A post just for Trout

Well, Trout, I'd given up on my "50-posts-in-50-days" mission (a la "50-goals-in-50-games") a while back, but I think I'll definitely try to post a bit more often.

This is my second post in one day--aren't you proud of me or what?!

Anyway, here are this week's musings from the Net and other sources:

1) http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/oddity_bizarre_names
Personally, I like the part about "Number 16 Bus Shelter", especially since I'd joked about this particular name myself, years ago, about filling out a store membership card application form using that as a fake address, just so that we wouldn't get junk mail or have identities stolen.

2) These were from the Westender:
Someone wrote in saying that a hotdog vendor was peeing into the bushes at a local beach before going back to his stand selling dogs. The poster noted there were no public washrooms in the area. Lesson? Be careful where you buy your food! Heck, better yet, prepare it yourself...

Another person wrote in saying he was ridiculed by some people on the street because he was in a cast and on crutches. It is indeed sad to hear that in this day and age, insensitive jerks are still picking on those who are less fortunate. Heck, I even work with certain people (at my school) who are racists and make inappropriate comments publicly, so it's not a surprise. But you know what, I don't have time for those kinds of people, and perhaps if something unfortunate were to happen to them down the road, I'd say no sympathy here at all.

3) Apparently, some grad students at the U. of A. have designed some kind of a poker-playing robot who could learn from past mistakes and rally to win their matches. Those of you who play online poker or do online gambling better watch out! Experts have suggested that these kinds of robots will soon rule the world of online gambling, meaning people will almost never win...

4) In a report I read, 82% of all working Canadians--according to StatsCan--make an annual salary of $50,000 or less. Meanwhile, only 16% make $50-100K. The other 2% make over $100K.

Thus, it's logical to suggest that if you make in the $60K range and higher, you're in the top 10% of income earners in Canada.

Congratulations! You guys are rich! Yay!

New York beats Boston again

The New York Yankees have come all the way back, winners of eight straight, and are now just one game back of the Boston Red Sox.

Boston (60-45) is two games behind first-place Tampa Bay (61-42), which won 5-3 in Kansas City on Saturday night.

New York (58-45) has not lost since the All-Star break, and have won the first two of their weekend series against their long-time nemesis at Fenway Park.

On Friday night, it was Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera shutting down the Bosox 1-0.

Saturday afternoon, it was a 10-3 romp as Robinson Cano (3 hits, HR, 3 RBIs) and Andy Pettitte (6 IP, 1 ER, 7 K's) proved to be the difference.

Bobby Abreu added a key two-run double in a four-run sixth which broke open a tense 3-2 contest.

The Yankees suddenly find themselves one game behind Boston for second in the AL East and also for the wild card lead, continuing their tradition of being a second-half team.

Last season, New York was horrendous in the first half but rallied to take the AL wild card over Seattle and Detroit, and even gave Boston a scare by getting back into the divisional race.

The Yanks have already made a move this weekend, acquiring outfielder Xavier Nady and reliever Damaso Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Both saw action on Saturday afternoon; Nady was in the starting lineup and went 0-for-3 with a walk, while Marte struck out Red Sox slugger David Ortiz in relief.

Will the Red Sox make a move before the July 31st non-waiver trading deadline?

Is it time yet for Sean Crowe and the Red Sox nation to panic?

Despite the fact I dislike the Yankees, I have to applaud them for making it all the way back the way things went in the first half: The Chien-Ming Wang injury and the problems in the rotation, the controversy about how to best use Chamberlain, Giambi's slump early on, the losses of Jorge Posada, Johnny Damon, and Hideki Matsui, and on and on.

I'll say this: if one team finishes a game or two out, be it the first-place Tampa Bay Rays, the Red Sox, or the Yankees, I'll have no sympathy.

Any one of those teams could have picked up Barry Bonds, but have chosen not to. So, whoever doesn't make the postseason, that's their problem.

Boston, we have a problem !

So, suddenly Boston has lost two straight, while Tampa and New York have each gone 2-0. Should be panic time in Beantown for many die-hard Bosox fans... Wonder what Rick and Cliff think about it...

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/39298-boston-we-have-a-problem

Googling one's own name

Well! I was googling my own name and I found out that one of my posts was featured on FOX Sports!

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8297618

This was a piece I wrote at the start of July looking at the Rays-Red Sox series.

Yeehaw!

Sexson Bashing...

Richie Sexson was finally released by the Seattle Mariners today. It was about time! Here are my thoughts on Bleacher Report:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/36723-richie-sexson-no-longer-a-mariner-finally

Good riddance, Richie Sexson is finally gone.

The Seattle Mariners, the worst team in the American League, finally released light-hitting first baseman Sexson, who had signed a four-year, $50-million contract in December 2004 to play in the Emerald City.

Baseball fans outside of Seattle no doubt think Sexson did his job his first two seasons until having a career-worst, .205, 21-homer campaign in 2007.

Please.

That could not be further from the truth.

Yes, Sexson hit 39 homers in 2005, his first Mariner season, and clubbed another 34 the next year. Yes, Sexson finished in the Top 15 in AL MVP voting in '05. Then he followed that up by driving in over 100 runs and hitting above .260 for the second straight year.

Those, however, were not clutch seasons by any means.

In fact, in 2005, Sexson was hitting in the .220s in mid-May as the Mariners slumped big time out of the gate, losing 10 of 11 in one stretch during the month and fell right out of the race early. By May 31st, Seattle was already 9 1/2 games out.

On June 14, 2006, Sexson's batting average plummeted to an embarrassing .202. (Adrian Beltre, another prized signing in December 2004, was hitting just .234 at that time, but that's another story.)

Thanks to Ichiro Suzuki, however, the M's were still in contention despite a sub-.500 record, only 4 1/2 out in the AL West.

A late-season surge helped Sexson finish .264 in '06--he even teased everyone by bashing five homers and four doubles with a .382 average in the final nine games of the year--but the Mariners ended 15 games out.

So, those who don't live in Seattle and think Richie Sexson was unjustifiably booed don't know the whole story.

2007 was a total disaster, as his average was never higher than .231 after the first week of the season. He actually hit homers in the first two games of the year as Seattle went 2-0.

Sexson had five RBIs in those two games.

And then the wheels simply fell off after that. It got so bad that Sexson was hitting just .196 in early August, at a time when Seattle was 60-47 and only a half-game behind the Detroit Tigers for the wild card lead and 2 1/2 out of first in the West.

Had Sexson contributed, wouldn't the M's have run away with the division? (Yes I know, Seattle actually led the wild card on August 24th, a single game behind the Los Angeles Angels in the West, before a nine-game skid and 1-13 streak sunk the team, but still...)

Richie Sexson just didn't live up to expectations at all with the Mariners.

And now he's finally gone. Good riddance.

Bashing....

Sundin Bashing, Cujo bashing
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/34224-nhl-talk-blackhawks-dive-into-free-agency-sign-campbell-and-huet

Randy Johnson & Griffey bashing
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/34234-johnson-vs-bonds-shouldnt-the-big-unit-get-the-same-criticisms

Sexson & Beltre bashing
http://mvn.com/mlb-bluejays/2008/07/02/jays-let-one-get-away-lose-7-6-to-ms/
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/34228-the-jesse-litsch-curse

A-Rod bashing
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/34345-a-rod-to-miss-home-run-derby

Happy Canada Day...

Well well well, it's Canada Day, and there are people who complain about this country.

- People just complain about the Booster Seat law even though it's supposed to be safe for their children. Go figure.
- Yes, and there are once again those who complain about the high gas prices. Yawn.

You know what, I applaud the Washington State law that came into affect today. You cannot hold a cellphone while driving. Common Sense 101. Glad to see some lawmakers pass that law, which should be applicable everywhere to begin with.

Postcard for False Ex-Pectations

This is the postcard for False Ex-Pectations.

Thanks to all of you who've signed up for the Facebook group under this title.

Many thanks!

My take on Chacon

Here's my take on Shawn Chacon vs. Sidney Ponson, published on Bleacher Report.

Thanks guys!

Well, things that a few people have said this week have inspired me to work on my new story idea.

Thanks to Rick Jessup, Amie Lo, and Farhan Devji for things that they've said in the last few days. These are just the positive comments I pay attention to and strive to achieve.

Especially to Jessup, the funny dude from Overanything.com, who gave me a brilliant idea for my next fiction.

Sully sure called it!

Wow, this blogger, Sully, sure called it when he said the Blue Jays should bring back Cito Gaston:
http://sullybaseball.blogspot.com/2008/06/blue-jay-fans-why-not-bring-back-cito.html

Great blog! This piece on Armando Benitez is classic!
http://sullybaseball.blogspot.com/2007/04/quick-trade-bentez.html

New Ad on Buses

So, there's been a new ad on buses.

It says something like "New changes to [the bus system], improvements starting June 23rd," yada yada yada. Also, on the left, it has a picture of a car being listed for sale.

The gist of the ad is basically, there'll be improved services on the bus system, so everyone might as well just take transit. And if so, might as well sell their cars too, since everyone will not need their own vehicles anymore.

Well, nice thought. Unfortunately, that's not how the world works.

I can go around and talk to people randomly; if you say you don't have a car, most would look at you like you're a loser.

Listening to what Allison says, for example, echos that fact. It's like, if you don't have a car, then you pretty much fail in life.

Well, seems to be that there are a lot more Allisons out there than necessary.

Which makes me wonder: why does Allison want to take the bus then?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I recently saw something on the Chinese drama "Trimming Success"--a story about a hair stylist (Jason) and his father's love-hate relationship--which makes me think it's possible to leave some important details out of the plot.

In one of the middle episodes, they were going back and forth between several scenes. Jason and his girlfriend were admiring the sunset on a mountain. Jason's dad, a traditional barber himself, was at work when he suddenly feels sick. Meanwhile, Jason's mom was crossing the street along with other pedestrians.

Next thing you know, Jason got a phone call and rushed to the morgue.

Jason's mom is dead--apparently run over by a car when she was crossing the street earlier.

Nothing is mentioned in any of the scenes as to how she actually died; the viewers are left to guess what had actually happened.

The only logical scenario was she'd been run over.

The odd thing is nobody investigated the death; no one in the family blamed anybody (other than themselves) for the death and there was no police report of any kind.

Everyone in the family was sad, that was it. Jason, his brother, and father, all were severely saddened and affected by the loss.

After all, the story was set in a small tight-knit village in Hong Kong, where everyone knows each other. So, without any reference to how Jason's mom died, the story seemed to lacking something basic.

How can Jason's mom--a beloved character in that village--be dead and no one mentioned how she'd died?

Thus, a story could basically having something important missing from the plot... good to know.

By the way, I'm not knocking the drama series; I'm just pointing out the obvious. In fact, I watched every episode of it.

Wouldn't you know it...Johnson's the hero, Rolen's not.

This has been posted on http://mvn.com/mlb-bluejays/
What do the friends on OA (House, Cliff, Rick, the fish) think about this J.P. and Rolen bashing? Discuss.

The Blue Jays fell 6-2 to the Chicago Cubs at Rogers Centre on Saturday, thanks to a former friend’s big three-run blast.

That would be ex-Blue Jay, Reed Johnson, who clubbed a three-run shot off Toronto ace Roy Halladay in the second inning.

Of course, Johnson was released in March thanks to the signing of Shannon Stewart, and he then signed on with the Cubbies.

In yesterday’s post, I’d already outlined the contributions of Stewart on this Jays team, so I’m not going to rehash it here.

But now it’s all clear: the man who made all these baseball decisions, trades, and so on, has to be held accountable.

That man would be general manager J.P. Ricciardi.

There is no way that a team with this much pitching depth should be just a .500 club after 70 games.

Of course, the Jays have the misfortune of playing in the AL East, where the Boston Red Sox are ahead of Toronto by 7 games, pending the outcome of the Boston-Cincinnati game.

The Blue Jays are in last place.

In Saturday’s game, Vernon Wells left after the seventh inning with an apparent wrist injury.

If this injury proves to be serious, the Jays are finished.

If the Jays still had Reed Johnson and Troy Glaus, and Frank Thomas, wouldn’t they be a better ballclub?

It’s all on the G.M.

How much longer can this team continue without a major shakeup?

J.P. Ricciardi has to go. None of his moves have really panned out. Lyle Overbay and A.J. Burnett haven’t worked out.

Overbay isn’t the worst first baseman in baseball, but come on? Just five homers and a .260 average?

Burnett, a .500 pitcher with that ugly ERA (4.90)?

And I haven’t talked about Scott Rolen yet.

The Jays were down 6-0 heading into the eighth, with Jason Marquis tossing a one-hitter.

The Jays, however, collected three straight singles to load the bases with none out, chasing Marquis in favor of Carlos Marmol.

Marmol got two straight strikeouts, before Matt Stairs walked on a 3-2 pitch to force in a run. Shutout broken.

Rolen, the No. 3 hitter, had a chance to make things interesting, but once again, could not deliver in the clutch.

Rolen hit a very easy popup to second, and the inning was over.

And the kicker? Kevin Mench, who subbed for the ailing Wells, tripled leading off the ninth.

What if Rolen had gotten a big hit in the eighth to prolong the inning and give Mench a shot?

Thanks a lot, Rolen.

I blame J.P. Ricciardi for this one. He was the one who acquired this star third baseman and No. 3 hitter.

Rolen finally hits one out

I'd originally posted this on http://mvn.com/mlb-bluejays/
What do the friends on OA (House, Rick, Cliff, the fish) think about this Rolen bashing? Discuss. And what do you think about Shulman? I personally disagree with a lot of the stuff he says, by the way, including his contention that the steroid issue in baseball > the alleged game-fixing situation in basketball.

Scott Rolen finally hit one out. Good riddance.

The Blue Jays third baseman ended 32-game homerless streak with a solo blast in the third inning, as Toronto edged the visiting Chicago Cubs 3-2.

Rolen’s blast came right after Matt Stairs had given the Jays a 2-0 lead with a clout of his own, a two-run job.

It was the first time Toronto had connected for back-to-back dingers this season, and the first time that the Blue Birds have had two homers in the same inning.

Though A.J. Burnett was shaky in his five-plus innings, he was much better compared to his last start versus Baltimore (8 R, 4.1 IP), and picked up his sixth win to even his record at 6-6. Even B.J. Ryan got the job done on this night, notching save No. 14.

But how about that Rolen-for-Troy Glaus swap now?

I don’t care what anyone says; despite the fact Rolen had been hitting .300 for much of the season before seeing it dip under in the last couple days, the Jays’ new third sacker and No. 3 hitter has been a bust.

Say what you want about his defense, but this ballclub needs someone who can hit the long balls and drive in big runs. The Jays have been struggling all year long in one-run ballgames and with driving runners across. And they can’t just rely on Vernon Wells alone.

Meanwhile, over in St. Louis, Glaus has been healthy all year long, missing only one game this season while being productive in the fifth spot in the Cardinals’ lineup.

Heading into Friday’s action, Glaus was hitting .262 with 8 homers and 40 RBIs in 229 at-bats for the Red Birds.

Rolen? After fracturing his right middle finger during spring training, Rolen missed the first few weeks before returning in late April. Yes, Rolen made a huge splash with his first home run in his third game. For good measure, he even added another over a week later.

But then no home runs for over a month–until Friday night. Rolen’s numbers going in: .293 with 2 home runs and only 16 RBIs in 157 ABs.

Unacceptable.

The Cards have gotten the better of the deal so far.

And what about Frank Thomas? Released by the Jays early in the season, Thomas rebounded and hit .319 with 4 homers in a month’s worth of action for the A’s before landing on the DL at the end of May.

Thomas’ success out in Oakland coincided with the Jays’ winning ways in May, but if Big Frank hadn’t been injured and had continued hitting for the A’s in June, once again the release would have looked real bad for Toronto.

Reed Johnson? Deemed expendable following the signing of Shannon Stewart, Johnson was released before the season began. While Johnson (.267, 2 HR), now with the Cubs, didn’t make an impact in this Chicago-Toronto tilt on Friday (he was sent in to pinch-hit in the ninth), he is at least active.

Stewart is now on the DL, and is expected to be gone at least a month, and was hitting just .240 with a homer before his ankle injury. Oddly enough, the timing of Stewart’s injury came just as Wells was coming off the disabled list.

Interestingly, former Blue Jays broadcaster Dan Shulman was quoted as saying the release of Thomas was the right thing to do given his attitude and the fact the DH was no longer an everyday player.

I could not disagree more.

The reality is the Jays need at least another bat in the lineup to protect Wells.

Rolen isn’t getting the job done with the long ball. Stairs is getting up there in age, and the Jays can’t expect him to do much more than what he’s been giving them so far.

Without those dumb moves in the Rolen deal or releases, this Jays team should be contending for the wild card, especially given the fact they boast the majors’ third-best ERA (3.49) and have the best rotation in baseball.

The Barry Bonds thing isn’t going to happen, so I don’t understand what direction this team is heading in. The Jays are way better than their 35-34, 6 1/2-game back, record indicates.

And I’m going to blame Rolen for this.

Is his next homer going to come in another month?

Proposed Cover for Rainbow Trout

Book: Sports Bashing 2007-08

Well, Rick J. and Cliff have received my signed copy of "The Best (and Worst) of KP's Sports Bashing, 2007-08: A book dedicated to House, Jessup, Ambrozic, and Friends on OA"; thus, I am finally posting the book info on here.

As for House, well, I don't have his contact info, so I couldn't send him a copy.

Not sure if House wants one, but this idea came about when both House and Jessup challenged me to bash the Devils and other teams.

Jessup made this comment in one of my posts before:

Allow me to reiterate - GO HAWKS! I feel with the excellent team of young superstars, and the crushing defeat of the Vancouvers, that I can safely come out of the closet as a Blackhawks fan again. KP, do you take requests? Perhaps some Flames, Oilers, or Canadiens hating is in order?

So, House and Jessup deserve all the credit for this idea.

http://www.lulu.com/content/2557046,
http://www.lulu.com/content/2554603

Where is Rainbow Trout?

Well, oddly enough, I liked my story "Rainbow Trout" the best because I had a lot of action going on with several characters. But actually, it may be the worst - because after looking at the editor's notes, I still need to do a lot of revision. This will prove to be the most revising needed out of all the things I've ever done.

Not to say I'm knocking the other two stories "Sweet Innocence" and "False Ex-Pectations", but I thought "Rainbow Trout" was my best. So far.

Well, back to the revisions. I won't be done for a day or so.

Speaking of fish, how about the Marlins and Rays? Amazing stories so far in 2008.

Scott Kazmir, who was on the DL to start the year for Tampa Bay, lost badly in his first game of the year against Boston, but has rebounded nicely to win five straight. Incredible.

And the Marlins just win despite having the lowest payroll in the game.

I just don't see a Fla-TB World Series though... but good job so far. They should be applauded.

KC Bashing on Bleacher, Marcum "gem" on MVN

The Royals snapped their 12-game losing streak on Saturday, but the team is a joke. See the "KC Bashing" on Bleacher: http://www.bleacherreport.com/articles/26455-MLB-Whose-bubble-will-burst-next-Will-it-be-the-Kansas-City-Royals--310508

Meanwhile, kudos to Shaun Marcum for another gutsy performance, albeit in a Blue Jays loss. Go to MVN's "Jays' Nest with KP" for the recap: http://mvn.com/mlb-bluejays/2008/05/31/marcum-does-the-job-but-jays-lose/

Not really a bashing, but some thoughts on the Rockies. For a team that competed in the World Series less than a year ago, this has been a big fall. http://www.bleacherreport.com/articles/26310-Rockies-Rumors-Will-Colorado-Trade-Matt-Holliday--310508

From birds to fish: Jays Nest & Chasing Rainbow Trout

Alright! long time no post, but I'd been busy. Not too busy, today though, to post two pieces on MVN.com.

Check this out: http://mvn.com/mlb-bluejays/

Oh, right. I'd forgotten to mention that I'm a new co-writer for the Blue Jays on MVN.com. Hope you guys will check out my stuff, OA gang, and give feedback.

On another front, I've sent in "Chasing Rainbow Trout" to the publisher for editing. Will keep you informed with any other latest developments!

A special "shout-out" to the following people...

Akem
Candace
Conrad (ECHLCHI)
Farhan
Rick A.
Ryan (ECHLNYI)
Valerie

Thanks for your kind messages!