Scenes from last night's Tribe game. The weather and StubHub gave rise to a last-minute decision to attend the Indians 11-2 thumping of the White Sox.
Beautiful night for a game.
Asdrubal Cabrera knocked in five runs.
Harold Baines was coaching first for the Sox last night. I was waiting for a bus at the Federal Building several years ago as Harold was making his way down East 6th for a game.
Me: "Hey, Harold. Don't hit us too hard tonight."
Baines (smiling): "4-for-4 with 4 RBIs."
Jeanmar Gomez is 5-0 for the Tribe since his last callup.
Can't we bunt on this guy?
Fukudome is tired. It's September.
Joe Smith doing an imitation of my contorted body following the Foo Fighters.
Carlos Santana, looking prepared.
Two Indians pitchers I didn't even know were on the team finished up last night.
First, Putnam.
Then Kluber.
Meal of Links
Roger Ebert fixes Netflix for them. Even he thinks streaming is the way to go.
MLB had nothing better to do today, so they released the 2012 schedule . The Indians open against the Blue Jays on Holy Thursday. So, that means hot dogs unless there is a rainout. Next year, the season extends into October.
The Red Sox and Yankees only come in once, but both are here in August. Interleague is awfully strange with the new "Miami" Marlins, Pirates, and Reds at home and the Reds, Astros and Cardinals on the road. Memorial Day and Independence Day are at home. This may be the year to take a roadie out to Seattle or Minnesota, during the dog days.
The other thing you notice is those dreaded two-game series. They have two of those in May and only 9 home games in June. The June schedule is tough, because if they suck, they are out of sight, out of mind. Or, if they play well, you wish you could see them more.
Meal of Links
Frank Deford called this, "the most important article ever written about college sports". Well worth the time.
The "Austin City Limits" schedule is up. As always, it's worth watching. Jeff Bridges this year.
What happened to my alma mater's football team? After whomping on Brooklyn, 64-14, they got shutout at JFK. Last week, they were getting shutout at Cleveland Central Catholic when a brawl erupted in the third quarter. That game got called. So, being shorthanded, they did what any smart team would do. They will forfeit this week's game to Glenville. That was allegedly a home game, but they were playing it at Marshall.
On an unrelated note, we get Marv Albert for this week's Browns-Colts game!
Visitor
52 Across: Seven-time Grammy-winning jazz singer (9 letters) Answer: Al Jarreau
Thursday, September 08, 2011
A few thoughts...
Rick Perry and the "Ponzi Scheme" line about Social Security caught fire today.
Get used to it. ESPN has Monday Night Football for 10 more years. Hello, cable rate increase. Plus more Berman.
Interesting item about Carlos Carrasco's Tommy John surgery. Geez, they couldn't wait to get Jake Westbrook tossing on a one-year timetable. Carrasco? 12 to 18 months.
Jeff Tweedy Covers Black Eyed Peas
President Obama talks tough. Now that's the guy I voted for.
Are you ready for some football? The broadcast maps are up! Somwhere Navin Johnson is dancing. Looks like it's Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots for the Browns.
I know he's bad, but today's Kevin O'Brien column was downright awful. Using semantics to deny the existence of a middle class is astoundingly stupid. Deconstructed here.
This is low. A mentally disabled guy got swindled out of a bunch of Superman memorabilia.
My idea of relaxing was to take in the Tribe game against the Tigers this afternoon. Bonus was "jets flying aroung making loud noises" from the air show during the game. That would have been greater if there had been less clouds today.
Anyhow, my Dad and I sat in the Clubs for a game that would probably determine the Tribe's season. Crowd into it early. Ubaldo looking unhittable with 5 K's in the first two innings from mainly high heat. Then in the fourth, Victor Martinez, in a year where his power has diminished, hit his ninth homer of the year for the Tigers. Too bad for Ubaldo, it came with two guys on.
After that, the crowd moved on with their lives. Fister continued to handcuff the Indians and Jimenez got back on track after that. But the damage was already done.
So, in a game where Ubaldo allows only five baserunners, Detroit wins. The Indians inept offense just can't make up any ground against good pitching. Once Detroit pushed across their 4th run, it was definitely over.
Thanks For Playing
Meal of Links
What is really behind the financials of the Postal Service. And no, there is no default coming.
Billy Buck was on "Curb" last night! Absolutely loved it. Buckner palling around with LD, because he had nothing better to do.
TIFF starts up this week. Here's a preview . "Moneyball" arrives here in 2 weeks. Shut the fuck up. "Senna" actually gets here this weekend. HUGE buzz. I am there.
You can't ask to have the Notre Dame coach fired for cursing, can you? I'm starting to wonder if Brian Kelly is in over his head there? Losing to South Florida in your home opener? Terrible.
Visitor
39 Across: Designer Karan (5 letters) Answer: Donna
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
I found it odd that the penis amputation victim was from the city of Waddy, KY. BTW, how unsympathetic of a character are you when the jury rules unanimously in favor of the doctor?
Meal of Links
Steve Jobs resigned today. Hard to believe he's been a headline grabber for over 30 years.
Another Louis C.K. interview. I am sure after his series hit the high water mark two weeks ago, something's been missing since. Although those kids were awfully cute in the Halloween episode. One dressed as Frederic Douglass!
Here's the Jimenez-Pomeranz/White trade from the Rockies perspective. The takeaway? Rockies fans hate Dan O'Dowd and loved Ubaldo.
Visitor
6 Down: Five-time Grammy winner James (6 letters) Answer: Taylor
Sunday, August 21, 2011
I wasn't too happy with John Kasich Theater the other day. Why waste everyone's time with that stunt?
We'll see what the people think of SB5, come November. If it's repealed, it's 1 win, 1 loss for everyone concerned and then we can work on a compromise.
Meal of Links
Chipotle doesn't talk turkey. They talk pork. Looks like Bill Niman is consulting. Buehler's sells Niman Ranch meat and it's very good.
Matt Taibbi has a long read on the SEC and its document keeping. Should be bigger news.
Bourdain has no reservations ripping on everyone. Deen, Fieri, Ray and Sandra Lee. Stuff needs to be said.
Should the Beachland Ballroom have to pay its back taxes. Or, given its role in changing South Collinwood, do they get a pass? Love the place, but if their taxes are waived, I think that line of others starts forming pretty quickly. Let's hope for a settlement.
Exercise Yard
Not really a curse, but the Indians do need to think about selling postseason tickets. And they did. The Tribe's playoff odds are down to 9.3%.
Visitor
None, on a changing sky Sunday.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Today, in tech world, it was like Black Friday. Because the HP TouchPads were being dumped on the market at prices that would make Crazy Eddie proud.
Two of the biggest online retailers haven't dropped their price yet. That would be Newegg and Amazon, but that'll happen later today or tomorrow. Best Buy claims they still have some in-store and will be sold starting tonight or tomorrow, but that seems completely random, as they allegedly sent all their stock back. But the Office Depot/OfficeMax/Staples Axis of Evil seems to be out. As are Target and Wal-Mart and your warehouse clubs.
Meal of Links
Groupon is running low on cash. This is really good insight as to how the company actually operates and how they get paid. And how accounting principles allow you to tell a story that is kinda true.
Probably the quintessential piece on the demise of Borders. The last time I was in the Crocker store was last Christmas and could not believe how much that store had changed. Especially when I found they now opened at 10:00.
Finally got a look at "Ebert Presents: At The Movies", while stumbling around the dial after the Browns and Indians last night. A trip down memory lane as Roger and Gene talked about overlooked acting of the '80s. Got affirmation when Gene mentioned Gene Hackman in "The Conversation" and Roger piped up with James Caan in "The Gambler". Looks like WVIZ runs this on Fridays at 10:30 with overnight reruns on early Saturdays and Sundays.
37 Across: Classic Leontyne Price role (4 letters) Answer: Aida
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
I kinda feel bad for Jim Thome. He hit his 600th homer and it barely scratched the surface of coverage. It didn't help that he banged out 599 and 600 in the same night. After I saw 599 on MLB Network, they said they would show everyone of his at-bats until he hit 600. Well, that didn't last very long.
Today, all the talk nationally asked if Thome is a first ballot Hall-of-Famer. I say he'll get in, but maybe not on that first ballot. He lacks a ring, no MVP, only 5 All-Star games. It's true that Thome never won an MVP, but look at that 2002 season while he was still a position player:
and he finished SEVENTH in the voting that season. OPSed by more than 200 over FOUR guys in front of him (Tejada MVP, Soriano 3rd, Garret Anderson 4th, Hunter 6th). With voting like that, it's hard to hold the lack of an MVP against him.
Locally, of course, the venom is still out on sportstalk radio. The common theme seems to be that somehow Thome lied to us when he opted to go to Philly. I may have been in a coma, but is this some sort of perceived slight? I recall the Indians being really late to the table with legitimate offers, which were easily trumped by the Phillies.
The Indians were originally around $45 million for four years and eventually tapped out between $62 and $64 million for 5 years. The Phillies easily added another year and he eventually signed for $85 million for six years. Unless we came up with something and named it "Thomeville", I don't think he could refuse that Philly offer. And weren't the Dolans happy he didn't sign?
And let's not forget 2002. The Tribe dumped Robbie Alomar in the offseason and made the Colon trade that year. Even a blind man could see the rebuilding. Thome's signing was the start of the renaissance of the Phillies as David Bell and Kevin Millwood arrived as free agents, as well. Outside of World Series appearances in 1980, 1983 and 1992, the Phillies only made the playoffs in '81.
The 3 years before Thome, the Phillies had 77, 65 and 86 wins. But he didn't get them in the playoffs in the three seasons he was there and the emergence of Ryan Howard made him expendable. He's hardly played with a glove since.
And you really can't dismiss any non-steroid use for sure, can you? There is a famous PD photo of 1995 World Series Thome that looked a helluva lot different than the behemoth I saw up-close walking out of a Wrigley Field dugout a scant few years later. When you hear Hammy waxing about Thome "doing it the right way" or "country strong", there has to be some doubt, no?
So, there are bound to be some doubters on the Hall of Fame. And it proves, once again, that no one holds a grudge like Cleveland Fan.
Jim Thome's First Homer
What do you notice on that clip?
Ex-Indian Steve Farr on the mound.
Thome wearing Number 6.
Thome is a bit thinner then.
Hey, what's with those socks?
OK, it's late season (October) and the Indians and Yankees both suck, but where are the people?
Baerga's haircut.
That's Reggie Jefferson congratulating Thome at home plate.
Meal of Links
Deviled eggs at the movies? For only 50 cents more...
Here are your TV premieres for fall. Both new and old. Have not picked my "Terriers" of 2011 yet. It will NOT be "New Girl", which should just be named "Zooey Being Zooey".
A new solo album from David Lynch. I wanna do "I Know" at karaoke.
The 5 best car commercials. No way. "Time to unpimp ze auto" is easily on this list. Joe Isuzu golfing, as well. "Birdie".
If you have never seen "Children's Hospital", there is good news. It got renewed.
Remember that show where Bobby Flay helped judge someone to a new restaurant? He blames Chipotle for the failure.
The art of seat poaching. What really sucks though, is when the poacher is around you. Someone comes in late, claims their rightful seats, then the poacher moves. I've seen these guys disrupt at least five rows at a game. "We'll sit here until someone arrives" is not necessarily a bad line to hear at a game, but it's downright awful, if you know there is a crowd.
Even the right is getting tired of Palin. Playing the "victim" again.
I already have a deposit down on a new roof, so days like this remind me of why I need a new one. Probably will be done sometime in the next 3 or 4 weeks. Minor nuisance, but I expect nice weather until this thing gets constructed.
Meal of Links
Pawlenty gives up. That concludes an awful week for him. But he was a cipher as candidate.
A rather lengthy conversation with John Sayles. Maybe the last of the independents.
Julian Assange says the UK riots allow the government to trample more rights. Especially cyber rights.
Speaking of social media and "flash mobs'. Philadelphia has had a rough go lately. Mayor tells curfew-age kids to buy a watch. We don't have any apps with a BlackBerry, but we sure have encryption!
Exercise Yard
Choo is back. Fukudome is hitting similar to Beltran, thus far. Kipnis is tearing it up. Orlando Cabrera is now OPSing worse than when he was here.
Bullpen seems to be coming back around. Chris Perez with two easy saves in a row.
Although there was a rainout today, things are looking good at Progressive Field.
Can we start thinking about postseason? One weird thing about this year's early start, I just realized the season ends on a Wednesday and the ALDS starts two days later. And the only off-days in the playoffs are travel days.
Visitor
None, on a rainy Sunday.
Friday, August 12, 2011
We are all Kipnises. Yes, it's catching on.
Gale and I were at Ubaldo's first home game on Wednesday. I liked what I saw. If he pitches like that through September, there's a gleam, men. The bats are coming around a bit better the last 10 days and just in time. The Tiger series was the first series win since the Yankee series on July 4 and first back-to-back wins since July 18.
One of the lowlights this past week has been the defense of Carlos Santana. Three lazy attempts behind the plate (one in Boston, two in Texas) and two bad plays at first against the Tigers, which all led to runs. Finally, Droobs had to call bullshit on him and let him have it last night.
Hell, on Wednesday, Kipnis called for a foul ball and Santana apparently didn't hear him and eventually caught the ball. But, it was an adventure and Kipnis barked at him for a while. So, it had been festering for at least 10 days. Nice that it came from Cabrera and not the coaching staff. And you better pray this doesn't cost us a playoff spot somewhere down the line.
Now Choo and his Uma Thurman-like thumb is back. The corpse that was Austin Kearns was finally DFA'ed. I'm not sure where Kearns was all year, but he didn't produce at all and when you have Marson, Kearns and Carrera starting, that ain't a lotta pop from one-third of your order. And maybe Shelly Duncan will relax now.
How many stories have we seen on AMC and trouble on the sets of their biggest hits. Here's another one.
The R's had a debate last night. Earlier, some old guy at the Iowa State Fair yelled at Mitt. Oh, it's starting already.
Why do new sporting venues in the U.S. lack architectural ingenuity? It's actually a good question, since we foot the bill.
Two months ago, I didn't give two shits about Russell Brand. But, I gotta say, the dude is growing on me. And it has nothing to do with his real job.
I cannot say this enough. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is waking up the echoes, thus far, this season. Last Sunday was a show hitting on a all cylinders. Larry is, indeed, a "social assassin".
Rick Perry is not a climate change guy. This should be the first item to check off on any sane person's candidate checklist. If it's a "No", you have to start questioning each part of their platform.
Good Grief (the War on Christmas!). I saw this last night, as it happened:
Exercise Yard
I'm worried about Tiger Woods. Did you see any of his play in the PGA? I mean this thing is getting serious.
I wonder if we are starting to go Mike Tyson with him. It's getting like Tyson near the end. We remember what he used to be, and even though we knew better, we always thought he would snap out of it and regain his past glory. Now I get that Tiger isn't biting the ears off of fellow golfers but jeezy creezy, this is painful to watch.
Now this can go two ways. One is post-shaved head Britney Spears and a comeback or the other is Keyser Soze, where he disappears. No way is this a David Duval situation where he schleps around missing cuts in every time zone.
Visitor
53 Across: Team playing in the Big A (5 letters) Answer: Angels
Sunday, July 31, 2011
My thoughts on the Indians trades last night?
I love them. I've actually seen this written on the Land of Ignorance (Cleveland.com) that some are comparing this trade to Rocky Colavito for Harvey Kuenn, which is currently the dumbest analogy on the boards. Colavito, the most popular player ever for the franchise compared to 4 minor leaguers who have appeared in a combined, what, four games for the club.
This is why I love the Ubaldo Jimenez trade. First of all, this trade is so anti-Shapiro, can we finally put to bed the idea that he is still the GM, instead of Chris Antonetti? Antonetti's got balls the size of church bells with this deal.
He locks up a 27-year old Jimenez (a pitcher ALL of the contenders wanted) through 2013 with a fairly cheap contract. $2.8 million this year, then $4.2 million and $5.75 million for 2013. Years, if you recall, when we were actually supposed to contend. Quite frankly, Antonetti should demand something else from the Rockies for starting Jimenez last night. That is not how it works.
Losing Matt McBride and Joe Gardner...meh. I thought Alex White looked good in his stint here in April. But if he is targeted as a non-closing relief pitcher in the future, this deal's pain only lies with losing the upside of Drew Pomeranz.
If Jimenez plays a part in the Indians making the playoffs, let's say 2 of the next 3 seasons, how is this considered a bad move? And if I see one more person cite Ubaldo's ERA this season, I will take action. The dude was injured and seems to be fully recovered. Toss out the first month-and-a-half, and he's a different pitcher.
Remember the year C.C. Sabathia was traded? Every contender wanted to trade for him. His record that year when the Indians finally did trade him? Age 27, 6 wins, 8 losses, 3.83 ERA. He's been 66-22 since. Not saying Ubaldo can equal that, but he's a damn fine pitcher.
Mid-market teams must take these risks.
As far as Orlando Cabrera being traded, Keith Law said it best. "The Giants, tired of playing a statue (Tejada) or an automatic out (Crawford) at short, acquire Orlando Cabrera, who is both."
How we got a breathing human in return for Cabrera is a mystery.
Babes of the '80s. Then and now. Daryl Hannah seems to have made a turn, not from the '80s, but from as recent as "Kill Bill". Jennifer Beals needs to be studied, she remains outstanding.
Exercise Yard
One of the best things ESPN has ever done, "30 For 30", returns this fall. Finally, the much-delayed Alex Gibney doc on "Bartman" is first out of the gate.
Other topics include Renee Richards, Chuck Wepner, and Charismatic. Charismatic should be good as Chris Antley's story will intersect.
Visitor
None, on another hot Sunday.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Indians-Angels Highlights
Last-minute decision to brave the heat and catch the Tribe. I was at last night's Indians-Angels thriller last night. So, I chronicled some action.
Manny Acta
Do ground rules ever change year-to-year?
"Fuzzy Top"
Yep, he's still here. My Dad couldn't remember his name and came up with that gem.
Ketchup
Is it the heat or am I dreaming? Why is there a condiment in my section?
Mustard
As for dreaming...I guess not.
Fausto
For all of his faults, he did throw six shutout innings last night. Almost gave up a homer to Bobby Abreu that he thought, for sure, was gone.
Dan Haren
For being such a good pitcher, Dan Haren has bounced around a lot. Last night's performance was the type of game that gets you in the playoffs. 123 pitches, 10 K's, 2 walks, only 3 hits in 8 innings. Not his best stuff, not close to dominating, but the Indians couldn't do anything against him.
Tori-i-i-i-i-i-i
Torii Hunter is struggling a bit this year. However, in the ninth inning, he almost saved the game for Los Angeles. They brought him in from rightfield as a fifth infielder. He got a grounder and forced a runner at home for out #2.
The Chiz
Last time I saw The Chiz, he got hit in the face. Didn't do anything last night.
Carlos Santana
Carlos is struggling again. Wishes he had swung at this pitch. Actually bunted for a hit late.
Pronk
Here is Travis Hafner, early in the game, hoping for a ball call here. He was a caged animal on deck in the 9th, pacing back and forth. Then he ripped a double for the game-tying RBI. Not a lot of RBIs this year, but many were big at-bats.
Cabby
Asdrubal Cabrera didn't do too much. Gee, his K rate is high. Really the only blemish on his record this season.
Michael Brantley
Ready to replace Grady permanently...or not?
Bobby Abreu
Still around. Still patient at the plate. Almost homered off of Carmona. Did take Pestano deep in the 9th.
Vinnie Pestano
Pestano was unhittable until that second Reds series. His ERA coming in was up to 2.68. That may be why Alex White is targeted for bullpen duty. Abreu tagged him for a homer in the 9th that gave the Angels a lead.
Sipp
Tony Sipp was the winner last night, after he cleaned up Pestano's mess.
Jason Kipnis
Hey, Kipnis has the "Mickey Tettlebach" thing going. Hit a liner to right for the game-winning single last night.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Yeah, it's over.
No more Podium Girls.
No more Road ID ads with Bobke.
No more El Diablo.
No more fear of a fan impeding a rider.
I love the Tour de France, because it fits so nicely within the July sports calendar when there is a not much goin' on, 'cept the rent.
This year gives us the first Aussie winner, the first winner from the Southern Hemisphere and the second-oldest winner ever. It was Cadel Evans and he gave it quite the ride this year.
Meal of Links
They are correct. Olivia Wilde is jarringly beautiful. She was on Bill Maher's show once and I think she was overwhelmed at that time. They need to bring her back.
I think I've waited a year-and-a-half to find a Thermopen on sale. It finally happened.
This guy's church HAS to be fun. "Boogity, Boggity, Amen!"
Invocation of the Year
"Wedgie, you're doing a heckuva job." The Mariners have lost 15 straight.
About that Borders liquidation sale. You may want to wait.
Campbell's looks at the facts. It's hard to sell low-sodium soup. So, they are adding salt to the Select Harvest line.
Exercise Yard
I don't know if there is anyone out there who can help the Tribe. But, after today's game, I wonder "if the ship be sinking."
I'll be at either Monday's or Wednesday's game and have a better sense of what is going on.
Visitor
None, on a still humid Sunday.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
While trying to determine the odds of the deer I saw running through my neighborhood this a.m., actually seeing tomorrow...
I've been watching women's sports for a long time. The US Women's Soccer team is the better team. But, jeezy creezy, if you blow a game like they did today, you gotta take the heat like the men do. Instead we are treated to platitudes like Bob Ley insisting that some "were already calling it a classic". How? Why?
Is it the resiliency of Japan or the fact that the US was up twice and gave up goals late in the second half and also in the second half of added time. Good teams don't let that happen. So, they go to Penalty Kicks and the Japan keeper is getting all the credit, while I see the US having two terrible PKs to start. On the broadcast, it seemed the third US PK was somehow deemed as not good, but that clearly was a good save by the Japan keeper.
Meanwhile, Hope Solo makes one save out of four tries and in the highlights after that save, Brandi Chastain makes this statement after the match, "Hope Solo does what Hope Solo does...makes saves!" WTF? Did you just see her make only one save of four? And did you notice the ref was having none of Solo's PK shenanigans this time around, actually ordering her on to the pitch before the first US PK.
And the US coach needs to come under some scrutiny, as well. Against Brazil, her PK lineup was Boxx, Lloyd, Rapinoe, Wambach, Krieger. Today, for some unknown reason, she pulled Rapinoe in the latter stages of extra time and did not have Alex Morgan in the lineup, who has been consistently on target with her shots and scored the first US goal and assisted on the other.
So, today's lineup was Boxx with a not-so-good first attempt that was saved. Lloyd, who air-mailed the goal. Heath, who had only subbed for Rapinoe in the 114th minute, had a good attempt blocked, but I think Morgan deserved that spot. Wambach nailed her attempt and I'm not sure who Number 5 would have been.
But we don't get any of that breakdown. No, we're allegedly teaching the world to sing tonight and we'd like to buy it a Coke. Bah!
"It's The World Cup, Bro!"
Meal of Links
This was one thing that was hard to figure about the Murdoch controversy. He put Rebekah Brooks in charge of the internal investigation when she was in charge at NOTW. She resigned last week and has now been arrested.
Terrence Malick had been thinking of "The Tree Of Life" for some time. Like since 1979. You actually see some of these early thoughts in the current movie.
Ron Howard has finally stopped wearing a hat. It was getting ridiculous.
A pretty fair look at John Kerry. And the role he plays in our foreign policy.
Exercise Yard
Indians lost their second in a row to Baltimore. Now they head to the Twin Cities for 4 games. Have you noticed the Twins lately? They are only 5 games back.
Even Tiger refers to this series with his favorite word: "Huge."
Visitor
None, on a warm Sunday.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
I happened to be going through the dial when I saw the Penalty Kick portion of the US Women-Brazil Women's World Cup quarterfinal. Unbeknown to me, the US scored during Stoppage Time of Extra Time. In the 122nd minute, if you will.
"Major Onions" US Goal by Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery
The Real Call by Ian Darke and Julie Foudy
But when it came time for PKs, what the hell was with the Brazilian goalkeeper? Every shot she is way off her line. Wa-a-a-ay off her line. The ref nailed her on the first US attempt and gave a rekick. The US made that goal and the next four for the win, but I was curious to see if any other US miss was going to be given a rekick.
As for the US during PKs, Hope Solo has to be a bit more careful with her psych jobs. She sits off on the side, unlike most keepers, well out of the way, but on the field of play. She then makes a slow torturous walk towards goal, while the opponent is already lining up their kick. Again, unusual because the goalkeeper is almost always ready before the shooter. She will then do a lot of stretching and gyrations in front of the shooter before she gets on the line. To be fair, once on the line, she is not moving before the kick or still waving her arms, which is really getting out of hand by most goalies. But with one yellow card already in the match, that was too dangerous a time to be messing with the rules.
I am not going to call this the greatest comeback win in any sport, as ESPN already did. It seemed like a great finish but wake me up next Sunday and tell me who wins.
Rutger Hauer is in a new movie. Best title since "Snakes On A Plane". It's "Hobo With A Shotgun".
The power of Rupert Murdoch. Clearly, he sacrificed News of the World for BSkyB.
Chris Hansen's affair probably cost him a job as "Dateline" anchor. Well, when he asks, probably more people know who he is now.
The world of obit writers. Not as humorless as one would think.
8 Secrets About Disney. I was actually in that Club 33 once. I didn't see Depp there, but I had an adult beverage.
Exercise Yard
I guess Travis Hafner's grand slam on Thursday did not propel the Tribe to gerater heights, as originally thought. Don't look now, but the White Sox and Twins are now the closest to the division lead than they have been all year.
I heard Manny Acta pregame and for the first time, I thought, yeah, the Indians may deal to find a bat. Then I read Chris Antonetti's comments and I'm not so sure again.
Visitor
None, on a sunny Sunday.
Saturday, July 09, 2011
I was actually at the Tribe game on Thursday. The Indians had some insane deal (meaning advance ticket sales were dreadful) for the Toronto series where you can still get $44 tickets for $13 plus fees. Take that, StubHub!
But I wasn't there for this:
Somewhere, Bill Selby nods approval.
Anyhow, I'm not a master of the ALE (Always Leave Early) theory, but if you witnessed the first 7 innings of that game, no one would begrudge you leaving. Indians starter Zach McAllister threw 94 pitches in only 4 innings, while Carlos Villanueva for Toronto threw 110 in 6 innings.
I may have had a sense of kismet on the way home because I mentioned to my Dad that we had missed comebacks from large deficits in the past (ahem...the largest), so no big deal if we missed something that night. With that Joey Bats homer in the 9th to put Toronto up by 4, I thought that was the clincher.
But then Hafner came up and he smoked one. Good for them. Victories like that can really mean something come September.
Hey, at least the hot dogs were good.
Meal of Links
I don't know this guy from Adam. But he did co-invent Rotisserie Baseball. Deserves a parade.
Another series jumps ahead in time. This time, it's "Dexter"!
There was a time if you had anything to do with baseball memorabilia, you knew the name, Barry Halper. Turns out most of his artifacts were stolen or forgeries. it's a long read, but fascinating.
Getting your kicks. On Route 66. Don't forget Winona!
56 Across: Super bowl party array (6 letters) Answer: Salsas
Saturday, June 04, 2011
I really like my Saturday Plain Dealer. Not so much for any editorial or ad content, but the fact the Saturday Crossword has finally arrived on my doorstep. So, it pains me when I get that edition of the PD stolen. I've had that happen before at various times and it blows.
While I was recovering from some Ommegang Wittes last night, I finished up yesterday's version of the local daily newspaper. Looking at all of the Patio Issue, as it were. So, I didn't exactly get out there early for today's paper, grabbing it around 8:30. After finally getting to it 15 minutes later, all I could say was "Fuck me!".
Someone pilfered my PD and replaced it with the weekend version of the Wall Street Journal. So, I guess I have some sort of benevolent thief or some sort of overly aggressive WSJ deliverer. Which caused me to trudge up to the Circle K to get my fix.
Because the last time I went through this from the PD, I learned:
It was my fault.
and
They sorta kinda don't get there quick enough with a new paper for me.
The Tribe won today to get back on track, after dumping three in a row. Here are some things we should be talking about, going into today's game:
Jack Hannahan is hitting .185 in May, with only 2 extra-base hits.
Big hit for Shelley Duncan today. He was hitting .135 in May. But still hits lefties at .303.
Orlando Cabrera has walked only 6 times.
Carlos Santana has knocked in 4 runs in May. Lou Marson has 1. That's 5 RBI from the catcher this month.
Michael Brantley is at .259 before his big triple and single today. Looking good.
Shin-Soo Choo is apparently coming out of it. Last 2 weeks, .353 BA, .439 OBP, .500 Slugging. Those are Choo-like numbers. Has to sustain that to get back to his levels of last 2 years.
No numbers necessary. Asdrubal Cabrera is your All-Star representative.
Matt LaPorta is not really doing anything great. Plugging along at .250, slugging and OBP down in May.
That's why it's not so much the pitching this year. It will be the hitting that takes the Tribe to wherever they wind up this year.
The Champions League Final proved one thing. Barcelona is the best club in the world. Complete domination, starting with about 70% possession, of Manchester United. Goals by Messi and Villa offset one by Rooney.
48 Down: Willem of "Spider-Man" (5 letters) Answer: Dafoe
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Man, I had an interesting day today.
Had a guy tend to my roof. I had birds that were subletting without my knowledge.
I could not get my garage door to open. Electrics all screwed up.
To get the last bit out of a jar of Taco sause, I had it upside down for about a week. When I opened it...A red Jackson Pollock painting before my very eyes.
Meal of Links
Austin City potst its lineup. is that suspiciosuly like Lollapalooza?
I haven't really bothered to explore the comedy of Mitch Hedberg. But his widow has relaunched the website, so maybe it's time.
More Dogs of War. This Belgian Malinois intrigues me. "They can be destructive or develop neurotic behaviors if not provided enough stimulation and exercise." A match made in heaven.
Dan Le Batard gets his own show on ESPN2 in September. I'll have to get that into the rotation.
Comcast signs up TiVo. They have cut a lot of deals to turn it around over there. Left for dead many times.
