89 thoughts on “November 20, 2013: Finally Found”

    1. I agree. It's always possible one of them will have a good career and make one of the teams look bad, but it seems most likely that neither of them will ever be much.

    2. More disappointed to learn that Antoan signed with another club.
      Hope he gets traded/released from the Yankees before he gets his next call-up.

    3. the Twins lost Pedro Hernandez. This Kris Johnson guy fills that slot. Nothing to get worked up about.

    5. Huh, Duke Welker's from Kirkland, WA, where Costco was headquartered from 1987-1996.

      I guess I like that Johnson is primarily a starter and Welker is a reliever. Johnson's peripherals didn't see much of a boost from moving to the bullpen, but SSS. If Johnson has one good pitch, he could be useful, whereas Welker needs to figure out how to find the strike zone--once you get into 4+ BB/9 territory, I get pretty skeptical about translating that into big league success.

    1. whenever the Cleveland Browns do something silly and my twitter timeline fills up with 'because Cleveland' I know exactly what everyone is talking about. I also find it hilarious.

      1. Even superannuated farts like me use it that way. You may recall a while ago when talking about Tony Dorsett that I said that I hated the Cowboys, because Vikings....

    1. The unnamed columnist is a [redacted], but it didn't help that Kill had some terrible habits:

      For years -- the coach told CBSSports.com -- he existed on 2½ hours sleep per night. He didn't turn down a speaking engagement. Sometimes dinner was a bag of peanuts and a Diet Coke.

    2. The other day Reusse was asking for Turkey of the Year candidates on Twitter and someone suggested Top Jimmy. Reusse responded that Kill wasn't upset with Souhan. He may need to revisit.

    3. While I am enjoying the Gophers' recent success, and I'm firmly behind Kill, I don't see how Kill is doing anything all that unprecedented by sitting in the press box and letting his assistants run the show--isn't that basically what Paterno was doing for years at the end of his run at Penn State?

      1. There are a lot of head coaches who don't seem to be doing all that much on the sidelines, a la Bud Grant, while the various coordinators and assistants do most of the obvious stuff during the game. So, yea, unless you are an Andy Reid, calling the plays on the sideline, I don't see what the big deal is whether the coach is a figurehead on the sideline or an Eye in the Sky.

        one more case in point: Bo Nows Football (the N is for Nowledge). He does a lot of fuming on the sideline, but he doesn't call plays, and I don't think he calls defensive plays either.

          1. Whatever it is that Poopypants (as my cousin has taught his daughters to call him) does, it isn't working.

    1. I met a dude today in the French quarter today wearing a brand new wild hat, and it tuns out he had no idea that it was a logo for a hockey team. Crazy.

  6. Just saw SoCal's banner.
    I like it lots.
    Even in MN, try finding someone who will take the local sports seriously enough but not _seriously_.
    I can want the Twins to win and still want a horrible losing streak to continue because they're awful and deserve it.
    I can give up on the season early if they're no good. I can hate the Vikings but only for mostly trivial reasons.

    1. Heh.

      Similarly here. I want the Twins to win (the right way, of course). But my self identity is not tied up with their success. That way lies madness.

    1. That is interesting. Lexile score seems a lot like batting average--it measures something and could be useful as part of a bigger analysis, but you wouldn't want it to be the last word (or number, I suppose) in choosing a good reading curriculum.

      1. That's an interesting analogy. I think the deal with reading level scores is that they don't show you the full picture--you need a human to interpret how appropriate the text as a whole is.

        1. I'm one of those crazy empiricists. I think that a holistic reading-level index score is quite possible. Eventually. We just haven't figured out how to measure it very well yet.

          1. I do think numbers can be part of the picture. But as someone who has spent the last 10 years submitting texts to a reading level tool (not Lexile but something similar)--and adjusting things as needed if the level didn't come back in the right range--I don't see a way for a computer algorithm to fully judge reading level.

        2. I agree in that I think no statistics are useful without intelligent interpretation by a human, but that doesn't mean numbers can't be part of the picture.

          I think the deal with reading level scores stats is that they don't show you the full picture--you need a human to interpret judge how appropriate good the text player as a whole is.

          Just like with baseball, I'd guess you probably get the best results with stats and people (scouts/teachers).

        1. I always try to get my kids to cheer for the predators when watching nature films.
          "Mama Skua needs that baby shearwater to feed her own hungry babies."
          "Ooh! That Great White almost had that seal! Maybe next time!"
          "How cool would it be if you were a Polar Bear and caught a Beluga Whale and were able to get it up on the ice and everything? Very cool!"
          "Those Orcas look really hungry. I hope they're able to drown that Grey Whale calf so they can feast upon its tender cetacean veal."
          (We watch more water-habitat shows, I guess.)

          1. There just are more of them. Whoever is deciding on which nature shows to produce has a fixation, I guess.

            Or maybe it's easier to film in international waters than get permission from all the various countries out there?

            1. One series we own on DVD is Blue Planet and one of our favorite episodes of Planet Earth is "Shallow Seas" because Great Whites.
              I think we're drawn to them because we can see birds and mammals all around our house. Different ones, sure, but not _that_ different. And there's the weighing of "Real Experience Outside" vs "Exotic". Underwater movies don't reflect a real-life experience my kids can have without paying admission somewhere.

              I should really make myself a CD with "Beds Are Burning" right now.

      1. To a point. There are enough differences between male and female physiques that uniforms need to accommodate differences in body structure, both for practical considerations and for sartorial reasons. A unisex uniform might be truly uniform, but it might not be functional for many and usually looks good on no one.

        1. I understand cuts etc. But this is just hats, right?
          Maybe I misunderstand how different they are now.

          Looked at it now and I like the Peaked Cap in white better than the Dan Daly in white.
          Dan Daly looks good if dark like Dan Daly wore it.

          This is without any knowledge of history of any of this other than quick Google Image searches.

          1. I agree about the Dan Daly looking pretty sharp in green. I'd still prefer the soft garrison cover in that uniform, but the Daly looks okay. In white, and my eyes just prefer the barracks cover.

            It's just hats, but military organizations are more traditional than just about any institution I've encountered elsewhere. Even small uniform changes can be a big deal. Generally speaking, changes a very incremental, taking place over generations. The Marine Corps' dress blues essentially date to the nineteenth century, and the Corps' green service uniforms to the mid twentieth century. (The major exception to this is the Army, which has been searching for a visual identity - both in camouflage and in dress uniforms - for over a decade, and spent $5 billion on a uniform it's now abandoning.)

    2. I understand the economy measures of going to one cover for both men and women rather than looking for a new supplier. (I do wonder, however, if this will make the covers more or less expensive for the Marines who must buy them.) The profile photo suggests that female hairstyles might not work well with this cover. I didn't much care for it, either. I loved wearing the green piss cover, but hated the barracks cover (the cap in the picture, available in white for blues or green for the service uniform). It might look sharp with the blues, but it's uncomfortable. I'll reserve final judgment until I see how this looks in practice. I will say, however, that as the Corps works to include women into combat MOSes, I think it's high time grooming standards for hair are brought closer to a common standard across the sexes as well.

      There are other recent changes related to grooming and uniforms that have actually ticked me off (tattoos and eliminating rolled sleeves, among others). This doesn't move the needle much for me, other than the hair issue.

        1. For my first 2+ years I lived in coveralls down in the hole, so both the Cash and even utilities (modern version of dungarees) were "extra special" for me. My second 3 years were woodland/desert BDU's. The NWU rollout was just getting started but I know a lot of sailors thought they were badass...youngsters with no sense of history I say. Don't even get me started on the "Navy Service Uniform" that replaced the Cashes...Now GOML!

      2. what ticked you off about the tattoo policy?

        Reference

        "A Marine with tattoos doesn't mean you're a bad Marine," said Sgt. Maj. William Wiseman, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron sergeant major. "However, since tattoos are a visual reminder of your personal thoughts, feelings and ideas, a Marine with visible tattoos may not be the best candidate for a high-profile assignment. Since the Marine Corps has the most recognizable uniform in the world, this makes the Corps a high-profile assignment. ... You joined the Corps; the Corps didn't join you."

        1. The Sergeant Major is equivocating there. The high-profile standard has been pushed down to essentially all personnel, regardless of assignment, by the brass in Quantico and DC under the guise of "professionalism." Things have gone from a ban on neck and head tattoos (understandable, I guess, unless it's part of your native culture) and gang or racist tattoos, to bans on sleeves, half-sleeves, tattoos on the wrists (which would be covered by any long sleeved military shirt or utility blouse), bans on "large" tattoos (larger than the individual's hand), etc. The standard for what is "visible" is the standard PT uniform - essentially short-shorts and a T-shirt.

          I don't think tattoos make Marines more or less professional. I know plenty of seriously inked-up Marines who are exceptionally competent and professional in their demeanor, and plenty of Marines without any tattoos who are liabilities to those serving alongside and below them. (And, to be perfectly honest, vice versa.) The only thing I think that makes a Marine professional is whether they're competent at their duties and a good leader of junior Marines. A lot of the brass in the Corps today seem to think that the standard of professionalism for Marines is looking good for Toys for Tots and not disturbing any delicate sensibilities.

          I truly value my time in the Marine Corps, but honestly, you couldn't pay me enough to be in the peacetime Marine Corps.

          1. you couldn't pay me enough to be in the peacetime Marine Corps

            so, things are gonna get really bad when we get to peacetime? 😉

    1. Design is the hardest part. My personal site has had a beta re-design for about four years now. With a proper static site generator being used, I might finally be able to get it finished within the next four years.

      1. I went with Squarespace for my new site, mainly because I'd grown really tired of the constant maintenance & tinkering WordPress requires. I don't have a ton of time to blog, and what time I do have I'd rather spend on writing. Plus, there's a truck down in the garage that needs plenty of work.

        1. I was just going to ask where your template was from, actually. I went with wordpress for the exact opposite reason - I'm trying to learn this complicated stuff to make a job out of it.

          1. That's a pretty good reason to force yourself to dip into CSS and the like.

            One of the great things about Squarespace is that the layouts are automatically optimized for mobile, without needing to send visitors to a mobile site. WordPress just about drives me up the wall on my phone.

            1. It depends on the site. I'm not a fan of the dumbed-down mobile themes most WordPress sites use. Some themes include a proper responsive part which is nice, but it's a lot of work to do.

    2. Fielder and cash for Kinsler.
      the thing that stinks about this trade is that it opens up money for Detroit to spend on signing players they want like Scherzer for an extension.

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