A Large Regular

Friday, February 18, 2005

Baseball Stat of the Day

Since joining the Red Sox, Bill Mueller has had 470 regular season AB at Fenway Park (almost a full season worth of AB) and in those AB he has hit .343 with 48 2B, 15 HR, 94 R, and 86 RBI.

And since joining the Red Sox he has had 123 regular season AB against the Yankees and in those AB he has hit .341 with 8 2B, 9 HR, 23 R and 26 RBI.

Morning Links

- No individual embassies for European nations if EU constitution adopted?

- As I write this - I may be preventing liver cancer

- VDH Friday

- Politicizing the science of global warming

Teddy Bruschi

You may have heard the news that New England Patriots linebacker Teddy Bruschi suffered a mild stroke from a "leaking blood vessel in his brain" according to the Boston Globe.

I was in New York when I heard the news and I almost immediately had flashbacks to 1982 when Boston Bruins'first-round draft pick Norman Leveille's hockey career ended suddenly following an burst aneurysm. It is not clear whether Bruschi had an aneurysm (which is a bulge in a blood vessel similar to a "bubble" in an inner tube) but what seems clear is that Bruschi's ailment will certainly not be close to as debilitating as Leveille's - whose aneurysm left him partially paralysed with speech and motor skills impairment.

It also brought to mind the death of the man who could have Boston's greatest sports legend if he had not died so young - Harry Agganis. Unlike Bruschi and Leveille, Agganis suffered a fatal attack. His being a pulmonary embolus (a blocked vein in the lungs).

I guess the underlying message is that you can never be too young or too healthy for something like this to occur. Carpe diem.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Flags of Our Fathers

I'm traveling today and won't have much opportunity to post but I have picked up James Bradley's fantastic Flags of Our Fathers which brought to mind something I though I would repost.

I originally posted the following last Veteran's day:

With yesterday being the 229th Birthday of the US Marines and today being Veteran's Day - the two put me in mind of this post. I originally found it on a discussion board at the History Channel a couple of years ago. It was so good and so moving that I immediately cut and pasted it and emailed it to myself. Anything I say about it will not do it justice - so I'm just posting it here for you to read:

Each year I am hired to go to Washington, DC, with the eighth grade class from Clinton, Wisconsin, where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I take some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable.

On the last night of our trip we stopped at the Iwo Jima Memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history - that of the six brave soldiers raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during WW II. Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, "Where are you guys from?" I told him that we were from Wisconsin.

"Hey, I'm a cheese head, too! Come gather around Cheese heads, and I will tell you a story."

(James Bradley just happened to be in Washington, DC, to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who has since passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said from my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington, D.C., but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night. When all had gathered around he reverently began to speak. Here are his words that night.)

"My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin. My dad is on that statue, and I just wrote a book called "Flags of Our Fathers", which is #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list right now. It is the story of the six boys you see behind me. Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type of game. A game called "War."

But it didn't turn out to be a game. Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are generals who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old. (He pointed to the statue) You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken, and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph --- a photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for protection, because he was scared. He was 18 years old. Boys won the battle of Iwo Jima. Boys. Not old men.

The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the "old man" because he was so old. He was already 24. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, "Let's go kill some Japanese," or "Let's die for our country." He knew he was talking to little boys. Instead he would say, "You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers."

The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona. Ira Hayes walked off Iwo Jima. He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, "You're a hero." He told reporters, "How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me, and only 27 of us walked off alive?" So you take your class at school. 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes died dead drunk, face down at the age of 32 ... ten years after this picture was taken.

The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop Kentucky. A fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 70, told me, "Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epsom salts. Those cows crapped all night." Yes he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy.. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. The neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away.

The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue is my dad, John Bradley from Antigo, Wisconsin, where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews. When Walter Cronkite's producers, or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say, "No, I'm sorry sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back."

My dad never fished or even went to Canada. Usually, he was sitting there right at the table eating his Campbell's soup. But we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press. You see, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a caregiver. In Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And when boys died in Iwo Jima, they writhed and screamed in pain.

When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, "I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. Did NOT come back."

So that's the story about six nice young boys. Three died on Iwo Jima, and three came back as national heroes. Overall 7000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time."

Suddenly, the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero for the reasons most people would believe, but a hero nonetheless.

We need to remember that God created this vast and glorious world for us to live in, freely, but also at great sacrifice. Let us never forget from the Revolutionary War to the Gulf War and all the wars in-between that sacrifice was made for our freedom. Remember to pray for those still in murderous unrest around the world....and thank God for being alive in the greatest country on earth.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Morning Links

- Bill Simmons has a Ramblings column up (I give it a C+)

- TradeFreddie.com (hat tip Off Wing Opinion)

- Charlie Weis' first day in the office

- Trot Nixon criticizes A-Fraud

- Good column by Tom Verducci for SI

- A Blog dedicated to all things Dunkin Donuts - be sure to check out this post

- The 100 Funniest Jokes of All-Time- sample:

I went to my doctor and told him "my penis is burning." He said, "That means somebody is talking about it." (Garry Shandling)

Bloggers are not the "New Paparazzi"

I truly respect Mark Cuban but something he wrote recently has bothered me. On Blog Maverick (Mark Cuban's weblog) he had a post entitled Political Bloggers - the new paparazzi. This metaphor or characterization is just wrong. Maybe the best way for me to explain why Cuban's characterization bothers me is to directly address what he wrote:

They lurk in the bushes. They camp out in cars. They roam the sidewalks. Camera in hand. A-List celebrities know they are there. They know they are waiting for a moment of weakness. Just a glimpse that they are human, or not quite as glamorous as their publicists present them. When that moment strikes anywhere outside their home, I know they gulp hard, hoping not to hear the sound, or see the burst of a camera flash.

First off bloggers don't "lurk". In Internet parlance a "lurker" is someone who reads what is written on a site or chatboard but does not join in the conversation. A blogger on the other hand puts his views out for all to see. The word "lurk" in normal parlance is one of those words that purveys negative connotations (like the work "ilk").

Does Mark Cuban not see the irony that he is writing this on a blog? Does he see himself as a paparazzi stalking the celebrity of NBA athletes or does he blog for different reasons? The term used for owners who buy their teams because they want to "hang" with the players is "jock sniffer". Would Cuban take offense if characterized as a jock sniffer or NBA paparazzi? Is that why Cuban blogs - to catch that "moment of weakness" in a player so he can write about it? I think Mark Cuban would be rightly offended at such a characterization. Is it so hard for Cuban to grasp that others blog for the same reason he does - because they have an opinion or expertise that they want to share?

When it happens, there is a price to be paid. The celebrity has to deal with the price of any consequence. The photographer gets paid the price commensurate with the popularity and interest in the star, and the vulnerability captured in the picture.

In the world of political blogging, bloggers are the new paparazzi and the traditional news media reporters and columnists are the new targets.

Paparazzi are first and foremost in it for the money. If taking pictures of celebrities didn't pay anything - how many paparazzi do you think there would be? Blogging doesn't pay yet it is wildly popular. Talking and writing about politics has always been an American pastime. Blogging has simply given the populace a new vehicle to voice their opinions, their thoughts or to speak out and say "that's wrong!"

It is much more true to say "pride goeth before a fall" than to say "traditional news media reporters and columnists are the new targets". Bloggers weren't out to get Dan Rather. He had the hubris to air fraudulent documents masquerading as the truth and bloggers shouted out "that's wrong!" Rony Abovitz did not go to Davos with the intent to get Eason Jordan but when Jordan said that the US military was intentionally targeting journalists he knew he had to bear witness and say something about it.

There have been millions upon millions of blog entries. I know at www.icerocket.com, we have indexed at least 6mm pages of blogs. I don’t know the number of political bloggers, or the number of pages posted, but I can tell you this, every single one of them with any aspirations of popularity is looking for a way to stand out. The way that happens is to knock one of the gatekeepers off their perch.

Mark - what gatekeeper are you trying to knock off their perch with your blog? Is it too hard to grasp that others blog for the same reasons you do?

Whether it’s been newspapers, magazines, TV or radio, the opportunities to reach an audience has been limited to a finite number of local and national gatekeepers. Just outside those gates, knocking on the door, trying to be heard for the past 100 or more years have been wanna be Woodward and Bernsteins. People with information, ideas and concepts that they know the populace would respond to have been turned away, again and again.

Its payback time . The bloggers are here, and they are ready to knock down the gates and get their pound of flesh. The traditional media has no idea what is about to hit them.

I can agree with the first part but the "pound of flesh" part? Bloggers aren't looking for a pound of flesh - they just won't take it when someone pisses on their backs and say its raining. I would also agree with the final statement that the "traditional media has no idea what is about to hit them."

In every major conference, at every major speech, sitting at tables in restaurants, there is going to be a blogger or podcaster with microphone, PDA, Videophone, laptop or paper and pencil in hand. Listening. Taking notes. That information is going to be transmitted to and from a blog entry and placed in the hands of "the readers".

Reporting the truth and bearing witness somehow twisted into the invasion of privacy world of paparazzi? I don't get it.

Unlike celebrities who hear or see the flash of the camera, the gatekeepers don't know they are there. Blogging in plain site. Questioning everything.

God forbid if someone has the temerity to question something an authority figure says or does. Ummm... Mark? Didn't the Internet make you a billionaire? You are aware we are living in the information age - right?

Dan Rather and Eason Jordan were just practice laps. Let me assure you that from now on, EVERYTHING said. Every video shown. Every picture presented from any traditional media source is going to be scrutinized. The level of scrutiny will make your editors blush.

Pride went before their falls. They took themselves down. Making one responsible for one's actions is what it is called. Nobody made Rather air fraudulent documents and nobody made Eason Jordan make scurrilous allegations. You call it scrutiny. I call it accountability.

The gatekeepers are under attack. I'm not saying its right or wrong, but it is the new reality.

Sounds like you are saying its wrong.

Fortunately, there is a way to deal with the paparazzi. There is also a way for the gatekeepers to deal with the bloggers. A simple way.

Recognize them. Give them respect. Celebrities can’t keep photographers out of their bushes no matter how hard they try. The gatekeepers won’t be able to keep the bloggers out either. Instead they should invite them in.

Not 1. Not 2. But several from both sides. Bring in the more popular blogs that like you, and the same number of those that don't. Give them as much access as you give the NY Times, Wash Post. Don't muzzle them, let them write.

Now you're talking! By the way - how many bloggers have NBA press credentials?

I will tell you exactly what will happen next. The blogs you invite in will still try to trip you up, but they will quickly morph and act like traditional media. When you screw up , they will tell you when it happens and give you a chance to comment and respond. They will like being on the inside and adjust to try to stay there.

The bloggers left on the outside will continue to try to trip you up, but will spend more time and energy trying to tear down the bloggers who got inside the gates. Jealousy is a bitch.

It will work, try it.

Sadly this is true.

If you don't, call George Clooney and Britney Spears Federline for advice. You are going to need it.

I really have no idea how to respond to this last line of gibberish except to say POLITICAL BLOGGERS ARE NOT LIKE PAPARAZZI!

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Separated at Birth?

Randy Johnson of the Yankees and Festus from Gunsmoke.

OK I'll Say It!

Is it just me or does Paul DePodesta have really yellow teeth?

Lileks for FCC Chairman Update

First off let me confess that the idea was tongue-in-cheek to begin with. I knew that Lileks would never take the job but I also felt that he was perfect for it. It was a Catch-22 thing from the get-go. Anyway here's what he had to say about the petition to make him FCC Chairman in today's Bleat:

This is why I noted with horror and amusement a comment-section posting that nominated me for FCC chairman; I could only disappoint everyone. As I think I said a year ago, my objection to the wardrobe malfunction wasn’t the (shock!) sight of a unholstered bosom on (gasp!) TV, it was A) the dank crude stupid nature of the routine coupled withB) teat-deployment where no teat-deployment had been expected. Save it for cable, that’s my motto. Is that such a horribly confining request?

This is why I would disappoint some as FCC chairman. Yes, you can show that on Carnivale. No, you cannot show Carnivale on broadcast. Yes, I watch it. No, it’s not hypocritical, for the same reason that one can unroll the effenheimer in all its glorious manifestations when you’re at a bar with buddies, and dasn’t blue the air with shiesty oaths when the kids are present. Context counts.

You can still sign the petition here. Even though he wouldn't take the job if asked - even Lileks would admit that it is nice to have people think of him in this light.

Morning Links

- Peter Gammons has a new column up

- Deja Vu explained

- Sex advice from tribute bands - worth it just to learn that there's a lesbian Led Zepplin tribute band named Lez Zepplin (well I'm assuming they're lesbians based on the haircuts). Sample advice:

How can you tell someone their junk tastes like junk?
Brooke: Ask them if they've been eating asparagus.

Hat Tip to Straight White Guy

- I knew there was open bias and preferential treatment at the LA Times but who knew it was for Trekkies not Democrats?

- Mark Steyn on UN corruption (he starts with a metaphor I won't soon forget)

But systemic UN child sex in at least 50 per cent of their missions? The transnational morality set can barely stifle their yawns. If you're going to rape prepubescent girls, make sure you're wearing a blue helmet.

I've said it before - a Democratic candidate who wants to clean house on the UN would be very popular in a general election (but unfortunately he would never get out of the primaries)

- Terry Teachout on Arthur Miller - I echo Teachout's sentiments completely

- Deja Vu explained

The Grammies, Federal Funding and Bill Clinton

When I first saw this link on NRO's Corner my thought was "you got to be kidding me - $150,000 in Federal funds to the Grammies?" Then I remembered that Bill Clinton won his second Grammie on Sunday for his spoken word reading of his book. Bill Clinton did not attend the Grammies but if he did the security costs of the Secret Service would have been well above $150,000. I'm willing to give this situation the benefit of the doubt that the money was used for security, for bomb screening, for something that's explainable and acceptable.

This should be looked into but I'm thinking there's a rational explanation. If there is not then whoever added this $150,000 worth of pork should definitely be targeted by the opposition when re-election comes around.

Monday, February 14, 2005

Separated at Birth?

Freddie Mitchell of the Eagles and Otis Nixon (who has a bodyguard by the way).

Inside the Bloggers Studio - Special Guest Big Stupid Tommy

In what I hope will be a series of interviews, I will be speaking (well emailing to be more correct) with a number of bloggers whose work I enjoy and admire. First up - Tommy from Big Stupid Tommy.

ALR: The name of your blog is Big Stupid Tommy and while I'm willing to believe that you're a big guy (I understand that if you were a woman you would do most of your clothes shopping at Lane Bryant) and I'm also willing to believe your name is Tommy but based on the intelligence and wit evident in your writing I can't believe you are anything near stupid. Why do you feel the need to call yourself stupid? Is this some sort of Chris Farley deal?

BST: Here's an answer on a couple of levels.

We live in a world that takes itself entirely too seriously. Where it's absolutely the worst thing, it seems, to be seen as "stupid." I wish I could say the title's meant entirely in the ironic.

I kinda use stupid as a synonym for silly. See, I also tend to take myself too seriously, too. It's partly intended as both an ego check, and as a reminder that it's okay (important even) to go out and just be silly and stupid.

The name arose from a conversation I'd had with a friend, over something my boss had told me earlier in the day. I was frustrated that things at work were moving in what I believed to be an ass-backward fashion. My boss said that if I expected everything change overnight, "that's just stupid Tommy." The words "Stupid Tommy" kept bouncing in my head as I seethed.

The conversation with a friend created a characature of sorts, called "Big Stupid Tommy."

I'd recently been shown Blogger. Like, that same day, literally. When I went to start my own blog, I just called it "Big Stupid Tommy" because it was what was bouncing around in my head at the moment.

I've also kept it for so long because it seems to catch a reader's eye somewhat easily.

ALR: If you don't mind me saying - your writing is very good. Are you a professional writer or did you have any college training in journalism or writing?

BST: I went to MTSU for its Journalism program, but I tend to think I write well in spite of everything I learned there.

I am currently not being paid on a regular basis to write.

ALR: You live in Tennessee and yet are a big Cubs fan. How did that come about?

BST: Where we lived at the time, we had the cable TV. I started getting into baseball in a serious fashion around seven or eight, and WGN would be showing Cubs games when I got home from school, and during the day in the summertime, when there was no school. I don't know what bred the loyalty, but following the Cubs is pretty much the only thing I've done on a consistent basis for the past 20 years.

ALR: Three part question; how long have you been blogging, do you remember the first person you put on your blogroll and do you still check out that person's blog on a regular basis?

BST: I've been blogging since November of 2002.

I'd say my friend Bill's blog was the first I put on my regular blogroll (he's currently at Evil Hippy)

I still read it. He updates just a couple of times a week, so that's about how often I check it.

ALR: In your opinion - who has had a greater effect on modern American culture - Arthur Miller (Death of a Salesman) or Andy Griffith (The Andy Griffith Show)?

BST: In the short term, Andy Griffith. Fifty years from now, when TV's been relegated to pretty much the same status of vaudeville, the answer will be Arthur Miller.

But I think if you went out and told Joe America that Arthur Miller died, they'd say "That was my favorite cop show, right next to Andy Griffith."

ALR: What is your favorite all-time movie? Your favorite all-time book?

BST: The original Star Wars is still my favorite movie, though there's a special place in my heart for Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment.

My favorite books are Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mr. Twain, though there's a special place in my heart for the novelization of Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment.

ALR: If you were on death row and were about to be executed - what would you request for your last meal?

BST: I did a post about it a while back, some where a ways back.

But for the purposes of this question, after having eaten myself stupid on burgers this weekend, I'll say that a plate full of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups might be cool to gorge on if you're going out.

Failing that, half a barbecued chicken, corn on the cob, garlic mashed potatoes and a big giant glass of sweet tea.

ALR: What other occupation other than your own would you like to attempt?

BST: If I could just snap my fingers and make it happen, I'd like to be play by play guy for the Chicago Cubs. Or for World Wrestling Entertainment.

ALR: What's your favorite curse word?

BST: Shit.

I think it just fits my personal viewpoint better than any other curse word. When I say it out loud, when I'm really torqued, it comes out in two syllables...shiyit. The closest I've ever heard anybody come to my pronunciation is in the movie Major League, when Jake tanks a throw to second base when he's trying to prove he's still got the goods to be in the majors.

Plus, I like that it can be used as a noun, verb, adjective or an adverb, as well as the good old curse.

ALR: Thank you Big Stupid Tommy. If any of our audience members have questions for Tommy - please leave them in the comments and Tommy will stop by and answer them.

Morning Links

- The 99 Most Desirable Women of 2005

- George W. Bush - Mountainbiker

- Transcript of Jose Canseco's 60 Minutes Interview

- Barry Larkin retires

- The difference between the left and right sides of the blogosphere

Sunday, February 13, 2005

The Devil Rays vs. the Island of Misfit Players

Just a few days left until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training. Right now the only remaining baseball free agents could properly be described as flotsam and jetsam or as wretched refuse. Even still - I wondered if you could assemble a team from this cast of misfit players that would still be better than the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

1st Base:
Devil Rays: Travis Lee
Misfit Players: John Olerud
Edge: Lee was a member of the misfit players until just recently. Olerud may retire rather than play again but I think his defense and his health (relative to Lee) gives him the edge here.

2nd Base:
Devil Rays: Roberto Alomar
Misfit Players: Carlos Baerga
Edge: I'm willing to call this a tie. Both players are way past their prime but I think Baerga is probably more comfortable with that fact while Alomar may think of himself as an elite player still.

3rd Base:
Devil Rays: Alex Gonzalez
Misfit Players: Todd Zeile (Robin Ventura is my first choice but he's probably retired for good)
Edge: Gonzalez has a career .287 OBP (let that sink in for a minute). I have to think that when Rocco Baldelli come back from his injury that Aubrey Huff will be moved back to third but for now - the Devil Rays have a guy with a career .287 OBP manning the hot corner. Zeile, Mark McLemore or Mike Mordecai all provide better offensive options for the Misfits while Gonzalez would have a better glove (except over Ventura). Call this one a draw.

Short stop:
Devil Rays: Julio Lugo (with BJ Upton close behind)
Misfit Players: Barry Larkin
Edge: Misfit players. I will not argue this one. Larkin has enough in the tank for one season better than anyone the Rays put at short.

Catcher:
Devil Rays: Toby Hall
Misfit Players: Sandy Martinez
Edge: At worst this is a draw but after seeing Martinez with the Red Sox last year, I think over a course of a season the Misfits would have the edge. Toby Hall is Toby Hall. That means a 10 HR, 50 RBI, .260 BA line - how hard would it be to match that production? Still we'll call it a draw.

Outfield:
Devil Rays: Daniel Bautista, Carl Crawford, and Aubrey Huff
Misfit Players: Ray Lankford, Darren Bragg and Robert Fick
Edge: The Rays have a big time advantage here. In fact when Rocco Baldelli is healthy - Tampa has one of the better outfields in baseball.

Starting Pitching:
Devil Rays: Hendrickson, Kazmir, Brazelton, Waechter and Fossum
Misfit Players: Andy Ashby, Todd van Poppel, Moe, Larry and Curly
Edge: Maybe the only team in baseball that the Devil Rays have an edge in starting pitching is over the mythical Misfits.

Closer:
Devil Rays: Danys Baez
Misfit Players: Robb Nenn
Edge: If healthy this goes to Nenn and the Misfits. Let's be hopeful for Nenn and call this one a draw.

I think the strength of the outfield and the relative strength of the starting pitching give Tampa Bay the clear advantage over the team of Misfit Players. However, the fact that you can even make this comparison tells you how bad Tampa Bay really is. What was Lou Pinella thinking when he signed that contract?

The Boondock Saints

Monsignor: We must always fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil that we must fear the most, and that is the indifference of good men.
Connor: I do believe the monsignor's finally got the point.
Murphy: Aye.

Finally got around to watching The Boondock Saints.

The low budget movie has sort of a cult following and maybe the best way to describe the movie is Death Wish meets Magnum Force meets Good Will Hunting. The plot is riddled with holes and a suspension of disbelief is a requirement for enjoying the movie but the bottom line is that I'm going to watch it again (so I guess I liked it).

Many of the characters are over the top cliches and much of the acting is over the top as well, the plot is hardly original (see Death Wish and Magnum Force) but the resultant product is stangely unique which is probably why the movie has such a following and why a sequel will be coming out

I loved the fact that Ron Jeremy and Jimmy Tingle both had bit roles in the movie (is it ironic that Jimmy Tingle the comedian has a better porn name than Ron Jeremy the porn star?). One word of warning - if you are offended by bad language then you won't like this movie. It had double the swears than Good Will Hunting and that's saying something!

Following the saga of writer / director Troy Duffy may actually turn out to be the most interesting thing about the movie.

GMail Invites

Recently Google gave an additional 50 GMail invites to the people who already had a mailbox with them. I have about 40 left so if anyone wants a GMail invite just send me an email.

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Morning Links

- The Sports Prof has a good take on le affaire Giambi (hat tip to Off Wing Opinion)

- Brown Hound is in a quandry over renewing his Redskins season tickets

- 10 minutes at Zombo.com is always good for both my hangover and my self-esteem

- Any story with a headline "Sizemore had a Fake Willy" should be linked to

- As should any story that speaks of the "sexual appetites of penguins"

- I don't blame him. I wouldn't drink Miller either.

The XHL

With the National Hockey League ready to finally pull the plug on the season, I thought this would be a good time to discuss one of my long held beliefs. I believe that Vince McMahon and the WWF made a big mistake trying to take on the National Football League with their XFL four years ago but I think McMahon would have been very successful if instead of the NFL he went after the NHL.

The NHL has three main problems:

1. All the clutching grabbing, trap defenses and elimination of fighting have made the sport boring to watch for the average fan.

2. Owners spend way too much on player contracts. Some owners give out contracts similar to baseball or basketball even though the hockey revenues are not close to those other sports. This makes it tough to compete for owners who are trying to be fiscally responsible.

3. The NHL has done a terrible job of marketing their product. Gary Bettman was brought in specifically to market the sport (he admittedly knew nothing about hockey when he took the job). The fact that last year's All-Star game got the same TV ratings as the first game of the season for the Arena Football League is exhibit A in the failure of Bettman to do the job he was hired to do.

An XHL league could have both addressed these problems and fixed them.

When your biggest stars, in this case Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemeiux, both publicly state that all the clutching and grabbing is killing the sport and you do nothing about it you are bound to fail. Even the best players don't care for the current NHL product. The XHL could solve this with just a few rule changes such as:

- Enforce holding and hooking penalties to give players more freedom to skate

- Eliminate the rule prohibiting two line passes. Imagine if the NFL tried to outlaw passes over 20-yards? That's basically what the two-line pass rule in hockey does.

- Eliminate ties and have each game tied in regulation settled by a shoot-out.

- Eliminate the third man in rule on fights. If Vince McMahon is going to run the league the players better be ready to rumble.

In terms of keeping salaries in line while at the same time keeping the players happy, I would suggest the following guidelines for the XHL:

- Have only three "star" roster slots for players who could be paid up to $5 million. The rest of the roster would be comprised of players who make a certain scale (see below). The composition of the star slots would generate interest and controversy. Do you get a center and two forwards to fill your "star" slots and thus create and "all-star" line? Do you spread the stars out evenly by getting a center, a defenseman and a goalie? To you get two defensemen and a goalie? These types of questions would serve to generate fan interest and debate.

- The rest of the players would make salaries based upon the number of years they've been in the league (tenure in the NHL would transfer for salary purposes). For each year of service a player would get $100,000. If you've played 5 years - your salary would be $500,000. If you're a rookie then you get $100,000 unless the team is willing to slide you into one of the three "star" slots. Can you see how this could also generate fan interest and controversy?

- 10% of each game's paid ticket gate gets put into a kitty and the winner of that night's game would get the kitty which would then be evenly split between the players, coaches and trainers. The players and coaches would have something on the line each and every game.

- Players would get 25% of the revenue off sales of their jerseys. This gives the players incentive to become fan favorites whether they be high scorers, goons or lunch bucket players who win the fans' love with their hard work.

The above should provide a basic framework for financial stability for the league.

In terms of marketing - who does better marketing than Vince McMahon (XFL being the exception that proves the rule)? Put it this way - there's no way the XHL could be marketed worse than the current NHL.

If the XHL started four years ago instead of the XFL then it would be hitting its stride right about now and all those NHL players who went over to Europe this winter may have crossed over to the new league.

This idea could really work. Quick - someone get Vince McMahon on the phone.