Oh yeah, I still have to check out this album. There's a whole bunch of 2016 I have to catch up on.
2016
This was apparently "directed" by Paul Thomas Anderson.
(3 votes, average: 8.33 out of 10)
Loading... ZULIA 5, ARAGUA 1 IN ARAGUA
Two errors and two singles produced two Zulia runs in the third and they led the rest of the way. Reynaldo Rodriguez was 1-for-4 for Zulia. Eduardo Escobar was 1-for-4 with a triple and an RBI for Aragua. Rolando Valdez pitched 4.1 innings for Zulia, giving up one run on six hits and one walk with one strikeout. Jose Tabata was 3-for-4 with a double and a walk for Zulia, driving in three. Ali Castillo was 3-for-4 with two runs for Zulia.
Zulia wins the series 4-0.
LARA 9, MARGARITA 2 IN MARGARITA
Lara led 4-2 after seven and then scored five in the eighth to put the game out of reach. Jesus Montero hit a home run for Lara, as did Paulo Orlando.
The best-of-seven series is tied 2-2.
ANZOATEGUI 16, LA GUAIRA 2 IN LA GUAIRA
Anzoategui scored five in the first and were never threatened. Emerson Martinez, pitched four shutout innings for Anzoategui, giving up four hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Denis Phipps was 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, and two walks for Anzoategui, scoring three times and driving in five. Mario Lisson had two home runs for Anzoategui, driving in five.
The best-of-seven series is tied 2-2.
AGUILAS 2, GIGANTES 1 AT GIGANTES
The Aguilas got RBI singles from Juan Perez and Zoilo Almonte in the third inning and that was all they needed. Danny Santana was 1-for-4 with a run for the Aguilas. Chris O'Grady pitched five innings for the Aguilas, giving up one run on two hits and no walks with three strikeouts.
LICEY 7, ESCOGIDO 4 IN LICEY
Trailing 4-1, Licey scored six in the seventh to go into the lead to stay. Anderson Hernandez capped the inning with a three-run triple. Jorge Polanco was 1-for-5 with a double and a run for Escogido. Diory Hernandez was 3-for-5 for Licey, scoring once and driving in one.
STANDINGS
Aguilas, 8-1
Escogido, 3-5
Licey, 3-5
Gigantes, 2-5
No games scheduled.
HERMOSILLO 8, CULIACAN 4 IN HERMOSILLO
Hermosillo went into the lead to stay in the third inning, when they scored twice to break a 2-2 tie. Okay, only one of the runs actually broke the tie, but you know what I mean. Anyway, Jason Bourgeois hit a home run for Hermosillo. Culiacan starter Salvador Valdez apparently injured his leg warming up to pitch the first inning, and so is officially the starting pitcher even though he did not face a batter.
The best-of-seven series is tied 2-2.
MAZATLAN 7, LOS MOCHIS 6 IN MAZATLAN
Los Mochis led 6-2 half-way through, but Mazatlan tied it 6-6 in the seventh and Drew Maggi's RBI single in the ninth ended it in Mazatlan's favor. Leandro Castro was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk for Los Mochis, scoring twice. Los Mochis out-hit Mazatlan 9-5.
Los Mochis leads the best-of-seven series 3-1.
MEXICALI 14, NAVOJOA 1 IN MEXICALI
Yuniesky Betancourt's three-run double highlighted a five-run second that put Mexicali in control of the game. Miguel Pena pitched seven innings for Mexicali, giving up one run on three hits and no walks with three strikeouts. Jon Del Campo was 4-for-4 with a three-run homer and a walk for Mexicali, scoring four times. Ramon Rios was 4-for-5 with a home run and a double for Mexicali, scoring three times and driving in three. Xorge Carrillo was 3-for-5 with a home run and a double for Mexicali, scoring twice and driving in two.
Mexicali leads the best-of-seven 3-1.
CANBERRA 5, ADELAIDE 2 IN ADELAIDE (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)
Canberra trailed 2-1 after five but scored two in the sixth and two in the seventh for the win. Sean Guinard pitched five innings for Canberra, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
CANBERRA 5, ADELAIDE 3, IN ADELAIDE (GAME 2)
A two-run fifth broke a 3-3 tie and put Canberra ahead to stay. David Kandilas was 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI for Canberra.
BRISBANE 19, MELBOURNE 4 IN MELBOURNE
Leading 4-1, Brisbane scored eleven runs in the sixth. Brisbane hit two homers in the inning, a solo shot by Trent Oeltjen to lead off the inning and a grand slam by Logan Wade. Aaron Whitefield was 1-for-6 with two runs for Brisbane and is batting .336. Wade was 2-for-6 with a double and two runs and is batting .304. Ryan Rowland-Smith pitched four shutout innings for Brisbane, giving up one hit and three walks with three strikeouts. Connor MacDonald was 5-for-6 with a double for Brisbane, scoring twice and driving in two. David Rodriguez was 3-for-5 with two home runs for Brisbane. Wade Dutton was 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs for Brisbane.
*Games played January 7. It's timey-wimey.
That'll be my Saturday. I got about four hours of real sleep, so this should be fantastic. It's always fun when I absolutely need sleep because I have an early obligation, and then I wake up at about 4, jarred by a dream where I find myself nude in a car dealership, and see my grandmother on the other side of the room trying to figure out if she saw someone she knew, so I duck down behind the receptionist, consumed with fear and shame.
Back to 2016, and another one I don't know how much I actually like. I, uh, wonder if maybe Craig should use some of that auto-tune on his vocals...
(2 votes, average: 6.00 out of 10)Loading... Kitty Bransfield (1875)
Al Todd (1902)
Johnny McCarthy (1910)
Johnny Mize (1913)
Alvin Dark (1922)
Dick Schofield (1935)
Jim Hannan (1940)
Jim Lefebvre (1942)
Tony Conigliaro (1945)
Joe Keough (1946)
Ross Grimsley (1950)
Bob Gorinski (1952)
Jeff Montgomery (1962)
Craig Shipley (1963)
Allan Anderson (1964)
Rob Radlosky (1974)
Alfonso Soriano (1976)
Eric Gagne (1976)
Brayan Pena (1982)
Francisco Rodriguez (1982)
Edwin Encarnacion (1983)
Jon Lester (1984)
ZULIA 9, ARAGUA 2 IN ZULIA
Zulia scored three in the fifth to break a 2-2 tie and led the rest of the way. Reynaldo Rodriguez was 0-for-4 for Zulia. Eduardo Escobar was 0-for-3 with a walk for Aragua. Freddy Galvis was 4-for-5 with two doubles for Zulia, scoring twice and driving in two. Ali Castillo was 3-for-4 with three runs for Zulia. Jordany Valdespin hit a two-run homer for Zulia.
Zulia leads the best-of-seven series 3-0.
MARGARITA 9, LARA 8 IN MARGARITA
Margarita had leads of 4-0, 5-1, and 6-3, but needed a three-run eighth to break a 6-6 tie and then held on as Lara got two in the ninth. Omar Poveda pitched four innings for Margarita, giving up one run on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Jose Osuna was 4-for-5 with a run and three RBIs for Margarita. Daniel Mayora was 4-for-5 with two runs and an RBI for Margarita.
Margarita leads the best-of-seven series 2-1.
ANZOATEGUI 6, LA GUAIRA 5 IN LA GUAIRA
Anzoategui trailed 3-0 and 4-2, but single runs in the fifth and sixth tied it and Luis JImenez homered in the seventh to put Anzoategui in the lead to stay. They got an insurance run in the ninth and needed it, because La Guaira scored once in the ninth, but had the tying run thrown out at the plate trying to score from second on a single. Each team used eleven pitchers in the game. Niuman Romero was 3-for-4 with a walk for Anzoategui, scoring once and driving in one. Rene Reyes and Mario Lisson each hit a home run for Anzoategui.
La Guaira leads the best-of-seven series 2-1.
GIGANTES 6, ESCOGIDO 5 IN ESCOGIDO
The Gigantes led 6-0 after eight, but Escogido scored five in the ninth and had the tying run on third before going down. Jorge Polanco was 0-for-3 for Escogido. Terry Doyle pitched 4.2 scoreless innings for the Gigantes, giving up three hits and a walk with three strikeouts. Cam Perkins was 4-for-5 with a run and three RBIs for the Gigantes. Wilmer Difo was 3-for-4 with a walk and two runs for the Gigantes.
AGUILAS 5, LICEY 2 AT AGUILAS
Licey took a 2-0 lead in the third, but the Aguilas got all five of their runs in the eighth to win. A three-run double by Brayan Pena broke a 2-2 tie and provided the margin of victory. Danny Santana was 1-for-3 with a run for the Aguilas. Francisley Bueno pitched five innings for the Aguilas, giving up two unearned runs on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
STANDINGS
Aguilas, 7-1
Escogido, 3-4
Gigantes, 2-4
Licey, 2-5
No games scheduled.
CULIACAN 8, HERMOSILLO 7 IN HERMOSILLO
Culiacan led 7-1 half way through, but held on to win 8-7. Issmael Salas hit a home run for Culiacan.
Culiacan leads the best-of-seven series 2-1.
LOS MOCHIS 3, MAZATLAN 0 IN MAZATLAN
Lew Ford doubled home a run in the third and Los Mochis led the rest of the way. Luis Niebla pitched eight shutout innings for Los Mochis, giving up four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. Ford was 4-for-5 with a double and two RBIs for Los Mochis.
Los Mochis leads the best-of-seven series 3-0.
MEXICALI 3, NAVOJOA 2 IN MAZATLAN
Chris Roberson hit a three-run homer in the second and it stood up. Navojoa got both of their runs in the fifth. Navojoa had the tying run in scoring position in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth, but could not bring him home. Efren Delgado struck out seven in five innings for Mexicali, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk.
Mexicali leads the best-of-seven series 2-1.
MELBOURNE 5, BRISBANE 3 IN MELBOURNE
Melbourne scored two in the seventh to take a 3-2 and Mike Walker hit a two-run homer in the eighth (his fifth) to secure the win. Aaron Whitefield was 2-for-5 with a double and a run for Melbourne and is batting .347. Logan Wade was 0-for-5 for Melbourne and is batting .303. Jeremy Guthrie struck out six in six innings for Melbourne, giving up an unearned run on four hits and a walk.
ADELAIDE 8, CANBERRA 3 IN ADELAIDE
Adelaide scored four in the first and four in the seventh to get the win. Jack O'Laughlin pitched six innings for Adelaide, giving up two runs on seven hits and a walk with one strikeout.
PERTH 8, SYDNEY 7 IN PERTH
Sydney scored seven in the second to take a 7-0 lead, but Perth got four in the third and two in the sixth to get back into the game and in the ninth, RBI singles by Tim Kennelly and Matt Kennelly won it for Perth. Luke Hughes hit a three-run homer for Perth, his fourth.
*Games played January 6. It's timey-wimey.
... having the wrong song stuck in your head.
Yesterday was a rough day for me. Part of that was I had two different, awful, songs stuck in my head. The first was the Thomas & Friends theme. If you don't know it... you're lucky. It goes in a class with Lamb Chop's theme and Barney's song. ::shudder:: I assume the selection was commissioned by the CIA for the purpose of "data extraction."
The other one was "It's Raining Men." Unlike the Thomas theme, I can acknowledge that "It's Raining Men" is legitimately a song, and that there is a time and a place for it. I only take umbrage with that time and place being "constantly" and "in my head."
So let's talk pain. What are the worst songs to get stuck in your head? Worst times and places? That sort of thing. Random 10's also welcome!
Date: Tuesday, July 21.
Batting stars: Tom Brunansky was 1-for-3 with a home run (his twenty-first) and a walk. Kent Hrbek was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base, his fifth. Gary Gaetti was 1-for-4 with a double and a run.
Pitching star: Bert Blyleven pitched a complete game, giving up one run on seven hits and four walks with eight strikeouts and zero pitches left up.
Opposition stars: Ron Guidry pitched eight innings, giving up one run on six hits and no walks with four strikeouts. Mark Salas was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. Claudell Washington was 1-for-4 with a double and a run.
The game: Dave Winfield singled Washington home in the first to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. Brunansky homered in the fourth to tie it 1-1. There was no more scoring until the ninth, when Gaetti led off with double off Tim Stoddard. Brunansky was intentionally walked and Pat Clements came in to face Hrbek, who singled to center to bring Gaetti home with the winning run. Apparently, saving your closer for a save situation was a thing back then, too, because Dave Righetti had not pitched since July 17 and would seem to have been available, but was not used.
Of note: Kirby Puckett was 0-for-4, dropping his average to .325...TK used a rather strange top of the order. Al Newman led off and was the DH, one of two times that season and in his career that he was a starting DH. Puckett batted second, with Dan Gladden third. If someone had the time to look it up, it would be interesting to know if the papers at the time said anything about the reasons for that arrangement.
Record: The Twins were 52-43, in first place, two games ahead of Oakland.
Player profile: Tim Stoddard had a pretty long career for being no better than he was. He was drafted by the White Sox in the second round of the January Secondary draft in 1975. He pitched one inning for the White Sox in 1975, but didn't really start his major league career until 1978. He was with Baltimore by then, having been released by the White Sox after the 1977 season. and started the season with the Orioles, but was sent down in early May. In the next two years, 1979-80, he was excellent. He posted a 1.71 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in 58 innings in 1979, became the closer in 1980, and did a fine job, going 5-3, 26 saves, 2.51, 1.28 WHIP. In the next two years, however, he was not nearly as good--his ERAs were around 4.00, but his WHIPs were around 1.5. He was even worse in 1983 and the Orioles traded him to Oakland. He never played for them, as they included him in a deal with the Cubs before the 1984 season started. He was 10-6, 3.82 in relief for them, but with a WHIP of 1.46. He became a free agent, signed with San Diego, was not very good for them, and was traded to the Yankees in in July of 1986 for Ed Whitson. The Yankees probably thought it was a good trade just because they were rid of Whitson, but Stoddard was actually a useful reliever for them for the rest of 1986 and 1987, posting ERAs in the threes and WHIPs in the 1.2s. He imploded the next year, however, was released in mid-August, played about half a season for Cleveland in 1989, and then was done. For his career, he was 41-35, 3.95, 76 saves, 1.42 WHIP in 485 games (729.2 innings, all in relief). Not awful numbers, I suppose, but not as good as could be expected from someone who played thirteen years in the big leagues. A random fact about Tim Stoddard: he is the only man to play on an NCAA basketball champion (NC State, 1974) and a World Series champion (Baltimore, 1983). The only other man to play in the Final Four and the World Series is Kenny Lofton. The two men went to the same high school, Washington High School in East Chicago, Indiana.
Date: Wednesday, July 22.
Batting stars: Kent Hrbek was 1-for-1 with a two-run homer (his twenty-fourth) and three walks. Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with a home run, his fifteenth. Dan Gladden was 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base (his eighteenth), scoring once.
Pitching stars: Frank Viola pitched eight innings, giving up one run on four hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Jeff Reardon pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.
Opposition stars: Claudell Washington was 1-for-4 with a home run, his seventh. Rick Cerone was 1-for-3 with a double. Bobby Meacham was 1-for-2 with a walk.
The game: Hrbek hit a two-run homer in the first inning to give the Twins all the runs they needed. Puckett homered in the fifth to make it 3-0. The Yankees didn't get a hit until the fourth and did not get a man past first base until the sixth, when Washington homered. The only other Yankee threat came in the seventh, when Cerone hit a two-out double followed by a walk to Meacham. Wayne Tolleson then struck out to end the inning.
Of note: Puckett raised his average to .327...Greg Gagne batted second...Yankee starter Rick Rhoden pitched 6.1 innings, giving up three runs on nine hits and four walks with five strikeouts...The Twins stranded eleven and went 1-for-9 with men in scoring position, with the "one" being the Hrbek homer...The Yankees were 0-for-1 with men in scoring position.
Record: The Twins were 53-43, in first place, two games ahead of Oakland.
Player profile: I remember Bobby Meacham being touted as a really good prospect, but it didn't happen for him. He was a first-round draft choice, chosen by St. Louis with the eighth pick in 1981. He had a couple of lackluster years in the Cardinals organization, then was traded to the Yankees with Stan Javier for Steve Finch, Bob Helsom, and Marty Mason, none of whom made the majors. Meacham at least did better than that, getting a September call-up in 1983 and spending most of 1984-88 with the big club, although he was sent back to AAA for periods of time in most of those years. He was the semi-regular shortstop for them in 1984, sharing the position with Tim Foli and Andre Robertson but getting the majority of the starts. He was their full-time shortstop in 1985, starting all but nine games. Unfortunately, he didn't do much with the chance, batting .218/.302/.266 in 1985 and striking out 102 times. He did lead the league in sacrifice hits with 23. He had a shot at getting the shortstop job back in 1986, as the Yankees used seven different players there, but his numbers that year were remarkably similar to 1985 in far less playing time. In fact, the Yankees really didn't find a shortstop until 1996, when Derek Jeter came along--their starters in that period included Wayne Tolleson, Rafael Santana, Alvaro Espinoza, Andy Stankiewicz, Spike Owen, Mike Gallego, and Tony Fernandez. Meacham was not around for most of that, though--he was a part-time player for the Yankees through 1988, then spent a couple of years in AAA for Pittsburgh and Kansas City before his playing career ended. For his career, Meacham hit .236/.313/.308 in 1371 at-bats. He stayed in baseball as a minor league coach and manager, and in 2016 was the manager of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in the Toronto organization.
Okay, we've celebrated a lot of 2016's best, but what about the best of 2017?
Here's one from The xx's soon to be released album.
19 Nov 2016
(1 votes, average: 8.00 out of 10)Loading... 
