Two days from the move, and I've been losing sleep wondering how I'll survive away from the girls. I just don't know how long I'll last out there.
55 thoughts on “August 12, 2011: Doubt”
happy Friday everyone! 😀
Don't forget to enter the 2011-12 EPL Prediction Contest. So far, we've only got 4 entrants, and I know there are more soccer fans out there than that.
Note to self: Get picks in
Explosions in the Sky are playing in Des Moines two days before my flight to Prague. I'm definitely going to try to make this show. I missed their show in Ireland because it was the same day as the All-Ireland Final and I couldn't get to Belfast because the trains were just insane.
I was alone for more than two weeks as my wife and boys visited her ailing mother (who is on the road to recovery now). Cell phones and Internet makes something like that a lot easier than it used to be. I called them every night just before the boys went to bed.
Yeah, we have Skype and everything so technology is on our side...I think the uncertainty of how long I'll be gone is the killer.
I don't have kids, but you've exactly described what mo chailín and I are going through right now. She's in London, and I'm here, and we're trying to work things out. But we don't know how long we'll be apart, and that's what's harder than actually being apart. But we do what we can. My best advice is make good use of the technology at your disposal. I woke up this morning with an email with a link to a Youtube video from her. It was only 10sec long, just saying "Hello" but it was amazing just to be able to see and hear her. It already made my day.
Mags - am planning trip to the Green Isle later this fall. Other than first night in Dublin, don't have anything locked down yet. Any must see/must dos?
I wouldn't budget any more than 3 nights in Dublin. I'd make my way South and/or West - Cork, Limerick, Galway are all pretty cool towns. And the countryside there is much better than Dublin, which still has a bit of an industrial feel to it. I have a Dublin travel guide at home I can send you, as well as I can make better recommendations. How long a trip are you planning?
Maybe two weeks - am thinking of incorp. some biking into it as well - am looking at some cycling orgs also. Just got Fodors and Backroads Ireland guides but haven't looked through them at all yet.
We cycled all over Inishmore, one of the Arran Islands. That was definitely a treat, but be warned it's quite hilly. I'm sure a bike ride around Dingle* would be absolutely gorgeous.
*Hehe
Galway and Aran Islands are a must. West Coast is way better than the east.
Is there a music post forthcoming?
Yesterday was my 11th anniversary. I've taken the whole week off to do nothing in particular. Without a sitter, we took the brood to Como Zoo and Como Town, followed with dinner at Cecil's in Highland Park (where we used to eat while dating), and a walk through Our Lady of Victory Chapel, where we were married. Got home, got the kids to bed, and crashed. I went nearly 24 hours without using a computer.
congrats on the anniversary, AMR. And on the week and the day. It's good to get away now and then.
There is no better sandwich in the Twin Cities than the Sasha at Cecil's.
I just went with the Russian Rueben, my bride had the Original Rueben, and the three offspring each had grilled cheese.
Don't know when I'll be back, but I'll try to remember Sasha.
Just be forewarned that you will need many napkins because the Sasha can get messy.
I want one.
Congrats!
(What? Are we supposed to guess what the Sasha is composed of, Will?)
Link isn't working. For whatever reason, linking to Pioneer Press pages is a bitch and a half.
Believe it or not, it was our baby catcher.
Err, designated hitter.
I mean first basemen. Whoops.
Honor!
For whatever reason, they add "?nclick_check=1" to the URL and then disallow anyone to view the page using that new URL. Removing it before loading always works. I went back and fixed the link.
He has an .831 OPS since the AS break, so if that is grinding it out, I'll take that. He took several foul balls the other day and then started three straight at first, so that is probably the main problem right now.
it frustrates to me to no end that All-Star numbers just aren't viewed as good enough anymore by the media, and it sounds like not even Joe. His 2009 season I think was one of the top 50 seasons of all-time by any player, if not higher. He doesn't need to put those numbers every year.
He's a pussy and he has as many homers as Cliff Lee. Cut him!!!!
/stribber
He has half as many homers as Cliff Lee. 😛
/E-6
In all seriousness, his OPS for the year is .708, hardly All-Star numbers. Don't get me wrong, I like Mauer as much as the next guy, but to suggest that the first year of his huge contract has been anything less than disappointing requires some seriously rose-colored glasses.
Russell Martin and Matt Wieters both made the AL All-Star team as catchers. Both currently sport a .703 OPS. All-Star numbers for catchers are pretty low.
1988 Laudner: .791
I agree with Bootsy. It HAS been a disappointing season for Joe. Per statcorner.com, he's barely above average at the plate (+0.4 bRAA). His wOBA+ is a career-low 101, and he's at 1.0 WAR (1.1 fWAR, 1.2 rWAR). Those are not Joe Mauer numbers.
At the same time, I'm cutting him some slack for the offseason surgery and slow recovery. But I really, really, really want to see him start driving the ball again.
He has been better over the last month (337/393/418, including his lone HR; 340/414/417 in the second half), but that SLG is, well, sad. He has averaged 38 doubles per 162 games for his career, which would put him at about 14 doubles by now (he has 10). Small sample, obviously. A hot week or two could close that gap and get his SLG back up to nearly his career mark.
There's reason to be disappointed with what Joe's done so far, but I'm not going to be disappointed with Joe's season until I have the whole season to look at.
I am excited to have the Mountie back as well. It will be sad to miss the playoffs, but if the Twins can pull together a solid six-week run of good play to get to ~.500, I will be satisfied.
Well, a solid 6 weeks, plus the return of Slowey to Gardy's doghouse the big club, plus some september call-ups for Benson and Parmelee (really? that's the best we've got on the 40-man???) and some cut-bait decisions on a few people....
just like making a trade
Recent Dodgers' call-up Nate Eovaldi is the first major league player whose last name begins with "Eo". I just thought you needed to know that.
That is an event worth noting.
I nominate that his new nickname is hereby "Captain Eo."
It's amazing what you'll hear about writers attempting to get their work read through improper channels. There are ways in, and you'd think these people would school themselves in the business side of things, but instead they assume an invasive tactic is going to get them on the side of the readers.
Bummer about his laptop, but why was it in there?!
In the You Can't Make This Up department, Cuddyer pulls a muscle in his neck in batting practice and his listed as day-to-day, which means I give him even odds of playing at all the rest of the season. Oh well, at least that means one less righty to flail against Justin Masterson. Revere in for Delmon, so Valencia the only righty tonight.
1. Denard Span, CF
2. Alexi Casilla, 2B
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Jason Kubel, RF
6. Jim Thome, DH
7. Danny Valencia, 3B
8. Ben Revere, LF
9. Tsuyoshi Nishioka, SS
If Cuddyer didn't hurt himself the Twins would have been in danger of having their opening day lineup out there. Based on what I've seen this season, I'm pretty sure that's not allowed.
Number of times the opening day lineup has been used: 1.
Seems high.
I might have miscounted.
Danny "Iron Horse" Valencia.
This looks like a lineup that could mash right handers. Hopefully Pavano keeps the Feather from scoring more than 10 runs.
Is anybody else concerned about this? It's not exactly like the Twins are stocked in the prospect department.
Not yet. MLB frustratingly won't let teams sign draft picks until the very, very end if they're over slot.
I'm concerned, but a lot of that is my total lack of confidence in Bill Smith.
happy Friday everyone! 😀
Don't forget to enter the 2011-12 EPL Prediction Contest. So far, we've only got 4 entrants, and I know there are more soccer fans out there than that.
Note to self: Get picks in
Explosions in the Sky are playing in Des Moines two days before my flight to Prague. I'm definitely going to try to make this show. I missed their show in Ireland because it was the same day as the All-Ireland Final and I couldn't get to Belfast because the trains were just insane.
I was alone for more than two weeks as my wife and boys visited her ailing mother (who is on the road to recovery now). Cell phones and Internet makes something like that a lot easier than it used to be. I called them every night just before the boys went to bed.
Yeah, we have Skype and everything so technology is on our side...I think the uncertainty of how long I'll be gone is the killer.
I don't have kids, but you've exactly described what mo chailín and I are going through right now. She's in London, and I'm here, and we're trying to work things out. But we don't know how long we'll be apart, and that's what's harder than actually being apart. But we do what we can. My best advice is make good use of the technology at your disposal. I woke up this morning with an email with a link to a Youtube video from her. It was only 10sec long, just saying "Hello" but it was amazing just to be able to see and hear her. It already made my day.
Mags - am planning trip to the Green Isle later this fall. Other than first night in Dublin, don't have anything locked down yet. Any must see/must dos?
I wouldn't budget any more than 3 nights in Dublin. I'd make my way South and/or West - Cork, Limerick, Galway are all pretty cool towns. And the countryside there is much better than Dublin, which still has a bit of an industrial feel to it. I have a Dublin travel guide at home I can send you, as well as I can make better recommendations. How long a trip are you planning?
Maybe two weeks - am thinking of incorp. some biking into it as well - am looking at some cycling orgs also. Just got Fodors and Backroads Ireland guides but haven't looked through them at all yet.
We cycled all over Inishmore, one of the Arran Islands. That was definitely a treat, but be warned it's quite hilly. I'm sure a bike ride around Dingle* would be absolutely gorgeous.
*Hehe
Galway and Aran Islands are a must. West Coast is way better than the east.
Is there a music post forthcoming?
Yesterday was my 11th anniversary. I've taken the whole week off to do nothing in particular. Without a sitter, we took the brood to Como Zoo and Como Town, followed with dinner at Cecil's in Highland Park (where we used to eat while dating), and a walk through Our Lady of Victory Chapel, where we were married. Got home, got the kids to bed, and crashed. I went nearly 24 hours without using a computer.
congrats on the anniversary, AMR. And on the week and the day. It's good to get away now and then.
There is no better sandwich in the Twin Cities than the Sasha at Cecil's.
I just went with the Russian Rueben, my bride had the Original Rueben, and the three offspring each had grilled cheese.
Don't know when I'll be back, but I'll try to remember Sasha.
Just be forewarned that you will need many napkins because the Sasha can get messy.
I want one.
Congrats!
(What? Are we supposed to guess what the Sasha is composed of, Will?)
From the website:
Congrats dude. That sounded like a cool way to spend the day.
Answer.
Link isn't working. For whatever reason, linking to Pioneer Press pages is a bitch and a half.
Believe it or not, it was our baby catcher.
Err, designated hitter.
I mean first basemen. Whoops.
Honor!
For whatever reason, they add "?nclick_check=1" to the URL and then disallow anyone to view the page using that new URL. Removing it before loading always works. I went back and fixed the link.
He has an .831 OPS since the AS break, so if that is grinding it out, I'll take that. He took several foul balls the other day and then started three straight at first, so that is probably the main problem right now.
it frustrates to me to no end that All-Star numbers just aren't viewed as good enough anymore by the media, and it sounds like not even Joe. His 2009 season I think was one of the top 50 seasons of all-time by any player, if not higher. He doesn't need to put those numbers every year.
He's a pussy and he has as many homers as Cliff Lee. Cut him!!!!
/stribber
He has half as many homers as Cliff Lee. 😛
/E-6
In all seriousness, his OPS for the year is .708, hardly All-Star numbers. Don't get me wrong, I like Mauer as much as the next guy, but to suggest that the first year of his huge contract has been anything less than disappointing requires some seriously rose-colored glasses.
Russell Martin and Matt Wieters both made the AL All-Star team as catchers. Both currently sport a .703 OPS. All-Star numbers for catchers are pretty low.
1988 Laudner: .791
I agree with Bootsy. It HAS been a disappointing season for Joe. Per statcorner.com, he's barely above average at the plate (+0.4 bRAA). His wOBA+ is a career-low 101, and he's at 1.0 WAR (1.1 fWAR, 1.2 rWAR). Those are not Joe Mauer numbers.
At the same time, I'm cutting him some slack for the offseason surgery and slow recovery. But I really, really, really want to see him start driving the ball again.
He has been better over the last month (337/393/418, including his lone HR; 340/414/417 in the second half), but that SLG is, well, sad. He has averaged 38 doubles per 162 games for his career, which would put him at about 14 doubles by now (he has 10). Small sample, obviously. A hot week or two could close that gap and get his SLG back up to nearly his career mark.
There's reason to be disappointed with what Joe's done so far, but I'm not going to be disappointed with Joe's season until I have the whole season to look at.
the mountie rides again!
I am excited to have the Mountie back as well. It will be sad to miss the playoffs, but if the Twins can pull together a solid six-week run of good play to get to ~.500, I will be satisfied.
Well, a solid 6 weeks, plus the return of Slowey to
Gardy's doghousethe big club, plus some september call-ups for Benson and Parmelee (really? that's the best we've got on the 40-man???) and some cut-bait decisions on a few people....just like making a trade
Recent Dodgers' call-up Nate Eovaldi is the first major league player whose last name begins with "Eo". I just thought you needed to know that.
That is an event worth noting.
I nominate that his new nickname is hereby "Captain Eo."
Spookie, where is your laptop?
It's amazing what you'll hear about writers attempting to get their work read through improper channels. There are ways in, and you'd think these people would school themselves in the business side of things, but instead they assume an invasive tactic is going to get them on the side of the readers.
Bummer about his laptop, but why was it in there?!
In the You Can't Make This Up department, Cuddyer pulls a muscle in his neck in batting practice and his listed as day-to-day, which means I give him even odds of playing at all the rest of the season. Oh well, at least that means one less righty to flail against Justin Masterson. Revere in for Delmon, so Valencia the only righty tonight.
1. Denard Span, CF
2. Alexi Casilla, 2B
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Jason Kubel, RF
6. Jim Thome, DH
7. Danny Valencia, 3B
8. Ben Revere, LF
9. Tsuyoshi Nishioka, SS
If Cuddyer didn't hurt himself the Twins would have been in danger of having their opening day lineup out there. Based on what I've seen this season, I'm pretty sure that's not allowed.
Number of times the opening day lineup has been used: 1.
Seems high.
I might have miscounted.
Danny "Iron Horse" Valencia.
This looks like a lineup that could mash right handers. Hopefully Pavano keeps the Feather from scoring more than 10 runs.
Is anybody else concerned about this? It's not exactly like the Twins are stocked in the prospect department.
Not yet. MLB frustratingly won't let teams sign draft picks until the very, very end if they're over slot.
I'm concerned, but a lot of that is my total lack of confidence in Bill Smith.