15 Reasons To Order a Pint of Guinness | Local Puck | Tiger | Curtis Martin | Take It Easy | YouTube Rabbithole
15 Reasons to Order a Pint of Guinness
Readers tend to get a kick out of Week to Week Notes’ Power Rankings bit so I hope you like it! Also as always feel free to share your reason to get a pint of Guinness and maybe next year we can add to this 15.
15. Guinness is good for you.
Just read the posters you see at the pubs!
14. Nothing like fine shtick.
I low-key-high-key (or is it high-key-low-key, I can’t decide) love it when the shtick sticks to me mustache. Please don’t tell anybody that.
13. Guinness is globally beloved.
It is brewed in over 50 countries and enjoyed in around 150 worldwide. Millions of people love a good pint of Irish Champagne.
12. Everybody just assumes it’s thicc & heavy but…
It’s actually a light stout with only 126 calories per 12 ounces. Most light beers made in America are 110 calories. Sorry USA, I love you, but the Irish got us beat with this one!
11. It reminds people of Saint Patrick’s Day…
…and we’re all Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day! The number of times patrons around me have commented something about Saint Patrick’s Day while I was ordering a pint of Guinness in the middle of last summer is pretty funny.
10. If you stick to only pints…
…They are easy to keep track of, you drink like a responsible adult, and the hangovers are nothing.
9. The Guinness head top…
…is a real beaut, the Mona Lisa of beers!
8. There is a real art to the pour…
…and it allows bartenders to be artists. That isn’t even a tongue-in-cheek statement. There is an art to being a good bartender. You may have to deal with drunk people while having a smile on your face and pouring the perfect pint. They deserve a bit more recognition for the job. I swear they aren’t paying me in pints to say that.
7. It’s deeply rich in tradition.
Founded by Arthur Guinness in Dublin way back in 1759. They also signed a 9,000-year lease so they’ll be around making history for much longer than you and I.
6. It’s also rich with…
…antioxidants, B Vitamins, and prebiotics that are good for the heart and gut. If you overdo it, other parts of your body will be hurting, but an apple a day!
5. You get to cut the G.
It’s the only beer you can play games within your glass. Feel free to #GuinnessChallengeSeason and tag @You_The_Reader anytime you play the Guinness Challenge with friends.
4. It’s Irish…
…and Irish people are naturally so genuinely cool. I’m a jealous Irish-American, which of course makes me a lucky American with a bit of witty Irish descendants.
3. The Craic
Nothing like grabbing a few pints with the lads, fellas, bros, friends, ladies, women, children, sorry no children, and family!
2. You can go for one…
…and end up staying for more than one!
1. The iconic taste…
…is a one-of-a-kind perfect blend of creamy smoothness.
*Bonus 0*
Guinness has also introduced a Guinness 0.0 can, their first non-alcoholic pint that tastes just like the original!
Jeez…All these thoughts of Guinness are making me want to grab a pint, but first, we got Local Puck, Curtis Martin, and the Eagles’ Take It Easy…
The Rangers are now on a 6 game-winning streak and are only 1 point away from being tied for the 2nd most in all of hockey. The Devils have jumped the Islanders in the Metro standings as Jersey went 2-1-1 since last weekend while Out East only picked up 1 point from an OT loss.
Manhattan
On Thursday night, the Rangers scored 7 goals for the 2nd time in 6 games and 3rd time all season. Chris Kreider netted a hat trick, his 6th of his career. The LW now has 27 goals on the season and 292 in his career. The man who won’t allow the Rangers to name him captain, which is such an alpha move by the way, is in his 12th season with the team. Mika Zibanejad assisted him and also scored a goal of his own. Next up for the boys in blue are the Islanders at MSG this Sunday afternoon.
Jersey
Jack Hughes is now all the back and scoring in bunches. He’s now had a point in his last 3 games, scoring twice and assisting in their loss to LA. Against the Kings, one of their uglies got a bit chippy with Hughes who chirped back, “People pay to watch me play.” Kids these man, gotta love the spunk.
Out East
The boys Out East suffered their NHL-most 13th OT loss in a shootout on Tuesday. With 32 games left in the season, the Islanders are now on pace to break a record you don’t want…The most overtime losses in a season. 4 teams in NHL history have lost 18 OT games (‘15 Flyers, ‘14 Devils, ‘12 Panthers, and ‘09 Lightning) and this Islander team is currently on pace to lose 20. At least they pick up 1 point, these losses might bring the guys some grit, but it’s gotta be grueling. They’ll have enjoyed a nice 5-day break from the ice when they play the Rangers on Sunday. One of the reasons they’ve been in so many close games is the goaltending play of Ilya Sorokin. The man was out there laying it all on the line, standing on his head, and doing splits. Just gotta hope they get more pucks on net and get a bounce or two.
Quick Tiger Watch
Quick bit on golf this weekend…Tiger Woods is back on Tour. To close out Thursday, he found the green through 2 trees. If I’d have tried that, I’d have shot my eye out. Woods shot 1 over in the first round. The boys are playing at The Riviera Country Club in LA for $20 million. Tiger’s return gets eyeballs. Good catch, Bosh 💪.
Curtis “My Favorite” Martin
Since Week to Week Notes already covered a bit about the NBA All-Star Weekend, local puck and the Irish Ruby team are off this weekend, I figured I could get in a piece about another one of my favorite players when I was a kid. Last February I did a profile piece on Bernie Williams (Baseball), Darelle Revis (Football), and Vince Carter (Basketball). This February on 2/2 we covered Derek Jeter. Today, it’s Curtis Martin.
Born on May 1, 1973, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Curtis Martin was sadly only 3 years old when his father abandoned his family. His mother, Rochella, was forced to take on multiple jobs while heading the family. They moved to multiple neighborhoods in the Pittsburgh area before settling down in the Point Breeze section. It was a rough time in Pittsburgh at this time, like a very rough time as you’ll read, but it was all they could afford. When Martin was nine years old, his grandmother, Eleanor Johnson, who would look after him, was found stabbed to death at the family home. Truly horrifying and to make matters worse, the killer got away. Martin said, “That was a terrible time. When my mother was upstairs taking a bath I was upstairs sitting in the top step outside the bathroom. And when she was downstairs cooking, I was downstairs watching TV. That’s because they didn’t catch him for two years. And they had our addresses in the paper and everything. So we lived in fear for those two years. It was a horrible way to live.” (Source: NY Post)
This was just one of the traumatizing events that Martin dealt with growing up. When he was 15 years old, he had a loaded gun pulled on him. By Martin’s best estimates, he had lost somewhere between 20 to 28 friends or family members from street violence. When he was a junior in high school, he and one of his best friends, Jamont Neal, were walking down the block when Neal was slained in a drive-by. It was around this moment that Rochella Martin urged him to get off the streets. Aside from drug use, Martin admitted, “I was doing everything you shouldn’t do morally.” With Neal’s death and Rochella’s plea, Martin decided to join the football in his senior year. During his only year of high school football, Martin ran for 1,705 yards and 20 touchdowns. This 1 year of ball drew the attention of the top College Football programs in the country with schools like The U of Miami, Georgia Tech, Penn State, Tennessee, and Maryland, all knocking on his door. Martin decided to play for his hometown at Pittsburgh University. (Source: NY Post)
As soon as Curtis Martin stepped onto campus, massive expectations to live up to other Pitt players such as Tony Dorsett were thrown on him. Martin was expected to turn the proud program around but ended up missing most of his freshman and sophomore seasons with foot injuries. Finally, in his junior year at Pitt, Martin showed his true potential as a ball carrier when he rushed for 1,132 yards behind an unimpressive offensive line. As a senior, Martin got the year off right as he broke out for 251 rushing yards against Texas in the season opener. Unfortunately, in Week 2 that year, an ankle injury would ruin his season and his collegiate career. While at this point, many would look at this as disappointing, Martin viewed things a bit differently. “My goal was to live to 21 and I didn’t think I would make it.” Although he was eligible to red-shirt and go back to play another year of College Ball, Martin decided to enter the 1995 NFL Draft.
While much of the media and fans thought Curtis Martin was making a foolish decision to go pro, one NFL coach saw the potential in the running back. His name was Bill Parcells. Jersey’s own, the Big Tuna, at this point, had already won 2 Super Bowls with the New York Giants and was now coaching up in New England. In the 3rd Round of the 1995 NFL Draft, Parcells decided to take a chance on the foot injury-plagued running back, selecting Martin with the 74th overall pick. Parcells loved Martin’s 4.4 40-time speed and slashing running style, plus could tell the young man was special.
Special is the right way to put Curtis Martin’s rookie season with Parcells and the Patriots. Martin rushed for 1,487 yards and 14 TDs. He also had 30 catches for 261 yards and a score. This earned him the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1995, beating out fellow TD - Terrell Davis. Martin played for coach Parcells again in 1996 before the Big Tuna went home to coach the New York Jets in 1997. As a member of the New England Patriots from 1995 to 1997, Martin ran for a total of 3,799 yards and 32 TDs, earning himself 2 Pro Bowls. After the 1997 season in New England, Curtis Martin became a restricted free agent and he chose to join forces with the coach who drafted him.
As the engine of the 1998 New York Jets, Curtis Martin would lead the team to a 12-4 record. In 2 years, Bill Parcells was able to build a team that went 1-15 in 1996 to a Super Bowl contender. The 1998 Jets featured an offense of Long Island’s own Vinny Testeverde at QB with Keyshawn Johnson and Wayne Chrebet as his top targets. They scored the 5th most points in the NFL while their defense was stout, allowing the 2nd fewest in the league. Their top dogs on defense were CB Aaron Glenn and LB Mo Lewis. They made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game that season to play the Denver Broncos with John Elway and Terrell Davis. I was a whole 4 years old so I was still processing that the yellow lines on the field were a figment of our imagination, but I remember watching the game at my grandparents' house, we got pizza at half. The Jets were winning at halftime 3-0 and went up 10-0 on a Curtis Martin 1-yard TD. They blew after that…My Uncle Robby, who was actually a year younger than I am now typing this, was going nuts. I could only imagine what I’d have been like today!
The 1999 Jets were full of promise. They essentially ran back the same roster that had got them to the AFC Championship Game the year before, but their season would get derailed when on Opening Day Vinny Testeverde tore his Achilles. Parcells and his defensive coordinator, Bill Belichick, were able to get the most out of a team that was Quarterbacked by special teams such as punter Tom Tupa and do-it-all football player Ray Lucas. They would go 8-8. Bill Parcells, who would always rather get rid of a player a year early rather than a year too late, followed his own mantra and decided to leave the team the following season as the Jets’ owner Leon Hess (the Hess truck) had passed away. The team was up for sale so Parcells was on the outs and named Bill Belichick the new head coach. Belichick wasn’t having it and resigned from the role on a napkin.
After a year of Al Groh as the head coach in ‘00, the New York Jets hired Herm Edwards. With Herm Edwards, Curtis Martin steadily continued to rack up rushing yards as he led the team to the playoffs in ‘01 and ‘02. The Jets would be defeated by the Oakland Raiders in back-to-back seasons and I got more Tony D’s pizza at halftime. During a press conference in October of ‘02, Herm Edwards would famously say, “This is what’s great about sports -- you play to win the game. Hello? You play to win the game. You don’t play to just play it. That’s the great thing about sports. You play to win. ‘You play to win the game.’”
As a member of the New York Jets, Curtis Martin rushed for 10,302 yards and 58 TDs. He started his career with 10 consecutive seasons of 1,000+ rushing yards, joining only Barry Sanders at the time to do so. Arguably his best season as a pro was in ‘04 when at 31 years old he rushed for an incredible 1,697 yards and 12 TDs. Unfortunately, his career ended when he suffered a knee injury in ‘05 which snapped his 119 consecutive starts streak and kept him from reaching 1,000 yards in a season for the only time in his career. While he was never necessarily a straight-up burner or dancer, he always had great speed, with reliable hands, knew how to hit the hole, and most importantly could consistently pick up 4+ yards. Running backs in those days were just used differently, it was a different era where guys were used as workhorses getting 20+ carries today. Think Derrick Henry’s volume usage, Zeke Elliot’s prime of picking up that extra yard, and a mix of slashing styles like Jonathan Taylor or Nick Chubb. When he retired, Martin was 4th all-time in rushing yards behind only Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, and Barry Sanders.
Curtis Martin was one of the best runningbacks in football during the peak years of NFL Primetime with Chris “Boomer” Berman and Tom Jackson. Boomer famously nicknamed him Curtis My Favorite Martin whenever NFL Primetime would have a #28 highlight. Martin is a ton of Jets fans’ favorite player because of his consistent approach and calm demeanor. He was my first favorite football player because my grandpa told me to watch him on TV and that was around the time he taught me how to throw a spiral in the street in front of their house. Unfortunately, Darrelle Revis would overtake Martin at my top spot, but #28 will always be my 2nd favorite Jet. Some of Martin’s fans include Giants RB Saquon Barkley, who grew up a Jets fan.
Forget the stats and on-field play, the biggest takeaway from this bit on Curtis Martin is that he is a great man. During a chance encounter during his training camp days with the Patriots, Martin accepted an invitation to then-9-year-old Michael Ptaschnick’s birthday party. Decades later, he still kept in touch with the Ptaschnick family. Jeff and Sandy Ptaschnik also have a daughter, Jennifer, who is blind. Jeff Ptaschnik said, “Curtis would call her up and pray with her. Curtis is a very religious man. He’s also a great guy.” When Jen needed adaptive equipment after graduating from college, Curtis Martin and local residents of the family organized a benefit that raised over $10,000. His mother, Rochella, still kept in contact spending hours on the phone as of ‘16. (The Sun Chronicle)
Lastly, on Father’s Day of 1998, Curtis Martin in the prime of his career, showed up at his biological father’s apartment. Remember, his father, Curtis Sr. had left his family when he was only 3 years old. He insisted that he wear a blindfold and led him outside to the backseat of his car. Martin drove to a condo, led him up a flight of stairs, and brought him into one of the nice units. He told his father to take off the blindfold and told him “Welcome home, Dad.” His father, who had struggled mightily with hard drugs, stayed clean until he passed away in ‘09. Martin said, “He and I never bonded like we did those last two weeks he was alive. Before he died, he was a man at peace. I never wanted to be like my father in any way, but when it comes to the day I die, I hope I can be like him.” When his family went to Curtis Sr.’s funeral, “My mother came to me and said, ‘You know something, I am so glad you were not how I was. The fact that you forgave him helped me forgive him.’ She told me, ‘It would be so hard if he died and I never forgave him. I’m so grateful that you helped me do that.’” (NJ.com) Curtis Martin overcame a traumatic childhood and went down the wrong path to become one helluva man. The world could use more Curtis Martins.
Today’s tune is the Eagles’ Take It Easy. This past fall, my grandparents (& grand-aunt and uncle) went to see them live on the band’s final tour. They really enjoyed themselves, maybe too much as they got COVID from going to the concert, which stunk, but this was months ago and they’re doing well! Of course, I know this song, but it was also on in the background at a bar I was at around this time so I connected the dots that I should use it for a weekend writing about sports. Take It Easy would peak on the US Billboard charts at #12 in 1972, not bad for the band’s debut single!
7 women?!?!? Christ almighty this guy is a player! One’s enough and I’m just hoping she doesn’t want to stone me. It’s okay, I probably deserve it. Sorry, I needed a bit of levity, Curtis Martin’s story was a doozy. After researching, the 7 women here are a metaphor for the days of the week. Monday to Thursday are the days that own him. Friday and Saturday are the days he’s getting stoned (drinking & partying). Sunday being his friend.
In life, easy does it is almost always the right manta to go about things. The sound of your own wheels is what is racing around in your own mind. Remember that old commercial “You are what you eat”? Well, we also turn into the thoughts that we consume too. It’s important to remind ourselves that some things in life we just may not understand, so we’re better off being Mr. or Mrs. Brightside while we can. That’s at least where I’d like to try to stand.
The town of Winslow, Arizona, fully embraced this song and even created a park to commemorate it. Pretty cool! Eagles’ lead singer, Glenn Frey, came up with the “It’s a girl, my Lord, in a flat bed Ford.”
These lines have to do with the girl in the flat bed Ford he met while standin’ on the corner of Winslow, Arizona. Since the song is about a guy who is in his own head, this could represent living in the present instead of hypotheticals. Sometimes things may work out (wins) or they won’t (losses), but that’s part of life, what’s important is you’re still in the game.
Glenn Frey, the lead vocalist and one of the co-songwriters of the tune, said the message of this song is, "You shouldn't get too big too fast." (SongFacts)
The song was originally written by Jackson Browne. He lived in an apartment below Frey in LA. I guess Browne at the time not only had too many women on his mind but was had trouble finishing this song. Frey, who could hear Browne’s work from upstairs, recognized that Browne had something with this unfinished song and eventually the two collaborated. The Eagles made sure to credit Browne with his writing credit, Frey said of Browne’s unfinished version, it was a "package without the ribbon." Browne would end up charting on his own song, “Doctor My Eyes” before the Eagles would release Take It Easy as their first song on their first album. It’s pretty cool how it all seemed to work out for everybody involved. (Source: SongFacts)
Amazing tune, my grandparents sure have good taste in music!