Cologne, Koln, Colon... Pick one...

It's been crazy this week in Germany.
Fortunately I'm only on the one-city gig, four games here in Koln, rather than the multi-city tours some of the NBA guys have been working. Poor bastards...

I got here with a minimum of difficulty- the plane from Newark to Koln was pretty empty- I had a bulkhead seat but changed at the last minute to an empty row... Marginally better, but biz class would have been mo' better.

Koln is a nice city-
They have the ever-present ornate cathedral in the middle of town, just like every other European city.

The Dom

Our hotel- (the Hyatt) is right on the Rhine river, and a short walk across the bridge puts us down in the bar/restaurant section of town...

The Hyatt- full moon rising

The NBA guys (and girls) take every opportunity to enjoy the local scene.


Ariana and Andrea (and the ever-present Crackberry)


M&M - Munoz & Martin


Chia Bret, or rather Non-chia Bret...

And this is what happens when you leave your digital camera unattended...

Kevin Breen - Self Portrait

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More Fun on the Menu


I'm not sure *why* they are classifying it as "art".


And I KNOW this isn't art...

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So, it's game day here at the Kolnarena...

I'm here at courtside waiting for Peter Skrodelis to show up with a roll of scotch tape and an e-mail that I neglected to reply to...
Last night during a spirited discussion (vodka was the spirit of choice) I was accused of ignoring a technical discussion via e-mail because I was too busy doing something trivial like, oh, sitting on an airplane or, Allah forbid, working at a non-NBA event...
If I got it and ignored it he said he'd print it out and tape it to my forehead...
If he didn't CC me on it, he's just going to put the tape there, but not the e-mail.
One way or another, I'm going to wind up with tape on my head.

The fun never stops here in Koln.

One more pic, just to round out the day...


Write your own caption.


Famous, out.

End-of-week update.

It's been a busy week for Yours Truly...

I spent the leading edge of the week in New York with DanO from Big Ice and the Usual Suspects from IDS... A couple of the Usual Suspects, anyway. Some of the players were not in attendance at the meetings in Man-Hat-Tan, but overall it was a productive and insightful set o' meetings.


Lower Manhattan skyline as seen from Jersey City. (click for the larger view)

Wednesday had me at the RoundBall HQ in Secaucus... Ran into some old friends there, notably Jeff Pozz from Denver who departed the Pepsi Center with a song in his heart to move to New Joisey to work among the Evil Minions of Dave Munoz...
(Trading Denver for Jersey? What the hell are you thinking, Jeff?)

The trip back to Jacksonville was uneventful, and it only took 38 minutes for my bag to be delivered to the baggage claim in Jax. Things are not improving at Baggage Claim in Jax.

Some sample times from the last few trips...
Newark....13 minutes
Detroit......25 Minutes (Including Customs and Immigration check)
Shanghai...31 Minutes (Ditto)

Can't wait to see how it all goes in Koln next week.

Speaking of Koln, here's a little slice of how events conspire to make my life interesing...
We're doing an NBA gig in Koln Germany starting next week-
("Koln" is "Cologne" for the Constant Readers unfamiliar with the fact that foreigners don't know how to spell the names of their own cities correctly.)
Anyway- I had lined up a statistician to work the games there in Germany...
The guy I contracted is a little outspoken and a tad abrasive, but he's a helluva statistician, and one of the very few that can stat a game virtually alone. Most stats crews are comprised of 4 to 7 guys that are needed to keep up with the action.
Anyway- my guy was all lined up, ready to go, plane tickets purchased, took time off work and everything... Then the word comes down- He isn't permitted to go.
Apparently his outspokenness has alienated someone in The League along the way and he's blacklisted.

Great.
This is exactly the kind of complication that I need in my life.

These occasions, just like during a 13 hour plane trip in Coach class, are the times when I wonder if there is a local gas station that might need need someone to work the register and dip the tanks and make decisions no more complicated than "Fill 'er up?"

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Spend most of the day Thursday futzing with Shanghai videowall stuff...
Ken "Redneck" Flanagan is working on some tasty new software that will improve the graphics. We had a nice long operational demo... Looking good.
(Sorry- no pics. Proprietary stuff, eh?)

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Friday.

The IDS Roundtable Group decided (weeks ago) that we were throwing a cookout... We usually do something after the end of the Summer Swing (post-US Open) once a majority of our event staff is back in the office. This year we were throwing it on Friday the 29th.
I volunteered to find a BBQ Grill... SpongeMark Squarehands was able to source a nice big tow-behind-the-car grill that would handle anything short of a full side of beef...
Manny "High Voltage" Lopez and I worked out a deal to split cooking duties-and at around 10:30 I put some fire to the hardwood charcoal and soon had enough heat to start drop-forging horseshoes...
We fed the 60 or so folks in the office from 11:30 to around 2:00...
I grilled up a shitload of dogs and burgers and even whipped up a few Death Dogs... Good ol' high-fat-content Ballpark franks wrapped in bacon and served with a healthy (heh) squirt of cheeze-in-a-can... There are enough nitrates, sodium and preservatives to kill a small horse.
(Actually, the effort eventaully involved the killing of a small horse's *ass*, but that's different blog entry. Stay tuned, film at 11...)

Marco shot some pics during the cookout and circulated this little artistically filtered gem in the company e-mail...

The Jolly Green Giant

You'll be hearing more about Marco- He will be my partner-in-crime in Shanghai this year. He's handling the overhead video wall content at the Tennis Masters Cup, so no doubt he will figure prominently in some blog entries in November.

And Manny's shift at being Grillmaster?
Right... Manny brought some steaks that he threw on one corner of the grill and seared to perfection... the sliced beef was a great addition to the party, as was Redneck's pork shoulder that was also given a little grill time...
All in all, a great Friday at IDS...

Now, if I can just get the grill back to it's rightful owner before they find out it's missing...

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Anyone catch the game last night?
Rutgers is now 5-0...

As P-Squared would say - "Jaegermeister for everybody!!"

What a great game... Even though Rutgers tried to give it away through penalties, they were still able to pull out the win after drawing first blood then trailing behind the USF Bulls at the half...
If they (Scarlet Knnnnnigggits) can keep Leonard and Rice healthy, it will be a great season. (And of course, I will be bombarded with RU rah-rah from the office next door.)

A side note- My drinking buddy from Sauze D'Oulx was one of the sideline reporters for ESPN2... The lovely and talented Tina Dixon.
Seems she's been doing a good bit of NCAA football this season for ESPN...
Nice to see she's getting into more mainstream sports gigs rather than being exiled to the X-games and Dew Tour sports reporting...

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Saturday had a disturbing start- my phone rang at 5:55AM.
My buddy Pete from Tampa says that when the phone rings that early it's never a good thing.
"Good news sleeps 'til noon." is his comment.

Well, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.
It was Mal (bad, in the latin) from Shanghai, throwing yet another Monkey Wrench in the Tennis Masters Cup works... Details another time, but it will suffice to say it was a situation worthy of a 5:55AM call...


Ok- Hunter's got a soccer game at 9:00 this morning, and I have lots to do before the game...

Famous, out-

Skunks & Groupers & Brats (Oh my.)

Greetings Constant Readers...

I have a few goodies to share with you before tiffin...
(And we take tiffin pretty durn early in these parts, Buckaroo...)

First-
James B, known far and wide as The Skunk, maniacal sports boffin and surfer-dude has taken an option on some real estate in the Blogosphere...
I've worked with The Skunk and his Minions (especially Christo) at a couple US Open events during my tenure at IDS... He has an interesting (but very valid) take on some service vendors in our industry.
His rantings can be found at The Mighty Skunk. You can also find his business site here...

Welcome to the party, Skunk-man.

(And thanks to Spongemark for the tip...)

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So...
I got the hankering for some fish the other night and decided instead of going to the local seafood joint, ordering grouper and getting some overpriced mystery fish, I'd make my own fried grouper.
I went up to Safe Harbor Seafood in Mayport and picked up a couple nice fillets at about half what the more convenient fish markets were charging....
They don't have a website that I could find, but listen to Uncle Jay: You want great shrimp or fish- go to Safe Harbor Seafood Market, 4378 Ocean St, up in Mayport.
(904 246-4911)

How'd I cook it?
A couple different ways...
A dusting of flour on the fillet, heat up butter and a tablespoon of canola oil in a heavy frying pan on Med-Hi heat, and pan fry for about 3 minutes on one side. Flip and fry for two more minutes and then check to see if it's done- toothpick in the thickest part of the fillet...
If there is any resistance going through the fillet it needs more time...
A squeeze of lime juice and a few capers thrown on at the last minute- and when you plate it, make sure you put some of the pan sauce on the top of the fillet...
Mmmmm!

Option two was deep fried grouper fingers...
(Bet you didn't know groupers had fingers, did ya?)
Cut the fillet into thick finger portions.
Mix some of your favorite seasoning and a cup or two of flour in a large zip-top bag...
Throw the the fingers in the bag, zip it up and shake to coat the fingers in flour.
beat two eggs in a wide shallow bowl and dip the fingers in the egg mixture, then dredge them in panko bread flakes...
(I get my panko at Publix in the international food section.)
Fry the fingers a few at a time in canola or peanut oil at 350 for 5 or 6 minutes.
Remove from the oil and let them dry and cool just a bit on a rack.
Don't stack them on top of each other immediately, or let them sit on paper towels; They'll just re-absorb any residual oil that is coming off the surface.
The panko is a great crust- the texture is amazing. And for leftovers, it reheats really well. Try the panko next time you fry some fish... Great stuff.

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Bratwurst?
Well, you don't go looking for sushi in Germany...

So... I'm off to Koln.

The NBA is doing 4 games in Cologne Germany next week, so I'm off to make sure that all will be right in ESPN-world, and the overall scoring and stats for the game.
Looked at a calendar lately?
Can you say "Oktoberfest?"

Well... Constant Readers will know I'm not exactly a beer guy, and I'll probably be forced to drag along an emergency stash of Captain Morgan, but I can guarantee there will be some misbehavior in Koln next week.

And there will be photos.

Stay tuned.

Berühmt, aus!

Guest Post - Big Chouffe

This is a guest posting from James S, one of the Usual Suspects from the trip to Koln last October...
(I was looking for pics of James... I only have one, and I don't think he'd like me to post it here...heh.)

He sent me an e-mail describing a new brew that he encountered on his travels, with an oh-so-lyrical description of the brew (and it's aftereffects) that I felt it needed to be shared...
I'm not sure if I should be complimented by his assertion about my capacity for beer, or insulted by being classified with Russian Coal Miners & African Bull Elephants, but I'll discuss this with him at a later point... Perhaps with a baseball bat or a shillelagh. Or a Chimay....

Please enjoy James' discourse on Big Chouffe...




All -

After finishing the 3rd Big Chouffe of my life last night ( The manly man 1.5 Liter Magnum that is, not the regular La Chouffe - and of course only 1 per sitting as I think that nothing alive could survive 3 in a row except maybe a large Russian Coal Miner, an African Bull Elephant or possibly Jay Young) I am coming to the point of near mystical awe and reverence in regard for this beer - while also preparing for my new life's quest - a pilgrimage to the mecca of beer - Achouffe Belgium - Where I will bow down at the feet of the masters in both homage and praise at their creation of the Big Chouffe.

Achouffe

I owe my discovery of this veritable nectar of the gods to the Michael Jackson of Pennsylvania ( the beer guy, not the fag - Beerhunter ), Brian Sherry, quite possibly the only man I have ever encountered who regularly finds, drinks, rates and passes on
better beer then say ........Michael Jackson, the beer guy, not the fag. He is an endless font of good beers to taste - raise a glass to him as I do while indulging in any new beer with the firm knowledge he has already tried it a year before you even found it.

So, with that said, the "Big Chouffe" is by far the best "drinking for a buzz" beer ever crafted by the fine hand of man. By my recommendation alone - those of you who have never indulged, If you ever have a chance at one of these Magnums - Go for the gold and buy it - then find a day where you can sit down and drink the whole son of bitch in one sitting - hide your car key my friends, hide your car keys.... This is a No Drinking Skirts allowed beer and one that will cull the herd of the light weight beer drinkers in its awesome presence.....

So here is the run down on this near nectar of the gods :

Description : Golden Ale, strong, spicy, lightly hoppy, with evoluting taste. Natural Beer, bottle refermented, unfiltered, not pasteurized and without any additives.

Storage : Store the bottles vertically in a cold place, sheltered from light. The
yeast deposit can either be drunk or left according to taste .

( The storage point is important unless you like beer with yeast floating in it - it still tastes fine but is like OJ with pulp in it, not bad, but not for everyone. So, in case that were to happen to you - always remember - there is nothing in beer that can kill you - even if there is shit floating in it)

As a foot note - and what the fine Crafters of the La Chouffe Brewery have not felt cause to mention a PC warning on their labels - and something they most likely should - are the 2 things that I both curse them and praise them for at once.

1) The Praise : The alcohol content (while posted) is so quick to hit you - that after 1.1/2 Pilsner glasses of this brew - your lit ( Well - I'm lit anyway - I'm kinda small in stature as you all are so kind and quick to remind me of on any sitting). The Chouffe pours out into about - 2 and 1/4 large Pilsner glasses - not the little pussy ones that get thin at the base - but the ones that are like 22 oz and flare out at the top - so after 1.1/2 - I defy anyone to tell me they are not feeling the love and considering calling it quits with an unfinished bottle in front of you - but I, the lowly beer hound that I am , have always felt bad about leaving that extra beer in the bottle - kind of like it needs to get it's chance for glory - so as not to offend the fine crafters of La Chouffe, I prefer to kill the whole bad boy in 1 sitting - To both my pleasure and regret at the same time of course.

2) The Curse : Lo be it to the family member or bystander in the general vicinity of you the next day.......It has become glaringly apparent to me that one, or all, of the evil Brewmeister's at La Chouffe have formed a pact with the Devil himself and have reached into the farthest cesspool of Hell while creating the Malt for this beer. The residual effects of this Ale by far tops the scale in rankest fart gas ever produced. Rotting meat has nothing on this stuff. I surmise that they have even felled the mighty Guinness in the hallowed halls of Fartdom with this brew.
I actually have been forced to literally run from the area I crack off in, it is so bad - all the while praying that no one saw my "exit stage left" and can link
me to the crime. Good lord this beer produces a fetid stench that would give pause to the best proctologist.

Now, If you are like me (and most of you are) and the fart is the endless source of laughter which the Good Lord intended it to be - then you will appreciate this lil story:

While I was driving the kids to school today, I was forced to drop the bomb in the car (completely out of character for me while with my kids of course - NOT ).
So what do I do you ask?? I immediately spring into action - Raising and Locking all windows at light speed and then cranking the heat on full blast on the blower setting - while eagerly waiting in anticipation for the reaction of a 7 yr old and a 4 yr old to my evil plan - but lo to my surprise - the noxious gas seeps up through my zipped jacket - like a warm creeping mustard gas - only to spew from the top of the neck enveloping my head and immediately bringing tears to my eyes (both in laughter and veritable disgust ).
Only then did it spill into the car, bringing forth a splendid chorus of retching and gagging from my kids in mere nano seconds after exodus. Immediately followed by the shouts of "Gross!" and "Daddy you farted!" "Roll the Windows Down!" amongst a flurry of fingers clicking the now useless window controls at their sides ( insert Dr.Evil laugh).
I was almost blinded by the tears of - dare I say delight?? It smelled so bad I felt Satan himself smile in justification with the "atta boy" pat to my back.

So, in summation : If you are looking for that great wife beating buzz, then this is the beer for you. By the end of just one Magnum of Big Chouffe your ready for a "Tootoo" and some ballet slippers.

All I can say in parting is "Serve me up another."


Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be
happy.
~ Benjamin Franklin


Beer :The Cause of, and Solution to, all of Life's
Problems.
~ Homer Simpson


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Thanks, James.

Famous- Out-

Drinking with Satan David

Satan: "Oh c'mon... We're going to Big Bamboo to have a drink."
Yours Truly: "But I'm tired."
S: "Just one drink. Don't be a little girl."

Thus it begins.

David is Satan. That is the gist of it.

Dude works all day- whipping the staff into a frenzy, then back to the hotel for dinner. After dinner it's off to a local dive and lots of alcohol.

Not just beer... Oh no...
Do you remember Koln last year? Triples of Captain Morgan with a hint of CocaCola just to cut the bite of the spirit?
Yeah.
Just like that...only worse.

Doubles of Capt. Morgan, alternating with shots of SoCo and Lime...or some other vile concoction like the Monkey Breath or whatever the hell it was that James was feeding me.
We'd try to leave and Satan David would draw us back in with a question about schedules or tasks for the next day, and ...Whoa! Another round of shots would appear.

Lovely. Simply lovely.

Need more proof?

Well, there's photographic evidence.
Vampires don't show up on film or in mirrors...
Satan David has other indications of his nefarious origins evident when on-camera.

These photos are not retouched... These are fresh out of the digicam.


Peter, Ryan and Satan David, preparing to assault a drinking establishment.


Sean, Satan David & Ace... Wandering about in Shanghai.

\
Lena, Molly, Ryan and Satan David.


Yours truly and Satan David...
The obscene finger gesture? The explanation is obvious...
The devil made me do it.

TBG - Just an old guy trying to get into Heaven.

Webcam

Koln Cam... Kolnarena, Cologne Garmany.