Rob and Spyder Show #3

This is the latest installment of the rob and spyder show. This show, in our opinion, was the best yet. Let us know what you think.

http://www.mediafire.com/robandspydershow

Things I Miss

This is a list of things I have missed over my first month away from home. I obviously miss my family and friends, but this list is about the small things I miss.
Killian
South Park Ave
Quizno's
Driving
Privately Owned Barbershops
Roosevelt Field
Sand
Long Island Rail Road
Sunrise Highway
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Taco Bell
Ralph's Italian Ices
Southern State Parkway
Couches
Private Bathrooms
Deli's
Churchill's
Champs
Cabo
Grillfire
Softball
Bandits Soccer
The YES Network
MSG Network
MSG + Network
Wiffleball

Rob And Spyder Show # 2

This is the permanent link for the radio show. From now on all shows will be found on this link.
There were some technical difficulties with the show last night but it went well. My mic was a little screwed up but we think it turned out okay..

http://www.mediafire.com/robandspydershow

Guest Blogger: Dylan Prior

She was laid to rest on a Sunday in September, but her story is far from over. As I looked out onto the field from my seat in the left field bleachers last night, every memory I’ve had from Yankee Stadium rushed through my mind. From my first game in 1995, when the Yanks faced the Boston Red Sox and I learned what “1918” meant, to Derek Jeter’s farewell speech and the Yankees’ final lap around the Stadium with their caps doffed to 54,610 adoring fans, I’ve come to consider the place a second home. If someone visiting New York asked me what I thought the one place they should visit should be, my answer would be a no-brainer. Skip the Statue of Liberty, you might get seasick on the boat that takes you there. Catch the Empire State Building some other time, all those steps aren’t worth it. There’s barely room to move in Times Square, and those Broadway plays are a dime a dozen. You need to go to Yankee Stadium. Why? Because she’s got everything. Because she’s hosted Popes, rock stars, boxing legends, football greats, and most importantly, the winningest franchise in all of sports, her Yankees. Because her memories range from the most euphoric, including Don Larsen’s perfect game in 1956, the 1996 World Series clincher and Aaron Boone’s 2003 walkoff home run, to the most emotional, like Lou Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” speech and President Bush’s first pitch in 2001, to the most gutwrenching, as in the Yankees’ 2004 collapse at the hands of the Boston Red Sox. Because win or lose, every Yankee fan takes with them countless sunny days in the South Bronx when they hadn’t a care in the world. Because more often than not, they won. Because every time you walk through the tunnel to your seat, you know you’re about to spend three hours in the company of your heroes. Because Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Derek Jeter stepped onto this field and into our hearts. Because every fan’s idea of Yankee Stadium is unique and beautiful in its own way.
For me, she’s given me the experiences of a lifetime. I stood in amazement with my friends Brian and Mike just feet away from Derek Jeter when he dove into the stands to make a catch in a game on July 1, 2004. I was equally amazed by his bodily sacrifice and concerned for the Captain’s health. I chanted with my friend Steve urging Bernie Williams to come back for one more year in what would be his final game at the Stadium on October 9, 2005. I felt the ground shake beneath me when David Justice sent the Yankees to the Subway Series on October 17, 2000. I joined Bald Vinny from Section 39 when he began his Bleacher Creature roll call with “Yo, Melky!” I pumped my fist with Joba Chamberlain on Opening Day, April 1, 2008. And I cried as the first notes of Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” blared the moment Cody Ransom stepped on first base to end last night’s game.
She’s not just grass, seats, walls and fences. She’s the people who have performed on baseball’s greatest stage and the fans who have given her such a distinctive personality. She’s the reason I went to see the Yankees take on the Mets the day after my prom with about thirty minutes of sleep. She’s the reason I faked sick to leave school at lunch to catch a weekday matinee. She’s the reason I traveled four hours on Amtrak to see her one last time.
She’s Bob Sheppard, “Box seats suck,” the Great New York Subway Race, the YMCA, “God Bless America, “ and “Cotton Eye Joe.” She’s the constant clang of a spoon on Freddy the Sign Man’s pan. She's "THUUUUUUUUH YANKEES WINNNNN!". She’s “The Boys Are Back In Town” when the Bronx Bombers return from a tough West Coast road trip. She’s “The Imperial March” when the opposing lineup is announced. She’s “Enter Sandman” and a wall of sound. She’s “Black Betty” when the opposing pitching coach comes to talk things over with a clearly shaken hurler. She’s a four syllable chant that always seems to have the perfect ring to it. She’s never needed Thunder Stix, pom-poms or rally towels. She’s a homer into the black or the short porch in right. She’s a siren and “The Natural” as a Yankee rounds the bases. She’s the bright lights of October baseball, but she’s also a cold April night in a half-filled upper deck. She’s parking in the supermarket on Grand Concourse and walking past the courthouse. She’s Jeter’s fist pump. She’s Rudy Giuliani’s front row seat. She’s George Steinbrenner’s turtleneck. She’s hundreds of “Yogi-isms.” She’s Joe Torre’s gait to the mound. She’s standing on her feet with 2 strikes. She’s a crowded 4 train approaching 161st and River Ave. She’s the superstars I felt unworthy of being in the same building as: Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Roger Clemens and Alex Rodriguez. She’s the heroes of the four World Series teams I’ve witnessed: Paul O’Neill, Scott Brosius, Andy Pettitte, Tino Martinez, David Cone, Orlando Hernandez and Bernie Williams. She’s the role players that embody the spirit of New York: Jim Leyritz, Graeme Lloyd, Miguel Cairo, Ruben Sierra, John Flaherty, Mariano Duncan, Bubba Crosby, Luis Sojo, Andy Phillips and Tanyon Sturtze. She’s a reliable old friend. And she’s you and me, and that’s why her farewell was far from a burial.
Whether or not she needed to go this year is debatable, but the reality is that she will not be open for business in April 2009. And while this winter may be a long one, it could also be a time to reflect on all the memories you’ve had inside her walls. Goodbye Yankee Stadium and thanks for everything, and like it or not, I’ll be across the street next year rooting on my favorite team with you always in my heart.

Yankee Stadium.

As I have said before, I am not good at saying goodbye. Tonight when I (along with millions of others) said goodbye to Yankee Stadium the feeling was solemn. I admit I am a much bigger hockey fan then baseball fan. But this building transcends baseball. It means so much more then any other sports-related building. It could be among the top 5 most important buildings in America. There is no way to describe the feeling you get upon entering the stadium. You see the field and everything feels right. There is something perfect about it. There is nothing like watching men act like boys in front of 50,000 plus people. It is innocent. The game itself is as innocent as anything in this world. The people who play it may tarnish it, but baseball is America. We all cherish it. At Yankee Stadium you pay top dollar but it is not like any other sports site. You pay for baseball, but even more than that you pay for the experience. You pay to feel the perfect aura baseball carries with it. You pay for something that is priceless.

"Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come."

-Field of Dreams

The Rob and Spyder Show

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=ae24bb4855950f0bab1eab3e9fa335ca3ad660422d65fc39

That is where you can listen to the Rob and Spyder show, a radio show co-hosted by myself and Rob Coloney.

The Art of the Jersey Shirt.

I love sports jerseys. I love jersey shirts even more. The jersey shirt is a beautiful thing because it is a much cheaper alternative to the authentic jersey. This gives the consumer room to be creative. If you are shelling over one hundred bucks for a jersey, most likely you will be buying the shirt of a superstar. However, at 15-24 bucks the jersey tee gives one a chance to show their true colors. Yesterday, a friend and I saw a Shea Hillenbrand jersey tee, today around noon I saw a Kansas City Royals shirt but I didn't get a chance to see who was on the back. We all get sick of seeing Tomlinson, Manning, Brady, Favre, Jeter, Ortiz, A-Rod, Ramirez, Rollins etc. but when you come across a Nick Johnson Nationals jersey or a Jason Bartlett Rays jersey not only is a smile immediately brought to your face but you also like the person wearing the jersey no matter what. It shows the person who is wearing the shirt is not a follower and can think for themself. The jersey tee is a great thing.

MJL

Old People

One thing I miss a lot while I am away at school is that there are not enough elderly people around. The elderly are great. When you are nice to an old person and they tell you that not enough people do things like that anymore, your day gets that much better. They also hand out money like it grows on trees. One time I went to my grandma's house and she paid me 40 dollars for school, then she gave me 100 more when I helped her find the cap to the cranberry juice. Old people are also great because they are entertaining to watch and listen to. Think about how many times you've been walking in a parking lot and you see an old couple bringing their bags of groceries to their Buick Lacrosse. It is funny. Or think about when you are behind a car moving 14 MPH and you know the lady driving is about 92 and can not see over the steering wheel. Old people can also get away with anything. If they are saying certain words that were acceptable in their day, everyone lets it slide. Nobody bats an eyelash when an old man says "colored" or something worst. And also nobody ever criticizes old people if they tell a bad story. Everyone will always look like they are interested in what is coming out of the narrators mouth even if it is the longest, slowest anecdote of all time. I think old people are under appreciated. That is all.

MJL

Guest Blogger: Chris Mango

 Every so often I am going to ask a certain someone to blog about a certain subject. Today's specific person is Chris Mango who will enlighten us on this season as a yankees fan.

If you’re like me, a Yankee fan born in 1990, you know nothing but winning and success. You know nothing but October. You don’t know what missing the postseason is. Guys like Jeter and Rivera don’t know what being home for the playoffs is. This year might be a different kind of year. 2008 has been different from many other years in the past fifteen for the Bombers and the Pinstripe faithful. Why, you ask?

It is the emergence of the Rays? Maybe, we are 8-5 against them (including a pretty win tonight), but they sure are pesky as hell. They seemed like a nice story for a good part of the season, but after putting up 21 wins in August, they have legitimized themselves as a true contender. They care about the game. They play with energy and enthusiasm. They’ve just been doing everything right this year, and that might result in the Yanks missing the playoffs.

Is it because we have lost series that we would have eaten up in years past? Probably, find me another year in the recent past where the Yankees have lost home series to teams with worse records that Detroit (a sweep), Cleveland, the Mets (a sweep, the way they were playing in May), Cincinnati, Texas, Toronto, and lowly Baltimore, for Pete’s sake. The Orioles, the bane of the Yankees’ existence for the past few years (especially at Camden), have taken 3 of 5 series from the Yankees this year, a reason why we are in the shape that we’re in.

Is it the pitching? No, the pitching hasn’t been as a bad as everyone has made it out to be. Yes, no wins from Hughes, and Kennedy (who everyone hates now, including yours truly), but who thought Mussina would have 17 wins with a month left? You could put the onus on the offense for the most part. Don’t tease us anymore. Don’t put up 16 runs one night, and just one the next. Don’t put a man on third with one out, and then proceed to strike out and pop out to end the inning. It’s not just A-Rod, he’s had a solid year (and a stint on the DL, mind you), it’s been Jeter a lot of times (21 double plays, phew), Cano (ghastly for most of the year), and (minor-league) Melky for the most part, among others.

Is it the Torre factor? I’m afraid so. There’s panic this year. There hasn’t been panic since the early 90’s in Yankee-land. How much would it irk me if the Red Sox, Mets, and Dodgers (b/c of Torre) all make the playoffs this year, and we’re sitting at home? A lot. In some of the games that we’ve lost (I’ve watched all of them), the loss seemed to have more of an effect on me than on the players. This shouldn’t be, and this hasn’t been Joe Girardi’s finest work of art either. Now, we’re paying for it. No one thought that 6-0 shutout to the Reds on June 21 or that 2-1 loss to the Rangers on June 30 would ever have an effect on such a team, but all of these losses hurt, and that is why with 24 games remaining, we’re facing an 11 game hole in the AL East (not catchin’ Tampa), and a 7 game hole in the Wild Card (we can catch em’). Let’s wake up.