143 thoughts on “April 4, 2012: The Sincerest Form of Flattery”

  2. That's fantastic. You should use that as your new portfolio (or whatever you guys call it) photo. That'll totally get you, like, a million parts.

    1. InBev has totally turned their backs on StL since the buyout. Dropping the longtime icon clydesdales, etc. AB was a big joke before; now it's a mean joke.

      1. So I've been boycotting Miller now that they've turned their back on Wisconsin, and I think I'll have to boycott AB for what you say and this silly plan from the link. I guess that limits me to Grain Belt when I want something on the cheaper end. I am strangely ok with that.

        2. I've been boycotting AB since the early 90's. They've been strong-arming and bullying craft brewers for at least that long.

      1. As a frequent victim of bullying, let me just say this: ::drops to ground and rolls into a ball, until you all just go away::

          2. Thanks. I should probably know that. Now if you could only somehow turn this flattery more sincere...

    3. like the 6% Bud Light Platinum, which Edmond calls a "game changer."

      Heh, a game changer!

    1. I'm on the case, Mags! (just as soon as, uh, I take a shower, get to work, and worm my way through some meetings)

  7. Yesterday:

    That was my third game of the trip (Mauer batting). Mauer (catching) and Morneau (DH'ing) played each game, about 3 AB's per. Saw a Mauer single, Morneau homer combo. Also a Mauer double, Morneau double combo. Very nice.

    I suspect it will take a broken leg for Mauer to sit out any extended time this year. And they'll still call him a pussy.

      1. Yeah, this was the second-to-last game, I think. And against Tampa Bay. I don't believe any of their starters were in the game (realizing that TB does a lot of platooning, natch). We saw another game against them, which was mostly full but the fans left quickly under the heat. The Phillies game we went to was much more tightly packed, and folks stayed longer.

        And I overheard the requisite "boy, there are sure a lot of Twins fans here." Seems every time I come down here I hear that statement at least once at a Twins home Spring Training game. I always respond "what are the odds?"

        1. Ha!

          Both Twins/Cards games I attended the past two years set attendance records, so I'm not used to seeing empty seats there. Man, if I'd had the choice of winter vacation destinations this year, it'd been a third year at Ft. Myers, and not Orlando. 🙁

          1. We're kind of addicted to Sanibel, having stayed there the past two visits. (Well, I'm still there right now.) Last night's calm sea, clear sunset, and frolicking dolphins isn't helping to change my mind. 🙂

              1. We had a free place to stay, which helped mitigate some of those other concerns. But yes, the lack of the Twins was a large drawback.

    2. I can't tell you how beautiful that looks right now. I am so ready to start losing some games that actually mean something.

  8. Well that banner is....uhm...it's......uhhhhh. It's..it's...hey, it's a new banner!* Haven't had one of those since Peksanity struck the site.

    *momma always said, if you can't say something nice... 🙂

      1. I actually don't think TF needs rescuing just yet; so long as the Twins don't have another 99 loss season anytime in the near future I think it will continue to draw crowds.

      2. back in the Metrodome days, I would park at the Mall of America and take the train the rest of the way. It was cheaper for the round trip ticket and free parking than it was to park next to the stadium and deal with the hassle of driving through all that traffic.
        I'll be doing the same when I go to Target Field on a regular basis.

        1. I've been doing that, only replace "Mall of America" with "Fort Snelling." Works beautifully.

        2. Once they complete the Central Corridor, I suspect I'll be doing the same only replace "Mall of America" and "Fort Snelling" with "Sears".

    2. I don't see any specific proposals there for what Phoenix could have done better. It didn't work out as well as it did in Denver, but I don't see any reasons a different location would have been better.

        1. I think the problem might be the assumption that downtown stadium means downtown revival. It worked for Denver, so clearly it'll work for us!

          1. I'm the wrong guy to ask, at this point. Downtown was thriving during the games I went to, but that's because one was on the verge of the pennant, and the other was a playoff game. In two nights I'll be at the opener, so once again I'll see the area at its best.

            1. Spooks, I don't think they mean thriving in that the "bars are full on a game day" sense of thriving but did the ballpark create other development in and around the ballpark that wouldn't have happened otherwise. Denver was an unqualified success, Phoenix not so much. Doesn't mean building the ballpark was wrong, it just means it had a different impact on the surrounding area. When you go to the opening, look for construction sites and cranes and old buildings being renovated, that's what the author is talking about.

              1. What I'm saying is that it looked like that's what had happened. The place was alive, and it seemed developed enough to the eyes of someone who'd never been around there. I just assumed it had revitalized the place, but apparently all that stuff was already there.

          2. There are certainly a lot of factors that go into determining whether a stadium will kick-start a revival. It's one of those "not sufficient" causes.

            I think the problem with reviving Phoenix is that it needs to completely burn out first.

          3. So is the question whether Phoenix would be better off without the Diamondbacks altogether?

            1. Hard to say. The place is so spread out, there isn't any good spot to put it. Right now, it's adjacent to the NHL stadium and not far from freeways, so it might be at the best location currently.

    2. I'd suggest a trade for Matt Capps, but what are we going to do with a bucket of warm spit?

      1. Hey, now that Theo's not running the Red Sox, they're a bunch of morons, right? We can totally pull one over on them!

    3. The other day, Baseball Tonight had a feature on the number of closers who are injured. My first thought was "Could Capps be one of them?" I admit that's probably not what Jesus would have thought, but then I don't know that Jesus ever rooted for a major league baseball team.

  11. So I'm now addicted to Chevy Baseball on the iPhone, the free version of Flick Baseball Pro. No, I am not too cheap to pony up the $1.99 for the full version, but I think that might be even more addicting than the freebie. I imagine I'll find out for sure within a week or two.

  12. I've never had any Surly beers before. Since I'm planning on fixing that while visiting my uncle in the Cities this weekend, a question for those who have:

    What should I get if I'm going to pick up a couple sixers?

    I like just about any kind of beer, but my favorite types are all on the maltier end of the spectrum. I see there's the Darkness, the Bender, and the Coffee Bender. Any clear favorite there? How's the Bitter?

    1. Argh...I've tried three of theirs, but only one of the ones you mentioned (for some reason, I never got around to Coffee Bender). Bender's alright, but I didn't like it as well as I like Furious and Cynic.

          1. I gave up alcohol for Lent. I think I will have a Furious on Easter Sunday. The Easter Bunny would approve! (think about it)

              1. To save you from alcohol poisoning, I'll get to work on crossing a few off your list. It's the least I can do for the guy who built the place.

    2. What should I get if I'm going to pick up a couple sixers four-packs? FTFY.

      Bender & Coffee Bender are pretty smooth/malty - I go for the Coffee Bender between those two.
      Bitter punches in at 37 IBU but could be considered "maltier". From Surlybrewing.com:

      Pale orange in color, this ale gets intense toast and marmalade character from British malt and American hops.

      By comparison, Fat Squirrel comes in at 22.5 IBU. I like both.

      Also, is there any time at all in that schedule for a Can to buy a Surly for you?

      1. Thanks for the info, Can. I wish I could do a beer this trip, but we'll only be in town one night. Planning on coming up in the summer, though, so I'll take a rain check. Second round's on me.

    3. I'm a big fan of the Cynic, furious, and the coffee bender, but not a big fan of the price tag.

      1. I'm with meat on the beers, although the price tag doesn't bother me as much because the beers are good enough to warrant a little premium cost. You pretty much have to try one of the two versions of Bender, as its one of their flagships, but the CynicAle is one of their more interesting options, what with the use of a bit of pepper.

          1. Blue Max Liquors in Burnsville. I'm not sure how far south you're heading, but there's so much eye candy in there you'll have a hard time leaving. Also, if you go there, eat at Giuseppe's (right behind it). Maybe my favorite Italian place ever.

            1. My uncle lives in the Windom Park neighborhood of Minneapolis, so that'd be a bit of a hike. Then again, this is Surly, and we already are coming from Madison, and I'd get the chance to revist old stomping grounds in Burnsville. (Yay?) I suppose I could take US-10 west from Osseo to Hastings, then County 42 to Burnsville, then 35W to his place...

          2. You need to hit the Four Firkins in st Louis park. Best beer store around by far.

                1. It's only been around a couple of years but they've already had to upgrade their location due to booming business. They are awesome.

      1. That guy can do whatever he wants, he'll still be cool in my book. It does kind of make me want to see the original film again, just for the ridiculous sky.

        1. I assume you mean DeGrasse-Tyson? (I love a few James Cameron movies, but he's definitely a douche in interviews). I've become a big D-T fan of late.

          1. I'm with Neil. He's out there selling science. Without delving into the forbidden topic (sigh, that such things even involve the forbidden topic), science has largely failed to do that the past 30 or so years, to its own detriment.

      2. Neil's the voice of astronomy, and more power to him -- even if I didn't know exactly the night sky at the time, if I'd paid attention I'd have known it was wrong. I surprised he had a "realistic" night sky at all, and not just some points of light. That's what most movies do.

    3. I love how the articles uses a spoiler alert. What's the statute of limitations on requiring someone to preface a movie with a spoiler alert? Three years? Five? Ten? It's certainly has to be before fifteen years have passed.

      /fucking sled

        1. Way to ruin it for me. At least now I know why its a dumb idea to rearrange its chairs.

    4. I just listened to the Nerdist episode with NdT yesterday wherein he discussed this point.

      Between the his guest spot on the Nerdist Podcast and Star Talk Radio, I've heard a lot of NdT lately.

  15. Well, I just dropped $500 on new truck tires. Came out of a lunch meeting and my buddy asked me, "Do you have a flat tire?" Turns out the tread was cracked, which caused the leak.  (These tires are probably 15 years old, maybe older.)  It the tread had come off at highway speeds it would have shredded the tire.

    Then Mrs. Hayes calls to say the credit union wants $400 to lock in our rate. Yay, adulthood.

    1. It the tread had come off at highway speeds it would have shredded the tire.

      That's how I, uh, roll.

    1. Now that is a great series (assugreying that they'll do more umpires). I hope it's not just to go after the low hanging fruit (mocking Davidson, Angel Hernandez, Cowboy Joe, etc.), but also to lavish praise on the good ones. Also, Tom Hallion has the best called third strike now (and Al Clark had my favorite called strike historically).

  18. I know you've all been waiting for my Chelsea Champions League report. So here goes. Chelsea wins today 2-1 (3-1 Aggregate)!!! They now get to face Barcelona in the Semis. Now of course they will have no chance against Barca but who cares, its been a helluva run for the Blues. Plus a big Chelsea-Spurs FA Cup semi-final match is coming up too.

    1. It's amazing with the sh!t-show going on at Stamford Bridge, both on the pitch and behind the scenes, that they're still in the running for 2 trophies.

      1. It is really bizarre. Yes, they'll get manhandled by Barcelona, but to be the last ones in the tourney will the Mans fell to much lesser opponents is just very...well, tournamenty, I suppose.

  20. There's a game that counts in an hour, guys. Cardinals-Marlins. For some reason, I'm pretty excited to watch it, despite no Spoonto Pujols. Is a game log worth putting up, or is that too strong?

    1. I say sure. It's the first regular season game game that we can watch from start to finish.

    3. I was hoping there was one.

      I'm also hoping the Fish mash many taters so we get lots of HD footage of their home run, uh... thing.

  23. I have just survived an epic struggle with my internet service provider. I am going to have a celebratory Irish Whiskey and a magnum ice cream bar. boo-ya.

  24. DK, CH, bS (right?) and to whom it may concern: I just saw the season 3 finale of Battlestar Galactica. It's going to be tough to wait until movie day for this humdinger.

    3. I don't have cable, and haven't yet mined the BG archives. Is it on streaming? Where is that finding aid for streaming content again?

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