Mauer's adjusted OPS+ this year is 141. Here is the list of Twins players with a career OPS+ higher than 141:
1. Harmon Killebrew
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Mauer has delivered $10.7 million worth of value this year, on pace for $24.075 million.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Patrick, I love you man, but Mauer is leading the league in OBP. Although, I would agree that A.J. is one of the three best catchers in the AL this season.
As of Monday, the Twins' Joe Mauer was running second and Baltimore's Matt Wieters third in the voting. Wieters has become the AL's best catcher and should be a cinch as one of the two backups.
Mauer leads AL catchers in fWAr, wOBA, wRC+, BABIP (by a wide margin, for a pussy GIDP hitter), stolen bases, average, hits, doubles, runs (tied)....
I love the commenters who suggest that, you know, it's not really all that valuable to have a catcher who can hit, because most catchers can't.
Oy.
I bet the same people raise a huff when Drew Butera is in the lineup instead of Mauer
Drew Boooootera?
MOAR SLUGGING! HE ISNT PAYED TO JOG TO FIRST BASE!
Not to be picky, but I believe it's spelled "FRIST BASE".
I knew the tone didn't feel quite right, but I had enough trouble making myself misspell "paid". I had to hurry up and mail the letter before my compulsion to correct it kicked in.
From Joe C:
Stat of the day
This is one of those that's hard to believe. As ESPN Stats and Info notes, courtesy of Elias, Mauer is 9-for-9 in his past nine at-bats against Floyd. Checking on Baseball-Reference.com, Mauer actually has reached base in 15 consecutive plate appearances against Floyd, counting five walks (four intentional) and a hit-by-pitch.
Here's a list of Mauer's plate appearances against Floyd since Aug. 12, 2010: 4-3, 1B, IBB, IBB, 2B, 1B, HR, 1B, IBB, HR, 2B, 1B, HP, 1B, BB, IBB.
Boooooooooooo!
That looks like the definition of a batter owning a pitcher. Wow.
Well here’s some truth about the old industry that David somehow misses.
Previously, artists were not rolling in money. Most were not allowed into the system by the gatekeepers. Of those that were allowed on the major labels, over 98% of them failed. Yes, 98% .
Of the 2% that succeeded, less than a half percent of those ever got paid a band royalty from the sale of recorded music.
How in the world is an artist making at least something, no matter how small, worse than 99% of the world’s unsigned artists making nothing and of the 1% signed, less than a half a percent of them ever making a single band royalty ever?
Finally, as much as I hate to say it, being an artist does not entitle the artist to get money. They have to earn it. And not everyone can.
I also enjoyed the related post, "David Lowery Wants a Pony"
I thought the observation that our laws and ethics no longer align with our behaviors summed up the dilemma pretty well.
Wolves have reportedly sent their 18th pick in the draft to Houston for Chase Budinger. From Hollinger's analysis last summer:
+ Athletic, high-scoring wing can shoot off screens and finish at basket.
+ Good length but low aggression defensively. Good passer, decent handle.
+ Good leaper, excellent size. Struggles shooting off catch. Mediocre motor.
Budinger overcame a very slow start to finish with numbers that essentially mirrored his rookie campaign. The big surprise was that Budinger shot only 32.5 percent on 3s [NOTE: he shot 40.3% from three last year, which is very good], a development related to his struggles in catch-and-shoot situations. On the move he was more accurate, but his real strength is at the rim.
Budinger shot 66.7 percent in the basket area, many of them highlight-reel dunks, and did well attacking the cup off curls. His secret was that he got so many of them the easy way -- 75.9 percent of his at-rim baskets were assisted, the most of any perimeter player, with many of them being alley-oops.
Budinger rarely tries in-between shots or uses his size to post up; his repertoire is 3s, long 2s and dunks. His ballhandling numbers were very solid, too, as he ranked 11th among small forwards in pure point rating and had the 10th-lowest turnover rate.
I seem to remember Budinger having some big games against the hometown five. His secret, though, is that he scores a lot at the basket off of assists. If only the Wolves had a pass first point guard...
... adding, the massive upgrade over Wes Johnson is music to my ears.
So that's 4/5 white guys in the starting line-up?
Could be five: Rubio, Ridnour, Budinger, Love, Pek.
When did the wolves switch over the All-American Basketball Alliance?
Remember, Adelman coached Budinger in Houston, so he knows this guy. I'm thinking this is a darned good move. 18th picks are spotty at best and Budinger is an average NBA small forward.
18th picks are spotty at best
Too true. Also, considering Kahn's record with lottery picks - what, 2 for 4? I'm thinking that getting a known quantity, even if "average" is even better than "darned good". I'm really excited to see what they're able to add later in free agency.
I'm digging it. Average is all the team needed last year to be a playoff contender. (well, that and a healthy Rubio.)
This is an enormous upgrade over Johnson. Enormous. Plus, it makes D-Will pretty much expendable. Oops on the last two drafts, I guess.
I should add that D-Will isn't a total oops and he probably can be flipped for a serviceable wing player, which again would be a massive upgrade.
I'm guessing D-Will will get another year on the team, though. Maybe he'll be a decent 6th or 7th man and someone who could give Love a breahther here and there.
One other thing about Budinger: he's got one year left on his deal at < $1 million. So, they may have a signing problem next year, but for this year, he's really cheap.
Britt Robson:
Budinger > K-Mart, who is owed $12m nxt yr and suffered from new continuation rules, his FTA dropping from 9.3 to 5.1 per/36 mins last yr.
My Synergy Sports
Chase Budinger ranked 43rd in the NBA in scoring efficiency in 2012. Was in top-60 in transition, cut spot-up, and off screen efficiency.
43rd in a 30 team league. He's no star, but he's solid. And cheap. And a restricted free agent next year, meaning Wolves can keep him if they really want to.
I really like this.
K-mart was suffering from injury problems last year too. He only played in 40 games and attempted his fewest field goals/g since 2006-7. I'd wager that injuries were a bigger factor than the rules for him.
Adelman, of course, also coached Martin (in both Houston and Sacramento).
Robson = the Anti-Souhan. I miss the days when he regularly covered the Wolves, but can't begrudge him going national.
And trading a mid-first draft choice for a league average player is usually a good thing. Some fans have a habit, and let me just say a habit, of valuing potential over production.
Seems like they could probably extend him before he becomes a free agent. While all athletes think highly of themselves, he's not the kind of guy that's going to get a max contract anywhere, and maybe he'd rather get some guaranteed money today rather than hoping to get through the season injury-free.
Hollinger:
For Minnesota, it gets two players who could potentially help. Budinger gives the Wolves a wing player who can shoot and score, something they rather painfully lacked last season, and his arrival may be a signal that Michael Beasley and Martell Webster (who is owed only $600,000 if waived by July 1) won't be back. While I like him better as a sixth man than a starter, Budinger will be an improvement on what the Wolves had in either capacity, and his cheap contract means the Wolves could still have $11 million in cap space for next week's feeding frenzy.
Eliyahu could prove useful too -- an Israeli combo forward who posted solid translated European stats the past few seasons, he's an immediate threat to overtake Omri Casspi as Marc Stein's most tweeted-about player. Last season's stats for Maccabi Tel Aviv translate to 13.8 points, 7.7 boards per 40 minutes and 50.1 percent shooting, for an 11.47 PER. He tried one 3-pointer the entire season, so this guy won't be spacing the floor, but if the Wolves let Anthony Randolph walk it may open minutes for him.
It's a little unfair to say that Michael Beasley can't shoot, after all he did make 37.6% from three, which isn't terrible, but he's got some issues when it comes to discerning what shots to take.
Gonna have to score a lot, because I'm not seeing a lot of defense in that starting five. If Rubio comes back healthy, the defense might be okay, but I'm betting it's going to be below average.
All that said, I love this move. Replacing Wes with an average small forward is going to be worth quite a few wins.
This move doesn't exactly thrill me. I anticipate that I will roll my eyes pretty hard when they routinely white out the court. But at least the weirdo they're getting from Israel satisfies my fetish for players with difficult-to-pronounce names.
I know this really isn't the "right" way to look at the trade, but Kahn traded the 2012 #18 pick for the 2009 #14 pick. It feels like a good hedge--you get less upside with Budinger, but probably less downside as well. Also from a timing perspective, he should be more able to contribute this year than the 2012 pick would have been. The main problem is that he could be gone at the end of this year, but that can probably be solved.
The main problem is that he could be gone at the end of this year,\
and the flip side is that the 18th pick would be getting a three-year guaranteed contract.
Budinger seems like he would be a solid rotation guy. 40+ pct from three-point range last year, 36+ pct for his career. Solid rebounder for a small forward and averages 2.3 assists/36 minutes, so he's a well-rounded player, not just a spot-up shooter. I like this move a lot.
18th picks the last 10 seasons: Chris Singleton, Eric Bledsoe, Ty Lawson!!, JaVale McGee, Marco Belinelli, Oleksiy Pecherov, Gerald Green, J.R. Smith, David West, Curtis Borchardt. Obviously, it's a crap shoot to find a significant player at that point in the draft.
and the flip side is that the 18th pick would be getting a three-year guaranteed contract.
True. I guess you could look at it as an extreme risk mitigation move. "We're not sure what's going to happen with the 18, and we don't want to be stuck with that for three years, so let's get a known quantity on a short, cheap contract at a position of weakness."
In other risk mitigation news, it will be fitting if the pick ultimately gets packaged with other picks in part of a bigger deal, since another way to mitigate draft pick risk is to get a bundle of them.
I think this is a great move for the Wolves. Maybe one day Stick and I can talk about it.
See, I'm not being lazy, just waiting for juicy TWolves news.
Tomorrow wouldn't work for you two would it by any chance?
I bet Love and Budinger would be a pretty good beach volleyball duo.
Over the weekend I replaced the passenger side mirror on the Town & Country with a used unit I picked up at John's Auto Parts/Salvage in Blaine. I paid $35 for the part that lists at $75-100 new. You would think it would be a pretty simple swap out, and based on the procedures I read that seemed to be the case. Snap off the cover trim, use a torx bit to unscrew the three bolts holding mirror to door, and disconnect the power cable at the connector plug. Only the connector plug is nowhere in sight and the wire disappears through a small hole in the door pillar to somewhere under the dash. Turns out there is an undocumented step in the procedure -- remove door pillar trim and top dash panel to gain access to wiring connector. So the half hour job ended up taking three times as long (including a trip to O'Reilly's for a Chrysler trim stick). The good news was that I didn't have to roll around on my filthy garage floor to do the work, I got to drink cold beer and the Twins game was on the radio. That always makes auto repair more enjoyable.
Up next on Truck Time with Twayn, part one of the mystery of the squealing minivan. It involves serpentine belt idler and tensioner pulleys, AC compressor bearings and an overrunning alternator clutch, and how to use a simple piece of garden hose to isolate the source of engine noises.
Chrysler with undocumented maintenance steps? I refuse to believe it!
If you're ever looking to practice fixing a driverside window or air conditioning in a Town & Country... I might know a guy.
On a related note, I'm not looking forward to 90+ and humid tomorrow.
I've had to replace parts for the window mechanism on the Toyota, but that's pretty simple work on pretty simple mechanicals (cranks and levers and gears). I imagine the inside of a T&C door looks like a plate of spaghetti with all the power components involved.
Sounds like you need to pracitce!
and if you have any interest in fixing a couple power windows or a failed switch for the rear hatch release (yea, it's apparently electronic) on a 1994 Saturn wagon, let me know.
My guy told me there were only a handful left in the country, so the price on the parts for the driver's side window was ridonkulous.
hi all
well after i came from work tonight i took off the kickplate and lifted aside the carpet.
i removed the remote fuel door/hatch release mechanism(one 10mm bolt).
i would recommend to any one that has this problem to remove the front seat as the bolt and mechanics are very hard to get at.
once the switch was removed the problem was very obvious.at the end of the blue and black wires is a momentary switch that is held in place by 2 plastic lockclips on the switch assembly.
the clips had popped out of the plate that the release lever is attached to.therefore the lever was operating but the switch was not in proper positon for the lever to make contact.
before i started total disassembly i hit the momentary switch with my finger and sure enough the solenoid in the hatch fired.
the lever has a place for a cable to attach(same as fuel door release)but there is no cable present(totally electric).
a spring gives it tension and a little tab on the top of the pull lever fires the switch to open the hatch.
it got dark so i haven't got it totally all together yet but another 20 mins work should have it. i think i will remove the front seat though ,just to make it easier.
i just wish that i had started from that end of the car first as all that trim around the hatch was a real pain to get off.
anyway thanks for all the responses to my questions from both those who posted to the board and those who emailed me directly.
regards,jeff
I would think you could find those door parts pretty easily at salvage yards. I have a tailgate release switch on the Chrysler that only works intermittently. Sometimes it works, sometimes you have to use the key. I'm going to replace it this summer, but haven't gotten to it yet. First things first, and for now that means making the van stop squealing like Ned Beatty in Deliverance.
for now that means making the van stop squealing like Ned Beatty in Deliverance.
I really hope you play "Dueling Banjos" at full volume as you drive around town, Twayn.
I've got almost 150,000 miles on it now and it seems like every other bearing on something decided to go bad at the same time.
hmmm, replacing the mirror on a Caravan wasn't that big of a deal
What year is your Caravan, Rhu_Ru?
😉 Our Caravan was a "clunker" that was cashed in
Hey, I've used John's before! Got a starter there a while back. Good price too.
John's is great, they have a good inventory (and a decent online search tool) for used parts, savvy countermen, and they let you pull your own parts from the yard if you're looking for odds and ends (like the hood latch cable and lever for my old Buick Regal) that are either hard to find or overpriced as new parts (typically dealer parts).
and how to use a simple piece of garden hose to isolate the source of engine noises
Some, but not a lot of jealousy by Fluffie, the Mesh Pouf Bath Sponge.
Cedric Daniels has a solo music career. It really must be heard to be believed. (h/t Uproxx)
Out of every $100 American consumers spend, about $1 goes to alcohol. That hasn't changed much over the past 30 years.
But where we spend our money on alcohol has changed quite a bit. We spend a bigger chunk of our booze money in bars and restaurants. We spend less money buying alcohol at the store to drink at home.
lots of interesting graphics follow.
Seems hard to put much of a story behind that without knowing the breakdown per drink. Are Americans drinking more drinks than before? Fewer drinks? Since liquor has more ABV, the in-store breakdown shifting from liquor to wine would seem to suggest a shift to fewer drinks per dollar, no?
I would venture to guess that the decline in beer consumption per capita and relatively flat consumption of wine and spirits all reflect the aging of the baby-boomer generation.
That seems like a reasonable theory.
I've been hella busy at work for the past few weeks, but tonight some of that pays off as I'm going to the Twins game with some clients.
It appears they're from Chicago. Which brings a huge question: Sox, Cubs, or unaffiliated? If Cubs are they anti-Sox or just indifferent? If Sox are they anti-Cubs? I need to know to help dictate my banter.
My speculation is that if they are Cubs they are likely to be indifferent towards the White Sox, but if they are White Sox, they are likely to be anti-Cubs.
As a Chicago area person, ubes is right, but Cubs fans generally don't like the White Sox doing well. White Sox fans hate the Cubs. Also Cubs fan doesn't mean much a lot of the time.
One Sox fan, one BoSox fan, one Colorado transplant who seemed indifferent, and three vaguer Chicago athletic team fans (passing interest). One of them and the BoSox fan high-fived me on Carroll's RBI single. Some Sox fans behind me didn't.
Oh, and Tubby Smith sat right in front of us. My anti-Tubby coworker whispered bunches to me, not wanting to bother the guy, but still wanting to discuss Gophers basketball because the head coach was right there making us think of Gophers hoops.
I told him honestly "I have no idea."
More evidence of the decline of western civilization, or the genius of property rights?
Kentucky basketball star Anthony Davis is widely expected to be the number one selection in this Thursday's NBA draft. But he's already locked down one unique distinction: filing a trademark over his unibrow.
"I don't want anyone to try to grow a unibrow because of me and then try to make money off of it," Davis told CNBC. "Me and my family decided to trademark it because it's very unique."
In addition to registering the likeness of his eyebrow hair, Davis has trademarked the phrases "Fear the Brow" and "Raise The Brow."
*clucks with disgust*
"Curse the Brow" is still free.
How about "Ignore the Brow"?
That's a clown trademark, Brow.
Yeah, Harper trademarked that phrase.
That ain't no big thing. You just won't be able to put that phrase on a T-shirt or summat.
I dock Davis 100 WGOM points for saying "very unique."
I disagree that this is always incorrect.
Every snowflake is unique. A five-foot-diameter snowflake that is green and bears a resemblance to Charlie Manuel is very unique.
Particularly necessary in Minnesotan where "unique" is a passive-agressive pejorative for "out of the mainstream" or "something I hope is never attempted any of my relatives closer than second-cousins (by blood or by marriage)".
Meanwhile, a 1959 Impala readies to phone his lawyer.
From the "It's not about the money" department, in that article:
"Money always comes into play, so that's a big thing," he said.
I don't think he is one of the best players without a ring.
I don't think he is one of the best players without a ring.
FTFY.
Correct. The article is great. They need another season to "jell" because, you know, the next season is the first full season with the club and the coach had to tell him not to be so fat, but yeah, he's gonna win. Oh yeah, and he doesn't like the other guy with the $100 million deal, who ain't going nowhere.
Now can we go back to fantasizing about Nash taking a veteran mid-level exception to mentor Rubio?
It would add a Canadian to our League of Nations roster (and Shved would expand that if we can sign him).
Ty;er Robertson currently has an 0.00 ERA, a 27 K/9, 0 WHIP, and he's showing no platoon splits.
Let's waive the five-year requirement and put him in the Hall of Fame now!
Not that I wish ill on him, but it he has a career aborted by injury soon or decides to retire at the top of his game, he could have some sort of Glenn-Williams-type record.
But, he's a lefty reliever. This could be the first of 14 different clubs over 18 seasons. (Not counting a year in Japan.)
Joe Mauer's OPS in 2012 now stands at .859. Here is the list of Twins players with a career OPS better than .859:
1. Harmon Killebrew
2. Joe Mauer
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Mauer's adjusted OPS+ this year is 141. Here is the list of Twins players with a career OPS+ higher than 141:
1. Harmon Killebrew
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Mauer has delivered $10.7 million worth of value this year, on pace for $24.075 million.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Patrick, I love you man, but Mauer is leading the league in OBP. Although, I would agree that A.J. is one of the three best catchers in the AL this season.
Mauer leads AL catchers in fWAr, wOBA, wRC+, BABIP (by a wide margin, for a pussy GIDP hitter), stolen bases, average, hits, doubles, runs (tied)....
I love the commenters who suggest that, you know, it's not really all that valuable to have a catcher who can hit, because most catchers can't.
Oy.
I bet the same people raise a huff when Drew Butera is in the lineup instead of Mauer
Drew Boooootera?
MOAR SLUGGING! HE ISNT PAYED TO JOG TO FIRST BASE!
Not to be picky, but I believe it's spelled "FRIST BASE".
I knew the tone didn't feel quite right, but I had enough trouble making myself misspell "paid". I had to hurry up and mail the letter before my compulsion to correct it kicked in.
From Joe C:
Boooooooooooo!
That looks like the definition of a batter owning a pitcher. Wow.
Lame. No triple.
Paging Glen Taylor.
in case you hadn't gotten your fill of the Emily White kerfuffle, comes a guided tour of rebuttals to David C. Lowery's response. It's delightful. Here's one quote of a quote:
I also enjoyed the related post, "David Lowery Wants a Pony"
I thought the observation that our laws and ethics no longer align with our behaviors summed up the dilemma pretty well.
Wolves have reportedly sent their 18th pick in the draft to Houston for Chase Budinger. From Hollinger's analysis last summer:
I seem to remember Budinger having some big games against the hometown five. His secret, though, is that he scores a lot at the basket off of assists. If only the Wolves had a pass first point guard...
... adding, the massive upgrade over Wes Johnson is music to my ears.
So that's 4/5 white guys in the starting line-up?
Could be five: Rubio, Ridnour, Budinger, Love, Pek.
When did the wolves switch over the All-American Basketball Alliance?
Remember, Adelman coached Budinger in Houston, so he knows this guy. I'm thinking this is a darned good move. 18th picks are spotty at best and Budinger is an average NBA small forward.
Too true. Also, considering Kahn's record with lottery picks - what, 2 for 4? I'm thinking that getting a known quantity, even if "average" is even better than "darned good". I'm really excited to see what they're able to add later in free agency.
I'm digging it. Average is all the team needed last year to be a playoff contender. (well, that and a healthy Rubio.)
This is an enormous upgrade over Johnson. Enormous. Plus, it makes D-Will pretty much expendable. Oops on the last two drafts, I guess.
I should add that D-Will isn't a total oops and he probably can be flipped for a serviceable wing player, which again would be a massive upgrade.
I'm guessing D-Will will get another year on the team, though. Maybe he'll be a decent 6th or 7th man and someone who could give Love a breahther here and there.
One other thing about Budinger: he's got one year left on his deal at < $1 million. So, they may have a signing problem next year, but for this year, he's really cheap.
Britt Robson:
My Synergy Sports
43rd in a 30 team league. He's no star, but he's solid. And cheap. And a restricted free agent next year, meaning Wolves can keep him if they really want to.
I really like this.
K-mart was suffering from injury problems last year too. He only played in 40 games and attempted his fewest field goals/g since 2006-7. I'd wager that injuries were a bigger factor than the rules for him.
This Rockets blog is floating a Martin-to-Minnesota rumor.
Adelman, of course, also coached Martin (in both Houston and Sacramento).
Robson = the Anti-Souhan. I miss the days when he regularly covered the Wolves, but can't begrudge him going national.
And trading a mid-first draft choice for a league average player is usually a good thing. Some fans have a habit, and let me just say a habit, of valuing potential over production.
Seems like they could probably extend him before he becomes a free agent. While all athletes think highly of themselves, he's not the kind of guy that's going to get a max contract anywhere, and maybe he'd rather get some guaranteed money today rather than hoping to get through the season injury-free.
Hollinger:
It's a little unfair to say that Michael Beasley can't shoot, after all he did make 37.6% from three, which isn't terrible, but he's got some issues when it comes to discerning what shots to take.
Gonna have to score a lot, because I'm not seeing a lot of defense in that starting five. If Rubio comes back healthy, the defense might be okay, but I'm betting it's going to be below average.
All that said, I love this move. Replacing Wes with an average small forward is going to be worth quite a few wins.
This move doesn't exactly thrill me. I anticipate that I will roll my eyes pretty hard when they routinely white out the court. But at least the weirdo they're getting from Israel satisfies my fetish for players with difficult-to-pronounce names.
I know this really isn't the "right" way to look at the trade, but Kahn traded the 2012 #18 pick for the 2009 #14 pick. It feels like a good hedge--you get less upside with Budinger, but probably less downside as well. Also from a timing perspective, he should be more able to contribute this year than the 2012 pick would have been. The main problem is that he could be gone at the end of this year, but that can probably be solved.
The main problem is that he could be gone at the end of this year,\
and the flip side is that the 18th pick would be getting a three-year guaranteed contract.
Budinger seems like he would be a solid rotation guy. 40+ pct from three-point range last year, 36+ pct for his career. Solid rebounder for a small forward and averages 2.3 assists/36 minutes, so he's a well-rounded player, not just a spot-up shooter. I like this move a lot.
18th picks the last 10 seasons: Chris Singleton, Eric Bledsoe, Ty Lawson!!, JaVale McGee, Marco Belinelli, Oleksiy Pecherov, Gerald Green, J.R. Smith, David West, Curtis Borchardt. Obviously, it's a crap shoot to find a significant player at that point in the draft.
and the flip side is that the 18th pick would be getting a three-year guaranteed contract.
True. I guess you could look at it as an extreme risk mitigation move. "We're not sure what's going to happen with the 18, and we don't want to be stuck with that for three years, so let's get a known quantity on a short, cheap contract at a position of weakness."
In other risk mitigation news, it will be fitting if the pick ultimately gets packaged with other picks in part of a bigger deal, since another way to mitigate draft pick risk is to get a bundle of them.
I think this is a great move for the Wolves. Maybe one day Stick and I can talk about it.
See, I'm not being lazy, just waiting for juicy TWolves news.
Tomorrow wouldn't work for you two would it by any chance?
I bet Love and Budinger would be a pretty good beach volleyball duo.
Over the weekend I replaced the passenger side mirror on the Town & Country with a used unit I picked up at John's Auto Parts/Salvage in Blaine. I paid $35 for the part that lists at $75-100 new. You would think it would be a pretty simple swap out, and based on the procedures I read that seemed to be the case. Snap off the cover trim, use a torx bit to unscrew the three bolts holding mirror to door, and disconnect the power cable at the connector plug. Only the connector plug is nowhere in sight and the wire disappears through a small hole in the door pillar to somewhere under the dash. Turns out there is an undocumented step in the procedure -- remove door pillar trim and top dash panel to gain access to wiring connector. So the half hour job ended up taking three times as long (including a trip to O'Reilly's for a Chrysler trim stick). The good news was that I didn't have to roll around on my filthy garage floor to do the work, I got to drink cold beer and the Twins game was on the radio. That always makes auto repair more enjoyable.
Up next on Truck Time with Twayn, part one of the mystery of the squealing minivan. It involves serpentine belt idler and tensioner pulleys, AC compressor bearings and an overrunning alternator clutch, and how to use a simple piece of garden hose to isolate the source of engine noises.
Chrysler with undocumented maintenance steps? I refuse to believe it!
If you're ever looking to practice fixing a driverside window or air conditioning in a Town & Country... I might know a guy.
On a related note, I'm not looking forward to 90+ and humid tomorrow.
I've had to replace parts for the window mechanism on the Toyota, but that's pretty simple work on pretty simple mechanicals (cranks and levers and gears). I imagine the inside of a T&C door looks like a plate of spaghetti with all the power components involved.
Sounds like you need to pracitce!
and if you have any interest in fixing a couple power windows or a failed switch for the rear hatch release (yea, it's apparently electronic) on a 1994 Saturn wagon, let me know.
My guy told me there were only a handful left in the country, so the price on the parts for the driver's side window was ridonkulous.
but teh Interwebs may have a solution to the latter problem:
I would think you could find those door parts pretty easily at salvage yards. I have a tailgate release switch on the Chrysler that only works intermittently. Sometimes it works, sometimes you have to use the key. I'm going to replace it this summer, but haven't gotten to it yet. First things first, and for now that means making the van stop squealing like Ned Beatty in Deliverance.
I really hope you play "Dueling Banjos" at full volume as you drive around town, Twayn.
I've got almost 150,000 miles on it now and it seems like every other bearing on something decided to go bad at the same time.
hmmm, replacing the mirror on a Caravan wasn't that big of a deal
What year is your Caravan, Rhu_Ru?
😉 Our Caravan was a "clunker" that was cashed in
Hey, I've used John's before! Got a starter there a while back. Good price too.
John's is great, they have a good inventory (and a decent online search tool) for used parts, savvy countermen, and they let you pull your own parts from the yard if you're looking for odds and ends (like the hood latch cable and lever for my old Buick Regal) that are either hard to find or overpriced as new parts (typically dealer parts).
and how to use a simple piece of garden hose to isolate the source of engine noises
Some, but not a lot of jealousy by Fluffie, the Mesh Pouf Bath Sponge.
Cedric Daniels has a solo music career. It really must be heard to be believed. (h/t Uproxx)
NPR's Planet Money addresses one of the burning issues of the day.
lots of interesting graphics follow.
Seems hard to put much of a story behind that without knowing the breakdown per drink. Are Americans drinking more drinks than before? Fewer drinks? Since liquor has more ABV, the in-store breakdown shifting from liquor to wine would seem to suggest a shift to fewer drinks per dollar, no?
Data is from USDA's Economic Research Service. For what it's worth.
I would venture to guess that the decline in beer consumption per capita and relatively flat consumption of wine and spirits all reflect the aging of the baby-boomer generation.
That seems like a reasonable theory.
I've been hella busy at work for the past few weeks, but tonight some of that pays off as I'm going to the Twins game with some clients.
It appears they're from Chicago. Which brings a huge question: Sox, Cubs, or unaffiliated? If Cubs are they anti-Sox or just indifferent? If Sox are they anti-Cubs? I need to know to help dictate my banter.
My speculation is that if they are Cubs they are likely to be indifferent towards the White Sox, but if they are White Sox, they are likely to be anti-Cubs.
As a Chicago area person, ubes is right, but Cubs fans generally don't like the White Sox doing well. White Sox fans hate the Cubs. Also Cubs fan doesn't mean much a lot of the time.
One Sox fan, one BoSox fan, one Colorado transplant who seemed indifferent, and three vaguer Chicago athletic team fans (passing interest). One of them and the BoSox fan high-fived me on Carroll's RBI single. Some Sox fans behind me didn't.
Oh, and Tubby Smith sat right in front of us. My anti-Tubby coworker whispered bunches to me, not wanting to bother the guy, but still wanting to discuss Gophers basketball because the head coach was right there making us think of Gophers hoops.
I told him honestly "I have no idea."
More evidence of the decline of western civilization, or the genius of property rights?
*clucks with disgust*
"Curse the Brow" is still free.
How about "Ignore the Brow"?
That's a clown trademark, Brow.
Yeah, Harper trademarked that phrase.
That ain't no big thing. You just won't be able to put that phrase on a T-shirt or summat.
I dock Davis 100 WGOM points for saying "very unique."
I disagree that this is always incorrect.
Every snowflake is unique. A five-foot-diameter snowflake that is green and bears a resemblance to Charlie Manuel is very unique.
Particularly necessary in Minnesotan where "unique" is a passive-agressive pejorative for "out of the mainstream" or "something I hope is never attempted any of my relatives closer than second-cousins (by blood or by marriage)".
Meanwhile, a 1959 Impala readies to phone his lawyer.
When Hell freezes over and St. Peter ice skates on Satan's Head.
From the "It's not about the money" department, in that article:
I don't think he is one of the best players without a ring.
I don't think he is one of the best players
without a ring.FTFY.
Correct. The article is great. They need another season to "jell" because, you know, the next season is the first full season with the club and the coach had to tell him not to be so fat, but yeah, he's gonna win. Oh yeah, and he doesn't like the other guy with the $100 million deal, who ain't going nowhere.
Now can we go back to fantasizing about Nash taking a veteran mid-level exception to mentor Rubio?
It would add a Canadian to our League of Nations roster (and Shved would expand that if we can sign him).
Ty;er Robertson currently has an 0.00 ERA, a 27 K/9, 0 WHIP, and he's showing no platoon splits.
Let's waive the five-year requirement and put him in the Hall of Fame now!
Not that I wish ill on him, but it he has a career aborted by injury soon or decides to retire at the top of his game, he could have some sort of Glenn-Williams-type record.
But, he's a lefty reliever. This could be the first of 14 different clubs over 18 seasons. (Not counting a year in Japan.)
Big deal. Luke Hughes has a 0.00 ERA, 0 WHIP, AND he hit a home run after his perfect pitching stint.
He's like Australia's Babe Ruth, mate.
...in AAA.