100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (26) Papa Was a Rolling Stone by The Temptations.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Tom Brady is 33-4 (89% winning percentage) when the temperature is below 40 degrees. Aaron Rogers is 16-5 (76% winning percentage). These guys just win in cold weather... Hail Flutie... Yesterday was both Vin Scully's (87) and Mariano Rivera's (45) birthdays. MLB should acknowledge the importance of the birthdays of two of the greatest ambassadors the game has by making their birthday the day when the new Hall of Fame class is announced... Heh heh... So will Colt McCoy replace RGIII in those Subway commercials too?... Matt Damon vs Ben Affleck. I was amused by this more than I should have been... Just a reminder about all those MLB trade rumors columns you read - not one writer had the Josh Donaldson trade from Oakland to Toronto. Take all you read with a grain of salt...

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (25) Why Aye Man by Mark Knofler.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (24) Fairytale of New York by The Pogues. In my opinion the best Christmas song ever.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (23) Into the Mystic by Van Morrison.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (22) While My Guitar Gently Weeps by George Harrison.

Documentaries

The next few days are prime time for watching TV. Here's a couple of documentaries I would recommend you place in your Netflix queue:

- Who is Harry Nilsson? (And why is everyone talking about him)

- Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay

- Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. I was a so-so Rush fan but after watching this documentary I haven't been able to not listen to a Rush song I come across on the radio because the guys were just so nice.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Martin Luther King Jr. quote worth remembering these days, "Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars"... Well it is tough to argue with this logic... As pointed out elsewhere, if you say "My Cocaine" you are also saying "Michael Caine" in his own voice... Good question... I wonder if Bill Cosby has looked into booking tour dates in countries with no extradition yet... Never change Bill Clinton, never change... After reading that "My Cocaine" / "Michael Caine" thing above - you said "My Cocaine" out loud didn't you?... Can't argue with this logic either...

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (21) Here Comes the Flood by Peter Gabriel.

Top 5 - Red Sox Pitching Trade Targets

With Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval in the fold - now all Red Sox fans attention tuns to pitching. My number one wish remains that they sign (re-sign?) Jon Lester but the Sox have a glut of players and a trade for at least one starter is bound to happen. Here's who I would consider the Top 5 pitching trade targets for Boston.

1. Cole Hamels Phillies - has 5-years and $110 million left on contract (if you include the 2019 option year). Maybe a package of Clay Buchholz, Jackie Bradley Jr., Allen Craig and Brandon Workman would be a good starting point.
2. Jordan Zimmerman Nationals - free agent after this season. Maybe a package of Yoenis Cespedis and Allen Craig get this done.
3. Doug Fister Nationals - free agent after this season offer same package as above.
4. Rick Porcello Tigers - trade him for Yoenis Cespedis straight up.
5. Cincinnati Reds - a number of pitchers here (Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, and Mike Leake) are all free agents after 2015 but the Reds may wait till mid-season to do any trading.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (20) Rambling, Gambling Man by Bob Seger.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Given Curt Schilling's views on evolution - I wonder if he thinks it was God's will his video game company went bankrupt too... There's Farmer's Markets where farmers sell their produce. Why not Hunter's Markets where hunters can sell their excess game meat like venison?... I've long said that JFK would not be welcome in today's Democrat Party... Happy 74th birthday to Red Sox favorite Luis Tiant. If Catfish Hunter is in the Hall of Fame then Looie should be too... Some cool homages to Arthur Conan Doyle in Sherlock.. Why do they say "hike" before snapping the ball in football? What are they "hiking"? Seriously this little language nugget is bugging me... Neil Gaiman talks about one of my favorite Doctor Who episodes of all-time... Oversized Load would make a great title for a biography of Peter North...

Legalized Pot

For the most part I am in favor of medical marijuana and decriminalizing pot. No worse than alcohol in my book. However, I am kind of glad that the Florida Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative was defeated.

Imagine all the old drivers and crazy people in Florida. Now imagine them driving around whacked out on legal weed. Florida would be so much more of a driving nightmare if Amendment 2 passed.

Just saying.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (19) Take Me to Church by Hozier.

Top 5 - Mike Nichols Movies

Here's what I consider MY Top 5 favorite Mike Nichols' movies. Your Top 5 may differ.

1. The Graduate

2. Catch-22

3. Primary Colors

4. Biloxi Blues

5. Charlie Wilson's War

Missing from the list are the more celebrated Silkwood and The Birdcage.

Here's Mike Nichols obituary in the NY Times. And here is an interesting interview he gave to Judd Apatow.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (18) Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes.

Linky Links

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

- Interesting - Lance Berkman has gone back to school to get his degree.

- Nice Christmas gift

- Another reason to hate bathroom hand-dryers

- Another reminder of how huge Andre the Giant was

- One of the reasons NIH is "short" of money

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (16) Home by Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (15) Nobody to Run With by the Allman Brothers.

Red Sox Thoughts

The Red Sox have brought in both free agents Jon Lester and Pablo Sandoval for visits. My hope is that they sign (re-sign?) Lester and let Sandoval go back to the Giants.

Lester is a workhorse and I would not have an issue with a 6-year $127-140 million deal. I see the 31-year old Lester as a left-handed Curt Schilling who was able to pitch until he was 40-years old.

Everyone remembers the heroics of Sandoval in the post-season but in the regular season he's basically just a 6-hole hitter. Brian MacPherson has a good breakdown of what Sandoval is and isn't. Don't over pay for that!

Let me also say that I wouldn't mind if Clay Buchholz was traded as part of a package for Cole Hamels or straight up for Doug Fister (I think 3-years of Buchholz at $38.5 million total is a good value for the free agent to be Fister).

So let it be written - so let it be done!

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (15) Rev It Up by Jerry Harrison.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (14) New York's Not My Home by Jim Croce.

"No More" Hot Pockets

Sometimes an idea just stays with you and you have to write it down to free up your brain. The other day I mentioned it would be funny if the NFL's domestic violence "No More" commercial was about Hot Pockets instead. I keep thinking about how that commercial would look.

"No more moving slow because you just ate one an hour ago."
"No more regret because you shamefully ate one."
"No more drunk or living in a trailer dietary excuses."
"No more dirty microwaves and lava hot fillings."
"No more destroyed roof of your mouth."
"No more self inflicted diarrhea."

The commercial would end with a cut away to Jim Gaffigan with a single tear coming down his face (just like the Indian in the 1970's littering commercial). The great thing is you'd never actually mention Hot Pockets by name but with Gaffigan at the end - everyone would know the joke.

No more.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (13) I'm Amazed by My Morning Jacket.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I wonder how Jim Gaffigan would feel if those NFL "No More" commercials were about hot pockets instead of domestic violence... What is Gruber for the goose is Gruber for the gander... Can we use the term "straight lid" as a synonym or code word for "douchebag"?... I'm going to use the word "feisty" this week to describe random items. This potato chip is feisty! What a feisty gas pump! What a feisty idea!... Seals "raping" penguins. Please don't call this "sexual harassment"... The Growler would be a good name for a WWE wrestler. He would be an angry drunk guy. Look out - it's the Growler... Federal agents raid NFL locker rooms...In the early 1900's there was a prostitute in Chicago named Suzy Poon Tang. She was so good in bed that her name became slang for - well you know...

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (12) The Dog Days are Over by Florence + the Machine.

Linky Links

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

- Nice 30 for 30 short - if you are a Boston fan of a certain age and you say John Wensink - your mind immediately goes to that fight against the North Stars

- What I learned this week

- I may have posted this before but here's the Pope's list of 10 things to do to live a happier life

- Sometimes I have the mentality of  10-year old boy - this is one of those times

- Incredible audio of "singing" comet 67P

- Leading activist apologizes for starting anti-GMO movement

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (11) is Lust for Life by Iggy Pop.

Just Saying

I'm just saying but if you Google "Jeffrey Dahmer cannibal" you get about 95,000 hits.

If you Google "Harry Reid pedophile" you get about the same number of hits (if you include "Harry Reid pederast" it's over 120,000 hits).

Linky Links

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

- The Chestnut blight is a real problem in New England. All of the Chestnut trees I remember from my childhood are gone.

- Heh heh - Homer Kardashian

- Holy crap - what a PR screw up by the Patriots!

- The numbers don't seem to make sense. How can you say something is profitable if you outlay $30 billion and only "hope" to get $5-6 billion back over 20-years?

- Napoleon's bicorn hat is up for auction

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (10) Natural One by Folk Implosion. You never hear this song anymore.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (9) I Threw a Brick Threw a Window by U2. One of their more forgotten songs.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (8) Lullaby by The Cure.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I see Jon Lester as a very similar pitcher to Curt Schilling (except one's a righty the other lefty) and Schilling pitched till he was 40. I would have no problem with the Red Sox extending a 6-7 year contract to Lester at market rates. Bring Jon Lester home... Cool - the top of the Prudential Tower in Boston poking through the clouds... Penn & Teller's Bullsh*t now on Amazon Prime. Pretty excited for that...  Sacrifice... Would Reach-Around Elmo be a good name for a band or fantasy football team?... I wonder if somewhere in Vegas they have the odds on Roger Clemens being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame...

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (7) The Band Played Waltzing Matilda by Liam Clancy of The Clancy Brothers. Seemed a fitting choice for Veteran's Day.

Veterans Day Links

Some links on this Veterans Day that are worth your time,. To all the veterans out there - thank you for your service!

- A list of athletes who served

- In Flanders Fields

- The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month

- Donald Rumsfeld's Veteran's Day Wishes. Rumsfeld is himself a veteran.

- Amen

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering Let the Day Begin by The Call.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

It will be interesting to see what the NCAA does regarding UNC. They are much more tainted than UNLV ever was under Jerry Tarkanian. UMass had to vacate their Final Four appearance because of Marcus Camby who was just one player out of many.... Why is it we say "Slept like a lamb"? Why a lamb? Why not a sloth or a welfare recipient?... This is awesome! Jets fan spends five hours walking around Manhattan... This quote really hit home, "We live two lives. The second one begins when we realize we only have one life to live," Steven Sotloff... Heh heh - Masturbatory Rampage would be a good name for a fantasy football team... Before anyone asks - no I am not related to Loretta Lynch the new choice for AG... The mid-term elections in a nutshell...

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering Straight to Hell by The Clash.

Contagious Abortions

Sometimes bad players can be called "clubhouse cancers" but I feel that is really unfair to cancer. Look at Leah Still in Cincinnati. Or the effect Chuck Pagano's cancer had in Indianapolis. All Red Sox fans are aware of Jon Lester's battle over cancer and that has been nothing but positive in Boston. So let's ditch the phrase "clubhouse cancer".

But what do you use instead to describe players like A-Rod and Ray Rice?

I suggest the phrase "contagious abortions". What do you think? A-Rod is sure to be nothing short of a contagious abortion this spring for the Yankees. Ray Rice returning to the Ravens is going to be nothing but a series of contagious abortions. I think it works.

It would also work as a fantasy football name.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand.

Linky Links

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

- Cool pic of the Milky Way and a meteor shower

- Big archaeological find in Mexico

- Perspective

- Interesting tidbit on the movie Argo

- Daisey Buchanan's was one of the few destination bars in Boston

- Where were the Secret Service?

- Good on ya Marine Major Sinke

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering Jump Into the Fire by Harry Nilsson.

MLB Hot Stove

With officially 150 days till 2015's Opening Day here's the first of what I'm sure will be many Hot Stove thoughts.

- I wonder if the Nationals would entertain an offer of 3-years of Clay Buchholz for free-agent to be Doug Fister? I think Buchholz would benefit from a change of scenery.

- Speaking of Boston trade targets - how about Jeff Samardzija of the A's? It would be just like Billy Bean to flip an asset like that. What does Oakland need?

- Troy Tulowitzki's agent comments on the Rockies potentially trading Tulo. Read the comments. Never realized the venom some Colorado fans have towards Tulowitzki. And comparing him to Gretzky, Shaq and Joe Montana? Jeez.

- I would agree with this sentiment.

- For the record - I am sick of stories on A-Rod. To paraphrase Jason Varitek "I don't read about .240 hitters."

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Saw this idea at another blog (I wish I could remember where) - over the next 100 days I'm going to post one of my favorite songs each day. This isn't an absolute list of my favorite 100 songs but just 100 songs that I really like. The songs are in no particular order. At the end of the 100 days I might just buy all of the songs from iTunes (or you can buy songs for me if the spirit moves you).

Today's offering The Struggle by Scroobius Pip.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Brady's better! (Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap). Brady's better! (Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap)... Interesting profile of C. Dean Metropoulos - the man who saved Pabst Beer (and made $500 million in the process)...  When I read stories about "protesters" - in my mind I always change it to "polyesters". Never fails to make the story more interesting... This always blows my mind - Michael J. Fox's middle name is Andrew... Brady's better! (Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap). Brady's better! (Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap)... Quick reminder... Is there anything funnier than sending a friend into Dunkin Donuts for a large Blumpkin Spice? If they ask just tell them it's half blueberry and half pumpkin... Brady's better! (Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap). Brady's better! (Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap)... Heh heh - funny because it's true... If Justin Beiber made a Christmas CD - I would give it as a gift to people I hate... As far as QB comparisons are concerned - Tom Brady will always be Mary Ann to Peyton Manning's Ginger...

Linky Links

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

- What people make in Hollywood (actors, stuntmen, producers, directors, etc.)

- I want a flying car! Interesting that you have to get it up to 90 mph for takeoff.

- Bill Belichick's record by hoodie. I really hope he's wearing the grey hoodie today.

- Now that Halloween is over - holiday thoughts turn to Thanksgiving. You're welcome!

- On drinking and peeing - the science of "breaking the seal"

- Martial arts fails are always funny

Gunga Galunga

The flowing robes, the grace, bald, the Boston Bruins hat... striking! Big hitter the Lama.