Cup of Coffee

September 10, 2011: Helicopters and Sirens

52 Comments

Last night I was stuck outside for a while when there was a bomb on my block, or the next block over (I never did get the final info on that). The situation was quashed quickly. I'm thinking we're on high terror alert right now.

52 thoughts on “September 10, 2011: Helicopters and Sirens”

  1. Last night, Nick Punto entered the game for the Cards as a pinch-hitter for the pitcher in the bottom of the ninth. His team was down two runs to the Braves, with King of the Savers Craig Kimbrel pitching. There was a runner on first and no outs. Nicky grounded into a force out, the runner out at second, but him safe at first. BB, K, BB, Pujols hits a 2R single with the winning run thrown out at the plate.

    Punto stays in the game at 2B, and comes up to bat in the tenth with one out, bases loaded (IBB before Punto). Punto is in "Good Punto" mode. He works the count full, three balls, three pitches fouled off after he had two strikes. Then, GWSF.

    Cards are now six and a half games back of the Braves' WC lead and seven behind the Brewers. If they're going to do anything here, a healthy Nick Punto in "Good Mode" will be part of it. Hopefully, LaRussa doesn't double-switch him out of too many important situations. I know he wasn't always great, but when he was in his pitch-taking, count-working, walking mode, it was one of my favorite things.

    Hey, that is one thing that doesn't show up in WAR (I assume): wearing out opposing pitchers by taking pitches.

  3. Criminal offense: according to an AP story, Tim Lincecum has gotten zero runs of support in ten separate starts this season.

    1. I love the commitment to the team's best player, but fear any commitment to a running back. Granted, only $36M is guaranteed, so the Vikings must fear that too. I'm just as happy about the five-year Greenway deal.

      1. Yeah, Peterson's not exactly known for durability, but if there is one player in the NFL I would pay to watch play no matter how bad the team around him is, it is AP. Most incredible running back I've ever seen and that includes Barry Sanders.

  8. Coach Jerry Kill collapsed on the sidelines with :20 left in the game. His arms were flailing about as if he were having some sort of a seizure. Very scary.

      2. Mrs. A suffers from seizures. They're controlled by medication, and she hasn't had one in over 20 years, but I'll never forget how scary it is to watch. There's really nothing you can do but wait until it ends, other than just make sure they don't hit their head on something.

  9. Notre Dame is wearing some sort of throwback jersey tonight against Michigan. They are pretty sweet

    2. Michael Floyd has been in beast mode this first half. Too bad the great recruiter Tim Brewster couldnt land him

      1. that game should of been on network tv. instead ESPN decided to show NASCAR on ABC. 15 people might of watched that.

  10. So, I may as well say it: I'm moving out, in large part because of my roommates. In a couple of days I leave for my brother-in-law's house for a week to take care of his dog as he goes on vacation, and after that I'll either crash with him for a while or, more likely, go back to Phoenix because I hate it here. It's violent, broken, dirty and depressing, and I've yet to drive through a single area and think, "Yeah, my kids could live here." A lot of screenwriters work from Phoenix and take weekend trips for their meetings, and I'm happy to become one. L.A., though, is just not somewhere I want to be.

    The one I feel for is the dog, though. He avoids my roommates (who own him) just as fiercely as I do. I can't overstate how wrecked and abusive their relationship is. They're never happy if the other is around, and just now I'm not entirely sure they weren't fighting physically upstairs. They hate each other, but they've been together for ten years so they're probably not breaking up. I'm thinking this relationship eventually ends with murder.

    1. Not that it's my business, but from what you've written here, I think you're making a wise decision.

      1. I'm definitely glad to hear you say so, Padre. And, frankly, that phrase has so much to do with why I'm leaving; there are things going on around me that are none of my business and situations so volatile I shouldn't be near them, and I can't get away. I never considered that the violence in L.A. that I'd be most worried about was in my own place.

        There is one other roommate, the one who brought me here, who's great. I don't see her much, though. I feel for her and the fact that she lives upstairs with these two, but I'm a trifle annoyed with her for holding back some of this information. She spoke in code: "[Guy] and [Girl] have been...trying to figure things out lately..." and such, but now that I've been party to so much of it, the girl who brought me into the house is being frank about how they've been this way for a while. I'm stopping short of bringing up the fact that she should have told me about this before I got here, because hey, no need to make my last - two? Three? - days here even worse.

    2. The Valley isn't bad, and there's a lot of film work done up there *wink wink*. I lived in the South Bay area (Torrance/Redondo Beach/Hermosa Beach/Manhatten Beach) but that can be expensive, even with roomies. Culver City wasn't bad, but friends were cutting us a deal on renting their condo. Still, the old saw is pretty much correct: it's a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

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