Saturday, June 28, 2014

The Scream

The Scream - Sebastian Cosor - Safe-Frame.com from Sebastian Cosor on Vimeo.

Don't know why but I've been thinking of this video for about a week. Cool stuff.

State of the Red Sox

As I write this the Red Sox are 8 games back in the AL East and 7 back in the AL Wild Card. Time to panic and become sellers? Yes and no. Here are the five moves I'd suggest Boston make in the next two weeks.

1. Trade Jake Peavy. Like right now. Peavy has his World Series ring and his Duck Boat. All he is doing now is taking up a spot in the rotation that would be better used by a returning Clay Buchholz or a Rubby Del La Rosa. He's 1-6 (not his fault) with a 4.93 ERA (his fault). He's got an ERA+ of 81. That's below replacement level - replace him. Eat half his contract and send him to an NL team in need of a 4th or 5th starter. Look for this move to happen. It's just so apparent at this point to everyone involved.

2. Bring up Mookie Betts who has a .960 OPS with 29 steals so far in AA and AAA this season. Gordon Edes seems to be arguing against this move but I think it is one that has to happen and the sooner the better.

3. Trade Jonny Gomes. If you bring up Mookie Betts you have to play him and Gomes would be one of the guys standing in his way. Gomes has the reputation as a winner and a good clubhouse guy - use that reputation to trade him to an NL team in the playoff hunt for a bag of balls.

4. Trade AJ Pierzynski. The guy is a dick and I feel dirty rooting for him. Christian Vazquez would be a big improvement defensively and the team needs to learn if he can hit at the MLB level. Besides what are you really losing offensively with Pierzynski posting a 75 OPS+?

5. Sign Jon Lester to a 5-year $100 million contract. It's going to happen anyway so do it now to show the fans the team is thinking long term.

Bonus move - once Shane Victorino is healthy trade him too.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I'm pretty convinced that Peyton Manning and his brother Eli only work out with Shake Weights... Heh heh - Time is a Flat Circus (only click if you are a fan of True Detective)... When a bathroom attendant uses the toilet - does he tip himself when he washes his hands?... The Red Cross raised more than $300 million for the victims of Sandy. How did they spend it? I've long held the belief that no executive or employee for a non-profit tax exempt organization should be paid more than the salary of the President of the US ($400,000). If you've got so much money flooding your coffers (no pun intended) that you're paying seven figure salaries - then you lose tax exempt status... Interesting article on what we're learning about the Killer Whales of Puget Sound...

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The David Ortiz controversy with the official scorer at Fenway Park reminded me of the story of when Jim Rice was the team's hitting coach and he called the scorer to get an error changed to a hit for one of the guys. The scorer changed it immediately and Rice asked him if he wanted to know Rice's argument for the change. The scorer said no because when Rice was playing he never once complained about the scorer's decisions and if he thought enough to call about this one then Rice must be right... Cool - Joe DiMaggio once had to wear a Red Sox road uniform when his Yankees road uniform showed up late at Fenway Park... Idea for a movie - Zombie Inventory Takers. The undead converge on a popular mall to take inventory... I would love to see these changes made to the IRS... I'm not ashamed to say that I miss Zima. Especially Orange Zima. I'm comfortable enough in my manhood to admit this... Vegetarian Water. Seriously...  If there were a DVD of just the David Letterman Top 10 Lists over the years - I'd buy that DVD in a heartbeat... Holy crap - the ferocious bug that that sucks prey dry and wears their corpses...

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Heh heh - this reflects my attitude to US soccer and the World Cup almost exact. As an aside - 99% of the time you see the word "whinging" in print it seems to be in relation to soccer. That's an indictment all on its own.

- I was Tony Gwynn's bat boy

- Interesting - whatever happened to OJ Simpson's white Ford Bronco?

- Tim Duncan's greatness in historical perspective. (I guess they would need a whole second picture to show all the trophy's and awards Bill Russell won)

- Heh heh - speaking of Tim Duncan and the Spurs

- The Blackhawks (15/2) and the Bruins (8/1) are the opening line favorites to win next year's Stanley Cup

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

The Twins and Motorboating

If a Minnesota Twins player picked Pontoon by Little Big Town (aka Motorboating) as their walk up music - they would immediately become my favorite player. Come on - the team is named THE TWINS!!



Sunday, June 15, 2014

Father's Day Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations on Father's Day.

So today is Father's Day and yesterday was Flag Day. So does that make this the Flags of our Fathers weekend?... Cool - ant pushing a droplet of water... Chuck Noll was one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. Too bad he had to die to remind people of the fact... Interesting - before Hitler who did people use as the embodiment of evil... So when is Jake Peavy going to be cast in a movie as Jeremy Renner's older more psychotic brother?... Flying car - only 1 owner - just 22 light years on odometer... The Red Sox are only 4.5 games out of the AL Wildcard... NHL team logos get Simpsons treatment...

Friday, June 13, 2014

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

State of the Red Sox

The Red Sox aren't good (so far) this season. The Globe's Chad Finn argues that there isn't much that GM Ben Cherington could have done this off-season to have really made a difference. His article has me conflicted. On the one hand I prescribe to Bill Simmons' theory that a team that wins a championship should get a 5-year grace/get out of jail free period from its fans - so I'm not complaining. On the other hand there was a move Ben Cherington made last year that I disagreed with and think now we are seeing the issues from that move - so don't tell me that there was nothing Cherington could have done to avoid the current malaise.

Let's look at a Player Comparison.

2014 Player Comparison:
Player A - 21 G/ 91 AB/ 1 HR/ 10 RBI/ .242 BA/ .276 OBP/ .352 SLG/ .627 OPS
Player B - 54 G/ 210 AB/ 9 HR/ 32 RBI/ .267 BA/ .291 OBP/  .448 SLG/ .739 OPS

Player B certainly would have been helpful and an upgrade over what the Red Sox currently have going on in the outfield. But the thing is Player A was so helpful in the Red Sox winning the World Series - could Player B have made a similar or better contribution?

2013 Player Comparison:
Player A - 122 G/ 477 AB/ 15 HR/ 61 RBI/ .292 BA/ .351 OBP/ .451 SLG/ .801 OPS
Player B - 144 G/ 606 AB/ 17 HR/ 84 RBI/ .304 BA/ .334 OBP/ .465 SLG/ .800 OPS

So Player A is Shane Victorino and Player B is Torii Hunter. Hunter is every bit as good - or better than Victorino both at the plate and in the field and it should be mentioned in the clubhouse. The Red Sox could have had Torii Hunter for similar money but fewer years than what they gave Victorino. That was a move Cherington didn't make but should have.

But I'm not complaining because Boston won the World Series last year with Shane Victorino in right field.

Sunday, June 08, 2014

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Cool story of how Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson returned (briefly) to cartooning... In Ronald Reagan's first term there was only one PC in the White House - and it was used as a word processor. My how times have changed!... If I were to get a tattoo - it would be this one... Aciphex is a heartburn product whose name is pronounced "ass-effects" and whose possible side effects include gas and constipation. Ass-effects indeed! I just find that funny...  Cool - D-Day landing scenes - then and now... True story - Bill Lear founder of the Lear Jet Corporation named his daughter Shanda. Yup Shanda Lear... The shortest possible game of Monopoly - 21 seconds... The Lubritorium would be a good name for a bar... Heh heh - Missing Cat... Peter Jackson started off good but then he just went too far...

Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Just Married

A few times a year I take long trips where I drive for 5 or more hours. The next time I do I want to put soap letters on my rear windshield saying "JUST MARRIED". Keep in mind that I would be taking this trip by myself. I think people looking for the bride or asking what happened would be funny. "It didn't work out." "She slept with my brother." "She died of food poisoning at our reception." You could go on and on.

My only regret is being older - people might just think "old fool" but if I were younger this prank might be a good opportunity for some random sympathy sex.

My mind might be broken. That's the only explanation I come up with for why I think up these things.

Sunday, June 01, 2014

Soccer Match Fixing

Interesting look at how easy it was/is to fix World Cup exhibition games. Can't say I'm surprised. When you have an organization so obviously corrupt like FIFA - it is almost expected that the whole of the organization would be corrupt. As they say a fish stinks from the head down. Two years to even begin investigation allegations. No permanent suspensions or criminal charges in obviously fixed games. Way to go FIFA!