Friday, April 30, 2004

Cayman Islands

(Please note that I have been trying to profile one country per day in an effort to better educate myself about the world we live in. I am sharing the facts I find most interesting because like all bloggers I just assume that what interests me also interests you.)



- From the CIA World Factbook - "The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries. Administered by Jamaica since 1863, they remained a British dependency after 1962 when the former became independent."

- With an area of about 262 sq km - the Cayman Islands are about 1.5 times as big as Washington, DC

- The highest natural spot on the Cayman islands is The Bluff at 43 meters. The Green Monster at Fenway Park is 37 feet tall (sorry - I had nothing - just killing time during a rain delay).

- The Cayman Islands have a population of about 41,934 (2003 estimate). More people (on average) attend a New York Yankees home game than live on the Cayman Islands. The islands may actually have more corporations than people. Due to the fact that there is no direct taxation - by 1998 over 40,000 companies were registered in the Cayman Islands

- The Cayman Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom and the chief of state is Queen Elizabeth II. Technically they are still a British crown colony.

- The per capita GDP is $35,000 but things are very expensive on the islands because 90% of everything a person buys has to be brought onto the island (I imagine that the other 10% is made up of conch fritters and sea shells). 86% of the workforce is in the service industry.

- Scuba diving off the Cayman Islands is simply awesome (I've only been there once but I'd love to go back).

- Many people know the Cayman Islands from the 1993 Tom Cruise movie - The Firm (based on the novel of the same name). Unlike many movies where you are told you are one place but filming actually takes place elsewhere - the Cayman scenes were filed on location.
Catcher Comparison

Catcher A - first six full seasons with the Red Sox - 647 games, 69 HR, 287 RBI, .274 batting average.

Catcher B - first six full seasons with the Red Sox - 694 games, 79 HR, 345 RBI, .265 batting average.

So far Catcher B looks like the better player. How about if I tell you that both players were universally praised by their pitching staffs? Still pretty equal but an edge has to still be with Catcher B. How about if I tell you that at the end of their first six years with the Red Sox Catcher A was only 26 and that Catcher B was 31? That changes it a little. How about if I added that Catcher A was named to the All-Star team twice but Catcher B was just named a single time?

Dispassionately you might say that Catcher A might be the better value after six seasons with the Red Sox because of his age - but when you know that Catcher A is Rich Gedman and Catcher B is Jason Varitek - I bet most of you who hadn't already figured this out did a 180 change of opinion and decided that this information has no value.

Does this information have value? Maybe and maybe I was just bored and curious and maybe this information cannot be viewed in any proper context (and maybe I went to the same high school as Rich Gedman and am predisposed to defend him or sing his praises).

I do know that a wrist injury robbed Gedman of his hitting ability (and turned him into a much mocked one handed swinger). I also know that Bill James often looks at a player's best three seasons as a way of comparing players from the same position. Lets take a look at Gedman's best three seasons vs. Varitek's.

Gedman:

1984 - 24 HR, 72 RBI, .269 BA, 118 OPS+
1985 - 18 HR, 80 RBI, .295 BA, 126 OPS+
1986 - 16 HR, 65 RBI, .258 BA, 100 OPS+

Varitek:

1999 - 20 HR, 76 RBI, .269 BA, 100 OPS+
2002 - 10 HR, 61 RBI, .266 BA, 94 OPS+
2003 - 25 HR, 85 RBI, .273 BA, 120 OPS+

The numbers again are pretty even.

Maybe all this excercise proves is that Rich Gedman was a pretty good catcher at his peak or maybe all this information does is raise the question, "How much would you pay Rich Gedman in today's market?" That question has bearing on Varitek because if he is just the equal of Gedman then maybe he shouldn't expect to get paid like Carlton Fisk in his prime.
Just Sayin'

Going into today's action Derek Jeter only had a .167 batting average, a .247 on base percentage and only a .195 slugging percentage (even though he hit a home run last night). Former Yankee Roger Clemens conversely has a .333 batting average, a .400 on base percentage and a .333 slugging percentage.

Of course these numbers really don't mean anything but they are interesting to mention.
More Miscellaneous Thoughts

Now that I have my cup of coffee....

I think we can safely say that Michael Jackson is pretty crazy. Can't you picture him making some mad dash to safety and flying away to some desert island somewhere? I mean - I think he has to have some sort of OJ in the white Bronco momment before all is said and done... Nancy Regan once appeared on "a very special episode" of Different Strokes. What are the odds on Laura Bush appearing on a "very special episode" of South Park?... Time to make the donuts...
Miscellaneous Thoughts

Some miscellaneous thoughts while I wait for the coffee to brew...

Last night the guys on Baseball Tonight really lit into Nomar Garciaparra for being in Boston but not being part of the team (in uniform and in the dugout) during the rehab of his achilles injury. Every single guy (led by Peter Gammons) was all over Nomar about this. Garciaparra is a sacred cow in Boston but I think this may open the floodgates of criticism (and deservedly so).... Derek Jeter is no longer the Bizarro Dimaggio (unless he starts another streak - he is 0 for his last 3 at bats) but his place has quickly been taken by Jose Cruz Jr. who is 0 for his last 33 at bats. The Devil Rays team record for at bats without a hit is 34 (held by Greg Vaughn). Last night Cruz walked in his last at bat to stave off the record... You know how in the morning sometimes you wake up just at the end of a dream? Well this morning I awoke from a dream that had me having dinner and drinks at this real fancy Bavarian (I don't know if that is significant) restaurant. I was having Mai Tai's with a bunch of media types and among them was Ted Koppel. We fell into a discussion about the Red Sox and Koppel suddenly stood up. He started talking about how Mark Bellhorn should roll his wrists when he hit so that he wouldn't be such an easy out batting in the number 8 spot right before the pitcher. Another of the media types pointed out to Koppel that the pitchers don't hit in the American League because of the DH. Koppel looked real dejected and put down his drink and walked away. In my dream - Ted Koppel had the world's smallest hands (again - not sure if that is significant)... Before the game last night at Fenway - Doc Rivers, the new Celtics head coach, got to throw out the first pitch. Rivers threw the equivalent of a really weak wild pitch (way outside and bounced three feet before the plate)...

Thursday, April 29, 2004

Sour Grapes and Crushed Grapes

Up in Canada an icon may have reached the end of his run (hat tip to Neate Sager) and here in the States a TV personality falls harder than the NHL rating in Boston after the Bruins were eliminated. (Please note that the second link is an MPEG file that may take a second or two to download - but trust me - it's well worth the wait and safe for work too - hat tip to Johnny Dangerously for the link.)
Christopher Walken Tribute For the Day

Captain Koons (from Pulp Fiction): Hello, little man. Boy, I sure heard a bunch about you. See, I was a good friend of your dad's. We were in that Hanoi pit of hell together over five years. Hopefully...you'll never have to experience this yourself, but when two men are in a situation like me and your Dad were, for as long as we were, you take on certain responsibilities of the other. If it had been me who had not made it, Major Coolidge would be talkin' right now to my son Jim. But the way it turned out is I'm talkin' to you, Butch. I got somethin' for you.

(The Captain sits down and pulls a gold wrist watch from his pocket)

This watch I got here was first purchased by your great-grandfather during the first World War. It was bought in a little general store in Knoxville, Tennessee. Made by the first company to ever make wrist watches. Up till then people just carried pocket watches. It was bought by private Doughboy Erine Coolidge on the day he set sail for Paris. It was your great-grandfather's war watch and he wore it everyday he was in that war. When he had done his duty, he went home to your great-grandmother, took the watch off, put it an old coffee can, and in that can it stayed 'til your granddad Dane Coolidge was called upon by his country to go overseas and fight the Germans once again. This time they called it World War II. Your great-grandfather gave this watch to your granddad for good luck.

Unfortunately, Dane's luck wasn't as good as his old man's. Dane was a Marine and he was killed -- along with the other Marines at the battle of Wake Island. Your granddad was facing death, he knew it. None of those boys had any illusions about ever leavin' that island alive. So three days before the Japanese took the island, your granddad asked a gunner on an Air Force transport name of Winocki, a man he had never met before in his life, to deliver to his infant son, who he'd never seen in the flesh, his gold watch. Three days later, your granddad was dead. But Winocki kept his word. After the war was over, he paid a visit to your grandmother, delivering to your infant father, his Dad's gold watch. This watch. (holds it up, long pause) This watch was on your Daddy's wrist when he was shot down over Hanoi. He was captured, put in a Vietnamese prison camp. He knew if the gooks ever saw the watch it'd be confiscated, taken away. The way your Dad looked at it, that watch was your birthright. He'd be damned if any slopes were gonna put their greasy yella hands on his boy's birthright. So he hid it in the one place he knew he could hide something. His ass. Five long years, he wore this watch up his ass. Then he died of dysentery, he gave me the watch. I hid this uncomfortable hunk of metal up my ass two years. Then, after seven years, I was sent home to my family. And now, little man, I give the watch to you.

(I posted this for no reason whatsoever.)
Heh Heh

Lilek's had this at the end of his Bleat today. If this didn't put a smile on your face - then you have no concept of what the 80's were all about.
Miscellaneous Thoughts

Some morning observations while I have my first cup of coffee...

Red Sox won 6-0 last night as Curt Schilling was very sharp (7 innings, 8 K's, 0 runs)... The Yankees also won last night and I have no problem admitting that the first thing I did was check the box-score to see if Derek Jeter got a hit. He did not - 0-4 - meaning he is now 0 for his last 32 at bats. Bizarro Dimaggio lives... Finally got around to seeing Mystic River last night. I am a huge Lord of the Rings geek but I must say that there is no way that Return of the King was a better movie than Mystic River - Clint Eastwood was robbed. I went into the movie not being a real big Sean Penn fan but he was excellent. Tim Robbins deserves every award he won for his role in this movie... Doc Rivers will be named the head basketball coach of the Celtics today. I was rooting for Dennis Johnson to get the job but I'm happy with the choice of Rivers. I am also realistic enough to know that it really doesn't matter who the coach is - this Celtics team isn't very good right now... I am very disappointed (but not surprised) with ABC News and Ted Koppel in particular. Koppel will be reading the names of the soldiers who have died in Iraq on Friday and that is all he will do. This is a stunt and it comes during a ratings week (a fact that is well known by the producers of the show and maybe the reason why they are doing this stunt in the first place). As Glenn Reynolds points outs - Koppel never took the time to read the 3,000 plus names of those who died on September 11th. Using the names of the brave dead men as a prop for ratings is beneath contempt...

Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Bahamas

(Please note that I have been trying to profile one country per day in an effort to better educate myself about the world we live in. I am sharing the facts I find most interesting because like all bloggers I just assume that what interests me also interests you.)



- From the CIA World Factbook - "Arawak Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments to the US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US."

- The Bahamas (technically it is the Commonwealth of the Bahamas) covers an area just slightly smaller than the State of Connecticut (about 14,000 sq km) and has a population of about 297,477 (which would be less than the population of Witchita, KS - Hartford only has a population of about 122,000 which is less than Worcester)

- The Bahamas may have a smaller population than Witchita but they have a larger population than Iceland (which makes sense since logically more people would want to live in the Caribbean than on an island named after frozen water).

- AIDS is a problem in the Bahamas. About 3.5% of the adult population are HIV positive (2002 estimate). Compare that to the US where about 0.6% of the adult population is HIV positive.

- The island nation is about 85% black and about 12% white. The official language is English and about half the country's economy is tourism related.

- The chief of state (like Canada and Belize) is Queen Elizabeth II who is represented by a Governor General. There is an appointed Prime Minister (normally the leader of the majority party) and a bicameral legislature. There is a Senate (with 16 appointed seats) and a House of Assembly (with 40 directly elected seats).

- The per capita GDP is about $15,200 (making them about middle class - world economy wise)

- The water temperatures around the Bahamas is about 80 degrees year-around.

- New Orleans has Mardi Gras and Rio has Carnival but the Bahamas has Junkanoo.
Mike Piazza's Place Among The All-Time Catchers

My all-time rankings for catchers

1. Yogi Berra - 9 World Series wins and 3 regular season MVP's - 15 All-Star games - he was and is the best of All-Time

2. Ivan Rodriguez - .304 / 231 HR / 914 RBI / 942 runs - 10 consecutive Gold Gloves. MVP 1999 (should have gone to Pedro) World Series MVP 2003 (half as many post-season games as Bench but twice as many RBI). 10 All-Star Games. Admit it. You laughed when the Marlins announced that I-Rod signing last year would bring them a World Series. Admit it - you laughed when he signed with Detroit and said that the team would win.

3. Johnny Bench - .267 / 389 HR / 1376 RBI / 1091 runs - 2 legit MVP's, 10 consecutive Gold-Gloves. I could accept the argument of him as better than I-Rod but in my mind I-Rod has passed Bench.

4. Mike Piazza - the best offensive catcher of all-time but not as well rounded as any of the players above him.
Quick Question

At some point today - I'll take a look at where Mike Piazza fits in the pantheon of all-time catchers (fittingly since his next HR will break the record for HR by a catcher). In the meantime - here's a question for your consideration.

Mike Piazza has 6 career triples while Mike Hampton (a pitcher) has 5 career triples. What are the odds of Mike Hampton finishing with more career triples than Piazza? (My guess is the odds are pretty good.)

Red Sox fans (and people from Worcester) can take comfort in the fact that Piazza will never touch Rich Gedman's career 12 triples.
Miscellaneous Thoughts

Some morning thoughts while I have my first cup of coffee...

Last night I had a dream where Gary Burgoff was standing at a podium to announce the engagement of Bill O'Reilly to Morgan Fairchild. Strange... I have decided to root for the Calgary Flames to win the Stanley Cup just because I think they have the best playoff beards... I still think the Dodgers will win the NL West but each day that passes makes me more impressed with San Diego's pitching. I'm starting to think that the Padres will be this year's NL wild card (if the season ended today they would be a 1/2 game out of the wild card)... Tom Glavine has quietly gone 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA for the Mets. Glavine trails only Dontrelle Willis (0.71 - he's gotten to feast on the putrid Montreal offense three times this year) and teammate Al "mid-season trade to the Red Sox" Leiter (1.61) among NL ERA leaders... Many people have commented on the hot hitting of the Texas Rangers. As a team they lead all MLB with a .313 batting average but were you aware that the Pittsburgh Pirates are second with a .294 average? However, this could be a good example why batting average isn't the greatest statistic to go by to judge offensive capability. The Pirates may be second in BA but they are only 10th in OBP, 11th in slugging and a measley 25th in runs scored. (Meanwhile the Rangers are Top 10 in all three of those categories - 3rd, 4th and 8th respectively)... From Doug Pappas; "Through three weeks of the regular season, [MLB] attendance is up 14.4%, to an average of 29,718/game. That's the second highest ever, trailing only the 1994 season. 22 of the 30 clubs are ahead of last year's pace. The Cubs could draw 3.2 million; the Yankees could approach 4,000,000. In Florida, the Marlins are up 86%, the Devil Rays, 72%." Interesting... I'm starting to get annoyed with those ESPN commercials about the baseball scout with one last chance to make it good. I'm starting to feel like it will turn into a Sid Finch type of thing...

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

Miscellaneous Thoughts

Just some observations while I watch the Braves / Giants and check the Internet...

JD Drew just hit a home run and the guy who got the ball outside the park threw it back. The thought occurred to me - what are the odds of a ball being thrown back like that conking Barry Bonds in the back of his massive head?... I can't believe that the Yankees scored 10 runs to beat the A's. They only had 10 hits. Derek Jeter went 0-3 so I think he's now up to 30 AB without a hit. Is it just me or would it be great if he went 0-50 and people started treating him as the bizarro Joe Dimaggio as he approached 56 AB without a hit?... JD Drew's real name is David Jonathan - which of course leads to the question, "Where the heck does the name JD come from?"... File this under WTF? John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols) wants Justin Timberlake to play him in the film version of Lydon's autobiography The only explanation I can come up with is that this is some sort of joke only people with properly tuned English humour (I even spelled it in the English manner) understand... Hey I signed up for GMail - send me something at chris.lynch@gmail.com....
Blogroll Update

I haven't been as attentive as I should have been in updating my blogroll. Sorry.

My goal is to have my blogroll pretty much match up with my favorites - so it will be easy for me (and maybe you) to make this blog my homepage and use it to navigate to all the best sites on the web.

Tonight I'm adding:

- Pearly Gates (your spot for all things Anaheim Angels)

- Straight White Guy - pretty amusing site from a blog writer who I'm pretty sure is single, melanin impaired and heterosexual

- MannyRamirez.com - home of the Man-Ram

That's enough for now. I'll be adding more tomorrow.
Greenland

(Please note that I have been trying to profile one country per day in an effort to better educate myself about the world we live in. I am sharing the facts I find most interesting because like all bloggers I just assume that what interests me also interests you.)



- OK - the first thing to note about Greenland is their flag. You have to admit it is different. It seems more like the flag of a corporation like IKEA than a real country.

- From the CIA World Factbook - "The world's largest non-continental island, about 81% ice-capped, Greenland was granted self-government in 1978 by the Danish parliament. The law went into effect the following year. Denmark continues to exercise control of Greenland's foreign affairs."

- Greenland is 2,166,086 sq km in area (slightly bigger than three times the size of Texas). What is strange is when you look at most maps or globes - Greenland looks huge (and it is) but on these maps and globes Greenland appears to be bigger than Australia (or at least equal in size). In truth of fact - Australia is more than 3.5 times the size of Greenland.

- The population of Greenland is about 56.385. As noted elsewhere on this blog - that's less than Bermuda (which is 40 thousand times smaller than Greenland). I live in Worcester and we have more than three times the population of Greenland. It takes more votes to be Mayor of Worcester than it does to become the Prime Minister of Greenland.

- The national holiday is June 21st because it is the longest day of the year.

- The per capita GDP is about $20,000 and the ecomony of the country relies mostly on the fishing industry.

- Greenland does happen to be home to the World Ice Golf Championship. That's pretty cool.

Miami Vice Redux

The other day I mentioned that someone should reshoot Miami Vice with Jose Canseco and Daryl Strawberry starring as Crockett and Tubbs. The idea has really grown on me and I have become convinced that if MTV or ESPN were to do this that it would be a big hit.

For the other roles on the show - I would cast:

Joe Torre (or Jimmy Kimmel's Uncle Frank) as Lt. Martin Castillo (originally played by Edward James Olmos)

Serena Williams as Det. Gina Navarro Calabrese (originally played by Saundra Santiago)

Anna Kournikova as Det. Judy Troplin (originally played by Olivia Brown)

John Kruk as Det. Stan Switek (originally played by Michael Talbott)

Martina Navratilova as Det. Larry Zito (originally played by John Diehl)

All the producers would have to do is have the "actors" play it straight and it would be off the scale funny. Can you imagine how funny Jose Canseco would be trying to be smooth, angry or anything other than vacant? Nick at Nite or TV Land could produce this show and then run the originals. It would become "must see TV".

The only change I would make to the original is instead of having tons of extras - I would just have an occasional girl in a bikini (to save on production costs and to add to the eye candy quotient).

Don't you think that this would be awesome? Wouldn't crack open a beer and watch this?
Miscellaneous Thoughts

Morning observations while I have my morning coffee...

Heh heh - the pitching staff of the Florida Marlins is hitting .286 with 3 runs scored, 1 HR and 4 RBI. Alex Rodriguez is hitting .257 with 10 runs, 3 HR and 5 RBI... I know I've missed my georgaphy lessons these past two days but I'll resume tonight with Greenland... Danny Ainge as a GM will make his reputation in the next 12 months by hiring a coach, having his first draft and managing the team's cap while signing free agents. Ainge can either follow in the path of Larry Bird and Kevin McHale as GM's or he can become the next Isiah Thomas (a very scary thought). I have to give Ainge the benefit of the doubt (hey I would take Jiri Welsh straight up over Antoine Walker right now). I'm sorta rooting for Dennis Johnson to get the coaching job. Bring back the Celtic mystique... I've said it before - the Red Sox are in first place and they haven't even started to hit yet (.251 as a team)...

Monday, April 26, 2004

Heh Heh

As far as you know this is real...
Just Sayin'

Last year - there were 81 work related deaths in Massachusetts. In the past calendar year (April 2003 to April 2004) - there were 734 coalition military fatalities in Iraq (combat and otherwise). This means that the job the military of the coalition nations is doing is only proportionately 9 times more dangerous than working a job in Massachusetts.

Iraq, however, happens to be more than 47 times the size of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. So a Commonwealth of Massachusetts the size of Iraq would theoretically have had more than 3,800 work related deaths in a year (based on last year's statistics).

There have been 826 military fatalities in Iraq since March of 2003.

I am not suggesting anything by these numbers - I am just trying to add perspective to both the superb job we have done in protecting our soldiers in a war zone and also pointing out that life in the states isn't exactly risk free either.
Just Sayin'

Consider this:

If you subtracted Barry Bonds AB and hits from the Giants - then they would only be hitting .220 (including Bonds numbers they are hitting .240). That's bad.

However, compare what the Giants are hitting without Bonds (.220) to what the Yankees are hitting as a team (.217). Now that's really bad.

Now consider that the Giants batting statistics also include the at bats for the pitchers. Does that put how bad the Yankees offense has been into better context?
Today's Must Reading

Please read this - found via Instapundit.
Heh Heh

Just thought I'd mention this - A-Rod and Jeter have combined for 33 hits so far this season.

Michael Young - the guy who replaced A-Rod at short in Texas has 31 by himself.

A-Rod and Jeter combined have 16 runs scored and 10 RBI. Michael Young by himself has 17 runs scored and 13 RBI.

The Sports Guy would classify this as the Ewing Theory Effect.

Oh and I would also like to point out that Jeter would need to add another 20 points to his average to actually be hitting his weight. What? I already mentioned that today? Sorry.

Please do not taunt the dynamite monkey.
Miscellaneous Thoughts

Some observations while I have my morning coffee and savor the fact that the Red Sox just swept the Yankees...

Now that Pedro Martinez is 3-1 and his ERA is down to 3.03 - maybe we'll be able to stop hearing people talk about "what's wrong with Pedro?"... Derek Jeter would have to add 20 points to his batting average just to be hitting his weight... It's really raining where I am and that means indoor recess for the kids. I can remember indoor recess often being more fun that outdoor recess... Of all the contracts George Steinbrenner could have had this off-season - do you think maybe he regrets not picking up Manny Ramirez's contract the most? I mean he could have had Manny for just a little more than what he's paying Gary Sheffield.... I wonder who dislikes the team they cover more - Dan Shaughnessy or Ron Borges? (At least Borges actually understands the sports he covers.)... Some magazine or newspaper should hire Alex Belth right now! This was the best writing on the week-end Red Sox / Yankees series that I read anywhere... This observation from Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe; "It isn't likely to get easier any time soon. After a day off today, the Yankees play host to the Oakland A's, who will be throwing their three aces -- Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Barry Zito" - makes me wonder if it is possible that the Yankees could be batting under .200 as a team by the end of the week (they are at .217 right now)... Interesting - Sounds like the Ramones were more screwed up than the Kinks (if that is possible).... Very good article on Christopher Walken - although I'm surprised his role in Suicide Kings was not mentioned (one of his best roles ever)... What request is more bizarre? The Yankees not wanting fans not to boo Derek Jeter or the folks at FARK not wanting you to taunt the dynamite monkey?...

Sunday, April 25, 2004

ANZAC Day

Today is a sacred day in Australia. Today is ANZAC day. For an understanding of what ANZAC Day means click here.

I cannot thnk of ANZAC Day without thinking of the song The Band Played Waltzing Matilda. This song has some of the most moving lyrics ever put to music and although I'm not a big fan of people who post lyrics - I will make exceptions once and a while.

The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

When I was a young man I carried my pack
And I lived the free life of the rover.
From the Murray's green basin to the dusty outback
I waltzed my Matilda all over.
Then in nineteen fifteen the country said, "Son,
It's time to stop rambling, there's work to be done."
And they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun,
And they marched me away to the war.
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As our ship pulled away from the quay,
And amidst all the cheers, flag-waving and tears
We sailed off to Gallipoli.

And how well I remember that terrible day,
How our blood stained the sand and the water.
And of how in that hell that they call Suvla Bay
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter.
Johnny Turk he was waiting, he primed himself well,
He showered us with bullets, and he rained us with shell,
And in five minutes flat he'd blown us all to hell,
Nearly blew us right back to Australia.
But the band played Waltzing Matilda,
As we stopped to bury our slain.
We buried ours, and the Turks buried theirs,
Then we started all over again.

Now those that were left, well, we tried to survive
In that mad world of blood, death and fire.
And for ten weary weeks I kept myself alive,
But around me, the corpses piled higher.
Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head,
And when I woke up in me hospital bed
And saw what it had done, well, I wished I was dead.
Never knew there was worse things than dying.
For I'll go no more Waltzing Matilda
All around the green bush far and free,
To hump tent and pegs, a man needs both legs,
No more Waltzing Matilda for me.

So they gathered the crippled, the wounded, the maimed,
And they shipped us back home to Australia.
The armless, the legless, the blind and insane,
Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla.
And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay
I looked at the place where me legs used to be,
And thanked Christ there was nobody waiting for me,
To grieve and to mourn and to pity.
But the band played Waltzing Matilda
As they carried us down the gangway.
But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared,
Then they turned all their faces away.

And so now every April I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me.
And I see my old comrades, how proudly they march,
Reviving old dreams of past glory.
And the old men marched slowly, all bones stiff and sore,
They're tired old heroes from a forgotten war,
And the young people ask,"What are they marching for?",
And I ask meself the same question.
But the band plays Waltzing Matilda,
And the old men still answer the call.
But as year follows year, more old men disappear,
Someday no one will march there at all.

Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me ?
And their ghosts may be heard as they march by the billabong,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me ?


Good on ya Australia and God bless and keep all your fighting men in Iraq safe.
Heh heh

Some adjectives just seemed to be paired with specific words - like how "ensuing" is always paired with "kickoff" (and no I'm not ripping off the Sports Guy - he's not the first or only person to make that observation). Anyway, I was checking out Big Stupid Tommy's site and he had this quote from Rutger Hauer describing his meeting with Michael Caine:

Michael Caine knocked on the door of my trailer and stepped in. We embraced furiously and he was just as happy to see me as I was to see him. We worked in Kenya in pffft '75. What a nice man he is. Told him I was happy for him in the gem of a role he's playing. So it was a great heart warming day.

Maybe it's just me but the word "furiously" is normally only paired with the word "masturbated" on the Internet. To see it paired in any other way was just kinda strange and (to me at least) amusing.
Don Vito Tom Coughlin?

If Mario Puzo were still alive - would he pen a sequel to The Godfather and name it The Grandfather? He could have Giants coach Tom Coughlin in the Brando role (Don Vito Coughlin?).

Just think of some of the made for order quotes:

Coughlin explaining to Snee how to deal with the media: "Never tell anyone outside the family what you are thinking!"

Coughlin's daughter: "My father is no different than any powerful man, any man with power, like a president or senator.
Chris Snee: Do you know how naive you sound, Katie? Presidents and senators don't have men killed.
Coughlin's daughter: Oh? Who's being naive, Chris?"

Coughlin addressing the team: "Do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man."

Coughlin: "Bill Parcell's a pimp. He never could've out-fought Jim Fassel. But I didn't know until this day that it was Joe Gibbs all along."

Coughlin: "I spent my whole life trying not to be careless. Women and children can be careless. But not men."

Coughlin: I like to drink wine more than I used to.
Chris Snee: It's good for ya, Pop.
Coughlin: Anyway I'm drinkin' more.

Coughlin addressing the press: "What have I ever done to make you treat me so disrespectfully? If you'd come to me in friendship, then these quotes would be yours this very day. And if by chance an honest man like yourself should make enemies, then they would become my enemies. And then they would fear you."

Chris Snee: "It's not personal. It's strictly business."

Coughlin addressing a meeting of NFC East coaches: "I'm a superstitious man , and if some unlucky accident should befall my son in-law, if he is to be cheap shot in the head by a defensive lineman, or be hit in the knees after the whistle... or to be struck by a bolt of lightning, then I'm going to blame some of the people in this room, and then I do not forgive. But with that said, I pledge, on the souls of my grandchildren, that I will not be the one to break the peace that we have made today."
Miscellaneous Thoughts

Some observations while having my moring coffee...

The NY Giants drafted Chris Snee from Boston College with the second pick of the second round (#34 overall). Snee was a highly rated offensive lineman and nothing seemed unusual until at a press conference Giants coach Tom Coughlin revealed that Snee is also the father of his daughter's child and that the two are obviously not married. I'm trying to decide if this is more of a Sonny Corleone or Michael Corleone move by Coughlin... The Red Sox are in first place in the AL East and they haven't even come close to hitting to their potential yet. As a team - the Red Sox are hitting .257 - that's about 35 points below where they should end up. That should be scary to the rest of the AL East... You know technically - I don't think Tarzan and Jane were ever married either. In real life I think Boy would have been a first rounder.... In the book The Godfather - the character of Johnny Fontaine was a much bigger character than in the movie... Some Boston writers have fallen into the trap of referring to Corey Dillion as a "troubled" running back. What are his troubles? That he didn't want to play for the Bengals? Wouldn't that make him "intelligent" running back Corey Dillion? Is he "troubled" because of domestic issues? If that's the case then how come we never read about "troubled" Atlanta manager Bobby Cox?... Carlos Beltran, Jermaine Dye and Jorge Posada are leading the AL in HR with 7 each. The HR title in the AL is completely up for grabs this year (A-Rod will most definately not repeat)... The Red Sox relievers have been awesome and many people have noted that they haven't allowed a run in almost 23 innings but did you realize that neither Allan Embree (5) nor Keith Foulke (4) has allowed an inherited runner to score this year?...

Saturday, April 24, 2004

Heh Heh

Do you realize that the Yankees team ERA is more than double their team batting average? When's the last time you could say that.

"Yankees suck!" is talking on a whole new meaning.
Bermuda

(Please note that I have been trying to profile one country per day in an effort to better educate myself about the world we live in. I am sharing the facts I find most interesting because like all bloggers I just assume that what interests me also interests you.)



- From the CIA World Factbook: "Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists headed for Virginia. Tourism to the island to escape North American winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism continues to be important to the island's economy, although international business has overtaken it in recent years. Bermuda has developed into a highly successful offshore financial center. A referendum on independence was soundly defeated in 1995."

- Bermuda is only about 53 sq km in area (about one-third the size of Washington DC). The population of the island is about 64,482 (Washington's population is about 572,000). Bermuda helps keep its population down by restricting who can buy property. You just can't decide to live on Bermuda. They want you to visit but they don't want you necessarily to stay.

- Population wise - Bermuda is one of the smallest countries in the world but interestingly enough - Bermuda has a larger population than Greenland which is about 40 thousand times as big as Bermuda.

- You can't rent a car on Bermuda but you can rent mopeds. Many people on Bermuda supplement their income by using their cars as taxi's in their spare time.

- Bermuda is technically a self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom and the Queen of England is the head of state. The government is bicameral with a Senate (11 appointed members) and a House of Assembly (with 36 directly elected members).

- The per capita GDP is $35,200 but also keep in mind that almost everything has to be brought onto the island. (They export $51 million worth of stuff but import $719 million worth of stuff.)

- The climate in Bermuda is roughly equal to the climate on the coast of South Carolina.

- You may have heard of the Bermuda Triangle - an triangle of area over the Atlantic with end points in Florida, Bermuda and Puerto Rico. I always wondered why Bermuda was the one to get singled out. I mean "the Puerto Rican Triangle" would be equally correct. The term Bermuda Triangle was first used in 1964 but the idea has since been completely debunked. By the time the show In Search of... came out the idea of a Bermuda Triangle was pretty much out of fashion (although I doubt if that stopped Leonard Nimoy from doing a show on it).

- My brother-in law lives on Bermuda. Hi Kevin! Hi Karen!
Miscellaneous Thoughts

Afternoon delights...

So I see that the Patriots did not trade their first round picks and instead have so far picked Vince Wilfork of Miami. I can imagine that everyone at ESPN immediately scrambled to find footage of Ted Washington to explain the pick. I was also surprised to see Oregon State RB Steven Jackson slip to #24. Wasn't Denver supposed to pick him at 17? At least that's what all the "experts" were saying all week long... Rafael Palmeiro has 1,701 RBI. He needs just 2 more to pass Reggie Jackson and move into 18th place all-time. At #17 is Honus Wagner with 1,732. In fact the only person with more RBI who's not in the Hall of Fame is Barry Bonds... The two NFL picks I like the most are Larry Fitzgerald at #3 to Arizona and Ben Roethlisberger at #11 to the Steelers. I was surprised that Jonathan Vilma went so high (#12 to the Jets)... Red Sox just went up 3-2 over the Yankees in the 12th.... Jeter comes up as the Yankees last chance. He's hitless in his last 20 chances - oops make that 21 chances. The Red Sox win! Thaaaaaaaaaa Red Sox win.... Interesting - I need to figure out how to turn this idea into a bar bet... You know if it is theoretically possible to have Gus - the field kicking mule - then why isn't it possible to have Roderick - the rampaging rhino as a charging defensive lineman? ... New England takes Georgia TE Ben Watson with the 32nd pick of the first round. The Patriots have a beavy of TE but Belichick like competition in camp... Time to go but before I do - check out this short flash film on Jose Canseco - starring Jose Canseco (with a cameo by Daryl Strawberry). After watching this - it occurred to me that having Canseco and Strawberry star in remakes of Miami Vice would put the unintentional comedy off the scale...
The Sports Guy

Hey I mentioned Bill Simmons earlier today and now I notice that he has a new column up over at ESPN.com. Simmon's column is mostly on the NBA and I have to admit that I completely forgot that the Celtics played a playoff game last night (that's something I never thought I would ever have happen - Larry, Red, and Russell - I hope you can forgive me).

Simmons had this gem in his column:

I found out that Lew Ford was white. Between him and Khalil Greene, it's been a banner season for the Reggie Cleveland All-Stars so far in 2004.

Time for another confession. I too had a "Holy crap! Khalil Greene is white?" moment. I too assumed that Lew Ford was black. It is things like this that made Simmons so well read in the first place. He often said what the average Joe was thinking. Today's (or was it yesterday's?) column is what we used to get all the time back when he was The Boston Sports Guy.

Another reason for me to like the Sports Guy is the fact that he too loathes Isiah Thomas. I firmly believe that Thomas will shortly be nicknamed as "The Worst" because whatever position he takes he immediately becomes "The Worst". Worst Commissioner (and last) of the CBA, Worst Coach in the NBA, Worst announcer on TV and now Worst GM in the NBA.
Miscellaneous Thoughts

Some morning (and mourning for Pat Tillman) thoughts while I have my first cup of coffee...

The Yankees' record is 8-9 while the Rangers' record is 9-8 - how long before Bill Simmons does a "Ewing Theory Effect" column on the Rangers? Speaking of the Rangers and Yankees - get used to seeing this comparison:

Alex Rodriguez - .224 / .307 / .373 / 8 runs / 2 HR / 4 RBI
Alfonso Soriano - .343 / .397 / .429 / 6 runs / 1 HR / 10 RBI

It should also be noted that the free swinging Soriano has 4 fewer strikeouts than A-Rod. My guess is that A-Sor will have more HR than A-Rod this season and that the New York papers will make a comparison of the two a daily feature... Jose Contreras has appeared in 4 games against the Red Sox - starting 3. His ERA against the Red Sox is an even 18.00. They urban legend is that Theo Epstein busted a chair when he heard that Contreras was signed by the Yankees. I wonder who is busting furniture now?... Speaking of comparisons - let's go back to my favorite: the combined stats of the left side of the Red Sox infield vs. the combined stats of the left side of the Yankees infield:

Mueller and Reese - .244 BA / 21 runs / 3 HR / 15 RBI
Jeter and Rodriguez - .210 BA / 14 runs / 2 HR / 9 RBI

Heh heh - I find that so amusing... Bob Hohler mentions in today's Boston Globe that Bill Mueller has played in 16 straight games at third for the Red Sox. Why not have Gabe Kapler play a game at 3rd to give Mueller a rest?... In case you missed it - Harry Babbit, the voice of Woody Woodpecker passed away on April 9th at the age of 90... I've said it before - Jose Contreras is no Rolando Arrojo... Also in today's Boston Globe it is revealed that Nomar Garciaparra is rehabbing and "ran at an undisclosed location in the Boston area." When did Nomar turn into Dick Cheney?... Happy Draft Day! I'm going to celebrate by watching my daughter's softball game and them checking the draft results late in the day on the Internet...

EDIT: I should have mentioned that even though Jose Contreras was awful against the Red Sox last night - his career ERA against Boston actually went down! Before last night's game Contreras' ERA against Boston was over 20.00

Friday, April 23, 2004

Cuba

(Please note that I have been trying to profile one country per day in an effort to better educate myself about the world we live in. I am sharing the facts I find most interesting because like all bloggers I just assume that what interests me also interests you.)



- Cuba has been a communist country since Fidel Castro took over in 1959. Castro is the longest lived dictator in the world (a fact I hope changes soon - and yes I mean what that implies).

- Cuba has an area of 110,860 sq km (which makes it just slightly smaller than Pennsylvania) but it has 3,735 km of coastline (compare that to California which has 1,352 km of coastline). Just 90 miles south of Florida - Cuba should be a logical vacation destination for US but instead they are run by a Communist despot who has placed his people in a state of abject poverty.

- The US has a naval base at Guantanamo Bay which is leased from Cuba but is considered US soil as long as the base is there (if that makes sense).

- Cuba has a population of 11 million (which gives it a population density of about 101 people per sq km). The median age is 34 and the life expectancy at birth is 77-years. The per capita GDP is $2,900 (compare that to Guatemala where 75% of the population is below the poverty line and their per capita GDP is $3,900).

- For some reason (sugar? cigars?) - the Netherlands recieves more goods from Cuba than any other country. Approximately 19% of the goods from Cuba go to the Dutch.

- Luis Tiant is from Cuba and he should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame (I will argue this because I'm a Red Sox fan - don't try logic on me with this one).

- Robert Redford was in a movie called Havana and it wasn't half bad - Sean Connery was in a movie called Cuba that wasn't half good.

- Cuba gets the absolute worst rankings from Freedom House in terms of political rights and civil liberties.
Must Read Material

This literally had me in tears. Please do yourself a favor and read this.
Pat Tillman - RIP

I read this verse on another forum and it really seemed to fit:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
Isaiah 6:8
The Ranger Creed

Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of my Ranger Regiment.

Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move farther, faster and fight harder than any other soldier.

Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be. One-hundred-percent and then some.

Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.

Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word.

I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.

Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission though I be the lone survivor.

RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!
Pat Tillman - RIP



This is awful news. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Tillman family.

EDIT: I hope the NFL does the right thing prior to the draft and has both a moment of silence for Pat Tillman and also a reflection on the man. An award for courage named after Tillman by the NFL wouldn't be out of line. I would also suggest renaming Sun Devil Stadium to Pat Tillman Memorial Stadium (I don't think that is asking too much and I think it would be well recieved by the entire state of Arizona)
Miscellaneous Thoughts

Morning observations while having my second cup of coffee...

Looks like Yankees rookie pitcher Jorge DePaula will need ligament replacement surgery on his pitching elbow. This is obviously bad news for DePaula and the Yankees but Red Sox fans quickly note that the loss of DePaula takes one of the Yankees major bargaining chips off the table for when they go shopping for a mid-season addition to their aging before your eyes starting rotation... Curt Schilling got drilled last night to the tune of 7 earned runs. This actually may be a blessing in disguise since now maybe the talk of "Schilling's the Ace not Pedro" or "why doesn't Francona let Schilling finish his games" will go on the shelf for a little while (I'm too realistic to think that it would stop completely)... Where did all the people allergic to peanuts come from?... John Kerry got Googlebombed. Now when you google "John Kerry" - most of the sites that come up are for "waffles" - that's pretty funny (and yes I also thought it was funny when Bush was Googlebombed - you have to admit that something like this hurts nobody and takes imagination)... Speaking of Kerry - he needs to release his full military record now. He has used his Vietnam experience as the cornerstone of his campaign. If he just releases dribs and drabs then reporters will clamor for the rest with the idea that he must be hiding something. If he is hiding something then its over for him if he tries to draw it out or cover it up. If he's not hiding anything then talk about his military records will prevent Kerry from getting his message out to the undecided voters who will decide the next election... My theory of why Francona left Schilling in so long last night (123 pitches) is that yesterday was Francona's birthday and Schilling told him before the game that he was going to give him a complete game as a present (and yes - I'm serious)... Interesting stuff from Mark Cuban (as always)... I think the best chant fans can do to get into an opposing pitcher's head is "You're tipping pitches...you're tipping pitches"... In New York two men climbed a 55-foot tree in Central Park, had oral sex and stayed up there for 4-hours in some sort of protest. You can't make stuff like this up...
Minnesota

As of this morning - the Minnesota Twins have the best record in the AL at 10-5. How is it possible that a club with a team ERA of 5.29 could have the best record in the league?

The answer is offense. The Twins lead the AL in runs scored with 98 (not including yesterday's games) with five players having better than 10.0 RC* (runs created). The next closest team in the AL only has three players with a RC of 10.0 or better.

The offense is coming from unexpected sources. Red Sox fan favorite Jose Offerman has a RC of 10.7 while slugging a healthy .565 (career slugging percentage of .374). Henry Blanco has a RC of 10.1 while filling in for injured rookie Joe Mauer. Blanco's offense is definitely a bonus for the Twins. Blanco has a career high of 7 HR and a career batting average of .221 but this year he is hitting .300 with 3 HR already. Lew Ford? Where the heck did Lew Ford come from? The kid is hitting .450 and leading the team with 15 RBI and 16 RC. You can't tell me that the Twins expected this sort of production from the 28-year old Ford.

Shannon Stewart and Jaque Jones are also off to very good starts (13.1 RC and 13.2 RC respectively) but the argument can be made that these levels of production were somewhat expected. Also off to a hot start is slick fielding first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz who just misses the 10.0 RC level (9.8) while hitting .351 (70 points over his career average).

The temptation is to say that these hitters will turn back into pumpkins and that the Twins will then crash back to reality but I'm wondering about this. Lew Ford has shown that he can hit at all levels. Maybe the time is just right and he will have a breakthrough year. Henry Blanco? Back to pumpkinville for him but I expect his high level of offensive output to be replaced easily by a healthy Joe Mauer. Sure Shannon S., Doug M., and Jaque J. will probably level off but their drop in production should be off-set by the pitching making adjustments to get the team ERA down into the 4.50 area.

The only guy I see turning completely into a pumpkin is Jose Offerman and that may just be talk born of spite (his last year in Boston he batted just .232).

* RC - runs created comes from a complicated formula but is a good gauge of offensive output (trust me). The actual formula used to arrive at RC is (H + BB + HBP - CS - GIDP) times (Total Bases + .26(TBB - IBB + HBP) + .52(SH + SF + SB)) divided by (AB + TBB + HBP + SH + SF).

Thursday, April 22, 2004

Guatemala



- Guatemala gained independence from Spanish Colonial rule in 1821. The country is located just south of Mexico and to the left of Belize and is correctly known as the Republic of Guatemala.

- Guatemala has an area of about 108,890 sq km (making it slighly smaller than the State of Tennessee). A population of about 14 million gives Guatemala a population density of about 128 people per square km (making Guatemala is one of the most densly populated countries in the world). Its population is greater than that of Switzerland and Israel combined and just for the sake of comparison - Tennessee has a population density of about 53 people per sq km.

- The median age is just 18 and the life expectancy at birth is just 65-years. The literacy rate is only about 71%. The per capita GDP is just $3,900 and 75% of the country is below the poverty line (for comparison Chad, Liberia and Haiti have populations where 80% are below the poverty line).

- The government of Guatemala is headed by a President and the people are represented by a unicameral Congress of the Republic (which has 140 representatives elected directly by the people for terms of 4-years).

- The "official" economy of Guatemala is mostly agricultural with coffee sugar and banannas as the main products. Approximately 50% of the labor force works in agriculture with just 15% in services/tourism (even though Guatemala is almost 5 times as big as neighbor Belize - they only have 4 more km of coastline).

- Drugs are a problem in Guatemala (like most countries south of the US). When you factor in the overpopulation, the poverty, the fact that the country is prone to major earthquakes and that drug money has made crime and corruption rampant - Guatemala doesn't seem like the ideal vacation spot.

- Here's a bit of an eye-opener from Freedom House - "Late in the year, the government of President Alfonso Portillo signed an agreement to provide $400 million in compensation to the victims of the nation's 36-year civil war during which more than 200,000 died and over 200 mostly indigenous villages were destroyed. The National Compensation Program is a result of the 1996 UN-brokered peace accords and the ensuing truth commission. A senior military officer was convicted in the murder trial of human rights advocate Myrna Mack in 1990; the acquittal of two other general officers was challenged. While the civil war is over, assassinations, kidnappings, beatings, break-ins, and death threats are still common. Death squads have reappeared and hundreds of street children continue to be murdered or mutilated. President Portillo has admitted that clandestine groups with military ties exist, but claims to be powerless to combat them. Guatemala's governance problems are on the rise as corruption and lawlessness increase with impunity."
World's Oldest Sport?

I can buy world's oldest sport using a ball but I think either wrestling or boxing (or some sport with its roots in martial capabilities like the javelin toss must be the oldest sport).
Miscellaneous Thoughts

Having a late day cup of coffee after a long day of phone calls and emails...

Did you realize that three of the top eight hitters (batting average wise) in the AL are catchers? Javy Lopez is first at .462, Pudge Rodriguez is forth at .377 and Jason Varitek is eighth at .350. There are also two catchers in the top 20 in the NL (Paul LoDuca is second and Jason Kendall is 17th). Where did all the catchers hitting for average come from?... Freddie Garcia seems to be back to his old form with a 2.25 ERA so far this year (that must make the folks over at Sports and Bremertonians pretty happy)... Just sayin' - the top six AL teams in terms of payroll are also the top six teams in terms of attendance. It would seem to be connected - the team spends to put a winning team on the field because the fans pay for lots of tickets and the fans buy lots of tickets because the team spent to put a winning team on the field... You have to admit that ShitBeGone is a pretty good name for a brand of toilet paper...
Maurice Clarett

Runningback Maurice Clarett had his appeal to be included in this year's NFL draft turned down by US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I was not surprised in the least by this decision. I am surprised that I haven't heard any commentator on the situation mention that age limitations are actually in the Constitution and so calling the NFL's restriction unconstitutional wouldn't fly.

Where are the age limitations in the Constitution? In the qualifications for the office of the President and Vice President it requires that the candidate be at least 30-years old. Same goes for US Senator (Congressman can be 25).
Happy Birthday

Today is Red Sox manager Terry Francona's birthday. Tito turns 45 today.
Rookies and Respect

Some of you may recall that my choice for NL Rookie of the Year was Aaron Miles of the Rockies. So far Miles is holding up his end - leading NL rookies in batting average, OPS, RBI, runs (tied) and HR (tied). Miles main competition for the award will most likely be shortstops Kaz Matsui of the Mets and Khalil Greene of the Padres.

One stat that jumped out at me though is the fact that Kaz Matsui has been intentionally walked 3 times so far this season. That puts him tied for third in the league with Chipper Jones and Luis Gonzalez behind only Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols. What is with all the respect being paid to Matsui? Is there a Mets fan out there that can explain the IBB's?

EDIT: After I posted this I realized that I did not even check the rookie pitchers in the NL (in my mind I guess I thought that with Edwin Jackson starting the season at AAA that there wasn't any rookie pitchers of note). I thus overlooked Sergio Mitre of the Cubs who is 1-0 in three starts for the Cubs with a very impressive 2.89 ERA and 7.23 K/9.
Miscellaneous Thoughts

Various thoughts and observations while I have my moring coffee and peruse the moring papers and web sites...

Doug Mirabelli had two home runs for the Red Sox last night as Boston beat the Blue Jays 4-2 at SkyDome. I have long pointed out that Mirabelli actually has a better HR/AB career ratio than Jason Varitek and I think if Mirabelli was given enough at bats - then he would be a 20+ HR hitter... The Blue Jays have yet to win at home this year... Last night I saw Something's Gotta Give with my wife. The movie was pretty clever but the best line came from my wife. In the movie Keanu Reeves has the hots for Dianne Keaton and when they first started making out, my wife leaned over and said, "I hope he got paid a lot of money for this role." Maybe you had to be there... Last night before going out to see the movie, I was flipping around the channels and I saw Marsha Clark on The Hollywood Squares. Next up, OJ Simpson on COPS.... Most of the articles I read about Barry Bonds make a big deal about how teams pitch around him - resulting in huge walk numbers for Bonds. I was curious how that stacked up against Babe Ruth (who I'm assuming was also pitched around because he was Babe freakin' Ruth). Based on a 162 game average - Babe Ruth had 133 walks per season (stats via Baseball-Reference.com). Also based on a 162 game average - Barry Bonds career walks per season is 131 (stats again via Baseball-reference.com). It should be noted that Bonds never had a Gehrig batting behind him - so it was even easier for teams to pitch around him... If Mark Prior makes it back into the line-up for the Cubs before Nomar Garciaparra makes it back for the Red Sox - then I guess it is all but guaranteed that Nomar will be playing elsewhere next year... If you watch any poker on TV - you are likely to hear mention of high-stakes Hollywood home games. Now Baltimore Ravens cornerback Corey Fuller is being charged with hosting a high stakes card game at his house? Fuller was arrested in Tallahassee, FL where state law allows card players to gamble up to $10 per hand. Fuller is facing felony charges and up to 5-years in prison. That is just nuts. This is why I tend toward the Libertarians - who was Fuller hurting with his card game in the privacy of his OWN HOME? If you've ever played poker - chances are you have been in many pots where you risked much more than $10 on a hand. According to the state of Florida - that makes you a felon....

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

Belize



- Belize used to be known as British Hondoras until 1981 when they gained their independence from Britian. English is still the official language of Belize (that was a surprising fact to me).

- Belize is just slightly smaller in size than the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The population density is only about 12 people per sq km (total population 266,440). The country is only a two-hour plane ride from Houston or Miami.

- The motto on the flag is "I flourish in the shade" but if they don't get the crime problem under control - the motto may be changed to "We rob tourists on vacation". Reading the official US Government about travel to Belize would make me think twice about spending my dollars there.

- The median age is 19 years and the life expectacy at birth is just 67 years.

- Like Canada - the official head of state for Belize is the Queen of England. And just like Canada - the Queen's official representative is a Governor General. Also similar to Canada - Belize's government is a bicameral parliament with a Senate and a House of Representatives. The House members are directly elected while the Senate members are appointed.

- Tourism is the number one industry in Belize and the Belize dollar exchange rate is basically set at 1 US dollar = 2 Belizean dollars.

- The per capita GDP is just $4,900 (which helps explain the crime rate)

- There are 42 airports in Belize but only 4 have paved runways *cough*drugs*cough*

- Belize has had an ongoing border dispute with Guatemala along the southern portion of the country.

- I'm including a map of Belize because if you asked me to find Belize on a map three days ago - it would have been a fifty/fifty proposition.


Red Bull



Great review of the taste and drinkability of Red Bull.
Larry Bowa

I'm no fan of Larry Bowa but what is really killing the Phillies is the starts of Lieberthal, Rollins and Abreu plus the pitching of Randy Wolf. Is Bowa's management style the cause of the lack of production from these guys? I don't buy that.

Combined those four guys make about the same as the entire payroll of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Both the Devil Rays and Phillies are 5-7 (just one of those odd coincidences).

That said - Bowa never makes it to the 4th of July as manager.
Interesting

From Bravo News and Press Releases

"Celebrity Poker Showdown" (twelve two-hour episodes)
Premieres Tuesday, May 27 (9-11 p.m. ET)
Season two of Bravo's newest hit will return as big as it debuted with expert poker player Phil Gordon and new host Dave Foley ("NewsRadio," "The Kids in the Hall"). Some of the celebrities who will be participating this time around include: Matthew Perry, James Woods, Sean Astin, Jennie Garth, Jeff Gordon, Dave Navarro, and Angie Dickinson. As before, each episode of "Celebrity Poker Showdown" will feature five celebrities competing against each other in a game of No Limit Texas Hold'em poker for the charity of their choice. "Celebrity Poker Showdown" is produced by Picture This Television in association with Bravo.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

Some thoughts and observations while I have my morning coffee...

Yesterday was 4/20 - a stoners holiday - check here if you're not familiar with the term... Yesterday was also (as Daryl pointed out in one of the comments on my Cinco de Mayo post) the anniverary of the Columbine shootings.... May 5th is not just Cinco de Mayo but also the anniversary of the Battle of the Wilderness Forrest in the Civil War (some of the most bloody fighting in the history of the country) and also the day that Bobby Sands died after his hunger strike against the British for not recognizing him as a political prisoner... Please note that I'm not supporting 4/20, pot smoking, or Bobby Sands and the IRA and I'm not trying to belittle the Columbine shootings - I'm just pointing out that there can be reasons that bring down people on just about any holiday..... Independence Day? There is always the Howard Zinn wannabe who points out that July 4, 1776 meant little independence for slaves in the south or women in general who still didn't have the right to vote.... Christmas? There is always the Wiccan mother earth wannabe who points out that the Christian holiday was co-opted from the Pagans and that the Christians later burned tens of thousand of people at the stake for being Pagans (i.e. witches)... 4/20 also is the anniversary of Marie Curie discovering radium and Edgar Allen Poe releasing the world's first detective story (Murder in the Rue Morgue).... People are free to celebrate what they want to celebrate... Me? Today I choose to "celebrate my love for you" (I just hope that now for the rest of the day you will have Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack singing in your head)...

Pedro Martinez looked good last night in his win against Toronto. Pedro is now 2-1 for the season and his ERA lowered to 3.81. All those "Pedro is done" naysayers should realize that last year Pedro had a 3.51 in April - and he finished the year with a 2.22 ERA. Anyone who would trade Pedro Martinez in their fantasy baseball leagues is being foolish... If the NHL season is cancelled due to lockout next year - then indoor lacrosse will step in and take hockey's spot without missing a beat. And no - I'm not kidding about that. Consider that the arena football opener got the same TV ratings as the NHL All-Star game and you would have to think that hockey can't afford a lock-out. Unforntunately - the only people who probably don't realize this are the owners and players... The Blue Jays are hitting just .212 as a team and the pitching staff ERA is 5.08. That's not good. I know it will change but I hope they can wait until after the Red Sox leave town... Count me as excited about the Corey Dillon trade. The Patriots offense is all about ball control and Dillon will be a very effective weapon for them... Jim O'Brien was named the new coach of the 76ers - I therefore predict the 76ers will finish last in the East next year...

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Mexico



- Mexico is about 1.9 million sq km - which is a little less than three times the size of Texas

- According to a 2003 estimate - Mexico has 106 million people. That means the population density is about 56 people per sq km (opposed to about 30 people per sq km in the US and about 3 people per sq km in Canada)

- The median age in Mexico is just 24 years old. Life expectancy at birth is 72.3 years. The country has a literacy rate of 92.2% and 89% of the country is Roman Catholic.

- Technically the country's name is the United Mexican States (or more correctly Estados Unidos Mexicanos).

- Mexico gained independence from Spain on September 16, 1810 (not on Cinco de Mayo as is widely believed by many gringos)

- Every person 18-years and older not only has the right to vote in Mexico but also the responsibility to vote (compulsory voting - not enforced though). The government is a bicameral parliament with a Senate and a Federal Chamber of Deputies. The Senate has 128 seats (96 are elected and the rest are appointed based upon percentage of party votes in the election). The Federal Chamber of Deputies has 500 seats (300 are directly elected and 200 are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote). The head of the government is the President - currently Vincente Fox.

- The per capita GDP in Mexico is $8,900 (compared to $36,300 in the US). According to a 2001 estimate - 40% of the population is below the poverty line.

- Mexico is the largest exporter of pot to the US but the amount of illegal acreage devoted to heroin (4,400 hectares) is actually greater than the illegal acreage devoted to cannabis (4,100 hectares).
Just Sayin' 2

Cinco de Mayo started off as a very minor event before Corona started making it a big deal across the country. I forecast that within 10 years 4/20 (April 20th) will become as big a party holiday as Cinco de Mayo.
Just sayin'

A's rookie Bobby Crosby was tabbed to replace former MVP Miguel Tejada who signed this off-season with Baltimore. Even though Crosby is only hitting .204 he still has more HR (2 to 1) and more RBI (9 to 4) than Tejada.

Among shortstops - only Valentin with the White Sox has more HR (3 to 2) and no shortstop has more RBI (although Aurilla also has 9).
Patriot Day Thoughts

Busy day in Boston sports yesterday and here are some of my observations that you might not see elsewhere...

- Boston Marathon: this is honestly more of a happening than a sporting event. Nobody except the aficionados know the names of the winners or can recall the names of past winners. People go to cheer on the runners who make finishing their goal more than the elite runners. I know this is bad but every time I see one of the leaders I think "Starvin Marvin" from South Park.

- Boston Bruins: 3-1 lead in the series - what could go wrong?

- Boston Red Sox: yesterday the Red Sox won because the third baseman for the Yankees made an error because he isn't used to playing that position and because the Yankee shortstop didn't have the range to get to Gabe Kapler's game winning hit. If A-Rod was at short for the Yankees - Kapler would have been an easy out not the hero of the day.

- New England Patriots: Corey Dillon is a huge pick-up for the Patriots. Sure he was a headache in Cincinnati but Ricky Davis was a headache in Cleveland but he has been fine in Boston. Dillon will get plenty of touches with the Patriots - so he should be happy. The Patriots have had guys like Irvin Fryar and Terry Glenn - isn't about time that they get a guy who was a problem somewhere else but an angel here?

- Boston Celtics: Ron Artest was suspended for one game because the NBA doesn't want a sweep. They want the extra revenue that comes with one or two more playoff games. The NBA will do everything in its power to help the Celtics avoid getting swept from the playoffs - its that simple.

- New England Patriots: Ty Law ran into a problem at the Canadian border some time back when he was found to be in possession of Ecstasy. Tell me that Law didn't act like a guy on Ecstasy prior to his arrest - it even explains why he would get out of his car (to get rid of whatever tabs of Ecstasy he had left).

Monday, April 19, 2004

Canada

I have decided to use this space to make myself a more educated person. Starting today - I will try and learn something about the rest of the world by studying the facts about one country each day. I will report some of the facts that I found most interesting (thus both sharing the information and further ingraining the facts in my head by typing them out). I will be using the CIA World Factbook and Google as my primary sources of information. I will start with Canada because I plan to work north to south (plus learning things about Canada may help me with the nervous energy I'm experiencing from watching Game 7 between the Bruins and Canadiens).



- Canada is slightly larger in size than the US (about 10 million sq Km vs. 9.6 million sq km) and the second largest country in the world behind Russia

- the highest point in Canada is Mount Logan at 5,959 meters (19,950 feet). Mount Logan is the second highest peak in North America (Mount McKinley is the highest peak in North America at 6,194 meters). Mount Logan was named in 1891 after Sir William Logan who would have turned 206 tomorrow.

- Canada has a population of roughly 31.8 million people (the US has a population of about 290.3 million). The average age is about 38 and the average life expectancy is 80. About 97% of the population is literate (according to a 1986 estimate) and a current rate of unemployment of 7.5%.

- the Canadiens have never beaten the Bruins in a Game 7

- Technically the Chief of State (Sovereign) is still the Queen of England who is represented by a Governor General. Canada has a bicameral parliament consisting of a Senate and a House of Commons. Only the members of the House of Commons are directly elected. Members of Senate are appointed by the Governor General with the assistance of the Prime Minister and Senators serve until age 75. The Capitol of Canada is Ottawa.

- The US Ambassador to Canada is Paul Cellucci who used to be Governor of Massachusetts.

- The per capita GDP is $29,900 (2002 estimate) as opposed to the US per capita GDP of $36,300 (again 2002 estimate).

- Almost 63% of Canada's exports go to the United States but an American owns the Montreal Canadiens

- Maybe this only interests me but this month Canada banned the importation or sale of "baby walkers". My wife tells me that baby walkers have also been banned in the US and that they have given rise to the new baby "excersaucers".

- I personally think that Canada has one of the best National Anthems in the world.
Heh heh

I love Manny Ramirez but lately I've been wondering if this is how he takes care of his hair.
Just Sayin'

Combined - Bill Mueller and Pokey Reese are hitting .244 with 15 runs scored, 2 HR and 10 RBI. They will make $3.1 million between the two of them this year.

Combined - A-Rod and Jeter are hitting .223 with 11 runs, 1 HR, and 7 RBI. Combined A-Rod and Jeter will take home $36 million this year.

Yes - I do enjoy pointing this out. Why do you ask?
Celebrity Death-Match - Val Kilmer vs. Kevin Spacey

I happened upon this reading some comments on FARK and I thought it was interesting enough to share (BTW - I think I believe Kilmer more than Spacey's publicist) - here's the link for the entire interview (BTW 2 - I never heard of Mare Winningham):

You went to Chatsworth High School with Mare Winningham and Kevin Spacey. Do you still keep in touch with them?

No, I have no idea what Mare's up to except I just saw the other day that she has a new record out. And Kevin stole money from my dad, so I don't talk to Kevin.

In high school?

No. College. We went to Juilliard, and he knew my dad well from high school, and he hustled him. He told him that the school was going to kick him out because he used up his student loans so my dad wrote him a check. Even though Kevin knew he was gonna quit. So he hustled my dad for the money.

Was it like, a thousand bucks?

No, it was tuition. It was like, $18,000. My dad thought we were best friends so he wrote him a check. I ran into Kevin years later, and he had made some movies and probably won a Tony by then. I said, "Congratulations. You're doing great, but you ought to pay my dad back. I don't have much to say to you till you do that." He sent my dad a thousand dollars and some sad-song letter that was all lies. And my dad died, [about] 1992 or '93, right before I started Tombstone. So I'm gonna have to [have Spacey] pay for the college education of my children.

[Kevin Spacey's publicist responds: "Ten years ago Mr. Spacey repaid in full an $800 loan, with interest, made by Eugene Kilmer in 1979 to help towards his first year's college expenses. He has always been grateful for the opportunity this afforded him and feels strongly that without the generous support of Mr. Kilmer, and many like him, he would never have achieved the success he has today. He is particularly grateful to Val for having suggested he apply to Juilliard in the first place."]

Heh heh

Even though Pedro has been in the AL for the last six years and hasn't had many opportunities to hit - he still has as many career triples (2) as teammate Doug Mirabelli. I'm sure if Pedro knows this he will be sure to let Mirabelli know about it. Maybe even give him some hitting and base running tips.
Pedro Martinez

It seems to me that Pedro Martinez is a victim of his own success. So far this season Pedro has started three games and have averaged better than 6 innings in each start. Sure his ERA isn't that great (4.82 - 67th best in MLB) but does anyone doubt that by the end of the season Pedro's ERA won't be below 3.20? Pedro is in much better shape than the "Aces" of the two closest AL East competitors (Mike Mussina and Sidney Ponson) but somehow the concern for those two pitchers doesn't come close to the concern surrounding Pedro.

People hold the conflicting expectations that A.) Pedro should be unhittable each time he takes the mound and B.) Pedro is a fragile pitcher whose next start may be his last. People hold the idea that Pedro should be unhittable because since he's come to Boston he has been (for the most part). Pedro has been an incredible 102 - 29 in his six seasons with the Red Sox (a winning percentage of .779). However, Pedro missed much of 2001 with shoulder trouble and now he can't get into the high 90's with his fastball (even including 2001 when he missed most of the season - Pedro has averaged 16.8 wins and 4.7 losses for the Sox).

Can you imagine what the doomsaying scribes in Boston would be writing today if the situations of Pedro and Nomar Garciappara were reversed? Nomar has been out with an achilles injury. If Pedro had the same injury - all you would hear is how fragile the guy is and that the Red Sox should think twice about signing him (even though we are talking about arguably the best pitcher in the game and a first ballot Hall of Famer). Nomar missed a larger percentage of 2001 with his own injury and since returning - he too has yet to return to the incredible high of previous year's performances. Somehow though - Nomar remains the guy that "has" to be resigned instead of Pedro.

Sunday, April 18, 2004

Miscellaneous Thoughts

Just some observations while watching the Red Sox / Yankees....

When I first heard that Mark Bellhorn was going to miss the game because of a "sore elbow" - my first thought was that the coaches wanted an excuse to get more defense behind Derek Lowe and his sinkerball (not so much as for the defensive upgrade as for the psychological lift it would give to Lowe)... Jim Rice and Don Mattingly were both superstars. Jim Rice didn't workout as batting coach for the Red Sox - who is to say that Mattingly will be any more successful for the Yankees? Right now - the Yankees are last in the AL in batting average. Just sayin'.... I don't think that Matthew McConaughey would make a very good Dirk Pitt but I do think he would be right in the role of Robert Langdon (the hero of The Da Vinci Code).... "In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! - I hope I'll be safe at home!" - George Carlin... The Yankees were safe at home six times in the third inning... OK - enough of the game - time to do something productive...

Miscellaneous Thoughts

Some miscellaneous thoughs while I have my moring coffee....

The fact that Allen Iverson is Manny Ramirez's favorite NBA player worries me on some visceral level... Many people made a big deal out of Kevin (my real first name is James) Brown and Mike Mussina reaching 200 wins but 99 other people have also reached 200 wins. Yesterday, Manny Ramirez hit his 350th HR and only 68 other people have managed that feat. With 9 more HR - Manny will pass Yogi Berra and with 12 more he will pass Joe Dimaggio (which will put him 58th all-time)... I don't know what to think about this whole Mike Danton story. The only thing I'm sure of is that within 12 months it will be the basis for a Law & Order episode... Jamie Moyer is a wonder. Over the last three seasons he has gone 54-21 with an ERA under 3.40. Yesterday Moyer shut down the dangerous Texas Ranger offense allowing only 3 hits over 8 innings. Jamie Moyer is 41-years old... Interesting reading on Armed Forces re-enlistment numbers... Jeff Fassero is still pitching in the major leagues. It felt strange to type that... For some reason - the NFL draft holds no interest for me this year. I'll watch it but I sure won't spend any time before hand doing "what if" scenerios... I didn't spot any article by Dan Shaughnessy in the Boston Globe this morning. Maybe with the Red Sox winning the past two games against the Yankees in such easy fashion - the normally negative Shaughnessy doesn't know what to write about...
Drinking the Cool-Aid

The other day I was having a discussion with a friend about Pedro Martinez. I think he's flat out one of the all-time greats but my friend isn't completely convinced. In my friend's words - he "hasn't drunk the Cool-Aid for Pedro yet."

This got me thinking about the phrase "drinking the Cool-Aid" - which of course references the Reverend Jim Jones and the mass suicide of his followers at Jamestown - a mass suicide made possible by the followers drinking cyanide laced Cool-Aid. How strange that a phrase that has its roots in such grotesque circumstances is now pretty much accepted in everyday conversations.

This past week - I must have heard the phrase "drink the Cool-Aid" at least a half dozen times. Strange.

The other thing that has made me think of the phrase "drinking the Cool-Aid" is the Boston Bruins.

Last night they lost to the Montreal Canadiens and now their best of seven series is tied - three games a piece. Game seven is Monday and the Bruins badly need a victory. The Bruins need is more dire than the Canadiens because the Bruins have been losing their core fans during the course of the past few years. Whether is was the perceived cheapness of ownership that continually drove the best talent out of town, whether it was the team management refusing to pull the trigger on a major late season trade or whether it is the fact that the Bruins have had more late season fades these past few years than the Seattle Mariners - most Bruins fans have refused to "drink the Cool-Aid" for this team.

Many fans (myself included) are close to being converted back into the fold. The team has some real talent (Thorton, Samsonov and Murray), some hot rookies (Bergeron and Raycroft) and the management added some late season firepower (Gonchar and Nylander). This seemed like The Year. The Bruins were hot down the stretch and then they opened the playoff by gaining a 3-1 advantage.

Now the series is tied 3-3. Now all the good is in danger of being lost.

If you are not from Boston and are reading this - then chances are you won't understand. Boston fans take these things personally. If the Bruins lose on Monday - the mindset will be that the fans were "tricked again" into rooting for this one and out team. Harry Sinden did this to them intentionally as a cruel trick. I'm serious.

However, I am just as convinced that if the Bruins win on Monday - then the fans will drink the Cool-Aid for this team. Lose and the fans will turn the channel on the Bruins like they were being subjected to a poor, stuttering televangelist with a toupe.

Saturday, April 17, 2004

Heh Heh

How great would it be if the guy who runs the PA system at Fenway played Huey Lewis' I Want a New Drug each time Jason Giambi or Gary Sheffield came up to bat?

It would be equally great for him to play Carly Simon's You're So Vain each time Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez came up to the plate.
Just Sayin'

Many people have been complementing Kevin (my real first name is James) Brown but the same people seem to overlooked another older starting pitcher playing in New York. Each pitcher has had three starts.

Kevin (MRFNIJ) Brown: 3-0, 1.29 ERA, 21 innings pitched, 0.95 WHIP

Tom Glavine: 2-0, 0.90 ERA, 20 innings pitched, 0.70 WHIP

The 38-year old Brown has won three games against Tampa Bay and got a lot of ink for winning his 200th game. Glavine is also 38 but he has 253 career wins (he won his 200th 4 years ago when he was 34).

Just sayin'
Miscellaneous Thoughts

Some miscellaneous thoughts as I read my moring websites...

Did you know that the first professional baseball player was Jewish?... No Red Sox pitcher in history has given up more home runs than Tim Wakefield.... If the Pope was unhappy with sports on Sunday - I wonder how he feels about the NFL scheduling games on Christmas... Combined - Pokey Reese and Bill Mueller are hitting .221 with 15 hits, 10 runs, 2 HR and 9 RBI. Combined - Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are hitting .218 with 17 hits, 10 runs, 1 HR and 4 RBI. I never thought that I would still be able to be making these comparisons... Possibly the best name for a baseball player ever was Urban Shocker - especially given what "the shocker" means today. Urban Shocker would also be a very good porn name... The first professional baseball player was Lipman Pike - you can look it up... Did you know that Roger Clemens has more wins in a Yankees uniform (77) than David Wells (68)? I found that surprising... I think it would be great if someone was able to take clips of all Derek Jeter's errors in the field and show them accompanied with the theme from the Benny Hill Show up on the Fenway jumbotron during today's game.... I want to see that Fox animated graphic Scooter try and explain the infield fly rule or what a balk is...
Boston Celtics

Nobody wants to give the Celtics a chance in their playoff matchup against Indiana and that is why I think they may pull an upset.

The Celtics are by far the biggest underdog among any of the playoff teams in their matchup against the Pacers. The odds are almost better for them to win this year's NBA draft lottery than they are for them to beat the Pacers.

The Celtics could pull off a huge surprise because of the following reasons:

1. The Pacers may be looking beyond the Celtics (always a mistake and sometimes a fatal one)
2. All the pressure is on the Pacers (everyone expects them to win but nobody expects the Celtics)
3. Rick Carlisle has the extra pressure of needing a first round victory to show he's no Isiah Thomas
4. The Celtics can go with a small quick line-up that is better than most people know.
5. Cliches - this is why they play the games, on any given Sunday, etc.

Friday, April 16, 2004

Miscellaneous Thoughts

Some thoughts and observations while watching the Red Sox / Yankees...

I don't know what is worse - this Scooter thing or the red tail like thing they tried to use on the puck during the NHL All-Star game a few years ago.... Just saying - for his career Doug Mirabelli actually averages more HR per at bats than Jason Varitek... Did you know that Tris Speaker actually had more triples in his career (222) than strikeouts (220)?.... So that Scooter thing is supposed to be for the kids and they put him out to show what a fastball is at 10:45? How many kids on the East Coast does Fox think are watching the game at that hour?.... I'll admit that I turned the station at 9:00 to watch Band of Brothers.... Cy Young holds the Red Sox record for complete games with 275 but is tied with Roger Clemens for shutouts with 38. That means that one out of every 10 starts for Clemens for the Red Sox ended as a shutout. That's amazing.... Did you know that Yankees' pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre had 40 shutouts for the Pinstripes? Stottlemyre averaged a shutout every 9 games for the Yankees - that's even more amazing. Mel's tied for second on the Yankees all-time list for shutouts behind Whitey Ford who had 45.... That error by Manny was pretty bad but as a member of the Red Sox he has a .611 slugging percentage so we are very willing to make allowances... I heard the "Bal-Co, Bal-Co" chants but I really wanted to hear the "cheater, cheater, hormone eater" chant.... Did you know that no player has ever reached 3,000 hits during his tenure with the Yankees? Gerhig, Ruth, Mantle, Dimaggio, or Mattingly never reached 3,000 for the Pinstripes.... David Ortiz misses a foul pop-up and thousands of Red Sox fans immediately thought "Dave Stapleton".... The Red Sox win - thaaaaaaaaaa Red Sox win.....