The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981

October 3,

Triple Crown Baby!

 Tonight Detroit's own Miguel Cabrera has secured the Triple Crown, making him the first baseball player to win the coveted Triple Crown since Boston's Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. This win will make Venezuelan born, Cabrera the first ever Latino ball player to win the coveted award. 

On this same date in history, October 3, 1919, Cuban baseball player  Adolfo Luque, a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, became the first Latin player to appear in a World Series.

While we here in the "D" have been celebrating all week, today is extra special!  

Salud y felicidades! 

Way to go Cabbie! Eat 'em Up Tigers! Eat 'em Up!

Guarapita

The Venezuelan national rum punch is a perfect drink to celebrate with!

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz) package frozen passion fruit pulp or juice (do not defrost)

1/2 cup cold water

6 oz. Venezuelan anejo rum (Santa Teresa)

1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar (Panela) or brown sugar

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender to dissolve sugar.

Pour drink over ice 

garnish with tropical fruits and mint spring

Orgullo Latino! 

"If You Build It, They Will Come..."

September 27,

Last Game Played at Tiger Stadium

On September 27, 1999 the last game was played at the old Tiger Stadium. "The Corner" located at Michigan Ave and Trumbell, hosted the Detroit Tigers from 1912-1999, 87 years! A lesser known fact is that the stadium actually hosted the Detroit Lions football team from 1938-1974. 

The corner was first turned into a stadium in 1895, at that time it was just a little wooden park named Bennett Park. In 1911, new owner Frank Navin had a larger concrete and iron stadium built. On April 20, 1912, Navin Field would open to the public. Through the years the stadium would be expanded to accommodate the growing fan base, the largest expansion was in 1938, when then owner Walter Briggs would talk the city into moving Cherry St. Briggs Stadium, as it was known at that time, could now accommodate 53,000 fans, as opposed to the 23,000 when it was built. In 1961 owner Jeff Fetzer would give it's final name, Tiger Stadium. That corner has seen some history! Two World Series wins, 1968 and 1984, every baseball legend imagined, several movies, and numerous historical music events. Despite efforts to save the park, the last pieces were tore down at 9:24 am, September 21, 2009.

The Tigers are still ahead one game at publishing time! So we can double cheers the Detroit Tiger today!

 Eat 'em up Tigers, Eat'em up!

Chocolate Russian

Hold up, wait a minute...Let us put some chocolate in it! Today just happens to be National Chocolate Milk Day, with all these delicious holidays, it's no wonder our country is fat! 

So we are going to do our Tiger's toast with a delicious chocolate cocktail, that looks like chocolate milk. Hmm, maybe that should be the new name, Mama's Milk...nah.

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. Vanilla Vodka

.5oz Dark Creme de Cacoa

1 oz. Coffee Liqueur (Kahlua)

Cream or Milk

Directions:

Pour liquor over ice into a highball or Collins glass.

Top with the cream or milk

Are you willing to throw caution to the wind?! Wanna take a walk on the wild side?!

Use chocolate milk in place of the cream, WHAT...you heard me!

A Maz Ing!!!

(Said sing-songie)

"People who live in the past generally are afraid to compete in the present. I've got my faults, but living in the past is not one of them. There's no future in it."

George "Sparky" Anderson

Are You Ready for Some Football!!!

September 17,

American Professional Football Association is Established!

On September 17, 1920, the AP FA was established in Canton, Oh. Two years later it would become the National Football League, or the NFL! The original teams, which came from the Ohio and New York Leagues, for the 1920 season were:

Akron Pros

Decatur Staleys

Buffalo All-Americans 

Chicago Cardinals 

Rock Island Independents

Dayton Triangles

Rochester Jeffersons

Canton Bulldogs

Detroit Heralds

Cleveland Tigers

Chicago Tigers

Hammond Pros

Columbus Panhandles

Muncie Flyers

In 1950, the NFL acquired the All-American Football Conference. The NFL now has 32 teams.

Playoffs didn't begin until the 1932 season, and the the first Super Bowl would happen on January 15, 1967. The rest is history!

Today lift your glasses for your favorite team, for your favorite player, for your fantasy football league, or perhaps quiet Sundays with a husband out of the house!

Cheers!

Gatorade

Ok, so this is not your high school football teams Gatorade! Proceed with caution, this one's tasty!

Ingredients:

1/2 oz. Vodka

1/2 oz. Southern Comfort

1/2 oz. Melon Liqueur

1/2 oz. Amaretto

1 oz. Sweet and Sour

1 oz. Lemon Lime Soda

Directions:

Build drink in a tall glass over ice. 

Give it a swirl

Top with soda

I always enjoy animal acts -

President Calvin Coolidge, when asked if he wanted to meet the Chicago Bears 

They Call it Golf Because All the Other Four Letter Words Where Taken! - Ray Floyd

September 10,

Happy Birthday Arnold Palmer

Born September 10, 1929, Arnold Palmer is regarded as the best golfer in the history of professional golfing. Nicknamed, The King, he is one of the golfers credited with popularizing and commercializing the sport world wide. 

While Arnold played golf in college it was his win in the 1954 US Amateur that inspired him to go pro. The following year he won the Canadian Open, then after his 1958 Master Tournament win , he was considered one of the leading golfers on the scene. Palmer won seven major championships, he is the fifth all time winner  in the PGA Tour, he won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average four times, PGA Player of the Year twice, and leading PGA money maker four times; in 1967 Palmer became the first golfer to reach one million dollars  in career earnings in the PGA. In 1974 Palmer would be inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame, and then in 1998 he earned a PGA Lifetime Achievement Award.

By now everyone has heard some version of the professional golfer or golfer's wife saying she kisses his balls for luck on national TV, well many times this story is attributed to Arnold during a mid-1960's Johnny Carson interview. Jay Leno cleared this up directly during a 1994 interview:

Leno:... apparently Johnny said, "Is there anything your wife does to bring you good luck?"

Palmer: No, Johnny said, "Does your wife kiss your balls before you go to play?" and I said ,"I don't even go to bed without pajamas."

This joke has actually been passed around long before Palmer, it is widely believed to have been the wife of golf great Sam Snead in the early to mid-1950's. Some have suggested it was on the original Tonight Show with Steve Allen as host. Although a July 1954 newspaper column by journalist Walter Winchell suggest that it was John Tillman a popular New York newscaster, previous to the Tonight Show.

     "Mrs. Sammy Snead's dead-pan fo-pah while interviewed by J. Tillman (on the air) still has locals in stitches Tillman's comment made it hilariously worse!"

This may just go down as another great american mystery!

So today we toast you, Mr. Arnold Palmer; you and your balls (golf balls, freaks)!

Happy Birthday!

A Dirty Arnold Palmer

By now most people are familiar with the Lemonade/Ice tea beverage made widely popular by Arnold Palmer. As the combo was his favorite beverage it naturally became named after the legend. In 2001 an actual Arnold Palmer brand L/IT combo was created. What fun is toasting with Ice Tea though? We demand more at SS, otherwise the page would be called Getting Hydrated with Style!

Ingredients:

2oz Sweet Tea Vodka

5oz. Lemonade

Mint for garnish

Directions:

Combine ingredients over ice in a Collins glass

Set mint spring on top as garnish

Cheers!

"The first time I played the Masters, I was so nervous I drank a

 bottle of rum before I teed off. I shot the happiest 83 of my 

life."

Chi Chi Rodriguez

If it doesn't matter who wins or loses, then why do they keep score? -Vince Lombardi

September 9,

FOOTBALL!

My friends it is that time of year! Football is off and running! My official tailgate kick off is done and over...here we go! There is not too much to tell...it's football!

So glasses up folks...FOOTBALL IS HERE! Oh, and FYI my fantasy football team is going undefeated!!

Hail Mary

So to start this season off we are doing the perfect tailgate drink! It is a football Bloody Mary.

Ingredients:

1.5oz. Bourbon

2 dashes Worcestershire

5 Dashes Tabasco 

1/4 oz Lime Juice

3 oz. Clamato Juice

Jalapeno Stuffed Olives for Garnish

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into a highball glass with ice

Garnish with olives

All ready caught the Hail Mary? Go for the 2 point conversion and add a raw oyster to the top! 

Here's to Alcohol; the cause of and solution to, all of life's problems - Homer...Simpson that is

Doh...

Hail to the Victors!

September 1

Football season is here my friends! The biggest game this weekend is the Cowboy Classic. The eighth ranked University of Michigan Wolverines will take on the number two ranked Alabama Crimson Tide for the first time ever, under the big lights of Cowboy Stadium, in Arlington, Texas.
I am born and raised in Wolverine country, yet my family ties run Crimson pride...What to do?! Solution...Two blogs. Choose your poison fans and let the games begin!

Go "Big Blue" Meanie

Ann Arbor definitely knows how to party!

Ingredients:

2oz. Vodka

1oz. Blue Curacao

4oz. Sweet and Sour 

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker

Shake it up, oh yeah, Shake it up

Pour into a Collins or highball glass and add ice

Garnish with a lemon for the true Maize and Blue!

Hail to the Victors!

Hail! to the victors valiant
Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes
Hail! Hail! to Michigan,
   the leaders and best
Hail! to the victors valiant
Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes
Hail! Hail! to Michigan
   the champions of the West.

I Was Raised on Southern Pride, My Blood Runs Crimson Tide!

September 1

Football season is here my friends! The biggest game this weekend is the Cowboy Classic. The eighth ranked University of Michigan Wolverines will take on the number two ranked Alabama Crimson Tide for the first time ever, under the big lights of Cowboy Stadium, in Arlington, Texas.
I am born and raised in Wolverine country, yet my family ties run Crimson pride...What to do?! Solution...Two blogs. Choose your poison fans and let the games begin!

Crimson Tide

A tasty drink, with southern pride!

Ingredients:

1/4oz. Southern Comfort

1/4oz. Vodka

1/4oz. Coconut Rum

1/4oz. Raspberry Liqueur (Razzmatazz or Chambord)

1/4oz. Blue Maui Schnapps

1oz Sprite

1oz Cranberry

Directions:

Mix all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice

Shake..Rattle and Roll Tide

Gently strain in to a glass filled with ice

Keep the southern vibe and serve in a mason jar

Hey Blue, Hey Blue, We're Going to Beat the Hell Out of You!

Rammer Jammer, Yellow Hammer Give'em Hell ALABAMA!

Yea, Alabama

Yea, Alabama! Drown'em Tide!

Every 'Bama man's behind you;

Hit your stride!

Go teach the Bulldogs to behave,

Send the Yellow Jackets to a watery grave!

And if a man starts to weaken,

That's a shame!

For 'Bama's pluck and grit

Have writ her name in crimson flame!

Fight on, fight on, fight on men!

Remember the Rose Bowl we'll win then!

Go, roll to victory,

Hit your stride,

You're Dixie's football pride, Crimson Tide!