Cup of Coffee

August 15, 2011: Missing

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I'm here in LA, after the most difficult goodbye I've ever said (with Skim, who cried in a way I've never seen anyone cry). I have no heart to lie here, so I'll just say it: no matter how it goes in Los Angeles, I don't think I'll last long before moving back. I simply cannot be away from them.

129 thoughts on “August 15, 2011: Missing”

    1. We're all over that, and we both have PS3s so we can do it that way too. I saw them this morning for a few minutes before Skim's first day of school and it made all the difference. I don't know how long I can make it, but I know now that I can make it through today.

  2. That's rough, Spoons. I hope it works out for the best and you get to see them again sooner rather than later.

  3. I hear you, Milkman. One of the reasons I changed fields for graduate studies was not wanting to spend a year or two doing research on the other side of the planet while Mrs. Hayes stayed at home.

    When either of us is away, we'll arrange some time at the end of the day to hop on Skype, just to see one another and talk about whatever's on our minds. So I'll second Rhu_Ru on that one.

    1. Mo chailín and I have been in the habit of making each other "good morning" youtube videos. I make mine when I'm going to bed so it's in England when she wakes up, and she makes one in her morning so it's here when I wake up. It's a really good way to start the day.

  4. Very tough, Spoons. I'm going to a conference for a few days and I'm already dreading it. Just a few days. I can't imagine.

    1. I've done two different stints of four weeks, and both were pretty unbearable (the first one was before Skype was really a thing). This is easier in that I have that avenue, and much worse in that I have no idea when I'll see them next.

  5. It's hard to know what to do when you're head is telling you one thing and your heart is telling you another. Best wishes to you.

    1. That's definitely the situation, Padre. I've never been this conflicted.

      The one thing that makes it okay is that, if I really must, I can go back to Phoenix anytime. It makes it feel like it's not so far away.

  6. I've got several trades in transit now, including a few autographed cards. I've been thinking of doing another collector's post here, this one with a "guess the autograph" quiz. I think we're probably another blowout loss away from this happening.

  7. Just make sure all your screenplays are set in Phoenix and/or the desert so maybe you can convince someone to shoot near your family.

  8. This subject was my primary motivation for completing only 1 enlistment with the Navy. It was not an easy decision; I really enjoyed much of my time in the service and I was good at what I did. However, I saw too many guys miss the birth of a child, the sickness, death and/or funeral of a parent, and other "minor" things like birthdays, graduations, weddings and holidays.

    During my first 4 years of marriage, I spent a grand total of about 21 months actually living with my wife. Otherwise, I was deployed or training to deploy. I wasn't willing to miss any more time with my wife, nor would I risk being absent from the birth of a child. Modern technology is great, but it's no substitute for the real thing.

    I applaud your choice to make a go for the career you want...I most definitely hope it works out so you can get the other big things back in order.

    1. Hey CoC, I sent you a message via Facebook because I lost your e-mail address. Check it out and get back to me.

  9. J & I have been in a long distance relationship for as long as we've been together. It's extremely hard at basically all times, so I definitely sympathize.

    1. Being away from The Milkmaid was excruciating before we had kids, but it's really not anymore. Now it's easy to be physically away from her, to a point, but excruciating to be away from the girls.

      Sigh...once you've been married for eight years, or at least once I've been married for eight years, being physically away from the wife isn't much different from living with her.

  10. Gents, Moss has been a little sparse around here as of late, just due to busyness at work and at home. But the Moss clan is about to head on a two-week vacation, and Moss thought that the itinerary might be of some interest to the Nation.

    Opening act: Cards at Pirates tomorrow night
    Main event: Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA
    Finale: Cooperstown
    Encore: Royals at Indians

    There may be some diversionary sideshows too, like Rochester at Syracuse and other minor league action. There's a lot of minor-league ball out that way. (Plus, we'll be doing some "other" activities like Hershey, Gettysburg, Niagara Falls, etc. to keep the rest of the clan entertained.) Needless to say, Moss Jr. is pretty geeked.

    Moss will try to check in and post some updates and pictures from time to time. Farewell!

    2. Just visited Niagara Falls three weeks ago. Nice area, but crazy tourist trap. Unfortunately there is no longer much of a cross-wind to blow away the mist from the falls. The American Falls can still be seen reasonably well, but a lot of the Horseshoe Falls is obscured.

    2. Carter, who played in Philadelphia, Minnesota, and Miami, spending the most productive years of his career in a Vikings uniform, chose to enter the Hall in street clothes.

      man, i love that rag.

  13. Yuck. At least when I was commuting to Chicago from St. Paul, I got to go home on the weekends. I think you should work all the time.

      1. heh, not only was it within the division, we're fracking playing them tonight too. wow.

          1. here's your answer:

            Twins_morsecode On the bus with the recently traded Delmon Young. We will drop him off and he will join the Tigers lineup tonight - told he will bat 3rd.

            4. So, instead of batting eighth for the fourth-place Twins, Delmon is going to bat third for the third-place Tigers. Does anyone see anything wrong with that?

              1. Batting third against the fourth-place Twins? No, I don't see anything wrong with that. What I see wrong is that the Tigers are in first-place, not third-place.

    3. This is my favorite news of ever. I don't even care if the guys they got are good or not.

    6. The real question, though, is what does this mean for those of us with the _elm_n shirt?

      2. It would make sense for him to do well against the Twins, considering they have the fewest strikeouts in the AL and they emphasize throwing strikes and getting ahead of batters. It seems like free swingers really do well against them (Vlad excepted).

      4. I'm assuming this move was predicated by my impending trip to Target Field. I am relieved that I can now watch the game from LF without fear of Delmon's "fielding"

    11. I really believe the Twins were going to nontender Delmon this offseason. For them to get anything for him right now is a big win. Of course, it would have been a lot bigger haul 10 months ago, but for right now I'm choosing to look at this as a big positive. Will we actually get to see Delmon and Magglio in the same outfield, especially in Detroit?

      1. For them to get anything for him right now is a big win.

        Cole Nelson may never get any closer to the bigs than to visit his family in Edina. But we can hope.

        87:50 K:BB in 105 1/3 at A+ Lakeland this year as a 21-year old. He's a big kid, at 6'7", and one of the two youngest pitchers on Lakeland's roster this year.

        Here's the Bless You Boys scouting report on him from January:

        Cole Nelson, 10th, 21, Throws: Left
        GCL/Lake, 27.1 IP, 12 H, 0 HR, 13 BB, 36 K

        With Nelson we get back to at least the frame we've come to look for in Tiger pitching prospects, as he's 6'7" tall and 240 pounds. That ample frame doesn't lead to that big of a fastball, though, as he's reported to top out in the low 90s. A low 90s fastball and just a slider to go with it suggests he's a long way from contributing for the Tigers if he is to be used as a starter. You may think that points to him coming out of the bullpen, but Baseball America noted his stuff suffers when he pitches from the stretch. Maybe that's something the Tigers can work through, but his eventual role may come down to which problem is easier to fix - adding a pitch or his delivery from the stretch. 2011 Outlook: I'd expect him to be West Michigan bound.

        and their midseason report from July:

        Cole Nelson, LHP, 7/14/89

        TBF: 381
        IP: 83.1
        H: 100
        HR: 5
        BB%: 11.5
        K%: 17.6
        ERA: 5.40
        FIP: 4.03

        Nelson is said to have problems working with runners on base, and there have been reports of him and the Tigers working to fix the problem. While he seems to have made progress - his peripherals are better with runners on - his last start was not one of the ones where he showed progress. He faced just ten batters and didn't make it out of the first inning. He has, however, had four quality starts his last six times out. Nelson has a lot of work to do, but the big lefty may be able to build on his ability to get ground balls when he gets his control and command worked out a bit.

        1. He's been in Lakeland this year, and he hasn't been very good. He was very good in rookie ball last year, although it was just a handful of games. He may still be able to get things going, though. After all, he's only 22!

              1. He gets plenty of strikeouts though (36 in 27.1 IP last year). He has lots of strikeouts, walks, hits, and runs in general. Too bad he doesn't have a 'w' in his name.

                1. I was going by the 87 Ks in 105 innings this year. But that's not bad, either, once I think about it.

        1. I must admit I'm giggling at seeing Tigers fans on MLB Trade Rumors & Bless You Boys pulling out the "He's only 25!" and "He had 112 RBIs last year!" cards. Tee hee. I hope the Twins hit a lot of balls in his direction tonight.

          1. this exchange in the BYB trade thread made me giggle a little:

            Slow starter in 2011, and before.

            Young’s career splits indicate that he hits sub 700 OPS in April and May and then turns it on. Post-all-star OPS for his career is .785.

            by lankownia on Aug 15, 2011 2:54 PM EDT reply actions

            So

            We can have Ryan Raburn in both right field and left field!

            by johnmoz on Aug 15, 2011 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions

            1. I like this one from some stribbie:

              Can you miss someone's potential?
              poprvter Aug 15, 11 3:18 pm

    14. That came out of nowhere. I expected more fanfare, even with how terrible he is at Major League Baseball.

      Why would the Tigers go after him? MLB.com says "the Tigers added a bat," which is only true if you take the comment completely literally. He doesn't fill a hole for them - he makes the hole they have even deeper.

      1. Yea, the Tigs need bullpen help, not offensive, uhh, "help." Particularly with Albuquerque out with a concussion.

            1. Jones didn't know where the ball was going. Delmon was strong and accurate but didn't always throw it to the right base. His arm is definitely one of his strengths.

    15. AaronGleeman: Delmon Young joined Twins in 2008. Since then the only player with more plate appearances and a lower WAR is Yuniesky Betancourt.

      Addition by subtraction

    16. more twitter fun (is this a burn?):

      keithlaw What? Twins should have offered free shipping. RT @jeffrent: Shouldn't the Twins have gotten a little more/better for trading Delmon Young?

      ItIsPerk @keithlaw he rode our team bus to the field today. Does that count?

      3. This plus the fact that he loves JoePos sends Perkins racing up my "favorite Twins" list. Too bad he's been crashing back to earth his last couple of outings.

          1. Agreed. He's allowed a run in his last four appearances, but he still has four strikeouts and two walks in four innings, so it wouldn't seem that his stuff has been declining. In those four innings, he has a .467 BABIP despite just a 13 percent line drive rate. Even Mariano Rivera has blown a few saves of late, so no reliever is automatic as much as we would like to believe otherwise.

            1. I agree with all that rational analysis, but I, like nibs, wanted Perk to be everything that I dream Chuck James can be.

  15. Werd up to all the copyright lawyers in the Nation:

    Since their release in 1978, hit albums like Bruce Springsteen’s “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” Billy Joel’s “52nd Street,” the Doobie Brothers’ “Minute by Minute,” Kenny Rogers’s “Gambler” and Funkadelic’s “One Nation Under a Groove” have generated tens of millions of dollars for record companies. But thanks to a little-noted provision in United States copyright law, those artists — and thousands more — now have the right to reclaim ownership of their recordings, potentially leaving the labels out in the cold.

    When copyright law was revised in the mid-1970s, musicians, like creators of other works of art, were granted “termination rights,” which allow them to regain control of their work after 35 years, so long as they apply at least two years in advance. Recordings from 1978 are the first to fall under the purview of the law, but in a matter of months, hits from 1979, like “The Long Run” by the Eagles and “Bad Girls” by Donna Summer, will be in the same situation — and then, as the calendar advances, every other master recording once it reaches the 35-year mark.

    The provision also permits songwriters to reclaim ownership of qualifying songs. Bob Dylan has already filed to regain some of his compositions, as have other rock, pop and country performers like Tom Petty, Bryan Adams, Loretta Lynn, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Waits and Charlie Daniels, according to records on file at the United States Copyright Office.

    of course, the record companies won't go down without a fight.

  16. new article up on FSN. some key points:

    *revere to play rest of 2011:

    "Revere's been an exciting player for us this year," Smith said. "We'll see how this plays. We also like three-run homers. This is the time to make this deal. We're going to get a look at Ben Revere now as a regular player the rest of the season."

    *tosoni to replace delmon, apparently here for 2011 as well:

    "We are going to give Tosoni and Revere a chance to play down the stretch," Gardenhire said. "We are always looking to get deeper as an organization."

    *young was claimed off waivers by tigers, didn't pass through.

    *PTBNL must be named by 15 october 2011

      1. I think he's just acknowledging fact that Revere has no power at all, which isn't good for a corner outfielder. I wonder if Tosoni getting playing time is more of a negotiating tactic for Kubel and Cuddyer and/or motivation for Span to get healthy.

        1. i'm still waiting for the part where he says plouffe is replacing any mention of tolbert for at least the rest of 2011 (and that tolbert's been shot into the sun via rocket).

          1. You know Gardy has to keep his Mini-Me around. As long as it is in a utility role, Tolbert doesn't hurt the team too much.

              1. No, Valencia would have to be moved to RF in order for Tolbert to start at 3b. That's the standard progression.

  17. Still no Cuddyer tonight. Revere in left, Plouffe at second and batting second. Span, Plouffe, Mauer, Morneau, Kubel, Thome, Valencia, Revere, Nishioka.

  18. with Delmon gone, is the plan for next year to have Revere/Tosoni/FA signing in left, Span/Revere in center, Cuddyer in right and Kubel DH

    1. I'd love for them to sign Kubel to be their RF next year. I don't expect this to happen unless Cuddyer gets an insane offer... but I don't trust that they won't match that.

  19. wow (twitter)

    Twins_morsecode Dustin Morse
    After talking with Gardy, #Twins bench tonight: Kevin Slowey will pinch run for Thome if needed late in game.

  21. Today the Twins traded elm'n, Ji

    Jim Thome hit number 600, elm'n got hit by a pitch that Alex Burnett threw and the Bills cut Aaron Maybin. Today was a good day.

  24. Spoons, welcome to my world. One year into my long distance commute and things are all right.

    1. I guess it's so much tougher this time because of the undefined endpoint. I've done this four four or five weeks two different times, but I was able to keep it together because I could count down the days. Now, because I can't, I'm honestly in danger of packing this thing in inside a week and saying to hell with auditions and meetings - I'll just go back to my family and get my script around via email.

  25. Remember that time the Twins traded elm'n? Man, this is so great. I really wish I was here to enjoy it with you guys earlier. I seriously can't get over how pumped up I am about this. Wow. So great.

    1. I had tons of work to do today and didn't even know until, just as I'm leaving a co-worker stops by and asks me what I think. About what?

      My take was immediately that Del would be released at the end of the season and that getting anyting for him was a bonus.

      He told me that the named prospect was a pitcher from that had a high ERA and was going to Ft Myers. My immediate comments were something like "Probably his first year in pro ball [1], if he was a high enough prospect to be concerned over and has more struggles, he'll probably move to the bullpen [2]. Did you hear if he's a lefty [3]?"

      1. Wrong
      2. Already moved there
      3. Yep.

      I count that as 2 of 3. Not bad.

      -------

      And then after I put the kids to bed, I help EAR move some furniture. First thing when I sit down at the computer is my gmail with an e-mail from the Twins that Jimbo Mashed Taters numbered 599 and 600. Wish I could have heard that call live. Everything's happening when I'm not around.

  26. Wrap-up for the Twins top three draft picks: Levi Michael signs for $1.175 million, Travis Harrison signs for $1.05 million, and Hudson Boyd for $1 million. Michael appears to have signed for very near the slot bonus while Harrison and Boyd are way over.

    1. yea, WAAAAY over. I guess that will happen when you wait until the last freakin' minute, you get no compensation if you fail, and your minor league cupboards are bare.

      1. actually, i think that's pretty common, especially regarding over slot signings. best to announce right after the deadline than get guff from the MLB.

        1. I think Keith Law had a tweet about this, that MLB was "orchestrating" those announcements to come at a certain time.

          I'm very glad they went over slot for Harrison & Boyd. I'm excited for both players, but particularly Boyd. He's years and years away, but a high schooler with a 95 mph fast ball and a power curve? Yes please.

        2. I also heard teams delay the announcements in order to not give additional leverage to other draft picks. Overall, it just frustrates fans and delays when the draftees can start playing.

          1. given that it takes two sides to agree to a contract, MLB doesn't control that information. If it were in the interest of agents to publicize deals when they happen, they would do so.

            and I think it generally is in the interest of an agent to publicize deals as they happen.

            1. And yet, every year, every single over slot signing isn't announced until the very end. It's in the interest of everyone to get these deals done as soon as possible, and there are several organizations that don't care at all what Selig has to say about large bonuses. They also announce at the very end. I believe/heard it's because MLB doesn't approve the contract until then. If you find out differently, please do share as it would be nice to know where to direct my ire.

  27. The ChiSox are only 3.5 GB. I know it'll make me persona non grata here to announce this, but among the three teams at or above .500, I want the ChiSox to be the division champs.

    Twins can do their part by taking this series in Detroit.

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