Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Sunday, January 24, 2010
News and Notes, Sports Edition - 24 Jan 2010
A few things to read while waiting for Brett Favre's retirement party:
N'awlins Mawlins. Horrible nickname. Not an entirely bad idea.
UNO deals with budget cuts by dropping sports, conference. UNO pulls out of Sun Belt. LSU is happy, especially with their new jock-only $15 million tutoring center. UNO poached a lot of their prime baseball recruits under the Smoke Laval-era. UNO has even beat Tulane quite a few times the last few years. UNO was just starting up a football program...
Bushrod will have Brees' back. We'll see. Here's to pulling a TE to help out. OTOH, Jared Allen is a world-class fuckup. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he gets shitfaced drunk the night before the game, shows up hungover and pukes on the Mardi Grass before passing out from "dehydration" in the middle of the game.
Here's to lots of New Orleans marching band-inspired Crunked-ness:
N'awlins Mawlins. Horrible nickname. Not an entirely bad idea.
UNO deals with budget cuts by dropping sports, conference. UNO pulls out of Sun Belt. LSU is happy, especially with their new jock-only $15 million tutoring center. UNO poached a lot of their prime baseball recruits under the Smoke Laval-era. UNO has even beat Tulane quite a few times the last few years. UNO was just starting up a football program...
Bushrod will have Brees' back. We'll see. Here's to pulling a TE to help out. OTOH, Jared Allen is a world-class fuckup. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he gets shitfaced drunk the night before the game, shows up hungover and pukes on the Mardi Grass before passing out from "dehydration" in the middle of the game.
Here's to lots of New Orleans marching band-inspired Crunked-ness:
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Sunday Reading Assignments
For you while you're waiting on the afternoon Saints game:
An Administration Run Amok. By Clancy DuBos. Goes over the Meffert indictment and what it illustrates about Nagin's 'leadership abilities.'
What Gets Measured Gets Done. By Brian Denzer. Talks about crime, accurate statistics, and successful reform. More on NOLA Stat here.
Blakely Redux. By James Gill. The politician-skewering maestro's first column in a while gets an above-the-fold-headline in the dead tree edition and a well deserving target. Although one contributor on the idiot page disagrees with Gill's assessment of Dr. Blakely.
Deadspin- Why Your Stadium Sucks: Yankee Stadium. Yuck the Fankees.
And two final ones: The Case for Inflation vs. The Case for Deflation. Which will have a greater effect on the economy: Barack Obama "printing money" or Wall Street's financial wizardry going kablooey?
An Administration Run Amok. By Clancy DuBos. Goes over the Meffert indictment and what it illustrates about Nagin's 'leadership abilities.'
After Friday’s 63-count corruption indictment against former city technology chief Greg Meffert — once Nagin’s top aide and close friend — it’s hard to distinguish our present mayor from his predecessor.
What Gets Measured Gets Done. By Brian Denzer. Talks about crime, accurate statistics, and successful reform. More on NOLA Stat here.
Blakely Redux. By James Gill. The politician-skewering maestro's first column in a while gets an above-the-fold-headline in the dead tree edition and a well deserving target. Although one contributor on the idiot page disagrees with Gill's assessment of Dr. Blakely.
Deadspin- Why Your Stadium Sucks: Yankee Stadium. Yuck the Fankees.
And two final ones: The Case for Inflation vs. The Case for Deflation. Which will have a greater effect on the economy: Barack Obama "printing money" or Wall Street's financial wizardry going kablooey?
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Bucket of Baseballs
It's August and baseball is pretty much the only game in town. Couple of links to peruse between innings:
Scott Boras for Commissioner of Baseball? He'd be better than Bud Selig.
Baseball Prospectus: Give Fehr his due. The relative popularity of Fehr and his NFL counterpart, the late Gene Upshaw, ran in inverse proportion to how good each man was at his job of representing the athletes in their charge.
Hardest throwing pitcher of all time? Some incredible factoids in the article:
- In high school, he had an 18-strikeout, 18-walk no-hitter.
Now THAT would be a game to watch.
Little leaguers visiting Dr. James Andrews. Not good. Some pretty bad parents, too.
Baseball cards about to finally disappear? New marketing agreement might do them in for good.
A safer batting helmet, but will they wear it? Standing in a batter's box with someone like Rich Harden in the mound can be a scary experience.
Mets vow not to shave until they reach .500 It's going to be a LONG season in New York.
Scott Boras for Commissioner of Baseball? He'd be better than Bud Selig.
Baseball Prospectus: Give Fehr his due. The relative popularity of Fehr and his NFL counterpart, the late Gene Upshaw, ran in inverse proportion to how good each man was at his job of representing the athletes in their charge.
Hardest throwing pitcher of all time? Some incredible factoids in the article:
- In high school, he had an 18-strikeout, 18-walk no-hitter.
Now THAT would be a game to watch.
Little leaguers visiting Dr. James Andrews. Not good. Some pretty bad parents, too.
Baseball cards about to finally disappear? New marketing agreement might do them in for good.
A safer batting helmet, but will they wear it? Standing in a batter's box with someone like Rich Harden in the mound can be a scary experience.
Mets vow not to shave until they reach .500 It's going to be a LONG season in New York.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Links of the day - 6/11/09
Lots to peruse:
World:
Netanyahu Clashed With Obama, Congress On Trip. M.J. Rosenberg of the Israel Policy Forum wrote that it was "the first time in memory" that "an Israeli prime minister went up to the Hill only to be bombarded with criticism."
Little Green Footballs - IAEA Reports Weapons-Grade Uranium Found in Egypt. HEU (highly enriched uranium) found in Egypt?
Pakistan expanding Nuclear Weapons Facility. Wired notes the possibility of a nuclear Civil War.
David Kilcullen. Petraus' brain? Be sure to read the end of the article.
Fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan... in pink boxers. SecDef praised the soldier for a "special kind of courage."
Obama's Speech already undercutting extremists? Maybe.
Economics:
Faltering Country Clubs Inviting Public Inside OMG! BEER SWILLING PROLETARIAT INVADE BOURGEOIS COUNTRY CLUBS! THE HORROR!
Goldman Sachs names ex-SEC chief Levitt as adviser. The colony of leeches gets bigger.
Italian Police Seize Japanese Nationals trying to Smuggle $134 Billion in Bonds. Either stunningly well counterfeited, or, even scarier, genuine articles.
Politics:
My dear American Neighbors. Northern Neighbor gives an honest take on "the Canadian way."
Cheney Lost to Bush. Interesting chronicle of the inside politics at the White House. Reminds me of the PBS documentary.
Bernard Kerik indicted for lying to Feds. Remember, he was Giuliani's pick to head DHS.
Robert Gates: Bureaucrat Unbound. Cheesy title, but so many people are singing his praises.
Baseball:
Pitchers are sissies. "Bone chips," HA! Published in 1946.
Deadspin - Why Scott Boras Isn't As Evil As You Think He Is. Scott Boras for commissioner of baseball? Couldn't be any worse than Selig...
Palin visits Yankee Stadium. Highly concentrated evil. Now if only Jeter would give her an STD and knock her up with a 1/4 black baby...
Random:
Either the coolest thing ever or incredibly wrong. Still can't decide which.
Hot Stuff in a Squeeze Bottle - NYT. Siracha hot sauce.
Phoonan Devi. Inspiration for Kill Bill? "They gang raped her, so she came back with a gun and some friends, and killed twenty-two men. Unsure of the identity of her rapists, she killed most of the males in the village just to be on the safe side"
Poster advertising Bachelor/ette Parties at a Gun Range. You mind will explode trying to process it all.
World:
Netanyahu Clashed With Obama, Congress On Trip. M.J. Rosenberg of the Israel Policy Forum wrote that it was "the first time in memory" that "an Israeli prime minister went up to the Hill only to be bombarded with criticism."
Little Green Footballs - IAEA Reports Weapons-Grade Uranium Found in Egypt. HEU (highly enriched uranium) found in Egypt?
Pakistan expanding Nuclear Weapons Facility. Wired notes the possibility of a nuclear Civil War.
David Kilcullen. Petraus' brain? Be sure to read the end of the article.
Fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan... in pink boxers. SecDef praised the soldier for a "special kind of courage."
Obama's Speech already undercutting extremists? Maybe.
Economics:
Faltering Country Clubs Inviting Public Inside OMG! BEER SWILLING PROLETARIAT INVADE BOURGEOIS COUNTRY CLUBS! THE HORROR!
Goldman Sachs names ex-SEC chief Levitt as adviser. The colony of leeches gets bigger.
Italian Police Seize Japanese Nationals trying to Smuggle $134 Billion in Bonds. Either stunningly well counterfeited, or, even scarier, genuine articles.
Politics:
My dear American Neighbors. Northern Neighbor gives an honest take on "the Canadian way."
Cheney Lost to Bush. Interesting chronicle of the inside politics at the White House. Reminds me of the PBS documentary.
Bernard Kerik indicted for lying to Feds. Remember, he was Giuliani's pick to head DHS.
Robert Gates: Bureaucrat Unbound. Cheesy title, but so many people are singing his praises.
Baseball:
Pitchers are sissies. "Bone chips," HA! Published in 1946.
Deadspin - Why Scott Boras Isn't As Evil As You Think He Is. Scott Boras for commissioner of baseball? Couldn't be any worse than Selig...
Palin visits Yankee Stadium. Highly concentrated evil. Now if only Jeter would give her an STD and knock her up with a 1/4 black baby...
Random:
Either the coolest thing ever or incredibly wrong. Still can't decide which.
Hot Stuff in a Squeeze Bottle - NYT. Siracha hot sauce.
Phoonan Devi. Inspiration for Kill Bill? "They gang raped her, so she came back with a gun and some friends, and killed twenty-two men. Unsure of the identity of her rapists, she killed most of the males in the village just to be on the safe side"
Poster advertising Bachelor/ette Parties at a Gun Range. You mind will explode trying to process it all.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Great Sports Journalism
"Friction and fractures erode faith in Mitchell's investigation. Damn. I take my hat off to Howard Bryant. You've just written the best sports journalism article of the year.
The Mitchell investigation is MLB's official investigation into the Steroid Era. It's due later this week. A lot of hardcore fans, including myself, are eagerly awaiting its release.
It's basically Selig's chance to save his reputation and he's not doing so well so far. He appointed someone with a good reputation, but some serious conflicts of interest.
Bryant's article rips the Mitchell report a new one (before it's even released!). He looks like he's got some great sources for this stuff. He even brings up a big skeleton out of Selig's closet: the sale of the Red Sox to Larry Lucchino's group. That business deal was corrupt to the core and even Selig's cronies defrauding a charity whose most high profile activity paid for treatment for cancer patients (especially children). Nice one Selig! Those baldies weren't going to use that money for long, anyway! I hear William Jefferson has a job offer for you, if he stays out of prison... Anyway, the deal was crooked to the core and should have gotten Selig axed.
Even if you're not a baseball fan, you can see some good journalism by clicking the link.
The Mitchell investigation is MLB's official investigation into the Steroid Era. It's due later this week. A lot of hardcore fans, including myself, are eagerly awaiting its release.
It's basically Selig's chance to save his reputation and he's not doing so well so far. He appointed someone with a good reputation, but some serious conflicts of interest.
Bryant's article rips the Mitchell report a new one (before it's even released!). He looks like he's got some great sources for this stuff. He even brings up a big skeleton out of Selig's closet: the sale of the Red Sox to Larry Lucchino's group. That business deal was corrupt to the core and even Selig's cronies defrauding a charity whose most high profile activity paid for treatment for cancer patients (especially children). Nice one Selig! Those baldies weren't going to use that money for long, anyway! I hear William Jefferson has a job offer for you, if he stays out of prison... Anyway, the deal was crooked to the core and should have gotten Selig axed.
Even if you're not a baseball fan, you can see some good journalism by clicking the link.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Odds and Ends - 10 Oct 2007
Even Deadspin tells the Yankees to suck it.
Has the dollar slide been halted by OPEC reinvesting petrodollars? If so, [awkward shuffle] thank you OPEC.
Oil Majors estimate it will take 2-10 years for Iraq to stabalize, if ever. As Bill Maher once said, "Only George W. Bush could fight a war for oil and not get any."
Another media "narrative" on Ron Paul. Ron Paul as the third party cancer that eats away at the Republican vote.
Obelisk, one of our tops sources within Al Qaeda, was outed by some dumbass with a Federal Government IP address... Wonderful. More here.
Has the dollar slide been halted by OPEC reinvesting petrodollars? If so, [awkward shuffle] thank you OPEC.
Oil Majors estimate it will take 2-10 years for Iraq to stabalize, if ever. As Bill Maher once said, "Only George W. Bush could fight a war for oil and not get any."
Another media "narrative" on Ron Paul. Ron Paul as the third party cancer that eats away at the Republican vote.
Obelisk, one of our tops sources within Al Qaeda, was outed by some dumbass with a Federal Government IP address... Wonderful. More here.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Debris Po-Boy
Some random notes:
Derek Jeter gave Jessica Alba herpes. DEREK JETER IS A FUCKING BASTARD! SOME DAY, HE'LL BE GETTING A PINEAPPLE UP THE BUTT EVERY DAY! On the bright side, A-Rod now has an STD (sorry Boston fans, it's not AIDS)...
Impressed with formaldehyde laced children's clothing and lead paint toys? Well, Fly China Air!
Malcom Gladwell says that violent dogs come from violent owners. This guy proves the point.
Derek Jeter gave Jessica Alba herpes. DEREK JETER IS A FUCKING BASTARD! SOME DAY, HE'LL BE GETTING A PINEAPPLE UP THE BUTT EVERY DAY! On the bright side, A-Rod now has an STD (sorry Boston fans, it's not AIDS)...
Impressed with formaldehyde laced children's clothing and lead paint toys? Well, Fly China Air!
Malcom Gladwell says that violent dogs come from violent owners. This guy proves the point.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Fantasy Baseball
If anyone is interested in joining a fantasy baseball league, please let me know.
5x5, mixed, non-keeper, 10-team league.
Draft date is on Friday, March 30th at 4:30 PM.
The league is on CBS Sportsline.com. The league name is "Hands Off, Harold Renolds." Email me for the password.
5x5, mixed, non-keeper, 10-team league.
Draft date is on Friday, March 30th at 4:30 PM.
The league is on CBS Sportsline.com. The league name is "Hands Off, Harold Renolds." Email me for the password.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
NL East
More baseball previews:
Braves: Over this past offseason, the Braves have dramatically improved their biggest weakness (the bullpen). The only departures they've had were dead weight. Their young pitchers (James, Davies) get another year to mature. Sure they could use another bat and they need a full season out of both of the Jones boys, but they're my pick for the AL East crown.
Mets What, no Zito? Their rotation is only above average without Pedro. They've got a good, young offensive core, but they need a better supporting cast. They'll still win the NL Wild Card, though.
Marlins If the team only had a payroll... Probably the best rotation in baseball. Cabrera/Uggla/Hanley Ramirez is the equal to the Mets' young core. They have holes at LF, CF, and catcher, and their defense is seriously flawed. Their bullpen is held together by duck tape, so they're nothing more than an "also-ran." If they only spent some coin, this would be the most dangerous team in the NL.
Phillies: If the young pitcher really step up, they could be a contender, but they're just going to be too inconsistent. Plus, you can't rely on the old guys (Moyer and Gordon) to bail them out. They're busy registering for their AARP cards. The offense has a few great players, but there's just not enough depth. Who's going to protect Ryan Howard in that lineup?
Nats Still collecting dividends from that trade with the Reds. Losing Soriano is going to hurt. Their defense, except for Schneider, Zim, and Church (wherever they stick him) is horrible. Iron glovers everywhere you look. They've got a future, but they'll lose a lot of games this year.
Braves: Over this past offseason, the Braves have dramatically improved their biggest weakness (the bullpen). The only departures they've had were dead weight. Their young pitchers (James, Davies) get another year to mature. Sure they could use another bat and they need a full season out of both of the Jones boys, but they're my pick for the AL East crown.
Mets What, no Zito? Their rotation is only above average without Pedro. They've got a good, young offensive core, but they need a better supporting cast. They'll still win the NL Wild Card, though.
Marlins If the team only had a payroll... Probably the best rotation in baseball. Cabrera/Uggla/Hanley Ramirez is the equal to the Mets' young core. They have holes at LF, CF, and catcher, and their defense is seriously flawed. Their bullpen is held together by duck tape, so they're nothing more than an "also-ran." If they only spent some coin, this would be the most dangerous team in the NL.
Phillies: If the young pitcher really step up, they could be a contender, but they're just going to be too inconsistent. Plus, you can't rely on the old guys (Moyer and Gordon) to bail them out. They're busy registering for their AARP cards. The offense has a few great players, but there's just not enough depth. Who's going to protect Ryan Howard in that lineup?
Nats Still collecting dividends from that trade with the Reds. Losing Soriano is going to hurt. Their defense, except for Schneider, Zim, and Church (wherever they stick him) is horrible. Iron glovers everywhere you look. They've got a future, but they'll lose a lot of games this year.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
NL Central
Cubs: Wow, they wanted to make a splash and they did. Soriano, a healthy D-Lee, and a re-upped A-Ram will be productive. Cedeno should recover from being relegated to the bench during Dusty's tenure. Unfortunately, they mortgaged their future to do it. They spent a lot of money and gave up a lot of draft picks. Zamabrano was "Dustified" (think Kerry Wood/Mark Prior) last year and will break down before the All Star Break. Dramatic improvement, but will fall just short of the playoffs. They will hold their market share in Chicago, though (their real reason for the flashy moves).
Reds: Griffey is alreay injured. If he were healthy, they'd be a contender. Without him, they're a .500 team.
Astros: Carlos Lee is good, but not that good. Horrible defense, the loss of Pettite and Clemens will hurt. The back of the rotation will be a pinata. Big step backwards. Losing team. Missing out on Reggie Bush and the Astros going down the tubes... Wow, talk about a bad year for Houston...
Brewers: Solid catcher upgrade. 3 very good pitchers. Prince Fielder decides to imitate David Ortiz. They're this year's NL Central Champs, despite the weak 4 & 5 pitchers.
Cards: Pujols/Rolen/Carpenter, who needs anyone else? Unfortunately, this is baseball, so that won't cut it. Reyes will take a step forward and I like Adam Kennedy, but Edmonds might not be able to contribute. Not going anywhere without a stronger supporting cast. Winning year, but can't match surging Brewers.
Reds: Griffey is alreay injured. If he were healthy, they'd be a contender. Without him, they're a .500 team.
Astros: Carlos Lee is good, but not that good. Horrible defense, the loss of Pettite and Clemens will hurt. The back of the rotation will be a pinata. Big step backwards. Losing team. Missing out on Reggie Bush and the Astros going down the tubes... Wow, talk about a bad year for Houston...
Brewers: Solid catcher upgrade. 3 very good pitchers. Prince Fielder decides to imitate David Ortiz. They're this year's NL Central Champs, despite the weak 4 & 5 pitchers.
Cards: Pujols/Rolen/Carpenter, who needs anyone else? Unfortunately, this is baseball, so that won't cut it. Reyes will take a step forward and I like Adam Kennedy, but Edmonds might not be able to contribute. Not going anywhere without a stronger supporting cast. Winning year, but can't match surging Brewers.
Baseball Season 2007
I'm a HUGE baseball nut. The winter leaves me with few avenues for my baseball fix, so I'll have to manufacture some.
My predictions for the 2007 Baseball Season:
There are still a lot of major free agents out there (like Barry Zito and Roger Clemens) that can really change one of these predictions, but I'm going to give it a shot.
I'm going to spread things out over a couple of posts and do my predictions by division. First up, the AL Central.
White Sox: Tadahito Iguchi will improve. Andy Sisco will prove to be a good pickup, but Dye, Thome, and Konerko will not age very well. All will have down years. As a result of their regression and a tough division, the White Sox will only be a .500 team.
Indians: Peralta will turn things around. Marte will start to show why he was such a highly touted prospect by Atlanta (or prove that Schurholtz bribes other teams' scouts). Grady will make the ladies H-A-P-P-Y.
The rotation will take a step forward, instead of step backwards. Then, Pronk will be Pronk and will go to town on baseballs like a hurricane on a New Orleans levee. But, the economy in Cleveland will start to drag the baseball team down (no more good paying blue collar jobs). LF/RF/1B is still a hole (might I suggest a trade with the Royals?...). The Indians will fall just short of the AL Central Crown, but will be frontrunners in 2008.Tigers: Deep rotation (1-5) and a good bullpen are keys to success. The offense is nothing to sneeze at (as long a Shef doesn't pull a T.O.). Guillen is aging and needs to be replaced. Pudge is aging and will need a replacement soon. There's also the danger of Verlander falling into a sophomore slump. None of that will make a difference as the Tigers safely secure the AL Central Crown for the first time in years.
Twins: Sometimes, doing nothing is the best strategy, especially given how wild the market has been this year. It gives the young players another year to mature. Plus, there's always Johan Santanna. Liriano is a huge question mark, though. There are also a lot of inconsistent young players who will have major ups and downs this season. Apologies to Bat Girl, but the Twins need a healthy Liriano to compete. They will be not much more than a .500 team without him.
The Royals: Ah, the Royals. At least they HAVE starting pitchers this year. They did pick up Jason LaRue and Ryan Shealy. LaRue will take some of the edge for that horrible Beltran trade (anyone seen John Buck lately?). Unfortunately, they still have Berroa. And Glass. In this division, the Royals are cannon fodder.
Next up: NL Central
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
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