Tom (The Tank) has already landed in Hong Kong and I finished up packing my gear and stuff for the trek to Mt. Everest Base Camp. I leave tomorrow and travel to India and the entire team meets in Kathmandu on Wednesday. This is the first time I am the leader of an international trek of this kind. It was hard work but a lot of fun. Let me give you some behind the scenes information.

Our team is made up of some of my closest friends and I designed this trip almost a year ago. Actually I have been planning this trip since the last time I was at Everest. Here is the team:

• Richard Campbell (Canada)
• Tom Howe (USA)
• Mychal Howe (USA)
• Gautam Gujral (USA)
• Remi Caron (Netherlands)
• Joel Semeniuk (Canada)
• Rod Giesbrecht (Canada)
• Vasseto Terziev (Bulgaria)
• Linda Varoli (USA)
• Tom (the Tank) Djurdjevich (USA)

Some old Sherpa buddies helped me out on the Nepal side, but I planned out a great trip based on my previous visits to Nepal. I wanted to start the trek with a flight to Lukla on Friday (Sept 5th) so I wanted everyone to arrive in Asia on Tuesday (Sept 2) and Kathmandu on Wednesday (Sept 3). This is really for two reasons, one is to get everyone here on time with some extra wiggle room due to the crazy airlines canceling flights (which did happen to 5 of us!) and second is that I can do a gear check on Wednesday so we can buy any missing supplies in Kathmandu on Thursday before we fly.

Here is the trek schedule that we have posted on this blog before. It is different than most Everest Base Camp treks insofar as I have planned a lot of extra time in the schedule to accommodate flight delays (in and out of Kathmandu) and bad weather, which there is a lot of.

Sept 5: Fly to Lukla. Lukla (9,000’) to Phakding (9,500’) Overnight at Phakding

For starters we fly to Lukla on Friday, this can be a problem since there are no lights in Lukla and it gets fogged in a lot. There is a 50% chance that we won't fly on Friday and have to fly on Saturday, or worse on Sunday! So if all goes well we will stay in Phakding and acclimate, if our flights are late we will head straight to Namche Bizarre from Lukla.

Sept 6: Phakding (9,500’) to Namche Bizarre (11,500’) Overnight in Namche

Sept 7: Acclimation day in Namche Bizarre (11,500’) Overnight in Namche

It is very important to rest in Namche and see how we are doing with the altitude. At this point altitude is usually not a problem with anyone. That is why it is very safe to build up the red blood cells here.

Sept 8: Namche (11,500’) to Pangboche (12,700’) Overnight at Pangboche

First spot where altitude can start to be a problem. Hopefully the extra night at Namche worked.

Sept 9: Pangboche (12,700’) to Pheriche (14,000’) Overnight in Pheriche

Sept 10: Acclimation day in Pheriche (14,000’) Overnight in Pheriche

Pheriche is higher than any point in the lower 48 states of the USA and all of Western Europe. We spend an extra day here

Sept 11: Pheriche (14,000’) to Loboche (16,000’) Overnight in Loboche

Sept 12: Loboche (16,000’) to Gorak Shep (16,800’) Overnight in Gorak Shep

This is when people will start to feel bad. That is why the next two days are very different than most treks to Everest.

Sept 13: Visit Everest Base Camp (17,400’). Overnight in Gorak Shep

Sept 14: Summit Kala Pattar (18,700’) Gorak Shep (16,800’) to Loboche (16,000’) Overnight in Loboche

The 13th or 14th (or 14th and 15th if we are day behind) we visit base camp as well as climb a nice high mountain Kala Pattar. Most treks do both in the same day, get up early, climb Kala Pattar and then come down and go to base camp. We will split this into two days since if there is bad weather we will go to base camp (since there is not much to see) and use the good weather day for the views from on top of Kala Pattar. If we are two days behind schedule we will do both in one day. This gives us tons of flexibility.

Sept 15: Loboche (16,000’) to Kumjum (12,500’) Overnight in Kumjum

If we are stuck behind again, we can go straight to Namche.

Sept 16: Kumjum (12,500’) to Namche (11,500’) Overnight in Namche

Sept 17: Namche (11,500’) to Lukla (9,000’) overnight in Lukla

Sept 18: Fly to Katmandu (weather permitting) Overnight at Katmandu

 

What is critical to me is that we put in extra days in Phakding and Gorak Shep for acclimation and rest as well as to give us wiggle room if someone gets sick or if there is bad weather.

What happens if someone gets altitude sickness (or if the Tank has blackberry withdrawal and we decide to leave him in Namche?) No problem, Namche is our hub, so if someone gets sick or tired, or does not want to continue, we'll take them to Namche and a sherpa will wait with them until we return. At absolute worst they will have to wait a week for us. Most likely what will happen is that if someone gets sick it will be at Loboche or Gorak Shep. So we will send them down to Pheriche to wait for us to come pick them up in a few days.

This is our trek. We will try to blog every day from now until September 21st when we come home. Most days on the trek we will not have coverage or Internet, so if we can get the sat phone to work perma-guest Jack will post for us via our messages on the sat phone.

Posted by Steve in New York

I got to the US Open at about 6pm, quickly scalped some tickets, and went straight to the back courts to watch the unseeded player play. Caught a female match where we sat in the first row, then a men's match, and then some mixed doubles. After a rain delay and the day sessions going over, around 8pm we went into the stadium to watch Marion Bartoli defeat Lindsay Davenport 6-1, 7-6 (3), earning Bartoli her first win in her first match in center court at the USTA.

The headline event was 26 year old Andy Roddick vs Ernests Gulbis, a 19-year-old from Latvia. Gulbis comes out with a cannon, acing and winning fast, taking the first three games in about 11 minutes. After about 25 minutes Roddick did manage to win a few games, but Gulbis won the first set.

Then something happened. The clock struck midnight and *both* Roddick and Gulbis were celebrating their birthdays. Roddick 27 and Gulbis 20. Experience mattered and Roddick went on to win in 4 sets.

ESPN reports that Roddick is washed up. Younger players are passing him by and it is only a matter of time before young kids like Gulbis give him a scare and defeat him in early rounds.

Posted by Steve from New York

As posted Live! by Jack:

12:15pm and I've just boarded a Yankee bound 4 train at Bowling Green for what may very well be the last ever meeting of the Red Sox and Yankees at the House that Ruth built. With the way the Yanks are playing it probably will be.

I had to put in some long days at work to ensure I could take off today, the 2nd to last sales day for August (I'm a sales systems engineer for a Telecom) but how could I miss this? Especially since I'm meeting my Dad when I get there. The enormity of the closing of Yankee Stadium is setting in and I'm actually getting choked up as I type this.

For my Dad it may be more so since he's been going to Yankee since the late 40s or early 50s. He used to cut school to go with his brothers to the original Yankee.

Regardless of if the Bombers can pull off a win to avoid the sweep to the Boston sports machine or they look like little leaguers again, I will be in the sun with my Dad. The man who raised my brother and I to bleed Yankee blue. The man who still has his Mickey Mantle clippings in a folder somewhere. Priceless man. Absolutely priceless. Its what makes baseball great. Fathers and sons.

Go Yankees. Keep the faith! We've pulled off miracles before and maybe the departed. Greats can smile down on us for a few weeks till the closing curtain at the Cathedral.

 

2:33pm

Olympian Jason Kidd is in attendance.
Moose is at 69 pitches thru 4 and 2/3 innings but we are down 2 0.
Too many Sox fans here. Its sickening.

3:11pm

A-rod continues to be unproductive. Can't even sac fly a runner over. And again bottom of the 6th we leave 2 runners on. They were on with no outs. At least Abreu sac'd Damon to 3rd.

3:25pm

Moose 112 through 7 complete including a self fedencr 3rd out snag to end the top of the 7th.
Still 2 0 sawx.
Ronan Tynan singing god bless America

3:40pm

Cody ransom doubles then The stache rockets a 2 out 2 run homer to dead center. All tied up.

3:57pm

Bruney comes out for the 8th and gets pedroia to fly out. Marte comes in to face Ortiz. Cano playing shallow right center. Perfectly placed to field a hard liner and throw little pee pee out. 2 out. Mo comes in and gets youlkis to pop to center.
Bottom 8 now. Jeter is 3 for 3 (half of the Yankees 6 guys!) and leads off. Drives one to left center and is robbed of his 4th hit by a great diving catch from Jacoby Ellsbury. 1 away.

4:00pm

Abreu flies to left with Jacoby Ellsbury again Making the play. Long run too.
Pitching change. Justin Masterson replaces Hideki Okajima.

4:02pm

2 outs non on and 0-3 rod is up. Fear!

Just call him K-rod. I mean come on at least lean into the pitch and take one for the team. Baylor and Balboni did it all the time.

4:14pm

Bay hits a Soft grounder to jeter who throws it wide pulling giambi off the bag. E6.
Kotsay flies out to the right field warning track.
Lowrie grounds to giambi on a tough play. Bay to 2nd.
Cora grounds out to 3rd.

4:18pm

Bottom 9th. The Xman is up and rips one just foul down the left field line. Full count and he nails one up the middle. Gardner in to run.

4:21pm

Cano rockets one to lowrie. Godzilla up.
Gardner steals 2nd. 1 out

4:25pm

They intentionally walk Godzilla. 2 on 1 out pudge is up.
Pudge walks. Bases loaded. Giambi is up. How many walk offs does he have?

4:29pm

Sawx bring in an over rated reliever.
Bases loaded 1 out.
GIAMBI WALK OFF SINGLE! Yankees win this historic game in classic fashion!

Posted by Jack LIVE! At the House the Ruth Built

The Tank finally met boyhood idol Joe Namath almost a year ago, Friday, September 7, 2007.  I didn't post it for a long time because I've been busy with work, looking for work, and working on Jets closure.

Joe Namath is why I used to root for the Jets.  This is the final part of my Jets closure. 

Posted by a grateful Tank on the ESPN 1050 Jets Cruise cruising around Manhattan.

Tonight is the beginning of the final Yankees-Red Sox series at the Stadium.   Tomorrow night maybe my final visit as I am not exactly sure when I'll be back from Everest Base Camp.  BTW, Bob Seger's "I'm going to Kathmandu" played on Q104.3 this morning.  Coincidence, I think not.  :-)

LI Mike is scheduled to join me for the game.  I hope to see JR and other friends there.   I don't know if I'll be able to write as I'll be pretty revved and choked up.   It's hard to say goodbye to a big part of my life.  Many great memories over the years with Otto (Jeter diving into the stands game four years ago), JH, Super Twin Gil, Medford Bob, Bay Ridge Bob, Rochester/CFA Mike, Howard, Ronjon, Linda, Score's Mike, "Diamond Dave", Jimbo, the real Dominican Luis, Anna, Nicholas, and apologies to anyone else who I may have forgotten.  Steve, Kathleen, Jack, and I witnessed the All Star Game finale.  What a classic!

If the Yankees are to make the playoffs, the Yankees really need a sweep and then 2 out of 3 at Fenway on the final weekend of the season.  If the Yankees go 27-7 as we did in 1995 to make the playoffs, we can make the playoffs.  There are six head-to-head games with the Red Sox and Rays and four against the White Sox.   Nina from Deep Water Running doesn't have much faith and asked me to reinforce it last night.  Life is never easy but you have to take chances and believe in your team, yourself, and  God/G-d/Allah/Buddha/Creator/etc.  Fight the good fight and let the chips fall where they may.

Posted by The Tank Keeping the Faith at the Baseball Cathedral, Yankee Stadium, in the Boogie Down Bronx.

Tank's Notes: Editor In Chief and PermaGuest Outlaw Jack traveled to Baltimore on Sunday with Adam and his son Chris.  Jack is a true rebel, especially against the inhospitable Baltimore hosts try to tell him what to do.

Adam and Chris wait in center field for a home run. 



Without further ado, I turn it over to Jack.

I took the notes on the first trip through the Yankees batting order on Adam's iPhone as my Blackberry was out of juice.  (Jack is awesome at sending The Tank Blackberry Pin messages.  It helped get me through the Yankees 1-0 victory at Fenway when I went home for Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Weekend.)

It was a beautiful day for the drive down to Charm City. Pretty much 3 hours door to door.

We parked at the Marriott hotel just down the block from the Oriole Park on Eutaw Street and wandered to the gates to what seemed like a Yankee Home game. The crowd filing in past the statue of the Babe, had to be 85% Yankee fans. The rest of the crowd seemed to be fans of just about every other team in the majors and a few minors.  As usual there was a pitiful turn out of Oriole faithful.  (The Tank can attest to this as John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman noted the same thing on the radio broadcast.  It is so bad that 40 percent of the Orioles attendance comes during Yankees and Red Sox series.  40 percent of entire attendance is from 18 Yankee/Red Sox games out of the 81 home dates or about 22 percent.  Just sad I tell you.) 

The smoke and the smell of Boog's BBQ was enticing but the lines in that 90F heat at the start of the game had us seeking the refuge of our seats, which turned out to be in the sun for the first half of the game.

It's been a while since I was at Oriole Park and I'd forgotten that the O's fans (what seemed like 2 or 3 thousand who actually showed up) shout "OH" at every "O" or "O'er" of the Star Spangled Banner.

Onto the game itself, Damon bloops one to 3rd.  Jeter nails a frozen rope right to 3rd. 2 Out.  Bobby "Clutch" Abreu lines single to right.  The major Giambi shift is on and he lines one right to Kevin Millar who was playing about 8' into the Right Field Grass. Would have been over his head had he been playing a normal 1st.  Giambi needs to learn to go the opposite way.

In the Oriole half of the first, Rasner gives up a 2 out homer to Melvin Mora.  Aubrey Hugg goes Back to Back with Mora.  2-0 Birds.  Millar singles but thankfully Lou Montanez makes the 3rd out.

Nady singles to start the second.  (The Tank is the founder of the Xavier Nady Fan Club.)  Matsui walks. Cano lines a 3-1 pitch to right.  Nady scores.  Matsui to 3rd.  Cano at 2nd.  No outs.  Pudge rockets a 3-1 to right for the first out.  (BTW, JR from Deep Water Running ran into Pudge at the Brooklyn Diner in the City on late Sunday evening.  It's hard to escape the crack team of SteveAndTheTank.com reporters.)  Daniel Cabrera is at 43 pitches as Damon sneaks a 3-run homer around the right field pole.  4-2 Yankees.  Jeter out on a 6-3.  2 Outs.  Abreu walked.  The Tank's buddy A-Rod pops out ending the rally as usual over the past month.  (BTW, Nina from Deep Water Running prays that A-Rod gets beaned when he's at bat but doesn't get injured.  She just doesn't want him hitting into an inning ending double play.)

It's hot.  There were lots and lots of Yankee chants on a beautiful day.   It was an untimely but exciting 4 hour 1 minute game with some late inning nail biting drama.  (Justice prevailed with an 8-7 Yankee victory.)  It was a not-so wonderful 6+ hour drive home on I-95 thanks to construction and several accidents.  We thankfully jumped off the NJ Turnpike at 7A and managed to find side roads to bypass what would have made it an 8 hour ride.

Written by Editor in Chief and Perma Guest Outlaw Jack reporting live from Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland.  Photos by Adam and his son Chris.  Edited by The Tank.

Yesterday was circled on my calendar for many weeks, the date of Saturday August 23rd, 2008 would be the last time I ever step foot on my most sacred and hallowed ground: Shea Stadium. With my upcoming trip to Mt. Everest taking taking me away for all of September and the playoffs no guarantee (and my crazy travel schedule to Europe in October for work), this would be my last visit to Shea Stadium in my life. I estimate that I have been to Shea almost 1,000 times, my estimates:

1977-1981: (year of the strike): Approximately 5 games a year (including Jets games): 25 visits

1982-1987: (a boy's prime baseball years, I was 10-15 and lived 2.5 miles away from Shea): Approximately 25 games a year: 150 visits

1988-1994: Employee of New York Mets/Harry M. Stevens as a Stadium Vendor: Approximately 80 events a year (games, employee parties, religious ceremonies, concerts, playoffs): 560 visits

1995: No Visits (Boycotting the strike of 1994)

1996-2008: Average of 6 games a year: 78 visits

Ok that is approximately 813 times. But when I was a kid Shea would open up to the public in the winter and you could go sleigh riding and cross country skiing for free. I would often go with my dad or best friend Billy. As an adult I would also run the NY Road Runners "Run to Home Plate" (with the Tank) 5K run. So Let's say 850. I round up, 1,000 sounds better.

My Grandfather took me to my first Mets game on Memorial Day, 1977-May 30th for a double header against the Montreal Expos. The Mets lost both games (game 2 box score). My dad took me to my first Jets game at Shea Nov 23rd, 1980, a 31-28 OT win over the Houston Oilers. (And we sat next to a bunch of Oilers fans and they bought me a Jets hat to shut me up! I was always loud and annoying.)

Yesterday got off to a bad start. Kathleen had no idea where our tickets were! We had to go on StubHub and get tickets last minute. We got to Shea on time only to find out that a water bottle leaked in Kathleen's pocketbook and killed her iPod and such. Not a good omen. I felt a loss in my bones, I have witnessed far more losses (mostly from 1977-1983) than wins as a fan in the early years. (Come on my first visit was a double header loss!)

The Mets lost 8-3 last night. It was an ok game, the game was fast paced and the Mets did not give up, making it interesting in the bottom of the 8th inning. I kept telling stories of vending, going to games in 1986, what sections I worked during the Rolling Stones concerts.

Shea holds many memories for me like watching the Jets with my Dad and watching the Mets with my late Grandfather. It was also the venue of my first job, a job that made me rebel against "normal" jobs and lead to a life of enterpreunship. I witnessed some amazing playoff games in 1986, 1988, 1999, 2000, and 2006. Even saw some great Jet games (some great come from behind games with Richard Todd!). I always go between Game 6 and the 1980 US Hockey game vs USSR as the best sporting event of my life.Game 6 is forever part of my life and Endy's catch in 2006 (the other (bad) Game 6) is something I will tell my grandchildren about.

As a lifelong Mets fan, I have wanted to tear the place down since about 1992, once the new stadiums started going up. I got my dream a few years ago with the agreement to build CitiField.The new place looks great, it will make a great home for the Mets. I can't wait to go to a few games there.

At 9:54 pm, I looked at my cell phone for the time, paused, and then walked over the threshold at Gate C, exiting the stadium for my very last time. Kathleen just rolled her eyes, but a huge chapter of my life just closed.

So long and thanks for the memories. We'll miss you William A. Shea Municipal Stadium.

Posted by Steve (with a tear in my eye) in New York

The US has more medals overall and China has the most Golds. Here is the current medal count as of close of activities on Saturday (from ESPN):

 

 

Most mainstream events are over but some goodies are on the deck for tomorrow (China time):

Men's Marathon

Men's Basketball (USA v Spain)

Allegations have dogged the Chinese Olympic Women's Gymnastics team about the age of its athletes.  You have to be at least 16 years old by January 1, 2009 to compete in this Olympics in the Gymnastics events.

Online records as well as media reports by the Chinese government's news agency, Xinhua, seem to suggest that Chinese (Gold winning) gymnast He Kexin may be as young as 14. Her birth certificate is alleged to say January 1, 1994, but her passport is suppose to say January 1, 1992. She responded:

"I was born in 1992, and I'm 16 years old now," He said. "The FIG has proved that. If I'm under 16, I couldn't have been competing here."

So if the teams are cheating, and if the judges are cheating (thankfully no scandals *this* year), then why not introduce Internet voting as the last judge? Longtime reader Bill in Vermont says that there will be fraud, but apparently there is already fraud in Gymnastics. That said, having built Internet voting for Zagat in the .com era, I know how to build a voting system that counters fraud. The IOC can just hire my old team. More people buy Zagat books than watch Gymnastics anyway...

Posted by Steve in New York

While the Mets have not put an exact date or timeline on Wagner's return, initial estimates are now 3 more weeks. After Johan Santana pitched a complete game shutout earlier this week, Mike Pelfrey pitched a complete game 3 hitter last night against the Braves.

What should the Mets do? September 1 is not too far away and they can get by with relief pitching until Wagner gets back. But the team will have to count on its starters going 7+ innings. What happens if Wagner can't make it and the Mets make the playoffs? go with a four man rotation and make one of your starters your closer. I nominate Pedro.

Posted by Steve in New York