Cup of Coffee

March 10: Pinch Hit Strikeout

136 Comments

Spooky asked me to put this up yesterday, since he was going to be on the road.

I should've scheduled it, but that'd be too easy, so I'm putting it up on the fly while I get ready for work.

136 thoughts on “March 10: Pinch Hit Strikeout”

    1. I was going to watch last night's game, but forgot about the (relatively) early start time. I'm pretty glad I missed that.

      1. Guys were playing hard, but they weren't closing out on three point shooters and Toronto just murdered them from the arc. You could see Corey and Ricky giving it their all. Man, they knew that this was the last freaking gasp. I doubt either of those two slept well last night.

          1. Toronto ORR: 35.3%
            Minnesota ORR: 30.8%

            It was so frustrating. It seemed like when the Raptors did miss a three, the long rebound went right to them. They won the boards (but not as bad as it sounds because Minnesota missed a lot more shots: 52 rebounds on Minny's end; only 34 on Toronto's), but 14-24 from three, you don't win much when that happens.

            1. To put a finer point on it, at those rates, given 50 misses on each end, TOR wins the rebounding battle by about 52-48.

  2. Daring daylight robbery attempt at the exotic pet store across the street. Seven police cars and counting and this point.

  3. Anyone else see what Minnesota State Representative Pat Garofalo tweeted last night?

    So, yeah.

    1. Should be a fun few weeks for Pat. I'm interested to see the backtracking here. How do you spin this one in a non-racially-charged manner?

      2. He said it was because the NBA doesn't test for pot smoking (not true). He also said that he never mentioned race. Heh.

        As a matter of pure numbers, there are about 450 players on NBA rosters. 70% of that number is just over 300. Assuming that everyone of them is a criminal or would turn to a life of crime if not for the NBA, that's a pretty small blip on the country's "streetcrime" radar.

        The preceding analysis is giving him the benefit of the doubt, you understand. There is only one way to take that comment.

          1. Or Bill Russell. Or Magic Johnson. Or ... But, forget about that. Guys who play in the NBA are absolutely the cream of the crop. They are the greatest athletes in the world. If you don't like the NBA, that's fine. Plenty of people don't. I'm not a big fan of the NHL or soccer in general, but at least I'm smart enough to know that the guys who end up in the NHL and professional soccer leagues are supremely talented athletes who work extremely hard to make it.

            It's true that a lot of guys who play in the league have come from tough backgrounds. A lot of them came from poor families, often with siblings who end up in the criminal justice system or dead at a young age. And some of the guys in the NBA have gotten in trouble. But these guys who beat the odds to make it to the highest level of competition in the world should be celebrated. You don't just wake up one morning and have an NBA game. You have to work hard. Guys who don't work hard wash out of the league. This is a cutthroat business. The idea that they don't work hard and are just common criminals is simply ridiculous. Or worse.

            1. 'This is who we are talking about (Warning: Politics)' SelectShow

      3. To his credit, Garofalo gave a real apology, not one of those non-apology apologies.

        In the last 24 hours, I’ve had the opportunity to re-learn one of life’s lessons: whenever any of us are offering opinions, it is best to refer to people as individuals as opposed to groups. Last night, I publicly commented on the NBA and I sincerely apologize to those who I unfairly categorized. The NBA has many examples of players and owners who are role models for our communities and for our country. Those individuals did not deserve that criticism and I apologize. In addition, it’s been brought to my attention that I was mistaken and the NBA policy on drug enforcement is stronger than I previously believed. Again, I offer my sincere apologies for my comments.

        It was an incredibly stupid comment that had obvious racist tinges, but at least he didn't put in some shitty "to those I may have offended" bullshit in his apology. So good on him.

        1. at least he didn't put in some shitty "to those I may have offended" bullshit in his apology

          ohrly?

          and I sincerely apologize to those who I unfairly categorized

          1. The way I read that remark, he's admitting he actually did something wrong, not implying that others are thin-skinned and overreacting. That does strike me as a cut above the typical "apologies" in terms of humility and contrition.

          2. and I sincerely apologize to those who I unfairly categorized

            That's about 98% of the league.

    3. If 70% of NBA teams folded today there would not be enough teams for a proper league.

    4. Uh oh. I have a good friend who was college friends with Mr. Garofalo. We used to attend gatherings at the mutual friend's house, though I don't remember him (lots of people, long story). Anyway, I do remember when he ran for state rep the first time he had no problem commandeering the mutual friend's annual party mailing list to ask for donations to his cause.

      I can't remember agreeing with a single statement he's made publicly. I'll stop now.

      (Oh, I guess I won't. I'm having lunch with the mutual friend today. Trying to decide if I'll bring it up. I probably won't as several others in this lunch group will likely agree. O_o)

      1. (Oh, I guess I won't. I'm having lunch with the mutual friend today. Trying to decide if I'll bring it up. I probably won't as several others in this lunch group will likely agree. O_o)

        With the publicity this seems to have gotten, I have a feeling you won't have to bring it up because someone else will.

        1. Not to trivialize things, but there's also a guy in this group who believed Joe Mauer made up his concussion in August because he didn't want to play the rest of the season. We got in a fairly loud (for me) argument about it after a softball game this summer. I assume if I asked him today he would change his argument to simply "Mauer is a p***y."

          But I won't ask him.

          1. My Dad was on the Mauer is a p***y train in 2011. My brother is still on that train. Ugh.

            Nobody, and I mean nobody (Darko Milicic excluded), makes the major leagues in any sport without being an intense competitor. It just doesn't happen. Mauer played down the stretch in 2010 with a knee that required off-season surgery. He was hurt in 2011. Look at his numbers that year and compare them to the rest of his career. Mauer, like everyone else, is busting his ass. But, some people will never get that professional athletes are unbelievably intense. You have to be just to make it.

            It's not worth arguing this point with anyone who can't accept that.

            1. It's not worth arguing this point with anyone who can't accept that.

              You're right. I'd been listening to this guy's BS for years and I broke. It also was interesting to me that this particular guy had played sports at a pretty high level his whole life. And he seems to be smart. I just can't figure out the logic. I will say he generally has an answer for everything. It was pretty rewarding to get him to admit after 5 loud minutes and flip-flopping answers that he believed Mauer just made up injuries to take a break. It's such an absurd belief and exposed him as not having an logical stance at all.

            2. I've been talking to my kids about a variation of this them a lot lately. I used to have a belief in "natural talent" as being a prime difference maker when it comes to sports, but other things as well. This led me to quitting things I wasn't naturally good at early. But I've come to despise the notion that some are just better at things than others. I think 90% of what makes these pro players great is hard work. And I've been trying to instill the notion of taking practice seriously, whether that's hockey or gymnastics or homework. No, you may not ever be able to stick handle like Patrick Kane, but Kane didn't get where he is just because he has an innate gift. He took that and worked damn hard at it.

              1. I have been trying to work on this with my daughter, too. She's got some real special gifts, but without hard work, she won't be who she can be. Natural talent is a big part of the difference between a professional basketball player and say, me. At 6'4, I'm tall enough to play in the NBA. I can't jump, I'm slow, and I can't shoot, so I was always out. But, among those with elite talent, the biggest difference is work.

              2. I am on a similar bandwagon these days. Innate talent makes a difference, but mainly it makes the difference between, say, Joe Mauer and Drew Butera. Most people have plenty of room to improve through additional effort or more intelligent effort. Having the right guidance can make a huge difference, too, but it also doesn't help much to sit around and complain that if you'd only had better coaches you would've been a much better player.

                2. Heh. I actually read part of that to my son--the chapter on Canadian hockey players. He's young for his grade, so all his buddies moved up to squirts and he still had a year left of mites. The association would not give him a waiver to move up with his friends. So we talked about what a benefit it would be to be one of the older kids on the ice, instead of always playing up like he has in the past.

            1. Paraphrases follow: The overwhelming response was that it is racist to consider his comment racist. Poor, downtrodden white-collar whites. His comment was obviously not a racist comment. He could have just as easily meant losing NBA athletes as role models would have a negative effect on inner city youth. *scoff scoff*

              The mutual friend up-front admitted that it was a dumb thing to say. Apparently Garofalo uses his Twitter and Facebook more like a guy publishing to his friends than a state representative. It has finally bit him.

              I'll admit it's hard to prove racism in most tweets. You'd have to be extremely direct and blatant. Racially insensitivity is easy to establish, though, and it's very clear here. I've grown up enough in the last 5 years that I don't get up in arms defending someone who says something this stupid. Rather, I'd like that person to take his medicine and learn from it. Let's hope his statement is a true indication of some growth on his part!

              1. The overwhelming response was that it is racist to consider his comment racist.

                Oh boy this is always my favorite argument that people make.

  4. Apparently, Rashard Mendenhall has had enough. He retired from the NFL at 26.

    "As for the question of what will I do now, with an entire life in front of me?" Mendenhall wrote. "I say to that, I will LIVE! I plan to live in a way that I never have before, and that is freely, able to fully be me, without the expectation of representing any league, club, shield or city.

    "I do have a plan going forward, but I will admit that I do not know how things will totally shape out. That is the beauty of it! I look forward to chasing my desires and passions without restriction, and to sharing them with anyone who wants to come along with me! And I'll start with writing!"

  5. I'm in LA with my wife and daughters for a few days. I've never been so prepared for a trip so early, and yet I somehow left one messenger bag in the bathroom at home, containing my laptop, iPad and PlayStation Vita. I feel naked.

    1. ouch. One time I left my entire suitcase behind and had to buy a week's worth of clothes when I got to my destination. So I guess I didn't feel naked.

    2. I somehow left one messenger bag in the bathroom, containing my laptop, iPad and PlayStation Vita.

      But not the cellphone? #yayforsmartphones.

      1. I don't have a smartphone, mostly because I have so many other smart devices.

        I'm on my BIL's computer for now. That'll work for part of the trip, I guess.

      2. I sometimes question whether or not it was a good decision to get a smart phone, but for me it unquestionably makes travelling easier.

  6. So I killed my washing machine this weekend, which I'm pretty annoyed by because its entirely my fault. The drain pump motor was going bad and overheating, which I've known about for a month or two. It overheated and fried the control board. I could have replaced that pump for about $90-100 and everything would have been fine. Instead, the repairs would be closer to $350 to replace the pump and the control board and there's no guarantee everything will work since I can't power it up right now and do any diagnostics. So, new washing machine for this guy.

    That washing machine did a good job for us though, since we beat the hell out of it by doing cloth diapers. It lasted 7-1/2 years with the past 2-1/2 being hard labor.

        1. We proudly added nukular waste to 'murica's landfills (toxic for a thousand years, at least!) for the ~6 years we had diapers to deal with.

          1. I also would, but I'm finding a significant cost benefit to the cloth system. I'm doing this to benefit me.

            1. We'd do cloth if we had our own washing machine. Another curse of living in an apartment.

              The upside (not being tied down, so that I can actually go to school when I want to) had better be worth it...

                1. and if you can brew beer simultaneously with doing the laundry, efficiency! win-win!

                  Unless there really is crap on your hands. In which case, lose-lose.

    2. So the dish-washing machine in Scandia isn't draining fast enough (and thusly overflowing the front door - which isn't hermetically sealed), causing water to pour out onto the kitchen floor.

      This last time there, I unhooked the pipe from the drain stack underneath the kitchen sink, and snaked a straightened-out-coat-hangar up into the pipe, thinking it might be clogged. No dice, no clog.

      So now I'm guessing there is some other game afoot that will require a visit to Home Depot and a check for 4-7 clicks. Unless you have ideas...

      1. Most dishwasher drain hoses are a lot longer than a coathanger, NBB- there could still be a clog in there. This site recommends blowing air through it to check for blockage.

        I had a similar issue a while back- found a buildup of grease/fat/other wonderful stuff on the screen in the bottom of the dishwasher, under the cap that the bottom spraybar sits on- I should have taken pictures, it was an amazing amount of goop that was not visible until I took the spray arm and the cap off (rotating disc-thingy in the front of this picture)-

        Not a fun job, but it's better than buying a new dishwasher if it is actually a blocked up screen.

    1. 'Spoiler' SelectShow

    2. Pre-hint-

      'Spoiler' SelectShow

      Post-hint- (wow, that's a pretty large hint)-
      Darn, I got the first name and the first letter of the last name.

    1. I think this has to happen:

      I'd love to see the NHL take a page from the CCHA, which awards three points for a regulation or overtime win, two for a shootout win, one for a shootout loss, and none for an OT loss. No more will both teams give up in the final minutes of regulation to ensure at least one point, no more turtling in overtime—and the shootout itself would be relegated to the status of a secondary competition, which is where it belongs.

      The idea that some games are worth more points than others has long boggled my mind.

      1. I fully agree, though I don't think that the 3-0/2-1 system really solves the entire problem, either.

        One option that could be interesting to try is to do the shootout before OT--if someone scores in OT and the real score is not tied, then it is 3 points or 0 points, but if the OT also ends in a tie, then give points 2/1 based on the shootout. Knowing the outcome of the shootout, at least one of the two teams has a big incentive to be aggressive, and even the team that wins the shootout can gain a point by scoring.

        Of course, I think that the NHL (and soccer for that matter) should award 1 point for a win and 0 points for a loss or a tie. It's still okay to end a game in a tie, it just becomes the first tiebreaker in the standings when teams are tied on wins. And you could make shootout wins the tiebreaker for teams that are tied on wins and ties.

        1. I kind of like watching shootouts, and I like not having ties. I'm an extremely casual fan fan though, so my opinion shouldn't count for squat.

      1. I'm one of a couple new hires. I'll start some time in the next two weeks, but they'd like to coordinate our training so we start together.

    15. Thanks, everybody. Many of your responses have made me chuckle and all of them have made me smile. Having your support & friendship means a great deal.

      Today's a good day.

  12. Keith Law saw the Twins play the Jays. He discusses five players.

    Buxton <== ZOMG, Real deal Kepler <== Positive opinion, has power and will probably hit for average, good approach at plate; plus corner outfielder defensively Pinto <== Plus power, shortens with two strikes, plan at plate, poor arm, slow release Hughes <== Meh May <== Will probably never start in majors, no command

    2. Based purely on the numbers, he's probably not wrong about May. It's hard to find pitchers who averaged 4+ BB/9 in the minors and transitioned to become successful major league starters--it's not impossible, but it's hard. With 10+ K/9, he probably has at least one plus pitch, though, so could potentially be a good reliever, especially if he has better command of his best pitch than he has over his secondary pitches.

      Hughes <== Meh

      Isn't "Meh" a huge upgrade over last year's rotation? (It's spring, don't expect me to be this optimistic all season.)

      1. Hughes curveball has looked really good. If he can throw it for strikes without hanging it too much, it could be a nice change for him. He wasn't using his curve last year, apparently.

    2. Has Phil ever coached a team that didn't have the best player in the league?

      I think he takes it contingent on King James taking his talents to NYC.

      1. This.

        It's one thing to win with talent, another to work under a budget and deliver better results than the next guy could with the same dollars.

      2. Has Phil ever coached a team that didn't have the best player in the league?

        1993-94. The year between MJ's first retirement and his return (prior to the 1995 playoffs).

        The Bulls finished 55-27 that year, with an expected W-L of 50-32. 22nd in scoring, 3rd best in scoring defense. 25th in pace. They won 55 games with Pete Myers starting at the 2-guard spot.

        They key, of course, was trading for Luc Longley with 27 games to go....

        1. also, he won a title in 1984 when his best player was Walt Williams. Of course, it was in the CBA.

    4. If he takes the job, does this mean James Dolan is done fiddling around with the Knicks?

  15. Hey Six: I was just at a facility of my company in Eden Prairie last Thursday and saw a painting that could easily have been one of yours. Do you sell much to corporate-types?

  16. We spent much of today at the Santa Monica pier, enjoying the beauty and serenity (it really wasn't that crowded). Turns out there is a part of LA I like.

    I also picked up tallboys of Weihenstephaner Korbinian Doppelbock, Ballast Point Tongue Buckler IRA, and Firestone Sucaba Barleywine, which has me truly excited. If I wasn't so sunburned, it would be a perfect day.

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