Stupid Bills. Lost Again. Wait... They Won? How Could That Happen?

 It's football season again and that means Conklin's Bar & Grill's Illegal Motion tailgating is back!

What's on the menu?  Why, is that fried bologna sandwiches and other assorted meats your making? 

MARISA!  What are you doing in Buffalo?  Really, if you are going to visit us, this is the best way to do it. 

When in Buffalo, you need Buffalo Wings.  And, in Buffalo, they are just "wings."  The Buffalo part would be redundant... 

"I bought candy from you already.  Don't you remember?"
"NO!"
Smart little cheerleaders raising money at everyone's tailgate parties. 

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!  Buffalo Bills vs. Carolina Panthers at Ralph Wilson Stadium.  

 Best way to avoid traffic to and get to the game.

Rainbow parachute!  What does it mean? 

 Ka-BOOM!  And here come the Buffalo Bills!

The mob rejoices 

It was a pretty rough game.  At least it was competitive.   

And, we got a CJ Spiller bobblehead just for attending the game.  As always, we had a great time!

Now for some other business...

A large book sale at the local Penfield Library.  A grocery store bag of books for $3!  Sounds like trouble.

Not sure if they were working on the utilities or having the best fried turkey cookout ever...

That's Bill-ievable

If I keep going to Bills games, I'm going to run out of these kind of lame titles.  I guess I better pace myself or enjoy it while it lasts...

Bills vs. Titans.  I have a feeling we'll need a few bloody mary's to make this a good game.


Tailgating outside of Conklin's Bar & Grill




Just to make my sister jealous, an entire huge box full of Herr's potato chips

Megan enjoying her Buffalo Wing



Buffalo lost 35-34.  My philosophy about football doesn't focus on the QB being the cause of all that is good and bad with a team, but Fitzpatrick may be changing that...


Megan and I at Postcard Falls on Allen's Creek at Corbett's Glen looking for salmon.  They are there, but not quite ready to swim upstream.  We were late last year and are constantly checking this year.

Meat the Bills!

For your meal, the chef has prepared for you a meal that combines a few of your favorites into one meal.  A fine hybrid of pizza and philly cheese steak.  For dessert, a table has been set up for your angioplasty...  Must be tailgating season for the Bills


MEAT!


Conklin's Bar & Grill.  Seems strange seeing a Bills game in nice weather.




Back of the line for the security strip search.  Only half kidding...


"It's been a long time since there's been a blowout win like this; well...  at least where the Bills won it."  A 48-28 win.  I guess that means the Bills are tied for 1st place in the division...

Good time as always!


It's nice to see a primitive civilization developing in the park near our apartment.

Please help the animals of Lollypop Farm, the Humane Society of Greater Rochester by supporting me at Barktoberfest 2012 this Saturday.  Please visit:

http://www.lollypop.org/bfest/mikekraus

Cat On a Hot Tin Ceiling

CAT ESCAPES INTO THE CEILING!  



Poor thing.  I had to stay late after work to help set a trap to catch her.  



Certainly not afraid of heights



Tailgating at Conklin's Bar and Grill/Illegal Motion before the Buffalo Bill's game.  



Panorama of Ralph Wilson Stadium 



THAT'S A LOT OF WHITE PEOPLE!  It was a "whiteout" for the Jets game.  The only white shirts I have are a dress shirt and a tshirt with a cartoon Bavarian pickle yodeling.  It seems that was the case with many people.  Probably would have been more successful if they would have gone with red or blue...



We've been looking for houses with a nice porch.  I never thought to look for a car with one...



How depressing is it that it is this dark when I leave work now?  How about this for a hot button election day issue: Daylight Savings Time 365 days a year? 


That's it.  

I'm In the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown!

Me and Albert Doubleday (possible inventor of baseball).  My wife and I went out to see an open house in Bushnell's Basin (just outside of Rochester) and then we passed the exit and I soon discovered she was kidnapping me.  After a few hours, I realized we were going to Cooperstown National Baseball Hall of Fame!



But, first things first...  We had to get a big burger at the little Cooperstown Diner: http://www.cooperstowndiner.com/


Doubleday Field, birthplace of baseball









Inside the stadium



The Tunnicliff Inn, where Megan and I stayed the night before heading to the Hall of Fame.



Good food at the Alex and Ika Restaurant: http://http://www.alexandika.com/



Apparently, Rachel Ray forces everyone to get the Fingerling Fries.  And for good reason...



OH MY GOD!   OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  It's the National Baseball Hall of Fame!!!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  



Hello Mr. Doubleday.  



The House of David baseball team, which was an early religious baseball club near where I grew up in Michigan.



Charlie Sheen "Wild Thing" bobblehead!



Music inspired by baseball in Rochester



Babe Ruth's 60th homerun ball



Ty Cobb's sliding pads.  Unfortunately, I didn't see his cleats.  Those would be impressive



Jackie Robinson's uniform



Al Kaline's hat and George Kell's jersey



A League of Their Own.  Remember this from the end of the movie?  



Uniform from the Kalamazoo Lassies



Grand Rapids Chicks.  That sounds about right...  



Now this is a baseball uniform.  Megan also hopes that baseball brings back the "Hot Pants Patrol."



The Hickok Belt from Rochester, New York!  Essentially, this was the ESPY award from 1950
to 1976



Willie Mays memorabilia



Cal Ripkin's construction barrel uniform



It seems Roberto Clemente donated himself to the Hall of Fame...



Hey White Sox fans, I didn't forget about you.  You should recognize Ozzie Guillen's sweatshirt from the 2005 World Series



Manny Ramirez's batting helmet



Angel's uniform sombrero...



Pete Rose stuff.  Listen closely because you have to understand this.  Pete Rose is in the baseball museum.  This is not the Hall of Fame.  You will be reminded of this again...



The best display.  All my childhood heroes in one case.  Alan Trammell, Kirk Gibson, Sparky Anderson, Darrell Evans, Lou Whitaker.  



Kirk Gibson's batting helmet.  



Sparky Anderson's hat from the 1984 World Series when he became the first manager to win in both the American and National Leagues.



Rickey Henderson's cleats



This picture of Mark McGuire is in the museum to show that he did have a neck at one time....



Nate McLouth, from my hometown of Muskegon, wore this hat.


  
Detroit Tiger locker full of stuff



A detail of the locker



The White Sox locker



I know too many Cubs fans to leave them out.  Especially since I met a few of the players featured in this case...



Ty Cobb fan



Seats from the old Tiger Stadium



If you live in Milwaukee and don't know these guys, you don't really live in Milwaukee...



This is for my Uncle John.  One of the pinwheels from Comisky Park



Saved, but abandoned.  Very Detroit...



Program of the last game played at Tiger Stadium



The uniform Hank Aaron wore when he broke Babe Ruth's career baseball record (no * necessary)



Jack Morris' no-hitter ball



Red Sox fans should know what this is.  Curt Shilling's bloody sock!



Ty Cobb art 



Chicago's favorite Montreal Expo, Andre Dawson!



The Hall of Fame!  I took a lot of pics, but not nearly all of them.  Only about 1% of all Major League players make it into the Hall of Fame.



Hughie Jenning



Mickey Cochrane



Harry Edwin Heilmann



Hank Greenberg



Wahoo Sam



The apparently evil Henry Emmet Manush



Goose Goslin



I can't believe I'm putting a Yankee in my blog, but I do have his baseball card.  And, he is Mickey Mantle.  So...



Samuel Luther Thompson did more than grow an awesome mustache to get into the Hall of Fame



Ernie Banks



Willie Mays



Al Kaline!



What says "I'm a baseball fan" more than wearing a Detroit Red Wings hat to the Baseball Hall of Fame?  I didn't know I was going.  I thought we were going to look for a house!



Rickey Henderson



Cal Ripkin Jr.



I've seen Wade Boggs play more live games than any other player.  I've seen him play on all three teams and never been to Boston, to Yankee Stadium, or a game in Tampa Bay...



Ryne Sandberg.  This is for my former boss who met her biggest crush and has many photos to prove it.



Christy Mathewson.  As one guest pointed out, "that's a girls name!"



Babe Ruth



Ty Cobb



Honus Wagner



Walter Johnson



Sparky Anderson



Andre Dawson



This is for my mom.  It's Robert Redford's costume from The Natural



Rookie of the Year: The True Story of the Cubs Screwing Up So Bad In September That They Hired a Kid In the Stands Rather Than One of Their Prospects Who Doesn't Pan Out...



Never looked so good...  Oh Hall of Fame, does this have to be the end?



Such a nice little town in the middle of nowhere that must absolutely go crazy during the Hall of Fame Induction.  I wonder what baseball players have stayed in our room at the Tennison?  


And now, back to real life...

Only Tachel...  Now you can share this photo with your friend



This is Rogue.  He will kill you.  He will meow and then jump at your face.  Seemed to like my desk.  I guess he's cool with me...


That's more than enough for now.  Thanks to Megan for my 30 year, 4 month and one week birthday trip!  I loved it and love you!