My Love Affair

The love affair started when I got the 2008 edition of Baseball Prospectus. When I was reading team by team I noticed that they had a higher number of win for the newly named Tampa Bay Rays. So high they actually had them going above .500. For most teams this would not be that high of an accomplishment, but when we're talking about the Rays who have never finished above .500 in the franchise history this was a semi big deal.

The interest peaked when the odds to win the World Series came out and some books had the Rays as high as 250-1. At the time, it was right in the middle of March Madness and I already had a large future tied up in Kansas winning it all, thank you Mario, and didn't want to have any more of the bankroll tied up in futures.

Then March Madness ended and there was suddenly available funds for futures. Although I wish I could've got there highest, I can't complain too much thanks to Kansas, but on April 24 I placed my first Tampa futures bet at 100-1.

The love affair has continued.

April 24- To Win World Series 100-1
May 30- To Win AL East 4-1
May 31- To Win AL East 3.5-1
June 1- To Win AL East 3.5-1
June 3- To Win World Series 12-1
June 5- To Win World Series 17-1
June 16- To Win World Series 12-1
June 19- To Win World Series 16.5-1
June 23- To Win World Series 12-1
June 30-To Win World Series 16-1
July 22- To Win World Series 8-1
July 28- To Win World Series 9-1
July 28- To Win AL 5-1

If Tampa Bay wins the AL East and World Series, I win 218.5 Units. This will equal a very nice party for all my friends.

So unlike all the bandwagon jumpers, I can truly say I've been rooting for the Rays all season. This came at a good time because the Padres are unwatchable. Can Madden lead a bunch of young inexperienced players into the playoffs and win it all? Sure. Likely? Not really, but they give me a team to cheer for and a huge hedge coming.

I just didn't think that Tampa Bay would be my first sugar momma.

My Love

If I was forced to eat one food and one food only, it’d be chicken wings.

Some Mexican food lovers might think that prior statement is blasphemy, and it would be except for the fact that chicken wings are the greatest thing ever. I’m actually serious about them being the greatest thing ever. I fucking love chicken wings.

Besides tasting amazing, you usually eat them at a bar. Being at a bar is always a plus. Being at a bar with sports on, while eating chicken wings is one of my five ideal days. I’m in love with chicken wings. I mean, I’m really in love with chicken wings. It’s unclear to me where the love exactly started, but I know I don’t have to worry about it ending.

My love is borderline unhealthy, alright it’s completely unhealthy. When I was a freshman in college and was on a diet I got one day off a week. I picked my day off around the day the cafeteria served Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. I have once eaten 52 wings in a single sitting. That’s more than anyone else I know. Once during my junior year the only food I had for four straight days were chicken wings. It’s safe to say I really am a fan of the chicken wings.

I bring up chicken wings because my consumption of chicken wings are about to dramatically increase with football right around the season and this excites me greatly. I have high expectation for both the Tigers and the Chargers and thus I find solace in the fact that there will be chicken wings waiting to help me deal with the disappointment.

I’m off to go eat some wings.

My Way

If I had it my way I’d be naked a lot more.

Being naked is fun. If I’m naked something good is going on. I can’t recall once when an event took place in my life where I was naked and the event sucked. There might be a time or two that the other person wasn’t exactly thrilled, but me, I always have a great time naked. Take showers for instance, sometimes I take two in a day. Naked during both. Sleeping is always more enjoyable in the nude. Massages, sex, even reading is more fun naked. I could go on and on and the answer will continue to be: life is better naked.

In case you’re wondering, this blog isn’t intended to start a worldwide naked movement. I think we all know that’d be a terrible idea. I don’t even want to start to picture the workers at Hardee’s in such a world. If you just got that picture in your head, feel free to go throw up now.

The real purpose of this blog is to give the public at large the chance to see what it is really like to be me from the inside out. People often get lost in my beauty and never get to see the real me. Here is your chance. I will voice my opinion on things that I view important. Basically, sports, movies, books, and politics.

The point of this blog is to “Establish your online presence. Create new clients for business. Improve your writing. Communicate with friends and family.” At least according to the Big Man. He is the webmaster and I am his humble servant of the web. I got a good chortle out of his purpose for my blog. I can see the headline now, “Zach Stratton has firmly established himself as one of the great bloggers of our generation.” If that doesn’t make your parents proud, you starring in soft-core porn will. I’m not sure how many people with a net worth over a million are going to read this, but I guess if they do I’ll be happy to take them on as clients. So if you are a millionaire and are looking for a financial planner with tax alpha and tired of the same old wire-house guy, then I’m your man. Improve my writing; let’s not get our hopes up. The last purpose is my favorite and sadly, probably the most likely to be true. Sad because we, as a society, have turned communication into posts and abbreviations. I envy the days when people used to write letters to each other. I want a pen pal.

What will this blog really be? The opportunity for everyone to voyeur into my life. To laugh and mock me on a regular basis. This will basically be my diary. I doubt I’ll start future blogs with Dear Diary, but outside that it will be just like a diary. So get ready for the juicy gossip about who likes who and who got a hand job on the hand ball courts.

Until I really figure out what I want to do with this, I’ll be posting my sports opinions, reviewing the books I read, monitoring my constant weight fluctuation, and my obsessive behaviors.

If you really hate it, you can always take your clothes off and be naked. That will ease the pain.