Wednesday, May 20, 2009

200

Woo Hoo!


This is my 200th post to the Lympho Bob blog. An event worth celebrating -- at least until you look back at post #1 and realize the only reason I started a blog in the first place was because I was diagnosed with cancer.


So it's kind of bittersweet. But we focus on the sweet around here, not the bitter, so we're celebrating. (Speaking of bittersweet -- chocolate is the Official Antioxidant-Rich Food of the Lympho Bob blog. I recommend Dove Promises Silky Smooth Dark Chocolate.)


I noticed about two weeks ago that I was getting close to 200 posts, so I've been trying to come up with some way of marking the occasion. I don't think I could write about (let alone actually do) 200 of anything, so I've been reflecting on some Lympho Bob - related 200's:


I thought maybe I'd post something from the film musical 1776, which came out around the time of the country's 200th birthday, and which prominently features John Adams, the Offical Founding Father of the Lympho Bob blog. (See the entry from last June for more on my trip to Philadelphia).


I also thought about doing something involving a 1980 baseball card of Jim Rice (Official Baseball Hall of Famer for the Lympho Bob blog), which was number 200 in the Topps catalogue that year. It's available on eBay for under $2.00, which is astonishingly cheap for a Hall of Famer, considering he had 200 hits four times in his careeer. It's a clear sign of the recession. See the entry from January for my rejoicing reaction to his HOF announcement.


I had also thought about the 200 guests at the Marriage Vows Renewal ceremony for Snoop Dogg (Official Rapper of the Lympho Bob blog) and his wife Shante. Snoop was moved to tears at the ceremony, as was I when Peter saw Snoop in the mens room at Planet Hollywood in Times Square. See the entry from last May.

I could write a lot about Joe Andruzzi -- Official PAL (Pro Athlete with Lymphoma) of the Lympho Bob blog: alumnus of Southern Connecticut State University (just named to Southern's Athletic Hall of Fame); winner of three Super Bowl Rings with the New England Patriots; survivor of Burkitt's Lymphoma, an extremely aggressive form of NHL; fellow blogger; and winner of the Patriots' Community Service Award for doing things like bringing 200 inner-city kids to a Pats game and making sure they each got a Christmas present. See the Nodes of Gold entry from last June, where I named Andruzzi my second favorite PAL behind Jon Lester, but since Andruzzi started his own foundation to raise money for cancer research, he moves ahead. For now. His foundation sponsored the Joe Andruzzi Foundation Motorcycle Run to raise money for cancer patients. Hey, speaking of motorcycles.....

Post #200 has me thinking about a trip from Hamden, Connecticut to Cooperstown, New York this summer. According to Mapquest, it's a little over 200 miles. I plan to attend Jim Rice's Hall of Fame induction. Tickets are considerably more than $200 on StubHub. But that doesn't bother me, considering my brother, in a comment to the post on April 25, 2008, said he'd pay for my ticket to the induction ceremony if Rice got elected. (And he didn't object to my suggestion that he drive me there on his Harley, so I assume that's still part of the deal...)


Anyway, 200 thank you's to all of my readers, the family and friends that were my original audience, and those I've never met, but who are bonded to me by a common fate. There have been many times over the last 16 months that writing in the blog, and reading your responses, have been an emotional rescue. I'm glad I've been able to help out some of you, too.

3 comments:

  1. You forgot that .200 is David Ortiz's batting avergae so far in the 2009 season.

    Please stop drooling over Jim Rice. People like you were the one's perpetuating the legend. You got what you wanted, now stop rubbing it in.

    While it is true that I promised you a ride to Cooperstown on my motorcycle if Jim Rice got elected to the HOF, I meant to say that sympathy votes (which accounted for 98% of the ballots cast) would be excluded from my tally. Hence Jim Ed didn't get elected officially by my count, so no ride for you.

    However, if you can find a micro brewery located along the route to Cooperstown, i might be persuaded to meet you half way.....

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  2. Stop the hating, my brother.

    I'm guessing you went to StubHub, didn't you?

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  3. No I haven't looked on Stub Hub, but the HOF site has the following information:


    Sunday July 26, 2009

    Open to the public and free of charge, the 2009 Induction Ceremony honors Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice, and Joe Gordon. The ceremony also recognizes J.G. Taylor Spink Award winner Nick Peters and Ford C. Frick Award winner Tony Kubek. Weather permitting, the ceremony takes place on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center, located on lower Susquehanna Avenue, just one mile south of the Hall of Fame; the walk provides a picturesque view of Cooperstown. Every effort is made to hold the event outdoors, even during inclement weather. Professional interpreters are provided for the hearing impaired. The Ceremony usually lasts two hours. Seating is unlimited and free of charge. A blanket or lawn chair is recommended for comfortable viewing. Since the weather in Cooperstown can be quite warm in July, fans should wear caps and sunscreen. Souvenirs, yearbooks and Museum membership packages are available for purchase. Refreshments are sold on-site and complimentary water is provided.

    Location:
    Hall of Fame and Museum, COOPERSTOWN, NY, U.S.

    Even for a price like that, I don't know if I could bring myself to stand the drivel. On par with a traveling High School Musical Live show. (Not hatin', just my opinion. I don't harbor hate toward anyone, you know that somewhere between anger and crankiness is my natural state.)


    Interstingly enough i was able to sniff out a very intersting side trip:

    Brewery Ommegang
    656 County Highway 33
    Cooperstown NY 13326-9248

    They are hosting an event on the next weekend, August 1st called Belgium Comes to Cooperstown. Unfortunately, I can't get there because that's the first day of my Pan Mass Challenge ride.


    See you. I'll be down in Hamden next Saturday picking Nicole up from orientation at QU. if you're lucky I may stop by and let you make me lunch.

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