I was contacted about possibly being a mascot for the Diamondbacks this year (I'd be one of the big head D-Back stars). I won't know for a while, but 25-30K for minimal work at a freaking baseball park for six months sounds alright to me.
Of course, then the stupid show will come through and I'll have to burn the bridge.
Inside a costume in Phoenix in the summer?! Thank God it's indoors
It's amazing how well that place is air conditioned. When I went to those two games last season, I actually got cold.
I hear you, though. When I was Boomer the Bear up in Yakima, if I forgot my ice suit on a 100 degree day, it was hell.
It is delightfully pleasant in there, even on the hottest days, to that I can attest.
Yeah, I think you even let me know about that when I expressed fear at the notion of melting under the sun. Someone did, anyway.
Trying out Netflix for the first time- playing it through the Wii works amazingly well.
Yeah, its pretty nice. The only problem we have is that my wife is completely unable to aim the remote.
Ah, there's the problem. You don't aim. Just throw it!
Went to Chicago to tour a couple of colleges with the boy, who is a junior. It was very successful and we found some schools he liked and didn't like. However what I thought would be interesting to this crowd is "where are the boys?"
These were official college tours which were pretty full as President's Day weekend is a big college tour time. In two of the tours, girls outnumbered boys four to one. The last school it was more even but still more girls than boys in that tour (these are typically high school juniors and seniors).
If you look at incoming freshmen attendance rates for many colleges and universities the breakdown is around 55-45 girls to boys. Now this might mean an easier time getting laid in colleges for the guys, but what is it saying about the future where boys aren't taking college education as seriously as girls are?
I believe women will be in just about complete control of this country in 50-100 years. I don't think that's a bad thing at all. If you read my story about my ear infection, I was absolutely pissed off about the man who worked on me. The woman who did was not dismissive of me. She actually did what should have been done and I got better. In my field, women are making inroads in a big way. The trend is going to continue. (Small anecdotal sample size, but I also know that more women then men are going to college.) Men better wake up.
I've always felt more comfortable, in general, with female doctors. More empathy. Less advice. Statistics also show that women prefer female therapists and men also prefer female therapists.
I just hope women don't lose too many of their stereotypical good qualities in the pursuit of typically male-dominated jobs.
In my world, men still have a stronghold on things. For whatever reason, there are a ton more male screenwriters than female screenwriters, and writers write what they know. Hence, lead characters continue to be male.
Also, male leads are accepted in general more by both women and men. Males are threatened by strong female leads, but the opposite isn't true.
And then there's the producers - nearly all old white men.
I'm a computer programmer. It's a joke. Especially in the non-IT realm.
It was 50:3 in my EE classes.
not sure how you mean this.
My boss is female. I have many female coworkers. IT is 50% female at least, and the railroad is a male-centric business. Diversity is not an issue.
I think you find more girls doing the college tours than boys simply because the boys wait until the last minute, take one tour, and then pick that college. Over generalization, sure, but that's the way I've seen it.
from a 2010 report by the American Council on Education
Overwhelmingly, the gender gap is a socioeconomic phenomenon. Rich boys are doing Just Fine.
See the story here.
I didn't mean it in a negative way toward woman at all. I've had a number of woman bosses and they've been the better ones. I actually meant it as a criticism toward boys more than anything.
I agree that boys choose later and that by income, boys are closer to girls in attending college. However BS, that data above is nearly 5 years old and working at a University I can tell you that the attendance gap has really grown over the past 5 years and is becoming increasingly worrisome to college administrators (regardless of what that 2 year old article says). For the 2011-2012 school year the ratio of incoming freshman at the U of MN was 55-45 women. The College that my son liked the best on the trip was Loyola University, a Jesuit school and the current ratio is 68-32 Female to Male. Part of the reason is that Loyola has a good nursing school but I have a feeling the incomes going to that school are on the higher end. Same with DePaul and Northwestern, which were the other two schools we visited. Income plays a role no doubt as more and more lower income boys are choosing tech schools but the gap is real and I think growing.
I wasn't implying that there is no problem. I was pointing out that there is a strong income/class component. It will show more strongly in state institutions than in the privates.
This is a long-run issue, no doubt.
Percent of U.S. Adults Ages 25-29 With a Bachelor's Degree or Higher, 1969-2009
Source is http://www.prb.org/Articles/2011/gender-gap-in-education.aspx
Holy balls.
So now their the fairer and better educated sex, eh?
Souhan wrote another piece on Joe Mauer. Good. Lord.
So, Souhan is saying he worked really hard to overcome his ailments, but he was just so focused on the process, you know, doing the things he was supposed to do to get healthy that he wasn't focused enough on getting healthy (oy vey). And massage treatments made the other guys feel resentful. Or something. Because no professional athlete has ever employed a masseuse to help them recover from workouts and injuries. Ever. And Nathan and Cuddyer left, and although Souhan couldn't tell (i.e. Cuddyer wasn't, in fact, talking) if they left because of Mauer instead of, you know, the millions of fucking dollars that they got from other teams that weren't available here, he suggest that may (or may not!) have been part of the deal. Oh yeah, there were a bunch of young guys that were living it up and Mauer didn't clamp down on them. (Neither, apparently did Nathan, Cuddyer, Smith, or Gardenhire.)
That's it. Jim Souhan is the biggest fucking hack in the history of big fucking hacks. I resolve to ignore him forevermore. If I ever bring him up again, you should thoroughly flog me for not living up to my end of the bargain around here.
Does this mean an end to the avatar???
Let me think about that.
That was my first reaction, too. I suggest a Zoidberg avatar.
Whenever I hear "Avatar", I immediately translate to "Pocohontas", so I propose This, This, or This.
I hope Mauer starts the season on an absolute tear, so I can enjoy watching this knucklehead trying to walk all this vitriol this back.
Oh who am I kidding, he'll just call him a pussy and say he doesn't hit enough home runs! I would be very pleased if FSN stopped dragging this guy onto the pregame show.
FSN fired his ass a long time ago.
Strained atmospheres have been the second-leading cause of team collapses in the modern era. The only thing higher on the list is bilateral leg weakness.
Well, stick, tell us how you really feel. I kid, I kid(!).
What's become clear to me is that Top Jimmy wants Mauer to fail so badly so he can say, "I told you so!one!!1". I'm tired of his brand of sports writing, but I'm even more exhausted with the folks who congratulate Souhan for 'keeping it real'®.
I glossed over the comments section out of curiosity, and found it not surprising that the comments fellating Souhan's opinion received "thumbs up" and the comments calling him a dumb ass got thumbs down. Based on that, and a wish to have an optimistic outlook on humanity, I want to believe he's writing this pap to pander to the mouthbreathers that agree with it for more page views. So on that note, I think we should all take a vow to not read him, nor think about him as much as possible.
There is research that shows that critics that give a negative review are perceived as smarter than those that give a positive review. Columnists are basically the critics of the sports page... so that plus a comment section leads to some sort of miserable feedback loop of Mauer-hate.
There really isn't enough attempted logic in that to even try to refute it. I would note, though, that this is the first time I've heard the insinuation that the reason the Twins' young players didn't succeed was that they didn't care and weren't trying.
If I thought that was true, I'd get rid of every one of them for being a bunch of blockheads. You have what might be your one and only chance to prove you can be a big league ballplayer, and you don't try hard? How stupid would that be?
I don't think it's true, of course. The reason the Twins' young players didn't succeed is that they're not good enough to be major league players, at least not yet. Most of them were nothing special in AAA; why do you think they're going to get better when they're promoted to the majors? I don't think Gardy or anyone else was under the illusion that those guys belonged in the big leagues. They were there because, due to injuries and short-sighted moves, the Twins didn't have anybody else.
Reading between the lines of the criticism shoveled his way over the past year or so, I'd say I'm pretty sure Danny Valencia is the perceived captain of "The Fun Bunch".
Who else would be in this group from last year? Ben Revere? I don't think so. Parmelee or Benson? Dudes didn't come up until the season was a complete lost cause. Nishi? I doubt that action. Casilla? Maybe, but he's been around a while and I'm not thinking that's who. Rene Tosoni?
I think it comes down to Valencia. If he was a jackass with Morneau and Thome and Cuddyer and Nathan and Pavano in the clubhouse it is beyond me how this is Mauer's fault. Maybe the guy who writes the lineup card out and his boss should handle shit like this if those names listed in the previous sentence can't handle it.
He might as well have just said "The Fun Bunch who works out with A-Rod in the offseason".
I was thinking Plouffe! might be the captain of that group, but you could very well be right.
Not that I'd know, but Valencia never struck me as a funloving-type guy. He had a disappointing year, but partly that's because he'd played over his head in a half-season in 2010.
I suppose it's possible that he thought he had it made last year and stopped working. It just doesn't make sense to me, though, that you'd work hard for years to get to the big leagues and then not work hard to succeed once you got there. There are probably some of whom that's true, but I have to think it's a pretty small minority. I'm going to have to have it proved to me before I believe it of someone.
Plouffe might be another candidate.
The Fun Bunch? I was thinking check the top right card on this blog post
The Twins have three numbers retired from that team and all three could form a mini Fun Bunch. However, they also were known equally well for their desire to win and do anything it takes to win. (right, Ron Gant?)
except stay in shape.
wait, what? you weren't looking at the Nishi card, were you.
Butters seems like a fun kinda guy. Probably writes headlines for ESPN in the offseason, too.
Except not everyone smokes in restaurants.
/didItypethatoutloud?
Before his rookie season, Gardy made sure Valencia know he should be seen and not heard, but when he came up and played well, he was doing the "little" things well and "showing respect."
It wasn't a lack of effort, it was a lack of disappointment. In other words, they weren't crying in their beer after every loss. They were actually trying to have fun playing a kids' game while making more money than they ever have in their life. Imagine that!
So, the Fun Bunch was more interested in the process of playing and learning the game than in the goal of not losing 100 games? I definitely sense Mauer's lack of leadership in this.
Also, at least he all but admitted its because of a lack of "access" that he hates Mauer for.
Bo Jackson was a pretty darn decent outfielder, but a leader? I don't think so. But still, Bo rhymes with Joe and is twenty years out of style, so he's the obvious go-to guy.
Beau knows leaders, and Shecky ain't
My bro-in-law brought this up today. I didn't know how to respond.
hey, look who's on Rosen Sport Sunday right now....*turns channel*
Spooky, if this mascot thing turns into something and you get to meet the person inside TC Bear, tell us that he or she is a great and jovial person, and one of the nicest mascots for a top-level club you've ever met. Even if it is a lie.
And get TC to sign up for the WGOM.
I told TC about the WGOM. Thought he was smiling, don't be fooled, he soon began to shake his head.
Nice product placement!
My Dad knows the person inside TC Bear. And he says he is a great and jovial person.
I would be too if someone put me in charge of a t-shirt gun.
And he says he is a great and jovial person.
Also with a good batting practice swing.
he's a huge man
Pekovic is TC Bear? It's all making sense to me now...
I would do that for you guys.
More news from PMac today:
Well, we knew it wasn't going to be coming from that baby Mauer
/Souhan'd/
Wow. Gardy isn't going to handle injury updates? Because he doesn't want to or because Ryan doesn't like how he does it?
All the quicker to fire it through the internets.
If this brings about greater scrutiny of the team's medical staff, I'm all for it.
A little from Column A ...
I think Gardy had the trainers do it at the end of the season, which I can understand given how many there were every day. I kind of wonder if TR wants to filter the info the trainers and doctors give so we don't have any more "bilateral leg weakness" issues. Maybe you could just say his one leg is still sore from surgery and the other is sore for compensating for it. Anyone that ever had a knee injury would understand that.
TimAllen at Canis Hoopus:
Hey Twayn, this morning your bro had a Dobro and played a little lap slide guitar. Very cool
Headline at the STrib:
Gee, you think?
UM on Facebook:
And now this! Down 13-9 with three matches to go, they sweep 184, 197 (Yohn beat Blake Rosholt who'd been 19-2 up til this point) and Hwt to beat OK State for the National Duals title. Next up, Big 10 Tournament.
LEN3:
Matt Guerrier pre-rolled over in his grave