90 thoughts on “March 8, 2013: Showtime!”

  1. If I had cable, I think I'd be watching the crap out of these WBC games. In the first games of second round (Asian division), Netherlands beat Cuba and Taiwan is beating Japan 2-0 in the top of the 8th. Italy beat Mexico yesterday.

    Seems that there might be a bit of evening out of some of these clubs' talent levels. Or it's just the randomness of a small number of baseball games.

    2. Japan now up 4-3 in the top of the 10th, runner on third, two outs.
      Scored 2 runs in the 8th to tie it but Taiwan scored one in the bottom. Then Japan scored another in the top of the ninth and now the tenth.

    3. I set the DVR for the Japan-Taiwan game. Padded it with an extra hour just in case. It wasn't enough. That game lasted 4 hours 37 minutes.

      I like the WBC, especially now that Asian group stage is over. But 10 million pitching changes becomes tiresome.

  2. The Sully Buttes Chargers girls basketball team upset Sanborn Central-Woonsocket 55-48 yesterday. They take on the top-seeded Warner Monarchs tonight.

  3. I could comment on the substance of this article, but instead, I'll just point to this:

    If [Rubio] keeps playing the way he has the past two games, diving on the floor for loose balls and physically confronting larger players, he may usurp the Spinal Tap drummer as the most notable public figure to spontaneously combust.

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    1. Chuckling at your first spoiler.

      This, by the way, was one of the easiest "Who Said It"s you ever posted. The guy has a voice...I'll, uh, "give" him that.

      1. Not to mention:

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  5. i just want to give it a plug (though i know other citizens have noted it), but startalk radio is pretty awesome. as always, i'm late to the party, but i've been flying through the archives.

    my only complaints are that the editing can be pretty wonky, and as much i enjoy and appreciate what NDT is doing, he's a little too in love with his own voice. i don't mean in the sense that he talks to much, but far too often he slips into telephone voice mode. besides that, awesome stuff.

  6. Over his past 10 plate appearances, covering three games, (Hicks) is 7 for 9 with five home runs, seven RBIs, two singles, a walk and seven runs scored.

    1. But what about his hustle? Is his attitude "can-do"? Because until he starts doing the little things right, there won't be any place for him with the big league club.

        2. I liked this from Gardy's golden boy yesterday:

          "Maybe, yeah, I think it gave us a little momentum going into the middle part of the game," Butera said of the homer. "But I think, at the same time, it was a collective win.

          "And give it up to the whole team. We battled our tails off today."

          I feel trolled.

    2. Guys, I've run the numbers and over a 600 PA season that would be 300 home runs. I'd have to check, but I think that would be a record or something.

        1. i was going to say, i'm all for getting him up to the bigs at this rate, but this team isn't doing anything this year anyway. stash him in AAA for a couple months.

          1. Pretty much this. Maybe copy the Rays manipulating Longoria's service time and then sign him to a ridiculously cheap contract.

            1. A Longoria-type contract would be ideal. Even if they could do something similar to Span's deal after a year or two I'd be happy.

    4. I hope Hicks becomes a superstar because he's one of the handful of prospects I was able to see in person in Beloit before I decided Northwoods League games were more fun to go to.

    1. Next time you're up here we should get lunch or something, on the 50/50 chance I'm in town.

      And now I look like a dingus!

    5. I don't normally get the opinions that sometimes get posted around here because the laywerin speak can get overwhelming quickly, but I laughed just as much at Part I of the judgment as much as I did the second part. Good stuff, thanks Jeff.

    6. Wow, an honest-to-goodness Best Evidence issue. That's pretty awesome.

    7. From the case cited by the court to show how inept this guy is.

      We note that, at oral argument, Williams asserted that “the brief that has been presented here ․ fully complies with” the requirements of Rule 28.   Since Williams is apparently laboring under the false impression that this brief is an adequate and effective piece of advocacy, we suggest that Williams take advantage of the bar's educational programs on brief writing.

      SOTOMAYOR, Circuit Judge.

      Emphasis mine...that Judge's name sounds vaguely familiar.

  11. #8 Drake versus #1 Creighton about to start.

    How is Creighton always so good? Ugh.

    Go Bulldogs.

  12. OK, spooky, who said it?

    When asked why it is so important that the Knicks win, since at the end of the game or even the season nothing in life is affected one way or the other, I can only answer that basketball or baseball or any sport is as dearly important as life itself. After all, why is it such a big deal to work and love and strive and have children and then die and decompose into eternal nothingness? (By now, the person who asked me why the Knicks winning is important is sorry.)

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    1. That's a great quote. I didn't guess it, but I wasn't in that mode at all. Now that I know, it does indeed sound exactly like him.

    2. I have only opinions and feelings based on nothing much but emotions, and I have gripes and theories, often crackpot.

      Heh.

  13. werd to the Artistes in the Nation: I took my parents to the Crocker a couple of days ago. Here are some photos of teh Art. Big Gregory Kondos exhibit. And dessert:
    Wayne Thiebaud at the Crocker

  14. Zillertal Uruguayan cerveza de calidad superior meh. FTFY. Especially if you can get a bottle of good Albariño for approx $5 in a restaurant.

  16. Britt Robson on Rubio:

    Put bluntly, Rubio is a natural leader, a self-supposed winner willing to do what it takes to secure a victory, regardless of how it affects his own numbers or reputation. Temperamentally, he is an ideal fit at the top of the pecking order with Love, a blue-collar workhorse on the boards but mostly a genial presence in the locker room. On more than one occasion this season, it has been obvious that the Wolves players have had no choice but to up their intensity or be shown up as comparative laggards next to the diligence of Rubio. That he is also a pass-first point guard who excels at enabling the offense of his teammates only adds to his leadership capabilities.

    This was probably the most disappointing season in franchise history (maybe second only to the start of the implosion in 2004-05). The team had potential before injuries completely deep-sixed the whole thing. But, we now know that Rubio is a winner and he and Love are the answer to our prayers (assuming they stay together here).

    1. If we can take any other positive out of this year its that Rubio's surgically repaired knee is going to be just fine and it won't affect his overall game. (and that he's less whiny than a certain other PG who tore an ACL.)

    1. I've been a registered voter since I turned 18 and I've never been called for jury duty.

      2. I have twice been tabbed for jury duty only to have it called off at the last instant. One time I had notified work that I was to report to the US District Court in Fargo, only to get a phone call that morning telling me not only did I not have to come, but that my whole term was canceled.

        1. According to the form I received, if I'm not selected my four year term will be considered fulfilled.

          If you can offer a professional opinion on this, I'd be interested to hear it:

          The screening form asked a bunch of questions about my ability to serve based on any previous interactions with the legal system, personal relationships with officers of the court, etc. It also asked about any previous traffic accidents in my past, and I've had two: I was T-boned at the US-61/14 junction down in Winona by an SUV that ran a red at highway speed (a tenth of a second difference and I'd have been dead, no question, and as it was I was taken to the hospital for a minor head injury), and my grandfather died from complications from a head injury he sustained after being run over on the highway outside his farm. I answered both questions honestly, but I'm wondering what kind of follow up I should expect. Will I need to supply some kind of proof of those incidents?

          What was interesting to me is they actually informed us of the defendant's name, which meant I could look up the newspaper report of the accident (they didn't say not to). The guy apparently went through a highway intersection on a yellow-to-red light and ran over an old lady in the process. He was high on methadone, and his two year old daughter was in the vehicle. It was his fourth OWI citation.

          1. I'm not a criminal law expert and I don't know how these things work, but I'm pretty sure you won't have to prove such stuff. Answering questions from the court honestly is a good idea. The fact that you did look it up might be your ticket off the case, if that's what you want.

            1. Honestly, it was pure curiosity; they supplied the guy's name, and it was an uncommon enough name that the accident was the first search result. I'm a bit concerned about who would teach my classes at the university, but I don't think that's something the court's going to care about.

              1. The attorneys will voir dire you to get more information out about the incidents. Just answer those questions truthfully. They aren't going to be conducting any major investigations into your past. Instead, they're just going to try to determine whether you have any pre-determined bias.

                Edited to add: however, the fact that you looked up the incident may disqualify you because some of the things you read about may include inadmissible evidence (or - GASP - the media got part of it wrong). I have absolutely no idea why a court system would think that it would be a good idea to send you the name of the defendant because human nature's very first inclination is to google it. Weird.

                2. I find the giving of the name very odd too.

                  Also, even if you're not DQ'ed, there's no way a competent defense attorney would let you on that jury, given the personal history you supplied.

                  1. A friend of mine in town (labor lawyer who's had to deal with some criminal cases) told me it's not entirely unusual, but that didn't seem to indicate it was exactly usual, either.

      3. Same here. NBBW gets called all the time but me never. I wonder if its because I once joked "if its going to trial he must be guilty".

        1. My wife has been called twice, though she didn't have to serve either time. I'm still sitting at zero, and wouldn't mind keeping it that way.

    3. I got called once in DC for the week of finals. I called ahead and explained that I was in finals and asked for a new week. They said no problem and told me I would get another one. A few weeks later, I got the mail and it was for the one week I was going to be in Minnesota. I called again and said that I already had purchased the plane tickets, and they said no problem and told me I would get rescheduled again. I think they were tired of me and never bothered. Bummer because I would have enjoyed it.

      My brother was on a first-degree murder trial in Minneapolis in which they were sequestered for two days. He was in heaven (summer after freshman year of college getting paid, fed and housed in a hotel!).

      1. My mom was once on a federal trial. A loooong, complicated federal trial. My folks live way Up North, and the trail was in the Cities. I think the jury got sequestered for a while too. I'm sure that she had a good time with the whole thing. But given how, ahem, deliberate my mother is, I'm shocked that the other jurors did not assault her.

    4. Only time I've ever been called was living in Virginia, but MN thought I was still living there. A call to explain my actual residence was sufficient to discharge me.

  18. Watching Genoa vs AC Milan. Best part about Serie A futbol is that you can read a book/blog/etc whilst watching the game. The intensity of the announcer's voice tells you when to look up.

  19. I have a Yahoo mail account, but its a junk email account. But I log into it once in a while to keep it active. I find it disturbing (for lack of a better word) that the last couple of time I have logged into it Yahoo wants my cell phone number:

    By adding a mobile number to your account it allows us to instantly send a code directly to your mobile phone if you forget your password or if you become locked out for any reason.

    It's easy, because you'll always have your phone with you
    Receiving a code via text message is fast, simple and secure
    A code will be sent to you in seconds to unlock your account immediately

    We'll keep your mobile number secure and only use it to help you regain access or to protect your account.

    The thing is I rarely have my phone on, let alone take it with me (unless Im going out of town), I dont text, and I really dont like giving out my phone number and why would I trust Yahoo with my number?

    1. Google does the same thing. I don't find it all that disturbing. Perhaps annoying if you have to keep telling them no.

  21. Just noticed that Mauer went 2-for-4 today while batting cleanup for Team USA. Interesting. I guess Torre wanted to use his best lefty hitter in that spot, but it just seemed odd to have Mauer fourth behind Braun. Mauer also was called out on strikes twice with RISP and USA lost to Mexico 5-2.

    1. Mauer isn't clutch. He only hits singles when it doesn't matter! Move Mauer to Mexico! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

      (Those two called K's were pretty bad, though. Both were on no doubter pitches when he was completely fooled - not something you see often).

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