Author: Puff

Election Day

Published on by Puff

Happy Election Day!

I’ve enjoyed Election Day since I was a kid, accompanying my parents into the voting booth, closing us behind that little curtain, and staring up at all the name and all the little levers and the one big red lever with a big handle. If I remember correctly, sometimes they even let me pull that handle to record their votes; it seemed magical: the machine would add their votes to the totals and at the same time, it would open up the curtain. Wow…technology. Continue reading “Election Day” →

Some thoughts on the Syracuse Mets

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It was perfect timing; I moved to Syracuse, and so did the Mets.

They had been looking for a new location for the their top farm club for what seemed like ages, trying to get out of the far-off Las Vegas market. Then an opportunity opened up in Syracuse, and the Mets jumped at it.

Initially, I was suspicious. Continue reading “Some thoughts on the Syracuse Mets” →

Metal mushroom mini-mystery

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One of the first things I noticed after moving to Syracuse was a little metal pipe sticking out of the front of our yard. In fact, all of the houses on our street and in our neighborhood have these pipes: a (usually) rusty metal tube sticking up about six or seven inches, covered by a curved cap. All in all, it looks like a little metal mushroom or, in my eyes, a tube wearing a World War I helmet. Continue reading “Metal mushroom mini-mystery” →

Culture shock

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As previously mentioned, I’ve recently moved back to central New York after living in and around Washington, DC, for just over six years. During that time in the Big City, I got used to a number of things that I ended up taking for granted. Living and commuting every day into the heart of the city made me expect certain things, and while I know things like dealing with a packed train or having hundreds of restaurant options aren’t true for everyone in the world, I came to expect them for myself.

  Continue reading “Culture shock” →

A Long Game’s Night: A Short History of the World Series at Night

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While talking with some friends earlier this week, I came to what I consider a stunning realization: as an adult, I’ve never watched more than a few innings of the World Series, outside of my Mets in 2015 and the Cubs’ historic run in 2016. This, as a huge baseball fan, was astounding for me to put together. Continue reading “A Long Game’s Night: A Short History of the World Series at Night” →

Around the World in New York State

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Way back in 2009, I drove with some friends to Montreal to celebrate the end of college. Before reaching the border via I-81, we passed the town of Mexico, NY. That name has stuck with me ever since. The fact that there’s a town called Mexico so near the border with Canada is high levels of hilarious to me. Continue reading “Around the World in New York State” →

Farm to Fork: A Short History of Food-based Minor League Baseball Team Names

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Food and minor league baseball have always had a connection. After all, a good concession stand is a great way to draw people out to the ballpark when rosters keep changing and any players doing really well could be promoted at any time. So, in order to generate interest, create excitement, and instill a sense of local pride, many teams have started changing their names for a game or two to honor a local food. Continue reading “Farm to Fork: A Short History of Food-based Minor League Baseball Team Names” →