132 thoughts on “March 8, 2012: Fixed that for Me”

  1. 14:59? Seen on the 4ltr:

    2.) While Lin struggled with his floor game, Baron Davis had another strong showing, dishing out eight assists. If he was scoring points (he had none), the debate about who should be starting, Lin or Davis, would be heating up.

    Linsanity is just about over.

  3. No one discussed the Aeropress in yesterday's CoC that included "Aeropress" in the title. I love my Aeropress.

        1. Whew. I did look at it, and saw the 3-6 months photos and now feel safer with my french press.

          1. Moss has had one for at least six months and it pretty much looks as good as new. And Moss runs it through the dishwasher once a week. Maybe that person abused theirs or has harsh water or something.

            1. Most likely. Its pretty tough to trust Amazon reviews, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. I'm going to stick with the french press until I break it, but maybe if that happens I'll give this a try.

                1. Dang. How is that possible? Maybe you should be the one to clean it out from now on.

                  1. As you know, I am gone for about a week at a time every other week. So, I can't do that. I have bankrolled about five french presses in the last year. Sick of this, you guys.

                    1. Do you need a sink faucet with a higher arc to it? (I'm assuming the glass is getting slammed into the faucet.)

                    2. We have that. I'm not sure what's happening. I'm looking for a press with one inch glass.

                    3. I might be a wife, as I broke my French Press carafe about a year ago by dropping it in the sink while washing it.

                      Of course, we subsequently needed (unrelated) to replace our kitchen faucet. I lobbied hard for one with a higher arc, and was DENIED. Blah blah blah would dominate the look and be out of place blah blah blah. I hate the new one. It is too low and doesn't even have a 180-degree turning range (we have a double sink).

      2. I've used both and prefer the Aero. But we tend to only need to make one or two cups at a time. And I probably do french press wrong.

        And this opinion may or may not have been conveniently timed around my discovery of how amazing very fresh coffee tastes in comparison to everything else.

        🙂

        1. I've adopted the bS 24-hour cold brew special with my french press. I put about 1/2 cup of coarse ground grains into the press the morning before I want to drink it and fill it up with cold water. Press in the morning, pour into cup and microwave. Excellent.

          Also, yeah, fresh coffee is a good thing.

    2. I know this will come off as sacrilege, but we got a Kuerig for Christmas and we really like it.

  4. Ridnour for Jamal Crawford seems to be gaining some steam as of late. From tWWL:

    Crawford and the Wolves
    8:38
    AM ET
    Jamal Crawford | Trail Blazers
    TopEmailComments
    4

    We've noted previous reports linking Jamal Crawford to the Timberwolves in trade discussions.

    ESPN's Chad Ford had this in his Wednesday chat about such discussions: "I think the Blazers and Wolves are talking about a swap for Luke Ridnour."

    PG Raymond Felton has had a rough go of it this season in Portland, and on an expiring contract, there's talk he could be moved. (The Lakers are a potential fit.)

    If the Blazers were able to acquire a point guard in Ridnour in a swap for Crawford, it might make it easier for the team to part ways with Felton.

    We would get some size on the wing with Crawford, who has had no problem scoring in his career. I'd like to learn a little more about his defending though. Looking at this dudes b-r page though, man, he has played on some BAD teams. The Hawks teams from the past two years are by far the most successful teams he has played on.

    I have come to appreciate Luke for what he is over the past year and a half. Having Rubio on this team makes having Luke a lot easier to swallow. At this point though, Ridnour is over matched as a two guard and Crawford is miscast as a point in PDX. This swap makes sense for both teams, I think. I just hope Crawford can defend a little.

    1. If Barea is injured again, this might not go through. We need somebody to back up Rubio.

      1. I've also heard the word "ball stopper" bandied about when discussing this guy. He doesn't sound like the world's greatest fit for this team.

      2. I dispute this. He could guard your house. He just doesn't want to.

        Here's what Hollinger said about Crawford in his season preview:

        + Slick-handling, shoot-first combo guard with great quickness. Will force shots.

        + Rarely attacks paint but excels at drawing fouls on jumpers. Awful rebounder.

        + Low-effort defender. Good quickness but no strength. More effective against 1s.

        Crawford predictably regressed from his fluke rule season in 2009-10 (see Lamar Odom comment), but the extent of the regression was a bit harsher than the Hawks might have hoped. He lost 4.4 points off his 40-minute scoring average, partly because he was asked to play a less active role offensively and partly because he didn't make up for it with greater shooting efficiency (in fact he shot worse).

        Additionally, his rebounding went from merely poor to You Can't Be Serious. Crawford is 6-6 and athletic; nobody expects him to outmuscle Kevin Love on the block, but you'd think a few boards would come his way just by dumb luck. Instead he rebounded only 3.4 percent of missed shots when he was on the floor, the single worst figure in the entire NBA. In a league that employed J.J. Barea, Earl Boykins, Aaron Brooks, Patty Mills and Pooh Jeter, among others, Crawford -- who, again, is 6-6 -- managed to land at rock bottom.

        This was not only the worst figure in the NBA last season, it was very nearly the worst in history by a player 6-6 or taller. However, it turns out that there was another 6-6 Hawk who was even worse -- Randy Wittman posted a 3.3 in 1986-87, as did one other player (Jim Paxson in 1989-90). So Crawford will have to be content with the four-point play record.

        The rebound rate ties in with another phenomenon -- Crawford just doesn't play that hard on defense. He lacks strength but his length and lateral quickness should offset it, especially when he's defending opposing point guards. It hasn't worked out that way.

        If Ridnour had Crawford's body, he'd be awesome. I think we would come to hate Jamal Crawford, though.

        1. Let me go further: I think I'd rather have Ridnour trying to defend 6'6" shooting guards than have this guy. I didn't much care for Ridnour playing the point guard, but I like him as an undersized 2. He's got his limitations, but he's also the best and most consistent backcourt shooter that the Wolves have.

          1. Yeah, I haven't read up much about Crawford lately, but what I've read in the last 12 hours makes me not like this deal at all. Ridnour is a solid backup PG in this league. Crawford is not so great.

          2. I'm just parroting what I've read elsewhere, but I think the smartest plan would be to ride out this year with Wes and Luke and then try to sign Nic Batum to a big deal in the offseason.

  5. Perkins gets 3 years, 10.5 million. For a guy who had one foot out the door a couple of years ago, he's starting to look like a lifer.

        1. That must have nested under the wrong LTE. Totally supposed to be under you.

    3. finally, that strong arm out of the bullpen we were trying to sign all offseason.

      wait...

  6. Also, if last night was more harbinger than fluke re: Wes Johnson, this Wolves team will be a tough out in the playoffs.

    1. Please be a harbinger, please be a harbinger, please be a harbinger.....(I am not confident it is, though.)

    2. I am starting to think you can go to war with this bunch of guys. I'd like to secure an above average defender to play the 2/3. Maybe someone with some playoff experience who can teach the kids a couple of things. Dallas, from what I read, is shopping Marion. He does have a large cap hit though would require giving up real pieces, too.

      It is funny, the Wolves drafted Wes to be the exact player that this team needs to most right now. An above average defender who can hit open shots. Khan made the right pick, in theory, it is just that the dude isn't doing it right.

      If last night is a sign of things to come, well, wow. This is going to be a fun couple of months.

      1. I guess we'll find out for sure when he dismantles Kobe tomorrow night. Right, guys?

          1. That very thought was going through my head while typing that. Laker's blow huge lead, Davis's 8 assists. It was a good night for the Wolves and for schadenfreude.

            1. Kobe goes 3-18 in the second half. And LeBron takes a huge amount of heat last week for throwing the ball to an open teammate for a 15 footer when he himself is double-teamed with the game on the line. As if he's not a man or something. Forget all the Decision crap, the criticism for that play was ridiculous. NBA players knock down free throw line jumpers in their sleep. Meanwhile, the greatest closer in the league(TM) jacks up 18 shots in a second half when his team is sinking against one of the worst teams in the league.

              Lest we forget, Michael Jordan twice (twice!) passed the ball to an open teammate when the NBA championship was on the line. Twice!

                1. How about this? In terms of total basketball career (including front office), is MJ > Jerry West?

                  1. Ooh. All things being equal, that one goes to Zeke from Cabin Creek. Jordan has sucked since moving upstairs.

                    1. I think you might be right. Jordan is the greatest player ever, but I think West is on the very short list of the greatest executive ever. Players make a much larger impact* on the game than GMs, but West was also an all-time great on the floor. Not Jordan, but he's certainly in the conversation of top ten players all-time. Meanwhile, Jordan is a Milicic-style bust as an executive. Somewhere, Jerry Krause is laughing.

                      *I suppose this can be argued.

                    2. Players make a much larger impact* on the game than GMs,

                      It seems as though players can potentially have a higher postive impact while GMs can do way more damage to a team than any one player. Case in point: I posit that no player has ever done as much damage to a team as the Joe Smith penalty did to the Wolves. What's the worst a player has done to a team? The Artest brawl?

                    4. The Kermit Washington punch did most of its damage to the Rockets, not the Lakers.

                      I might lean toward Kareem forcing his trade from Milwaukee. Or Len Bias snorting coke.

              2. Its unfair criticism, to be sure. But hell, its kind of fun because of The Decision, which was supposed to be a thing used for the purposes of furthering the LeBron(TM) brand and it has, instead, done the opposite.

                That said, Kobe still does deserve to take heat for that sort of performance.

              3. LeBron's getting the full-on A-Rod treatment. I wish the media would draw a sharper line between "this guy is unlikeable" and "this guy isn't very good at the game." Sure, I don't root for LeBron or A-Rod because they seem like really likeable, down-to-earth guys, but I'd be a fool not to appreciate how good they are, and how rare it is for players to live up to such high expectations for players coming out of high school. Something seems cosmically wrong when A-Rod is criticized for every little thing, while the media actually gets excited about Delmon Young--a complete washout based on what was expected of him--hits a handful of home runs after switching teams.

                And the saddest thing is that the Minnesota media seems bound and determined to give Mauer the full-on A-Rod treatment as well, so we'll be treated to gory details on his every misstep, while his remarkable achievements are hardly remarked upon. Oh well.

            2. Also, who else saw the end of Linsanity once Carmelo Anthony came back? I mean, besides me and everyone else who isn't somehow invested in the idea that 'Melo is a superstar?

    1. So much joy from that episode. They should just remake it shot-for-shot with new players.

      1. Here's what it looked like in the episode. What would be today's substitutions?

        # Player /Pos /How recruited /Fate
        - ---------------- --- -------------------------- ------------------------
        1 Steve Sax /2B /playing at jazz club /six life sentences
        2 Wade Boggs /3B / /punched out by Barney
        3 Darryl Strawberry /RF / /pulled for pinch hitter
        4 Jose Canseco /LF /baseball card convention /saving burning house
        5 Don Mattingly /1B /washing dishes at home /kicked off team
        6 Ken Griffey, Jr. /CF / /overdose of nerve tonic
        7 Mike Scioscia /C /deer hunting /radiation overdose
        8 Ozzie Smith /SS /touring Graceland /lost in Mystery Spot
        9 Roger Clemens /P / /thinks he's a chicken

        1. I'd go with:

          # Player /Pos /How recruited /Fate
          - ---------------- --- -------------------------- ------------------------
          1 Dustin Pedroia /2B /playing video games / kidnapped and taken to an island where they hunt people
          2 Ryan Zimmerman /3B / as a guest on Crossfire / Trapped in the Springfield Museum's Mummy wing
          3 Ichiro Suzuki /RF /At a Starbucks / Attacked by a shark while deep sea fishing
          4 Josh Hamilton /LF / American Idol tryouts / Stuck at the AA meeting from hell
          5 Prince Fielder /1B / typing an editorial full of advanced economic analysis / challenged to an all-you-can-eat-buffet-off by Barney
          6 Matt Kemp /CF / pretending to be a wax statute of himself at Madame Toussad's /trampled by the roaming herd of bison in Springfield National State Park
          7 Joe Mauer /C / in a tattoo shop, debating between one that says "mom" or one that says "Jesus" / On a visit to the local hospital, he meets Ralph Wiggum (who has a broken arm) who introduces Mauer to popsicles which Mauer becomes hopelessly addicted to.
          8 Derek Jeter /SS /Guest staring on SNL /trapped in Ms. Crabapple's house, ala Misery
          9 Tim Lincecum /P / living in his parent's basement / Mr. Burns cheaps out, and instead of a dollar, puts a quarter on the ground in front of Lincecum, who repeatedly smashes his finger on it, causing him to be unable to pitch

          2. You need someone to have Darryl Strawberry's exact fate, though, or the narrative of the episode doesn't work.

            Also:

            1 Dustin Pedroia /2B /playing video games and whiffing on the high fastball / kidnapped and taken to an island where they hunt people

            FTFY.

            1. Ichiro, so we can keep the RF thing? But then we lose the homer thing.
              Probably make it Hamilton. His "disposed of" is lame anyway.

              Also, FTFY = ?

              1. FTFY = Fixed That For Ya

                But yeah, I don't think it matters exactly what position the player pulled for Home plays so long as it isn't the pitcher.

                1. And for reference to why I fixed it:

                  httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wax-ssiZX3M&feature=related

          3. Petunia is much more likely to also end up in jail like Saxy Boy, but for statutory rape.

      1. Ask a bartender for a Long Island iced tea, and you will get an alcoholic drink that tastes something like tea, even if it's typically not made with tea at all.

        that is what you call an "understatement". on a related note, i loved making LIITs as a bartender because you got to upend 3 liquor bottles at once.

  9. OK, the Morneau, TC Bear, and Pavano sorta deep thoughts were all pretty funny (especially Morneau's).

      1. I think you're right. Maybe to make the joke even better, they could have been added in the closed-captioning, like an Easter-Egg or something.

    1. Gladden discussing it was exciting, but Gardy considering it was the more groundbreaking development.

  14. In the banner that spells out "World's Greatest..." with team logos, is the first "e" in "Greatest" supposed to look three dimensional, or are my new glasses effing with me?

      1. Seriously though, there are some things popping on my computer screen that have an extra layer or two of depth. I've noticed it a couple other places now too. Ricky Rubio hearts is doing it too.

            1. hj is the creator of both of those, so I think he's about as helpful as it's going to get. I see what you're saying about those looking kinda 3Dish. Not as 3D as the Raptor's floor logo, though.

              1. Whoa.

                I think my new glasses are super-powered. That's what I've come up with for an explanation.

    2. Well, it took me much longer than it should have to even realize it spelled out anything.

        1. It took me a while, too. I just thought it was a bunch of team logos crammed together, then after a couple months I finally saw the gestalt.

    2. Seems inappropriate for a school benefit, but some people are really, really clueless.

  16. Here's a quick update from the EPL Prediction Contest since I've been absent so much recently:

    Place Player Points
    1 Spookymilk 20
    2 Homer Dome 17
    3 DK 16
    4 MagUidhir 14
    5 Daneeka's Ghost 11
    6 Buffalo 11
    7 AMR 11
    8 The Dread Pirate 10
    9 Freealonzo 10
    10 davidwatts 5

    1. Quick Champions League update:

      LA ties Toronto 2-2 in the Rogers Centre. Looks pretty grim for Toronto, but you never know.

      Seattle beats Santos Laguna 2-1 in Seattle. Herculez Gomez with the lone score for Santos. Seen as a late sub for Seattle: Eddie Johnson. I don't know if EJ will score much or not, but he looks fast and dangerous, and I expect he'll create a lot of space for Fredy Montero to operate in. Giving up the away goal makes me nervous, but I think Seattle can hang with Santos. We'll see next Wednesday in Mexico.

      1. I don't know if EJ will score much or not, but he looks fast and dangerous

        And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you get about 35 more international caps than you deserve.

  18. John Hollinger:

    Darko wasn't the only one, though; Michael Beasley also had one of the highest usage rates in basketball despite creating little for teammates and mostly long 2s for himself. It's as though Rambis thought the contested 17-footer was the pinnacle of offensive achievement. Perhaps he'd just been around Kobe too long.

    This season, things are different. You know who leads the Wolves in usage rate? Kevin Love! What a concept! And between Barea, Rubio and Ridnour, most of the touches that aren't flowing through Love are going through a small, quick guard who can create for others. Beasley and Darko still shoot too much, but their roles and their minutes have been curtailed under Rick Adelman.

    Doesn't Mr. Hollinger know that this Rambis fella is a high faulting faluting analyst for his employer?

    1. I think "high faulting" is an even more accurate description of Rambis than "highfalutin".

  19. Has there ever been a MN state HS hockey game in which it is easier for a neutral to pick a team to support than tonight's Benilde vs. Edina matchup?

      1. The first hockey game I ever attended was a sectional final in 1990 or 1991 between Edina and Richfield at Met Center. Richfield, led by Darby Hendrickson, defeated Edina and my mom was so outraged at the behavior by the Richfield students that she discussed getting all of us out of the school district with my father. I, on the other hand, remember it fondly as Richfield students pelted the Edina goalie with green tennis balls every time he allowed a goal.

        1. oh, man, my senior year at southwest, i attended the "battle for france avenue" as it was billed around the school for the SW v. edina hockey game. even i was embarrassed at the way we acted. i've never heard so many kids yelling such obscene chants simultaneously. the actual hockey players got it bad, but that was nothing compared to the volley they launched at those poor hornettes.

          i only went to SW for my senior year, so i wasn't really invested; more of a neutral observer kind of thing. still, wow...

          2. I went to Southwest for all four years. And let me tell you, there were few things that were as much fun as hating on Edina. Buncha lousy cake-eaters. One of my most treasured high school memories was at a JV tennis match versus Edina where one of my more rambunctious teammates threw down his racket and challenged the Edina coach to a fight. And it almost happened.

            1. trust me, i've got no love for edina, i'd just seen nothing like it before. i went to south my first 3 years and our investment in our sports teams was... unenthusiastic would be the word, i guess.

              (and that's pretty awesome, by the way. damn cake eaters.)

    2. I cant cheer for Edina and Eden Prairie.

      Lakeville South was trending worldwide on Twitter earlier this evening because upset Duluth. My thinking was 'it must be a slow night on the Twitter machine'

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