Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks!

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks!

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Not all heroes wear capes. "It's important that we lend a hand and provide them with an enjoyable way to pass the time." Heh heh "lend a hand." On a separate note - what the hell was PornHub doing with 50,000 surgical masks anyway?... US Space Force had it's first official rocket launch yesterday.  An historic event that went almost completely without notice... I've been doing this blog for 16-years now and I don't think I've ever explained that the inspiration for calling these miscellaneous thoughts and observations actually came from the title of my favorite chapter in The Lord of the Rings... In this time of crisis be sure to use both sides of the toilet paper... Babe Ruth caught the Spanish Flu in 1918 - twice! Wonder why the phrase "the grippe" went out of favor? Also note that the Red Sox team doctor did more harm than good. The more things change...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Very funny - Perfectly Timed Photos... The Republican National Committee should try to label President Obama as "the Onceler." The Dr Seuss estate may have a problem with that but the name does fit... I think a one-man stage show of Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea starring Erik Estrada would be so bad it's good in a Springtime for Hitler type way... This site looks very intriguing - Byliner.com. I could spend a day just reading the content that is posted on the front page... Trivia Question: Who held the home run record before Babe Ruth came along? Answer- Roger Connor and his old record for home runs was just 138... Next season on Game of Thrones a great wizard and conjurer is introduced. Some call him Tim... 25 Unintentionally Inappropriate Statues... The phrase "Under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance because Communists couldn't obey both State and God at the same time whereas US citizens could (at least we used to be able to). The phrase was added to emphasize the difference. I may be over-reacting but the people who seem to get the most worked up about "Under God" are the same people who want a powerful central government running all aspects of a person's life... Very cool archaeology. Giant Roman palace unearthed in Upper Egypt... Did you know that Great Britain was once the world champion at ice hockey? They actually won the Gold Medal at the 1936 Winter Olympics. I bet there's a story there... How people view me... Roy Halladay's real name is Harry Leroy Halladay. Harry Halladay? Surprised that fans don't chant that like they chant "Larry" at Chipper Jones.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Thunder Grizzlies would be a good name for a band or a show on the National Geographic Channel... If there were such a thing as the Pimp Olympics - I'd buy a ticket... At some point today I will try to use the phrase "argle-bargle" in conversation. For no good reason at all... Of all the Thompson gunners - Roland was the best... People remember that Lou Gehrig replaced Wally Pipp for the Yankees but who replaced Babe Ruth? I seriously don't know but now am curious about it... Interesting look at Seattle Mariners pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen... I really hope that BC's Mark Herzlich gets picked up by a good team. It would be a bonus if that team was the Patriots... Quote of the Day: "I went to my doctor and told him 'my penis is burning.' He said, 'That means somebody is talking about it.'" - Garry Shandling... Derek Lowe getting arrested for DUI reminded me of this piece a few years ago from Dan Wetzel

Babe Ruth as Santa Claus



Interesting and sad on the anniversary of the day he was traded to the Yankees.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Trivia Question: Who held the home run record before Babe Ruth came along?... Last night Bill Simmons was making excuses for Obama's weak first pitch saying that you had to give him a break because he was wearing a big bullet-proof vest. Some people can't drink enough of the cool-aid. George Bush wore the same vest but he didn't throw like a girl... Someone named David Wells cashed in 603rd place at the WSOP. Could this be Boomer Wells? $21k could buy a lot of hamburgers if it was... Interesting to note that Jim Thome of the White Sox has a CAREER OPS of .965 while Justin Morneau of the Twins has never equaled that OPS in a single season... I've become a fan of Michelob Golden. I understand that it has a very limited distribution area of just Minnesota and Wisconsin. However, Summit Extra Pale Ale is my new favorite Minnesota beer... Jon Heyman of SI speaking of the first pitch by Obama tweeted last night that George Bush's biggest tool was his pitching arm. I disagree. His biggest "tool" was Ari Fleisher... Trivia Answer: His name was Roger Connor and his old record for home runs was just 136

The Lost Generation

Ask not to know for whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee

The phrase "the lost generation" was made famous by Ernest Hemingway. It described the generation of American writers who lived in Paris and other parts of Europe, some after military service in World War I. Members of the Lost Generation included Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, Sherwood Anderson, Waldo Peirce, and John Dos Passos.

Baseball has their own Lost Generation - the players of the so called Steroids Era.

Take a look at the Top 20 Home Run Hitters of all-time. There are 11 players on the list who played from roughly the time of Ernest Hemingway's original Lost Generation back when Babe Ruth first took the field for the Red Sox in 1914 til Mike Schmidt retired in 1989. That's 11 players from a span of 75 years. The Steroids Era put 9 players into the all-time top 20 in just 20 years.

Of those 9 players - 3 are proven steroids users (Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro and Alex Rodriguez) and two are assumed by pretty much everybody to have been users (Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa). That leaves just 4 players on that list who have not been tainted - yet.

Ken Griffey Jr. - injuries have robbed Junior of much of his career. He was considered the natural (pun intended). After A-Rod's revelations would it be so shocking to find out that Junior juiced too? It should be remembered that the accepted story is that Barry Bonds decided to juice after meeting with Junior at Griffey's home and being upset at the attention McGwire was getting.

Jim Thome - let's be honest. If you asked people who knew nothing about baseball to pick out the players on steroids from any team picture of any team Thome has been on - then the stocky muscular Thome gets picked almost every time.

Manny Ramirez - I was the biggest Manny apologist for the longest time but I wouldn't be surprised at this point if his name was among that list of 104.

Frank Thomas - Oh no - not the Big Hurt! Many people point out Barry Bonds magic hat size expansion as proof of his juicing. Who has a bigger noggin in baseball than Frank Thomas?

The point is that none of the home run hitters of the steroids era are above suspicion anymore. If feel bad for Junior, Thome, Manny and Frank Thomas if they did things the clean way because now they will forever be lumped in with the Bonds, Palmeiros and A-Rod's.

Ask not for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for you and your favorite home run hitter.

The Home Run Record

Everyone who follows baseball knows that Barry Bonds is on the cusp of passing Hank Aaron as the all-time home run king. Likewise everyone knows that Hank Aaron surpassed Babe Ruth's then record 714 home runs to grab the crown. However - you would have to be a real baseball geek to know who Babe Ruth passed to become the home run king in his own right.

The answer to that is Roger Connor who held the home run record before Babe Ruth came along. And how many home runs did Connor have? Just 136. That should give you a good idea of how much Babe Ruth changed the game of baseball.