The Beer Retard - October 19th, 2004

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish I was in Houston right now. I would've given anything to be in the stands during the last three games of the NLCS. Here's a taste from an Astros blogger:

"Pandemonium. To put it mildly. We’re standing and screaming for several minutes after Kent jumps onto home plate and is swarmed by his teammates and we’re all screaming Back-E, Back-E while he’s being shown on the big screen and when we finally get down the upper deck stairs and get into the hall, some guy holds up a sign that says “Backe for President” and we all start cheering. And in the stairs down we’re chanting “Houston!!!! Astros!!!” at the top of our lungs and people still yelling when we get in the streets. Stro fans everywhere, many heading over to the giant party on Main St. Cars full of Stro fans honkin horns screaming GO STROS!!! We feel invincible, we’re this year’s miracle team, we’re on an unending roll, we’re gonna go into St. Louis and come home with that pennant."

I've never really liked Jeff Kent. He sort of seems like a dick and he's this hunter redneck dude, but after last night I'm changing my tune. Not just because he hit a walk-off 3-run homer to win the game, but because of the way he looked like a little kid when he rounded third and headed home to get mobbed by his teammates. I also like the way he kept holding up one finger and yelling "one more" to pump the team up. It was fucking exciting, man.

I remember how great it was being in Houston when the Rockets won their first championship in 1994. The Astros haven't even gotten to the World Series yet, but this somehow seems even better. All we have to do is win one of two in St. Louis and I think we can do it unless Garner hits the crack pipe and decides to start Clemens on short rest in Game 6 instead of saving him for Game 7.

As much as Houston was a depressing as hell place to live, it's times like this when it would almost seem worth it to live with 6 months a year of unbearable heat and humidity. It sucks that I can't be there at the games or at least in a bar surrounded by other Stros fans so I could be enjoying all the hi-fives, fist pumps and "fuck yeahs!" All I can do is sit in my apt. and live and die with every pitch and every AB. I scream, yell, curse, jump around and try to get decadentscholar into it, but it just ain't the same 2000 miles away.

I've bought an obscene amount of music this year. I've really overdone it, as anyone who wanders into my bedroom and sees the sky-high piles of CDs can attest to. But damn, it's been a good year for music. I walked into the record store at lunch today with $20 in my pocket to buy the brand-new Elliott Smith and Ted Leo records. Both records were on sale, but unfortunately Smith's record was $15 on fucking sale. I'm not paying $15 for anyone's CD unless it's a limited edition import maybe. Even then, probably not. So I ended up getting the Ted Leo and the new Le Tigre since they were both $10.

I was late jumping on the Ted Leo bandwagon. Not a big fan of Chisel, not a big fan of The Tyranny of Distance. Hearts of Oak was the first thing he did that really impressed me. That was a great record, but Shake the Sheets is even better. I'm talking perhaps best record of the year here, folks. Every song (even the slower ones) bristles with energy. The band is tight as hell and Leo is just a flat-out great songwriter. His lyrics are great. A lot of the songs are political, but not in an obvious Bush sucks, the world is fucked way like most other bands. Leo makes his points subtly and with intelligence and they hit home. But even without the great lyrics, the record rocks like crazy. Leo and the Pharmacists are playing here on the first Saturday in November at the Great American and I'm getting my tickets now.

Oh and I haven't listened to Le Tigre yet. Shake the Sheets is too fucking good and I can't stop listening to it.