39 thoughts on “January 5, 2014: Enough”

  1. It's official: Rosario suspended. 50 games, but for drug of abuse, not PEDs. This worries me more, actually. If he has an addiction, this could potentially derail his career.

    1. "Drug of abuse" runs a pretty wide gamut and doesn't necessarily suggest addiction, even after two failed tests. We don't even know that Rosario popped for the same drug twice. That's significant.

      This is speculative: Rosario says he hurt his arm in November, presumably at winter ball. Rosario claims he took something which triggered a positive test for a drug of abuse. If you look at the list of drugs, that seems to suggest he took a painkiller containing opiates. Such painkillers can be obtained over the counter outside the US. It's easy to imagine scenarios where such drugs reach a young ballplayer. This speculation hinges on whether Rosario is telling the truth, and we have no reason to not believe him as far as I know.

      As for the first positive test, we don't know what popped Rosario in that instance, either. It could have been a significant drug of abuse, or it could have been marijuana. (That MLB will suspend a player for 50 games for smoking reefer twice, but not for DWI once, is flat ridiculous in 2014, no matter how you might feel about legalizing marijuana.) We just don't know enough about Rosario's situation to know if we should worry, and in this case Rosario's reputation probably is damaged more by what fans (and - far worse - prominent mediots) might think or say in absence of any real knowledge than if MLB just released the test results. But, you know, the privacy is supposed to protect Rosario.

        1. Presumably disclosure is Rosario's decision to make, but I don't know that for sure. Maybe there's a joint confidentiality clause.

          2. Maybe there's a joint confidentiality clause.

            Because MLB has done such a fine job of honoring the confidentiality clause.

  2. 1) 3"-4" so far, but dry easily shovelled powder
    2) not too cold (yet)
    3) went to last night's church service, so nowhere I'd want to go today
    4) because bacon!
    5) I have dog walking duties, but

    (they made it)
    6) only have to shovel two driveways instead of three!

  3. linked from NPR and seen on the Bookface today:

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN2gYHJNT3Y

    1. More WGOM Chemistry (you started it).

      Read this thing about how after time, towels get a musty smell right after they get wet. According to the experts, its because your towels don't actually get dry (chemicals from your detergents, etc. build up).

      They recommended this (and I just did on all our towels this weekend):
      wash with no detergent but 1 cup white vinegar in hot water
      wash again with no detergent but 1/2 cup baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) in hot water
      dry

      The towels come out of the drier twice as fluffy and much cleaner/fresher. I was Math/CSci so don't know how this actually works...

            1. Yeah, the baking soda in particular concerns me. I'd probably take a look at how much HE powder detergent one adds, then eyeball the baking soda based on that until the desired result is obtained.

      3. Almost anything that sticks to your towels that doesn't come off with detergents will react with either acidic (vinegar) or basic (baking soda) conditions. Once it reacts it becomes water soluble (and so would no longer adhere to a towel in the wash).

      4. We use a cup of white vinegar in every load of laundry. Towels and my stinky teeshirts come out much fresher.

  4. NBB interpretation of wildly popular LA Korean Tacos:

    Two spare ribs. Cook at 325 for several hours in covered baking dish. Pour off the fat and chop the meat off the bone, discard the bone, and cut the meat into smallish pieces.
    Korean barbecue sauce (1/3 c. soy sauce, 1/6 c. brown sugar, 1/2 tbsp minced garlic, 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar, fresh ginger if you have it (I only had dried), thicken with 1 tbsp water and some corn starch).
    Chop 2-3 green onions finely, add chopped cilantro - marinate in juice from half of a lime - add to a serving dish. Boil a cob of corn, and cut the kernels off into a serving dish.
    Reconstitute Chinese dried red peppers (ditch the seeds), add chopped green pepper, chopped jalapeños, chopped cherry tomatoes - add to a serving dish.
    Let those serving dishes sit in a warm oven, also put whole wheat tacos in a covered dish into the oven.
    Once the meat and sauce are ready, swish the spare rib pieces in the barbecue sauce, then put under the boiler - let it get caramelized.
    I like to put the plates into the oven for a while so you aren't eating on cold plates.
    Serve it all at the same time.
    I know you should have Kimchee or cabbage, but I only had the corn. Hodar.

    1. NBB, this would make a great stand-alone post, particularly with pictures. You know, for drooling purposes easy future reference.

      2. I second the demand for a full post. Sounds awesome.

        Also, I discovered yesterday that flour tortillas are easy to make. Next up: homemade corn tortillas.

            1. Your out-laws are honorary New Mexicans, right? I know, I know. They get their tamales from someone else's mexican aunts.

              1. they have people.

                actually, I've never had a tamale at their house. Because Jewish, I guess.

        1. Kimchee is delicious. Korean sauerkraut.

          I made a new batch of dill pickles. Should be ready to eat in a day or two.

        1. I went a little overboard with a smoked brisket (on the weber (!) ftw) for festivus. Three Texans were in attendance, and they agreed that it was good bordering on great (pat, pat on my own back). I went for the packer cut, used only salt and pepper (in my humble opinion you really do need a little bit of sugar to help the bark along, especially on the weber), and smoked the bastard for 16 hours in the pouring rain. I will be doing this again, but not for a little while.

          Pork post to follow when I lose ten pounds.

          1. pictures of the brisket, or it never happened.

            I did a whole brisket on the weber once, some years ago. ZOMG. Someday, maybe again.

  6. -15 below zero days are meant for spending three hours on the phone with McAfee technical support .

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