Cliff supposedly went to this game; I'll be expecting some picture evidence soon!
Anyway, here's the game recap. Runners on third in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings, and Toronto couldn't score? Wow...
http://mvn.com/mlb-bluejays/2008/07/31/blue-jays-lose-two-of-three-to-rays/
The Hockey Farmer / Showing Their Scales
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
This week's featured book on Cacoethes
Alright, Young Chasing Rainbow Trout has been featured on the main page of Cacoethes Publishing House as the book of the week!
Please check it out!
http://www.cacoethespublishing.net/
Also, I will be hosting an author chat on the Cacoethes Publishing website in the upcoming weeks! This session is for readers and fans alike, so hope to see some of you out there! Should be an interesting session with me leading the discussion.
Please feel free to contact me if you'd like to participate or if you have any questions!
Please check it out!
http://www.cacoethespublishing.net/
Also, I will be hosting an author chat on the Cacoethes Publishing website in the upcoming weeks! This session is for readers and fans alike, so hope to see some of you out there! Should be an interesting session with me leading the discussion.
Please feel free to contact me if you'd like to participate or if you have any questions!
Curse, Jinx, Reversal in fortunes?
Wow. I checked and discovered that since I bashed the Yankees' Jason Giambi, he went on a tear in his next fifty games: .317, 15 HRs - which meant he was on pace for a 47-home run season had he kept that up.
And ever since I criticized Randy Johnson on July 1st, he has gone 4-0 in four starts. A 1.71 ERA. Back-to-back scoreless gems.
Yes, Jesse Litsch went 1-6 with an ERA over 6.00 after I praised him. Yes, I know. And he got sent down to the minors.
I think House now wants me to bash the Leafs and Blue Jays for luck.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/42582-mlb-talk-johnson-owings-litsch-giambi-and-maddux
I've been proven wrong. Again.
Nothing new, but I do acknowledge it when I get it wrong.
Ever since I bashed Arizona's Randy Johnson, he has gone undefeated. In fact, since his July 1st defeat against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Big Unit has gone a perfect 4-0 in his four starts.
His stats during the streak: 1.71 ERA, 19 strikeouts in 26.1 innings pitched.
Not a high number of K's, but Johnson does have a 10-strikeout game mixed in there. And he hasn't allowed a run in back-to-back starts.
I will say it's mind-boggling though; at the time I criticized Johnson, he was 4-7 with a 5.46 ERA and had just lost his sixth straight start. I argued he should have been taken out of the rotation because he was costing the Diamondbacks victories as the Los Angeles Dodgers were making a huge dent into Arizona's once-insurmountable lead in the NL West.
Meanwhile, Micah Owings has lost his job in the D-Backs' rotation. In fact, he'd been relegated to the bullpen since losing his fifth straight decision in late June.
At that time, Owings was 6-7 with a 5.18 ERA. Keep in mind he'd started the year 4-0. Thus, Owings' 2-7 mark in a dozen starts since then (with a 6.27 ERA) was a huge cause for concern.
My question is: at that time, why wouldn't you put Johnson in the pen and keep Owings in the rotation?
After all, Johnson is a lefty, and I'd think opposing batters would still fear the Big Unit. Imagine Johnson coming out of the pen for an inning or two and intimidating the other hitters. It would have given the D-Backs another option with an extra lefty in the pen. (Owings is right-handed.)
Also, Owings is only 25 and in his sophomore year. Johnson is 44. Wouldn't you want to keep sending a youngster out there every fifth day so he could build on his confidence? What good would sending out a forty-plus year-old pitcher every time out when (at the time) it looked like he was done?
And, Owings is a good hitter too. He smacked four dingers and batted .333 in his rookie year in 2007. This season Owings has already homered once and has 15 hits in 52 at-bats (.288 average). The righty can certainly help his own cause at the plate, meaning the D-Backs wouldn't have an automatic out in the ninth spot of the lineup.
Anyway, the D-Backs sure look brilliant now; Johnson is thriving again and Arizona is still in first place.
I guess the difference was Johnson's multiple Cy Young Awards and proven track record. Having a future Hall-of-Famer starting was surely a safer bet.
Speaking of Cy Young, I sure look dumb now when I suggested the Blue Jays' Jesse Litsch, Toronto's fifth starter at the time, was a sure All-Star and a potential Cy Young candidate when he started out 7-1 with a 3.18 ERA.
I also applauded Litsch for being a team guy by offering to pitch in relief in a blowout game in Philadelphia in May.
Since then, the wheels have fallen off. Litsch went 1-6 with a 6.12 ERA before earning a trip to the minors.
Ouch.
And I bashed Jason Giambi when he started out hitting .109.
In the 50 games since my criticisms, Giambi went on a tear, bashing out 15 homers in 161 at-bats and hitting .317. Wow. (If you do the math, that works out to be 47 home runs in 500 at-bats.)
Some in the media were writing that Giambi deserved a shot in the All-Star Game (which I totally disagreed with).
Well, from June 24th up to today, the Giambino has slumped again, hitting .215 in the last 26 games. But oh, more importantly, his New York Yankees (59-48) are back in the race, just four out in the AL East and 1 1/2 games back in the Wild Card race.
Oh yeah, New York has added I-Rod too, to play with A-Rod. The Yankees, who have lost catcher Jorge Posada for the rest of the season, picked up Ivan Rodriguez from the Detroit Tigers earlier today.
And back to Johnson and the D-Backs before I wrap up: Steve Henson from Yahoo! Sports has written that Arizona probably isn't going to acquire 351-game winner Greg Maddux. The Mad Dog reportedly has included the D-Backs and the L.A. teams as among the clubs he'd be willing to be traded to.
Arizona, however, apparently isn't interested in Maddux, which would be a shame. If Maddux does head to the desert, the D-Backs could have two 300-game winners--Johnson is eight wins away from the 300 club--in the same rotation.
And ever since I criticized Randy Johnson on July 1st, he has gone 4-0 in four starts. A 1.71 ERA. Back-to-back scoreless gems.
Yes, Jesse Litsch went 1-6 with an ERA over 6.00 after I praised him. Yes, I know. And he got sent down to the minors.
I think House now wants me to bash the Leafs and Blue Jays for luck.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/42582-mlb-talk-johnson-owings-litsch-giambi-and-maddux
I've been proven wrong. Again.
Nothing new, but I do acknowledge it when I get it wrong.
Ever since I bashed Arizona's Randy Johnson, he has gone undefeated. In fact, since his July 1st defeat against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Big Unit has gone a perfect 4-0 in his four starts.
His stats during the streak: 1.71 ERA, 19 strikeouts in 26.1 innings pitched.
Not a high number of K's, but Johnson does have a 10-strikeout game mixed in there. And he hasn't allowed a run in back-to-back starts.
I will say it's mind-boggling though; at the time I criticized Johnson, he was 4-7 with a 5.46 ERA and had just lost his sixth straight start. I argued he should have been taken out of the rotation because he was costing the Diamondbacks victories as the Los Angeles Dodgers were making a huge dent into Arizona's once-insurmountable lead in the NL West.
Meanwhile, Micah Owings has lost his job in the D-Backs' rotation. In fact, he'd been relegated to the bullpen since losing his fifth straight decision in late June.
At that time, Owings was 6-7 with a 5.18 ERA. Keep in mind he'd started the year 4-0. Thus, Owings' 2-7 mark in a dozen starts since then (with a 6.27 ERA) was a huge cause for concern.
My question is: at that time, why wouldn't you put Johnson in the pen and keep Owings in the rotation?
After all, Johnson is a lefty, and I'd think opposing batters would still fear the Big Unit. Imagine Johnson coming out of the pen for an inning or two and intimidating the other hitters. It would have given the D-Backs another option with an extra lefty in the pen. (Owings is right-handed.)
Also, Owings is only 25 and in his sophomore year. Johnson is 44. Wouldn't you want to keep sending a youngster out there every fifth day so he could build on his confidence? What good would sending out a forty-plus year-old pitcher every time out when (at the time) it looked like he was done?
And, Owings is a good hitter too. He smacked four dingers and batted .333 in his rookie year in 2007. This season Owings has already homered once and has 15 hits in 52 at-bats (.288 average). The righty can certainly help his own cause at the plate, meaning the D-Backs wouldn't have an automatic out in the ninth spot of the lineup.
Anyway, the D-Backs sure look brilliant now; Johnson is thriving again and Arizona is still in first place.
I guess the difference was Johnson's multiple Cy Young Awards and proven track record. Having a future Hall-of-Famer starting was surely a safer bet.
Speaking of Cy Young, I sure look dumb now when I suggested the Blue Jays' Jesse Litsch, Toronto's fifth starter at the time, was a sure All-Star and a potential Cy Young candidate when he started out 7-1 with a 3.18 ERA.
I also applauded Litsch for being a team guy by offering to pitch in relief in a blowout game in Philadelphia in May.
Since then, the wheels have fallen off. Litsch went 1-6 with a 6.12 ERA before earning a trip to the minors.
Ouch.
And I bashed Jason Giambi when he started out hitting .109.
In the 50 games since my criticisms, Giambi went on a tear, bashing out 15 homers in 161 at-bats and hitting .317. Wow. (If you do the math, that works out to be 47 home runs in 500 at-bats.)
Some in the media were writing that Giambi deserved a shot in the All-Star Game (which I totally disagreed with).
Well, from June 24th up to today, the Giambino has slumped again, hitting .215 in the last 26 games. But oh, more importantly, his New York Yankees (59-48) are back in the race, just four out in the AL East and 1 1/2 games back in the Wild Card race.
Oh yeah, New York has added I-Rod too, to play with A-Rod. The Yankees, who have lost catcher Jorge Posada for the rest of the season, picked up Ivan Rodriguez from the Detroit Tigers earlier today.
And back to Johnson and the D-Backs before I wrap up: Steve Henson from Yahoo! Sports has written that Arizona probably isn't going to acquire 351-game winner Greg Maddux. The Mad Dog reportedly has included the D-Backs and the L.A. teams as among the clubs he'd be willing to be traded to.
Arizona, however, apparently isn't interested in Maddux, which would be a shame. If Maddux does head to the desert, the D-Backs could have two 300-game winners--Johnson is eight wins away from the 300 club--in the same rotation.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Misadventure at Superstore
So, Monday morning was the school's field trip/business project, and two classes were supposed to meet at Superstore at 9:30 to get started.
Of course, Sunday night I got this email from the other teacher saying he had an emergency and couldn't make it; would I be able to handle both classes on my own?
Well, honestly, what was I going to say in that situation?
Actually, no problem, I could do it anyways. I'm not one who wimps out to begin with.
My class arrived at the meeting place at 9:30, while only half his class was there. Not wanting to waste time, I got started and explained the rules and objectives to my class and asked them to enter the store and begin.
After 10 minutes and the rest of his class still hadn't arrived, I assigned teams and team captains to the students who were there and re-explained everything, and told them to wait for their mates to arrive.
Not a big deal... until later.
Since I divided each class into two groups, there were four groups in total I had to shadow and monitor--double my normal workload.
Actually, it was all fine at the beginning. I was with one group at the toothpaste aisle, and a very friendly stocker chitchatted with some of my students and helped them out by pointing out a sale item. Very pleasant. Genuine.
I took the first group to the cashier's to pay. One problem--well, actually a few.
The cashier was not friendly; no smile, no enthusiasm, and it was only 10:20!!! It's not like it's the end of the shift; the store just opened not too long ago! I mean, c'mon, if you're in customer service and you don't like it, why are you there in the first place?
No, the cashier, who was certainly the anti-toothpaste-aisle-man, wasn't the big problem. The equipment was. I tried to use the pin pad, and the green "OK" button was missing--like a key missing on a keyboard. Whatever, I just pushed that vacated spot and moved on. But when I was to press the "Chequing" button, there were lots of problems.
I kept pressing it and nothing happened. The cashier was impatient, so I explained it didn't work. Thus, I was asked to re-do it. And to no avail. I finally showed the cashier what I was talking about, and was told to wait while the supervisor came to fix their problem.
Yes, yes, I was told that pad was working earlier today. Really though, I was fine with it; I didn't need any excuses.
The next thing I knew, a woman started yelling at my students because they were in the way. Yes, it was their fault they were crowding around and blocking people, but was it necessary to shout like that?
I talked back, and said there was no reason to be that rude, only to get more verbal trashing from her. So the two of us started arguing there on the spot. Was I out of line? Yes. So was she for yelling at my students, and I didn't see why she should get away with it. I do not stand for that kind of intimidation, and I let her know it.
The supervisor came, I got to pay for the bill using another pin pad, and then I had to go back in and check on the other three groups.
So, what lessons did I learn from this? (I take everything as a learning experience; what can I do better in the future?)
Time to get a Costco card... save more money and don't have to deal with all this attitude we were getting. Well, the stocker was great... but the rest of the trip was not.
Mental note to self: do not schedule two classes going at the same time. You never know when someone's going to pull the "emergency" stuff. Yes, I understand, sometimes things happen that you can't control. However, to avoid this from happening, I'm just going to schedule these trips separately.
-------------------
And this is the type of nonsense that goes on. Every week, if not every day, I see people do the following, and they don't get scolded:
* someone would get onto the SkyTrain and just stop inside the door/entrance... despite the fact he/she is the first one to get on at a busy station. There would be others behind waiting to get on too, and this person would just stop there suddenly even though there's room elsewhere on the train. Why not go all the way in and not block the others that are trying to get on?
* someone would press the button on the crosswalk repeatedly trying to get the light to change. (Uhm- note to all: contrary to what you all believe, the light does NOT change because you hit that button a million times!!) I wish the device would automatically reset every time someone hits that button just so he/she would stand there waiting forever. There is absolutely NO reason to continue pressing it... some people.
* someone would walk down the stairs and suddenly stop in the middle for no reason, even though there are people walking behind trying to get down too.
* someone would stand in the middle of the street and block everyone else just so he/she could check something on the phone or blackberry or whatever.
* someone would change lanes without signalling.
And on and on... go pick on them too!
Of course, Sunday night I got this email from the other teacher saying he had an emergency and couldn't make it; would I be able to handle both classes on my own?
Well, honestly, what was I going to say in that situation?
Actually, no problem, I could do it anyways. I'm not one who wimps out to begin with.
My class arrived at the meeting place at 9:30, while only half his class was there. Not wanting to waste time, I got started and explained the rules and objectives to my class and asked them to enter the store and begin.
After 10 minutes and the rest of his class still hadn't arrived, I assigned teams and team captains to the students who were there and re-explained everything, and told them to wait for their mates to arrive.
Not a big deal... until later.
Since I divided each class into two groups, there were four groups in total I had to shadow and monitor--double my normal workload.
Actually, it was all fine at the beginning. I was with one group at the toothpaste aisle, and a very friendly stocker chitchatted with some of my students and helped them out by pointing out a sale item. Very pleasant. Genuine.
I took the first group to the cashier's to pay. One problem--well, actually a few.
The cashier was not friendly; no smile, no enthusiasm, and it was only 10:20!!! It's not like it's the end of the shift; the store just opened not too long ago! I mean, c'mon, if you're in customer service and you don't like it, why are you there in the first place?
No, the cashier, who was certainly the anti-toothpaste-aisle-man, wasn't the big problem. The equipment was. I tried to use the pin pad, and the green "OK" button was missing--like a key missing on a keyboard. Whatever, I just pushed that vacated spot and moved on. But when I was to press the "Chequing" button, there were lots of problems.
I kept pressing it and nothing happened. The cashier was impatient, so I explained it didn't work. Thus, I was asked to re-do it. And to no avail. I finally showed the cashier what I was talking about, and was told to wait while the supervisor came to fix their problem.
Yes, yes, I was told that pad was working earlier today. Really though, I was fine with it; I didn't need any excuses.
The next thing I knew, a woman started yelling at my students because they were in the way. Yes, it was their fault they were crowding around and blocking people, but was it necessary to shout like that?
I talked back, and said there was no reason to be that rude, only to get more verbal trashing from her. So the two of us started arguing there on the spot. Was I out of line? Yes. So was she for yelling at my students, and I didn't see why she should get away with it. I do not stand for that kind of intimidation, and I let her know it.
The supervisor came, I got to pay for the bill using another pin pad, and then I had to go back in and check on the other three groups.
So, what lessons did I learn from this? (I take everything as a learning experience; what can I do better in the future?)
Time to get a Costco card... save more money and don't have to deal with all this attitude we were getting. Well, the stocker was great... but the rest of the trip was not.
Mental note to self: do not schedule two classes going at the same time. You never know when someone's going to pull the "emergency" stuff. Yes, I understand, sometimes things happen that you can't control. However, to avoid this from happening, I'm just going to schedule these trips separately.
-------------------
And this is the type of nonsense that goes on. Every week, if not every day, I see people do the following, and they don't get scolded:
* someone would get onto the SkyTrain and just stop inside the door/entrance... despite the fact he/she is the first one to get on at a busy station. There would be others behind waiting to get on too, and this person would just stop there suddenly even though there's room elsewhere on the train. Why not go all the way in and not block the others that are trying to get on?
* someone would press the button on the crosswalk repeatedly trying to get the light to change. (Uhm- note to all: contrary to what you all believe, the light does NOT change because you hit that button a million times!!) I wish the device would automatically reset every time someone hits that button just so he/she would stand there waiting forever. There is absolutely NO reason to continue pressing it... some people.
* someone would walk down the stairs and suddenly stop in the middle for no reason, even though there are people walking behind trying to get down too.
* someone would stand in the middle of the street and block everyone else just so he/she could check something on the phone or blackberry or whatever.
* someone would change lanes without signalling.
And on and on... go pick on them too!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Yankees praising
First posted on Bleacher Report a couple hours earlier...
House, I have once again praised the Yankees per your request; twice in two days... what's my prize ?
Perhaps the best thing for the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night is rain.
The start of the Red Sox-Yankees game has been delayed by rain, with New York looking to sweep the Bosox in three straight at Fenway Park.
New York has won eight straight and was supposed to have Sidney Ponson start Sunday night against Jon Lester.
Another Boston loss would mean the Yanks and Red Sox would be tied for second in the division, with New York percentage points ahead by virtue of having played fewer games. (Looking at it the "glass half-full" way though, the first-place Tampa Bay Rays have already lost earlier in the day, meaning a Boston win moves the Sox within a game of top spot.)
Given the way things have gone since the All-Star break, the Red Sox should just pray for the game to be postponed.
Boston is only 3-5 since the mid-summer classic, while New York is 8-0.
While it hasn't exactly been the Boston Massacre in the first two games of the series, the Red Sox have shown again they can't seem to beat the Yankees, not coming up with clutch hits or getting big outs in losing 1-0 and 10-3 thus far.
Though Sunday's scheduled starter Ponson is only 3-11 with a 6.61 ERA lifetime against Boston, the right-hander has done all right this season after being picked up by the pinstripers--and the fact remains New York has been hot since the All-Star break while Boston has not.
The Yanks have gone 4-0 in Ponson's four starts.
Meanwhile, on ESPN Radio, the eighth inning of the seventh game of the 2003 ALCS--yes, the one in which Grady Little left a tiring Pedro Martinez in to allow New York to score three runs--is being replayed as the network is waiting out the rain delay.
Why the network has chosen to re-air this particular clip is beyond me--given the fact the 2004 Red Sox triumph over the Yanks was more significant and magical.
Nonetheless, another reminder the Red Sox had been owned by the Bombers.
Well, guess what? Boston has won two of the last four World Series, while New York hasn't had reason to celebrate since 2000.
And, the Associated Press has reported that Manny Ramirez was quoted as saying he didn't mind if he was traded.
The 2004 World Series MVP supposedly said on Sunday, "I'm tired of them (the Red Sox). They're tired of me."
Four more days to go before the July 31st trading deadline ... will the Red Sox deal Man-ram? You'd at least expect Boston to go out and make some moves to try and defend its AL East title.
Anyway, Boston should just pray for more rain. That way the Yanks can leave town--New York heads home to host Baltimore on Monday--without both teams being tied.
And oh... that would be the last-place Orioles the Yankees would be facing, while the Red Sox will entertain baseball's best team, the L.A. Angels, starting Monday.
In case you are wondering, yes, it was the Angels who swept the Bosox last weekend after the All-Star break.
Not fun times coming up for the Boston Red Sox.
Time to pray for more rain...
House, I have once again praised the Yankees per your request; twice in two days... what's my prize ?
Perhaps the best thing for the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night is rain.
The start of the Red Sox-Yankees game has been delayed by rain, with New York looking to sweep the Bosox in three straight at Fenway Park.
New York has won eight straight and was supposed to have Sidney Ponson start Sunday night against Jon Lester.
Another Boston loss would mean the Yanks and Red Sox would be tied for second in the division, with New York percentage points ahead by virtue of having played fewer games. (Looking at it the "glass half-full" way though, the first-place Tampa Bay Rays have already lost earlier in the day, meaning a Boston win moves the Sox within a game of top spot.)
Given the way things have gone since the All-Star break, the Red Sox should just pray for the game to be postponed.
Boston is only 3-5 since the mid-summer classic, while New York is 8-0.
While it hasn't exactly been the Boston Massacre in the first two games of the series, the Red Sox have shown again they can't seem to beat the Yankees, not coming up with clutch hits or getting big outs in losing 1-0 and 10-3 thus far.
Though Sunday's scheduled starter Ponson is only 3-11 with a 6.61 ERA lifetime against Boston, the right-hander has done all right this season after being picked up by the pinstripers--and the fact remains New York has been hot since the All-Star break while Boston has not.
The Yanks have gone 4-0 in Ponson's four starts.
Meanwhile, on ESPN Radio, the eighth inning of the seventh game of the 2003 ALCS--yes, the one in which Grady Little left a tiring Pedro Martinez in to allow New York to score three runs--is being replayed as the network is waiting out the rain delay.
Why the network has chosen to re-air this particular clip is beyond me--given the fact the 2004 Red Sox triumph over the Yanks was more significant and magical.
Nonetheless, another reminder the Red Sox had been owned by the Bombers.
Well, guess what? Boston has won two of the last four World Series, while New York hasn't had reason to celebrate since 2000.
And, the Associated Press has reported that Manny Ramirez was quoted as saying he didn't mind if he was traded.
The 2004 World Series MVP supposedly said on Sunday, "I'm tired of them (the Red Sox). They're tired of me."
Four more days to go before the July 31st trading deadline ... will the Red Sox deal Man-ram? You'd at least expect Boston to go out and make some moves to try and defend its AL East title.
Anyway, Boston should just pray for more rain. That way the Yanks can leave town--New York heads home to host Baltimore on Monday--without both teams being tied.
And oh... that would be the last-place Orioles the Yankees would be facing, while the Red Sox will entertain baseball's best team, the L.A. Angels, starting Monday.
In case you are wondering, yes, it was the Angels who swept the Bosox last weekend after the All-Star break.
Not fun times coming up for the Boston Red Sox.
Time to pray for more rain...
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