It had taken quite some time, but Alex Rodriguez finally became the seventh member of the 600 Home Run Club. Rodriguez joined the club when he took a 1st inning 2-0 pitch from Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Shaun Marcum to deep center at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday. Since hitting home run 599, A-Rod had gone 12 games and 46 at-bats before Tuesday’s milestone.

Once again to justify having this posted on a sports based website I will say this, Last night the New York Mets lost, again. Jerry Manuel should be fired by the time you read this and Brett Favre retired – again- allegedly. Stand by for more details, not that anyone should care anymore. Was Brett Favre a great player? Yes, he was also the all-time iron man starting something like 748 games in a row, that’s amazing and we all get it, but really, do we care if he plays anymore? The way he cost the Vikings a trip to the Superbowl last season should be enough for people to want him to retire and as bad as that last play was, he should want to retire! I really don’t care either way, it’s Sage Rosenfels world and we are all just living in it.

The truth is, that really isn’t what is on my mind. Last night I went to see the Counting Crows at a small venue on Long Island. Fine, make your jokes, the Counting Crows sucks, does your Husband know you went, you didn’t pay right? Hahaha, you suck! And, the Counting Crows Rock! August and Everything after was and still is one of the best albums (records? Cds? – Whatever you call it) ever. The concert sucked, it really did, I wish it was like a restaurant where I could have listen to 85% of it and sent it back and ordered something else, but that isn’t how concerts works. I am out $75.50 and I am mad. Actually the ticket only cost $60.50 but they charged me a 15 dollar handling fee. 15 bucks to handle my ticket? Don’t touch it! Don’t even look at, I will pick it up, I will handle it, I don’t need you to handle it. I didn’t ask them to handle it, certainly not for 15 bucks. For $15 my ticket should have been delivered with a big smile on its face, smoking a cigarette. Or at the very least have gotten a reach around, common courtesy, that is all I am asking for.

Even though I got screwed twice, once on the price and then on the actual show, that isn’t really what is bothering me the most. I am old now, just turned 34 so when I go to a concert I want to sit down. Why do people insist on standing throughout the entire show? I’m not talking about everyone, because there are other old people like me that want to sit also, I am talking to specific people. Last night it was you Orange shirt guy and you drunken old skank! These people are at every concert I have ever been at, I mentioned the venue was small so I had a pretty good view of the action in front of me. Orange shirt guy didn’t sit once, NOT ONCE! I think at one point he was playing pocket pool too, to me that is just strange. The guy sitting behind him must have been furious, I haven’t done the research but I assume most songs sound the same regardless of your body’s position. Maybe the sound gets to you faster if you are standing but, I am pretty sure it will find you even if you sit down. Orange shirt guy was young, maybe in his early 20’s but drunken old skank was not! The only thing that made said skank tolerable was the thought that she might take her shirt off if her favorite song was played. She never did! She danced in the aisle for quite some time, sure it was a sexy dance but after 2 hours if you aren’t naked you are just annoying.

Maybe I am just old; maybe I am just old before my time. At 34 years old I should still be getting wasted and punching cops, but that isn’t who I am anymore. I am a dad, I have Kidz Bop 17 and 18 on my Ipod. My next concert will probably be Justin Bieber! I have just become cranky, I guess. Orange shirt guy, drunken “lady” I apologize for my disgust, I am sure your tickets were “handled” the same way mine were, if you want to dance – dance!

Counting Crows, you owe me $75!

As we embark on the stretch run with 60 or so games remaining, July set the tone as we passed the trade deadline days ago. Along with the buyers (New York Yankees) and sellers (Houston Astros) and those who’ve essentially waved the towel (New York Mets), we saw a few things that come as no surprise. Ozzie Guillen went off on a rant once more and there were, yup, two more no hitters.

With less than two whole days left until the trade deadline, there are still plenty of players hoping to go from a rebuilding franchise to a contending team. Many teams are still looking to add pieces to make an October run, while others will look to stock up on promising young players in their respective farm system.

Tonight Major League Baseball will hold its annual mid-summer classic, pitting the All-stars from the American league vs the All-stars of the National league.

This game used to be an exhibition, similar to Apollo versus Ivan Drago. Much like that match, the loosing league of the game tonight will be as dead as Apollo Creed in their attempt to win the World Series.

It is a joke that a game that potentially will see Trevor Cahill facing Michael Bourn with the game on the line in the ninth inning will somehow determine which team plays a World Series game 7 at home. A decision needs to be made soon about the value of this game, if it is for the fans, then it should have no meaning, like it did for most of history. If this game’s outcome is to be made relevant then the managers should pick the players, even if that meant Joe Girardi taking the entire Yankee roster with him and playing them all 9 innings. To quote the words of the “great” Herm Edwards, “You play to win the game!”

When I was younger my father and I made a point to watch this game together. My mom would make sure there was Cracker Jacks and Black Cherry soda in the house because she knew that this was our game. We knew it didn’t matter who won the game but it was still fun. As Mets fans we wanted to see if all the Mets wore the same color spikes and we wanted to see the National league win. We hated the Yankees so that meant we hated the American league, for us it was a thank you from Major League Baseball for sitting through the 1st 81 games, knowing that we would also be there for the next 81. Tonight my kids won’t want to watch, not if SpongeBob is on. As a matter of fact, even if the only thing to watch tonight was the All-star game I couldn’t convince my kids to sit there long enough to be interested.

This game was once a tradition to a lot of people, it was fun, before interleague play it was the only real chance we had to see Nolan Ryan against Strawberry or Gooden vs Mattingly, and it didn’t cost us anything, the outcome didn’t affect the World Series. To me and my dad it was a game we couldn’t wait for and a game we would never miss. Tonight, if I see some of the game then that is great but if I miss most of it I really won’t care. I would like to thank Bud Selig for ruining a good time. What’s next Bud? The team with the most Grapefruit league wins gets a 1st round playoff bye?

Major League Baseball is embarrassing itself by trying to sell this games importance to us. Sure, baseball is America’s favorite pastime, but for 1 night only I hope Americans find some other way to pass the time.

George Steinbrenner died today after suffering a major heart attack in Tampa Florida, it is truly a sad day for the Steinbrenner family and the New York Yankees. At least for the Steinbrenner’s George passed on a day where he could get the proper thank you from baseball fans everywhere. George Steinbrenner was an All-star and tonight he will be remembered as 1.

A few weeks away from All Star Weekend, the half way mark as teams approach their 81st game, or just about the time annually when top prospects for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles to play meaningless games as we head into July.

“The ticket I paid for gives me every right to act like a complete moron.”