Pump It Up | Hamilton Park | More Subway Cars | AL Division Series Game 2 | YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
I picked Pump It Up by Joe Budden weeks ago knowing it would follow up Sugar, We’re Goin Down. I know it’s corny, but I needed some theme to connect the dots so Pump It Up after Goin’ Down made sense. I’m in my mid-2000s music bag and Ari MF’n Gold liked one of my last posts, so kick rocks. Only messing about the kicking rocks part, besides the Illuminati knocking on my door to sign a couple of things, it’s business as usual here at Week to Week Notes. Anyway, it just so happens that this tune is quite topical at the moment because Joe Budden was highly critical of Drake’s newest album, For All The Dogs. This made hip-hop headlines yesterday when Drake responded to Budden’s criticisms.
Joe Budden is a New Yorker who moved to Jersey City with his mom as a teenager. He grew up without a father and had a rough youth. His mom sent him to Laurinburg Institute, a boarding school in North Carolina known for having a good basketball program, but Budden was more interested in music. When he was 20 years old and back in the Tri-State, Budden had a child of his own on the way and was determined to take his music career more seriously. His music career began with mixtapes around Jersey City in ‘01 which grew popularity and he eventually landed a major deal with Def Jam Records in ‘02. In May of ‘03, Budden released Pump It Up as the lead single for his debut album. This song ended up peaking at #38 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and more importantly from my perspective was featured on the Madden ‘04 soundtrack.
This chorus was iconic in the mid-2000s and recently earned the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the track as gold, meaning it sold 500k copies. This was right around the time of the Limewire era when people like yours truly illegally downloaded this song for their MP3 Player. Given this song’s popularity, it likely would’ve earned the status much earlier.
Here is a bit that I Stumbled Along in Jersey City…
Hamilton Park, Jersey City
Hamilton Park in Jersey City was landscaped by New Jerseyians way back in 1851. A fella by the name of John B. Coles gifted the land to Van Vorst township, which that same year was annexed into Jersey City. John B. Coles was a federalist and a man in the flour business. He ran such a successful flour business that he was even one of the directors in the Bank of New York and served in the New York Senate from 1799 to 1802. Coles decided the name of the park should be Hamilton because of Alexander Hamilton. (Old Merchants)
I’m many of you reading this know all about Alexander Hamilton because of the play on Broadway. I’ve never seen it, so here is a quick refresher for myself…
Alexander Hamilton was born on either January 11, 1755, or 1757, nobody really knows because back then it was a free-for-all, and birth certificates didn’t really become a thing until a century later. Born out of wedlock, his dad left him as a child and his mother passed away while he was young. Hamilton was determined to become something of himself so he studied to become an import-export clerk for Beekman and Cruger. Despite only being a teenager, the owners of the company trusted Hamilton to hold down the fort while they were out at the sea. Hamilton lodged with a fellow by the name of Hercules Mulligan.
Hercules Mulligan besides having a badass name was an Irish-American tailor who spied on the Red Coats. Mulligan went to King’s College and was able to get Alexander Hamilton into Columbia University. Not only did Mulligan help Hamilton with a place to stay and an education, but he also was very opinionated to the point where Hamilton would write essays on Mulligan’s views. At 20 years old, Alexander Hamilton dropped out of King’s College to form his own New York state militia of 25 men. After the United States became the United States, Hamilton returned to school at King’s College which had been renamed Columbia University. In between the time King’s College became Columbia University, Hamilton helped America win the Revolutionary War, was integral in the US drafting up the Constitution, particularly with the concept of separation of powers between legislative, executive, & judicial branches, founded the Bank of New York, as well as a newspaper that is now known today as the New York Post. He also had a fierce rivalry with Thomas Jefferson which led to the US 2-party system as Hamilton created the Federalist Party.
Back to Jersey City’s Hamilton Park… John B. Coles named the park after Hamilton because he himself was a federalist and Alexander Hamilton famously died in a duel in Weehawken, New Jersey, which is 2 towns up north from the park. Hamilton was shot in the stomach at the hands of Vice President Aaron Burr. Hamilton would not pass away until 31 hours after the duel, which must have been BRUTAL. If you’re going to take anything from all of this, next time you’re ever annoyed at the United States Banking system, please remember that it was very likely rooted in an Irish fella named Hercules’ thoughts after he had a few pints. I’ll obviously have to check out the site of the duel in Weehawken to confirm such details.
Old Subway Car (Vol III)
IRT R-33S Car 9306
This subway car was built in 1963 by the St. Louis Car Company in St. Louis, Missouri. The car was first used during the World’s Fair in Flushing in 1964 and 1965. It was a part of the 11-car “World’s Fair Express.” The New York World’s Fair hosted 80 nations and was the 2nd time that Flushing was the site for such an event, the original occurred in 1939. The 1964 Fair is famous because of the cool Unisphere that was built for the event.
They were nicknamed “Bluebirds” and painted in a unique powder blue & off-white color scheme. It was said that the train was so quick that it could go from Times Square to Meadows Park, Queens in just 20 minutes. The Bluebirds lasted until the mid-70s on the Flushing line but would be rebuilt and painted red to become Redbirds, which had a nice run around Coney Island from 1985 to ‘01.
Standard looking. The tiles look like the floor of your elementary school’s cafeteria. They got rid of the cushions on the seats.
Put me on record for stating we need more powder blue and off-white trains nicknamed “Bluebirds.”
MLB ‘23 Playoffs
Divisional Round Series
The Divisional Round is a best of 5, with the first team to 3-win games advancing. The Orioles, Braves, Dodgers, and Astros didn’t have to play in the Wild Card Round so they are fully rested and get to start their best pitchers in Game 1.
Texas Rangers @ Baltimore Orioles
Game 2: Jordan Montgomery vs. Grayson Rodriguez
The Rangers won Game 1 by the score of 3-2. OF Anthony Santander was the offense for the O’s as he scored both runs, one of which came off of a solo shot. Baltimore’s Kyle Bradish struck out 9 guys while recording 14 outs. Texas rookie 3B Josh Jung’s solo homer in the 6th would end up being the difference in the game. The biggest takeaway from this game was that the Rangers were able to get 5.1 innings out of their bullpen as SP Dane Dunning was used to go 2 innings. The Rangers blew an MLB-worst 33 saves this year, so if get this kind of production out of their bullpen, Baltimore is in trouble.
Last year, Brian Cashman after trading away SP Jordan Montgomery for Harrison Bader (who was in a walking boot at the time) said that the Southpaw wouldn't have pitched any playoff innings for the Yanks. Montgomery since leaving the Bronx has pitched to a career-best 3.18 ERA. As a playoff performer, the former Yank has now made 2 starts combining for 13.2 innings and has allowed just 1 run. Nice job Cash! Montgomery has had trouble with the Orioles switch-hitting Anthony Santander who is 5 for 15 with a homer off of him. The pressure will be on Baltimore’s 23-year-old SP Grayson Rodriguez who will be making his first career postseason start. The Rangers faced the young righty twice this year and knocked him the 2nd time around as Rodriguez allowed 8 earned runs in 3.1 innings. SS Corey Seager hit a grand slam off of him.
Minnesota Twins @ Houston Astros
Game 2: Pablo Lopez vs. Framber Valdez
The Houston Astros won Game 1 by the score of 6-4. DH Yordan Alvarez hit his 7th career homer off the foul pole after it looked like the Twins gained some momentum with a 4-run 7th inning. Kate Upton’s husband pitched a quality start going 6 innings where he allowed no earned runs and had 6 Ks. The shrimp 2B Jose Altuve also went yard. Houston’s really going to win another World Series, aren’t they?
The Twins Pablo Lopez got his first career playoff win against the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card Round. Lopez has only faced Houston a couple of times while he was pitching for the Miami Marlins so the sample size is very low but Michael Brantley has walked, singled, and homered off him in 3 plate appearances. Houston’s Framber Valdez after coming in 5th in the CY Young in ‘22 pitched to a 3.45 ERA in ‘23. Valdez last year led Houston to their World Series Championship as he went 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA.