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Here's an article from 2008 discussing KBR's propensity for shoddy wiring that had killed - by that date - 12 soldiers serving in Iraq. With friends like KBR...
Nice info. I didn't realize guys with a lot of tattoos were supposed to be mean.
And the thing is, they are DYNAMICALLY charging people for the privilege to do this.
The cynics will jump me for this because obviously Jim Crane is evil, or poor, or evil-poor, but the Astros, provided they can develop talent will be able to afford to keep the talent. It took the Pyrites 20 years to be competitive because they developed poorly and shipped away nearly every decent player prior to them becoming arbitration eligible. Also, the Astros aren't going to hire Cam Bonifay in any capacity. So there's that.
“We want to convince people to enjoy the journey with us,” Postolos said.
We want to convince them because they are damn sure not going to do it on their own.
“We’re taking steps each day to move this forward, and we appreciate the support we have.”
This conjures a picture of an old guy in a walker.
#8 - If someone fucks up this thread with partisan politics, I know where you live, motherfucker.
The new people art hanging off the left field facade is very people!
Wandy may benefit by a change of scenery. He seems like a guy that has concentration problems at times and pitching in the current situation may not be keeping him mentally sharp.
He could score, and he could rebound. He was one of my favorite parts of the post-championship era Rockets teams.
Except he has T-Rex arms and was never a shot blocker. Loved that guy, though.
Really. Who cares? The NBA is rigged more than the "Elissa".
You can like or dislike Howard all you want. You can argue the declining importance of the traditional center role in the modern game. He's certainly not Olajuwon. He may never be as good as Robinson or Ewing (although I think Ewing was always overrated). That's all fine. However, Howard is still the best center in the world currently playing. Let's not go all Kevin Willis on him.
Forgive my NBA ignorance... But how much of this is on Morey, and how much is on the owner? My friends in Houston tell me Morey recognized the need to rebuild, but Alexander wouldn't allow them to suck while doing so (sound familiar?), so this unusual route was all that was left. Any truth to that?
I don't really buy into the "star or suck" philosophy. Sounds like a convenient excuse for justifying mediocre accomplishments, if no years making the playoffs can even be considered a mediocre accomplishment.
I get the feeling that he can identify value at the margins, but really lacks a coherent big picture view. In other words, his advanced statistics might help him realize the value of someone like Lowry, but beyond realizing player A has more value than player B based on some advanced metrics, he seems lost.
And I'm alright with that. The big reason is that it gives us another top-notch prospect who can hit for power, which we are seriously lacking on the big-league club. I think Springer's CF ability gives him an edge, without going too deep in analysis. I remember reading that they were working on some things with Springer's swing. I don't know if his K issues have been mainly related to missing pitches or being passive aggressive at the plate, but he seems to be doing better (less than 1 K per game over the past 1 1/2 months).
The family's statement suggests they do not feel shame at all. They are excusing his non-action by saying that he felt bad about it (once caught). That's BS and they should be ashamed.
I hope that Paterno (and the others) hated themselves on a daily basis for what they let happen - and continue to let happen. For their own sakes I hope this. If they did not / do not, then they are not even human.
This report is just what I expected to have happened. This wasn't just a case of a coverup, it was a coverup that imperiled the lives of fragile and easily swayed and intimidated young men, which is absolutely abhorent. How JoePed (as far as I'm concerned, he's as much a pedophile as Sandusky) could go into a recruit's home and spew the usual BS about them "taking good care of your son" and still look himself in the mirror is beyond me. JoePa was spared by dying at a convenient time, but the accusations put to bed any meaningful notion either that he was a good man or that his legacy should be a good one, despite what his family says.
And it was a stupid perception. "Fast" is not a qualification for left field.
He's probably running for president of the Republic of Texas.
Carlos may have been a good player and teammate. The problem was the ridiculous contract he was under. I'd like to think this officially ends the backlash from the Purpura era. Only up from here.
There should be an individual mandate to hire IT Professionals....
Fuck it. I'm going in a Mad Max direction instead.
It doesn't but how did that someone explain why premiums will go up with more people paying into the system?
SP, have your healthcare premiums ever gone down?
Since I deal with this crap as part of my job, I can tell you for the 180 million or so individuals who have employer sponsored coverage, yesterday was much ado about nothing, unless you were holding out hope that PPACA as a whole would be thrown out.
To my jaundiced eye, it still looks like the plan is to limit employer sponsored medical benefits (60% valuation by 2018) by penalty or tax in order to make a public option more desired. But so much of the future activity around this is still undefined from a regulatory standpoint, who knows what the actual state will turn out to be.
Survivor is a guilty pleasure of mine. Looking forward to watching, although with the millions he made in MLB I can't imagine he'll make it very far.
Estimated $2-3M for the gov't.
I'm poor.
I didn't see, but thanks for the heads-up! Reuben, your write-up is more delicious than your sandwich namesake!
Shoes that don't look like you've rented them. Black or brown leather, toe cap, rounded toe. No stripes or logos.
THESE would be acceptable. THESE would not be.
I like this site. See here on business casual specifically.
Slaughterhouse Five deserves a thread by itself. Talk about being transformative.
And, wow, your dad recommended it to you?
He carries himself like someone who really doesn't give a shit about the team or about anything other than himself. I strongly suspect that Castro has a bad attitude.
Who else is sick of Brad Mills treating the 3-hole as a revolving door? Why can't he just stick one of the best hitters (Lowrie, Altuve or Lee when he's healthy IMHO) in there? Am I missing something?
How does ths guy have a job?
Old habit for you, I'm sure, but I think he was referring to Mr. Happy.
I cheated, but I'm not a cheater.
So much for Crane demanding that they take Appel. BA looks ridiculous now.
It is. I wonder what he is saying when he says "A few days ago I had Appel with a slight edge over Byron Buxton at this pick; today I think it's more or less even." Is he saying that based on his sketchy info on something he has no real insight into, that the Astros are on the fence? Alternatively, is he saying that since the Astros are taking the best player available, Keith Law is on the fence about exactly who that is?
Either way, it doesn't offer much insight. Just be honest and say: "Here is a summary of all the reports I am aware of, reports from people I've talked to, not firsthand knowledge. To be honest, I'm not even sure the people I've talked to have even seen the players firsthand. It could all be second, third, or fourth hand info. I don't know really. Actually, I don't really care anyway. Oh, and by the way, I really have no idea who will take who."
.... Either that, or some major crow eating on the part of the agent and client.
Love the blue/orange. I didn't mind the 90's blue/gold garb, and I really don't mind the brick and sand either. However, I will be glad to see the motherfucking ghastly pinstripes GONE.
And remember, we are talking about Boras here. Like him or hate him, dude has mad skills when it comes to negotiation...
Not that I disagree with your overall statement or not... Just wanted to remind: Boras has gotten a whole lot more for less (so to speak), and if there is someone who can manufacture negotiation power it is him.
Off the top of my head, Boras can say 'either you sign my guy above slot or I make sure that the HOU 'fan'base understands that you are just Drayton-lite (cheap and have no interest in spending on amateur talent). That your only interest is in gate revenue. Blah, blah, blah. He'll certainly have the 'support' of the talking heads... You think if HOU doesn't sign their 1-1 that folks like Pinwheel would EVER let then slide for it, no matter how legitimate the reason?
Next year, some pretty decent candidates for DH will make their appearance. Wallace for one. Hopefully the Astros avoid having to go out and overpay for a veteran hitter. Seems like a waste, seeing as how maybe Singleton is the 1b of the future and Wallace can handle the position every once and a while. A right handed DH/1b guy would go well in that mix... like, ahum... a Carlos Lee at a cheaper rate, maybe?
I wish it were. Perhaps I should try that.
To finish the story, I learned that if I opened a *second* cygwin shell, it would work correctly. If I closed the second one, the first one was still screwed up. I could close that, bring up another, and it would be screwed up. But if I opened a second, it would be good, and if I then closed the first and then brought up a *third*, it was fine. And then I closed them all, brought up a new one, and it was fine. I cannot even imagine an explanation for that behavior.
Dunno, but hear he's a hell of a pianist...
Oh, it's shocking all right. I guess I'm bothered by the banality of it all. What was once a slightly sinister shell of potential energy, imagination and creativity is now a whitewashed place to buy a frozen yogurt.
The great American photographer Walker Evans once observed, 'Prosperity is my aesthetic enemy.'
Thanks for the link. I've been reflecting on this quite a bit since I first went through the pictures and I can't help but think that they just got it all spectacularly wrong.
Why not? They're supposed to be athletes, and part of the job description is running.
Well, this is good also. If a person decides to become the village idiot, better to bring them out into the middle of the town square to be mocked as it were or at minimum exposed as just that... the village idiot. Who, by the way, has been given an actual privilege by the town to be a gatekeeper. Should be fun ridiculing these guys for at minimum the next decade.
Bingo. I wonder just how many writers have been scared over to Bagwell's side by the backlash against Gomez.
I was baiting you magnificent bastards to join me!!!
Are the rest of allowed to snicker at the tilting?
absolutely fucking nothing. you are married now.
Are there times when this is not the case?
Glad we've gotten past that.
Well, depends on how you read it. If his biggest concern is staying on top of the ball, that can be fixed, as can mechanical issues like flying open. If a team sees really likes the potential of what they envision he could be, he's still a guy you take very high. The author never dismisses the potential for Appel to be a frontline starter, just that a team that drafts him can't rush him to the big leagues and expect him to reach his potential.
McLane has to be absolutely kicking himself for selling too soon.
On another note,
If anyone believes the Dodgers would have been forced to move to the A.L. as part of the ownership process, they are sadly mistaken. Astros are Bud's whipping boy.
I think that's a little harsh. The SS is actually a very good defensive player. He hasn't hit which shouldn't surprise at this point. Cruz has a great arm and has pitched better in recent outings. I agree that most likely neither will stick. They aren't without tools though and I'd love to see them in the Astros minor leagues if they could work out deals with the former clubs.
Partly, but more that it takes a team to win. One fast guy doesn't mean a lot unless he's Rickey Henderson or a similar player whose tide carries all boats. That's not Boojwah, and the Astros need a flood of talent.
It should be telling to casual observers that Astro regulars are spare parts to other teams.
I'm not sure what you mean here, but I'll put my chips on the table:
Steals don't mean shit, unless the frequency and success are far beyond league average. The correlation between steals and wins is very low.
Jason Bourgeois stole bases at a better than league average rate in 2011. For the 31 bases he stole over 93 games, he only scored 30 runs.
Jason Bourgeois was a little better than a replacement level OF in 2011. Right-handed pitching killed him - .219 / .241 / .255.
He had a good first half - .353 / .371 / .422, and a bad second half - .250 / .287 / .309. and he had 11 more starts and 42 more plate appearances in that second half.
The important thing for an offense is to score runs. You accomplish that by getting on base and being driven in to home. Very few players steal enough bases to make a significant positive effect in that equation. Bourgeois stole bases at an 84% success rate in 2011, which is above average and in the realm of positivity, yet his overall contribution to runs scored was minor.
Team speed is important. Overall team speed is likely better in 2012 than it was in 2011.
Getting on base is most important of all. That's the key you should focus on here, not something flashy but meaningless like stolen bases.
Sad is the aggressive march of bastard cabbage and its crowding out of native wildflowers http://texasinvasives.org/observations/search.php?sn=RARU&search=go
Wasn't he playing shortstop at one point too? He's definitely got the athletic ability.
"We've been talking about it for a while," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said. "When Paredes was with the Yankees, he started at shortstop and he got moved to second base, and really I was trying to figure out from the time I got here why he was at third base, because he really does have all the skillset and tools to play the middle infield. It sounded to me like the decision was made to maybe accommodate other players who were moving around, like [Jose] Altuve and so forth. Really, throughout the spring we've been debating, 'What's his natural position?'
"He's gifted enough [that] he can play second, he can play short, he can play third, he can play center field. But when you think about his tool set -- his speed, his arm, his hands, his feet, his bat ... the whole profile -- he's a guy that we think could be an impact second baseman down the line. Why delay, really, if this is the ultimate position he's going to play and play for a long time at the big league level? Let's get started on it now."
Luhnow said when you have a player with Paredes' potential, you don't put him at a defensive position based on other players. The Astros have 21-year-old Altuve pegged to start at second base, and former first-round pick Delino DeShields Jr. is also a second baseman.
"You put [Paredes] in the position that's best for him and you let it play out," Luhnow said.
'And I'm also trying to figure out why the fuck we have an Oompa-Loompa at second.'
Root her.
The last 24 hours have been pretty interesting. Cut Winston, cut Leinart, cut Vickers...Jacoby still on the team.
Is this all in for Mario? All in for Myers? All in for Mario + Myers? Manning? Nothing; the cap situation was worse than we thought???
There are a lot of question marks and a lot of M's.
#Daewoo
Or, y'know, you could just let the 162-game season speak for itself and not fuck around with wild cards and expanded playoffs. But that's heresy.
There are different tiers of penalties. 0-5% over is a 75% penalty on every dollar spent over the cap. After that, they get penalties plus they start losing draft picks. 5-10% is 75% + the loss of a 1st-round pick. 11-15% is 100% tax on overage plus the loss of a 1st and 2nd-round picks. 15-20% is 100% on overage plus the loss of the next two 1st-rounders. So, ~$560K is the most they can spend in the draft without losing picks.
Added note: 100K is the most allowed on a pick after the 10th round, to correct an earlier post.
To help with salary cap fantasy leagues
"...but wow. $15mil a year for someone who's never hit..."
Methinks you're missing the point here. You evaluate worth based on *your own* criteria and then want to pass that along as the sole criteria and why the Co-ards made a mistake. Perhaps they did. But what if... just pretend for a single minute here... they, the Co-ards, used a different set of criteria?
Is that fair to say? And the short of it all is this... You're worth what they're willing to pay you.
I was gonna try to be the better man here and brush this off, but I've had a bad week, so you know what? Fuck you, bob. I'd rather not come on here and have to see you insult me, out of nowhere, and liken me to a clarkish troll. That's not cool.
And no, I'm not backing off my original point that I don't think Molina is worth $15mil a year. I'm not saying he's not a very good player.
Holliday ($17M), Beltran ($13M), Berkman ($12M), Carpenter($10.5) and Lohse ($12M) are all making more than $10M in 2012. Wainwright is making $9M.
I watched them all when I was a kid, and whenever I could. I have every Bugs cartoon every made on video, unedited, even the one with Bugs in black face, and the one's that reference Hitler (which I don't think they show anymore).
Knew I forgot someone. Anyway, if this was 2010 Myers this would be insane. 2011 Myers, on the other hand, was not real good.
DUDE! I am right here reading this!
If you're going to live in a civilized society, there are certain behaviors that should be observed when it comes to the coffee pot.
1. When you arrive at the office, and the coffee has not been made, don't bitch and moan. Make the coffee.
2. When you do make coffee, just make it normal, according to the directions. We understand that you may like yours weak, or strong, but don't use 1/4 of the bag for a pot, and don't use 4 bags just because you need a little extra jolt.
3. The decaf pot is for decaf. It's clearly marked. Don't make decaf in the other pots, and don't make regular in the decaf pot. Believe it or not, decaf is a big deal to some people.
4. Finally, when you take the last cup, make a fresh pot. Just because you left four coffee molecules in the pot doesn't mean you didn't empty the pot.
Follow these rules, and the world will be a better place for all of us.
It's a dingleberry sprinkled on top of the giant shit cupcake that Astro fans are being forced to eat.
I don't mean to meet people, as in like picking up chicks. Quite the opposite. A fern bar is a bar where it's about the bar itself...being seen, getting the latest product, etc. The opposite, a dive bar, is about the bar being a gathering place...meeting friends, talking to the guy on the stool next to you. It's about the people, not the bar itself. I find the Saucer in Houston to be the former.
I want to make sure I understand. You would 'never recommend' a 'perfect resume' because you assume that the person cheated? Or didn't work hard enough?
Or is it that you assume a person with a 'perfect resume' doesn't fit on your team?
If the particular person story about how they got where they are does match your hiring qualifications, but they also have a 'perfect resume', would that disqualify them? Or would they even get the opportunity to interview?
Reviewing old tests is an effective part of studying one's ass off. When I was in law school tests from the past few years were generally available, often from the professors themselves. One would be crazy not review them.
will you please tell me what a teacher who is even halfass would give the same test year after year? i sure did not. past test questions are nothing more than study guides.
Perhaps he(?) had a good/great ratio of successful hires?
How is this different than tutoring, buying review guides, not having to work two jobs to go to school so you have more time to study, etc.? Life ain't fair.
Test banks are fair game. Hiring someone else to do the work for you is a whole different story.
"All" are given the opportunity to be heard, but none like the result. What follows? That is my not simple. Due Process was violated, discrimination charge. Rarely is it their "fault."
WARNING - DON'T READ THIS IF YOU EXPECT IT TO BE ABOUT REAL BASEBALL.
I always get tired of waiting for spring, but I decided to try something different this year. With all the talk about lineups and simulations and the like, I decided to put together my own personal combination of projection and simulation based on various permutations on the lineup. I actually ended up with individual stats for 18 batters (plus an aggregate "pitcher" stolen from 2011) and about 10% too many plate appearances. I am not going to go into too much detail about the methodology, because (a) it is boring, and (b) it is not rigorous enough to stand up to criticism. It follows loosely a lot of the projection approaches that are more rigorous and I tinkered with it to create a variety of scenarios. I mostly used variations on the projected lineup Tags posted a few days ago. I'll post some extracts here, and if I do not get laughed or shouted off the board, I may come back and say something about the pitchers later.
I have the offense scoring about 705 runs in 2012 (compared to 615 in 2011) with both more power (123HR vs 95) and speed (131SB vs 118). A lot depends on Carlos Lee both playing better than last year and staying with the Astros all season. Of course, the chances of him doing both are unlikely, since the former reduces the probability of the latter. Anyway, here are the regulars ...
- Carlos Lee: .279/.338/.477 24HR 98RBI batting cleanup
- Jose Altuve: .282/.307/.401 10HR 24SB batting 2nd
- Jed Lowrie: .235/.312/.393 15HR
- Jordan Schafer: .232/.305/.304 25SB 143K (and I hope I'm wrong on this one)
- JD Martinez: .278/.335/.434 15HR 87RBI
- Brian Bogusevic: .269/.342/.422 10HR 25SB
- Jimmy Paredes: .268/.295/.384 24SB
I split the time equally among the catchers and they all sucked on offense. The best showing was 8HR and a .731 OPS for Snyder in 70G. Bench players of note included Jason Bourgeois (team leading 26SB in 280PA) and Jack Cust (7HR and a .810 OPS in 180PA). I also could not resist projecting a couple of rookies:
- Marwin Gonzalez: .228/.267/.316 in 120PA
- Fernando Martinez: .246/.287/.444 in 150PA
OK - Let the laughter begin.
Regardless of the discussion, that's not a correct number or size for London. That's like saying New York City is just Manhattan.
Meaning France should have thrown in what ... Bordeaux?
Marwin Gonzalez for sure and maybe Jordan Schafer.
What in the heck is pitchability? It was used of at least half the pitchers on the list.
My only point here was that if they decide to trade them, neither will command much on the market ... certainly not anything to create real "competition" among the best prospects. I do not see either of them taking a roster spot from Paredes or Altuve.
Someone suggested that Paredes may see time in AAA this year, but unless he really flames out, I doubt it. What are they going to do? Lose 106 games or something? Let him play.
If you're in Lufkin just head to the nearest trailer park. Somebody's probably got some tucked in with the drain cleaner, brake fluid and ephedra.
The Rangers actually hire an "accountability partner" to follow Hamilton around?
I see. So mass transit only works in cities small enough not to need it?
London is a pretty big city. It's the largest urban zone in Europe. It's covered by a comprehensive mass transit system involving mainline and local rail systems, subways, buses and trams. That system is interconnected nationwide with other urban and rural areas. It's even possible to travel from Lands End to John O'Groats - the furthest two points on mainland Britain - entirely by public transport. One old geezer even did it for free using his retiree's bus pass.
I know what I'm using. I know the quality of the picture I'm getting.
Houston Bend Over and Take the AL Whether You Like It or Not'ers.
Since the Rangers failed to get Fielder signed, I suggest that they now turn their attention to a certain South Texas rancher and noted buffet aficianado.
I think the player's whole team history is listed on the plaque. The hat worn on the plaque is subject to determination and I don't know which one they'd pick for that.
(unless that was the Cust thread...).
I have yet to meet anyone...casusal fan, diehard fan, disinterested bystander...who is happy about the move to the AL.
Seeing I35 packed from San Antonio to Dallas, or I35 packed in the greater Austin area has always lead me to envision high-speed rail. That's really behind my curiousity on the subject, and I would like to know why it isn't economical, or why it can't be done economically by the government, or whatever the reason nothing ever happens on that front.
The article just seemed to be another "the government can't do shit" pieces that gave a bunch of anecdotal failures without giving even superficial reasons as to why. I'd like to know: Are there successful ones? What are their characteristics? Why did they work, while these failed.
With a new GM there's a good possibility the view of Castro's future has changed.
Late to the party, but I'm a Texans fan now. I've got people who can take care of #12, so let me know on that.
Yates stepped on his dick today. But he's a rookie, and frankly I'm surprised how little he has in his 7 games. But Jones is in his fifth year in the league, and he's still making rookie mistakes. He's not any smarter about playing in the NFL than he was five years ago, and he's shown absolutely no improvement in running routes, getting open, or catching a thrown football. He is a complete and total waste of a roster space.
Jones cannot get open against a single NFL defender, and Kareem Jackson cannot defend a single NFL receiver. If you have two players at those positions who are just in the bottom quarter in the league (as opposed to the single worst), this is a Super Bowl caliber team. The amount of talent in the rest of this team is staggering. It's historic, dynastic...any other superlative you want to use. Replace those two guys with just mediocre talent, and with your QB back, the Texans have the talent to go undefeated in this league. I'm not kidding. Hopefully Kubiak can "coach" his undefeated talent to another 10 wins next year.
It is nonsensical to have a food allergy to HFCS, but not cane sugar.
Both Crane and Justass applied the lipstick because they were told to, because I'm sure Selig was very clear that it was to be sold to the local fans as a good thing. Crane went along because it was part of the deal, Justass because he's a sycophant cocksucker.
The info puts everything into place. But that place still sucks.
I'm not following. Why does limiting the signing bonuses of international players lead one to think it is a precursor to an international draft?
Looking back at a summary of the CBA (cited below), it appears that shitty teams are given a bigger international bonus pool than good teams. Presumably, that will also apply to the draft. For example, the 1st pick will get way more than the 30th pick, requiring the Astros to use way more in the draft than the good clubs.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111122&content_id=26026776&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb
I don't drink too many sweetened drinks, but I do get headaches after drinking the HFCS drinks. I have no idea why. I do buy the Imperial sugar Dr Peppers (Dublin or not), and St Arnolds root beer. It makes a difference to me. It may be because I rarely (once every month or two) drink a sweetened drink.
What I don't really understand is why I can buy Gillette 3 blade disposable razors cheaper than a Gillette 3 bladed cartridge
.... I wonder if this is intended to be a step toward an international draft.
This is the kind of non-intellectualism among the BBWAA membership that gets to me.
If you are a member of the BBWAA and think Bagwell shouldn't go to the HOF because he just wasn't good enough, okay. I disagree, but it is at least a valid point from which to begin a discussion.
If you are going to refuse to consider him because of a baseless rumor you choose to believe steadfastly without any corraborating evidence, well, I guess that is your right. But what does that say about you as a writer and/or as a reasonably intelligent and objective observer of the sport you write about?
You don't want me to answer that.
fa·nat·i·cal
[fuh-nat-i-kuhl] Show IPA
adjective
motivated or characterized by an extreme, uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics.
Also, fanatic.
Origin:
1540–50; fanatic + -al1
Related forms
fa·nat·i·cal·ly, adverb
fa·nat·i·cal·ness, noun
non·fa·nat·i·cal, adjective
non·fa·nat·i·cal·ly, adverb
un·fa·nat·i·cal, adjective
EXPAND
Synonyms
enthusiastic, zealous, frenzied, rabid. See intolerant, radical.
I prefer to focus on the humorous aspect of the Astors' media treatment the last few years: specifically, the fact that 95% of the guys who trashed them could be counted on every damn March to say/write "I love what the Cubs have done and look for them to be serious contenders".
He spent 4 1/2 years in Toronto as an assistant to the GM under Ricchardi.
Has he ever been a scout?
Were there a philandering Hall of Fame, Mr. Bagwell's penis would doubtlessly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
[Ryan Braun] Those weren't PEDs, they were herpes medications [/Ryan Braun]
"When in doubt, keep him out." Yeah, that's real catchy, reducing some bullshit concept to a phrase that rhymes. Kinda like "If it does not fit, you must acquit." Or maybe "If your arrogant asshole little face gets too close to mine, I'll take a swing at you, you little fuck."
Maybe I need to work on that last part.
I think the waters are being muddied a bit around here though. The best quess at what is going on is: They have a plan. Correct? So what they've done is according to their plan, which was understood to be a player development plan (re: five to ten year plan). That is all good and well (and in large part well accepted). However, when it's spun in here as an increase in payroll, it smacks a little like the expectation is that they want to be far more competitive quicker and the plan is actually this: Luhlow, wave that magic wand white boy! Get us some hidden talent that no one else sees and bring us back to life quickly!
So is that the "plan" or it the former still in vogue. Not that this move goes contrary to either plan, it's just that there seems to be an underlying current of "well, maybe this guy really *IS* a magic man!". IS this what TeamCrane means by "we have a plan"? Sounds a lot like Bill Murray's plan in Space Jam.
Or he's buying low on Lowrie (who's been injured) and Weiland (who was rushed) and selling high on Melancon. Would not surprise me at all if Lowrie is dealt at the deadline if they find the right suitor (and aren't in contention).
Either way, as far as the trade itself goes, I think Wade did pretty well there.
I agree. I really liked Melancon's stuff. He could make bats miss. I'll miss him.
Sucks to give up Melancon with the bullpen already so weak, but I understand the trade. And it may end up working out well for the Astros. Mills will also be familiar with Lowrie from his big league time in '08 and '09.
I am a non believer that God's to do list that day included putting Pooholes and his loud mouthed wife on a team called the Angels just to give us all a subliminal message to make us believe something that is not true.
If 2011 was an anomaly and 2010 is the real deal, he'd be a fantastic get.
i agree with your basic premise. some stats are useful to demonstrate what guys have done and what skills they have shown. i think both must be used and neither used to the exclusion of the other.
It's not like Scola did.
The point was that they were freeing up room to sign another max player - either Nene this year, or one of the big fish next year like Deron Williams.
The piggy back rotation has been used by several organizations at low A ball. Lots of buzz when it starts, nothing is ever said about it's long term use.
Yeah, Theo really fucked things up in Boston.
Problem is, in this particular context, LaGenius was proven right [/washes mouth out]. Looks like we'll need to break out the old TI-85s if we want to divine the front office's future moves. Yay, math...
So he doesn't get along w/ LaGenius? I'm a fan already.
pitch counts may prevent injury in the minors, but they are a direct cause of injuries in MLB.
I see the piggyback/tandem starting is back, not only at Quad Cities but also with Palm Beach. What do you feel the benefits are to the 8-man rotation? How long do you intend to continue with it?
There are two primary reasons why we use the tandem structure at A ball. The first is to spread the innings out among our top pitchers. In both A ball levels, we have more than five guys who we feel need to have innings to develop. When you use a five-man rotation, you can be assured that those five guys will get the needed innings, but what tends to happen is the bullpen innings get allocated to the older, more reliable guys who might not be the top prospects. Managers want to win, of course, so they tend to rely on guys who can win at that level. That is not always consistent with who the organization feels needs to have innings in order to get better.
The second reason is to closely monitor their pitch counts and inning load to prevent injury. Knock on wood, but since we started the tandem approach last year, we have had almost no arm injuries among our starters. This, as we all know, is a key to maintaining depth in our system.
I don't think that's true. It was known at the time that Wade was one of the few, if not only, candidates willing to say that he could win with the team. Then, in his interview after the firing he said "the first two things that I was told was that you have to rebuild the farm system and trade your closer." http://www.click2houston.com/sports/Ed-Wade-Talks-About-Dismissal-from-Astros/-/1735736/4847986/-/format/rss_2.0/-/138o4ftz/-/index.html
I'm not saying the choice to fire him was right or wrong, I was just interested to hear why you thought he should stay and build. If he was hamstrung budget-wise as far as drafting and development goes, then that's Drayton's fault, for sure. But the only people who know about that are within the organization.
Also, jbm, never said the drafts sucked, Lyles is a nice pick-up and Martinez was a great find. Both seem likely to be MLB regulars. But there's no talent like Hamels/Utley/Howard in the 08-10 drafts unless something shocking happens. I'm not sure what the means re: Wade, I was just pointing it out as a possible issue when considering whether his tenure should continue or not.
None of those Phillies were drafted during Wade's tenure?
As an aside, I'm so tired of this people proclaiming that his drafts sucked. How the hell does one analyze the 11 draft or the 10 draft. Absolute fucking folly. Hell, even the 09 that got JD. Castro, Lyles, and Shuck have already made it from 08. I guess we already know that Castro and Lyles will never amount to average major leaguer. Same with JD. DDJ didn't light it up as an 18 year old, so yes, he also has no future.
I'm not sorry to see Wade gone, but proclaiming his drafts as failures is incredibly naive. No one knows at this point in time.
btw, go compare Wade's 08 to Friedman's 08.
I realized that Ed Wade was under a mandate from Drayton to both "win now" and rebuild the system
Why?
Guy is checking out ahead of me at HEB--he works at HEB and is going home. He's telling the cashier and another HEB employee that his girlfriend is pregnant. The cashier surprises me by asking him, "why didn't you pull it out, you didn't nut in her did you?" He says, "naw it wasn't like that, we wanted to have a kid." Pretty candid conversation to have in public and me literally just trying to buy milk, beer, and diapers. Well, I notice that the guy has an Astros wallet so I figure if he's willing to discuss where and whys of his ejaculations maybe he'll discuss baseball.
So I ask if he's an Astros fan. He looks at the wallet and says, "yeah, yeah I am even though they really suck right now." He's defensive, maybe I am about to say something shitty about the team. I tell him that I love them too and I ask what he thinks about the move to the AL. He didn't know it had happened. He asks what division they're joining. He thinks its cool that they'll have the Rangers as a rival. Then he tells me how he really feels:" And now we'll have the DH."
I have had many conversations with locals about the Astros. Not one has known or cared at all about the move to the AL. The second most common sentiment is that it will be fun to see them play the Yankees. Of course, none of them will ever actually see one of these games because local Yankee fans will buy the tickets long in advance. The most common response is to change the subject and talk about football.
My problem with U-Verse is signal quality. Every now and again the TV feed will go through spurts where the sound cuts in and out intermittently for thirty to sixty seconds at a time.
After a horrible couple years with Comcast, I switched to the same set-up as Andy (DirecTV and dry loop ATT DSL) and was very pleased. I didn't have internet problems with either provider, but the DirecTV television services are significantly better.
I am also moving, but switching to UVerse. DirecTV is letting me hang on to my old box for six months in case I change my mind. If I do go back, they'll treat it like a normal move. No charge for new set up, no new contract. Their customer service throughout couldn't have been better.
Love DirecTV. Love it. For internet, we have AT&T's dry-loop DSL Service.
send me the link to an article stating he has learned how to lay down a sac bunt and I will be much, much happier.
i would like to know what you know and not to gloat. i think Sherman got a very, very raw deal.
So you know just about everyone in California then.
I think people in the south overestimate A&M's national cachet, but maybe I am wrong. Definitely seemed like in California no one gave a shit about them.
Aren't you married to an Aggie or something? You're not exactly the most unbiased person in this discussion either.
So apparently A&M offered Sherman the contract extension, Sherman signed it, and then Loftin didn't sign it and is claiming A&M doesn't owe Sherman the extra $3+ million as stipulated by the buyout in the extension. The fuck?
They're going after Sumlin. It'll be hilarious when he turns them down.
Sherman didn't deserve the way this was handled.
Actually, removed the post because eggszactly "not me too". I have no idea why no one understood your genuine post. Must be because I am too pollyannish for this forum and thus fail to see the hate behind each and every post by each and every poster. Maybe not.
Only if you admit the S.P in your name stands for Sexy Pam.
I would like an explantion of your name. If you want me to explain why I'm BudGirl I would gladly do so.
Welcome, would you like a sugar cookie? That's what I have at my desk right now.
What, no scotch on a fine 115 degree day? I also do most of my scotch drinking during the winter months. Pet peeve right now: Taco Cabana commercial touting margaritas made with "real Mexican tequila." Until then, I was unaware that they were making tequila in New Jersey but you learn something every day.
On tequilas, I'm no expert but I did a session of tequila and mescal tasting when I was in San Miguel back in April and I much preferred some of the mescals.
IJTUIMMALB
I can't even remember why I dislike Valentine. I rarely watch ESPN, but I suspect it's based solely on his stint there and being the Mets manager. Am I forgetting something?
Huh?
If Crane lets Bud dictate who to hire to the most important personnel post in his new franchise, Astros fans probably have more to worry about than the person who fills that GM role. Worrying about whether or not the Astros interview someone you fear is unqualified for whatever reason is probably less enlightening than worrying about why someone who is generally viewed as qualified (Levine) dismissed the chance to interview.
It sounds like the "war of perception" lies more at Ng's feet considering people seem to automatically assume her success is because she is a woman and "token minority." I guess you wouldn't have the same suspicion if they interviewed a token old white guy?
Isn't she generally considered qualified to be a GM? What do you have against her?
NAND is going down. SSDs are going to take off.
The difference in drafting philosophy in the AL is that you don't pass on a one-dimensional hitter when you have a top ten pick to get a really good catcher who may or may not hit in the majors. You can always turn that one-dimensional hitter into, say, a Cliff Lee rental if you're making your way to the World Series too.
Things are going to change, some of it arguably for the better (depending on your own viewpoint as to what is "better"). It makes sense to think hitting first for the first three years or so and then build from that stable of talent into pitching and defense (via trades and free agency) later.
Keep the hill and flag. Dig a 3 foot deep, 20 foot wide moat in front of it. Have foam rocks every couple of feet. Have some of the rocks be fake and give way if stepped on.
Keep the cows on the foul polls but add animation to them. Add lighted eyes and smoke coming out their noses. Have these go off everytime an Astro gets a HR or scores a run.
Extend the train tracks to go all around the stadium. Have the train run constantly throughout the game. Have a guy throwing candy from the train.
Oh and institute the DH.
YEAH! WE'RE GETTING AN OLDER ROSENCOPTER!
Also, fuck those dirty-hitting Jaguars now more than ever. I love those "don't move us to LA!" protest signs that probably outnumber the actual people at their stadium.
Heard on the radio this morning that Miami may be releasing Sage Rosenfels. He beats any other options out there...
Yep, that's true. I think I respond more negatively to the constant bombardment of noise, but that doesn't have much to do with signage, Fowl-Poles-be-damned.
01001000.01100001.01110000.01110000.01111001.00100000.01000010.01101001.01110010.01110100.01101000.01100100.01100001.01111001.00101100.00100000.01010111.01100001.01101100.01100100.01101111.
"XX.d.(3).a.: If the visiting team is Houston, the home team only can add a 26th player to the active roster if two games are scheduled to be played within a 24 hour period of each other."
"XX.d.(3).r.: If the home team is Houston, the visiting team only can add a 26th player to the active roster if two games are scheduled to be played within a 24 hour period of each other."
"XXIII.j.(2).a.: Any scheduled game in which Houston is the home team may be moved to any other location at the pleasure of the Commissioner. Houston will retain its designation as the home team but all venue revenues will be split between the visiting team and the Commissioner's Fund for Emerging Fairness at a rate to be decided by the vote of all 2012 American League teams prior to June 1, 2012."
Please, pretty please with a cherry on top, tell me this is sarcasm.
...and melisma sure as shit isn't emotion, it's showing off.
no, i meant ST is in Scotsdale and its environs. there is no baseball in Phoenix.
my brother lives in Phoenix, and he can have it.
that's good b/c there is nothing in Phoenix.
On how long it takes to play an American League game vs National League game.
According to this, http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2011/5/26/2190937/game-duration-2010-I
in 2010 the average AL West game took 2:45 Minutes. The average length of an Astros game in 2010? 2 hours 45 minutes.
Fuck you Bud Seagull. Fuck You!
One slight correction (Not that it matters). Its Finger Furniture not Foley's.
Two drunks in a bar would rather watch "yackball" as if they're watching some sort of NBA game. That is what *they* call "better baseball".
* Once the novelty of playing the Rangers wears off, and the boredom of being stomped by them sets in, I think these games will fail to be a notable draw in either city.
This has been taking place in the US and the UK for at least 20 years. The pastor at our parish is a former Episcopal priest who converted along with his congregation about 20 years ago. He is married and has three kids. The Lutherans are next.
That honestly wasn't my intention. Was just stating my own personal feelings.
And no.. Episcopalian.
Hypothetically, I'm not going to abandon my wife just because she gets cancer. And I'm not going to leave the Astros (who I've been with for a lot longer than my wife, I might add) just because they are forced into the AL. So I'm not going to stop coming to the best goddamnWere you raised catholic? You are a master at the guilt trip...sportsforums on the interwebs.
What's the stance? If its favorable that would surprise me too.
the thread became unreadable a while back.
Pork Stew with Red Chilies and Black Beans, from "The Feast of Santa Fe" by Huntley Dent (which is a really neat cookbook, although I have no idea if it's still in print). He uses ground chilies, but I always just soak some anchos and puree them and use that, adjusting liquid as I need to. The pork is cut into 1/2" cubes and browned, and a couple of the interesting twists are adding a tablespoon or two of honey after the meat is browned and adding some cornmeal to the chile puree. It's especially good alongside sweet potatoes of some sort. I can scan in a copy of the recipe if you're interested.
I get delegated to make dessert. They seem to think I can only bake. They are wrong, I can cook too.
WTF is wrong with you?
If you are asking me, "why the fuck are you making this personal," my response is that Ebby asked me to repeat after him.
I you intend something else, then I don't understand your question.
did it in tejas as well. don't think its regional.
It was the nineties.
In similar news, if you can stomach stirring Derek Jeter's porridge, Minka Kelly recently became available.
And, for the thinking men among us, Tea Leoni.
in your thought experiment you left out hanging out with Dodger fans.
that new dodger hat may be a wise purchase--nice to have a barf bag handy should you need one.
I'm not for the AL move, but I just can't fathom switching allegiances to an entirely new team. This is the team I grew up with and the only team I know inside and out.
Plus, how do you even successfully pull of switching teams? I guess you go to dodgers.com and start learning about the history and players. Then you go to the online store and purchase a cap. Then you go buy tickets for next season? That sounds so ridiculous.
Hey, it'll suck hard but they'll still be in Houston. They won't be in North Carolina, and you won't have to go to Dallas to see a game in Texas.
I understand being disillusioned. But the Dodgers? The Dodgers? Shit, man, why not the Cubs? They have a new regime too.
You must not have been an Astro fan before the NL Central.
Like I said, I understand disillusion. More than anything else, the Oilers moving killed the NFL for me. I tried with the Texans but I never found any footing with them. Not living in Houston, and growing up as a Packer fan because they stuck it to the Cowboys, I lost touch with pro football and now I'm so lost I doubt I'll ever get it back. Sometimes I regret it a little, but football was always so secondary to baseball for me. I don't know how you could even consider giving up on MLB. I'll be drooling over my Street and Smith's just before I end the show, I'm sure.
Gotcha - so you will become an astros fan when they are good (or trick you into thinking they could be good) again.
If your fandom runs that thin you shouldn't be here. After the Rulu, of course.
I didn't know he'd passed on Sandberg.
Duncan has his hands full already, spending time with his wife and trying to help her. He's expressed an interest in coming back as pitching coach but I think he's not expected to want to take on the manager's duties, at least not right now.
The last part of that statement seemed to exclude Sandberg, and in fact Epstein did call him to say he wasn't in the running.
"Theo called me 10 minutes after they issued the press release (on Quade) and told me that they have a list of guys and I'm not on it,'' Sandberg said, according to the Daily Herald. "He wished me good luck and said he hoped I got a chance somewhere soon.
Francona.
Not sure why you think I'm angry simply because I have an opinion... m'kay.
Any way, what do you mean by "something else"?
*Or difference in approach to pitching*? I don't want to take away from hitters at all, but I don't think the pitching approach this season has been one of learning and understanding how to get hitters out (location and change of speed... keep them off balance.... been the convention for almost 100 years now). It's been one of "here is a fastball, hit it if you can". It is as if the whole league turned into Billy Wagner of 1999!
Any markup is to cover overhead (like carrying inventory) and return a profit. This I have no problem with. But I see no reason that anyone would be happy that a bank can charge you for something that doesn't cost them anything. That was the gist of the UK law. Libertarianism suggests that market forces would correct this, but banks seem to be mostly immune to such things these days, and check-bouncers don't exactly have a powerful lobby.
I'm not against fees/higher CC interest or for fees/higher interest for that matter. It's a service that one can use or not use. However, I think it's fucked up that this is all waived for those with above average income and savings. They are intentionally fucking lower income people and creating a CC debt death spiral for some. That's not cool at all.
I get why they do it (have to make money off of every customer, even those that don't have meaningful deposits), but it's still fucked up and should be closely looked at by the CPA.
Pujols displays zero leadership after Game 2 loss
Bingo. I tried to explain it the other day to a friend of mine, but they were just oblivious.
Fuck Drayton and Crane. Drayton should tell Bud to either shove his demands up his ass or pay him 50 million. Crane is a desperate fool who will be the mosted hated owner in Houston on day one. Quite a feat.
Alyson Footer changed her name?
Racing bikers also shave their legs, despite the fact that there's no competitive advantage to it. NTTAWWT.
ding. ding. DING.
gotcha. loved your bicycle rant, for this right here: The general rule appears to be that bikers get to ignore all the rules that are inconvenient for them and insist that everyone else allow them all the rights of the road that they can imagine.
The wife and I take middle son to football games on Saturday mornings. The park is located on a road that goes to, and eventually through, the Sam Houston National Forest. It is only two lanes, really curvy and has quite a bit of traffic - not sure why the Lance Armstrong's of the world choose to ride their own personal Tour de Montgomery County on the sumbitch every fucking saturday. There is a T intersection with a blinking red/yellow light and a 4 way stop along our way to the fields. Every saturday I tell my wife I wish a cop would sit at one of the two locations and start ticketing those buzzing through without stopping (they are making right hand turns onto a 12" "shoulder" without even a hint of hesitation).
Also, I am fat and will not be riding a bike anytime soon.
An earthquake might do it.
Makes me wonder what he's dropped on the laps of the MLB in terms of conditions. That no one has said "Deal!" means both sides aren't even close in terms of what the final conditions will be. For now, we're left with "Crane has a reputation that is concerning the other owners" smokescreen so we can think that magnanimity is firmly at work here.
Depends on the carrier. I don't think it will be on Time/Warner, but will be on Dish for instance.
So you mean your auto or home insurance policy is more than just auto or home insurance? It's more like "dumbass in life" insurance?
Also the A's and Angels. Not the same division, but Pittsburgh and Philly are both in the NL. I guess NY would be considered geographically close to two teams in its division, with Baltimore and Boston within 4 hours. Detroit and Cleveland are closer than that.
I don't want the AL move at all, but I think the argument against has to be different from this. There are too many teams already in the same division or league that are within a reasonable drive of each other to say that the Astros would be getting uniquely screwed by it.
Yeah if you go here there's a pretty good breakdown of the play and where mistakes were made. There's a field of vision screen shot of Schaub as he pump fakes and you can see Walter posted up. You can also see Dressen come open in the back middle of the endzone, but Schaub had turned his shoulder away at that point.
What I didn't notice watching it live was how Jacoby broke towards the middle of the field which prompted Schaub's throw. Unfortunately he broke back outside as soon as the ball left Schaub's hand. Lots and lots of dick stepping by many parties.
FTR, it's pronounced Wuss-ter-shuh, not Whirr-cess-ter-shyer.
A bonus point for anyone who can provide the correct pronunciation of "Chalmondly".
I fear that my interest in MLB will soon match my interest in theNFLNBA which is next-to-nothing.
Fuck that. It feels like a betrayal to me. I don't mean that Crane is solely responsible, I don't like that he went along with it instead of fighting it out but the betrayal I speak of is that one by MLB and that cocksucker piece of shit commissioner.
It was a very clear block in the back, but not quite as clear as the game ending interception.
Some would say too much. Been working out there for years and lived there for a couple as well.
The Texans may suck, but they are my Texans.
I don't know what Schaub should have done, but it was easy to see what he shouldn't have done. JJ may not be a AJ, but he is an athletic guy. I can't help but think they had a shot with a quick jump pass, or just let Schaub go for the run. Anything but throw it low into coverage.
The big point is, they had time in the first half to do damage and they quit doing what was working for them. Oakland was begging to be beaten early on. If not for Janikowski kicking from mid-field, they had no offense.
Still, I am going to root for the poor team. OD is son #2's favorite player, and he is the first son to SCHEDULE watching football with me. That is a good thing, and means more than the win or loss, frustrating as it can be.
Now, I have wasted my 5000th post on the Texans. great.
I'm a fan of green chile cheeseburgers. You might even say an aficianado. Whataburger's ain't half bad.
So was I...
Just sayin'.
Just that it doesn't make sense to credit it in that way (like you would Orangebloods or something). Now if Bill Connelly was the first on A&M's departure, then that makes sense.
Sbnation is just an affiliation of blogs isn't it?
Isn't the answer here to sue the fuckers?
In part what Bizidy said (and WebGuy confirmed), Lurch, but also because Deaton seems to like where they are and has an excellent relationship with a number of his fellow presidents. He's been standing up to a small but vocal faction of his BOR, one that apparently has demonstrated its influence over the last few days, too, in getting him to agree to at least pursue the breaching option ("demanding" or "ordering" would probably be better choices than "getting").
Of course, no sooner do I post what I did earlier about thinking they'll stay put than the Twit-erverse blows up that MO is announcing that they're out by day's end. Who friggin' knows?
Goodbye, MO and hello, LOU? Hardly a replacement, unless you're looking to continue easing that path to the BCS title game for your top guns.
As far as MO to the Big 10, if they were in fact selected by the Big 10, they'd be ranked academically better than just one current member of that conference--the one the Big 10 took last year. I'm only going by USN&WR, knowing full well there are lots of ways to rate colleges. Regardless, MO isn't the Princeton of the Plains it makes itself out to be.
Bizarre. I thought Big 10 and SEC would both gladly take them. Strong school to have no takers
I agree that many fans have their identity wrapped up in someone else winning a football/baseball/basketball/whathave you game, yes. And don't get me wrong...I'm a fan. I've criticized players, coaches, GMs, owners, etc. I'm a fan of certain teams, and I excited when they win. But it's not my life. Well, some could look at this board and argue otherwise.
Yeah, I have to admit... when we moved here from Houston, I had no idea that we were relocating to southern Oklahoma. The Fort Worth side of 35 is a bit different... lots of purple and white over that way. Denton suffers from a fair amount of Soonerage and Kansas Staters, but it's largely Mean Green here. And, pleasantly, half a dozen Coogs.
How much of their identity is tied up in co-opting *someone else's* winning.
Now, this thread reminds me of some of the epic battles that we used to have around here.
The Sooners are invading tomorrow.
Which means- public service reminder for those of us in NoTx- that I-35E will be a parking lot. Covered with maroon or crimson or whatever it is they call it. And I'm gonna overhear that dang nine-ish-word fight song all weekend long. Oh-kla-home-a, Oh-kla-home-a, dah dah daaaaah dah, etc. etc. etc. (Is that all the wordage they could come up with?)
Denton is rolling out the proverbial red carpet for the Sooners. The Denton Chamber of Commerce is pushing the schmancy new A-train that we got that will take you directly from Denton to Fair Park and the Cotton Bowl and inviting Sooners to make Denton their "Texas headquarters." I don't begrudge Denton the money it'll potentially make, but... it's the Sooner herd. I might almost rather be subjected to, "Whoo, pig, soo-ie!"
A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, insidean enigmaa sheep.
The issue isn't the kid(s). It's the fans and how much of their identity has become tied up with winning.
Also, Rupes is about to kill The Simpsons.
And meth-heads. Don't ever forget about the meth-heads.
What, hillbillies can't be stoners?
How did we miss this? Excellent.
UNCOVER, DAMMIT.
Note to A&M: There are 4 quarters in a college football game.
[/quote
Common mistake when using Aggie-math...
You talked me into posting here. You get to take credit for my posts, too!
This is pretty much me as well, including the two (very young) children that keep me away from the site other than at the office. I come here for the news and clearheaded perspective on things, and this thread is good motivation for getting more involved even if it's nothing more than to say thanks for all of the content. Need to shake off a bit of rust, though, as I had to use the username/password retriever to even find my credentials.
That whole segment pissed me off. Who gives a fuck what Art Howe thinks about anything? If he is feels like he was portrayed innacurately in Moneyball, that's his problem. He had no business rebutting the movie script point by nitpicky point on an Astros pre-game show. Of course, he had Patty Smith sitting right there, egging him on. She probably thought she had some kind of big story on her hands.
The whole thing was desultory, just like this whole fucking season. Howe may have had a legitimate complaint, but he ended up coming off as a small-minded whiner and a monumental bore.
Of course, he would never say goddamn.
just keep on reading. let me know what Mizzou wants to do.
I was thinking yesterday that from a big time college football perspective this is all a tempest in a teacup.
They can just get cold feet and back out.
banks have pared back risk tolerance over the last month or so.
Just embrace it. Some change is for the better.
Although I must say as a UT Grad, the bonfire was the thing I admired most about the Ags. I would venture over there to visit friends on the way back to Houston. A huge fire with hammered corps people lighting their cigars on the thing was quite a spectacle.
Yeah, but a few thousand out of 40k (at the time) wasn't that big of a mob. It's kind of like the Corps, at fewer than 2,000 cadets now being the only thing on camera during games, it's a small piece of the a bigger puzzle, but they were both important to the A&M experience.
Here's where we lose what few people are still following this conversation. I'm not ashamed of being an Aggie, or having attended A&M after I transferred from UT-Austin. But, and I hate to sound like an old man here, things have changed, even from 1994, when I graduated. I attribute it to a couple of things: the top 10% rule and the loss of the on-campus Bonfire.
While the stereotype that A&M only draws rural east-Texas kids hasn't really been true since the late 70's, the kids that used to go to A&M did tend to be from more conservative upbringings and tended to really buy into the message of what A&M was supposed to represent. That hasn't died completely, but the top 10% rule has certainly altered the demographics of the kids who attend.
But Bonfire being gone for 12 years now has had a huge impact on the relationship that students at A&M have with the school and each other. It was very much a unifying activity for students from every walk of life, and tied individuals to A&M. Maybe that's silly, and before I attended, I can certainly understand not getting it. I'm not sure that I can explain it nearly 20 years later, but it's something that was there that is missing today.
Maybe that's growth, and maybe A&M will at some point be solely recognized in the state for being a really strong school academically, and that's what kids should be basing their college choices on at the end of the day. But that doesn't mean I don't mourn the loss of some of the experiences I had. On the other hand, I would guess to most college students, I'm an old fuck who doesn't know what I'm talking about anyway.
Some of us do remember safety training when it comes to fucking the trees. And that's a technical term.
Ok, I'll bite...
I agree. The Aggie student body has changed enormously over the past decade or so. Just a big state school these days.
edit to add: most of our great traditions had to do with the fact we usually sucked and got beat all the time. The idea that people will pick a college based on a winning football team is crazy to me, but they do. The team doing well during the (cheating) Sherrill era and later has brought in a lot of students to A&M who are neither Ag or Mechanical. Or military - the Corps is half the size of the early 80's Corps despite the fact that enrollment has gone from the low 30's to over 50,000.
We talk a lot of shit about being great fans. And it's completely true...if the team is winning. This should be a good year for the Ags. However, if we stumble or fall against OSU or Arkansas in Dallas in the next two weeks, interest will fall off dramatically. Unfortunately, I think we split the two games.
I'm hoping for better, but preparing for what I've seen since roughly 2000 until the second half of last year.
sure you are.
and, yes i have.
The fuck? There is no way that Texas has 2.2MM fans (#5??) and A&M is right behind with 2MM.
There is no scenario acceptable to me where we stop playing OU at the Fair.
This is turning into a Melrose Place episode.
I believe Bagwell is no longer married.
Some sort of draft salary structure and/or salary cap is what I'm thinking. But the dissolution of separate leagues is going to happen.
i thought you were asking about LHN $. the network could have been half yours, but Byrne was not interested.
and why the fuck do you care?
Who doesn't realize it? ESPN did, and that's why the big money. You bet your ass the other conferences see it as well.
He had good command of his whines.
There IS no focus on A&M, thus his point. Does that help?
You're confusing me for someone who gives a fuck other than just enjoying college football in general. i went to a school that could compete with A&M and UT in only fencing and squash, and I doubt that would be the case if you trolled west campus asking for someone who knows how to wield an epee.
My comment was purely related to your continued pestering and asking for information (perhaps I should have just stayed out entirely but I didn't, unfortunately). To me, the palpable sentiment among Aggies is contentment with the SEC and silent excitement hoping to watch the Big XII fall apart while the LHN becomes an albatross that forces UT into an unhappy independence. Maybe that's just a small sample size of people I'm around; I fully realize that there is a wide variety of Aggie reaction to events as they unfold.
Most of my comment was hyperbolic, but it was taken from my observations of how ATM alums have seemed to react these last few days in the wake of the turmoil that its imminent departure has created.
oh, please. change your name to Pollyanna in C/S
I don't know any Aggies that think or hope UT will get screwed by this. Again, our whole reasoning is that UT is so strong and rich they will get what they want no matter what happens, and we need to be elsewhere so we have a chance. There's some antipathy towards Baylor right now for their legal posturing, but I haven't heard anything towards Texas other than speculation about Big 10/Pac 12/Independent status.
Granted, I don't frequent TxAgs or similar sites.
It seems that he is hoping that UT ends up somehow screwed in all of this and ATM laughs all the way to their promised BCS title glory and 40 virgins in the SEC. The cherry on top will be that ATM was the domino that got the whole thing in motion.
Good for ATM for getting what it wanted, but you're delusional if you can't realize that UT will be given every option out there and rightfully so. Move on with your new conference affiliation. The faux concern for UT betrays your new independent, SEC badass persona.
very much not so.
Any willing to considering it within negotiations? Other than that, just Big 12.
The Million Dollar Question. Guesses are all over the place. In no particular order:
-Keep plugging the holes in the Big12 with other schools
-Pac-12
-Big10 with or without ND
-ACC
-Independent
-All of the above with or without Tex/OU game
-All of the above with or without Tex/A&M game
-All of the above with or without LHN
I've thought from just about the start that the lawsuit was really a veiled threat to OU to keep them in place.
Chip is apparently stating this morning that OU/OSU to Pac-12 could happen by the end of the month.
I miss having Clarks.
Eh, I prefer the NL but a move isn't that impactful to me as a fan. I can understand your concerns, though...
It's because you are bunch of old farts. See: New Orleans bachelor party thread
I resigned myself to this months ago.
My Ranger buddies were trying to tell me last week how much fun it will be to have an Astros-Rangers pennant race. Ugh.
I feel like you guys are being a little dramatic. Yeah, being in the AL is less than ideal. But are you really an Astros fan (or a baseball fan for that matter) because you enjoy seeing pitchers bunt and managers conduct double-switches? Is that really the part of the game that makes you love baseball?
you are funny.
not even close to true for UT.
UT has an enormous problem with UH ....
i do not know about the Ags, but UT never would have gone along with that.
I can't imagine why Baylor would sign the waiver. There's no obvious way this could ever be in their best interest. Sounds like we're back to status quo
At least you didn't photoshop it.
There really isn't much of a reason to play Carlos everyday, but I'd guess that's what Mills will do.
Yeah, that sounded like a team owner giving the dreaded "vote of confidence" to a coach or manger who's team performing poorly.
i doubt he'd be interested in that, and he knows ND will stay independent in football.
CNN isn't biased, they are lame. Have a dumbass on the right squeel something, have a dumbass on the left squeel something, then call yourself unbiased. Works in a convoluted way. Trouble is, no one is any wiser for it.
Seems like people have just given up on the idea of truth. A balance of competing squeels is now viewed as a surrogate for the truth.
]
This is true for the Dallas Morning News as well. OU homers.
I'm pretty skeptical of this. This team (in the near future) is not going to slug its way to wins considering Martinez is the best power hitter on the team and projects at a 25 HR guy. I don't want to make any sacrifices on defense.
Guilty. RMPL, I know.
So your shithole just got fucked? I'm confused. Couldn't be republican, at least.
You get everyone not in the hole to take a shovel and walk over to the mound of dirt next to the hole, and one at a time, add a bit to the hole, so the person stuck in the whole can step up out of the hole as layers are added. Then the person is out of the hole and the hole is filled. And we all live happily ever after. It's so simple.
I teach and mentor at-risk youth
You forgot the role of the Stonecutters.
It's not like McLane can just call up the Phils and Braves and be like, "My bad. I still want to play like a champion today" anyway. The course is set for the next several years.
I thought this odd 3 weeks ago, and it is laughable now:
http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/44253/beebe-aggies-wanting-sec-arent-majority
It may or may not happen, but to say Aggies aren't wanting to move is silly.
Why is it not possible that three schools (Nebraska, Colorado and A&M) just found what they think is a better situation for their programs?
Speaking of great wives: I have been married for 21 years today. Best decision I have ever made.
Hell, I'm married to an Aggie and my daughter is enrolled at A&M. I see all this up close too.
As for the cultural issue, I think the bigger problem for A&M is that they'd be trying to make a name on others' home territory. In the state of Texas, half the people are Aggies and so even if the football team goes through a lull and UT is up, A&M is still big news no matter what they do. I don't know how wise it would be to compromise this stature.
This morning, I've been scanning the internets and their various radio offerings...
Houston radio seems to think this is a good idea. Dallas and Austin think A&M is being silly.
Common talking notes for both the Austin and Dallas conversations (at least what I've been able to catch):
-A&M will struggle to be better than bottom of the SEC
-Monetarily this is at best a lateral move
-A&M is leaving just to spite and/or get out of the shadow of Texas
-A&M is killing 100 years of tradition
-A&M is easily replaceable
Interestingly enough, Bucky Godbolt was supportive of the move, but he was kind of a lone voice this morning.
big fish/small pond in big 12 vs. small fish/big pond in sec. A&M is the #3 program in the big 12 right now even with its recent struggles, and could win it any given year. in the SEC, A&M would be in the crowded middle of the pack with ole miss, south carolina, arkansas, etc. that and the cultural differences between Texas and the deep south could make the move less than successful.I can see some truth to your first statement. The simple fact is, the common territory between UT and A&M is well worn. A&M will never up-root what UT had developed within their shared market. The LHN simply expands on the financial dominance that UT already has over the Big XII. I don't think that should be the sole reason to leave, but it certainly is enough to start the conversation. When you start to look at all the benefits of a move to the SEC, despite everyone's prognostications on whether A&M can compete in the SEC, it is far too appealing to dismiss as a purely reactionary move.
either way, i get the feeling that college football as we know it is about 5 years or less away from blowing the f up. whether it's a playoff that does it or just this megaconference morass, it's seeming more and more like an inevitability.
Obviously, there is. Good thing no partying in Austin, College Station, Lubbock, etc.... At least that is the impression many like to make.
Levine's Q&A with Barnett on that same page is very interesting reading.
This is a reverse auction game of telephone.
"I heard he's cutting to $70M"
"Well, I heard he's cutting to $60M"
"Well, I heard he's releasing every player and asking fans to volunteer for each game."
By the way, we're 2.5 hours in without a boy band reference. Good work.
I know at least one who can. He is a pain in the ass.
It probably be easier for people to spell if they didn't consistently mispronounce it.
Let's remember that as of today, only two picks ahead of Springer have signed, and just 10 total 1st rounders are signed.
Still 10 days to the signing deadline, right?
Yes. Springer was selected 11th overall, so they'd get the 12th pick next year (compensation picks are awarded one spot behind the unsigned pick through the second round). That said, early indications are there won't be a George Springer-like talent on the board at 12 next year. 2011 was loaded.
I would believe Biggio before Ausmus. Biggio has that crazy edge to him.
each are approx 5 mm per. Yankmees payroll est 250 mm. Stros (at that time) probably 90 mm. I know the equivalent values are not the same, but both players were kept around for the same reasons
It's interesting you mention that. The Orioles, Dodgers and Mets may be poster children for the argument that spending doesn't equate with success, but the Yankees may have made as many questionable signings as those teams put together. They've spent so much money, though, that they've been successful anyway.
The best thing the Yankees have done the past 20 years is develop and retain the services of Jeter, Rivera, Posada, Williams, et al. I've had Yankees fans argue to me that the Yankees aren't just about money, they're also about development. Of course, no other team could afford to retain that core of talent the way the Yankees did.
If you look at the revolving door of starting pitchers earning double-figures with the Yankees who've been a bust, there's been a huge amount of money wasted there. Probably enough money to cover the entire payrolls of lesser teams.
The Yankees are smarter than a lot of the other high-spending franchises, but their main blessing is still their local TV money, and they've made more than their share of mistakes.
Why don't you ask Queen B?
Eh.
I think there will be more bitching to come, once Wandy gets through waivers. Although the dumping of Lee in the same process might be enough to overcome the noise.
Oh come on...you're being ridiculous now.
Make that your #1 priority and you'll remain a 100-loss team.
Secondly, I find it interesting that the national media seems to embrace <fill in the GM's not named Wade> deals. I have concluded that the since the media is completely incapable of analyzing the particulars of a deal, they instead base it on the reputation of the GM. <fill in the GM's not named Wade> deals are gold and Wade's are crap.
I barely understand the reference, so that probably means I resemble that remark.
A six-sigma outlier on the distribution curve of blogger talent. On the wrong end of the curve.
I like the Lancaster group. Nice stadium, good fan involvement, somewhat responsive on Twitter, informative team website, etc. That said, from a player development standpoint the completion of the 2012 season can't get here fast enough IMO. Not sure that there is a worse High A place for developing prospects than in Lancaster (well, I imagine there have to be a couple, but I've no idea which ones they are).
That means they are 5 of their last 10, they started the season converting 5 of 15
http://www.spikesnstars.com/forums/index.php?topic=112682.0;all
The current bullpen had pitched a total of ~160 innings combined prior to this season.
Disaster. Recipe.
Straight back in the lineup. Playing 2B, batting 2nd (Barmes drops to 7th).
Nothing gets by you.
No it's not. It was essentially a three-way deal.
Hearing Van Gundy, for crying out loud.
note to SPR:
radios and TVs have OFF switches, and reading articles in the paper is not mandatory.
remember John McMullen?
You might wanna consider switching to decaf. Seriously.
My instructor had me do a little demonstration about a "short" backswing. It goes like this:
Take a club and clutch it across your chest like your were doing a warmup stretch; rotate your body until you have turned your shoulders through 90 degrees and hold that position; (this next part is easier if you have a buddy to help you with the club) without moving your body, put the club in your hands and stretch your arms out straight with a wrist cock; Voila! Full backswing. It feels a short as Cee Lo Jones, but it's a full takeaway.
Relax, fella. Mark Cuban, Al Davis or Jerry Jones aren't buying the Astros. And there are no monsters under your bed. Stick with reality.
Dude. Dude. Dude!!! Done? You don't remember McMullen or the Judge, do you? We've had some much sorrier owners before and perservered through them.
Other than being an annoying asshole, Cuban has created a very successful franchise in a football dominant market. There are worse owners out there....
Not nearly as much as I wonder how much more money it cost him to purchase the team now, as opposed to when he walked at the 11th hour in 2008(?).
I didn't say what hits the ball straight. I only mentioned what generates most of your power. As for body position, stance, backswing, etc; you can do anything you want. As long as you can come back to the same point at the time of ball strike(with the clubhead heading in the right direction) you can succeed. Hence why there is so many swings. Hence why a man on his knees can strike the ball 250 down the middle.
For example, you can start by taking 3 steps behind the ball and run forward as you swing. As long as you can comeback to the same position at the point of striking the ball, you can succeed.
Also when you are practicing getting your timing down with your wrists, use a short iron. Takes a lot of the extra variables out of the equation. As far as swing, I was taught the club should be perpendicular to the ground when your arms are directly behind you and when they are directly in front of you, like the dude in the video had them.
If the sale goes down next week...what does that mean? Is it effective immediately? When do they take the cows off the foul poles?
If he was previously diagnosed with an injury, why were they still running him out there?
I get that there's not another bona fide closer on the roster, but hasn't really looked sharp at any point this season.
A friend of mine, not a US American, remarked that the crowds celebrating Bin Laden's death were, from his perspective, hardly different than the idiots who celebrated the attack. I'm not sure that I would make that analogy myself but I do think that grim business calls for a certain dignity of process all around and that jaunty celebration is not indicated. Once the troops come home, well, I'll be happy to celebrate that as joyously as anyone.
Beats the hell outta me if I'm right or not, but I'd bet Wallace is the type of player that isn't affected by pressure much. He looks like he's flat-out bored every time he comes to the plate. Kind of the anti Ryan Bowen.
Damn. We could have had Carlos Beltran in right field.
As a connoisseur of boobs, I'll go ahead and make a sweeping statment...boobs are wonderful. All of them. Real or fake. It doesn't make a damn bit of difference if they're surgically enhanced.
No but the fake boobs were already there..just not sagging yet.
If Fulchino is taking on a more prominent role, we're fucked. Melancon, OTOH, I'd like to see more of.
The Marlin series was 1-2, but had the bullpen held together they could have won either of the two they lost. Starting pitching was at least good, and for Wandy very good (not that that I'd blurt that out during the game). The hitting was better than I expected. Defense was better than I expected. The bullpen is a problem, but the team's come reasonably close to having three more wins than they've got. I think it's too early to dismiss them.
Well, first, I like to set the mood with a little music, some soft candles...maybe take a bubble bath first...
I'm confused (never read anything by her but also never really read anything about anything by her (she is a her, right?)). But, the message that I'm seeing from the posters in the know is that there is not enough government oversight of corporations and left to their own devices corporations will always go for the short term victory at the expense of the longterm, but taxes to fund that oversight are bad?
Find the video of him explaining this to the congressional hearing. He's almost in tears. 50 years of living and driving his philosophy only to discover its flawed. It's actually quite... humane
I feel the same way about "Dharma Bums." No, Mr. Kerouac, it is possible to fall off a mountain.
Hasn't Atlas Shrugged become the Dianetics of the Tea Bag movement?
If you've moved beyond your "I'm 19 and know everything" phase, then you probably won't get much out of it.
I'm ashamed of how meaningful I thought it was when I read it my freshman year.
Eckstein was a Cardinal, he doesn't have any nuts to donate.
For some people, the challenge may well hasten their progress, rather than retard it.
I wondered the same thing and I snooped around a little bit, just enough to see that yes, it has happened and isn't unheard of. I remember there was a big name catcher who did it, but damned if I can remember who right now.
"The recovery for ACL and meniscus is about six months plus conditioning," general manager Ed Wade said. "There's going to be things as a catcher he's not going to be able to do. We're looking at sometime in September before he'll be back playing."
I live in DFW, where there are a great many unwashed who don't give a shit about the Astros. Truth be told, I don't believe many of 'em know that there's another MLB team in this state. They're pretty uppity about their Rangers fandom. I have gotten asked several times whether I follow baseball, and when I respond that I'm an Astros fan, I get blank looks followed by, "Oh... yeah..."
I heard his interview with Alex Jones went well. You know, just your typical lunatic interviewing a maniac. They hang with Dykstra and Brian Wilson. Wilson is making his namesake seem normal.
"What's not to love?" he said on ABC. "Especially when you see how I party. It was epic. The run I was on made Sinatra, Flynn, Jagger, Richards just look like droopy-eyed armless children."
"I am on a drug," Sheen said. "It's called Charlie Sheen. It's not available because if you try it you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body."
charlie sheen still has a career?
I didn't think he was a plus defender, for sure. I can't see the difference between Keppinger and Hall defensively is much of anything though - it's not like defense at second was the big killer.
SCOUT'S VIEW
Who is more likely to build on their strong finish in 2010: the Cubs or the Astros?
Scout says: "Houston didn't address its defense, which will be a sticking point on the right side of the infield, (or) add anybody with the stature of Carlos Pena, who will hit some home runs at Wrigley. With the addition of Matt Garza, the Cubs' chances are significantly better."
http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=6166534
Keith got a job working for Al Gore. This is what Al's people had to say about Keith:
"an acclaimed broadcaster and writer whose verbal pyrotechnics and moral passion have outraged, informed, and dazzled viewers of Countdown With Keith Olbermann for the past eight years” who is “bringing his slashing wit, analytical eye, and distinctive commentary” to the network.
"Dazzled"?
Here's what Keith, who will also serve as the network’s “Chief News Officer” and will have an equity stake in the company, had to say:
“Nothing is more vital to a free America than a free media, and nothing is more vital to my concept of a free media than news produced independently of corporate interference. In Current Media, Al Gore and Joel Hyatt have created the model truth-seeking entity.”
You know, back when he did real news at ESPN, he was much more entertaining. Now he just makes me want to punch his face. But to demonstrate my fair and balanced approach, I get the same feeling listening to Rush, Liddy, Beck, and Mr. Current Affair himself O'Reilly. They are simply the opposite sides of the same coin. Maybe we should take this coin , insert it into one of those novelty devices that flatten and stretch the coin into uselessness.
Wow.
Mad Max?
I'm thinking more old school... as in Spartacus:
A sword fight to the death. The winner is crucified.
Boras rips into La Russa
I say we let them settle this in a steel cage.
And take away the key.
And set the damn thing on fire.
Not according to Fox News.
Meanwhile, Algeria is revolting.
And the absolute best thing we can do when this happens:
Stay the fuck out of the way.
Iranians want the Ayatollahs gone, but they're much more concerned about outside interference.
Egypt's official name is the "Arab Republic of Egypt." I think its ok to include them in the broad definition of "Arab" as much as that term is useful.
Iranians are also not Arabs.
Yes it is an amazing day. I sincerely hope that you're correct about this not being another Iran. But I am concerned about the middle east's understanding of true democracy. For example, will women be allowed to vote?
Don't the Astros have 5 middle infielders already?
Some misc. comments re: HPs chances in arbitration from MLBTR. LINK
I am not self employed, but work for a very small business. I don't think my boss owes it to me to pay my insurance, so I have been uninsured unitil recently (I am on a plan through my wife's company, as it costs no more to add me to that policy than it would without me included). The little fella's plan was an individual policy through Aetna that I purchased as required by the terms of my divorce. He has since been changed to the wife's policy as well, as step-children could not be included on that policy until January 1. I did not cancel the old individual policy, as I did not want the insurance company to deny a claim as a result. So I am currently double paying insurance to recieve no real tangible benefit. I am convinced had I gone in declaring myself a cash customer I would have come out ahead.
So when chuck is in front and you're working the back, how far apart should your faces be for the middle to be at least 6 feet tall?
I figured that, but it was Christmas Eve, doctor's office was closed. I paged him and when he called back told me to take him to the ER (and charged Insurance $130.00 for the "visit"). In hindsight, I should have had him call the hospital and admit the little fella, might have been cheaper. As far as the other stuff...huh?? I did not know I could get meals out of my insurance plan...
kidding, this was an individual policy, since this has happened he has been placed on my wife's work policy.
And most importatnly, Thanks!
SP Rodriguez. Phil in College Station. Et al.
Winner. I hope the new owner goes with some reasonable variant of this.
You must have a lot more faith in RR-S than I do. At this point, I see him in the same light as Figueroa, that being a 5th starter/swingman. That doesn't mean that he can't be more, but I have doubts in his ability to stay healthy and effective for a full season. Wandy has a much better chance of giving you 190-200 innings with a 3.0-3.5 ERA. Since he doesn't rely on his fastball's velocity for success, he could still maintain success even if he does lose a tick off of it. Being 32-34, he shouldn't lose more than that.
The problem with offering Wandy arbitration after this season is that if he accepts, then you lose any kind of discount a multi-year deal would offer. If he puts up his usual numbers, then he's going to get $13-$15M in arbitration (using Kuroda, Dempster and Lilly as contemporaries). He could always sign somewhere else and we would get a draft pick, the club just has to be sure he's willing to go and that there will be suitors.
I wouldn't try to sign Wandy to a multi-year deal to save money this season, but to keep him around after this year. If the club thinks he'll continue his level of production over the next 3 seasons, and he'll sign for ~3/$30, it would be smart to do so. While our position players need to improve/rebound, our ability to win 80 games over the next couple of seasons will depend heavily on our pitching. Losing Wandy would be a big step backward in that department.
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/article_21dd4195-2a5a-526b-a659-f9c9efe3c9c5.html. He and his wife are hurt because the Astros didn't want him back and he's now working his ass off with a personal trainer. Uh, Lance, maybe you could have done that when you were playing with Houston.
Of course, the reality is that they became winners when they stopped doing that.
Most nitwits here can't see the good in this.
http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=6020119
Now set-up men are getting more than $10 million a year.
Not a thing... Actually, that's not entirely true. Having been raised by a Texas momma, I am constantly in fear that she will know immediately that I have lied about something (failed to open a door or give up my seat for a lady, etc.) - even though I'm 2500 miles away - and she'll fly up to Portland and kick my ass. Btw... Anyone that claims not to have this same fear is either lying, or was not raised in Texas. Just sayin'...
Jeff Pearlman just won't leave it alone (copied from Astros County)
Jeff Pearlman just won't leave it alone
So. Jeff Pearlman appeared on Mike Silva's podcast (link captip to AstroBrit) and reiterated his stance that Bagwell and, yes, Biggio were PED users:
For the record, Pearlman reiterated his position on Jeff Bagwell saying he was “so certain he used steroids from being around that team, era, and researching his Clemens book.” He would go on to tell me that if Bagwell didn’t use then the “world is flat.”When I asked him if Craig Biggio falls into the same category as Bagwell because he played for Houston, a team that he said earlier in the show was hotbed for PED use, he said yes.
Click the link to hear the podcast.
This is beginning to piss me off.
Then you have a very good question, sir. Beats me. I guess lefthanders are guaranteed employment.
He wasn't awful last year, just a spot lefty who could eat some innings here and there for a while.
I saw where someone mentioned WW as being in the situational lefty mix too. Does that mean the starting role experiment is over?
how did a tribute to Dick Winters take this turn?
Didn't Stephen King hate Kubrick's version of the Shining and throw his weight behind that terrible TV version with the dude from Wings (no, not that guy, the other one)
Ahem...four words: Shawshank...Shining.
The movie had no prayer, because the book made me actively embarrassed for King. I can't believe he actually published that shit.
If Knoblauch was using, then how can anyone be sure Alomar or Biggio was not?
The Ags have had poor offense before the in the season, but I haven't seen them pushed around on defense like this. Either they forgot how to play during the break or no one in the Big 12 had a serious offense this year.
No wonder they haven't found any trade takers for him. If the issue was in any way public, it'd be enough to hold a trade, I'd imagine.
And now it's official. Bush fired, Kubiak and Smith stay.
The Link
Those enchiladas sound ridiculous. I've been to a taco truck on Riverside just east of Lakeshore many times. It's open all night or at the very least as late as I've ever needed it to be open and the tacos are very good. But this chile infused tortilla must be sampled.
If they blame genetics, then they free themselves from the responsibility of having to correct the problem. That's very common in addicts of all types.
Manning? I've heard the rumors, but I didn't think it was solid enough to warrant him being in the same company as Big Ben, Vick, Favre, etc.
inherited as in learned? or as in DNA?
He never got to explore his sexuality during puberty. i.e., he was so busy becoming the perfect golf machine that he never sowed his oats.
That's nothing new. The strange part to me is that they're playing it at 10 AM on Christmas morning, during the Star Wars marathon. Parents will probably have to do some awkward explanations!
The most entertaining part of the Favre allegations has been the details that show he has absolutely no game. I've heard 15-year olds do better.
Mexico has a fine and well established tradition of brewing beer, thank you.
And Germans eat spaghetti like no one else I have ever seen. In a past life I shared a house with a couple, the female was German. For some inexplicable reason they decided to get married and the house was suddenly invaded by 35 Germans. I mean, it was insane, Germans in the attic, Germans in the basement, in the living room, sleeping in the hallway. I opened the fridge one day and found it more crammed with shit than I had ever seen it, specifically freeze dried coffee, cream cheese and hot dogs. When they weren't eating cream cheese and hot dogs they ate spaghetti. You want to know what vessel they elected in which to make the sauce? My wok. I passed through the kitchen one day and discovered them abusing my wok in said manner. I can imagine the look I must have had because everyone burst out in spontaneous laughter without my saying anything.
i have it, but the damn thing is in Arabic.
You completely screwed that one up. This is where you and the wife need to play "good cop/bad cop". Have her call and rant and rave and cancel the service. You calmly call back and say..."look, my wife just called and canceled because she's very upset. I apologize for her coarse language. We really want to stay with you guys, can't we work something out?" You will be connected to someone with some stroke, who'll do whatever it takes to make you and your irrate wife happy. Works. Every. Time.
He said his issues against righthanded hitting came from his brother throwing left handed to him all winter. This was something he said he was going to fix last year and his numbers greatly improved.
so much that the Yankees won 4 of the next 5 games.
It's quite confusing. I thought the reason he was treated like a rental and traded so much is that he sent signals that he was going to go with the highest bidder no matter what.
FWIW - Cliff Lee just became my favorite MLB player. The anti-Beltran if you will.
We're done paying Fran this year, so I'm sure he wants a job.
But you can't even begin to talk to the Royales (or Big Macs) unless you investigate what is out there for you to supplant one Mr. Pence if you have to. And I think the Astros think Pence is worthy of three prospects alone, lowering the price a bit. So it may depend how cheap Pence is compared to Grenwhatever. Just thinking out loud here... nothing to this at all.
Lubbock gots prairie dogs though.