Good Good Choco Party!
As Homer would say, "Hmmmm chocolate."
HT Sports Frog
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Stud Poker
A couple of nicely done essays on the finer points of Stud Poker by Felicia Lee.
Here's Part 1
Here's Part 2
I play a lot of stud and it is amazing how many people fail to do simple things like keep track of how many cards of each suit have been played.
Hat tip to Tao of Poker
A couple of nicely done essays on the finer points of Stud Poker by Felicia Lee.
Here's Part 1
Here's Part 2
I play a lot of stud and it is amazing how many people fail to do simple things like keep track of how many cards of each suit have been played.
Hat tip to Tao of Poker
A Large Regular as Porn
Too much time on my hands this morning. Here's what A Large Regular would read like after going through the Pornolizer.
Enter any web address in the Pornolizer to turn it into a dirty little site.
Too much time on my hands this morning. Here's what A Large Regular would read like after going through the Pornolizer.
Enter any web address in the Pornolizer to turn it into a dirty little site.
Old School Spring Training
One of my favorite articles about spring training was written three years ago by Mike Shropshire of Slate.
One of my favorite articles about spring training was written three years ago by Mike Shropshire of Slate.
The Oracle of Starbucks
This was an oldie but a goodie. The Oracle is all-seeing and all-knowing but I think the Oracle would lose in a battle against the Wizard of Dunkin Donuts or the Enchantress of Tim Horton's.
This was an oldie but a goodie. The Oracle is all-seeing and all-knowing but I think the Oracle would lose in a battle against the Wizard of Dunkin Donuts or the Enchantress of Tim Horton's.
Beanpot Baseball
Many people are familiar with the Beanpot Hockey Tournament but not many know that there is a baseball version as well – played each spring at Fenway Park. The Red Sox used to play Boston College every spring training because of an agreement arranged through BC Alum and former Sox President John Harrington. This spring the Red Sox played both BC and Northeastern.
I would suggest that the Red Sox make an arrangement that would give the winner of the Baseball Beanpot two televised spring training games. That would be a nice incentive for the schools and could help elevate the status of the Baseball Beanpot. The Red Sox would easily be able to arrange this since they do own most of the New England Sports Network (NESN).
Many people are familiar with the Beanpot Hockey Tournament but not many know that there is a baseball version as well – played each spring at Fenway Park. The Red Sox used to play Boston College every spring training because of an agreement arranged through BC Alum and former Sox President John Harrington. This spring the Red Sox played both BC and Northeastern.
I would suggest that the Red Sox make an arrangement that would give the winner of the Baseball Beanpot two televised spring training games. That would be a nice incentive for the schools and could help elevate the status of the Baseball Beanpot. The Red Sox would easily be able to arrange this since they do own most of the New England Sports Network (NESN).
Pididdle
Have you ever heard that word before? I had never heard it till I went to college It is a word I learned from my wife. A "pididdle" is a car with one headlight out. I have no idea where the word comes from but I do know that my car is now a pididdle but I won't be able to do anything about it till Tuesday. Today I have to paint the bathroom and tomorrow I'll be up in Portsmouth. Tuesday I'll fix my pididdle.
Have you ever heard that word before? I had never heard it till I went to college It is a word I learned from my wife. A "pididdle" is a car with one headlight out. I have no idea where the word comes from but I do know that my car is now a pididdle but I won't be able to do anything about it till Tuesday. Today I have to paint the bathroom and tomorrow I'll be up in Portsmouth. Tuesday I'll fix my pididdle.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.
Just saying but Baseball-reference.com list Kris Benson as the most similar pitcher to Carl Pavano. Not sure how I would feel about that if I were a Yankee fan. Come to think of it – I bet Benson will actually have a better year than Pavano (based upon innings pitched and ERA).... Heh heh – the Twins have a pitcher named Boof Bonser on their roster. The name just strikes me as amusing.... I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Tigers trade Carlos Pena to a team that needs a left-handed power bat off the bench. The Tigers are pretty well set at first with Chris Shelton and Dmitri Young. Of course the Tigers could keep Pena and have him play against lefties but Shelton hits lefties better than Pena does. Plus I think that Dmitri Young will need to play some first because Ivan Rodriguez may take some time at DH this year to help keep him fresh. This is just a hunch on my part but it would make sense because Pudge is getting older and he traditionally fades near the end of the season (September is by far his worst month throughout his career). Having Pudge DH every so often would keep him fresh for the stretch run.... Mike MacDougal is working on a change-up to go with his 90+ MPH fastball and hard slider. If MacDougal can control his fastball and hide his change of speed – then he could be a real surprise this year and a real steal in fantasy drafts.... I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Rockies trade starter Zach Day whose real first name is actually Stephen (Zachary is his middle name). The Rockies traded Preston Wilson and his expiring contract to the Nationals for Day last season. Now the Nationals are in a bind for starters (but this was not another Jim Bowden bone-head move – it was because Day and Frank Robinson had chemistry issues). Even though it would be funny if the Nationals traded to get Day back – that won’t happen. The Rangers could really use a guy like Day as a fourth starter and the Rockies can afford to trade Day because they have about 6 or 7 potential starters.... Even with all those consecutive NL East titles to their credit – the Atlanta Braves still have a losing record (9533-9556) in their franchise history.... Abe Alvarez pitched a little more than 2 scoreless innings for the Red Sox today. I really hope Theo Epstein can palm Alvarez off to some team because Alvarez will never make it for the Red Sox. It may be the pressure of playing at Fenway or something but one thing I’m sure of is that Alvarez will never be a worthwhile player for the Red Sox....
Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.
Just saying but Baseball-reference.com list Kris Benson as the most similar pitcher to Carl Pavano. Not sure how I would feel about that if I were a Yankee fan. Come to think of it – I bet Benson will actually have a better year than Pavano (based upon innings pitched and ERA).... Heh heh – the Twins have a pitcher named Boof Bonser on their roster. The name just strikes me as amusing.... I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Tigers trade Carlos Pena to a team that needs a left-handed power bat off the bench. The Tigers are pretty well set at first with Chris Shelton and Dmitri Young. Of course the Tigers could keep Pena and have him play against lefties but Shelton hits lefties better than Pena does. Plus I think that Dmitri Young will need to play some first because Ivan Rodriguez may take some time at DH this year to help keep him fresh. This is just a hunch on my part but it would make sense because Pudge is getting older and he traditionally fades near the end of the season (September is by far his worst month throughout his career). Having Pudge DH every so often would keep him fresh for the stretch run.... Mike MacDougal is working on a change-up to go with his 90+ MPH fastball and hard slider. If MacDougal can control his fastball and hide his change of speed – then he could be a real surprise this year and a real steal in fantasy drafts.... I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Rockies trade starter Zach Day whose real first name is actually Stephen (Zachary is his middle name). The Rockies traded Preston Wilson and his expiring contract to the Nationals for Day last season. Now the Nationals are in a bind for starters (but this was not another Jim Bowden bone-head move – it was because Day and Frank Robinson had chemistry issues). Even though it would be funny if the Nationals traded to get Day back – that won’t happen. The Rangers could really use a guy like Day as a fourth starter and the Rockies can afford to trade Day because they have about 6 or 7 potential starters.... Even with all those consecutive NL East titles to their credit – the Atlanta Braves still have a losing record (9533-9556) in their franchise history.... Abe Alvarez pitched a little more than 2 scoreless innings for the Red Sox today. I really hope Theo Epstein can palm Alvarez off to some team because Alvarez will never make it for the Red Sox. It may be the pressure of playing at Fenway or something but one thing I’m sure of is that Alvarez will never be a worthwhile player for the Red Sox....
Bush, the Ports, the Polls, the Patriot Act and The West Wing
I meant to comment on these related topics this week but travel and work were pretty hectic.
Politically George W Bush had a pretty good week but you would never know it. The media is beating him up over the deal that would have the United Arab Emirates run 9 major ports in the US and his poll numbers are pretty much in the toilet. How is this good news you ask? Well let me explain.
The defining issue for Bush and his legacy will be the war on terror. Prior to the issue of the UAE and the ports – one of the most pressing issues for the administration was getting the Patriot Act renewed. Now the Democrats are trying to use the port deal to color themselves as strong on national defense but you can’t say you are working to increase the security of the US and come out against the Patriot Act at the same time. Not even John Kerry would try that kind of flip-flopping position wrangling.
The President was able to put off finalizing the port deal till conveniently the Patriot Act was voted on. This week the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of renewing the Patriot Act by an 89-10 vote. That’s a huge win for Bush but not much has been said about it. Make no mistake – without the UAE port deal – the vote on the Patriot Act is much closer and possibly in peril as Democrats could have made some of the more controversial aspects of the Act election issues. Big win for the President.
Of course wins for the President don’t make news but bad polling numbers do. Every time I heard or read about those polling numbers in the low 30’s in my head I would say “those are the lowest I remember since Harry Truman.” I don’t recall many people mentioning Bush and Truman in the same breath but Truman’s poll numbers dipped all the way down to 24%. Yet today Truman is recalled as one of the better presidents of this century. Some would say that Truman was effective because he didn’t care about poll numbers and since Bush has no more elections to run in – I don’t see how poll numbers could be important to him either.
One final thing to mention about all this is The West Wing connection (and yes – I do mean the TV show). You may recall that when Zoe Bartlett was kidnapped on the show – one of the areas of concern was a missing container from a cargo ship in the Port of Portland. If fictional paragon of Democratic ideals President Josiah Bartlett was concerned about port security then shouldn’t all real-life Democrats be concerned too? This to me is one of the unspoken reasons why the UAE deal has garnered such importance among the Democrats but again – nobody but me seems to have brought it up.
EDIT: TheBHC had similar thoughts on the ports deal and the Patriot Act yesterday.
I meant to comment on these related topics this week but travel and work were pretty hectic.
Politically George W Bush had a pretty good week but you would never know it. The media is beating him up over the deal that would have the United Arab Emirates run 9 major ports in the US and his poll numbers are pretty much in the toilet. How is this good news you ask? Well let me explain.
The defining issue for Bush and his legacy will be the war on terror. Prior to the issue of the UAE and the ports – one of the most pressing issues for the administration was getting the Patriot Act renewed. Now the Democrats are trying to use the port deal to color themselves as strong on national defense but you can’t say you are working to increase the security of the US and come out against the Patriot Act at the same time. Not even John Kerry would try that kind of flip-flopping position wrangling.
The President was able to put off finalizing the port deal till conveniently the Patriot Act was voted on. This week the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of renewing the Patriot Act by an 89-10 vote. That’s a huge win for Bush but not much has been said about it. Make no mistake – without the UAE port deal – the vote on the Patriot Act is much closer and possibly in peril as Democrats could have made some of the more controversial aspects of the Act election issues. Big win for the President.
Of course wins for the President don’t make news but bad polling numbers do. Every time I heard or read about those polling numbers in the low 30’s in my head I would say “those are the lowest I remember since Harry Truman.” I don’t recall many people mentioning Bush and Truman in the same breath but Truman’s poll numbers dipped all the way down to 24%. Yet today Truman is recalled as one of the better presidents of this century. Some would say that Truman was effective because he didn’t care about poll numbers and since Bush has no more elections to run in – I don’t see how poll numbers could be important to him either.
One final thing to mention about all this is The West Wing connection (and yes – I do mean the TV show). You may recall that when Zoe Bartlett was kidnapped on the show – one of the areas of concern was a missing container from a cargo ship in the Port of Portland. If fictional paragon of Democratic ideals President Josiah Bartlett was concerned about port security then shouldn’t all real-life Democrats be concerned too? This to me is one of the unspoken reasons why the UAE deal has garnered such importance among the Democrats but again – nobody but me seems to have brought it up.
EDIT: TheBHC had similar thoughts on the ports deal and the Patriot Act yesterday.
Jim Bowden – Idiot GM
So here’s the situation, the Washington Nationals just learned that outfielder Jose Guillen needs surgery on his wrist and could be out for 3-months. This comes on top of the news that 2nd baseman Alphonso Soriano really does not wish to play the outfield. That leaves the Nationals with two 2nd basemen and a hole in the outfield. Good thing Jim Bowden traded potential all-star outfielder Brad Wilkerson for the vastly over-rated, over-paid and disgruntled Soriano.
Way to go Jim! (I’m just bitter because I was hoping the Red Sox would be able to trade Bowden some magic beans for Wilkerson – a player I really like and who may hit 40 HR this year with half his games at Arlington.)
Jim Bowden is an idiot. It just needed to be said.
So here’s the situation, the Washington Nationals just learned that outfielder Jose Guillen needs surgery on his wrist and could be out for 3-months. This comes on top of the news that 2nd baseman Alphonso Soriano really does not wish to play the outfield. That leaves the Nationals with two 2nd basemen and a hole in the outfield. Good thing Jim Bowden traded potential all-star outfielder Brad Wilkerson for the vastly over-rated, over-paid and disgruntled Soriano.
Way to go Jim! (I’m just bitter because I was hoping the Red Sox would be able to trade Bowden some magic beans for Wilkerson – a player I really like and who may hit 40 HR this year with half his games at Arlington.)
Jim Bowden is an idiot. It just needed to be said.
Friday, March 03, 2006
The Anchoress Longs for Baseball
I have long admired the eloquence of the Anchoress. I am constanly amazed that such eloquence comes from a Yankee fan though.
I have long admired the eloquence of the Anchoress. I am constanly amazed that such eloquence comes from a Yankee fan though.
The Missouri Compromise and the Birth of the State of Maine
On this date Congress passed the “Missouri Compromise” which in effect created the state of Maine.
Prior to 1820 – Maine was part of Massachusetts (with all of the New England coastline being part of Massachusetts from Canada down to Rhode Island). The Missouri Compromise admitted Missouri as a “slave state” which meant that there were then 11 slave states and 10 free states. Maine was broken off from Massachusetts and admitted as a free state to even things off (although it should be noted that the people living in Maine had applied for statehood separately from the issue of Missouri and were heading towards statehood no matter what).
The coast towns of New Hampshire were established as part of New Hampshire as a result of an agreement with Massachusetts just prior to Maine being admitted as a state. Those towns like Hampton and Portsmouth were part of a boundary squabble between Maine and New Hampshire that has long since been forgotten.
On this date Congress passed the “Missouri Compromise” which in effect created the state of Maine.
Prior to 1820 – Maine was part of Massachusetts (with all of the New England coastline being part of Massachusetts from Canada down to Rhode Island). The Missouri Compromise admitted Missouri as a “slave state” which meant that there were then 11 slave states and 10 free states. Maine was broken off from Massachusetts and admitted as a free state to even things off (although it should be noted that the people living in Maine had applied for statehood separately from the issue of Missouri and were heading towards statehood no matter what).
The coast towns of New Hampshire were established as part of New Hampshire as a result of an agreement with Massachusetts just prior to Maine being admitted as a state. Those towns like Hampton and Portsmouth were part of a boundary squabble between Maine and New Hampshire that has long since been forgotten.
Glitter Gets 3-Years
According to a Reuters report - pedophile Gary Glitter who is best known for the glam-rock song Rock and Roll Part 2 (the “Hey!” song) has been sentenced to three years in prison by a Vietnamese court for molesting 2 young girls aged 10 and 11.
I have two wishes regarding Glitter.
The first is that stadiums and arenas stop playing his damn song and stop putting money into his pocket by doing so. It was royalties from that damn song that made Glitter’s globe trotting pedophile lifestyle possible. Arena and team owners should be shamed into banning his damn song.
Secondly – I sincerely wish that Gary Glitter gets a good dose of prison justice. And if that means he gets killed in prison – well that would be just fine by me.
If I were in charge of Glitter’s punishment – I would have him thrown into the sea with a millstone around his neck.
According to a Reuters report - pedophile Gary Glitter who is best known for the glam-rock song Rock and Roll Part 2 (the “Hey!” song) has been sentenced to three years in prison by a Vietnamese court for molesting 2 young girls aged 10 and 11.
I have two wishes regarding Glitter.
The first is that stadiums and arenas stop playing his damn song and stop putting money into his pocket by doing so. It was royalties from that damn song that made Glitter’s globe trotting pedophile lifestyle possible. Arena and team owners should be shamed into banning his damn song.
Secondly – I sincerely wish that Gary Glitter gets a good dose of prison justice. And if that means he gets killed in prison – well that would be just fine by me.
If I were in charge of Glitter’s punishment – I would have him thrown into the sea with a millstone around his neck.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Manny Ramirez
One thing many people forget about Manny Ramirez is that the Red Sox signed him mostly as a reaction to losing out on the bidding for Mike Mussina. When Mussina signed with the Yankees, Red Sox GM Dan Duquette was determined to sign Ramirez because Boston had the money and Duquette needed a big name signing in the offseason to placate the fans and sportswriters.
This year Mussina will make $19 million – just the same as Manny.
I’m here to support Manny and say he was by far the better signing. The Red Sox got lucky when Mussina signed with the Yankees. Since 2001 when both players signed with their respective clubs – Mussina has been top 10 in Cy Young voting only once while Manny has had 5-straight top 10 finishes in the MVP voting. Also Mussina has averaged 15.4 wins and 9.2 losses while in that same span Manny has averaged 39.8 HR and 122 RBI. Mussina has not led the league in any of the major pitching categories since he got to New York while Manny has lead the league in OBP, SLG, OPS and HR and oh yeah Manny also has a World Series MVP to his credit during that time.
The Red Sox got lucky when they signed Manny Ramirez – they could have ended up with Mussina.
One thing many people forget about Manny Ramirez is that the Red Sox signed him mostly as a reaction to losing out on the bidding for Mike Mussina. When Mussina signed with the Yankees, Red Sox GM Dan Duquette was determined to sign Ramirez because Boston had the money and Duquette needed a big name signing in the offseason to placate the fans and sportswriters.
This year Mussina will make $19 million – just the same as Manny.
I’m here to support Manny and say he was by far the better signing. The Red Sox got lucky when Mussina signed with the Yankees. Since 2001 when both players signed with their respective clubs – Mussina has been top 10 in Cy Young voting only once while Manny has had 5-straight top 10 finishes in the MVP voting. Also Mussina has averaged 15.4 wins and 9.2 losses while in that same span Manny has averaged 39.8 HR and 122 RBI. Mussina has not led the league in any of the major pitching categories since he got to New York while Manny has lead the league in OBP, SLG, OPS and HR and oh yeah Manny also has a World Series MVP to his credit during that time.
The Red Sox got lucky when they signed Manny Ramirez – they could have ended up with Mussina.
Flotsam and Jetsam – Alabama Edition Part II
More miscellaneous thoughts and observations from the great state of Alabama.
I’ve been in Canada and have had The Guess Who come on and my general reaction was to turn the station. Yesterday as I got on Route 65 in Alabama, I heard Lynard Skynard come on the radio. It's really something to hear Free Bird while driving in Alabama. I can’t tell you how pumped it made me feel (but I can tell you what speed my rental car topped out at)... Speaking of driving in Alabama, one thing I noticed is a definite lack of bumper stickers. I went about 25 minutes on Route 65 seeing only 5 cars with bumper stickers. Two of them had American flag stickers, two had the yellow ribbon support the troops stickers and one had a big orange “T” for Tennessee. No Vermont mobiles (beater cars with a dozen or more bumper stickers supporting things like “Earth First”, “Impeach Bush”, “Bake sales not bombs”, etc.). People up North like to make fun of people from the South as stupid but at least they are smart enough to not ruin the paint job on their car with $.99 pieces of sticky tape with pithy slogans... When people down here talk about Spring Training – they’re not talking about baseball. They’re talking about college football spring practice. I find that amusing... What is it with catfish ponds? Many people down here have man-made catfish ponds on their front lawns. I guess this is the equivalent of how many people have backyard hockey rinks up North… This World Baseball Classic will never really take off in the US unless they move it to mid-November when everyone can play...
More miscellaneous thoughts and observations from the great state of Alabama.
I’ve been in Canada and have had The Guess Who come on and my general reaction was to turn the station. Yesterday as I got on Route 65 in Alabama, I heard Lynard Skynard come on the radio. It's really something to hear Free Bird while driving in Alabama. I can’t tell you how pumped it made me feel (but I can tell you what speed my rental car topped out at)... Speaking of driving in Alabama, one thing I noticed is a definite lack of bumper stickers. I went about 25 minutes on Route 65 seeing only 5 cars with bumper stickers. Two of them had American flag stickers, two had the yellow ribbon support the troops stickers and one had a big orange “T” for Tennessee. No Vermont mobiles (beater cars with a dozen or more bumper stickers supporting things like “Earth First”, “Impeach Bush”, “Bake sales not bombs”, etc.). People up North like to make fun of people from the South as stupid but at least they are smart enough to not ruin the paint job on their car with $.99 pieces of sticky tape with pithy slogans... When people down here talk about Spring Training – they’re not talking about baseball. They’re talking about college football spring practice. I find that amusing... What is it with catfish ponds? Many people down here have man-made catfish ponds on their front lawns. I guess this is the equivalent of how many people have backyard hockey rinks up North… This World Baseball Classic will never really take off in the US unless they move it to mid-November when everyone can play...
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Flotsam and Jetsam – Alabama Edition
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations from the great state of Alabama.
When I travel, I’m conscious of my “New England” accent. I don’t think about it when I go to the West Coast because so many people out there are from New England originally. I also don’t think about it in Las Vegas because my mind is usually otherwise occupied. When I travel to Washington, DC or to the mid-West – I’m very conscious about trying to pronouncing my “R”’s (ordering a “be-ear” instead of a “be-ahh”). When I go to the South or to Texas (is Texas part of the South?) – I pronounce my “R’’s and speak slower. This isn’t a slight on the folks from the South – it’s just that they talk slower and find it hard to understand fast talking Yankees… I put the over/under on the number of times that Gary Sheffield graces the back cover of the NY Post complaining about his contract at 25… I’m a big believer in vitamin C to help ward off colds. I always try to drink orange juice or cranberry juice when I travel. My 14-ounce bottle of OJ this morning had 180% of my recommended daily allowance of vitamin C but that’s not what I found interesting. When I checked the label – it said that the oranges used came either from Florida or from Brazil. That’s the first time I saw anything about oranges from Brazil… While waiting to make my connection flight out of BWI – I heard an announcement that said only ticketed passengers are allowed in the gate areas and that no knives or scythes are allowed on the planes. Scythes? Is it harvest season or something? That’s the first time I ever heard scythes mentioned in relation to airport security. Maybe my ears were playing tricks on me… The more I think of it – the more I think that unless some team loses a second baseman to injury in spring training then Tony Graffanino will be traded to Seattle. Just a hunch on my part but remember where you heard it first (Peter Gammons got famous by throwing things like this up against the wall)… Two more names I’m considering for my fantasy baseball teams are “the dipsomaniacs” and “Beds of Glorious Lard”.
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations from the great state of Alabama.
When I travel, I’m conscious of my “New England” accent. I don’t think about it when I go to the West Coast because so many people out there are from New England originally. I also don’t think about it in Las Vegas because my mind is usually otherwise occupied. When I travel to Washington, DC or to the mid-West – I’m very conscious about trying to pronouncing my “R”’s (ordering a “be-ear” instead of a “be-ahh”). When I go to the South or to Texas (is Texas part of the South?) – I pronounce my “R’’s and speak slower. This isn’t a slight on the folks from the South – it’s just that they talk slower and find it hard to understand fast talking Yankees… I put the over/under on the number of times that Gary Sheffield graces the back cover of the NY Post complaining about his contract at 25… I’m a big believer in vitamin C to help ward off colds. I always try to drink orange juice or cranberry juice when I travel. My 14-ounce bottle of OJ this morning had 180% of my recommended daily allowance of vitamin C but that’s not what I found interesting. When I checked the label – it said that the oranges used came either from Florida or from Brazil. That’s the first time I saw anything about oranges from Brazil… While waiting to make my connection flight out of BWI – I heard an announcement that said only ticketed passengers are allowed in the gate areas and that no knives or scythes are allowed on the planes. Scythes? Is it harvest season or something? That’s the first time I ever heard scythes mentioned in relation to airport security. Maybe my ears were playing tricks on me… The more I think of it – the more I think that unless some team loses a second baseman to injury in spring training then Tony Graffanino will be traded to Seattle. Just a hunch on my part but remember where you heard it first (Peter Gammons got famous by throwing things like this up against the wall)… Two more names I’m considering for my fantasy baseball teams are “the dipsomaniacs” and “Beds of Glorious Lard”.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Vince Young and the Wonderlic
When I heard that Vince Young's uncle was acting as his agent - the story of his reported 6 on the Wonderlic test all came clear to me. I think most people in the position to know have claimed that Young did not score a 6 but I think it can easily be inferred that his original score was low and probably below his second try score of 16. Ask yourself who would benefit from information like this coming out? Information that could cause Vince Young to slip in the draft and in the process cost himself hundreds of thousands of dollars. Who would be so calculating and so slimy to try and smear Vince Young as some sort of dummy?
Well a player agent of course.
I think if you looked at who the agents are for the players who may move up a slot or two in the draft if Young slips - then you will find the anonymous source for Vince Young scoring a 6 on the Wonderlic.
When I heard that Vince Young's uncle was acting as his agent - the story of his reported 6 on the Wonderlic test all came clear to me. I think most people in the position to know have claimed that Young did not score a 6 but I think it can easily be inferred that his original score was low and probably below his second try score of 16. Ask yourself who would benefit from information like this coming out? Information that could cause Vince Young to slip in the draft and in the process cost himself hundreds of thousands of dollars. Who would be so calculating and so slimy to try and smear Vince Young as some sort of dummy?
Well a player agent of course.
I think if you looked at who the agents are for the players who may move up a slot or two in the draft if Young slips - then you will find the anonymous source for Vince Young scoring a 6 on the Wonderlic.
Graffanino Wants to be Traded
David Wells and Manny Ramirez have grabbed all the attention about wanting out of Boston even though they are under contract but another player also wants out of Boston. That player is Tony Graffanino and he wants to be a starter somewhere. The Red Sox agree that Graffanino should be a starter but they have Mark Loretta and Alex Cora ahead of Graffanino (even though Cora's bat isn't close to that of Graffanino). They would like to accomodate him and move his $2 million contract.
Graffanino has handled his situation with class and I see him being nothing but positive in Spring Training.
Assuming the Sox won't deal Graffanino to an AL East team - that leaves 25 teams. Graffanino is best at 2nd but can also play 3rd or even first. What team could use a player like that? The White Sox, Indians, Tigers, Royals, Angels, A's, Rangers, Braves, Nationals, Cubs, Astros, Brewers, Pirates, Cardinals (assuming they are happy with Aaron Miles or Junior Spivey at 2nd), Diamondbacks, Rockies, Giants and Dodgers are all set and are probably not trade partners for Graffanino.
That leaves the Twins who are weak at 3rd (Tony Batista is an abomination), Mariners at 2nd (Jose Lopez is no prize), Marlins at 2nd (Pokey Reese is always a question mark), Mets at 2nd (they would love to replace Kaz Matsui), Phillies at 3rd (David Bell is also an abomination), Reds at 2nd and 3rd (Freel has off field issues and Edwin Encarnacion is no prize) and Padres at 2nd and 3rd (Vinnie Castillo is the mother of all abominations and Mark Bellhorn may be the best option at both 2nd and 3rd). Of these teams - I doubt a deal will be made with either the Mets or the Phillies (Minaya does not like dealing with Boston and the Phillies kinda have to go with Bell at third because of his contract). That leaves the Twins, Mariners, Marlins, Reds and Padres. If I were one of these teams - I would pony up a B-level prospect for Graffanino in a heatbeat because if they wait too long Graffanino will be gone. And that will be their loss.
David Wells and Manny Ramirez have grabbed all the attention about wanting out of Boston even though they are under contract but another player also wants out of Boston. That player is Tony Graffanino and he wants to be a starter somewhere. The Red Sox agree that Graffanino should be a starter but they have Mark Loretta and Alex Cora ahead of Graffanino (even though Cora's bat isn't close to that of Graffanino). They would like to accomodate him and move his $2 million contract.
Graffanino has handled his situation with class and I see him being nothing but positive in Spring Training.
Assuming the Sox won't deal Graffanino to an AL East team - that leaves 25 teams. Graffanino is best at 2nd but can also play 3rd or even first. What team could use a player like that? The White Sox, Indians, Tigers, Royals, Angels, A's, Rangers, Braves, Nationals, Cubs, Astros, Brewers, Pirates, Cardinals (assuming they are happy with Aaron Miles or Junior Spivey at 2nd), Diamondbacks, Rockies, Giants and Dodgers are all set and are probably not trade partners for Graffanino.
That leaves the Twins who are weak at 3rd (Tony Batista is an abomination), Mariners at 2nd (Jose Lopez is no prize), Marlins at 2nd (Pokey Reese is always a question mark), Mets at 2nd (they would love to replace Kaz Matsui), Phillies at 3rd (David Bell is also an abomination), Reds at 2nd and 3rd (Freel has off field issues and Edwin Encarnacion is no prize) and Padres at 2nd and 3rd (Vinnie Castillo is the mother of all abominations and Mark Bellhorn may be the best option at both 2nd and 3rd). Of these teams - I doubt a deal will be made with either the Mets or the Phillies (Minaya does not like dealing with Boston and the Phillies kinda have to go with Bell at third because of his contract). That leaves the Twins, Mariners, Marlins, Reds and Padres. If I were one of these teams - I would pony up a B-level prospect for Graffanino in a heatbeat because if they wait too long Graffanino will be gone. And that will be their loss.
The Last Episode of MASH
On this date in 1983 - the last episode on MASH was aired. I missed it. And I have never seen it since.
I had to work that night in 1983 at my first "real" job. Sure I had paper routes and a job as a busboy before but my job at Arby's was my first job with a real paycheck that took out taxes and everything. I was kinda bummed at missing the show because I knew everyone would be talking about it but there were so many articles the next day that I knew every plot turn anyway. Father Mulchahy deaf - check. Klinger married - check. Hawkeye crazy - check. See no need to ever watch it.
Last night I was flipping through the channels and I saw that the last episode was on the Hallmark Channel. I had no desire to stop and watch for even a minute. The truth is that MASH was a great show that turned into an OK show. When Wayne Rogers left - he took the funny with him. All that was left was "preachy" and even at my tender age in 1983 - I was all full up on preachy. Still am.
On this date in 1983 - the last episode on MASH was aired. I missed it. And I have never seen it since.
I had to work that night in 1983 at my first "real" job. Sure I had paper routes and a job as a busboy before but my job at Arby's was my first job with a real paycheck that took out taxes and everything. I was kinda bummed at missing the show because I knew everyone would be talking about it but there were so many articles the next day that I knew every plot turn anyway. Father Mulchahy deaf - check. Klinger married - check. Hawkeye crazy - check. See no need to ever watch it.
Last night I was flipping through the channels and I saw that the last episode was on the Hallmark Channel. I had no desire to stop and watch for even a minute. The truth is that MASH was a great show that turned into an OK show. When Wayne Rogers left - he took the funny with him. All that was left was "preachy" and even at my tender age in 1983 - I was all full up on preachy. Still am.
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