66 thoughts on “November 4, 2013: Midnight Release”

1. Speaking of the paper of record, there's a lengthy article about A-rod and MLB this morning.

   In the nine months since Mr. Rodriguez and more than a dozen other players were linked to a South Florida anti-aging clinic that is believed to have distributed banned substances to professional athletes, baseball officials and the Yankee third baseman have engaged in a cloak-and-dagger struggle surpassing anything the sport has seen

   1. I wish ARod would just go away

      1. I wish the Yankees would just go away.

         1. Since ARod is a Yankee, this wish is more all-encompassing.

2. So...all in all, a pretty good weekend for MN Sports Fans, no?

   Fri: Wolves 100, Thunder 81
   Wild 4, Canadiens 3

   Sat: Gophers 42, Hoosiers 39

   Sun: Wolves 109, Knicks 100
   Wild 4, Devils 0

   -and-

   Vikings 23, Cowboys 27

   1. Josh Harding is averaging 1.10 goals against in 11 games. That's insane.

      1. Agreed. I was at the game on Friday night - he had a couple of awesome saves and, from what I can recall, the 3 he gave up were on some pretty tough shots.

      2. I wonder if the Wild are confident enough in Kuemper as a backup to Harding that they will trade Backstrom

         1. I have no idea - doesn't seem like Kuemper's seen much time between the pipes up here and I don't follow their Iowa affiliate enough to know how they like him.

         2. I don't think so. Harding only played in five games last year and it's only been a year since his diagnosis. I think the Wild will probably ride the hot/healthy goalie through this year and next. Backstrom and Harding combined only make a little north of $6 million per year.

            1. Agreed.

   2. Especially for those of us that would like to see the Vikings become 4th fiddle in the state, despite their upcoming Super Bowl victory.

      1. Giants won a Super Bowl at 9-7. Trade Ponder for Eli and it'll happen!

      2. Pre-empting AMR here:

         "Can't they be 4th fiddle in L.A.?"

         1. I could totally see them bolting town after construction on the new stadium starts. That would be so Vikings/NFL-esque.

            1. oh no. First they need to collect revenues for about 5 years and then bolt.

               1. I was thinking there'd be some language inserted that required the city to reimburse them for lost revenues due to moving to LA for the 5 years after that.

                  1. Probably have to pay for moving expenses, too.
                     And offset any negative tax impact from playing at the new site, full amount for the first five years, and then declining pro rata for the next 20.
                     And also have to licensing rights for all of the Vikings logos built into the new ugly stadium.

            2. Maybe time it right behind demolition of the Metrodome but before any construction happens.

         2. Just 4th?
            Lakers, Clippers, Dodgers, Scioscia's Misfits, Trojans, Buins, Kings, Hollywood Stars, Paparazzi, Probably some Soccer teams...

3. So, let me get this straight:

   The A's can't move to San Jose because that's the San Francisco Giants' territory. However, MLB is threatening to move the A's home games to San Francisco's AT&T Park if the Oakland Coliseum Authority doesn't renew the A's's lease.

   Yeah, makes total sense.

   1. Sounds like the A's via the Coliseum have the same deal that the Vikings had via the Metrodome re: concessions.

4. the best sandwiches from each state

   nailed Minnesota (even though I have never had a Jucy Lucy). I cant even think of another sandwich that defines Minnesota.

   1. Funny. I had the Buffalucy Blucy yesterday for lunch. Also, fish tacos! Didn't bother to eat dinner:

      We soak bleu and cheddar cheeses in our very own buffalo sauce and cram it inside this monster. We slow cook chicken in more sauce, pull it, and pile it on top..add some bleu cheese crumbles, chunks of celery and wa la! Buffalo perfection!

      1. That sounds wonderful.

   2. I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone characterize a bratwurst-on-bun as a sandwich, but I wonder if anyone writing for Slate has ever bothered to visit Wisconsin. My nomination for Wisconsin's best sandwich is the White House: sliced turkey breast and ham on open-faced rye or white toast, smothered in Mornay sauce, topped with a couple slices of bacon and some grated Parmesean or Asiago, then broiled.

      1. I feel like buffalo got hosed! No beef on weck!?! Bagel sandwich? That's a travesty.

         1. Yeah, that's flat ridiculous.

         2. I'll take Zagat.

   3. I'm sure they exist, but I've never heard of someone eating a "pheasant sandwich". Eating pheasant, yes, but not a pheasant sandwich.

5. This Richie Incognito story is making it even easier to dislike the NFL.

   1. That's a real name?

      1. Real and only about half accurate.

   2. By my count, this will mark the 4th football team he's been kicked off of. What in the world would the NFL possibly have to gain by keeping him around? And how does a guy like that get on a "leadership council"?

      1. Or get asked to do PSA's directed toward fan behavior.

   3. Wonder where he gets it from.

      1. Is he goosestepping in that picture?

   4. I find it hard to believe none of the Dolphins coaches or front office people knew this was going on until now.

      1. We see what we want to see.

         1. Great news guys, the scale says I'm down to 175!

6. Wrist update. It turns out that the PA who read my X-ray read it wrong last night. My fracture is on the outside and not the inside of the wrist. It is a stable fracture, meaning (a) no surgery and (b) no limitation on motion, except as for pain limitations.

   So, yes, broken wrist but not that bad. It's more painful today, it's pretty swollen, and typing with it is a little more uncomfortable than I'd like, but I'll survive.

   1. So good news then - hope you feel better soon.

      1. Yes. The doctor told me that if she were going to pick a wrist fracture to suffer, this is the one she'd take.

   2. Sorry to hear about the injury, Stick. Rest, ice, compression and elevation. You'll be back doing toe loops in no time.

      1. It doesn't hurt that bad, unless I'm using it. Typing is tough, but otherwise I'm pretty okay.

   3. I take it you don't use the same health care provider as the Twins. (Heal up soon!)

7. Love is Western Conference Player of the Week and is leading the NBA in scoring, but only second in rebounding.

   1. Not too shabby for a guy with limited natural ability.

      1. Oh that I would be so limited.

         I get what you mean though, he can't finish in traffic at the hoop. If you remember, he used to get stuffed all the time. Now he can just shuffle the ball off to Pekasaurus and collect an assist in those situations.

         1. I thought it was just sarcasm for past critics.

            1. You are probably right. In the freak world of NBA players, Love is somewhat limited in that he's a super elite athlete instead of a superduper elite athlete.

               These first three games, man. Love looks like every bit the guy he was two years ago and then some. I can barely contain my excitement.

               1. Ah, yes. I was being a smartass. KLove won the "Does the Most with Limited Natural Ability" award in the 2013 GM Survey.

8. Can Marvin Miller finally be enshrined in the Hall of Fame?

   my stone cold lock votes: Miller, Torre, LaRussa
   on the fence: Simmons, Quisenberry

   1. In order for Miller to be elected, he needs 12 votes from the panel of 16. There are four executives on it and I'm dubious any of them will vote for Miller. The remaining 12 are: Rod Carew, Carlton Fisk, Whitey Herzog, Tommy Lasorda, Joe Morgan, Paul Molitor, Phil Niekro, Frank Robinson, Steve Hirdt (Elias Sports Bureau), Bruce Jenkins (San Francisco Chronicle), Jack O’Connell (BBWAA), and Jim Reeves (retired, Fort Worth Star-Telegram). The players and historians (last four) seem likely to vote for Miller. I'm not sure about Herzog and Lasorda.

      1. Herzog was a GM as well as a manager and he HATED HATED HATED dealing with agents. I remember when I was doing my agent research (that Sean Forman incorporated into BRef) finding a bunch of articles from Herzog's time with the Angels (early 90s) in which he just screamed bloody murder about free agency. IIRC, he thought he had a shot at signing Bobby Bonilla, but went crazy when the Mets made their big offer. I don't know how much he'll support Miller.

         My ballot:
         Miller
         Steinbrenner (sort of fitting for him to go in with Miller as Miller's biggest beneficiary)
         Cox
         Simmons
         maybe Torre

         My vote against LaRussa is a protest vote that if the mediots won't elect Bonds/Clemens, etc., then I wouldn't vote for the biggest enabler of them all.

      2. Miller had 11votes last time, i think. I would be shocked if he could not pick up one vote.

         1. Committee members in both 2010 and now:
            Whitey Herzog, Frank Robinson, Andy MacPhail, Jerry Reinsdorf (hugely anti-union)

            Committee members only in 2010:
            Johnny Bench, Eddie Murray, Jim Palmer, Tony Perez, Ryne Sandberg, Ozzie Smith, Bill Giles, David Glass, Bob Elliott, Tim Kurkjian, Ross Newhan, and Tom Verducci

            Committee members only now:
            Rod Carew, Carlton Fisk, Tommy Lasorda, Joe Morgan, Paul Molitor, Phil Niekro, Paul Beeston, Dave Montgomery, Steve Hirdt, Bruce Jenkins, Jack O’Connell and Jim Reeves

            Of the four carry-overs, Reinsdorf is an absolute lock to oppose Miller. Robinson is pretty much an absolute lock to support Miller. Who knows about the other two. Miller rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, so there could be a deep-seated anti-Miller grudge held by the MacPhail family dating back fifty years.

   2. No Lou Whitaker?! That's a travesty.

      Mark down Miller, Torre, LaRussa, Cox, and Simmons (12th highest career bWAR, 10th highest JAWS among catchers) for my ballot.

9. Will the Dude abide again? Do we want him to even on a cheap deal?

   1. A left handed DH who can't hit lefties? He probably takes ABs away from Arcia, right? Then, no.

      1. Can you imagine a roster with Arcia, Kubel, Doumit, Morneau, Mauer, and Willingham? Hi-larious.

         1. You're assuming they bring back Morneau, I guess. I wouldn't mind a cheap deal if Morneau wasn't back and they stuck Kubel or Arcia at first base and made sure they went through TK's school in spring training. Of course, I'm imagining Gardy having enough sense to platoon one of them with Plouffe at first with Sano taking over third base at least by June.

            1. Of course, I'm imagining Gardy having enough sense to platoon one of them

               Here's where it all falls apart.

10. Remember, the guy who wrote this piece also started the hashtag #playyousissies.

11. It's not often a punter gets Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors in a 42-39 game.

12. Liriano wins Comeback Player of the Year Award for coming back from being crappy.

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