100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (30) Johnny Appleseed by Joe Strummer.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (29) Four Green Fields by Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers.

Player Comparison

Here's a Player Comparison between two pitchers

Player A: Age 30 / Height 6'4" / Weight 240 / GS 252 / IP 1596
Player B: Age 31 / Height 6'5" / Weight 205 / GS 191 / IP 1510

I use different ages for two reasons - Player A was born in January while Player B was born in November also Player B basically lost a season to the 1995 Player's Strike. I consider the players to be fairly similar in body types and pitching styles (though Player A is a lefty and Player B a righty).

The reason I think this is a pertinent Player Comparison is because Player A is Jon Lester and the Red Sox may be considering signing him to a six-year deal. Player B is Curt Schilling who averaged 217 innings pitched in the next six years after his age 31 season. I happen to think six years is a good risk on Lester.

I don't buy that Schilling was just 205 pounds though.

John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry

Many people look at the firing upon Fort Sumter as the spark that lit the Civil War but I think the real spark came back in 1859 when John Brown and his "army" of 21 attacked and occupied the armory at Harpers Ferry, VA.

The next day, US Marines under the command of US Army Colonel Robert E. Lee (how's that for irony) attacked Brown and his men. When the gun smoke cleared, 10 of Brown's men were dead (including 2 of his sons) and Brown was taken prisoner and shortly thereafter he was hanged. In fact on this very day 155 years ago.

I find it slightly amusing that most history books and mentions of Brown on the Internet either gloss over or omit completely the fact that Brown was almost certainly insane.

I'm not making any moral judgments on Brown's actions. I'm just saying that he was crazy. Seriously. When I first saw a picture of John Brown - I thought I was looking at Charlie Manson circa 1850.

The John Brown / Charles Manson analogy isn't that bad. Brown raided the armory because he wanted to arm slaves to start a full-fledged slave revolt. Charles Manson has said that he killed those folks in the Hollywood Hills because he hoped that blacks would be blamed and that would spark a race war in the US. This may be one of those things that I only find interesting. 

Linky Links

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

- This is what cows look like when you blow dry them. I have to wonder if this was some sort of experiment by the NFL looking into suede footballs.

- If you had any doubts that Vladimir Putin was nothing but a leader of thugs.

- And speaking of Russia - this is what man-made climate change looks like.

- 21 phrases you use without knowing you're quoting Shakespeare.

- Interesting interview about what it's like to be a scientist at CERN

- Mmmmm - low carb and gluten free salad

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (28) Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I thought the Patriots played "OK" on Sunday against the Packers. I think the cold affected Tom Brady's grip on the ball more than it did for Aaron Rodgers and was a bit surprised at that. What was disappointing was Stephen Gostkowski missing the field goal attempt at the end. Those 3 point would have meant a Patriots cover and I wouldn't have lost my bet on New England... Bill Cosby resigns from the Temple University Board of Trustees... Just a thought but I wouldn't put it past Billy Beane if he signed Billy Butler so quickly because he plans to trade him at the July trading deadline next season... He does look like an angry lobster boat captain... I wonder if Bill Cosby is on the UMass Board of Trustees?... Who knew? Great Britain was once great at hockey. They won the Gold Medal at the 1936 Winter Olympics... In his 2012 special Fully Functional Jim Jefferies tells a story about the Montreal Just for Laughs festival in which he describes opening for a comedian Hollywood movie star who was very "rapey". Given the stories that have come out about Bill Cosby - I wonder if anyone has gone back to Jefferies to ask him who the "rapey" comedian was?

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (27) Backstreets by Bruce Springsteen.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (26) Papa Was a Rolling Stone by The Temptations.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Tom Brady is 33-4 (89% winning percentage) when the temperature is below 40 degrees. Aaron Rogers is 16-5 (76% winning percentage). These guys just win in cold weather... Hail Flutie... Yesterday was both Vin Scully's (87) and Mariano Rivera's (45) birthdays. MLB should acknowledge the importance of the birthdays of two of the greatest ambassadors the game has by making their birthday the day when the new Hall of Fame class is announced... Heh heh... So will Colt McCoy replace RGIII in those Subway commercials too?... Matt Damon vs Ben Affleck. I was amused by this more than I should have been... Just a reminder about all those MLB trade rumors columns you read - not one writer had the Josh Donaldson trade from Oakland to Toronto. Take all you read with a grain of salt...

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (25) Why Aye Man by Mark Knofler.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (24) Fairytale of New York by The Pogues. In my opinion the best Christmas song ever.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (23) Into the Mystic by Van Morrison.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (22) While My Guitar Gently Weeps by George Harrison.

Documentaries

The next few days are prime time for watching TV. Here's a couple of documentaries I would recommend you place in your Netflix queue:

- Who is Harry Nilsson? (And why is everyone talking about him)

- Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay

- Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. I was a so-so Rush fan but after watching this documentary I haven't been able to not listen to a Rush song I come across on the radio because the guys were just so nice.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Martin Luther King Jr. quote worth remembering these days, "Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars"... Well it is tough to argue with this logic... As pointed out elsewhere, if you say "My Cocaine" you are also saying "Michael Caine" in his own voice... Good question... I wonder if Bill Cosby has looked into booking tour dates in countries with no extradition yet... Never change Bill Clinton, never change... After reading that "My Cocaine" / "Michael Caine" thing above - you said "My Cocaine" out loud didn't you?... Can't argue with this logic either...

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (21) Here Comes the Flood by Peter Gabriel.

Top 5 - Red Sox Pitching Trade Targets

With Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval in the fold - now all Red Sox fans attention tuns to pitching. My number one wish remains that they sign (re-sign?) Jon Lester but the Sox have a glut of players and a trade for at least one starter is bound to happen. Here's who I would consider the Top 5 pitching trade targets for Boston.

1. Cole Hamels Phillies - has 5-years and $110 million left on contract (if you include the 2019 option year). Maybe a package of Clay Buchholz, Jackie Bradley Jr., Allen Craig and Brandon Workman would be a good starting point.
2. Jordan Zimmerman Nationals - free agent after this season. Maybe a package of Yoenis Cespedis and Allen Craig get this done.
3. Doug Fister Nationals - free agent after this season offer same package as above.
4. Rick Porcello Tigers - trade him for Yoenis Cespedis straight up.
5. Cincinnati Reds - a number of pitchers here (Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, and Mike Leake) are all free agents after 2015 but the Reds may wait till mid-season to do any trading.

100 of My Favorite Songs

Today's offering (20) Rambling, Gambling Man by Bob Seger.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Given Curt Schilling's views on evolution - I wonder if he thinks it was God's will his video game company went bankrupt too... There's Farmer's Markets where farmers sell their produce. Why not Hunter's Markets where hunters can sell their excess game meat like venison?... I've long said that JFK would not be welcome in today's Democrat Party... Happy 74th birthday to Red Sox favorite Luis Tiant. If Catfish Hunter is in the Hall of Fame then Looie should be too... Some cool homages to Arthur Conan Doyle in Sherlock.. Why do they say "hike" before snapping the ball in football? What are they "hiking"? Seriously this little language nugget is bugging me... Neil Gaiman talks about one of my favorite Doctor Who episodes of all-time... Oversized Load would make a great title for a biography of Peter North...