It's a Wonderful Cure for Bad Eyesight

It's a Wonderful Life was on last night giving me the opportunity to nitpick on this one little thing that has always bothered/amused me.

When Jimmy Stewart is alive and him and Donna Reed are busy making kids - her eyesight is perfect. No eyeglasses for Donna Reed. But when Jimmy never existed - all of a sudden the librarian / spinister Reed needs eyeglasses. What happened?

Now you can argue that she needs glasses because as a librarian she reads more books but I'm not buying that. I think Frank Capra was trying to send out a pro-sex message. Sex is so good it makes your eyesight better! Jimmy Stewart's cure for nearsightedness (that would be a good name for a band - well maybe not).

Christmas Wish

"Spirit! are they yours?" Scrooge asked, horrified. He could say no more.

"They are Man's," said the Spirit, "and they cling to me, appeaing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, but most of all beware the boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased."

- Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol

Every year at Christmas I re-read A Christmas Carol. It is a very short book (not even a long short story really). It is my personal Christmas tradition.

I hope in the year to come that you can work to erase ignornance in your life and want in the lives of those you love.

Merry Christmas - God bless us everyone!

Dr. Seuss in the 21st Century



Some pretty good entries in a FARK photoshop thread.

Top 5 - Best Versions of Dickens' Christmas Carol

1. Scrooge - with Alastair Sim
2. A Christmas Carol - with Patrick Stewart
3. Mickey's Christmas Carol
4. The Muppet Christmas Carol
5. Scrooged - with Bill Murray

Jason Varitek Re-Signs with the Red Sox

There seemed to be two competing sayings about value at work in the negotiations for catcher Jason Varitek.

The first saying goes something like this, "there are two types of value: real value and perceived value."

The Red Sox front office are big on real value. They are Moneyball men (with lots of money). The Red Sox front office know the stats. They know the facts. Bill James is famous for his theory on the declining production of catchers over the age of 32. Theo Epstein was definitely aware that Varitek's OPS for his career is more than 100 points higher at Fenway than on the road. Larry Lucchino was aware that Varitek's stats on the road were average to mediocre at best. John Henry was probably aware that from a business standpoint - the Red Sox were bidding against themselves for Varitek.

Yet the Red Sox front office gave Jason Varitek a 4-year, $40 million contract.

This brings us to the second saying on value - "there are two types of value: what something is worth to me and what something is worth to you (the other teams in baseball)."

Jason Varitek was definitely worth more to the Red Sox than to any other team in the league.

Jason Varitek has been called the "heart and soul" of the team so many times that it is no longer arguable. Varitek's preparation has been credited by the pitching staff for their success to the point that they have much more confidence with Varitek behind the plate than anyone else. The Red Sox ended up paying Varitek lots of money for his "intangibles".

There was also the fact that there really wasn't any alternative. If the Red Sox failed to sign Varitek - who could they turn to? Brent Mayne or Paul Bako?

So yes - according to stats and to actuarial tables the Red Sox both overpaid Varitek and gave him too many years on his contract but to the Red Sox it was definitely worth it.

Red Sox Catcher Flotsam and Jetsam:

- Red Sox uber-consultant Bill James invented the win shares method but I think that Varitek helps expose a glaring weakness in how the system values catchers. Varitek was fifth in the AL among catchers last year in win shares (he had 17). You could make valid arguments that all four of the catchers above Varitek are better than Varitek but how can you make the argument that Javy Lopez is a better defensive catcher than Varitek (5.1 defensive win shares vs. 4.6)? The win shares method does a poor job in evaluating a catcher's worth to the defense and to the pitching staff and I wouldn't be surprised if James is working on ways to correct this problem.

- With Wade Miller in the fold - there is a real possibility that Time Wakefield may start the season in the bullpen. Where does that leave Doug Mirabelli? Last year he acted as Wakefield's personal catcher (a move that rested Varitek every fifth start). Varitek is a switch hitter and does good against lefties (.826 OPS for his career) but Mirabelli does VERY good against lefties (.909 career OPS with a HR once every 15.5 AB). Maybe Francona will rest Varitek against lefties?

Happy Festivus!



Today is December 23rd. Today is traditionally the day that Festivus (a festivus for the rest of us) is observed. Of course the great thing about Festivus is that it can be observed any day during the holiday season. Different people celebrate Festivus in different ways. What was the genesis of Festivus? Well here' what HowStuffWorks.com has to say:

This man's name is Frank Costanza. During a routine outing to secure a Christmas gift for his son George, events transpired which would forever change the landscape of the holiday season.

In his own words: "Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had -- but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way! [The doll] was destroyed. But out of that, a new holiday was born. 'A Festivus for the rest of us!'"

The three major elelments of Festivus include:

The Festivus Pole

As a symbol of the anti-holiday commercialization, devotees of Festivus display a large pole in a prominent location in their home or dwelling. The pole is aluminum, chosen due to its very high strength-to-weight ratio, and is never decorated (this stems from founder Frank Costanza's belief that "tinsel is distracting"). After the celebration is over, it is not uncommon for a pole to be placed in an out-of-the-way place, such as a crawl space.

Not sure if rebar qualifies but in the spirit of Festivus - anything is possible!

The Airing of Grievances

"Welcome, new comers. The tradition of Festivus begins with the airing of grievances. I got a lot of problems with you people! And now you're gonna hear about it!" -Frank Costanza

During the Festivus celebration, friends and family come together to recognize the holiday with an annual dinner. While no specific foods are relevant to the holiday, the dinner contains the most vocal of the Festivus traditions: the Airing of Grievances.

During the Airing of Grievances, a Festivus devotee informs all those in attendance how they disappointed him the year before. It is also a time to report any ongoing problem or irritation that one is having with anyone else celebrating at the dinner. Everyone in attendance is given the chance to speak before the last tradition of Festivus begins...

The Feats of Strength

"Until you pin me, George, Festivus is not over!" -Frank Costanza

In accordance with Festivus tradition, the celebration may not end until two people participate in a contest known as the Feats of Strength. During this event, the head of the household (or the host of the Festivus dinner) challenges one of the guests to a test of physical strength. The challenger may choose anyone as an opponent and a challenge may not be refused unless, of course, the challenged has a previous engagement.

You can find more info on Festivus here.

Christmas Classic

BK Lounge Christmas

No Reason - Just Felt Like Posting This

So I jump ship in Hong Kong and make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas. A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking.

So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one - big hitter, the Lama - long, into a ten-thousand foot crevasse, right at the base of this glacier. Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-galunga.

So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness."

So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

Today in History

Nuts = Wicked Awesome!

Top 5 - Game Show Hosts

1. Bob Barker - The Price is Right
2. Alex Trebeck - Jeopardy
3. Gene Rayburn - Match Game
4. Bob Eubanks - The Newlywed Game
5. Chuck Barris - The Gong Show

Hog vs. Dog?

This is pretty sick - barbaric I think would be the proper word.

A couple things from the report jumped out at me. First isn't this what is always said by the neighbors:

John Burnett says the Parkers are good neighbors, and he can't imagine they were doing anything illegal.

The only thing he forgot to add was that "they were quiet and kept to themselves."

It also seemed more like hog slaughter than hog fighting:

An Alabama TV station working undercover took pictures of a staged fight between dogs and wild boar that have had their tusks removed, leaving them helpless.

A national problem?

The humane society says hog-dogging is a national problem and the ring was profiting on the bloody fights by selling videos.

Kiddie porn, snuff films and now hog vs. dog films. Some elements of our society are just sick. I don't even want to think about it.

This was the clincher for me:

Dogfighting itself is a felony in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Can't you just picture these folks walking free because their lawyer is able to argue that since it wasn't dog vs. dog that it actually wasn't "dogfighting". The fact that a law on dogfighting had to be put on the books is a sad reflection on North and South Carolina in the first place. You shouldn't have to spell out that certain things are just wrong.

Kevin Millar vs. Shawn Green

It looks like the Randy Johnson trade to the Yankees is dead (for now). The one thing that I didn't understand was the Diamondbacks fascination with acquiring Shawn Green.

The Diamondbacks would have received Green, starter Brad Penny and reliever Yhency Brazoban. The way I look at it - the Red Sox could offer Bronson Arroyo instead of Penny (that's pretty even), a top prospect instead of Brazoban (that's pretty even depending on the prospect) and Kevin Millar instead of Shawn Green. Let's take a look at how even Millar vs. Green would be:

Millar 2004: .297 BA / .383 OBP / .474 SLG / .857 OPS

Green 2004: .266 BA / .352 OBP / .459 SLG / .811 OPS

Both can play either first or the outfield (I grant that Green is a much better outfielder than Millar). Over the past two years Millar has averaged 21.5 HR and 85 RBI while Green averaged 23.5 HR and 85.5 RBI. That's pretty even but I admit that Green gets the edge and you have to factor in that Green has proven that he can hit 40+ HR in a season and drive in 100+ RBI while Millar has not. However, that was in the past and Green also now comes with a much higher pricetag ($15 million for this year vs. just about $3.5 million for Millar).

Consider the fact that for the past two years Shawn Green has posted OPS+ numbers of 113 and 117 and for his career he is at 124. Meanwhile for the last two years Millar has posted 117 and 110 numbers with a career OPS+ of 121. Again - that's pretty even.

I know that Randy Johnson would have to agree to come to the Red Sox first for this to even go anywhere and I know that Shawn Green is more of a "name" player but as far as production is concerned - Green and Millar right now are about dead even.

I haven't even mentioned the fact that Green may be considered "damaged goods" because of his shoulder while Millar has plodded along as a pretty healthy player.

Charlie Weis at Notre Dame

I have a new piece up at American Digest on Charlie Weis taking the head coaching job at Notre Dame.

Enjoy!

Top 5 - Samuel L. Jackson Movies

Today is Samuel L. Jackson's 56th birthday - so here are his top 5 movies

1. Pulp Fiction
2. A Time to Kill
3. Die Hard with a Vengence
4. Jackie Brown
5. The Incredibles

Odds on a White Christmas

Here are some of the odds on whether it will snow on Christmas at different spots accross the country:

- Chicago: Yes -$125 / No -$105
- Detroit: Yes -$135 / No +$105
- Kansas City (Missouri): Yes +$125 / No -$155
- Los Angeles (at LAX): Yes 400 to 1
- Nashville: Yes +$130 / No -$160
- New York City: Yes -$105 / No -$125
- Washington DC: Yes +$120 / No -$150 (the No here is the best bet I think)

Just a reminder on how this works - take Detroit for an example - you would have to risk $135 to win $100 betting on Yes while you would have to risk $100 to win $105 betting on No. So for the No bet on Washington, you would risk $150 to win $100.

Morning Links

- Holy crap! The Patriots lost! I went to bed with 5 minutes left in the game! What the hell happened (sorry - I guess if I just read the link I'd have my answer.)

- Red Sox trade Roberts for Payton

- 41 players are non-tendered making them free agents - Wade Miller is biggest name on list (interesting that Detroit cut ties to Eric Munson - I think this leaves them without a true third baseman and the remaining free agent third basemen bring to mind the word scrubs. Could a trade be in the works? Or do they really plan to use catcher Brandon Inge at third full time?)

- The Angles sign Cabrera to a 4-year deal. Good luck Orlando - you're a winner and I'll be rooting for you.

- Now Aleve is linked to heart trouble? I'm screwed if Advil is next on the list.

- Mark Steyn on saying "Merry Christmas".

- Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince to be released in July. About freakin' time!

Information I Did Not Need To Know

If you do a MSN search for "lomg cock" - A Large Regular comes up as the fourth choice.

I wonder how many results you would have to go through for this result in a search for "the giant black cock"?

MMQB Review

Here are the five things I think I think about today's offering from Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback:

1. Peter spends alot of ink on Eli Manning's performance against Pittsburgh. King withholds any prediction about Manning's future but I think he has "Tony Eason" written all over him.

2. Peter calls the single season TD record "the most overhyped record since ESPN overhyped the last record." I couldn't agree more.

3. Last night I'm at The 111 Chop House waiting for my table, sitting in the bar. Next to me is this old woman sipping a martini and having onion rings. She tells me out of nowhere that anytime Peter King even mentions his daughters in his columns - its bad news. She then tells me that she doesn't think Peter King even exists. She thinks that SI just photoshopped what they think Yukon Cornelius would look like without a beard and posted that picture. According to the old woman - MMQB is actually written by a mailboy from Starbuck's corporate office in Seattle.

4. "Is Rick Majerus psycho?" I have to agree with Peter on this one. Would anyone be surprised if they read one day that Majerus was found trying to open the doors of stranger's rooms in the Newark Marriott wearing nothing but Ragu sauce?

5. Peter picks the Patriots to win tonight but not cover the spread with a 21-17 victory. This means load up on the Patriots because Peter never picks these Monday Night games right.

Independent Websites

I want to change the way we talk. I would like to see the words "Independent Website" used in more formal settings or in discussions instead of the word "blog."

Recently I started contributing as Sports Editor for the American Digest. Now the American Digest is in the top 200 sites in the TTLB Ecosystem but saying "it's one of the top 200 blogs on the Internet" just doesn't sound as impressive as saying "it's one of the top 200 independent websites on the Internet."

I know this is like calling a garbageman a sanitation engineer but it works. I have friends who are journalists and trust me if I say that I now write for one of the top 200 independent websites on the Internet - they are impressed. However biased and ignorant it is on their part - they still hold their noses when the word "blog" is mentioned.

I know that some may think this whole idea pretentious. I understand that. I also know that some people love the word "blog" (I do too). A rose by any other name still smells as sweet. The MSM (old journalism) won't eat snails but they may shell out big bucks if we call it escargot.

That's all I'm saying.

(PS - as an aside - my spellchecker wants to replace the word "escargot" with "Eucharist". I found that amusing.)

Heh Heh



Hat tip American Digest

Morning Links

- New Peter Gammons goodness

- Sacrifices past and present - I am grateful to one and all

- Varitek and 6 other Red Sox decline arbitration

- Al Franken (who was a well known abuser of cocaine while working at SNL) could not be reached for comment

- Mark Steyn - Shave the whales! (Hat tip Betsy's Page)

- Very funny David Sedaris send-up (hat tip American Digest)

Separated at Birth?





4th and 9er's coach Dennis Erickson and Tweak.

Red Sox - 3 and 3

With the signings of Renteria and Clement - Theo Epstein's off-season job boils down to dealing with 3 and 3. He has three more roster spots to fill - back-up outfielder, starting catcher and middle utility infielder. He also has three players he's trying to trade off the current roster.

Let's take a closer look at the 3 and 3.

For the roster spots:

- Back-up outfielder: this was the position held by Gabe Kapler and currently held by Dave Roberts. The problem is that Epstein has promised Roberts that he'd trade him to a team where Roberts can be a starter. This means that Theo will fill this position via trade. Jay Payton, Xavier Nady, Bobby Kielty are some of the names being thrown out there as possibilities. I wouldn't be surprised to see a three-team deal here.

- Starting catcher: most likely this will be Jason Varitek. Right now it seems like the Red Sox have been bidding against themselves. The idea that maybe Jason doesn't want to return must be considered (strongly). I don't think anyone will offer Varitek more than 4/$34 million - so I don't see what the delay is. The only team out there with that kind of money is the Dodgers and their GM - Paul DePodesta is a Billy Beane disciple and Beane made it perfectly clear that he was no fan of Varitek.

- Middle infielder: Pokey Reese is perfect for this spot but Pokey may get a starting SS or 2nd job somewhere or the Sox may fill this position via trade. I like Pokey and I'm hoping he re-ups with the team.

Three players Theo is trying to move:

- Dave Roberts: as mentioned above - Theo made a promise to Roberts that he'd try and move him to a team where he can start. Roberts is widely hailed as a gentleman and in New England - his steal off Mariano Rivera has made him a folk hero. The Padres and Diamondbacks both need a cost effective centerfielder - so I would look for him to wind up in either of those two spots.

- Byung Hyun Kim: He's due to make $6 million this year and it seems like a fresh start would do him well. Right now Kim stands as Theo's biggest mistake but I think if you think about that for a minute it only helps further underlines how well Theo has done. The Yankees have contracts like Kevin Brown and Jason Giambi while the Sox just have Kim.

- Kevin Millar or Doug Mientkiewicz. Only one can start at first base and neither is willing to be a back-up. One must go. Both have their pluses. Millar is a known quantity and he has been good for the clubhouse. Theo rescued Millar from Japan but I wouldn't be surprised (I hope it doesn't happen but I wouldn't be surprised) if Millar burnt bridges after being traded. Mientkiewicz is a Gold Glover at first and maybe a full season hitting balls off the Monster would do wonders for him. Flip a coin over who to keep and who to trade. Personally I'd like to see both traded and Todd Helton come in (with the Rockies picking up all but $10 million per year of his contract).

Well - the above is what Theo Epstein will be dealing with for the rest of the winter. Good luck Theo.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations:

- President Bush was named Time's Person of the Year. Just think - just yesterday you could have gotten 3-1 odds on Bush.

- This is great! If there's one thing everyone can agree on - it's the fact that everyone hates spam (except singing Vikings).

- So bad it's funny. William Hung from American Idol fame has a Christmas album out - Hung for the Holidays. At just $8 it may be worth it as a joke gift.

- The "bunch of idiots" idea was pure genius on the part of the Red Sox players. The idea disguises the fact that these guys are pure professionals (nobody studies hitting more than Manny Ramirez or pitching more than Curt Schilling). Keeping loose is good and the "idiots" idea allowed the players to avoid stupid reporter questions.

- Wow! It's only been one month (exactly) since the "Malace at the Palace". It seems like a much longer time has past since Ron Artest went up into the stands in Detroit (Auburn Hills).

Top 5 - Christmas Songs by Rock Stars

1. Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Bruce Springsteen
2. Do They Know It's Christmas - Band Aid
3. Father Christmas - The Kinks
4. God Rest Ye Merry Genlemen - Bare Naked Ladies
5. Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby and David Bowie

Separated at Birth?





Michael Vick and Chris Rock.

Who will be named Time magazine's "Person of the Year 2004"?

Here are the odds

George W. Bush 3/1

Karl Rove 5/1

Tony Blair 8/1

The Bloggers 10/1

Christopher Reeve 15/1

The American Soldier 20/1

Kofi Annan 25/1

The Boston Red Sox 10/1

Mel Gibson 50/1

Michael Moore 55/1

Arnold Schwarzenegger 75/1

Desperate Housewives 100/1

Paris Hilton 200/1

Field 4/5

(Field could be a good bet because it includes people like the Swift Boat Vets, the Pope and the guys who invented Google among others - although I say Bush has to be a strong favorite.)

Another Nice Thing About the Tim Hudson Trade

Another nice off-shoot of the Tim Hudson trade is the fact that now the Braves have no interest in acquiring Kevin Brown from the Yankees. Brown is from Georgia and the Braves are one of the only teams Brown would waive his no-trade clause to join.

Combine that with the fact that not many teams would be interested in taking on the 39-year old, hot-headed pitcher even if the Yankees picked up the entire tab - this means Brown gets another summer in the Bronx. Just being around- Brown will be disruptive to the pitching staff and the team. I would think that the Yankees would prefer a rotation of Johnson, Mussina, Pavano, Wright and El Duque to any rotation that includes Kevin Brown.

Heh heh.

Top 5 - Worst Airports in the US

1. Washington / Dulles
2. Washington / Dulles
3. Washington / Dulles
4. Washington / Dulles
5. (tie) Boston / Logan, (tie) LAX, (tie) Chicago / O'Hare, (tie) Hartford / Bradley

It's a Great Day to Be Flying!

That seems to be the slogan here at United / Ted but it seems pretty ironic when me and about 150 people are all waiting in a customer service line at Dulles Airport because our flight was delayed due to high winds on takeoff (we were too heavy with passengers and gas to take off - so United had to burn off gas and wait until another gap in the takeoff patterns - this took over an hour and a half) and everyone with a connecting flight missed it. Now United is putting us all up in a hotel (supposedly the Hyatt) and making arrangements for us to fly out to our different destinations in the morning.

This was truly a hell flight (I don't mean to turn all Peter King on you with my unpleasant travel story of the week or whatever he calls his travelogue cries for attention). First the delay. Then the realization that everyone would be missing their connecting flights (the mood was ugly - patience went out the window). Then I was faced with only Coors Light, Miller Lite, MGD and Heineken as my choices for beer (and then they ran out of Coors Light!).

It would have been OK if there was a decent movie but I was stuck with The Princess Diaries II. No problem - I packed A Moveable Feast by Hemingway for the trip but then my reading lamp went out. I kid you not.

I'm actually in pretty good spirits but I'd rather be home. Instead I'm staying at the Hyatt (and it probably won't even count for MY points).

Sorry United - today was not a good day to be flying (at least not with you).

Where will the Expos / Nationals Play?

Which 2-city combination will be the Nationals home(s) for the 2005 and the 2006 MLB season? Here are the odds:

Washington-Washington 9/5

Washington-Las Vegas 9/2

Washington-Virginia 5/1

Washington-Portland 5/1

Virginia-Virginia 8/1

Las Vegas-Las Vegas 12/1

Portland-Portland 12/1

Other-Las Vegas 15/1

Other-Virginia 15/1

Other-Portland 18/1

Other Combination 10/1

Miscellaneous Thoughts

Sorry for the light blogging this week. I'm out in San Diego and will be spending much of the day in airports. Some miscellaneous thoughts:

- It's not a good idea to ever tell a woman that she looks kinda like Peter Gammons.

- At the airport on the way out, I got an Eggnog latte from Starbucks. I do this every year because Peter King always raves about them. Every year I only buy one because it tastes like grit. The thing is - I know that next year I'll probably buy another one.

- I like the Tim Hudson trade from the Braves perspective. The Braves have to be the favorites again in the NL East. Smoltz, Hudson, Thomson, Hampton and Ramirez is an excellent starting five but more importantly - a front ended rotation with Smoltz and Hudson make the Braves very dangerous in the playoffs. If those two can remain healthy - then the Braves are a good longshot to win the World Series next year.

- If you think about it - calling tuna "Chicken of the sea" is kinda a slur on tuna.

The Buckler

There's Christian Rock but no Christian Wrestling - I say we change that.

In the comments section on another post I mentioned the following Bible verse:

"As for God, His way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: He is a buckler to all those who trust in him"

- Psalm 18:30

I got to thinking that "The Buckler" would be a great name for a Christian wrestler. Last night I went out to dinner and there was a non-alcoholic beer on the menu called - you guessed it - Buckler. Vince McMahon has to make this happen.

Here's the idea - a Christian wrestler who only wrestles to spread the Gospel. He' gets sponsored by Heineken (they make Buckler beer) and the other wrestler's make fun of his religion in order to get him to lose his cool. Can't you picture the Undertaker getting the Buckler in a choke hold and saying, "Where's your Moses now?" (like Dathan from The Ten Commandments). Triple H could pile drive him and ask, "Your God, your God - why has he abandoned you?"

The Buckler in turn could come out with a signature surrender hold called "the crucifixion." The Buckler's entrance music could be some gospel standard or something by Creed. You hear "Onward Christian Soldiers" over the PA and McMahon says, "Is that the Buckler's music I hear?"

It would be controversial and that's what wrestling thrives on. This could be huge.

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

Christmas Ain't Going Nowhere - Relax

Hugh Hewitt links to some columns dealing with a Newsweek story on the divinity (or lack thereof) in the nativity and asks what Newsweek's attempt at debunking the divinity of Jesus says about the MSM in his latest symposium.

I understand where Hugh is coming from on this but I think he may be just looking to pick a fight. Yes the media comes off as atheistic or agnostic but it has been that way for ages (remember the Gene Kelly reporter character in Inherit the Wind?). Yes Meacham is trying to be controversial with his column but doesn't controversy sell more magazine copies than stories about the world's biggest Christmas tree?

The flintlock to this firestorm is an article in Newsweek by Jon Meacham. Let me just say that Jon Meacham's scholarship and writing ability in this article are about as good as the psychoanalytic ability of the store shrink in A Miracle of 34th Street. I mean just look at Meacham's opening paragraph:

The news was unwelcome, baffling, frightening; nothing about it was expected or explicable. Roughly 2,000 years ago, according to the Gospel of Luke, in Nazareth of Galilee, a young woman found herself in the presence of Gabriel, the angelic messenger of the Lord whose name was known to Jews of the day as the mysterious figure who had granted Daniel his prophetic visions. The woman, Luke writes, was "a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David," and her name was Mary, Luke's Greek form of the Hebrew Miriam, the sister of Moses and the first great prophetess of Israel. "Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee," Gabriel said, "blessed art thou amongst women"—terrifying Mary, who "was troubled at his saying." Stunned and confused, Mary made no reply, her face apparently betraying anxiety and awe. Sensing her confusion and fear, Gabriel was reassuring: "Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God."

After reading this you'd expect the average Newsweek reader to sit "stunned and confused". Meacham loses about 99% of the Newsweek readers with this awful opening paragraph (the other 1% are the readers Hewitt sent over and told "read the whole thing").

(As an aside - Meacham does mention The Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus by John P. Meier as one of scholarly sources. I highly recommend this book but suggest you read it yourself and make up your own mind.)

Hugh first points to a column by Albert Mohler to refute Meacham. Mohler talks about Meacham using "an entire corps of liberal scholars" and that Meacham "makes extensive use of material drawn from liberal forces" and Mohler finishes up by saying "Jon Meacham is the classic self-congratulatory theological liberal". Liberal! Liberal! Liberal! I damn thee! No wonder Hugh Hewitt loves Albert Mohler!

The tone of Mohler's column was just angry. I mean at one one point I thought Mohler was so worked up that he was going to call Meacham nothing but a lousy Unitarian.

Hugh also points us to a series of articles written by Mark Roberts.

I must say that I enjoyed the articles by Roberts. I found the tone to be grandfatherly. It was as if Roberts was saying, "I know what they are trying to get you to believe but let me tell you the facts." Roberts then lays out a logical, forensic disenbowelment of Meacham's "argument" (MSM scare quotes - get it?).

Roberts breaks his argument into five sections but he really could have done it in one. In Part 2 he points out that 99.9999% of the people who care about Christmas agree on the basics. Roberts also points out that Meacham is only citing "scholars" who fall into the minority (even in liberal circles) as his sources.

In other words - Meacham is being biased in order to generate a controversy. Buyer beware. Or in more direct words - don't waste your time reading his tripe.

I think Hugh makes the mistake in thinking this is some sort of left attack on the right. It's just poor journalism (and poor writing if you ask me) and nothing else. The Democratic Party is home to literally millions of Catholics who could potentially also be alienated by this article by Meacham. There's no left wing conspiracy - just conspiracy meant to generate controversy - meant to generate magazine sales.

I don't deny the liberal bent of Newsweek and the MSM in general but I also differentiate between picking your fights and picking a fight. I think Hugh may be picking a fight here when he should just be shaking his head.

Frankly I'm disappointed in all the authors for not addressing the fact that virgin birth, death and resurrection of a savior figure is a pretty common motif among many religions. Did anyone go into the fact that Luke was a Greek and therefore maybe had a different viewpoint and audience for his writing than the other Gospel writers? These are the things I'd be interested in reading more about.

Christianity has always subsumed some of the remnants of the belief systems of the people they converted. When the Germanic tribes converted - the Christians said, "OK you accept Christianity and you can keep some of the yuletime traditions like that tree you like to decorate." When the Irish converted they said - "yes you accept Christianity and we'll let you decorate the cross with Celtic designs." If some of the virgin birth myths of Greek mythology crept into Christianity - so what? It doesn't alter the central teaching of Jesus "Love thy neighbor as thyself".

And isn't that what Christmas is all about?

Happy Birthday Bill Buckner

Today is Bill Buckner's 55th birthday and the event has pretty much gone unnoticed as has Billy Buck since the Sox finally won the World Series.

Buckner has suffered greatly since "that play" and hopefully now people will give him a break. Buckner had a borderline Hall of Fame career but is known for just that one play. Billy Buck had 2,715 hits (53rd all-time), 498 doubles (44th all-time) and a batting title to his credit but all anyone remembers is that play. It's a shame.

I hate to admit it but Buckner reminds me of the joke about the man at the bar complaining, "I was captain of the school football team - but does anyone call me captain? I saved six kids from a burning building - but does anyone call me hero? But just one time - you suck one cock and you're a cocksucker forever."

Sorry about that.

Anyway. Happy 55th Billy Buck.

Curt Schilling to Miss Red Sox Opening Day

Curt Schilling announced this morning on WEEI in Boston that he in all probabilities will not be recovered enough from his ankle surgery to pitch Opening Day.

My first thought is to hope that Curt takes all the time he needs to fully recover. The Red Sox need him for September and October much more than they need him for April and May.

My second thought goes to who will be the Opening Day pitcher? Remember that this will be a momentous occasion. Not only will the Red Sox be unveiling their championship pennant - they will be doing so at home against the Evil Empire - the New York Yankees.

Now that Pedro has fled the coop - David Wells is penciled in as the number two guy. I know that there would be much drama in the Boomer opening against the Yankees but to be honest - he hasn't earned the right.

Unless the Sox can deal for a Randy Johnson or Tim Hudson - I say Tim Wakefield has earned the right to be the Opening Day starter. Wakefield has been the longest serving member of the Sox and it has a certain karma to have the guy victimized by Aaron Boone to be on the mound on the day when the Red Sox take their bows for winning the World Series.

Let the Tim Wakefield as Opening Day pitcher bandwagon begin!

Miscellaneous Pedro Thoughts

- Yes the Red Sox had given Pedro a $92 million contract but let me say that for those seven years - he was worth every penny.

- I've said it before and I'll say it again. Fuck you Dan Shaughnessy. Pedro Martinez has brought a magnitude more happiness to this region then you could ever dream of. Dan you are nothing but a bitter ankle biter. As far as I'm concerned the only thing Red Sox fans are cursed with is your presence.

- Giving Pedro 4-years was a bad business decision. Yes. There is a good chance that Pedro could fail his medical exam because of his torn labrum. Yes. Pedro will pitch at least 700 innings at a sub 3.50 ERA over the next 4 years. Yes. Pedro will breathe life into Shea Stadium every day he pitches. Yes.

- I know that many will disagree but now that Pedro is gone - I put the 3-year $27 million offer to Derek Lowe back on the table. I think he will greatly improve if the Sox upgrade at short, re-sign Varitek and Lowe buys into Schilling's method of game prep and video.

Pedro to the Mets - It's not Business It's Personal

I have posted my thoughts on Pedro turning his back on the Red Sox here.

Now you listen to me, you smooth talking son-of-a-bitch. Let me lay it on the line for you and the other Red Sox fans, whoever they are. Pedro Martinez will never get that fourth guaranteed year. I don't care how many dago guinea wop baseball goombahs come out of the woodwork.

American Digest

Recently I have agreed to become a contributor to the American Digest. I'll be contributing there about twice a week with essays on sports.

If you are not familiar with the American Digest - it is home to some of the finest writing on the Internet. In fact the writing there is so good that I get the sneaking suspicion that I was asked to contribute just to highlight how good their writing is in contrast to mine.

Pedro Martinez and Cy Young

Sometime next year, Pedro Martinez will move past Cy Young on the all-time strikeout list. Currently Pedro has 2,653 and Cy Young has 2,803 (a difference of 150 for those mathmatically challenged).

It just doesn't seem right that Pedro will do it in a Mets uniform.

MMQB Review

Here are the five things I think I think about today's Monday Morning Quarterback from Peter King:

1. Kings ranks the Patriots 2nd in the NFL and says:

New England (12-1). How lucky are the Patriots to have Troy Brown (third interception vs. Cincinnati) to ride to the rescue of their secondary?

Luck has nothing to do with it. I bet every team has a gamer like Troy Brown on their roster. It's just that the Patriot coaches are just wise enough to utilize the resources at hand.

2. Kings ranks Carolina 10th and says:

Carolina (6-7). Well, then there's this one. There is no more admirable team in the NFL right now.

Admirable? OK - I agree that they bounced back from a lousy start but most admirable? Not to sound like a homer but the most admirable team in the NFL is the Patriots hands down.

3. Exhibit 5,632 why Peter should stick to football:

Why would the Red Sox pay Edgar Renteria a chunk more money than Orlando Cabrera, if they're going to spend real cash on a shortstop? And why go after either if Hanley Ramirez is ready to play short in 2006? If I were them, I'd find a way to make a deal for Tim Hudson (Billy Beane still loves the Greek God of Walks Kevin Youkilis) and live with Pokey Reese at short for 2005.

Maybe because Billy Beane already gave Eric Chavez a $63 million contract to play third and maybe because the Dodgers are offering stud pitcher Edwin Jackson in return for Hudson.

4. Peter on Charlie Weis:

I think the coach on his staff Bill Belichick could least afford to lose is Charlie Weis, and now the Patriots are going to have to deal with a major distraction the rest of the way as Weis tries to serve two masters -- the New England offense and the Notre Dame recruiting wars.

I think that Charlie should hire Lou Holtz as a "coach emeritus" to assist in recruiting. At his core - Holtz still loves Notre Dame and recruiting would be part time allowing him time with his ailing wife but still staying active in football.

5. Meaningless stat alert - Peter speaking about the Cowboys:

There are question marks, and age, all over the Cowboys' roster. Fourteen of the 53 active Cowboys are 29 or older.

29? That's an arbitrary number and besides the Patriots are one of the oldest teams in the league as has been almost every Super Bowl champ for the past 20 years.

Oceans Twelve

Here's an interesting review of the new movie starring - well just about everybody.

I'm usually willing to suspend disbelief when I see a movie but no way I shell out any cake for this flick. I mean - in the first movie they stole $160 million? Why don't they just spend $1 million to hire a Jason Bourne to put a bullet in Terry Benedict?

As an aside - in my head I have this picture of the casting director for this movie as Gary Oldman playing Stansfield in The Professional yelling, "Get me everybody!"

This Sounds Like Fun!

I'd love to do this.



I'll have to talk to the wife about a week in British Columbia this summer.

Frank Sinatra's Top 5 Songs

Today would have been Ol' Blue Eyes' 89th birthday. Here are what I consider his top 5 songs:

1. My Way
2. The Best is Yet to Come
3. Fly Me to the Moon
4. New York, New York
5. The Lady is a Tramp

Flotsam and Jetsam

- I'm surprised that Todd Helton's name didn't surface during the Baseball Winter Meetings. If I were a GM - I'd see what Carlos Delgado signs for per year and offer the Rockies to pay that much of Helton's contract with the Rockies making up the difference in cash or by taking on some of my bad contracts (and with me as GM - I'm sure I'd have a few). Helton is a better all-around player than Delgado and is a year younger with no history of injury.

- Yesterday it was just me and my son at church. He was wearing a wool sweater and he complained that it felt like something was "stinging" him in the back. I explained that what he was feeling was the Devil who tries to bite his way into the bodies of little boys who can't sit still in church. The Devil, I continued, takes the form of an invisible maggot with sharp pinchers who once in the body of the little boy who doesn't do as he is told, will multiply until Devil maggots are oozing from the ears and mouth. For some reason my son had nightmares last night and couldn't sleep a wink.

- Today is Sheila E's 47th birthday. God back in the day she was hot.

- The movie Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory debuted in 1971. It was based on the Roald Dahl book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The name was changed because in 1971 "Charlie" meant North Vietnamese to most people and Charlie didn't surf and he didn't make chocolate. Now Tim Burton is re-making the movie using the original title. My only disappointment is that Gene Wilder didn't get cast as Grandpa Joe (that would have been a nice tribute to the first movie).

- I was only kidding about the "Devil maggot" thing above. I told my son it was his wool sweater and that he should have worn a T-shirt under the sweater like I had told him. He slept fine last night.

- Today is also Bob Barker's 81st birthday. Don't forget to spade or neuter your pets and for god's sake keep your hands off those fresh young assistants of yours.

Heh Heh

As Homer would say - "It's so funny because it's true!"

Presidential Poker

Enough people have commented that President Bush seems to be playing a high stakes poker game with just about every international situation he gets into that it got me thinking about Presidential poker.

Probably the two best poker players to occupy the Oval Office in the 20th century were Harry S. Truman and Richard Nixon. However, before I can discuss them in poker terms I need to point out that I hold to the theory that poker players fall into four basic categories.

1. Players who don’t know what they are doing. These of course are the best ones to play against.

2. Players who try to judge the others players around the table. Amateur psychologists who play the person as much or more than the cards. They try to figure out who raises when they have nothing and who raises when they are loaded and play accordingly. They will stay in to the end with shit cards if they think the other guy is bluffing.

3. Players who play the odds. They know the probabilities and do not stay in a hand unless the odds are in their favor. An extreme example of this type of player is the guy who will only stay in a 7-stud game if his hole cards are a pair or Ace/King. (If you just played the odds you are almost guaranteed to win but poker wouldn't be much fun.)

4. This guy is a combination of the player who can player the other players around the table as well as know the probabilities involved with the cards exposed at the table. This is the most dangerous type of player to play against. Basically, anyone who has ever made it to the final table at the World Series of Poker would fall into this category. (By the way - just like everyone thinks they have a sense of humor - everyone who plays poker sees themselves as a category 4 player.)

Harry S. Truman fell into this forth category. Truman was a regular at Vice President John Nance Garner'’s poker game when Truman was a Senator. (Interestingly – Truman would later replace Garner as VP. Garner is also the man who described the job of VP not being worth a warm jug of spit.) At these games Truman became friends with Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn and members of the House from both parties. Truman’s reputation as honest, smart and humorous came in large part from participating in these poker games.

Truman would often play poker a few nights a week. The games could be with friends from back home in Missouri, newspapermen when he was traveling or other Senators back in Washington. Poker is something Truman did for fun and relaxation. It is a habit he kept throughout his time in Washington including all his time as President. (I should note that although poker may have been a habit with Truman – losing was not. Truman was an excellent poker player.)

Richard Nixon was a very different person from Truman and they also differed greatly when it came to poker.

Nixon was raised a Quaker but that did not stop him from either joining the Navy or from making a tidy sum playing poker in the service.

Nixon was poor (as was Truman) but didn’t have Truman’'s ease with people. Nixon, however, had a great analytical mind. At his height, Nixon was a category four player but in his heart he was really a category three player. Nixon knew the odds and liked to take advantage of them when they were in his favor.

Nixon was such a good poker player that he was able to finance his first run for Congress with $10,000 he won playing poker in the service (that was quite a bit of money back then). The higher Nixon rose, however, the less poker he played. By the time he became Vice President – Nixon had stopped playing altogether,

I have to think that if Nixon had kept his wit and person reading/interaction skills sharp by playing poker that his Presidency would have had a much different ending.

Interesting side note: Did you know that tie elections in the State of New Mexico are decided over a single game of chance? The game of chance has traditionally been – you guessed it - poker (usually one hand of five-card poker). This was last done in December 1999, in a local judge's race when Republican Jim Blanq and Democrat Lena Milligan played one hand of poker and Blanq won.

Unasked for opinions: I believe that John Kerry, Jimmy Carter and Al Gore are category 1 poker players. Something tells me that Dick Cheney knows his way around a poker table.

I would love to sit in a poker game involving the Red Sox brain trust. Think of it - John Henry, Larry Lucchino, Theo Epstein, Bill James and Chris Lynch - sounds like a fun game. (It would also look like I would be the chump at the table.)

Heh Heh



Hat tip to BallWonk

Some Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam

- David Wells had 10 win shares last year while Derek Lowe only had 6. Just saying.

- File this under a record that won't be broken. In 1978 Jim Rice played 163 regular season games - that's all 162 regular games and the one game playoff against the Yankees (which actually doesn't count as a playoff game as far as records are concerned).

- So Pro Player Stadium wants the Marlins out by 2010? Just as a reminder - ESPN once rated Pro Player Stadium a better baseball park than Yankee Stadium. Silly ESPN.

- Speaking of silly. Any GM who give Juan Gonzalez a contract should be fired. Never mind the fact that this guy has only averaged 62 games per year over the last three years - the guy is a disaster in the field and public relations wise.

- I think anything you read about proposed moves by Theo Epstein are bound to be wrong. Theo is unpredictable. Did anyone see the David Wells signing coming or the Sox making such a strong play for Renteria?

- One added benefit to the Sox trading Dave Roberts to a team where he can be a starter - other players will be more willing to be trade-deadline bit players on a championship caliber Sox team if they know Theo will do right by them after the playoffs are over.

- So John Smoltz is back as a starter? That makes sense. Smoltz will make $12 million next year which is starter money (same ballpark as Pedro or Schilling) meanwhile top closers make closer to $7 million per year (Foulke money).

Pavano Signs with Yankees

Player A: 14-9 / 211 IP / 2.39 ERA

Player B: 18-8 / 222 IP / 3.00 ERA

Player C: 13-12 / 230 IP / 3.24 ERA

Player A is is Kevin Brown the year before he came to the Yankees, Player B is Pavano last year and Player C is Javier Vazquez the year before he joined the Yankees.

For the record Vazquez had a 4.91 ERA his first year in pinstripes and Brown went up to 4.09. I'd be willing to bet that Pavano does not have an ERA under 4.00 next season (or anytime during his contract as long as his home games are at Yankee Stadium).

Happy Birthday John Kerry

The man who would be king turns 61 today. No hard feelings. Happy birthday John Kerry.

Chaz Scoggins Interview

Fascinating interview of the official scorer for the Boston Red Sox. Must reading for any Red Sox or baseball fan. My favorite tidbit:

A couple of years ago, when Jim Rice was the hitting coach for the Red Sox, he called me after a game and asked me to change a call that would give John Valentin a hit. I immediately told him I would. "Don't you want to know the reason I'm asking?" he asked. "No," I replied, "and I'll tell you why. I was the official scorer here during the last 11 years of your career, and not once in those 11 years did you ever ask me to change a call. There are always balls that are in gray areas, and many nights I came down here expecting that would be the night you'd ask me to change my call, and you never did." "That's right. I never did, did I?" he chuckled. "You never did," I said, "So you have a lot of credibility in the bank with me. So if you think that's a hit, it's a hit."

Later it occurred to me that if Rice had asked me to change one or two calls a year during those 11 years, and I had done so, he would have hit .300 lifetime instead of .298. Those two points might have made the difference whether or not he gets into the Hall of Fame.

Hat tip to Baseball Musings

Matt Damon as Lance Armstrong?

Multiple sources are reporting that Matt Damon is poised to play the six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. Supposedly the movie will be made and released for 2006. Frank Marshall who worked with Damon on The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremecy is set to produce the biopic.

Don't believe me? Check here. Or here.

EDIT: In a related story - LiveStrong bracelets = DNR in some hospitals

Steve McQueen

Excellent article on the uber-cool Steve McQueen.

Hat tip to Betsy's Page.

Heh Heh

Gooseneck has a pretty good joke posted here.

I heard this one a long time ago but it still made me laugh.

David Wells?

Really? Wow!

The signing does make sense in that David Wells doesn't walk anyone (the Sox brass loves that) and if he succeeds then it would really tweak the Yankees and George Steinbrenner in particular (and that is always good for the soul).

Gordon Edes and Bob Holher report that the terms are:

...a two-year contract for a guaranteed $8 million, plus an additional $10 million in performance incentives that could make the total package worth $18 million.

Under the terms of the agreement, Wells would receive a $3 million signing bonus and have a base salary of $2.5 million in 2005 and 2006. He also would have the opportunity to earn an additional $5 million in performance bonuses in each year of the contract.

In another column, Edes points out that Wells hasn't been exactly stellar pitching at Fenway - going 10-10 with a 4.87 ERA but he neglects to mention that any start in Fenway is usually against one of the top offenses in baseball and now Wells will have that offense putting numbers up for him and not against him.

In recent history Wells has been much better at Fenway - in the last 3 years Wells has had 6 starts at Fenway with just a 2.19 ERA. (In comparison - Curt Schilling had a 3.45 ERA at Fenway last year.)

Maybe the best thing about the signing is that it frees up money at other positions. The Red Sox were probably thinking they had to spend $8 million for a number 3 starter and now they get Wells for half that price. That frees up $4 million to sign a decent short stop.

I like this deal mainly because Theo Epstein likes this deal. In Theo I trust.

Where the Buffalo Roam

I meant to link to this piece by Gerald Van del Leun yesterday. It is simply just superb.

Derek Lowe

I've been thinking a lot about Derek Lowe since Sandy mentioned the possibility of him going to the Atlanta Braves. Here's what I think will most likely happen with Derek Lowe:

1. He signs with Detroit for a little better than 3-years and $21 million. Lowe is from Michigan, the Tigers play in a pitcher friendly park and the Tigers need to sign someone. Sure they got Troy Percival but they really overpaid for him. The major free agents (like Beltran and Beltre) seem to be treating Detroit as Plan C. Add in the fact that the owner no longer has his beloved hockey team to tinker with this season and you get a mix ripe for a Lowe signing.

2. The Braves. I admit that I hadn't considered the Braves before Sandy mentioned them but it does make a lot of sense. The Braves just lost two of their starters (Ortiz and Wright) and may lose a third if they don't re-sign Byrd. They need a starter, Lowe would love working with Leo Mazzone and plus Lowe is an excellent athlete who I bet would relish the challenge of batting for himself. The Braves make a lot of sense and I would think that 3-years and $21 million would be in their budget.

3. The Red Sox. Don't forget the fact that if Lowe gets no suitable offers - he can always fall back on arbitration and a one-year deal with the Sox. If $7 million per year is the best offer they get - Scott Boras may try to bleed the Red Sox for $9 million in a one-year deal. That's what he did last year with Kevin Millwood and the Phillies. (Albeit that was a little different since the Phillies had offered a 3-year deal for $30 million while the Sox aren't offering Lowe any multi-year deals anymore but then again - Millwood wasn't a playoff hero like Lowe.)

Lowe isn't going to be a quick signing. He probably won't even be much in the news until the day he has to accept arbitration. Personally, I wouldn't mind the Sox bringing back Lowe for another year. His post-season heroics should have earned him at least that much. Plus the devil you know is almost guaranteed to give you 200 innings and you can't say that about the devil you don't know.

Anyway - the above are my thoughts on Derek Lowe.

Larry Miller - where are you?

Something's been missing from my weekly web reading for some time. Larry Miller hasn't posted a column at The Weekly Standard since August 17th. Larry Miller where are you?

Sure Larry's been busy with his day job but I need my Larry Miller on-line fix. Has he had a falling out with The Weekly Standard? Was being openly Republican in Hollywood hurting his career causing him to curb his writing? Did he become a Scientologist? Inquiring minds want to know.

If you aren't familiar with Larry Miller's writing - just pick any column from the first link and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Separated at Birth?





Harold Gould (who turns 81 today and may be best known as Rhoda's dad) and Conrad Veidt (who played Major Strasser in Casablanca). I always confuse these two.

Chris' Marital Tip # 857

Don't ever begin a sentence to your spouse that begins with the words, "Don't take this the wrong way but... "

UMass beats UConn!

Wow! This is big! The first time in 14 tries! The first time since Jim Calhoun has been the coach at UConn! Wow!

This is big! I watched half of the first half. I was excited when the Minutemen raced to an early lead but thought my hopes were going to be dashed when UConn came back (I then switched over to watching The Bourne Identity). This probably saved Steve Lappas' job!

I went to UMass and I hope this helps generate some excitement back into their program (although to be honest - Lappas isn't the man to do it).

Michael Crichton

The folks over at NRO's Corner seem to be treating Michael Crichton as some Johnny-come-lately in regard to "junk" science.

The truth is Crichton has been speaking out on the subject for some time. For example - take this speech from September of 2003:

...The greatest challenge facing mankind is the challenge of distinguishing reality from fantasy, truth from propaganda. Perceiving the truth has always been a challenge to mankind, but in the information age (or as I think of it, the disinformation age) it takes on a special urgency and importance.

We must daily decide whether the threats we face are real, whether the solutions we are offered will do any good, whether the problems we're told exist are in fact real problems, or non-problems....

Read the whole speech. Fascinating stuff and very well stated. I'll be sure to get his new book.

Separated at Birth?





Colin Montgomerie and Bill Parcells.

Jeff Kent?

Jeff Kent? Signed by the Dodgers? For $17 million over 2-years?

I admit that at first blush this made no sense to me. I mean Kent is 36 and this does not exactly seem like a "Moneyball" type signing. Was second base a problem for the Dodgers? I thought Alex Cora was an above average defensive second baseman (way better than Kent) and his OBP was actually better than Kent this year (.364 to .348). Sure he doesn't have the pop in his bat that Kent has but he also won't cost the Dodgers $8.5 million per year.

Jeff Kent made no sense to me as a second baseman for the Dodgers. (Not to mention the fact that Kent is the only teammate that has managed to make Barry Bonds seem likeable in comparison. Kent and Milton Bradley on the same team? Don King should secure the pay per view rights now.)

Then it hit me. Kent won't be a second baseman for the Dodgers. Next year he'll play third. Kent is taking Adrian Beltre's spot - not Cora's.

With Glaus setting the market at 4-years and $45 million there is no way that Beltre accepts less than 4-years $52 million. I guess that realization was just too much for the Dodgers and led to the Kent signing.

As far as power numbers - Kent hit 27 HR last year and drove in 107. He has a career 125 OPS+ - compare that to Beltre who had a breakout 163 OPS+ this year (Kent had a 165 OPS+ year in 2000 but he's been 133, 152, 118 and 124 since - OPS+ just as a reminder is a park neutral stat). The money that Beltre is asking for comes with no guaranty that he'll be able to duplicate this years level of production - so Kent actually was a fairly reasonable fiscal alternative.

Like I said - Kent was not a Moneyball signing (getting Shea Hillenbrand for half the money would have been a better Moneyball move by DePodesta). It is a move that is understandable though.

Top 5 TV Theme Songs

1. Hawaii Five-O
2. Barney Miller
3. Rockford Files
4. Cheers
5. (tie) Bonanza (tie) Rawhide

Heisman Trophy Odds

Odds to win the 2004 Heisman Trophy:

Matt Leinart - USC - 1 to 4
Adrian Peterson - Oklahoma - 5 to 2
Jason White - Oklahoma - 10 to 1
Reggie Bush - USC - 30 to 1
Alex Smith - Utah - 100 to 1

Peggy Noonan on Hillary Clinton

Peggy Noonan discusses Hillary's inevitable run for the President in 2008 with insight that is unparalleled.

Why does she want to get to Mr. Bush's right on these issues?

Three reasons. The first is that she knows another attack on American soil is inevitable and wants to position herself politically as The Wise One Who Warned Us.

Second, she knows that a woman perceived as a liberal has no chance at winning the presidency while a woman perceived as a tough, pragmatic moderate does. So she is tough where Mr. Compassionate Conservative is soft (immigration), or is vulnerable, after a coming attack, to charges that he was soft (homeland security). She can't lose on this one. Security can always be better, and after America is attacked again anger and finger pointing will be widespread.

Third, Mrs. Clinton knows the Democratic Party as a whole is to the left of the electorate. She is used to this. It is the story of her life. The electorate in Arkansas were always more moderate than Gov. and Mrs. Clinton, and President and Mrs. Clinton for that matter. She knows how to operate in such conditions. She does not intend to go down in flames as a leftist when she runs for president. This will take guile. She has guile.

I wish Peggy Noonan would run for President in 2008 because she would have my vote (unless Victor Davis Hanson decided to run).

Beat Writers vs. Blog Writers

Interesting post over at Dodger Thoughts (found via Off Wing Opinion). LA Times writer Bill Shaiken discusses the differences between newspaper coverage and blog coverage. Good stuff:

The strength of baseball blogging, then, is that it expands a fan’s options beyond moaning about the newspaper coverage or calling a talk show and waiting on hold to deliver a 30-second opinion. Write your own analysis. Use the blessing of unlimited space. I might get four paragraphs to discuss which free-agent pitchers the Dodgers or Angels are pursuing, with room for nothing beyond names and stats, certainly not for the analysis that the best blogs provide.

This of course begs the question - why doesn't the LA Times just give Shaiken and writers like him the space on their web site to do these expanded notes and stories that don't fit into the page constraints of the paper? The paper could make extra money off web advertising and increase brand loyalty. The writer could make a little more cake and expand his name recognition. Classic win-win.

Small point but one thing Shaiken does not address is the fact that many bloggers come from different areas of expertise (lawyers, technical wizards, etc.). Many times it is these diverse areas of experience and points of view that do the most to supplement the often narrow points of view that adds the most to discussion.

Bill James - What the hell were you thinking?

Bill James has a "post" up over at The Hardball Times. To say I'm disappointed in this offering from Bill James would be a gross understatement. Normally James' pieces are full of facts and humor to back up his point of view. This piece is just drivel. His basic point seems to be that if you are attacking Barry Bonds you are a racist.

Get a grip Bill. This piece is an embarrassment.

Javier Vazquez - Looking Back

I happened to see recently what I had written when the Yankees first traded for Vazquez. I think I was pretty much on target. What do you think?

Frank Costanza, "How could you trade Jay Buhner?"

George Costanza (10 years from now), "How could you trade Nick Johnson?"

Vazquez is a stud pitcher and at this moment he is the Yankees ace. However, there are a couple of considerations to think about:

1. Being in the AL and facing a DH instead of pitchers will naturally drive up his ERA. Having the Yankees' porous defense behind him will also drive up his ERA. Being a flyball pitcher in a park with a short right field porch may also drive up his ERA.

2. Vazquez' numbers (with the exception of strikeouts) are very similar to what Weaver's numbers were for the year and a half prior to Weaver joining the Yankees. There is no guarantee that Vazquez will not be overwhelmed by playing in NYC and the special pressure of playing for the Yankees.

3. Power pitchers like Vazquez often are prone to injury at about this stage in their careers. Just saying.

4. The Red Sox filled a need without giving up much when they acquired Schilling. The Yankees created another hole (back-up 1st base and DH) when they traded for Vazquez. They may have been putting too much hope on Giambi's bone on bone knees.

The Yankees will be lucky if Vazquez is able to replace Clemen’s productivity (all indications are that this should not be a problem). As a Red Sox fan I also keep in mind that as good as Vazquez was last year – he wasn’t even the ace of the staff. That was Livan Hernandez. Vazquez has never been the staff ace. First he was behind Colon and then Hernandez. Now he has to go to Yankee Stadium and be the man? Good luck with all that.

Bonus observation:

The other day David Pinto from www.baseballmusings.com (one of my favorite web sites) mentioned that Vazquez might actually be the baseball player’s name worth the most Scrabble points in history. Normally I’m not this anal but the question bothered me because I believe Yastrzemski is the true Scrabble baseball name champion because in Scrabble there is only one “Z” tile (so you would have to use a blank for the second “Z”). Thus Yaz would be worth 32 points and Vazquez only 27 points. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Just in time for Christmas

Jesus Dress Up!

John Lennon (Oct. 9, 1940-Dec. 8, 1980)

Gerald Van der Leun at American Digest has a excellent piece about where he was and what he was doing 24 years ago today - the day John Lennon was shot and killed in New York.

For the record - I can recall seeing the news from ABC but can't recall much else (including whether I was in 8th grade or a freshman in high school).

Scots Win at Elephant Polo

Scotland can finally declare itself a sporting heavyweight after winning the Elephant Polo World Championship in Nepal.

The Scots snared the 2004 title after a week-long tournament in the Himalayan kingdom's Royal Chitwan National Park, attended by crowds of up to 5,000 people.

"It's fantastic for Scotland - we don't normally win a huge number of tournaments these days," team captain the Duke of Argyll told Reuters on Tuesday.

The Scots beat local favorites National Parks of Nepal, 12-6 last Friday, winning back a crown they held in 2001.

Elephant polo is similar to normal polo but the field is smaller and the four competitors on each side play two 10-minute "chukkas."

Elephants are controlled by "mahouts" or drivers, while the polo players wield long bamboo sticks to hit the ball. A foul is declared if an elephant picks up the ball with its trunk.

Pig Sex and Pro Athletes

Denny Neagle was arrested for soliciting a pig.

Kris Benson married the moral equivalent of a pig.

David Beckham's ex-girlfriend beat-off a pig.

Separated at Birth?





Mike Holmgren and Big Gay Al.

Happy Birthday Larry!

Larry Legend - the basketball Jesus turns 48 today.

Non-Tenders - Shea Hillenbrand and Josh Fogg

Peter Gammons speculates that Shea Hillenbrand and Josh Fogg may be among the players that are non-tendered (not offered arbitration) by their current ball clubs. These two players intrigue me.

Hillenbrand used to be a member of the Red Sox but was traded for Byung-Hyun Kim. Hillenbrand's trade opened up third base for Bill Mueller who ended up winning the batting title as a result. Third (and first) base are all set for the Red Sox but I could see a couple of teams having interest in Hillenbrand.

The Dodgers would be a good fit if Adrian Beltre moves on. Hillenbrand would not be able to fully replace Beltre's production but has shown some pop when playing at Dodger Stadium (.938 OPS in 68 AB). Hillenbrand could be signed for 3-years for less than what Beltre would be looking for just one.

The Mariners and Rockies both need a third baseman. Hillenbrand hasn't shown much as far as production at Coors but I'm sure he'd adapt and if the Rockies signed him I'd be willing to bet that he posts better numbers than what Vinnie Castillo will come up with in Washington. The Mariners are rumored to be in on both Troy Glaus and Beltre but it wouldn't surprise me if they went with the cheaper Hillenbrand instead.

Hillenbrand would cost the Diamondbacks about $3.5 million if they gave him arbitration and that may be too much (especially if they really plan on trying to keep Richie Sexson). Anyone interested in Corey Koskie should be interested in Hillenbrand as well.

I should note that in Boston, Hillenbrand was a favorite of both Johnny Pesky and Manny Ramirez. That says something about him as a teammate (although I'm not really clear on what it says).

Josh Fogg is originally from Lynn, MA (Lynn, Lynn - the city of sin, you never come out the way you went in).

Fogg only cost the Pirates $340,000 last year so I'd be really surprised if he wasn't offered arbitration. (Sometimes Gammons throws stuff like this against the wall to see if it sticks.)

Fogg's numbers are really nothing special but you have to like the idea that he's managed a winning record (33-31) while pitching for the Pirates the last 3-years. He easily could be a 200 inning, 17 win guy for an American League team and he would cost a fraction of guys like Kris Benson.

Arbitration Day

Today is the deadline for teams to offer their free agents arbitration. I would expect the Red Sox to offer all four of their top free agents arbitration. This four includes Pedro Martinez, Jason Varitek, Derek Lowe and Orlando Cabrera.

Best case for the Sox would be for all four to accept arbitration but that's not going to happen. If the Red Sox don't sign these players at least now they will get draft picks in compensation if another team signs them.

Arbitration day is important because a team may be hesitant to both pay a player a big contract and give up draft picks. Arbitration day helps set the true market for the free agents. It is also interesting to see what players are and are not offered arbitration. Not getting arbitration from your current team is like getting a huge sign that says "don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out."

Remembering Pearl Harbor

On December 7, 1941 - the United States was attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor. This site has a very interesting timeline of the attack - click on the multimedia map and timeline.

The United States has a hard time remembering days like this because in essence we are a forward looking people who doesn't dwell on the good or bad in our history. I find it sad that if you gave a pop quiz to most high school seniors - over 50% probably couldn't tell you the significance of today's date.

Like I said - it's sad but I understand.

More Steven Wright

Too cool for school - I had to add a few more from the birthday boy:

A cop stopped me for speeding. He said, "Why were you going so fast?" I said, "See this thing my foot is on? It's called an accelerator. When you push down on it, it sends more gas to the engine. The whole car just takes right off. And see this thing? This steers it."

A friend of mine is into Voodoo Acupuncture. You don't have to go. You'll just be walking down the street, and... Ooooohhhhhh, that's much better...

I can remember the first time I had to go to sleep. Mom said, "Steven, time to go to sleep." I said, "But I don't know how." She said, "It's real easy. Just go down to the end of tired and hang a left." So I went down to the end of tired, and just out of curiosity I hung a right. My mother was there, and she said "I thought I told you to go to sleep."

When I woke up this morning my girlfriend asked me, "Did you sleep good?" I said, "No, I made a few mistakes."

When I was little, my grandfather used to make me stand in a closet for five minutes without moving. He said it was elevator practice.

On the other hand... You have different fingers.

I was watching the Superbowl with my 92 year old grandfather. The team scored a touchdown. They showed the instant replay. He thought they scored another one. I was gonna tell him, but I figured the game *he* was watching was better.

Happy Birthday Steven Wright

He turns 49 today - here are a few of his gems:

I've been doing a lot of abstract painting lately, extremely abstract. No brush, no paint, no canvas, I just think about it.

I was once walking through the forest alone. A tree fell right in front of me -- and I didn't hear it.

I have a map of the United States... Actual size. It says, "Scale: 1 mile = 1 mile." I spent last summer folding it. I also have a full-size map of the world. I hardly ever unroll it. People ask me where I live, and I say, "E6".

I bought my brother some gift-wrap for Christmas. I took it to the Gift Wrap Department and told them to wrap it, but in a different print so he would know when to stop unwrapping.

For my birthday I got a humidifier and a de-humidifier... I put them in the same room and let them fight it out. Then I filled my humidifier with wax, and now my room is all shiny.

In my house there's this light switch that doesn't do anything. Every so often I would flick it on and off just to check. Yesterday, I got a call from a woman in Germany. She said, "Cut it out."

Flotsam and Jetsam

Sorry for the light blogging lately - preoccupied I guess. Here are some of the random thoughts that have been floating around my head:

- I think Martin Sheen's dentures look like they are about to fall out any time that he smiles on The West Wing. Somebody send him some Pepsodent or Polygrip or whatever it is that people use to keep their dentures in.

- Speaking of The West Wing - one of the major plot lines a couple of seasons ago was Bartlett not disclosing he had MS while running for President. Just a reminder - John Kerry never released his medical forms when he was running for President. Kerry is a cancer survivor and with all the attention that has been paid to Cheney's heart condition - you would think the press would demand equal scrutiny of the man running for President. However, the MSM completely let Kerry slide on the matter (and on his 180 form as well).

- Have you seen the commercials for Cialis? I'm not 100% sure but I think that none of the actors in the commercial wear a wedding ring. This bothers me for some reason - I'm not a prude - it just bothers me that the commercials go by too quick for me to tell if the people who do wear a ring are wearing it on the correct hand/finger.

- Not sure about you but I'm not missing the NHL at all. Of course up here we have the Patriots, the Red Sox hot stove and some of the best college hockey in the country (plus the Celtics). The NHL is all done in the South. They'll end up folding those franchises within 5 years. Bettman's an idiot.

More Thoughts on Barry Bonds

Some more thoughts and observations on Barry Bonds and the steroids scandal:

- The thing I'm most curious about is the timing of the Giambi / Bonds revelations. Who benefitted from this timing? Well ABC clearly benefited as it coincided very nicely with the 20/20 episode featuring BALCO's Victor Conte. Funny how that worked out - heh? Is bribing someone to reveal confidential Grand Jury testimony a crime? Should 20/20 and ABC be investigated? I say - YES!

- Baseball also benefitted from the timing. Giambi, Bonds and others on steroids was clear to anyone who follows or is involved in the game. The truth had to come out sometime and now was probably the best time. The original free agent period has passed, there is still some time unil teams announce what players will be getting arbitrations, this is basically a "dead" period of time for baseball. MLB wouldn't want the revelations of steroids use to take away from some major free agent signing or drag into Spring Training. Now is the best time to come clean (so to speak) and get this crap out of the way.

- I'm sure MLB has done some polling and that the polls said that the average fan thinks Bonds and others were on steroids. I bet the poll also probably said that the average fan doesn't care so much (with the possible exception of Bonds breaking Aaron's record). More reason to believe MLB was involved in the timing of all this.

- In a strange way another person who may benefit from all these revelations is Jim Rice. His Hall of Fame candidacy has been hurt because of the inflated numbers of the 80's and 90's make his look almost pedestrian. However, voters may now take another look at the hitter who was the most dangerous hitter in the AL for almost a decade. Good luck Jim!

- If they make a movie about BALCO - I hope they get Gilbert Godfried to play Victor Conte.

- The Feds were wise to offer Jeremy and Jason Giambi immunity. First off - we're not talking about the brightest bulbs on the Christmas tree here. It would be easier to manipulate the Giambi's than a smarter player. Also the Feds probably played one brother off against another - "tell the truth or we send your brother to jail".

- It is impossible to put an asterix against these players numbers because steroids technically weren't illegal as far as baseball was concerned plus who's to say definitively who was on steroids? If you take away an MVP award to give it to another player - who's to say that player wasn't also juicing? Baseball can survive this steroid problem but I don't think it could survive taking away Jose Canseco's MVP to give it to Mike Greenwell (oh - the horror! The horror!).

Proud Pappa

This morning my daughter took her SAT's. That's a normal course of events for a dad but the thing is - my daughter is only in the 8th grade.

Sihugo Green

People talk about Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan as the biggest draft day mistake in history but for my money Sihugo Green was a much bigger mistake.

In the 1956 NBA draft, the Rochester Royals had the first pick and the Boston Celtics had the second pick (via a trade with St. Louis). With the first pick Rochester selected 6'2" Sihugo Green of Duquesne. With the second pick, the Boston Celtics selected Bill Russell of San Francisco.

The rest is history.

In case you never heard of Sihugo - he ended up playing 9 season (his last with the Celtics BTW) and averaged 9.2 points per game and 3.3 assists for his career.

Worthy Cause - Fund for Gary Lundy's Son

Gary Lundy wrote for the Knoxville News-Sentinel until recently when he died of a massive heart-attack at the age of 49.

I never met him but he seems like the kind who wouldn't hesitate to help a stranger - so I won't hestitate to try and help him out (in my own small way).

You can get an idea of what kind of guy Gary was here.

Gary Lundy touched many of us in the media profession. He was the essence of what a journalist should be -- fair, tough, thorough, thoughtful and entertaining. His passing leaves a great void for all of us who knew him. He was a prince of a guy.

In memory of Gary, I am starting a fund for his 9-year-old son, Christian, who's a huge sports fan and a brilliant little boy.

I'll collect all the money sent in over the next 2-3 weeks and give it to Gary's wife, Cindy, and tell her to use it any way she wants for Christian. He was a regular with his dad at practices and got to know several of the reporters covering UT.

For information on contributing, e-mail at clow1016@aol.com

Thanks for all your help.

Please give what you can. Christmas is coming and just thinking about a 9-year old's Christmas without his dad just knocks the wind out of me.

If you can't give but you have a blog - maybe you can link the information. Thanks in advance everyone.

Links of Note

- Hitchens to speak at West Point

- Bloody Mary's at work

- This is just strange - CSI God? It gave me chills.

- Jay Nordlinger has a new Impromptus up at NRO

Vazquez vs. Clemens

For what its worth - both Roger Clemens and Javier Vazquez went 14-10 in their first year for the Yankees. Clemens had a career high 4.60 ERA that year in 30 starts (187 innings pitched). This year Vazquez also had an awful ERA in his first year in pinstripes (4.91 in 32 starts - 198 innings pitched).

Over the next three years Clemens went 46-17 for the Yankees. I know there a lot of rumors about the Yankees trading Vazquez but I don't see it happening. Vazquez going 46-17 (or better) over the next 3 years is not out of the question.

Heh Heh

OK - so maybe I'm immature but watching ESPN's SportCenter this morning - I giggled when Linda Cohn spoke about reporters "pitching a tent" for the Giambi / steroids story.