I love Costco. It still weirds me out that you can get Kirkland Signature Jeans, Kirkland Signature car batteries, Kirkland Signature salad dressing, Kirkland Signature dog food, and stuff like that…
And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here
-slusser.
Someone on scout.com quoted Keith Law on Nakajima:
“• I’ve seen Oakland shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima in parts of three games so far, and based just on that, I don’t think he’s an everyday shortstop. He can’t run and he doesn’t have much range at short, while at the plate he’s slashing through the ball and is usually way out in front of everything. I put very little stock in spring training statistics, but I am not surprised that Nakajima leads A’s hitters in strikeouts even though he’s fourth or fifth in plate appearances. I know the A’s committed a lot of money to Nakajima ($6.5 million over two years), but unless I got a bad read, they’re better off if he’s on the bench or off the roster.”
It doesn’t seem like anyone outside of the organization thinks Nakajima can stick at short. If Lowrie is healthy, perhaps the A’s could send Nakajima down at the start of the year for a month or two to further evaluate him and let him adjust.
After 10 days there and seeing Nakajima start 4 games or so (= about 20 innings in ST), I can’t say I have much of an impression other than noticing he doesn’t have an arm anywhere close to Pennington’s. Yes, you could have Lowrie/Sizemore in Oakland in April, Nakajima/Weeks with the River Cats and then see where you stand.
The Cal tradition for most of my lifetime has been strong offensive play and dreadful defense. In the old days that meant losses by scores like 35-31. In his last few seasons Tedford’s teams were oddly noted for defense (until last year when the whole thing fell apart). I think Dykes brings us back to our tradition, but in today’s college game that means our losses will be 59-52.
Exactly right. If it was “I’ll pay 4.5” “No! 7” “How about 5, based on these comps” it would be one thing, but “Your card is worth 4.5” “I’m asking 12” “That’s Crazy!” “No, and I have offers that are twice yours” “That’s Crazy! And I play MLB!” is something completely different.
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
If I had to guess, he still wanted the item and was expecting to be able to convince the seller that the price was outrageous and see the price lowered after he called out what he perceived to be bullshit. The seller either had legitimate offers for more or was feigning so to get a higher price. I imagine that actually happens frequently in this sort of haggling situation.
are you unprepared to fight off hordes of old asian ladies for samples of food that you really don’t want to eat anyway?
if so you might have a panic attack.
Anastasia refused to go to the one in SF because it would make her freak out.
I miss buying 50 dollars worth of berries with her at the beginning of the day and then going on a road trip and eating them all. In one day. She loved blackberries.
has a sad.
In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
i don’t like people i don’t know touching me, and i don’t like bright lights, and i don’t like spaces filled with people purchasing things. i’m a bad shopper.
Yeah box stores creep me out, I think its the lighting and lack of ‘time of day’, they’re also way overstimulating as everything is juiced to grab your attention.
I get this. I like the concept of Costco. I like that they are good to their employees. I eat a lot of food from Costco, I wear clothes from Costco and I read books that I bought at Costco. However, after an hour there, I wish to destroy humanity. Partly since I can only ever go on the weekends and the most convenient one is just over the Columbia from Washington, so it is extraordinarily popular for Washingtonians wishing to not pay sales tax.
A soliloquy of fresh-sounding ideas which would probably be disastrous.
So, basically, it’s like going shopping at a crowded Tea Party meeting. I don’t blame you for wanting to avoid the place.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
A mix of Tea Partiers and Russian immigrants who have gamed the system their entire lives. I don’t mind the latter so much, but, yeah.
Also, I’m increasingly weary of crowds as I get older. I get incredibly anxious dealing with the shopping cart traffic jam created by a run on free meatball samples.
A soliloquy of fresh-sounding ideas which would probably be disastrous.
SF and the peninsula now have enough of a critical mass of Costcos that a trip there is relatively survivable. I still try to only go in the hour before closing, so as to avoid the rolling roadblocks of four-generation families jockeying for free samples.
The break even point for a minimum wage worker with an average sized gas tank is $.08 cheaper if (s)he waits for 10 minutes, $.04 cheaper if (s)he waits for five minutes
I fully endorse this. I actually went on yelp to try to find my favorite place from college (though I think it was in Mountain View, not Redwood City). Turns out that there are a lot of restaurants called “Three Brothers Tacos”. Not only was it a nasty hole in the wall, but I also ate sesos there (and I’m still alive!).
Looking back, it probably wasn’t a good idea. This was 2001 or 2002 — I think that is before the big BSE scare, but that would not be a fun disease to catch. Even worse, it wasn’t very tasty. I stick with carnitas, chorizo, or carne asada now.
I already have reservations for tonight for this place. Mia’s heart surgeon from Japan moved to SF, so we’re getting together for dinner. He made the reservations, and was taken aback when they answered the phone in Spanish. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that we probably didn’t need reservations.
az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
We both got the hilachas and split a side order of chuchitos. The chuchitos were a bit bigger than the ones I would get in Guate, but they were good. The hilachas were great, especially with the crema.
az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
That was fantastic ramen. The Japanese staff wasn’t nearly as friendly as the spanish-speaking staff, but the food was wonderful. Great recommendation.
az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
I’ll take your word for it since I never worked there. Dayton Hudson itself was always considered an excellent corporate citizen in Minnesota when the Dayton family still ran it.
Also where exactly does race enter into it? “That’s something liberal middle class white people do” seems to be something that only liberal middle class white people say. ( <-- irony noted)
Once at Cal state fullerton, seeing a friends band and there was no icon* on the door, that I remember, just a circle and a triangle. I guessed which one was for men and lost.
the other time was at a bar in Venice (LA) that was marked Not women and not men. Also there was a piece of fabric for the door. I mean really, a brain teaser at bar bathroom?
More than once when I’ve used a single-occupancy womens’ bathroom, I’ve had a store employee unlock the door and come in after me, presumably to chide me or pecker check or whatever.
That’s when I yell “I’m transgendered and I have lots of lawyer friends.”
Game. Set. Match.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
I was a GSTL and responsible for making sure the hourly bathroom checks were done. The ladies room was invariably more disgusting. Hygiene products on the floor or in the toilet, even though a trash can was provided in every stall. On multiple occasions, vomit on the sink, mirror, and floor. And once, someone just up and shat on the floor.
I was a cart attendant, but they had me go in and clean both bathrooms. I can’t even remember how many times I saw crap on the floor in the ladies’ room.
az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
The only thing I can think of is that someone took their kid in there and somehow the kid didn’t make it to the toilet. I like that thought better than the idea that adults shit on the floor for no apparent reason.
In my young McDs days I was the only stall in the bathroom when an older gentleman came in. He waited for about 30 seconds anxiously and then announced “now its going down my leg”. So there is the possibility they had some reason-maybe just not one I want to think about.
Incontinence is a major side effect of a lot of medications that older people use to stay alive.
I had always figured I’d kill myself by the time I turned 65, but now that I’m dating somebody that age and he’s more vibrant than I am, I think I have to re-figure this.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
While we’re on the subject of long awaited British comeback albums, the new Suede record is streaming on All Songs Considered before its official release next week. I like it too!
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
Do any of you FKers ever send “first class mail” packages internationally? I’m wondering roughly how long they take to arrive to destinations such as the UK, France, Canada, Australia, and Japan. I know customs can hold things up, but just an estimate would be helpful. I know when I send priority mail international it takes about 10-14 days, so I’m wondering how much longer first class might take. It’s a lot cheaper.
Parcels to the South Pole: a month if you’re lucky, three months if you’re unlucky, and only between November and mid-February. But it’s APO, so the rates are cheap!
I started blogging about the Mariners in November 2003, when I was a freshman in college. Since then, almost every day, I’ve written about the Mariners.
Yeah, it has to be pretty tough when your team is 20 games under .500 in August every single year. I know I made some comment 3 or 4 years ago that I was surprised he’d lasted as long as he had, all the SBN bullshit notwithstanding.
I really appreciate his candor, must take a lot of courage to step away but his reasoning is rock solid.
On his FG chat today I got an odd feeling when he apologized for talking SEA too much, coupled w/ some previous comments it wasn’t a big surprise.
My sadness is more of a lament for the Mariners fans out there, all they really had was Felix and Jeff asides from some pitching prospects in the minors, sad kittens…
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
any ideas on why my printer is not installed and i have to reinstall it over and over and over again? it’s making me want to punch the air, and this is Not Good.
CNN’s Dana Bash asked whether Ryan was being “disingenuous†by including new taxes that he opposed.
“We’re not going to refight the past,†he explained.
If Ryan is “not going to fight the past,†Fox News’s Chad Pergram asked, why is he still trying to repeal Obamacare?
“This to us is something that we’re not going to give up on,†Ryan answered, “because we’re not going to give up on destroying the health-care system for the American people.â€
A note for you rabbit-ears users and FutureEdPlan cable subscribers: Due to an events overflow issue on Comcast you get one game on local TV this season, for the first time in a few years.
The A’s-Seattle Mariners game on Wednesday, April 3 at 7 p.m. will be produced by Comcast SportsNet California and will air on KOFY TV20-Cable-13.
Can’t they just elect a non-Catholic pope for once? Methinks it would solve a lot of their problems.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
All Hail Pope Woof Bark the Fourteenth, the first canine pope!
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
I finished reading PKD’s Solar Lottery not too long ago (basic premise is that the head of the world government is chosen by a random lottery — so anyone on earth could wake up one day and become the next ruler of the world). So, of course, in the midst of this PopeWatch2013 stuff, I keep thinking that it would be kind of funny if they chose some random, unsuspecting person somewhere in the world.
Being someone who never watches soccer and only hears anything about it on FK, I’ve been wondering how people pronounce “Barca”? I read is as barka, but pretty sure that is wrong, right? I guess actual Spanish people probably take the soft c and then lisp it a little so that it sounds like a th?
I just marked about 100 posts as read, so I hope there wasn’t anything too exciting in any of those comments…
And even though ST W-L records are worthless, I still like seeing that the Angels are 3-10. My common ground with all the Rangers fans out here? Hatred of the Angels.
Hey shoes! We had like three posts dedicated to talking about you, so you should probably go through the ones you missed one by one to find out which they were.
While the writing is garbage, the stats that he uses to prove his point idiotic, and his photo scary enough to make me pick up the kids and run the other way, I’m not sure I disagree with the overall point. A lot had to go right for last year to turn out like it did and I’m not sure it could be repeated. On the other hand, if all the platooning turns out as planned, it could.
A soliloquy of fresh-sounding ideas which would probably be disastrous.
A lot did have to go right for last year to go the way it did, but the A’s won 94 games last year. 83 is a fair over/under, as evidenced by it having been bid up to 84.5 according to this column.
That Astros effect is sort of huge when figuring out a raw win total for this team. Take two games against the Giants and one each against the non-AL West teams, and convert them into games against one of the worst teams in modern baseball history. That’s not nothing.
Some think these totals are easy money, and some – OK, me – immediately looked for the A’s and Orioles’ numbers this year.
…
A’s under 84.5. Book it.
I completely agree with him that the A’s overperformed last year (though they were only 2 over pythag, which is pretty much nothing), but that’s why their over/under is at 84.5, not 94. People have already considered all of the points that he raises in that article (and with much more rigor) and they conclude that the A’s are likely to finish 9-10 games worse than they did in 2012. For this article, he just repeated those points more stupidly and then says that they’ll finish 16 games worse. Really pathetic analysis.
He’s also, I assume, too dense to stop and wonder why the A’s and Orioles, who won almost the identical number of games last year and both lost their ALDS in five games, have such different o/u numbers coming into this season. Maybe there’s a difference or two there that Vegas and serious bettors are picking up on.
It’s a maintenance issue. They work really well when you’re the army and have umpteen reliable laborers. They work really poorly when you pay one guy minimum wage to service your whole building.
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
Yeah, I didn’t know how it worked until I looked it up. I guess the one trick is to find something viscous enough that gas bubbles can’t push through it. And also make it so that you can clean the thing without ruining the whole effect. They use those waterless urinals in Antarctica and we would just go at them with simple green and paper towels. I guess the oil stuff is probably somewhere down inside, where we wouldn’t scrub it off?
The guy who sinled and ultimately scored the first run, shortstop Anthony Granato, plays for Italy by virtue of his grandparents, but he lives on the Peninsula and runs a youth academy in Belmont.
I use a desktop rss client (Newsfire for mac), but I realize that this isn’t a great solution for people who use several computers. I actually do use several computers (well, two at least), but that just means that I don’t have access to rss feeds when I’m on my laptop at work and that is helpful for my productivity.
Nope. While Timberlake is an incredible entrepreneur, in terms of pure vocal talent, NSYNC had the advantage of the flawless JC Chasez. Justin’s voice cannot hold a candle to it. I would shoot “Cry Me a River” into space if I could. Not to mention, in terms of pure album sales, NSYNC crushes Timberlake’s solo work.
Album sales is a shitty metric to use because everything sell less albums now than at the height of the CD before there was wide spread internet distrobution both legally and illegally.
His solo career has far more range and is more interesting than the vapid NSYNC
In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
Uh. His actual solo albums? Don’t have a hell of a lot of range. (now, including his work with SNL as a part of his solo career is a different matter, because that work is flawless)
Vapid is entirely a matter of opinion. I think NSYNC is hilarious and fun.
And if boy bands died, why is One Direction so huge? The Wanted? Why is NKOTB having yet another big stadium tour? And BSB having their 20th anniversary tour with their 9th album release? And 98 Degrees reuniting? That seems a decent amount of activity for being dead.
Frank Sinatra, too, as well as those of the Dorsey brothers who weren’t ugly.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
The EARLY 2000s? Uh, no. Only if you don’t count 2000-2003 as being in the early 2000s since Nsync and Backstreet were both rolling around in platinum albums at the time (and Backstreet again in 2005), and groups like O-Town/LFO/98 Degrees were at their HEIGHT in 2000-2002. Mid-2000s you could make that argument, sure, for two or three years but then we went into Jonas Brothers/BTR phase, and then into the current 1D/Wanted land.
And if you look at boybands in Europe/Asia, there really WAS no break.
Back when I first went to college, I’d put System of a Down in and listen to them nonstop. Dashboard Confessional, too. I love music, whatever the type. It makes me warm and fuzzy on the inside.
I’ve been on a big Shellac and Jesus Lizard kick lately. A new Shellac album is long overdue and would be greatly appreciated.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
General response: I agree that there is some pretty rad Brit Pop there. In my head its all from like 05-08 when I was listening to it after getting introduced to it from Popscene, rather than contemporaneously. I haven’t been exposed to much latin music so if there was a renascence that I missed I am willing to check it out.
On the line by line
NMH isn’t my sauce
Eliot Smith is too depressing for depressing sake
LOL you picked a Jaguar commercial as a reason music didn’t suck.
Tool and the metal genre is loud for louds sake and uninteresting (sorry MikeV)
Summer quoted that album in her yearbook creating a spike in sales of the Boy with The Arab Strap in Michigan that has perplexed marketing executives ever since. I know this is pretty unhipster but I never got into them. I am listening to the album right now and it is surprisingly better than I remember.
Eminem is a hateful person and hateful music sucks. Sorry.
No idea about your blue grass album
Oasis see the top.
Nectar see top
Mas ditto
Ben Folds is awesome. Im not so convinced on the Five. Brick is a great song tho, even if I prefer his other stuff.
Built to Spill isn’t really my jams.
Kid A is the best album from the most overrated band it history.
Counting Crows ugggh
Welcome Interstate Managers blows Utopia Parkway sooo far out of the water that it makes it hard for me to consider it a worthwhile choice.
Jaramiquoi wow I completely forgot about that. lol memory lane
Oh inverted world was after comfort eagle. I know because it was one of the first albums that I bought around that time.
In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
Tool is awesome. Your arguments from now on are basically invalid. Sorry. Calling it loud for louds sake just tells me you haven’t listened to hardly any of it, because the last thing I would call any Tool song is loud.
And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here
-slusser.
Wow, very thoughtful response. Thanks for making me not feel like I wasted my time compiling the list.
I don’t imagine you’ll like all, or even most of my recommended albums, but if you find even one thing you like, I’ve done my job.
I agree on Welcome Interstate Managers. I really like Utopia Parkway, but the former is admittedly better.
Not to split hairs, but according to Wikipedia, Oh Inverted World was released a month before Comfort Eagle. That said, that’s close enough to Comfort Eagle to be a wash time-wise.
As for Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot gets the acclaim, but I’d start with A Ghost is Born.
Tool is much more melodic and less reliant on loudness than you’re giving them credit for.
Ben Folds Five has great music, but I’m also more a fan of his solo work.
There’s a TON of great Latin music from that era. Shakira’s Spanish language stuff is actually really good if you’re looking for guitar-driven pop. Other bands/artists I’d look at: La Ley, Maná, Juan Luis Guerra. Los Enanitos Verdes are awesome; Amores Lejanos is my favorite album of theirs.
Elliott Smith is musically awesome, regardless of depressing lyrics.
Eminem has amazing lyrical talent that he uses in ways that I don’t approve of. I still recognize the talent, though.
az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
Juan Luis Guerra and Cuatro Cuarenta. Like it.
Jarabe de palo definitely. I’d also nominate them both for the coolest band name and for the stupidest description of a band on Wikipedia:
Jarabe de Palo songs are known for their repetitive use of lyrics in their songs. In particular, the name of the songs is repeated continuously, more so than what would be considered normal. Instances include “Depende,” “Dicen,” and “Ying Yang.”
@ MikeV I was more talking about metal in general as being loud for loud sake. I didn’t delineate my sentence well. Tool is mostly just uninteresting to me.
In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
Also Im really glad you didn’t suggest Juanes, every kid that went to Latin America to study abroad brought that back and thought they were the most fucking cosmopolitian jetsetter person of the oppressed latin americans when they came back. So obnoxious.
In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
Heh! Juanes is harmless fun, but certainly not something I’d call classic. The others I mentioned have great stuff that I believe will stand the test of time. I also concede that Maná is another one of those over-recommended groups, but they really do have a lot of great music.
az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
For those who don’t speak Spanish or are unfamiliar with the expression, jarabe means syrup, as in cough syrup or cough medicine, and palo is a stick. Mothers often scream to their children, “ya veras, que te voy a dar el jarabe de palo” when they are disobedient, meaning that they will receive the “stick medicine”
While we are at the topic of Latin music from the nineties and the naughts, I also liked Kiko Veneno, everything from Jovanotti, some stuff from Ramazzotti, Carla Bruni and Gotan Project
I guess he’s one of those that you had to be there for… A snotty obvious one-hit-wonder goes on to be a freaky trend-setting genre-hopper right in the middle of the dawn of the era of gratuitous genre-hopping.
I’ve seen him live a bunch of times. He puts on a good show.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
Counting Crows suck, but Adam Duritz is a friend of a friend, and I’ve never heard anything but complements about his generosity and humility.
Good guy, shitty music.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
I could see starring in a reality show about a jazzed up version of my life, or maybe a game show in which I makeover a bunch of sexist but greedy manly men into drag queens, week by week (for a chance at one million dollars, of course!), while teaching them empathy, feminism, and a sense of sisterhood.
Could you imagine the Pilots as the most popular band in the land? I don’t know how I’d handle that. That would be super weird.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
OOooh. 10 straight asshole men, dressed in drag along with 1 real drag queen where they all have to live like that in a house together along with standard reality tv competition and events. Each week a “vote” by some mystery person (who the players are falsely allowed to think is some group of judges as part of the event) eliminates a person each week for not being drag enough, the catch being the real drag queen (who the assholes won’t be made aware is real) is the one doing the voting. The winner takes home the million.
This is SUPER brilliant, other than finding the perfect host candidate… butch enough to pass as a dude, and femme enough to be the bestest looking broad on the stage…
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
Looking back at the 60’s, I’m more fascinated with the underground gay, lesbian, trans, and kink cultures than I am with anyone else. I’d love to read a couple of books about the scene/time, but I don’t know if any good ones have been written yet. This is becoming a common and frustrating theme… the books I want to read not having been written yet…
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
I’d like to see all world sports tournaments reserve a place in the finals (as in the post-qualifying phase, not the championship game) for a Rest Of The World team.
If they have a category in the Olympics for stateless (“independent”) competitors, they should definitely have something similar for other sporting events where teams are delineated by nationality, too.
Isn’t ‘performing really well’ what makes you good?
Last year was his first significant amount of playing time and largest sample.
Steamer has him well above replacement.
I think your putting a lot weight to seasons he didn’t work consistently/ not enough MLB innings to gain a good sample, which makes your analysis somewhat flawed.
2008: 27.2 inn
2009: 34.2 inn
2010: 19 inn
2011: 88 inn
I agree one should not assume rockets and sparklers, but I’d put more stock in his 2012 season than anything prior in terms of projecting his performance.
I’d like to see Lew get Cat Scratch Fever or something like that and turn into a crazier version of Al Davis… threatening to move the A’s to a cornfield in Nebraska so as to take ALL THE REVENUE SHARING!
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
That is in fact the exact article. The one possibly interesting note, if you’re the type who clings to every tiny nuanced expression like the wallposters in China or who stands next to who on the Kremlin wall, is that Lew mentioned “whether it’s me or someone else who does it.” One could squint and construe that as Lew recognizing at least the possibility of a different future ownership configuration.
"Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
I don’t put much stock in parsing nuances of Wolff or Wen Jiabao, so makes no nevermind to me, but there’s been more background chatter about different owner groups in the last few months than I’ve heard since Wolffish bought in.
Also, his son is a lightweight, and presumably Fisher gets 80% of the vote on who the new public face of ownership is.
"Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
I’ve heard no such background chatter. But you’re right, while Wolff may be “grooming” his son to replace him, ultimately the decision lies with Fisher & MLB. Though I suspect that would be more or less already decided agreement between them.
I used to be shop steward for the London branch employees of a big public sector union, and negotiating with union officials as employers was eye-opening.
[my employer] failed to contact [my staff union] because of forgetfulness and the rush of the work upon the organization. However [my staff union] waited 13 days from [the member Im representing]’s receipt of the notice to extend her probation to communicate with [my employer]about the issue.
Them getting our written consent to the probation extension is required by the contract. They just forgot to follow it. Also we have 15 days to file a grievance per the contract, and I do far more work than those lazy fucks.
In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
also the people I work with are idiots and I hate them. The regional secretary [of my staff union] is claiming that the constitution prohibits [the employer] sending an email to staff about why they fired someone after the union delegated them with a petition. And that my response is a failure of our duty of fair representation.
In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
That sounds frustrating. How’s the exit strategy coming along?
There must be something in the cosmos today. I was on the receiving end of someone’s temper tantrum this morning, apparently because I can stay on schedule for finishing stuff that’s on deadline. And I guess that’s read as “moving too fast” for them (which is odd, because the person in question is the one who wanted stuff cranked out on a regular, weekly basis). This also comes along after I worked on stuff for them during part of my vacation time. Kind of irritating.
Nothing wrong with reinventing yourself once in a while.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
Too confusing and too easily readable as a typo, unfortunately.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
Methinks that within the framework of Many Worlds theory, Pi would be a slightly different number in each reality, like a fingerprint signature.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
Does such thing exist as a branch of mathematics that treats Pi as a variable rather than a constant?
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
The ratio of the radius to the circumference of a circle is only equal to 2π in flat geometries. While our universe appears to be flat on large scales, cosmology certainly considers the possibility of universes with positive or negative overall curvature. Also, even in our seemingly flat universe, general relativity tells us that massive objects curve space-time. This might be different from what you are talking about though, because π is still uniquely defined.
The apex of a cone…
An infinitely small spherical eye in the center of a mirrored box…
If there’s unexplored stuff in that philosophical/mathematical region, that’s where the compass points to next!
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
Holy shit… If you look at universes as bubbles, it would seem likely that they all would have the same laws of physics and value for Pi. However, if you look at them as Russian Nesting Dolls or things taking up the same space within the context of a higher dimension we cannot functionally describe, it would seem impossible for them to share exact laws of physics and the exact value of Pi. Each universe would have to be at least slightly different than its’ neighbors, otherwise they would merge or cancel each other out or something funky and non-natural would happen.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
Actually many approaches to the bubbling multiverse do posit different values of physical constants (but not mathematical ones), and then resort to anthropic arguments to explain the particular values they take in our universe as necessary for observers to exist.
Why would observers need to exist in the first place? The only logical answer is that there is something novel here that is of value within the realm of the observers, that they need or want to connect with somehow. Yet, to program a whole universe would take a singularity. What could a singularity possibly yearn for? Non-singularity (or states that mimic non-singularity) would seem to be the easiest functional answer to that question.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
I guess a pre-singularity civilization could develop some sort of spacetime travel that might involve incarnations as its’ own ancestors as part of some complex process, but it doesn’t feel right.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
They wouldn’t need to, but they demonstrably do in this Universe, and that explains why this Universe has values of the physical constants that are conducive to life (or so goes the rather specious argument).
I would posit that observers are absolutely necessary for there to be anything to observe in the first place.
If a boulder falls in a region completely devoid of life and consciousness, not only does it not make a sound, but it also does not currently exist, and neither does the region.
Any tech we would use to prove or disprove this would be an extension of our sensory apparatuses, and therefore our consciousness(es), and therefore invalidate the experiment.
Is this old news, or an acid trip remnant best thrown back in the trash?
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
So… they’re considering dropping the tuck rule. Personally, I’d prefer any ball that didn’t get past the line of scrimmage or out of bounds on a fly to be in play/fumbled. It would make things much more interesting, especially for errant screen passes and tipped/deflected balls.
I enjoy the tournament, so to grow in stature I think it would be great if the US team at least made it into the final four. I know I’m in a minority here, but I’d love to see it grow to WC status. And change the name of the WS while we’re at it.
There might be a place for an international baseball tournament, but it ought to happen in July when everybody is in midseason form, the way hockey handles the Olympics. Since you can’t really extend the baseball calendar beyond April 1 and October 31 that would require elimination of the All-Star Game that season (no great loss) and cutting the MLB regular season to maybe 144 games, the latter being why it would never happen.
In this March format the pitching is particularly lame. The Tigers certainly don’t want to lose Justin Verlander in a WBC game, so guess what he ain’t there.
Or this. Allow a break for players who went through the National Championship Series to get a rest, then start up competition in mid to late November. Hiram Bithorn Stadium for the finals?
I know there are logistical problems, but I don’t see why it would be such a disaster for those on the national team to start working out a little early, and then after the tournament they could ramp it down a bit before the regular season starts. It’s not like players don’t get hurt during regular ST anyway (see Sizemore, Scott).
The season is too damned long as it is. Even to get to the point where pitchers can throw 65 pitches in the first round of the WBC they backed up the start of ST to 7 weeks before the start of the regular season.
Then you have a 26-week regular season and a bloated 4.5-week postseason, so you are up to 37.5 weeks from the start of ST to the end of the World Series. I’d like to see that shortened by a good 3 weeks and certainly am not willing to start ST even earlier in order to get participating pitchers into regular-season form.
I agree about the length of the season, and the bloated post-season. I’d like to see them shortened too, but as you commented on the NFL above, hello, money. But if the WBC were kept in its current format and timing, I don’t see why you have to extend ST for everybody just because some players are participating with their national teams.
I don’t understand that either, but that’s exactly what they did this year.
Something I have advocated before is that I wouldn’t even bring my 20-22 guys who are certain to make the big league roster to ST until close to March 1 (little earlier for pitchers, little later for everybody else). I understand that if Mesa is putting $99 million into a new facility for the Cubs they expect 20 home dates or whatever. I’d bring the AAA and AA players to Arizona early, let them work with the organization’s full coaching staff including the big league manager and coaches for a couple weeks in February, and they would play the first 10-12 Cactus League games (with MLB pitchers slowly being worked in). I don’t think the Reddicks and Cespedes need more than 3 weeks of Cactus League action to be ready to go on April 1.
Yes, that’s my point. It was different when the minimum salary was $12K and players had to work as car salesmen in the off-season. Now they take about a 10-day break after the season ends and then they are right back on the conditioning program. The 38-game Cactus League schedule exists solely to pay for all the fancy new facilities the Arizona municipalities and the Pima Tribe (Salt River Fields) have built in the last decade or so.
And honestly, I don’t see how the teams lose that much money by not bringing in the stars until the end. Fans like you who like to see the up and comers will still come early, others will still plan their vacations based on spring breaks, and it all works.
I would love to watch the tournament, but I’m not gonna pay for MLB network on my cable in order to do so.
I hate MLB. I wish it would break up. Baseball wouldn’t die.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
I’d like to see the DH be negotiable every single game, or if opposing managers disagree as to whether it should be used or not, flip a coin.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
That would be kinda fun in a big ballpark, like Petco before they brought in the fences.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
If you think about it, MLB’s desire to get bargain IFA contracts has only fostered crazy competitive environments like the DR that bring forth insanely good players.
#bitintheassbyyourownavarice
I love Costco. It still weirds me out that you can get Kirkland Signature Jeans, Kirkland Signature car batteries, Kirkland Signature salad dressing, Kirkland Signature dog food, and stuff like that…
Thanks, and go As.
I mean its just rebranded stuff that other people make.
I know. but still.
Thanks, and go As.
Mmmmm Kirkland vodka.
Where do you think your bws cam from?
I love you.
Thanks, and go As.
Relevant to title. Front Page on reddit right now: Costco pays living wages, still sees profits soar.
Thanks, and go As.
right were referring to the same article
Okay I think I’m going to go work for Costco.
Someone on scout.com quoted Keith Law on Nakajima:
It doesn’t seem like anyone outside of the organization thinks Nakajima can stick at short. If Lowrie is healthy, perhaps the A’s could send Nakajima down at the start of the year for a month or two to further evaluate him and let him adjust.
He will never, ever change his mind.
Thanks, and go As.
To be fair that was the book on him before he signed too
yeah I just think it’s stupid to sign him and then go trade for an actual SS as well, and then talk about how versatile the real SS is.
Thanks, and go As.
After 10 days there and seeing Nakajima start 4 games or so (= about 20 innings in ST), I can’t say I have much of an impression other than noticing he doesn’t have an arm anywhere close to Pennington’s. Yes, you could have Lowrie/Sizemore in Oakland in April, Nakajima/Weeks with the River Cats and then see where you stand.
I would prefer that because it would keep he most out of options players
If Nakajima and Weeks start in AAA, you could keep Sizemore, Barton and Rosales on the 25-man.
BUT THAT WOULD BE DISRESPECTFUL TO NAKAJIMA AND HE IS ADJUSTING AND SHOULD PLAY SS ALL DAY ERRY DAY.
Or whatever they’re saying on the radio now.
Thanks, and go As.
IS ANYTHING STILL THE MATTER WITH TIMMY OR IS HE OK NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT FOOTBALL.
I mean, he did get that haircut and everything…
Soaker bait: Sonny Dykes busy rolling out the “Bear Raid” offense.
The Cal tradition for most of my lifetime has been strong offensive play and dreadful defense. In the old days that meant losses by scores like 35-31. In his last few seasons Tedford’s teams were oddly noted for defense (until last year when the whole thing fell apart). I think Dykes brings us back to our tradition, but in today’s college game that means our losses will be 59-52.
Baylor snorts at your offensive ineptitude.
Citing Malcolm Gladwell as the basis of one’s philosophy on offense inspires something less than full confidence.
Citing Malcolm Gladwell on ANY subject inspires less than full confidence, ridicule, and a slap upside the head.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/johnny-ramones-widow-in-discussions-for-ramones-biopic-20130312
Anything produced would be terrible, but I would watch
Ziggy drives a hard bargain.
That’s not a hard bargain, that’s being a dick when you don’t get what you want.
That pretty much covers it.
Exactly right. If it was “I’ll pay 4.5” “No! 7” “How about 5, based on these comps” it would be one thing, but “Your card is worth 4.5” “I’m asking 12” “That’s Crazy!” “No, and I have offers that are twice yours” “That’s Crazy! And I play MLB!” is something completely different.
If I had to guess, he still wanted the item and was expecting to be able to convince the seller that the price was outrageous and see the price lowered after he called out what he perceived to be bullshit. The seller either had legitimate offers for more or was feigning so to get a higher price. I imagine that actually happens frequently in this sort of haggling situation.
meh. its a “someone on the internet moment is wrong.”
If the seller is lying, your only move is to walk away and see if they restart. If they aren’t lying, you’ll never hear from ’em again.
From the comments:
Hee hee!
Best part of the entire thing
Oh man that poor guy who can’t buy a 4500 dollar baseball card.
Thanks, and go As.
I’d like B-Mac to weigh in on this.
He plays on the same team as Ziggy. No way he’d say anything critical in public.
I know. But I can still wish.
I should just work at Costco.
They should open a health clinic.
I will join you. Let’s be the queens of the frozen food aisles.
I’ve never actually been to Costco.
It’s like heaven, in bulk form. If you’ve ever wanted to buy a two-pack of canoes or enough toilet paper to last a year.
I don’t get waiting in line for 10 minutes to save a few cents per gallon on gasoline though. I have better uses for my time.
Better uses like going inside to buy a $1.50 hot dog and soda?
I haven’t been to Costco in years. This should probably change.
Yes. Yes it should.
I haven’t been to Costco in days. That should probably also change.
I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO COSTCO.
What? I spend like 400 bucks a month there.
i harve a costoco card. we acn go one day
Thanks, and go As.
so afraid i will have a huge panic attack in there.
are you unprepared to fight off hordes of old asian ladies for samples of food that you really don’t want to eat anyway?
if so you might have a panic attack.
Anastasia refused to go to the one in SF because it would make her freak out.
I miss buying 50 dollars worth of berries with her at the beginning of the day and then going on a road trip and eating them all. In one day. She loved blackberries.
has a sad.
i don’t like people i don’t know touching me, and i don’t like bright lights, and i don’t like spaces filled with people purchasing things. i’m a bad shopper.
I am a bad shopper, though Im much better now than I use to be, but I fucking love costco
maybe i will go there someday. maybe.
Yeah box stores creep me out, I think its the lighting and lack of ‘time of day’, they’re also way overstimulating as everything is juiced to grab your attention.
pretty much this. i freaked out in ikea 5 years ago and i have never been able to go there again. even though i loved all the candle holders.
You know me, right?
I get this. I like the concept of Costco. I like that they are good to their employees. I eat a lot of food from Costco, I wear clothes from Costco and I read books that I bought at Costco. However, after an hour there, I wish to destroy humanity. Partly since I can only ever go on the weekends and the most convenient one is just over the Columbia from Washington, so it is extraordinarily popular for Washingtonians wishing to not pay sales tax.
So, basically, it’s like going shopping at a crowded Tea Party meeting. I don’t blame you for wanting to avoid the place.
A mix of Tea Partiers and Russian immigrants who have gamed the system their entire lives. I don’t mind the latter so much, but, yeah.
Also, I’m increasingly weary of crowds as I get older. I get incredibly anxious dealing with the shopping cart traffic jam created by a run on free meatball samples.
SF and the peninsula now have enough of a critical mass of Costcos that a trip there is relatively survivable. I still try to only go in the hour before closing, so as to avoid the rolling roadblocks of four-generation families jockeying for free samples.
The Airport Blvd one in South San Francisco is particularly survivable, especially during the week. Don’t tell everyone though.
Their selection of meat is lacking bulk options
The one on El Camino just south of Hickey is a traumatic experience.
They do have super functional carts though.
That Hickey Blvd one is especially bad. Not sure why.
If it’s strictly a matter of going through a bucketful of blackberries in the course of a day, that could be arranged.
yeah its more the roadtrip and feeding them to eachother while we drove.
…WHAT.
HOW.
The break even point for a minimum wage worker with an average sized gas tank is $.08 cheaper if (s)he waits for 10 minutes, $.04 cheaper if (s)he waits for five minutes
but what if im pn a conference call while i wait?
More from SuSlu on the Cespedes family immigration saga.
So, I’m in Redwood City/Burlingame for the week. Any good places to eat without breaking the bank?
PIZZA AND PIPES!!!!
(I am kidding, you are not 8)
I loved Pizza & Pipes when I was 8. We had one in Sacramento that we frequented.
We drove by where the Fresno one was about a month ago. I tried explaining it to the kids and it didnt work.
“So did they have a huge flat screen to watch the movies?” “Why would they play a big organ?”
Poppy’s house!
Eleven years ago, I would have been able to suggest a bunch of really good mexican places, but I don’t know if they are there anymore.
As is the case with most of California, try to find the nastiest looking hole in the wall Mexican food place you can. It’s probably AWESOME.
Thanks, and go As.
What could possibly go wrong?
Nothing. That’s pretty much the rule of thumb for Mexican Food in CA.
Thanks, and go As.
indeed
:(
I’ll never know.
I fully endorse this. I actually went on yelp to try to find my favorite place from college (though I think it was in Mountain View, not Redwood City). Turns out that there are a lot of restaurants called “Three Brothers Tacos”. Not only was it a nasty hole in the wall, but I also ate sesos there (and I’m still alive!).
I don’t eat it, but that is a good measure if an unknown place is going to be good, so I always look for sesos on the menu
Looking back, it probably wasn’t a good idea. This was 2001 or 2002 — I think that is before the big BSE scare, but that would not be a fun disease to catch. Even worse, it wasn’t very tasty. I stick with carnitas, chorizo, or carne asada now.
I already have reservations for tonight for this place. Mia’s heart surgeon from Japan moved to SF, so we’re getting together for dinner. He made the reservations, and was taken aback when they answered the phone in Spanish. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that we probably didn’t need reservations.
La Chapina was very good–pretty dang authentic. I bought a bag full of Guatemalan snacks I’ve been missing.
Sounds delicious!
We both got the hilachas and split a side order of chuchitos. The chuchitos were a bit bigger than the ones I would get in Guate, but they were good. The hilachas were great, especially with the crema.
Trufax.
Redwood City
Chavez Supermarket Carne Asada burrito with everything. So good.
Old Port Lobster Shack Lobster rolls, flown in fresh from Maine.
Hokaro in san Mateo is pretty good japanese
I’ll give ’em a shot. Thanks!
fantastic burgers at the southern end of San Mateo
Himawari Ramen in downtown San Mateo. …actually, pretty much everything in downtown San Mateo is decent and not expensive, plus there are so many restaurants if the one you head for is crowded, just walk on down the block.
Breakfast and lunch in both Bgame and Redwood City, but I’ve only been to the Bgame one
Burmese? In Burlingame? Yes.
Pho and noodle and whatnot
Chuka-ryori, Japanese Chinese food on the border of downtown San Mateo
If we’re talking ramen and San Mateo, then Ramen Dojo is a must. Gotta get there right when they open, though, or you’ll be in line for a while.
That was fantastic ramen. The Japanese staff wasn’t nearly as friendly as the spanish-speaking staff, but the food was wonderful. Great recommendation.
Glad to hear it.
I have been looking for a great ramen place for awhile, thank you for mentioning this!
This new place in Oakland is by Chez Panisse alumni and is supposed to be quite good as well.
My favorite ramen is Ramen Halu in San Jose.
Seconded. That place is incredible.
Definitely the best ramen in the Bay Area. Maru Ichi in Mountain View is my #2.
It could be my low blood sugar level today, but “Burmese? In Burlingame?” reminded me of those old “Farms? In Berkeley?” radio ads.
Mooo!
old? Don’t they still air those?
Do they? I’ve been in exile for a while, but I do remember hearing them on AM radio as a kid all the time.
Well, it’s one NRAF talking to another here, so we are uniquely unqualified to answer this question.
I’ve heard one within the last year for sure.
I miss ä¸è¯æ–™ç†. I think I’ll go there tonight.
what/where is that?
(Sometimes Japanified) Chinese food!
I’m in the mood for some エビãƒãƒª and 酢豚.
is there a specific place for it or is it especially good?
日本ã®ä¸è¯æ–™ç†ã¯æœ¬å½“ã«æ‡ã‹ã—ã„ãªãƒ¼ï¼
ãã†ã§ã™ã‚ˆãã‡ã€‚和食を毎日食ã¹ã‚‰ã‚ŒãŸã‚‰ã„ã„ãªãã¨æ€ã„ã¾ã™ã€‚
ã†ã‚“ã€ãã†ã よã。
グーグルãŒç¿»è¨³ã®ãŸã‚ã«ã€ç§ã¯ç¥žã«æ„Ÿè¬ï¼
Englishmajor’s last recommendation, Yuuraku in San Mateo.
So, éŠæ¥½ was awesome! The owners were super friendly, and the food was great.
Cool!
Shit, regular vince and spring training vince were talking about bret anderson, but I was typing something for work and didn’t hear.
ok, sounds like he won’t miss any time or be set back in any way
Attention OOTP players: We have an opening in our league, if you’re interested.
Thanks, and go As.
WTF. I am ineligible to complete the mathletics form?
and they say that all the workbooks for 2013 have been distributed.
Shoulda gone to fanfest.
yeah, way to go A’s marketing!
I’m listening to the Bowie album now. It’s pretty damned good.
You listening on the site that DFA linked? Is there some place where I can just stream the whole thing in one go?
I’m listening on MOG on my phone, but I’m a subscriber. You should be able to stream it for free there (mog.com) or on rdio.com, I think.
It’s really angsty. I like it. It’s pretty different from earlier music while maintaining enough ties to the original to be familiar
The album cover is hilarious.
I love Cosco, but never having been in a wallmart, isn’t it Granny smith apples to Macintosh?
I always picture wallmart as more like target? am I wrong?
Walmart is a crappier Target, but Walmart also has a crappier Costco called Sam’s Club.
oh, ok, that makes sense to compare I suppose (although I am not sure what “average worker made” means)
I think it means that Costco is running a huge counterfeiting operation.
Yeah. Although Costco by all accounts pays fair, median tells more than mean when it comes to salaries
Walmart is also a crappier Gemco.
Target > Gemco > Walmart >>> Kmart
I’d put Target on the bottom of that in lists of places I’d shop at. Not that I actually shop at any of them.
Man, I’m at Target every week. It lets me shop at one store for regular necessities, not 3-5. Time is my dearest currency.
I used to work at Target. Not a fan of how they treat their employees.
I can second this.
The sad thing is, when it was part of Dayton Hudson it was a really good place to work.
Not really. It was still part of DH when I worked there. I doubt that’s changed much.
I’ll take your word for it since I never worked there. Dayton Hudson itself was always considered an excellent corporate citizen in Minnesota when the Dayton family still ran it.
And I can third it.
Target is socially acceptable Wal-Mart for liberal middle class white people. There is little difference.
It’s socially acceptable because their business practices aren’t as sleazy.
I wouldn’t necessary say that nor believe that. They just haven’t been as publicly caught doing it.
Also where exactly does race enter into it? “That’s something liberal middle class white people do” seems to be something that only liberal middle class white people say. ( <-- irony noted)
Im a union organizer. This is shit I say.
Polemics. Got it.
Target is cleaner. like, a lot.
Thanks, and go As.
Stay out of the bathrooms (especially the ladies’)
I’ve successfully done that ny whole life so far
Thanks, and go As.
I have made the mistake twice.
Once at Cal state fullerton, seeing a friends band and there was no icon* on the door, that I remember, just a circle and a triangle. I guessed which one was for men and lost.
the other time was at a bar in Venice (LA) that was marked Not women and not men. Also there was a piece of fabric for the door. I mean really, a brain teaser at bar bathroom?
*there may have been an icon, I was drunk
More than once when I’ve used a single-occupancy womens’ bathroom, I’ve had a store employee unlock the door and come in after me, presumably to chide me or pecker check or whatever.
That’s when I yell “I’m transgendered and I have lots of lawyer friends.”
Game. Set. Match.
I was a GSTL and responsible for making sure the hourly bathroom checks were done. The ladies room was invariably more disgusting. Hygiene products on the floor or in the toilet, even though a trash can was provided in every stall. On multiple occasions, vomit on the sink, mirror, and floor. And once, someone just up and shat on the floor.
I was a cart attendant, but they had me go in and clean both bathrooms. I can’t even remember how many times I saw crap on the floor in the ladies’ room.
The only thing I can think of is that someone took their kid in there and somehow the kid didn’t make it to the toilet. I like that thought better than the idea that adults shit on the floor for no apparent reason.
In my young McDs days I was the only stall in the bathroom when an older gentleman came in. He waited for about 30 seconds anxiously and then announced “now its going down my leg”. So there is the possibility they had some reason-maybe just not one I want to think about.
Incontinence is a major side effect of a lot of medications that older people use to stay alive.
I had always figured I’d kill myself by the time I turned 65, but now that I’m dating somebody that age and he’s more vibrant than I am, I think I have to re-figure this.
I can accept that possibility. Except that it was in the handicapped stall, right next to the toilet.
If you were the only stall, you’re lucky he pissed his self instead of into you.
Yeah-as he said it I hit a wave of fear. If you never need something to help speed up the job, that is it.
I was in backstock and every hour I’d make sure to go into the ladies room and take a shit on the floor…
I should’ve known.
Really, you only have yourself to blame.
OK seriously, how the FK does Messi get this shot off so quickly? Keeper can’t even react.
Thanks, and go As.
That’s nuts.
comment from deadspin:
While we’re on the subject of long awaited British comeback albums, the new Suede record is streaming on All Songs Considered before its official release next week. I like it too!
That’s on my list to check out
Definitely worth your time.
Ooooh imma give that a listen.
Another Raincoats reunion would be kinda awesome.
Fairytale in the Big Box Store?
Yes, it would be. They are really fucking amazing live.
Do any of you FKers ever send “first class mail” packages internationally? I’m wondering roughly how long they take to arrive to destinations such as the UK, France, Canada, Australia, and Japan. I know customs can hold things up, but just an estimate would be helpful. I know when I send priority mail international it takes about 10-14 days, so I’m wondering how much longer first class might take. It’s a lot cheaper.
Parcels to Australia & UK: 10 – 20 days.
I knew you’d have the info!! Thanks :)
Parcels to the South Pole: a month if you’re lucky, three months if you’re unlucky, and only between November and mid-February. But it’s APO, so the rates are cheap!
heh
I love those APO rates!
I often received packages from home in under a week while in Japan.
Sweet!
Rally towel (thanks again!) came in a week
Awesome!
Heh. Raiders cut DHB.
Awe man, Sullivan left LL… :,(
http://www.lookoutlanding.com/2013/3/12/4096222/lookout-landed
Nothing has changed.
Well there goes the last thing I checked on sbnation.
I read grant on baseball nation.
I have no problem with Blez wanting to make money and doing whatever. I don’t think he did a good job with the OC, so I don’t go there.
The boxing blog “Bad Left Hook” is good, so is the horse racing blog “And Down The Stretch They Come.”
I haz a sad.
He should come here. We can offer him literally dozens of pageviews.
He could even have $5.
Can I be Jeff?
I doubt it. Can you?
He wouldn’t even have to write about the Mariners!
Yeah, it has to be pretty tough when your team is 20 games under .500 in August every single year. I know I made some comment 3 or 4 years ago that I was surprised he’d lasted as long as he had, all the SBN bullshit notwithstanding.
Not only that, but his stuff was quality.
Indeed. Maybe now I won’t be tempted to like the Mariners any more.
USS Mariner was the first baseball related blog I followed. Then Batgirl and then later, AN. I remember when Jeff got on board. Man, I’m old.
I love this move. Work to live, man, don’t live to work.
I really appreciate his candor, must take a lot of courage to step away but his reasoning is rock solid.
On his FG chat today I got an odd feeling when he apologized for talking SEA too much, coupled w/ some previous comments it wasn’t a big surprise.
My sadness is more of a lament for the Mariners fans out there, all they really had was Felix and Jeff asides from some pitching prospects in the minors, sad kittens…
So, when does the season start?
so i took the kids to chili’s (their choice) to get something to eat after the little ones baseball game.
the ex was there at the bar with some guy.
pardon me while i go puke.
Thanks, and go As.
If you’re going to puke puke on them. That blows dude
was worse when the boys saw her and ran up and gave her hugs
Thanks, and go As.
Ow.
well that might have torpedoed her date at least
Sorry dude, ugh…
know this: You aren’t the guy on a tuesday night at a chilis without kids. you win this round
yup.
Id rather castrate myself than take a girl to Chili’s
An Applebee’s man, huh?
thats a hella burn.
…only the salad bar
Heh
So sorry.
Oof. No fun at all
fuck that. hugs, man
drunk clarity.
my next tattoo will be the opening line to A Perfect Circle’s “Judith”
You’re such an inspiration for the ways that I will never, ever choose to be.
Thanks, and go As.
im osrry you guys all have tos ee me go through this too. its kidn of my outlet.
for the record i hate myself
tooThanks, and go As.
Fixed (albeit almost invisibly)
hug.
This.
His shoulders are muscley and strapping and extra fun to hug.
Don’t squeeze to hard, ones brokey.
Hubba hubba.
any ideas on why my printer is not installed and i have to reinstall it over and over and over again? it’s making me want to punch the air, and this is Not Good.
Your printer wants more time with you.
:(
Okay, PR was definitely outclassed by USA, but gawd damn the zone USA pitchers had was the size of a refrigerator for crissakes! :(
DR had some favorable calls against Italy when they really needed them, too
Best tickle from Tuesday:
CNN’s Dana Bash asked whether Ryan was being “disingenuous†by including new taxes that he opposed.
“We’re not going to refight the past,†he explained.
If Ryan is “not going to fight the past,†Fox News’s Chad Pergram asked, why is he still trying to repeal Obamacare?
“This to us is something that we’re not going to give up on,†Ryan answered, “because we’re not going to give up on destroying the health-care system for the American people.â€
Oops.
A note for you rabbit-ears users and FutureEdPlan cable subscribers: Due to an events overflow issue on Comcast you get one game on local TV this season, for the first time in a few years.
Wooo, although that station doesn’t come in very well on my antenna.
nice
Yesterday’s result was inevitable – Barca always win 4-0 during papal conclaves.
Can’t they just elect a non-Catholic pope for once? Methinks it would solve a lot of their problems.
At the very least, a non-European.
I’m thinking non-human is the way to go.
All Hail Pope Woof Bark the Fourteenth, the first canine pope!
Well. whoever it is, we’ll find out shortly.
I understand ec took himself out of the running because he didn’t want to move to Rome and they wouldn’t let him telecommute.
No. This time it was my wife who didn’t want to move
Conclave says they’ve chosen a new pope. Dennis Rodman makes a visit to the Vatican. Coincidence?
Are Father Desme jokes played out?
Probably, but at least we can replace them with “lighten up, Francis”.
It’s AV!
Win!
( ✠)
O_O
I finished reading PKD’s Solar Lottery not too long ago (basic premise is that the head of the world government is chosen by a random lottery — so anyone on earth could wake up one day and become the next ruler of the world). So, of course, in the midst of this PopeWatch2013 stuff, I keep thinking that it would be kind of funny if they chose some random, unsuspecting person somewhere in the world.
I volunteer as tribute!
Pope Kyli the 1st would rock so fking hard.
Being someone who never watches soccer and only hears anything about it on FK, I’ve been wondering how people pronounce “Barca”? I read is as barka, but pretty sure that is wrong, right? I guess actual Spanish people probably take the soft c and then lisp it a little so that it sounds like a th?
Soft C. Sometimes even written (e.g. one of the three different spellings used in that article) with the cedilla: Barça
That is Català . They write it like andeux says and pronounce it more less like a normal “s”
Messi for Pope.
Close – but he’s already the Messiah.
I just marked about 100 posts as read, so I hope there wasn’t anything too exciting in any of those comments…
And even though ST W-L records are worthless, I still like seeing that the Angels are 3-10. My common ground with all the Rangers fans out here? Hatred of the Angels.
Hey shoes! We had like three posts dedicated to talking about you, so you should probably go through the ones you missed one by one to find out which they were.
Good to know! I didn’t have anything to do during spring break anyway…
KOTD at Local Butcher:
Wednesday March 13th: Corned Beef, Kraut, Dijon Aioli, Parsley, Gruyere on Sliced Rye Bread
Ugh, why ruin such a delicious sounding sandwich with rye bread.
You are wrong. /dfa
Indeed.
Agreed
You can have your
roastcorned beef on the rye, or the kaiser.Im having a dinner party where I am making corned beef and cabbage. will advise on the results
This is really useful, but it doesn’t take into account the problem of being left-handed.
Might want to ask your editors to resize this picture, big guy. Also maybe go back to writing about football.
While the writing is garbage, the stats that he uses to prove his point idiotic, and his photo scary enough to make me pick up the kids and run the other way, I’m not sure I disagree with the overall point. A lot had to go right for last year to turn out like it did and I’m not sure it could be repeated. On the other hand, if all the platooning turns out as planned, it could.
A lot did have to go right for last year to go the way it did, but the A’s won 94 games last year. 83 is a fair over/under, as evidenced by it having been bid up to 84.5 according to this column.
True. Plus, we get to play the Astros a bunch and the Rangers, at least on paper, have slipped a notch.
That Astros effect is sort of huge when figuring out a raw win total for this team. Take two games against the Giants and one each against the non-AL West teams, and convert them into games against one of the worst teams in modern baseball history. That’s not nothing.
Isn’t he contradicting himself here?
…
I completely agree with him that the A’s overperformed last year (though they were only 2 over pythag, which is pretty much nothing), but that’s why their over/under is at 84.5, not 94. People have already considered all of the points that he raises in that article (and with much more rigor) and they conclude that the A’s are likely to finish 9-10 games worse than they did in 2012. For this article, he just repeated those points more stupidly and then says that they’ll finish 16 games worse. Really pathetic analysis.
He’s also, I assume, too dense to stop and wonder why the A’s and Orioles, who won almost the identical number of games last year and both lost their ALDS in five games, have such different o/u numbers coming into this season. Maybe there’s a difference or two there that Vegas and serious bettors are picking up on.
Moose Costco!
Apropos
In former Soviet AN, Mosse Costco lives with you!
Has anyone ever called the gang in the broadcast booth the Fosse Posse?
A’s website says tomorrow’s game is available free via Buancast.
I forgot I have MLB.tv. Woo. No.
Another one bites the dust
Very arty-looking urinals they are too.
and tankless!
Waterless urinals stink. I’m sure they’re great for the environment, but the bathrooms that have them gross me out.
I have not found this to be true.
It’s a maintenance issue. They work really well when you’re the army and have umpteen reliable laborers. They work really poorly when you pay one guy minimum wage to service your whole building.
Marin County’s work quite well.
Also Im not really sure about what maintence is required.
You need to keep the chemicals filled/refreshed, otherwise you lose the seal between bathroom and sewer pipe, causing stink.
What chemicals?
Proprietary, but basically just some type of oil.
link
oh cool… thats smart.
Yeah, I didn’t know how it worked until I looked it up. I guess the one trick is to find something viscous enough that gas bubbles can’t push through it. And also make it so that you can clean the thing without ruining the whole effect. They use those waterless urinals in Antarctica and we would just go at them with simple green and paper towels. I guess the oil stuff is probably somewhere down inside, where we wouldn’t scrub it off?
Yeah, but you need to maintain it somehow.
Heh!
http://www.fangraphs.com/not/index.php/discovered-the-jim-leyland-breakfast/
witchy haz a big sad about rainbows going to the broncos.
Wheeeeeeee!!!!!
Sorry witchy :(
you treat him right!!!!
We’ll try and get him a purty ring ;)
Whoa. Sorry.
Italia is still looking feisty, up 3-0 on P.R. halfway through their elimination game. Rizzo clears the bases of Puntos and Denorfias with a double.
The guy who sinled and ultimately scored the first run, shortstop Anthony Granato, plays for Italy by virtue of his grandparents, but he lives on the Peninsula and runs a youth academy in Belmont.
Singled. Maybe led by sin too.
He played a good tournament in Stuttgart two years ago
Google is finally killing Reader. I knew this day was coming, and it’s not like I was paying for it, but I’m still annoyed.
Agreed. What’s the right substitute? RebelMouse?
Google Reader is one of my most used sites on the internet.
Maybe this?
I use Newsify on iOS, and I hope there is a way to doing so once Google cuts off the flow.
Hopefully Yglesias is right that this will launch a golden age of competition-driven improvements in the RSS market.
I use a desktop rss client (Newsfire for mac), but I realize that this isn’t a great solution for people who use several computers. I actually do use several computers (well, two at least), but that just means that I don’t have access to rss feeds when I’m on my laptop at work and that is helpful for my productivity.
Yeah, I’d need it to be online. I RSS the crap out of my commute.
noooooooooo
Best Kyli bait ever:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=UD8tGWIqA-c%3Ffeature%3Dplayer_embedded” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen>
DAMMIT TIMBERLAKE IF YOU ARE GOING TO SING WITH FOUR OTHER MEN THESE ARE NOT THE CORRECT ONES.
GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Lies. NSYNC pales in comparison to Timberlakes solo career.
Nope. While Timberlake is an incredible entrepreneur, in terms of pure vocal talent, NSYNC had the advantage of the flawless JC Chasez. Justin’s voice cannot hold a candle to it. I would shoot “Cry Me a River” into space if I could. Not to mention, in terms of pure album sales, NSYNC crushes Timberlake’s solo work.
‘Sexyback’ is pretty entertaining, though.
He had me at Veganville.
Album sales is a shitty metric to use because everything sell less albums now than at the height of the CD before there was wide spread internet distrobution both legally and illegally.
His solo career has far more range and is more interesting than the vapid NSYNC
Uh. His actual solo albums? Don’t have a hell of a lot of range. (now, including his work with SNL as a part of his solo career is a different matter, because that work is flawless)
Vapid is entirely a matter of opinion. I think NSYNC is hilarious and fun.
Not really an opinion. There is a reason why boy bands died.
It really, really is an opinion.
And if boy bands died, why is One Direction so huge? The Wanted? Why is NKOTB having yet another big stadium tour? And BSB having their 20th anniversary tour with their 9th album release? And 98 Degrees reuniting? That seems a decent amount of activity for being dead.
As long as there are pre-teen and early teenage girls, there will be boy bands. Heck, it’s how Elvis and the Beatles got their start.
Frank Sinatra, too, as well as those of the Dorsey brothers who weren’t ugly.
It maintains my faith in the universe.
The old people are uniting/making records for the same reason they make TIMELIFE THE ___________ Collections and Twilight films.
Um… boy bands haven’t died. They’ve been going on strong for decades.
JT isn’t even my favorite example of a former boy bander who went on to do more interesting work.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Walker_(singer)]
Except maybe 2007. But that was the boyband world taking a quick breather before the Jonas Brothers showed up.
The early 2000s are largely void of them because most found out about the hell that is their existence.
The EARLY 2000s? Uh, no. Only if you don’t count 2000-2003 as being in the early 2000s since Nsync and Backstreet were both rolling around in platinum albums at the time (and Backstreet again in 2005), and groups like O-Town/LFO/98 Degrees were at their HEIGHT in 2000-2002. Mid-2000s you could make that argument, sure, for two or three years but then we went into Jonas Brothers/BTR phase, and then into the current 1D/Wanted land.
And if you look at boybands in Europe/Asia, there really WAS no break.
(and the mid-2000s were really just a break so we could have prettyboy pop-punk bands)
plus System of a Down, Tool released Lateralus, Mudvayne had their first 2 albums, and Slipknot’s second album was in the early 2000s.
So I mean, yeah. Boy Bands errywhere.
Thanks, and go As.
The popularity of one genre does not preclude the popularity of another simultaneously.
THOSE AREN’T BOY BANDS?!?!
Thanks, and go As.
win
<3
This also reminds me that I haven’t listened to Lateralus in way too long.
My magical Pandora channel has been flooding me with Tool and APC all day.
I love it so hard.
Thanks, and go As.
Back when I first went to college, I’d put System of a Down in and listen to them nonstop. Dashboard Confessional, too. I love music, whatever the type. It makes me warm and fuzzy on the inside.
I now kind of want a System of a Down/Dashboard Confessional mashup.
Hands down WAKE UP!
That sounds like what I would have described as my personal hell in HS
I’ve been on a big Shellac and Jesus Lizard kick lately. A new Shellac album is long overdue and would be greatly appreciated.
O-Town… wow. That was the group that was formed on the reality show, right? Or am I misremembering my boy band history?
No, that was totally the one formed on ‘Making the Band’.
And I mean ‘no, you are not misremembering’.
Sweet. I think I liked that show a little more than I wanted to admit at the time. (Now, however, I will freely own it.)
If you mean that to be considered early 2000s you had to happen before April 2002 that would be correct. Otherwise your chronology is wrong.
What the hell do you consider early 2000s.
The album was released in 01 its a vestage of shitty 90s music.
Lets be honest in between Melodically and the Infinite Sadness and Comfort Eagle, music was a dark abyss of suck.
I would disagree about a lot of those, but nice work.
It’s so easy to say that music sucked in the late ’90s and early ’00s, but there was a lot of good music in a lot of different genres.
Hey DFA, were you even alive in the 90s? < / kidding >
General response: I agree that there is some pretty rad Brit Pop there. In my head its all from like 05-08 when I was listening to it after getting introduced to it from Popscene, rather than contemporaneously. I haven’t been exposed to much latin music so if there was a renascence that I missed I am willing to check it out.
On the line by line
NMH isn’t my sauce
Eliot Smith is too depressing for depressing sake
LOL you picked a Jaguar commercial as a reason music didn’t suck.
Tool and the metal genre is loud for louds sake and uninteresting (sorry MikeV)
Summer quoted that album in her yearbook creating a spike in sales of the Boy with The Arab Strap in Michigan that has perplexed marketing executives ever since. I know this is pretty unhipster but I never got into them. I am listening to the album right now and it is surprisingly better than I remember.
Eminem is a hateful person and hateful music sucks. Sorry.
No idea about your blue grass album
Oasis see the top.
Nectar see top
Mas ditto
Ben Folds is awesome. Im not so convinced on the Five. Brick is a great song tho, even if I prefer his other stuff.
Built to Spill isn’t really my jams.
Kid A is the best album from the most overrated band it history.
Counting Crows ugggh
Welcome Interstate Managers blows Utopia Parkway sooo far out of the water that it makes it hard for me to consider it a worthwhile choice.
Jaramiquoi wow I completely forgot about that. lol memory lane
Oh inverted world was after comfort eagle. I know because it was one of the first albums that I bought around that time.
Tool is awesome. Your arguments from now on are basically invalid. Sorry. Calling it loud for louds sake just tells me you haven’t listened to hardly any of it, because the last thing I would call any Tool song is loud.
Thanks, and go As.
Wow, very thoughtful response. Thanks for making me not feel like I wasted my time compiling the list.
I don’t imagine you’ll like all, or even most of my recommended albums, but if you find even one thing you like, I’ve done my job.
I agree on Welcome Interstate Managers. I really like Utopia Parkway, but the former is admittedly better.
Not to split hairs, but according to Wikipedia, Oh Inverted World was released a month before Comfort Eagle. That said, that’s close enough to Comfort Eagle to be a wash time-wise.
As for Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot gets the acclaim, but I’d start with A Ghost is Born.
Tool is much more melodic and less reliant on loudness than you’re giving them credit for.
Ben Folds Five has great music, but I’m also more a fan of his solo work.
There’s a TON of great Latin music from that era. Shakira’s Spanish language stuff is actually really good if you’re looking for guitar-driven pop. Other bands/artists I’d look at: La Ley, Maná, Juan Luis Guerra. Los Enanitos Verdes are awesome; Amores Lejanos is my favorite album of theirs.
Elliott Smith is musically awesome, regardless of depressing lyrics.
Eminem has amazing lyrical talent that he uses in ways that I don’t approve of. I still recognize the talent, though.
Juan Luis Guerra and Cuatro Cuarenta. Like it.
Jarabe de palo definitely. I’d also nominate them both for the coolest band name and for the stupidest description of a band on Wikipedia:
@ MikeV I was more talking about metal in general as being loud for loud sake. I didn’t delineate my sentence well. Tool is mostly just uninteresting to me.
Love Jarabe de Palo.
Im glad you saw it that way since I was trying to give succinct recaps on each album, rather than me trying to be an ass.
Im definitely going to be listing to Boy with the Arab Strap more, for some reason its not what I remember at all.
Also Im really glad you didn’t suggest Juanes, every kid that went to Latin America to study abroad brought that back and thought they were the most fucking cosmopolitian jetsetter person of the oppressed latin americans when they came back. So obnoxious.
Heh! Juanes is harmless fun, but certainly not something I’d call classic. The others I mentioned have great stuff that I believe will stand the test of time. I also concede that Maná is another one of those over-recommended groups, but they really do have a lot of great music.
For those who don’t speak Spanish or are unfamiliar with the expression, jarabe means syrup, as in cough syrup or cough medicine, and palo is a stick. Mothers often scream to their children, “ya veras, que te voy a dar el jarabe de palo” when they are disobedient, meaning that they will receive the “stick medicine”
While we are at the topic of Latin music from the nineties and the naughts, I also liked Kiko Veneno, everything from Jovanotti, some stuff from Ramazzotti, Carla Bruni and Gotan Project
Sublime sucks. Period. They are awful.
The verve, see britpop comment.
never listened to wyclef will do so and get back.
Chili Peppers are super over rated especially their later work, but you are right that is a good album.
See Kid A
Never listened to the Fugees will do so
Never got into Wilco/flaming lips, this makes me a bad hipster. Should probably give them more of a chance.
Dislike Beck.
You don’t like Beck?
I guess he’s one of those that you had to be there for… A snotty obvious one-hit-wonder goes on to be a freaky trend-setting genre-hopper right in the middle of the dawn of the era of gratuitous genre-hopping.
I’ve seen him live a bunch of times. He puts on a good show.
I was there for Beck and never much cared for him. I’ve reconsidered somewhat, but it’s still not something I go out of my way to listen to.
Also, I completely endorse DFA’s statement on Counting Crows.
Counting Crows suck, but Adam Duritz is a friend of a friend, and I’ve never heard anything but complements about his generosity and humility.
Good guy, shitty music.
@ Kay – Actually, same here and I’ve heard the same about him. He was a friend’s wife’s maid of honor.
Funny, I get the same response from my kids when I sing to them at bedtime.
Adam Duritz is also a HUGE A’s fan.
Thanks, and go As.
Also a big Cal football fan. He’s been on the sidelines a fair amount and has filled in as sideline reporter on the radio broadcasts once or twice.
2002-2005
And yet… not dead.
A boyband made up of sexy zombies would be pretty awesome, though.
I might actually listen to that. It would basically be a bunch of moaning… which is similar to most heavy metal.
His new song Suit and Tie is horrible.
As the dude that likes the Will I am and Britney collaboration/abomination I don’t think you get a say here.
Musically I don’t care for that song, but I love the spectacle of it.
splain please.
Life is more entertaining when Britney is at the forefront of the cultural zeitgeist. Also the affected British accent.
I like you.
Don’t we have better alternatives? What if Kay was at the forefront of the cultural zeitgeist?
Kay is ours. We aren’t sharing.
Don’t make her angry. You wouldn’t like it when she’s angry.
Hmm…
I could see starring in a reality show about a jazzed up version of my life, or maybe a game show in which I makeover a bunch of sexist but greedy manly men into drag queens, week by week (for a chance at one million dollars, of course!), while teaching them empathy, feminism, and a sense of sisterhood.
Could you imagine the Pilots as the most popular band in the land? I don’t know how I’d handle that. That would be super weird.
OOooh. 10 straight asshole men, dressed in drag along with 1 real drag queen where they all have to live like that in a house together along with standard reality tv competition and events. Each week a “vote” by some mystery person (who the players are falsely allowed to think is some group of judges as part of the event) eliminates a person each week for not being drag enough, the catch being the real drag queen (who the assholes won’t be made aware is real) is the one doing the voting. The winner takes home the million.
This is SUPER brilliant, other than finding the perfect host candidate… butch enough to pass as a dude, and femme enough to be the bestest looking broad on the stage…
She/he doesn’t need to be the bestest. Just look dude enough.
eh Ive already fooled around with a poly couple who had a reality show on showtime.
I think the 60s were pretty entertaining.
but hella naive and stupid, too.
Looking back at the 60’s, I’m more fascinated with the underground gay, lesbian, trans, and kink cultures than I am with anyone else. I’d love to read a couple of books about the scene/time, but I don’t know if any good ones have been written yet. This is becoming a common and frustrating theme… the books I want to read not having been written yet…
That is incredibly shocking. I would never expect you to say something like that.
Heh
I don’t care for the music of either JT or NSYNC, but I can respect JT because he’s funny as hell.
Agreed.
He is funny and actually a far better actor than I suspected he would be.
Dr. Hottie looks like JT. Have I mentuoned that?
Then he can’t be THAT hot.
Also, you should hit that, then.
Denorfia 3 for 3 ?!
aaaand picked off.
Woo, tied, Go Puerto Rico!!!
YYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Poor Italians, though. One shitty inning syndrome.
Meh, at least Puerto Rican’s are Puerto Rican.
The eligibility rules are ridiculous, look at the Netherlands…
As I understand it, people from Aruba and Curacao are considered Dutch by nationality, so that’s legit enough.
this.
Dutch East India Company FTW!
Pureto Rican’s are American citizens fwiw.
True, I was just thinking about that anomaly. Either way, it’s more legit than the “have you ever eaten pasta” test for Italian eligibility.
It’s grandparents born there, right? I could play for the Italian team!
It would be interesting if a Puerto Rican tried to play on the US team
I’d like to see all world sports tournaments reserve a place in the finals (as in the post-qualifying phase, not the championship game) for a Rest Of The World team.
I like this.
That would be cool.
If they have a category in the Olympics for stateless (“independent”) competitors, they should definitely have something similar for other sporting events where teams are delineated by nationality, too.
Is Venditte not switch-pitching in this tournament?
Little Nicky, Denorfia, and Antonio Rit-zo due up. It’s not over!!
Ha! Punto…
Cap off to Burgos, let’s go PR!!!
This PR manager is determined to use up his bullpen. Would be funny if this got to extras.
I would have left Burgos in.
Good job good effort Italy.
I love Rizzo
Only reason I can think of to watch the Cubs this year.
Starlin Castro, Jeff Samardzija, and E Jax all has a sads…
I’m forever showing my ignorance of things NL.
If it wasn’t for fantasy I’d be clueless as well.
Actually, I still don’t know who E Jax is.
Edwin Jackson, he’s pretty good at pitching sometimes.
He puts the elation in …
I hear ya, but he’d probably be our Ace if he were an Athletic.
He was pretty decent last year- 12.2% SwStr, 62% F-Str
I was just making the laboured pun.
Samardzija isn’t very good though
Woah woah woah. 89 FIP-/ 12.1 SwStr in 174.2 inn not good? #hubris
Whoa*
one year.
he was pretty mediocre before that.
Isn’t ‘performing really well’ what makes you good?
Last year was his first significant amount of playing time and largest sample.
Steamer has him well above replacement.
Before last year since 08 .3 fWAR.
Last year 3.3
BB/9 Before last year 5.3
BB/9 Last year 2.9
He was replacement level for 4 seasons.
If you include this year hes averaging 1.5 WAR per year in the Bigs.
He hasn’t performed really well.
2008-2011: 168 inn
2012: 174 inn
I think your putting a lot weight to seasons he didn’t work consistently/ not enough MLB innings to gain a good sample, which makes your analysis somewhat flawed.
2008: 27.2 inn
2009: 34.2 inn
2010: 19 inn
2011: 88 inn
I agree one should not assume rockets and sparklers, but I’d put more stock in his 2012 season than anything prior in terms of projecting his performance.
it is also easier being a reliever.
Im not saying that its not possible that he has turned a corner, especially since age isn’t really relevant to the whole age curve.
Good for me just requires more than one season.
How about “interesting” instead of “good” then? Like, it would be interesting if Samardzija continues putting up numbers like 2012.
interesting Im ok with.
Sure. But Brian’s point about proper use of WAR still stands. It is a counting stat.
I agree that it is a counting stat.
In 332 innings its at 3.6 WAR, which is pretty average.
Good is above that.
If Nick Punto is out of the tournament, I guess I’m done with the WBC for this year.
This tournament just got infinitely less gritty.
Maybe we could let Puerto Rico borrow Adam Rosales? I mean, “Rosales” is Puerto Rican or Dominican or something, right?
Stanton is part Puerto Rican, they’d at least put him in the middle of the lineup fer crissakes… :(
Lousy shortstopping.
That play at third was a bad move.
I hadn’t realized they had put in a sub for the dude from Belmont when the worst of that shortstopping happened.
He had a tough inning.
Though not before he’d made the two errors in the 8th.
I hope he isn’t looking at Twitter.
HUZZAH!!!!!!!
Sportcasters aren’t trying to cover their hopes for Italy, even the video editing gave Italy the shots after the win?
Go underdogs!
Hehehehe
Sending Brandon Belt scurrying to ancestry.com to find an italian connection.
I’m no fan of Lew Wolff, obviously, but I gotta say that for a 77 year old amateur this swing doesn’t look bad:
Let me write that article for you
Lew Wolff insists that SJ is the only option for the team
It has been X years since the start of the BRC
There is no indication that anything is changing or will any time soon.
Lew Wolff says that he will not comment and respect the process because thats how baseball works.
THE END
Why does anyone bother writing this shit.
cause then they can post that photo?
I’d like to see Lew get Cat Scratch Fever or something like that and turn into a crazier version of Al Davis… threatening to move the A’s to a cornfield in Nebraska so as to take ALL THE REVENUE SHARING!
If he builds it in Iowa, they will come.
I wonder what dumb questions and/or stories they’ll do of him if he ever gets to build in SJ.
That is in fact the exact article. The one possibly interesting note, if you’re the type who clings to every tiny nuanced expression like the wallposters in China or who stands next to who on the Kremlin wall, is that Lew mentioned “whether it’s me or someone else who does it.” One could squint and construe that as Lew recognizing at least the possibility of a different future ownership configuration.
Well, he is old.
Thanks, and go As.
His son?
He was referring to his son who he’s said multiple times that is taking over for him when he retires/dies.
I don’t put much stock in parsing nuances of Wolff or Wen Jiabao, so makes no nevermind to me, but there’s been more background chatter about different owner groups in the last few months than I’ve heard since Wolffish bought in.
Also, his son is a lightweight, and presumably Fisher gets 80% of the vote on who the new public face of ownership is.
Ellison, please. Thx.
Thanks, and go As.
I’ve heard no such background chatter. But you’re right, while Wolff may be “grooming” his son to replace him, ultimately the decision lies with Fisher & MLB. Though I suspect that would be more or less already decided agreement between them.
I think I just invited Jaso’s GF/wife(?) to a tailgate.
Thanks, and go As.
You’re not dead on the outside!
right. just where it counts.
Thanks, and go As.
I’m not a nurse or anything, but I don’t think you can fix dead on the outside.
I’m not sure I can fix the other one either.
Thanks, and go As.
:(
Nice!
Thanks, and go As.
Lynnzgal is trending!
damn straight
Thanks, and go As.
Yesssssssss.
Cheeky
Pure gold.
That is amazing.
I have never wanted to do terrible things to the management of my union more than right now.
I used to be shop steward for the London branch employees of a big public sector union, and negotiating with union officials as employers was eye-opening.
Welcome to my life.
Them getting our written consent to the probation extension is required by the contract. They just forgot to follow it. Also we have 15 days to file a grievance per the contract, and I do far more work than those lazy fucks.
oh also they fired the employee for not retroactively accepting a probation extension after she was off probation.
Cripes.
also the people I work with are idiots and I hate them. The regional secretary [of my staff union] is claiming that the constitution prohibits [the employer] sending an email to staff about why they fired someone after the union delegated them with a petition. And that my response is a failure of our duty of fair representation.
That sounds frustrating. How’s the exit strategy coming along?
There must be something in the cosmos today. I was on the receiving end of someone’s temper tantrum this morning, apparently because I can stay on schedule for finishing stuff that’s on deadline. And I guess that’s read as “moving too fast” for them (which is odd, because the person in question is the one who wanted stuff cranked out on a regular, weekly basis). This also comes along after I worked on stuff for them during part of my vacation time. Kind of irritating.
its being destroyed by my entanglement in this me.
Nothing wrong with reinventing yourself once in a while.
Tagline, anyone?
Too confusing and too easily readable as a typo, unfortunately.
For DFA
This is all kinds of awesome, couldn’t help but notice how many ex-A’s are on that team!
I have to say, Kurt looks pretty sharp.
Jordan Zimmermann looks like he’s just rolled in a 20-footer on 17.
I did notice his argyle is green and gold.
Hee. They even have green in Gio’s and Suzuki’s sweaters.
Nice!
That is hot
Happy π day
happy s&bj day
Thanks, and go As.
Meh.
Wake me up for Vegetarian Cunnilingus day.
Meat is Murder.
DELICIOUS MURDER.
Thanks, and go As.
This reminded me of the Smiths. And also that I listened to a mix of Smiths covers yesterday. And also that I wish this song had been on said mix.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Js_3GuxAgm0” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen>
Video quality sucks, but it’s all worth it for Mojo’s rant during the bridge.
I loves me some Mojo rants.
Looks like a divisive situation.
She’s such a square.
He’s got an imaginary friend.
I just had a flash of thought…
Methinks that within the framework of Many Worlds theory, Pi would be a slightly different number in each reality, like a fingerprint signature.
Does such thing exist as a branch of mathematics that treats Pi as a variable rather than a constant?
Short answer: no. П is П.
The ratio of the radius to the circumference of a circle is only equal to 2π in flat geometries. While our universe appears to be flat on large scales, cosmology certainly considers the possibility of universes with positive or negative overall curvature. Also, even in our seemingly flat universe, general relativity tells us that massive objects curve space-time. This might be different from what you are talking about though, because π is still uniquely defined.
Curvature is a higher order effect though; even in curved geometry as . There isn’t any geometry where could take some different constant value*.
*except possibly in Indiana
Yep, that’s right. π has a good unique definition in all geometries, which is what PDX’s link says too.
** There are special cases like the apex of a cone, so perhaps I should have said there is no such homogeneous geometry.
Yes!
The apex of a cone…
An infinitely small spherical eye in the center of a mirrored box…
If there’s unexplored stuff in that philosophical/mathematical region, that’s where the compass points to next!
Holy shit… If you look at universes as bubbles, it would seem likely that they all would have the same laws of physics and value for Pi. However, if you look at them as Russian Nesting Dolls or things taking up the same space within the context of a higher dimension we cannot functionally describe, it would seem impossible for them to share exact laws of physics and the exact value of Pi. Each universe would have to be at least slightly different than its’ neighbors, otherwise they would merge or cancel each other out or something funky and non-natural would happen.
Actually many approaches to the bubbling multiverse do posit different values of physical constants (but not mathematical ones), and then resort to anthropic arguments to explain the particular values they take in our universe as necessary for observers to exist.
Why would observers need to exist in the first place? The only logical answer is that there is something novel here that is of value within the realm of the observers, that they need or want to connect with somehow. Yet, to program a whole universe would take a singularity. What could a singularity possibly yearn for? Non-singularity (or states that mimic non-singularity) would seem to be the easiest functional answer to that question.
I guess a pre-singularity civilization could develop some sort of spacetime travel that might involve incarnations as its’ own ancestors as part of some complex process, but it doesn’t feel right.
They wouldn’t need to, but they demonstrably do in this Universe, and that explains why this Universe has values of the physical constants that are conducive to life (or so goes the rather specious argument).
I would posit that observers are absolutely necessary for there to be anything to observe in the first place.
If a boulder falls in a region completely devoid of life and consciousness, not only does it not make a sound, but it also does not currently exist, and neither does the region.
Any tech we would use to prove or disprove this would be an extension of our sensory apparatuses, and therefore our consciousness(es), and therefore invalidate the experiment.
Is this old news, or an acid trip remnant best thrown back in the trash?
So… they’re considering dropping the tuck rule. Personally, I’d prefer any ball that didn’t get past the line of scrimmage or out of bounds on a fly to be in play/fumbled. It would make things much more interesting, especially for errant screen passes and tipped/deflected balls.
jj watt would instantly become the most valuable player in football
It’d be a nice way to swing the league from a pure offense league to something more even.
Pure offense is what brings in megabillions of TV bucks.
chicks dig the touchdowns?
Well sure, but so does big plays like turnovers and what not.
After that crime of a call Aybar got what he deserved.
Have to agree with that. Amazing to see the dugout erupt while it’s still top of the 9th.
HAHAHA
Awesome.
I don’t really give a crap about this tournament but I would enjoy it if “Team USA” is not one of the invitees to San Francisco.
Willie Bloomquist due up 3rd in the bottom of the 9th … you may get your wish.
I enjoy the tournament, so to grow in stature I think it would be great if the US team at least made it into the final four. I know I’m in a minority here, but I’d love to see it grow to WC status. And change the name of the WS while we’re at it.
non United states countries have never lost the world series
There might be a place for an international baseball tournament, but it ought to happen in July when everybody is in midseason form, the way hockey handles the Olympics. Since you can’t really extend the baseball calendar beyond April 1 and October 31 that would require elimination of the All-Star Game that season (no great loss) and cutting the MLB regular season to maybe 144 games, the latter being why it would never happen.
In this March format the pitching is particularly lame. The Tigers certainly don’t want to lose Justin Verlander in a WBC game, so guess what he ain’t there.
somebody suggested in NOvember. SUre it mean playing in houston, arizona or not in the US, but I think it works
Or this. Allow a break for players who went through the National Championship Series to get a rest, then start up competition in mid to late November. Hiram Bithorn Stadium for the finals?
Hell, the stars used to barnstorm around Japan after the season was over.
If part of the deal can also be carving Houston and Arizona out of the US, sign me up!
Take the whole south with it.
I know there are logistical problems, but I don’t see why it would be such a disaster for those on the national team to start working out a little early, and then after the tournament they could ramp it down a bit before the regular season starts. It’s not like players don’t get hurt during regular ST anyway (see Sizemore, Scott).
The season is too damned long as it is. Even to get to the point where pitchers can throw 65 pitches in the first round of the WBC they backed up the start of ST to 7 weeks before the start of the regular season.
Then you have a 26-week regular season and a bloated 4.5-week postseason, so you are up to 37.5 weeks from the start of ST to the end of the World Series. I’d like to see that shortened by a good 3 weeks and certainly am not willing to start ST even earlier in order to get participating pitchers into regular-season form.
I agree about the length of the season, and the bloated post-season. I’d like to see them shortened too, but as you commented on the NFL above, hello, money. But if the WBC were kept in its current format and timing, I don’t see why you have to extend ST for everybody just because some players are participating with their national teams.
I don’t understand that either, but that’s exactly what they did this year.
Something I have advocated before is that I wouldn’t even bring my 20-22 guys who are certain to make the big league roster to ST until close to March 1 (little earlier for pitchers, little later for everybody else). I understand that if Mesa is putting $99 million into a new facility for the Cubs they expect 20 home dates or whatever. I’d bring the AAA and AA players to Arizona early, let them work with the organization’s full coaching staff including the big league manager and coaches for a couple weeks in February, and they would play the first 10-12 Cactus League games (with MLB pitchers slowly being worked in). I don’t think the Reddicks and Cespedes need more than 3 weeks of Cactus League action to be ready to go on April 1.
isn’t it just a ruse to extend spring training to make money?
You can’t tell me players cant get ready to play in less than a month.
Yes, that’s my point. It was different when the minimum salary was $12K and players had to work as car salesmen in the off-season. Now they take about a 10-day break after the season ends and then they are right back on the conditioning program. The 38-game Cactus League schedule exists solely to pay for all the fancy new facilities the Arizona municipalities and the Pima Tribe (Salt River Fields) have built in the last decade or so.
I have a bad habit of reading the first bit of a comment then replying then going back and reading the whole thing.
so yeah, a “this” would have sufficed
Works for me. Problem solved.
And honestly, I don’t see how the teams lose that much money by not bringing in the stars until the end. Fans like you who like to see the up and comers will still come early, others will still plan their vacations based on spring breaks, and it all works.
I would love to watch the tournament, but I’m not gonna pay for MLB network on my cable in order to do so.
I hate MLB. I wish it would break up. Baseball wouldn’t die.
Given how many times professional baseball has been organized/reorganized over the past 100 years or so, I think we’re overdue for a big shake-up.
NO MORE PITCHERS HITTING! WOOOOOOOO!!!!
Thanks, and go As.
My worry would be that they will try to do the XLB or something.
No gloves! 20 inch max bats!
Composite bats!
Thanks, and go As.
1 exploding base during the game and you can tackle baserunners.
Make ’em play Calvinball!
BaseWars!!!
XLB would be great on a chilly night at the Coliseum….oh wait, you didn’t mean soup dumplings?
heh
Xiao Long Bao!
I’d like to see the DH be negotiable every single game, or if opposing managers disagree as to whether it should be used or not, flip a coin.
I would love the home team to get to designate one special ground rule each game.
“Everybody has to bat left handed”
“If it lands anywhere within the walls it’s in play.
“Pitch to your own team”
That would be kinda fun in a big ballpark, like Petco before they brought in the fences.
Maybe you could combine it with the small bats rule to prevent too many home runs.
I like big bats, and I cannot lie.
Originally as the batter, you got to direct where the ball was to be pitched.
Angel. Hernandez.
Vuvuzelas should be banned.
When vuvuzelas are outlawed, only outlaws will have vuvuzelas.
I want a vuvuzela musket.
win
If you think about it, MLB’s desire to get bargain IFA contracts has only fostered crazy competitive environments like the DR that bring forth insanely good players.
#bitintheassbyyourownavarice
Sharks with some nice goals tonight.
are their goals to play like a real life NHL team?
Let’s not get crazy now.
hee