Yesterday was my mom's 60th birthday, and between work and then my two podcasts, I missed my chance to call her. I of course remembered the date helplessly while recording my stupid pro wrestling thing. Well, we did talk the day before, partially about her birthday. Oh well.
Rule 5 Draft results.
I see local boy Brett Graves was snagged by the Marlins in the 2nd round; had to drop a congratulatory IM to his mom.
Congrats or condolences?
Firesale means he's going to get plenty of playing time.
There is that. And if he turns out to be pretty good he can be shipped off to a port-a-potty that isn't in flames.
My thoughts, for whatever anyone may think they're worth:
Burdi's been hurt a lot, but he also has a lot of potential. I don't necessarily blame the Twins for leaving him unprotected, but it could come back to haunt them.
Bard has missed a lot of time, too, but he recently turned twenty-seven and still hasn't pitched above AA. He could turn into something, but it's less likely.
I'm not terribly impressed with Tyler Kinley. He strikes out a lot of guys, but that's about the only thing he has going for him. If they had a roster spot available, I'd rather they'd used it to keep Burdi than to acquire Kinley.
Yancarlos Baez was an infielder until last year, when the Yankees turned him into a pitcher. I have no idea if he'll ever be anything or not, and I doubt anyone else does, either. The Twins obviously think he's worth taking a look at, and I can't say they're wrong.
Sandy Lugo is a reliever with a lot of strikeouts. He looks like he might be good. On the other hand, he'll be 24 this season and hasn't pitched above Class A yet, so again, who knows?
Thanks for the quick analysis Padre, I found it interesting.
indeed. i meant to mention that earlier.
One year, $6 million for Fernando Rodney to join the Twins.
Let's see if we can't find him a cap that stays on straight.
If his cap angle suddenly turns out to be the most annoying thing about him, it would be a miracle.
Hold on - I conflated Rodney with Jose Valverde. Okay, I’m good.
That guy hasn't pitched since 2014, so we're probably safe there.
Rodney does wear his hat cocked, and he shoots an imaginary arrow when he finishes a save.
Valverde did a funny dancey spasm.
I don't hate the arrow shoot. I imagine that if he ends up saving a high enough percentage of his chances, MN fans will be fine with it, too.
I like the move. It's a lot less than some teams spend on a closer, and anymore, closers seem like a year-to-year proposition, so I really like that we didn't tie ourselves up for 5 or 6 years, too.
Yeah, if it's saved for when it's done and converted, who cares? Valverde would fist-pump after every strike.
You didn't watch the video below, did you?
If he’s depth, fine. If he’s intended to be more than that, I’ve got some criticisms: he’s not very good, and he’s annoying.
At that length and at that money, I'm fine with the move.
I'm reading now that its $4.25 million plus incentives that could go to six. Also, a $4.25 million option for 2019 with a $250,000 buyout. I'm still fine with it.
I can't remember the last time a team really regretted putting incentives into a contract. In general, they seem very team-friendly.
My latest work for PTC has me correcting track connections just outside the left field of Coors Field. Kind of neat when I turn on the aerial view and "hey, hello there!"
I finally listened to the WGOM Xmas mix. Excellent work all around. I found a lot of new songs, my favorite Christmas Unicorn. Also loved the transition from Bing Crosby to Blackalicious.
this is one i haven't gotten sick of yet:
Welp, I hope the content here in the basement isn't throttled.
I guess we'll have to pass the hat to create our own ISP.
I'm not sure where this thread is going, but I see it ending with 3) Profit!
Provided you fund it privately. Municipal ISPs have been banned/restricted in many states.
That's why I'm passing the hat. Unless one of you is secretly a government entity?
Yea, I don't think I could convince my bosses to provide that service.
I was told I could still gram my food or something so I'm sure everything will be fine just fine.
Look on the bright side! If your ISP screws with you gramming your food, you can also switch to another reasonably priced competitor who behaves better.
On an unrelated note, we're still using a cheap cell phone and an extra line as a hotspot for our internet service because the other option is Comcast...
I'm on Charter.... because the other option is Verizon. Guh
You fellas have choices? Daaaaaaaamn.
Same here.
🤔
OK I used up the rest of the homemade chicken stock referred to earlier as follows:
This is for two (all my recipes are for two)
Boyo Shrimp & Grits
.5 lb de-veined large shrimp
1.5 c. homemade chix stock (kinda jelly-like when cold, weird) with dash of water
1/2 c. yellow corn grits
3 green onions, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
some Bacon, not a lot, chopped into pieces
1.5 tbsp butter
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 tbsp Pickapeppa sauce (you could use Worcestershire)
salt
ground pepper
Bring the chix broth to boil, stir in the grits, add a tbsp of butter and cook till done - take off the heat.
In a skillet, cook the bacon pieces, green onions, and garlic. Set aside.
In the bacon grease, cook the shrimp, add a little olive oil if needed. When pinkish, add the bacon/onion/garlic mix. Add the grits and the cheese, and mix until blended. Nous arrivons, mes amies.
I have some thoughts, but this recipe (for shramps and not crawfish) is my go to.
Both look amazing! I love this place.
It is hard to go wrong with shrimp and grits.
Man that looks awesome (wonders where to buy crawfish...?)
Veux-tu dire mes amis? (Unless all your friends are female!)