This is fascinating. I assume there is some sort of contractual language on the back of your “Passport” barring this sort of thing, but I have no idea whether it would hold up. Disney also could probably assert all manner of trademark and copyright claims assuming their logos and characters show up. Even so, there would be an interesting First Amendment defense to be made.
Hmm, now that I actually read the whole article, the characters very much do appear, along with famous Disney iconography. There’s an obvious IP claim there, but a just as obvious First Amendment parody defense.
I’m no lawyer, but assuming that your ticket specifies that you’re not allowed to film on Disney property, as a condition of admission, isn’t this a simple contract violation?
What if there’s a list of rules displayed at the ticket counter? Can it be argued that purchasing the tickets amounts to contracting to follow those rules?
I don’t know how courts decide such things, so I don’t know what they’d say about that. Does it have to do with whether or not the conditions or provisions of the contract are either illegal or unreasonable?
I am not a lawyer, but wouldn’t there be a provision somewhere saying that a for profit enterprise must has EWC of Disney? I don’t think it would have to be on the ticket.
Bonus war story for today: during voir dire, a crazy guy that I was trying to avoid talking to kept on interjecting> I tried to use his crazy rantings as a segue all smooth and stuff, and was slowly doing an OK job.
My phone was buzzing as I was doing this. At the break I checked it, it was the bailiff telling me if I asked that guy another question he was going to shoot me
My understanding is that it’s a pretty easy legal question: you don’t have the right to do that. Disneyland is private property, and they certainly aren’t granting you commercial rights along with your ticket.
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
While this is true, that the courts enforce private party agreements, this doesn’t stop the government from limiting speech when both parties agree to it in a contract, like a nondisclosure agreement, and it is clear here that consideration is provided (entering the park).
In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
I’ve also been focusing more on the Trademark/Copyright question, and the general “we didn’t authorize that” question. If there is express contractual language on the back of the ticket that is enforceable, that might moot the 1A issue.
I assume that Disney has the right to prohibit the filmmaker from realizing any monetary gain. But I also assume that the court will not allow prior restraint of the release of the film. This could set the stage for an interesting legal balancing act for the filmmaker and his distributor (if he can find one): is it worth it to get your art and message out to an audience if Disney has the means to tie your life up in a legal battle which is potentially ruinous to the filmmaker, even if he ultimately prevails?
"Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
Parts of my family think I’m a heretic for not dragging my kids there at least annually. I figure we’ll get there at some point and I’ll probably enjoy it, but it’s going to have to wait until Spawn2 is at least 4.
A soliloquy of fresh-sounding ideas which would probably be disastrous.
I think I probably went to DL 4 times growing up and DW twice, but it was more convenient going to DL from the Bay Area when you could fly for $30 and get in the park for $30. DW was easy when my grandparents were still alive and living in Florida. Not the case anymore, especially given where we live and how much park tickets cost.
A soliloquy of fresh-sounding ideas which would probably be disastrous.
I agree that I probably wouldn’t go there of my own will or if it were just me and Mrs. PDX. It’s different with kids, though, since they often like repetition to an incredible degree.
A soliloquy of fresh-sounding ideas which would probably be disastrous.
I actually had fun going to DW in law school with the future Mrs. N. I didn’t expect to, but I did.
Part of that was that it was a drizzly weekday during the school year, so there were no lines. But part of it was that it is fun to do childish things.
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
I like Disneyland a lot and Disney World even more. Probably not enough to go back in my 50s+ without kids, but definitely when/if I become a grandparent.
"Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
Nice article about Berkeley’s new shelter. If you haven’t been yet I highly recommend stopping in for a visit. If you’d ever been to the old facility, you will cry with happiness.
I was just logging back on to link that as batgirl/dogfather bait. Place looks really nice; I need to get back to volunteering there like I used to (which BTW was purely and exclusively because I was motivated by the cause…did not want to meet people, do not want to work in that biz).
"Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
1. So here’s my thing. You’re rich, you’re famous, you’re a millionaire. HANG OUT WITH OTHER RICH FAMOUS MILLIONAIRES. Don’t hang out with skeezy gold diggers of questionable moral standard.
And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here
-slusser
Exactly. I’m assuming the Niners have someone to serve as a advisor to the players to help them make smart lifestyle choices. Whoever this is needs to take Crabtree and Aldon Smith by the ears and knock some sense into them, before they piss away their chance to have long, productive, and lucrative playing careers.
John Madden used to tell his players to find a nice woman, settle down and get married, and buy a house, a lawn mower, and a dog. Never mind this was like 40 years ago, it still sounds like good advice today.
It isn't Dirty Dancing 'cuz it doesn't make you vomit.
They’re not “real” people (at least to the extent that means “normal”). They’re the very best in the world at a very demanding job. Why should they act like they make $50K a year like the median American?
I think athletes absolutely should save better (and have help doing so), and I think there are definitely a lot of scam artists, relatives, and “relatives” who get theirs at the expense of athletes, but I also think that it’s crazy to expect athletes not to party after games (and have dramatic success with the ladies when they do so).
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
I don’t disagree with much of this. I just think that a lot of the problem is that athletes expect women to throw themselves at them and have sex with them at all times because we as a society say that that is how it should be. When a woman is too drunk/changes her mind the athlete feels entitled to have sex with her, where as far less people without that level of entitlement would do some of the things athletes do.
In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
I’m not sure I agree at all with “far less”. That type of rape isn’t exactly uncommon, and mos of us aren’t pro athletes. Also, seems like the case against Crabtree is pretty weak.
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
As for myself, I probably would’ve made some wise investments and charitable contributions. I would’ve had a lot of guidance and expectations put on me by my parents, and would likely have followed them (to some extent, at least).
(For instance, in my mid-20′s, my dad was employee #85 at a certain networking company based at the time in East Menlo Park whose name sounds like a shortened version of the city where the Niners play their home games. A sizable investment there at that time would have made me a 1%-er by 2000).
The big problem is that a lot of these players have grown up in poverty, or without positive role models, etc, so that when they hit the jackpot, they have a big invincibility complex, and therefore do stupid things. Leigh Steinberg used to require the players he represented to do responsible things with their money. Unfortunately, there are not enough Steinbergs today.
It isn't Dirty Dancing 'cuz it doesn't make you vomit.
The big problem is that a lot of these players have grown up in poverty, or without positive role models, etc, so that when they hit the jackpot, they have a big invincibility complex, and therefore do stupid things
agreed
In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
Baseball players have to be willing to deal with a lot of failure, and that takes a certain mental attitude. But professional football players have to be arrogant/ignorant enough to believe they won’t be physically broken by the game. Both are unusual mental states, but I would say the latter is more likely to correlate with reckless behavior.
There has always been “a settlement figure” somewhere. If the A’s think it’s $20 million and the Giants think it’s $250 million, that’s kind of an issue.
From newballpark, the actual (transcribed) Baer answer:
KENNY: What’s the club’s view on the Oakland A’s attempt to go to San Jose?
BAER: Our view is that it’s really up to the commissioner and the baseball processes. We’re not involved talking about it. It’s really something that the commissioner has to sort out. Obviously the A’s need a new ballpark and we hope that they get one.
This doesn’t seem so earthshattering to me.
"Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
Prior to this latest set of rumors, I had heard that the Giants were seeking $200 million or more to cede San Jose. In keeping with the A’s giving away the South Bay in the first place 20 years ago, A’s ownership wanted to keep the payment as close to $0 as possible. With such a huge gap, it’s hard to know what number would be mutually acceptable for both parties. They may be subject to binding arbitration, which is sometimes the case when settling team-team or team-league disputes.
Oh good grief. Nobody is agreeing to binding arbitration when they’re hundreds of millions of dollars apart.
Yeah, that whole thing is a major stretch. Baer no longer saying Hell No is one thing. But it’s hardly anything to get excited over. It could just be MLB or even in his own PR department telling him to STFU.
Images are not displayed. Display images below – Always display images from aloberstein@oaklandathletics.com
Congratulations! You’ve been selected to cover A’s BlogFest, as part of A’s FanFest, this Sunday. The BlogFest portion of the event will take place between 12:30-2:30 p.m. If you wish to arrive early to attend FanFest beforehand, you may do so.
A full event overview – detailing interview sessions, parking and credential pickup – will be emailed to you tomorrow. If you have any questions between now and then, feel free to send me an email.
Best question: This question excludes Josh Donaldson: “How does it feel that DFA disapproves of most things that you as a player, coach, gm or the franchise does? Does it hurt deep on the inside? Just a little on the outside?”
In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
You used to be able to download the annual Media Guide for free from the A’s website. Now that’s behind some secure content barricade.
If I remember right, last year I was taken to a registration page where I was asked to list my media affiliation. What the heck, I listed “blogger for freekraut.net”. I have deleted the rather icy e-mail which MLB.com sent in response, but it was along the lines of “your affiliation does not meet our standards for issuing media credentials”. Might have to try that one again this year.
A media credential? No. A 2013 media guide, yes, it’s a great reference, and I don’t have any A’s media guide at present. The last one from two or three years ago was that downloaded PDF and it must have disappeared with my old computer’s hard drive. They sell the paper copies at spring training and it’s worth $10 or $15 or whatever they might be, but I did like it when they were a free download for several years.
So making a kicking motion (twice!) strikes you as accidental, but extending the leg pre-slide and keeping it that way would strike you as intentional?
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
I’m mostly with DFA on this one. I think the fine was ultimately deserved simply for potentially endangering someone, but the fact that was a relatively small fine and mostly a slap on the wrist is more than enough to settle it. That being said, Gore’s fine being greater than that for fking socks? Dum. D.U.M. Dum.
Assuming you tried, no. But IS an assumption that he tried to injure someone. But there’s nothing wrong with apologizing after the fact if you do something stupid (intentional or unintentional) that could lead to someone getting hurt. And that’s what happened.
So glad they’re doing something about Gore’s socks. My entire football experience was ruined by those damned things. I wanted to be happy the 49ers reached the Super Bowl, but all I could do was stare at his god-awful lower legs, mouth agape, quietly seething.
Well you know, people get kicked and/or injured intentionally all the time, but God forbid a player not measure up to the uniform standards of the league.
It isn't Dirty Dancing 'cuz it doesn't make you vomit.
Seems awfully far-fetched. The simplest explanation is that Bill Callahan is just stupid. Raiders fans have always thought that since he failed to change the audibles before SB37. It’s needlessly convoluted to now claim that actually Callahan was brilliantly deliberately trying to lose.
"Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
My memory may be faulty, but I seem to recall the TV people having mics on the sidelines during the game, and Rice questioning why they weren’t running the ball more at the time. I wondered the same thing.
I don’t remember that but it could be true; like Barret I was probably pretty drunk at the time. But again, I’m completely prepared to believe Callahan game planned badly, just not that he did so to purposely lose. At least, absent more evidence.
"Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
The UK now charges exit taxes based on the seat you’re sitting in when the plane leaves, not the one you paid for – so frequent flyer upgrades to business class now cost $100.
I sympathize with Phil and understand where he’s coming from, but he has three more zeroes at the end of his AGI than I have, so yeah, you probably shouldn’t whine publicly.
Nope. I think we’ve talked about this before, but the closest call for me was JamesV (which I think I’ve talked about on here before — if not, hope that wasn’t awkward to say), who has been fantastic to have on the blog. That decision is a big part of the reason I’ve forsaken the banhammer, because we would have lost out on a lot of great stuff, and a great member, all over my petty ** bullshit, so who am I to judge these things.
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
Yeah, and for a while I was in that mode of “Screw those guys, I never want anything to do with them.”
After I started seeing more of the way Nico really acted on AN, especially over the MikeV thing, I gave the guy a chance to show he had a clue about making things right (including stepping away) but he circled the wagons and doubled down on his asshattery. That’s when I knew it was a lost cause, and when I better understood why so many of you posted less there or left entirely.
MikeV was the one who talked me into coming over here and I’m glad I did. I may not be as active as some of you and I think these days I prefer to avoid some of the deeper discussions about various formulas and player debates, but I respect them and the people who care enough to talk about and defend their positions.
Thanks for the good words in there and don’t worry – we’ve talked about it in the open here before.
Was Trout a top-5 prospect immediately after his draft year, or did he really blow up after his first full year in the minors? I’m trying to gauge where Russell is on that curve.
Trout was a cold weather hs player that was seen as toolsy but unrefined and playing against suspect competition. The A’s were rumored to be picking him twenty spots higher that year.
In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
For posterity here is the draft thread from that year (which also had a link to the ** thread).
Trout was indeed in the list of players the A’s were interested in, but no one even mentioned him in the further discussion of who people wanted.
In contrast, people were very excited about the prospect that Donavan Tate might fall to us (instead he went third overall … and last year didn’t hit in the Cal league).
I just meant in terms of where they start out. It’s so hard to give a true gauge of skill when it comes to HS players. Too much guess work and a larger margin of error. So saying Russell should be higher vs where Trout was that early on, doesn’t mean terribly much. It’s nice, but not very telling.
In terms of minor league PAs, Harper lead them with just 536 minor league PAs before his MLB debut followed by Machado (928), Trout (~1100), and Profar (1366).
Russell’s currently at 244 so if he were to MLB debut this year, he’d be roughly on the Harper track in terms of MiLB PAs accumulated. Is he that good….
Probably not. Almost certainly not. I was just pointing out that the “no 19 year olds at AAA” fact was a bit misleading.
The best-case but still sort-of-realistic scenario would probably be for Russell to get a AAA cup of coffee at the end of this season.
In fairness to Towers, Martin Prado isn’t a bad player and he was likely hampered by the fact that some DBacks executives couldn’t keep their fat mouths shut. It was no secret that DBacks ownership wanted Upton (and Bauer, and Drew) gone because of perceived attitude/effort problems.
Luckily they’ve replaced those underachievers with gritty, hard nosed winners like Cody Ross.
Thank you oz (!), awaiting his eminent return to public discourse, he’s been eerily quite/ absent.
I’m surprised the GOP re-upped Priebus and relegated the ‘successful’ Steele to the circular file, baffling.
I’m catching up on FK after getting back from New York this weekend, and I just want to say that I’m glad this discussion happened. Breaking down the lyrics to “No Scrubs” is a central part of the experience here.
I’ve been trying to find an excuse to do an interpretation of the rap in “Waterfalls” but fear it will need to wait until we are out of Spring Training..
Yeah, my head picks out parts of the song randomlya and I went back to the beginning of the song later. FWIW yeah, I wouldnt shout down a Posey trade. I might give up Weeks, Seth, and a PTBNL (though not OUR ptbnl..)
Does anybody know anything at all about him?
up
I do! He’s Cuban.
up
He plays short!
up
Apparently he has some defects; I need details.
up
He didn’t make the latest Cuban national team which made him pissed off and supposedly is why he defected. That cant be good.
up
Probably didn’t make the team out of fear that he would defect.
up
Seems very likely.
up
That can be good.
up
I don’t recall you specifying that your salivation related to his baseball skills.
up
That hasn’t stopped them in the past.
up
Fears: well-founded!
up
Same is true of Cespedes.
up
He played on the Cuban national team tho.
up
But in 2011 or so, he only made the 3rd string team and was very irked about it. Hence why he defected.
Lip-reading managers and umpires. This is so awesome I don’t even know where to start.
up
That’s great. Reminds me of this:
Yay, a new Grill! I’m fascinated by this story and want to hear reactions from the lawyers/parents/Disneyphiles in our midst.
“Escape From Tomorrow,” a film somehow shot mostly on Disney Park properties during regular business days without permission, about a dad going quickly insane while on vacation with his family. I must see this; hopefully Disney lawyers won’t crush it into non-existence before I get that chance.
up
This is fascinating. I assume there is some sort of contractual language on the back of your “Passport” barring this sort of thing, but I have no idea whether it would hold up. Disney also could probably assert all manner of trademark and copyright claims assuming their logos and characters show up. Even so, there would be an interesting First Amendment defense to be made.
up
Hmm, now that I actually read the whole article, the characters very much do appear, along with famous Disney iconography. There’s an obvious IP claim there, but a just as obvious First Amendment parody defense.
up
Parody is a little tricky defense when you’re using the actual thing instead of a representation of that thing.
up
For sure. That’s why it’s so interesting.
up
Not sure the legal definition, but if it’s anything like the real definition than there’s no argument for parody to be made.
up
Tough to tell without seeing it, but it sounds like they are creating a world where the Disney characters moonlight as hookers. That has potential.
up
Snerk. I must have missed that in the review.
up
I’m no lawyer, but assuming that your ticket specifies that you’re not allowed to film on Disney property, as a condition of admission, isn’t this a simple contract violation?
up
Yes. But what’s the remedy for that breach?
up
he is “profiting” from disney IP. I can’t see it seeing the light of day
up
Read the thread,
dfaozz.up
I doubt it says that; people film themselves in those surrounding constantly. There’s probably 10,000 or more such YouTube videos, unchallenged.
up
What if there’s a list of rules displayed at the ticket counter? Can it be argued that purchasing the tickets amounts to contracting to follow those rules?
up
Not necessarily. You can only do so much with adhesive (i.e. mandatory, non-negotiable, contracts).
up
I don’t know how courts decide such things, so I don’t know what they’d say about that. Does it have to do with whether or not the conditions or provisions of the contract are either illegal or unreasonable?
up
Sort of. It’s complicated.
up
I am not a lawyer, but wouldn’t there be a provision somewhere saying that a for profit enterprise must has EWC of Disney? I don’t think it would have to be on the ticket.
up
Lies.
up
easier to say than I am not that kind of lawyer.
Bonus war story for today: during voir dire, a crazy guy that I was trying to avoid talking to kept on interjecting> I tried to use his crazy rantings as a segue all smooth and stuff, and was slowly doing an OK job.
My phone was buzzing as I was doing this. At the break I checked it, it was the bailiff telling me if I asked that guy another question he was going to shoot me
up
Illustrating the drawbacks of arming security personnel.
up
Woah. That sounds awesome.
up
My understanding is that it’s a pretty easy legal question: you don’t have the right to do that. Disneyland is private property, and they certainly aren’t granting you commercial rights along with your ticket.
up
OK, but once you’ve done it, do they have the right to stop you from showing it?
up
Profiting from it, I would certainly expect.
up
Is that a factor in the First Amendment analysis? I honestly can’t remember.
up
I’d imagine it’s a factor in trademarking and the like. If it’s not, it would basically make trade & copy marking entirely worthless.
up
But the First Amendment can trump Trademark and Copyright if it is an artistic parody. I’m not sure it matters whether you are selling it.
up
Also it isn’t the government restricting the speech. It would be the government enforcing a breech of contract between two private parties.
up
Which is enforcing the restriction. Courts are part of the government.
up
While this is true, that the courts enforce private party agreements, this doesn’t stop the government from limiting speech when both parties agree to it in a contract, like a nondisclosure agreement, and it is clear here that consideration is provided (entering the park).
up
I’ve also been focusing more on the Trademark/Copyright question, and the general “we didn’t authorize that” question. If there is express contractual language on the back of the ticket that is enforceable, that might moot the 1A issue.
up
I would be shocked if there isn’t
up
Me too. But more fun if there isn’t.
up
Here is a stab at explaining the basics, as written by a non-lawyer.
Obviously, this film would harm Disney’s brand.
up
Copyright infringement cases can get really messy.
up
Can Fair Use come into play here?
up
I’m sure it would. No idea who wins though.
up
I’m not aware of a Fair Use exemption for something like this.
up
Me either, but the filmmaker would have to say something/things.
up
I sent a non-baseball friend the link to the story, and he found the film for sale on Amazon and immediately bought a copy.
This morning he got an email saying that the product he had ordered was unavailable and he would be getting a refund.
up
Boom goes the dynamite.
up
This new film? It was just at Sundance and hasn’t been released yet.
up
that’s what I thought. But maybe the guy was trying to sneak some copies out under the radar, knowing this would happen?
up
I assume that Disney has the right to prohibit the filmmaker from realizing any monetary gain. But I also assume that the court will not allow prior restraint of the release of the film. This could set the stage for an interesting legal balancing act for the filmmaker and his distributor (if he can find one): is it worth it to get your art and message out to an audience if Disney has the means to tie your life up in a legal battle which is potentially ruinous to the filmmaker, even if he ultimately prevails?
up
Sounds like what I imagine every parent’s reaction would be to being asked to go on It’s a Small World forty bazilion times
up
Or me if asked to go on it once.
up
pretty much this. i don’t get the adult lets go to disney land desire.
up
Parts of my family think I’m a heretic for not dragging my kids there at least annually. I figure we’ll get there at some point and I’ll probably enjoy it, but it’s going to have to wait until Spawn2 is at least 4.
up
I would probably take my kids at some point, once.
up
I think I probably went to DL 4 times growing up and DW twice, but it was more convenient going to DL from the Bay Area when you could fly for $30 and get in the park for $30. DW was easy when my grandparents were still alive and living in Florida. Not the case anymore, especially given where we live and how much park tickets cost.
up
I’ve been thinking about taking my kids for the first time. The prices are shocking.
up
I think I went three times to DL as a kid kid and once for HS band.
I have no desire to go back due to costs and why the hell wouldn’t you want to go somewhere new?
up
I agree that I probably wouldn’t go there of my own will or if it were just me and Mrs. PDX. It’s different with kids, though, since they often like repetition to an incredible degree.
up
Ozz(ex)wife has never been to either Disney park, and it makes her sad. I always said I would take her, but oh well. Not my problem anymore.
up
Aha! Your Honor, we have newly-revealed information.
up
Disneyland is cool.
FK the haters.
up
I loved it, although I haven’t been in many years. I’d gladly go again. Just not with her.
up
What are you doing the first week of May?
up
Damn straight!
up
I actually had fun going to DW in law school with the future Mrs. N. I didn’t expect to, but I did.
Part of that was that it was a drizzly weekday during the school year, so there were no lines. But part of it was that it is fun to do childish things.
up
Mrs Aces and I have sid that the first fll all the kids are gone we should go just so we can be there with low lines, no kids, and plenty of time.
The kids like going, but one day isnt enough and 3 days for 5 people is a grand I can spend better elsewhere.
up
I like Disneyland a lot and Disney World even more. Probably not enough to go back in my 50s+ without kids, but definitely when/if I become a grandparent.
up
its not that bad
up
and the link is already dead.
up
I think the site itself is down.
up
DAMN YOU MICKEY!!
up
up
As the massive Kraut-driven web traffic slays another internet giant!
up
It works for me now
Well, it’s settled. 6th Ring, here we come.
up
Im really glad that jacoby jones missed that first bomb.
Nice article about Berkeley’s new shelter. If you haven’t been yet I highly recommend stopping in for a visit. If you’d ever been to the old facility, you will cry with happiness.
up
I was just logging back on to link that as batgirl/dogfather bait. Place looks really nice; I need to get back to volunteering there like I used to (which BTW was purely and exclusively because I was motivated by the cause…did not want to meet people, do not want to work in that biz).
up
It’s great! I just joined the board of Friends of Berkeley Animal Care Services and I’m so excited about all the plans we have for this year!
up
Eight is kind of early to be doing things to get laid.
up
asvd
up
Wins.
up
Hahahaha
I haven’t been linking K-Thug for awhile, since I was doing it every day for awhile, but everyone needs to just accept the truth of this and move on.
The New Orleans Pelicans are going with blue, gold, and red as their colors. That has some serious ugliness potential.
up
“Blue, gold”…ooh, nice choice Tom. “and red”..CRASH!!
up
At least they made the right choice in deciding which of those colors would be “tertiary”.
up
I think that Pelicans is an awesome team name and that logo looks pretty solid.
up
Agreed. That will look badass at midcourt.
1. Crabtree case: forget he-said/she-said, it looks more like he-said/she-said/she-said/she-said.
2. Women may now have the right to serve as cannon fodder. Sounds like we’re catching up to the Red Army, circa 1941. Also, I wouldn’t mind serving in a platoon under the LT pictured in the link.
up
1. So here’s my thing. You’re rich, you’re famous, you’re a millionaire. HANG OUT WITH OTHER RICH FAMOUS MILLIONAIRES. Don’t hang out with skeezy gold diggers of questionable moral standard.
up
Exactly. I’m assuming the Niners have someone to serve as a advisor to the players to help them make smart lifestyle choices. Whoever this is needs to take Crabtree and Aldon Smith by the ears and knock some sense into them, before they piss away their chance to have long, productive, and lucrative playing careers.
John Madden used to tell his players to find a nice woman, settle down and get married, and buy a house, a lawn mower, and a dog. Never mind this was like 40 years ago, it still sounds like good advice today.
up
yeah have a body gaurd verify ids for age and video tape the entire thing.
up
Even the part where the consensual sex happens?
up
Absolutely. You can then sell it on eBay.
up
Especially that part.
up
this
up
All due respect, is that what you’d do if someone was paying you 7-8 figures a year when you were in your early 20s?
up
The problem is that these athletes have never been treated like real people their entire lives.
up
Or, nobody ever has taught them how to act like real people.
up
Making up fake people OTOH…
up
They’re not “real” people (at least to the extent that means “normal”). They’re the very best in the world at a very demanding job. Why should they act like they make $50K a year like the median American?
I think athletes absolutely should save better (and have help doing so), and I think there are definitely a lot of scam artists, relatives, and “relatives” who get theirs at the expense of athletes, but I also think that it’s crazy to expect athletes not to party after games (and have dramatic success with the ladies when they do so).
up
I don’t disagree with much of this. I just think that a lot of the problem is that athletes expect women to throw themselves at them and have sex with them at all times because we as a society say that that is how it should be. When a woman is too drunk/changes her mind the athlete feels entitled to have sex with her, where as far less people without that level of entitlement would do some of the things athletes do.
up
I’m not sure I agree at all with “far less”. That type of rape isn’t exactly uncommon, and mos of us aren’t pro athletes. Also, seems like the case against Crabtree is pretty weak.
up
right but i bet the percentage of athletes accused is higher than the regular population.
up
Sure. They’re also all rich.
up
this is true.
up
Probably yes. But I’m kind of a boring guy who never cared much for the party scene.
up
As for myself, I probably would’ve made some wise investments and charitable contributions. I would’ve had a lot of guidance and expectations put on me by my parents, and would likely have followed them (to some extent, at least).
(For instance, in my mid-20′s, my dad was employee #85 at a certain networking company based at the time in East Menlo Park whose name sounds like a shortened version of the city where the Niners play their home games. A sizable investment there at that time would have made me a 1%-er by 2000).
The big problem is that a lot of these players have grown up in poverty, or without positive role models, etc, so that when they hit the jackpot, they have a big invincibility complex, and therefore do stupid things. Leigh Steinberg used to require the players he represented to do responsible things with their money. Unfortunately, there are not enough Steinbergs today.
up
agreed
up
Without an invincibility complex, can one really be an elite athlete?
up
Fixed.
up
Disagree. I think baseball players need it to, and in some ways more so, since it’s a game focused on proving that no one is invincible.
up
Baseball players have to be willing to deal with a lot of failure, and that takes a certain mental attitude. But professional football players have to be arrogant/ignorant enough to believe they won’t be physically broken by the game. Both are unusual mental states, but I would say the latter is more likely to correlate with reckless behavior.
up
nope
up
2. About time and agreed on LT.
WOAH WOAH WOAH
up
fill away in the more shit i don’t believe category.
up
up
up
Backpedal! Backpedal!
There has always been “a settlement figure” somewhere. If the A’s think it’s $20 million and the Giants think it’s $250 million, that’s kind of an issue.
up
Oh, dang.
up
So from what I gather, the tea leaves have simply changed color… which is to say, tea leaf reading is still not possible, but oooh they changed color.
up
From newballpark, the actual (transcribed) Baer answer:
This doesn’t seem so earthshattering to me.
up
Oh good grief. Nobody is agreeing to binding arbitration when they’re hundreds of millions of dollars apart.
up
Yeah, owners don’t screw one another over that way. Players, sure.
up
Yeah, that whole thing is a major stretch. Baer no longer saying Hell No is one thing. But it’s hardly anything to get excited over. It could just be MLB or even in his own PR department telling him to STFU.
So did Kay get in for FanFest?
up
She hasn’t heard yet – though sending the “email me” message may have hurt her chances.
up
B**NNED
up
I wonder mainly because someone else I know got access.
And no, I’m not talking about Nico.
up
Within the last hour? Marine Layer?
up
Probably a couple hours, and no. Someone who dates back to the old Oakball message board and writes for Sports Vault now.
up
So we should trust you have inside information that you can hint at, but can’t divulge?
up
I wish.
up
Heh, I always hated it when he said that…
up
ML recently just got his confirmation, so it may have just been late and therefore Kay may get hers soon.
up
yup.
up
We have more respect for you than to associate you with such people of ill repute.
up
That’s good to know, at least.
up
up
Hooray for us and hooray for you, Kay! So cool.
up
I have a lot to think about, and some logistics to plan, but mostly I’m excited to see some of you FKers tailgating outside.
up
now I’ll be there for sure.
up
As a non-Facebook person, has wacc posted any where-and-when meetup plans yet?
up
3:30 in the normal spot.
up
Excellent.
up
Yay.
up
Best question: This question excludes Josh Donaldson: “How does it feel that DFA disapproves of most things that you as a player, coach, gm or the franchise does? Does it hurt deep on the inside? Just a little on the outside?”
up
nice
up
Woo!
up
Awesome
up
Neat.
up
Very cool.
up
It’s so on now.
up
Hell, yeah
up
Yesssssssss
up
Excellent
up
And just like that… I run an approved blog. Hooray me!
(also, congrats)
up
You used to be able to download the annual Media Guide for free from the A’s website. Now that’s behind some secure content barricade.
If I remember right, last year I was taken to a registration page where I was asked to list my media affiliation. What the heck, I listed “blogger for freekraut.net”. I have deleted the rather icy e-mail which MLB.com sent in response, but it was along the lines of “your affiliation does not meet our standards for issuing media credentials”. Might have to try that one again this year.
up
LOL
up
Do you want one?
up
A media credential? No. A 2013 media guide, yes, it’s a great reference, and I don’t have any A’s media guide at present. The last one from two or three years ago was that downloaded PDF and it must have disappeared with my old computer’s hard drive. They sell the paper copies at spring training and it’s worth $10 or $15 or whatever they might be, but I did like it when they were a free download for several years.
up
Email me.
up
B**inated
up
Well I did as she requested so I pray she will un-b** me.
up
Did you do it quickly? Did you bring her a shrubbery?
up
Last year’s is still available on the right, here:
http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/oak/fan_forum/media.jsp
up
Yes, as EM pointed out to me it’s still a free download, but as a newbie on these interwebs I wasn’t thinking to look in the right place.
up
Hell yeah! Make us proud, K. Although making us proud is certainly diferent than making most other groups in the world proud…
up
Awesome!!
up
FanFestFuckingTastic!
up
Sweeeet!!
up
FK yeah!
Glad to see the NFL has its priorities straight. Still waiting to see if they do anything about Tom Terrific’s blatant attempt to injure Ed Reed.
up
Yep. That was pretty awful. Imagine if A-Rod, TO, or someone like that tried to kick out someone’s knee.
up
I don’t know about that. He apologized to Ed Reed and it looked like it was just awkward from a gangly ass runner.
up
In soccer that’s an easy red card. He slid cleats-high, and kicked. No way that wasn’t intentional.
up
If his leg was stiff i would agree with you, but it wasn’t
up
“Who gives a fk, he’s fined.”
up
So making a kicking motion (twice!) strikes you as accidental, but extending the leg pre-slide and keeping it that way would strike you as intentional?
up
yes because its in reaction to reed hitting the leg.
up
I don’t see that at all, but fair enough.
up
dude also apologized to reed and has no history of being a dick that we know of while he has a 37 year history of being a poor scrambler.
up
I’m mostly with DFA on this one. I think the fine was ultimately deserved simply for potentially endangering someone, but the fact that was a relatively small fine and mostly a slap on the wrist is more than enough to settle it. That being said, Gore’s fine being greater than that for fking socks? Dum. D.U.M. Dum.
up
Yeah, he apologized after the game. Says nothing about whether it was intentional in the moment, which seems to be Reed’s opinion.
up
Why did he apologize if he didn’t do anything dirty?
up
Youve never apologized for accidentally running into someone?
up
- That wasn’t accidental
- The entire sport is based on running into one another. I’m pretty sure guys don’t call each other to apologize for late hits.
up
Because Erik Aybar didn’t apologize to McCarthy?
up
Not even remotely close to the same.
up
Yeah. One ACTUALLY injured someone (albeit by accident) and the other didn’t.
up
So if you try to injure someone and don’t, it’s okay
up
Assuming you tried, no. But IS an assumption that he tried to injure someone. But there’s nothing wrong with apologizing after the fact if you do something stupid (intentional or unintentional) that could lead to someone getting hurt. And that’s what happened.
up
So glad they’re doing something about Gore’s socks. My entire football experience was ruined by those damned things. I wanted to be happy the 49ers reached the Super Bowl, but all I could do was stare at his god-awful lower legs, mouth agape, quietly seething.
up
Calfstruck.
up
Brady was fined 10K.
Gore was fined 10,500.
What the actual fuck
up
Dude, that’s like 10 blowjobs.
up
Each?
up
Well you know, people get kicked and/or injured intentionally all the time, but God forbid a player not measure up to the uniform standards of the league.
up
Football is ridiculous, that’s what.
up
well yes.
up
I miss TD dances and the elaborate celebrations.
This is why we limit it to personal quantities here.
up
The Norwegians have a lot to learn when it comes to making Fondue.
up
Mmmm… that sounds Gouda.
Hey Upgrade–what’s your take on this whole Tim Brown/Raiders thing?
up
WASSA MATTA WITH TIMMEH?!
up
Seems awfully far-fetched. The simplest explanation is that Bill Callahan is just stupid. Raiders fans have always thought that since he failed to change the audibles before SB37. It’s needlessly convoluted to now claim that actually Callahan was brilliantly deliberately trying to lose.
up
My memory may be faulty, but I seem to recall the TV people having mics on the sidelines during the game, and Rice questioning why they weren’t running the ball more at the time. I wondered the same thing.
up
I don’t remember that but it could be true; like Barret I was probably pretty drunk at the time. But again, I’m completely prepared to believe Callahan game planned badly, just not that he did so to purposely lose. At least, absent more evidence.
up
I would probably believe our tagline:
up
That was sort of my thought too. Though I adore the idea of someone hating the Raiders so much they’d throw a Super Bowl just to FK with them ;)
up
UPGRADE!
up
Would you like to be Upgraded? It could be arranged.
up
At a price.
The UK now charges exit taxes based on the seat you’re sitting in when the plane leaves, not the one you paid for – so frequent flyer upgrades to business class now cost $100.
up
I guess this means Phil Mickelson will be skipping The Open.
up
Heh heh.
up
I sympathize with Phil and understand where he’s coming from, but he has three more zeroes at the end of his AGI than I have, so yeah, you probably shouldn’t whine publicly.
up
(Also, I linked to a game thread where your 3-4-5 hitters for the A’s are Suzuki-Kouz-Rosales).
up
mother of god…
up
if everything falls right, they can win the division
up
We’re gonna fool a lot of people with this team…
up
duh, just go to the toilet
up
Dirty communists. Just keep take take taking from the job creators.
up
Hey – I showered pretty recently.
up
(you’re the magical job creator in this scenario)
up
Hang on just a minute here … between me and David Cameron he’s the communist. That’s even more insulting.
up
I assume your memoirs will be titled: A Communist in First Class
up
Economy class passengers of the world unite!
You’ve nothing to lose but your
planesknees.up
Fixed.
Trash talk from the new record holder.
up
How long did EBEX end up flying, given the pointing problem?
up
They fly no matter what, just to bring the payload back – EBEX landed yesterday.
up
Any plans yet for a new flight?
up
Not yet – we’re still trying to see what we’ve got from this flight.
I’m so far behind that I only caught the A.J. Cole trade last night.
And yeah, I’ll probably write a Justified thing covering the first 3 episodes, for all 4 of you who care.
up
I care and look forward to it!
Mike we bait.
up
If that had happened in the US, this guy would now be on a TSA no-fly list.
Regarding the other Cuban defector shortstop,
SuSlu sez the A’s will be on hand to watch Aledmys Diaz tomorrow. Also, the A’s apparently talked to the Astros about Jed Lowrie but the Astros wanted Trogdor and a pitcher.
up
Funny thing about the name. The Cuban sources all have him as Aledmis, whereas everyone spells it Aledmys now
up
I noa what you mean. Wait, Y noa what you mean.
up
From the comments on that article:
up
QED!
up
Russell will be 19 this year. The youngest position players in AAA last year* were Anthony Gose and Wil Myers, both 21.
*caveat: That is with a 143 AB minimum, but I couldn’t figure out how to turn it off in bbref.
up
Trout was in AAA for a minute too, when he was 20.
up
Yeah, that 143 AB minimum probably also cut out some other youngsters who were called up to AAA near the end of the season.
up
But Trout (20), Harper (19), and Profar (19) all played in the majors.
up
Russell is nowhere near the level of those 3.
up
You don’t know that. I mean, chances are he isn’t, but it’s not impossible.
up
You realize you’re siding with PLI’mAnIdiot78 right?
up
I’m staking out a reasonable middle ground.
up
I suppose that’s now “being Mundied”.
up
Nah. I think much higher of Mundy.
up
I so don’t miss that guy, sad thing is he’s been showing up on fangraphs for the past coupla months…
up
Me neither. I know we’re not into banning folks around here, but I’d vote that he’d simply be excluded if he were to ever show up.
up
So far I’ve never even had to do that, and only really thought about doing it once or twice.
up
And I said I’m sorry. I’m not going to apologize again!
up
DFA and?
up
Nope. I think we’ve talked about this before, but the closest call for me was JamesV (which I think I’ve talked about on here before — if not, hope that wasn’t awkward to say), who has been fantastic to have on the blog. That decision is a big part of the reason I’ve forsaken the banhammer, because we would have lost out on a lot of great stuff, and a great member, all over my petty ** bullshit, so who am I to judge these things.
up
Yeah, and for a while I was in that mode of “Screw those guys, I never want anything to do with them.”
After I started seeing more of the way Nico really acted on AN, especially over the MikeV thing, I gave the guy a chance to show he had a clue about making things right (including stepping away) but he circled the wagons and doubled down on his asshattery. That’s when I knew it was a lost cause, and when I better understood why so many of you posted less there or left entirely.
MikeV was the one who talked me into coming over here and I’m glad I did. I may not be as active as some of you and I think these days I prefer to avoid some of the deeper discussions about various formulas and player debates, but I respect them and the people who care enough to talk about and defend their positions.
Thanks for the good words in there and don’t worry – we’ve talked about it in the open here before.
up
Blah blah blah, are we gonna go shoot some film this summer or what?
up
Brown chicken brown cow!
up
Maybe.
E-mail me.
up
I’ll shoot you an email after I’m officially back. I’m not sure what I’ll have going on yet.
up
It was more THAT kind of ‘E-mail me.’
up
D*m* it!
up
Good. Couldn’t remember if I’d ever said it that bluntly, and felt sort of awkward. But hey, it’s all trufax
up
up
once you stopped being a mod, you cut a huge part of being a dick out of your posting.
up
This is probably true.
up
I meant as a prospect. Those 3 were all Top 5 BA prospects at some point.
up
Was Trout a top-5 prospect immediately after his draft year, or did he really blow up after his first full year in the minors? I’m trying to gauge where Russell is on that curve.
up
Blew up his frist full year.
Trout was a cold weather hs player that was seen as toolsy but unrefined and playing against suspect competition. The A’s were rumored to be picking him twenty spots higher that year.
up
Arent we glad we got Grant Green instead!
up
OK, so Russell only needs to be top five after 2013 to be in Trout’s class. The ship hasn’t sailed!
up
Twenty spots higher? But the A’s drafted 13th, he went 25th. Anyway, so glad they passed on him. Grant Green is way better.
up
yeah bad rememberance on the math
up
Ok. Seemed fishy to me.
up
For posterity here is the draft thread from that year (which also had a link to the ** thread).
Trout was indeed in the list of players the A’s were interested in, but no one even mentioned him in the further discussion of who people wanted.
In contrast, people were very excited about the prospect that Donavan Tate might fall to us (instead he went third overall … and last year didn’t hit in the Cal league).
up
I liked the Grant Green pick. Heck, I still think he could turn out to be a reasonably good player.
up
I wrote an anti tate peice that year.
up
I wanted Scheppers
up
Drafted in 09, 85th in 2010, 2nd overall in 2011.
up
Russell should be higher than 85th at the same age.
up
Doesn’t mean that much.
up
Of course not.
up
Well, not if major league baseball is your concern. But if you’re just a huge fan of prospect lists, then it’s everything.
up
I just meant in terms of where they start out. It’s so hard to give a true gauge of skill when it comes to HS players. Too much guess work and a larger margin of error. So saying Russell should be higher vs where Trout was that early on, doesn’t mean terribly much. It’s nice, but not very telling.
up
I was just joking. I don’t imagine that there’s anyone who is solely interested in how prospects rank but doesn’t care about baseball itself.
up
Some people are bigger fans of minor league baseball than major league. And some people just like lists.
up
Personally I cant see this comment making a top 100 list
up
lists are number one on my list of things I hate.
up
@Dial: That is true, but I was envisioning someone who cares not about baseball but only about prospect rankings.
@DFA: TINSTAAC(omment)P
@dmoas: That was so Bed-like, it was eerie.
up
Also Machado (debuted one month into being 20).
In terms of minor league PAs, Harper lead them with just 536 minor league PAs before his MLB debut followed by Machado (928), Trout (~1100), and Profar (1366).
Russell’s currently at 244 so if he were to MLB debut this year, he’d be roughly on the Harper track in terms of MiLB PAs accumulated. Is he that good….
up
Probably not. Almost certainly not. I was just pointing out that the “no 19 year olds at AAA” fact was a bit misleading.
The best-case but still sort-of-realistic scenario would probably be for Russell to get a AAA cup of coffee at the end of this season.
The Justin Upton saga is finally over
up
up
asvd
up
The Diamondbacks are hella dumb.
up
In fairness to Towers, Martin Prado isn’t a bad player and he was likely hampered by the fact that some DBacks executives couldn’t keep their fat mouths shut. It was no secret that DBacks ownership wanted Upton (and Bauer, and Drew) gone because of perceived attitude/effort problems.
Luckily they’ve replaced those underachievers with gritty, hard nosed winners like Cody Ross.
up
He should have known better and pulled the trigger last year then before he lost leverage.
Prado isn’t bad but for where they are on the contention cycle their moves this year have been poor at best.
up
Wow the Braves fleeced them.
up
I’m just glad he’s not coming to the AL West.
seen this?
We really should have signed Shaun Marcum.
up
Agreed.
up
did he sign somewhere else?
up
mets on a 1y
up
I still want Joe Saunders and his career 2.70 Coliseum ERA.
Obligatory Dan. Johnson.
up
What. The. F?! If he hits the home run that pushes them into the playoffs we may have to run over him with a Volvo.
up
If he wears pinstripes, he’s fair game regardless.
up
True.
up
I will never begrudge a minor league scrub doing what he needs to to get back to the big leagues.
up
He’s already done that, for several teams, at the major level. So, he’s not a scrub.
up
No hes absolutely a scrub. he hasn’t spent an entire year on a major league roster ever and hes 33.
up
I support anyone anywhere getting a job
up
this.
up
I would support a certain, specific few people losing their jobs.
up
Yeah… my boss for example :-P
up
I was thinking of certain members of Congress, but why not your example too?
up
There are like 12 members of govt that I would keep
up
The biggest problem is that the general public has no means of voting against the majority of those that are elected.
up
i don’t know… the general public is littered with idiots
up
ELITIST LIB-TARD!
up
They think we are idiots, I think they are idiots. One of us is right.
up
Well, I do remember sometime ( ugh, who was that!) during the last election cycle, a republican saying “… we’ll never get the smart people.”….
up
yup.. also the takers. So basically most people
up
It’s altogether possible for both to be right.
up
not really someone has to be wrong
up
Always absolute, never ever.
up
I meant both right that were both idiots. If I claim 2+2=8 and you claim it’s 9, we’re both wrong.
up
@brian.only: that was the genius Rick Santorum.
up
@dmoas
ah i get where you are going now.
up
Thank you oz (!), awaiting his eminent return to public discourse, he’s been eerily quite/ absent.
I’m surprised the GOP re-upped Priebus and relegated the ‘successful’ Steele to the circular file, baffling.
up
Steele left them broke. Priebus raised plenty of money.
up
But one got seats the other defeats.
up
The RNC’s job is to raise money not make sure the RSCC doesn’t recruit candidate that think that rape is awesome
up
Exactly. And some giant pockets out there only have them.
up
A scrub is a guy who can’t get no love from me.
up
Do.Not.Want.
up
AKA
up
You seriously don’t want posey?
I would love having him on our team and I would trade any one of our players for him
up
A scrub is a guy that thinks he’s fly
And is also known as a buster
up
You know, I’ve had this in my head all day thanks to you. It wasn’t so bad.
up
I thought the next line is
trying to holla at me?
up
That part comes after “hangin’ out the passenger side of his best friend’s ride.” I hate myself for knowing that.
up
ok you are right.
the 90s had some really awful music.
up
I’m catching up on FK after getting back from New York this weekend, and I just want to say that I’m glad this discussion happened. Breaking down the lyrics to “No Scrubs” is a central part of the experience here.
up
Most definitely.
up
I’ve been trying to find an excuse to do an interpretation of the rap in “Waterfalls” but fear it will need to wait until we are out of Spring Training..
up
{waits anxiously}
up
Thank you.
up
Any time, sir.
up
Any two, probably.
up
Oh yeah? Weeks and Simmons. I bet you’re regretting that blanket statement now, arncha?
up
I think the Giants would LOVE Jemile Weeks.
If only he were 32…
up
Yeah, my head picks out parts of the song randomlya and I went back to the beginning of the song later. FWIW yeah, I wouldnt shout down a Posey trade. I might give up Weeks, Seth, and a PTBNL (though not OUR ptbnl..)
up
I’d take one for the team if Posey were involved.
up
Amazing comment is amazing.