Yesterday we trekked to Flagstaff, and on the way there stopped at Montezuma Castle. It isn't a castle and has nothing to do with Montezuma, but it's awe-inspiring despite this. I can't tell you how many times I drove by a spot of national interest in my youth because I wanted to get where I was going half and hour faster. I want to slap younger Milkman for doing that.
The Killer Blues project
so, spooks, you are taking revenge against younger Milkman via Montezuma?
that's crappy.
I should have expected this.
So I just found out that I'm being blocked on twitter by Dan Barriero. Not even sure when that happened. Second guy to block me, I think. (First was John Kriesel who apparently didn't like that I was calling out his inanely pro-Vikings tweets) No big deal, I even wear his scorn like a badge but I find it curious the whole twitter blocking deal. I get it if you are being stalked or harassed by some creep, but c'mon a media guy doesn't like a few snarky posts by a dude who has 130 followers? Also for what it's worth, the guy by far I criticize the most by name on Twitter is Souhan and he's never blocked me.
I have never been bothered to even look at Barriero's twitter feed.
I followed him for a short time. Couldn't stand it. Almost 100% schtick.
Yeah, I don't follow either but I was actually going to favorite something he tweeted when I discovered I was blocked.
You could get the URL of the tweet and then post that.
Not sure what twitter would do.
It's official Leslie Frazier fired. So who's next to be in charge of the asylum?
I think that I didn't know who that was cements the fact that I really don't care anymore. Yay me
I knew who it was but I still didn't care.
Except for that I'm all for hiring Mike Tice no matter what it takes.
I saw a tweet from Doogie earlier today that said that the Viking will not give Lovie Smith a look because Smith will have Tice on his staff.
The Wilfs are buffoons.
where is Les Steckel when you need him?
I dont know who, but all I know is that Rick Spielman should have been shown the door too.
Yes. This.
I don't know. I mean, I doubt that there was a coach out there who could've mustered more than about 7 or 8 wins out of the team, but hilariously, that probably would've been enough to make the playoffs. There was a lot of 4th quarter letdowns, and some of that did seem as though it was due to soft play calling, but who knows? The passing offense was bad, but the passing defense was just ridiculous. Even before their top 3 CBs got hurt, you're still looking at a team that employs Chris Cook as a starting CB. That's just asking to be burned.
If an NFL game was 59 minutes, the Vikings would have won the division by at least 2 games.
I do like that the team decided the Tampa2 defense was kind of horrible and switch to play a lot of man coverage toward the end of the season, although that could of been a byproduct of having a practice squad safety start at cornerback because of injuries.
I feel a wee bit dirty just for even talking about the Vikings from a fan perspective (because NFL), but
Week 2: 1-pt loss at Chicago. Bears scored a TD with 10 seconds to go before the final gun. (ugh, yet another thing to dislike about the NFL -- a final gun to kill the game!!!!1111one111!!!!)
Week 3: 4-pt HOME loss to Cleveland. The Browns scored the winning TD with 51 seconds to go.
Week 9: 4-pt loss at Dallas. Cowboys scored the winning TD with 35 seconds to go.
Week 12: Vikings settle for a tie at Green Bay. WTF? When you have a chance to go 2-8-1 rather than 2-9 or 3-8, you have to take it!
Week 14: 3-pt loss at Baltimore. Do I really need to discuss what a fiasco that was?
That's five games that probably should have been won. If you swing even three of those games, the Vikings are either 8-7-1 or 8-8 and probably make the playoffs.
Re: Week 2. Take your pick...
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmXacL0Uny0
Presumably a different coach would have brought in different players? I don't pay close enough attention to the NFL to say much about why exactly the Eagles and Chiefs turned around, but my impression is that in a league with a fairly hard salary cap, a good coach can get you pretty far.
Also, if you just look at salaries, Sean Payton makes $8M/year with top players in the league making about $18M/year. With top MLB players making around $25M, an equivalent managerial salary would be around $11M and as far as I can tell, no managers make more than $5M (which is apparently what Scioscia makes?), so it seems safe to say that "the market" thinks that NFL coaches are a lot more important than MLB coaches. It's possible that the salary cap has caused some artificial inflation of coaching salaries, though, since AFAIK, there is no cap on coaching salaries.
It's difficult to say since the Bucs, Browns and Lions are also looking for a coach, and I doubt that's the last of the firings. With the success of both the Eagles and the Chiefs this year, my guess is the hottest prospects will be former head coaches, whether college or NFL, instead of NFL assistants.
yes please
Not quite the same as Dirk's move because it was a shot clock running out type of situation, but when he did the falling back on one leg shot the other night was really fun to watch.
This is what I like about Kevin Love. He is always trying to evolve his game. Always looking for an edge to beat the opponent.
On a different tangent here, but I dont get the 'The Wolves are terrible, lets trade Love for Player X and draft picks' line of thinking (I think it was Bill Simmons who threw out a Love for Blake trade. gag me with a spoon). Love is one of the best players in the NBA and one of the best players to have ever call Target Center home. Look what happened to the Wolves when they got rid of Garnett. I dont want to go through that unwatchable pile of crap again.
Ugh, Simmons.
Hopefully, with the schedule starting to become more relaxed and less stupid we'll hear less and less of the "trade Love" garbage from the knee-jerk fans. I don't understand it, either, both from the standpoint that its stupid to trade away the best power forward in the league who is currently playing, basically, like my MyPlayer from NBA2K13 and also the fact that the current GM has already proven incompetence. What does anyone think Flip will actually be capable of bringing back other than continued irrelevance?
I think Flip is smart enough to keep Love. At least I hope he is!
Im not saying I am giving Flip a pass, but I would like to wait at least one more offseason before I have a real opinion about how he is doing.
Trading down to get Shabazz was ugh, but if Dieng turns into a player, the trade may well prove to have been acceptable. Particularly if they can somehow flip Shabazz for a functioning piece.
If Flip can flip his flip, I'll flip my stance on him completely. I would also accept burying him in the D-League or convincing him Turkey is nice this time of year and pretending like the whole thing never happened.
could have been worse. Could have been Royce White.
I would like to as well, but I said that when Khan took over as well. Maybe that's unfair to Flip, but I'm feeling a bit stubborn about things what with the draft. That said, I do give him credit for getting LRMAM for the Lion.
Preach it, brother.
Im not a fan of two-toned football helmets, but Navy's helmets are pretty sharp
Looks like a futuristing motorcycle cop.
like this?
also, the Boy and I went to 47 Ronin yesterday. Surprisingly entertaining if forgettable. My favorite part was the fabulously vampy performance by Rinko Kikuchi.
In the hands of a skilled film maker, the "real" story of the 47 Ronin could make for an awesome film (with no need for a white guy interjected to appeal to jingoistic audiences; think Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Hero, neither of which had a white actor and both of which were much better than this film). Like, say, this version??? (which I have not seen)
I just had to share this...
I laughed.
Related in a not-understanding-how-things-work sort of way: I used to work at a liquor store downtown. I was ringing a guy up one day and he balked at the price as compared to what it said on the shelf. "It's 10% sales tax on alcohol downtown," I explained.
"Oh, so THAT'S how you all make your money!"
Um.
the Girl, to assorted relatives whilst in Santa Fe, "until I was 10* years old, I thought a communist was someone who didn't like my dad's cooking."
"What are you, a communist?" is one of my stock retorts to the kids in response to any number of slights or offenses (imagined or otherwise). I picked it up from one of my best buddies in grad school.
*Number pulled from hat, since I don't recall what age she specified.
Heh heh. Runner daughter was watching Blazing Saddles with her boyfriend last week, and he had to stop the movie when she began laughing after the line, "Mongo only pawn in game of life." She finally got the context of where I got this (oft-used) quote from.
Heh, I use that frequently as well but in a more affirmative manner: "Of course I like split pea soup, I'm not a communist."
I strenuously disagree with your opinion on split pea soup.
(Also, I should admit I selected pea soup for my example due to its divisiveness.)
my kingdom for a bowl of pease porridge!
I could probably live with something like that if there was no ham around. Fortunately, my mom gave me a big ol' meaty ham bone and, since my wife is a commie, I get to eat it all by myself.
Navy bean soup!!!!1111one1111!!!!
My Mom made a great hunter bean soup - Northern Beans, bacon grease, chopped onions, rice, smoked ham hocks, tomato paste, salt/pepper.
I thought as much. I've long since decided that anyone claiming to actually like split pea soup is doing so just to get a rise out of me.
In my defense, I actually truly adore pea soup. It's the finest of all soups.
Sounds like her dad is a Fascist.
my trains run on time, and my cooking is delicious.
Late Holiday gift for all WGOMers:
http://deadspin.com/5969194/ten-sports-gifs-that-will-restore-your-faith-in-humanity
Eh, weak. I'd prefer 10 Jeter playoff strikeouts (of his 135).
Notice how none of the pitchers are Joe Nathan
Apologies if I missed this discussion, because Santa Fe, but Joe Blogs the New Hall.
I don't really care all that much, except that I do. If the Hall actually elected 1.25 pct of every cohort (on average), ugh, what would we have to argue about?
I'm not sure I like that criteria as much as I like setting the bar at average for that position in the HOF. If you raise the HOF standard, you are in, otherwise no dice. Right now I think there are a lot of qualified candidates on the ballot even by that measure.
That criterion, by definition, pulls the ladder up higher after each election.
Yes it does.
I certainly tend to agree that any player whose inclusion would raise the average should be in the HOF. But I don't like it as a necessary condition.
Is one out of every 100 active players a deserving, future HOFer? I dunno. That seems like a lot. One out of a thousand? When phrased that way, it doesn't seem so small-Hally. But when compared to historical practices, one out of 100 is about right, and one out of a thousand would be crazy-small.
Currently, there are 208 former MLB players who were elected as players. If the standard were you have to be above the median HOFer to get in (not quite the same as above the average, I know), you basically need to have been one of the 100 best players of all time.
For position players, there are 28 non-members in the top 100 career rWAR, ranging from
Poo-holes at 27thBonds at 2nd to Reggie Smith (t-93rd).For pitchers, there are 50 non-members in the top 100 career rWAR, ranging from Roger Clemens at 3rd to Roy Oswalt at 100th.
These are "compiler" rankings, to be sure, but, wow. Yea. You are right -- there are a LOT of guys out there who have not been inducted who "should" be inducted by your "improve the average" criterion.
Now I'm getting wound up. Why don't we say something like "if you are in the top 50 all-time in rWAR, you are in" as a starting point for cleaning up the HOF omissions.
Bonds, Clemens, ARod, Maddux, Big Unit, Pooholes, Chipper. That's it.
In the next 50 are
Pedro, Junior, Mussina, Glavine, Schilling, Bagwell, (Rose), Jim McCormick, Bill Dahlen, Lou Whitaker, Big Hurt, Thome, Larry Walker, Palmeiro, Cap'n Jetes, Grich, Beltre, Trammell, Rick Reuschel, and Scott Rolen.
Somewhat surprisingly (to me), there are only a tiny number of "omissions" from guys no longer eligible for conventional election. Omitting Rose, the Hall could elect these 26 guys and hardly anyone would bat an eye in protest.
McCormick was a star in the late 19th century, leaving the game at age 30 in 1887; he really was a compiler, throwing 4,275.67 innings over ten seasons, including seventy-two complete games in 1880; Bert definitely would vote him in
Dahlen was a good-hit, great-glove SS in the 1890s through the 19-teens (10th all-time in defensive rWAR; six top-10 offensive rWAR seasons; 10th-ranked SS of all time on JAWS; nine of his top-ten comps are HOFers). I'm not sure why he got no love from voters.
I think a very high bar that if you pass it you're an automatic in would be good. Debating if Maddux should make it or not is stupid. It's the borderline candidates that are interesting and merit actual debate.
The pic of Tom Kelly that accompanies this story about him doing the Timberwolves laundry wins the internet.
Also, gotta read the Steve Aschburner story about the year the Wolves spent in the Dome
Ruh roh. BNSF crude oil train derailment near Fargo.
I saw that. I hope all is well for SBG and family. I'm not sure where SBGville is.
Billy Beane trades Michael Choice for Craig Gentry? Huh. But what really got me was this piece:
excerpt:
also, as a special treat for Twins fans:
So, on Saturday, my best friend got married, and I was his best man. He gave us a really cool Groomsmen's gift. We each got a board game called Shadow Hunters (except for the groomsman who already had the game). But the really cool thing was that with the help of his friend, he also made customized cards featuring the names of several of us who all play board games together. And our wives! And in my case, my son! It's really cool to play this game with customized player names. Nearly as cool as Spooky's kickstarter, though Spooky was going to actually immortalize people with their pictures. My friend used X-men characters as the pictures. Still, quite cool and very fun to play.
Which brings me to another question, anybody play Shadow Hunters, or any other fun board games? Any chance Casa could incorporate a Shadow Hunter type game some day? It is very close to Werewolf, but with some changes.
Heh. I was thinking of asking a modified version of this question today, but then got really busy.
The only familiarity I have with Shadow Hunters was from this past weekend, when my brother-in-law was describing a game that is "like Mafia." I've never played that one, but I'm definitely into board games. I just got Eldritch Horror for Christmas, and am eager to try it out. It appears somewhat complex. We own a good number of Spiel des Jahres games, and a bunch of runners-up too. Settlers, Carcassone, Dominion, San Juan (haven't ever played Puerto Rico, always mean to), Alhambra, etc.
I play a lot of those board games, too (I think I've told Phil this before). Some from the Casa may remember I originally wanted to play a spreadsheet version of Puerto Rico for the final Veto challenge of Big Brother before I chickened out.
I toyed with Dominion as a final challenge for a while too.
Get me the set of rules and I'll almost certainly find a time to work it in.
My artist is at work designing the cards, with 19 to do that are based on real people. I think about five or six WGOMers are on the list, or so? Maybe fewer, I don't remember.