109 thoughts on “March 29, 2012: Reunion”

    2. Interesting. Looking back, I think I could truthfully claim that I had an "emotional and physical relationship" with ever other member of my high school football team.

  2. From Elias: Kevin Love had 40 points and 19 rebounds on Wednesday, bringing his March totals in those categories to 469 points and 211 rebounds in 15 games. Over the last 15 seasons, the only other NBA player with that many points and rebounds in a calendar month is Shaquille O'Neal, who had 499 points and 218 rebounds in 17 games for the Lakers in March 2001. Love will have a chance to add to his totals on Friday against Boston.

    With a strong game against the Celtics on Friday night, Love will pass O'Neal in both categories. This kid is something special.

    2. I haven't had a chance to watch much (I saw about 15 minutes of the Thuder game, the most at one stretch I've seen all season) but I have been checking Love's numbers the past few weeks. I have to admit, all by himself he's got me interested in the NBA again.

      1. He's just as much fun to watch as his numbers suggest, too. I've said it before, but I will become a fan of whatever team he plays for if he doesn't stay with the Wolves, even if it were the Lakers or Knicks.

      1. This is all predicated on the false dichotomy of "best" vs. "most valuable." If a player is the best in the league, but is not the most valuable, what does being the best even mean? If you are good at playing the game, but in doing so, don't help your team win games--are you actually good at playing the game?

        All props to Love, but this is really all predicated on finding a way to give the MVP to someone other than LeBron. If LeBron James is somehow less valuable than his numbers suggest, perhaps there is some other obvious reason that the Cleveland Cavaliers went from 61 wins to 19 wins after he left? As good as Love is, is there anyone in the league that would trade LeBron James straight up for Kevin Love? (Their contracts are equal in size, so money is presumably not an issue in that trade discussion.)

    4. That's great stuff. Moss' kids are really into that show lately. The Lurch appearance is awesome...with the Addams' Family theme playing in the background.

      Can anyone help with the celeb at ~8:20? Moss isn't placing him. And who's the artist (or art collector) at ~9:00?

      2. Thanks gents!

        Wow, Moss would have NEVER guessed Edward G. Robinson. Moss has always enjoyed him, and he's in Double Indemnity, which is one of Moss' all-time favorite movies.

          1. Oooh, yea. I'd forgotten about that turn in Soylent Green. That was a nice role for him. I really liked the dinner scene before he goes off to the going home center. Very touching (for a Charlton Heston film).

            also, good baseball call-back: antagonist Tab Fielding is played by the Original Rifleman, Chuck Connors.

  4. 8 days until the Twins kick off the season in Baltimore. Why am I not totally pumped up? Is it because the pitching rotation has Jason Marquis in it? Is it because the biggest free agent signing was Josh Willingham and Ryan Doumit (Doumit, from what I gathered from the few FSN broadcasts, he is the next Barry Bonds)? Is it because this team has all the makings of a .450 team (think 1993 Twins, bunch of veterans, add aging pitcher in Jim Deshaies and let the dice fall)?

    I dont know, I'll come around because I love baseball and I love the Twins. Is anyone else feeling this lack of enthusiasm?

    1. I'll bite. I'm excited for baseball, but leary about getting too excited about the Twins' season. I'm hoping for the best and preparing myself for the worst. By all accounts, Mauer has looked really solid this spring and he's even indicated this is the best he's felt going into the season since coming up in 2005. Here's to a big year from the pussy.
      As for the pitching staff, I don't really know what to expect. Going into last year, I commented that I wanted to see F-Bomb take the "next step" and effectively jinxed his season. Perhaps I hope this is the year we something really, really special from him. Other than that, I think we know what to expect from every other starter.

    2. At least in part, my enthusiasm is tempered because I expect Mauer to be the best player on the team and at the same time, he seems to be public enemy number one. I'm also hesistant to believe that Morneau or Span are going to be good and healthy this year. It's also hard to believe that Liriano will be healthy and effective, too. There are potentially exciting players on the team, but there's one reason or another to be pessimistic about each of them. I think it'll probably be more exciting when the games start to count, though.

      1. I think this is where I'm at. Part of me worries that Morneau's going to have an awful year, and that my wife - stripped of her favorite ballplayer - will become indifferent towards the game itself. A sort of silly fear, but it's been really nice seeing her excitement when Twins tickets came on sale this year (she actually knew and was scouting seats before I was).

        Plus, I can't shake the feeling that we won't be watching bad baseball, just mediocre baseball. Last year had its moments (Thome's 600th, Liriano's no-hitter, Revere spiderman grab), but it was kind of fun seeing all the new faces, too. This year doesn't promise as much of any of that, just a .500 ballclub that trudges to the finish line. We're in "wait til next year" mode, and the season hasn't even started yet.

        Though I'm sure that, like Ubes, my excitement will skyrocket when the actual games start.

    3. I am a lot more interested in the Twins now than I was at this time last year. I was really down on the team in 2011, and when they proved me right it made it even worse. It was really a lost year in my fandom, as you may have gathered from my season-long absence from the WGOM. But for whatever reason, I'm ready to be excited again. I still don't expect them to win much, but I can't wait to go to some games.

      1. I should note that part of my enthusiasm is because my friend in the organization has promised me a lot of free tickets. My excitement is dependent on him following through on that promise.

        1. I have a friend who's a hotdog vendor (their best hotdog vendor!) who always gives me a free hotdog. That's kind of like what you get, only much worse for my cholesterol.

          1. Speaking of hotdogs, I was two rows away from the Hormel Hotdog Row of Fame once. Once. It was my dream, higher on the list than catching a foul ball, but it was never to come true.

      2. I am a lot more interested in the Twins than I am in the local team (the A's). I think the A's are going to be awful. Their pitching will be worse than Minnesota's, and I think Minnesota's pitching is going to be mediocre at best.

        But I remain hopeful that Mauer, Morneau, Span and Liriano bounce back with good-or-great seasons, and that Joe Benson forces his way up from AAA into a corner outfield spot.

        1. I saw a couple games in New Britain last summer and fell in love with Benson. He just seemed like such a solid, all-around player. Granted, it was only 2 games, but he seemed to have a professional quality in his game that a lot of the players lacked.

          1. speaking of, we can't forget to do a beloit snappers outing. cheap, i know you're in...

            1. I believe CH also expressed interest. (and we should try to coerce convince kg to drive down as well.)

              1. I would as well depending upon the dates. Especially if Sano/Rosario are playing there this summer.

                1. I might be taking a similar trip with some friends from college, but if that falls through and scheduling works, I could be in too.

                  1. I'd have to ask my wife, but I could probably volunteer my house/yard for a pre-game cookout as I am on the way to Beloit for everyone but hj.

                    3. Or if he flies into Madison or Milwaukee. And since O'Hare is the seventh level of hell, that's what I'd do.

                    4. through my travels, i've become fairly proficient at navigating o'hare. not great, but i know a few shortcuts.

    4. I'm in "cautious optimism" mode.

      First off, I'm really excited to watch which players establish themselves as trade chips, which establish themselves as keepers, etc. I'm also really interested to see how the minors develop this year, with all the off-season changes to the system. So basically, I'm excited about the future and watching that shape up throughout the season.

      But I'm bullish on the 2012 team too. Of course, there's a reason to be down on them, and every player who could potentially be good could also potentially be a train wreck. So I guess I'm "buying low" on this team, and since the negatives are all really well-known, I'm willing to take a high-reward gamble on their stock.

    5. I'm with you, dw. Part of my lack of excitement has to do with all the bad feelings from last year, but another part is that the Wolves are good again and Love has somehow catapulted himself into the conversation for 1st team all-NBA. He probably doesn't make it, probably 2nd team, but that has kind of sapped my attention from the team coming off 99 losses.

    6. I'm excited to watch games again and hang out in game logs cracking wise. I predict a big year for Liriano until his arm falls off. I have serious doubts about Morneau's health and don't know if he'll last the season. Mauer will rebound and have an MVP season now that he's engaged and getting it regular. Beyond that, the crystal is cloudy.

      1. ...MVP season now that he's engaged and getting it regular.

        Unless she (or he) is one of them "not getting it regular before marriage" types. It could be an LVP type year for him...

    7. I think the pitching has got me down. I am actually pretty optimistic about the offense and thinking top seven in the league. But I fear the pitching will be 12th or lower, and I hate watching bad pitching.

      1. This. Take everything I said before about being bullish on the team and apply it only to the offense.

    2. I like how the interior of Greenland looks like a mirror-image of Tejas on that map.

  6. Saw The Wedding Present at the 400 Bar last night and of course it was great. I shot some good video but am having a hard time getting it from my iphone to youtube. In the meantime, here is a video from a different concert of their recent song, and one of the highlights of last night's show.

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEjShY3JPLI

    3. Since I have had only limited interaction with you, thus far it's been really hard for me to not read your comments without being affected by your avatar and perceiving your personality through that lens.

      Suddenly, I like you a lot more.

        1. Actually, come to think of it, irony is just not tough and is generally looked down on for that by the rest of the clubhouse.

          2. When the good Dr. and I moved to Tejas one of her colleagues informed us that Texas doesn't do irony. I didn't get it until about a year later.

              2. Actually, I'm pretty sure that would qualify as irony. Unlike most of what Alanis... oh, wait, were you being ironic with that Moss?

      2. Doesn't matter who is behind the avatar. If my best friend wore a Jim Souhan mask I'd want to punch him every time.

    6. Your previous avatar's lack of rug really tied the room together?

      I know, I know...it's a stretch - but it was all I could remember off the top of my head. I'll need to revisit that film post-haste.

    7. I can just imagine your previous avatar writing:

      God damn you, Mauer! You [redacting] [redacted]! Everything's a travesty with you, man! And what was all that [redacted] about a stress reaction? What the [redacted] has anything got to do with a stress reaction? What the [redacted] are you talking about?

  8. Dear everyone who was encouraging me to get off my fat ass the other day -

    I just ran a mile on a treadmill. ~9.5 minute mile, tiny incline. It was brutal. But hey, it's a start.

    Sincerely,

    These pounds are just going to melt away now, right?

    1. Hey Phylo, good start. The key is to exercise more and eat less. Have a daily calorie goal and stick to it (mine is 1600 calories, I saw that Gleeman's was 1350). Use a calorie counter to help you figure out what foods are adding calories to your total, read food labels and stay away from processed foods.

      Vary your exercise so you don't get bored, but do something you like or you will make up excuses not to exercise.

      1. Yeah, my big calorie problem is soda. I've been down to 1 a day for a long time, and gave it up for lent this year, and don't intend on going back to even 1 a day. Mostly my diet isn't so bad (lots of veggies, lean meats, healthy amount of dairy), but I go after sugar too often, so I need to watch that. I've actually lost a couple pounds lately just keeping an eye on my diet, but I need to add to working out to really make a difference.

        As another note, in the past, when I start these efforts up, I usually make it a month or two, drop somewhere around 10 pounds, and then die off. I know what to do, and do a pretty good job of it, but sustaining is the difficult part for me. I'm trying to see this as less of a one-off weight-loss effort, and more of a lifestyle change. The giving up pop has been good for that approach.

        1. Get a dog. Take dog for walk in the morning. Take dog for walk in the evening. Instant workout partner. One who will never fail you.

              1. I don't even know what this means. But if you give me a treat, I'll go along with it.

                  1. That's only over on the Casa. Here I'm nothing but complimentary to Philosofette. Because she loves baseball, but rolls her eyes at how much I talk about Spookymilk Survivor.

                    Of course, I don't mean this in any way to imply that she doesn't have the strong upper hand.

  9. Gopher play in the NIT Championship 6pm. Damn, the second half will interfere with 'Community' and other NBC comedies tonight.

  10. I think we've remarked on this Grantland piece before, but this passage deserves repetition: (about the plausible effects of football dying as a major sport)

    Outside of sports, American human capital and productivity probably rise. No football Saturdays on college campuses means less binge drinking, more studying, better grades, smarter future adults. Losing thousands of college players and hundreds of pro players might produce a few more doctors or engineers. Plus, talented coaches and general managers would gravitate toward management positions in American industry. Heck, just getting rid of fantasy football probably saves American companies hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

    Heh.

  11. Also, this discussion of Moneyball made me cry a little:

    As of 2011, there are only three other closers with salaries greater than $10,000,000 (Cordero, Rodriguez, and Nathan). Ten of the top 20 closers in terms of saves made less than $2.5 million (the major league average player salary is around $3.2 million), and six of these 10 made less than $500,000.

    So while the money-machine Yanks and Sox overpay for their closers and get away with it, most teams have learned this Moneyball lesson and saved some bucks.

    Still, this year the Twins managed to pay two different pitchers (Joe Nathan and Matt Capps) the sum of $18.3 million to amass a total of 29 saves with 12 blown saves between them.

    At least the Twins have bought out Nathan's contract instead of paying him more than $11 million again next year.

  12. I just found out Colin Stetson is playing in my city on Sunday night. I am really excited about this, you guys.

    1. Awesome! I'm curious how long his set is. I can't imagine him doing that for more than, like 40 minutes.

    2. if someone likes bacon that much, there's a good chance it was a contributing factor in their death.

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