Cup of Coffee

October 30, 2014: That Was Dumb

38 Comments

I went into work four hours early, covering for a sick person, under the agreement that I could leave four hours early and see game seven. They forgot to cover the night shift and I got stuck there anyway. I don't know how to type the growl sound that I do a lot, but at any rate, I'm doing it.

38 thoughts on “October 30, 2014: That Was Dumb”

  3. Long-form interview/essay about Bill James by JoePos...well worth the read if you have 15 minutes. A taste:

    “I have to take my share of responsibility for promoting skepticism about things that I didn’t understand as well as I might have,” he says. “What I would say NOW is that skepticism should be directed at things that are actually untrue rather than things that are difficult to measure.

    Leadership is one player having an effect on his teammates. There is nothing about that that should invite skepticism. People have an effect on one another in every area of life. … We all affect another’s work. You just can’t really measure that in an individual-accounting framework.”
    -Bill James

    1. I feel like Bill James is stealing directly from things I've written in the past. But saying it better.

  5. Does anyone have experience selling their home without a realtor? 6 or 7% commission seems like a lot considering houses in Fargo in my house's price range pretty much sell themselves. Is the cost of a realtor worth it to avoid the hassle, or is it not really that difficult? I even have some potential buyers lined up, I just don't know a fair price to ask.

    1. I just sold my house two weeks ago without a Realtor, though it was easier for me for two reasons. One, I sold it to my renters, so I never had to search for a buyer. Two , I have a friend who is a Realtor who was able to "totally not give me any advice" and tell me how much I should ask for. He also was our facilitator and did all the paperwork for us (for $1,500).

      If you had a mortgage consultant, perhaps you could get some advice from them on what properties are going for in your area.

      1. So a realtor can just facilitate the sale and take care of the paper work for a flat fee? That sounds like a good way to go. My neighborhood has lots of houses that are mostly the same floor plan and built by the same builder, so I can probably get the price close enough that if I'm saving on realtor fees I won't care if I sell it for a few thousand less than it's worth.

        I think the Wells Fargo lady who keeps sending me postcards must be my mortgage consultant, I'll reach out to her too. Thanks

        1. Yes. It's kind of a pain for them to do, as they have to be very careful to not give any advice and the closing companies can muck things up (what do you mean you're not they're Realto?). But I'd look into it for sure. If you already have a buyer lined up, you'll save several thousand. Maybe an extra headache or two, but it might be worth it.

          I think I sold mine for more than I would have gotten on the open market. My renters were so desperate to buy it that they just agreed to the first price I gave them.

    2. We sold our first house without one, but mostly because one of our neighbors brought us a potential buyer. Definitely have a lawyer on your side to advise.

    3. Having a buyer lined up is important. Remember of that 6 or 7 percent commission, the buyer's realtor gets around 3 percent of it. Some realtors won't show their buying clients houses if they don't get a that ~3.0%. You'll also need a lawyer. If you know a realtor, they may negotiate down closer to 5 percent.

            1. I grabbed the Snowpack sampler at Costco the other week. The inclusion of an IPA (Boomerang) was a little odd for a cold weather sampler, but I've always enjoyed the Porter and the Coffee Stout is very good, if a little heavy handed on the coffee.

              No Stone milk stout out here at Sconnie Costcos, but I don't know, there public persona grates on me a bit so I don't go looking for their brews any more.

              1. I try not to hold brewers accountable for the advertising campaigns their owners choose. Unless the beer sucks. Stone's Vertical Epic line is fantastic, the smoked porter is very good, and this milk stout is very good.

                I'm slowly ratcheting back on my hop-headedness. Maybe I'm getting old. But I don't seek out the extremely hopped beers much anymore. So the Arrogant Bastard is a rare choice for me.

                1. To be fair, Stone pulled out of Wisconsin a couple years ago anyway, so its really just false bravado on my part. I do still have my Ruination bike jersey that I wear when I get off my ass and on my bike.

                2. I've started veering off the hop-heads towards the Sour Bretts. Strange but mystical.

                  1. My only experience with sours is the Surly Pentagram. That was something else entirely. I really liked it, but wouldn't even know how to venture down that rabbit hole.

                    As the weather cools, my tastes go darker. We're not TOO cold yet, so it's been a lot of brown ales lately. Tonight is the old standby, the Coffee Bender.

                    1. The Surly site tour in Minny and Pentagram tasting started me on the Bretts.

                      The Beer Cave in West Hartford had several others that I've been trying. Some are sour, some fruity.

                    2. I loves me some sour ales. Gueuze is a great style. Not sessionable, to be sure. But in my old age, two or three IS a session.

  8. AP ran a story that this World Series was the second-least watched of televised World Series and the least watched Game 7. In the story, however, was this tidbit:

    When the Minnesota Twins beat the Atlanta Braves in 1991, the audience was 50.3 million people.

    This game had just under half of the '91 Game 7 audience.

      1. I was living in middle-of-nowhere South Dakota then, and I had a lot more than eight channels. No internet or smart phone, though.

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