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It has finally happened. Jim Rice was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today. It was his 15th and final year on the ballot, and he got 76.4% of the vote (he needed 75%).
Jim Rice was my favorite baseball player growing up. I wore his number, 14, on every baseball uniform that I could, in his honor, even when I played softball as an adult.
(That looks way more pathetic than it should when I see it in writing.)
But the most important thing about Rice's elction, of course, is that I was right about it and my brother was wrong.
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I saw a great program about Fried Foods last night on the Travel Channel. Not that I'd eat Fried Twinkies or Fried Reese's Cups or most of the other stuff they featured. Not too often, anyway. (Plus Natalie the Nutritionist says Fried Twinkies are the worst food ever. Who knew Twinkies contain a meat product?)
But what intrigued me most from the show was the deep fried hamburgers from Dyer's in Memphis. I've written about great burgers before, and this one is as special as those I've written about -- even the one that uses grilled cheese sandwiches as buns. Dyer's deep fries their burgers, but here's the special part -- they've been using the same grease for 90 years. Watch the clip from the show here.
Incidentally, I live just outside of New Haven, which lays claim to being the birthplace of the hamburger (be sure to check out "Louis' Links"). We moved here from Louisville, which claims to be the birthplace of the cheeseburger. How cool is that?
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Peter had play try-outs this weekend (the middle school students are putting Wizard of Oz), and he won the part of......
A Flying Monkey!!!
We're so proud. We're going to put an ad in the program congraulating him. My suggestion:
Congratulations to you.
Congratulations to you.
You look like Flying Monkey,
And you smell like one, too.
Love, Mom and Dad.
John and Catherine love the idea. Peter is less enthusiastic.
Finally, now that we're almost half-way through with January, I need to remind you all the January is National Blood Donor Month. January is always bad for blood banks -- people are sick, exhausted from the holidays, etc, and there are always shortages. If you're feeling healthy, and you have a free hour or so, please give a pint. The Red Cross web site will help you find your local chapter, and then one of the many blood donation drives that are probably happening within 15 minutes of your house.
As a blood cancer patient, I can't give. I need one of you to do it for me.
Thanks.
Congratulations to Jim Rice - now you need a new crusade to battle for, Bob. I am sure some deserving band has been overlooked for the rock and roll hall of fame. This is an outrage that cannot stand.
ReplyDeleteThe best burger ever, hands down, was served to me nearly 25 years ago at Ray's Ranch House in Hyattsville, MD. Ray specialized in open pit barbecue beef. His burger the Honcho was 1/4 pound hamburger, 1/4 pound Roast Beef (not sliced thin and watery like some Arby's abomination, but a nice slab of barbecued roast beast the way god fearing Americans were meant to eat roast beef) both grilled on the open pit, topped with a generous helping of bacon bits (real bacon of course), a thick slice of sharp cheddar cheese, mayo, lettuce, tomato and red onions on an onion kaiser roll and finished with Ray's own ranch sauce. Best served with a mason jar full of sweet tea. Ohhhhhhhh my!
So good, I wept openly. No burger will ever approach this one.
Tom
I'll donate 2 pints if you promise that this will be the last mention of Jim Rice in your blog forever.
ReplyDeleteI could go on about this injustice for days, but there's not enough beer in my house at the moment to get me through.
Uggggggggh.
Tom,
ReplyDeleteThe Moody Blues. They've been overlooked far too long.
Isabel took me to Ray's when I first visited MD. She had built it up so much every time she told me about it -- I think it was up to a pound of beef, roast beef, ham, 4 kinds of cheese. Pictures of fat men on the wall with the number of burgers they had eaten in one sitting. But when I got there, it had changed ownership, and I was served something akin to a Wendy's single. I, too, cried.
Mike,
I'm setting up a new blog devoted to Jim Rice. Visit it at www.blogger.BigJimEdRocksAndMyBrotherDoesn't.com
Ray's Ranch House, in the 3500 block of Hamilton Street in Hyattsville, MD served the best burger I have EVER had. An open grill in an open kitchen,a grouchy owner/cook missing an index finger, hand formed patties...man. I never went for their Honcho Burger, their signature sandwich (just way too much). I preferred the Ranch Burger; burger with bbque sauce cooked in, and cheddar cheese on a sesame seed bunch. Food of the Gods! And, for dessert, a plate of homemade apple crisp, cooked in HUGE sheetcake sized pans. I ate there at LEAST once a week. Oh yeah, and the waitresses were all VERY cute! Ray eventually sold the business to a middle-eastern guy, who quickly switched to a cheaper meat, etc, etc, and the place went out of business fairly quickly. My mouth is watering now. Anyone else remembering this place can commismerate with me at greenbeltpio@gmail.com.
ReplyDeleteYes. Ray's was great and he sliced his own beef. The Honcho was excellent! For some reason we called it "Ray's Roach House"! The cowboy dummies in the front window were a hoot.
DeleteYes. Ray's was great and he sliced his own beef. The Honcho was excellent! For some reason we called it "Ray's Roach House"! The cowboy dummies in the front window were a hoot.
DeleteI googled Ray's Ranch House and found this blog.
ReplyDeleteThe Honcho is best burger I had ever eaten.
Living on 36th avenue during the Reagan years allowed for me to experience the pure joy of visiting Ray's often.
Please post your Ray's Ranch House memories on the official Facebook fan page. And photos would be even better.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/RaysRanchHouseMD