Tag Archives: WGOM featured

WGOM Half-Baked Hall

Half-Baked Hall: 1936 Results

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God I love baseball so much. When I was eight years old I memorized every statistic of every player in R.B.I. baseball. I would annoy the shit out of my parents by reciting things like how many homers Ellis Burks and Tony Armas had for the 86 Red Sox (20 and 43 respectively, even though Burks's rookie year was 1987 and they used Armas's 1984 stats). I'm so glad I found a community on-line where I can be myself with glorious baseball history. 27 years later and my love for this game is stronger than ever.

We had 18 voters this time around. It was a relatively weak ballot. But we will still have an election ceremony.

 

Dazzy Vance

Dazzy Vance squeaks in on his second ballot, pulling down 78% of the electorate. It's a good thing he had another trick up his sleeve. He sure ain't gettin' by on his looks.

Remaining on the Ballot (15 Players)

Red Faber: 72% +28
Stan Coveleski: 67% -5
Bill Terry: 67%
Zack Wheat: 61% +5
Sam Rice: 50% -6
Urban Shocker: 50% +0
Hack Wilson: 39% -5
Max Carey: 33% +5
Burleigh Grimes: 33% -6
Firpo Marberry: 33%
Joe Sewell: 33% +0
Eppa Rixey: 33% +5
Earl Combs: 28% +6
Wally Schang: 22% +0
Travis Jackson: 11%

Not a lot of movement here, except for Red Faber who had a huge jump of 28 percentage points and was the only player to fall one vote short. Bill Terry made a pretty strong first ballot showing. Firpo Marberry must have been swayed by philsofer's plea as only 5 of 18 voters voted nay. A lot of people on the fence there. Some people on the fence about Travis Jackson as well thanks to nibbish's lukewarm report.

For the first time in a while we will have zero players on their final ballot next go round.

Falling off the Ballot (9 Players)

Eddie Cicotte: 39% +11
Heinie Groh: 22% -6
Edd Roush: 17% -5
Lefty O'Doul: 11% -6
Herb Pennock: 11% -6
Rabbit Maranville: 6% -11
Freddie Lindstrom: 0%
Tom Zachary: 0%
General Crowder: 0%

I'm honestly surprised how well Eddie Cicotte did. Perhaps I shouldn't be given how much overwhelming support Shoeless Joe got. I thought that was a case of, "Well, he was so dominant we can ignore the cheating." As it turns out, Eddie's borderline case overcame that as well.

As for the rest, we see a lot of real-life Hall-of-Famers getting kicked to the curb. Pennock, Maranville, Roush, and Lindstrom all say goodbye, the voters unimpressed by the various Veteran's Committees.

Charts

Ballots

WGOM Fitness

Trails and such

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I decided I'm going to hike/bike/run across Connecticut - and started this last weekend.

The New England Scenic Trail goes from the MA border down to the Long Island Sound in Guilford.

On Saturday did the Beseck Mountain segment (hiking boots/trekking sticks, etc.) and on Sunday did Bluff Head by Guilford.  All have similar characteristics from north to south (volcanic eruption with westward facing basalt cliffs).

This evening did a trail run from Albany Ave (Reservoir 6 in West Hartford) to Heublein Tower on the Metacomet Trail.  Tough when it starts to get dark around 6ish.  Several trips but no problems.

Tough running on rocks/boulders/roots/etc. but I like the variety compared to running on asphalt.

First Monday Book Day

Monday Book Day: Sci-Fi and Fantasy Awards

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The Hugo awards were passed out this month (or, in most cases, not passed out).  And tradition dictates that this is the time that I put together a little online reading list of short fiction based on the various sci-fi award nominees out there.

Hugo Award Nominees and Winners

Nebula Award Nominees

Locus Award Nominees

World Fantasy Award Nominees

Sturgeon Award Nominees

Those represent 12 short fiction awards (two have yet to be handed out, and two were not awarded this year), and 60 different nominated works.  My favorites listed below with links where the stories are available online.

NOVELLA (17,500 to 40,000 words)

The Mothers of Voorhisville by Mary Rickert - A whole group of mothers are all pregnant at the same time, and something is very wrong with their children.  Or maybe the children are fine and there's something very wrong with the mothers.  (Nominated for Nebula and World Fantasy)

We Are All Completely Fine by Daryl Gregory - A support group for the survivors of supernatural violence comes together and tells their stories while realizing their stories aren't over. Not available for free online. (Nominated for Nebula, World Fantasy, Locus, and Sturgeon)

The Regular by Ken Liu - A cyborg detective is enlisted to solve a murder.  The anthology this is from (Upgraded) can be got for free in some places (I got it from the publisher but it seems that offer has expired?), or you can purchase it for a few dollars.  (Nominated for Nebula, Sturgeon and Locus)

The Lightning Tree by Patrick Rothfuss - I love a good trickster story, and this is that story.  Set in the world of the Kingkiller Chronicles, but I wasn't familiar with that and still very much enjoyed it.  Unfortunately, another that's not freely available online. (Nominated for Locus)

The Man Who Sold the Moon by Cory Doctorow (Sturgeon Award winner) and Yesterday's Kin by Nancy Kress (Locus and Nebula Award winner) weren't my favorites and they weren't available freely online, so I'll just mention them here.

NOVELLETTE (7,500 to 17,500 words)

The Magician and Laplace's Demon by Tom Crosshill - Can magic exist in a world with AI and total surveillance?  (Nominated for Nebula)

A Guide to the Fruits of Hawaii by Alaya Dawn Johnson - Vampires have humans in concentration camps, and one of the human workers in those camps is caught up in the intrigues of the overlords. (Nebula Award Winner)

The Devil in America by Kai Ashante Wilson - Shapeshifters in the antebellum South. (Nominated for Nebula and World Fantasy)

Tough Times All Over by Joe Abercrombie - A package makes its way through the city in the hands of various underground characters.  Excerpt here.   (Locus Award Winner)

A Year and a Day in Old Theradane by Scott Lynch - A crime caper with witches and wizards.  (Nominated for Locus)

SHORT STORY (under 7,500 words)

Jackalope Wives by Ursula Vernon - My favorite story of the year.  Native American myth and magic woven into a great story (Nebula Award winner)

Herd Immunity by Tananarive Due - In a plague apocalypse, how can the narrator find a connection with anyone?  (Nominated for Sturgeon)

When it Ends, He Catches Her by Eugie Foster - A zombie apocalypse story that's somehow wistful.  (Nominated for Nebula and Sturgeon)

Ogres of East Africa by Sofia Samatar - Samatar is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers, this is in an anthology, so not available freely online, but it's very good. (Nominated for Locus)

The Vaporization Enthalpy of a Peculiar Pakistani Family by Usman Malik (nominated for Nebula)

I Can See Right Through You by Kelly Link (nominated for World Fantasy)

 

Parentgood

Father Knows Best: Routines

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Now that the Valet is eleven months old, he's pretty comfortable with his daily routine. He wakes, eats, poops, and naps on a consistent schedule for the most part. Thankfully, this gives us a decent amount of flexibility for our days because we know what times are "locked in" for him.

Anyway, last weekend I had the opportunity to be a single parent. I stuck to the schedule for the big activities (which meant I watched a lot of EPL because that was prime time for playing with toys in the living room) and they all went smoothly. Except sleep. He would not fall asleep.

 

On Saturday, he fought his morning nap for four hours (despite clear signals of needing sleep) before finally crashing and taking a much longer than usual nap. Then, at bedtime, he was extraordinarily sleepy but fought out for an hour despite books, rocking, bouncing, and lullabies (mainly 90s alternative music). On Sunday, he took just a twenty minute nap the entire day.

Sleepiness was clearly not the issue. Instead, it seemed that in his zombie stage, he finally would notice that mom hadn't been around and that would set him off. Strange, because I put him to sleep at least half the time when we're both around.

I have no idea what, if anything, I could have tried differently. Oh well, everyone survived and the house didn't burn down on my watch.

 

Parentgood

Difficult Choices

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I'm taking my 10.5-year-old golden retriever, George, to the vet during lunch today. He's been on a downward slide for the past few months and, despite our best efforts, I fear it's time for him to move on. He's lost most of his mobility and hasn't been eating. At a vet visit last month, he was prescribed muscle relaxants & various meds for pain & joint health as he was exhibiting symptoms of arthritis and muscle atrophy in his rear end. He improved for a while, but is again back to being barely able to get himself up; he can't even support himself to go to the bathroom. When I went to the kennel this morning, I though he was dead - he didn't raise his head to acknowledge me until I was at his side, petting him. He couldn't even lift himself and I had to carry him to the yard and hold his ass end up to take a leak. He took a few steps and then sat/laid down hard. Some research online suggests both that his deterioration isn't out of the ordinary and his current age is within the normal end-of-lifespan.

In my house, the dogs* are more pets than family members. Since kids were added to the mix, our dog-ownership activities have essentially deteriorated to the point of co-existence. They have a large dog house & roofed kennel, access to a big yard (more than an acre), get fed twice a day, and we let them out to run around a bit and go to the bathroom every morning and evening. However, they don't get the daily 2-mile walks they got for the first 6 years we had them, we don't play with them every day, George hasn't been hunting since 2009 and hasn't hit the lake for a swim in over a year. Kernel is young enough that I don't think it'll be too difficult for her and I know my wife will be sad. I'm already grieving a bit. George has been a truly amazing dog - but if he needs to be put down (and if I'm being honest) - I'll also be somewhat relieved.

George_2008

I don't want him to be in pain and his quality of life right now is for shit, but I'm not willing (or able, really) to spend two or three thousand dollars to get him another six months. Last time, they suggested x-rays ($$) and potentially surgery ($$$), thinking it might be damaged discs in his back or joint issues in his hips and/or knees. He's a retriever and he can barely walk, let alone run and fetch. He's a mostly-outside dog (kennel & yard) and another winter would be incredibly hard on him. I don't want him to suffer, but I don't want to put him down if there's a reasonable alternative. The vets can (apparently) refuse to euthanize if they believe there's a better course of action. I'm all ears, but I'm not very optimistic at the moment. I didn't have dogs growing up so I have never dealt with this before...

*I anticipate our beagle will be the one most affected by his absence. They've been inseparable for nearly 10 years. She's had a ton of health issues and I always thought it'd be her that went first. Not sure how my wife's going to handle it when the beagle (Emma) passes. We got her about 4 months into our marriage so my wife would have a buddy while I was deployed. On the plus side, despite Emma's chronic bladder infections and incontinence, she'll be the easier of the two to move back into the house, seeing as how she's only 23 lbs. and doesn't have the long coat like George. Amazing how adulthood produces such callousness pragmatism.

Soccer

2015-16 EPL Prediction Contest

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It's that time of year again. Here are your past champions:

YearChampion
2011 HomerDome (18 pts)
2012 MagUidhir (19 pts)
2013 Philo (21 pts)
2014 Philo (32 pts)

This year will crown our 2015* Champion. Can Philo go for a three-peat? Will nibbish finally break through and unseat him? Someone else? Who knows!

*Years are based on the day of the first fixture of the season.

And a reminder on scoring:

  • 3 points for correctly predicting the finishing place of a team in the final league table
  • 1 point for being +/- one position in the final leage table
  • A bonus point for correctly picking the league champion
  • One bonus point for each relegated team correctly predicted, up to three total. (Position doesn't affect this. If you pick them 18th, and they finish 20th, still a bonus point cuz they're going down)

Continue reading 2015-16 EPL Prediction Contest →

WGOM Half-Baked Hall

Half-Baked Hall: 1935 Results

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So the new format of Half-Baked Hall was a success in that we had a robust discussion about all of the new players. We also had the lowest voter turnout yet. I'll blame the heat. If anybody else wants to volunteer for bios, let me know.

Babe Ruth

Arguably the best player of all-time managed to snag 100% of the vote. Good job voters.

George Sisler

Mauer's career is arguably already better than Sisler's due to positional adjustments, but man Sisler fell off a cliff. Still good enough to nab 83% of the vote, though.

Harry Heilmann

I asked Nibbish for a quote for Heilmann's plaque, as nobody has ever talked about him in the history of the WGOM. This is what he said. Harry got 78% of the vote. Now let's stop talking about him.

Remaining on the Ballot (19 Players)

Nearly everyone who carried over got a bump this time around, with Zack Wheat and Urban Shocker leading the way. Coveleski gets oh so close to election on his 3rd ballot. Scot's avatar starts out with 56%, so I think he has a chance.

The only guy to lose major ground was a catcher. Go figure.

Stan Coveleski (72%) +4
Dazzy Vance (72%)
Sam Rice (56%)
Zack Wheat (56%) +14
Urban Shocker (50%) +13
Red Faber (44%) +12
Hack Wilson (44%)
Burleigh Grimes (39%)
Joe Sewell (33%) +7
Max Carey (28%) +2
Eddie Cicotte (28%) -4
Heinie Groh (28%) +12
Eppa Rixey (28%) +7
Earl Combs (22%)
Edd Roush (22%) +6
Wally Schang (22%) -10
Rabbit Maranville (17%)
Lefty O'Doul (17%)
Herb Pennock (17%)

Falling Off The Ballot (11 players)

Bobby Wallace falls just short of election on his final ballot. Carl Mays, who somehow snuck onto a 2nd ballot, crashes and burns this time.

Senator Joe Judge completely whiffs.

Bobby Wallace (72%) +9
Sherry Magee (39%) +2
Sad Sam Jones (17%)
Max Bishop (11%)
George Grantham (6%)
Willie Kamm (6%)
Carl Mays (6%) -15
Riggs Stephenson (6%)
Joe Judge (0%)
Dolf Luque (0%)
Marty McManus (0%)

Charts

Ballots

 

 

WGOM Half-Baked Hall

Half-Baked Hall: 1934-1935

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So we're going to be this a little bit different now. We have some wonderful volunteers who agreed to write a small blurb about a player or two to generate discussion and help us all learn more about baseball history.

Final Ballot

Sherry Magee
Bobby Wallace

Below is the list of new batters and who is responsible for writing about them. Remember, this is just a short blurb. Don't stress out about it. Find one thing interesting about the person. You can talk about if you like them for a vote or not but you don't have to. If it's more than two paragraphs you're probably trying too hard.

Due Date For Blurbs: June 30th

New Hitters

Max Bishop (CanofCorn)
Earl Combs (Freealonzo)
George Grantham (nibbish)
Joe Judge (AMR)
Willie Kamm (Beau)
Rabbit Maranville (bhiggum)
Marty McManus (DPWY)
Lefty O'Doul (Geoff)
Sam Rice (New Britain Bo)
Babe Ruth (philosofer)
Riggs Stephenson (yickit)
Hack Wilson (daneekasghost)

If I get any more volunteers, I'll add them to the pitcher list. Otherwise, I'll probably write something up.

New Pitchers

Burleigh Grimes
Sad Sam Jones (philosofer)
Dolf Luque (Scot)
Herb Pennock (Scot)
Dazzy Vance

Stats

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