I did a forehead smack when that goal was scored and my daughter kept asking me "What's wrong, dada?" It was really hard to try to explain something like that to someone who hasn't had a chance to acquire any cynicism in life yet.
She does know Ronaldo as "that scary man", though.
I had it picked 2-1 US. I was unreasonably ecstatic over my wisdom and the team's good fortune. Until, it appeared, they figured they could let Portugal pound away at Tim Howard and all would still be well.
Programming note: I'll be gone the next couple of days and away from the internets. If all goes according to plan, Minor Details and Game Recaps will resume Wednesday.
I'm guessing that we should be rooting for Portugal if a tie doesn't happen?
ntering the match, Portugal had never failed to win a World Cup match when scoring first (11-0-0), and the U.S. had never won when allowing the first goal (0-16-4).
Hat tip to meat for the excellent victuals enjoyed at Chez Hayes last night. We had meat's wine-braised chorizo (I used a 6 year old CabSav) with Hook's one-year Wisconsin sharp cheddar, a baguette, and some sweet sugar snap peas fresh from our garden. If you haven't tried this recipe yet, you're missing out.
It's been a while since we had an Appetite. Who's got something new to share???
I've got something, but it may take me a bit to get it written up. I certainly wouldn't mind if somebody else got us off the scheid before then.
And I know what I'm having for dinner tomorrow. That dish is a staple when in in Ireland with access to great Spanish chorizo.
FanGraphs projects the Twins to finish 76-86. 3.4% chance of reaching the postseason.
Improvement!
I read that as an 86.34 % chance of making the playoffs.
dido
That's almost Jeff A math!
Anything less than 99% is way too low for Jeff A.
O.k. I have to share this GBV Rock the Garden story from yesterday (GBV rocked btw, much better show than I saw at Riot Fest last year).
So I get into RTG and I'm wearing my GBV shirt which is an unusual design. Below is image. This kid who think is about 16 and all alone wearing a different GBV shirt comes up to me and it first I think it's going to be a simple "we're both fans" nod. He starts talking to me asking where I got my shirt, etc. Clearly he's a big fan and wants to talk with another fan. Like I said he's all by himself. He explains that this is the only band he wants to see even if it costs $60. He also said that he went to the Des Moines show a month or so back. I said that the September show from a few years back was amazing. He then goes on that we wasn't even a fan then, it's only been in the last 2 years or so. So I said, but now you're a GBV freak aren't you. He just smiled and said oh yeah. I gave him a fist bump and said enjoy the show.
So now fast forward about 4 hours and it's just after their rocking 25-song in 60 minute set. I'm heading to the bathroom and I come across this kid. I said so whattya think? They rocked! "He said oh yeah look at my shirt" (which was drenched), "it's full of sweat and tears." I just smiled and said "that's awesome, you're gonna be ok."
I know exactly which kid you are talking about. He was in a ridiculously lively conversation about 20 feet from me with two other fans in the break after the GBV set. I was looking for your shirt, but never saw you.
Fresh off the presses...
ID the AU -- which Twins player (former or recent current) writes his name thusly:
Ricky Nolasco
Tier One just came out, and I snag this for a reasonable price. The Heritage set a month earlier had his AU as well, but for the Dodgers.
Police confirmed that the firefighters turned midwives delivered the student "by hand and without the application of tools".
Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: The other day Crash called a woman's pu... pussy... um, well, you know how the hair is kind of in a V-shape?
Annie Savoy: Yes, I do.
Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: Well, he called it the Bermuda Triangle. He said that a man could get lost in there and never be heard from again.
I had no idea who Sean Doolittle was until just now. His statline is ridiculous. 36 IP, 50 K, 1 BB. WHIP .583. That would make Eckersley blush.
Doolittle throws high-test gas. He emerged as a reliever after years of toiling as a less-than-successful position player in the minors. I've very much enjoyed watching him over the last couple of seasons.
Check out his fastball velocity graph:
As the person that drafted him for the WGOM fantasy league, it's been great.
We haven't had an exercise post in a while. Maybe this will inspire Pepper to do one on a topic that the danglers around here don't understand, but are inevitably interested in.
Forsberg, Hasek, and Modano into the hockey HOF this year. (also Rob Blake, Pat Burns, Mike McCreary (ref))
That is damn fine HOF class.
The World Cup . . . illustrated. Thirty-two artists have 90 minutes to produce original artwork documenting their nations' journeys through the tournament. It's pretty cool.
At a conference discussing management compensation. A participant stated that Joe Mauer is proof that pay doesn't motivate people to work harder.
I cannot escape it!
because...he's already working at his max effort level?
200%!
There is so, so much sad and wrong about this story.
On the night before he died, Daniel Mendez – after years of physical and verbal harassment in which he turned the other cheek – was apparently thinking of fighting back and worried about the consequences he might face, according to his mother.
A polite student on his school’s football team, with good grades, good friends, a black belt in tae kwon do and college in his future, Daniel came into his parents’ room to ask them if they’d be mad if he got suspended, Anna Mendez said. Then he asked if he could skip part of the school day the next day. When his mother realized he was asking because he was considering self-defense against those bullying him, she finally told him: “If someone is bothering you, you choose the biggest one and punch him right in the nose.”
The next day, May 1, 2009, the San Clemente High School sophomore finally struck a blow but, outnumbered 2-1, he was beaten up by his persecutors and, feeling humiliated and hopeless, left school and shot himself less than an hour later.
I'll mostly skip the primary substance of the piece, which is about an effort in Florida to get "zero tolerance" school violence policies changed so that aggressors and victims who try to defend themselves aren't punished equally for a fight at school. Instead I'll focus on the "black belt in tae kwon do" part.
My eldest holds a black belt in kenpo karate. The first thing his first sensei taught his students was to be aware of their surroundings. The second thing he taught was conflict avoidance, including building the self-confidence and self-awareness to respect yourself and others so as to avoid becoming a victim or victimizing someone else. The third thing he taught was "escaping arts." The LAST thing he taught was "striking arts." My son studied for ten years to earn his black belt.
So, a couple of things. If this kid had attained the level of black belt in a legitimate martial art as a sophomore in high school, he would have been quite the prodigy, and should have been taught enough both to defend himself against a couple of punks and, more importantly, the maturity and self-discipline to extricate himself from the typical schoolyard bullying circumstance.
I'm not trying to blame the kid -- the bullying he endured and his eventual suicide are tragic evidences that the school system, health care system, and adults in his life failed him. His story is just an excuse to go on a rant.
But I am trying to blame the martial arts industry and the many charlatans who populate it. There are way too many kids out there with "black belt" degrees in some martial arts flavor who don't seem to know much about self defense. Or self knowledge. That bothers me.
Grade inflation?
(I know exceedingly little about martial arts, despite some significant personal exposure to people who seriously practice them, so I don't really have much to add here. Just that this appears like a common pattern throughout a wider array of life.)
I trained in tae kwon do for about two years back in college, but blew out my knee about a week before my green belt test. At that point I was still probably 3 years away from a black belt (white, yellow, green, purple, brown, black, with a stripe between each belt level). But martial arts schools are businesses, and many if not most supplement their instruction revenue with pretty sizable fees for testing for the next belt level. For the less scrupulous schools, that means moving the students up through the ranks as fast as possible, with promotion based as much on ability to pay test fees as on actual skill level achievement. Just another example of the profit motive becoming the enemy of quality.
That was supposed to nest below the bS LTE.
Yah, I've seen that business model issue more than a few times.
We got very lucky, landing in a school where the owner/sensei had a day job to help pay the bills. Karate was his life.
In this school, no testing fees (we paid a modest monthly fee and the students could train 5 days a week if they wanted).
Belt tests obviously were an important part of the incentive structure for keeping the younger kids going. I can remember both of my kids chafing at various times about not advancing and not "learning new things". But he was very patient and great at mixing the mental discipline stuff with the fun stuff for kids.
When he died (a couple of months after my son's bar mitzvah and with my son on the verge of testing for a jr. black belt -- actually a flavor of brown), I didn't know whether my son would ever go back to training. He eventually did, with an affiliated teacher. It was a hard 3+ more years to get to that black belt test. And all the more meaningful because of it.
I know we're all getting tired of the Rumours World Tour. I know I am. But this one smells vaguely plausible.
Report: Bulls offering Gibson, Snell, and 2 1sts for Love
the two firsts would be the 16th and 19th in this year's draft. Gibson is a good player on the right side of 30 (you like that, Bootsy?) who needs to be starting somewhere. Of course, he's no more of a "stretch forward" than David Lee, and doesn't have Lee's resume, but is several years younger and is a good defensive player. I think he might be on the cusp of showing all-star level play, given a situation in which he'd be a focal point of an offense. And he's signed for three more seasons at a reasonable dollar figure (~$8.5 million/year). That's a pretty valuable asset.
Tony Snell? 6'7" swing man with potential. The best thing you can say about him probably is that he's not a rookie anymore.
The 16th and 19th picks? Uhhhh. You aren't gonna get franchise-type players there. But it would give the Wolves two more chances to pick Wally McDermottiak.
1. You know the Wolves are picking McDermott. There can be no question.
2. I don't think the Wally comparison is fair. McDermott put up better numbers against better competition. I think he will be a serviceable player.
McDermott had maybe a bit better college career, but it's not a walkover.
Over his junior and senior seasons at Miami, Wally averaged ~24+/~8/~2 in ~30 mpg, playing in the MAC. As a senior, he took them to the Sweet Sixteen, scoring 43 against Washington, 24 against 2-seed Utah, and 23 against Kentucky. And he actually had a decent NBA career (14.1/4.0/2.4 over 10 seasons, 1 A-S game selection). McDermott's first three seasons were in the MVC.
But he profiles pretty similar to McDermott: Wally listed at 6'7", 244; McDermott as 6'7", 220. Neither is/was a great athlete, but both could shoot, have some toughness, and had scoring knacks in college.
Actually, calling him McDermottiak does him credit. I actually have him pegged as more of an Adam Morrison-type bust (although Morrison has the excuse of having suffered a bad knee injury and never really recovering).
Yeah, how many Top 5 picks have the Wolves had that wish they were as good as Wally Sczerbiak.
RE, a deal for KLove. I'd prefer they keep him - make him part of the solution to the no-post season, "I just wanna win" angle - but I don't think they have a very good shot at re-signing him, no matter how the draft/first half of the season go. With that in mind, I have to say that really enjoy reading a well-written, in-depth (though GSW-centric) discussion of the pros & cons of a particular move.
I'm just hoping that the Wolves have the in-house personnel to do the same sort of analysis.
It's funny how just a few months ago we were seeing stories about how much KLove liked playing in Minnesota.
If ESPN runs enough stories about how Love wants to end up in Los Angeles, maybe they will eventually convince him that it is true.
I'd be into a Bulls deal that includes Mirotic's rights, less so without them.
I'm still of the camp to keep him and make him walk away. The CBA was designed so that Super Friends couldn't push their way out of town, so just don't let him. Maybe you get some of the luck that clearly wasn't on the team's side this year and make some noise. Maybe not and he leaves. But him leaving is a lot better than some of these deals.
Trey's All-Star team avoided any drama tonight by winning 11-0 in a game called in the fourth inning due to mercy rule. Trey was 2-for-2 and "pitched" a shutout. It's all pitching machine, but he was the pitcher on defense for the entire game and they didn't score a run, so he gets the shutout, right?
heart breaker, fo sho.
I did a forehead smack when that goal was scored and my daughter kept asking me "What's wrong, dada?" It was really hard to try to explain something like that to someone who hasn't had a chance to acquire any cynicism in life yet.
She does know Ronaldo as "that scary man", though.
I had it picked 2-1 US. I was unreasonably ecstatic over my wisdom and the team's good fortune. Until, it appeared, they figured they could let Portugal pound away at Tim Howard and all would still be well.
Programming note: I'll be gone the next couple of days and away from the internets. If all goes according to plan, Minor Details and Game Recaps will resume Wednesday.
I'm guessing that we should be rooting for Portugal if a tie doesn't happen?
Yes, and for it to be a close game. Although a draw in either game is best. (I vote for collusion, please)
Hat tip to meat for the excellent victuals enjoyed at Chez Hayes last night. We had meat's wine-braised chorizo (I used a 6 year old CabSav) with Hook's one-year Wisconsin sharp cheddar, a baguette, and some sweet sugar snap peas fresh from our garden. If you haven't tried this recipe yet, you're missing out.
It's been a while since we had an Appetite. Who's got something new to share???
I've got something, but it may take me a bit to get it written up. I certainly wouldn't mind if somebody else got us off the scheid before then.
And I know what I'm having for dinner tomorrow. That dish is a staple when in in Ireland with access to great Spanish chorizo.
FanGraphs projects the Twins to finish 76-86. 3.4% chance of reaching the postseason.
Improvement!
I read that as an 86.34 % chance of making the playoffs.
dido
That's almost Jeff A math!
Anything less than 99% is way too low for Jeff A.
O.k. I have to share this GBV Rock the Garden story from yesterday (GBV rocked btw, much better show than I saw at Riot Fest last year).
So I get into RTG and I'm wearing my GBV shirt which is an unusual design. Below is image. This kid who think is about 16 and all alone wearing a different GBV shirt comes up to me and it first I think it's going to be a simple "we're both fans" nod. He starts talking to me asking where I got my shirt, etc. Clearly he's a big fan and wants to talk with another fan. Like I said he's all by himself. He explains that this is the only band he wants to see even if it costs $60. He also said that he went to the Des Moines show a month or so back. I said that the September show from a few years back was amazing. He then goes on that we wasn't even a fan then, it's only been in the last 2 years or so. So I said, but now you're a GBV freak aren't you. He just smiled and said oh yeah. I gave him a fist bump and said enjoy the show.
So now fast forward about 4 hours and it's just after their rocking 25-song in 60 minute set. I'm heading to the bathroom and I come across this kid. I said so whattya think? They rocked! "He said oh yeah look at my shirt" (which was drenched), "it's full of sweat and tears." I just smiled and said "that's awesome, you're gonna be ok."
https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t1.0-9/10377546_10203300210359703_1179307554806649910_n.jpg
I know exactly which kid you are talking about. He was in a ridiculously lively conversation about 20 feet from me with two other fans in the break after the GBV set. I was looking for your shirt, but never saw you.
Fresh off the presses...
ID the AU -- which Twins player (former or
recentcurrent) writes his name thusly:Oof, tough one. Without the hint, I'm guessing-
With the hint-
GAAAAAAH! NOW I process the hint. Oy.
I needed the hint.
Not an onion article - US student is rescued from giant vagina sculpture in Germany.
I had no idea who Sean Doolittle was until just now. His statline is ridiculous. 36 IP, 50 K, 1 BB. WHIP .583. That would make Eckersley blush.
Doolittle throws high-test gas. He emerged as a reliever after years of toiling as a less-than-successful position player in the minors. I've very much enjoyed watching him over the last couple of seasons.
Check out his fastball velocity graph:
As the person that drafted him for the WGOM fantasy league, it's been great.
We haven't had an exercise post in a while. Maybe this will inspire Pepper to do one on a topic that the danglers around here don't understand, but are inevitably interested in.
Forsberg, Hasek, and Modano into the hockey HOF this year. (also Rob Blake, Pat Burns, Mike McCreary (ref))
That is damn fine HOF class.
The World Cup . . . illustrated. Thirty-two artists have 90 minutes to produce original artwork documenting their nations' journeys through the tournament. It's pretty cool.
At a conference discussing management compensation. A participant stated that Joe Mauer is proof that pay doesn't motivate people to work harder.
I cannot escape it!
because...he's already working at his max effort level?
200%!
There is so, so much sad and wrong about this story.
I'll mostly skip the primary substance of the piece, which is about an effort in Florida to get "zero tolerance" school violence policies changed so that aggressors and victims who try to defend themselves aren't punished equally for a fight at school. Instead I'll focus on the "black belt in tae kwon do" part.
My eldest holds a black belt in kenpo karate. The first thing his first sensei taught his students was to be aware of their surroundings. The second thing he taught was conflict avoidance, including building the self-confidence and self-awareness to respect yourself and others so as to avoid becoming a victim or victimizing someone else. The third thing he taught was "escaping arts." The LAST thing he taught was "striking arts." My son studied for ten years to earn his black belt.
So, a couple of things. If this kid had attained the level of black belt in a legitimate martial art as a sophomore in high school, he would have been quite the prodigy, and should have been taught enough both to defend himself against a couple of punks and, more importantly, the maturity and self-discipline to extricate himself from the typical schoolyard bullying circumstance.
I'm not trying to blame the kid -- the bullying he endured and his eventual suicide are tragic evidences that the school system, health care system, and adults in his life failed him. His story is just an excuse to go on a rant.
But I am trying to blame the martial arts industry and the many charlatans who populate it. There are way too many kids out there with "black belt" degrees in some martial arts flavor who don't seem to know much about self defense. Or self knowledge. That bothers me.
Grade inflation?
(I know exceedingly little about martial arts, despite some significant personal exposure to people who seriously practice them, so I don't really have much to add here. Just that this appears like a common pattern throughout a wider array of life.)
I trained in tae kwon do for about two years back in college, but blew out my knee about a week before my green belt test. At that point I was still probably 3 years away from a black belt (white, yellow, green, purple, brown, black, with a stripe between each belt level). But martial arts schools are businesses, and many if not most supplement their instruction revenue with pretty sizable fees for testing for the next belt level. For the less scrupulous schools, that means moving the students up through the ranks as fast as possible, with promotion based as much on ability to pay test fees as on actual skill level achievement. Just another example of the profit motive becoming the enemy of quality.
That was supposed to nest below the bS LTE.
Yah, I've seen that business model issue more than a few times.
We got very lucky, landing in a school where the owner/sensei had a day job to help pay the bills. Karate was his life.
In this school, no testing fees (we paid a modest monthly fee and the students could train 5 days a week if they wanted).
Belt tests obviously were an important part of the incentive structure for keeping the younger kids going. I can remember both of my kids chafing at various times about not advancing and not "learning new things". But he was very patient and great at mixing the mental discipline stuff with the fun stuff for kids.
When he died (a couple of months after my son's bar mitzvah and with my son on the verge of testing for a jr. black belt -- actually a flavor of brown), I didn't know whether my son would ever go back to training. He eventually did, with an affiliated teacher. It was a hard 3+ more years to get to that black belt test. And all the more meaningful because of it.
I know we're all getting tired of the Rumours World Tour. I know I am. But this one smells vaguely plausible.
the two firsts would be the 16th and 19th in this year's draft. Gibson is a good player on the right side of 30 (you like that, Bootsy?) who needs to be starting somewhere. Of course, he's no more of a "stretch forward" than David Lee, and doesn't have Lee's resume, but is several years younger and is a good defensive player. I think he might be on the cusp of showing all-star level play, given a situation in which he'd be a focal point of an offense. And he's signed for three more seasons at a reasonable dollar figure (~$8.5 million/year). That's a pretty valuable asset.
Tony Snell? 6'7" swing man with potential. The best thing you can say about him probably is that he's not a rookie anymore.
The 16th and 19th picks? Uhhhh. You aren't gonna get franchise-type players there. But it would give the Wolves two more chances to pick Wally McDermottiak.
1. You know the Wolves are picking McDermott. There can be no question.
2. I don't think the Wally comparison is fair. McDermott put up better numbers against better competition. I think he will be a serviceable player.
McDermott had maybe a bit better college career, but it's not a walkover.
Over his junior and senior seasons at Miami, Wally averaged ~24+/~8/~2 in ~30 mpg, playing in the MAC. As a senior, he took them to the Sweet Sixteen, scoring 43 against Washington, 24 against 2-seed Utah, and 23 against Kentucky. And he actually had a decent NBA career (14.1/4.0/2.4 over 10 seasons, 1 A-S game selection). McDermott's first three seasons were in the MVC.
But he profiles pretty similar to McDermott: Wally listed at 6'7", 244; McDermott as 6'7", 220. Neither is/was a great athlete, but both could shoot, have some toughness, and had scoring knacks in college.
Actually, calling him McDermottiak does him credit. I actually have him pegged as more of an Adam Morrison-type bust (although Morrison has the excuse of having suffered a bad knee injury and never really recovering).
Yeah, how many Top 5 picks have the Wolves had that wish they were as good as Wally Sczerbiak.
RE, a deal for KLove. I'd prefer they keep him - make him part of the solution to the no-post season, "I just wanna win" angle - but I don't think they have a very good shot at re-signing him, no matter how the draft/first half of the season go. With that in mind, I have to say that really enjoy reading a well-written, in-depth (though GSW-centric) discussion of the pros & cons of a particular move.
I'm just hoping that the Wolves have the in-house personnel to do the same sort of analysis.
It's funny how just a few months ago we were seeing stories about how much KLove liked playing in Minnesota.
If ESPN runs enough stories about how Love wants to end up in Los Angeles, maybe they will eventually convince him that it is true.
I'd be into a Bulls deal that includes Mirotic's rights, less so without them.
I'm still of the camp to keep him and make him walk away. The CBA was designed so that Super Friends couldn't push their way out of town, so just don't let him. Maybe you get some of the luck that clearly wasn't on the team's side this year and make some noise. Maybe not and he leaves. But him leaving is a lot better than some of these deals.
Trey's All-Star team avoided any drama tonight by winning 11-0 in a game called in the fourth inning due to mercy rule. Trey was 2-for-2 and "pitched" a shutout. It's all pitching machine, but he was the pitcher on defense for the entire game and they didn't score a run, so he gets the shutout, right?
+ ∞