Top 5 - Celtics Starting 5 and their Celtics Past Counterparts

The other day Chad Finn of the Boston Globe mentioned how Kendrick Perkins reminded him of former Celtics great Paul Silas. Not only do I agree with that comparison - it got me thinking of what past Celtic great matches up with each of the current starting 5.

1. Rajon Rondo - this to me is the easiest of the bunch. Rondo has always reminded me of Tiny Archibald.

2. Ray Allen - I'm going with Dennis Johnson for this comparison. Both players were not only traded to the Celtics but also both players made their NBA names playing for Seattle. Both players brought a veteran presence and acted as examples for the younger players to emulate. Similarities in their jump shots? Not so much.

3. Paul Pierce - this may be a bit of a stretch but when I think of who Paul Pierce most reminds me of it's John Havlicek. Both were top picks of the Celtics, never played for any other team, about the same height and weight and both never really received the recognition for their scoring ability. Havlicek averaged 20.8 points per game in his career while Pierce is currently at 22.5 points per game. Is it really a stretch to think Pierce may wind up his career at 20.8?

4. Kevin Garnett - KG reminds me of a cross between Dave Cowens and Bill Russell. He has the athletic ability and nimbleness of Russell and the intensity of Cowens. That's high praise for Mr. Garnett.

5. Kendrick Perkins - Paul Silas.

Dear ESPN

Dear ESPN,

I don't write these types of letters in general but I have something to ask of you and frankly I think I deserve to be heard.

I am your target demographic. I'm male, a sports nut and I make a pretty good living (your advertisers should love me). I am a devoted ESPN watcher. I haven't complained when you week after week forced upon the viewing public the brain dead ramblings of Joe Morgan or John Kruk during baseball broadcasts or on Baseball Tonight. I've defended Chris Berman even though he's become the Bozo the Clown of NFL analysis. I was disgusted yet silent when you foisted screaming Stephen A. Smith upon the viewing public. For the most part I've remained silent and loyal in my viewing habits.

But now I want something. I want you to force Stu Scott to wear a monocle.

I know it may sound strange but that's what I want.

Stu Scott is an embarrassment as sports reporter and now I'll be forced to endure large doses of his inflated ego because I'll be sure to watch every moment of the NBA Finals. I don't ask much and I don't ask often - I want you to make Stu Scott wear a monocle.

Most ESPN fans know that Stu Scott has a glass eye. For some reason it bothers me when I see him on-air wearing glasses. Only one of his eyes needs a corrective lens. A monocle would do several things; provide that corrective lens for the eye that needs it, let us the viewer know for certain which eye is the real one and maybe most importantly - humble Stu Scott. Perhaps looking like Colonel Klink on air will help keep Stu Scott from letting his mouth and ego run amok. I really want this.

I want you to force Stu Scott to wear a monocle.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Chris Lynch

EDIT: I wrote this two years ago but I still feel the same way. Please ESPN - make it happen

Linky Links

Some stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- I would definitely vote for this guy if I lived in Alabama (maybe the best political ad I've ever seen)

- Wow - just wow! Where do we find such men?

- Funny beer commercial

- Cool - lost TV pilots

- Amazing Japanese water fountain

Boston Bruins

The Bruins lost a heart-breaking 4-3 game 7 to the Philadelphia Flyers last night. When I say "heart-breaking" I mean for Bruins fans. I really don't count myself as one. I used to be able to name every player on the Bruins roster and used to watch every single game but my support for them waned when they trotted out the excuse that they wouldn't pay any player more than Ray Bourque because it would be an insult to Bourque and then had to trade Bourque to give him a chance to play with a championship team. My waning support disappeared when they traded Joe Thorton to San Jose. I even tried to cancel my subscription to NESN when that happened.

So last night I did check in on the game between innings of the Red Sox but today I'm not broken-hearted or even mildly upset. The Bruins always disappoint the fans like this. And this will be true until they get new ownership. Until that day - I'll remain off the Bruins bandwagon and on the sidelines caring about other things.

Linky Links

Here's some stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Joe Posnanski nails exactly how I felt about Cleveland watching those last couple of minutes.

- Bruce, Lady Gaga, Sting, Elton, Blondie, Shirely Bassey sing Journey. Yeah you read that correctly. Like a train wreck on stage.

- This thread had some laugh out loud pictures.

- Rangers plan to place Garko on waivers. Makes me wonder if the Mike owell for Max Ramirez deal could be back on sometime soon.

- Here's your roller derby primer (including the reason nobody wears #1)

- Heh heh

- Iowa Kinsella Baseball Diamond For $5.4 Million (it should sell for a discount since Kinsella built it exactly opposite the way the vision showed him)

- Incredible! Bobby Bonilla Still Owed $30 Million in Salary

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Last night the Penguins lost their game 7 tilt against the Canadians. Not a good way to end the history of the Igloo. I have fond memories of the Igloo. I saw a Penguins game there (completely forget who they played) and I also saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play there. Both events were last minute deals where I just happened to be traveling for work and staying at the Marriott across the street. Fond memories... Speaking of travel - I'm in Syracuse and I'm pissed at myself. I love going to minor league baseball games in different towns and cities and last night I missed a great opportunity to see phenom Stephen Strasburg pitch for the Syracuse Chiefs. Pissed at myself I am... So the Red Sox have had Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Buffett, The Rolling Stones and The Dave Matthews Band play at Fenway. Meanwhile the Yankees just announced that Jay-Z and Eminem will play at the New Yankee Stadium. I think that explains much about the difference between the two team's fan bases... Who knew? The last battle of the Civil War - the Battle of Palmito Ranch - was a Confederate victory... Note to LeBron James - you haven't won anything in your career and unless you change your mindset you never will... Can you believe that Harvey Keitel turned 71 today? The movie City of Industry is one of his more underrated movies...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Joel Sherman with a nice little article today on Johnny Damon. Simply put - not re-signing Damon and trading for Curtis Granderson were both mistakes. Still early in the season and small sample size and all but consider the following - both Nick Johnson and Granderson have an OPS less than .700 and both have missed significant time being on the DL. Damon and Austin Jackson (the main player in the Granderson trade) have OPS's of .867 and .901 respectively. Damon has played in all 32 games so far for the Tigers.... OK - I'll say it! First Janet Napolitano and now Elana Kagan? You have to wonder if Obama has a thing for chubby white women (just kidding)... 15 Celebrities Servicing Invisible Men... If people are going to start retroactively taking back awards from people who used performance enhancing drugs then the 1988 AL MVP should go to Mike Greenwell. Jose Canseco admitted to using steroids that year and he won the award... "Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees" famous last words of General Stonewall Jackson...

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share:

- Betty White's Muffin

- Interesting look at how an iPad affected a tech savvy family

- Employees Must Wash Their...

- The Thrill of Flying the SR-71 Blackbird. Very cool article - highly recommended.

- Memristors - the future of computing

Daisuke Matsuzaka

Red Sox fans have about had it with Daisuke Matsuzake. After an injury plagued 2009 season - a season in which Dice-K's conditioning was in question - the Japanese import is 1-1 with a 9.90 ERA.

Fans outside of Boston may not understand the frustration Red Sox fans have with a guy who just 2 seasons ago was 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA. Teams would love to have a guy like that right? Here's the two main reasons the frustration exists:

- Dice-K is a tight rope walker. The year he won 18 games it was not uncommon for Dice-K to walk the bases full, then strike out two batters and then get a fly ball out. Seriously. People were cracking jokes about Dice-K only feeling comfortable with the bases loaded. If a few of those fly balls turned into Texas-leaguers then suddenly he's 12-12 with a 4.10 ERA. Take the other night for example. In the first inning there was a grounder that was 50/50 being a double play. If it is a double play then he's out of the inning with just one run surrendered. He probably gets the win with 2 earned runs for the night. Instead he gave up 4 runs that inning and 5 for the night BUT STILL GOT THE W! Boston fans have enough drama in their lives. They don't need a tightrope walker in their lives to add more seemingly self-created drama.

- If the Red Sox are going to have a guy who can either throw a shutout or bomb completely - the fans would prefer that guy be Tim Wakefield. It's really that simple. Wakefield is a hard working old guy who does more community service than anyone on the team. Dice-K is taking Wake's spot in the rotation. Many fans aren't happy with that.

If anyone can sympathize with this situation it will probably be Philly fans. In 4 seasons with the Red Sox - Daisuke is 38-22 with a 4.14 ERA. In 5 seasons with the Phillies - Cole Hamels 50-36 with a 3.70 ERA. In both cases the numbers don't tell the story. Maybe the two teams could trade tightrope walkers?

The Troubled Milton Bradley as Larry Andersen

Rob Neyer reminds us that stud hitter Andre Ethier was traded for the troubled Milton Bradley. I'm guessing that most Red Sox fans cannot read that article without thinking about the Jeff Bagwell for Larry Andersen abomination of a deal.

The story also reminds me of how Marvin Hagler had his name legally changed to Marvelous Marvin Hagler. I think if I was a big league GM and was forced to deal with Milton Bradley - I would insert a clause into his contract that would force him to legally change his name to "The Troubled Milton Bradley" if he ever got himslef into another jam like he's in now.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Danny Ainge gets fined by the NBA for an unauthorized distraction. This makes me have to ask - are there authorized distractions? If so - what are they?... With all the focus on David Ortiz - the real problem the Red Sox have had (besides injuries to Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron) has been failure to get the job done in extra inning games. The Red Sox are just 1-5 in extra innings. If they reversed that then they'd be just 2 games behind Tampa Bay... PTI makes the JaMarcus Russell / Jim Plunkett comparison days after I did. Maybe they're reading this blog?.. The Mets are a surprising 11-5 at home. Who knew?... Dustin Pedroia leads the AL in sac flies with 4. Who knew?... Random trivia - In the movie Jaws - Captian Quint's name means "fifth" in Latin. In the movie he's the fifth person killed by the shark...

Mike Lowell

I'd love to have Mike Lowell coming off the bench for the Red Sox all year but you know he's not happy and would rather be someplace where he'd be able to play full-time. When I do an inventory of teams that could be trade partners for the Red Sox - I get three possibilities.

1. Texas - they were a trade possibility before and they remain one. Do they really want to rush stud hitter Justin Smoak? If after 20 games Smoak is still hitting sub .200 then a move for the veteran presence of Lowell would make lots of sense for Texas who has a real shot at the AL West. Let Smoak watch and learn from the bench how someone like Lowell goes about his business.

2. Florida - Mike Lowell was a big name for the Marlins before and could be a drawing card for the Marlins again (especially among the Cuban community). The problems are that Gaby Sanchez is doing a good jib at first base and since he's a Miami product - then sitting him for Lowell could have a negative impact on fan interest (plus it would be more costly for the cash conscious Marlins).

3. Toronto - would the Red Sox deal within the division? The Blue Jays certainly have a need as Lyle Overbay has been dreadful.

Of course someone could get hurt and create a need. The best thing to do, in my mind, is to sit tight and see how things play out. But if there is a trade - then I wouldn't be surprised if the deal was with one of the three teams listed above.

EDIT: I'd add Seattle to the mix. I had no idea how badly Mike Sweeney was doing for the Mariners as their DH.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The baseball world and America lost a giant with Ernie Harwell's passing. May the road rise to meet you Ernie... You learn something new every day - 143 means I love you in the texting world... Seeing Hideki Matsui in HD makes you understand why he has a huge porn collection. He is not a handsome man. Not quite Julian Tavarez ugly but not pretty... Justified is officially the best show on TV. I'm very happy that FX has ordered a second season even though they'd have to been crazy not to do so. Bringing in Deadwood actors the past two weeks have done the trick to move the show past The Pacific in my own personal rating system... I think I just found my next car!... Not for nothing but there's not much difference in the start that Mark Teixeira of the Yankees has gotten off to and that of David Ortiz of the Red Sox. The big difference is that people expect Teixeira to snap of it the way he always does. Many are doubting that Ortiz will do the same...

Celebrity Teachers

This was an interesting list and I knew most of the stories already but Kris Kristofferson surprised me:

The country star was a Rhodes Scholar who studied literature at Oxford before joining the Army and rising to the rank of captain. Towards the end of his tour of duty, Kristofferson took a job as an English teacher at West Point, but he decided against the professorship at the last minute. Instead of heading to New York, he resigned his commission and moved to Nashville in 1965.

A Captain in the Army? Almost a West Point professor instead of a songwriter / singer? Who knew?

Tasering

I'm fine with security tasering fans who run onto the field. No problems at all. In fact I think Philly should embrace the tasering of their fans.

Boston has Sweet Caroline as their 7th inning gimmick (and that's what it is) - Philly should have the "Don't Tase Me Bro" Taser Challenge. Here's what I would do:

Step 1: Get 5 volunteers from the fans at the game. They would have to sign a release and have a blood alcohol level that's not too too high.

Step 2. The 5 volunteers would race from 3rd base to home. The volunteer with the best time would get to be the "Don't Tase Me Bro" contestant for the night. And they would get to pick their song like a batter or closer does in the game.

Step 3: Have 4 "cops" at each base (including home) with the contestant on the pitchers mound. At a whistle or starter's gun - the contestant would have to elude the cops for 2 minutes without being tased. If the contestant made it to 2 minutes he (or she) would win $1,000. If he (or she) got tased - then the cops would each get $250.

Think about it! This would put the Sausage Race to shame. No matter how big a blowout people would stay till the 7th inning to watch "Don't Tase Me Bro." You know this would be huge!

Top 5 - Personal Goals for May

It's good to have goals. Here are my goals for May.

1. No more fast food. Period. Screw convenience. I'll go hungry instead if the only option is fast food. Besides - every time I eat McD's, Burger King, Wendy's, KFC, etc. I always feel like crap half an hour later. No more fast food.

2. Lose 8.7 pounds. No more fast food and more exercise should help here.

3. No more shots. Almost every bad situation I've ever found myself in was in part due to doing shots. No more shots.

4. No more sleeping on the couch. It screws up my neck and back. I sleep on the couch for basically one of three reasons; A - I'm watching a game or a movie and I'm too lazy to get my ass upstairs to bed, B - I've smoked a couple of cigars and I don't want the smell to bother my wife (I'll just take another shower in those cases) and C - shots!

5. I want to shoot at least 3 rounds of golf with scores of 95 or better. I know I just basically admitted to being a lousy golfer but the first step is acceptance. Hi I'm Chris and I'm a lousy golfer but I'm trying to get better.

Linky Links

Some stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Heh heh - Hans Solo

- 10 Coolest Secret Safes

- Obama has no balls

- Peak Everything

- Heh heh - the world's best engine

Player Comparison

Here's a player comparison that recently prang to mind. Both players were very highly rated college QB's who were both taken with the first pick of the NFL draft. Here's how these two compared through their first 3-years in the NFL:

Player A - 520 CMP / 1059 ATT / 49.1 CMP% / 6904 YDS / 40 TD / 58 INT
Player B - 324 CMP / 680 ATT / 52.1 CMP% / 4083 YDS / 18 TD / 23 INT

The players would seem similar with the exception that Player A got more playing time in his first 3-years in the league. Player A is Heisman winner Jim Plunkett who was less than stellar in his time in New England but who eventually flourished when he landed in Oakland. Plunkett is the only QB to win 2 Super Bowls who is not in the football Hall of Fame.

Player B is JaMarcus Russell who has also been less than stellar in his first 3-years in the league. I have to wonder if Al Davis is thinking about Jim Plunkett and maybe that's the reason Russell hasn't been released already.

Jeff Ireland and Dez Bryant

I agree with Mike Silver's take on the Jeff Ireland questioning of Dez Bryant 100%.

There are two possibilities:

A: Ireland really did think that Bryant's mom was a prostitute. If that was the case there are many ways to get the information you are looking for without being a classless ass. "We're a family here in Miami. What's been your experience with family?" "Tell us about your relationships with the authority figures in your life."

B: Ireland wanted to get a reaction. Congrats Jeff - you did get a reaction but maybe not the one you expected. The public outcry reaction may cost you your job (or at the least it has outed you for being a complete A-hole).

Linky Links

Some stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Sony Kills The Floppy Disk. I still find the random floppy disk around my office and because I never labeled stuff - I have no idea what are on the little suckers.

- Heh heh - Uzbekistan Airways (am I the only one who automatically read the sign in Borat's voice?)

- Interesting - the blind actually DO NOT have a more acute sense of smell

- A gallery of stunning Hubble images

- Who does Anheuser-Busch own? I know my beer and I had never heard of many of these brands.

- The Worst Business Decisions Ever. Surprised New Coke didn't make the list.

- A guest star quiz for West Wing fans. I got 8 out of 11.

- Heh heh - Why you drink

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Originally the Vikings in Capitol One commercials were supposed to represent the plundering done by other credit card companies through high fees and APR. Capitol One was supposed to protect against that. Now the Vikings are their inept spokesmen. This is basically Capitol One's way of saying morons are their target market... Watching High Stakes Poker last night I was struck by how much Gabe Kaplan is starting to look like Grandpa Munster... Best Mohammed Cartoon... Congrats to Holy Cross QB Dom Randolph who signed with the Giants. I saw Joe Flacco play in college and I think Randolph was the better QB... The Simpsons stand with South Park (sort of). On a related note - the drawings of Mohammed deck of cards is genius. I'd buy a few packs... Interesting:

If you'd taken the $5,700 it cost to buy an Apple PowerBook G3 250 when it came out in 1997 and invested it in Apple stock, you'd have $330,000 now. Makes you think twice about springing for an iPad.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Could the biggest offseason acquisition for any team have been Kelly Johnson for the Diamondbacks? Johnson is hitting ,327 with 6 HR and an OPS of 1.231 And he is 3rd in Total Bases in the NL with 44. Who knew?... Al Pacino turns 70-years old today. I'm sorry but I've always thought he was over-rated as an actor. People complain that Jeff Bridges always seems to be playing himself but the same could be said of Pacino... I'm starting to wonder if the real reason that Peter Gammons left ESPN was because of their Twitter policies. He's a complete moonbat. His Tweets are like listening to a crazy uncle who is fixated on Woodstock and on protesting Richard Nixon but who also happens to be a baseball savant... You're doing it wrong. Matt Kemp of the Dodgers has 2 stolen bases but has been caught 5 times... A jumper cable walks into a bar. The bartender says, 'I'll serve you, but don't start anything'... Happy 34th birthday to one of the all-time great NBA players - Tim Duncan... Today is ANZAC Day in Australia. In honor of that sacred holiday here's one of the most touching songs ever written...

Willie Mays and Ken Griffey Jr.

Just saying but when I was growing up people talked about the sadness of seeing Willie Mays play out his final couple of years as just a shadow of his former self. It seems to me that the same could be said of Ken Griffey Jr.

Last year Griffey Jr. hit just .214 with a .324 OBP and a .735 OPS. In Willie May's penultimate season he hit .250 with a .400 OBP and a .802 OPS (respectable numbers but not what people expected from a legend). In his final season with the Mets, Willie hit just .211 with a .303 OBP and .647 OPS. To put it another way - in his final season - his 22nd in the bigs - Willie Mays was cooked.

Ken Griffey Jr. is also in his 22nd season in the big leagues. Going into today he was hitting just .238 with a .289 OBP and a .551 OPS. He's cooked too.

The thing is - people won't criticize Griffey Jr. for hanging on too long like they did to Willie Mays. The reason? Junior will make $2.35 million this year. That's more than Willie Mays made in his career.

At some point a tipping point of pride versus cold hard cash was passed. Willie Mays was on one side of the line and Ken Griffey Jr. was on the other. That's why baseball fans will remember the ends of their careers in different lights.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

My favorite moment of the NFL draft Thursday night was the crowd chanting, "She said No!" during the Steelers pick. I really hope that chant is picked up by all crowds during Pittsburgh road game. Ben Roethlisberger is a creep... In 1865, Col Anderson asked his ex-slave to return and work as a paid employee. Here is the exquisite, sardonic reply... If David Ortiz changed the name of his club in Dominican from 40/40 to FU-JZ he'd make more money at the club and ruin the JZ lawsuit... Marvel Science: Iron Man's Flight Capabilities... In fantasy baseball you will see lots of people picking up Met rookie Ike Davis. They should be warned - the guy is not a HR hitter despite his big blast first big league HR. Davis only has 20 homers in 644 minor-league at-bats... Charlie Rose has met his match... A new book has the premise that close to 50% of all scientists are religious. I like the corollary - at least half of all scientists are godless... One thing the real draft proves is that mock drafts are ALWAYS a waste of time...

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- A reminder of the greatness that was Earl Weaver (NSFW language)

- A curmudgeon of another sort - James Randi's fiery takedown of psychic fraud

- Spectacular photo of volcanic explosion by an Icelandic farmer

- The saying goes that 50% of marriages end in divorce has the corollary that the other 50% end in death. This seems to be a third path - you are more likely to die from a heart attack when having sex while having an affair, than during sex with your regular partner, although this seems largely to apply to men.

- Speaking of cheating husbands - the great show Mad Men will only go 6 seasons

- The saying goes - you can tune a piano but you cannot tuna fish. Well - it turns out that mathematically you cannot even tune a piano.

10 Greatest Mathematicians

Interesting list.

How long before MSNBC blames the Tea Parties on the death of the second mathematician mentioned?

...she was murdered by a Christian mob who stripped her naked, peeled away her flesh with broken pottery and ripped apart her limbs.

Only slightly disappointed that the Unibomber (either the real one or Phil Laak) did not make the list.

Happy Boy



Happy Boy by the Beat Farmers. I'd forgotten all about this song but back in the day it never failed to put a smile on my face when I heard it. Still does.

Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.

As bad as David Ortiz and JD Drew have been for the Red Sox - Mark Teixeira has been equally bad for the Yankees. By going 1-4 yesterday - Teixeira RAISED his batting average to an even .100... Most recent no-hitters by team. Of all the great Braves pitchers in the 1990's - it was Kent Merker who got their no-no. Not pictured - New York Mets, San Diego and Tampa Bay... Livan Hernandez (2-0) hasn't allowed an earned run in two starts this year for the Nationals. Why can't the Mets get pitchers like that?... Could the Angels be a trade partner for the Red Sox? Brandon Wood has been awful so far this season at 3rd base (hitting just .088) and the Angels could use a guy like Mike Lowell as insurance Wood doesn't completely crap the bed. Plus Lowell could spell Kendry Morales at 1st and Hideki Matsui at DH. The Red Sox probably wouldn't even be compelled to eat as much as Lowell's salary as they would have with the Rangers. Just a thought... The Red Sox have the same record as the Kansas City Royals... Going into yesterday's 20 inning marathon the Mets team ERA was 4.30. After giving up just 1 run in 19 innings their team ERA dropped to 3.63...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

In the 10th game of the season - Red Sox fans learn Tim Bogar is the name of 3rd base coach as he sends Kevin Youkilis home with no outs after the less than fleet afoot Youkilis had run from first on a double by David Ortiz. To top it off - this morning he says he'd do it again... 7 Things Mario Games Have in Common With the Bible... Is it me or did ESPN really throw their original programming series Tilt down the memory hole? Do you remember the poker drama starring Michael Madsen?... Holy crap! Richard Pryor doing the alphabet. You can't tell me he's not high on something when doing this... Wonder how things would have worked if the Dolphins took Brady Quinn with the 9th pick in the 2007 NFL draft and Ted Ginn fell to the Browns at 22?... Dustin Pedroia (4) and Jason Varitek (3) lead the Red Sox in HR. That's what happens with no Manny, no Bay and a Zombie Ortiz. Incredibly Varitek now has a slugging percentage of 1.714 and an OPS+ of 438. Just as incredible the performer formerly known as Big Papi has 15 strikeouts in 29 AB... Top 50 Breweries in America. I would have had Gordon Biersch higher on the list and am disappointed that Wachusett Brewing did not make the list at all...

Top 5 - Best NBA Players Not to Win a Championship

LeBron James is still very young but if he can't get it done this year with Cleveland then there's no guarantee he'll get a better chance in seasons to come (whether he stays in Cleveland or not). Keep in mind that Dan Marino went to the Super Bowl early in his career but as good as he was - Miami never had a team good enough to get him back. Here's my list of the top 5 NBA players never to win an NBA Championship.

1. LeBron James
2. Charles Barkley
3. Karl Malone
4. Dominique Wilkins
5. Dan Issel

Just missing the list - Reggie Miller, Patrick Ewing and John Stockton.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- 60 Stunning Satellite Photos of Earth

- Greater access to cell phones than toilets in India

- Sad Vader

- Sun's path over six months captured with pinhole camera

- How to Get a Big Dick for Free

Six Pack of Prayer

"Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - Ben Franklin

I have to get me some salvation.

Brilliant marketing idea.

Treme

I tried to watch David Simon's new show Treme last night. I tried and failed.

Maybe I was just tired having spent the day playing golf and then watching golf.

Maybe I was turned off by Steve Zahn's naked white ass and John Goodman's ranting.

Maybe the juxtaposition of watching two consecutive episodes of The Pacific as a lead-in to Treme put me in a mindset where I was more disgusted by people like Steve Zahn's character. It was tough to watch the self-sacrifice of the Marines in The Pacific compared to the no-sense of responsibility Steve Zahn character and then hear John Goodman's character blaming the Army Corps of Engineers for the city's woes.

I'll give Treme another shot but honestly so far I'm lukewarm on the show.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Masters Note: When I see that commercial of the two guys crossing the green carrying the picture of Bobby Jones - I keep thinking it's a picture of Bob Hope... Cincinnati Reds starter Bronson Arroyo's ERA since last year's All-Star Game (16 starts) is just 2.17. Who knew? Arroyo is still available in many fantasy baseball leagues and may be worth a waiver claim (he also has two starts this week)... Christopher Walken filling out the Census is pure gold... Masters Note: Is it me or does Phil Michelson have the oompa lumpa look going on?... Heh heh - Rejected Beers... They say that a good umpire is never noticed during the game. You always know when Joe West is behind the plate. Just sayin'... Is reneging on cab fare the rock bottom of ex-pro athlete criminal offenses? And if reneging is not paying does to neg mean to pay? Isaiah Rider should have neged his cab fare...

Linky Links

Some stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Antibacterial soap not good.

- I can't watch the Royals without thinking of this George Brett video. And as a coincidence - the Red Sox collectively shat their pants last night.

- The Other Guys - looks pretty funny

- Self-inflicted snow wedgie

- 50 funny TV screen shots

- Star Wars characters represented as samurai from traditional Japanese art

- Origin of all 30 MLB team nicknames

- 10 interesting things about JRR Tolkien

- Carlsberg staff strike over ban on drinking at work - as an aside - I always thought Carlsberg was a crappy beer

General David Petraeus

Fascinating look at General David Petraeus.

After reading the opening few paragraphs that recall how he was rudely interrogated by Biden, Obama and Clinton before Congress in 2007 but how Patreaus has proven to the one who knew what he was talking about and about how that trio now rely on his expertise - I pictured Patreaus laying out the truth to that trio Bruce Willis "Welcome to the party pal" style from the first Die Hard movie.

Fascinating look at a singularly driven soldier who doesn't have time to bleed and to whom losing is not an option. America wants Petraeus on that wall. America needs Petraeus on that wall. (OK - enough movie cliches - go read the article.)

David Simon

Very interesting profile of David Simon - creator of The Wire. (Warning the article is several pages long.)

I'll watch his new show Treme but I'm not too jazzed up for it (pardon the pun).

Top 100 Movies of the 90's

Here's one group's list of the Top 100 Movies of the 90's.

Of the movies listed - I've only seen 20 (many of them multiple times) and parts of another 10 movies. Of the top 10 movies listed - I only saw Goodfellas at #10. So I'm guessing I have a different taste in movies. The fact that they don't even list The Shawshank Redemption (1994) makes me think the list is crap. Also missing Fight Club, The Matrix and The Usual Suspects. Yup - the list is crap.

HT Instapundit.

Tiger's Theme Song

I heard this song on the radio yesterday and all I could think during the song was that it makes the perfect Tiger Woods Theme Song. I'd love to see a Tiger highlight film spliced with pictures of his women with this as the background music.

Sheena Easton sure was easy on the eyes.

New York State of Mind

I was in New York the past couple of days. I drove out to Syracuse taking the back roads of Route 20 most of the way. It was just one of those things. I had a bunch of phone calls to make and I preferred taking my time.

One of the consequences of this was that I was in my car for the first inning of Tuesday's Red Sox / Yankees game. I must say that for a team that has almost limitless resources - the Yankees have perhaps the worst radio announcer in baseball. Suzyn Waldman is just awful. She described Jon Lester the following way, "He throws strikes. He's a strike thrower." Well duh! It was almost enough to make my ears bleed. I don't know how Yankee fans put up with it.

Not that Michael Kay on TV is any better. I got to my hotel room in time to hear him declare that he's a Phil Collins fan (NTTAWWT). Yeeash.

I came away thankful for the radio and TV talent that the Red Sox provide for their fans. The disparity is great enough to make me wonder (kiddingly) if Waldman and Kay are some sort of punishment from the Commissioner's Office. Sort of a Luxury Talent Tax.

While I'm typing away - let me address two other items.

First - David Ortiz. Some sports writers (and sports talk radio personalities) in Boston are nothing more than professional shit-stirrers. I've learned over the years to differentiate those who bring information and interesting opinions from those who just do things to stir the pot. When you listen to (or read) Ortiz's expletive laced tirade it is clear that he's talking about the latter. It saddens me that many out of market people view the shit-stirrers as representative of the fans view. For the real fans the truth couldn't be more removed from that perception.

Second - Chan Ho Park. I heard Joe Girardi saying before last night's game that Chan Ho Park was not available Tuesday due to the flu but then he came out and pitched last night. Have you ever heard of a one-day flu? I have to wonder if this was perhaps the Saki-bomb flu.

Pick of the Day

Today's pick of the day is the Giants with Matt Cain starting for a mythical $50 at -$135 to win a mythical $37.

Record 2-2 -$19

Pick of the Day

Numbers 3:50 "From the firstborn of the Israelites he collected silver weighing 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel."

Yesterday I had Lamentations - like good God why are the Marlins playing this awful! Still I split for the day with Tim Lincecum coming though in the second game. Today I'm taking the Red Sox with Jon Lester and Kevin Youkilis - the firstborn of the Israelites - for 50 mythical shekels at -$140.

Record 2-1 +$31

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The over has gone 11-1-2 in the first 14 MLB games of the season. Each year I tell myself that I'm going to take the underdogs in each game of the NCAA Men's basketball tournament and the over in each game on Opening Day. Each year I fail to do so and leave money on the table... This would have been better than the real movie... The Braves Jason Heyward's nickname should be Hot Damn! Combines Hotlanta and what you say every time he's at bat. Jay Hey Kid just doesn't do it for me... So Marc Bulger's wife gives birth to a baby girl on Sunday and he wakes up feeling good on Monday because it's his birthday and then BAM! he gets cut by the Rams. Couldn't the Rams have waited a day so as to not cut a guy on his birthday?... Marlin is still the plural of Marlin (i.e "I caught several marlin") - right? Then why do people call them the Marlins?... Omar Vizquel needs one hit to reach 2,673 and tie Luis Aparicio for 2nd most hits by a shortstop in history (Jeter is 1st with 2,731 and counting). You would think that Cal Ripken would be in the top 3 but he spent his last few seasons as a 3rd baseman... Silver lining for Cleveland fans; even though Mark Buehrle dominated your team yesterday the Indians are still the only AL team Buehrle has a losing career record against (12-14)... People who make me immediately change the channel; Rick Reilly, Dan Shaughnessy and Colin Cowherd... When the Patriots traded Matt Cassell people were upset they didn't net a higher draft pick but New England got the 34th pick of the draft while the Eagles just got the 37th in exchange for Donovan McNabb. Not sure if this says something about the Patriots or about Donovan McNabb or both... The most interesting man in the world circa 1900...

Linky Links

Some stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Ballet Tiger - I couldn't stop laughing at this (watch the Tiger on the left)

- How to defeat a sliding chain lock with a rubber band

- Should you buy an iPad?

- Classic Fantasy Baseball bit

- Barack Obama Looking at Awesome Things

Pick of the Day

Lamentations 3:63 "Look at them! Whether they sit or stand, I am the object of their mocking songs."

Today I have two plays. The above bible quote could easily be ascribed to the Mets. Having Johan Santana start is negated by having Alex Cora bat leadoff against Josh Johnson. The Marlins do pretty good against lefty starters and they are my POTD - a mythical $50 at -$103 to win a mythical $48.54.

The second play is Tim Lincecum and the Giants -$125 against the Astros for another mythical $50.

Record 1-0 +$43.86

Top 5 - Red Sox / Yankees Game 1

Here are five thoughts on last night's Red Sox / Yankees game:

1. Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia are going to have monster seasons. I know it's just one game but I just get that feeling. Combined the duo was 5 for 8 with 5 RBI and 5 runs scored. Mark down Kevin Youkilis as the real early leader in the clubhouse for AL MVP.

2. Fat CC Sabathia. Man did he look huge. I know that some players are just going to be big ala David Wells. However, when you're that big and you run out of gas so abruptly like Sabathia did in the sixth then you have to wonder at his off-season conditioning and commitment. You also have to wonder at how in tune Joe Girardi is with his players. Everyone at home could see that Sabathia was gassed yet Girardi still left him in for another few batters.

3. The Red Sox won despite the best efforts of the Yankees AND the umpiring crew. Joe West was squeezing Josh Beckett for all he was worth. With another guy behind the plate - Beckett escapes without much damage done. First base ump Angel Hernandez wiped out two Red Sox baserunners by himself and you get the feeling that he would have rung up more if given the opportunity. Awful, awful umpiring for last night's game.

4. With all the gimmicks and singers I had to wonder if this was in some way an inside joke by the Red Sox owners. Were they sending a big FU to Bud Selig who wanted quicker games by the Red Sox? If not then I hate this crap. It was opening night - real Red Sox fans don't need dancing ponies. Having Pedro come back was great but the impact gets diluted by having straight out of rehab Steven Tyler looking like Gollum in a wig trying creepily to french kiss his own daughter. I have to be careful about saying anything bad about Neil Diamond because he'll smack you in the mouth. And what is worse - the NCAA trying to expand March Madness to 96 teams or ESPN and NESN peddling Dr Dre's headsets? I hope we don't see all this crap for all 162 games.

5. It was great having Pedro throw out the first pitch. Him giving Johnny Pesky a big hug was my favorite moment of the game.

Pick of the Day

OK - let's see how this goes. I'll be making my pick of the day (POTD) as often as possible and keeping track of my mythical wins and losses.

John 3:19 "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil."

The Yankees are the Evil Empire and CC Sabathia's spring training ERA was an evil 7.23. I'm picking the Light of Josh Beckett and the Red Sox (-$114) for a mythical $50 to win a mythical $43.86.

Odds to Win the 2010 World Series

Here are the odds to win the 2010 World Series. I put a mythical $200 to win $1300 on the Red Sox.

New York Yankees - 13/4
Boston Red Sox - 13/2
Philadelphia Phillies - 13/2
St. Louis Cardinals - 12/1
Los Angeles Dodgers - 16/1
Seattle Mariners - 16/1
Chicago Cubs - 18/1
Chicago White Sox - 18/1
Los Angeles Angels - 18/1
Minnesota Twins - 18/1
Tampa Bay Rays - 18/1
Colorado Rockies - 20/1
Atlanta Braves - 22/1
San Francisco Giants - 22/1
New York Mets - 28/1
Texas Rangers - 25/1
Detroit Tigers - 30/1
Arizona Diamondbacks - 35/1
Florida Marlins - 35/1
Milwaukee Brewers - 45/1
Cincinnati Reds - 50/1
Oakland Athletics - 60/1
Cleveland Indians - 75/1
Houston Astros - 75/1
Baltimore Orioles - 100/1
Kansas City Royals - 100/1
San Diego Padres - 100/1
Pittsburgh Pirates - 150/1
Toronto Blue Jays - 150/1
Washington Nationals - 150/1

Linky Links

Some stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Should you buy and iPad?

- Bernie Carbo was high most of the time in 75

- The science of eating

- Direct TV to launch ESPN 3D

1971 MLB Draft

Jim Rice was taken by the Red Sox with the 15th pick of the 1971 MLB Draft. Couple of observations about the first round of that draft:

- Of the 24 picks - besides Rice only Frank Tananna taken 13th by the Angels and Rick Rhoden taken 20th by the Dodgers had significant MLB careers.

- All of the picks from the 1st round were taken out of high school - compare that to today where picks are just as likely to be college players

- The state of NY had more picks (4) than the state of FL (3) - my how times have changed!

Douglas Adams

This was a very interesting (and funny) talk given by Douglas Adams the author of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

It is made even more poignant by the fact that Douglas Adams died of a heart attack shortly after this talk was filmed.

Top 10 Fantasy Baseball 3rd Basemen

Here's how I would rank 3rd basemen for fantasy baseball purposes.

1. Alex Rodriguez Yankees
2. Mark Reynolds Diamondbacks - drop him down a notch if your league penalizes for strikeouts
3. Evan Longoria Rays
4. Pablo Sandoval Giants
5. Ryan Zimmerman Nationals
6. Chone Figgins Mariners - stolen bases are what set him up this high
7. Michael Young Rangers - good for 20+ HR but I'm afraid of taking him for some reason
8. David Wright Mets - last year in pre-season some were arguing he was the top 3rd baseman. This year - not so much.
9. Chipper Jones Braves - don't ever count Chipper out (but also plan to have a Plan B for when he gets hurt)
10. Aramis Ramirez Cubs

I had Kevin Youkilis listed as a 1st baseman but he's probably eligible in every league for 3rd. He'd be in the top 5.

Pythagoras and NASCAR

Pythagoras was not just an ancient mathematician and philosopher but also the founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism. They were very big into number mysticism including such ideas that odd numbers were masculine and even numbers were feminine.

After reading about that my first thought was about NASCAR and how Dale Earnhardt was number 3 (an odd number) and how Jeff Gordon is number 24 (an even number). The Intimidator (odd number) versus the Rainbow Warrior (even number).

Just sayin'. Maybe Pythagoras was on to something?

Franken Unfunny

I've never found Al Franken funny. This video of him more than confirms that the Senator from Acorn is a dullard.

This is how I imagine the conversation going with a Senator with a sense of humor.

Reporter: Senator - are you aware of the $7 billion in the bill for jungle gym equipment?
Senator w/ a Sense of Humor: First off - the term jungle gym is considered politically incorrect. Most of the equipment is made from plastics and anyone with common sense knows that you don't get plastics from the jungle. For me to even infer that would get me a strongly worded letter from the Sierra Club. Secondly, anyone with a classical education can tell you that the word "gym" is short for gymnasium which in Ancient Greece is where young men wrestled each other in the nude. You aren't suggesting our youth wrestle each other in the nude are you?
Reporter: No. Of course not.
Senator W/ a Sense of Humor: Good because that would make you a weirdo.
Reporter: But Senator what about the $7 billion?
Senator w/ a Sense of Humor: Normally I'm all about fiscal responsibility but since the kids will be the ones paying for all this crap in the bill - I say let them have their playground equipment. I'm just surprised someone thought to put anything in there for them in the first place.

HT Instapundit

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The Mike Lowell for Max Ramirez trade still makes sense but I'm torn. Part of me wants the classy Lowell to stay in Boston - make that most of me... The Mesopotamian god of the moon was called Sin which is appropriate since most sins are committed at night... Awesome April Fools prank... When Gerry Ford was President he took inflation down from double digits to 5% and decreased unemployment simply by decreasing government spending. Ford used something like 66 vetoes on what he considered unnecessary government expenditures. We could use a Gerry Ford today. Instead we get a Jimmy Carter... Dogs playing Poker - Reinterpreted for Geeks... I'm probably going to read Kick-Ass the graphic novel at a Barnes and Noble before seeing the movie... Brad Wilkerson has been released by the Phillies. I, like many, am puzzled by the career of Wilkerson. He hit 32 HR as a 27-year old. He's like this generation's Phil Plantier... Heh heh...

Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Shortstops

Here's how I would rank shortstops for fantasy baseball purposes.

1. Hanley Ramirez Marlins - so much separation between Hanley and the rest make him that much more valuable if you have the chance to grab him
2. Troy Tulowitzki Rockies - can he repeat his performance from last year?
3. Jason Bartlett Rays
4. Derek Jeter Yankees - you could swap Jeter and Bartlett around and I'd be OK with that
5. Yunel Escobar Braves
6. Jimmy Rollins Phillies - He had a down year last season and still hit 21 HR
7. Elvis Andrus Ranger - has tremendous potential
8. Jose Reyes Mets - most other people would have him ranked higher but 'm afraid of his health and the players above him aren't chopped liver
9. Stephen Drew Diamondbacks
10. Erick Aybar Angels

Rafael Furcal just misses making the list but I have to wonder if he's too past his peak to risk taking him over any of the players on the list. Alcides Escobar of the Brewers make be the sleeper in the bunch.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

On this day in 1309 – Pope Clement V excommunicates Venice and all its population. That just sounds strange to the moderns' ear but back in the day all of the subjects of a ruler were held to the actions of the ruler. So if the ruler was excommunicated then all his subjects were as well... Happy birthday to Nathan Fillion who turns 39 today. Captain Reynolds and Castle are two of my favorite characters.... On this day in 1945 during World War II - Operation Starvation, the aerial mining of Japan's ports and waterways began. Do you think today such an operation would be allowed to have such a politically incorrect name? More likely people would be asking why the Japanese hate us.... I really wanted to place a bet on Boston College winning the NCAA Men's Hockey but couldn't find any takers... It's been ten years since Ian Drury passed away. In his honor - hit someone with your rhythm stick today.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- 11 of the most unusual bars and nightclubs.

- Monmouth to have fewer races but bigger purses.

- Bill Murray bartending at SXSW

- Heh Heh - this took me a minute

Rise



The Tea Party people should adopt Public Image Limited's song Rise as their anthem. Anger is an energy.

Extra Tough Trivia Question

Here's an extra tough trivia question that I wouldn't expect anyone to get without looking up the info - of the 16 teams left in the NCAA basketball tournament only 4 of them produced a Hall of Fame baseball player. Can you name each college and player produced by the four schools?

Hint - Crash Davis from Duke and Todd Helton from Tennessee are not on the list.

18 Drinks

I'm not proud of this but I thought it worthy of note. In the past 4 days - twice I've gone out and had 18 drinks. Exactly 18 drinks both times. But here's the thing - both times I've come home with more money in my pocket than when I went out.

On Wednesday, St. Patrick's Day, I got into a poker game and won. Yesterday I hit a Keno ticket for $450 to start the day. Do I dare test the magic of 18 drinks yet again today? Could this be my new full-time job?

Release the Kraken!

Debauchery - Thy Name is Preakness

This story conjures up images of the infield turned to a mud mix of spilled beer and vomit. Excellent - will there be webcams?

The key paragraph from the story:

Under the new drinking policy announced Friday, patrons will be able to pay $20 for 16-ounce mugs of beer with unlimited refills. The price of admission for the infield will be $40 - $10 less than last year - and individual beers will go from $3.50 to $3. Outside food and coolers will still be allowed, but any drinks, including water, are off-limits.

Can you just picture the potential riot waiting to happen if there are not enough places to get beer or pourers to dispense the golden liquid? This is going to be great fun to watch. I'm serious about the webcams. This will be more interesting to watch than the racing.

Welcome Home



If you don't tear up when watching this - well then there's something wrong with you.

HT American Digest

NCAA Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous March Madness thoughts and observations.

Georgetown's sports teams are called the Hoyas which is Greek for "what rocks!" Given their performance on Thursday maybe the nickname should be changed to "what bricks!"... Every year I say that I'll bet every single underdog in the first round. You would have done pretty good this year if you used that strategy. Instead I picked individual games and went 0-5 until I had Syracuse over Vermont last night... The joke is already old but is Murray State one of those 57 states that Barack Obama claimed to have campaigned in?... I'm in a knockout pool where I have Kentucky and Northern Iowa. Root for those two teams to continue to cover the spread. Can you do that for me? Thanks... St. John's should hire Mark Jackson as their next coach. Then Jackson should hire an up and coming recruiting coach and a veteran bench coach. St. John's should be one of the better programs in the country given their location and history...

Linky Links

Some stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Twelve reasons Guinness is good for you. I had plenty of goodness yesterday.

- Blockbuster heading for bankruptcy?

- Unlocking the opium poppy's biggest secret

- Bernie Madoff gets ass kicked in jail. Good!

- Darth Vader gets around

Holy Crap!

I saw this picture of Nancy Pelosi.

All I could think of was this character from the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Nancy Pelosi as a Roald Dahl character? Now it all makes sense!

College Basketball

It's that time of year again. College basketball March Madness. I use Bodog for my NCAA college basketball lines. I've put this link to their basketball lines in my blogroll (right above ESPN.com) to make things easy.

Today I like the following:

- Georgia Tech +9 over Duke (Georgia Tech to win outright with a money line of +375 also looks appealing)

- Richmond +4.5 over Temple

- Kentucky -7 over Mississippi State

- Minnesota +4.5 over Ohio State

Good luck to you and wish me luck.

Shakespeare Insults Eric Massa

I saw this Shakespearean Insult Generator and this insult stood out like the Bard was speaking directly to disgraced New York Democratic Congressman Erc Massa:

"You scullion! You rampallian! You fustilarian! I'll tickle your catastrophe!" - Taken from: Henry IV, part 2

This one would have worked just as well:

Thou artless tickle-brained flirt-gill!

Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Second Baseman

Here's how I would rank second baseman for fantasy baseball purposes.

1. Chase Utley Phillies - if he's healthy then it's not even close.
2. Robinson Cano Yankees - this guy is a danger to win a batting title every year plus he has 20+ HR power. Being in the powerful Yankees lineup trumps concerns that sometimes he seems to play like he doesn't care.
3. Ian Kinsler Rangers - last year it seemed that Kinsler traded batting average for batting power. This season he could find a happy medium for both and hit .290 with 25 HR.
4. Dustin Pedroia Red Sox - you could almost make the argument for any of the next three to be listed in any order.
5. Aaron Hill Blue Jays - last year was a career year for Hill but he should be coming into his prime seasons so he should be able to duplicate something close.
6. Ben Zobrist Rays - was last year a fluke? Could be a bargain in most leagues but that's because the uncertainty about him. Hey - the AL East sure has a great bunch of second basement don't they?
7. Dan Uggla Marlins - 27+ HR's and 88+ RBI each of the past four years.
8. Gordon Beckham White Sox - may be listed as third base only in some leagues but worth a pick for when he become eligible.
9. Brian Roberts Orioles - most people probably have Roberts listed much higher than this but I'm concerned about his health.
10. Casey McGehee Brewers - could be a real sleeper for those not paying attention. Last year he hit 16 HR and was 4th in OPS among second basement with at least 300 AB.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

In 1942 Joe Gordon of the Yankees led the AL in strikeouts w/ 95. These days 95 wouldn't even lead the AL at the All-Star break... I'm a big fan of this beer. Sam Adams Noble Pils - a brief history/review. And yes I do consider myself an average American Bud Light swiller... OK Nomar Garciaparra signed a one-day minor league contract with the Red Sox and then retired. The contract was supposedly for $30. That raises two questions in my mind - A: did Arn Tellum (Nomar's agent) get his $4.50 and B: did Nomar also get his per diem money?... I'll say it again - TiVo is the modern technology equivalent of the Pony Express. Famous but short-lived. Both ushered in better things... I was reading a document that was talking about "private equity" except I read it as "pirate equity". I would so invest in pirate equity. Maybe something like the Crimson Permanent Assurance...

Nomar

Nomar Garciaparra retired yesterday and he retired as a member of the Boston Red Sox. That's great - now he can go into the Hall of Fame wearing a Red Sox cap.What you don't think Nomar deserves induction? Well let me tell you - if they let in Joe Gordon then Normar is a sure thing!

I'm only half-joking about that Hall of Fame bit. People say that know a Hall of Famer when they see one. That's the main argument keeping Bert Blyleven out of the Hall. Conversely people who watched Nomar play in his first full six seasons will tell you they thought they were watching a surefire Hall of Famer. Nomar won the Rookie of the Year, two batting titles and was top 10 in MVP voting 4 times during those years. If at the end of 2000 you polled baseball fans which shortstop would end up in Cooperstown then Nomar would have topped the list over A-Rod and Jeter.

Nomar was unique. His batting style, his great big nose, his love of soccer and Mia Hamm. He was the anti-Jeter and anti-A-Rod. And we loved him for it!

Then came the wrist injury. Then came the trade out of town which was accompanied by the Red Sox front office knocking Nomar down in the media in order to build themselves up. Then came the five and a half years in the wilderness where Nomar was no longer Nomar. He was an oft-injured player whose prime was behind him. Then came yesterday's retirement announcement. The prodigal son had returned and he was welcomed with open arms.

Nomar's body let him down but he never let Red Sox fans down. He gave it his all every time he took the field and just as important - he didn't disappear in the playoffs (*cough*Roger Clemens*cough*).

So welcome back Nomar. For some of us - you never really left the fold. Just do me a favor - stop with the "Red Sox Nation" crap. For real fans "Red Sox Nation" is just a made up marketing program.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- The world's first commercially available jetpack - I'm still waiting for the flying cars. I was promised flying cars.

- Captain Kirk and Enterprise crew encounter strangest alien they've ever seen

- Timeline of the Ali/Frazier "Fight of the Century."

- Heh Heh

- Tweet of the Day: @arthurpdent42 Chuck Norris once destroyed all the elements on the Periodic Table... because he only believes in the element of surprise

Top 10 Fantasy Baseball First Baseman

Here's how I would rank first baseman for fantasy baseball purposes.

1. Albert Pujols Cardinals - obvious choice though my gut tells me that Pujols is due for a year with time missed for injuries
2. Ryan Howard Phillies
3. Prince Fielder Brewers - you could flip these last two with no problem. I put Howard slightly ahead of Fielder due to the better line-up surrounding him.
4. Miguel Cabrera Tigers - a sober Cabrera could have a monster year
5. Mark Teixeira Yankees
6. Kevin Youkilis Red Sox - you could flip these last two with no problem also. I put Teixeira first so that people wouldn't say I was a Red Sox homer. Youkilis actually should be taken before Teixeira since Youkilis also qualifies as a 3rd baseman as.
7. Joey Votto Reds - could be one of the best values in any draft. Capable of putting up numbers equal to anyone above him on this list but you can generally grab him much later in the draft.
8. Adrian Gonzalez Padres - great hitter but home ballpark and lack of support in line-up drop him down the list
9. Kendry Morales Angels - can he repeat his breakout season from last year? If yes then he easily can produce as good as anyone above him on list.
10. Derrek Lee Cubs - this is how deep this position is. Derek Lee is 10th and Justin Morneau doesn't even make the cut!

I have Pablo Sandoval and Mark Reynolds classified as third baseman but many leagues allow you to play them at first as well. I guess the point is this position is so deep that you shouldn't use your first or even second pick on a first baseman unless you have the chance to grab Albert Pujols.

Layer Cake

Last night I watched the movie Layer Cake starring Daniel Craig in his pre-James Bond days. What a great movie. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Plenty of action and humor. It also made you think and surprised you with outcomes you never saw coming. I know I'm late to the game on this one but I highly recommend the movie to anyone who hasn't already seen it.

It was also very interesting seeing Michael Gambon playing a bad guy. Seeing the guy who is now known for playing Professor Dumbedore swearing and generally being an evil genius was just amusing to me.

The Whole of the Moon

So I clicked on this mesmerizing link and I was like - "whoa is that girl farting diamonds?"

And as serendipity would have it The Waterboy's Whole of the Moon was playing on my laptop at the same time.

Freaky.

Linky Links

Stuff I thought was interesting enough to share.

- Seven Muslims arrested in Ireland for plotting to murder Swedish cartoonist

- 2011 MLB Vesting Options

- Actress playing Helen Keller falls off the stage - you know you want to see that (I'll save you a seat on the bus ride to hell)

- Heywood Jablome could not be reached for comment

- Polyamory is Wrong! - in so many ways

- Mighty Obama at the bat - this is just plain great.

- 5 Mistakes HBO made in the Larry-Magic Special

Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Catchers

Here's how I would rank catchers for fantasy baseball purposes.

1. Joe Mauer Twins - not even close. Mauer should be one of the top picks in every draft.
2. Victor Martinez Red Sox - he'll be hitting almost every day in the middle of the potent Red Sox line-up. I can see .290 / 28 / 105 type lines for V-Mart.
3. Jorge Posada Yankees - not saying Posada is the third best catcher in baseball but I am saying that he'll put up the third best set of offensive numbers.
4. Brian McCann Braves - if he did better against lefties then he'd probably be ranked above Posada.
5. Geovany Soto Cubs - I'm looking for a big bounce back year from Soto. He had the classic sophomore slup and now he's in the cliche "best shape of his life". I guess you could classify this as a sleeper pick.
6. Mike Napoli Angels - solid 20 HR / 80 RBI production.
7. Miguel Montero Diamondbacks - could be a breakout year for the 27-year old Montero.
8. Chris Iannetta Rockies - two words "Coors Field". If you can carry two catchers play Iannetta when he's at home (.929 career OPS at Coors Field) and play your other catcher when he's on the road.
9. Matt Weiters Orioles - he will probably be drafted higher in most drafts than he deserves due to the hype about his potential. I bought into the hype last year but won't get fooled again. The people I've listed above him will all post similar type numbers but probably be available for you in later rounds of the draft.
10. Russell Martin Dodgers - most people will probably have him ranked higher but I'm worried about both his off year last season and his recent groin injury which you never know could nag him throughout the year.

Linky Links

Some stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Praying Mantis 1, Hummingbird 0

- FIREARMS: More useful than a camera. I guess the guy who took the picture at least lived to develop the film.

- Interesting: There are more African Americans under correctional control today than were enslaved in 1850

- Glen 'Big Baby' Davis tried out for the role of Michael Oher in 'The Blind Side'

- Inglorious Plumbers

Books

You may notice that this morning I updated the books at the top of the blog. These books represent some of my most recent reads and I recommend them all. At some point I'll be doing quick reviews for all of them.

Thanks

Best Oscar Acceptance Speech of All-Time

Best Oscar acceptance speech of all-time was by Michael Curtiz for winning best director for Casablanca in 1944,

“So many times I have a speech ready, but no dice. Always a bridesmaid, never a mother. Now I win, I have no speech.” — Michael Curtiz, accepting his Oscar for Best Director (Casablanca)

Incredible!

This guy is just unreal!

Seriously watch that video.

Charles Mann on The Americas Before Columbus

Very interesting discussion with Charles Mann, author of the book 1491, on what the Americas were really like before Columbus came to the "New World."

The taped discussion is about an hour long but very interesting stuff. Pre-Columbian Indian societies were much more complex than many people who would peddle the "noble savage" type history would have you believe. I'll be buying the book this week.

Wow - Allen Iverson = Trainwreck

Wow - I never realized that Allen Iverson's life was such a mess.

Allen Iverson is in trouble, folks, deep trouble. The combination of alcohol and gambling - and a once-promising career in tatters because of the first two - won't culminate in anything short of disaster if help does not arrive in short order.

If numerous NBA sources are telling the truth - and there's no reason to believe they'd do otherwise in a situation of this magnitude - Iverson will either drink himself into oblivion or gamble his life away.

Nice job by Stephen A. Smith. I criticize him often but Screaming A really brought his A-game on this piece.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

You can tell the Count on Seasame Street is not a real vampire since he's out during the day all the time. So the Count is basically a poser. A Twighlight wannabe... Gesundheit... Tweet of the Day from @ShitMyDadSays "I lost 20 pounds...How? I drank bear piss and took up fencing. How the fuck you think, son? I exercised"... The other night somebody texted my wife that they just "laughed out load." That sounds dirty. Should I be jealous?... Stat of the Day: Number of humans killed by Killer Whales in the wild - 0. Number of humans killed by Killer Whales at marine parks - 24... I woke this morning to a dream of my wife bugging me to get the trash out. It was so real that I put the trash together and was about to bring it to the curb when I realized today is Sunday and trash day is on Monday... Tweet of the Day 2 from @SportsMinute "Barry Bonds and his wife are divorcing. Maybe he’s not taking as many performance enhancing drugs as we thought"...

Top 5 - Pink Floyd Songs

Today is David Gilmour's 64th birthday. In his honor here are what I consider Pink Floyd's top 5 songs.

1. Wish You Were Here
2. Shine on You Crazy Diamond
3. Time
4. Have a Cigar
5. Comfortably Numb

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- How to order a beer in 50 languages

- Beer battleship (yes I seem to be concentrating on beer today don't I - well it is Saturday)

- Exactly how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?

- B-B-B-BUTT DRUGS

Good News for Coffee Drinkers

Seeing as I'm on my fourth cup of coffee today - this is good news:

Coffee drinkers may be less likely to be hospitalized for heart rhythm disturbances, according to a new study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif. The researchers, who note the findings may be surprising because patients frequently report palpitations after drinking coffee, are presenting the study at the American Heart Association's 50th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention in San Francisco on March 5, 2010.

Ed Wade

How are you spending your Saturday morning? In between catching up on work email and reports - I'm going to take a look at the job Ed Wade has done as GM of the Houston Astros. My curiosity in checking out Wade was sparked by a semi-defense of Wade by Richard Justice who I respect as one of the best baseball writers in the country.

As a Red Sox fan I'm a bit biased against Wade since when in Philadelphia he traded Curt Schilling and he fired Terry Francona as manager. Plus when I've posted about Ed Wade in the past:

As in here.

And here.

I haven't been kind to Ed Wade. I think the phrase I used was "jerkface loser." Richard Justice's semi-defense makes me wonder if I was being too unkind. I went over the depth chart of the team and I have to say my opinion of Ed Wade hasn't changed.

Linky Links

Some stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- A look at rainbow trout and how they became so prevalent in the US. I never knew this stuff. I always just assumed they were native to New England even after seeing the stocking truck dump thousands into a local lake for the annual Knights of Columbus fishing derby.

- Everything you wanted to know about men's testicles but were afraid to ask.

- Where our arithmetic symbols come from

- Harder, harder harder (that's curling talk)

- This is why I lost my job (I spent way too much time playing with this sound board)

- Great glowing squid! I found this to be fascinating.

And I Own a Mansion and a Yacht

I get lots of spam emails and often somehow get signed up on lots of different lists. Most times both forms of email are just annoying. Somehow I got signed up to receive regular updates from the Global Boat Market that lists yachts for sale.

I think it's very cool. I so want a $6.5 million 100 foot yacht that sleeps 11. Please Obama Santa send me one for Christmas.

Linky Links

Some stuff I found interesting and wanted to share.

- A flying hovercraft! I so want one of these!

- OK Go - This Too Shall Pass. The coolest thing currently on the Internets.

- Terminally ill ants remove themselves from the nest.

- Amazing paintings by a blind man

- A look at the Red Sox catching situation beyond 2010

A Confession but Not an Apology

I need to get something off my chest - I bet on the Canadian hockey team on Sunday. There I said it. This does not make me a traitor or a bad American. In my mind - it just means that I've finally realized that the purpose of placing bets is to win money (like last week when I took Cleveland over the Celtics).

Let's face it - the Canadian hockey team was just more talented than the American team. All I had to give up for an even money bet was one goal. I thought that an excellent bet and I took it. That doesn't mean I wasn't conflicted. I justified things to myself by saying my bet had no impact on the outcome (and it doesn't). I said to myself that "hey I bet on the American team on Friday." I saw Don Cherry wearing a pin supporting the troops and found some mental solace in that tidbit.

Besides - I thought this bet was a mortal lock! A sure thing! And it very nearly was.

Let's face it - the two goals the US scored were flukey. The first one should have been an offsides call and the puck just trickled through under Luongo's arm and uniform. He makes that save 99 out of 100 times. The second goal came with just seconds to play. The Canadian team should have flipped the puck at the empty net by then.

I will admit to rooting for the USA during overtime but wasn't too disappointed when Sid the Kid scored the winning goal since it meant a push for my bet.

If the same opportunity came up again. I'd make the same bet again. Probably for more money. I make no apologies.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Just before waking this morning I dreamt that the guys from Sun Life sabotaged a nuclear power plant in order to boost their company's name recognition... I love the story of the "pudding guy." I had never heard about the guy who turned $3,000 in pudding into 31 round trip air tickets to Europe. Awesome... Damn - yesterday was Beer Day and I didn't know it!... Derek Lowe may be the Opening Day starter for the Braves but he's probably their #3 starter in reality... Whenever my friend is disappointed in something he says "That's crap!" I've decided to instead say "That's carp!" in similar circumstances... Why was everyone so worried about Tsunamis? Barack Obama promised to keep the oceans waters from rising if he got elected. He keeps his promises!... The Cardinals signed Felipe Lopez to a cheap contract but they may regret it. You'll never hear anyone describe Lopez as a "veteran clubhouse presence." You will more likely hear someone describe him as a douchebag...

- Jimmy Kimmel's Unnecessary Censorship Sesame Street edition

- Alaskan Bill Howell Wins 2010 Beerdrinker Of The Year. I have to enter this contest!

- Cool! A Silent Rotor Blade Paves the Way for Super-Stealth Choppers