Welcome to the Katastrophic Lair

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. In welcoming you to this blog, I quote the supremely-eloquent former anchor of ESPN's SportsCenter, Dan Patrick: "Welcome to the Big Show, " or in our case: "Welcome to the Edgardo Alfonzo Fan Club." I indeed have a bizzare passion for and obsession with who I believe to be one of the most under-appreciated and underrated baseball players of the past ten years: Edgardo Alfonzo. Alfonzo was quiet, stoic, modest, and Venezuelan, most importantly. He was an absurdly consistent infielder who possessed great range, an impecable eye at the plate, and the ability to drive the ball to all fields.

Yet unlike the title may suggest, this blog will not solely concern itself with everything Edgardo Alfonzo and the New York Mets; I will have much to say on a variety of issues, including: Major League and College Baseball, College Basketball, the NBA, NHL, International Soccer, the PGA Tour, Hip-Hop and House Music, Politics, and Cities, to mention a few. I have many passions and hobbies, and hope to convey them to all of you through my writing. Since this is my blog, I will give my opinions on issues concerning the aforementioned subjects, and will also give some insight on the everyday events occurring in my life. I hope you enjoy and/or learn something from them, and I obviously encourage feedback from all of you (whether it be positive or negative)...please just keep it clean!

Before I continue further, I'll take a second to introduce myself. My name is A.J. Katz. I am a twenty-one year old native of Larchmont, NY, (a quaint town in lower Westchester County about fifteen miles north of Times Square). I graduated in 2004 from Mamaroneck High School in Mamaroneck, New York, where I was a member of the legendary 2003 and 2004 Mamaroneck Varsity Baseball teams, as well as the Mamaroneck Varsity Soccer team for two seasons. I grew up playing Baseball, Soccer, Basketball, Tennis and Golf. Unfortunately three of those sports are all played scholastically during the Spring Semesters in NY, so I ultimately chose Baseball over Tennis and Golf due to the prominence of that program at Mamaroneck. Aside from Sports, I was involved with Mamaroneck's Performing Arts program...making me far from the prototypical "jock." Not only did I participate in a myriad of high school and local productions, I also wrote a thirty-page play entitiled "New York State of Mind" which recounts the exploits of group of young adults experiencing their first Subway Series game. Aside from my passions for sports and theater, I'm also a Disc Jockey, and have been DJing all types of venues since I was sixteen. As many of my friends love to remind me, my psuedonym is "DJ Katastrophic." Original, eh? I love most every genre of music, but I really concentrate on Hip-Hop and House music, a genre that has little popularity in the states, but one that I will write about in this blog. I'm currently a dual major in History and English at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans is the ultimate college town...far better than Boulder or Madison, and yes...its habitable. A good deal of the city is back to normal, and although there honestly is as high of a crime rate as advertised, I can think of few cities that don't have this problem. I love New Orleans, and encourage all readers to spend at least a week soaking in the culture and ambiance of this unique place.

Let me drive this point home: This blog will not solely concern itself with the New York Mets. I will discuss a plethora of issues and hope that you can relate to some of my opinions and experiences and encourage you to respond to them! Sports, Music, Politics, Cities! Enjoy...and welcome to the Layer Cake.

--Katastrophic