spoons, you seem to have left this post in limbo and were not logged in. So I grabbed it out of your cold, dead-to-us hands.
Its just Pete Rose, Frank Thomas, and Alex Rodriguez holding court talking hitting (ok, mostly Pete doing the talking but its a good watch)
I can see Alex Rodriguez hosting his own baseball show
Whenever I hear A-Rod, I'm impressed. He doesn't need to hear his own voice and seems to have some good insight. I would have never tabbed him as a talking head
If only he hadn't been,
a) a playoffs Twins Killer
b) a Yankme
c) a liar about his PED's use
Also, swap out Thomas for Bonds ... think of the possibilities.
heh. let's go to the remote: Bud? Bud, you there?
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed that clip given A-Rod and Charlie Hustle's personalities, and amused by how long it took Frank to get a word in. (He seems like the funny, silent type anyway.)
I was struck by how Rose would interrupt Thomas so Rodriguez would wait and then ask Thomas again. He's already a pro. I wonder how much of that was developed from his playing days. It would not surprise me if he asked many greats he played with in the same way. Thomas remarked he hadn't thought about moving around in the box or changing his grip of the bat but Rodriguez seemed already aware of it.
Jeter has his Players Tribune. Rodriguez needs a video interview version of that.
A-Rod's ability to defer to others or find a way to include them in the conversation has struck me as impressive, like you said the guy is already really good at being a broadcaster.
In an SI column yesterday, a Fox producer talked about getting emails from A-Rod at midnight as he thought of ideas while reviewing tape. On the other end of the spectrum, it seems pretty clear that Pete Rose just shows up and shoots the sh*t, not much of a surprise.
Besides him not having much playoff success (vs. the Twins being the exception), I think the biggest reason A-Rod wasn't more popular considering how great a player he was, was that he usually came off so practiced and rehearsed in front of the media. It made him seem fake. Now that he's part of the media, it makes him seem professional.
"Alright, let's go eat."
*bat drop*
Found this gem on YouTube last night:
Don't look, Rhu_Ru!
RonRolled!
(fixed your link; the "v" in httpv is no longer needed
I disabled that plugin recently too so it would have worked until last week.
Good to know. Thanks, both of you.
"Winter Wonderland" will be taking a few days off. It may come back Saturday, or it may come back Monday. We'll see.
The birthday list and 1987 Rewind should continue as scheduled. However, the last couple of days I've gotten "Missed Schedule" and had to manually post them later. If that happens in the next few days, I may not be around to manually post them.
That is something missed from the move. I'll fix it tonight.
Thank you!
I'm just putting this here:
I'm rooting for the Cubs.
Normally, I wouldn't be. I think there's something very special in their long streak of losing, and I would want that preserved under normal circumstances. But Emerson was a Cubs fan, and his parents are Cubs fans (and his mom is a Twins fan too), and... and that makes it okay. There's something beautiful that will be lost if the Cubs win, but there's something beautiful that will be gained too.
Also, I like it when Cleveland suffers that kind of indignity.
Go Cubs.
I am also rooting for the Cubs. I like their players, their manager, their energy. I also like rooting for teams with over 100 wins. It still irritates me that the 01 Mariners aren't often in the conversation for the best teams of all time. And by pythag this Cubs team is the 3rd best in the past 30 years.
Co-sign, for all Beau's reasons. I'm going to buy MLB.tv Postseason access so I can watch this Series.
Is it selfish of me to hope Cleveland is swept so Falvey can get to work?
swept, but all 1-0 victories for the Cubs so his pitchers still look good :o)
Will MLB.tv Postseason work? I got the cheapo package and ended up blacked out for anything but the TBS games. I interpreted the regular package as that you must be able to authenticate through one of the listed providers in order to watch.
Seriously? FFS. Talk about self-defeating.
All the WS games are on FOX (not FS1), dont know if it being on a over the air net and not cable make a difference.
oh, crap. I knew i forgot something this morning. Forgot to set my DVR. What time does the game start?
The game or the broadcast? Gameday says 7:00 p.m. CDT.
first pitch. Do I have to sneak out of work on time, rather than my usual 1-2 hours later?
Doc, you're doing it wrong. Gubmit employees sneak out of work 1-2 hours before they're supposed to, not after!
I've heard something like this before:
He clearly needs to do some shovel leaning as well....
I called MLB.tv to clarify. If you live in the US and you are in an area covered by a "Participating TV Provider," then you have to pay for a TV subscription in order to be able to watch the game via a paid subscription to MLB.tv instead of via your paid TV subscription.
If you live in the US in an area not covered by a "Participating TV Provider" (for example, Comcast or Charter) and you pay for a TV subscription, then you cannot watch the World Series live via MLB.tv, but you can watch it on your TV via your paid TV subscription.
If you live in the US in an area not covered by a "Participating TV Provider" (for example, Comcast or Charter) and do not pay for a TV subscription (you are a "cord cutter" or use streaming services like Netflix or Hulu for entertainment), then you cannot watch the World Series live. Period.
If you do not live in the US, you can watch the World Series live via a paid MLB.tv subscription.
In other words, if you want to watch a World Series with century-long implications with the best of 21st century technology, your ability to do so is tied to a system with commercial origins in the 1970s.
If you live in the US in an area not covered by a "Participating TV Provider" (for example, Comcast or Charter) and do not pay for a TV subscription (you are a "cord cutter" or use streaming services like Netflix or Hulu for entertainment), then you cannot watch the World Series live. Period.
I subscribed to Sling TV after my non-TBS woes. It has worked flawlessly for all of the games. I don't recall if I watched any of the ALDS but I am pretty sure I watched the end of the NLDS series and all of the CS games through it.
They have two packages, confusingly named Orange and Blue. The Blue package has the Fox channels and is $25 per month. I subscribed early in the postseason so paying all $25 for three weeks was acceptable to me. They have a one week trial period before charging you so if the series takes five games or less, you could get it for free. Now that I look it up again, I see the tiny text for Fox: "select markets". They have a page listing the local channel options and I'm set in MSP. I don't see any markets for the People's Republic but Chicago and MSP both carry Fox live.
Hmm, I wonder if this will work. I checked via ZIP code and it says I'm eligible for Fox Sports North & Fox on-demand. Think that gets me in the door?
I have a similar quandary regarding the specialness of their losing, but competely agree with you about their players, Mgr, etc. Throw in the logo issue and the fact I no longer work in Rockford and its a no brainer for me to want to see the Cubs win.
It would also make the "best fans in baseball" Twitter account an interesting read.
Any Cubs win is sure to annoy Brewers fans, right? So that's a win, too.
Throw in Cardinals fans to that mix.
My FIL is already beginning to spin in his grave.
I just want quality baseball games and a 7 game series.
Hate to be the outlier, but man I dislike the Cubs on so many levels. The ownership family is among the biggest reasons I just can't root for them.
You got a reputation to uphold!
I am curious though. Outside of the obvious concerns with ownership and say, Aroldis, what else trips your trigger?
I've never liked the whole WGN/Cubs thingy being able to be in every market, I also get very tired of the Lovable Losers schtick.
I get tired of it too. They act like they're the best fans in baseball because they watch a bad team. The fans are there for Wrigley and the neighborhood, not baseball. There used to be a mass exodus to the bars as soon as Harry Caray finished "Take Me Out the Ballgame. "
I always had a bunch of Cubs fans in my social circles growing up, from elementary school through college. I haven't talked to most of those guys in years but hope they are enjoying the hell out of this run and get to experience a World Series victory.
I'm rooting for the Cubs because they're bear cubs, and bears are cool.
they aren't named after Cub Foods?
That's right. The Chicago Consumers United in Buying.
I'm rooting for Cleveland. Chapman and Lester are just incredibly unlikeable.
Dido, plus the Ricketts.
Oh how my Omerha cousins hate teh Ricketts.
Perhaps I have forgotten what makes Lester unlikeable. The only association I really have with him is his inclusion the failed Johan-to-Boston trade and that he's a cancer survivor.
He has never, EVER thrown a pitch that should have been called a ball. He makes Paul O'Neill seem like a charming, understanding gentleman.
Paul O'Neill...bleech.
See. He's a whiny bastard who should STFU. He does this every single game.
Cubs radio guys are saying the Cubs' dugout is chirping about calls Kluber's getting as hitters go back to look at video. Home plate umpire was glaring over there a few batters back.
Every single one of these "close" pitches the home plate umpire has called correctly per Foxtrax. The one Lester got really steamed about wasn't even close. But again... HE DOES THIS EVERY GAME.
I'm not seeing anything here to suggest Vanover's being inconsistent.
Looks like he hasn't called a single pitch that wasn't over the plate a strike.
I'm not watching, so I'm stuck with whatever Coomdog's partner is relaying via the Marconi wireless set.
Strike three to Guyer was about 5 inches outside.
The old college roommate is a Cubs fan, so I'm pulling for then for him.
I'm with the Clevelands, which I never thought I would say. I got to know a bunch of them in my store last year and just ended up really liking them. I know everyone hates the logo, and I hate it as much as anyone, but the players aren't in it for Chief Wahoo.
Did you help Bauer pick out any drones?
I did help Bauer a time or two! Not with drones, though.
Sounds like that's where he could have used the help.
I'm pulling for the Cubs, but honestly, I'd be just fine if the Indians won it.
I'm surrounded by a lot of Cubs fans, so I feel the energy. I've also been annoyed with Cardinals fans for a while, so I'd love for the Cubs to win just to spite them a little.
But the Indians... man they are a good team. While so much of the press has been about the Cubs, the Indians have just quietly dominated this postseason. I think they're better than the Giants or the Dodgers, and considering what trouble those teams gave the Cubs at times, I think Cleveland has a good chance to sweep this series.
I also like the matchup of managers. Francona vs. Maddon.
Just received a letter from IL saying I owe $122 for a 1997 parking ticket.
I'm thinking about forwarding them my email from the Nigerian Prince and letting them work out the details.
Send them a thank you note for the donation of toilet paper with their letterhead on it.
They're referred to as FIB's for a reason.
rainy day here. On sunday, I made chicken congee in my crockpot. I have lots of leftover congee. Comfort food.
tonight, I'll sautee up (separately) some more mushrooms, spinach, and garlic/ginger to serve as mix-ins or toppers, chop a green onion and toast some sesame seeds. A splash each of sesame oil and tamari, and a few drops of hot pepper oil to finish. Mmmm.
Mmmm indeed.
So all you do is cook rice in chicken stock until it's mushy?
I can do that!
that is correct. I used 2 cups of brown rice and two quarts of chicken broth (brought to boil then poured into the warmed crock). Ended up needing to mix in extra water at the end.
We've not talked books for a bit, but here's something fun. (Because what's more fun than subverting gender roles?)
Pfft. Not even remotely believable.
Premise reads like something that should have run at the late, great Toast.
Mallory's got a real job as Miss Etiquette for Slate, but man do I miss hearing things like how medieval monks invented art.
On the way home, I suddenly realized it reminded me of the fantastic parody of the GQ article about climbers. Here's the parody. Here's a side-by-side comparison.
That frilly lilac blouse? Ugh.
In that photo where he's leaning out of the car window? That one is sooooooooo good!
Also no reason for the baseball ops person to care.
I used to get pretty annoyed by Bert, but now that he does fewer games he doesn't bother me. All my announcing complaints are now Bremer-related.
Bert is like the wave. Silly and ok at first.
He does so few lately that I had thought he was on his way out.
I do not currently favor any of the 4 options in the TV booth.
Dick, Bert!, Addleberry, and...?
Atteberry isn't TV, don't be slandering him that way
I'm ok with Smalley.
Same. I think with a good play-by-play guy, he could become a perfectly fine color guy (granted, the insights and whatnot that seem fresh now would obviously wear thin over the course of 162 games, but he's a significant upgrade from anyone else they've put in the booth lately).
By golly does he blather on.
The thing is that, while most of us are tired of DickNBert, I suspect a substantial majority of Twins fans are just fine with them and would be upset if either was replaced.
Yes. That's why I compare them to the wave. I find it annoying but there is evidence that a lot of people feel differently.
Bert down to 80 games on TV. I do not hope this means more Jack Morris. His "back in my day..." and anti 'any progressive stat is bad' takes makes me long for Bert's tired shtick.
I would be in favor of an ex Twins player (lets face it, no one is working Twins games unless they are One Of Us) that actually played this century.
46 pitches for Miller.
Can someone explain why the Fox crew and everyone else is so fawning over a middle reliever? I mean, he's really good. But MVP of the ALCS? really?
How many middle relievers have you seen throw 13.2 innings in 7 games with 24 Ks and 51 batters faced recently? Even with an off-night yesterday evening, that's plenty more than "really good."
That said, I think it's the way Francona's been upsetting conventional thinking by how he's deployed his best reliever that has generated the most buzz. It's a breath of fresh air in an area of the game that has become way too predictable.
Also, calling Andrew Miller a "middle reliever" is a bit disingenuous. He's the best relief pitcher in all of baseball.
Kenly Jansen might question that. by fWAR, Jansen 3.2 in 68 2/3 innings; Miller 2.9 in 74 innings. Oh, and Betances, 2.9, Chapman 2.7, etc.
I don't question whether Miller has been really, really good at what he's been asked to do. I'm just contrasting with the standard reading of "guys who are not starters or closers".
Francona's usage of Miller is the reincarnation of the fireman. That would be a better term than "middle relief" due to its positive connotations.
The fireman name was given because pitchers were used to "put out fires", in other words, get out of jams. In Miller's 4 outings in the ALCS, he only once came in with anyone on base and that was a man on first and one out with a three-run lead. Francona wouldn't let innings build at all, at least not after 4 innings.
Fine, we'll stick with the Miller relief role instead.
Miller Time.
My problem isn't with the target, it's with the fawning. Of all the complaints about Joe Buck, this is probably my biggest one: he won't stop talking about how great or unique something or someone is, yet he does so in the most banal, content-less terms. Listening to Joe Buck, I wouldn't know whether a player was actually special or not, because even when he tells us they are so, he does it in a way that comes off as unknowledgable and insincere.
Well, Joe doesn't particularly like baseball, which doesn't help.
Yep.
And his favorite sport is particularly dependent on the buoyancy provided by excessive hot air.
This is a minor thing but I have a new oet peave. The "He's a great pitcher but he's an even better person..." thing. I'm sure he's a good guy but he's literally one of the best pitchers in the world. Is he working towards world peace or rebuilding Haiti in the off-season?
you know, that's what makes him such a great pitcher, his humanity.
also, did you know that David Ross is retiring after the season?
I also learned that clubs are eliminating roster spots for the David Ross's of the world -- marginal players who are saintly in the clubhouse and get after it and are grinders and stuff. Did the Twins get that memo?
that was most of my point.
also, I learned last night from Fox that Miller has grown 3-4 inches. He's now 6'10".
I have to say, I felt pretty decent about them giving it to him. Those were some dominant, high leverage innings he threw (also, he threw the third most innings for pitchers on either team in the LCS).
I think Allen should have gotten co-MVP with Miller. He was equally as dominant, just in less innings but Allen had a hand in all 4 wins, getting 3 saves and a hold, and in 3 of those outings he had to get their best batters out because they're righthanded.
Equally dominant in fewer innings when the sample size is already postseason-small isn't really equally dominant. Allen has pitched just over 2/3 of the innings Miller has thrown over the same period.
And his innings weren't as good. Allen registered a WHIP* that was 10% higher and a K/9 three lower 16.4 vs 13.5). With better innings and more of them, Miller had the higher WPA (.639 vs .532). BR doesn't have WPA for everyone so it's hard to compare against the batters but Miller was the better choice over Allen.
* Sure Allen's was 0.429 compared to Miller's 0.391 but it was higher.
And that despite WPA favoring a closer due to the game situation.
spoons, you seem to have left this post in limbo and were not logged in. So I grabbed it out of your cold, dead-to-us hands.
Its just Pete Rose, Frank Thomas, and Alex Rodriguez holding court talking hitting (ok, mostly Pete doing the talking but its a good watch)
I can see Alex Rodriguez hosting his own baseball show
Whenever I hear A-Rod, I'm impressed. He doesn't need to hear his own voice and seems to have some good insight. I would have never tabbed him as a talking head
If only he hadn't been,
a) a playoffs Twins Killer
b) a Yankme
c) a liar about his PED's use
Also, swap out Thomas for Bonds ... think of the possibilities.
heh. let's go to the remote: Bud? Bud, you there?
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed that clip given A-Rod and Charlie Hustle's personalities, and amused by how long it took Frank to get a word in. (He seems like the funny, silent type anyway.)
I was struck by how Rose would interrupt Thomas so Rodriguez would wait and then ask Thomas again. He's already a pro. I wonder how much of that was developed from his playing days. It would not surprise me if he asked many greats he played with in the same way. Thomas remarked he hadn't thought about moving around in the box or changing his grip of the bat but Rodriguez seemed already aware of it.
Jeter has his Players Tribune. Rodriguez needs a video interview version of that.
A-Rod's ability to defer to others or find a way to include them in the conversation has struck me as impressive, like you said the guy is already really good at being a broadcaster.
In an SI column yesterday, a Fox producer talked about getting emails from A-Rod at midnight as he thought of ideas while reviewing tape. On the other end of the spectrum, it seems pretty clear that Pete Rose just shows up and shoots the sh*t, not much of a surprise.
Besides him not having much playoff success (vs. the Twins being the exception), I think the biggest reason A-Rod wasn't more popular considering how great a player he was, was that he usually came off so practiced and rehearsed in front of the media. It made him seem fake. Now that he's part of the media, it makes him seem professional.
"Alright, let's go eat."
*bat drop*
Found this gem on YouTube last night:
Don't look, Rhu_Ru!
RonRolled!
(fixed your link; the "v" in httpv is no longer needed
I disabled that plugin recently too so it would have worked until last week.
Good to know. Thanks, both of you.
"Winter Wonderland" will be taking a few days off. It may come back Saturday, or it may come back Monday. We'll see.
The birthday list and 1987 Rewind should continue as scheduled. However, the last couple of days I've gotten "Missed Schedule" and had to manually post them later. If that happens in the next few days, I may not be around to manually post them.
That is something missed from the move. I'll fix it tonight.
Thank you!
I'm just putting this here:
I'm rooting for the Cubs.
Normally, I wouldn't be. I think there's something very special in their long streak of losing, and I would want that preserved under normal circumstances. But Emerson was a Cubs fan, and his parents are Cubs fans (and his mom is a Twins fan too), and... and that makes it okay. There's something beautiful that will be lost if the Cubs win, but there's something beautiful that will be gained too.
Also, I like it when Cleveland suffers that kind of indignity.
Go Cubs.
I am also rooting for the Cubs. I like their players, their manager, their energy. I also like rooting for teams with over 100 wins. It still irritates me that the 01 Mariners aren't often in the conversation for the best teams of all time. And by pythag this Cubs team is the 3rd best in the past 30 years.
Co-sign, for all Beau's reasons. I'm going to buy MLB.tv Postseason access so I can watch this Series.
Is it selfish of me to hope Cleveland is swept so Falvey can get to work?
swept, but all 1-0 victories for the Cubs so his pitchers still look good :o)
Will MLB.tv Postseason work? I got the cheapo package and ended up blacked out for anything but the TBS games. I interpreted the regular package as that you must be able to authenticate through one of the listed providers in order to watch.
Seriously? FFS. Talk about self-defeating.
All the WS games are on FOX (not FS1), dont know if it being on a over the air net and not cable make a difference.
oh, crap. I knew i forgot something this morning. Forgot to set my DVR. What time does the game start?
The game or the broadcast? Gameday says 7:00 p.m. CDT.
first pitch. Do I have to sneak out of work on time, rather than my usual 1-2 hours later?
Doc, you're doing it wrong. Gubmit employees sneak out of work 1-2 hours before they're supposed to, not after!
I've heard something like this before:
He clearly needs to do some shovel leaning as well....
I called MLB.tv to clarify. If you live in the US and you are in an area covered by a "Participating TV Provider," then you have to pay for a TV subscription in order to be able to watch the game via a paid subscription to MLB.tv instead of via your paid TV subscription.
If you live in the US in an area not covered by a "Participating TV Provider" (for example, Comcast or Charter) and you pay for a TV subscription, then you cannot watch the World Series live via MLB.tv, but you can watch it on your TV via your paid TV subscription.
If you live in the US in an area not covered by a "Participating TV Provider" (for example, Comcast or Charter) and do not pay for a TV subscription (you are a "cord cutter" or use streaming services like Netflix or Hulu for entertainment), then you cannot watch the World Series live. Period.
If you do not live in the US, you can watch the World Series live via a paid MLB.tv subscription.
In other words, if you want to watch a World Series with century-long implications with the best of 21st century technology, your ability to do so is tied to a system with commercial origins in the 1970s.
I subscribed to Sling TV after my non-TBS woes. It has worked flawlessly for all of the games. I don't recall if I watched any of the ALDS but I am pretty sure I watched the end of the NLDS series and all of the CS games through it.
They have two packages, confusingly named Orange and Blue. The Blue package has the Fox channels and is $25 per month. I subscribed early in the postseason so paying all $25 for three weeks was acceptable to me. They have a one week trial period before charging you so if the series takes five games or less, you could get it for free. Now that I look it up again, I see the tiny text for Fox: "select markets". They have a page listing the local channel options and I'm set in MSP. I don't see any markets for the People's Republic but Chicago and MSP both carry Fox live.
Hmm, I wonder if this will work. I checked via ZIP code and it says I'm eligible for Fox Sports North & Fox on-demand. Think that gets me in the door?
I have a similar quandary regarding the specialness of their losing, but competely agree with you about their players, Mgr, etc. Throw in the logo issue and the fact I no longer work in Rockford and its a no brainer for me to want to see the Cubs win.
It would also make the "best fans in baseball" Twitter account an interesting read.
Any Cubs win is sure to annoy Brewers fans, right? So that's a win, too.
Throw in Cardinals fans to that mix.
My FIL is already beginning to spin in his grave.
I just want quality baseball games and a 7 game series.
Hate to be the outlier, but man I dislike the Cubs on so many levels. The ownership family is among the biggest reasons I just can't root for them.
You got a reputation to uphold!
I am curious though. Outside of the obvious concerns with ownership and say, Aroldis, what else trips your trigger?
I've never liked the whole WGN/Cubs thingy being able to be in every market, I also get very tired of the Lovable Losers schtick.
I get tired of it too. They act like they're the best fans in baseball because they watch a bad team. The fans are there for Wrigley and the neighborhood, not baseball. There used to be a mass exodus to the bars as soon as Harry Caray finished "Take Me Out the Ballgame. "
I always had a bunch of Cubs fans in my social circles growing up, from elementary school through college. I haven't talked to most of those guys in years but hope they are enjoying the hell out of this run and get to experience a World Series victory.
I'm rooting for the Cubs because they're bear cubs, and bears are cool.
they aren't named after Cub Foods?
That's right. The Chicago Consumers United in Buying.
I'm excited for Chicago to get its first World Series win in 108 years!
I'm rooting for Cleveland. Chapman and Lester are just incredibly unlikeable.
Dido, plus the Ricketts.
Oh how my Omerha cousins hate teh Ricketts.
Perhaps I have forgotten what makes Lester unlikeable. The only association I really have with him is his inclusion the failed Johan-to-Boston trade and that he's a cancer survivor.
He has never, EVER thrown a pitch that should have been called a ball. He makes Paul O'Neill seem like a charming, understanding gentleman.
Paul O'Neill...bleech.
See. He's a whiny bastard who should STFU. He does this every single game.
Cubs radio guys are saying the Cubs' dugout is chirping about calls Kluber's getting as hitters go back to look at video. Home plate umpire was glaring over there a few batters back.
Every single one of these "close" pitches the home plate umpire has called correctly per Foxtrax. The one Lester got really steamed about wasn't even close. But again... HE DOES THIS EVERY GAME.
I'm not seeing anything here to suggest Vanover's being inconsistent.
Looks like he hasn't called a single pitch that wasn't over the plate a strike.
I'm not watching, so I'm stuck with whatever Coomdog's partner is relaying via the Marconi wireless set.
Strike three to Guyer was about 5 inches outside.
The old college roommate is a Cubs fan, so I'm pulling for then for him.
I'm with the Clevelands, which I never thought I would say. I got to know a bunch of them in my store last year and just ended up really liking them. I know everyone hates the logo, and I hate it as much as anyone, but the players aren't in it for Chief Wahoo.
Did you help Bauer pick out any drones?
I did help Bauer a time or two! Not with drones, though.
Sounds like that's where he could have used the help.
I'm pulling for the Cubs, but honestly, I'd be just fine if the Indians won it.
I'm surrounded by a lot of Cubs fans, so I feel the energy. I've also been annoyed with Cardinals fans for a while, so I'd love for the Cubs to win just to spite them a little.
But the Indians... man they are a good team. While so much of the press has been about the Cubs, the Indians have just quietly dominated this postseason. I think they're better than the Giants or the Dodgers, and considering what trouble those teams gave the Cubs at times, I think Cleveland has a good chance to sweep this series.
I also like the matchup of managers. Francona vs. Maddon.
Just received a letter from IL saying I owe $122 for a 1997 parking ticket.
Four crimes with no statute of limitations - rape, murder, arson, and parking violations. https://www.google.com/amp/www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/chicago-parking-tickets-301504251.html%3famp=y?client=ms-android-verizon
IL-LI-NOIS! IL-LI-NOIS! IL-LI-NOIS!
dude. It's "I-L-L!...I-N-I!" Call and response.
work on your spelling
Go Indians!
Hey, good a reason as any.
Did they provide a copy of the alleged ticket?
No. Just a letter from an attorney.
I'm thinking about forwarding them my email from the Nigerian Prince and letting them work out the details.
Send them a thank you note for the donation of toilet paper with their letterhead on it.
They're referred to as FIB's for a reason.
rainy day here. On sunday, I made chicken congee in my crockpot. I have lots of leftover congee. Comfort food.
tonight, I'll sautee up (separately) some more mushrooms, spinach, and garlic/ginger to serve as mix-ins or toppers, chop a green onion and toast some sesame seeds. A splash each of sesame oil and tamari, and a few drops of hot pepper oil to finish. Mmmm.
Mmmm indeed.
So all you do is cook rice in chicken stock until it's mushy?
I can do that!
that is correct. I used 2 cups of brown rice and two quarts of chicken broth (brought to boil then poured into the warmed crock). Ended up needing to mix in extra water at the end.
We've not talked books for a bit, but here's something fun. (Because what's more fun than subverting gender roles?)
Pfft. Not even remotely believable.
Premise reads like something that should have run at the late, great Toast.
Mallory's got a real job as Miss Etiquette for Slate, but man do I miss hearing things like how medieval monks invented art.
On the way home, I suddenly realized it reminded me of the fantastic parody of the GQ article about climbers. Here's the parody. Here's a side-by-side comparison.
That frilly lilac blouse? Ugh.
In that photo where he's leaning out of the car window? That one is sooooooooo good!
Also, did you see the caption for that photo?
That made my morning.
There are $340 roundtrip tickets from MSP to Paris right now. Crazy. That's $100 cheaper than it usually costs to get to NOLA.
Why go to the new one when it'd be so cheap to get to the original?
Also $310 roundtrip to Amsterdam.
Vs how much to New Amsterdam?
We paid about that much to get the Girl from Boston to New Mexico for turkey day.
Can Falvey veto this?
That's got Dave St. Peter written all over it.
Also no reason for the baseball ops person to care.
I used to get pretty annoyed by Bert, but now that he does fewer games he doesn't bother me. All my announcing complaints are now Bremer-related.
Bert is like the wave. Silly and ok at first.
He does so few lately that I had thought he was on his way out.
I do not currently favor any of the 4 options in the TV booth.
Dick, Bert!, Addleberry, and...?
Atteberry isn't TV, don't be slandering him that way
I'm ok with Smalley.
Same. I think with a good play-by-play guy, he could become a perfectly fine color guy (granted, the insights and whatnot that seem fresh now would obviously wear thin over the course of 162 games, but he's a significant upgrade from anyone else they've put in the booth lately).
By golly does he blather on.
The thing is that, while most of us are tired of DickNBert, I suspect a substantial majority of Twins fans are just fine with them and would be upset if either was replaced.
Yes. That's why I compare them to the wave. I find it annoying but there is evidence that a lot of people feel differently.
Bert down to 80 games on TV. I do not hope this means more Jack Morris. His "back in my day..." and anti 'any progressive stat is bad' takes makes me long for Bert's tired shtick.
I would be in favor of an ex Twins player (lets face it, no one is working Twins games unless they are One Of Us) that actually played this century.
46 pitches for Miller.
Can someone explain why the Fox crew and everyone else is so fawning over a middle reliever? I mean, he's really good. But MVP of the ALCS? really?
How many middle relievers have you seen throw 13.2 innings in 7 games with 24 Ks and 51 batters faced recently? Even with an off-night yesterday evening, that's plenty more than "really good."
That said, I think it's the way Francona's been upsetting conventional thinking by how he's deployed his best reliever that has generated the most buzz. It's a breath of fresh air in an area of the game that has become way too predictable.
Also, calling Andrew Miller a "middle reliever" is a bit disingenuous. He's the best relief pitcher in all of baseball.
Kenly Jansen might question that. by fWAR, Jansen 3.2 in 68 2/3 innings; Miller 2.9 in 74 innings. Oh, and Betances, 2.9, Chapman 2.7, etc.
I don't question whether Miller has been really, really good at what he's been asked to do. I'm just contrasting with the standard reading of "guys who are not starters or closers".
Francona's usage of Miller is the reincarnation of the fireman. That would be a better term than "middle relief" due to its positive connotations.
The fireman name was given because pitchers were used to "put out fires", in other words, get out of jams. In Miller's 4 outings in the ALCS, he only once came in with anyone on base and that was a man on first and one out with a three-run lead. Francona wouldn't let innings build at all, at least not after 4 innings.
Fine, we'll stick with the Miller relief role instead.
Miller Time.
My problem isn't with the target, it's with the fawning. Of all the complaints about Joe Buck, this is probably my biggest one: he won't stop talking about how great or unique something or someone is, yet he does so in the most banal, content-less terms. Listening to Joe Buck, I wouldn't know whether a player was actually special or not, because even when he tells us they are so, he does it in a way that comes off as unknowledgable and insincere.
Well, Joe doesn't particularly like baseball, which doesn't help.
Yep.
And his favorite sport is particularly dependent on the buoyancy provided by excessive hot air.
This is a minor thing but I have a new oet peave. The "He's a great pitcher but he's an even better person..." thing. I'm sure he's a good guy but he's literally one of the best pitchers in the world. Is he working towards world peace or rebuilding Haiti in the off-season?
you know, that's what makes him such a great pitcher, his humanity.
also, did you know that David Ross is retiring after the season?
I also learned that clubs are eliminating roster spots for the David Ross's of the world -- marginal players who are saintly in the clubhouse and get after it and are grinders and stuff. Did the Twins get that memo?
that was most of my point.
also, I learned last night from Fox that Miller has grown 3-4 inches. He's now 6'10".
I have to say, I felt pretty decent about them giving it to him. Those were some dominant, high leverage innings he threw (also, he threw the third most innings for pitchers on either team in the LCS).
I think Allen should have gotten co-MVP with Miller. He was equally as dominant, just in less innings but Allen had a hand in all 4 wins, getting 3 saves and a hold, and in 3 of those outings he had to get their best batters out because they're righthanded.
Equally dominant in fewer innings when the sample size is already postseason-small isn't really equally dominant. Allen has pitched just over 2/3 of the innings Miller has thrown over the same period.
And his innings weren't as good. Allen registered a WHIP* that was 10% higher and a K/9 three lower 16.4 vs 13.5). With better innings and more of them, Miller had the higher WPA (.639 vs .532). BR doesn't have WPA for everyone so it's hard to compare against the batters but Miller was the better choice over Allen.
* Sure Allen's was 0.429 compared to Miller's 0.391 but it was higher.
And that despite WPA favoring a closer due to the game situation.