Game -26: Gameday Grill and Thread (now with pictures)

Apparently, Gameday Audio is free today, so I’ll be listening to the first hour until conference calls and performance reviews ruin a perfectly good spring training game for me.


#Athletics DH Young, 2B Rosales, RF Reddick, LF Cespedes, SS Lowrie, 1B Moss, 3B Donaldson, C Jaso, CF Choice. RH Straily.
@JohnSheaHey
John Shea


1. I finally figured out who Barton looks like:

2. This is terrifying:

3. No Broken Bones for Sizemore

4. Shit Baseball Players say:

5. Kay bait

326 comments to Game -26: Gameday Grill and Thread (now with pictures)

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    5. (literally cries tears of joy)

    "Once you go Kay there is no other way."- Bed
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    http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/04/revisiting-trout-vs-cabrera-mvp-debate-with-a-twist/

    I know last year, a lot of people were spending a lot of energy trying to find a convincing statistical model that showed Cabrera was better than Trout. If there was one, I didn’t see it. Now, it turns out that Oakland (Oakland!) has such a statistical model.

    I am only pretty on the outside.
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    What a tease! If only we knew someone who could verify this for us (even if they couldn’t tell us how or why).

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
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    So, if someone had “inside” access, but couldnt share any of it because that is how we get to keep having interviews with Billy?

    Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it? -Steve McCatty
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    I’d guess that the A’s (among other things) don’t weight defense WAR as highly as traditional WARs.

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    Probably not so much they don’t weigh defensive stats highly as they actually regress single season defensive stats while the WARs we have access to don’t.

    They also probably discount baserunning metrics as those are currently rudimentary at best.

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    I would suggest that this is accurate

    Or they might have a better calculation of weights for wOBA based on the new run scoring environment where HRs are more valuable.

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    One thought that crossed my mind is whether there is some non-linearity to the batting weights in their model. While Trout is a very good hitter, Cabrera is pretty much the most extreme outlier in that distribution.

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    why would that be a better explanation of value?

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    It was just something that popped into my head. The only justification I can come up with would be something about limited number of PA, so you get a bonus from packing all of that hitting ability into one lineup slot. It’s pretty hard to imagine that this would be a big effect. Your suggestion of revised-but-still-linear weights is probably closer to the mark.

    Also, different fielding measures. I’m not sure that I agree with lenscrafters idea about regression of fielding metrics, because we are talking about actual 2012 performance, right? So you don’t really want to regress to true talent — it should be ok to give Trout his full +11 FRAA even if you think it was a career year. But don’t Oakland (and other clubs) already have some access to FieldFX data? Maybe they know that Trout’s ability to get to fly balls wasn’t really as awesome as UZR thought.

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    One season of UZR isn’t reliable enough to tell us what actually happened. I don’t know how much you’d regress Trout’s performance last year, but I know we can’t say with certainty that he was an actual +11 performer.

    I’m unaware of any defensive metric we currently have access to that doesn’t require this regression, but as to your second point, it’s possible that the A’s using FieldFX have devised a metric that’s reliable in this regard.

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    I thought UZR was fine for telling you what actually happened, but not for establishing true talent level

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    Here

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    interesting

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    wOBA already uses different weights every season, adapted to that year’s run scoring environment

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    The A’s might think that they know a better way to solve for the weights.

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    Could very well be true, I was just making it clear that wOBA as you see it on FanGraphs does not use same weights as in the high-scoring environments of the early naughts

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    All I know is that with trout in our division, I find him more concerning.

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    You left out the best part!

    (Farhan Zaidi) heard about an Oakland opening. He fished out an old resume and, without really reviewing it, sent it off to Billy Beane. One thing he had forgotten was that in the personal section of the resume, he had mentioned that he liked Britpop — you know, Suede, Sleeper, Oasis, a bunch of those Wonderwall bands that were cool in certain circles in the mid-to-late 1990s. Unfortunately, it was now 2003.

    First thing Beane said to Zaidi was, “So, I understand you like Britpop.” Zaidi felt his face go white hot as he sunk into his chair. He started to hem and haw about how he had not updated his resume in a while and that, you know, er, well, it’s just kind of …

    At which point, Billy Beane said: “I am the biggest Oasis fan.”

    How that scene was left out of Moneyball, I’ll never know.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    How in the world did Sleeper come to Joe’s mind here? That’s an obscure group even for a Britpop geek.

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    :)

    The one time I ever got to talk to Mr. Beane, I took the opportunity to attempt to turn him on to Guided By Voices. Apparently someone had already beat me to it!

    "Once you go Kay there is no other way."- Bed
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    I don’t even know what I’d say if I got to talk to him.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    Gotta be Barton to 3B, no?

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    I think I’d probably beg for a job just like any other schlep.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    You gotta give a job to get a job.

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    Teams definitely use other defensive metrics, because they have access to proprietary data. However, I find it difficult to believe that there is a defensive metric that makes Cabrera more valuable fielder than Trout, and that would be needed to put him over the top as most offensive metrics have them tied.

    My best guess would be that A’s use a different offensive metric, and if I had the proprietary data that they do, I wouldn’t count events such as 1B, 2B, 3B and HR, but rather calculate them using the speed, angle and rotation of the batted ball. I would assign a run probability to every batted ball based on that factor, plug the batters speed into it, handedness (to account for possibility of shifting defense) and use that to calculate some sort of xwOBA if you will.

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    And you have to do this in a centrally located office because…???

    (stupid Cubs)

    "Once you go Kay there is no other way."- Bed
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    If I knew how to do it, I would essentially try the same thing with pitch fx data.

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    That data is much more volatile. A speedy line drive is always good. A 90 mph fastball in the same location can be a great pitch or a bad pitch, depending on the pitch sequence, how far/close the batter stands to the plate, count, the way he swung at the previous pitch…

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    Right. I agree, but it would be interesting none the less.

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    The problem with such a metric would be the same as ERA/FIP arguments (or the UZR one above). That hit stat would be great for true talent, but wouldn’t necessarily mean he was more valuable that year. Why eliminate luck from the equation in determining value in a particular year?

    For MVP votes, WPA remains my stat of choice.

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    Sure, but I don’t think the A’s developed a metric that should correlate well with public opinion for MVP. It all depends on how you define value, I guess

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    heh

    It seems I was on the right track. There is an interview with Zaidi today in which he says:

    We try to analyze skill, not results. Ultimately, what you want in an advance report isn’t batting average on fastball counts. You want something more along the lines of skill level, like how often a guy makes hard contact on a fastball on an 0-1 count.

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    I found this part interesting as well.

    “If you’re a small or mid-market team, you’re compelled to engage in a high-variance strategy. We don’t want to just run our operation the same way everyone else does, with the same blend of stats and scouting, In some sense, the optimal strategy is to take risks. We make trades that might be perceived as risky. Sometimes they pay off, like Josh Reddick. Sometimes we acquire guys it turns out we were wrong about.

    Before last year, most of us ripped on the A’s for seemingly always pursuing the least risky route, whether it was player acquisition or draft selections. That’s why we kept ending up with 75 win teams and no one was thrilled about guys like Reddick, Milone, Theth, Cowgill, etc, guys we perceived to be maybe average but nothing more. But it seems that Zaidi’s quotes here refute that notion.

    I guess it’s that “high variance” is a matter of perspective. For the A’s, it might be mean acquiring guys the league thought weren’t any good (like Reddick and Milone) and being happy they turned out ok. For us, “high variance” means acquiring guys thought to be ok but turns out to be above average (like Cespedes). Basically, there’s different levels to a “high variance” strategy.

    Of course, last year was a perfect confluence of events in which the guys thought to be not any good (Reddick, Milone, etc) bypassed “ok” and went straight to being above average, helping the team transcend the mediocre morass of the previous several years.

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    I disagree. People were happy about Milone. Many thought he was the perfect last piece to that deal.

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    I recall that a lot of folks here/at the OC had high expectations because of his minor league K/BB rates; a lot weren’t as convinced that his minor league success would translate to the majors because of his lack of velocity. He ended up exceeding a lot of expectations.

    A soliloquy of fresh-sounding ideas which would probably be disastrous.
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    I wasn’t convinced it would work but I still was berry happy with the acquisition

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    What kind of berry?

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    Marion berry

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    You celebrated by smoking crack?

    TINSTAAFK
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    Or, like so many of Billy Beane’s trading partners, he exclaimed “Bitch set me up!”

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    state berry of Oregon!

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    I can’t get the Gameday link to work, and when I go on the MLB site it asks for the usual login to listen. Where is it free today?

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    You can set up a login without paying.

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    mine is working

    I am only pretty on the outside.
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    OK, got it. I think it just wasn’t coming up as available until the game started.

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    really people? chanting “overpaid” at vernon wells? that’s not cool

    I am only pretty on the outside.
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    Are they chanting “underpaid” at Trout?

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    we should do that

    I am only pretty on the outside.
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    I would hella do that.

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    that would rule. when are the angels in town?

    I am only pretty on the outside.
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    Language is truth.

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    Beauty is truth.

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
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    Beauty is pain.

    Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it? -Steve McCatty
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    life is pain

    I am only pretty on the outside.
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    Life could be a dream.

    Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it? -Steve McCatty
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    Dream a little dream of me.

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    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    Not one but TWO idiot regimes thought otherwise.

    In a fight between millionaires and bilionaires, I will always choose the milionaires

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    New vince: We are listening to a webcast that sounds like you care calling from a radiophone at the battle of the bulge. We know who Arizona’s Brandon McCarthy is and what happened to him last year.

    I am only pretty on the outside.
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    Wait. What happened????!!!!

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    Jaso plates three with a triple! I love tripling catchers!

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    no room on the roster for tripling the catchers

    I am only pretty on the outside.
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    I’d rather have a quadrupling catcher.

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    Not being familiar with Jaso’s historical splits, I was wondering what he could do vs. LHP and that was good to see, a shot down the RF line.

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    Jaso has large splits, but also just doesn’t have many plate appearances against LHP. So probably his split isn’t really that bad. But Norris will probably get most of the starts against lefties anyway.

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    wells 3r hr off cook

    I am only pretty on the outside.
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    Worth every dollar!

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    cespedes throws out conger after angels batter calhoon singles to left and Conger tries to go first to short stop.

    (not such a good outing for cook)

    I am only pretty on the outside.
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    You run on Cespedes? You die now!

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    I think he was trying to be a real angel, then realized that going first to third on a hit to left was dumb. stopped and tried to get back to second and was stuck in the middle.

    I am only pretty on the outside.
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    Yeah, Cook couldn’t locate his pitches at all today.

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    Caption contest:

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
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    GET IN MY BELLY!

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    I can’t believe we wore the same outfit today. How embarrassing.

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    You can touch it, but don’t suck it. I used to be 6′ tall.

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    Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts!

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    Hey David, you better not have a slingshot on you.

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    “Dude, I think that sign behind me says ‘No dicks allowed’”
    “Then it’s a good thing we’re not detectives.”

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    Ah, there’s nothing like Spring Training baseball to make you say, “Who the FK are these guys?”

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    My favorite was during an A’s telecast where they usually show an overlay of the player’s name instead just showed an overlay of his number.

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    Wasn’t even worth trying to figure out there names, huh?

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    *their

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    Nope. I think it was a late spring game towards then end when everyone stopped paying attention or caring… kind of like the beginning of the string game and in the middle of the spring game… I don’t particularly care much for Spring Training. A necessary thing, but I don’t get the least bit excited for the meaninglessness of it.

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    What I like about ST is having a game on the radio, lying in the sun, and falling asleep by the time the guys I’ve heard of are done for the day. It was, of course, best with Bill King.

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    I’m seldom anywhere near a radio so the experience is one I’ve ever picked up. And these days I seem to only be near one during a Vince inning.

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    The Radio Gods hate you.

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    We’re deep into the guys-with-no-Gameday-pictures portion of today’s proceedings. I’ll just have to imagine what Jefry Marte and Travis Banwart look like.

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    One of the last couple days one of our guys was shown in Gameday wearing a Yankees cap. Kind of ruined my day.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    Melvin’s pattern at this point is to play the starting lineup for 5 innings and then put in the second platoon, which consists of guys wearing uniform numbers in the 70s plus Andy Parrino, who apparently is trying to show that he can play 5 or 6 positions, and Shane Peterson (#63).

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    Charleston is already a radio wasteland, and we lost another decent station yesterday. It’s now ESPN Radio. This morning, they had some talk show or another, and the host was railing on about PED’s. I think. He said something about stem cells and Kobe going to Europe and coming back playing like he did 17 years ago. Then he asks, “Did you see his dunk last night?” And just in case you hadn’t, he played a clip of it. On the radio.

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    Wait. You don’t have one those new fangled radios they call a TV? Dude. You’re missing out.

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    My car is ancient. Like, 7 years old.

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    Mine is 10.

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    13.5, 220K miles baby!

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    I’m at 105k.

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    My truck’s at 234K, but hasn’t moved from my driveway for about 10 months while I procrastinate on the clutch replacement it needs. It turns 25 years old this July; I’m the only owner it’s ever had.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    Thus far, I appear to do the most driving.

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    Nice! I might catch up to you in miles, though!

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    Talk to me when you reach a million.

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
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    I doubt the Golf will last 60 years..

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    tdi? it might?

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    The engine might. The cheap-ass plastic on the interior (which is not at all unique to VW) is getting a bit brittle.

    At least the thing is (AFAIK) still water-tight.

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    My 90 Maxima that I sold for $300 when I left for Japan had over 300K on it. My friend who bought it contacted me recently to tell me that it’s still running strong, 5 years later. He doesn’t know how many miles it has, since the electronics are all messed up in the dash.

    az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
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    9 years, 140K

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    I have 2 years (and a few months, it’ll actually be 7 years in October for me) to roll up 35k? I don’t know if I’ll make that. I’ll have 110k by the end of June, most likely. After that, I’m not sure what’ll happen.

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    A drive back to CA should be good for 3,000. More if you have extra fun along the way.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    I figure 3k there and 2k between now and then. But once I’m back, I don’t know how much driving I’ll be doing.

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    Perhaps you’ll soon weary of all the great weather and societal tolerance, and a road trip to Idaho will be in order.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    Well, I do enjoy a good potato.

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    Only 85k.

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    3 years just hit 50k

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    Woohoo! New laptop monitor!

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    yay!

    "Once you go Kay there is no other way."- Bed
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    fun.

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    I don’t know that any of we FKers will be at ST on Thursday to see it, but this is cool.

    Pregame ceremonies will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the opening of Zenimura Field, where games were played at the Gila River internment camp just 40 miles south of Phoenix during World War II. Tets Furukawa, Masao Iriyama and Kenso Zenimura, three surviving players who not only played on the field but helped build it, have been invited to throw out ceremonial first pitches. They were among 13,000 Japanese-Americans who were held at Gila River during the war, as was Kenichi Zenimura, the “Father of Japanese American Baseball.”

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    That’s pretty cool. And about damned time, I’d say. Assuming they’ve never honored them before.

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    Very nice.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    sweat

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    Yep. Arizona weather is pretty hot.

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    hahahaha

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    If I start driving now…

    az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
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    HOORAY DOING TAXES.

    no.

    sigh.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    I did mine yesterday. Booyah! Money! Money! Money!

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    The gov’t said I was poor. Cha-ching! I can pay rent now! And buy fresh produce!

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    It’s completely FKing ridiculous how complicated this shit is.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    My brother was audited last year. That was LOL-tastic.

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    There is literally no excuse for just having X amount of tax and that’s it, you’re done.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    I’ve been holding off, since I’m sure I’ll end up paying again this year.

    It isn't Dirty Dancing 'cuz it doesn't make you vomit.
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    I got just shy of 2k back.

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    I just did mine and had to pay. It’s the worst.

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    why did your withholding not cover?

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    Not sure. Last year wasn’t a full year of taxes for me, so maybe going to a full year threw things off? I also got a raise, which probably skewed the earlier withholding some. Add in some inheritance to that stew and I apparently owed bunches.

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    unless you inherited oodles of money then the inheritance shouldn’t affect you too much.

    The raise probably would if it was significant.

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    I had to pay for the first time last year and I’m still pissed. So now I’m just delaying doing my taxes. Which is probably not the best idea.

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    I am very displeased with it. But I scheduled my payment to go out as late as possible, so at least that will show them?

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    Did ours this evening, which included two schedules for the Consulting Cosmologist business the government decided that I had opened when I agreed to sit on a National Science Foundation review committee.

    They got an extra $61 in social security out of that.

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
  • avatar

    I made a tweet: (even though I wish both Australia and the Netherlands could win)

    I’ve saved this cup with @ for 25 years, just so that I could say good luck in the WBC #Honkbal http://t.co/dx2sew9uoE
    @nlthorsen
    Nina Thorsen

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    Excellent.

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    It has Hrbek on the other side!

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    I gotta say, I like that Geico commercial with Dikembe Mutombo.

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    I hate it.

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    I hate you.

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    I’m okay with that.

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    It’s what I do.

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    I’m going out to Surprise today to see real MLB action, such as it is in ST. It looks like New Vince is covering A’s vs. Italy at Phoenix Muni with Anderson starting. At my game, how nice to see you again, Bartolo.


    And #Athletics @ #Royals: Green 2B, Barton 1B, Young CF, Donaldson 3B, Nakajima SS, Choice RF, Jaso C, Peterson LF, Head DH (Colon P)
    @JaneMLB
    Jane Lee

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    The DR is up 15-1 agains the Phillies.

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    Hanley 3 hits and a bomb.

    BUT HEY WE GOT JED FUCKING LOWRIE FOR CHRIS CARTER.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    I would like to mention that yesterday I was listening to 95.7 the game and they said Cespedes was a 5 tool player and couldn’t name what the tools were. The listed defense and fielding as separate tools, didn’t include speed and fumbled about for about 5 minutes. It was embarrassing.

    Hit for average
    Hit for power
    Speed (base running)
    fielding
    Arm

    please give me a radio show now.

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
  • avatar

    I was just playing a game on my phone… regular alphabet text chat feature (no Cyrillic)… joined a Russian “guild” (play group), where everyone was chatting in Russian phonetically with our alphabet on the text function. FKing cool. I was expecting faux-LEET workarounds (nPNBeT for example), but it was all phonetic.

    "Once you go Kay there is no other way."- Bed
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    Birthday gift that’s proving impossible to find: Youth Medium Zlatan PSG jersey

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    When do you need it by? I’ll be back in Paris before long.

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
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    Sunday. :D

    Frickin kid will not give me any hint for a Bday gift, but Zlatan is his favorite player.

    I may go with a pop up goal instead, or maybe one of the new USA jerseys.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    The new USA centennial jerseys are beautiful.

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    The PSG website also has boy’s home shirts for €70, and you can add a name for €15.

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
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    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
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    The real one has an accent mark over the c.

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    Yeah, I saw the actual youth jersey for 90 eur.

    probably another 90 eur to ship it here in time. lol.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    UPDATE!

    I just talked with him a bit ago and asked him who is favorite player was.

    Messi.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    Way off.

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    L♡VE!

  • avatar

    Huh. ManU(re) leave Rooney on the bench against Madrid.

    Have a feeling Madrid is going to stomp all over them.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    Playing for the 0-0?

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    or, you know, SAF will look like a genius when Nani’s cross goes in for an own goal off Ramos.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    and then Nani gets sent off. LOL.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    Seemed harsh (and that’s from a ‘pool fan).

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
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    Waiting for a .gif, I’m forced to follow the reddit match thread.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    Does this work for you?

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
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    all streaming sites are blocked here. :(

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    Is that Martin Tyler on the call? He and his partner sound so depressed.

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    Here until it’s taken down.

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    Hrm. Yeah, a boot to the midsection is kind of a send off.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    Unless your name is Nigel De Jong, it usually is.

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    I read that as “De Dong”

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    From a longer shot of build up he was backing into it and trying to control the ball, albeit with a high foot.

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
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    Looking at the full clip, I don’t think Nani knew Arbeloa was there. Very reckless, but should have been only a yellow card.

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    So United had 1/3 of the possession with 11 players … can 10 withstand a half hour siege?

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
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    No.

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    No.

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
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    Two beautiful goals.

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    That goal by Modric. holy crap.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    FKwiz: what colour will SAF be in the post-match interview

    and how much will the ensuing fine from UEFA be?

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
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    Apparently he was “too distraught” to speak to the press after the match.

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    It’s Old Trafford, so they’ll just keep playing till United are winning.

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
  • avatar

    Your 2013 AL West Standings:
    SEA 10-1
    OAK 5-5
    HOU 5-5
    TEX 3-7
    LAA 1-8

    Also the Royals are 9-0 and up 4-1 against our lovable muppets currently.

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    Season tickets just arrived!

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    I saw something on FB about an exciting lunch pail?

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    Oh my yes, very exciting indeed.

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    I’m jealous

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    Spider-Reddick!

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    It is so fucking beautiful.

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    Still waiting for mine, how long does it take usually?
    It’s weird because I haven’t gotten any emails or welcome spam, this the par for the course?

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    Still waiting on mine, too. I’m beginning to think they expect me to order and pay for them first.

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    Just went to the dashboard and noticed this is the 2000th post.
    I think that means aardvark wins some free kraut.

    TINSTAAFK
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    Okay. But he’s got to buy himself.

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    And that doesn’t even count the 102 old unpublished drafts that are still saved. My favorite is nevermoor’s apologizing for nuking the query database by accident…apparently he fixed the issue before the need for a mea culpa.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    World political theater got a little less interesting today with the death of Hugo Chavez. Who’s the heir apparent for bombastic craziness? Kim Jong Un is probably too low key.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    Someone will step up, no doubt.

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    Stephen Harper has just been biding his time, waiting for this moment.

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    He might have to duke it out with Trump. Not a political leader, I know, but there’s no end to his arrogant stupidity.

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    I was thinking Ted Nugent.

    A soliloquy of fresh-sounding ideas which would probably be disastrous.
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    I’m very happy for the people of Venezuela today.

    It isn't Dirty Dancing 'cuz it doesn't make you vomit.
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    +1

    I would have thought he would have had an extended coda to his career as a crafty lefty, though:

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    Guess they won’t be airing Aló Presidente anymore.

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    Colon = human batting tee. One of the screaming liners he served up actually tore Grant Green’s glove off. James Simmons didn’t fare well either. At least I can say I saw that particular #1 draft choice get some outs for the big club, even if it was the 8th inning of the road split-squad game on March 5. On the bright side, Travis Blackley came back with two very crisp innings.

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    Presumably Bartolo doesn’t worry too much about spring results and neither should we. OTOH, it would not surprise me if it turned out he was finished. Even pharmaceuticals aside. Lotta miles on that 40 year old chassis.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    I throw in a few randumb observations about each day’s game because I figure a lot of people would rather read that than the travelogue stuff. Nothing you see on the field the first week of March has any real bearing on the regular season, unless somebody gets hurt.

    Travelogue stuff: In all the years I’ve come to ST I’ve never had a game rained out. It sure looks like that streak is likely to come to an end on Friday. Due to tomorrow’s off-day that would mean the A’s would only play on one of the next three days. I don’t have an alternate plan for the afternoon on Friday, but at least I would get some baseball anyway with the WBC night game at Chase Field.

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    I like your game notes and travelogues a lot. Hope the rain steers clear of ya.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    Ditto.

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    And he I thought Colon was the shit.

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    Just full of it.

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
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    You’re like Ex-Lax, clearing that up for me.

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    Y’all are pissing me off with this.

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    There you go again talking about Miles Head.

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    if turbotax is right, my return from federal and what I owe to state are damn near identical.

    what the fuck

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    Woo! Even!

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    Taxes are such a fucking complicated mess.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    I don’t have time to deal with that shit. I give it do my dad and money magically appears.

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    must be nice

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    It is. Especially since my last paycheck was $0.

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    Underpaid, Underpaid, Underpaid.

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
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    She’ll cash in once she makes it to free agency.

    TINSTAAFK
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    I freaked out this weekend when I found out a housekeeper makes more per hour than I do in my non-nursing role.

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    And your job is almost certainly grosser. Unless the house being cleaned is dmoas’.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    Trufax.

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    I literally hold my hand over someone’s ass as they were shitting so it wouldn’t splash in my face. She picked up the trash we I finished.

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    You’ll find that in general, the closer you are to the shit, the less you get paid.

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    Someone is trying to tell me something…

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    Sounds like you need to start packing.

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    Today was good. Bombed a test, then she put up our grades and I only missed 3! points. Blew my mind. Also got my first choice of final clinical locations. It’s most likely night shift, but it’s an ER!

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    I keep refreshing my grade in case there was a mistake.

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    You’re a rock star!

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    I believe by definition you did not actually bomb the test.

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    Woot! Kickin’ ass and takin’ names!

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    I thought I did.

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    I have a basement.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    Interesting….

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    I’m scared what “rent” might be, however.

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    I’m a big fan of the barter system.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    Well, you already have a nurse…

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    There are some things you can never have too much of.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    Pie?

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    That and boobs.

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    I have neither.

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    Bailey Got Back

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    Nice!

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    Ichiro meeting Jordan in 1995

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    The Tom and Jerry sweatshirt is awesome.

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    The whole thing is great. I’ve never seen Ichiro look so human.

    MJ noticing that Ichiro was wearing Air Jordans perfectly corroborates this detail from the great Wright Thompson profile of Jordan that came out a couple of weeks ago:

    In the late ’80s, Jordan looked in Whitfield’s closet and saw that half of it was filled with Nike and the other half filled with Puma. Jordan bundled the Puma gear in his arms, tossing it onto the living room floor. He took a knife from the kitchen and cut it to shreds. Call Howard White, his contact at Nike, he told Fred, and tell him to replace it all. Same thing happened with George. He bought a pair of New Balance shoes he loved, and Jordan saw them one day and insisted he hand them over. Call Howard White at Nike.

    “He demands that loyalty,” Whitfield says.

    “Anywhere we go,” Portnoy says, “he looks at people’s feet.”

    “First thing he looks at,” Whitfield says. “He looks down all the time.”

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    Meh. I prefer my New Balance. Jordan’s acting the bitch.

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    Did you read the article? He’s an enormous asshole.

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    I’ve heard that before this article. Basically aside from being a great player, he really is just a horrible person.

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    Considering he had god-like status in the 90′s it’s not that surprising, can’t think of many sports players with his level of fame and staying power, I still see Jordans on the street, the vintage ones go for big bucks.

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    I haven’t heard anything about Jordan to suggest that generally speaking he’s a “horrible person.” He’s insanely competitive about everything, which manifests as jerkiness. But as far as I know he doesn’t abuse women or spit on street urchins or buy companies then fire everyone.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    He reminds me of an AssJack type, not a (insert Asshole wife beater here) type.

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    Does he do the same with Hanes underwear?

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    Ichiro’s just a baby!

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    Just a nervous kid!

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    Great stuff!

    az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
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    I had my eyes checked today, and the doctor was a Cal contemporary who was marching band buddies with a classmate of mine. At first I thought he was a little young to be a doctor, but then I realized I’m just getting older.

    A middle school classmate of mine is Director of Something at Facebook and is apparently worth a gazillion dollars now. The smartest person in my middle school makes about 40K as a postdoc studying plasmonic nanostructures.

    I ran into the father of my son’s t-ball teammate. This man happens to be a dentist. While I was chatting with him, someone else recognized him and called him “doctor.” Nobody ever calls me doctor unless they’re trying to sell me a microscope.

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    Come around here more often and I’ll call you doctor.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    kay calls everyone doc

    I am only pretty on the outside.
  • avatar

    My evening was saved by the Backyardigans wiki. Note the wikipedia page for Backyardigans, but the wiki site devoted to all things Backyardigans.

    Why has nobody created a google-earth style map of the Middle Earth/Arda?

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    My children must never know that the Backyardigan wiki exists.

    A soliloquy of fresh-sounding ideas which would probably be disastrous.
  • avatar

    I woke up this morning, went into the kitchen and heard meowing…not unusual, except that my cat was asleep in the bedroom. Went outside and had a conversation with the unseen cat, finally found it in the crawlspace, behind a screen that was held in place with old, stripped screws. I worked on it a while, gave up and walked around the house looking for another way in. Found a screen on the other side that I was eventually able to remove, and the cat came running out. A very sweet, very thin orange cat, more like a kitten, I thought.

    I gave it two packets of food and a dish of water, went in to get more food and when I came out it had vanished. Well, it set off for home, I thought, and went back to bed.

    Half an hour later, more meowing, now under my bedroom window. It had gone back into the crawlspace.

    I got it out and gave it more food, and petted it for a while. The poor thing was skin and bones, and wasn’t walking quite straight – as if it had been stuck someplace where it couldn’t move around properly. But it started to purr right away. Clearly a pet, not feral.

    I bundled it into my cat’s carrier and went down to the animal shelter. There were three cases in line ahead of me — two families bringing their old, sick pets to be put down, and one woman looking for a lost cat. The euthanasia families had to have long discussions about whether they wanted to have their pet’s ashes scattered with all the other animals getting killed that day, or whether they wanted to pay more and get the individual ashes back. And they had to say goodbye to the animals. It took a long time. The cat curled up in the carrier and purred loudly.

    Finally it was our turn. The clerk had me take the cat out to scan it for a chip. Beep! She had a name, Gabby, and she wasn’t a kitten but three years old. The clerk offered me the choice of leaving the cat there for them to call the owners when they had time “unless you’d like to take her to them yourself?” she said, looking hopeful. Another three families had come in since she’d started helping me.

    She gave me the number of the owners and I called the home number. The woman was astonished. “You have Gabby? Is she — alive? She’s been missing for months.”

    I drove to their address. It’s three blocks from me, but on the Hillsborough side — that poor cat had crossed El Camino Real. It’s a mansion. I was only able to get in without calling again because the gardeners had the gates open.

    The owner explained that they’d moved there a few months ago, and Gabby had bolted a day or so after the move. They’d called their old neighbors to be on the alert for her, and the Humane Society just in case, but they figured she was dead or moved in with someone else.

    Microchips are good things.

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    Yay for happy endings! Poor Gabby. My cat was a stray, and is chipped.

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    Awesome!

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    I’m just trying to figure out how long she was under my house. I can’t think that she was there more than a day or so — she would have heard me and my cat and made some noise –, but where was she in the interim months?

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    Cat’s are amazing that way. When I lived in LA my housemate’s cat Ike went missing. A few months later the housemate moved to SF. Six months after that, while I was playing catch in the street, Ike walked up to me all nonchalantly like it was any other day. There was a patch on his butt which had been shaved and had stitches put in, so I surmise that he was out around town, got injured somehow, was taken to a vet by a good samaritan, got treated, went home with the samaritan, recuperated, then eventually decided to come back home.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    Yay–that is awesome!!!! Good for you to take such good care of her!

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    That’s great!

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    Yayyyyy!

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    Great ending. That cat’s a survivor!

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    Got my car broken into this morning. My fault I left the door unlocked but I got my work bag and a camera stolen. Super not stoked all day.

    That being said I have dates with two red heads that I actually like this week/end so maybe that will provide a temporary respite from the shit ive been dealing with.

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    Rough times (with the break in, not the dates)

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    It could have been a lot worse (broken window would have cost me two hundies I don’t have for example) but shit has been incredibly stressful since theyre firing my coworkers and gave me 1200 extra people to represent.

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    If you don’t have $200, I’m assuming you did decide to pay down loans with that $2000 tax refund, as I think we suggested you do.

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    Well I do have it. Im just someone that is highly likely to get fired for pissing my boss off due to my personality/penchant for valuing honesty above tact and her being a worthless sack of shit. So I have to always have liquidity, which I spent on trying to get my start up to start, so It would have to come out of my drinking/food budget and that would fucking suck.

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    If you have the discipline to keep yourself from spending the $2000, then leaving it in the bank as an “emergency fund” is a good choice. It lets you sleep at night because if you did lose your job, you know where next month’s rent is coming from. If you don’t have that discipline and would be tempted to buy something you want but don’t really need, such as an 86″ HDTV, then you ought to pay off the loans.

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    My goal is a 10k reserve and I’m a couple of k short due to spending 7 weeks not getting paid. I am paying off some of the auto loan though

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    Not getting paid for 7 weeks? Pardon my French, but…fuck that.

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    Well I was trying to get a start up going which could have been a huge boon to my career, so it was worth the risk and about 4k.

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    Damn, that sucks. If someone stole my cameras, I’d be totally FKed.

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    It was a $120 point and shoot that I don’t use.

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    Yeah, I have somewhat more than that invested in my gear.

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    I know. Not even close to the same level.

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    don’t blame the victim.

    Sux. replacing widows is always just a bit more than the deductable

    I am only pretty on the outside.
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    Replacing widows should be the name of a Bachelor-type show for octogenarians.

    A soliloquy of fresh-sounding ideas which would probably be disastrous.
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    asvd

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    Octogenarian ex-police who rail against their decaying neighborhoods.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    Sorry for your loss, ma’am, but his life insurance deductible is just a little over the cost of a replacement husband. You’ll have to pay most of it out of pocket.

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    In n out is 200 bucks. My car deductible is 1k.

    I was an idiot to leave the bag covered in the hatch with the unlocked door.

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    When I was staying in the Mission 3-7 nights a week I just left my truck doors unlocked all the time (I have a secret kill switch to prevent car theft), just to avoid broken windows.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    problem with that is sleepers

    I am only pretty on the outside.
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    I did get sleepers in the bed of my truck occasionally, but the cab’s kind of cramped and awkward.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    back seat of a car is a lot more inviting

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    I was just visiting my sister, who lives right on the panhandle (Oak and Cole, roughly). She still drives the 98 Ford Ranger that we got back in high school. In the last few months, it has been broken into so many times that they are no longer bothering to fix the drivers side door and instead just get into the cab through the passenger side. The new scheme, which has been working so far, is a note that they leave in the window reading:

    Dude, please don’t break into my car. We are broke and have kids to feed and can’t keep paying to fix the locks. There is nothing valuable inside.

    She and her husband don’t have kids and aren’t broke, but they do drive a really beat up truck.

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    I leave my keys in the ignition of my truck at work.

    I usually leave them in the cup holder when I park at the baseball fields or the soccer fields for kids practices.

    The last time I remember locking it was when we went to the radio thing last week in SF.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    [makes notes]

    [could use a truck to haul ass]

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    In the Livermore versus San Francisco debate, this can be counted as a point for both sides.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    Getting your shit broken into and/or stolen != Culture :D

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    Heh!

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    I never close my car either. If somebody wants to break in, they could always cut the fabric of the roof. And if they do break in, good luck with finding stuff. It’s my car and my stuff and I normally don’t have a clue where what is

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    Does anybody here on FK have a recommendation for an affordable Dentist here in the Bay Area?

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    I know nothing about dentist rates, but I adore my dentist. Carmine Vicino in San Francisco. Super nice guy and he does the cleaning himself.

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    I’ve used the same dentist since I was a kid, but he’s way out here in Livermore

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    I use doctor Anthony Daniels in SF

    http://www.yelp.com/biz/anthony-daniel-dds-san-francisco

    He use to date my mom’s partner’s husband at some point in the 80s, chill dude, good dentist. I have insurance though so Im not sure about cost.

    In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
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    I hate dentists.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
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    http://www.movievortex.com/legacy/images/stories/December09/steve-martin-dentist.jpg

    I am only pretty on the outside.
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    TINSTAAFK
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    Oh dude, did you have to post that?!
    I need some clove oil now…

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    But is it safe?

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
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    Now spit!

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    A fairly universal sentiment.

    (I hope this link works. Youtube is blocked here.)

    It isn't Dirty Dancing 'cuz it doesn't make you vomit.
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    I was supposed to have a dentist appointment this morning, but they canceled because it is snowing and the hygienist couldn’t make the drive in to Cambridge.

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    Anybody watching Cuba – Netherlands?

    Schoop just hit an absolute bomb

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    And a nifty double play, Netherlands leads 5:1 after 6

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    D.R – Venezuela was on earlier after my younger’s game.

    Hanley hit a bomb as well THANKS AGAIN BILLY

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser
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    HONKBAL

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    Japan was down to the last out, but turned the game around

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    Ok TPE’s bunting is really annoying me.

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    Manager comes to his senses.

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    I wasn’t watching, but I’ve seen in Gameday that he used bunting a lot.

    Anyway – excellent. Now it is Netherlands versus Japan on Sunday, prime time!

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