Actually, it's just me. And look! I wrote a post and published it! (Besides this one, that is.)
Monthly Archives: November 2016
Musings From the Emeritus
Hello, folks.
How are you doing? I understand that there's a fundraiser going on. This is a humble little site, but even humble little sites need $$$ to keep on keeping on. Hungryjoe asked that I say a few words about this. Open up your wallets, folks and shake out a few nickels.
I've been away for a while. In fact, I'd been gone so long that at first that I'd forgotten my login password. Then I remembered: THEWARRIORSBLEWA3-1LEADINTHENBAFINALS (all caps).
The reason I took a hiatus was that someone suggested, when I wished everyone a Happy 2016 on New Years Eve and announced that I'd be off the grid for a week that my being off the grid would make 2016 a truly Happy New Year. This is exactly the type of care and concern that I tried to foster at the site over the years, so I stayed off the grid in the hopes of everyone having a Happy New Year.
Turns out, though, that it's nearly unanimous that 2016 has been, all things considered, pretty crappy. Is it because I haven't been around? Well you can decide that. I thought about swooping in before the election and announcing that I was back to save us all from Trump. I didn't do that, of course, and now we have the most deplorable person to ever hold the office ready to disgrace our country. I'm not sure, but I think that this is the first time in the history of our country that a President-Elect settled a fraud case for $25 million and then headed to twitter to brag that the settlement was a fraction of the potential damage award. Oh. Mr. President-Elect, did you defraud those people of $50 million? $100 million? Or more? Did I say all this out loud? I can say that out loud and not break the politics ban because, well, I'm not talking about politics. Remember when red trucker hats used to be cool?
Personally, I've been doing pretty well, thanks for asking. My little baby girl is now 9 1/2 years old. Some of you may remember that I asked ubelmann to write for the site when she was born because I could no longer write every day with her around. She's now over five feet tall and headed to six feet, I think. (If only she'd pick up a basketball. She does willingly watch basketball with me, but play? Not a chance.) She's skating almost every day and working on her Axel. She plays piano very well for the amount of time she's been playing. I tell her every day, pretty much, that she's got more talent there than I did and that she can really be a good pianist. In other words, I have to motivate her to practice. I used to have to motivate her to skate, but she's doing pretty well there now and doesn't need my motivation.
I'm still working out of state a lot, but not as much as I used to. Plus, I do fly there now, so I've gone from driving about 35,000 miles a year to under 10,000. That makes life a lot… easier. I do spend a fair amount of time away from my family and sometimes that gets to be lonely, but I'm used to it and my time home has gone up quite a bit. Still though, when make that monthly trek, there are days. I've been doing this commute now for almost 6 1/2 years.
In January, we'll be heading out for our fourth Disney cruise. I consider this to be my one real indulgence. Miss SBG and I really love it. Lucy likes it. I can't wait to get on the boat, unplug, and enjoy a week of escaping from all that concerns me.
I'm so old that I remember when we had a banner at the site referring to the Twins saying, "Is It 2014 Yet?" That 2016 campaign was one for the ages. 2016 was necessary. The Twins needed to clean house a long, long time ago. One thing this long period of craptacular baseball has done for me is uncouple me from watching. I gotta go to the rink and watch Miss SBG twirl and jump -- I ain't got no time for watching Ricky Nolasco or some other stiff give the other club 6 runs in the first three innings. I've been a fan for over 40 years, but I'm more of a fair weather fan now. If they win, great. If they lose, I'm outta here. Good job, Twins, you've started to chip away at your most ardent supporters.
One club that never seems to fall on hard times will be gunning for their sixth consecutive FCS Title, entering the playoffs as the number 1 seed. I'm a little less than completely confident that they'll get that sixth one, but even if they don't, man, what a run. In this, what is no doubt the weakest of the six teams, they've gone 10-1 and beat a middle of the pack B1G team. Plus, they are extremely young… very few seniors and they didn't pull a single redshirt. So, all's good there.
Speaking of all being good, how about LeBron? Turns out he's a once in a generation player who carried his club to almost unimaginable heights. Turns out he's pretty woke, too. Heard the Warriors had a pretty good season though, congrats on the 73 wins. To lose a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals after setting the all-time regular season win record… That's a… that's a real kick in the nuts.
Blah, blah, blah. I'm still the same old guy. It's just that my favorite sport is figure skating now.
Back to the fund raiser. This site and its previous incarnations have meant a lot to me and I'm reasonably sure to a lot of you, too. I can think of a lot worse ways to spend your hard earned dough than to kick a few bucks toward the maintenance of this site. For example, paying to watch Ricky Nolasco stink out the joint (I'm aware he was traded… and promptly started pitching better). Money is a resource and a fairly scarce one for most of us. That's why we shouldn't waste it. A dollar a month or two dollars a month to support a site where you can talk about just about anything is a fine allocation of resources. Please keep the site going. Thanks. And remember, the Warriors (best team, evah!!!!11!!eleventy!!!!) blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
Tabletop Times: The latest hotness for Christmas
So, this title just sort of came to me. I'm gonna roll with it.
Someone asked earlier for Christmas gift ideas for their board gaming friends. So, here's a more comprehensive list featuring some of the most talked about games on Boardgamegeek.com, or as it's referred to on the site: The Hotness!
Fair warning, I have not played all of these, but I've heard many good things.
Codenames: Pictures - One of the biggest games from last year has a new trick to it. Instead of trying to get your team to guess code words, now they need to select the correct pictures that your clue directs them to.
Terraforming Mars - While I have not played this, I have heard many good things. Develop the right atmosphere, water, and living conditions to terraform Mars to just the right condition and earn the most points while doing so.
Mansions of Madness (2nd edition) - A wonderful mansion exploration game in the vein of Betrayal at House On The Hill, but with the Cthulhu mythos instead. Very fun and adeptly controlled by the app that you'll download when you get the game.
Love Letter Premium Edition - An expanded game of Love Letter (now up to 8 players) with nicer cards and heart tokens. I'm planning to pick this one up for the kiddos.
Scythe - A personal fave, if you can find it. Set in an alternate universe 1920's Europa, this area control game has a touch of combat and lots of strategy to keep you busy. Expansion Invaders From Afar is due out any day now.
Old Favorites - Games that are not new this year, but still really fun and highly recommended:
Castles of Burgundy - This is often called a "couples" game. Great for 2-4 players, and my personal all time favorite.
Viticulture Essential Edition - Great game about making wine in Italy. Essential Edition gives a little bit of the Tuscany expansion (the best parts). Pour a glass of your favorite wine and enjoy!
Lords of Waterdeep - Fun worker placement game set in D&D town of Waterdeep. Send warriors and mages on quests and develop your underground empire to take over the city! (and earn victory points)
Terra Mystica - Deep and immersive area control game. Take control of 1 of 14 races (6 more in the expansion) and expand across the land. Earn Victory Points!
Splendor - Quick and easy game about growing you gem empire and earning prestige from the nobles. Plays in about 30 minutes with 2-4 players
Forbidden Island / Forbidden Desert - These are pretty similar games. By the same designer as Pandemic. Find the treasures before the island sinks, or find the parts to you airship before the sandstorm takes over.
Pandemic - The ultimate classic co-op game. Race across the globe to fight diseases, build research stations and find the cures. If looking for a longer more immersive experience, check out Pandemic Legacy Season 1 (Season 2 out next year)
This is just the start. The wide world of table top games is ever growing. Check out your friendly local gaming store to see all the wonderful options they have in store!
The Cars – Drive
Thanks, everyone. Let's take this home.
1985
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November 20, 2016: Sunday!!
Time for a fresh pot.
1987 Rewind: Game Forty-eight
MINNESOTA 9, DETROIT 5 IN DETROIT (GAME 1 OF DOUBLEHEADER)
Date: Sunday, May 31.
Batting stars: Kent Hrbek was 2-for-4 with a home run (his tenth), scoring twice and driving in three. Gary Gaetti was 2-for-4 with a home run (his twelfth), a double, and a walk, scoring twice. Randy Bush was 1-for-3 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.
Pitching star: Jeff Reardon struck out four in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk.
Opposition stars: Dave Bergman was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourth), a double, and a walk, scoring twice and driving in two. Darrell Evans was 1-for-3 with two walks and a run. Pat Sheridan was 2-for-5 with a double and a stolen base, his sixth.
The game: Detroit led 2-1 after five and 5-4 after seven. With the bases loaded and one out in the eighth, second baseman Tom Brookens booted a grounder that allowed the tying and winning runs to score. Roy Smalley singled in an insurance run to make it 7-5. Hrbek hit a two-run homer in the ninth to put the game out of reach.
Of note: Kirby Puckett was 2-for-5 with a run, batting .323...Bert Blyleven pitched six innings, giving up four runs on six hits and four walks with five strikeouts. He left a pitch up to Bergman in the fifth inning, and even though it was a solo home run it hurt him, putting the Twins behind 2-1...Mark Salas was 1-for-3 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one, and was batting .364...Gene Larkin was 0-for-5, but was still batting .308...Detroit starter Jeff Robinson pitched 5.1 innings, allowing four runs on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts.
Record: The Twins were 25-24, in third place, three games behind Kansas City.
Notes: It appears that the Saturday game was rained out, resulting in the Sunday doubleheader...Al Newman started at second base in place of Steve Lombardozzi, who was used late in the game...Randy Bush played right field, with Tom Brunansky in left and Dan Gladden on the bench, with Gladden coming in later in the game...Larkin was the DH, with Smalley used as a pinch-hitter in the eighth...Salas was the catcher in place of Tim Laudner...Bergman was the leadoff batter for Detroit, one of two games in 1987 in which he led off. He led off thirty-five games in his career.
Player profile: I'd forgotten what a long career Dave Bergman had, especially considering that he never had a regular job. He was drafted by the Yankees in the second round in 1974 and made his major league debut in late August of 1975. He didn't get back until 1977, when he was a September callup. He was traded to Houston after that season. He was a part-time player for the Astros in 1978, seeing as much time in the outfield as he did at first base. He was back in AAA in 1979, finally getting back to the big leagues in 1980. He was almost exclusively a bench player, though, appearing in 90 games but getting only 70 at-bats. He was traded to the Giants along with Jeffrey Leonard early in 1981 and played a little more, but not much. He remained a reserve throughout his career in San Francisco, playing in 190 games from 1982-83 but getting only 261 at-bats. In spring training of 1984 he was traded to the Phillies, who immediately traded him to Detroit along with Willie Hernandez. He stayed with the Tigers the rest of his career, and while he was never a regular he did get significantly more playing time. He played the most in 1989, when he got over 300 at-bats for the only time in his career. He had a couple of good years, but for the most part was average-to-below average. As a Tiger, he hit .259/.346/.368, numbers which are almost identical to his career numbers: .258/.348/.357. As one might guess, he was frequently used as a pinch-hitter, getting 419 plate appearances in that role. Despite that, he was not all that good at it, batting .213/.335/.311 as a pinch-hitter. He was fairly successful as a DH, batting .300/.385/.386 in 338 plate appearances in that role. But he played for a long time, going through 1992. He played in parts of seventeen seasons, playing through age thirty-nine. He passed away on February 2, 2015, from bile duct cancer at the age of sixty-one.
Happy Birthday–November 20
Joe Sommer (1958)
Kenesaw Landis (1866)
Clark Griffith (1869)
George McBride (1880)
Leon Cadore (1890)
Larry Benton (1897)
Jay Ritchie (1936)
Herm Starrette (1938)
Jay Johnstone (1945)
Rick Monday (1945)
Ron Cash (1949)
Alex Arias (1967)
Gabe White (1971)
J. D. Drew (1975)
Sam Fuld (1981)
Brock Peterson (1983)
Kenesaw Landis, as I'm sure you know, was the first commissioner of baseball, holding the job from 1920 until his death in 1944.
Pitcher Clark Griffith was a star for the Cubs before jumping to the White Sox when the American League was formed. Later, of course, was the owner of the Twins franchise while it was still in Washington. His adopted son, Calvin, brought the team to Minnesota.
Ron Cash was drafted by Minnesota in the sixth round in 1969, but did not sign.
George Harrison – Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)
Give us money, too.
1991
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Berserk Boxscores: White Sox @ Twins 04/19/1962
It's been 3.5 years since I've run one of these columns. Half-Baked Hall may have something to do with that. While we will resume the voting in 2017, we'll whet your whistle with a crazy game the Twins were involved in 44 years ago.
The Twins inaugural season had been pretty blah, and the beginning of their second season started much the same. Entering into this game they were 2-5, last place in the American League. Jim Kaat would face off against John Buzhardt. Except he didn't really. Kaat didn't retire a batter.
The White Sox led off the first with four straight singles. Kaat was immediately replaced. Either Sam Mele felt he just didn't have it or he was injured. Either way, Jim Manning replaced him and he didn't have it either. He recorded one out, allowed two batters to reach by error, then allowed a single and a hit-by-pitch. He was pulled for Georges Maranda who promptly gave up a grand slam to Jim Landis, who had led off the inning with a single. The inning would end on a double play, but the Twins were already down 9-0 before coming to the plate.
Because this is Berserk Boxscores, I'm guessing you're betting on a miraculous Twins comeback. But you'd guess wrong. So what makes this game so special?
It is the only game in modern history where a team scored at least 10 runs and never left a man on base.
You saw nine of those runs in the first inning. They would score one more on Jim Landis's second homer, which was the only hit the Twins staff would allow the rest of the game. They did allow two more walks which would be erased on a double play and a caught stealing. In fact, the Twins easily won the game from the second inning forward, outhitting the Sox five to one and outscoring them three to one.
While this feat of the White Sox and Twins is not terribly impressive, it is pretty hilarious. The Twins would remain in last place for one more day, then would steadily climb up the standings, finishing in 2nd place behind the Yankees. They were in 1st place on June 15th and would be as close as 2.5 games back on September 5th, but ultimately could not catch the Bombers. The Yankees would win the next two division titles as well before the Twins finally wrestled it away in 1965.
Winter Wonderland: Games of November 18
ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE
No games scheduled. Surprise will play Mesa in the league championship game today.
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
MARGARITA 7, ZULIA 5 IN ZULIA
Margarita hit three homers in the fifth, producing four runs and taking a 6-1 lead. Zulia scored four in the eighth, cutting the lead to 7-5, and left the bases loaded that inning and left two on in the ninth. Omar Bencomo pitched six innings, giving up one run on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Daniel Mayora was 3-for-5 with a home run (his sixth), driving in two.
LARA 5, MAGALLANES 0 IN LARA
All five runs were scored in the seventh inning, the last four on a grand slam by Jesus Montero (his third homer). Jorge Martinez pitched 6.2 scoreless innings for Lara, giving up three hits and one walk with three strikeouts.
LA GUAIRA AT CARACAS
Rained out.
DOMINICAN LEAGUE
ESCOGIDO 5, AGUILAS 4 IN ESCOGIDO (10 INNINGS)
It was 1-1 through eight, but each team scored three in the ninth. In the tenth, a single, a walk, and a single loaded the bases, and Rafael Bautista delivered a one-out single to end the game. Daniel Palka was 1-for-4 with a walk for Escogido.
LICEY AT ESTRELLAS
Rained out.
TOROS AT GIGANTES
Rained out.
PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
SANTURCE 2, CAGUAS 1 IN CAGUAS
Robert Andino's two-run single in the second provided all the runs Santurce would need. Reiner Roibal pitched five shutout innings, giving up two hits and three walks while striking out three.
MAYAGUEZ 6, CAROLINA 3 IN CAROLINA
Mayaguez broke a 2-2 tie with three runs in the fifth, a rally capped by Jesmuel Valentin's two-run double. Kennys Vargas was 0-for-4 for Mayaguez. Dereck Rodriguez struck out the only man he faced for Mayaguez. J. J. Fernandez was used as a pinch-runner by Carolina but did not bat.
MEXICAN LEAGUE
HERMOSILLO 5, OBREGON 4 IN OBREGON (11 INNINGS)
Luis Alfonso Garcia's RBI double with two out in the eleventh gave Hermosillo the win. Obregon had the tying run on third with one out, but Corey Wimberly was thrown out trying to score on a ground ball to short. Eric Young, Jr. was 3-for-6 with a home run (his eleventh) and a double, scoring twice and driving in two for Hermosillo.
CULIACAN 8, JALISCO 2 IN CULIACAN
Ramiro Pena hit a two-run homer in a three-run third that put Culiacan up 4-0. Pena was 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs.
LOS MOCHIS 3, MAZATLAN 2 IN MAZATLAN
Los Mochis scored all of their runs in the third inning. Mazatlan had the tying run on second with one out in the ninth, but a fly out and a strikeout ended the game. Julian Arballo pitched 5.2 innings, giving up one run on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts.
MEXICALI 7, NAVOJOA 2 IN MEXICALI
C. J. Retherford's two-run double capped a three-run third and Mexicali led the rest of the way. Miguel Pena struck out five in five innings for Mexicali, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks
AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE*
CANBERRA 8, BRISBANE 2 IN BRISBANE
Already leading 2-1, Canberra scored four in the fifth to take control of the game. David Kandilas had a three-run double in the fifth inning. Kyle Perkins was 3-for-4 with two home runs (his second and third), scoring three times.
MELBOURNE 5, PERTH 0 IN MELBOURNE (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)
Mike Walker hit a grand slam in the first inning and Melbourne was never threatened. Keisuke Honda struck out six in six shutout innings, giving up six hits and a walk.
PERTH 9, MELBOURNE 4 IN MELBOURNE (GAME 2)
Jake Bowey's RBI single in the seventh broke a 4-4 tie and Perth put the game out of reach with four in the ninth. Ulrich Bojarski was 3-for-5 with a double and two runs for Perth. Joey Wong was 3-for-5 with a walk and an RBI for Perth.
SYDNEY 2, ADELAIDE 0 IN SYDNEY (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)
Tucker Neuhaus hit a two-run double in the fourth for all of the game's runs. Luke Wilkins pitched a complete game shutout, giving up four hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
SYDNEY 3, ADELAIDE 2 IN SYDNEY (GAME 2--11 INNINGS)
Apparently, in an attempt to avoid long games, the Australian League has a rule whereby, after ten innings, you start the next inning with men on first and second. Adelaide failed to score despite that, with a bunt/force out followed by a fly out and a strikeout. Sydney popped up a bunt, but that was followed by an RBI double by Michael Campbell to end the game. The run counts as an earned run against the pitcher who started the inning, which seems kind of unfair.
*Games actually played November 19. It's timey-wimey.