Thursday, April 21, 2005
Stick Around For A While!
According to my sources, 79% of people who visit this blog stay around for less than five seconds. Less than five seconds! Is there nothing on this blog worth seeing that within five seconds, one can decide to move on?
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Accountability
I want to start an accountability section on this blog. This would allow me to keep track of statements I've made predicting the future.
Examples:
"That movie, Hitch, is going to end Will Smith's career"
"This could be the year it all comes apart for the Yankees"
"Marv Albert will work for the YES Network"
"I'm going to start an accountability section for my blog"
On a similar note, I've been wanting to do an experiment where I map the data from weather predictions. My hypothesis is that the forecast for more than one day in advance is more often wrong than right. In particular this relates to predicting instances of precipitation, and that the 2-3 day forecast probably only correctly predicts < 50% of instances of precipitation.
Examples:
"That movie, Hitch, is going to end Will Smith's career"
"This could be the year it all comes apart for the Yankees"
"Marv Albert will work for the YES Network"
"I'm going to start an accountability section for my blog"
On a similar note, I've been wanting to do an experiment where I map the data from weather predictions. My hypothesis is that the forecast for more than one day in advance is more often wrong than right. In particular this relates to predicting instances of precipitation, and that the 2-3 day forecast probably only correctly predicts < 50% of instances of precipitation.
NY Sports Update - Nets, Yankees and Jets
Nets
The New York Times has to stop reading my blog. Their headline today was, "After 82 games, Nets' Real Season Will Begin," a statement very similar to one made a few days ago in this very space about how the NBA season really begins with the playoffs.
Yankees
It's nice to see them string together a few hits in order to score runs instead of the home runs. The team had been in a funk but they've put together pretty impressive offensive outbursts in two of the last three games. It's pretty feast or famine, however, which is concerning.
Jets
My friend called me about the Jolley trade to the Jets, saying it was a horrible move. I'm a bit surprised by this move, since it takes them out of the first round, but the last two years of draft and personnel moves for the Jets have been fairly sound, so I'll wait and see where this goes before judging it outright. The Mel Kipers of the world seem to think there are a ton of defensive backs available (the main need for the Jets) so maybe dropping about 12 places in draft position isn't such a bad thing to get a TE who has started in the past. The new offensive coordinator, Heimerdinger, does like having good pass catching TE's. Let's see how the whole thing plays out. A John Abraham trade would also affect how this draft turns out for Gang Green.
The New York Times has to stop reading my blog. Their headline today was, "After 82 games, Nets' Real Season Will Begin," a statement very similar to one made a few days ago in this very space about how the NBA season really begins with the playoffs.
Yankees
It's nice to see them string together a few hits in order to score runs instead of the home runs. The team had been in a funk but they've put together pretty impressive offensive outbursts in two of the last three games. It's pretty feast or famine, however, which is concerning.
Jets
My friend called me about the Jolley trade to the Jets, saying it was a horrible move. I'm a bit surprised by this move, since it takes them out of the first round, but the last two years of draft and personnel moves for the Jets have been fairly sound, so I'll wait and see where this goes before judging it outright. The Mel Kipers of the world seem to think there are a ton of defensive backs available (the main need for the Jets) so maybe dropping about 12 places in draft position isn't such a bad thing to get a TE who has started in the past. The new offensive coordinator, Heimerdinger, does like having good pass catching TE's. Let's see how the whole thing plays out. A John Abraham trade would also affect how this draft turns out for Gang Green.
4/20/05 - Tampa Bay Devil Rays vs. New York Yankees
I saw the Yankees lose to the Devil Rays earlier tonight. If you had told me that Johnson, Gordon and Rivera all pitched in a game for the Yankees versus the Devil Rays, and that Johnson had 8 K's, I would have definitely expected that it was a win. It wasn't. Could this be the year that it's all fallen apart? Or are the Yankees just flat? I will have the opportunity to see the Yanks lose to all four AL East rivals on 4/29 when they play the Toronto Blue Jays.
Enjoy the photos.
These seats cost $8 (I spent more on food than for the ticket)
Yet another experiment with the photo mosaic
Randy Johnson - The Big Unit - Even from up high he looks huge. He throws very hard.
Jorge Cantu, Tampa 2B at the plate, he's on my fantasy team
Hideo Nomo - I kept trying to get his funky delivery but kept mis-timing it
Just a bit inside to A-Rod
Eduardo Perez - Can you believe he hit 2 HR off Johnson? Who is this guy?
Mariano Rivera pitched an excellent 1-2-3 inning. Where was this Rivera two weeks ago?
The Stadium looks nice at night
Enjoy the photos.
These seats cost $8 (I spent more on food than for the ticket)
Yet another experiment with the photo mosaic
Randy Johnson - The Big Unit - Even from up high he looks huge. He throws very hard.
Jorge Cantu, Tampa 2B at the plate, he's on my fantasy team
Hideo Nomo - I kept trying to get his funky delivery but kept mis-timing it
Just a bit inside to A-Rod
Eduardo Perez - Can you believe he hit 2 HR off Johnson? Who is this guy?
Mariano Rivera pitched an excellent 1-2-3 inning. Where was this Rivera two weeks ago?
The Stadium looks nice at night
Monday, April 18, 2005
Sucks to be John Madden...
NBC gets Sunday Night Football and Monday Nights move to ESPN. It's probably a smart move by NBC, who now has one less day of the week to worry about prime-time programming. They can hope that NFL gives them synergy with Arena ball as well. ABC's prime time entertainment schedule has been pretty strong this year, so maybe they don't want the interruption of sports.
Since the NFL schedule is already out, I guess Monday nights have more marquee match-ups while Sundays. Strange, since NBC has a bigger market that ESPN. I wonder if the NFL will change the scheduling after next year to reflect this, but I suppose part of that also depends on whether or not ESPN pays more for the Monday Night package. It's not clear what will happen to the "Thursday Night Football" games that used to be part of the Sunday package.
The biggest loser here is John Madden, who left FOX so that he could do Monday Night Football on ABC, and now finds himself without a gig. Al Michaels is a slight loser here as well. I wonder if Marv Albert would return to NBC to do the Sunday night games or if Bob Costas gets a crack at it.
Since the NFL schedule is already out, I guess Monday nights have more marquee match-ups while Sundays. Strange, since NBC has a bigger market that ESPN. I wonder if the NFL will change the scheduling after next year to reflect this, but I suppose part of that also depends on whether or not ESPN pays more for the Monday Night package. It's not clear what will happen to the "Thursday Night Football" games that used to be part of the Sunday package.
The biggest loser here is John Madden, who left FOX so that he could do Monday Night Football on ABC, and now finds himself without a gig. Al Michaels is a slight loser here as well. I wonder if Marv Albert would return to NBC to do the Sunday night games or if Bob Costas gets a crack at it.
Why Men and Women Have Trouble Communicating
A REAL conversation between my friend and a waitress.
The waitress is fairly attractive and there were three of us (male) sitting at a cafe. My friend went inside to pay the bill.
Friend: Aren't you a little cold?
Waitress: My shift ends in a half hour.
About 30 minutes later, my friend, unclear if he missed a signal or not from the waitress, returned to the cafe to inquire about the waitress's availability. The waitress says she has a significant other. "My shift ends in a half hour" is only a normal answer to a limited number of questions, most of them asking when one will finish working.
The waitress is fairly attractive and there were three of us (male) sitting at a cafe. My friend went inside to pay the bill.
Friend: Aren't you a little cold?
Waitress: My shift ends in a half hour.
About 30 minutes later, my friend, unclear if he missed a signal or not from the waitress, returned to the cafe to inquire about the waitress's availability. The waitress says she has a significant other. "My shift ends in a half hour" is only a normal answer to a limited number of questions, most of them asking when one will finish working.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Too Early To Tell?
I don't want to get too riled up about the Yankees getting swept by Baltimore this past weekend, nor do I want to worry too much about the 4-8 Yankee start to the season.
I would like to mention a comment that I heard made by Michael Kay, YES Network play-by-play man. He stated that the start by Kevin Brown was "better than his last start" against Baltimore, where he punched a wall and broke his non-pitching hand. In that game, Brown struck out 7 in six innings and gave up three runs. In yesterday's game, he struck out three in six innings, and gave up six earned runs, including a grand slam to Miguel Tejada. Was it better because Brown didn't break his wrist this time? Even for the most faithful Yankee fan, that's not an easy question to answer.
Steinbrenner blew his stack after the loss, and hopefully it gets the team playing better. At least, I hope they start getting things together in April. After all, I'm scheduled to go to four more games this month, and I'd like to see them win a few of them!
I would like to mention a comment that I heard made by Michael Kay, YES Network play-by-play man. He stated that the start by Kevin Brown was "better than his last start" against Baltimore, where he punched a wall and broke his non-pitching hand. In that game, Brown struck out 7 in six innings and gave up three runs. In yesterday's game, he struck out three in six innings, and gave up six earned runs, including a grand slam to Miguel Tejada. Was it better because Brown didn't break his wrist this time? Even for the most faithful Yankee fan, that's not an easy question to answer.
Steinbrenner blew his stack after the loss, and hopefully it gets the team playing better. At least, I hope they start getting things together in April. After all, I'm scheduled to go to four more games this month, and I'd like to see them win a few of them!
NBA Playoffs
This cynical sports fan reports that the NBA season is about to begin, and since his Knicks won't be participating, he has decided to root for the local Nets and Rockets (aka Knicks South).
There are a number of surprises in the Eastern Conference this year. While I would like to see LeBron in the Playoffs, I'm pretty impressed by Allen Iverson's recent play, and I can't root against "my" Nets!
In the West, a Houston / Dallas series would be great, although the outcome might not be so good for "my" Rockets. I think the recently cold Seattle team may be the easiest to pick off here, but a lot of these teams have a good chance.
The NBA is looking a little more level this year than in years past, the shift of Shaq to the East has certainly changed the landscape.
There are a number of surprises in the Eastern Conference this year. While I would like to see LeBron in the Playoffs, I'm pretty impressed by Allen Iverson's recent play, and I can't root against "my" Nets!
In the West, a Houston / Dallas series would be great, although the outcome might not be so good for "my" Rockets. I think the recently cold Seattle team may be the easiest to pick off here, but a lot of these teams have a good chance.
The NBA is looking a little more level this year than in years past, the shift of Shaq to the East has certainly changed the landscape.
Google Maps
I am becoming obsessed with the google maps satellite feature. They have a blog that links to some interesting satellite views, but I'm just enjoying looking up various things on my own. I especially enjoy looking for places near where I grew up. This blog has some interesting "famous" sites, too.
Airscooter
Airscooter is apparently close to releasing their next product, the Airscooter 2 (here's an article about it). You don't even need a pilot's license to fly it, and it will be estimated to cost less than $50,000!
This product has found the perfect mix of totally cool and super-dangerous.
This product has found the perfect mix of totally cool and super-dangerous.
Saturday, April 16, 2005
A-Rod Saves Boy
My Red Sox fan friend commented on the story saying, "He probably rehearsed that a few times."
Excellent!
Comedy Central is showing Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure right now.
This has led to three personal questions:
1) Whatever happened to the actor who played Bill? Ted became quite famous.
2) Why did they settle on George Carlin for Rufus, Bill and Ted's guide? Carlin is such a foul-mouthed comedian but this movie is geared for kids.
3) What sort of phone booth was their phone booth based on? Have you ever seen a phone booth that could comfortably hold three grown adults?
Party on, dudes!
This has led to three personal questions:
1) Whatever happened to the actor who played Bill? Ted became quite famous.
2) Why did they settle on George Carlin for Rufus, Bill and Ted's guide? Carlin is such a foul-mouthed comedian but this movie is geared for kids.
3) What sort of phone booth was their phone booth based on? Have you ever seen a phone booth that could comfortably hold three grown adults?
Party on, dudes!
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Implant Hearings
In what is an obvious and transparent attempt to "one-up" the Kitchen Fresh Blog's suggestion that wrestlers testify regarding steroid use in front of Congress in the name of entertainment, the FDA has decided to hold hearings regarding breast implants.
While this hearing will likely involve medical professionals, it could go in the total opposite direction and turn into Washington DC's version of "The Howard Stern Show," or in the most extreme case, the opening to a bad pornographic film.
While this hearing will likely involve medical professionals, it could go in the total opposite direction and turn into Washington DC's version of "The Howard Stern Show," or in the most extreme case, the opening to a bad pornographic film.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees 4/10/05
I attended yet another Yankees game today. This one was a debacle from many perspectives.
From the baseball perspective, the Yankees played quite poorly, with SP Carl Pavano getting hit in the head by a line drive, 1B Jason Giambi losing an easy pop fly in the sun, and the Yankees being no-hit into the fifth inning.
From the personal perspective, I had hoped to get some nice shots of my favorite steroid controversy players, such as Gary Sheffield and Sammy Sosa from the perch in right field. Unfortunately, my camera's battery crapped out (I didn't realize how often it needs to be charged) so I only got this one shot.
One small victory, as I got a free 2005 Yankees calendar.
Gary Sheffield in RF, before my camera died.
The view from the seats I had, as shown on yankees.com.
From the baseball perspective, the Yankees played quite poorly, with SP Carl Pavano getting hit in the head by a line drive, 1B Jason Giambi losing an easy pop fly in the sun, and the Yankees being no-hit into the fifth inning.
From the personal perspective, I had hoped to get some nice shots of my favorite steroid controversy players, such as Gary Sheffield and Sammy Sosa from the perch in right field. Unfortunately, my camera's battery crapped out (I didn't realize how often it needs to be charged) so I only got this one shot.
One small victory, as I got a free 2005 Yankees calendar.
Gary Sheffield in RF, before my camera died.
The view from the seats I had, as shown on yankees.com.
Not to Belabor a Point...
...but wouldn't it be great if Congress called up the WWF (er... WWE?) wrestlers for steroids testimony? After all, they're "role-models" for young people too, and they are totally ripped. The "World's Strongest Man" crew doesn't get the kind of muscles we see in pro wrestling. It would make for great television on C-SPAN. These wrestlers, popping out of their suits, screaming at the Congressmen. Hopefully someone would throw a chair! They could introduce some sort of snively Congressman-like character into the wrestling plots. It would be terrific.
Saturday, April 09, 2005
Ben Broussard and JD Drew Are Killing My Fantasy Team
It's only the first WEEK of baseball, but JD Drew's season-starting 0-17 slump, combined with Ben Broussard's 1-12 are absolutely DESTROYING my fantasy baseball team.
Friday, April 08, 2005
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees 4/5/05
The view from the seats I got on Craigslist. I tried to do one of those photo monatge things.
Jeter at the plate
Mike Mussina on the mound
Hideki Matsui at the plate
A good game to watch, but the result wasn't too great for the Yankees. Rivera had no control at all and blew another save today, exited to some boos (although it's hard to know if he was being booed by Yankees or Red Sox fans) and A-Rod made a critical error in the field that might have lessened the damage. Mussina pitched out of trouble all day, Wakefield was dominant and the weather was spectacular. While the fans got pretty excited about the game, it was still clear that this is only the third game of the season and that there's a long way to go.
This should be the first of five games that I will be attending in April. Future dates: 4/10 vs Baltimore, 4/19 vs Tampa, 4/26 vs LA Angels, and 4/28 vs LA Angels.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Craigslist is My New Friend
Many thanks to Craigslist for providing the opportunity for me to purchase tickets to tomorrow's Yankees / Red Sox game in the Tier Box section, right by 3rd base.
Daylight Savings Nightmare
Daylight Savings Time is wrecking havoc on everything in my life right now. Not only was I late on Sunday because my cell phone alarm did not adjust automatically to daylight savings (the time is automatically set), but today my cable box was programmed to tape 24 and somehow the timer programs were set to adjust to daylight savings and my MS Outlook has automatically adjusted a bunch of my 9am appointments to 8am. What the heck is going on?
Strong Bad
I was reminded earlier this evening of Strong Bad, an amusing little animated series that can be found here. The Dragon is one of my favorites.
Monday, April 04, 2005
Weekend Recap: Boston, Sin City, Final Four, Lost Phone Charger, Yankees
Here's a brief recap of my weekend.
I went to Boston and visited some pals up there. It was a good time filled with a bunch of media, including the Sin City movie.
Sin City is a good movie based on a good comic book. I will avoid spoiling anything about it here, except to say that it is based on three Sin City stories, The Big Fat Kill, The Hard Goodbye and That Yellow Bastard. They're all gritty, black and white comic books. If you like to read the books that movies are based on in general, then be forewarned that the Sin City movie is as well adapted from the source material as the first Harry Potter movie was, that is to say that the movie's lines and shots are exactly the same as dialogue and frames from the comics. Personally, I usually prefer to read books after seeing movies based on them, as the books are usually deeper. In this case, this is fairly true, but to some degree it felt like I was just reading the storyboard for the movie.
Updated 7:30AM: I forgot to mention that, in what is now a disturbing trend for me at the movies, I was forced to watch most of this movie from the corner seat in the front row. I have seen several recent movies like this, including Spider-Man 2. It is not fun to watch from this perspective. Also, to my surprise, the 1:30 showing was a matinee. I'm not even sure if I've seen a matinee in Manhattan anytime recently.
We watched the two Final Four games on Saturday night. Both games started out with close first halves, and they both finished out with lackluster finishes, with the favorites winning. The Monday night championship game should be rather interesting with Illinois and UNC, the regular season #1 and #2 seeds facing off.
On the drive home, I realized I left my phone charger at my friend's place. An annoyoing inconvenience considering my phone gets about one day charge time. This will make me incommunicado via phone for two or three days, at least.
The Yankees played earlier this evening. While it's exciting, and they won by a lot, I think the reports that it "felt like October" were a bit overrated. In October, every pitch and run could be the one that sends a team home. Not so in April, there's still another 161+ games to be played! It was, however, cold, just like October.
I went to Boston and visited some pals up there. It was a good time filled with a bunch of media, including the Sin City movie.
Sin City is a good movie based on a good comic book. I will avoid spoiling anything about it here, except to say that it is based on three Sin City stories, The Big Fat Kill, The Hard Goodbye and That Yellow Bastard. They're all gritty, black and white comic books. If you like to read the books that movies are based on in general, then be forewarned that the Sin City movie is as well adapted from the source material as the first Harry Potter movie was, that is to say that the movie's lines and shots are exactly the same as dialogue and frames from the comics. Personally, I usually prefer to read books after seeing movies based on them, as the books are usually deeper. In this case, this is fairly true, but to some degree it felt like I was just reading the storyboard for the movie.
Updated 7:30AM: I forgot to mention that, in what is now a disturbing trend for me at the movies, I was forced to watch most of this movie from the corner seat in the front row. I have seen several recent movies like this, including Spider-Man 2. It is not fun to watch from this perspective. Also, to my surprise, the 1:30 showing was a matinee. I'm not even sure if I've seen a matinee in Manhattan anytime recently.
We watched the two Final Four games on Saturday night. Both games started out with close first halves, and they both finished out with lackluster finishes, with the favorites winning. The Monday night championship game should be rather interesting with Illinois and UNC, the regular season #1 and #2 seeds facing off.
On the drive home, I realized I left my phone charger at my friend's place. An annoyoing inconvenience considering my phone gets about one day charge time. This will make me incommunicado via phone for two or three days, at least.
The Yankees played earlier this evening. While it's exciting, and they won by a lot, I think the reports that it "felt like October" were a bit overrated. In October, every pitch and run could be the one that sends a team home. Not so in April, there's still another 161+ games to be played! It was, however, cold, just like October.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Feuds
Yankees / Red Sox meets NY Post / NY Times
Consider this FOX Sports article, "NY Times in middle of Sox-Yankees Feud."
The NY Times ran an editorial criticizing the Yankees, who want to build a new Yankee Stadium and have asked for public funding. The article goes on to say that as pointed out in the NY Post, a paper that loves to belittle the NY Times, the Times does not cite the fact that they are part owners of the Red Sox, who would be hurt by a new stadium due to increased revenue for the Yankees.
Of course, the article is posted on FOX Sports, who is also owned by the same company as the NY Post (News Corp), and no, the article does not cite any possible conflict of interest.
Consider this FOX Sports article, "NY Times in middle of Sox-Yankees Feud."
The NY Times ran an editorial criticizing the Yankees, who want to build a new Yankee Stadium and have asked for public funding. The article goes on to say that as pointed out in the NY Post, a paper that loves to belittle the NY Times, the Times does not cite the fact that they are part owners of the Red Sox, who would be hurt by a new stadium due to increased revenue for the Yankees.
Of course, the article is posted on FOX Sports, who is also owned by the same company as the NY Post (News Corp), and no, the article does not cite any possible conflict of interest.
Ted Koppel Leaving ABC
Not usually the type of thing reported on this blog, however I think ABC should consider very strongly an opportunity to put on a fake news show along the lines of The Daily Show in this timeslot.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Performance Enhancement
Ha! The punter got steroids. As if NFL players needed another reason to hate the punters and kickers (see: Mike Vanderjagt stupid comments).
This is no major surprise, as even though other sports have more stringent steroid testing programs than MLB, people test positive, which means steroids are still in use.
Also, much has been made of Mark McGwire's unwillingness to "discuss the past" with regards to the House hearings on steroids. Should we really believe the other players? Consider some of their histories:
Jose Canseco - just a shady (greasy?) fellow
Curt Schilling - backed off his 2002 statement to SI that he couldn't pat teammates on the backside because that's where they injected themselves.
Rafael Palmiero - has history of using "performance enhancing drugs" (Viagra)
Sammy Sosa - has history of cheating (corked bat)
In most respects, I don't care. I'm going to three or four games in April and I plan on following the season like it's any other. But I do feel a little bad for the honest guy who might get squeezed off a team because the other players are cheating. I'm also annoyed by all the people who are surprised by the cheating, think baseball is the only sport that has this problem, or want to revoke records, etc. Once the games start, hopefully the steroids talk will stop.
This is no major surprise, as even though other sports have more stringent steroid testing programs than MLB, people test positive, which means steroids are still in use.
Also, much has been made of Mark McGwire's unwillingness to "discuss the past" with regards to the House hearings on steroids. Should we really believe the other players? Consider some of their histories:
Jose Canseco - just a shady (greasy?) fellow
Curt Schilling - backed off his 2002 statement to SI that he couldn't pat teammates on the backside because that's where they injected themselves.
Rafael Palmiero - has history of using "performance enhancing drugs" (Viagra)
Sammy Sosa - has history of cheating (corked bat)
In most respects, I don't care. I'm going to three or four games in April and I plan on following the season like it's any other. But I do feel a little bad for the honest guy who might get squeezed off a team because the other players are cheating. I'm also annoyed by all the people who are surprised by the cheating, think baseball is the only sport that has this problem, or want to revoke records, etc. Once the games start, hopefully the steroids talk will stop.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Mr. T Chia Head - Day 85
Fantasy Baseball Team
I recently completed my fantasy baseball draft. I've been in one league for five prior seasons and finished fairly well. Hopefully I can continue my little lucky streak. We play 5 x 5 (AVG, HR, RBI, R, SB and ERA, W, S, K, WHIP).
Here's the result of my draft:
C - Paul Lo Duca (Florida)
1B - Phil Nevin (San Diego)
2B - Jorge Cantu (Tampa Bay)
SS - Miguel Tejada (Baltimore)
3B - Troy Glaus (Arizona)
OF - JD Drew (Los Angeles)
OF - Johnny Damon (Boston)
OF - Carlos Lee (Milwaukee)
OF - Jose Guillen (Washington)
OF - Matt Lawton (Pittsburgh)
CI - Ben Broussard (Cleveland)
MI - Derek Jeter (NY Yankees)
DH - Erubiel Durazo (Oakland)
SP - Carlos Zambrano (Chicago Cubs)
SP - Mike Mussina (NY Yankees)
SP - Odalis Perez (LA Dodgers)
SP - Kris Benson (NY Mets)
SP - Tom Glavine (NY Mets)
SP - Horatio Ramirez (Atlanta)
RP - Tom Gordon (NY Yankees)
RP - Joe Nathan (Minnesota)
RP - Chad Cordero (Washington)
Bench - Rafael Palmiero (Baltimore)
Bench - Bobby Madritsch (Seattle)
Bench - Greg Aquino (Arizona)
My analysis:
It's a fairly balanced team, where everyone is capable of at least 15 HR's on offense and the starters should all gain 10+ wins.
On the down side, a lot of catchers were available after the draft, and while Lo Duca's decent, he's not a big power guy, and some catchers on the wire are of equal quality to him. My first transaction was to get rid of Aaron Miles, the Colorado 2B, and pick up Jorge Cantu, the hotshot 2B of Tampa. Miles was projected in something I read to steal 30+ bases, but last year he was inconsistant in Colorado and only stole 12. I don't know where they got that prediction from. Cantu is popular enough and a bit of a risk.
Injuries could be a huge problem for this squad. JD Drew, Troy Glaus, Erubiel Durazo and Horatio Ramirez are all guys who worry me in that sense. I don't know how effective it will be to have a middle reliever like Gordon, but he will get low ERA / WHIP numbers that could help the team a little bit.
I've been basing much of my information on fantasy "experts." What makes a person a fantasy sports expert? Near as I can tell, it's amassing a ton of information from various sources. Here's how I envision the resume of a fantasy sports guru.
----
Fantasy Sports Awards & Distinctions
Old Home Baseball League 2000-2003
10 teams, First Place '01, '03
Who's Your Daddy Basketball 2001-2003
8 teams, First Place '01, Second Place '02-'03
I Got Game Hockey 2003
8 teams, Most Improved Team (2nd Half)
Joe's Football League 2004
8 teams, Second Place, playoffs
ESPN Fantasy Games AL Only Baseball League 2004
6 teams, Third Place
----
You will be hearing a lot about my fantasy team as the season progresses.
Here's the result of my draft:
C - Paul Lo Duca (Florida)
1B - Phil Nevin (San Diego)
2B - Jorge Cantu (Tampa Bay)
SS - Miguel Tejada (Baltimore)
3B - Troy Glaus (Arizona)
OF - JD Drew (Los Angeles)
OF - Johnny Damon (Boston)
OF - Carlos Lee (Milwaukee)
OF - Jose Guillen (Washington)
OF - Matt Lawton (Pittsburgh)
CI - Ben Broussard (Cleveland)
MI - Derek Jeter (NY Yankees)
DH - Erubiel Durazo (Oakland)
SP - Carlos Zambrano (Chicago Cubs)
SP - Mike Mussina (NY Yankees)
SP - Odalis Perez (LA Dodgers)
SP - Kris Benson (NY Mets)
SP - Tom Glavine (NY Mets)
SP - Horatio Ramirez (Atlanta)
RP - Tom Gordon (NY Yankees)
RP - Joe Nathan (Minnesota)
RP - Chad Cordero (Washington)
Bench - Rafael Palmiero (Baltimore)
Bench - Bobby Madritsch (Seattle)
Bench - Greg Aquino (Arizona)
My analysis:
It's a fairly balanced team, where everyone is capable of at least 15 HR's on offense and the starters should all gain 10+ wins.
On the down side, a lot of catchers were available after the draft, and while Lo Duca's decent, he's not a big power guy, and some catchers on the wire are of equal quality to him. My first transaction was to get rid of Aaron Miles, the Colorado 2B, and pick up Jorge Cantu, the hotshot 2B of Tampa. Miles was projected in something I read to steal 30+ bases, but last year he was inconsistant in Colorado and only stole 12. I don't know where they got that prediction from. Cantu is popular enough and a bit of a risk.
Injuries could be a huge problem for this squad. JD Drew, Troy Glaus, Erubiel Durazo and Horatio Ramirez are all guys who worry me in that sense. I don't know how effective it will be to have a middle reliever like Gordon, but he will get low ERA / WHIP numbers that could help the team a little bit.
I've been basing much of my information on fantasy "experts." What makes a person a fantasy sports expert? Near as I can tell, it's amassing a ton of information from various sources. Here's how I envision the resume of a fantasy sports guru.
----
Fantasy Sports Awards & Distinctions
Old Home Baseball League 2000-2003
10 teams, First Place '01, '03
Who's Your Daddy Basketball 2001-2003
8 teams, First Place '01, Second Place '02-'03
I Got Game Hockey 2003
8 teams, Most Improved Team (2nd Half)
Joe's Football League 2004
8 teams, Second Place, playoffs
ESPN Fantasy Games AL Only Baseball League 2004
6 teams, Third Place
----
You will be hearing a lot about my fantasy team as the season progresses.
Monday, March 28, 2005
Petty
The Kitchen Fresh Blog is #1 when I vanity searched "Kitchen Fresh Blog." This is only a recent development. Yahoo! has already fallen in line. Now it's just time for MSN Search to get its act together.
You Done With That?
One week ago...
I was at a fast-food Chinese restaurant with a friend, sitting by the entrance and nearing the end of our meal. While leaning back in my chair and having a discussion with my friend about the tech industry, a man wandered into the restaurant. He solicited me, my friend, and some of the other patrons at the restaurant for money. Then he went up to the counter and mentioned something I couldn't hear. On his way back out, he stopped by our table again.
To set the scene more clearly, there was still a miscellaneous bit of vegetables or sprouts remaining on my plate. The amount left could probably fit in your hand, it was no more than one or two bites. My fork, which I had used instead of chopsticks to scoop off some of the remaining rice, was in the center of the plate.
The man leaned over, picked up the plate and said, "What you got here?"
Then in a blur, he took the fork and shoveled the food into his mouth. He walked out.
I was so surprised, I can't remember if he looked like he enjoyed it or even wiped his mouth.
What a surprised. I was frozen in shock, and no other emotion came to mind. Not anger, that he hadn't asked me permission. Not fear, that the kind of person who would just take your leftover food and shovel it down could be prone to do anything else. Not pity, despite the fact that he probably has eaten out of the trash before. Instead, total shock, that something I did not even expect to be possible just happened.
I was at a fast-food Chinese restaurant with a friend, sitting by the entrance and nearing the end of our meal. While leaning back in my chair and having a discussion with my friend about the tech industry, a man wandered into the restaurant. He solicited me, my friend, and some of the other patrons at the restaurant for money. Then he went up to the counter and mentioned something I couldn't hear. On his way back out, he stopped by our table again.
To set the scene more clearly, there was still a miscellaneous bit of vegetables or sprouts remaining on my plate. The amount left could probably fit in your hand, it was no more than one or two bites. My fork, which I had used instead of chopsticks to scoop off some of the remaining rice, was in the center of the plate.
The man leaned over, picked up the plate and said, "What you got here?"
Then in a blur, he took the fork and shoveled the food into his mouth. He walked out.
I was so surprised, I can't remember if he looked like he enjoyed it or even wiped his mouth.
What a surprised. I was frozen in shock, and no other emotion came to mind. Not anger, that he hadn't asked me permission. Not fear, that the kind of person who would just take your leftover food and shovel it down could be prone to do anything else. Not pity, despite the fact that he probably has eaten out of the trash before. Instead, total shock, that something I did not even expect to be possible just happened.
Sunday, March 27, 2005
And Now For Something Different...
Schiavo this, Schiavo that, here's a post with a different tone.
Check out Robot Chicken, part of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim Programming. It's on Sunday nights, 11:30pm (EST).
Here are links to some clips:
http://www.adultswim.com/clips/robotchicken/ep01/
http://www.adultswim.com/clips/robotchicken/ep02/
http://www.adultswim.com/clips/robotchicken/ep05/
http://www.adultswim.com/clips/robotchicken/ep06/
http://www.adultswim.com/clips/robotchicken/ep08/
http://www.adultswim.com/clips/robotchicken/ep10/
It has not gone unnoticed by the creative staff of the blog that two of the last five posts have involved a chicken, and that the title of this blog is a pun relating to a failed marketing campaign by a chicken restaurant.
Check out Robot Chicken, part of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim Programming. It's on Sunday nights, 11:30pm (EST).
Here are links to some clips:
http://www.adultswim.com/clips/robotchicken/ep01/
http://www.adultswim.com/clips/robotchicken/ep02/
http://www.adultswim.com/clips/robotchicken/ep05/
http://www.adultswim.com/clips/robotchicken/ep06/
http://www.adultswim.com/clips/robotchicken/ep08/
http://www.adultswim.com/clips/robotchicken/ep10/
It has not gone unnoticed by the creative staff of the blog that two of the last five posts have involved a chicken, and that the title of this blog is a pun relating to a failed marketing campaign by a chicken restaurant.
My Only Terri Schiavo-Related Post: My Cheap Attempt to Capitalize on a Tragic Story
I am breaking a promise I made to myself for the cheapest reason possible - to get more hits to this blog.
The promise: That I would refrain from commenting at all about the Terri Schiavo throughout the duration of the case. In general, I was hoping to reduce the amount of politics on the blog, in favor for lighter fare and amusing personal anecdotes.
The change of heart: A friend of mine suggested that discussing recent events would help to increase the profile of this blog, which while not perfect, I believe to be mildly amusing.
So now what? I see that Terri Schiavo isn't even on the NY Times front page any more. Am I too late? Is it not a current story any more? A check of CNN.com says it sure is! Here I am to reap the web hits benefits!!
Four things I found fairly amusing amidst all the hoopla and sadness surrounding this case:
1) That her husband is planning on having her cremated, against the wishes of her parents, who would prefer that she have a burial. He really hates them, doesn't he? These people really hate each other, don't they? I guess it's been a lot of years of pain and anger. There's probably a good lesson that could be learned from this.
2) Not only that the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigades exist, but that they had "representatives" at the hospice where Terri Schiavo is being kept.
3) That someone who was "right to life" offered a bounty on key figures in the case. In fact, it's generally odd that supporters of the Schindlers had been attempting to feed Terri, while doctors said she was unable to swallow (hence, why she required a feeding tube). Not a good idea to give solid food or liquids to a person who can't swallow.
4) Is it just me, or are they only "renegade judges" when they rule against Republicans? Maybe they're "renegade" when they rule against anyone, but I've been trying to web search for a liberal blog that comments that "renegade judges" got President Bush elected in 2000 and I've come up empty so far. Please post a link to such a site if you find one.
Back to the relatively apolitical regular programming...
The promise: That I would refrain from commenting at all about the Terri Schiavo throughout the duration of the case. In general, I was hoping to reduce the amount of politics on the blog, in favor for lighter fare and amusing personal anecdotes.
The change of heart: A friend of mine suggested that discussing recent events would help to increase the profile of this blog, which while not perfect, I believe to be mildly amusing.
So now what? I see that Terri Schiavo isn't even on the NY Times front page any more. Am I too late? Is it not a current story any more? A check of CNN.com says it sure is! Here I am to reap the web hits benefits!!
Four things I found fairly amusing amidst all the hoopla and sadness surrounding this case:
1) That her husband is planning on having her cremated, against the wishes of her parents, who would prefer that she have a burial. He really hates them, doesn't he? These people really hate each other, don't they? I guess it's been a lot of years of pain and anger. There's probably a good lesson that could be learned from this.
2) Not only that the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigades exist, but that they had "representatives" at the hospice where Terri Schiavo is being kept.
3) That someone who was "right to life" offered a bounty on key figures in the case. In fact, it's generally odd that supporters of the Schindlers had been attempting to feed Terri, while doctors said she was unable to swallow (hence, why she required a feeding tube). Not a good idea to give solid food or liquids to a person who can't swallow.
4) Is it just me, or are they only "renegade judges" when they rule against Republicans? Maybe they're "renegade" when they rule against anyone, but I've been trying to web search for a liberal blog that comments that "renegade judges" got President Bush elected in 2000 and I've come up empty so far. Please post a link to such a site if you find one.
Back to the relatively apolitical regular programming...
Monkey See, Monkey Do?
I routinely root for the University of Kentucky in college basketball.
Why, would I, raised in New York, be rooting for Kentucky? Do I have a relative who went there? Do I like a particular player or coach from there? No, on both coutns. It's actually quite simple. While I've never been much of a college basketball fan, but this interesting history was pointed out to me recently:
Now, just because Kentucky won't win the Championship this year, it doesn't mean the Yankees are doomed, but it's a nice little synergy I root for every year.
By the way, Mets fans, you can root for Louisville, since their only previous national championship was in 1986.
That would provide some weird, same-state synergy thing that my brain couldn't handle.
Why, would I, raised in New York, be rooting for Kentucky? Do I have a relative who went there? Do I like a particular player or coach from there? No, on both coutns. It's actually quite simple. While I've never been much of a college basketball fan, but this interesting history was pointed out to me recently:
| Year | NCAA Basketball Champ | World Series Champ |
| 1948 | Kentucky | Cleveland |
| 1949 | Kentucky | Yankees |
| 1951 | Kentucky | Yankees |
| 1958 | Kentucky | Yankees |
| 1978 | Kentucky | Yankees |
| 1996 | Kentucky | Yankees |
| 1998 | Kentucky | Yankees |
Now, just because Kentucky won't win the Championship this year, it doesn't mean the Yankees are doomed, but it's a nice little synergy I root for every year.
By the way, Mets fans, you can root for Louisville, since their only previous national championship was in 1986.
That would provide some weird, same-state synergy thing that my brain couldn't handle.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Scandals Named with "-gate"
Why are scandals named with "-gate" by the media?
I know the first such scandal was probably Watergate, but that makes sense since the location of the scandal was at the Watergate Hotel. But then what was the next "-gate" scandal?
Other people have complained about this according to my google search, but I would like to know what the first post-Watergate "-gate" scandal was.
Here's hoping Bill Gates will get into a scandal (Gates-gate), the US Open has a scandal (OpenGate) and that a guy named Joe Golden / woman named Jane Golden gets into a scandal (GoldenGate).
I'm so clever!
I know the first such scandal was probably Watergate, but that makes sense since the location of the scandal was at the Watergate Hotel. But then what was the next "-gate" scandal?
Other people have complained about this according to my google search, but I would like to know what the first post-Watergate "-gate" scandal was.
Here's hoping Bill Gates will get into a scandal (Gates-gate), the US Open has a scandal (OpenGate) and that a guy named Joe Golden / woman named Jane Golden gets into a scandal (GoldenGate).
I'm so clever!
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Subservient Chicken
This is so strange...
Here's a list of commands you can try. My two favorites are "die" and "Taco Bell."
Here's a list of commands you can try. My two favorites are "die" and "Taco Bell."
Monday, March 21, 2005
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Short Sentences
Recently, I was told that I wrote very short sentences for something. I find this funny since I believe that I write lots of run-on sentences. This probably shows that I've compensated for my run-on tendencies by now writing shorter sentences. Either that, or I just like to cut down on the fluff.
Sam Waterston's Hair
You may recognize Sam Waterston from Law and Order, but recently I saw him on a TD Waterhouse commercial and something bugged me about the way he looked. As pictured, his hair is parted to the opposite side in the commercial, and it looks like a mirror image. I find it a bit disorienting, and it makes me not like the commercial.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Still Laughing Alone
A day after a funny face from the President made me laugh, please see another facial expression that made me laugh. The culprit was Bud Selig, on the front page of www.nytimes.com
Doug Mills/The New York Times
Caption reads: Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig was in the hearing room as members of congress chastised him and his sport.
Doug Mills/The New York Times
Caption reads: Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig was in the hearing room as members of congress chastised him and his sport.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
I'm the Only One Laughing
Something about the President's face in this AP Photo, seen on CNN.com (headline: Bush Reports Progress in Social Security Debate) is funny to me. I suspect it is not funny to anyone else.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
23-24-25
I just noticed that the return of Tino Martinez to the Yankees means they enter this year with their last three regular first basemen on the team. The three players being Jason Giambi, Tino Martinez and hitting coach Don Mattingly. Their uniform numbers also happen to fall in sequence.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Twin Study
Jose Canseco recently admitted to using steroids, but not much has been said about his twin brother, Ozzie. Since they are twins, and Ozzie has presumably not used steroids, they might be a nice little example of a twin study for steroid use. After all, if they have the same genetic make up and Ozzie is bad at baseball and Jose was pretty good, we can attribute the differences in performance to environmental and other factors. This will allow us to best understand whether or not steroids can help you hit the ball.
I'm hoping to make this my last steroids-related post for a while. I'm amused by all the google context based ads that think this is a steroids blog.
I'm hoping to make this my last steroids-related post for a while. I'm amused by all the google context based ads that think this is a steroids blog.
Marv Albert
I predicted it, Marv Albert is going to the YES network to do Nets games. Let's get those Marv "You're watching YES!" promos going!
Gross. Gross. Gross.
I just completed half my sandwich before realizing that I hadn't washed my hands after holding the bar while riding the subway.
Another Post about Steroids
In regards to his subpeona to testify in front of Congress about steroids, Curt Schilling says , "I'm still real confused as to why I was put in this group and why there are others players that aren't in this group."
Does he have short term memory? Curt Schilling likes to talk a lot, and he in fact told Sports Illustrated (as a part of the Ken Caminiti story), "I'll pat guys on the a--, and they'll look at me and go, 'Don't hit me there, man. It hurts.' That's because that's where they shoot the steroid needles."
Does he have short term memory? Curt Schilling likes to talk a lot, and he in fact told Sports Illustrated (as a part of the Ken Caminiti story), "I'll pat guys on the a--, and they'll look at me and go, 'Don't hit me there, man. It hurts.' That's because that's where they shoot the steroid needles."
Friday, March 11, 2005
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Why Not Bonds?
Ray Ratto on ESPN.com asks why Congress didn't subpoena Barry Bonds in their steroid investigation. He suggests that the reason Bonds was not included in the group (comprised of Canseco, McGwire, Sosa, Schilling, Giambi) is that Bonds wouldn't offer much. That doesn't seem to be a good reason not to ask! Also, why wasn't Sheffield asked to the hearing as well?
Monday, March 07, 2005
Locker Room Dynamics
The NY Times had an interesting graphic where they show the locations of players' lockers in the Yankees locker room. I like to see things like this, as it offers a chance to see the everyday happenings in a normally restricted-access place.
See Buster Olney's book, The Last Night of the Yankee Dyansty if you are like me and enjoy little anecdotes like this.
See Buster Olney's book, The Last Night of the Yankee Dyansty if you are like me and enjoy little anecdotes like this.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
The Gates - Second in a Series
This was taken from the north side of the Great Lawn. To give you a better sense of my day, I was listening to The Ultimate Who, and I had a "dirty water dog" about halfway through the afternoon.
No Matter How Hard You Try, You Can't Stop Us Now
This morning I was very tired, but when I put Rage Against the Machine on my iPod during my workout it sure woke me up! A friend told me that I listen to a lot of angry music. To that friend, here are my top songs played on iTunes, all-time:
1 - Fortune Faded - Red Hot Chili Peppers
2 - The Reason - Hoobastank
3 - Someday - Nickelback
4 (tie) - Clocks - Coldplay
4 (tie) - Hey Ya! - Outkast
6 (tie) - Sad - Pearl Jam
6 (tie) - Africa - Toto
8 - In the End - Linkin Park
9 (tie) - Black - Pearl Jam
9 (tie) - Jeremy - Pearl Jam
9 (tie) - Yeah! - Usher
1 - Fortune Faded - Red Hot Chili Peppers
2 - The Reason - Hoobastank
3 - Someday - Nickelback
4 (tie) - Clocks - Coldplay
4 (tie) - Hey Ya! - Outkast
6 (tie) - Sad - Pearl Jam
6 (tie) - Africa - Toto
8 - In the End - Linkin Park
9 (tie) - Black - Pearl Jam
9 (tie) - Jeremy - Pearl Jam
9 (tie) - Yeah! - Usher
Back In The Browser Business
Look who's back in the browser game!
It's the new Netscape 8.0 browser. It's based on Firefox and functions pretty similarly. This post is being composed with Netscape.
It hasn't supplanted Firefox as my primary browser. Here are some good and bad features of the new browser.
Good:
The multibar. Shown here, it contains weather updates, rss headline feeds, and is essentially 5 toolbars in one space. There actually may not be enough useful features to fill in five different toolbars.
It uses Firefox to render, but can also show pages in IE. Just right click and say, "view as if IE."
Sidebar is back with a little more force. The Firefox sidebar is much more vanilla.
Automatically includes "Tab preferences" which is an extension in Firefox.
"Clear My Tracks" button, allows you to clear any of the various privacy-type sections (cookies, history, location bar, cache, all of them) from the main window, and also allows clearing of these folders upon browser exit.
Neutral:
The new look. It looks sleek but it's actually sort of hard to use because I'm so used to finding things in different places. After a little while I can get used to it, but still disorienting right now.
Bad:
Still a little buggy. For example, I tried to set up the RSS feed for the KFB and it does not work.
It does not accept a number of Firefox extensions, including one of my personal favorites, Adblock.
It is based on Firefox 1.0 which recently was revealed to have a security flaw!
Windows PC Only.
Summary:
This is not a bad browser, and certainly better than the original "Mozilla" browser, the basis of Netscape 7. Minimalists will still prefer Firefox, but Netscape has a few bells and whistles and a little bling Firefox does not. Security freaks ought to stick with Firefox, since the updates are a bit more regular. I wonder if Netscape has the sort of brand recognition anymore that could make this product a true competitor again.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Phantom Cell Phone Vibe
Do you get the phantom cell phone vibe? Every so often, when my phone is in vibe mode, I think it is ringing, but upon inspection, it is not. Yet I swear I felt the vibrations. Maybe I'm just hoping someone will call...
MSNBC - MS = ?
Microsoft might pull out of its MSNBC partnership with NBC. This doesn't seem like a surprising move. I'm not sure about you, fair reader, but I had completely forgotten that Microsoft even had a stake in MSNBC. I wonder if the network will change names.
The Gates - First in a Series
The Gates was this big public art project in Central Park. It was estimated to cost $21 million, and was completely privately funded by its creators, Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
Side note, an extention of my theory of never trusting anyone with two first names is to never trust anyone with just one name.
Anyways, I'll let you be the judge of whether it was successful or not. The New York Times ran an article about it almost every day, it seemed. Many people went to Central Park to see it, locals and tourists alike. There hasn't been a public art exhibition of its size in Central Park before (and one might wonder if ever again in the near future). But seriously, it's just a bunch of doorways.
If anything, it was worth it for me to visit the Park and snap a few shots which will be shared here. I went on 2/27/05, a nice winter day, and the last day of The Gates. Either something like this won't be done for a while in NYC because people are afraid of seeming like they're imitating this piece, or there will be some annual event like this to milk this sort of publicity. Who knows what will happen. Please enjoy my photos.
Joe, Please Stop It
Joe Torre suggests that since "The Curse" is over, there isn't anything to the Red Sox - Yankees rivalry. Mr. Torre, with all due respect, may I please point out that they beat you last year, preventing you from advancing to the World Series, and the year before, you did the same to them. In most sports, that's enough to start a rivalry. This rivalry may have been different since it was "started" when one of the best players was sold from one team to the other, but I suspect recent events bring out even more emotion.
I know Torre is trying to take pressure off his team by trying to make the Sox - Yankees games seem less important, but give us a break! With the steroids suspicions preventing any celebration of Bonds' assault on Aaron's record, Red Sox vs Yankees is all Major League Baseball has got going for it. The emphasis on these games will be bigger than ever.
I know Torre is trying to take pressure off his team by trying to make the Sox - Yankees games seem less important, but give us a break! With the steroids suspicions preventing any celebration of Bonds' assault on Aaron's record, Red Sox vs Yankees is all Major League Baseball has got going for it. The emphasis on these games will be bigger than ever.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Game Show Network
For some strange reason, whenever I can't find something to watch on TV (particularly during the daytimes or late nights), I find myself tuning into the the Game Show Network, with reruns of such hits as Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, Celebrity Jeopardy, Press Your Luck, Extreme Dodgeball, The Newlywed Game and Love Connection.
I can't explain why watching people get hit by red rubber balls, or report on bad dates in the 80's is my preferred form of entertainment, but it's strangely addicting.
I hope it's just a phase.
I can't explain why watching people get hit by red rubber balls, or report on bad dates in the 80's is my preferred form of entertainment, but it's strangely addicting.
I hope it's just a phase.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Numbers Game
David Wells is wearing #3 for his new team because he is a big fan of Babe Ruth. But Babe Ruth never wore #3 for Boston. When Babe Ruth was in Boston, players didn't wear numbers. The numbers started being used with the Yankees in 1929. That was when Ruth wore #3. Thought some might find this either interesting or amusing.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Two First Names
I have a saying, "I don't trust anyone with two first names." I don't know if it's true.
It has come to my attention that Villanova has a basketball player named Allan Ray, and I believe this means he should be automatically promoted to the NBA and also automatically on the same team as Ray Allen, no matter what the team or salary cap situation is. This would, of course, lead to teriffic humorous scenarios where announcers would continually confuse both players.
It has come to my attention that Villanova has a basketball player named Allan Ray, and I believe this means he should be automatically promoted to the NBA and also automatically on the same team as Ray Allen, no matter what the team or salary cap situation is. This would, of course, lead to teriffic humorous scenarios where announcers would continually confuse both players.
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Jobs With Low Success Rates
The weatherman must be the guy with the easiest job in the world. Talk about a person who can be wrong all the time and still keep his job, because after all, "it's the weather!"
When was the last time a weatherperson was fired for being inaccurate? Usually they get deposed because they are too old or not good-looking enough. Could you imagine if your doctor was as inaccurate as the weather man? He'd be the mayor of Malpractice City! What about if a policeman had the accuracy of a weather man? There'd be tons of improper arrests and accidental killings.
The other job with low success rates is Major League Baseball hitter. Here, a 30% success rate is somewhere between above average and superstar. Next time you need to perform a task for work or school, try it at 30% accuracy. If they ask why you did so poorly, say, "It's good enough for MLB!" See how far that gets you.
When was the last time a weatherperson was fired for being inaccurate? Usually they get deposed because they are too old or not good-looking enough. Could you imagine if your doctor was as inaccurate as the weather man? He'd be the mayor of Malpractice City! What about if a policeman had the accuracy of a weather man? There'd be tons of improper arrests and accidental killings.
The other job with low success rates is Major League Baseball hitter. Here, a 30% success rate is somewhere between above average and superstar. Next time you need to perform a task for work or school, try it at 30% accuracy. If they ask why you did so poorly, say, "It's good enough for MLB!" See how far that gets you.
This made me laugh...
and laugh... and laugh...
Except he wasn't successful. I saved this post for today because of the "haiku Friday" rule and it didn't seem to work out. They've decided to name it the "Jimmy Fund Center" instead.
Except he wasn't successful. I saved this post for today because of the "haiku Friday" rule and it didn't seem to work out. They've decided to name it the "Jimmy Fund Center" instead.
Friday, February 25, 2005
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
FYI - blogs
CNET News.com reports that spyware and malicious code infiltrates blogs. Surprise, you're most at risk if you're using Internet Explorer.
Surly
I like how the headline of this article is that Bonds "raged against the media". Given his predicament, "rage" is an interesting choice of language. I wonder if his general surliness is related to 'roid rage.
It sounded a bit like he doesn't see why using steroids was a bad thing, but while not directly admitting he used steroids, he didn't deny it either.
It sounded a bit like he doesn't see why using steroids was a bad thing, but while not directly admitting he used steroids, he didn't deny it either.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Bernie Said It...
...but I was thinking it:
"You have one of the greatest Yankees ever to wear the uniform in Cap," Williams said, referring by nickname to the former Yankee captain Don Mattingly. "Who would argue that he is a true Yankee? And still, he never won a World Series."
"You have one of the greatest Yankees ever to wear the uniform in Cap," Williams said, referring by nickname to the former Yankee captain Don Mattingly. "Who would argue that he is a true Yankee? And still, he never won a World Series."
Counter-Move?
I guess Britain just wants to make doubly sure we wouldn't be able to use this weapon on them.
Monday, February 21, 2005
Simpsons from 2/20/05
Last night's episode of The Simpsons featured gay marriage as an issue, and a link was posted to www.springfieldisforgayloversofmarriage.com, and lo and behold, it works!
I was going to post a screen cap but I'm too homophobic.
I was going to post a screen cap but I'm too homophobic.
Horrible Metaphor
"This thing is going down to the wire," said Assemblyman Keith L. Wright, a Democrat, possibly the only one of nine candidates for Manhattan borough president who supports the stadium. "This is going to be a two-minute drill. Either you score a touchdown, or you miss a field goal at the end."
---
A touchdown and a missed field goal aren't opposites. It would have been simpler if he just said, "This is going to be a two-minute drill. Either you score or you don't."
Also, nobody's going to get Jet fan support for a new stadium if they talk about missed field goals during this off season.
---
A touchdown and a missed field goal aren't opposites. It would have been simpler if he just said, "This is going to be a two-minute drill. Either you score or you don't."
Also, nobody's going to get Jet fan support for a new stadium if they talk about missed field goals during this off season.
Inside Their Heads
New game. I'll put what the person must be thinking, then you click on the link to find out who the person is.
"I can't wait until Jason Giambi gets here." (related story)
"Maybe if the NHL season starts, people will pay less attention to me." (related story)
"Yay! Even though I'm retired, ESPN.com still has a player profile page for me. Can I charge them for that?"
(related story)
"I need to google 'Paris Hilton address book' immediately." (related story)
"I can't wait until Jason Giambi gets here." (related story)
"Maybe if the NHL season starts, people will pay less attention to me." (related story)
"Yay! Even though I'm retired, ESPN.com still has a player profile page for me. Can I charge them for that?"
(related story)
"I need to google 'Paris Hilton address book' immediately." (related story)
Checking out CNN.com
Two items from CNN.com today, as I putz around.
1) A contestant on NBC's Contender committed suicide. They've been filming for six months, so let's hope that his outcome on the show didn't affect this suicide! That would be quite sad. The show itself has been heavily advertised recently, and despite numerous schedule changes (which typically are a bad sign), the commercials look pretty good. Seems like they are going to go with very personalized stories for each of the contestants, and follow families and friends as they watch the contestants. If I were to watch this show, I would hope that it doesn't have games and races (like other reality TV), but instead had a bunch of boxing matches after in-depth profiles on the boxers.
2) On another note, I think that CNN.com must have an "absurdity" filter, where its news wire feeds labels stories as "absurd" or "meaningless," and then posts one of them in the top headlines under "More News." Today's entry is about how Madame Tussaud's had to break up the wax Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt. Are these stories written by junior reporters trying to make a name for themselves or by senior reporters who now just want to sit back and rest on their laurels?
1) A contestant on NBC's Contender committed suicide. They've been filming for six months, so let's hope that his outcome on the show didn't affect this suicide! That would be quite sad. The show itself has been heavily advertised recently, and despite numerous schedule changes (which typically are a bad sign), the commercials look pretty good. Seems like they are going to go with very personalized stories for each of the contestants, and follow families and friends as they watch the contestants. If I were to watch this show, I would hope that it doesn't have games and races (like other reality TV), but instead had a bunch of boxing matches after in-depth profiles on the boxers.
2) On another note, I think that CNN.com must have an "absurdity" filter, where its news wire feeds labels stories as "absurd" or "meaningless," and then posts one of them in the top headlines under "More News." Today's entry is about how Madame Tussaud's had to break up the wax Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt. Are these stories written by junior reporters trying to make a name for themselves or by senior reporters who now just want to sit back and rest on their laurels?
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Arrested Development
From the Arrested Development website...
==============
Dear Arrested Development Fans:
Thank you for your e-mail and your passionate support of Arrested Development. While the show has finished production for its second season, contrary to the rumors you may have heard or read on the internet, it is NOT cancelled.
We at FOX love Arrested Development and we look forward to having the Bluth family back on FOX in the future – hopefully for many years. You can help make the show a bigger success by getting as many people as possible to start watching the show this Sunday and every Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT.
Sincerely,
Fox Broadcasting Company
==============
Isn't this only effective if I know a Nielsen family? I don't know any Nielsen families.
==============
Dear Arrested Development Fans:
Thank you for your e-mail and your passionate support of Arrested Development. While the show has finished production for its second season, contrary to the rumors you may have heard or read on the internet, it is NOT cancelled.
We at FOX love Arrested Development and we look forward to having the Bluth family back on FOX in the future – hopefully for many years. You can help make the show a bigger success by getting as many people as possible to start watching the show this Sunday and every Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT.
Sincerely,
Fox Broadcasting Company
==============
Isn't this only effective if I know a Nielsen family? I don't know any Nielsen families.
Saturday, February 19, 2005
He Must Have Been Joking When He Said It...
From the article:
Giants manager Felipe Alou said the steroid suspicion won't be a distraction this spring.
Giants manager Felipe Alou said the steroid suspicion won't be a distraction this spring.
Still Hard to Root For
I may have mentioned this before, but this year's Yankees are harder for me to root for than usual. They're going to really test the "root for the uniform" theory. Let's take a look (asterisks indicate new '05 acquisition):
Pitchers
Randy Johnson* - beat the Yankees in 2001 World Series
Carl Pavano* - beat the Yankees in 2003 World Series
Jaret Wright* - not very popular with other teams while with Indians
Kevin Brown - surly and punched a wall with his hand, also not very good against the Red Sox in '04
Mike Mussina is the ace of the staff. Didn't he just get here?
Fortunately, there's still Mariano Rivera.
Position Players
Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez* - not hard to root for
Hideki Matsui - not hard to root for, especially since an interpreter can filter any inflammatory remark he'll make
Tony Womack* - not hard to root for, but not particularly good, and has the chance of being awful
Alex Rodriguez - still doesn't feel quite right
Jason Giambi - I still like the guy but it's hard to root for a cheater
Gary Sheffield - see "Jason Giambi"
To sum up:
I find four of the new acquisitions hard to root for (out of five) and three of the nine starting players who remain have made themselves harder to root for.
I used to think that if this year's team became a disaster that I might still be entertained by all the antics. I don't think that's true because I could care less about the Knicks right now, and the wheels came off that wagon long ago.
Pitchers
Randy Johnson* - beat the Yankees in 2001 World Series
Carl Pavano* - beat the Yankees in 2003 World Series
Jaret Wright* - not very popular with other teams while with Indians
Kevin Brown - surly and punched a wall with his hand, also not very good against the Red Sox in '04
Mike Mussina is the ace of the staff. Didn't he just get here?
Fortunately, there's still Mariano Rivera.
Position Players
Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez* - not hard to root for
Hideki Matsui - not hard to root for, especially since an interpreter can filter any inflammatory remark he'll make
Tony Womack* - not hard to root for, but not particularly good, and has the chance of being awful
Alex Rodriguez - still doesn't feel quite right
Jason Giambi - I still like the guy but it's hard to root for a cheater
Gary Sheffield - see "Jason Giambi"
To sum up:
I find four of the new acquisitions hard to root for (out of five) and three of the nine starting players who remain have made themselves harder to root for.
I used to think that if this year's team became a disaster that I might still be entertained by all the antics. I don't think that's true because I could care less about the Knicks right now, and the wheels came off that wagon long ago.
The Gates
I can't say the Gates in Central Park were the coolest thing I've ever seen, but this parody was pretty good.
NY Times write-up
NY Times write-up
One Week and No Updates
Sorry. Just not much interesting to report. No haiku to write. No stupid stories to tell. Nothing really happening.
Oh, pitchers and catchers reported.
Oh, pitchers and catchers reported.
Sunday, February 13, 2005
One Man Who Wishes The NHL Lockout Was Resolved
Who knows if it would have taken the spotlight off him, but at least a few families here and there would be talking about how bad the Rangers are instead of his "non apology."
Friday, February 11, 2005
Caffiene
I drank way too much caffiene and now I can't sleep. This is not a haiku despite the fact that it is Friday because I am tired.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Duck Boats
I guess when you're the Champs you can do whatever you want, but when I think "tough, hard-hitting football team," I don't usually think "duck boats."
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
New Format?
I've been thinking about sprucing up the blog page a little bit, maybe with a new format?
On the other hand, content seems to be the key thing in these blogs and frankly there's not enough exciting going on right now for me to be posting good stories right and left, so you may be left with my keen observations on things such as long receipts, sports and the media.
On the other hand, content seems to be the key thing in these blogs and frankly there's not enough exciting going on right now for me to be posting good stories right and left, so you may be left with my keen observations on things such as long receipts, sports and the media.
Sunday, February 06, 2005
Super Bowl Observation #4
My fourth and final observation.
This Super Bowl is reminding me a lot of last year's. Both teams couldn't score in the first quarter, and now they're moving the ball fairly easily on each other. Unfortunately for me, I also know how last year's Super Bowl ended.
This Super Bowl is reminding me a lot of last year's. Both teams couldn't score in the first quarter, and now they're moving the ball fairly easily on each other. Unfortunately for me, I also know how last year's Super Bowl ended.
Super Bowl Observation #3
When Eugene Wilson walked off the field with an undisclosed just before halftime, Cris Collinsworth said, "I don't like to speculate on injuries but when a guy walks off the field it's probably not something like a shoulder or elbow."
7-7 at the half but New England really carved up Philly on their scoring drive.
7-7 at the half but New England really carved up Philly on their scoring drive.
Super Bowl Observation #2
When the Packers beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI, Andy Reid was on the Packers offensive staff and Bill Bellichek on the Patriots defensive staff.
This probably doesn't mean anything, but somehow it makes me change my mind to the position that Philadelphia has a nonzero chance of winning.
This probably doesn't mean anything, but somehow it makes me change my mind to the position that Philadelphia has a nonzero chance of winning.
Super Bowl Observation #1
Philly won the toss. That's the only thing they're winning tonight, I suspect.
A Few Words About Receipts
I just got a receipt from the grocery store for a half gallon of orange juice that I purchased with cash. It was eight inches long. Another receipt from the other day, with two items purchased with cash at the grocery store, nine inches long. Is there a reason I need such a huge receipt? Especially for the grocery store. Don't even get me started on Best Buy/Circuit City/CompUSA where purchasing a single electronics item (like a DVD) nets you a twelve inch receipt that includes the entire store policy on it. Can I just get a little receipt? These big ones are a waste and just impractical.
Best D*** Sports Show Period
I thought it was a joke when I heard that FOX was changing the name of "The Best Damn Sports Show Period" to the "The Best Darn Super Bowl Road Show Period" for today's big game.
Nope, not a joke.
Nope, not a joke.
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Firefox Extensions
I've been experimenting a little bit with Mozilla Firefox Extensions and happened upon this Adblock extension. It's pretty interesting because it blocks flash ads and images from external servers. You can customize it quite a bit.
The only reason I'm writing this post is that I also found a "Blog This!" extension and am trying it out.
The only reason I'm writing this post is that I also found a "Blog This!" extension and am trying it out.
Krugman vs. O'Reilly
A recent "Great Moments in Punditry as Read by Children" on the Daily Show reminded me of this great exchange on the Tim Russert Show last summer. I saw this one on air and it was a hoot!!
Click on the link and read the whole thing. It's a RIOT.
KRUGMAN: ...you take a look at anything I've written about economics, and I'm not a socialist. You know, that's a slander.
O'REILLY: I said quasi.
KRUGMAN: Well, that's a wonderful--then you're a quasi-murderer. I mean, why--what...
O'REILLY: I'm a quasi-murderer?
KRUGMAN: Well, quasi is a pretty open thing.
O'REILLY: That's ridiculous. All right.
KRUGMAN: Right. I'm nowhere close to that.
Click on the link and read the whole thing. It's a RIOT.
KRUGMAN: ...you take a look at anything I've written about economics, and I'm not a socialist. You know, that's a slander.
O'REILLY: I said quasi.
KRUGMAN: Well, that's a wonderful--then you're a quasi-murderer. I mean, why--what...
O'REILLY: I'm a quasi-murderer?
KRUGMAN: Well, quasi is a pretty open thing.
O'REILLY: That's ridiculous. All right.
KRUGMAN: Right. I'm nowhere close to that.
Can He Even Afford A Suit??
I thought MJ was bankrupt...
From the New York Times:
"As his trial began last week, Michael Jackson did not play the part of the criminal defendant ordered by his lawyers to buy a respectable suit and tie."
From the New York Times:
"As his trial began last week, Michael Jackson did not play the part of the criminal defendant ordered by his lawyers to buy a respectable suit and tie."
MSG Bids on Jets Stadium Land
An interesting move by the MSG people - they are bidding twice as much as the Jets are offering for the rail yard that the Jets would like to build their stadium on.
Is this a bluff? What happens if the MTA gives it to them? Will they be able to actually build anything on it? Would the City even try to help them out? This has major humor potential, and whenever a joke can be made, I'm all for it being made.
Is this a bluff? What happens if the MTA gives it to them? Will they be able to actually build anything on it? Would the City even try to help them out? This has major humor potential, and whenever a joke can be made, I'm all for it being made.
Alberto Gonzalez - Confirmed!
I don't know much about Alberto Gonzalez, but I have to be a little concerned when I read this in the New York Times (yes, I know it has a bias).
"Giving Alberto Gonzales the nation's top legal post is a terrible signal to send the rest of the world, and to American citizens concerned with human rights."
I'm an American citizen concerned with human rights. This doesn't sound so good.
"Giving Alberto Gonzales the nation's top legal post is a terrible signal to send the rest of the world, and to American citizens concerned with human rights."
I'm an American citizen concerned with human rights. This doesn't sound so good.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Thursday, February 03, 2005
MoMA
I still haven't made it over to the new MoMA, but I saw an ad for it on the subway. The ad featured a photo of a very plain looking helicoptor that I guess they've got over there.
Now, is a helicoptor art? I don't really think so. When someone designed the helicoptor, this person was trying to make a helicoptor, not an artistic helicoptor. Perhaps certain helicoptors, if they were painted in a strange way or had funky aerodynamics could be considered art, but if they were mass-produced, that has to be another strike against them.
We could consider that many of these art museums contain anthropoligical items that are on this border of art/not art. For example, the Met has armor and musical instruments. These are just as much anthropology/archeology type items. Does this mean that the American Museum of Natural History is an art museum? I'm sure they have jewelry or pottery from various cultures. If we accept this helicoptor as an art piece, then won't we have to accept the National Museum of Air and Space as an art museum as well?
I suppose it doesn't really matter in the end. But these are the sorts of stupid things I wonder from time to time.
Now, is a helicoptor art? I don't really think so. When someone designed the helicoptor, this person was trying to make a helicoptor, not an artistic helicoptor. Perhaps certain helicoptors, if they were painted in a strange way or had funky aerodynamics could be considered art, but if they were mass-produced, that has to be another strike against them.
We could consider that many of these art museums contain anthropoligical items that are on this border of art/not art. For example, the Met has armor and musical instruments. These are just as much anthropology/archeology type items. Does this mean that the American Museum of Natural History is an art museum? I'm sure they have jewelry or pottery from various cultures. If we accept this helicoptor as an art piece, then won't we have to accept the National Museum of Air and Space as an art museum as well?
I suppose it doesn't really matter in the end. But these are the sorts of stupid things I wonder from time to time.
Star Trek
Much like the real-life space program, sounds like the fictional one is grounded too.
I believe (and this may be semantics) that the statement at the beginning of this article is untrue:
"For the first in 18 years, prime-time U.S. network television will be without a starship crew to 'boldly go where no man has gone before.' "
Semantics: Both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine were not prime-time network television shows, rather they were syndicated shows. This means they could be aired on any station at any time.
Example: "Everybody Loves Raymond" is a prime-time network show when it airs Mondays at 9pm (EST) on local CBS affiliates only. "Andromeda" is a syndicated program that airs on channels that may be completely unrelated throughout the nation.
I believe (and this may be semantics) that the statement at the beginning of this article is untrue:
"For the first in 18 years, prime-time U.S. network television will be without a starship crew to 'boldly go where no man has gone before.' "
Semantics: Both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine were not prime-time network television shows, rather they were syndicated shows. This means they could be aired on any station at any time.
Example: "Everybody Loves Raymond" is a prime-time network show when it airs Mondays at 9pm (EST) on local CBS affiliates only. "Andromeda" is a syndicated program that airs on channels that may be completely unrelated throughout the nation.
De-Gifting
Daunte Culpepper, meet Tim Whatley.
This story made me completely change my mind about Super Bowl media days. If funny stuff like this could be guaranteed to happen, then I'd say, take four weeks off before the Super Bowl!
This story made me completely change my mind about Super Bowl media days. If funny stuff like this could be guaranteed to happen, then I'd say, take four weeks off before the Super Bowl!
Inhaled Ethanol
Thanks to my friend for sending this link to AWOL - the alcohol without liquid website. That's right, why drink to get drunk when you can inhale to get drunk?
At first, I didn't know what to think of this idea. But do you really want to put down $300 for a machine to allow you to inhale alcohol? That's $300 without even getting any alcohol.
Secondly, do you want to get your $300 alcohol inhalation machine from a company that thinks "without" is two words?
At first, I didn't know what to think of this idea. But do you really want to put down $300 for a machine to allow you to inhale alcohol? That's $300 without even getting any alcohol.
Secondly, do you want to get your $300 alcohol inhalation machine from a company that thinks "without" is two words?
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
State of the Union
Wow. I totally didn't realize the State of the Union was tonight.
I was going to suggest a "State of the Union drinking game" but if you search for that on Google (or any other search engine of your preference) you'll find plenty of them.
So the state of the union always seems to be "strong". Will a President ever decide otherwise? I looked this up in the C-SPAN archives. As far as I can tell, this is a trend that Bill Clinton started in 1996 to say that the state of the union is strong.
Anyone care to present evidence to the contrary? I looked at the Clinton speeches, and then a random sample of some of those before.
I was going to suggest a "State of the Union drinking game" but if you search for that on Google (or any other search engine of your preference) you'll find plenty of them.
So the state of the union always seems to be "strong". Will a President ever decide otherwise? I looked this up in the C-SPAN archives. As far as I can tell, this is a trend that Bill Clinton started in 1996 to say that the state of the union is strong.
Anyone care to present evidence to the contrary? I looked at the Clinton speeches, and then a random sample of some of those before.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
While I Try to Get Psyched for MLB
Interleague Play. Teams play their "natural rivals" for two series, where they play only one series against other interleague opponents.
In the case of the Cubs, their natural rival is the White Sox. The Mets have the Yankees. Some are more of a stretch, like the Red Sox and Braves, who once used to play in the same city.
Then there's the case of the Blue Jays and Expos -- the only two Canadian teams. They were natural rivals, except now, the Expos are in Washington DC. One would think then that the DC rival would become Orioles (whose previous natural rival was the Phillies). But instead, it's DC versus the Blue Jays.
Pretty silly, especially since there's already an existing tension from Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who is unhappy about the Expos-to-DC move. Sure, it's a little confusing for the schedulers to change, but it wouldn't be that hard.
This does set up a nice USA vs Canada rivalry (after all, nobody likes the Canucks) between the capital city of the USA, versus the only city in Canada that US citizens can identify (with Montreal a possible close second, and Vancouver a distant third).
Too bad Oakland is in the same league as Toronto. Otherwise the natural rivalry could be Blue Jays and the Oakland Eh's.
In the case of the Cubs, their natural rival is the White Sox. The Mets have the Yankees. Some are more of a stretch, like the Red Sox and Braves, who once used to play in the same city.
Then there's the case of the Blue Jays and Expos -- the only two Canadian teams. They were natural rivals, except now, the Expos are in Washington DC. One would think then that the DC rival would become Orioles (whose previous natural rival was the Phillies). But instead, it's DC versus the Blue Jays.
Pretty silly, especially since there's already an existing tension from Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who is unhappy about the Expos-to-DC move. Sure, it's a little confusing for the schedulers to change, but it wouldn't be that hard.
This does set up a nice USA vs Canada rivalry (after all, nobody likes the Canucks) between the capital city of the USA, versus the only city in Canada that US citizens can identify (with Montreal a possible close second, and Vancouver a distant third).
Too bad Oakland is in the same league as Toronto. Otherwise the natural rivalry could be Blue Jays and the Oakland Eh's.
Two Stories About Change (The Coins, Not the Action)
Story 1
I left this morning with $1.08 in change in my pocket. The total was comprised of the most useless coin combination possible - eight pennies and one sacagawea dollar.
Story 2
One time (have I told this one before?), somebody asked me for some change with the following line. I don't know if it was a request or a threat.
"I just got out of prison. Can you give me some change?"
I left this morning with $1.08 in change in my pocket. The total was comprised of the most useless coin combination possible - eight pennies and one sacagawea dollar.
Story 2
One time (have I told this one before?), somebody asked me for some change with the following line. I don't know if it was a request or a threat.
"I just got out of prison. Can you give me some change?"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
