have stated that it is a complete supply line chain issue starting with the basic components that are at the root of the shortage issue.  So, it's not just the government buying up all the ammo or Joe-Bob driving to every Wal-Mart in the city to buy it all up and turn around to sell it at gouge prices. 

8th Inning.

FFL Factoid...As we continue with the FFL Dealer types, this week is Type 07.

• Manufacturer of Firearms/Ammunition other than destructive devices and Dealer in firearms other than destructive devices (includes: rifles, shotguns, pistols, revolvers, gunsmith activities, and National Firearms Act (NFA) weapons if you apply for and purchase a Class 2 License).  Application fee and the first three years is $150.  Renewal every three years is $150. 

9th Inning.

Baseball Sports related video...If you don't ever get choked up when this is played then you need help.  I've stood up took my hat off and placed my hand over my heart down here in my basement office when it is played on tv before the Royals' games.  Let this anthem play on...forever...