Linky Links

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

- Tao of Pauly reminds me of what a truly awesome song Jump Into the Fire by Nilsson is. One of the all-time great drum solos!

- Pretending to be a male to avoid traumatic insemination! Nature is really messed up sometimes. I mean even avoiding the traumatic insemination means these female insects still sometimes get stabbed in the back

- The Desert of Maine? Can't be that big of a tourist trap since I've never heard of it.

- Timeline of Genital Nicknames. Lots of good fantasy football team names in there.

- Good story on the life and death of Dan Roundfield

-  Separated at birth - Hillary Clinton and The Daily Show's John Hodgman

Jared Remy and Jennifer Martel

Medicine for the dead has a great post about Jared Remy and how he brutally murdered Jennifer Martel.

Not sure if I would lay so much blame on the Remy's for being bad parents but they had to know Jared was a monster. I would have two additional thoughts to add:

1. If what people are saying about Jared Remy's mother getting Jennifer Martel to rescind the emergency restraining order then I hope the Remy's never get to see their granddaughter ever again.

2. Other states like Connecticut have changed their restraining order laws so that they can't be rescinded to help prevent this exact type of situation. Massachusetts should make similar changes.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Drew Bledsoe's middle name is McQueen. How did I not know that? I hope it is because his parents were big Steve McQueen fans and not because of a family name thing... Jeff Passan points out that Josh Hamilton is ranked 121st out of 151 players who qualify with his anemic .686 OPS and he still has 4-years and almost $100 million left on his contract. I wonder if Nick Cafardo still thinks the Red Sox should have signed Hamilton... I went to a gang rumble and a Chuckie Cheese birthday party broke out... I was only kidding a while back when I said A-Rod is acting this way because he's building the groundwork for an insanity defense but now I'm not so sure it's a joke... Very cool - guy bikes to all 30 MLB parks for charity... Do gangs even have rumbles anymore? Is that like a 1950's thing and it is all drive-by's now?... I'm not offended by the Washington Redskins name but I hope the people who are also demand that the NAACP change the name of their organization... Interesting update on what Daniel Radcliffe has been up to...

Walter White - I Did It My Way

Just awesome!

A-Rod's Strange Fetish

Alex Rodriguez is in the news today because of a report he may have "ratted out" Ryan Braun and teammate Francisco Cervelli. But I think there's bigger news about A-Rod today.

He has a fetish for walk-off home run helmets.

You read that right. Could this guy be any more weird and unlikable?

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Chad Finn mentioned yesterday that Jarrod Saltalamacchia has a higher slugging percentage than Giancarlo Stanton this season. I had to look that up to double check. While it may have been true so far this season it is certainly not close for their careers. Stanton now sits at .439 and .533 for his career while Salty's numbers are .447 and .423 respectively (not that anyone outside of baseball geeks care about this)...  Excellent point! If the NCAA lets Johnny Manziel slide then Dez Bryant should sue the NCAA for everything they have in the bank!... I know this is post Shark week but I wonder if remoras were called "cuddle fish" instead - would that change the way you look at their relationship to sharks? Would it change the way you look at cuddling in bed?...  25 things that turned 25 this year... 29 years ago Ronald Reagan joked about outlawing the Soviet Union. Today the Russian President just thinks his US counterpart is the joke... Howie Carr on the conviction of Whitey Bulger (audio)... The blacksmith who makes the weapons for Hollywood. It must eat him up a little that he doesn't work on Game of Thrones...

Rock Documentaries

Bill Simmons today devoted a lot of words to Showtime's documentary The History of the Eagles directed by Alison Ellwood (who also directed a 30 for 30 feature for ESPN which may explain in part some of the effort by Simmons). I've watched this documentary a couple of times and fall prey to watching it pretty much each time I see that it is on. I enjoyed Simmons' piece but The History of the Eagles - as good as it is may not be even the best rock documentary I've seen in the past 24 months.

Other titles I'd put in the running include:

- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream (directed by Peter Bogdanovich). Very interesting history but 239 freaking minutes long.

- Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten. Very under-rated flick about a man with more charisma than all the members of the Eagles combined.

- George Harrison: Living in the Material World (directed by Martin Scorsese). This was a two-part HBO special. Harrison was always my favorite Beatle. I would have to place this at the top of my list just because I found Harrison so fascinating a person.

Linky Links

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

- Badger's animated Star Trek script from Breaking Bad

- Good summary of the Whitey Bulger verdict. Time was Whitey was huge news. Now he's a mostly forgotten old evil man.

- Speaking of the Whitey verdict - funny screen cap from MSNBC announcing the verdict

- But it is the insect excrement from God!

- Very cool tiger photo

- Isolated drum loop from Led Zeppelin's When the Levee Breaks. If I had a radio show I would use this as my intro music.

- Interesting look at comic book continuity and especially as it refers to Neil Gaiman's Sandman

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I wonder if Aaron Rodgers is rethinking the A-Rod nickname?... Is it "duck" tape or "duct" tape?... "Matt Leinart" is French for "Will QB for food"... Can someone remind me what the point of the Occupy Movement was and what it accomplished?... What if A-Rod was only taking steroids in an effort to transform himself into a centaur?... Regarding that lab grown beef that was in the news recently. If they had lab grown chicken - could it really be any worse than Chicken McNuggets?... Steve Spurrier really is an American original.... President Harding in 1920 started the tradition of answering questions directly from reporters. Is that tradition coming to an end? If I were a Republican President I'd probably stop it... When John Henry takes over the Boston Globe - it will be interesting to see if he keeps Dan Shaughnessy for long. He could hire five up and coming writers for the salary he pays Shaughnessy. It would be the Sabermetric thing to do...

Boycott the Sochi Winter Olympics?

Stephen Fry makes a good argument about boycotting the Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia because of their new harsh anti-homosexual laws.

While I agree that the laws in Russia are a giant step backwards when it comes to human rights - I believe that an official boycott would mostly harm the athletes who have been training for years. They didn't pick the venue - why should they be the ones to have their dreams crushed?

I must also say that a boycott of the Winter Games by England would be a rather hollow protest seeing how England is not exactly a winter games powerhouse (they won exactly one medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics). Soccer (they mistakenly call it football) is huge in England. If they really wanted to protest for gay rights - how about boycotting the 2022 World Cup in Qatar instead?

While I am against a boycott of the Winter Games because the athletes would be the ones to suffer that doesn't mean I agree with the anti-homosexual laws in Russia. I think a better way to show our displeasure would be to boycott with our pocketbooks. Don't travel to the Sochi Games or buy and of the merchandise. Get others to do the same. Allow the athletes to sew rainbow flags onto their uniforms to show they are also against the laws. Those are some protest methods I could agree with.

Top 5 - Karaoke Song Choices

So the other night I was in a college bar where they had a Karaoke DJ. I didn't sing because the wait was too long (not a fan of waiting for anything) but I did have a chance to look through the song book. Here's my top 5 for songs I would have sung.

1. Dire Straits - Romeo and Juliet

2. Theme Song to The Love Boat (I'm a fun guy and this is a fun campy song)

3. Tom Petty - American Girl

4. Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun (bringing back my college days)

5. Monty Python - Sit on My Face (OK - maybe I'd only threaten to sing this song - but I do know the words)

Linky Links

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

- Author Elmore Leonard hospitalized after a stroke. Wishing him a full recovery.

- Cool - nighttime view of the Americas

- When Hallucinations walked the world

- Interesting - never even heard of billionaire Richard B. Cohen even though his family's business started in Worcester.

- Never noticed it before - but you really don't see Tiger's kids much (I like that he doesn't use his kids as props)

-  Very well written profile of anti-hero Mal Reynolds from Firefly / Serenity (may only be available to read for limited time)

- If you could actually see Wi-Fi this is what it would look like

- Very cool and very large photo of Tokyo - have fun zooming in and out

Player Comparison

This player comparison has been in my thoughts the past few days:

Player A - 1061 G/ 150 HR/ 681 RBI/ .281 BA/ .382 OBP/ .861 OPS
Player B - 1092 G/ 137 HR/ 555 RBI/ .274 BA/ .364 OBP/ .828 OPS

Very similar players. Player A is Kevin Youkilis who Yankee fans should remember was supposed to be the third baseman for the Yankees this season - not Alex Rodriguez. Many people are wondering if Alex Rodriguez' career is basically over but the same could be said for Kevin Youkilis. He was signed for 1-year at $12 million. No way he gets that sort of money next year. Maybe he doesn't get any offers. Maybe at age 34 he calls it quits.

It was all over for Player B after his age 34 season and Baseball-reference.com lists him as the most similar to Kevin Youkilis. Player B is former Youkilis teammate Trot Nixon who was a Red Sox mainstay but then ended his career in the uniform of two other teams - playing a combined total of 110 games for first the Indians and then the Mets.

Youkilis was also a Red Sox mainstay but has now worn the uniforms of the White Sox and Yankees for a combined 108 games. Scarily similar.

A Patriot's History of the Modern World

The story of  Mitch Daniel's saying Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States is not to be taught in public schools as history made me think of A Patriot's History of the Modern World (From America's Exceptional Ascent to the Atomic Bomb: 1898-1945). The book was written by Larry Schweikart and Dave Dougherty. Schweikart also wrote A Patriot's History of the United States. I haven't read this one but have put it on my Amazon Wish List (feel free to give it to me as a gift if you like).

I doubt some students would like A Patriot's History of the Modern World as much as Howard Zinn's book because A Patriot's History is real history which means slow going on the reading as each page has facts and details (many of which surprised me and I feel like I know US history fairly well). Meanwhile Zinn's book is as easy going as reading Grimm's Fairy Tales (because the two books hold many things in common).

If you are a "blame America first" type person I doubt you'll appreciate the truth of A Patriot's History like how Progressivism was originally fired by a Liberal interpretation of Christianity (and now so-called Progressives want nothing to do with religion). Or if you want to know how the history of the income tax should effect what our discussion on taxation is today (those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it and all that).

Anyways - if you like US history then A Patriot's History of the Modern World should be on your reading list.

Linky Links

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

- The new Cosmos trailer. Neil de Grasse-Tyson takes the place of Carl Sagan and it will be on Fox instead of PBS. Very cool.

- Jimmy Fallon, the Roots and Robin Thicke sing Blurred Lines. Very wholesome. I like this original version better (NSFW)

- Alexander Wilds stunning insect photography.

- Speaking of fantastic photography - the winners of the 2013 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest

- Laws for the Navigation of Life - These 22 "rules" are simply inspiring as is the author Peter Safar.

John Henry Buys Boston Globe

Red Sox principal owner John Henry has reached an agreement to purchase the Boston Globe for $70 million.

I read about the transaction in three articles this morning. First one via the Globe, the second was via the NY Times, and the last was via Breitbart. What was interesting was the Globe article did not mention the pension liabilities at all (an important nugget for the business section to overlook completely don't you think), the Times just said that John Henry was not assuming the "Globe's pension liabilities", and then Breitbart said that the pension liabilities are estimated at over $100 million. Adding in those pension liabilities really puts a different spin on the real net for the NY Times in the deal - doesn't it?

What maybe bugged me the most was the fact that the Worcester Telegram and Gazette was lumped into the deal like it was an after thought. The Telegram and Gazette was the paper I grew up with. I have to think if the NY Times Company never touched the T and G that it would have been worth more than $70 million by itself today.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Jake Peavy just sounds like the name of a baseball player but Peavy Jake sounds like the name of a character from a Guy Ritchie film like Snatch... 8 people who were banned from baseball other than the Black Sox and Pete Rose. I especially like the Ty Cobb story... The name Manhattan started out being called Manahatchtaniek which is Lenape Indian for "the island where we all became intoxicated" after the Indians were made drunk by the white men...  In the future will sex dolls be available via 3-D printing? If so you may want to invest in printing companies. Also could be bad news for dating sites like Match.com if you think about it... Pawtucket Red Sox manager Gary DiSarcina made a great point, "If you said at the beginning of the season, Jose Iglesias for Jake Peavy, everybody takes it"... I would love to watch a show where a Dalek (from Doctor Who) asks scientists and writers questions in his Dalek voice. That would be awesome...

Linky Links

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

- Allen Barra makes an excellent point - why aren't other leagues and the NCAA interested in the Biogenesis records?

- Heh heh - Doctor Gay Hitler - son of George Washington Hitler

- You have to love the Onion - Dick Van Dyke confesses to being Zodiac killer

- Cool video of Andre Tippett and his karate expertise - reminds me of when the Patriots kickers wanted to know more first hand

- Very cool - the Waterfall of the Gods

- Very sad to hear of the passing of George Scott. Also saddened by fact he was not a happy person at his end.

- Some excellent underwater photography

- Not a big JFK conspiracy theorist but this is the one theory that seems to make the most sense

Jake Peavy Trade

Here's my initial thoughts on the trade that brings Jake Peavy to Boston and sends Jose Iglesias to the Tigers (via the White Sox).

At first glance this trade is a winner for all three teams involved. The Red Sox get a top of the line starter in Jake Peavy (the second best starter available after Cliff Lee); the White Sox get potential future all-star outfielder Avisail Garcia (and they shed Peavy's big salary), while the Tigers get perhaps the best defensive shortstop in the AL.

I do agree that the Red Sox sold high on Jose Iglesias but I would also say that the Tigers probably know exactly what they are getting in Iglesias. And they are pretty happy - Iglesias is just that good with his glove.

My first hope was that the Red Sox would land Cliff Lee but the Phillies asking price was just too high. Reportedly the Phillies wanted three top prospects plus the trading team to pick up all of Lee's massive contract. The Red Sox got Peavy for just one top prospect. How can you argue with that? I do find it ironic that the last time Peavy was on the trade market in 2009 he was viewed as the second best pitcher available after Roy Halladay and this time around he was second to Halladay's teammate Lee.

In regards to Iglesias - Boston has super shortstop prospect Xander Bogaerts waiting in the wings and it must be said that no matter how good Iglesias' glove-work was he would eventually be booed in Boston for not hitting. Iglesias is probably better off in Detroit.

EDIT: I meant to mention both Peavy's age (at 32 - he's basically 2-years older than Jon Lester and 2-years younger than John Lackey) and the effect he might have on the bullpen (Peavy is basically a quality start waiting to happen - helping the bullpen by lightening the load is a bonus that shouldn't be overlooked). Also here were two more good takes on the trade:

Ken Rosenthal and Richard Justice

Linky Links

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

- Holy crap - talk about wild weather

- How can you not root for a guy like Chris Colabello? And not just because he's a Worcester guy.

- Understanding Lars Anderson - a study in baseball make-up. Gabe Kapler is a pretty impressive writer.

- Ray Donovan executive producer tied to gambling ring / Russian mob

- Heh heh - Internet Explorer vs Murder Rates

- Sam Simon is dying but wants to make impact after he's dead

A Modest Proposal

The City of Detroit is in ruins. They are $18 billion in debt and about to declare bankruptcy. Here's a modest two step proposal to help save the city.

First - much of the debt is caused by retiree benefits granted via overly generous union contracts. The City would like to cut these benefits. The union members obviously don't want these benefits cut. Simple solution - tell the retirees if they live within the City limits then their benefits stay the same. If they live outside the City limits then their benefits get cut by 33 percent. Simple. The City is hemorrhaging people - make the people the City has to pay anyway live there.

Secondly, the US government owns a big chunk of General Motors. We will never see full value for the money we pumped into them and if we try to sell our stock it will just force down the stock price. Here's what I suggest - the government forgives all debt in exchange GM gives us their beautiful headquarters.  We then tell the United Nations they have to move to Detroit. We give GM three years to move out and the UN three years to move in.

Bingo-bango! We then take the UN's upper Eastside property via eminent domain and sell it. The proceeds go directly to reducing the national debt (drop in the bucket but every little bit helps).

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Alex Rodriguez's actions this season seem like the actions of a man laying the foundation for an insanity plea... Heh heh - the Royal baby introduced to the public... Andy Pettitte just passed Sandy Koufax on the all-time strikeout list but it took Pettitte 912 more innings to do it. Meanwhile Pettitte now has 719 fewer K's than Curt Schilling in basically the same number of innings... George HW Bush shaves his head in support of the son of secret service agent. It should be recalled that George and Barbara lost their first daughter Robin to childhood leukemia. History will be kind to this good man... With NASCAR going to NBC from ESPN - will Brad Daugherty now start doing more college basketball games for the Mothership?... From now on I am going to intriduce myself as a "minor celebrity" - Chris Lynch Minor Celebrity. Who is to argue the point? I may even have cards made up... Peter King did a Reddit AMA (ask me anything). I really hope someone asked him how many NFL coaches have a foot fetish. He'd have to answer at least one...

Linky Links

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

- I've said it before. My thoughts on steroids in baseball.

- Louis CK's take on Rolling Stone. Couldn't agree more. Can't recall last time I even thought about Rolling Stone never mind read an article from them.

- 62 of the world's most beautiful libraries. I love libraries and this is like library porn.

- Very cool Larry Legend anecdote

- Did astronauts really eat astronaut ice cream?

NBC Sports and NASCAR

It was announced that NBC Sports will pay $4.4 billion over 10 years for the rights to ESPN's entire NASCAR package and half of Turner's 6 races. When I read that my first thought was that NBC was trying to make their NBC Sports Network channel (formerly Versus) more appealing once a la carte cable pricing becomes a reality.

Today if someone allowed you to just keep and pay for the channels you want and not be forced into big bundles or tiers - would you keep the NBC Sports Network? My guess is that because of this new deal in the future NASCAR fans will keep that channel (over ESPN even), NHL fans will keep the channel (again even maybe over ESPN who doesn't have any NHL games), bicycle racing fans (Tour de France) and fans of the Dan Patrick Show will also have reason to be paying the monthly fee for the NBC Sports Network. And those are some of the most loyal and fervent fans around.

ESPN meanwhile just added Keith Olbermann while NBC Sports Network countered by adding NASCAR. The choice is getting clearer every day.

Linky Links

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

- Bryan Cranston goes to Comic-Con disguised as Bryan Cranston! Genius!

- Divers almost get eaten by whales (although I'd guess that the whales knew they were there and were not going to eat something that would probably give them diarrhea - nothing worse than whale diarrhea)

- Remembering Dennis Farina - I thought he was great in Out of Sight. Small role but he stole every scene. Get Shorty was also excellent.

- Fantastic Neil Gaiman short story - A Study in Emerald (PDF).

- Very cool - a walrus asleep on a Russian sub

- Speaking of photos - some beautiful black and white photography

- Cool story - good for Brady Hoke and Michigan. I wish this kid a full recovery.

- Hah hah - CNN you never cease to give

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

David Ortiz of the Red Sox now has more stolen bases on the season (4) than Carl Crawford has for the Dodgers (3)... 8 brilliant scientific screw-ups... I saw that Geraldo selfie and all I could think was that the next thing he did was dance around with his junk tucked between his legs like Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs... The voice of God as a young man... I wonder if you added up all the time a PBS station takes for pledge breaks and pledge drives - how it would compare to the time an average station plays commercials?... Being stubborn means continuing to drink coffee even when you have diarrhea...  This photo of Jim Boeheim sleeping akimbo is just awesome... Who is the bigger disappointment at 3rd base in 2013 - Brett Lawrie for the Blue Jays or Will Middlebrooks for the Red Sox?... What actually happens at the end of Trading Places... It would be cool if Michael Keaton made an cameo on Justified as Ray Nicolette... Some comedian should do a person in the street interview asking average people if they are upset that Piers Morgan was acquitted of shooting Trayvon Martin...

Dustin Perdroia's Contract Extension

Earlier this week it was reported that the Red Sox were looking to sign Dustin Pedroia to a 5-year, $100 million contract extension. This was greeted as good news by Red Sox fans but now some are suggesting the extension would be folly.

These people don't know what they are talking about. Here's why.

The most obvious reason for doing a contract extension now is because of the looming Robinson Cano mega-payday. Signing Pedroia now for $20 million per year would easily save at least $5 million per year compared to what Pedroia would get in free agency after the Cano deal. That's $25 million over the course of the extension. Put another way - that's one full year of salary in case Pedoia gets hurt or in case by the end of the contract he's just washed up plus another $5 million which easily could be spent on insurance in case Pedroia missed more than one year. No brainer!

However, it is unlikely that Pedroia would be side-lined by a minor injury any time soon. Consider that earlier this year he played though a torn ligament in his hand and did not miss any playing time and last season Pedroia played through a broken finger. This guy comes to play every day. He is a great example to the younger players.

The other face of the franchise is David Ortiz. The team has over-payed Ortiz these past few years paying him year by year instead of locking him up a few years ago when they had the chance. The PR hit the team took was nothing compared to the hit they would take if they tried to nickel and dime Pedroia. The team knows the time is right for an extension.

This is one of the arguments Matthew Pouliot of Hardball Talk makes against giving Pedroia an extension: "Of Pedroia’s 10 most similar players through age 28, according to Baseball Reference, only one remained a star after age 32. That’s Charlie Gehringer, one of two Hall of Famers in his top 10."

I would point out that Pedroia won an MVP as a 2nd baseman. The only person on that list to do the same was Charlie Gehringer who hit .313 when he was 37-years old. Of the second basemen who won the MVP in the AL there's Pedroia, Gehringer, Joe Gordon (who was an all-star at 34-years old), and Hall of Famer Nellie Fox (who was an all-star at 35-years old). In the NL you had Jeff Kent (who played until he was 40 and was an all-star at 37), Joe Morgan (who also played till he was 40 and was an all-star at 35), Ryne Sandberg (played till he was 37), Frankie Frisch (played till he was 38 and was an all-star at 36) and Jackie Robinson (but I'm not going there because its unfair to Pedroia).

The players I listed above all have more in common with Pedroia than the Jose Vidro's some people would compare to Pedroia. And all of the people I listed were certainly worth taking a gamble on a contract extension when they were 29-years old.

Top 5 - Players the Jets Could Have taken Instead of Mark Sanchez

Mark Sanchez went 5th overall in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Here are 5 players they could have taken instead who went after Sanchez in the first round.

1. Josh Freeman - if the Jets really needed a QB then Freeman who went 17th has 10 more TD's and 6 fewer INT's.
2. Clay Matthews - a top pass rushing LB and perhaps the real pretty-boy drafted out of USC in the first round in 2009.
3. Percy Harvin - a threat to run or catch would have given the Jets offense multiple options
4. Michael Oher - OT whose Blind Side story if it ended in New York would have made for an even bigger movie box office (and besides Oher has been pretty damn good)
5. BJ Raji - a DT who could have anchored the Jets defense.

The draft that yielded Tom Brady will always be known for the player after player taken before Brady and the what ifs for each NFL team if only they took the wiry kid from Michigan. The 2009 draft for Jets fans will probably be known for who they could have taken instead of Mark Sanchez.

Linky Links

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

- Brewdism - potentially my new religion

- Game of Thrones pays tribute to every dead character

- Awesome - Archer combined with Star Trek

- Heh heh - Norwegian bachelor party tricks groom into thinking he's going bungee jumping

- This is so wrong that its right

- This is how you try to sell something on Craig's List

- Norm MacDonald's classic 1998 ESPy monologue. If you don't laugh then you don't know funny

Player Comparison

Here's a player comparison I've been thinking about a lot recently:

Player A: 17.6 PPG / 13.6 RPG / 3.8 APG
Player B:  21.8 PPG / 6.0 RPG / 3.9 APG

Player A was 6'9" and 230 pounds, was an 8-time All-Star, won 2 NBA Championships and even won an MVP. Player B was 6'6" and 230, 10-time All-Star, won an NBA Championship and was MVP of that Championship. It is obvious from the numbers that Player A was the better rebounder and Player B the better scorer but what links them in my mind is how strange it is to see either in another uniform other than the Kelly green of the Celtics.

Player A was Dave Cowens who finished his career with the Bucks. Player B is Paul Pierce who was introduced yesterday as a member of the Nets. Both will be in the Hall of Fame and both will have their numbers hang in the Boston Garden.

Both will always be Celtics in my mind no matter what uniform they wore at the end of their careers.

Linky Links

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

- Cool Dave Matthews hitchhiking story

- Fantastic profile of comedy genius Jack Handey

- The handyman who stole millions of Picasso's

- I'm not the grammar police but this would make the Internet a better place

- Ha hah - Dustin Pedrioa gets trolled by Miguel Cabrera

- 44 fictional characters you might not know the names of

- I would so buy a Sharknado hockey jersey.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

One of the benefits of being at the track during a NASCAR race is the fact that the noise of the cars is so loud that you can pretty much fart whenever you want and nobody will hear it... Rajon Rondo "I will never play for the Miami Heat"... Would it be ironic if the Patriots pre-draft report said that Aaron Hernandez had a "killer instinct". I wonder if given what happened with Hernadez if the phrase "killer instict" will be dropped from the sports nomenclature... It's James Joyce's Ulysses and Melville's Moby Dick for me...  It would not surprise me at all if Hollywood already had a sequel to SharkNado in the works. How about SharkNado II - The Reckoning... 11 people who almost played Doctor Who. I think Bill Nighy would have been fantastic... Barack Obama seems to be predisposed to only enforcing the laws he agrees with. This seems to make his Administration's enforcing pot laws even more vigorously than George Bush did seem very strange. Especially given his supporters views on legalized marijuana and his own past with the drug... If they can do a sequel to the movie Wall Street after decades. Why not a sequel to the movie The Secret of My Success?... As bad as Chris Berman makes your ears bleed during the HR derby it used to be even worse when he was partnered with Joe Morgan... Cool - fireworks and lightning at the same time...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

OK I'll say it! The verbose Charlie Pierce is not a good fit with the MTV raised target audience of Grantland. And this is coming from a Charlie Pierce fan. Just too wordy - makes ESPN readers feel like they are taking SAT verbal tests... Joshua Chamberlain was a hero of Gettysburg and other Civil War battles but his body paid an awful price... The Red Sox gave call up Brock Holt number 26. This is another nail in the coffin for anyone who thinks the team has plans ever to retire that number for pariah Wade Boggs... I cannot remember a year I cared less about the All-Star Game. Or who may have been snubbed in the selection process... Small Town Dumps would be a good name for a band... Spes Mea Veritas (Hope is My Truth) could be a good motto for the Obama Administration (since truth obviously is not their truth)... The Emei mustache toad grows spikes on its lips for a few weeks so it can fight over girls. In the future I can see certain humans altering their DNA to do the same. And I can see SPIKE broadcasting Mustache Fights (and God help me - I can see myself watching it)... Israel should claim responsibility for the coup in Egypt just to mess with all the haters like Mel Gibson who claim they are responsible for all the wars in the world... They call it Online Dating but if you don't meet in person it is not really dating at all...

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Today is Bill Watterson's birthday. I love Calvin and Hobbes.

- Study says beer is good for your heart. I will be sure to take my heart medicine today.

- Speaking of Alcohol - the 86 rules for boozing. Words to live by.

- Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee - Don Rickles. I love Don Rickles.

- 7 filthy jokes you didn't know were in Shakespeare.

- There seriously might be a Breaking Bad spinoff show. I'd watch that.

- One Minute Physics is now 2-years old. Cool!

Top 5 - Memorable Things that Happened on the 4th of July

Happy 4th of July. Here are the top 5 things that happened in US history on the 4th of July. Don't forget that July is American Beer Month.

1. 1776 Colonies declare independence
2. 1826 Presidents, patriots, rivals and friends John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both die on the same day
3. 1863 The surrender of Vicksurg to General Grant (the town of Vicksburg would not celebrate the Fourth of July for 81 years)
4. 1831 James Madison, last of the founding fathers, dies
5. (tie) 1804 Lewis and Clark celebrate first 4th of July west of the Mississippi (tie) 1939 Lou Gehrig gives his "luckiest man alive" speech at Yankee Stadium

Fireworks and Politics

Heh heh - the funniest 4th of July political ad you may ever see.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

According to Darren Rovell - a Las Vegas bettor last night risked $400 on a 40-1 bet that a no-hitter would be thrown last night. Thanks to Homer Bailey - that betting slip is now worth $16,000... A map of the US based upon the beer that best represents the state... I wonder what gets better ratings - WNBA games on ESPN or anything on MSNBC. Either way - I'm guessing re-runs of Sponge Bob beats them both... Ernest Hemingway explains his love of alcohol... I feel lost not knowing what Jose Canseco thinks about the protests in Egypt... Alan Sepinwall called this the best fight scene ever on TV. I've been thinking and I can't come up with a better one... If Brett Favre develops testicular cancer - will he sue his cell phone company because of the radiation from his selfies?... Fantastic long read about Jason Everman who was kicked out of Nirvana and Soundgarden before finding his calling in the Special Forces... It's amazing but if Mark Sanchez were to retire today - the thing he'd most be remembered for is the "butt fumble". Not exactly what you want from your "franchise quarterback"... Serious question - can the Obama Administration point to a single foreign policy success?...

What a Real Community Organizer Looks Like

President George Bush in Zambia working on a women's clinic.

Have you ever seen pictures of President Obama from his "community organizing" days doing anything as hands on? If those pictures existed don't you think we would have seen them by now?

History will judge one of these men to be a man of deeds and the other a man of empty words.

Gettysburg Remembered

One hundred and fifty years ago Confederate forces under the command of General Robert E. Lee were massed on one side of a small Pennsylvania town called Gettysburg while Union forces under newly appointed General George Meade were amassed on the other side of the small town. Over the next three days these forces were to fight the most important battle in the history of the United States. Yet today you will hear very little mentioned of the battle in either the newspapers or on TV.

Why was this the most important battle in the history of the United States?

General Lee had come North out of Virginia to find the Army of the Potomac and to beat it in open battle. If he was able to accomplish this – then Confederate President Jefferson Davis was to give Abraham Lincoln an offer of peace. 

If Lincoln accepted this offer of peace then the country would have forevermore been divided into two nations. If Lincoln refused the offer of peace (which he would have) – then chances are that Lincoln would have lost his bid for re-election to the Presidency. His opponent General McClellan would have accepted the peace plan if elected and again – the nation would forevermore have been divided.

Think of the implications:

· How much longer would slavery had survived? Would it still exist today?

· Would a Spanish Mexico and an English Canada have taken over what are now the Western States?

· Would Nazi Germany been stoppable in WWII without a “united” United States?

· Would Communism have been defeated without a “united” United States?

Luckily we did not have to find out because Jeb Stuart did not return in time to inform General Lee of the Union’s strength; because General Heth ignored Lee’s order to not engage the enemy on the first day; because General Ewell lost his nerve and did not attack and take the high ground when he had the chance and because Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine made their heroic stand on Little Round Top.

The North won the battle and went on to win the war. For that – we are thankful.

Months later after the battle, on November 19, 1863, a somber President Lincoln made the following speech:

Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation: conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war. . .testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated. . . can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war.

We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate. . .we cannot consecrate. . . we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us. . .that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion. . . that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. . . that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom. . . and that government of the people. . .by the people. . .for the people. . . shall not perish from the earth.

Now it’s a 150 years later and you would be hard pressed to find mention of the battle anywhere. Funny – Lincoln thought we would remember the battle and forget his speech but the opposite has occurred.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The United States has always been a forward-looking nation. We tend to dream of the future instead of dwelling on our past. It is one of our strengths.

Still - we should remember the sacrifice men made today and the next three days 150 years ago to preserve for us the great Nation we have today.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

After the reported trade between the Celtics and Nets - Boston went from a 33-1 bet to win the NBA championship to a 75-1 longshot. Meanwhile the Nets went from 40-1 to 10-1...  Big Bang Theory meets Firefly... If I were an MLB player - my "walk up" music would be God Bless America just to see if people would stand when I came up to hit... Cool - David Simon's original pitch for The Wire... MMA Jesus would be a good name for a Christian rock band... Heh heh - it's funny because it's true... Bill Simmons should give his Chippers season tickets to Jeffrey Ross whenever he's in town just so he can heckle Doc Rivers...  Interesting interview with Neil Gaiman...

Another Irish Drinking Song

By Da Vinci's Notebook.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Wow - your webcam is at serious risk. Serious risk!

- I want one of these! A table salt shooting fly shotgun.

- Actual Headline: Swedish Police Searching for Bicycle F*cker

- Aaron Hernandez gets Taiwanese video treatment

- Way cool - the bead chain experiment.

- Fantastic first person article on alcoholism in Antarctica.

- Alan Sepinwall's tremendous appreciation of David Chase's eulogy for James Gandolfini

- Personal Yeezus - Depeche Mode mashed up with Kanye West. I want this song on my iPod.

Boston Celtics

With the trade of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets - the Boston Celtics are officially rebuilding. Much has been made of the Celtics now having 9 first round picks in the next 5 years but little has been made of the core of young players Boston has in place. Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, Brandon Bass. Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger and now first round pick Kelly Olynyk - that could be an entertaining core of players to watch. Maybe even more entertaining than watching minutes being rationed for KG and Pierce while trying to make one last playoff run.

Being the optimist I can't help but think that if there is a sign and trade agreement in place between the Celtics and Atlanta Hawks for Josh Smith then the 2014 Boston team is playoff caliber. And if somehow cap space is available to sign unrestricted free agent Al Jefferson - then suddenly this team has a real shot to contend. ESPN's Marc Stein earlier reported that the Utah Jazz might just let Jefferson walk. I would take that team over the Nets roster - wouldn't you?

A few additional Celtics thoughts:

- People keep saying that Paul Pierce deserved to retire as a Boston Celtic. Who is to say that Danny Ainge didn't offer Pierce the choice and Pierce preferred to take one last shot at another ring?

- People also keep saying that the Celtics may be planning on tanking in 2014 to get a shot at the lottery. maybe its a better chance that the Nets implode in the next year or so and the lottery pick comes from Brooklyn. Remember the Celtics have the option to take the 2017 pick if they want.

- An interesting Vegas bet would be who will have more wins next season - Doc Rivers with the Clippers without Kevin Garnett or rookie coach Jason Kidd in Brooklyn with KG.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

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

Aaron Hernandez

Before Aaron Hernandez was charged with Murder One - the Patriots cut ties with him. Before Aaron Hernandez was arrested at his home - the Patriots cut ties with him. Even before officially releasing him - the Patriots cut ties with him.

Many times the cops know who committed a crime but they just can't prove it. Shortly after the body of Odin Lloyd was found and Hernandez was connected to the murder - the Patriots told Aaron Hernandez that he was no longer welcome at the team facilities in Foxboro. My guess is some police that the Patriots brass know and trust told them that Hernandez was in their opinion guilty as a murderer. So when Hernandez showed up at team facilities a few days ago they said, "No - you are no longer part of this team. You are not welcome here."

They couldn't say it fast enough.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Scary wasp's nest with over a million wasps. I can't help but think that when people ask "What happened to all the bees?" - the answer might be "Guys like this killed them!"

- Good point - imagine how the history of the Knicks would have been different if they had kept Pat Riley all those years ago.

- Cool - what the planets would look like to us if they were the same distance away as the moon

- Heh heh - Paula Deen is an easy target

Climate Change and the Sahara

What happened to the mysterious humans of the Sahara?

The Sahara covers an area about the size of the United States and at one point that area was a lush landscape of grasslands and waterlands. Thousands of years ago the climate changed and slowly that area became desert. What caused that change? Was it a change in the magnetic pole moving from South to North (the opposite is happening today). Or maybe a shift in the Earth's axis (which is also happening now). Maybe the humans who lived caused the climate change by angering their Gods. Who knows?

Science doesn't but don't let that stop people from telling you that the science is settled on why global climate change is happening today.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I'm happy for Doc Rivers and the Celtics. It was a good move for both sides. It will be interesting to see what happens with Kevin Garnett now. With a move to the Clippers probably  blocked by the league how funny would it be if KG ended up sharing an arena with Doc by getting traded to the Lakers?... 26 songs about Superman. I would have put the Crash Test Dummies song at number one... Interesting to note that according to @SportsTaxMan the trade to Clipppers may actually cost Doc Rivers close to a million dollars because of differences in state taxes... Things I should know by now but do not; why is a $10 bill called a "sawbuck"?... The Dark Knight Rises was not a good movie and I think less and less of it every time I see it pop up on HBO... I think that whole smoke a cigarette after sex thing was something the tobacco industry made up with Hollywood's help. People I know don't crave a cigarette after sex. Hard core smokers want a cigarette every 15 minutes whether it is after sex or not. Occasional smokers have stress as more of a trigger to smoking desire and sex is a stress reliever... Belgian Waffles Benedict. I want - right now!... Things you learn on the Internet: According to Mental Floss - "Curly [of the Three Stooges] ad-libbed his first 'woo, woo, woo!' He used it when he forgot is lines."...

Man of Steel

I saw Man of Steel when it first came out and I liked it but some things did bother me. And the more I thought about it - the more the plot holes bothered me.

This piece does a nice job of poking fun of same of the major plot holes (SPOILERS!).

Just want to add that I completely agree that this would have been a shorter and better movie if they just eliminated the Perry White character completely. He was completely useless.

Mitch Hedberg Kinetic Typography

Funny stuff. Here's another one.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Thank God the Patriots had the foresight to sign Tim Tebow as a back-up tight end... Guy writes his name as a penis on Jeopardy... Many people started off by comparing Barack Obama to Jimmy Carter. Then with all the scandals - it was vogue to compare him to Richard Nixon. I think when it is all said and done - historians will be comparing him to Warren Harding... Interesting - the abandoned island in the middle of NYC... Had a dream that I was in a group called The Slim Whitman Tribute Band but all we played were Primus covers. Yodeling Wynona's Big Brown Beaver was actually pretty cool on many levels... I understand this and am not saying it is wrong but its just that it doesn't seem right. The highest paid people on the Pentagon's budget are the three service academy football coaches... Jack Dempsey said the only man he ever ducked fighting when he was heavyweight champ was Ernest Hemingway. He didn't want to hurt him... Holy crap! John McAfee founder of McAfee software on how to uninstall his software...

Whither Doc Rivers?

I've been meaning to comment on the trade talks between the Boston Celtics and the LA Clippers but honestly I've been busy and was also under the assumption that the deal would be done by now. There are some aspects of this potential transaction that I don't think are getting proper attention and on which I'd like to offer my two cents.

Doc Rivers never won anything as a player. That's not a knock against him - just the facts. He never came close to winning a ring as a player and until Danny Ainge remade the Celtics roster by trading for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett - he was never was close as a coach either. But once you've won a ring (and come so close to another) - who's to say that you don't naturally get greedy for a second champagne shower? Same goes for Kevin Garnett - he was in the wastelands in Minnesota until a trade opened championship opportunities for him. Both Doc and KG just finished watching Ray Allen win his second ring - who could blame them if they were jealous?

As an aside - the only man with multiple rings in this scenario (Danny Ainge with 3) - is also the coolest actor in this poker game. That is worthy of note.

Speaking of the Heat winning the championship - perhaps one of the reasons this deal (Doc Rivers and KG for DeAndre Jordan plus one or two first round draft picks) isn't done is because David Stern didn't want any NBA news detracting away from the finals. Now that the finals are done - can a deal possibly be announced soon?

Last season KG averaged 14.8 PPG and 7.8 RPG in just under 30 minutes per game. He is one of the greatest players in NBA history and does not shrink from the big moments. Current Laker Dwight Howard averaged 17.1 and 12.4 last season in 35 minutes per game but I'd argue that Howard does shrink in the limelight. Would Kobe Bryant be happier with his championship chances with an equally motivated KG in the front court? Just how happy is Kobe with Mike D'Antoni? The Lakers could easily trade Howard to the Houston Rockets and use part of that haul (plus a first round pick) to send to Boston for Doc and KG.  Maybe a birdie should be whispering in Kobe's ear right about now. Maybe they already are.

Nobody in Boston is enthusiastic about DeAndre Jordan. He's basically a more polished Fab Melo - who coincidentally was drafted by the Celtics with a Clippers first round pick acquired in the Kendrick Perkins trade. Maybe Danny Ainge should table discussions with the Clippers to file tampering charges. What right did the Clippers have in talking to or about Doc and KG who are both under contract? I'd be asking for a first rounder in compensation. Let that sink in to the Clippers that they might lose a first rounder and get nothing in return. Compound that with Chris Paul getting frustrated with having to wait like the petulant spoiled brat that he seems to be and we'll see how willing Clippers management is to continue to play chicken with that second first round pick.

At this point I think the trade with the Clippers might be the least appealing of three scenarios. The first being the trade with the Clips; the second being a trade with the Lakers and the third and maybe most appealing of all is getting a first round pick from the Clippers for tampering and then holding onto Doc Rivers' rights while he goes and does TV for a season. The rights for Doc will be worth a first rounder now or at some point in the future. Why not wait? In this last scenario the Celtics get two first round picks and won't have to pretend to be happy to have high-priced DeAndre Jordan clogging up the middle. Kevin Garnett can return or retire or be traded - whatever he wants.

Anyways - my two cents on whither Doc Rivers.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Wow - Allen Iverson accused of kidnapping own kids and being an alcoholic.

- Nice interview with Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jamie Lannister)

- Interesting look at the actual baseball in the movie Bull Durham (which is now 25-years old). Never thought about the pitch count in those games but Nuke would have been throwing 200 pitches per game

- George Blaney retires. He was always a class act when he was head coach at Holy Cross.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I wonder if Barack Obama publicly supporting the Blackhawks will hurt Ed Markey in his bid for the Mass Senate seat among Bruins fans. I hope it does... Lost in the Tim Tebow hoopla was the fact that the story of him signing with the Patriots was broken by Ed Werder. Does that mean Werder is Belichick's "go to" reporter?... Speaking of Tebow - the Angels wanted to draft him... Obama to announce that he is changing the name of PRISM to SkyNet. What could go wrong?... Cool photo of a lightning strike in Chicago last night... I wonder how many Michael Angelo's there are in the phone book. Are phone books even a thing any more?... 36 made in Massachusetts summer beers... The more I do my own laundry - the more I find myself not wearing underwear...  Interesting read on "Incarcerated Bob". Bottom line - you are a fool if you pay for picks... The only silver lining about the NSA monitoring all calls story is the ability for parents to warn their children not to send nude pics because the government will put them on the Internet. Maybe that will do the trick. Sad reflection on our liberty but we've gone from telling children to be good because Santa is watching to adults thinking "holy crap - there really is someone watching to see if I'm naughty or nice"... Interesting stuff - 22 things you may not know about the Stanley Cup...

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Wow - Phil Esposito is a bitter old man.

- 26th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's "tear down this wall" speech. Reagan is still a huge icon in Eastern Europe and rightly so.

- Meanwhile in Australia - the phrase "small breasts, huge thighs and a big red box" enters the political lexicon.

- Wait what? Doris Roberts? Those wacky Japanese.

- Joe Rogan interviewing Bobcat Goldthwait was mesmerizing. Excellent stuff.

- Speaking of mesmerizing - tornadoes on the Sun! Oddly beautiful.

- Nice article on how to go into negotiations with proper perspective.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

If you've paid attention to this space for any length of time - you'll know that I'm a fan of the Patriots taking a chance with Tim Tebow. I think he gives them options on offense that no other team will have... The physics of Thor. I didn't know that Captain America could wield Thor's hammer - cool... In 1920 when Warren Harding promised a "return to normalcy" - the word "normalcy" didn't even exist in the dictionary.. Heh heh - party hard... 22 pretty cool facts... I'm convinced that A-Rod sold his Miami home knowing this steroids scandal was on the horizon. If I recall correctly A-Rod bought the home for $15 million but sold it for $30 million. Would the scandal have cost him a few million if he waited another month to sell?... Heh heh - NBA players read "Mean Tweets"... Tinker, Tailor, Sailor, Spy is such an under-rated movie. What a great cast...