Author Archives: Ted Berg

That sucked

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I don’t have much to say about last night’s Jets-Patriots bloodbath except that it sucked. It sucked to watch, it probably sucked to play, and it especially sucked that I sat there pathetically holding out hope that the Jets could pull off some miracle comeback, up until the point where their defense stopped bothering. The broadcast sucked, the coaching sucked, Tom Brady’s stupid hair sucked.

It all sucked, except possibly Santonio Holmes and my buffalo wings.

All I can offer to Jets fans is that it’s only one game. And as much as it feels like the wind has been knocked out of the team — nay, it feels like their ribs have been broken and have punctured their lungs — it ultimately counts for one game in the standings.

Yes, it makes their path to taking the division and a first-round bye more difficult, but hardly impossible. The fact that we’re even hoping for playoff byes and home-field advantage at this point in the season speaks to how far the Jets have come in the last couple years.

F@#$. Whatever. Whatever, whatever. Tom Brady wears man-UGGs.

Sad Mark Sanchez:

Taxi stuff

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There’s little demand for wheelchair-accessible cabs, according to a controversial draft report that could affect which model taxi is picked for the entire fleet.

Wheelchair users took 5,800 trips during a two-year pilot program that allowed disabled passengers to telephone for cabs, according to the Taxi and Limousine Commission report.

The TLC spent $1 million in City Council funds on equipment and other expenses for the program – meaning each trip cost $172.

– Pete Donohue, N.Y. Daily News

So this report is saying that since not many wheelchair users call this number so they can then wait for a cab, we know wheelchair users do not need cabs. That doesn’t seem like a reasonable conclusion, does it?

Strikes me that one of the most convenient aspects of taxicab travel for most of us is that you never have to wait for a cab; you just flail your arms in the air long enough at any intersection and eventually one will pull over. I imagine, then, that cab use by wheelchair-bound people would rapidly increase if all cabs were accessible, and no one had to call and wait for one of the city’s 240 accommodating cabs.

The city is using the study to help pick the winner among three bids to build the next standard taxi model. And it’s worth noting that the one fully wheelchair-accessible model — designed by Turkish manufacturer Karsan — is by far the coolest.

Check it out. Not only does it boast WiFi and Internet access and tons of legroom, but it’s got an all-glass roof so passengers can look up at the tall buildings. Great for tourists, and a good way for a grizzled New Yorker to appreciate all the awesome skyscrapers without looking like a rube.

Look at this thing. It’d be sweet if a few thousand of these were cruising Manhattan in a few years:

Dusty Ryan > Omir Santos

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The Mets signed catcher Dusty Ryan to a Minor League deal today and invited him to Spring Training.

It’s certainly not a high-impact move or a big Winter Meetings splash. I imagine it won’t preclude the Mets from signing a more experienced right-handed complement/backup to Josh Thole, and I would guess that if Dusty Ryan ends up on the Major League Mets in 2011 it means someone is either hurt or woefully underperforming.

But Ryan — unlike so many of the guys signed by the Mets to be Minor League roster filler in recent years — actually has some upside. He is 26, for one thing. For another, he actually has some mild history of offensive production in the Minors.

Ryan does not make a ton of contact — he hit .199 in Triple-A in 2010. But he has demonstrated a decent batting eye at the level, and can boast a decent-for-a-catcher .237/.348/.416 line in 631 plate appearances in Triple-A. (As a point of reference, Omir Santos’ career Triple-A line is .251/.305/.324.) There is some chance Ryan can improve or enjoy a career year and actually contribute something positive to the Mets at the Major League level.

Right around this time last year, I wrote:

What neither Coste nor Cora will provide is upside. Upside is the chance a player can actually provide more to his team than he’s being paid to provide. Upside is something the Mets should be searching for among the potential Rule 5 Draft picks and non-tendered free agents. Upside is something worth committing money to when a team is operating with a finite budget.

Maybe I’m again reading to deeply into a minor move, or maybe the acquisition is yet another sign that things are looking up for the Mets. Point is there’ll be someone behind the plate in Triple-A that might actually outperform expectations and that’s, you know, cool.

The TurBaconEpic

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These guys run a web video series called Epic Meal Time, which is exactly what it sounds like. This has got to be their masterpiece so far. Warning — do not watch if you don’t want to see a guy punching a dead, meat-stuffed pig:

I’ve never had proper Turducken. One time for Christmas I got my dad a Turducken roll — turkey breast stuffed with duck breast stuffed with chicken breast stuffed with sausage stuffing — but the actual full-sized Turduckens were too expensive. The Turducken roll was OK, but obviously the effect is totally different.

Hat tip to Rob V for the video.