Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Two months ago...
It's been two months since I've posted here. That's probably the longest time between posts since this blog started some 3+ years ago. The reason? Lots of travel. I still have a few MLB updates from the summer to put up, as well as a recent basketball game I went to.
This weekend, I've got the Jets / Chiefs game to attend. Many thanks to NBC for saving me the freezing cold and moving this game out of Sunday Night Football. The two teams have seven wins total and at least I can watch them without shivering too much.
A few things on my mind:
Baseball steroids - In my mind, I have just moved on from this. We'll never know who actually did steroids, and who didn't, and so for me, I just have stopped worrying about it. Yes, it is frustrating to think that there are cheaters out there, but I have been rooting for uniforms not people for a while, and I'm still entertained by the sport. Not to mention that in all the sports people are trying to find ways around the rules. What makes it bad for baseball is two things. First, the establishment of owners didn't do anything about the steroids problem, and second, that baseball is all about discussing the past and tradition, so having cheaters in the past is a bit of a problem for the game - moreso than in other sports. Speaking of steroids, has anyone seen a commercial for American Gladiators recently?
NFL - I still don't know exactly what went wrong with the Jets this year. I'd like to blame it all on poor O-line play, but that can't be the only thing. I guess some bad luck also played a role. I just hope that Chad Pennington (drafted by Bill Parcells) and Jonathan Vilma (University of Miami) don't end up on the Dolphins. By the way, I think if any team will beat New England, it would be the Jags, in a really snowy game. Unfortunately, the Jags need to get past the Steelers first.
President - Well isn't this a turnaround? Now Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama are the sudden frontrunners in Iowa. The more I hear about this Iowa caucus process, the more I am stunned at the way it has become such a historic event. It's totally different than a usual primary. If you have watched Meet the Press over the last few weeks, you would have seen that Ron Paul is crazy and that Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani will say anything to get elected. On the Republican side, I think the only reasonable candidate at this point is John McCain (surging in NH), and even he has had some flip flops recently (Bob Jones University). On the Democratic side, I like the idea of a Obama / Biden ticket, although it might be too Northern. John Edwards is playing the role of "angry liberal" and it's really annoying. He said something to the effect of, the only way to get change in Washington is to demand it. This guy is just trying too hard to anger the other side. I still get amused at the way that Hillary Clinton is painted as "too liberal" by conservatives and "too conservative" by liberals. It's a shame she's such a polarizing figure. I guess people just don't like "bossy women."
Finally - some brief thoughts on the comics I'm reading:
Marvel
Captain America - This is one of the best books out there. Captain America isn't even in the comic anymore, yet it still entertains! Bucky is alive and it's not too strange. Nice art, good espionage-style stories.
X-Men - I'll lump in all the X-Men books together and just say that the Messiah Complex is one of the best stories told in a while. It has a direction, lots of characters and action, and is self-contained. House of M really screwed up the X-Men, and the titles seem to finally be recovering. Here's hoping that the titles that come out after this crossover remain at high quality.
Astonishing X-Men - This is Joss Whedon's book, and it's been late a lot. It's pretty good but it would be better if it came out more routinely. Warren Ellis takes this over next spring and I have no idea what to X-pect (heh).
Runaways - Joss Whedon took over this book from Brian K Vaughan and it just has not been the same. Whedon's run ends in about two issues, and then I'll probably stop getting it.
Wolverine - Jeph Loeb wrote one of the worst stories I have ever read in comics earlier this year in Wolverine. At that point, I stopped getting Wolverine: Origins because I could not handle getting two crummy Wolverine books. Now Mark Guggenheim is writing a sort of strange story about how (via a sort of magical mechanism) Wolverine's healing factor works. It's kind of strange and directed at questions I never really had about the technicalities of the healing factor.
Spider-Man - I am NOT reading this title. I find the editorial crusade against the wedding of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson fascinating and depressing. Is it that hard to write good Spider-Man stories because he's married? I can't believe it is. On Friday we'll find out if Peter Parker's marriage is ending in the last part of One More Day. If it ends, I probably will never buy another Spider-Man comic.
X-Force - Coming soon after the Messiah Complex ends is this new title, X-Force. I will probably try it out, but let's first see how the Messiah Complex ends.
Fantastic Four - Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch are going to be working on Fantastic Four starting in February. Sounds great. On the other hand, remember when the "Ultimate" universe was supposed to get "special" treatment? I guess when the creators of "The Ultimates" start working on mainstream Marvel U, that's no longer true.
DC
Countdown to Final Crisis - This book is so strange. It is hard to follow, yet comes out every week. There have been a few good issues here and there, but the quality is poor overall and the stories just aren't that inspiring.
Batman and the Outsiders - Another enigma. It's only 3 issues in, but they changed the creative team last minute, and now it feels like they are trying to rearrange the pieces a bit. I will stick with it for a few issues and see what happens.
All Star Batman - Yet another strange book. I guess I chose to review all the DC oddities at the beginning. I love Jim Lee's art, and it's enough to get me to buy just about anything. Frank Miller's story started out as weird but has changed into strangely funny. Each issue, you can't help but think, how will he defile yet another DC super-hero?
Batman / Detective Comics - Grant Morrison and Paul Dini are writing the two flagship Batman books, which was supposed to make them great. Unfortunately, the quality overall has been somewhat lacking. The recent crossover, Resurrection of Ras al Ghul was a bust as it was boring, forced and too long. With Detective, even if you take the fill-in issues out of consideration, the story quality has also declined.
Action Comics - Richard Donner hasn't really been the co-writer of this title lately. The Bizarro storyline was not that good, in my opinion, and the book has had a ton of fill-in issues over the year. But the Legion of Super-Heroes story that just started seems to be really good. Writer Geoff Johns said that 2008 for Superman would be like 2007 for Green Lantern. If that's true, then this will be a great year for Superman comics.
All Star Superman - Grant Morrison's re-vamp of the Superman concept. This is quite good. I'm not sure if this ends at issue 12 or if it will keep going. Despite the quality of this title, on the whole, the All-Star line has to be considered a failure. After being announced in 2005, roughly 18 comics in the line have been released. That seems very limited. I wonder if any of the All-Star earths are in the multiverse.
Green Lantern - I had never purchased a Green Lantern comic on a regular basis until now. This title is amazing. The Sinestro Corps war was a great comic story, not to mention great crossover. They have me hooked for the next year and beyond. I really like how Geoff Johns has incorporated in nearly all of his books the "things to come" type panels. They really make for great teasers.
Wonder Woman - Until Allan Heinberg's brief stint, I had never purchased Wonder Woman on a regular basis. With Gail Simone, a popular writer, coming on board, I thought I would give it a shot. We're two issues in, and I still have this on a trial basis.
Booster Gold - Very entertaining, sort of "Quantum Leap" through the history of DC Comics. I'm not sure where it will go eventually, but right now the humor and single issue stories are making this spin-off of 52 one of my favorites.
Justice Society of America - Another great book. The introduction of Kingdom Come Superman to the JSA seems a bit strange, but I think the details will all play out in the Final Crisis.
Justice League of America - Brad Meltzer had a very character-driven approach to this book. New writer Dwayne McDuffie seems to have more of an action-oriented approach. Frankly, I haven't been too impressed. The most recent issue brought back the concept of Tangent DC for reasons known only to DC editorial (Final Crisis?) and was horrible. I hope this gets better.
Ex-Machina - A solid offering from Brian K Vaughan.
Planetary, WildCATs - Where are these books? Grant Morrison's Authority has been discontinued after 2 issues. The Authority are totally irrelevant now. At least there's still the old stuff. I hope WildCATs will eventually be back with Jim Lee at the helm. Planetary only has one more issue left!!
In sum:
I'm reading 19 titles that come out on a regular basis. I REALLY like ten of them right now (Captain America, Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, Astonishing X-Men, Action Comics, All Star Superman, Green Lantern, Booster Gold, Justice Society, Ex-Machina). I get All Star Batman just for the art. There is significant room for improvement in Batman, Detective Comics, Justice League of America and Wolverine. I'm just running out the string with Runaways and Countdown to Final Crisis. The jury's out on two of them: Batman and the Outsiders and Wonder Woman. Finally, I'm looking forward to Fantastic Four.
This weekend, I've got the Jets / Chiefs game to attend. Many thanks to NBC for saving me the freezing cold and moving this game out of Sunday Night Football. The two teams have seven wins total and at least I can watch them without shivering too much.
A few things on my mind:
Baseball steroids - In my mind, I have just moved on from this. We'll never know who actually did steroids, and who didn't, and so for me, I just have stopped worrying about it. Yes, it is frustrating to think that there are cheaters out there, but I have been rooting for uniforms not people for a while, and I'm still entertained by the sport. Not to mention that in all the sports people are trying to find ways around the rules. What makes it bad for baseball is two things. First, the establishment of owners didn't do anything about the steroids problem, and second, that baseball is all about discussing the past and tradition, so having cheaters in the past is a bit of a problem for the game - moreso than in other sports. Speaking of steroids, has anyone seen a commercial for American Gladiators recently?
NFL - I still don't know exactly what went wrong with the Jets this year. I'd like to blame it all on poor O-line play, but that can't be the only thing. I guess some bad luck also played a role. I just hope that Chad Pennington (drafted by Bill Parcells) and Jonathan Vilma (University of Miami) don't end up on the Dolphins. By the way, I think if any team will beat New England, it would be the Jags, in a really snowy game. Unfortunately, the Jags need to get past the Steelers first.
President - Well isn't this a turnaround? Now Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama are the sudden frontrunners in Iowa. The more I hear about this Iowa caucus process, the more I am stunned at the way it has become such a historic event. It's totally different than a usual primary. If you have watched Meet the Press over the last few weeks, you would have seen that Ron Paul is crazy and that Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani will say anything to get elected. On the Republican side, I think the only reasonable candidate at this point is John McCain (surging in NH), and even he has had some flip flops recently (Bob Jones University). On the Democratic side, I like the idea of a Obama / Biden ticket, although it might be too Northern. John Edwards is playing the role of "angry liberal" and it's really annoying. He said something to the effect of, the only way to get change in Washington is to demand it. This guy is just trying too hard to anger the other side. I still get amused at the way that Hillary Clinton is painted as "too liberal" by conservatives and "too conservative" by liberals. It's a shame she's such a polarizing figure. I guess people just don't like "bossy women."
Finally - some brief thoughts on the comics I'm reading:
Marvel
Captain America - This is one of the best books out there. Captain America isn't even in the comic anymore, yet it still entertains! Bucky is alive and it's not too strange. Nice art, good espionage-style stories.
X-Men - I'll lump in all the X-Men books together and just say that the Messiah Complex is one of the best stories told in a while. It has a direction, lots of characters and action, and is self-contained. House of M really screwed up the X-Men, and the titles seem to finally be recovering. Here's hoping that the titles that come out after this crossover remain at high quality.
Astonishing X-Men - This is Joss Whedon's book, and it's been late a lot. It's pretty good but it would be better if it came out more routinely. Warren Ellis takes this over next spring and I have no idea what to X-pect (heh).
Runaways - Joss Whedon took over this book from Brian K Vaughan and it just has not been the same. Whedon's run ends in about two issues, and then I'll probably stop getting it.
Wolverine - Jeph Loeb wrote one of the worst stories I have ever read in comics earlier this year in Wolverine. At that point, I stopped getting Wolverine: Origins because I could not handle getting two crummy Wolverine books. Now Mark Guggenheim is writing a sort of strange story about how (via a sort of magical mechanism) Wolverine's healing factor works. It's kind of strange and directed at questions I never really had about the technicalities of the healing factor.
Spider-Man - I am NOT reading this title. I find the editorial crusade against the wedding of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson fascinating and depressing. Is it that hard to write good Spider-Man stories because he's married? I can't believe it is. On Friday we'll find out if Peter Parker's marriage is ending in the last part of One More Day. If it ends, I probably will never buy another Spider-Man comic.
X-Force - Coming soon after the Messiah Complex ends is this new title, X-Force. I will probably try it out, but let's first see how the Messiah Complex ends.
Fantastic Four - Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch are going to be working on Fantastic Four starting in February. Sounds great. On the other hand, remember when the "Ultimate" universe was supposed to get "special" treatment? I guess when the creators of "The Ultimates" start working on mainstream Marvel U, that's no longer true.
DC
Countdown to Final Crisis - This book is so strange. It is hard to follow, yet comes out every week. There have been a few good issues here and there, but the quality is poor overall and the stories just aren't that inspiring.
Batman and the Outsiders - Another enigma. It's only 3 issues in, but they changed the creative team last minute, and now it feels like they are trying to rearrange the pieces a bit. I will stick with it for a few issues and see what happens.
All Star Batman - Yet another strange book. I guess I chose to review all the DC oddities at the beginning. I love Jim Lee's art, and it's enough to get me to buy just about anything. Frank Miller's story started out as weird but has changed into strangely funny. Each issue, you can't help but think, how will he defile yet another DC super-hero?
Batman / Detective Comics - Grant Morrison and Paul Dini are writing the two flagship Batman books, which was supposed to make them great. Unfortunately, the quality overall has been somewhat lacking. The recent crossover, Resurrection of Ras al Ghul was a bust as it was boring, forced and too long. With Detective, even if you take the fill-in issues out of consideration, the story quality has also declined.
Action Comics - Richard Donner hasn't really been the co-writer of this title lately. The Bizarro storyline was not that good, in my opinion, and the book has had a ton of fill-in issues over the year. But the Legion of Super-Heroes story that just started seems to be really good. Writer Geoff Johns said that 2008 for Superman would be like 2007 for Green Lantern. If that's true, then this will be a great year for Superman comics.
All Star Superman - Grant Morrison's re-vamp of the Superman concept. This is quite good. I'm not sure if this ends at issue 12 or if it will keep going. Despite the quality of this title, on the whole, the All-Star line has to be considered a failure. After being announced in 2005, roughly 18 comics in the line have been released. That seems very limited. I wonder if any of the All-Star earths are in the multiverse.
Green Lantern - I had never purchased a Green Lantern comic on a regular basis until now. This title is amazing. The Sinestro Corps war was a great comic story, not to mention great crossover. They have me hooked for the next year and beyond. I really like how Geoff Johns has incorporated in nearly all of his books the "things to come" type panels. They really make for great teasers.
Wonder Woman - Until Allan Heinberg's brief stint, I had never purchased Wonder Woman on a regular basis. With Gail Simone, a popular writer, coming on board, I thought I would give it a shot. We're two issues in, and I still have this on a trial basis.
Booster Gold - Very entertaining, sort of "Quantum Leap" through the history of DC Comics. I'm not sure where it will go eventually, but right now the humor and single issue stories are making this spin-off of 52 one of my favorites.
Justice Society of America - Another great book. The introduction of Kingdom Come Superman to the JSA seems a bit strange, but I think the details will all play out in the Final Crisis.
Justice League of America - Brad Meltzer had a very character-driven approach to this book. New writer Dwayne McDuffie seems to have more of an action-oriented approach. Frankly, I haven't been too impressed. The most recent issue brought back the concept of Tangent DC for reasons known only to DC editorial (Final Crisis?) and was horrible. I hope this gets better.
Ex-Machina - A solid offering from Brian K Vaughan.
Planetary, WildCATs - Where are these books? Grant Morrison's Authority has been discontinued after 2 issues. The Authority are totally irrelevant now. At least there's still the old stuff. I hope WildCATs will eventually be back with Jim Lee at the helm. Planetary only has one more issue left!!
In sum:
I'm reading 19 titles that come out on a regular basis. I REALLY like ten of them right now (Captain America, Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, Astonishing X-Men, Action Comics, All Star Superman, Green Lantern, Booster Gold, Justice Society, Ex-Machina). I get All Star Batman just for the art. There is significant room for improvement in Batman, Detective Comics, Justice League of America and Wolverine. I'm just running out the string with Runaways and Countdown to Final Crisis. The jury's out on two of them: Batman and the Outsiders and Wonder Woman. Finally, I'm looking forward to Fantastic Four.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
A Noun, a Verb and 9/11
Nice line from Senator Biden...
John McCain - can lines like this earn him a comeback?
John McCain - can lines like this earn him a comeback?
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Happier Times
Those were the days, when it was the Yankees who had a World Series games winning streak.
It's great how the Daily Show now has archives of all their video since 1999 online. What an impressive collection. I stumbled upon this video while looking at some of the early stuff. Doesn't Jon Stewart look so young?
Monday, October 29, 2007
Mariska Hargitay Gets Benefits from the Police?
In a curious article, Mariska Hargitay says she can't seem to get away from Law and Order. Why do I find this article so curious? Well, first of all, how does this little anecdote justify an article? After all, Law and Order:SVU has been on the USA Network nearly 24/7 for years, and the fact that a celebrity gets recognized while she's on vacation hardly seems like news. Second, it checks in at 191 words, which seems incredibly short even for CNN.com.
Also, it seems silly for there to be a 34 word summary at the top of the article.
Finally, Hargitay notes that cops have been "very patient" with her. Why would they need to be patient with her? Why is she getting stopped so often? Doesn't anyone else find this surprising?
Oddly enough, while I'm writing this, it's the #8 article under CNN.com's "Most Popular" section.
Robot Chicken Getting Posted Before Actual Air Times?
I didn't see this noted anywhere - episodes of Robot Chicken on Adult Swim are getting posted online before they air on television. Case in point, I watched last night's episode around 8pm EST, but it wasn't set to debut until 11:30pm. I wonder if this is intentional.
Dumbledore
Thanks to gossip site JustJared.com for this one -- not only has Dumbledore been outed, but smokes and wears a mean beard cover!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Rudy's for the Sox
I couldn't believe it when I saw it: Rudy Giuliani is rooting for the Red Sox in the World Series. Here's his explanation (and impressively, it has nothing to do with being in a post-9/11 world).
“I will be rooting for the Red Sox because I’m an American League fan, and my tradition has been to root for the American League team, particularly if it’s a team that beats the Yankees. And in this case, you won the division and we lost. Somehow it makes me feel better if the team that was ahead of the Yankees wins the World Series, because then I feel like, well, we’re not that bad.”
Talk about a load of horse dung. Maybe it's because the people of good ol' New Hampshire are part of Red Sox Nation? It's amazing since he has often criticized Hillary Clinton supposed Yankee loyalty.
The Daily News reminds us that Giuliani doubted he could ever root for Boston back in July, and that Mrs. Clinton has learned a lesson saying, "Neither of my teams is in, I'm going to be an interested but dispassionate observer."
Finally, I would like to add that I would never pick a President based on which teams a candidate roots for, however in this instance, I get the sense this is another clear example of pandering by Giuliani, a very undesirable trait.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Are we going to war with Iran? (and other thoughts)
A few thoughts:
1) Are we trying to go to war with Iran? New sanctions today? I didn't even realize we traded anything with them! The markets aren't looking so good, the Canadian dollar is worth as much as the US dollar, we're entangled with Iraq and Afghanistan and now we're acting tough towards Iran? It seems like we're nearing a critical point these days where things can go totally south, really fast.
2) Looks like the Red Sox are going to win the World Series. I am completely envious of the Boston sports scene, and the fact that it's the Red Sox / Patriots makes it even worse. With the Red Sox, are they the "new Yankees?" I thought this the other day and then suddenly Bill Rhoden of the NY Times read my mind and wrote a column about it. Unfortunately I never wrote that thought down anywhere and have no proof that it happened first. But think about it - big payroll, recent success, low key manager, fans with unattainable expectations and national popularity... you get the picture.
2a) I never understood Mets fans who root for the Red Sox just to spite Yankees fans.
2b) I have also never understood the recent fad of rooting for the Red Sox because they're the anti-Yankees. That bugs me to no end - if you're going to be anti-mainstream, you can't root for the same team as everyone else!
2c) The Patriots are good, huh? They haven't scored less than 99 points in a game (give or take 70). They rely on a passing attack. The defense seems to allow relatively many points - I'm guessing that it's because they play a "prevent" style most of the time. Hmm. High scoring offense + passing attack = "finesse offense" right? I'd like to make that label stick. I suspect they will adjust to the cold weather well, but I think that might be their only challenge to going undefeated.
2d) Thinking about it the other day - it obviously pains me that the Red Sox are in the World Series and incredibly hot against Cleveland, the same team that shut down the Yankees. First, because I think the Yanks had a good shot at actually beating Boston, and second because it looks like they're on their way to another hot streak + title a la 2004. Here's hoping David Ortiz boots a few ground balls and Kevin Youkilis gets lost in the outfield while playing at Coors.
2e) You'd never realize the Yankee facial hair rule until you watch Boston on a regular basis. Even a hardcore fan has to admit that the Red Sox have their own roving police lineup. Goatees are the "official facial hair" of the Sox: Kevin Youkilis, Jason Varitek, Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett, Eric Gagne, Eric Hinske and JD Drew are all among the white dudes with goatees.
2f) I don't mind the Yankees being knocked out and the Jets stinking so much but the Knicks just add insult to injury. I have to admit, however, that last season was really entertaining off the court. I hadn't followed the Knicks so closely in years!
2g) Will the next Jets / Miami game be for the #1 pick overall? I suppose that's a bit of a stretch right now, but it could be. The Jets have actually been surprisingly close in every game. That sort of makes the misery worse.
3) Joe Torre got fired. Well, actually, he didn't get re-hired. Sort of a crummy way to end it all, huh? Too bad, I think it would have been nice to part ways with him on good terms!
4) Back to politics: a few words on the Presidential contenders...
4a) Rudy Giuliani - Can this guy go one minute without mentioning 9/11? Can he go 30 seconds without mentioning either 9/11 or Hillary Clinton?
4b) Mitt Romney - Just seems like such a businessman. The funny thing with him is he's changed positions on social issues as much as Giuliani (see: gun control) but for some reason he gets more flack for it (see: not involved with 9/11).
4c) Fred Thompson - That didn't last long, huh?
4d) John McCain - He goes to Bob Jones University after criticizing it, then says that Mitt Romney changes his mind too much. Once a maverick, now part of the establishment.
4e) Mike Huckabee - He seems like a nice person who I don't agree with very much. But he also lost a ton of weight, which has to be commended.
4f) John Edwards - Trying to offer a more liberal viewpoint than Obama or Clinton and comes up pretty flat. I think the group of people that were inspired by him back in '04 are now lined up behind Obama. My lasting memory of him is when he awkwardly mentioned Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter back in the 2004 VP debates.
4g) Joe Biden - I wonder why his campaign hasn't gained as much traction. He's always on the Sunday AM talk shows and has a ton of experience. It must be because he talks too much.
4h) Bill Richardson - Summary of his campaign: he said on Meet the Press that he roots for both the Red Sox and Yankees. Some would say Hillary did the same thing in her hypothetical "rooting for both sides" if the Cubs and Yankees made the World Series. Can someone tell politicians that nobody cares what teams they root for as long as they just stick to one? Rudy is a Yankees fan and I don't think it will cost him any Massachusetts votes.
4i) Barack Obama - I think this guy could actually bring some ideas to the table and take action if he got elected. At this point, however, seems more style over substance.
4j) Hillary Clinton - She's come a long way, but some people just absolutely hate her. Why? It's true, she doesn't seem like a very nice person, but most of these candidates don't. From what it seems like, she is one of the hardest working candidates in that she is always preparing and rehearsing and never makes a mistake while in a public appearance. As it turns out, back in 1993 she didn't shy away from introducing some pretty radical legislation. If you think about it, that sort of change rarely happens any more. My only fear is that the Republicans seem so eager to use her as a target, and that if she becomes the nominee, all the hate directed towards her will lead to another Republican President.
5) On flip-flopping. It's noted as such a negative, but people change their minds all the time - especially on non-moral issues. Consider that the popularity of the Iraq war has completely changed since it started. Does that mean most of the US public has flip-flopped on this issue? Or have we just received more information? Why is there a double standard for our leaders changing their minds? In fact, I would suggest that the best leaders do change their minds when confronted with overwhelming evidence against their original position.
6) While we're talking about the Presidency... Everyone says, "Whoever wins Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina will be a force to contend with." Why is this? The populations of these states are tiny and don't necessarily represent microcosms of the US in terms of opinions or priorities. Then with the primaries - all the jockeying for position on the political calendar is ridiculous. It's really pathetic how states like Michigan and Florida trying to move their primaries up so they can become relevant and reap the benefits of campaign dollars.
7) Fox News: I've watched about five minutes of it in the last week and can't stand it. Bill O'Reilly had a Democratic strategist on last night and they were talking about the California fires. O'Reilly was upset Democrats in Congress were trying to use Iraq as a reason that there was not enough National Guard support. He says, "I'm no expert, but there's enough support for the firefighters." Wait - if he's no expert, then how does he know if there's enough support? Then a week ago, Hannity and Colmes had family members of murder victims on and they were talking about how the convicted murderer needed a bone marrow transplant and how it was preposterous that the state would pay for his transplant and medical care (roughly $300,000). So instead we let him die in prison? At best, that's euthanasia and at worst that's cruel and uncivilized.
8) Full circle here. Would we actually attack Iran to prevent them from getting nuclear weapons? That seems a little scary to me. By the way, what do Osama bin Laden, nuclear weapons and military dictatorship have in common? They're all in Pakistan! Yay!
1) Are we trying to go to war with Iran? New sanctions today? I didn't even realize we traded anything with them! The markets aren't looking so good, the Canadian dollar is worth as much as the US dollar, we're entangled with Iraq and Afghanistan and now we're acting tough towards Iran? It seems like we're nearing a critical point these days where things can go totally south, really fast.
2) Looks like the Red Sox are going to win the World Series. I am completely envious of the Boston sports scene, and the fact that it's the Red Sox / Patriots makes it even worse. With the Red Sox, are they the "new Yankees?" I thought this the other day and then suddenly Bill Rhoden of the NY Times read my mind and wrote a column about it. Unfortunately I never wrote that thought down anywhere and have no proof that it happened first. But think about it - big payroll, recent success, low key manager, fans with unattainable expectations and national popularity... you get the picture.
2a) I never understood Mets fans who root for the Red Sox just to spite Yankees fans.
2b) I have also never understood the recent fad of rooting for the Red Sox because they're the anti-Yankees. That bugs me to no end - if you're going to be anti-mainstream, you can't root for the same team as everyone else!
2c) The Patriots are good, huh? They haven't scored less than 99 points in a game (give or take 70). They rely on a passing attack. The defense seems to allow relatively many points - I'm guessing that it's because they play a "prevent" style most of the time. Hmm. High scoring offense + passing attack = "finesse offense" right? I'd like to make that label stick. I suspect they will adjust to the cold weather well, but I think that might be their only challenge to going undefeated.
2d) Thinking about it the other day - it obviously pains me that the Red Sox are in the World Series and incredibly hot against Cleveland, the same team that shut down the Yankees. First, because I think the Yanks had a good shot at actually beating Boston, and second because it looks like they're on their way to another hot streak + title a la 2004. Here's hoping David Ortiz boots a few ground balls and Kevin Youkilis gets lost in the outfield while playing at Coors.
2e) You'd never realize the Yankee facial hair rule until you watch Boston on a regular basis. Even a hardcore fan has to admit that the Red Sox have their own roving police lineup. Goatees are the "official facial hair" of the Sox: Kevin Youkilis, Jason Varitek, Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett, Eric Gagne, Eric Hinske and JD Drew are all among the white dudes with goatees.
2f) I don't mind the Yankees being knocked out and the Jets stinking so much but the Knicks just add insult to injury. I have to admit, however, that last season was really entertaining off the court. I hadn't followed the Knicks so closely in years!
2g) Will the next Jets / Miami game be for the #1 pick overall? I suppose that's a bit of a stretch right now, but it could be. The Jets have actually been surprisingly close in every game. That sort of makes the misery worse.
3) Joe Torre got fired. Well, actually, he didn't get re-hired. Sort of a crummy way to end it all, huh? Too bad, I think it would have been nice to part ways with him on good terms!
4) Back to politics: a few words on the Presidential contenders...
4a) Rudy Giuliani - Can this guy go one minute without mentioning 9/11? Can he go 30 seconds without mentioning either 9/11 or Hillary Clinton?
4b) Mitt Romney - Just seems like such a businessman. The funny thing with him is he's changed positions on social issues as much as Giuliani (see: gun control) but for some reason he gets more flack for it (see: not involved with 9/11).
4c) Fred Thompson - That didn't last long, huh?
4d) John McCain - He goes to Bob Jones University after criticizing it, then says that Mitt Romney changes his mind too much. Once a maverick, now part of the establishment.
4e) Mike Huckabee - He seems like a nice person who I don't agree with very much. But he also lost a ton of weight, which has to be commended.
4f) John Edwards - Trying to offer a more liberal viewpoint than Obama or Clinton and comes up pretty flat. I think the group of people that were inspired by him back in '04 are now lined up behind Obama. My lasting memory of him is when he awkwardly mentioned Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter back in the 2004 VP debates.
4g) Joe Biden - I wonder why his campaign hasn't gained as much traction. He's always on the Sunday AM talk shows and has a ton of experience. It must be because he talks too much.
4h) Bill Richardson - Summary of his campaign: he said on Meet the Press that he roots for both the Red Sox and Yankees. Some would say Hillary did the same thing in her hypothetical "rooting for both sides" if the Cubs and Yankees made the World Series. Can someone tell politicians that nobody cares what teams they root for as long as they just stick to one? Rudy is a Yankees fan and I don't think it will cost him any Massachusetts votes.
4i) Barack Obama - I think this guy could actually bring some ideas to the table and take action if he got elected. At this point, however, seems more style over substance.
4j) Hillary Clinton - She's come a long way, but some people just absolutely hate her. Why? It's true, she doesn't seem like a very nice person, but most of these candidates don't. From what it seems like, she is one of the hardest working candidates in that she is always preparing and rehearsing and never makes a mistake while in a public appearance. As it turns out, back in 1993 she didn't shy away from introducing some pretty radical legislation. If you think about it, that sort of change rarely happens any more. My only fear is that the Republicans seem so eager to use her as a target, and that if she becomes the nominee, all the hate directed towards her will lead to another Republican President.
5) On flip-flopping. It's noted as such a negative, but people change their minds all the time - especially on non-moral issues. Consider that the popularity of the Iraq war has completely changed since it started. Does that mean most of the US public has flip-flopped on this issue? Or have we just received more information? Why is there a double standard for our leaders changing their minds? In fact, I would suggest that the best leaders do change their minds when confronted with overwhelming evidence against their original position.
6) While we're talking about the Presidency... Everyone says, "Whoever wins Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina will be a force to contend with." Why is this? The populations of these states are tiny and don't necessarily represent microcosms of the US in terms of opinions or priorities. Then with the primaries - all the jockeying for position on the political calendar is ridiculous. It's really pathetic how states like Michigan and Florida trying to move their primaries up so they can become relevant and reap the benefits of campaign dollars.
7) Fox News: I've watched about five minutes of it in the last week and can't stand it. Bill O'Reilly had a Democratic strategist on last night and they were talking about the California fires. O'Reilly was upset Democrats in Congress were trying to use Iraq as a reason that there was not enough National Guard support. He says, "I'm no expert, but there's enough support for the firefighters." Wait - if he's no expert, then how does he know if there's enough support? Then a week ago, Hannity and Colmes had family members of murder victims on and they were talking about how the convicted murderer needed a bone marrow transplant and how it was preposterous that the state would pay for his transplant and medical care (roughly $300,000). So instead we let him die in prison? At best, that's euthanasia and at worst that's cruel and uncivilized.
8) Full circle here. Would we actually attack Iran to prevent them from getting nuclear weapons? That seems a little scary to me. By the way, what do Osama bin Laden, nuclear weapons and military dictatorship have in common? They're all in Pakistan! Yay!
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Are the Jets out of it at 1-3?
Watching the Jets last Sunday, I had the feeling that they were out of it if they lost to the Bills. Forgetting how poorly the team has looked in general, since they've lost to three conference opponents, it makes the playoffs even less likely in their case.
While this is a particularly pessimistic view of the rest of the season for the Jets, I was looking at the standings, and noticed a few other teams with very high expectations who are at 1-3. Do any of them have a chance? I'm not so sure.
Philadelphia
Chicago
San Diego
Cincinnati
New Orleans is 0-3, and they had high hopes. Minnesota, Buffalo and Atlanta are 1-3, but I don't think their expectations were as high entering the season.
The players keep saying it's a long season, but I don't think it will make a difference. All of these 1-3 teams have pretty significant weaknesses; barring injuries to the teams above them, I think the season might be over for them.
While this is a particularly pessimistic view of the rest of the season for the Jets, I was looking at the standings, and noticed a few other teams with very high expectations who are at 1-3. Do any of them have a chance? I'm not so sure.
Philadelphia
Chicago
San Diego
Cincinnati
New Orleans is 0-3, and they had high hopes. Minnesota, Buffalo and Atlanta are 1-3, but I don't think their expectations were as high entering the season.
The players keep saying it's a long season, but I don't think it will make a difference. All of these 1-3 teams have pretty significant weaknesses; barring injuries to the teams above them, I think the season might be over for them.
Baseball Briefly
I feel bad for Mets fans. There's not much more to say, other than one positive that has come from all their misery is the absolutely entertaining sports radio over the last three+ days.
Reviewing the potential World Series match-ups:
Colorado vs anyone is a tough World Series for the AL. I think going to Coors Field could prove very difficult for any pitching staff, especially one from the AL who might not be used to going there.
The Cubs haven't won the World Series since 1908, so if they make it, it will be a huge storyline no matter the opponent. Of course, fans will likely be dreading every moment on the way there. A match-up versus Boston or NY is made more appealing due to the historic ballparks, etc. With NY, specifically, Lou Pinella, Alfonso Soriano and Ted Lilly all had ties with the Yankees at one point. With Boston, I wonder: Would Red Sox Nation have sympathy with the Cubs' predicament? Remember in 2003 when people predicted the two teams might meet in the World Series, only to have both lose? So much has changed since then, hasn't it?
I don't know anything about Arizona and don't have much of a sense of their dynamic. I suspect that's not an uncommon feeling, especially on the East Coast. If they played the Angels, the two teams would be wearing virtually the same uniforms.
The Phillies have only won one championship in their history, 1980. If the Phillies play the Yankees, who does the Met fan root for? Phillies vs Cleveland would be a chance for Charlie Manuel to return to Cleveland, the team he once managed.
The Indians haven't won a championship since 1948. This year is 10 years after they knocked out the Mariano Rivera and the Yankees. Also, the Yankees have not had much success as a wild card - and it's been heartbreaking finishes each time.
Yankees, D'backs, Angels and Red Sox have all won championships since 2000. It looks like there's a lot of parity in the NL, the AL still has a few powerhouses that the rest contend with.
Reviewing the potential World Series match-ups:
Colorado vs anyone is a tough World Series for the AL. I think going to Coors Field could prove very difficult for any pitching staff, especially one from the AL who might not be used to going there.
The Cubs haven't won the World Series since 1908, so if they make it, it will be a huge storyline no matter the opponent. Of course, fans will likely be dreading every moment on the way there. A match-up versus Boston or NY is made more appealing due to the historic ballparks, etc. With NY, specifically, Lou Pinella, Alfonso Soriano and Ted Lilly all had ties with the Yankees at one point. With Boston, I wonder: Would Red Sox Nation have sympathy with the Cubs' predicament? Remember in 2003 when people predicted the two teams might meet in the World Series, only to have both lose? So much has changed since then, hasn't it?
I don't know anything about Arizona and don't have much of a sense of their dynamic. I suspect that's not an uncommon feeling, especially on the East Coast. If they played the Angels, the two teams would be wearing virtually the same uniforms.
The Phillies have only won one championship in their history, 1980. If the Phillies play the Yankees, who does the Met fan root for? Phillies vs Cleveland would be a chance for Charlie Manuel to return to Cleveland, the team he once managed.
The Indians haven't won a championship since 1948. This year is 10 years after they knocked out the Mariano Rivera and the Yankees. Also, the Yankees have not had much success as a wild card - and it's been heartbreaking finishes each time.
Yankees, D'backs, Angels and Red Sox have all won championships since 2000. It looks like there's a lot of parity in the NL, the AL still has a few powerhouses that the rest contend with.
Friday, September 28, 2007
File "The O'Reilly Factor" Under "Comedy"
Even without the Daily Show poking fun at him, the stuff he says is hilarious!
Monday, September 10, 2007
Boos and Illegal Cameras
Two more quick notes about the game yesterday:
-Many people have noted that the Giants Stadium crowd booed Chad Pennington when he limped off the field, including the ol' Wacky Chinaman. It's pretty embarrassing. While this is expected in a city like Philadelphia, it's not expected in New York. Perhaps it should be. New York fans, while considered to be educated, passionate, use whatever adjectives you want, have recently shown that they have a very short memory. The phenomenon has gotten worse and worse over time. At first I thought it started with the Mets fans, who had two recent cycles of big spending and underperforming. Most notably, Mike Piazza was getting booed towards the end of his Met career (despite being basically the best Met ever aside from Tom Seaver) and Carlos Beltran getting booed on opening day at home in his second year as a Met. But Yankee fans showed they are not immune to this sort of stupidity, booing Derek Jeter a few years back after his slow start. A-Rod heard the jeers from the crowd regularly last year despite winning the MVP the year before. Like I said, I don't know if this is something new or if it's just something I am noticing more often, but booing Chad Pennington isn't a huge surprise. However, just because it's not a surprise doesn't make it right. I have a theory that sports radio may be to blame, because it is the source of all kinds of outrageous opinions, but for now it's just a theory.
-Apparently the Patriots had some sort of camera on the sidelines that might have been used to steal the defensive signals of the Jets. Apparently this isn't the first time they've run into this sort of problem. As much as I would love to believe that this is why the Patriots beat the Jets so easily, I have a lot of trouble with this accusation. If it were true it would make the Patriots seem unbelievably insecure. Too unbelievably. They've beaten the Jets repeatedly in recent years and are on paper a better team. Why would they feel the need to cheat? There's also no way they could have maintained the sort of success that they have had even if they had stolen signs or whatever. Why were they doing something similar in Green Bay last year? Who knows, but I also don't think that the Green Bay people should have said anything until the investigation was complete. Was there something fishy going on? Perhaps, but I doubt it is as serious as it sounds in the news stories.
-Apparently the penalty for a team that does something like use an illegal camera to take photos during a game is loss of a draft pick or a fine. That doesn't seem like much to me. If it's such a big deal, the offending team should be forced to forfeit the game. However, I don't really know how a team could benefit significantly from this sort of gamesmanship. Who cares about fines and draft picks? Even the loss of one first round pick isn't the end of the world.
-Many people have noted that the Giants Stadium crowd booed Chad Pennington when he limped off the field, including the ol' Wacky Chinaman. It's pretty embarrassing. While this is expected in a city like Philadelphia, it's not expected in New York. Perhaps it should be. New York fans, while considered to be educated, passionate, use whatever adjectives you want, have recently shown that they have a very short memory. The phenomenon has gotten worse and worse over time. At first I thought it started with the Mets fans, who had two recent cycles of big spending and underperforming. Most notably, Mike Piazza was getting booed towards the end of his Met career (despite being basically the best Met ever aside from Tom Seaver) and Carlos Beltran getting booed on opening day at home in his second year as a Met. But Yankee fans showed they are not immune to this sort of stupidity, booing Derek Jeter a few years back after his slow start. A-Rod heard the jeers from the crowd regularly last year despite winning the MVP the year before. Like I said, I don't know if this is something new or if it's just something I am noticing more often, but booing Chad Pennington isn't a huge surprise. However, just because it's not a surprise doesn't make it right. I have a theory that sports radio may be to blame, because it is the source of all kinds of outrageous opinions, but for now it's just a theory.
-Apparently the Patriots had some sort of camera on the sidelines that might have been used to steal the defensive signals of the Jets. Apparently this isn't the first time they've run into this sort of problem. As much as I would love to believe that this is why the Patriots beat the Jets so easily, I have a lot of trouble with this accusation. If it were true it would make the Patriots seem unbelievably insecure. Too unbelievably. They've beaten the Jets repeatedly in recent years and are on paper a better team. Why would they feel the need to cheat? There's also no way they could have maintained the sort of success that they have had even if they had stolen signs or whatever. Why were they doing something similar in Green Bay last year? Who knows, but I also don't think that the Green Bay people should have said anything until the investigation was complete. Was there something fishy going on? Perhaps, but I doubt it is as serious as it sounds in the news stories.
-Apparently the penalty for a team that does something like use an illegal camera to take photos during a game is loss of a draft pick or a fine. That doesn't seem like much to me. If it's such a big deal, the offending team should be forced to forfeit the game. However, I don't really know how a team could benefit significantly from this sort of gamesmanship. Who cares about fines and draft picks? Even the loss of one first round pick isn't the end of the world.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
KFB Flashback - 7/21/07 - Baltimore Orioles at Oakland Athletics
During the month of July, I was in the SF Bay Area and caught both of the local teams. Here are some shots from the bleachers in Oakland, including a short 6 second video.
This hot dog was gigantic, I couldn't believe it.
This hot dog was gigantic, I couldn't believe it.
Patriots Win, Jets Lose, Let the Agony Begin...
The Jets lost to the Patriots today, 38-14 and really looked pretty beaten up throughout the game.
The game was totally over once the Pats returned a kickoff for 108 yards. You have to just tip your cap to Hobbs' return - I did not think he would have tried to run that back. Just goes to show how the day was going for the Jets. Kicker Mike Nugent spent the offseason bulking up, kicks a deep ball that he probably would have never kicked last year, and it gets run back for a record setting touchdown!
Well, my worst fears were confirmed as the lack of a left guard hurt the Jets this game. As you may recall, Pete Kendall had a contract dispute and got traded to the Redskins during the preseason. The lack of good protection affected Pennington and the running game. Here's a few things I noticed:
-First, the Pennington injury - shades of Vinny Testaverde going down in 1999 on opening day. One can blame this on Pennington's "lack of durability" all one wants, but let's face it - lack of a left guard was to blame here. The missed coverage came from the blind side. He was under pressure all day as well, it's impressive he passed as well as he did.
-The running game was in total disarray. The Jets didn't run much play action passing, which surprised me, but I suspect that the heavy pressure made it difficult to pull this off. Also a lack of running game - probably due to no holes being open. It was telling when Thomas Jones ran for about 10 yards in the second quarter and screamed and jumped in the air as if he had just scored a touchdown!
-Chad Pennington played very well in the passing game, but I was surprised about the fact that he only threw to Coles and Cotchery most of the game. Again, I blame the lack of a left guard here, as it didn't look like they ran much in a way of spread formations in order to keep Pennington protected.
Then there's the Patriots. They looked very good, although I wonder if the Jets offense had been more balanced if the game would have been closer. Pennington ended up passing pretty well, despite their pressure, and I think if the Jets had created some running lanes that they could have kept the Patriots off balance a little more. Randy Moss obviously is over his hamstring problem and Tom Brady looks like he's in great form despite his supposed shoulder problem. The Pats should be able to do very well in the passing game and put up points but I actually thought the Jets did reasonably well against the run. I was also surprised that it seemed like the Jets stuck with a three man rush against the Pats, and it didn't seem like they blitzed too much.
Overall, I'm surprised that the Jets got rid of Kendall so easily. The blind side of the QB was trusted to some novices and it looks like it's going to hurt in a number of ways. Now we have this injury to deal with as well. There are no favors in the Jets schedule either - they have Baltimore, Miami, Buffalo and the Giants coming up. Baltimore and Miami are going to be tough if the protection isn't there on the line, and then division game Buffalo will be intense, as will the inter-city battle vs the Giants. I think the Jets are more talented than the last three teams, but these games still seem pretty tough.
The game was totally over once the Pats returned a kickoff for 108 yards. You have to just tip your cap to Hobbs' return - I did not think he would have tried to run that back. Just goes to show how the day was going for the Jets. Kicker Mike Nugent spent the offseason bulking up, kicks a deep ball that he probably would have never kicked last year, and it gets run back for a record setting touchdown!
Well, my worst fears were confirmed as the lack of a left guard hurt the Jets this game. As you may recall, Pete Kendall had a contract dispute and got traded to the Redskins during the preseason. The lack of good protection affected Pennington and the running game. Here's a few things I noticed:
-First, the Pennington injury - shades of Vinny Testaverde going down in 1999 on opening day. One can blame this on Pennington's "lack of durability" all one wants, but let's face it - lack of a left guard was to blame here. The missed coverage came from the blind side. He was under pressure all day as well, it's impressive he passed as well as he did.
-The running game was in total disarray. The Jets didn't run much play action passing, which surprised me, but I suspect that the heavy pressure made it difficult to pull this off. Also a lack of running game - probably due to no holes being open. It was telling when Thomas Jones ran for about 10 yards in the second quarter and screamed and jumped in the air as if he had just scored a touchdown!
-Chad Pennington played very well in the passing game, but I was surprised about the fact that he only threw to Coles and Cotchery most of the game. Again, I blame the lack of a left guard here, as it didn't look like they ran much in a way of spread formations in order to keep Pennington protected.
Then there's the Patriots. They looked very good, although I wonder if the Jets offense had been more balanced if the game would have been closer. Pennington ended up passing pretty well, despite their pressure, and I think if the Jets had created some running lanes that they could have kept the Patriots off balance a little more. Randy Moss obviously is over his hamstring problem and Tom Brady looks like he's in great form despite his supposed shoulder problem. The Pats should be able to do very well in the passing game and put up points but I actually thought the Jets did reasonably well against the run. I was also surprised that it seemed like the Jets stuck with a three man rush against the Pats, and it didn't seem like they blitzed too much.
Overall, I'm surprised that the Jets got rid of Kendall so easily. The blind side of the QB was trusted to some novices and it looks like it's going to hurt in a number of ways. Now we have this injury to deal with as well. There are no favors in the Jets schedule either - they have Baltimore, Miami, Buffalo and the Giants coming up. Baltimore and Miami are going to be tough if the protection isn't there on the line, and then division game Buffalo will be intense, as will the inter-city battle vs the Giants. I think the Jets are more talented than the last three teams, but these games still seem pretty tough.
KFB Flashback - 6/16/07 - New York Mets at New York Yankees
As I mentioned before, I got to see three Yankees games in one week. Three victories as well. The Mets / Yankees game was the game with the best seats as well so please enjoy this bunch of photos.
It was a long time ago, so I don't really remember the details. There was a rain delay in the game that made it really long.
At some point in the week, but not at this game, Miguel Cairo was at bat with the bases loaded. Inside the Stadium, John Sterling could be heard saying, "Miguel Cairo is having a bad year, but he is a clutch player, and the kind of hitter you want with the bases loaded." Meanwhile, on YES, there was a stat listed, "Career with bases loaded: .224 AVG." Just another day listening to the Yankees.
It was a long time ago, so I don't really remember the details. There was a rain delay in the game that made it really long.
At some point in the week, but not at this game, Miguel Cairo was at bat with the bases loaded. Inside the Stadium, John Sterling could be heard saying, "Miguel Cairo is having a bad year, but he is a clutch player, and the kind of hitter you want with the bases loaded." Meanwhile, on YES, there was a stat listed, "Career with bases loaded: .224 AVG." Just another day listening to the Yankees.
Friday, September 07, 2007
KFB Flashback - 6/13/07 - Arizona Diamondbacks at New York Yankees
What a strange week it was - I had planned on going to the bat day game, and then suddenly I got tickets to this Thursday evening game against Arizona and also the Saturday game against the Mets! As it turns out, the Yankees won every game I went to this summer.
First time I've been in the bleachers in a while. Johnny Damon was really close to us!
First time I've been in the bleachers in a while. Johnny Damon was really close to us!
KFB Flashback - 6/10/07 Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Yankees
This is a game I went to a while back. I took a photo of Luis Vizcaino at the time because he was so horrible and I was going to complain about him. He improved significantly over the course of the season. Now I can complain about how Joe Torre has overused him this year, and had to have an MRI on his right shoulder the other day.
#19 is Tyler Clippard. Remember him? He was one of the 13 rookies that the Yankees have trotted out this year as a starter. Times were really bleak back in June - I can't believe the Yankees are now in the wild card lead!
#19 is Tyler Clippard. Remember him? He was one of the 13 rookies that the Yankees have trotted out this year as a starter. Times were really bleak back in June - I can't believe the Yankees are now in the wild card lead!
KFB Flashback - 5/16/07 - Yankee Stadium Tour
Back on May 16, I went on a tour of Yankee Stadium. Here are some of the highlights.
Construction of the new Yankee Stadium has begun.
That's Brian Cashman, playing basketball with local kids during lunchtime. One of the tour guides told me that this is pretty common.
View from the press box.
View of the press box.
I think this is where "Cotton Eye Joe" of the 8th inning fame works.
This is the Yankee dugout.
View from center field.
Monument park.
More monument park.
Yankee bullpen.
The bat. Before the game - meet me at the bat.
This is the hallway from the Yankee clubhouse to the dugout.
Construction of the new Yankee Stadium has begun.
That's Brian Cashman, playing basketball with local kids during lunchtime. One of the tour guides told me that this is pretty common.
View from the press box.
View of the press box.
I think this is where "Cotton Eye Joe" of the 8th inning fame works.
This is the Yankee dugout.
View from center field.
Monument park.
More monument park.
Yankee bullpen.
The bat. Before the game - meet me at the bat.
This is the hallway from the Yankee clubhouse to the dugout.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Tiki
Has any professional athlete become less likeable following his retirement than Tiki Barber? Maybe Jose Canseco?
I was already down on Tiki before retirement - he seemed like such a self-promoter, willing to say anything to please the media - but he's constantly criticized current Giants personnel including QB Eli Manning and coach Tom Coughlin since his retirement. Why not talk to these guys while you were on the same team? Maybe then the team wouldn't have done poorly in the playoffs. By the way - Tiki's best years? Under Coach Coughlin.
I was already down on Tiki before retirement - he seemed like such a self-promoter, willing to say anything to please the media - but he's constantly criticized current Giants personnel including QB Eli Manning and coach Tom Coughlin since his retirement. Why not talk to these guys while you were on the same team? Maybe then the team wouldn't have done poorly in the playoffs. By the way - Tiki's best years? Under Coach Coughlin.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Not to be a pessimistic Jets fan but...
I am still a Jets fan, so I have to be entitled to a little worrying.
I'm worried about the offensive line and how they traded LG Pete Kendall with no other options. This seems like a bad move. Chad Pennington has less protection and there's no stand-out player to take Kendall's place.
Things are made worse with the injury to Thomas Jones. Nobody knows how long he'll be out and he was their major acquisition in the off season.
Finally the secondary, which was supposed to be better with Darelle Revis is still weak due to injuries to Andre Dyson and Justin Miller.
The expectations are high for this team this season. Before training camp started, I was pretty optimistic, but these early bumps in the road have me very worried, especially with the first game of the year coming against the Patriots.
I'm worried about the offensive line and how they traded LG Pete Kendall with no other options. This seems like a bad move. Chad Pennington has less protection and there's no stand-out player to take Kendall's place.
Things are made worse with the injury to Thomas Jones. Nobody knows how long he'll be out and he was their major acquisition in the off season.
Finally the secondary, which was supposed to be better with Darelle Revis is still weak due to injuries to Andre Dyson and Justin Miller.
The expectations are high for this team this season. Before training camp started, I was pretty optimistic, but these early bumps in the road have me very worried, especially with the first game of the year coming against the Patriots.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
In the News...
Since there is not a lot of new programming on television in the summertime, I have been watching news and sports programming. Here are some of the more ridiculous stories I have seen. Some credit must go to the Daily Show and Colbert Report as well.
Florida State Representative Bob Allen was arrested for offering oral sex to a police department. Why was Allen do it? He was scared the undercover cop (an African-American) was going to hurt him! Nice alibi.
Moving over to the Garden State - poor Miss New Jersey. Someone was trying to blackmail her with photos from her facebook account. Who would do such a thing? Maybe, Miss New Jersey, you shouldn't have posted photos of you making out with all these random dudes. Check out the clip from Today. It's hilarious. How does Matt Lauer keep a straight face through the interview? Especially when she shows the photo of her boyfriend with his mouth over her (fully clothed) breast and says, "Oh but he's VERY intelligent."
In Iowa, Mitt Romney committed a faux pax when he was asked about how his sons would serve the war on terror. How can they help? By traveling around the country and supporting their father's bid for Presidency. What a sacrifice!
Over in Thailand, police officers who break the rules must wear a pink Hello Kitty armband for shame and punishment. Is this to encourage petty crooks to snicker at the cops trying to arrest them? I'm imagining a Thai police officer trying to arrest this teenager for graffiti and having difficulty because the kid is just cracking up.
Finally, Bill O'Reilly has been comparing the website dailykos.com to the Nazi party and the KKK. Since the website has people post comments on it that, for example, suggest that some individuals in the Bush Administration would be better off dead, he feels the hate is similar to that displayed on Nazi websites. Seems a little far-fetched to me. You can decide for yourself.
I must say, watching the news lately has been more entertaining than "Who Wants to be a Super Hero?"
Florida State Representative Bob Allen was arrested for offering oral sex to a police department. Why was Allen do it? He was scared the undercover cop (an African-American) was going to hurt him! Nice alibi.
Moving over to the Garden State - poor Miss New Jersey. Someone was trying to blackmail her with photos from her facebook account. Who would do such a thing? Maybe, Miss New Jersey, you shouldn't have posted photos of you making out with all these random dudes. Check out the clip from Today. It's hilarious. How does Matt Lauer keep a straight face through the interview? Especially when she shows the photo of her boyfriend with his mouth over her (fully clothed) breast and says, "Oh but he's VERY intelligent."
In Iowa, Mitt Romney committed a faux pax when he was asked about how his sons would serve the war on terror. How can they help? By traveling around the country and supporting their father's bid for Presidency. What a sacrifice!
Over in Thailand, police officers who break the rules must wear a pink Hello Kitty armband for shame and punishment. Is this to encourage petty crooks to snicker at the cops trying to arrest them? I'm imagining a Thai police officer trying to arrest this teenager for graffiti and having difficulty because the kid is just cracking up.
Finally, Bill O'Reilly has been comparing the website dailykos.com to the Nazi party and the KKK. Since the website has people post comments on it that, for example, suggest that some individuals in the Bush Administration would be better off dead, he feels the hate is similar to that displayed on Nazi websites. Seems a little far-fetched to me. You can decide for yourself.
I must say, watching the news lately has been more entertaining than "Who Wants to be a Super Hero?"
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
The Jets Now Have Cheerleaders
It's almost time for football, a favorite topic on this blog. Guess what? This year the Jets are adding cheerleaders. That's right, welcome to the "Jets Flight Crew."
On the one hand, it's surprising that neither New York team had cheerleaders. On the other hand, I'm a bit surprised the Jets have decided to start having them now. Seems old-fashioned or something. Not to mention the name "Flight Crew" is so corny. Wait until you watch the the "Flight Crew" through this link. In particular, check out the video with the ridiculous Jets song.
On the one hand, it's surprising that neither New York team had cheerleaders. On the other hand, I'm a bit surprised the Jets have decided to start having them now. Seems old-fashioned or something. Not to mention the name "Flight Crew" is so corny. Wait until you watch the the "Flight Crew" through this link. In particular, check out the video with the ridiculous Jets song.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Are You Listed?
I wish I knew more people who lived or worked in Washington DC. There's a search tool for the recently released phone records of escort Deborah Jeane Palfrey at www.dcphonelist.com.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Rickey
Ricky Henderson was just announced as the new hitting coach of the NY Mets. Briefly, isn't it funny how quickly coaches get the blame and credit for a baseball team's hitting and pitching? As I recall, Rick Down, the previous hitting coach got a lot of credit last year for Mets hitting. Looks like he gets the blame this year, even though the team is virtually the same. Of course, Down is probably used to this as he was also previously the Yankees hitting coach.
Henderson was really known as a great runner. I didn't know he had a reputation as a great technical hitter, although he is often considered one of the best leadoff hitters ever. Maybe they brought him in to be a mentor for SS Jose Reyes?
Also, this photo of him from the Red Sox days was posted with the ESPN story announcing his hiring. I couldn't even think of him as a member of the Red Sox, and yet when I looked it up on baseball-reference.com, there it was - 72 games in '02!
This is the 700th post to this blog. Hooray.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Superbad
This movie looks hilarious. I was on their website and it said, "Click here to put this widget on your social networking site." About three years ago, that sentence wouldn't have made sense to anyone! Here's the widget on my social networking site. Enjoy.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Two items
The blog is due for a massive update - almost no updates in June so far. I do have a ton of Yankee updates. Before this, I can't let these two brief stories pass by.
First item
As seen on the Daily Show, Barack Obama ringtones. Ringtones?? Yes, they are soundbytes of Obama speeches mixed to techno music!
Second item
Larry King had the Beatles on the other night and called Ringo "George."
I saw the original article on Rollingstone.com, but here is the transcript as well.
KING: Where were you when — when John passed?
MCCARTNEY: When John passed I was in Sussex, at my home in Sussex. That’s where I was.
KING: Did somebody call you?
MCCARTNEY: Yes, my manager at the time called me. And it was just the shock of all shocks, you know?
KING: George, where were you?
MCCARTNEY: George!
KING: Ringo.
MCCARTNEY: No, this is Ringo here.
KING: Ringo, where were you?
STARR: I was in the Bahamas.
KING: I was getting to (INAUDIBLE) George.
STARR: I was…
MCCARTNEY: No, you weren’t, Larry. You said his name wrong.
STARR: Shut up, it’s my turn.
MCCARTNEY: I know, but he got your name wrong, Ringo, on national television.
STARR: I know. Give him a break.
MCCARTNEY: We can’t cut it. It’s live.
STARR: Anyway, I was in the Bahamas and the kids called and they said we’ve heard something, like John has been hurt.
First item
As seen on the Daily Show, Barack Obama ringtones. Ringtones?? Yes, they are soundbytes of Obama speeches mixed to techno music!
Second item
Larry King had the Beatles on the other night and called Ringo "George."
I saw the original article on Rollingstone.com, but here is the transcript as well.
KING: Where were you when — when John passed?
MCCARTNEY: When John passed I was in Sussex, at my home in Sussex. That’s where I was.
KING: Did somebody call you?
MCCARTNEY: Yes, my manager at the time called me. And it was just the shock of all shocks, you know?
KING: George, where were you?
MCCARTNEY: George!
KING: Ringo.
MCCARTNEY: No, this is Ringo here.
KING: Ringo, where were you?
STARR: I was in the Bahamas.
KING: I was getting to (INAUDIBLE) George.
STARR: I was…
MCCARTNEY: No, you weren’t, Larry. You said his name wrong.
STARR: Shut up, it’s my turn.
MCCARTNEY: I know, but he got your name wrong, Ringo, on national television.
STARR: I know. Give him a break.
MCCARTNEY: We can’t cut it. It’s live.
STARR: Anyway, I was in the Bahamas and the kids called and they said we’ve heard something, like John has been hurt.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Bill Richardson on Meet the Press
I thought this exchange was pretty funny on Meet the Press last weekend.
-----
MR. RUSSERT: You spent a lot of time in, in Massachusetts. Are you a Red Sox fan?
GOV. RICHARDSON: I’m a Red Sox fan, but I got into trouble in New Hampshire. You know why? Because I said...
MR. RUSSERT: Luis Tiant, the fund-raiser. But, now, governor, this is very serious. In your book on page 18 it says...
GOV. RICHARDSON: No, about Mickey Mantle?
MR. RUSSERT: You said you’re a Yankee fan!
GOV. RICHARDSON: No, no, no. I said—no, no, no.
MR. RUSSERT: I mean, you can, you can...
GOV. RICHARDSON: No, no, no, no.
MR. RUSSERT: ...you can have different views on immigration, assault weapons...
GOV. RICHARDSON: I, no no no no. No, what I said...
MR. RUSSERT: But when it comes to Red Sox, Yankees.
GOV. RICHARDSON: What I said, the Associated Press asked me, “If you weren’t running for president, if you weren’t running for president, what would you rather be?” I’ve always been a Red Sox fan, but I said if I weren’t running for president I would like to be number seven, Mickey Mantle, playing center field for the New York Yankees.
MR. RUSSERT: “Because of Mickey Mantle, I became a Yankee fan.”
GOV. RICHARDSON: I, my favorite team has always been the Red Sox.
MR. RUSSERT: You’re a Red Sox fan.
GOV. RICHARDSON: I’m a Red Sox fan.
MR. RUSSERT: End of subject.
GOV. RICHARDSON: End of subject.
MR. RUSSERT: You better get rid of this book.
GOV. RICHARDSON: Oh, no! I’m also a Yankee fan. I also like...
MR. RUSSERT: Oh, now, wait a minute!
GOV. RICHARDSON: You can—Tim...
MR. RUSSERT: I guarantee...
GOV. RICHARDSON: No, I know, I got in trouble...
MR. RUSSERT: ...if you go—if you go to Yankee Stadium or Fenway, you cannot be both.
GOV. RICHARDSON: But I like—Mickey Mantle was my hero. If I weren’t running for president, and the Associated Press asked me, I’d play center field for the New York—I wanted to be number seven. And—but I still love the Red Sox as a team. I mean, this is the thing about me, Tim. I can bring people together. I can unify people.
MR. RUSSERT: Yankee fans and Red Sox fans?
GOV. RICHARDSON: Yes.
MR. RUSSERT: Not a chance.
GOV. RICHARDSON: Well, I bet you I can.
-----
MR. RUSSERT: You spent a lot of time in, in Massachusetts. Are you a Red Sox fan?
GOV. RICHARDSON: I’m a Red Sox fan, but I got into trouble in New Hampshire. You know why? Because I said...
MR. RUSSERT: Luis Tiant, the fund-raiser. But, now, governor, this is very serious. In your book on page 18 it says...
GOV. RICHARDSON: No, about Mickey Mantle?
MR. RUSSERT: You said you’re a Yankee fan!
GOV. RICHARDSON: No, no, no. I said—no, no, no.
MR. RUSSERT: I mean, you can, you can...
GOV. RICHARDSON: No, no, no, no.
MR. RUSSERT: ...you can have different views on immigration, assault weapons...
GOV. RICHARDSON: I, no no no no. No, what I said...
MR. RUSSERT: But when it comes to Red Sox, Yankees.
GOV. RICHARDSON: What I said, the Associated Press asked me, “If you weren’t running for president, if you weren’t running for president, what would you rather be?” I’ve always been a Red Sox fan, but I said if I weren’t running for president I would like to be number seven, Mickey Mantle, playing center field for the New York Yankees.
MR. RUSSERT: “Because of Mickey Mantle, I became a Yankee fan.”
GOV. RICHARDSON: I, my favorite team has always been the Red Sox.
MR. RUSSERT: You’re a Red Sox fan.
GOV. RICHARDSON: I’m a Red Sox fan.
MR. RUSSERT: End of subject.
GOV. RICHARDSON: End of subject.
MR. RUSSERT: You better get rid of this book.
GOV. RICHARDSON: Oh, no! I’m also a Yankee fan. I also like...
MR. RUSSERT: Oh, now, wait a minute!
GOV. RICHARDSON: You can—Tim...
MR. RUSSERT: I guarantee...
GOV. RICHARDSON: No, I know, I got in trouble...
MR. RUSSERT: ...if you go—if you go to Yankee Stadium or Fenway, you cannot be both.
GOV. RICHARDSON: But I like—Mickey Mantle was my hero. If I weren’t running for president, and the Associated Press asked me, I’d play center field for the New York—I wanted to be number seven. And—but I still love the Red Sox as a team. I mean, this is the thing about me, Tim. I can bring people together. I can unify people.
MR. RUSSERT: Yankee fans and Red Sox fans?
GOV. RICHARDSON: Yes.
MR. RUSSERT: Not a chance.
GOV. RICHARDSON: Well, I bet you I can.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Politicians on MySpace
I was never interested in the social networking websites, and I find it even funnier when major celebrities or corporations even have pages on websites like Myspace.com. Yesterday I saw something even more ridiculous - each candidate for President has a MySpace page. Even more absurd is that when I clicked on the profile for Rudy Giuliani, I was told that "This profile is private. This user must add you as a friend to see his/her profile." Rudy Giuliani's profile is private? Really? Isn't this going against using the MySpace page as a political ad / fund raising tool?
The humor of each of these candidates having a MySpace page is also pretty good, I suspect none of them have ever used MySpace before or even have direct participation in maintaining the pages. I'm surprised they don't link to each other in the "friends" section.
The humor of each of these candidates having a MySpace page is also pretty good, I suspect none of them have ever used MySpace before or even have direct participation in maintaining the pages. I'm surprised they don't link to each other in the "friends" section.
MLB Draft
Hey! The MLB Draft is going to be televised on ESPN2!
Isn't that... the most boring thing you could ever think of?
Let's see -- nobody follows amateur baseball the way they follow amateur football or basketball. The teams are not able to trade draft picks. The draft order is set randomly. Players who are drafted get to report to the A ball affiliates.
Who will be the MLB version of Mel Kiper, Jr?
While this is a good idea to bring attention to the MLB draft, I have the feeling that this will be very very boring. The NFL draft has so much chatter and balderdash to begin with, can you imagine what the 50 round, 30 team MLB draft will be like?
Isn't that... the most boring thing you could ever think of?
Let's see -- nobody follows amateur baseball the way they follow amateur football or basketball. The teams are not able to trade draft picks. The draft order is set randomly. Players who are drafted get to report to the A ball affiliates.
Who will be the MLB version of Mel Kiper, Jr?
While this is a good idea to bring attention to the MLB draft, I have the feeling that this will be very very boring. The NFL draft has so much chatter and balderdash to begin with, can you imagine what the 50 round, 30 team MLB draft will be like?
Sunday, May 06, 2007
5/6/07 - Seattle Mariners vs New York Yankees
I forgot to bring my camera to the game today, but it was quite a game!
First off, the fielding of the Mariners was horrible. LF Raul Ibanez lost at least two fly balls in the sun, with them dropping in for hits / scoring plays. They had at least one or two additional fielding muffs such as the catcher dropping a foul pop up and the third baseman throwing away a ground ball.
SP Darrell Rasner was pretty good today, much better than when I saw him last month. I was a little bummed out when I realized Phillip Hughes would have pitched today were it not for the pulled hamstring. It was also too bad I missed Chien-Ming Wang's near perfect game yesterday.
Josh Phelps ran into the catcher unnecessarily at one point in the game and got hit by a pitch his next time up. Both teams were warned. Later in the game, reliever Scott Proctor threw an inside pitch to a Seattle player who went crazy, pointing and yelling. There was some back and forth but no fight. It was pretty ridiculous, the pitch didn't even hit the Seattle player! Even more ridiculous was the sight of both bullpens emptying. The players came out and there was nothing going on. It was kind of funny I suppose, but the last thing the Yankees need is another pulled hamstring because of jogging out from the bullpen.
Finally in the seventh inning stretch, the biggest news of the day. After they played "God Bless America," they began to play "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" as usual. Suddenly after the first line of the song, public address announcer Bob Sheppard says, "Please direct your attention to the owner's box and the jumbotron screen for an important announcement." At this point, I thought something awful had happened outside. Instead, it's Roger Clemens from the owners box, and he said something like, "...got me out of Texas" and "see you guys real soon." It doesn't really matter, we all knew it meant he was coming back. Totally ridiculous, theatrical and awesome! I have tickets to a game in June and am secretly hoping he will be back that day.
First off, the fielding of the Mariners was horrible. LF Raul Ibanez lost at least two fly balls in the sun, with them dropping in for hits / scoring plays. They had at least one or two additional fielding muffs such as the catcher dropping a foul pop up and the third baseman throwing away a ground ball.
SP Darrell Rasner was pretty good today, much better than when I saw him last month. I was a little bummed out when I realized Phillip Hughes would have pitched today were it not for the pulled hamstring. It was also too bad I missed Chien-Ming Wang's near perfect game yesterday.
Josh Phelps ran into the catcher unnecessarily at one point in the game and got hit by a pitch his next time up. Both teams were warned. Later in the game, reliever Scott Proctor threw an inside pitch to a Seattle player who went crazy, pointing and yelling. There was some back and forth but no fight. It was pretty ridiculous, the pitch didn't even hit the Seattle player! Even more ridiculous was the sight of both bullpens emptying. The players came out and there was nothing going on. It was kind of funny I suppose, but the last thing the Yankees need is another pulled hamstring because of jogging out from the bullpen.
Finally in the seventh inning stretch, the biggest news of the day. After they played "God Bless America," they began to play "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" as usual. Suddenly after the first line of the song, public address announcer Bob Sheppard says, "Please direct your attention to the owner's box and the jumbotron screen for an important announcement." At this point, I thought something awful had happened outside. Instead, it's Roger Clemens from the owners box, and he said something like, "...got me out of Texas" and "see you guys real soon." It doesn't really matter, we all knew it meant he was coming back. Totally ridiculous, theatrical and awesome! I have tickets to a game in June and am secretly hoping he will be back that day.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Extended Edition DVD's
I've been noticing that a number of the comic book movies that have come out lately have had "new" releases on DVD that act as "extended" versions. I think the trend started with "X-Men 1.5" which incorporated deleted scenes into the original cut. Most recently there was also a "Spider-Man 2.1" cut released as well. I can understand that these films are popular and that the movie studios are trying to maximize their money from the DVD's, but films like Daredevil, Ghost Rider and even Fantastic Four are also having extended cuts produced. This is pretty frustrating, as these movies were not even that good, and it seems like the movie studios are specifically targeting the comic fans for "double dipping" with DVD's. I wish that the movie studios could just produce a high quality, DVD that contained a ton of features definitively, but I think considering how many times the Star Wars saga has been re-released, I will just have to dream.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Spider-Man 3 Premiere - Spoiler Free Review
I was lucky enough to get the chance to see Spider-Man 3 tonight as part of the Tribeca Film Festival. Here is a spoiler free review.
First off, the setting: The film debuted at the UA Kaufman Theater in Astoria Queens. It was closer to get to from Manhattan than I had expected (just off the R train). They had 14 screens with each showing Spider-Man. It was a mob scene around the theater. We entered through a back entrance, so we didn't get to see the red carpet entrances of the stars. I was in theater 1, but did not see any stars or celebrities in the theater.
On to the movie: To start, I thought this movie was a pretty good film. Anyone who goes to see it should have fun for the most part. If you were a fan of either of the first two films, you should enjoy this one. The performances by all the leads were very good, including Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Topher Grace and Thomas Hayden Church. At times the story suffers from "too-many-characters-itis" that makes the storytelling choppy, but as in the first two movies, they use Peter's personal dilemmas to be the outline for the rest of the Spider-Man action sequences. There are some funny lines, and I think some of the humor is a little more over the top than in the first two movies. The story has heart, however, and the action, while too heavy in computer graphics at times, is pretty good for the most part.
For a third outing in a franchise, Spider-Man 3 is a strong movie. It's certainly better than X-Men 3 was, and will probably be well received at the box office and by critics. There is no doubt that a Spider-Man 4 will follow, the only question will be who will be behind them.
First off, the setting: The film debuted at the UA Kaufman Theater in Astoria Queens. It was closer to get to from Manhattan than I had expected (just off the R train). They had 14 screens with each showing Spider-Man. It was a mob scene around the theater. We entered through a back entrance, so we didn't get to see the red carpet entrances of the stars. I was in theater 1, but did not see any stars or celebrities in the theater.
On to the movie: To start, I thought this movie was a pretty good film. Anyone who goes to see it should have fun for the most part. If you were a fan of either of the first two films, you should enjoy this one. The performances by all the leads were very good, including Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Topher Grace and Thomas Hayden Church. At times the story suffers from "too-many-characters-itis" that makes the storytelling choppy, but as in the first two movies, they use Peter's personal dilemmas to be the outline for the rest of the Spider-Man action sequences. There are some funny lines, and I think some of the humor is a little more over the top than in the first two movies. The story has heart, however, and the action, while too heavy in computer graphics at times, is pretty good for the most part.
For a third outing in a franchise, Spider-Man 3 is a strong movie. It's certainly better than X-Men 3 was, and will probably be well received at the box office and by critics. There is no doubt that a Spider-Man 4 will follow, the only question will be who will be behind them.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Moss to Patriots
What????
A fourth-round pick to the Raiders gives the New England Patriots WR Randy Moss. Sure, Moss has had all sorts of problems in the past, but I can't imagine there will be any trouble integrating him into the New England system. Now the Pats have an amazing receiver, huge deep threat, and it cost them hardly anything. This just seems unfair. With Indianapolis dismantled after the Super Bowl, it seems to me that the Pats are the team to beat once again by a long shot.
Meanwhile, the Jets have been rumored to be shopping WR Justin McCairens for a fourth round pick. I wonder if the Moss trade will have any impact on this. I think McCairens was a solid player, but for whatever reason has not done well under coach Eric Mangini. Will other teams demand less from the Jets for McCairens seeing that Moss went for a fourth rounder?
A fourth-round pick to the Raiders gives the New England Patriots WR Randy Moss. Sure, Moss has had all sorts of problems in the past, but I can't imagine there will be any trouble integrating him into the New England system. Now the Pats have an amazing receiver, huge deep threat, and it cost them hardly anything. This just seems unfair. With Indianapolis dismantled after the Super Bowl, it seems to me that the Pats are the team to beat once again by a long shot.
Meanwhile, the Jets have been rumored to be shopping WR Justin McCairens for a fourth round pick. I wonder if the Moss trade will have any impact on this. I think McCairens was a solid player, but for whatever reason has not done well under coach Eric Mangini. Will other teams demand less from the Jets for McCairens seeing that Moss went for a fourth rounder?
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Aquapod
I recently saw these Aquapod containers of Poland Spring at CVS and couldn't help but laugh. Especially at the balloon that says, "Orbtastic shape!"
Orbtastic, huh? What does that even mean?
Why is water bottle shaped this way? Was there something wrong with the shape of normal water bottles? This orb shape doesn't seem to be any more useful, convenient or fun than the usual shape.
Is This Related?
4/24 - Hunter's champagne gift violated baseball rule
Twins OF Torii Hunter gave the KC Royals four bottles of champagne after they swept the Detroit Tigers last year, helping the Twins pass the Tigers in the standings and win the AL Central. According to MLB rules, personnel cannot give gifts to other teams for beating another team. The champagne was returned.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2847416
4/26 - Hunter taken to hospital after being hit in mouth
Twins OF Torii Hunter was hit in the mouth by KC Royals pitcher Zack Greinke.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2850281
Probably not related, but funnier if they were related.
Twins OF Torii Hunter gave the KC Royals four bottles of champagne after they swept the Detroit Tigers last year, helping the Twins pass the Tigers in the standings and win the AL Central. According to MLB rules, personnel cannot give gifts to other teams for beating another team. The champagne was returned.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2847416
4/26 - Hunter taken to hospital after being hit in mouth
Twins OF Torii Hunter was hit in the mouth by KC Royals pitcher Zack Greinke.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2850281
Probably not related, but funnier if they were related.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Fashion Police (or Red is the New Black)
I noticed that the Diamondbacks changed their uniforms this season from purple and green to this red and black scheme. It's no surprise that they wanted to change their uniforms from the purple and green, but why choose red and black as the new colors? Their new uniforms are nearly indistinguishable from the Reds, Angels, Nationals and Phillies. In addition the Braves and Red Sox also feature red alternate jerseys from time to time. Is red that fashionable these days? There must have been another color scheme they could have chosen.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
4/8/07 - Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees
The last few years I have tried to make it out for an early weekend game at Yankee Stadium. Typically for these games tickets are a little easier to come by and the weather isn't terribly hot.
When I bought the tickets for the Easter Sunday game at the Stadium, I had hoped Andy Pettitte would be starting. A rainout changed these plans until Darrell Rasner had a bad outing, and Andy Pettitte came in for a relief inning. It snowed during the gmae. Also of note, it was calendar day. Enjoy the photos from Tier 15.
For a loss, the game was pretty entertaining, as the Yankees had a few chances late to win the game or tie, but they didn't win in the end.
A-Rod, who one week later, is still on fire.
Meeting at the mound.
Andy Pettitte in a surprise relief appearance.
Yes. It snowed on April 8 at the ballgame.
I think this was the first game I've seen with Bobby Abreu.
Darrell Rasner
Jason Giambi
Derek Jeter
Johnny Damon didn't start but made a pinch hit appearance when it got closer.
Same for Jorge Posada.
When I bought the tickets for the Easter Sunday game at the Stadium, I had hoped Andy Pettitte would be starting. A rainout changed these plans until Darrell Rasner had a bad outing, and Andy Pettitte came in for a relief inning. It snowed during the gmae. Also of note, it was calendar day. Enjoy the photos from Tier 15.
For a loss, the game was pretty entertaining, as the Yankees had a few chances late to win the game or tie, but they didn't win in the end.
A-Rod, who one week later, is still on fire.
Meeting at the mound.
Andy Pettitte in a surprise relief appearance.
Yes. It snowed on April 8 at the ballgame.
I think this was the first game I've seen with Bobby Abreu.
Darrell Rasner
Jason Giambi
Derek Jeter
Johnny Damon didn't start but made a pinch hit appearance when it got closer.
Same for Jorge Posada.
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