Grilling All Week Long ← FREE KRAUT!

Grilling All Week Long 366

Per SuSlu: Umpires for our series: Gary Darling, CB Bucknor, Mike DiMuro, crew chief Tom Hallion, Jim Reynolds, Mark Wegner.

For the hell of it, Jim Reynolds was the HP ump in Game 1 last year, one of Verlander’s. Wally Bell was there for Game 5 and he is not on this staff. Let’s see who ends up doing Verlander’s start(s), or even Scherzer’s for that matter.

It’s Price vs. Perez for the second AL Wild Card (GAME 163!!!!1!11!!), tonight at 5P Pacific. Nelson Cruz’s suspension is over and there’s speculation he could DH, though he may not be ready.

I’d rather see Texas lose but I think Tampa Bay’s the bigger threat, assuming they get past the Indians in the Wild Card game.

Not much else for now, but for those of you loving GTAV like me, check these out:

An Interview With Steven Ogg, The Voice Of “GTA V’s” Trevor

The GQ&A: ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ Actors Talk Franklin, Michael, and Crazy Trevor

I also hear it was that day in San Francisco yesterday.

366 thoughts on “Grilling All Week Long

  1. Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 10:43 am

    Twas a glorious weather weekend in San Francisco. So nice that the Giants fans were moved to give Barry Zito a vaguely icky standing ovation.

  2. James V. Sep 30,2013 10:50 am

    And no, I have no idea how CB Bucknor “earned” a postseason spot on a crew. If he’s in, Angel Hernandez is probably also in somewhere.

    • lenscrafters Sep 30,2013 10:57 am || Up

      Hernandez made a postseason crew last year, I believe.

      • Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 11:40 am || Up

        Man. If he calls that Rosales home run correctly and the A’s go on to win that game, we’re sitting back right now waiting to play the survivor of a three-team clusterFK.

      • James V. Sep 30,2013 12:09 pm || Up

        He’s not listed on any of the crews for the Division Series round. I’m kind of shocked.

        • dmoas Sep 30,2013 12:10 pm || Up

          He’ll show up for the LCS.

          • James V. Sep 30,2013 1:01 pm || Up

            • Dial C for Concupiscence Sep 30,2013 1:32 pm || Up

              So this means we could end up with an A’s-Cleveland ALCS with Hernandez “umping.”

  3. Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 11:10 am

    Good lord, the Astros batters finished with a team K rate over 25%. That’s ridiculous.

    A’s batters only struck out in 19% of their PAs this year, compared with 22.4% a year ago. I think this is a small reason to think this series is a better match up than last year’s — more chances for the Detroit defense to not make plays. Bigger reason: Miguel Cabrera is injured and kind of looks like hell out there right now.

    • dmoas Sep 30,2013 11:30 am || Up

      They also intend to use Peralta who hasn’t played in a couple of months.

      • Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 11:37 am || Up

        Peralta playing behind a hobbled Cabrera should lead to some fun times in the left field corner.

    • andeux Sep 30,2013 11:34 am || Up

      Yes, I’ve been meaning to post something about Astros strickouts:

      1) The A’s set an all-time record last year, striking out 1387 times as a team. This year’s Astros broke that record by more than 10%, striking out 1535 times. (Although they were “only” 7% higher than the 2013 Twins, who struck out 1430 times.)

      2) The common player to both those teams is Chris Carter, who struck out 212 times this year, leading the league. It’s only third all time (Reynolds had 223 in 2009, and Dunn had 222 in 2012), but Karter did it in significantly fewer plate appearances, so I believe his 36.2% is a record among qualified batters. [Can someone with play index check how far down you have to go in number of plate appearances before someone beats that percentage?]

      3) The league average was a strikeout rate of .198, which would have yielded 116 strikeouts in the number of plate appearances Carter had. That difference is still less than the margin by which the Astros set the team record. So they had (by one measure) the striking-out-est player of all time, but if they had replaced him with an average-strikeout player, they still would have been the striking-out-est team of all time. Impressive.

      TINSTAAFK
      • ptbnl Sep 30,2013 11:41 am || Up

        Bo Jackson – 158/434 = 36.4% in 1987.

        And yes, Kris Karter is alone among qualified batters.

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
        • andeux Sep 30,2013 11:43 am || Up

          Thanks.

          TINSTAAFK
          • ptbnl Sep 30,2013 11:49 am || Up

            And Dave Duncan holds the record for the highest strikeout percentage by a position player with at least 100 PA’s – 50/106 for the 1967 Kansas City Athletics.

            If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
      • lenscrafters Sep 30,2013 11:56 am || Up

        Amazingly, he still finished with an above average offensive season, though pretty meh for a DH with negative defensive value. The year in which Reynolds and Dunn eclipsed the 35% mark in K rate, they were absolutely terrible offensively.

  4. Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 12:08 pm
  5. aardvark Sep 30,2013 12:13 pm

    Hey DFA, are you out there?

    • DFA Sep 30,2013 3:25 pm || Up

      Yes. I sent you an email last week.

      In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
  6. Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 12:18 pm

    Giambi’s some sort of a faith healer now, I guess.

    • FreeSeatUpgrade Sep 30,2013 12:19 pm || Up

      Play like an All-Star, party like a Rock Star…

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • dmoas Sep 30,2013 12:20 pm || Up

      Too bad he hasn’t touched himself.

      • AV Sep 30,2013 1:06 pm || Up

        he wants to. but gets as far as gold thong and gets creeped out.

        *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  7. FreeSeatUpgrade Sep 30,2013 12:18 pm

    Sounds like SuSlu is getting tired of hearing this question:

    But her exasperation should be directed at MLB, not the fans who quite reasonably want to know WHEN THE FUCKING GAMES WILL BE.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 12:20 pm || Up

      She’s been pretty chippy lately on the twitterz. Had the same kind of reaction to people repeatedly asking about the tiebreaker with Boston, only to have it turn out she had bad info (not her fault).

      • dmoas Sep 30,2013 12:22 pm || Up

        Stress. Mourning. Tons of people demanding info for shit. Life.

        • Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 12:23 pm || Up

          Yep. Also soooooooo many dumb people on twitter.

          • FreeSeatUpgrade Sep 30,2013 12:38 pm || Up

            All of the above, and also Susan seems pretty keenly aware of the fundamental tension between her Twitter and blog presences and her chosen career in the daily print media.

            "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
            • dmoas Sep 30,2013 12:41 pm || Up

              I’m not sure I follow.

              • DFA Sep 30,2013 3:27 pm || Up

                If she just gives all the info away on twitterz/blogs, who would ever pay to read the comical which funds things like her traveling with the team and presumably her rent/mortgage, food and the like.

                In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
                • dmoas Sep 30,2013 3:37 pm || Up

                  Right. I get that. I think the multiple “ands” and the overall intent of what FSU is implying or meaning is lost there.

                • FreeSeatUpgrade Sep 30,2013 3:57 pm || Up

                  Yes this. And she realizes that online stuff is essential and does it pretty well compared to many of her colleagues. Yet this only exacerbates the demise of the printed newspaper. So she perhaps carries some understandable resentment toward to Twitterverse, especially that part of it that is too lazy to even click an old link before asking the same question 10,000 other people just asked.

                  "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
                • dmoas Sep 30,2013 3:58 pm || Up

                  Ah. Okay, that makes sense.

    • dmoas Sep 30,2013 12:21 pm || Up

      I’m sure it is. But asking her everyday then her asking them everyday and basically having to do a Selig shrug probably drives her nuts.

    • Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 12:54 pm || Up

      In that vein:

    • the dogfather Sep 30,2013 2:10 pm || Up

      Agreed — I think she does a good job and I understand her personal stress, but that said, she’s always been prickly.

      The meaning of life is not so much found, as it is Made. -- Opus
      • JediLeroy Sep 30,2013 3:50 pm || Up

        I teased her about messing up a URL headline last year, and she was way too hard on herself.

        az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
  8. Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 12:22 pm

    I was about to try to make a #slatepitch case for keeping Straily on the roster over Chavez but then I compared their stat lines and nope.

    • mikeA Sep 30,2013 12:48 pm || Up

      I’d maybe prefer Chavez just because Straily isn’t used to relief, and might come in and walk everyone, but I think Straily is clearly better. Chavez has somewhat better stats this year, but pitchers generally will put up substantially better numbers as relievers than starters, so you can’t really compare starter numbers vs. reliever numbers without some adjustment, and Straily did much better every other year of their careers.

      • dmoas Sep 30,2013 12:49 pm || Up

        I wonder if measuring the first 9 batters of a start would be a better comparable to relief since it’s a little more apples to apples (first time through the order).

        • colin Sep 30,2013 3:06 pm || Up

          It might be closer, but there is still the difference that starters are pacing themselves to through ~100 pitches, so they can’t throw at max effort.

  9. Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 12:31 pm

    Perhaps I’m remembering wrong, but I feel like we had Buck Martinez last year, and that he sounded borderline senile.

    • Soaker Sep 30,2013 12:46 pm || Up

      It was Orsillo and Martinez last year (Vasgersian and Kaat for one MLB Network game). Eck has been in the studio before and is new to the postseason booth. Pedro Martinez replaces Eck in the studio. I haven’t heard about a Don Zimmer guest appearance.

      What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
    • colin Sep 30,2013 3:10 pm || Up

      Orsillo is the long time play-by-play guy for the Red Sox and he is pretty good. Eck has been doing color for the Red Sox a lot over the last month or so because Jerry Remy’s son is on trial for murder. Once you get past all of the goofy slang, I think that Eckersley is good too — he knows that his job is to provide an insider perspective about what’s happening on the field, what the players are thinking in different situations, etc.

      • Jennifer Sep 30,2013 3:33 pm || Up

        I love Remy and Orsillo. During an entire inning a few years ago, neither one of them said a word. They both just laughed hysterically.

        • colin Sep 30,2013 6:27 pm || Up

          They are cute and it’s usually not annoying but sometimes you just want to hear about that actual game that is being played.

  10. Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 12:32 pm

    How is this possible?

    • Dial C for Concupiscence Sep 30,2013 12:46 pm || Up

      Freddy Garcia is still playing baseball?

    • DFA Sep 30,2013 3:29 pm || Up

      Isn’t that their manager?

      In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
  11. Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 1:19 pm

    Huh. Nelson Cruz is starting tonight for Texas. That should be interesting.

  12. lenscrafters Sep 30,2013 2:13 pm

    I don’t expect any of the “experts” to pick us over the Tigers but it’d be nice if they had actually the slightest fking clue about what they’re talking about.

    • Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 2:19 pm || Up

      They may as well just say upfront: Look, we don’t know a damn thing about the A’s, so here are some thoughts about the Tigers who we will just assume are better.

      • Dial C for Concupiscence Sep 30,2013 2:33 pm || Up

        They pretty much admit they don’t know anything about the A’s with the “the A’s don’t have a whole lot of big names” line. But yeah, that was some terrible coverage.

        • Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 2:36 pm || Up

          I couldn’t get past it being “surprising” that the A’s took the Tigers to five games last year (when they had a better record in a better record in a better division), and that Cespedes:A’s lineup = Cabrera:Tigers lineup

          • lenscrafters Sep 30,2013 2:40 pm || Up

            Yes, my favorite part was when they said Cespedes was our MVP on account of…probably being the only player they can name on our roster.

            • ptbnl Sep 30,2013 2:41 pm || Up

              But HOME RUN DERBY!!!!!!

              If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
            • dmoas Sep 30,2013 2:45 pm || Up

              HOME RUN DERBY! I SAW THAT! I RECOGNIZE THE NAME!

              • Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 2:47 pm || Up

                I saw his showcase video. He was spit roasting a giant pig.

                • dmoas Sep 30,2013 2:47 pm || Up

                  A GIANT PIG!

                • nevermoor Sep 30,2013 3:09 pm || Up

                  And poof! Willingham isn’t on the team any more

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
            • AV Sep 30,2013 2:51 pm || Up

              the A’s just don’t have anybody to step up if his shoulder injury persists.

              *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  13. James V. Sep 30,2013 2:15 pm

    Donaldson wins AL Player of the Month. That makes the A’s the only AL team this year to have a Player, Pitcher and Rookie of the Month. The Dodgers and Braves did it in the NL.

    • dmoas Sep 30,2013 2:17 pm || Up

      Didn’t another player have that too? Or am I thinking of player of the week?

      • James V. Sep 30,2013 2:22 pm || Up

        I’m looking at Player of the Month only.

        • dmoas Sep 30,2013 2:26 pm || Up

          I was asking a question.

          • Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 2:27 pm || Up

            You should have used some sort of punctuation mark to indicate that.

            • dmoas Sep 30,2013 2:29 pm || Up

              I prefer to end my sentences with little doodles instead.

          • James V. Sep 30,2013 2:35 pm || Up

            An unrelated one!

            • dmoas Sep 30,2013 2:41 pm || Up

              It was quite related. In one scenario, I’d be calling out that we didn’t need Donaldson’s Player of the Month to pull that off. In another scenario, I have no idea wtf I’m talking about and consequently, mistaking Moss’ Player of the Week award for Player of the Month. I like the odds of the latter, but then again…

  14. dmoas Sep 30,2013 2:52 pm

    So according to EPSN (with no actual article so take it with a grain of salt) the pitching probables are:
    Game 1: Verlander vs Colon
    Game 2: Scherzer vs Parker
    Game 3: Sanchez vs Gray
    Game 4: Fister vs Griffin
    Game 5: See Game 1

  15. Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 3:29 pm

    • nevermoor Sep 30,2013 3:35 pm || Up

      Drat.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • Soaker Sep 30,2013 3:35 pm || Up

      The Red Sox getting 3 p.m. Eastern is a shocker.

      What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
    • Dial C for Concupiscence Sep 30,2013 3:38 pm || Up

      Phew. I hadn’t set anything up for missing work on Friday.

    • Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 3:41 pm || Up

      This is on TBS, by the way. Cardinals-TBD is the MLB Network game on Friday (at 10 am).

    • FreeSeatUpgrade Sep 30,2013 3:58 pm || Up

      Yay!

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • JediLeroy Sep 30,2013 4:59 pm || Up

      Is she sure they didn’t say, “6:30, 7:00?”

      az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
      • AV Sep 30,2013 6:25 pm || Up

        prolly first pitch. must be that at 6:30 the telecast begins repeating the same 2 bars of postseason music we’ll hear in our sleep saturday night and beyond.

        *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
        • JediLeroy Sep 30,2013 6:55 pm || Up

          So light ’em up

          az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
      • ozzman99 Sep 30,2013 6:41 pm || Up

        When she asked about the A’s game, I’d expect the league office to say, “Who?”

  16. Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 3:31 pm

    • dmoas Sep 30,2013 3:39 pm || Up

      Late games. Of course we’ll get the early games while in Detroit.

    • Soaker Sep 30,2013 3:41 pm || Up

      The Cal football-A’s baseball Saturday doubleheader is suddenly tempting.

      What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
    • nevermoor Sep 30,2013 4:18 pm || Up

      This is perfect timing.

      What are the tailgating plans on Saturday?

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
      • FreeSeatUpgrade Sep 30,2013 4:22 pm || Up

        I haven’t thought it completely through, but I bet there will be some. My working plan is to get to every game at least three hours early.

        One thing to watch for, though, is if the A’s do ushered parking for these games, and if so whether super early birds can avoid being directed to spots and choose our preferred location instead. Because if every car gets diffused to spots far and wide it’s hard to effectuate effective group tailgating.

        "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
        • nevermoor Sep 30,2013 5:33 pm || Up

          We’ll be putting Yoenessa down at my parents’ house for her afternoon nap, and heading over. It won’t be noon, but it hopefully gets us to the park at or before 3.

          "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
          • JediLeroy Sep 30,2013 5:55 pm || Up

            I want in. I will be with 1 guest and my cousin, who’s coming up with his wife from SoCal.

            az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
      • dmoas Sep 30,2013 4:22 pm || Up

        Get there at noon, not a moment too soon.

        • Jennifer Sep 30,2013 4:42 pm || Up

          Slusser says the lota open at noon. Nooners for everyone!

          • dmoas Sep 30,2013 4:44 pm || Up

            Woh. I was just going to for the rhyme.

            • AV Sep 30,2013 6:26 pm || Up

              nooners for everyooners!

              *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
          • FreeSeatUpgrade Sep 30,2013 7:06 pm || Up

            I’m pretty hardcore, but I might be facing a kid rebellion if I made them join me in the parking lot at noon before a 6:07 game.

            "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
            • Soaker Sep 30,2013 7:13 pm || Up

              The 6-hour tailgate would be fun but I’m going for the 1:00 Cal game followed by the BART ride. It came together quick once Bud got around to announcing his game times.

              What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
              • FreeSeatUpgrade Sep 30,2013 7:17 pm || Up

                That’s really perfect timing for you. If you leave early in disgust the Cal game goes quickly I’ll look for you in the usual lot spot.

                "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
              • sslinger Sep 30,2013 9:21 pm || Up

                Let me know if you want to park at our house. I’m invited to the Cal game too and may also go for the DH.

                • Soaker Sep 30,2013 10:30 pm || Up

                  Thanks, sslinger, but thinking it through, I don’t need to drive to Berkeley and with no severe time pressure BART is an efficient way to get from one event to the other.

                  What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
                • sslinger Oct 1,2013 9:51 am || Up

                  No problem, and I concur with not driving if you don’t need to. Looks like I am going to both games that day as well, should be a fun one.

            • Jennifer Sep 30,2013 7:25 pm || Up

              I hate you too. If you guys never hear from me again, I’m pouting, alone.

      • Jennifer Sep 30,2013 4:23 pm || Up

        I hate all of you.

    • lenscrafters Sep 30,2013 4:31 pm || Up

      Shoot, what are the chances of watching this game in its entirety and making an 11pm SFO outbound flight?

      • whimsical witch Sep 30,2013 4:33 pm || Up

        out of OAK or SFO?

        • dmoas Sep 30,2013 4:39 pm || Up

          Well… he said SFO outbound flight… so I’m going to guess OAK.

          • colin Sep 30,2013 6:30 pm || Up

            It’s actually a flight from SFO to OAK. Short layover at SJC.

            • ozzman99 Sep 30,2013 11:49 pm || Up

              I do believe there used to be such a flight.

              • dmoas Oct 1,2013 7:44 am || Up

                There still is. It just now has a layover.

              • doctorK Oct 1,2013 8:34 am || Up

                I flew this once, in 1974.

                • ozzman99 Oct 1,2013 10:42 pm || Up

                  I’m not clear on the point of offering such a flight. Even in the days before security, you had to get to the airport, and arrange transportation on the other side.

                • doctorK Oct 1,2013 11:42 pm || Up

                  In 1974, the SFO-OAK flight continued on to PDX. We took the SFO-OAK leg as a continuation from a flight from Hawaii.

                • ozzman99 Oct 2,2013 6:43 pm || Up

                  Back in the late ’80’s/early ’90’s, I used to play Flight Simulator and would take off from OAK and land in SFO. Just because I didn’t have the patience to fly any farther.

          • whimsical witch Sep 30,2013 11:23 pm || Up

            well, i just can’t read, okay??????????????????????????? :P

      • dmoas Sep 30,2013 4:40 pm || Up

        Show up at the airport at game time. You’ll see the first 6, maybe 7 innings before you board.

        • dmoas Sep 30,2013 4:41 pm || Up

          I can’t do math. You’d see the entire game as long as you were already at the airport watching.

        • James V. Sep 30,2013 4:56 pm || Up

          This is the way to go. Just hang out at a sports bar or something in the terminal.

        • lenscrafters Sep 30,2013 5:12 pm || Up

          Sorry I wasn’t clear guys. I meant I have tickets to the game and I’m trying to see if I can still make an 11 pm flight at SFO, taking BART, after watching the game. Looks like the BART schedule says the latest I could plausibly cut it is a 9:06 train leaving the Coliseum so I guess I’d have to miss the last inning or so. Hopefully the A’s are up by 6 runs by then.

          • Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 5:15 pm || Up

            No way to move your flight? Leaving a playoff game early would be kind of a bummer.

            • lenscrafters Sep 30,2013 6:00 pm || Up

              Unfortunately no. Need to be back in SEA early Sunday morning.

          • Glorious Mundy Sep 30,2013 8:17 pm || Up

            One thing to keep in mind is that the BART station is going to be nuts at the end of the game. You need to build in extra time to get to your train and fight your way to the front of the platform.

      • ptbnl Oct 1,2013 12:39 am || Up

        If it’s a United flight it’ll leave 2 hours late anyway.

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
  17. andeux Sep 30,2013 3:36 pm

    My timing sucks.

    TINSTAAFK
  18. Jennifer Sep 30,2013 4:43 pm

    Are we doing a game thread for tonight?

    • dmoas Sep 30,2013 4:44 pm || Up

      Fire up a multi-purpose wild, wild wild card thread for the next 3 days.

    • James V. Sep 30,2013 4:56 pm || Up

      That or just do it here.

      In front of everyone.

    • Soaker Sep 30,2013 5:04 pm || Up

      I didn’t see any draft underway so, not to usurp, but I tossed one up there. It may start slowly, but I do expect this to a 5-hour affair.

      What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
  19. AV Sep 30,2013 9:10 pm

    meanwhile, in washington…

    *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • beebo Sep 30,2013 9:14 pm || Up

      We’re all gonna die!!!

    • Englishmajor Sep 30,2013 9:17 pm || Up

      • beebo Sep 30,2013 9:20 pm || Up

        I almost retweeted that earlier, couldn’t help but laugh.

  20. FreeSeatUpgrade Oct 1,2013 8:38 am

    Billy Beane for Mayor of Oakland, urges Chip Johnson. Let’s see…huge paycut, work with angry immature vindictive people, ruin your reputation for problem-solving…sign me up!

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • dmoas Oct 1,2013 9:40 am || Up

      But imagine if you were successful. You’d be the next President. President of what, I don’t now. But of something!

    • AV Oct 1,2013 9:43 am || Up

      maybe they can build him his own city.

      (speaking of city, with dubai investors, do i smell a soccer team down the street?)

      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
      • dmoas Oct 1,2013 10:04 am || Up

        Might make a football stadium more feasible if they had a second sport in there.

        • AV Oct 1,2013 10:13 am || Up

          can you imagine the groundskeeping nightmare of taking out the field and putting in a pitch, week after week??

          only slightly more serious comment: would lew block it, claiming SJ quakes territorial rights??

          *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
          • Glorious Mundy Oct 1,2013 10:24 am || Up

            Yes, probably. As I understand it, MLS teams do have some form of territorial rights. I’ve read 75 miles, but I don’t know whether that’s accurate. When Chivas USA started up in LA, they had to pay off the Galaxy for the right. NYCFC or whatever the stupid name is apparently doesn’t have to pay off the Red Bulls, but that’s because Red Bull was forced by the league to waive its territorial rights as a condition of buying the team.

            • AV Oct 1,2013 10:32 am || Up

              oh well. football not futbol. oh, the gridiron-y.

              *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
              • dmoas Oct 1,2013 11:32 am || Up

                Also. Think of the tarps.

                • AV Oct 1,2013 11:35 am || Up

                  futboleros make their own.

                  *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
                • dmoas Oct 1,2013 12:09 pm || Up

                  Holy hell.

  21. Glorious Mundy Oct 1,2013 10:38 am

    I get the sense that all of your mainstream prognosticators are going to pick the Tigers and the Dodgers to win the pennants because of the conventional wisdom that elite starting pitching trumps all in the postseason. Anyone know of a good article analyzing whether there is any truth to that conventional wisdom? Maybe it’s the scars from 2001-2003 talking, but I have my doubts.

  22. James V. Oct 1,2013 10:56 am

  23. Glorious Mundy Oct 1,2013 11:02 am

    Trying not to jinx this…

  24. Glorious Mundy Oct 1,2013 11:05 am

    D-No keeps it real.

    “You can look at this like the All-Star break – a couple of guys are going to play like s- for two days, but other guys will pick them up and we’re all going to feel more fresh.”

    • AV Oct 1,2013 11:16 am || Up

      oh geez. [trying to to remember dates of worst A’s slump this year.] [trying to to remember dates of worst A’s slump this year.]

      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
      • AV Oct 1,2013 11:17 am || Up

        *not to! x2 because cut and paste junkie.

        *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  25. AV Oct 1,2013 11:14 am

    more blatter. 25-person committee to maybe decide on moving the date of the WC. i just ask one thing: can we stop saying summer/winter and say june/whatever month — it’s confusing enough already figuring out the real meaning behind translations and soundbites without trying to navigate if FIFA knows/remembers 2014 IS a winter cup, the sixth in history by my feeble count.

    also, is it true the 100th anniversary, 2030 cup is set for argentina or uruguay?? oh man, i hope i’m around for that one.

    *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  26. aardvark Oct 1,2013 12:15 pm

    Anyone know anything about postseason.tv? $5 to watch the playoffs is fine with me, as long as I can actually watch them, specifically the A’s. I don’t have cable and I’m not clear what “alternate angle companion coverage” means.

    • Cretgren Oct 1,2013 12:32 pm || Up

      You get every game that isn’t on FOX (I think). There is a quad-view (similar to watching 4 games at once on MLB.TV) where you see 4 cameras: one focused generally around one dugout/baseline, one on the other, one looking at batters/home plate and one looking out into the field (these last two are the most useful IMO). You can kinda tell which camera is being seen on the TV broadcast at a given moment, because they are less shaky. There is no production package (thing w/ balls/strikes/score/etc.), but you can still hear the announcers and the sounds of different graphics coming up on screen (you just can’t see the graphics themselves).

      • Glorious Mundy Oct 1,2013 12:42 pm || Up

        No replays either. Everything is live.

    • AV Oct 1,2013 12:35 pm || Up

      i think AACC refers to giving you access to cameras that are not shown in the regular broadcast mix of the game. like, when camera 1 is on the batter, camera 2 on the pitcher, camera 3 might be on the 1st baseman, the mix shows you cuts of all three at different times, but this way you can switch between them as you want, or maybe have 4-corners showing all at the same time and the regular mix too. i think.

      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • colin Oct 1,2013 2:01 pm || Up

      I tried it last year, but found it frustrating to watch. Since you are getting raw camera feeds, you have to figure out which one is the most useful at any given time. Before that, I really took for granted all of the editing that goes into a tv broadcast.

      • aardvark Oct 2,2013 2:30 pm || Up

        Ok, Thanks. I guess I’ll just pay for beer and get my game for free at the bar.

    • lenscrafters Oct 1,2013 2:31 pm || Up

      If you guys are already subscribed to MLB.tv you can just subscribe to a month of Tunnelbear for 5 bucks and you’ll get the TV broadcasts using an offshore VPN. It worked perfectly fine for me yesterday when I was watching the Rays-Rangers game.

      • Glorious Mundy Oct 1,2013 2:35 pm || Up

        And if you aren’t already subscribed, they offer a postseason-only package (only available internationally) for $25.

      • JediLeroy Oct 1,2013 2:56 pm || Up

        I use a free Japanese VPN. Works pretty well.

        az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
  27. James V. Oct 1,2013 1:56 pm

    Joy. Next year’s BP jerseys.

    • AV Oct 1,2013 4:13 pm || Up

      any rationale behind the one 13 and two 14s?

      also, yankees must be FKing desperate if they’re bringing dimaggio back.

      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
      • PDXAthleticsfan Oct 1,2013 4:18 pm || Up

        First thought was retired numbers, but your second sentence negates that and the Red Sox haven’t retired number 5 (Astros have – Bagwell, as well as the Orioles, Marlins, Indians, Royals, Reds (twice), and Tigers).

        So, FK if I know.

        A soliloquy of fresh-sounding ideas which would probably be disastrous.
    • colin Oct 2,2013 5:20 am || Up

      When did the A’s join the “no names on the back” club?

      • James V. Oct 2,2013 6:53 am || Up

        They haven’t worn names on the backs of their BP jerseys in ages.

  28. the llama Oct 1,2013 1:59 pm

    Thunderbutt, MikeV: still meeting up at the Alehouse tomorrow (oct 2) at 6 pm?

    • MikeV Oct 1,2013 6:38 pm || Up

      Yeah, I’m up for it.

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

      Thanks, and go As.

  29. Dial C for Concupiscence Oct 1,2013 5:10 pm

    So I conflated “topology” and “topography” in a conversation earlier today, which was a bit embarrassing, but looking up “topology” on wikipedia did lead to me to find the Hairy Ball Theorem, so it’s not a total loss.

    • Englishmajor Oct 1,2013 7:09 pm || Up

      The note at top is excellent:

      “Hairy balls” redirects here. For the mayor of Fort Wayne, see Harry Baals.

      • Dial C for Concupiscence Oct 2,2013 10:55 am || Up

        “‘Hairy balls’ redirects here.” is a pretty excellent tagline too

    • colin Oct 2,2013 5:24 am || Up

      I in fact spend most of every day thinking about a tangent vector field (well, spin-2 field really) defined on a 2-sphere (the sky). Can’t say that I’ve run into many opportunities to invoke the Hairy Ball Theorem though.

      • ptbnl Oct 2,2013 8:59 am || Up

        Hah! I spit on your B-modes.

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
        • colin Oct 2,2013 12:48 pm || Up

          I was hoping that you were busy getting the Planck polarization data ready for publication (and Polarbear too!)

          • ptbnl Oct 2,2013 12:51 pm || Up

            That’s what I’m in Norway for – Planck is aiming for June 2014 (and PolarBear for September 2013!)

            If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
            • colin Oct 2,2013 12:57 pm || Up

              Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but September 2013 has already come and gone.

              • ptbnl Oct 2,2013 1:01 pm || Up

                We’d noticed …

                If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
                • colin Oct 2,2013 1:03 pm || Up

                  I wasn’t sure if that was a typo, or business as usual.

                • ptbnl Oct 2,2013 1:05 pm || Up

                  We’ve been hit by the curse of “blind analysis”.

                  If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
                • colin Oct 2,2013 1:14 pm || Up

                  Well, I can tell you that the opposite curse is still alive and well.

                • harensheir15 Oct 4,2013 4:06 am || Up

                  I really enjoy it whey you guys talk shop.

                • harensheir15 Oct 4,2013 4:08 am || Up

                  Hrmph. The y is nowhere close to n.
                  When you guys talk shop.

                • AV Oct 4,2013 8:45 am || Up

                  the curds of blind phalanxes.

                  *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
                • ptbnl Oct 7,2013 12:10 pm || Up

                  Looks like to government shutdown is jeopardizing the entire Antarctic program, and the EBEX gondola and instrument may be stuck on the ice for another year.

                  If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
                • nevermoor Oct 7,2013 12:11 pm || Up

                  Double bonus for GOPers. They can kill science

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • colin Oct 7,2013 12:14 pm || Up

                  I’m scheduled to be on the ice from New Year Eve through February 14. Hopefully they will have it figured out by then.

                  I don’t know if I heard the story of why EBEX didn’t ship back north last year. They just didn’t have room in the cargo system?

                • colin Oct 7,2013 12:15 pm || Up

                  Also, the word from Carlstrom is that we don’t need to panic… yet.

                • ptbnl Oct 7,2013 1:00 pm || Up

                  The truck got hijacked ;-)

                  If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
  30. harensheir15 Oct 1,2013 10:59 pm

    Hey congressman, appropriate this!

  31. bear88 Oct 2,2013 7:50 am

    Interesting playoff rotation picks. I approve of the Gray choice, wonder if Griffin’s tendinitis is an excuse to use Straily instead in Game 4. I still don’t trust Straily, but he has been pitching well lately. No Verlander in Game 1.

    • Glorious Mundy Oct 2,2013 9:40 am || Up

      Prediction: Suzuki catches Straily in that game in hopes that this veteran catchery experience can keep him throwing strikes. Also, Fister has reverse platoon splits.

      • ptbnl Oct 2,2013 9:47 am || Up

        And reverse Fister causes pantaloon splits.

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • colin Oct 2,2013 12:49 pm || Up

      The Griffin stuff sounds pretty legit to me. It’s possible that they would prefer Straily anyway, but this doesn’t seem like it’s just an excuse.

      • bear88 Oct 2,2013 3:00 pm || Up

        It’s probably legit, just weird that we never heard anything about it until now.

  32. Glorious Mundy Oct 2,2013 9:52 am
    • Jennifer Oct 2,2013 9:59 am || Up

      So… Hawk? Really? And I’m supposed to take this “award” seriously?

      • dmoas Oct 2,2013 2:10 pm || Up

        He’ll win over King. I don’t want King to get it since they inducted McCaaaaaaava.

    • Dial C for Concupiscence Oct 2,2013 10:57 am || Up

      Tim McCarver is on the panel, so I don’t see how anything could go wrong.

  33. Glorious Mundy Oct 2,2013 9:55 am

    Not sure how much of this is speculation and how much is based on hints from management, but Slusser suggests that Otero could have the Cook role in the playoffs.

    • FreeSeatUpgrade Oct 2,2013 11:13 am || Up

      My guess would be that Melvin will be more inclined to make quick situational switches in the 6th and 7th innings, sandwiching Anderson between Otero and Cook for matchups, rather than choosing either Otero or Cook for “the Cook role” as we’ve seen in for most of this year.

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  34. Glorious Mundy Oct 2,2013 10:52 am

    Jackie Moore fired. What decade is this?

    • James V. Oct 2,2013 11:08 am || Up

      Rangers got rid of their bench coach and 1B coach? That’ll fix it. World Series trophy, here they come!

      • Glorious Mundy Oct 2,2013 11:14 am || Up

        Lambs don’t come much more sacrificial than that.

  35. Glorious Mundy Oct 2,2013 11:20 am

    Ouch

    • ptbnl Oct 2,2013 12:23 pm || Up

      He went for the ball(s).

      If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
      • Glorious Mundy Oct 2,2013 12:31 pm || Up

        When it comes to judging whether something is a foul, that’s not the testes it?

    • dmoas Oct 2,2013 2:12 pm || Up

      I love that he’s look straight at the ball as we does it. And that look is very crazed.

  36. Glorious Mundy Oct 2,2013 12:24 pm

    Real Talk

    It’s important to be very clear about what’s scary here. It’s not any one instance of disagreement or brinksmanship. It’s the emergence of the sustained, structural problems that have harmed other countries with similar presidential systems. To believe that the U.S. won’t eventually face terrible consequences from the mixture of polarized parties in a presidential system is to believe that the clear trends in our political system will, for reasons that are currently unclear, reverse themselves. That would be nice, but as they say, hope is not a plan. And the problems of our politics have something of a built-in defense mechanism against meddlesome voters trying to impose sanity on the system.

    • dmoas Oct 2,2013 2:16 pm || Up

      Someone smart ought to start a class action suit against the lot of them for negligance and failure to do their job.

    • nevermoor Oct 2,2013 8:53 pm || Up

      Indeed. Dropping the filibuster would be a huge first step to at least let a party with majorities rule. But it doesn’t fix the problem in split situations (which are likely b/c of the GOP structural advantages in the house)

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  37. MikeV Oct 2,2013 2:07 pm

    IF YOU DON’T LIKE THIS VIDEO I HATE YOU AND FIND YOU STUPID

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

    Thanks, and go As.

    • doctorK Oct 2,2013 2:29 pm || Up

      So I hope you love me and find me brilliant!

    • Englishmajor Oct 2,2013 2:30 pm || Up

      Welling up at work.

      • DFA Oct 2,2013 3:22 pm || Up

        this so this

        In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
    • Glorious Mundy Oct 2,2013 2:34 pm || Up

      Love. Anyone know who the narrator is?

      • Jennifer Oct 2,2013 2:40 pm || Up

        Um… Roy Steele.

        • Glorious Mundy Oct 2,2013 3:26 pm || Up

          You edited!

          • Jennifer Oct 2,2013 5:52 pm || Up

            Yes. After I clicked the “More” button. I had my answer changed before Mike, though.

      • MikeV Oct 2,2013 2:43 pm || Up

        Roy Steele. :)

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

        Thanks, and go As.

        • Glorious Mundy Oct 2,2013 2:59 pm || Up

          Seriously? Either I don’t recognize him not coming out of the Coli PA, or it has been too long since I’ve heard him.

          • MikeV Oct 2,2013 3:02 pm || Up

            He doesn’t sound exactly like the booming voice of god without the PA

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

            Thanks, and go As.

    • Glorious Mundy Oct 3,2013 11:02 am || Up

      What happened to this video? The mlb.com page says CLIP DELETED.

      • MikeV Oct 3,2013 11:03 am || Up

        I BET LEW DELETED IT JUST LIKE HE CLOGGED UP THE SEWERS!!1!one!!

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

        Thanks, and go As.

        • Glorious Mundy Oct 3,2013 11:07 am || Up

          DAMMIT LEW! *shakes fist*

        • Glorious Mundy Oct 3,2013 12:03 pm || Up

          Relevant:

          Sewage news: The Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Authority said Wednesday that a review of the three sewage incidents at the Coliseum this season determined that all were “man-made and not the product of faulty infrastructure.”

          A towel caused one toilet backup and a major incident in June was caused by an unidentified cloth item that blocked pipes.

          It also sounds like Aramarkers have been pouring grease down the drains.

      • Englishmajor Oct 3,2013 11:57 am || Up

        I’m hoping that it was just put up prematurely — supposed to be rolled out tomorrow at the game, and will be back up after that. It’s stupid of the A’s to take it down, though; all the blogs and tweets and FB posts with it attached are going nowhere, those are eyeballs they’re not getting.

        • Englishmajor Oct 3,2013 11:59 am || Up

          That said, I don’t think Lew would have green-lighted it if he’d seen it beforehand.

  38. aardvark Oct 2,2013 2:33 pm

    I’m guessing that you all have seen this before, but somehow I missed it until today.

  39. Englishmajor Oct 2,2013 3:42 pm

    Coco is not eligible for the Gold Glove, but he’s not tripping:

    “I’m old and cool and I’m not a butthead”

    • Glorious Mundy Oct 2,2013 3:45 pm || Up

      Alas, the A’s were recently informed that he does not qualify for the Rawlings Gold Glove under the new — and somewhat anonymous — guidelines adopted by the company. An outfielder must play 95 games and 713 innings by the team’s 141st game to be eligible. Crisp missed the cutoff by two games despite logging 779 innings.

      The hell?

      • dmoas Oct 2,2013 3:47 pm || Up

        WTF. How does game 141 make a rat’s ass about anything.

        • andeux Oct 2,2013 3:56 pm || Up

          That’s probably when the printed ballots go out.

          TINSTAAFK
          • dmoas Oct 2,2013 4:00 pm || Up

            Which makes it just as dumb.

            • FreeSeatUpgrade Oct 2,2013 4:14 pm || Up

              Hey, printed ballots are very important for the many voters who complete them using typewriters, then copy them on mimeograph machines for dispatch via carrier pigeon.

              "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
      • AV Oct 2,2013 4:47 pm || Up

        is anonymous the word they’re really going for there? no time to read up if so, which i could see if the rules were written behind the scenes, but if so, how can they be somewhat anonymous? first name only? just initials?

        ambiguous? (though they seem fairly unambiguous too.)

        *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
        • dmoas Oct 2,2013 4:48 pm || Up

          Perhaps some of the rules aren’t being shared?

        • ptbnl Oct 2,2013 4:52 pm || Up

          They’re the Rawlings Gold Guidelines and they’re somewhat eponymous.

          If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • MikeV Oct 2,2013 4:04 pm || Up

      He also had a 0.1 UZR this season.

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

      Thanks, and go As.

      • dmoas Oct 2,2013 4:13 pm || Up

        I don’t think anyone’s arguing he should win the award, just that he should be eligible to not win the award.

        • Glorious Mundy Oct 2,2013 4:18 pm || Up

          I’ll argue that he should win it, if for no other reason than I can’t think of a better candidate.

          • James V. Oct 2,2013 6:51 pm || Up

            Austin Jackson, Adam Jones.

            Crisp is solid at playing CF, but ask him to do anything more like throwing and he becomes pretty worthless.

            • DFA Oct 3,2013 6:56 am || Up

              Jones as he has for pretty much his entire career is half a win BELOW average in CF. Why should he win again?

              In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
      • JediLeroy Oct 2,2013 4:13 pm || Up

        …How? My Nico’s Eyeball Meter disagrees.

        az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
        • MikeV Oct 2,2013 4:17 pm || Up

          -5.4 arm rating hurts.

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

          Thanks, and go As.

          • dmoas Oct 2,2013 4:19 pm || Up

            I’m surprised it’s not more. It’s pretty awful.

        • andeux Oct 2,2013 4:23 pm || Up

          Playing between two corner outfielders with good range probably hurts too, since he loses out on extra credit for balls that they catch that he could have gotten to as well. (And his bad arm further hurts him indirectly there, since with men on he’s more likely than most CFers to defer to the other fielder in those situations.)

          TINSTAAFK
        • lenscrafters Oct 2,2013 4:33 pm || Up

          I feel like Coco plays an exceptionally deep centerfield. This allows him to make those gorgeous catches going back/over the wall and ranging laterally. But there have been more than a few times that a ball’s dropped in medium deep center field that I think an ordinary CFer would’ve caught.

          As such, those flyballs that drop in front of him for singles are a lot less noticeable than the balls that would’ve been hit over his head or past him for doubles. But the metrics don’t miss those.

          • andeux Oct 2,2013 4:40 pm || Up

            FWIW, a recent study says that playing deep is the better strategy overall (within limits, of course, but Crisp is not on his list of players who play the deepest).

            TINSTAAFK
            • lenscrafters Oct 2,2013 4:48 pm || Up

              Ah I see. Thanks for the link.

            • dmoas Oct 2,2013 4:54 pm || Up

              One thing missing from the study (and is probably included as a result of the results) is that it’s easier to track a ball that you can see (going to the side or forward) than track a ball going backwards as well as get the ball in quicker.

              • DFA Oct 2,2013 5:11 pm || Up

                also it doesn’t account for the fact that there could be real skill set differences that coaches try to take advantage of because of positioning.

                In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
    • MikeV Oct 2,2013 4:12 pm || Up

      More curious is whether or not Reddick will win a second one in a row.

      If you listen to fangraphs, he’s got the 3rd highest UZR of all outfielders in teh AL this year.

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

      Thanks, and go As.

      • Glorious Mundy Oct 2,2013 4:15 pm || Up

        Is he eligible? It must be very close.

        • James V. Oct 2,2013 6:53 pm || Up

          He played 17 fewer games than Crisp. Apparently that would matter?

        • Soaker Oct 2,2013 7:03 pm || Up

          Prior to going on the DL after team Game 129, Reddick had played 96 games in the outfield and a total of 823-1/3 innings, so he does appear to qualify (barely, per number of games).

          What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
      • dmoas Oct 2,2013 4:16 pm || Up

        Yeah, but he sucked at the plate.

        • MikeV Oct 2,2013 4:19 pm || Up

          But he won last year so I think that gets overlooked.

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

          Thanks, and go As.

          • dmoas Oct 2,2013 4:20 pm || Up

            Now I’m trying to figure out who slipped on the banana, me to your comment, or you to mine.

            • Glorious Mundy Oct 2,2013 4:21 pm || Up

              Neither. MikeV is pointing to the incumbency effect in GG voting.

              • MikeV Oct 2,2013 5:03 pm || Up

                Correct!

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

                Thanks, and go As.

              • dmoas Oct 2,2013 6:02 pm || Up

                Yes. But I was joking about the offense thing.

  40. Glorious Mundy Oct 2,2013 6:13 pm

    It seems like it should be a person whose name is actually “Hitner” who wants to change it to something else, because, you know.

    • AV Oct 2,2013 8:13 pm || Up

      no… i don’t know. can you give me a hitn?

      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
      • JediLeroy Oct 2,2013 8:57 pm || Up

        az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
        • AV Oct 2,2013 11:48 pm || Up

          he’s right, you know that?

          /ron vibbentrop

          *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  41. nevermoor Oct 2,2013 10:04 pm

    This is right in this blog’s wheelhouse.

    Example:

    "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  42. Soaker Oct 2,2013 10:13 pm

    Will anybody with the least bit of experience in web site design please report to the Nevada Health Insurance Exchange immediately. #OhGodIsThisBad

    What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
    • Soaker Oct 2,2013 10:34 pm || Up

      Site asks: Please attach documentation of income. Choose file.
      Self: Attempts to attach 2012FederalTaxReturn.pdf
      Site: INVALID FILE EXTENSION

      And that’s the point where I threw in the towel for the night (also, the whole site crashed just thereafter). Prior to that, there was a long series of questions, but only one per screen, often involving clicking a radio button. You click the button, then have to wait for the screen to refresh with your selection highlighted, then it asks you whether you want to Save and Continue, then the screen refreshes again and you move to the next question. It’s like Windows 95 and the early days of the Internet all over again.

      What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
      • dmoas Oct 2,2013 10:48 pm || Up

        Was it built with SurveyMonkey?

        • Soaker Oct 2,2013 11:04 pm || Up

          I’ve downloaded and installed Netscape Navigator 2.0 and will try to finish the application using that tomorrow. I’m not even shopping for insurance right now, just trying to enter the basic info to enable them to tell me I’m eligible for the advance tax credit.

          What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
          • DFA Oct 3,2013 7:11 am || Up

            Im sorry that this sucks for you. It might make sense to wait a couple days/weeks and do it after some of the glitches have been worked out

            In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
            • Soaker Oct 3,2013 10:06 am || Up

              Oh sure, but there’s been plenty of publicity and I wanted to see what the experience of trying to sign up would be like. I’m pretty sure I’m more informed than most of the people trying to use the site. I was more amused than angry. The PDF issue is obviously a “glitch”, but it’s obvious that the basic site design makes it unnecessarily cumbersome to enter your information. A retail company with a site like that would never sell anything to anybody.

              What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
              • DFA Oct 3,2013 12:31 pm || Up

                A retail site wouldn’t have 2million people log on to it in the first hour of its existence but a slow ramp up that allowed for dealing with said problems. Comparing governemt to business is almost Always a folly since government operates for the public good not for profit or efficiency.

                In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
                • Glorious Mundy Oct 3,2013 12:32 pm || Up

                  Efficiency would be a nice ancillary goal.

                • DFA Oct 3,2013 1:34 pm || Up

                  I don’t disagree

                  In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
                • dmoas Oct 3,2013 12:53 pm || Up

                  Tell that to EA with the SimCity debacle.

                • DFA Oct 3,2013 1:37 pm || Up

                  Which went equally as bad or worse than Obamacare rolled out

                  In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
                • dmoas Oct 3,2013 2:36 pm || Up

                  That’s kind of my point. Even business aren’t particularly bright.

                • andeux Oct 3,2013 1:53 pm || Up

                  Lots of big companies get huge surges in web traffic when they release a new product, or a software update, or there is a big news story. That’s why services like Akamai and Amazon Cloudfront exist.

                  For that matter, so do other government services, notably the IRS around tax time. Having to do this on the state level, rather than on the federal level, greatly increased the chance of errors, both in distributing clear information and in the IT infrastructure.

                  TINSTAAFK
                • FreeSeatUpgrade Oct 3,2013 2:16 pm || Up

                  Additionally, according to the New York Post (yeah I know) there may have been a denial-of-service attack maliciously launched at New York State’s registry on Tuesday.

                  "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
                • nevermoor Oct 3,2013 3:20 pm || Up

                  Plus, if we had just reduced the Medicare age to zero (like I want), there’d be no need for any of it.

                  That said, I still see it as good-but-not-perfect, with opportunities to improve.

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • DFA Oct 3,2013 3:51 pm || Up

                  Right, except most of those companies or governments have been offering those services for a while and its not like it all materialized overnight.

                  In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
    • Glorious Mundy Oct 3,2013 4:03 pm || Up

      Apparently Nevada is working with Xerox on this, which…let’s just say Xerox isn’t the first company that comes to mind when I think “modern technology.”

      Also, that link shows the pent-up demand for what the exchanges are offering.

  43. AV Oct 2,2013 11:43 pm

    pfft. google images > DNA testing. dad’s eyes, mom’s haircut; ronan farrow: september son.

    *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  44. Glorious Mundy Oct 3,2013 9:43 am
  45. Glorious Mundy Oct 3,2013 10:19 am

    Good stuff:

    The White House has decided that they can’t govern effectively if the House Republicans can keep playing Calvinball. The rules and promises Boehner makes are not their problem, they’ve decided. They’re not going to save him.

    And it’s working.

    • nevermoor Oct 3,2013 3:21 pm || Up

      Yep. I hate the shutdown, but if it breaks the crazies (like it did for about a decade last time) it’s a major win.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • DFA Oct 3,2013 4:06 pm || Up

      Calvin ball is fun… if you are Calvin

      In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
  46. Glorious Mundy Oct 3,2013 10:22 am
  47. Glorious Mundy Oct 3,2013 10:26 am

    John Shea picks the Dodgers to beat the A’s in the World Series in five games. The Chron illustrates it with a pick of you know who rounding the bases. Epic trolling of both Bay Area fan bases right there.

    • Glorious Mundy Oct 3,2013 12:13 pm || Up

      In all seriousness though, the Chron went all out on a special section today including a nice spread on the RFB crew.

    • nevermoor Oct 3,2013 3:22 pm || Up

      Hope he’s almost right. If we’re losing the WS this year, though, it had better be to the Pirates.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  48. MikeV Oct 3,2013 10:50 am

    Mandatory unpaid vacation starts next friday.

    Thanks, Congress. FUCK YOU.

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

    Thanks, and go As.

    • nevermoor Oct 3,2013 3:23 pm || Up

      Replace “Congress” with “Boehner”. It isn’t everyone’s fault. It’s his. If he simply brought a clean CR to the house floor (which is 100% within his power), it would pass, pass the Senate, and be signed.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
      • Glorious Mundy Oct 3,2013 3:26 pm || Up

        I don’t really get, on a psychological level, why he doesn’t see this as the opportunity to be a hero/statesman and just do it. He would probably lose his speakership over it, but at this point I don’t understand why continuing to be speaker is at all appealing to him.

        • dmoas Oct 3,2013 3:54 pm || Up

          If he really wanted to be a hero. He’d do it. Then afterward, resign the chair and start up his own party of moderates and take those that have been willing to compromise along with him. He may even be able to snag a few moderate liberals along the way. The end result would take major wind out the Republican party while putting him into a very good political position of setting up a strong moderate agenda in the middle that could compete with both sides of the aisle.

          • Glorious Mundy Oct 3,2013 3:58 pm || Up

            He’s too dumb, cowardly, lazy, and emotionally fragile to do all of that. But scheduling the vote and then giving a floor speech about putting his country above partisan differences blah blah blah…he could do that.

        • DFA Oct 3,2013 5:01 pm || Up

          Because he loves being speaker

          In play, run(s)! Talk dirty to me gamecast, talk dirty. - Nevermoor
  49. MikeV Oct 3,2013 11:09 am
    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

    Thanks, and go As.

    • Soaker Oct 3,2013 11:17 am || Up

      It seems like a thoughtful piece. “Everybody is bitching” must be a reference to the diss of Save Oakland Sports.

      What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
      • MikeV Oct 3,2013 11:20 am || Up

        Dunno, the guy who wrote the article said that he reached out to SOS and never got a reply.

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

        Thanks, and go As.

      • Englishmajor Oct 3,2013 12:04 pm || Up

        There’s a lot of trolling and overreaction on the social medias.

        • Soaker Oct 3,2013 12:17 pm || Up

          Yeah, I looked at Keown’s Twitter feed and then checked those of some of the people who tweeted him. In addition to the SOS bit I guess some of them wanted Keown to write a couple thousand words about the role of pro sports in Oakland without mentioning violent crime. I considered that an essential part of his point about the importance of the A’s, Raiders and Warriors to the city.

          What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
    • Glorious Mundy Oct 3,2013 11:32 am || Up

      Great piece. Reads like a eulogy, but that doesn’t make it less great.

    • Englishmajor Oct 3,2013 12:02 pm || Up

      I think it’s nuanced and thoughtful, and ultimately pro-Oakland.

      • dmoas Oct 3,2013 12:55 pm || Up

        Yeah. I think it may be one of the best, most honest and fair pieces explaining the situation.

        • James V. Oct 3,2013 7:39 pm || Up

          Exactly, and that’s why some people hate it so much – it deals in reality, not fantasy. It cites good things and bad things and gives a solid picture of the history of sports in Oakland.

          But, if you don’t say “OAKLAND IS GREAT!” it means you’re saying “OAKLAND SUCKS!” according to some.

          • dmoas Oct 3,2013 9:18 pm || Up

            Ironically, it is actually saying Oakland is great. But your point still stands.

            • James V. Oct 4,2013 8:24 am || Up

              It’s not saying “Oakland is great” without citing the not so great side, though. That’s the part some people don’t seem capable of looking beyond, like anyone who talks about Oakland must do so like it’s the best place ever.

              • AV Oct 4,2013 8:49 am || Up

                what do you mean?? even our robbery rate is #1!

                *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
                • dmoas Oct 4,2013 2:45 pm || Up

                  We’re #

                  Hey! Thief! Give me back my one!

      • FreeSeatUpgrade Oct 3,2013 1:35 pm || Up

        Eh, mixed reviews from me. I agree that taken in total it is a good picture of the Oakland sports landscape, and does a much better job than most in placing sports in the context of other Oakland issues. Both good and bad, including the crime and municipal financial woes but also the strong future economic indicators.

        However, Keown really falls prey to lazy writing and hyperbole in trying to make his points, and most of that is in the parts where he talks about Oakland’s down sides. Oakland is not “Detroit with a slightly better accountant’ (it’s not bankrupt and gets AA+ bond ratings). People did not “line the sidewalks for eight miles” for Felix Mitchell’s funeral procession (several hundred people did; this event is often exaggerated by Oakland bashers, from whom Keown appears to have cribbed the reference). Citing one of several SOS-type petitions without citing other much more popular ones like, say, Boxer’s Facebook poll, is disingenuous (none of them mean much, but cherry-picking one minimal result is weak sauce). And the Warriors A’s and Raiders are not almost certain to leave, as most of you know.

        So, I like the article when I take it as a whole and view it through the grounding of what I already know. But it has flaws, largely of flaws of poor journalism, and I can see why people might be criticizing it (none of which I have read yet).

        "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
        • Englishmajor Oct 3,2013 2:13 pm || Up

          Also, Oakland’s not equal parts black, white, and Latino — it’s equal parts black, white, Latino, and Asian American.

        • AV Oct 3,2013 2:19 pm || Up

          not pointing at evidence, just an interesting video you made me look up:

          *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
          • FreeSeatUpgrade Oct 3,2013 2:34 pm || Up

            It was a big deal in Oakland to be sure. But most of what you see in that video is media filming the same one group of a couple hundred people. By no means were eight miles of E. 14th Street lined with mourners, that is ridiculous.

            "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
            • AV Oct 3,2013 2:50 pm || Up

              of course not. i just liked the video. and i totally get it that it’s the same crowd over and over for the thick of it, and then select street corners for the rest.

              reading the AP story from the time and through wiki’s easily misinterpreted info, i gather that from san antonio villas to star bethel baptist is about 8 miles, and that one block near his home had people lined 2 or 3 deep. it’s just typical reading comprehension these days that someone would go, OMG, people lined the streets for 8 miles!

              the capper might be that 1800 showed at his actual service. you don’t line the streets without going to the service and 1800 does not line 8 miles. just doesn’t add up.

              *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • James V. Oct 3,2013 7:37 pm || Up

      Some of the usual suspects definitely made themselves look bad by overreacting to a piece that was nothing like what they claimed it was.

  50. Glorious Mundy Oct 3,2013 12:19 pm

    This is fun. I especially like the 1927 Detroit logo with the confused, possibly depressed tiger.

    • AV Oct 3,2013 12:51 pm || Up

      timely! looking at front page of wapo just now, noticed lady in 2nd or 3rd story down wearing the birds-on-bat jersey for st louis, only the word wasn’t “cardinals” it was “st louis,” on home whites. went on untimely jag of historical cards logos.

      detroit has had bad luck with their mascot choice. 1901: learning to draw! 1934: lascivious. 1961: ascared.

      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
      • Glorious Mundy Oct 3,2013 12:56 pm || Up

        The scared tiger in a circle one is a personal favorite, because it was their logo on the MLB standings magnet board I had as a kid. That yellow, matinee idol Pirate in a yellow rectangle too. God I wish I still had that board so that I could go back to a time when logos were awesome and there was no such thing as “D-Backs.”

        • AV Oct 3,2013 1:05 pm || Up

          that pirate’s a charmer. but they can’t seem to land on one that works long term. they all look dated. 1960 pirate is inexplicable outside the sunday funnies.

          *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
      • Glorious Mundy Oct 3,2013 1:06 pm || Up

        This kind of thing also makes me realize how much logos and typography influence how I feel about non-A’s teams. There has been this surge of antipathy toward the Cardinals recently, but on a subconscious level I think I just can’t really dislike a team that has a logo as awesome as those birds on a bat.

        • AV Oct 3,2013 1:15 pm || Up
          *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
          • AV Oct 3,2013 1:16 pm || Up

            from here, btw.

            *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  51. MikeV Oct 3,2013 2:40 pm
    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

    Thanks, and go As.

    • nevermoor Oct 3,2013 3:28 pm || Up

      HOLY SHIT YES.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  52. brian.only Oct 3,2013 3:38 pm

    I’m starting to get really pissed off that the media continues calling the Tea-Party gang “conservatives”, I don’t really know what to call them, gangsters maybe, but they are not conservatives, conservatives believe in government.

    • dmoas Oct 3,2013 3:55 pm || Up

      Federal Terrorists.

      • brian.only Oct 3,2013 4:09 pm || Up

        Has a nice ring to it, Wacko Birds works too, but it’s offensive to birds.

    • Glorious Mundy Oct 3,2013 4:10 pm || Up

      Know Nothings

    • James V. Oct 3,2013 7:43 pm || Up

      Insane psychos.

    • nevermoor Oct 3,2013 9:53 pm || Up

      I mean… they’ve got the Speaker of the House doing their bidding, so I think that tying them to the GOP is completely fair.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • andeux Oct 4,2013 10:20 am || Up

      Nihilists, dude.

      TINSTAAFK
  53. brian.only Oct 3,2013 5:18 pm

    Glad tidings amidst the poop-ship of ‘Merican poop-litics

    • brian.only Oct 3,2013 5:19 pm || Up

      And I do want to meet a boisterous Fort Worth crow!

      • Englishmajor Oct 3,2013 5:22 pm || Up

        Better than boisterous Coliseum gulls!

  54. Englishmajor Oct 3,2013 5:29 pm

    Future Torii Hunter heckle: Hey Torii, you talk to imaginary poop on Twitter!

  55. nevermoor Oct 6,2013 10:53 am
    "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • ptbnl Oct 6,2013 12:13 pm || Up

      The Australian “Liberal” party might want to have a word with them about their plagiarism too (this from a fundraising dinner in June).

      If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
  56. Glorious Mundy Oct 6,2013 5:57 pm

    Reminder that dangerous lunatics are basically in charge of one of our two major parties:

    “I think we need to have that moment where we realize [we’re] going broke,” Yoho said. If the debt ceiling isn’t raised, that will sure as heck be a moment. “I think, personally, it would bring stability to the world markets,” since they would be assured that the United States had moved decisively to curb its debt.

    • brian.only Oct 6,2013 6:08 pm || Up

      What utter hubris, I really have a hard time grasping that he could truly believe this statement, it’s so completely divorced from reality…

      • Glorious Mundy Oct 6,2013 6:10 pm || Up

        I also love the way he casually lies to the constituent who calls him while the reporter is there.

        • nevermoor Oct 6,2013 8:57 pm || Up

          Also. Our debt is low enough relative to GDP. And dropping.

          "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"

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