SJ.com Outing, er, GetTogether, Toronto, July 14-16

The Cup's in front of his face right. Dude should change his name to Wilson

 

I'll send it to FJ by the end of the week, along with a bunch of other great ones (including some from the Jersey Giant).

Update from my continued outing: watched a poorly-played Single-A game in Fort Wayne, Indiana last night. It was still a lot of fun, reminded me of the local semipro team back home. Weather for 7 p.m. first pitch was PERFECT. I caught a t-shirt from the launcher cannon. And it was Dollar Night at the ball park: $1 hot dogs, sodas and yes, beer.

Joining my dad in Detroit for the second half of this trip has been a strange experience. Yesterday afternoon, I followed him on a tour of a 300,000 square foot plant where ITT assembles indestructable radios for the U.S. military in Fort Wayne. Then today, we toured AM General's main facilities in South Bend, Indiana. That's where they make all military and many civilian Hummers. Apparently tomorrow I get to see something top secret somewhere in central Michigan. :

I think defense writers might even be more weird than sports scribes.

Then tomorrow night, the highlight of the trip since leaving Toronto: Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers. For those of you who put up with me babbling on and on about how excited I was about the potential pitching matchups in this series, know that the game we're attending is the absolute best one I hoped for: Vazquez vs. Bonderman. Look for me and CR Sr. on ESPN. We'll be the ones hanging the clever sign over the railing above the bullpen in left field.

 

Good plan, CR, keep the stolen automatic weapons a secret until the very last second. No sense in tipping your hand too soon.

Seriously, we all hope the second part of your outing is just as enjoyable and interesting as the first part was.

Indestructible radios, though, that got me thinking. Hell for sports journalists must be an eternity of listening to an endless loop of Whitlock, Lupica, Albom and Simmons on one of those things.

 

They put each batch through a couple dozen tests, including swinging a 500-pound chunk of iron down from 12 feet to simulate the radio being struck by a missile. Amazing stuff.

The second part of the outing has been very enjoyable, and after last weekend, it's probably a good thing I can't legally enter taverns in the states. It will be nice to go home to 65-degree weather, though.

 

CR, your little quote at the end made my night.
And is anyone else still behind in their sleep?
I still need a few more hours to make up for those 4 to 9 a.m. nights.
My kids are on summer vacation, why won't they sleep in?

 

Glad I could make your night. Trust me, it made my day when I introduced myself, you looked at me for about two seconds and then said that.

I'm behind on my sleep, but I'm on such a weird schedule in the East Coast time zone that I don't get tired until about 3 or 4. It's like I'm still on a weeknight PST schedule.

 

It was meant as a compliment.
Can't say I'm not brutally honest.

 

Nor until recently would I have ever tried to deny it.

 

Bah, sleep. I woke up at 9 on Monday and 8:45 yesterday.

 

I woke up at 12:15 yesterday, went back to bed at 2, and slept until 5.

Woke up earlier today, like 10, but was back asleep by 10:45 and woke up for good about 20 minutes ago.

 

Up at 6:30 am today and yesterday. Sucks.