Way Too Much to Drink Links

In the past year, I've aged rapidly. My first 25 years on this earth, I felt like a young man (or child). But over the past year, at age 26, I'm beginning to feel old. Every time I do anything, I seem to get hurt. I'm no longer sore for hours or even days, but weeks. My body is breaking down. Or maybe it just hates me. Probably both.

On Friday night, I went to a bar that my buddy works at, met Toonces there. Our friend proceeded to feed us drink after drink after drink — shots of Jameson, beer following beer, all with 5% alcohol content or more — and we didn't even have to pay a dime.



I got completely plastered … and still wasn't done. Another friend of ours informed me he was at the bar right down the street from my house, so we headed back toward my home, joined him and poured down more shots and beers. I was all sorts of drunk. And tired. When I awoke on Saturday, I felt dehydrated, extremely worn out and wanting nothing more than to sleep.

But I couldn't, because I was on my way to Brooklyn with silver fox to start the process all over again, up in NYC at my sister's block party. So it began again, after a less-than-two-hour drive turned into a 3-plus hour nightmare trip, the nonstop drinking. I can't remember being without a beer in my hand from the moment we stepped out of my car until the moment I stumbled back inside and fell asleep. A bottle of Johnnie Walker touched my hands unopened and full, and a mere hour later was completely gone.

I had done it again. As I awoke on Sunday morning, entirely too early and completely deprived of sleep, my body ached, my shoulder shot. I wanted to die. But I couldn't even sleep. And I'm paying the price for it.

It's official, I'm old. Because just a few short years ago, this was something I could do from Thursday straight through Sunday. Now, two nights in a row and I was spent. I'm still trying to recover, some three days into the work week. Worn out, tired, dead. Though I did drink again last night to celebrate another softball playoff victory with my teammates, so that might have something to do with it. I may have a drinking problem.

Link time …

-Just more of the same for the Phillies: Another superstar goes down, as Ryan Howard joins Chase Utley on the DL right now in the 15-day variety, while Roy Halladay and Curbball dominate the Fish, again.



Halladay continued his complete and utter dominance of all things batters, pitching 7 innings of 5-hit, 1-run ball with 9 strikeouts. His ERA is now down to 2.17, second to only Florida's Josh Johnson (1.96). Not even Cliff Lee, who leads the AL with a 2.51 ERA, can say that.

Meanwhile, Carlos Ruiz not only was calling the pitches that Halladay was getting Marlins out with, but he went 4-for-5 at the dish with two runs, two RBIs, a homer and a double. I would go to the zoo with both these guys.

-Speaking of ZWR, The Phillies As Your Company's Softball Team just might be my favorite thing ever written in the history of the internet. It helps that I play adult men's softball, though in a bar league, not for my company.

-Ed rolls out his Preseason All-American list, with a little love for Stefen Wisniewski.



I'm not sure I agree with him, though I hope he's right. Make no mistake about it, Wisniewski is an excellent offensive lineman and will most likely follow his father's footsteps by playing in the NFL, but after a spectacular sophomore season playing guard, Wisniewski struggled to adjust to center last season, especially early on. I expect him to be better this year, so he could be as awesome again as he was in 2008. But he's still playing center this year, as far as I know, so he'll have to prove it. Let's hope he does.

-The terms of Brandon Graham's deal: 5 years, $22 million, $14 million guaranteed. Not bad for a guy who terrorized Wisniewski's offensive linemates the past four years.

-Run off the names of great Penn State tailbacks and there seems to be a never-ending stream of them: Curt Warner, Franco Harris, Ki-Jana Carter, Curtis Enis, Larry Johnson, Blair Thomas, Tony Hunt, John Cappelletti, Lenny Moore, Lydell Mitchell, D.J. Dozier, the list goes on. Well, when it's all said and done, it will be Evan Royster's name that tops them all, barring injury. Heading into his senior season, Royster is just 480 yards behind Curt Warner on Penn State's all-time career rushing yards list, planted at 2,918 yards to Warner's 3,398.



He's not the biggest or fastest or strongest running back Penn State has ever seen, but he's been damn good ever since he step foot on campus. Big props to Kirk Herbstreit, who I vividly remember saying prior to Royster's freshman season that Evan Royster is a name that Penn State fans will get awfully familiar with fast because he's going to be special. He was right. Royster isn't flashy, but he certainly is special.

Somewhat surprisingly, my favorite Penn State running back of all isn't considered one of the greatest, but he was expected to be before he got injured. That would be Downingtown's own Aaron Harris, who was nothing short of an absolute beast in high school and his freshman year at Penn State before he got hurt.





My least favorite Penn State running back? Eric McCoo. He got caught 60 yards downfield by a defensive lineman once. That's inexcusable.

-Ronnie Fields:



-Delonte West got waived by Minnesota. The Sixers should sign him and demand he sleeps with Elton Brand's mom.

-Great read on North Philly native Bo Kimble.

-UNC freshman Harrison Barnes show he's ready for the NBA now:



-Highlights from the Phillies minor league teams. Antonio Bastardo is killing it, and he absolutely should join J.C. Romero as the second lefty in the Pen, and Danys Baez should be sent down … back to Cuba!

-Evan Turner as Grant Hill 2.0? Great, so you're saying he'll never win a championship, suffer the Duke curse of getting injured over and over and over again, and reinvent himself as a defensive stopper with decrepit ankles. Awesome. Can he at least play the piano?



-Mike Modano is joining the Red Wings.

-LaVar Arrington is the Washington Post's newest blogger, via the Mottrams.

-One Mets fan has finally had enough. My only question is, "What took him so long?"

-DMX, Shaq, Iverson, Starbury, C-Webb and KG walk into a night club …



-Torii Hunter, one of the most spectacular centerfielders ever in his prime, is moving to right.











-Just watch:



Phils-Marlins tonight, Kendrick vs. Sanchez. Let's hope good Kendrick shows up, and the Mets actually beat the Braves again. Ugh, wanting the Mets to win just feels so wrong.

Finally, to the dumb lady who made my sandwich for lunch today, I hate you. I need a drink.