Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
CC Sabathia's real name is Carsten Charles Sabathia... Who said it - Joe Biden or Michael Scott?... Have to wonder if the Nobel committee chose to give the Nobel Prize to the EU in an effort not to pay the prize money (who would collect?)... Very cool betting story. The moral as always - be sure to quit when you are ahead!... Talk about making chicken salad out of you know what. It should be remembered that Dan Duquette only got the Orioles GM job because other candidates thought the position was too radioactive. Now Duquette has re-established himself as a top GM in the game. Good for him!... Cool - a diamond bigger than the Earth?... Hate to think that this may be it for Scott Rolen. Sad to see him go out on such a sour note... SNL should do skit about ESPN peon that is sent to tell Bobby Knight that the network no longer wants to use him on TV... For proper elocution a person must have consistent vowel movements... I'm a Red Sox fan but part of me wants to see the Yankees win this series just so I can hear all the people arguing that Alex Rodriguez should be left off the 25-man roster against the Tigers. That would be delicious...
Friday, October 12, 2012
Thomas Peterffy - Freedom To Succeed
I agree with those who say this is perhaps the best video of the campaign season.
In last night's VP debate Joe Biden said a couple of times that 97% of the small businessmen in this country make less than $250,000. He said it as if it was a good thing! We need leadership that wants people to succeed so that more small business people are making more than $250,000 because the more those business people make the more they will need to hire people. It is common sense.
VP Debate Thoughts
If you are going to vote for President Obama - last night you thought VP Joe Biden won the debate. You were glad to see feisty Biden sticking up for the Administration showing the passion and saying the things you wanted the President to say. If you are going to vote for Romney - you thought Ryan won going away. You thought Ryan was classy and informed and you thought of the two men on the stage only Ryan seemed ready to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency.
The big question is how the independents and undecided voters saw the debates. My guess is Joe Biden didn't do the Administration any favors with his mannerisms. His laughing, his interruptions, his hand gestures just seemed rude. I also think his comments about Benghazi and the murder of Ambassador Stevens will be the one issue that gets extra scrutiny by the media.
Every debate there seems to be one thing that you wished your guy said. Last night Joe Biden kept on harping on "tax cuts for the rich" - calling supporting such a position "unconscionable". I wish Paul Ryan said something along the lines of, "Mr. Vice President - you say that supporting extending he Bush Tax cuts for those making over $250,000 is unconscionable yet that's exactly what the Obama Administration along with the Democratic House and Senate did in 2009. If you found it unconscionable then when did you stay silent? You didn't say a peep. Fact is at the time in 2009 the President extended the tax cuts because you just don't raise taxes in a recession. Everyone agrees on that. Fact is you only find it unconscionable today because you think you can use it as a wedge issue. You can't run on your record so you want to divide Americans based upon the size of their wallets no matter what the consequences to the economy. That sir is what is unconscionable."
Let me also say that the people who thought Joe Biden won the debate will push the President to act the same way in the next debate. I already predicted this will happen. And I also predicted that this would be a huge mistake for the President.
The big question is how the independents and undecided voters saw the debates. My guess is Joe Biden didn't do the Administration any favors with his mannerisms. His laughing, his interruptions, his hand gestures just seemed rude. I also think his comments about Benghazi and the murder of Ambassador Stevens will be the one issue that gets extra scrutiny by the media.
Every debate there seems to be one thing that you wished your guy said. Last night Joe Biden kept on harping on "tax cuts for the rich" - calling supporting such a position "unconscionable". I wish Paul Ryan said something along the lines of, "Mr. Vice President - you say that supporting extending he Bush Tax cuts for those making over $250,000 is unconscionable yet that's exactly what the Obama Administration along with the Democratic House and Senate did in 2009. If you found it unconscionable then when did you stay silent? You didn't say a peep. Fact is at the time in 2009 the President extended the tax cuts because you just don't raise taxes in a recession. Everyone agrees on that. Fact is you only find it unconscionable today because you think you can use it as a wedge issue. You can't run on your record so you want to divide Americans based upon the size of their wallets no matter what the consequences to the economy. That sir is what is unconscionable."
Let me also say that the people who thought Joe Biden won the debate will push the President to act the same way in the next debate. I already predicted this will happen. And I also predicted that this would be a huge mistake for the President.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Red Sox 2013 Roster
Red Sox have a big off-season facing them. Here's my position by position breakdown of what I'd suggest GM Ben Cherington should do regarding the every day players. In another post I'll make my suggestions regarding the pitching staff.
C - the Red Sox for better or worse are set with Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway. Everyone hopes to get much more offense out of this duo than we saw in 2012. Even though Salty hit 25 HR - his overall batting performance leaves room for much improvement. Many are hoping that Lavarnway gets close to his minor league batting performance so that he can be the catcher of the future (say 2014).
1B - My preference for first base next year would be for the Red Sox to trade for Victor Martinez. I'm guessing that Detroit would be happy to shed the final two years of Victor's contract ($13 million in 2013 and $12 million in 2014) - so he would cost much in terms of prospects. Martinez has shown he can thrive in Boston both on the field (.322 career batting average at Fenway) and off (media favorite). He'd also be both a big clubhouse presence with the stature to stand up to anyone and also would be insurance at the catcher position if either Salty or Lavarnway have issues.
2B - Dustin Pedroia
SS - This is a weak spot for the Red Sox. What I'd suggest to turn this into a strength is to trade fan pariah John Lackey to Texas for Elvis Andrus. Jon Heyman has reported that the Rangers have no plans to trade Andrus this winter which normally would mean Andrus should have his bags packed. Andrus has two years left on his contract for a reasonable $11 million but the problem is in Texas he's blocking super prospect Jurikson Profar. I'd even throw in Jose Iglesias to make this deal happen.
3B - Will Middlebrooks
LF - The first item of business for Ben Cherington should be wrapping up Cody Ross on a multi-year deal (say 3-years $18 million). I say first item of business because with Ross in the fold then that gives them a little more leverage over David Ortiz as Ross could be made DH. Ortiz should be the second item of business. I will admit that Ross's home / road splits this season concerns me (.921 OPS at Fenway but just .684 OPS on road in 2012).
CF - Let Jacoby Ellsbury play the year and go to free agency. Guessing he will have a big year and be overpaid by someone else. All that is important is that he has a big 2013 first.
RF - Another problem spot for the Red Sox. Do the Sox go with existing options Ryan Kalish or maybe Che-Hsuan Lin? Or do they go for an outside option. Supposedly the Indians would be open to trading Shin-Soo Choo. That would be perfect. I'd even more in favor of giving Choo a long term deal than I would be for extending Ellsbury.
DH - David Ortiz. Just give the man a 2-year $22 million deal with some incentives for Ortiz to up the possible value of the contract.
If the Red Sox were to make these suggested moves they would field very formidable team in 2012. So llet it be written - so let it be done!
C - the Red Sox for better or worse are set with Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway. Everyone hopes to get much more offense out of this duo than we saw in 2012. Even though Salty hit 25 HR - his overall batting performance leaves room for much improvement. Many are hoping that Lavarnway gets close to his minor league batting performance so that he can be the catcher of the future (say 2014).
1B - My preference for first base next year would be for the Red Sox to trade for Victor Martinez. I'm guessing that Detroit would be happy to shed the final two years of Victor's contract ($13 million in 2013 and $12 million in 2014) - so he would cost much in terms of prospects. Martinez has shown he can thrive in Boston both on the field (.322 career batting average at Fenway) and off (media favorite). He'd also be both a big clubhouse presence with the stature to stand up to anyone and also would be insurance at the catcher position if either Salty or Lavarnway have issues.
2B - Dustin Pedroia
SS - This is a weak spot for the Red Sox. What I'd suggest to turn this into a strength is to trade fan pariah John Lackey to Texas for Elvis Andrus. Jon Heyman has reported that the Rangers have no plans to trade Andrus this winter which normally would mean Andrus should have his bags packed. Andrus has two years left on his contract for a reasonable $11 million but the problem is in Texas he's blocking super prospect Jurikson Profar. I'd even throw in Jose Iglesias to make this deal happen.
3B - Will Middlebrooks
LF - The first item of business for Ben Cherington should be wrapping up Cody Ross on a multi-year deal (say 3-years $18 million). I say first item of business because with Ross in the fold then that gives them a little more leverage over David Ortiz as Ross could be made DH. Ortiz should be the second item of business. I will admit that Ross's home / road splits this season concerns me (.921 OPS at Fenway but just .684 OPS on road in 2012).
CF - Let Jacoby Ellsbury play the year and go to free agency. Guessing he will have a big year and be overpaid by someone else. All that is important is that he has a big 2013 first.
RF - Another problem spot for the Red Sox. Do the Sox go with existing options Ryan Kalish or maybe Che-Hsuan Lin? Or do they go for an outside option. Supposedly the Indians would be open to trading Shin-Soo Choo. That would be perfect. I'd even more in favor of giving Choo a long term deal than I would be for extending Ellsbury.
DH - David Ortiz. Just give the man a 2-year $22 million deal with some incentives for Ortiz to up the possible value of the contract.
If the Red Sox were to make these suggested moves they would field very formidable team in 2012. So llet it be written - so let it be done!
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
I could swear that I've seen that Big Bird as evil business mastermind ad before - complete with Big Bird shadow in business high-rise. Could the ad have been plagiarized?... Space X Dragon captured by ISS... Would love to see an episode of Louie where Louis CK goes for a picnic with his kids and runs into the missing Russian from The Sopranos... Have to admit - Mister Romney's Neighborhood was pretty funny... A very under-rated invention of the last 100-years was the adoption of headlights on cars. Seems common sense today but for a long time cars did not have them... Pretty cool story of turning a $1 bet into $101,000 (even though guy was betting on soccer)...
I could swear that I've seen that Big Bird as evil business mastermind ad before - complete with Big Bird shadow in business high-rise. Could the ad have been plagiarized?... Space X Dragon captured by ISS... Would love to see an episode of Louie where Louis CK goes for a picnic with his kids and runs into the missing Russian from The Sopranos... Have to admit - Mister Romney's Neighborhood was pretty funny... A very under-rated invention of the last 100-years was the adoption of headlights on cars. Seems common sense today but for a long time cars did not have them... Pretty cool story of turning a $1 bet into $101,000 (even though guy was betting on soccer)...
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Monday, October 08, 2012
Einstein and the Nobel Prize
Interesting look at why Albert Einstein never received the Nobel Prize for his theory of relativity.
E=MC2 may be the most famous scientific equation in history but it was never quite good enough for the Nobel committee. The committee eventually gave Einstein the Nobel in 1921 for his 1905 explanation of the photoelectric effect but that was really too little too late.
E=MC2 may be the most famous scientific equation in history but it was never quite good enough for the Nobel committee. The committee eventually gave Einstein the Nobel in 1921 for his 1905 explanation of the photoelectric effect but that was really too little too late.
Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
Breaking - President Obama blames Mitt Romney wanting to kill Big Bird on YouTube video... These surprise military family reunions never fail to get me... Things you never notice and once pointed out can never forget - the nursery rhyme never actually say Humpty Dumpty is an egg... Las Vegas Review-Journal endorses Mitt Romney. Nevada is a key swing state. This is big... Rich Eisen of the NFL Network is promoting changing Matt Ryan's nickname from "Matty Ice" to "the Mattural". I am promoting changing Peyton Manning's nickname to "Horseface".... In 1900 a steak dinner cost $.25 - today a bag of potato chips costs at least double that... A little science humor - the Higgs Bison... Just a reminder but Jets coach Rex Ryan needs to go 7-9 this season just to equal Herm Edwards record in New York. I don't think he'll do it.
Breaking - President Obama blames Mitt Romney wanting to kill Big Bird on YouTube video... These surprise military family reunions never fail to get me... Things you never notice and once pointed out can never forget - the nursery rhyme never actually say Humpty Dumpty is an egg... Las Vegas Review-Journal endorses Mitt Romney. Nevada is a key swing state. This is big... Rich Eisen of the NFL Network is promoting changing Matt Ryan's nickname from "Matty Ice" to "the Mattural". I am promoting changing Peyton Manning's nickname to "Horseface".... In 1900 a steak dinner cost $.25 - today a bag of potato chips costs at least double that... A little science humor - the Higgs Bison... Just a reminder but Jets coach Rex Ryan needs to go 7-9 this season just to equal Herm Edwards record in New York. I don't think he'll do it.
Battle of the Network Stars
Hard for people who did not grow up in the 70's to understand just how popular the Battle of the Network Stars was. Mental Floss has a nice recap of the "games".
I will also say that Gabe Kaplan beating Robert Conrad in the 100 meter dash "race-off" was one of my favorite moments. Kaplan was a good athlete (very good pick-up basketball player) and he didn't hesitate to accept the challenge from Robert Conrad (who if you watch the clip was sneaking puffs from a butt just prior to the race - it was a different time them).
I will also say that Gabe Kaplan beating Robert Conrad in the 100 meter dash "race-off" was one of my favorite moments. Kaplan was a good athlete (very good pick-up basketball player) and he didn't hesitate to accept the challenge from Robert Conrad (who if you watch the clip was sneaking puffs from a butt just prior to the race - it was a different time them).
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Presidential Debate Notes
Very interesting contrast between the notes each candidate wrote for themselves during Wednesday's debate.
Mitt Romney's notes.
President Obama's notes.
Explains a lot.
Mitt Romney's notes.
President Obama's notes.
Explains a lot.
Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
Just saying but on day when Tom O'Brien leads NC State to a huge upset over Florida State - Boston College loses to Army. BC should have paid the man when they had the chance... The Princess Bride cast reunites for 25th year anniversary of movie's release... I know Notre Dame won big against Miami but I still hope they drop in the polls just as retribution for those awful helmets they wore last night... I love Terry Francona and him taking Indians job shows he'd rather be Teddy Roosevelt's "man in the arena" than a critic on the sidelines at ESPN. Good for him!... It will be very interesting to follow this story. Phil Ivey wins 7.3 million British pounds over 2-nights but casino is refusing to pay... Pop-tarts are a gateway food to diabetes... History nuggets: When Admiral Dewey destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manilla in 1898 - he only lost 1 US sailor. To heat-stroke... Apple was just 90-days away from bankruptcy when Steve Jobs returned to company he helped found. When you think of it that way - the story of what Jobs did with Apple is even more incredible... Terry Francona returns to Fenway Park as the manager of the Indians on May 23rd... Remember Halloween shoppers - Elmo died for your sins... People claim that Barack Obama is not bipartisan but I think him creating jobs only in states with Republican governors disproves that... Always wondered if Pink Floyd song One of These Days was influenced by the theme to Dr. Who or vice versa... I wonder if Curt Schilling is going to try to replace Mark Grace as TV analyst on Diamondbacks games. I'm guessing Schilling could use the money and he was a World Series hero for Arizona... Seriously - do Democrats think David Axelrod is helpful? I can't see him convincing undecided voters of anything except possibly the fact that Axelrod looks like an unsuccessful child molester...
Just saying but on day when Tom O'Brien leads NC State to a huge upset over Florida State - Boston College loses to Army. BC should have paid the man when they had the chance... The Princess Bride cast reunites for 25th year anniversary of movie's release... I know Notre Dame won big against Miami but I still hope they drop in the polls just as retribution for those awful helmets they wore last night... I love Terry Francona and him taking Indians job shows he'd rather be Teddy Roosevelt's "man in the arena" than a critic on the sidelines at ESPN. Good for him!... It will be very interesting to follow this story. Phil Ivey wins 7.3 million British pounds over 2-nights but casino is refusing to pay... Pop-tarts are a gateway food to diabetes... History nuggets: When Admiral Dewey destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manilla in 1898 - he only lost 1 US sailor. To heat-stroke... Apple was just 90-days away from bankruptcy when Steve Jobs returned to company he helped found. When you think of it that way - the story of what Jobs did with Apple is even more incredible... Terry Francona returns to Fenway Park as the manager of the Indians on May 23rd... Remember Halloween shoppers - Elmo died for your sins... People claim that Barack Obama is not bipartisan but I think him creating jobs only in states with Republican governors disproves that... Always wondered if Pink Floyd song One of These Days was influenced by the theme to Dr. Who or vice versa... I wonder if Curt Schilling is going to try to replace Mark Grace as TV analyst on Diamondbacks games. I'm guessing Schilling could use the money and he was a World Series hero for Arizona... Seriously - do Democrats think David Axelrod is helpful? I can't see him convincing undecided voters of anything except possibly the fact that Axelrod looks like an unsuccessful child molester...
Saturday, October 06, 2012
Player Comparison
Here's a player comparison I was curious about.
Player A: .254 BA/ .337 OBP/ .486 SLG/ .823 OPS/ 111 OPS+
Player B: .303 BA/ .401 OBP/ .529 SLG/ .930 OPS/ 141 OPS+
How about career totals?
Player A: 1204 R/ 434 HR/ 1289 RBI/ 3690 TB
Player B: 1619 R/ 468 HR/ 1623 RBI/ 4755 TB
Obviously Player B was the better hitter but Player A was a 10-time Gold Glove Player. Player B is Chipper Jones who will be elected into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot while Player A is Andruw Jones who will probably receive the Dwight Evans treatment from Hall voters.
Player A: .254 BA/ .337 OBP/ .486 SLG/ .823 OPS/ 111 OPS+
Player B: .303 BA/ .401 OBP/ .529 SLG/ .930 OPS/ 141 OPS+
How about career totals?
Player A: 1204 R/ 434 HR/ 1289 RBI/ 3690 TB
Player B: 1619 R/ 468 HR/ 1623 RBI/ 4755 TB
Obviously Player B was the better hitter but Player A was a 10-time Gold Glove Player. Player B is Chipper Jones who will be elected into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot while Player A is Andruw Jones who will probably receive the Dwight Evans treatment from Hall voters.
Friday, October 05, 2012
Mugged
Just finished Ann Coulter's Mugged: Racial Demagoguery from the Seventies to Obama
and I thought I share my impression of the book.
First let me say that I did learn a bunch from reading the book. I am painfully aware that most Americans are historically illiterate. Sad but true. But though Ann Coulter does expose some very interesting history she does tend to stretch things a little too far. For example - I'm pretty sure that Sam Ervin's motivation during the Watergate hearings was not to get back at Richard Nixon because Nixon was pro civil rights and Ervin was a segregationalist. I am also pretty sure that the "ferocious opposition to gay marriage" in the black community today is not rooted in subconscious rebellion against Great Society policies that resulted in an explosion of unwed single mothers among blacks.
I am in complete agreement that liberal policies have in the whole done more harm than good but what troubled me about the book is that Coulter almost seems to dismiss the existence of racism in US society. I know she would probably say that the book was about liberal policies not about racism but when you write things like, "By 1930 there were more child pornographers in the country than racists" - you are diminishing my ability to take what you write serious.
If I were the editor of this book I probably would have suggested the following changes:
- Delete any comparisons of liberals or racists to Nazis. Not helpful.
- If you are going to mention failed liberal policies and unintended consequences on race in this country there should be at least a whole chapter on HUD and the failures of urban planning.
- Ann needs a thesaurus so she doesn't have to keep writing "mau-maued" all the time. Bully, cow, hector, strong-arm - see plenty of other words that can be used.
- Ann was born in New York City and the book is VERY NYC centric. That could be a problem for some after a while.
and I thought I share my impression of the book.
First let me say that I did learn a bunch from reading the book. I am painfully aware that most Americans are historically illiterate. Sad but true. But though Ann Coulter does expose some very interesting history she does tend to stretch things a little too far. For example - I'm pretty sure that Sam Ervin's motivation during the Watergate hearings was not to get back at Richard Nixon because Nixon was pro civil rights and Ervin was a segregationalist. I am also pretty sure that the "ferocious opposition to gay marriage" in the black community today is not rooted in subconscious rebellion against Great Society policies that resulted in an explosion of unwed single mothers among blacks.
I am in complete agreement that liberal policies have in the whole done more harm than good but what troubled me about the book is that Coulter almost seems to dismiss the existence of racism in US society. I know she would probably say that the book was about liberal policies not about racism but when you write things like, "By 1930 there were more child pornographers in the country than racists" - you are diminishing my ability to take what you write serious.
If I were the editor of this book I probably would have suggested the following changes:
- Delete any comparisons of liberals or racists to Nazis. Not helpful.
- If you are going to mention failed liberal policies and unintended consequences on race in this country there should be at least a whole chapter on HUD and the failures of urban planning.
- Ann needs a thesaurus so she doesn't have to keep writing "mau-maued" all the time. Bully, cow, hector, strong-arm - see plenty of other words that can be used.
- Ann was born in New York City and the book is VERY NYC centric. That could be a problem for some after a while.
Blog Updated
Finally had to update the blog to a new style. The last one was good for close to 8 years but when Halo turned off their comments widget on October 1st - it kind of forced my hand.
The update kept the old posts but gone are my cumulative stats (over 1.3 million page views) and my blogroll. I'm not in this for the stats - so that's not a big deal to me but I am sad about the blogroll. So far I have only one blog in the blogroll but my plan is to add one each day to get it back to its old robust self. Keep an eye out and if I forget to add your blog please drop me a reminder and I'll remedy the situation.
Hope you like the new look.
The update kept the old posts but gone are my cumulative stats (over 1.3 million page views) and my blogroll. I'm not in this for the stats - so that's not a big deal to me but I am sad about the blogroll. So far I have only one blog in the blogroll but my plan is to add one each day to get it back to its old robust self. Keep an eye out and if I forget to add your blog please drop me a reminder and I'll remedy the situation.
Hope you like the new look.
Thursday, October 04, 2012
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.
- How Romney prepared for the debate. Basically - hard work and smarts.
- I laughed way too much at this. I'd love to have that made into a tapestry.
- US coal stocks jump on Romney's coal comments. This is bound to help in in Pennsylvania coal country.
- I will never look at that iconic Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) photo the same again.
- FatHead now selling full size Mitt Romney wall stickers.
- Does eating celery really result in negative calories? Shorter answer "No"
- How Romney prepared for the debate. Basically - hard work and smarts.
- I laughed way too much at this. I'd love to have that made into a tapestry.
- US coal stocks jump on Romney's coal comments. This is bound to help in in Pennsylvania coal country.
- I will never look at that iconic Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) photo the same again.
- FatHead now selling full size Mitt Romney wall stickers.
- Does eating celery really result in negative calories? Shorter answer "No"
Presidential Debate Thoughts
Many Obama supporters are comforting themselves this morning by thinking that there's no way he can do worse in the next two debates. They couldn't be more wrong. The Romney we saw last night is Romney. That's exactly who he is and we should expect similar performances in the next debates.
Obama? Many of his advisers will probably tell him he has to come out more fired up next debate. I predict that won't end well. As bad as last night was for the President - there was no "You didn't build that!" sound clip. An angry, indignant Obama will be much more likely to make such a planned comment or slip.
Real proof that Romney won last night - his Vegas odds of being elected pretty much doubled during as the debate went on. Soon Romney will be even money so get your bet in now before people realize that betting on Obama is a sucker's bet.
Photo via Mitt's Body Man.
EDIT: Almost on cue Obama Camp Promises Tougher Response to Romney in Next Debate. Remember where you heard it first - that won't end well for Obama.
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
Still blows my mind that Bleacher Report sold for $200 million while Newsweek sold for $1... Mitt Romney hates to lose... Holy crap! "Joe Biden" is an anagram for "I need job"... The things you learn on the Internet - fish can cough... Peyton Manning took a face from the ancient gallery and HE WALKED ON DOWN THE HALL!... Really?... I remember how angry Ronald Reagan used to get when people used to bring up old speeches he made - what? Reagan didn't get angry? Well that's probably because he believed in what he was saying and wasn't trying to run some con job to get elected... 10 Legendary Monsters of Europe (the Budweiser dragon is not one of them)... I can't tell you how amused I get by the image of Peyton Manning screaming out Doors lyrics as if he was Jim Morrison incarnate... Incredible volcanic riverscape... Has anyone heard from Craig Kilborn lately?... If you mention the DC Sniper to most people today they will probably think you are talking about a new shooting guard for the Wizards. It was only 10 years ago but my how it has faded from the memory of most (outside of DC that is)... You know I really don't blame the US Ryder Cup team. I blame Chicago. Everything out of that town lately seems to be bad for the country.
Still blows my mind that Bleacher Report sold for $200 million while Newsweek sold for $1... Mitt Romney hates to lose... Holy crap! "Joe Biden" is an anagram for "I need job"... The things you learn on the Internet - fish can cough... Peyton Manning took a face from the ancient gallery and HE WALKED ON DOWN THE HALL!... Really?... I remember how angry Ronald Reagan used to get when people used to bring up old speeches he made - what? Reagan didn't get angry? Well that's probably because he believed in what he was saying and wasn't trying to run some con job to get elected... 10 Legendary Monsters of Europe (the Budweiser dragon is not one of them)... I can't tell you how amused I get by the image of Peyton Manning screaming out Doors lyrics as if he was Jim Morrison incarnate... Incredible volcanic riverscape... Has anyone heard from Craig Kilborn lately?... If you mention the DC Sniper to most people today they will probably think you are talking about a new shooting guard for the Wizards. It was only 10 years ago but my how it has faded from the memory of most (outside of DC that is)... You know I really don't blame the US Ryder Cup team. I blame Chicago. Everything out of that town lately seems to be bad for the country.
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.
- NFL donations favor Republicans 3-1. I wonder if you broke it down by those who are self-made millionaires versus owners who inherited wealth if it would still be about 3-1?
- I laughed way too much at this (yes sometimes I'm still a 12-year old)
- Ken Levine comments on the epic GQ oral history of Cheers. I must say that I have a much higher opinion of Shelley Long after reading that.
- Was this the worst Red Sox rotation ever? Interesting article. Scary to think that most of the pitchers who made up the potential "worst rotation ever" will be back. Are Red Sox fans delusional to think most will rebound with big years in 2013? I feel a little delusional.
- John Elway endorses Mitt Romney. This could make a difference in Colorado. Seriously.
- NFL donations favor Republicans 3-1. I wonder if you broke it down by those who are self-made millionaires versus owners who inherited wealth if it would still be about 3-1?
- I laughed way too much at this (yes sometimes I'm still a 12-year old)
- Ken Levine comments on the epic GQ oral history of Cheers. I must say that I have a much higher opinion of Shelley Long after reading that.
- Was this the worst Red Sox rotation ever? Interesting article. Scary to think that most of the pitchers who made up the potential "worst rotation ever" will be back. Are Red Sox fans delusional to think most will rebound with big years in 2013? I feel a little delusional.
- John Elway endorses Mitt Romney. This could make a difference in Colorado. Seriously.
Monday, October 01, 2012
The Eiger Sanction
Just finished The Eiger Sanction
by Trevanian. I happened to pick it up at a yard sale a few days and haven enjoyed the Clint Eastwood movie - thought I'd give it a shot. It was very enjoyable and the movie was very true to the book with a few minor differences. If you like the movie - I think you'd enjoy the book.A couple of things I found amusing. The paperback copy I picked up said it was "The Cliffhanger of the Year." The book involves mountain climbing - I wonder if this pre-snark snark was intentional. The front cover blurb from the New York Times said, "Superior suspense... plenty of action, plenty of sex." Oh you highbrow New York Times you.
What is funny is that the book was written as a spoof while the movie is played as a straight action flick. The movie would have been better if some of the inside jokes were translated to the screen.
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