Linky Links

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

- Army releases info on prototype "third arm"technology. US Marines brag about having "third leg" standard issue since 1775.

- Great advice from Naval.

- Well this helps explain Peyton Manning's huge forehead

- No way Bryan Colangelo keeps his job. He's a liability to the 76ers.

- Interesting - everything you know about surviving a rip current might be wrong.

- Steve Miller seems like a mensch

- Bill James hits the issue with Bryan Colangelo on the head.

Linky Links

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

- Scientists have found evidence of a ninth planet hiding at the edge of our solar system (not Pluto)

- Magma is a fantastic band - I was mesmerized

- Interesting

- Heh heh

- I have the sensibilities of a 14-year old boy so I find the whole concept of a revenge fart hilarious

- How Esquire discovered Bill James

Linky Links

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

- Sad - David Milch is broke because of his gambling addiction. Makes you wonder if the proposed Deadwood movie is just a money grab on his part.

- Heh heh

- Gary Sinise is the man

- Paul Pierce - if the 76ers picked me they would have two championships by now

- Who knew? Bill James is both a great writer and a fan of The Simpsons

Linky Links

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

- Heh heh - Bill James predicted a Donald Trump Presidential campaign back in 2001.

- 7 potential health reasons why coffee is good for you

- How Mark Cuban actually became a billionaire (it wasn't Powerball)

- Tim Tebow is a fantastic human being

- David Bowie's 100 favorite books

- Tom Brady and "playing catch"

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

A friend checked last night and apparently autographed Aaron Hernandez jerseys are selling on eBay for $90. Didn't OJ memorabilia go up in price drastically after he was charged with murder?... I would love to have this T-Shirt... So if I'm understanding the stories coming out of New York correctly - A-Rod is a centaur who is being shunned by the Yankees because he taught humans at Hogwarts. Did I get that right?... Heh heh - Hollywood looking to move productions overseas because of costs of Obamacare. Schadenfreude anyone?...  Have to admit that I will laugh at people who end up with Aaron Hernandez in fantasy football because they have to autodraft... Just saying but Easter 2014 is on 4/20. I predict record amounts of chocolate will be consumed... Someone should get Bill James to write about the Aaron Hernandez case. Besides baseball - James' passion is crime stories. His Popular Crime is a great book detailing the history of crimes in the US...

Popular Crime

Bill James is a very good writer. He is best known as the father of Sabermetrics but in my opinion he's a better writer than statistician. That's saying something. And I haven't even mentioned how what a great sense of humor Bill James has.

His most recent book Popular Crime: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence was a very good read. James combines his excellent writing skills, history that most of us probably never knew or had forgotten and a sense of logic and common sense to give explanations of what probably actually happened in these sensational crimes.

I grew up knowing the Lizzie Borden rhyme about giving her mother 40 whacks. Now I know the whole story thanks to James. I do admit that I did get a bit bogged down with James' idea of giving points to decide guilt but that is a small quibble. If you like history, crime or just good writing then you'll like Popular Crime.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Bill James not only wants to rid the world of the unnecessary bunt but also thinks that eventually we will get rid of murder. Interesting interview.

- The dog days of summer are the proper time to argue over who was the greater NBA center - Rick Robey or Greg Ostertag

- Time-lapse photography of a dust storm in Arizona. I find the photography very cool but am concerned about damage dust storm did. Like seeing an accident on the side of the road not knowing if there was a fatality.

- David Hasselhoff is coming to "Sons of Anarchy."

- Swamp Ass PSA starring Nathan Fillion. Am I the only one who things to could market knock off Gold Bond Powder as Swamp Ass Powder?

- Very cool and thought provoking video. Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson. I look forward to the book.

- Mathieu Bich Fooled Penn and Teller. Very cool magic trick.

Bill James Playoff Predictor - Red Sox vs Angels

The Bill James (happy 60th birthday) Playoff Predictor method has been very accurate in the past in predicting winners. Here's how the Red Sox stack up against the Angels

1. 1 pt to the lead team for each half-game in the standings (Angels 4)
2. 3 pts to the team that scored more runs (Angels 3)
3. 14 pts to the team with fewer doubles (Angels 14)
4. 12 pts to the team with more triples (Angels 12)
5. 10 pts to the team with more home runs (Red Sox 10)
6. 8 pts to the team with the lower team batting average (Red Sox 8)
7. 8 pts to the team that committed fewer errors (Red Sox 8)
8. 7 pts to the team that turned more double plays (Angels 7)
9. 7 pts to the team that walked more batters (Red Sox 7)
10. 19 pts to the team that had more shutouts (Angels 19)
11. 15 pts to the team whose ERA was lower (Red Sox 15)
12. 12 pts to the team that has been in postseason most recently or went further (Red Sox 12)
13. 12 pts to the team that won season series (Angels 12)

Angels 71 - Red Sox 60

The Bill James Playoff Predictor does not bode well for the Boston Red Sox

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I wonder if all the votes for AL Rookie of the Year are already in? If not Rick Porcello has the ultimate stage to impress voters when he starts for the Tigers in the one-game playoff on Tuesday. Not sure who wins this game but my gut says it will be a relatively high scoring affair.... Joe Flacco was OK for the Ravens yesterday but don't forget the name Dominic Randolph. He's the starting QB for Holy Cross and he's a better player than either Flacco or Ryan Fitzpatrick were in college... The one game playoff reminds me of one of my favorite stats. Jim Rice started for Boston back in 1978 when the Red Sox faced the Yankees in a one-game playoff (f*cking Bucky Dent). That meant that Rice played in all 163 games that season. Only Brandon Inge is close to that mark having played in 160 games so far this season... The New Orleans Saints defense has been as impressive as the offense. Adding Gregg Williams as Defensive Coordinator and Darren Sharper to a one-year deal have really made a difference... I think one of the main lessons so far in this NFL season is don't fire your Offensive Coordinator during the pre-season games. The Bills and the Buccaneers have been awful so far.... Happy 60th birthday to baseball genius Bill James...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Interesting piece by Bill James regarding steroids and the HOF. I agree with James that steroids, hormones and other wonder drugs will most likely be a large part of our culture in the future. However, his talk of wonder drugs and sexuality make me think of Aldous Huxley and his vision of the future in Brave New World. That never came to be. Overall I find James' logic to be flawed... OJ said wear Spot-bilt's or he'd kill our moms... Cool blog - Sexy Archaeology. $500 million treasures, killer asteroids, and 4,000 year old keg parties - and that's just the latest post... Since being traded to the Mets - Johan Santana has been 27-15 with a 2.74 ERA in the DH-less NL. During that same time Jon Lester has been 24-13 with a 3.45 ERA in the tough AL East. Given the age difference and salary difference - I don't think I would trade Lester for Santana straight up... Heh heh- OJ went bad only after he switched from Dingo's to Bruno Magli's... Today should have been Walter Payton's 55th birthday... Heh heh - failure to thrive, and fatigue... Today used to be the Feast of Saint Christopher in the Catholic Church. You may have guessed that St. Christopher would logically be very close to my heart...

Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.

I'm not sure what I think about the Red Sox signing Bartolo Colon. I know the deal is the proverbial low-risk high reward deal. I like the idea that the Red Sox are not standing pat and are trying to make sure they have both depth and options for the 5th starter. However, I don't like the idea of wasting time on a guy who may be washed up when there are a number of young pitchers who can use as much individual attention from the pitching staff as possible. Attention which is diluted by any time spent on Colon. Supposedly Colon can ask to be released by May 1st if he isn't in the majors... In case you missed it - here is Bill James' article on Craig Biggio that appeared in Slate. I must say that for a guy who likes to let the stats do the talking Bill James can have some selective memory. James talks about souring on Craig Biggio a bit because Biggio hung around to get 3,000 hits and because his defense wasn't that great the last few years. That exact same description could be used for Wade Boggs but yet James has never "soured" on Boggs...

Interesting Bill James Article

Nice article on Bill James in the Wall Street Journal.

James has to be very careful about what he says about players and what he does for the team out of concern of tipping the Red Sox hand. He never lets anyone know what he's really thinking or working on. I'm betting Bill James would make an excellent poker player. I also hope that when he's all done with the Red Sox that he writes a book about his experiences. I'd buy that book in a second.