August 1, 2007. They are 7 games behind. Gulp.
We need to put a hurtin' on the Orioles for the next two nights, then hopefully go out west and show up against Seattle and LA. Those games are going to be real toughies.
I love Eric Gagne-now. Great pickup, but I'm still thinking a bat would have been better. Oh well. Once more into the breach, dear friends.
In my head, I'm hearing Perry Farrell singing, "Here we GO....."
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
RIP Bill Walsh, too, can't forget that. Well, we got Gagne without giving up Ellsbury or Buchholz, so that's a clear win. I am somehow not convinced that we didn't need a bat, though. The offense is scaring me, and a loss to Baltimore while the Yankees smoke Chicago brings the lead back up to 7. That's not a lot of games against an offense that seems unstoppable and a rotation that with Philip Hughes is going to be hard to beat.
Since I'm simply too depressed to chronicle the continued mismanagement, frauds, perjuries, and crimes against humanity of the current President, on to sports:
The Garnett trade is fascinating. On paper, and healthy, the Celtics look solid-going 2-3-4 with Jesus Shuttlesworth, The Truth, and The Big Ticket means you can hang with anybody. But the lack of depth now means, if injured, they are going to look woeful.
The Phillies obtain Iguchi and Lohse while the Braves get Teixeira and the Mets get Castillo? The Phils are still in it, for the moment, but it doesn't look good.
The Red Sox? Well, 8 games is 8 games. But the Yankees are better than they were 2 months ago, and I'm not sure the Red Sox are.
Oh well.
The Garnett trade is fascinating. On paper, and healthy, the Celtics look solid-going 2-3-4 with Jesus Shuttlesworth, The Truth, and The Big Ticket means you can hang with anybody. But the lack of depth now means, if injured, they are going to look woeful.
The Phillies obtain Iguchi and Lohse while the Braves get Teixeira and the Mets get Castillo? The Phils are still in it, for the moment, but it doesn't look good.
The Red Sox? Well, 8 games is 8 games. But the Yankees are better than they were 2 months ago, and I'm not sure the Red Sox are.
Oh well.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Trailing the damn Devil Rays 5-2. Three homers for 5 runs for them, one by Northeastern's own Carlos Pena. Top of the ninth.
The lead is nine over the Yankees, but they are winning (5-4) over the Birds.
This time next week I will be back home from ReplayCon 07, a tabletop baseball gathering in Pittsburgh. I am ridiculously excited about this, almost to the point of being too excited, where it couldn't possibly be good enough to live up to what I want it to be. There's something about a room full of people who have the same stupid obsession as you.
Flyout to center. One down.
It's stupid, in my precarious financial and personal life, to spend time and money on a hobby.
Gary Glover is pitching. I "owned" him in a tabletop fantasy league a few years ago. He was lousy for me then, and the entire Tampa pitching staff is lousy this year. But it's hard as heck to score 3 runs in one inning, even against crummy pitching.
I preordered Madden 2008 this year, which is something I haven't done in a while. I spend way too much money on crap like that.
Yankees lead 6-4.
Varitek, pinch hitting, drew a walk, and the Tampa announcers, typically, are whining. I forget how good the Boston announcers are sometimes when I have to listen to these idiots.
I'm thirsty, but I'm not going to get up, just in case the rally continues.
I think Bronx is Burning, on ESPN, is brilliant TV, even though I hate the Yankees. I hated them then and I hate them now, but the show is extraordinary. The book, which I HAD to have, is good too.
I am also pleased Hard Knocks is coming back on HBO. That was a really good show.
Strikeout, then force out at second. Sox lose.
We took two out of three, and lost to Kazmir, so that isnt all that bad, but you really have to beat Tampa. You do. You just do.
Sigh.
The lead is nine over the Yankees, but they are winning (5-4) over the Birds.
This time next week I will be back home from ReplayCon 07, a tabletop baseball gathering in Pittsburgh. I am ridiculously excited about this, almost to the point of being too excited, where it couldn't possibly be good enough to live up to what I want it to be. There's something about a room full of people who have the same stupid obsession as you.
Flyout to center. One down.
It's stupid, in my precarious financial and personal life, to spend time and money on a hobby.
Gary Glover is pitching. I "owned" him in a tabletop fantasy league a few years ago. He was lousy for me then, and the entire Tampa pitching staff is lousy this year. But it's hard as heck to score 3 runs in one inning, even against crummy pitching.
I preordered Madden 2008 this year, which is something I haven't done in a while. I spend way too much money on crap like that.
Yankees lead 6-4.
Varitek, pinch hitting, drew a walk, and the Tampa announcers, typically, are whining. I forget how good the Boston announcers are sometimes when I have to listen to these idiots.
I'm thirsty, but I'm not going to get up, just in case the rally continues.
I think Bronx is Burning, on ESPN, is brilliant TV, even though I hate the Yankees. I hated them then and I hate them now, but the show is extraordinary. The book, which I HAD to have, is good too.
I am also pleased Hard Knocks is coming back on HBO. That was a really good show.
Strikeout, then force out at second. Sox lose.
We took two out of three, and lost to Kazmir, so that isnt all that bad, but you really have to beat Tampa. You do. You just do.
Sigh.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Another win, although a heart stopping one. Jonathan Papelbon loaded the bases with nobody out, leading 8-5, then went strikeout-double play to end it.
Another 12-2 laugher wouldn't have been too much to ask.
The Yanks keep winning, too, a 21-4 laugher today.
So we sail on, borne ceaselessly by the Sox...
Another 12-2 laugher wouldn't have been too much to ask.
The Yanks keep winning, too, a 21-4 laugher today.
So we sail on, borne ceaselessly by the Sox...
Saturday, July 21, 2007
The f*&king liar in chief does it again.
In an interview on the Post Politics Podcast, President Bush states that he "can't speak to" the complaints of his former Surgeon General.
Yes, you f^&king well can.
You say, "if anyone interferes with the public statements and actions of the surgeon general ever again, that person will be fired."
Then again, he said that about anyone involved in the Plame case, too, and that was a lie.
In an interview on the Post Politics Podcast, President Bush states that he "can't speak to" the complaints of his former Surgeon General.
Yes, you f^&king well can.
You say, "if anyone interferes with the public statements and actions of the surgeon general ever again, that person will be fired."
Then again, he said that about anyone involved in the Plame case, too, and that was a lie.
Well, two wins over the White Sox has me crawling back from the ledge, but the Yankees are still there, lurking in the weeds. Another 7-7 two week stretch, and it will be 4 games back, and then another, and it's a tie.
This team doesn't seem like a World Series team to me, somehow. They're not as good as their record, and they fall into these cataleptic spells at the plate sometimes that scare me. I think they ran up this record while the Yankees had a stretch of unbelievably bad baseball luck. The Yankees are getting the good luck, now, so if we don't straighten up, we're in trouble. More serious trouble than right now.
I stopped reading History of the English Speaking Peoples. I liked the author when he was on CSpan, but he is really proving to be a big time Bush apologist. I find it hard to believe what he's saying, even though it may be true, because he's capable of coming up with statements like the positive side of prisoner scandals like Abu Ghraib is that the malefactors were punished when the crimes were revealed.
Well, yes, it is a positive that Western armies have mechanisms for punishing soldiers who mistreat prisoners, while mistreating prisoners seems to be almost a requirement among the fanatics.
But make no mistake, Abu Ghraib was dealt with because it leaked. Were it not for Seymour Hersh, I am confident we would have never heard of that place. Of course, were it not for Seymour Hersh, we might still be in Vietnam.
Does anyone really, honestly believe that the Bush Administration would have brought this to light on its own?
It's almost boring to read about the criminal, savage, marauding evildoers in the White House. I have lost my capacity to feel outrage about what they do, which is a terrible thing. But it is exhausting, getting so angry at them all the time.
http://www.bordersstores.com/features/feature.jsp?file=wherehavealltheleadersgone
I read this book at my parents' house last weekend. An excellent read, and strong words coming from a rock ribbed conservative.
I can't even talk to people who support these idiots. I'm tired of being nice to them. I'm not ready to make nice, I'm not ready to back down.
This team doesn't seem like a World Series team to me, somehow. They're not as good as their record, and they fall into these cataleptic spells at the plate sometimes that scare me. I think they ran up this record while the Yankees had a stretch of unbelievably bad baseball luck. The Yankees are getting the good luck, now, so if we don't straighten up, we're in trouble. More serious trouble than right now.
I stopped reading History of the English Speaking Peoples. I liked the author when he was on CSpan, but he is really proving to be a big time Bush apologist. I find it hard to believe what he's saying, even though it may be true, because he's capable of coming up with statements like the positive side of prisoner scandals like Abu Ghraib is that the malefactors were punished when the crimes were revealed.
Well, yes, it is a positive that Western armies have mechanisms for punishing soldiers who mistreat prisoners, while mistreating prisoners seems to be almost a requirement among the fanatics.
But make no mistake, Abu Ghraib was dealt with because it leaked. Were it not for Seymour Hersh, I am confident we would have never heard of that place. Of course, were it not for Seymour Hersh, we might still be in Vietnam.
Does anyone really, honestly believe that the Bush Administration would have brought this to light on its own?
It's almost boring to read about the criminal, savage, marauding evildoers in the White House. I have lost my capacity to feel outrage about what they do, which is a terrible thing. But it is exhausting, getting so angry at them all the time.
http://www.bordersstores.com/features/feature.jsp?file=wherehavealltheleadersgone
I read this book at my parents' house last weekend. An excellent read, and strong words coming from a rock ribbed conservative.
I can't even talk to people who support these idiots. I'm tired of being nice to them. I'm not ready to make nice, I'm not ready to back down.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
The Aerosmith track on the John Lennon tribute album for Darfur is really cool-a reggae backdrop with Steven yawling in his inimitable style on the verses. Awesome stuff.
A lot of people in the baseball world fuss about the “one player per team” rule, and I have never really had a problem with it. The argument is that, if you have to include a Royal and a Ranger, some more deserving player on a better team, like, say, Kevin Youkilis, will wind up not making the team. That is undoubtedly true, but fans in those cities need someone to root for, too. It is the fan’s game, and there have been some seasons where the only reasons I tuned in was to watch the guy from my team play.
The stupidity of management at some companies boggles my mind. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, really, because I meet so many idiots in life, it only follows that those people have to work somewhere. But it is striking to do business with Apple, or Amazon, or Wegman’s, or Target, or Chick Fil A, or Starbucks, where they claim to be obsessed with customer service, and THEY ACTUALLY ARE, because their people prove it to me, every time I am a customer.
That is in contrast to my own company, who also claim to be obsessed with customers, and yet they refuse to actually do anything about it.
Yet another terrorist attack, this time in Scotland. Weren’t we fighting them there so we wouldn’t have to fight them here?
Devastating article by Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker about the Taguba Report. As anyone who has been paying attention to this administration could probably have guessed, the administration knew all about it way before the report was leaked, first denying its importance and then lying about when they learned of it. As Lewis Black says about France, as if you expected them to be any other fucking way at all.
A lot of people in the baseball world fuss about the “one player per team” rule, and I have never really had a problem with it. The argument is that, if you have to include a Royal and a Ranger, some more deserving player on a better team, like, say, Kevin Youkilis, will wind up not making the team. That is undoubtedly true, but fans in those cities need someone to root for, too. It is the fan’s game, and there have been some seasons where the only reasons I tuned in was to watch the guy from my team play.
The stupidity of management at some companies boggles my mind. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, really, because I meet so many idiots in life, it only follows that those people have to work somewhere. But it is striking to do business with Apple, or Amazon, or Wegman’s, or Target, or Chick Fil A, or Starbucks, where they claim to be obsessed with customer service, and THEY ACTUALLY ARE, because their people prove it to me, every time I am a customer.
That is in contrast to my own company, who also claim to be obsessed with customers, and yet they refuse to actually do anything about it.
Yet another terrorist attack, this time in Scotland. Weren’t we fighting them there so we wouldn’t have to fight them here?
Devastating article by Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker about the Taguba Report. As anyone who has been paying attention to this administration could probably have guessed, the administration knew all about it way before the report was leaked, first denying its importance and then lying about when they learned of it. As Lewis Black says about France, as if you expected them to be any other fucking way at all.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Been a while.
Sox still in first, but precariously so, it seems. Those Yankees are scary, scary folks.
Just saw "Ratatouille". It was very well done-lovely, of course, and funny, and cute. Enjoyable.
Work is getting increasingly hard to take. No matter how much effort I put into it, it seemingly never gets any better or easier or, indeed, done. I feel ineffectual both at home and at work. I'm only happy, seemingly, when I'm alone.
Sigh.
Sox still in first, but precariously so, it seems. Those Yankees are scary, scary folks.
Just saw "Ratatouille". It was very well done-lovely, of course, and funny, and cute. Enjoyable.
Work is getting increasingly hard to take. No matter how much effort I put into it, it seemingly never gets any better or easier or, indeed, done. I feel ineffectual both at home and at work. I'm only happy, seemingly, when I'm alone.
Sigh.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Liveblogging 6-16-2007
San Francisco at Boston
Matsuzaka vs. Cain
Pregame: Neither pitcher has won since May. Well, it’s only June. Duh.
The last time these two teams played at Fenway was 1912 in the World Series. Interesting.
The Yankees lead the Mets in a rain delay at the Stadium. Let’s Go Mets!
The Yankees still scare the crap out of me, though. They are hitting the tar out of the ball, and there really isn’t any reason why they can’t keep doing that. I guess that’s the plus of having a huge lead-but you can’t keep this up forever.
Drew and Pedroia 1-2? I guess, if it works.
On the tabletop, 1902 Pittsburgh against 1924 Fort Worth. Jesse Tannehill vs. Joe Pate
TOP FIRST INNING
Dave Roberts walks. Why are you walking a .224 hitter? Why are you batting a .224 hitter leadoff?
Randy Winn next. What happened to this guy? Seemed like he never fulfilled his potential. 4-3 groundout, Roberts to second.
XM has the ESPN feed. I’d prefer Joe C., but Buck Martinez is doing the game, thank goodness.
Ray Durham next, retired on a wierd flyout to center. Crisp went too far back, then had to dive back in to make the catch. Probably a bright sun today.
Bonds walked with first base open. Duh.
Now one of the Flying Molina Brothers. Bengie. I think he’s the best hitter of the bunch, IIRC. 5-3, inning over.
I wish DMats would just trust his stuff and throw some damn strikes. Like that’s an original thought.
BOTTOM FIRST
Now let’s bring the lumber, boys.
Drew strikes out swinging. This guy has got to start earning his keep. Like that’s an original thought, either.
DP now. 5 for 5 last night. Flyout to right.
Tough sun today, obviously. The Giant right fielder struggled with it, just like Crisp.
Papi now. Thrown out after arguing balls and strikes last night. Seems like the strategy on the part of opposing pitchers is just to throw strikes, because apparently we’re not going to hit them. Walk. Well, maybe not.
Seems like the topic of the schedule is coming up again now that we’re into interleague.
Manny flies out to right.
I’m kind of partial to the bust ‘em up, start over theories-break up the divisions, then realign-Eastern Division of Boston, New York, New York, and Philadelphia, Atlantic Division of Baltimore, Atlanta, Tampa, and Washington-that kind of thing. But that probably won’t happen. Baseball can be allergic to change.
TOP 2
Schuerholz now. No relation to the GM of Atlanta. It’s nice that Schulman brought that up, because that was my first thought-is he related to the GM of Atlanta? Apparently its spelled differently, but it sounds like the GM’s name. 4-3-one out.
Bottom 6, Yankees 10, Mets 5. Sigh.
I kind of want to bury them again-15 games out would be nice.
But that’s not going to happen.
Aurilia now. I can’t believe they can’t find a better first baseman than Rich Aurilia.
Aurilia strikes out.
Pedro Feliz Navidad now. Doubles to left center.
Vizquel now. Is he still playing? Yeesh.
Martinez is now poopooing the gyroball. “There’s nothing new in baseball, blah blah blah...” Well, okay, but the fact is that the split finger is not the same forkball that Face used-it’s thrown harder and breaks differently. The Gyroball moves like a screwball, but it is thrown differently. But there’s no talking to these people.
BOTTOM TWO
There was a piece on the Baseball Crank website equating sabermetricians with conservative bloggers due to, among other things, an obsessive faith in logic. Yeah. Conservatives love logic. Right.
Youk now. I hadn’t realized he had fallen down into the 320s-last thing I remember he was at almost .350.
Robbed of a hit by Vizquel. Well, the guy can pick it.
Tek. Popup. 3 up, 3 down.
I missed a batter there. Lowell?
TOP THREE
Dave (The Flash) Roberts. Man is never going to buy another drink in Boston as long as he lives.
Groundout to Cora at short, nice play.
Apparently, Lugo is just having a day off. But he needs one, he has been struggling also.
Randy (Cheathamand) Winn
Sound it out, you’ll get it.
K. DMats seems to be relying on his slider.
Durham pops up a bunt, 3 up, 3 down.
BOTTOM THREE
If this were a Yankee game, it would be the top of the second.
(Tabletop top of the first-Ginger Beaumont doubles and scores on a triple by Honus Wagner. 1-0 Pittsburgh.)
Cora now. Still good numbers, but he too has been slumping. Lineout to short.
Crisp. Shot off the Monster for a two bagger. Nice.
Now Nancy Drew. Wild pitch, Crisp to third. Drew pops out.
DP. First Sox player with 5 hits and 5 RBIs in one game since Brian Daubach, the Bellesville Basher. Brian Daubach would be a better first baseman than Rich Aurilia.
Flyout to left.
TOP FOUR
B*nds. 400 foot flyout to center.
Tim Kurkjian said on “Only A Game” that Bonds was a Hall of Famer as of 1999, prior to any alleged substance use. He’s right, of course. And baseball statistics, like anything else, have to be viewed in context. Bonds was surely not the only guy using, assuming he was. So you view his numbers with some skepticism, but you can’t ignore them totally,
Molina. Base hit.
Schuerholz. K. Schulman just spelled the kid’s name, but I missed it.
Aurilia. Kitty Bransfeld would be a better first baseman than Rich Aurilia. Now, decades after his death.
K. Way to go, Kaibatsu.
BOTTOM FOUR
Ay, Papi.
Fouling the ball straight back, so he’s just missing it.
Retired on called strike three.
Manny. Homer to left. Nice, but let’s get some more.
Only 9 homers for Man Ram? Geez.
Youk. Single.
Lowell. Wild pitch, Youk to second.
Popout.
Varitek. A couple of hits will break this open I hope. Tek is retired, I think on a K, but the family is yammering at me.
TOP FIVE
Pedro Feliz Navidad pops up to second.
Vizquel. Called strike three. Looks like Dice Man is dealing.
(Tabletop-Wagner and Leach single in runs, 3-0 Pittsburgh after 3. Jesse Tannehill has allowed no hits.)
Roberts. 1-3 groundout. Side retired.
BOTTOM FIVE
Alex Cora (The Earth) grounds to first. Aurilia makes a nice play.
I don’t care, I still think the Earth is populated by hundreds of better first basemen.
Crisp tries to bunt for a hit , but is thrown out.
The Mets have the bases loaded with two out in the top of the ninth, trailing the Yankees 11-7. Could it be? Could they possibly come back?
Drew hits a hard grounder to short.
TOP SIX
Game is movin’!
Quick switch to Sterling and the Yankees game. Beltran pops out to end it, but it ends 11-8. 5 hits in the ninth off of Mariano. Wow. If you have to use Rivera with a five run lead, you have problems. I can understand their desperation for a win, but you need to use someone other than your closer when you’re up five.
Winn. Plate is shadowed, but mound is in sun. That could explain the difficulties of the batters.
Walk. Mumble mumble mumble.
Durham. Base hit.
Bonds. Oh crap.
(Tabletop-Harry Smith singles, scoring another Pirate run, 4-0.)
Groundout to short, runners advance.
Molina. Lineout to short, Winn just barely beat the throw back to third.
Schuerholz. HBP. Got up 0-2, but let him get away. Dammit.
(Tabletop-Jimmy Burke singles in a fifth run. Wid Conroy was hit by a pitch and had to leave the game in the second. Burke replaced him, was caught stealing, and has since doubled and singled. 5-0 Pirates.)
Aurilia. Has struck out twice. Come on, Dice Man.
Count is full now. 3-2, 2 out, bases full.
Come on, Kaibatsu.
Strike three called on the slider! YES!
Key pitch there. Way to go. Nice job.
BOTTOM SIXTH
Why can’t we score any runs?
DP. Grounder to short.
Ortiz. Flyout to left.
(Tabletop-Jackie Tavener of Fort Worth singles to center, breaking up the no hitter in the fifth.)
Manny. Flyout. Why can’t we score any runs?
TOP SEVEN
Feliz pops up to catcher.
Monster really got away with one last inning. Clutch pitching.
Vizquel pops up to second.
(Tabletop-George Bischoff of Fort Worth singles in one run, and Art Phelan gets an RBI groundout for another, but Pittsburgh still leads 5-2 after 5.)
Roberts called strike three on the slider again.
BOTTOM SEVEN
Why can’t we score any runs?
Youk. Flyout.
Lowell. Grounder and flyout, so that’s the out I missed.
3-2 count. Flyout.
Argh.
Why can’t we score any runs?
Tek. Flyout.
Why can’t we score any runs?
TOP EIGHT
Oki on now. Wish they had more than one run to protect.
Winn. WALK. DAMMIT.
Are they gettin squeezed?
(Tabletop-Tannehill is falling apart. One out singles to Tavener and Bischoff, then an RBI groundout from pitcher Hank Hulvey to make the score 5-3. Tannehill then walks Art Phelan, Ziggy Sears, and Eddie Palmer to force in a run.)
Durham. Base hit. 2 on, 0 out for Bonds.
Crap.
Need some more clutch pitching again.
If we win this game, the Giants giftwrapped it for us. You can’t get into 2 on, 0 out situations and whiff on them.
2-2 to Bonds.
FASTBALL FOR STRIKE THREE CALLED! YES!!!!!
(Tabletop- Fort Worth’s Big Boy Kraft slams a single, scoring 2. Fort Worth 6, Pittsburgh 5. )
Molina-Flyout to Drew.
Phew.
Frandzen hitting for Schuerholz.
(Tabletop-Fred Clarke triples with one out in the 8th, chasing Hulvey. Jim Middleton pitching for Fort Worth. Fort Worth 6, Pittsburgh 5.)
Grounder to short, 3 down.
WOW. Dodged an artillery shell there.
BOTTOM EIGHT
(Tabletop-Honus Wagner singles in Clarke. 6-6.)
Michelin Radio Trivia-Largest bat in the world-7 stories high. Yankee Stadium?
Correia pitching.
Cora out on strikes.
Crisp. Single to left.
Drew. Single to right.
OK, now. Some thunder to put this one away.
DP-GIDP. Damn.
Here comes Pap.
TOP NINE
Seriously, why aren’t we hitting?
Aurilia.
Lou Gehrig would be a better first baseman than Rich Aurilia. Now.
Popup to second. One down.
Feliz.
Flyout to Crisp. Two Down.
Sweeney hitting for Vizquel.
Framingham’s own Mark Sweeney. 4-3-GAME OVER.
Whew! Dodged a big, huge, enormous bullet there. Yikes.
But it’s a win. Still 8 ½ over the MFYs. Another day closer to postseason.
(Tabletop-Pittsburgh puts two men on with singles in the ninth off of Fort Worth’s Jimmy Walkup, but Walkup retires pinch hitter Jack O Connor to get out of the jam. Sam Leever, pitching in relief, allows a walk and a HBP to lead off the bottom of the ninth. Eddie Palmer flies out deep to right, advancing Art Phelan to third, then Big Boy Kraft flies out to deep left, scoring Phelan with the winning run.)
San Francisco at Boston
Matsuzaka vs. Cain
Pregame: Neither pitcher has won since May. Well, it’s only June. Duh.
The last time these two teams played at Fenway was 1912 in the World Series. Interesting.
The Yankees lead the Mets in a rain delay at the Stadium. Let’s Go Mets!
The Yankees still scare the crap out of me, though. They are hitting the tar out of the ball, and there really isn’t any reason why they can’t keep doing that. I guess that’s the plus of having a huge lead-but you can’t keep this up forever.
Drew and Pedroia 1-2? I guess, if it works.
On the tabletop, 1902 Pittsburgh against 1924 Fort Worth. Jesse Tannehill vs. Joe Pate
TOP FIRST INNING
Dave Roberts walks. Why are you walking a .224 hitter? Why are you batting a .224 hitter leadoff?
Randy Winn next. What happened to this guy? Seemed like he never fulfilled his potential. 4-3 groundout, Roberts to second.
XM has the ESPN feed. I’d prefer Joe C., but Buck Martinez is doing the game, thank goodness.
Ray Durham next, retired on a wierd flyout to center. Crisp went too far back, then had to dive back in to make the catch. Probably a bright sun today.
Bonds walked with first base open. Duh.
Now one of the Flying Molina Brothers. Bengie. I think he’s the best hitter of the bunch, IIRC. 5-3, inning over.
I wish DMats would just trust his stuff and throw some damn strikes. Like that’s an original thought.
BOTTOM FIRST
Now let’s bring the lumber, boys.
Drew strikes out swinging. This guy has got to start earning his keep. Like that’s an original thought, either.
DP now. 5 for 5 last night. Flyout to right.
Tough sun today, obviously. The Giant right fielder struggled with it, just like Crisp.
Papi now. Thrown out after arguing balls and strikes last night. Seems like the strategy on the part of opposing pitchers is just to throw strikes, because apparently we’re not going to hit them. Walk. Well, maybe not.
Seems like the topic of the schedule is coming up again now that we’re into interleague.
Manny flies out to right.
I’m kind of partial to the bust ‘em up, start over theories-break up the divisions, then realign-Eastern Division of Boston, New York, New York, and Philadelphia, Atlantic Division of Baltimore, Atlanta, Tampa, and Washington-that kind of thing. But that probably won’t happen. Baseball can be allergic to change.
TOP 2
Schuerholz now. No relation to the GM of Atlanta. It’s nice that Schulman brought that up, because that was my first thought-is he related to the GM of Atlanta? Apparently its spelled differently, but it sounds like the GM’s name. 4-3-one out.
Bottom 6, Yankees 10, Mets 5. Sigh.
I kind of want to bury them again-15 games out would be nice.
But that’s not going to happen.
Aurilia now. I can’t believe they can’t find a better first baseman than Rich Aurilia.
Aurilia strikes out.
Pedro Feliz Navidad now. Doubles to left center.
Vizquel now. Is he still playing? Yeesh.
Martinez is now poopooing the gyroball. “There’s nothing new in baseball, blah blah blah...” Well, okay, but the fact is that the split finger is not the same forkball that Face used-it’s thrown harder and breaks differently. The Gyroball moves like a screwball, but it is thrown differently. But there’s no talking to these people.
BOTTOM TWO
There was a piece on the Baseball Crank website equating sabermetricians with conservative bloggers due to, among other things, an obsessive faith in logic. Yeah. Conservatives love logic. Right.
Youk now. I hadn’t realized he had fallen down into the 320s-last thing I remember he was at almost .350.
Robbed of a hit by Vizquel. Well, the guy can pick it.
Tek. Popup. 3 up, 3 down.
I missed a batter there. Lowell?
TOP THREE
Dave (The Flash) Roberts. Man is never going to buy another drink in Boston as long as he lives.
Groundout to Cora at short, nice play.
Apparently, Lugo is just having a day off. But he needs one, he has been struggling also.
Randy (Cheathamand) Winn
Sound it out, you’ll get it.
K. DMats seems to be relying on his slider.
Durham pops up a bunt, 3 up, 3 down.
BOTTOM THREE
If this were a Yankee game, it would be the top of the second.
(Tabletop top of the first-Ginger Beaumont doubles and scores on a triple by Honus Wagner. 1-0 Pittsburgh.)
Cora now. Still good numbers, but he too has been slumping. Lineout to short.
Crisp. Shot off the Monster for a two bagger. Nice.
Now Nancy Drew. Wild pitch, Crisp to third. Drew pops out.
DP. First Sox player with 5 hits and 5 RBIs in one game since Brian Daubach, the Bellesville Basher. Brian Daubach would be a better first baseman than Rich Aurilia.
Flyout to left.
TOP FOUR
B*nds. 400 foot flyout to center.
Tim Kurkjian said on “Only A Game” that Bonds was a Hall of Famer as of 1999, prior to any alleged substance use. He’s right, of course. And baseball statistics, like anything else, have to be viewed in context. Bonds was surely not the only guy using, assuming he was. So you view his numbers with some skepticism, but you can’t ignore them totally,
Molina. Base hit.
Schuerholz. K. Schulman just spelled the kid’s name, but I missed it.
Aurilia. Kitty Bransfeld would be a better first baseman than Rich Aurilia. Now, decades after his death.
K. Way to go, Kaibatsu.
BOTTOM FOUR
Ay, Papi.
Fouling the ball straight back, so he’s just missing it.
Retired on called strike three.
Manny. Homer to left. Nice, but let’s get some more.
Only 9 homers for Man Ram? Geez.
Youk. Single.
Lowell. Wild pitch, Youk to second.
Popout.
Varitek. A couple of hits will break this open I hope. Tek is retired, I think on a K, but the family is yammering at me.
TOP FIVE
Pedro Feliz Navidad pops up to second.
Vizquel. Called strike three. Looks like Dice Man is dealing.
(Tabletop-Wagner and Leach single in runs, 3-0 Pittsburgh after 3. Jesse Tannehill has allowed no hits.)
Roberts. 1-3 groundout. Side retired.
BOTTOM FIVE
Alex Cora (The Earth) grounds to first. Aurilia makes a nice play.
I don’t care, I still think the Earth is populated by hundreds of better first basemen.
Crisp tries to bunt for a hit , but is thrown out.
The Mets have the bases loaded with two out in the top of the ninth, trailing the Yankees 11-7. Could it be? Could they possibly come back?
Drew hits a hard grounder to short.
TOP SIX
Game is movin’!
Quick switch to Sterling and the Yankees game. Beltran pops out to end it, but it ends 11-8. 5 hits in the ninth off of Mariano. Wow. If you have to use Rivera with a five run lead, you have problems. I can understand their desperation for a win, but you need to use someone other than your closer when you’re up five.
Winn. Plate is shadowed, but mound is in sun. That could explain the difficulties of the batters.
Walk. Mumble mumble mumble.
Durham. Base hit.
Bonds. Oh crap.
(Tabletop-Harry Smith singles, scoring another Pirate run, 4-0.)
Groundout to short, runners advance.
Molina. Lineout to short, Winn just barely beat the throw back to third.
Schuerholz. HBP. Got up 0-2, but let him get away. Dammit.
(Tabletop-Jimmy Burke singles in a fifth run. Wid Conroy was hit by a pitch and had to leave the game in the second. Burke replaced him, was caught stealing, and has since doubled and singled. 5-0 Pirates.)
Aurilia. Has struck out twice. Come on, Dice Man.
Count is full now. 3-2, 2 out, bases full.
Come on, Kaibatsu.
Strike three called on the slider! YES!
Key pitch there. Way to go. Nice job.
BOTTOM SIXTH
Why can’t we score any runs?
DP. Grounder to short.
Ortiz. Flyout to left.
(Tabletop-Jackie Tavener of Fort Worth singles to center, breaking up the no hitter in the fifth.)
Manny. Flyout. Why can’t we score any runs?
TOP SEVEN
Feliz pops up to catcher.
Monster really got away with one last inning. Clutch pitching.
Vizquel pops up to second.
(Tabletop-George Bischoff of Fort Worth singles in one run, and Art Phelan gets an RBI groundout for another, but Pittsburgh still leads 5-2 after 5.)
Roberts called strike three on the slider again.
BOTTOM SEVEN
Why can’t we score any runs?
Youk. Flyout.
Lowell. Grounder and flyout, so that’s the out I missed.
3-2 count. Flyout.
Argh.
Why can’t we score any runs?
Tek. Flyout.
Why can’t we score any runs?
TOP EIGHT
Oki on now. Wish they had more than one run to protect.
Winn. WALK. DAMMIT.
Are they gettin squeezed?
(Tabletop-Tannehill is falling apart. One out singles to Tavener and Bischoff, then an RBI groundout from pitcher Hank Hulvey to make the score 5-3. Tannehill then walks Art Phelan, Ziggy Sears, and Eddie Palmer to force in a run.)
Durham. Base hit. 2 on, 0 out for Bonds.
Crap.
Need some more clutch pitching again.
If we win this game, the Giants giftwrapped it for us. You can’t get into 2 on, 0 out situations and whiff on them.
2-2 to Bonds.
FASTBALL FOR STRIKE THREE CALLED! YES!!!!!
(Tabletop- Fort Worth’s Big Boy Kraft slams a single, scoring 2. Fort Worth 6, Pittsburgh 5. )
Molina-Flyout to Drew.
Phew.
Frandzen hitting for Schuerholz.
(Tabletop-Fred Clarke triples with one out in the 8th, chasing Hulvey. Jim Middleton pitching for Fort Worth. Fort Worth 6, Pittsburgh 5.)
Grounder to short, 3 down.
WOW. Dodged an artillery shell there.
BOTTOM EIGHT
(Tabletop-Honus Wagner singles in Clarke. 6-6.)
Michelin Radio Trivia-Largest bat in the world-7 stories high. Yankee Stadium?
Correia pitching.
Cora out on strikes.
Crisp. Single to left.
Drew. Single to right.
OK, now. Some thunder to put this one away.
DP-GIDP. Damn.
Here comes Pap.
TOP NINE
Seriously, why aren’t we hitting?
Aurilia.
Lou Gehrig would be a better first baseman than Rich Aurilia. Now.
Popup to second. One down.
Feliz.
Flyout to Crisp. Two Down.
Sweeney hitting for Vizquel.
Framingham’s own Mark Sweeney. 4-3-GAME OVER.
Whew! Dodged a big, huge, enormous bullet there. Yikes.
But it’s a win. Still 8 ½ over the MFYs. Another day closer to postseason.
(Tabletop-Pittsburgh puts two men on with singles in the ninth off of Fort Worth’s Jimmy Walkup, but Walkup retires pinch hitter Jack O Connor to get out of the jam. Sam Leever, pitching in relief, allows a walk and a HBP to lead off the bottom of the ninth. Eddie Palmer flies out deep to right, advancing Art Phelan to third, then Big Boy Kraft flies out to deep left, scoring Phelan with the winning run.)
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Fascinating Radio Lab this week about sleep.
(www.wnyc.org)
I have never had any trouble sleeping, other than times when I mistakenly overconsume caffeine. Mostly, just going around in a half-asleep stupor all the time, does it for me. I'm constantly tired, so when sleep presents itself, I'm there.
One part of the show details a mother's frustration with getting her child to sleep. I remember those feelings of inadequacy very, very well.
I still feel inadequate, but for different reasons.
Currently reading: Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson. I have his Einstein, too, but the Bugliosi book about the JFK assassination will probably arrive before I get to that, so I bet that will command my attention for a while.
Excellent SModcast this week, too.
(www.quickstopentertainment.com/smodcast)
Malcolm, a Canadian, didn't remember the name of the Canadian prime minister. (He's Canadian.) Kevin correctly pointed out that nearly every American knows the name of the president, although it reminded me of a brief encounter during the 2000 Florida recount/election theft debacle. Walking through my workplace, I overheard two nice, but dim, female coworkers talking about it. One asked, "So then, who's the president now?"
Admittedly, if you're not a geek like me, the constant back and forth about the battle for the presidency might raise a question, if one does not remember that the current President serves through the time of election until the next January.
Had to explain to my 11 year old son that sex is different from kissing. He had used the word sex when he meant kissing. Had to make it clear that this would confuse a listener and possibly get him into trouble. Now, we've had the talk, but it doesn't seem to register with him, because we have to keep having it.
Another example of my failure as a parent.
It's good weather for driving down the road with the windows down. Listened to IPod on shuffle last night, but it played "Silver and Gold" and "Helter Skelter" back to back. I can't understand how, with 1800+ tracks to choose from, it can choose two tracks not only from the same group, but also from the same record, right in a row. I know, statistically, it's not that unlikely, but it seems unlikely. It's like the cycle being less common than the no hitter, but the no hitter gets a lot more love.
(www.wnyc.org)
I have never had any trouble sleeping, other than times when I mistakenly overconsume caffeine. Mostly, just going around in a half-asleep stupor all the time, does it for me. I'm constantly tired, so when sleep presents itself, I'm there.
One part of the show details a mother's frustration with getting her child to sleep. I remember those feelings of inadequacy very, very well.
I still feel inadequate, but for different reasons.
Currently reading: Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson. I have his Einstein, too, but the Bugliosi book about the JFK assassination will probably arrive before I get to that, so I bet that will command my attention for a while.
Excellent SModcast this week, too.
(www.quickstopentertainment.com/smodcast)
Malcolm, a Canadian, didn't remember the name of the Canadian prime minister. (He's Canadian.) Kevin correctly pointed out that nearly every American knows the name of the president, although it reminded me of a brief encounter during the 2000 Florida recount/election theft debacle. Walking through my workplace, I overheard two nice, but dim, female coworkers talking about it. One asked, "So then, who's the president now?"
Admittedly, if you're not a geek like me, the constant back and forth about the battle for the presidency might raise a question, if one does not remember that the current President serves through the time of election until the next January.
Had to explain to my 11 year old son that sex is different from kissing. He had used the word sex when he meant kissing. Had to make it clear that this would confuse a listener and possibly get him into trouble. Now, we've had the talk, but it doesn't seem to register with him, because we have to keep having it.
Another example of my failure as a parent.
It's good weather for driving down the road with the windows down. Listened to IPod on shuffle last night, but it played "Silver and Gold" and "Helter Skelter" back to back. I can't understand how, with 1800+ tracks to choose from, it can choose two tracks not only from the same group, but also from the same record, right in a row. I know, statistically, it's not that unlikely, but it seems unlikely. It's like the cycle being less common than the no hitter, but the no hitter gets a lot more love.
Another loss, 2-0 to Oakland. Shut out by Lenny (LEN!) DiNardo and a parade of ne'er do wells. Yankees win, so the gap is 11 1/2 games. As I said, this could quickly get out of control.
Maybe, as the Yankees partisans claim, we're just not this good, and they're just not that bad.
Sigh.
The Avandia furor seems to be dying down. There are countervailing studies, as I knew there would be, and, naturally, the national media is trumpeting the new results exactly as loudly as they did the old ones.
Yeah, right.
Maybe, as the Yankees partisans claim, we're just not this good, and they're just not that bad.
Sigh.
The Avandia furor seems to be dying down. There are countervailing studies, as I knew there would be, and, naturally, the national media is trumpeting the new results exactly as loudly as they did the old ones.
Yeah, right.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
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