Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

It's the 67th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion but this is the first one without Dick Winters, the leader of Band of Brothers fame. He should have won the Medal of Honor for his actions 67 years ago... I'm not really that enthused if a DVD promotes itself as "one of the best movies of the year" because honestly it was a pretty shitty year for movies... So when does Dwyane Wade get his GM of the Year Award?... Jeremiah Weed sounds much more like a Grateful Dead cover band than an alcoholic beverage... You know that the original title to the upcoming Hugh Jackman movie Reel Steel had to have been Rockem Sockem Robots... David Ortiz has as many HR (13) as Prince Fielder and Albery Pujols. He also has a higher OPS. Just saying... I wonder if Christopher Hitchens sees irony or the hand of a God with a sense of humor in the fact that Henry Kissenger will most certainly outlive him?... The Military Channel has a show called Fatal Hitler. Is that just a strange name for a show? Sounds like a punk band just like Dead Kennedy's... FWIW - Derek Jeter is hitting much better on road (.291) than at home (.228). Both his HR have been on road too. Too much pressure at home?

Dear ESPN

Dear ESPN,

I watch your channels for several hours each day so I hope you take my concern to heart.

I really like that Watch ESPN App commercial where the Jack Elam look-alike cowboy screams "Vannnnn Gunnnndeeeeee" but I do have a bit of a criticism. At the end of the commercial it shows the cowboy shooting his pistol off into the air several times. Do you realize how irresponsible that is? Those bullets have to come down somewhere. Maybe they land harmlessly. Or maybe they kill a far away cowboy minding his own business or maybe somebody's pet dog, sheep or cow.

Why not just have the cowboy drunk driving, shooting heroin or doing some meth? If irresponsible is what you were aiming for why not go all the way?

Maybe I'm just over-reacting.

Thanks

Chris

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Those wacky Japanese - pro Japanese soccer team vs. 100 little kids

- In Canada's Dreams

- 5 Second Films are awesome!

- Very cool - dad waves kid goodbye on bus every morning dressed in different costume

- Pure badass - Nepalese soldier single-handedly kills 30+ Taliban fighters. Here's my question - he was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC) which is the second highest award for bravery. What the heck would he have had to do to get the highest honor (the Victorian Cross)?

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

RIP James Arness who was best known as the star of the TV show Gunsmoke but lesser known for being a WW II vet who was wounded at the battle of Anzio. I have to admit that I cannot think of the show Gunsmoke without thinking how much Randy Johnson looked like a giant Festus... This point has been made elsewhere but it bears repeating - the biggest winner if the New York Knicks bring back Isaiah Thomas in any capacity will be the Nets who are moving into a new arena in the Bronx. The presence of Zeke will get thousands upon thousands of Knicks fans to switch allegiances to the Nets.... Why Penn Jillette doesn't drink or do drugs... I was surprised to see that the Astros have released Bill Hall. I know Hall has been awful this year but it doesn't seem like the Astros to release a player they owe seven figures to... I could go for a Dicken's Cider right about now... Ed Sullivan was once the biggest name in show business. That makes me wonder if 50 years from now if Oprah will be remembered chiefly because some late-night show is in her theater... Jose Iglesiasis is supposed to be wizard with the glove - the second coming of Omar Vizquel. That's why it is so strange that he leads Pawtucket in errors with 7... On my TV electronic program guide I keep reading Law & Order UK as Law & Order CK. My mind thinks it's Law & Order starring Louis CK. That would be a much better show.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly



Very, very cool.

Did you know?

Did you know that the Stanley Cup was the result of Arthur and Algy Stanley asking their father, Lord Stanley, for a trophy to award to the champions of the Amateur Hockey Association in Montreal? The silver cup only cost $48.67 and was first awarded in 1893.

The first “Stanley Cup” tournament was held in 1894. Lord Stanley never actually attended any of the Stanley Cup hockey games.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Our foreign aid policies do not pass the common sense test. Not by a long shot.

- Very cool explanation on how Ian Fleming ended up giving James Bond his trademark Walther PPK

- I agree with Aaron Gleeman - Willy Aybar: Mediocre baseball player, world-class scumbag

- Seriously cool bookshelves

- David Mamet, America's foremost dramatist, turns conservative, and tells the world why.

- I seriously would hang a print of this in my front room

Michael Cimino as Zoilo Versailles

Not sure why but yesterday I was thinking about director Michael Cimino.

For those not familiar - Michael Cimino was a wonderkid director who was responsible for the multiple Academy Award winning The Deer Hunter who then directed the megabust Heaven's Gate which some people blame for taking down United Artists as a business. After Heaven's Gate Cimino did a couple more movies but then just pretty much faded into oblivion.

I started wondering if Michael Cimino was sports personality - who would he be? After doing some research I decided upon Zoilo Versailles.

Versailles was the AL MVP in 1965 playing shortstop for the Minnesota Twins at age 25. That season he led the AL in runs, doubles, triples and total bases. For the MVP award he beat out among others his teammates Tony Oliva and Harmon Killibrew as well as superstars like Brooks Robinson and Carl Yastrzemski. After that MVP season Versailles played a couple more subpar seasons but then just pretty much faded into oblivion.

Thinking of Cimino got me thinking about his masterpiece The Deer Hunter. This may be heresy but in my opinion Heaven Can Wait and Foul Play may actually be better movies from 1979 than The Deer Hunter. I know that I watch those two moves more often.

I'm not suggesting that The Deer Hunter or Zoilo Versailles' 1965 season weren't great but I will say that if you took Robert DeNiro and the cast from The Deer Hunter and had them in another drama instead of The Deer Hunter then chances are that other drama would have been equally good due to the talent involved. Likewise, could Versailles have led the league in runs if he didn't have Oliva and Killibrew hitting behind him? If Oliva and Killibrew had a different lead-off hitter chances are that guy would have scored 100 times.

Versailles was the near unanimous choice for AL MVP getting 19 out of 20 first place votes but if that MVP vote was taken today I'm guessing that Versailles may still win but it would be by a slim margin. Same is true with The Deer Hunter. If the Academy Award for 1979 was given out today - chances are The Deer Hunter still wins for Best Picture but do you think Michael Cimino still wins for Best Director?

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

OK - I'll say it! Watching the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals last night - the Canucks uniforms kept making me think the Bruins were playing the Hartford Whalers... The Weinergate situation keeps reminding me of a quote from the movie The American President where the character Leo Solomon says, "Amount of time it'll take you to go from being a hired gun to a cocktail party joke can be clocked with an egg timer." Anthony Weiner went from being the out-front pit bull of the DNC to being a national joke very fast but I'm not sure how fast since there's never an egg timer available when you need one... The Bruins may have lost the first game but the omens are good. Tim Thomas has shown he can play at this level of excellence for a full season whereas Roberto Luongo has not. Plus a tornado hit Western Mass last night. The last time a tornado touched down in Springfield Mass was 1972. That was the last time the Bruins won the Stanley cup... Chess-boxing... I missed this but supposedly Michael J. Fox was at the game as a guest of good friend Cam Neely... Flexing my lexicon muscles here - in regards to Weinergate - what started as perversion seems to be morphing into malversation... Wow - a stat so impressive that I had to recheck it! Since May 1, 2010, David Ortiz has the exact same number of HR's as Albert Pujols (44)... Nothing says white trash quite like a guy swimming at the beach or a lake in blue jeans

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Awesome people hanging out together - these pictures were really cool

- Guy finds out at age 42 that his dad is Ted Nugent

- Improv Everywhere: The Mute Button - this was just awesome. What a great idea.

- The Stories Behind 10 Interesting Numbers in American Culture

- The WSOP has started in Las Vegas and a very interesting story is developing regarding Phil Ivey who is boycotting the WSOP and suing Full Tilt Poker. As always the best place for WSOP news is the Tao of Poker: WSOP Day 1: Welcome to the Jungle & Phil Ivey's Titanium Balls

Weinergate

Just wanted to add my $.02 regarding "Weinergate."

Yesterday Representative Anthony Weiner characterized the whole affair as a prank that he wasn't going to spend any more time on. He tried to liken it to a guy in a crowd of 45,000 throwing a pie or heckling.

What this is at its core was someone - either Weiner or the mystery hacker - sending unwanted lewd photos to a 21-year old girl. That's sexual harassment at the very least. "Pranks" are supposed to be funny. Does Representative Weiner find sexual harassment funny? He seems to just want to wish away this sexual harassment - how do woman's groups feel about that? Those are the questions he should be made to answer. But he seems to be getting a pass.

Tom O'Brien - Next Coach for Ohio State?

With the "resignation" of coach Jim Tressel - Ohio State is in turmoil. You can forget the talk about Urban Myer. There's no way he's going to a program that is bound to be hit with worse sanctions that what USC was just hit with. Luke Fickell? That makes a certain amount of sense but he has two major negatives against him - he has never been a 1-A head coach and he was part of the institution that exhibited such a lack of control in the first place.

I think in order for Ohio State to right this ship they will have to go outside the program and what better man for this job than Tom O'Brien?

O'Brien has been in this situation before. He took over at BC after a gambling scandal that rocked the program. O'Brien not only restored the pride in the program - he also turned it into a perennial Top 25 team that was bowl bound every season. In addition to making BC a program that routinely sent 1st round picks to the NFL - he also made sure BC was a program that graduated its players. He then took over a moribund NC State program and last year led them to a 9-4 record and a victory in a bowl game plus a final ranking in the Coaches and AP Top 25.

Keep in mind that O'Brien is a former Marine who is drill instructor tough. There may be no man in college football who can match him for integrity, toughness and success. With Ohio State under NCAA sanctions they will have to get used to the second tier of recruits - the kind of recruits O'Brien has shown he can win with at BC and NC State. On top of everything else - Tom O'Brien is from Ohio. He was born in Cincinnati.

I haven't heard or seen anyone mentioning Tom O'Brien to Ohio State - so I wanted to note it here so that you will remember where you read this sort of outside the box thinking first.

As an aside - someone hacked Tom O'Brien's Wikipedia page and added this little nugget:

According to many legitimate sources it was actually him O'Brien who saved the world from apocalypse and not Jesus, many people have also said that he once culled over 4,000 Iranian children.

Memorial Day Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations on Memorial Day.

Happy Memorial Day to everyone out there. In order to help keep the day in it's proper perspective - here are 10 Things to Remember About Memorial Day... I am shocked — shocked! — to find corruption going on in FIFA! Not a big soccer fan myself but I do remember my reaction to the news that Qatar was being awarded the World Cup. So how does a tiny country in an inhospitable part of the world with a repressive Islamic government get a World Cup? Anyone with half a brain knew that big bribes were involved... Heh heh - this always cracks me up. The Count's Song... Who knew? In the Mad Max movies - Mel Gibson's character's last name is Rockatansky. From now on Max Rockatansky is my new fake name. If you hear Max Rockatanski being paged over a PA somewhere - chances are that's just me screwing around... Why can't this happen to me?... How come you don't see Code Pink organizing human shields to prevent additional US bombing in Libya?... Only 3 players ahead of Derek Jeter for all-time runs scored are not in Hall of Fame - Barry Bonds, Pete Rose and Craig Biggio. Likewise, only 3 people ahead of Jeter for all-time hits - Pete Rose, Rafael Palmeiro and Craig Biggio - are not in Hall of Fame. Is there any question in anyone's mind that Jeter is not a Hall of Fame player?... An interesting look back on the he first Indy 500.

Game of Thrones


I have become a big fan of the HBO series Game of Thrones. After watching the second episode I decided I was interested enough to read the books. I got the first book for my Kindle and I was hooked.

I plowed through all four books in the series and even went to Barnes and Noble to see if they had the fifth book A Dance with Dragons but was told that the book won't be released until July 12th.

Maybe the best way to describe the book series is to imagine The Lord of the Rings if it was written by Ann Rice. That analogy is meant to include the best parts like the imagination of JRR Tolkien and the bad parts - like Ann Rice never actually finishing a book but setting up the next book in the series instead. If you like the HBO series - then you may want to give the books a shot. Just be warned that George R.R. Martin is big on plot twists and turns. Don't become emotionally invested in any one character because in Martin's storytelling no character is safe.

I'll be waiting for July 12th and the fifth book but until then I'm going to read the first four one more time.

Boston Bruins



Nut Rocker is the unofficial theme song to the Boston Bruins for as long as I can remember. I actually made sure the band could play this at my wedding.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Really happy about Bruins going to the Stanley Cup but I am a little bit worried that the rest of the sports world will start to hate Boston for our embarrassment of riches this past decade.... The Red Sox brought up outfielder Josh Reddick which makes me wonder if Reddick on display for trade potential? Maybe Mike Cameron is on the block? It would not be unlike the Red Sox to trade a veteran to a place where he could get more playing time... Hah hah - this has to be a metaphor of sorts regarding the state of Unions in the USA. The manufacturer of the union's "Scabby the Rat" balloon is non-union... Omar Vizquel is just 181 hits from 3,000 for his career. I really hope he gets there. Guy is a Hall of Famer... Josh Reddick is wearing number 16 for the Red Sox. That brings to mind another outfielder for the Sox who wore 16 - Rick Miller. It reminds me that Angels owner Gene Autry once told his GM to get him "that outfielder from the Red Sox." The GM thought he meant Rick Miller who was a free agent but Autry actually meant Dwight Evans... Take a few minutes to listen to a really thought provoking talk... Is this the definition of awful? Adam Dunn is ZERO for 33 vs LHP this season with 15 strikeouts... Just a reminder - Bob Dylan's 1st album sold just 5,000 copies. So not only is he a paragon of success - so he's also an inspiration for struggling artists... Deal of the century? According to this article - David Einhorn will get 33% of the Mets for $200 million but he also gets the option to up his stake to 60% for majority ownership of the team. To buy-out that option the Mets would have to give Einhorn back his $200 million but let him keep his 33% ownership stake. Wow - just wow!... Some of these are more than genius. I would seriously think about buying that convertible couch... What would I do for a Klondike Bar? I guess go to a store and pay a buck and a half. That's what I'd do for a Klondike Bar.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- I found this ad both hilarious and surprising.

- Halle Berry - I'd eat that like a cheese cracker

- New "Between Two Ferns" with Zach Galifianakis & Will Ferrell.

- Vegas plans 500-foot, $100M Ferris wheel, bigger than London's Eye

- Dr. Tits - was EE a bra size or his major in college?

- Somebody told Christina Hendricks that she needed a body double and she misunderstood what was said

- They face-raped him!

The Trades You Don't Make

"Johan Santana to the Red Sox is all but done. Jon Lester, a center fielder, Justin Masterson and Ryan Kalish are the package." Will Carroll 12/5/07

Chances are Will Carroll was just full of crap and the above deal was some GM just feeding him a jape. Carroll blocked me on Twitter cause I called him on his crap once. But the journalistic ethics of Will Carroll are not why I dredged up this old chestnut. The reason I brought this up is to praise Theo Epstein and the Boston Red Sox.

Can you imagine how the Twins would be doing if the above trade was actually made? Jon Lester is 6-1 with a 3.68 ERA while Justin Masterson is 5-2 with a 2.50 ERA. Those 11 combined wins are almost as many as the Twins have managed all season (15). The centerfielder mentioned would have been either Coco Crisp or Jacoby Ellsbury.

In actuality Johan Santana was traded by the Twins to the Mets for Deolis Guerra, Carlos Gomez, Philip Humber and Kevin Mulvey. Quite a big difference isn't it?

Three years later the only GM in this deal who looks good is Theo Epstein. For the deal he never made - or possible never even discussed.

Red Sox vs Cleveland

Top 5 - Joe Jackson Songs

For no real good reason at all I was thinking how under-rated Joe Jackson is as a musician. Here are my favorite Joe Jackson songs.

1. Is She Really Going Out With Him?
2. Steppin' Out
3. Look Sharp!
4. Fools In Love
5. (tie) Breaking Us In Two (tie) I'm the Man (tie) Sunday Papers

Post Rapture Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations from a guy who didn't get raptured.

Whenever I read about Lance Armstrong and accusations of doping, I can't help but think about the Tom Nuttall quote from Deadwood "Corruption won't never breathe stinky on my bi-cycle!"... The things you learn from the Internet (via Mental Floss): "Reed Hastings was inspired to start Netflix after racking up a $40 late fee on a VHS copy of Apollo 13"... Hollywood is so out of new ideas that I wouldn't be surprised if someone somewhere is pitching Casablanca II: A Beautiful Friendship starring Aston Kusher and Charlie Sheen... Heh heh - JFKFC... David Ortiz's HR last night gave him for 300 as a member of the Red Sox. Only Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice and Dwight Evans have more... Erik Seidel just won another poker tournament. You have to say that he's the best poker player on the planet right now. Better than Phil Ivey... 105 years ago today the Wright brothers were granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their "Flying-Machine." 105 years later and we still don't have flying cars. We were promised flying cars... Haunting pictures of the abandoned Six Flags New Orleans

Flotsam and Jetsam Rapture Edition

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations on the day of the Rapture.

I would celebrate the Rapture every May 21st if it came with an airing of grievances and cake... The core of the Rangers team can really be traced to trade of Mark Teixeira to the Braves which netted Texas Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, and Matt Harrison plus Jarrod Saltalamacchia which I still don't understand why they let him go. Can you imagine how much of a powerhouse Atlanta would be if they still had those players?... I feel bad for any police offices working missing persons bureaus tomorrow. You know the urge to write "raptured" on any new reports will be strong... Before going to Washington, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should have went to Mexico City first and demanded that America return to its pre-1846 borders. It would have been funny to see how President Obama would react (though Obama hasn't shown a real grasp of history so it is doubtful he'd even understand the significance of 1846)... Thanks to Peter Gammons for pointing out the silver lining to today's Rapture, "if the world ends today, the Red Sox are the wild card"... If you were a Priest or Minister and the Rapture turned out to be real and you were left behind - wouldn't you have a lot of explaining to do?

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Do you get the feeling that the Yankees management just wants to be rid of Jorge Posada? Here's a thought if that's true - if Jorge Posada continues to struggle then Yankees management should raffle off chances for a lucky fan to pinch hit for Posada in games that are out of reach one way or another (up or down by 4 runs after the 7th inning). The Yankees could charge $5 per ticket in the raffle and use that money to help pay Posada's $13 million salary... Yesterday I mentioned Donald Rumsfeld saying leaks about Osama bin Laden raid will make future raids more dangerous for soldiers and as if to illustrate that very point - Leon Panetta sends out memo warning CIA staff against leaks and of course the memo leaks... Trivia - the silent one in Penn and Teller duo changed his name from Raymond Joseph Teller to just Teller - he's the Madonna of magic... This is the greatest police report of all time (HT Baseball Crank)... Justin Verlander has made 10 starts this season - each of which was a quality start. Yet his record in those games is just 4-3 and the Tigers' record in those games is just 4-6... I laughed at this - you may find it tasteless: Can pregnant women go swimming?

Rapture



With all the talk on the Internet about the Rapture - I can't get the above song out of my head.

BTW - I'm a little confused isn't the 21st the end of the world based on the Mayan calendar? What does that have to do with the idea of a Christian second coming?

Kobe Bryant - Player Coach?

When Red Auerbach retired from coaching the Boston Celtics he named Bill Russell as his replacement. Red's thinking was that the only person capable of coaching Russell and getting the best out of Russell was Russell himself. Bill Russell took over the Celtics and led them to a 162-83 record and two NBA Championships in his 3 seasons as player coach.

Could the Lakers be in a similar situation as the 1966 Boston Celtics?

What coach can come in and command the necessary respect from Kobe Bryant? Brian Shaw? Come on - how is Brian Shaw going to be able to yell at Kobe at practice or tell him that things will be done the way Shaw wants them done and not the way Kobe wants them done. Rick Adelman? Same problems.

Only Kobe can motivate Kobe at this point. Plus naming him player-coach would light a fire (as if extra motivation is needed in a guy like Kobe) to prove he was the reason for the Lakers success and not Phil Jackson.

Kobe could surround himself with solid bench coaches who could handle much of the practice and in game substitutions. Kobe would be responsible for getting the most out of Kobe and kicking his teammates in the butt if needed.

I really think this would be the best solution for the Lakers coaching search. Making Kobe the coach makes him completely responsible for the success of the team. His will to win won't let him fail.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

If Jake Peavy was a free agent in any fantasy baseball leagues last night - I'm guessing that he's not this morning after pitching a complete game shutout... Teddy Bruschi conquers Kilimanjaro... I tend to think of Jeff Samardzija as kind of a flop for the Cubs but he has decent ERA (2.96) and is striking out more than a batter per inning pitched (27 K's in less than 25 IP)... Sherlock Holmes as a series of graphic novels... Has there been a bigger turnaround this year than the Pirates Charlie Morton? Last year he was 2-12 with a 7.57 ERA but this season he's 5-1 with a 2.62 ERA... This was the coolest moment from the NBA Draft Lottery... This is funny if true. Supposedly the Tropicana Field PA system played John Fogerty's Centerfield for Jorge Posada's at bats. You know "put me in coach/I'm ready to play"... Jesus Mary and Jerome would be a great name for a band... The Phillies' Cole Hamels has an impressive 2.14 ERA in the 8 starts since his first disastrous start vs the Mets... Very funny but I'm guessing they are not real - Best Damn You Auto Corrects of April... Todd Helton is quietly having very good season - hitting .323 with 6 HR and 20 RBI. Amazing that his .323 is actually below his career .324 mark... Tweet of the Day from @RumsfeldOffice:

Secrecy before the OBL operation was key to its success. The leaks since ensure the next one will be more dangerous for our troops.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Today the Red Sox released 2006 1st round pick Kris Johnson who was taken with the 40th pick. The Yankees took Joba Chamberlain with the 41st pick immediately after the Red Sox took Johnson. I always wondered how Joba would have done with the Sox. Would he be in the Danial Bard role (who was also taken in the 1st round in that 2006 draft)? Would Joba and Kevin Youkilis be friends?... The things you learn via the Internet (via Mental Floss): The 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris featured a live pigeon-shooting event. It never appeared in the Games again... Did not know this: Carl Yastrzemski won Triple Crown in 1967 but he and Harmon Killebrew actually were tied for the league lead in HR that season with 44... Just for the record - I DID NOT SLEEP WITH @paugasol woman!!! either!!!... The guy in that Stamps.com commercial who says "There's nothing worse than waiting in line at the Post Office" should be made to eat a dead rat. Or maybe visit the Holocaust museum. There's millions of things worse than waiting in line for a few minutes... You have to think that the Yankees handling of Jorge Posada has to kill any chance of Andy Pettitte returning to the team. Enjoy your retirement Andy.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- I agree with Old Hoss Radbourn - This should be Jorge Posada's at-bat music for the rest of the season.

- In case you missed it - Adrian Gonzalez mimicked Ichiro's batting stance against CC Sabathia the other night and hit a HR. Here's a GIF of them side by side - incredible!! The A-Gon legend grows and grows.

- Heh heh: Thor finishes on top of Bridesmaids

- This is a photograph, not a painting - unbelievable! National Geographic's photo of the day

- Very nice tribute on Harmon Killebrew

- Schwarzenegger proves he's no Kennedy - Kennedy's don't publicly take responsibility for their love children

The Bronx Zoo is Back

Last night Jorge Posada became the human equivalent of the cobra fleeing the Bronx Zoo. Like the missing cobra, this story has generated lots of media attention. The facts seem to be the following:

- Joe Girardi penciled Posada in the line-up in the 9th spot
- Posada asked to have the day off an hour before the game
- No injury was discussed with either Girardi or Cashman before the game

Now people are discussing voiding Posada's contract over this. People have pointed out Shawn Chacon getting his contract voided after assaulting Astros GM Ed Wade. I haven't heard anyone mention Denny Neagle but he also had his contract voided after soliciting oral sex from a prostitute (perhaps the worlds most costly BJ as Neagle still had $19 million left on his contract). As chest puffing talk about voiding contracts may be - Posada didn't physically assault his GM nor did his actions violate any moral turpitude clauses. He asked for a night off.

I also question the wisdom of the move in pure baseball terms. Last night the Yankees were facing a top right handed pitcher in Josh Beckett. Consider these 2010 numbers vs RHP. Jorge Posada has a 2010 OPS of .742 vs RHP. Nick Swisher has a .589 2010 OPS vs RHP. Derek Jeter has a .578 2010 OPS vs RHP. Posada has double the HR vs RHP in 2010 than Swisher and Jeter combined. Yet it was Posada who was being dropped to the 9th spot in the order.

This wasn't a baseball related move. This wasn't even a personnel move. This was a personal move. Girardi wanted to send a message to Posada (and maybe get a dig in for old grudges against the player who took his roster spot). Posada let his pride get in the way of business. Cashman wants to show the world he's a daredevil now.

I am less than impressed with Girardi as a manager. Tito Francona was able to move a $142 million player to the 8th spot in the order this season with little fanfare. Girardi can't even handle moving a player hitting .165 for the season to the 9th spot in the order without tripping all over himself. As a Red Sox fan - I hope that Girardi is the Yankees manager for many years to come.

Jorge Posada has a $13 million contract this year. He has to know that this is his last season and he also has to know that he has ZERO trade value. The Yankees want him to walk away so they don't have to pay his $13 million. That's why the talk about contract voiding came up so soon. They are daring Posada to quit and solve the problem for them.

Cashman seems to be marking his territory. Rafael Soriano wasn't his decision and Cashman has made that clear. Cashman is not to blame for that. Maybe bringing Jorge back wasn't either. You have to wonder if Cashman is laying the groundwork to avoid him being the scapegoat for when this team implodes?

The Bronx Zoo is back and if Posada is the equivalent of the run away cobra then what does that make Giradi and Cashman? I'd say Girardi would be a near-sighted rhinoceros with Cashman being a weasel.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Lost in all the drama of last night's game - the Jorge Posada saga, the resurgence of Josh Beckett, the Sarah Silverman fiasco - was something truly amazing. Adrian Gonzalez did an impromptu Ichiro impersonation at the plate and hit a home run. Freaking incredible... So thanks to Sarah Silverman I guess one thing we learned last night is that you can't say the word "Mass-hole" live on Fox... Some things you learn are amusing some are not. Last night I had never heard of Derek Boogaard but Big Stupid Tommy recommended this profile of Boogaard in Men's Journal. I read the profile and came away thinking Boogaard was a pretty cool dude. Only later did I realize that people were posting things about Boogaard because he had died Friday. That put the whole Posada drama into another perspective... On a happier note - you should keep track of Teddy Bruschi's climb of Mount Kilimanjaro with some inspiring wounded warriors. Here's the first installment... With the news of Osama bin Laden's porn stash - how soon before someone asks President Obama if he has a porn stash? First off - how funny is it that the phrase "porn stash" is now appearing is so many "legitimate" news outlets? Secondly - Bill Clinton was the first President to be asked "Boxers or briefs" but will Barack Obama be the first President to be asked if he masturbates?... The Posada being asked to bat 9th made me think of this story of Kurt Vonnegut being asked to write a frivolous horse racing story... You know that the first Two and a Half Men show with Ashton Kutcher is going to have monster ratings. The ratings for the next couple will probably be strong as well but that's it. The producers are really squeezing the last drop out of that franchise... The one for The 6th Sense was my favorite - He's a Ghost. The 50 Funniest Movie Title Translations... What will be harder to explain to our grandkids - corduroy bell-bottom pants or why people did the Tomahawk Chop? Any time someone mentions the Tomahawk Chop - I always remember Norman Chad writing about it and asking people to do the Chop in front of a mirror without coming away feeling stupid. You would have a better chance wearing corduroy bellbottoms in front of a mirror and thinking you look cool than doing the Chop and thinking the same... How Australia does memes: The Plank.

I Love This Commercial



I also love that the only "product" is the Red Sox hat John Krasinski is wearing.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The Washington Nationals are now a .500 team while the Red Sox are not. Down is up and up is down. The world ceases to make sense... I'm a fan of Penn & Teller. If they were to publish a manifesto and found a political party - I'd vote for that party... It is ironic that prior to the series - commentators were picking the Celtics over the Heat because the Boston Big 3 had proven they could "close" games while the Heat were choke artists. The Celtics could easily have won games 4 and 5 if they could just close out when they were ahead. The injury to Rondo hurt a lot. This time of year is all about being healthy (and getting Stern to have refs call the game your way)... Is Linda Cohn still dating Mr. Met?... Mysterious Blackjack Savant Single-Handedly Busts Tropicana Casino... Many people still argue that John Travolta's best role was as the boy in the bubble... The things you learn on the Internet (via Mental Floss): "The milliHelen is the quantity of beauty required to launch just one ship"... Kentucky Derby jockey found dead at Churchill Downs. I can't read something like that without thinking it would be a great opening for a Dick Francis novel... I'm bugged by people who write about "rooting" for one side or the other in NFL lockout. A pox on both their houses if a deal isn't reached...

Linky Links

Stuff I thought was interesting and thought I'd share.

- Very cool stop motion photography

- Michael J Fox News (I felt like a bad person for laughing at that - the only redeeming thing is the information at the bottom of the screen.)

- Voted best illusion of the year

- Reasons Why the Crackdown on Internet Poker Is a Mistake

- Is HBO's Entourage wooing Charlie Sheen to join the cast for their final season? I admit - that could get me watching the show again.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The Dallas Mavericks were simply the better team - why all the fawning over the Lakers? They lost - get over it. Nobody seems to be giving the Mavericks any credit this morning... In the Sketchers commercial with Wayne Gretzky, I may be wrong but it looks like he misses the open net with his shot. Why would you want guy who can't hit open net to make comeback?... Happy 51st birthday to the classy Tony Gwynn... Never thought of it this way before but Moses may have been the world's first great middleman (in the business sense)... Quote of the Day: "My wife was afraid of the dark - then she saw me naked and now she's afraid of the light." Rodney Dangerfield... For what it's worth - Iraq has a 0 migration rate which means people aren't fleeing or flocking to the country. This is normally an indication of stability. That's something Detroit or the State of Michigan can't claim... As great as Phil Jackson was - he wasn't in the same area code of greatness as Red Auerbach.

Does Peter Gammons Speak in Code?

This was one of Peter Gammons latest Tweets:

pgammo (Peter Gammons): Blue Sky:Let us not forget that in 1952 Virgil (Fire) Trucks three two no-hitters for the Tigers. Great nephews Derek and Butch haven't.

I have no clue what that is supposed to mean. Yes there was a Virgil Trucks who played for the Tigers but WTF? What's next - "Dwight Evans was a tremendous outfielder for the Red Sox and I like beets"?

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

If the Celtics make the NBA finals then trainer Eddie Lacerte should get a double playoff share. The performance of Rajon Rondo last night was legendary. I'm afraid that Dwayne Wade, who has really embraced the heel role, will go out of his way Monday to hit Rondo in the elbow... I keep waiting for the New York Times headline: "Osama bin Laden Killed - Women and Children Hardest Hit"... David Ortiz was signed to back-up Jeremy Giambi. Remember that next time someone tries to tell you Theo Epstein is a genius... Blast from the Past: "If $75 a barrel oil and a $3 average for a gallon of gasoline isn't a wake-up call, then what is?" Senator Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.), April 2006. And what has Senator Schumer done to help lower the price of gas since his whining about it 5-years ago? Yeah - pretty much nothing. And what is Schumer saying now that a Democrat is in the White House and gas is at $4 per gallon? Lousy hypocrite... The Yankees manager wants Jeter to pull out of his two hole but is too afraid to tell him. Man this sounds like a bad gay relationship... Blast from the Past II: Kevin Garnett, 18, poses with his prom date... Many people rushed to get Brennan Boesch in fantasy baseball but in the last 10 games (not including yesterday) his average has dropped 38 points and his OPS 112 points... Blast from the Past III: Joe Biden declares: 'We're going to be creating between 250,000 and 500,000 jobs a month', Shouldn't the media hold people like Biden and Schumer accountable for their words?...

Kentucky Derby



Congrats to Johnny Velázquez on winning the Kentucky Derby on Animal Kingdom. I can't help but note that I couldn't help thinking of the obvious racist overtones of My Old Kentucky Home which made me think of the above video.

Kentucky Derby

This is the first time in over a decade when I really have no interest in the Kentucky Derby. With Uncle Mo out, the field has been described in some circles to being akin to the 1982 Grammy nominees for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance which were Wendy O Williams (of the Plasmatics), Lita Ford and Pia Zadora. Hardly Hall of Famers. (OK maybe I'm the only "circle" making that comparison.)

I will still end up watching the race somewhere with a beer in hand and this does give me the opportunity to drag out one of my favorite bits of Presidential trivia. Did you know that Richard Nixon was the only sitting President to ever attend a running of the Kentucky Derby?

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Did Gus Johnson say something about Phil Simms' kid? That's the only thing that makes sense for CBS Sports not bringing him back... What bothered you more - learning there was no Easter Bunny or learning that Eric Estrada's first name is actually Henry?... I checked my American College Dictionary and "physicality" is not a word. I wish basketball announcers would stop using it... Heh heh - it's funny because I know a guy who did the same thing in college... Illinois University must be really proud of Rashard Mendenhall highlighting the education he received during his four years there... Beer is an excellent source of selenium (SE) and chromium (CR). The things you learn when you sit next to a chemist at a bar... Teddy Bruschi and Jeff Fisher to scale Mount Kilimanjaro - very Heminwayesque.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The one thing that disappoints me about Osama bin Laden's death is I haven't seen a photoshop of him wearing a Yankees cap (yet!)... Abe Vigoda's friends got him a hooker. When Abe answered the door she said, "Let's go upstairs and have sex." Abe replied, "Darling I can do only one thing at a time"... There's a mini-controversy about Osama bin Laden not having a weapon when he was shot. This reminds me of some lines from the movie Unforgiven; Little Bill "You just shot an unarmed man!" Will Munny "Well, he should have armed himself if he's going to decorate his saloon with my friend"... Are there circumstances in which feeding kittens to boa constrictors might be morally acceptable?... With Osama bin Laden dead - is Lebron James now the most hated person in America?... William Shakespeare, the greatest writer of all-time, was married to a woman who could neither read nor write... Speaking of Osama - this is awesome... America’s kitties eat 12 million pounds of flesh every day - some day the little old ladies with the cats are going to run out of Meow Mix. This would be a great premise for a movie - Zombie Kittens... The more President Obama legitimizes the policies of President Bush - the more the door opens for Jeb Bush in 2012.

Great Investment

A Baptist paid $690,000 for a 1975 Ford Escort GL with no air, no hubs and in Original Papal Condition. I wonder how much that Escort is worth now that the Pope has been ungraded to Saint?

In the middle ages people prayed to relics of Saints. I find it amusing that technically the Escort could now be considered a relic and somewhere, somebody may be praying to it.

Heh Heh - Joke of the Day

Bill worked in a pickle factory. He had been employed there for a number of years when he came home one day to confess to his wife that he had a terrible compulsion. He had an urge to stick his penis into the pickle slicer. His wife suggested that he should see a sex therapist to talk about it, but Bill said he would be too embarrassed. He vowed to overcome the compulsion on his own.
One day a few weeks later, Bill came home and his wife could see at once that something was seriously wrong.
"What's wrong, Bill?" she asked.
"Do you remember that I told you how I had this tremendous urge to put my penis into the pickle slicer?"
"Oh, Bill, you didn't!" she exclaimed.
"Yes, I did." he replied.
"My God, Bill, what happened?"
"I got fired."
"No, Bill. I mean, what happened with the pickle slicer?"
"Oh...she got fired too."

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

You just know that Danny Woodhead's thoughts about Osama bin Laden are 180 degrees opposite to Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall's. Advantage Patriots... Buddy Bell's nephew was a Marine killed by roadside bomb. Some enterprising MLB writer should get his reaction to the news of Osama bin Laden's death... I've come to the conclusion that Chris Moneymaker was to poker what Chumbawumba was to pop music... WTF? "It's Osama bin Laden!" scream US journalists in Islamabad in 2002... Just an observation but is seems like if an opposing player hits a HR you are supposed to throw the ball back but if it is a ground rule double it's OK to keep the ball. That just seems strange... Back in Colonial days a slang expression for being drunk was "getting half-way to Concord." I like that and will add it to my list of expressions... 10 Obscure Disney Characters... I wish a drug company would hire Tim McCarver for a genital herpes commercial just so I could hear him say "I'm Tim McCarver and I have genital herpes"

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I give lots of credit for the death of Osama bin Laden to President Obama. Of course the Navy Seal team and the people running the operation and those who gathered the intelligence deserve as much credit as possible but those folks generally will not be publicly known. If the operation went wrong - like Jimmy Carter's failed hostage rescue operation - Obama would have been blamed for it. With that in mind you have to hand it to President Obama for a successful operation... I'm always amused by Penn Gillette (NSFW language)... Visible Radiation would be a good name for a band... Like many people - I am really bothered by Pakistan's role in harboring Osama bin Laden. I don't know what will happen next but I'm really bothered by it... Q: What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back? A: A stick... Hardhat Jesus would be a good name for a band... Heh heh - Donald Trump Responds To Bin Laden News... Hey Phillies fans - just a reminder, "Whomever designed that park in Philadelphia was an idiot." Peter Gammons from June of 2005... Another person who deserves some credit for the death of Osama bin Laden but who will not get much if any is Donald Rumsfeld. Here is Rumsfeld's statement on the death of Osama bin Laden. Rumsfeld is largely responsible for redesigning the Pentagon to allow for lightning fast strikes by mobile forces... Hypnotized Fish would be a good name for a band... Heh heh - the Taiwanese animation of Osama bin Laden's death... The things you learn on the Internet (via Mental Floss): In 1946, Boston owner Walter Brown chose the nickname Celtics over Whirlwinds, Olympians and Unicorns... Who knew? Peter Gammons is the great, great, great, great grandson of Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen

Sold Me Down the River



Sold Me Down the River is a song by the 80's band The Alarm. The music video makes no sense whatsoever (which was a pretty common thing for 80's music videos).

Before we had the phrase "thrown under the bus" - many people used to say "sold him down the river." What most people fail to realize is that the phrase "sold him down the river" has its roots (no pun intended) in slavery. Oftentimes a slave owner would break up a black family by selling a member "down the river" to a larger plantation. In its original form the phrase meant the awful betrayal of an innocent. I see that video by The Alarm and I think of this and the video just becomes all that much confusing for me. Sometimes I way over think things.

Heh Heh - Joke of the Day

A very classy lady walked into a Lexus dealership to browse, and spotted the most beautiful, perfectly loaded Lexus she had ever seen. She walked over to inspect it closer. As she bent forward to feel the fine leather upholstery, an unexpected little burst of flatulence escaped her. Very embarrassed, she anxiously looked around to see if anyone had noticed. Sure enough, there standing right behind her was a salesman. With a pleasant smile he greeted her, "Good day, Madam. How may we help you today?" Trying to maintain an air of sophistication and acting as though nothing had happened, she smiled back and asked, "Sir, what is the price of this lovely vehicle?" Still smiling pleasantly, he replied,

"Madam , I'm very sorry to say... if you farted by just touching it, you are gonna shit when you hear the price."

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

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

Flyers vs Bruins - Aah-hahahahahaha



With the Bruins and Flyers playoff tilt starting today - I couldn't help but think of this clip from Jack "Sons of the Revolution" Edwards.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Little known fact but by tradition at the after Royal Wedding reception whoever catches the new princesses garter becomes the ambassador to Sweden... I think most Patriot fans were braced for Bill Belichick to trade the pick that ended up being Ryan Mallett to a team that needed a QB but ended up being very happy when the Pats actually took the QB for their own. That happiness was compounded with the realization that the move basically came down to trading a pretty much washed up Randy Moss for Ryan Mallett (the Pats used the pick they got from the Vikings to pick Mallett)... Wow - this is a pretty cool move - Bose Founder Gives Majority of Company to MIT... If the Reds Mike Leake was a normal guy I could see doing the diversion program which will get his record wiped clean as 1st time offender. However, given the fact that I'm doubting that he'd be this stupid again and that nobody is going to forget he stole that T-shirts - the program probably isn't worth the time... In my opinion Roy Firestone getting Rod Tidwell to cry in Jerry Maguire still greater than Suzy Kolber getting Mark Ingram to cry at the end of the first day of the NFL Draft... The only question I have regarding the Royal Wedding is whether Richard Petty invoked his right of prima nocta.

Carrickfergus



One piece of Royal Wedding trivia jumped out at me this morning. As part of the ceremony the Queen invested her grandson as Baron Carrickfergus. That of course made me think of the the above song. If you listen to the video make sure you stick around for the bonus joke at the end

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I haven't seen any of the Royal Wedding but I have caught some of the snark about it on Twitter. I can't help but be reminded of Alexis de Tocqueville who was shocked by how just any guy would be referred to as "Sir" in American society... The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if the NFL made the Vikings take Christian Ponder at 12 to insure nobody would collect that $10 million for having the first round correct... I still think Two and a Half Men should replace Charlie Sheen with Ellen DeGeneres and just pretend nothing happened just like they did with the Darren's in Bewitched... John Elway is a fan of traditional type QB's so I have to wonder if the Jaguars took Blaine Gabbert because a deal is in place to trade him to the Broncos for Tim Tebow once NFL allows player trades... Derek Lowe was arrested for DUI last night... If you played the Jon Gruden "This Guy" drinking game - you would have been hammered before Jacksonville picked Gabbert. He must have had between 75 and 100 "This Guys" last night... ABC should re-make the TV show Barney Miller with Dave Attell playing the lead role and with Abe Vigoda reprising his role as Fish... Kansas City should have a Royals Weddings promotion for rest of season. Renting out the boxes/suites next to dugouts has to be about the same price as renting a hall. Allow a 15 minute ceremony on the field before the game. This would be a winner if the PR person in charge had thought ahead... In my mind I pictured Jeff Fisher watching the NFL Draft at home with beer shooting through his nose learning of the Jake Locker to the Titans pick... Knock knock. Who's there? Control freak. Now, this is the point where you say "Control freak who?"... I think the Cleveland Browns really got the best of that trade that landed the Falcons Julio Jones. The Falcons gave up the 27th, 59th, and 124th 2011 picks plus a 2012 1st and a 2012 4th round pick for a WR with health questions... I know my ass from my elbow but I honestly couldn’t tell you the difference between a castle and a keep... I think one thing that really could have helped the NFL Draft last night would have been ESPN getting comments from a guy dressed as a giant Mr. Potato-head and pretending to be Mike Holmgren... Back in 1978 Robin Yount held out from Spring training because he needed to decide if he wanted to be a pro baseball player or a pro golfer... Over / under for Cam Newton interceptions next season has to be around 20 - right?... Sick bastard... There should be a word to describe the act of drinking the milk straight from the bowl after you have eaten the cereal... As a symbolic gesture - whatever NFL team wins the Super Bowl this year should vote Judge Nelson a full playoff share... Bobcat on a Saguaro!... The things you learn on the Internet (via Mental Floss): "The wife of Atlanta Hawks GM Pat Williams had a baby on draft day in 1974. To celebrate, Williams drafted his son in the 10th round."

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

People who can't believe President Obama's birth certificate also can't believe Parkay is not butter... Sad news - Alice Ward, mother of Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund, has died... The Most Interesting Man in the World's catchphrase is "Stay thirsty my friend"? Is that code asking me to actually drink Diet Coke? Because Diet Coke is the only drink I can think of that still leaves you thirsty after drinking it... Victorian Star Trek... Appointing General David Petraeus to the CIA is a good move on many levels. For President Obama it puts a potential severe critic into a position where Petraeus' public comments will be limited. For America it removes a politician with no experience and replaces him with a man who understands firsthand that leaked secrets can get soldiers killed. The bottom line is that it is a good move for America... At some point the Red Sox have to consider Jed Lowrie as an outfield replacement for JD Drew next season. Lowrie's not that good a shortstop but his offensive numbers could be very similar to Drew's... Very interesting story of a neurologist trying to finish his last paper - on the disease that's killing him!... Dustin Pedroia better win the AL Gold Glove at 2nd this year... According to Moe Lane - Barack Obama has a 116 IQ

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Just saying but Richard Nixon saying "I am not a crook" became a punchline - so too will Jim Tressel saying "I am not a cheat"... A chart of which voice actor does which character on The Simpsons... The things you learn on the Internet (via Mental Floss): "In 1970, Portland fans voted to name their new NBA team the Pioneers. Since a local college was using that name, Trail Blazers was selected"... What marshmallow peeps do the other 364 days a year... I'm pretty sure that the girls on either side of the Most Interesting Man in the World in the Dos Equis beer commercials don't speak English (not that it really matters)... Fan offers Cam Newton $1 million to take lie detector test... Piers Morgan is reportedly down to just 265,000 viewers. I'm pretty sure that re-runs of Larry King could beat that... It has been 25 years to the day that the accident happened at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant causing the worst nuclear disaster in history...

Pretty Funny Joke

Donald Rumsfeld and President Barack Obama somehow ended up at the same barbershop. As they sat there, each being worked on by a different barber, not a word was spoken.

The barbers were even afraid to start a conversation, for fear it would turn to politics. As the barbers finished their shaves, the one who had President Obama in his chair reached for the aftershave. Obama was quick to stop him saying, "No thanks, my wife Michele will smell that and think I've been in a whorehouse."

The second barber turned to Rumsfeld and said, "How about you?"

Rummy replied, "Go ahead, my wife doesn't know what the inside of a whorehouse smells like."

Top 5 Marion's (or Marian's of all-time)

1. Maid Marian - from Robin Hood fame
2. John Wayne (real name Marion Michael Morrison)
3. Marion Cunningham - Richie's mom on Happy Day's (played by Marion Ross)
4. Marion Berry (crack addict mayor of DC)
5. (tie) Marion Jones - track star/ steroids user and (tie) Francis Marion - Revolutionary War hero and basis of Mel Gibson's character in The Patriot

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The Kraken sounds more like a hangover with the shits than a black spiced rum. I feel awful this morning - I have THE KRAKEN!... The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Red Sox edition: the good - Red Sox starters have a 1.17 ERA over the last 7 games; the bad - the Red Sox are hitting just .232 as a team this season; the ugly - the Red Sox catching situation... Strangest starting pitcher stat line I've ever seen - Miguel Batista 0.0 IP 0 H 0 R 1 BB 0 K then pulled after rain delay... Not that there's anything wrong with that but Charlie Manlove has to be gayest name in baseball history and he was a catcher!!... Since being traded to Red Sox Josh Beckett has 4.22 ERA. Meanwhile in that same period Anibal Sanchez has a 3.73 ERA for Marlins. Just saying... It is easy to forget but Omar Vizquel is only 193 hits away from 3,000 for his career... Andre Ethier very quietly has put together a 19 game hitting streak... How bad did the Celtics lay the beatdown on the Knicks last night? Right after the game "Massacre Square Garden" started trending on Twitter... The Angels have a give-away of Angels logo wrestling masks on May 10th to set record of people wearing wrestling masks in one place. Then on May 11th another record will be set - the number of local gas stations robbed by people wearing wrestling masks... If life gives you melons - you may be dyslexic... Do you think Theo Epstein would still be interested in a Jed Lowrie for Chris Iannetta trade?... St Augustine did something very bad when young and his guilt turned him to Christianity. Wonder if what he did was worse than Kirk Cameron doing Growing Pains?... BREAKING: NFL scout's say FSU's QB Christian Ponder could be second coming of Ken Dorsey... I was amused by this.

Nina Simone - I'm Feeling Good

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Things would have been much better for baseball if it was the author Frank McCourt of Angela's Ashes fame who bought the Los Angeles Dodgers instead of the Frank McCourt who actually did. I know that the author has now passed away but admit it many people still think it's that Frank McCourt anyway... Did you know that the first pro baseball player was Lipman Pike and that he was also first pro Jewish player? You can look it up... Robert Redford was in a movie called Havana and it wasn't half bad - Sean Connery was in a movie called Cuba that wasn't half good... Deposition suggests Cubs threw 1918 Series. For anyone with half a brain this really isn't news. It is silly to think that the 1919 Black Sox came out of nowhere and that baseball fixing didn't exist prior to that... Speaking of forgotten history - the Hitler Cup... Did you know that Gene Hackman was the original choice of show's producers to play Mr. Brady on The Brady Bunch but the studio insisted on Robert Reed?... Very cool indeed. San Francisco now features the world's coolest garage door... On this date in 1864 the U.S. Congress passed the Coinage Act which mandated that the inscription "In God We Trust" be placed on all coins minted as US currency. Part of the reasoning behind this was because the US Constitution does not talk about God while the Confederate constitution did. This was a measure in part to show that the Union wanted God on their side... This is SPARTA!... Happy 52nd birthday to Red Sox manager Terry Francona. I hope the team gets you a win for your birthday... I find Brian Wilson and his bread shtick tedious. I also don't think he's that great a closer but I admit that this was pretty cool... Hard to imagine but it's been seven years since Pat Tillman was killed in action.

Bettie Page



Today would have been Bettie Page's 88th birthday.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- This "fishing" video was just plain fun to watch

- Very cool business idea. I think this is a winner. I remember years ago when those beepers for when your table was ready first came out and this idea trumps that hands down.

- Neil deGrasse Tyson on UFO's

- HBO's upcoming series Luck looks really good. Big fan of David Milch.

- The NHL re-signs with Versus (or whatever NBC decides to call the channel) for another 10 years

Coco Crisp



The world's greatest "haircut".

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

This week some journalist will drive the Boston Marathon route from Hopkington to Boston and they will not be able to beat Kenyan racer Geoffry Mutai's time. That will make a nice story for out of towners but locals know that's just the way the traffic works... President George W. Bush to host 100 km bike ride with wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans... The only excuse I can think of for Mike Leake was if he was rookie hazed into stealing ala Animal House Food King run... I saw that Gary Glitter was trending on Twitter and I really hoped it was because he was dead... This Jim Thome video promotional video for the Twins is awesome... There should be a word for when a guy wades into the ocean and the waves break over his groin and he finally feels OK to dive in. We all know that feeling but there is no word for it... Some of these ideas are pretty nifty... I agree that the trip on the screen by Garnett was the key to Ray Allen hitting game winning 3-pointer. As a Celtics fan though you felt they were going to win no matter what. Even if they lost you had the feeling they would still win the series. I imagine that Knick fans were feeling just the opposite. I also have to think Knick fans are thinking, "We traded away half the team for that?"... These were pretty amusing... Next week is bad for me. Jonas Brothers are in town.

Separated at Birth

Walter Goggins (Boyd Crowder from Justified)

Dustin Pedroia (Boston Red Sox)

Looking alike may be a stretch but they sure do seem to act alike.

Did Woody Allen Have It Right?

A new study suggests that fatty foods may actually be good for your heart.

That news made me think of this bit from Woody Allen's 1973 movie Sleeper.

Dr. Melik: This morning for breakfast he requested something called "wheat germ, organic honey and tiger's milk."
Dr. Aragon: [chuckling] Oh, yes. Those are the charmed substances that some years ago were thought to contain life-preserving properties.
Dr. Melik: You mean there was no deep fat? No steak or cream pies or... hot fudge?
Dr. Aragon: Those were thought to be unhealthy... precisely the opposite of what we now know to be true.
Dr. Melik: Incredible.

Over the Edge of the World - Sunday Book Report

I was drawn to read Laurence Bergreen's Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe after listening to the author speak in an online forum.

You can watch the lecture here. I fully recommend both the book and the lecture. If you don't have the time to read the book then the lecture will give you a good flavor of the incredible hardships and the immeasurable impact Magellan's fleet had on the history of the world.

The book is a fascinating account of the Portuguese Magellan who ended up leading a fleet of five ships for the King of Spain in an expedition around the world to the elusive Spice Islands. Magellan had to suppress violent mutinies and navigate vast unknown lengths of the world. It is a heroic tale of a three-year odyssey. For a understanding of how truly incredible Magellan's feat was consider that his circumnavigation of the world was not duplicated for another 58 years until the equally heroic Sir Francis Drake was able to equal the feat.

I am going to try and do one of these book reports each Sunday. Please note that they really aren't for you the reader but more for me the diarist. I see it as a way of noting what I thought or learned from a book at the time of reading.

Also please note that I have updated the books at the top of the blog. Originally I was posting books that I have read up there. I have changed that to books that I have on my Amazon Wish List. Please feel free to purchase one of those books for me if you feel I've provided you with some worthwhile entertainment here on this little corner of the Internet.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Troy Tulowitzki didn't have a HR yesterday? What gives? Was he hurt? (Does Blogger have a sarcasm font?)... I can't help but wonder how often Mark Cuban thinks about letting Steve Nash leave as free agent back in 2004. He must regret the move. I think the Mavericks would have an NBA title by now if Cuban had kept the Dirk Nowitzki / Steve Nash dynamic duo intact. I wonder if in his heart of hearts Cuban thinks the same thing... How bad is it for the Red Sox? Jarrod Saltalamacchia has an OPS+ of 11 - think about that for a second... Regarding the FBI closing down the online poker Big 3 sites I can't help but think of the following quote: “The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly” - Abraham Lincoln. Hopefully this will be the catalyst to finally get a bad law off the books. Poker is part of the American fabric - part of our very soul. It is a travesty that it should be illegal... Is it too early to ask if A-Rod can hit .400 for the season? (Really a sarcasm font would be so helpful.)... You think of Steve Nash as assist guy but he's also just 72 points from passing Pistol Pete Maravich on all-time scoring list... If Alexander Hamilton was alive today - would he be a Mets fan or a Yankees fan?... "Too Big to Fail" would be a good title for an Andre the Giant biography... Carl Crawford's OPS+ is -4. Yup - Crawford in negative numbers. That means the Red Sox would have been better off not having him swing at all like a scared little league player. I'm sure he'll break out of his funk but damn it's been ugly so far...

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- The Douche (in its natural environment)

- How to create a hit network drama

- Interesting interview of author Dean Koontz (video)

- Amazing time-lapse photography of Milky Way and El Teide Mountain in Spain

- Why Do Earthworms Surface After Rain?

NYT Was a Bad Choice

"Milk was a bad choice." Ron Burgandy

This post highlighting Tom Friedman of the New York Times touting Amazon.com as a bad investment choice back in 1999 is amusing on many levels.

I'd like to point out that a share of NYT stock on April 13, 1999 was going for $29.94. On April 13, 2011 that stock was selling for $9.16. Talk about bad investment choices.

Barry Bonds

Ken Rosenthal asks if in the end whether it was worth it to Barry Bonds.

I agree that if you asked pretty much anyone who ever got their hand caught in the cookie jar - they most likely would say it wasn't worth it. However, I can't help but remember that Barry Bonds made $135 million AFTER he started juicing. Was that $135 million worth it?

Consider that Barry Bonds was picked with the 6th pick of the first round of the 1985 MLB Draft. The following players went before him BJ Surhoff ($20 million in earnings after 1998), Will Clark ($10.9 million but out of baseball after 2000), Canton Mass's Bobby Witt ($2.1 million and out of baseball after 2001), Barry Larkin ($38.5 million) and Kurt Brown a catcher drafted by the White Sox who never played a game in the big leagues. That means that if you accept that Barry Bonds started juicing after 1998 then he made almost double the money of all the guys drafted ahead of him combined from that point forward. Combined.

Was that worth it becomes a different question altogether. The question then becomes more akin to "Would you spend a year in jail for millions of dollars?" How would you answer that question?

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

You can't have good without evil yet Christianity has official blessings but no official curses. I think that may be a missing ingredient... People remember Jean Van de Velde's meltdown at 1999 British Open but can you recall who won it? Likewise I think people will remember 2011 Masters more for Rory McIlroy's final round meltdown than for Charl Schartzel winning... The fastest marathon humanly possible may be only 76 seconds faster than the current record... After seeing the ESPN special on Tom Brady and the 2000 NFL Draft - I am amazed that some 49ers fan hasn't created a fake Gio Carmazzi Twitter account yet. I think that would be classic. The fake Carmozzi can tweet about what his goats are doing while Brady is throwing touchdowns... Quote for the day: "The message leaps from heart to heart by way of the brain, and where the brain is unpersuaded the message cannot pass." - Joseph Campbell... I listened to Bill Simmons podcast with Norm McDonald. I found it interesting that High Stakes Poker was not mentioned even once. It was mildly interesting but that interest was offset by it being just an ESPN/Disney pimpfest (Norm's new show is on Comedy Central a member of Team Disney)... Every time I see that Water for Elephants commercial I think, "Hey Cedric Diggory lives!" I then wonder if the jealous husband is really Voldemorte... Bible thought for the day: Do you think Eve fed Adam the apple so he would know that it was wrong to have sex with the animals of the Garden of Eden?... With Rory McIlroy being from Northern Ireland - I was disappointed that I didn't see any Sunday, Bloody Sunday U2 references made regarding his dismal final round at The Masters. "This is not a rebel song. And this is not a song about Rory McIlroy's final round at the Masters. This is Sunday, Bloody Sunday"... This is pretty cool. It would be awesome if the Navy could put these on the heads of freakin sharks... By the way Paul Lawrie won the 1999 British Open.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Scott Adams (Dilbert) on how to be an entrepreneur

- 50 Facts about Bill Murray

- If just half the things written about John Thompson in this article are true then Thompson is one of the biggest jerkfaces in the NCCAA from my lifetime

- I can't recommend this article enough - What Lucky People Do Different

- Yeah - this could be me at the beach

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Glad to see ex Red Sox pitcher Justin Masterson off to a hot start for the Indians. Masterson is now 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA to start the season. Masterson is one of the nicest guys in baseball... Cool story. Rory McIlroy and the Augusta Entourage house... Happy 75th birthday to NFL icon John Madden... Chase who? The top 5 hitters in the Phillies batting order are all hitting better than .333 to start the season... He lives! Abe Vigoda is still alive! Long live the Vigoda... There is a slight chance that Johnny Damon gets to 3,000 hits and election to Hall of Fame while Manny Ramirez gets to be on outside looking in. Who could have guessed that? Damon is now tied in 72nd place on the all-time hits list with 2,574 along with retired Richie Ashburn and retired Manny Ramirez. Damon needs 9 more hits to tie Ernie Banks... RIP to Sidney Lumet one of the all-time great directors. Strange Lumet tidbit - he wanted to direct Death Wish (1974) with Jack Lemmon in the leading role. That would have been a completely different movie... VAN GUNDY!!!!!... The Skeleton in the Closet. You know this became a story just because people wanted to make gay Geiko caveman jokes... Strange Sidney Lumet tidbit 2 - the Lefty Lumet was once father in law to Righty humorist PJ O'Rourke... Happy 29th birthday to Dodgers all-star outfielder Andre Ethier... I think one of the effects Twitter will have on the English language will be the almost elimination of the word "the" and most articles in the grammar sense... I may be alone in this but my favorite Sidney Lumet film was Murder on the Orient Express...

Van Morrison - Into the Mystic



Just feels like a Van Morrison type of day.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

My thoughts on Manny Ramirez "retiring"? Manny made over $200 million in his career. Owners and general managers were happy to pay him even though many must have had suspicions. Now he gets to enjoy that money but he doesn't get a spot in the Hall of Fame... Just saying but if Tiger wins the Masters he is sooo getting laid Sunday night... Well played, Dewey Decimal system... If Freddy Couples wins this year's Masters at age 51 - is that a bigger deal than Jack Nicklaus winning at age 46?... The situation with Manny Ramirez just makes me sad for guys like Fred McGriff. I think he's one of the real victims of steroid abusers. Yes I don't know for sure that the Crime Dog wasn't also injecting but I'm pretty damn sure he wasn't... Am I the only one who reads the NFL headlines about Judge Nelson and thinks the story will somehow be about Judd Nelson and a Breakfast Club sequel?... Not right now. Batman is busy!... I haven't seen the Rebecca Black Friday video nor the 2 Girls 1 cup video and God willing I never will... Have you seen that Viagra commercial where the guy has a classic car with an overheating radiator? He fixes the problem by just pouring in some bottled water. In real life wouldn't steam have blow up in his face or the radiator cap have burned his hand at the very least?... This was silly but it makes me smile every time...

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Study: Beer beats water for hydration

- Melons

- Dan Wentzel looks at protesting at Augusta National. Shane Brown the preacher he mentions is more legitimate than uber harpy Martha Burk. Has anyone heard from Burke since her "look at me" New York Times backed protest? If she was legit you would have heard from her on other women's issues at least one freaking time. Make my dinner Martha - iron my shirt!

- Cowboy up!

- Who knew? George Lucas' daughter is an MMA fighter

- Actual medical condition: "The Jumping Frenchman of Maine Disorder"

Woe is the Red Sox

OMG! The Red Sox have lost their first six games! I blame myself. This is all my fault. In my hubris I started a Magic Number countdown before the first game was even played. Announcing your plans is a great way to make God laugh.

Of course I'm kidding about being worried about the Red Sox. I'll leave that to the national media and jackasses like Dan Shaughnessy who is probably already hard at work on his new book The Curse of Jason Bay.

I saw a few people make this analogy the other day but if you compared where we are in the baseball season to where you would be in an NFL season - the Red Sox are at the NFL equivalent of halftime of the first game of the season. Would people be panicking if the Patriots were losing 7-3 at half of the first game?

Speaking of Jason Bay - I recently looked at the trade that brought Bay to the Red Sox and I think that may end up being Theo Epstein's masterpiece. Bay came to the Red Sox as part of a 3-team trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Dodgers who sent Bryan Morris (minors) and Andy LaRoche to the Pirates while the Red Sox sent Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers plus Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Red Sox got a season and a half of Top 10 MVP caliber play out of Bay and in exchange they gave up Craig Hansen (who is now out of baseball), Brandon Moss (who would have no place in the Red Sox organization) and Manny Ramirez. During Bay's season and a half with the Red Sox he hit 45 HR and had 156 RBI. During that same period Manny had 36 HR and 116 RBI. Clear win for Team Theo.

Not only that but by letting Jason Bay walk as a free agent the Red Sox ending up getting pitching prospect Anthony Ranaudo as compensation for losing Bay to the Mets. Ranaudo may turn out to be a bust but some scouts have his upside comparable as Chris Carpenter.

So the national media may expect Red Sox fans to be wearing sack cloth and ashes but excuse me if I pass on that.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- The Cars are releasing a "new" CD. Here's the first single Sad Song. I guess I'm torn about this. I like The Cars but Benjamin Orr is dead.

- Jon Stewart on the pending Government shutdown

- Usually not a fan of April's Fools jokes but this was pretty damn funny

- Inside David Foster Wallace’s Private Self-Help Library

- Who was Walter Reed, and what did he do to get an Army Medical Center named for him?

- “The Best and the Brightest” looks like a pretty funny film

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

It will be interesting to see who posts better offensive numbers as a C/1B this season - Mike Napoli or Victor Martinez... Sad to say but I think if 100 Americans were asked where the Island of Libya is located on the globe at least half wouldn't argue with you about Libya not actually being an island... The things you learn from the Internet: Sobering statistics for the day - Causes of death worldwide in March 2011 - Starvation 3,000,000; Malaria 250,000; Car Crash 100,000; Earth Quakes and Tsunamis less than 28,000... Who knew? I always assumed Bon Scott was the original lead singer for AC/DC but that honor actually goes to a guy named Dave Evans. He was replaced by Scott after a year... You don't see the media going out of their way to interview Cindy Sheehan now that Bush is out of office. If I was Fox News I would have her on to see what her thoughts are on Libya and if she thinks her pain and suffering were used for political purposes. My guess is that it would take very little to get her to call President Obama a "chickenhawk"... If Clifford the Big Red Dog got so big because of Emily Elizabeth's love - does that mean Chihuahua's are so small because of racist hate?... April 4 is an important day in computer history. On that day in 1975 Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen and 19 years later in 1994 Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark founded Netscape. The creation of the Internet browser will go down in history as one of the more important developments in technology. Michael Lewis included the story of the founding of Netscape in his overlooked book The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story

Very Cool

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Full trailer for "The Hangover, Part II."

- Dungeons & Pattons

- Matt Weiner talks about his just-closed Mad Men deal.

- A Photo Of A-Rod Holding Some Kale. Slappy McBlue Lips indeed.

- Kneel Before Jobs!

- In case you missed this yesterday a must read column - Joel Sherman, his dad and baseball

- The Beer-Every-Mile SF Half Marathon: 13 Beers in 13 Miles