I'm tired. My body hurts. And I need more money.
But, my birthday is in six days. I should be more excited.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
SWEEETHEARRRRT... Ain't goin' out like that.
So I'm sitting here, watching highlights of Ken Griffey, Jr. back when he played for the Mariners (i.e.: when BOTH of his hamstrings were fully operable), and all I can really say is, "Wow." Now granted, The Kid was never my favorite player growing up, but as a young adult, you really have to admire how hard he's played throughout his entire career. Sure, his trade to the Reds in 2000 probably ruined baseball in the new millennium by destroying an icon and legend's potential stay in one town for an entire career. To me, that's the biggest draw back to living in the free agency era of sports. I could really care less about guys being greedy and wanting 150 million dollars to play a "kids game." What I've always loved is seeing players that withhold a level of loyalty to a city. When you think about it, most of the true legends (especially in baseball) played all of their years in one city. George Brett, Robin Yount, Tony Gwynn, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax.... just to name a few.
In all seriousness, I just miss seeing guys that spend their entire career in one jersey. Think about it: Frank Thomas in a fucking Blue Jays jersey? Karl Malone dawning Lakers colors a few years ago? As a fan, it's just weird to see. We have expectations, and I almost feel greedy saying this, but some legends just aren't destined to win a championship, but that's part of their appeal. They play the underdog. Look at Indiana's own (and one of my LEAST favorite athelets, simply because he had to face my Bulls every year) Reggie Miller. One of his appeals is he's the guy who got there, but could never win it. Same with Charles Barkley, or the aforementioned Karl Malone.
**BREAKING NEWS: Miguel Tejada just got placed on the DL for his wrist injury, ending his streak of 1,152 consecutive games played. As one of his admirers, I'd just like to thank Miguel's hard work over the past seven plus years, staying healthy and remaining one of the best players in the league. Just like my man Vladamir Guerrero, Miggy puts up monster numbers and plays his heart out without running his mouth. A few more solid years will solidify his place in the Hall. He's quietly positioning himself as one of the best offensive shortstops in recent memory.
Meh... so I need to pop this huge fucking blister on my hand. Yesterday at work, I had a nice grease explosion engulf my hand and leave a nice quarter-sized blister on the palm of my right hand. I looked like a moron yesterday running around for a few hours trying to keep it submerged in freezing cold water. Just to make yesterday even better, Take-Two had decided to temporarily halt their plans to release Manhunt 2 for the Wii, one of my most-anticipated games of the year, due to "Adult-only" content. Read more about it here. Luckily, I still have The BIGS coming out on the 25th and Mario Strikers: Charged coming out at the end of July.
Good thing listening to Descendents makes everything so much better! Go buy Milo Goes to College, because you have nothing else better to do with your money.
In all seriousness, I just miss seeing guys that spend their entire career in one jersey. Think about it: Frank Thomas in a fucking Blue Jays jersey? Karl Malone dawning Lakers colors a few years ago? As a fan, it's just weird to see. We have expectations, and I almost feel greedy saying this, but some legends just aren't destined to win a championship, but that's part of their appeal. They play the underdog. Look at Indiana's own (and one of my LEAST favorite athelets, simply because he had to face my Bulls every year) Reggie Miller. One of his appeals is he's the guy who got there, but could never win it. Same with Charles Barkley, or the aforementioned Karl Malone.
**BREAKING NEWS: Miguel Tejada just got placed on the DL for his wrist injury, ending his streak of 1,152 consecutive games played. As one of his admirers, I'd just like to thank Miguel's hard work over the past seven plus years, staying healthy and remaining one of the best players in the league. Just like my man Vladamir Guerrero, Miggy puts up monster numbers and plays his heart out without running his mouth. A few more solid years will solidify his place in the Hall. He's quietly positioning himself as one of the best offensive shortstops in recent memory.
Meh... so I need to pop this huge fucking blister on my hand. Yesterday at work, I had a nice grease explosion engulf my hand and leave a nice quarter-sized blister on the palm of my right hand. I looked like a moron yesterday running around for a few hours trying to keep it submerged in freezing cold water. Just to make yesterday even better, Take-Two had decided to temporarily halt their plans to release Manhunt 2 for the Wii, one of my most-anticipated games of the year, due to "Adult-only" content. Read more about it here. Luckily, I still have The BIGS coming out on the 25th and Mario Strikers: Charged coming out at the end of July.
Good thing listening to Descendents makes everything so much better! Go buy Milo Goes to College, because you have nothing else better to do with your money.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Horse Sticker
So, that title has nothing to do with this post. Yup.
Essentially, this summer has been a wash so far. I'm not working 40 hours, thanks to the restaurant I work at not being able to afford to pay anyone for more than 25ish hours of labor. I shot myself in the foot by not going home and working at Home Depot, knowing full well I would've been working 40 hours a week and been pulling home 600 dollars a pay check to boot, which is about twice as much as I make on one now, and since me finding another job seems to be next to impossible at this point, I'm being forced to bite the bullet and stay at BoB's through the rest of the summer, at the earliest.
My 21st birthday is coming up soon. July 2nd to be exact. I'm usually not one to get excited about birthday's. This neck of the woods isn't too enamored by huge expensive presents and getting completely tanked as an appropriate way to celebrate the day I climbed out of my mom's snatch. Heck, this year probably isn't going to be any different then year's past. At this point, I know that only two of my Muncie pals (one being my girlfriend, the other...Red) even know that my birthday is in 9 days, so I'm expecting to wake up on July 2nd, get a phone call from my parents and probably my grandmother, and then go about the rest of the day like nothing else is happening.
If it was up to me, I'd wake up, get stoned (HA! Notice how I said I didn't want to get "drunk" on my birthday earlier in this post. Never said ANYTHING about recreational marijuana use), play the Wii with Jake and Kris, if he can make his way up here from Bloomington, eat Taco Bell, play with Juice, and fall asleep. That'd be great. Spending time with the people I care about on my birthday is really the only thing I care about, but again, I'm going to toss all of my chips on the "not going to happen" spot on the roulette table. Hell, half of them are home from the summer, or working huge hours. Oh yeah, not to mention, half of them aren't speaking to me right now, for reasons I can't fully comprehend, but this blogspace isn't the time nor place to discuss that bag of fun.
Oh well, there are still some huge Volkswagen shows that I'll be attending this year. Midwest Dubfest should be awesome in late July. Plus, it's in Indianapolis, so I won't get COMPLETELY left behind when I cruise down there with the VR6 crew. Later this summer we have Treffen in Chicago, H20 International in September, and my absolute FAVORITE European car show, DubDash, in October.
Oh, and I finally got to do an acceptable job of cleaning my car yesterday. I'll post visual proof later today.
Each day has been a giant wave of shit flying all over the place. I'm still blown away that it hasn't capsized my ship yet. (terrible figurative language)
End.
Essentially, this summer has been a wash so far. I'm not working 40 hours, thanks to the restaurant I work at not being able to afford to pay anyone for more than 25ish hours of labor. I shot myself in the foot by not going home and working at Home Depot, knowing full well I would've been working 40 hours a week and been pulling home 600 dollars a pay check to boot, which is about twice as much as I make on one now, and since me finding another job seems to be next to impossible at this point, I'm being forced to bite the bullet and stay at BoB's through the rest of the summer, at the earliest.
My 21st birthday is coming up soon. July 2nd to be exact. I'm usually not one to get excited about birthday's. This neck of the woods isn't too enamored by huge expensive presents and getting completely tanked as an appropriate way to celebrate the day I climbed out of my mom's snatch. Heck, this year probably isn't going to be any different then year's past. At this point, I know that only two of my Muncie pals (one being my girlfriend, the other...Red) even know that my birthday is in 9 days, so I'm expecting to wake up on July 2nd, get a phone call from my parents and probably my grandmother, and then go about the rest of the day like nothing else is happening.
If it was up to me, I'd wake up, get stoned (HA! Notice how I said I didn't want to get "drunk" on my birthday earlier in this post. Never said ANYTHING about recreational marijuana use), play the Wii with Jake and Kris, if he can make his way up here from Bloomington, eat Taco Bell, play with Juice, and fall asleep. That'd be great. Spending time with the people I care about on my birthday is really the only thing I care about, but again, I'm going to toss all of my chips on the "not going to happen" spot on the roulette table. Hell, half of them are home from the summer, or working huge hours. Oh yeah, not to mention, half of them aren't speaking to me right now, for reasons I can't fully comprehend, but this blogspace isn't the time nor place to discuss that bag of fun.
Oh well, there are still some huge Volkswagen shows that I'll be attending this year. Midwest Dubfest should be awesome in late July. Plus, it's in Indianapolis, so I won't get COMPLETELY left behind when I cruise down there with the VR6 crew. Later this summer we have Treffen in Chicago, H20 International in September, and my absolute FAVORITE European car show, DubDash, in October.
Oh, and I finally got to do an acceptable job of cleaning my car yesterday. I'll post visual proof later today.
Each day has been a giant wave of shit flying all over the place. I'm still blown away that it hasn't capsized my ship yet. (terrible figurative language)
End.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
Lust
I decided to start writing music/poetry again. Maybe I'll have an incentive to fix my bass, too.
I meet friends at the bar.
We sip on domestic beer and watch the clusters of tired clouds
rain stars.
Which tumble down stairs downstairs into an open counter.
We watch small smart girls wear whatever they please
and buy drinks with their tits.
Time slows down and semi-trucks blare buckram dreams.
It creeps by and everyone talks low and watches facial hair grow.
But I always watch one girl,
who sits alone.
Chewing on her nervous fingers like sticks of gum
and she hums some dead Pavement song
that nobody listens to or cares about.
She wears her clothes well: denim skirts that used to be jeans
sewed together with red stitches.
And I still eavsdrop, and hear, beneath her spattered breath Pavement song
about the two room conduit shes renting downtown two blocks from here.
I think about meeting her there to talk about naps and those clouds
which poor that rain that never stops.
Or our mother's trees which bear no fruit.
Or draw pictures of Harlequin trees that scab.
I'll ask her to take a trip with me to Germany
so we can drive down the Autobahn in some rust-colored car
while talking about nothing in particular.
I meet friends at the bar.
We sip on domestic beer and watch the clusters of tired clouds
rain stars.
Which tumble down stairs downstairs into an open counter.
We watch small smart girls wear whatever they please
and buy drinks with their tits.
Time slows down and semi-trucks blare buckram dreams.
It creeps by and everyone talks low and watches facial hair grow.
But I always watch one girl,
who sits alone.
Chewing on her nervous fingers like sticks of gum
and she hums some dead Pavement song
that nobody listens to or cares about.
She wears her clothes well: denim skirts that used to be jeans
sewed together with red stitches.
And I still eavsdrop, and hear, beneath her spattered breath Pavement song
about the two room conduit shes renting downtown two blocks from here.
I think about meeting her there to talk about naps and those clouds
which poor that rain that never stops.
Or our mother's trees which bear no fruit.
Or draw pictures of Harlequin trees that scab.
I'll ask her to take a trip with me to Germany
so we can drive down the Autobahn in some rust-colored car
while talking about nothing in particular.
The Velvet Underground
I seriously cannot stop listening to the Velvet Underground. God almighty.
Which reminds me, I still need to pick up Lou Reed's newest album, which is apparently this huge task of solo instrumental/relaxation/meditation music.
What a fucking bad ass.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Jumping into the fire: Why rookie QBs need to start from day 1
Alright, so I'm on the ESPN website reading some polls. A recent one I participated in was asking the country which rookies would be the most successful this season, which position is the hardest to adjust to in the pros, etc. It was actually a bit harder for me to decide on who was going to have the best season. This past draft was one of the deepest in recent memory, especially in the first round. Guys like Calvin Johnson, LaRon Landry, Adrian Peterson, Jamarcus Russell, Joe Thomas, and Patrick Willis all seemed poised to have great careers in the NFL and should make immediate impacts with their new teams. Oh, you mean I forgot to mention everyone's favorite golden boy, Brady Quinn, and Ohio State's human blur Ted Ginn Jr.? I'll get to them later in my rant....
The poll had some pretty interesting numbers, the general consensus was that Lions receiver Calvin Johnson would have the most success on the offensive side of the ball, while Patrick Willis would handle his own for the 49ers on the defensive side. I can definitely see Willis, who's physical skills will be a welcome addition to the Niners, and could be just enough to push them into the 5th or 6th spot in the NFC playoffs. While Johnson is a complete freak, and I think he could be staring a potential Hall of Fame career in the face, the fact that slinger Jon Kitna has to feed the ball to Roy Williams, Mike Furrey, and Kevin Jones may not help his cause right out of the gate. I personally feel that Marshaun Lynch of the Bills is going to have a solid season and will be near the top of the Offensive Rookie of the year voting.
Don't worry.... I'm getting to my point. Later in the poll, the nation had the overwhelming belief that quarterback is the most difficult position to grow into (which I completely agree with), but nearly three-fourths of the 75,000+ people that voted said the best way to have the quarterback learn and grow is to have him ride the bench for a few years, learn the offense through observation, and finally jump into the fire when the time is right.
WHAT!!!?!?! Are you kidding me? Firstly... think about what you were asked. If the quarterback is the hardest position to make the transition to, what good is it going to do somebody to sit for two years, take 25% of the snaps in practice, and just look at film, and then get handed the keys to the Corvette and have the coach say, "There you go, have fun."
I've never understood this reasoning, for a few key reasons. First, you have to consider the fact that most teams that are drafting quarterbacks (especially in high rounds) are doing so in order to build their franchise. Take the 2005 draft, for example. The Niners drafted Alex Smith, and didn't make it a big secret that he was going to be starting right away. But hey, that makes a lot of sense. Are you paying the guy 50 million dollars to ride the bench, or to win your team games? Sure, when a guy's a rookie, you can't expect a Ben Rothelesberger season. But again, your team is probably sitting in the cellar of your division and doesn't have too much of a chance to win 12 games and charge straight to a conference title game. What do you have to lose? Again, do you really have that much faith in your back-up.
Think about the Bengals a few years ago when the took Carson Palmer first overall. Do you really expect Jon Kitna, their starter at the time, to pass for 4,000 yards and tip toe his way into the post season? Highly doubtful. This is exactly why I applaud the Raiders for making it clear to both their players that number one pick JaMarcus Russell would be handed the torch and start in Week 1. What I like about this decision is that the team isn't being thrown any curveballs. They know right away who's gonna be the captain. There won't be some stupid quarterback controversy that consumes the entire training camp. Players can concentrate on getting better, and preparing for the season, instead of answering questions everyday about who they think will start. Plus, think about this.... is Andrew Walter the quarterback you want to represent your team? No knock against Walter, but I think his skills can't touch Russell's potential and it really doesn't seem too far fetched for Russell to have a solid rookie campaign.
Now, I know you're thinking "Well, earlier you said that players like Rothelessberger are 1 in a million and rarely happen. So why would a team pretty much concede an entire season in order for ONE player to get better. Isn't that a bit selfish?" I do understand that your chances of winning double digit games is pretty slim. Sure, fans might be impatient, the team execs might want the coach to ruffle some feathers and keep things the way the used to be, but I still cannot see how a player gets better by sitting on the bench. The old saying goes "Practice makes perfect," not "Riding the bench and doing nothing makes perfect." Plus, you simply cannot win in the NFL without a strong quarterback. Sure, every successful team doesn't have a Tom Brady or Joe Montana behind the helm, but it's pretty safe to assume that no team has much of a chance with Jim Druckenmiller or Todd Maranovich taking snaps.
Oh, and here's a nice little tid-bit to digest: what do Terry Bradshaw, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, John Elway, Troy Aikman and Ben Roethelessberger have in common? Not only did they ALL win Super Bowls, but the one that might be a little less obvious is they all played as rookies. Sure, their numbers might not be the kind of lights up, stat page busting numbers we expect from those names, but it was a start. And you know what, a guy can't win you games on the bench.
The poll had some pretty interesting numbers, the general consensus was that Lions receiver Calvin Johnson would have the most success on the offensive side of the ball, while Patrick Willis would handle his own for the 49ers on the defensive side. I can definitely see Willis, who's physical skills will be a welcome addition to the Niners, and could be just enough to push them into the 5th or 6th spot in the NFC playoffs. While Johnson is a complete freak, and I think he could be staring a potential Hall of Fame career in the face, the fact that slinger Jon Kitna has to feed the ball to Roy Williams, Mike Furrey, and Kevin Jones may not help his cause right out of the gate. I personally feel that Marshaun Lynch of the Bills is going to have a solid season and will be near the top of the Offensive Rookie of the year voting.
Don't worry.... I'm getting to my point. Later in the poll, the nation had the overwhelming belief that quarterback is the most difficult position to grow into (which I completely agree with), but nearly three-fourths of the 75,000+ people that voted said the best way to have the quarterback learn and grow is to have him ride the bench for a few years, learn the offense through observation, and finally jump into the fire when the time is right.
WHAT!!!?!?! Are you kidding me? Firstly... think about what you were asked. If the quarterback is the hardest position to make the transition to, what good is it going to do somebody to sit for two years, take 25% of the snaps in practice, and just look at film, and then get handed the keys to the Corvette and have the coach say, "There you go, have fun."
I've never understood this reasoning, for a few key reasons. First, you have to consider the fact that most teams that are drafting quarterbacks (especially in high rounds) are doing so in order to build their franchise. Take the 2005 draft, for example. The Niners drafted Alex Smith, and didn't make it a big secret that he was going to be starting right away. But hey, that makes a lot of sense. Are you paying the guy 50 million dollars to ride the bench, or to win your team games? Sure, when a guy's a rookie, you can't expect a Ben Rothelesberger season. But again, your team is probably sitting in the cellar of your division and doesn't have too much of a chance to win 12 games and charge straight to a conference title game. What do you have to lose? Again, do you really have that much faith in your back-up.
Think about the Bengals a few years ago when the took Carson Palmer first overall. Do you really expect Jon Kitna, their starter at the time, to pass for 4,000 yards and tip toe his way into the post season? Highly doubtful. This is exactly why I applaud the Raiders for making it clear to both their players that number one pick JaMarcus Russell would be handed the torch and start in Week 1. What I like about this decision is that the team isn't being thrown any curveballs. They know right away who's gonna be the captain. There won't be some stupid quarterback controversy that consumes the entire training camp. Players can concentrate on getting better, and preparing for the season, instead of answering questions everyday about who they think will start. Plus, think about this.... is Andrew Walter the quarterback you want to represent your team? No knock against Walter, but I think his skills can't touch Russell's potential and it really doesn't seem too far fetched for Russell to have a solid rookie campaign.
Now, I know you're thinking "Well, earlier you said that players like Rothelessberger are 1 in a million and rarely happen. So why would a team pretty much concede an entire season in order for ONE player to get better. Isn't that a bit selfish?" I do understand that your chances of winning double digit games is pretty slim. Sure, fans might be impatient, the team execs might want the coach to ruffle some feathers and keep things the way the used to be, but I still cannot see how a player gets better by sitting on the bench. The old saying goes "Practice makes perfect," not "Riding the bench and doing nothing makes perfect." Plus, you simply cannot win in the NFL without a strong quarterback. Sure, every successful team doesn't have a Tom Brady or Joe Montana behind the helm, but it's pretty safe to assume that no team has much of a chance with Jim Druckenmiller or Todd Maranovich taking snaps.
Oh, and here's a nice little tid-bit to digest: what do Terry Bradshaw, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, John Elway, Troy Aikman and Ben Roethelessberger have in common? Not only did they ALL win Super Bowls, but the one that might be a little less obvious is they all played as rookies. Sure, their numbers might not be the kind of lights up, stat page busting numbers we expect from those names, but it was a start. And you know what, a guy can't win you games on the bench.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Can I get a revision?
Okay, I'm watching ESPN. Some baseball highlights are on, and it got me to think about my early season predictions.
God, what the fuck was I thinking? Seriously....
Chien-Ming Wang winning 20 games? The NL Central being more competitive then the NL West? The Cubs..... winning? I feel sooooo stupid. On one regard, a few of my predictions, the Blue Jays being near the top of the AL East all year, the Cubs winning, Wang and Beltran's success have been hindered thanks to the unforeseen injuries. Although, Beltran has been outstanding when he's been on the field, and his injuries have all been minor. He's still gonna' play 140 games which could still get him an MVP, as I had originally predicted.
But it hasn't been a total shut out. Dice-K has pitched well enough to be considered the best rookie in the AL. Both Bob Jenks and Billy Wagner have been lights out, and are arguably the best closers in their respective leagues. Oh yeah, and the Red Sox are running away with the AL East.
I'm giving myself the chance to redeem myself. Here are five hot topics so far this season, as well as some of my favorite performances.
-The Red Sox best player's been David Ortiz. Yes! Just like I predicted! Wait.... you mean... he's not. Mike... Mike Lowell is? Yup. While Big Papi has played great and is clearly in the AL MVP talks, Mike Lowell's numbers have been just as impressive, and he actually plays in the field everyday, unlike his DH counterpart. Check out these numbers: .332 batting clip, 11 bombs, 45 ribs, 30 runs scored, and an on-base percentage right around .400. Like I said, those aren't David Ortiz's numbers, those are Lowell's. I should also mention that Lowell has played stellar in the field and has made several appearances on ESPN's Web Gems. Mike Lowell is a good player. Look for his string of solid play to continue
-I have absolutely LOVED watching the Devil Rays play. LOVED. Sure, they aren't 10 games over .500. How can you expect that? A team whose average age is around 25 playing in the tough AL East is actually staying competitive. This team is friggin' loaded with future all-stars. In all honesty, I could see several of their players making the cut this year. If it was up to me, I'd drop 100 million dollars in front of their front office, because these types of players deserve to grow together and play on the same club for a dozen years and win championships together. B.J Upton, Ellijah Dukes, Delmon Young, Rocco Baldelli, Carl Crawford, James Shield and Scott Kazmir can all be something special. Heck, look at the year Upton is having right now. He could (might be a long shot) run down a 30/30 season and hit .300. And he's only 22? Christ, that's sick. Appreciate the way these guys play.
-Remember how I said the Mets weren't going to have stellar pitching, except for closer Billy Wagner? Ummm, can I take that one back? Okay okay, I shouldn't be too hard on myself. The Braves have played great so far this season, and the rest of the division has kept it interesting all year long (Hell, look how well the Nationals have played lately!) But that's not my original gripe. I busted pretty hard on their starting pitching, dismissing everyone besides Tom Glavine. It's pretty funny that he's been the THIRD best pitcher on his staff. Oliver Perez has stifled his control demons and pitched outstanding. John Maine has continued to develop into a solid big leaguer, and even El Duque has pitched like a 24-year-old during his 7 starts this year. Each of these men is sporting an ERA under 3, and has piled up a high strikeout total. All I can do is tip my caps to the Mets. They're the most complete team in the National League. And if you consider the Diamondbacks second, they're a very distant second.
-The Brewers young power tandem of Prince Fielder and J.J. Hardy are slowly turning into the next great 1-2 punch in baseball. They're both running 1 and 2 in the NL for home runs and they're also both in the top 5 in runs batted in. While the Brewers pitching has stepped it up in the young 2007 season and really put this team atop the NL Central. Much like the Marlins and Devil Rays, I love watching the Brewers play. They're extremely fun. They run, they play defense, their pitching always makes it tough on opponents and they produce runs. Hats off to them. I hope their success continues.
-I've reserved this spot to talk about how much I hate the Yankees. I truly can't express in words how much I hate this franchise. Whether it's seeing George Steinbrenner's stupid face, or watching the team somehow blow a three run lead in the eighth inning, or even seeing each one of their overpriced aging superstars flounder at the plate, my face lights up with a smile that could power the Vegas strip for 24 straight hours. Oh, and their pitching.... can't forget the pitching. You know, I truly love getting a bio on the night's starting pitcher, because it seems every other day, we're getting introduced to their newest AA-prospect who has to be brought up prematurely because somebody on their major league roster can't stay healthy.Thanks for the great season so far, New York! The AL needed a punching bag.
Joey's favorite performances
#5 Cole Hamels: Pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies:8-2 | 91 K| ERA 3.55 | WHIP 1.15
-Right now, there's no young pitcher in the bigs dominating like Hamels. His stuff is flat out ridiculous, especially his change-up that handcuffs even the best NL hitters. I'm blown away that he has an outside shot to win the NL Triple Crown. He's on his way to an 18-win season, and is proving to be the best player on the Phillies. Yes, right now, even better then Ryan Howard.
#4 Magglio Ordonez: Right Field, Detroit Tigers: AVG .362 | HR 13 | RBI 52 | OBP .436 |
-It's conventional wisdom that Maggs is an outstanding player when he can stay healthy. But, is he honestly this good? Leading the bigs in batting average, pounding homeruns out of the park on a regular basis, and he's even made some flashes of his leather out in right. Certainly you have to point to Gary Sheffield's addition to the lineup as a huge plus for everyone else. This is definitely a return to form of his 2002 season with my Chicago White Sox, when he finished with 38 home runs and a .320 batting average.
#3 Dan Haren: Pitcher, Oakland Atheltics: REC 6-2 | SV 0 | ERA 1.70 | WHIP .87
-I said it back in 2004 when the Cardinals included Haren in the Mark Mulder trade that they were going to regret this three years down the road. Welp... it's been three years. And look what Haren is doing on the mound. Looking at his WHIP is making me dry heave. In 90 innings, the guy has only allowed 57 hits. Not to mention, of his 12 starts this season, 11 have been at least 6 innings. Oh yeah, he's won his last 6 decisions, too. As of now, this guy right next to John Lackey for the AL Cy Young award.
#2 Victor Martinez: Catcher, Cleveland Indians: AVG .316 | HR 12 | RBI 50 | OBP .379 |
-Martinez is one-third of the Hafner-Martinez-Sizemore offensive machine in Cleveland, and is arguably the most well-rounded at this point of the season. He is already going to obliterate his 2006 home run total, and is well on his way to having his biggest offensive season in his career. I'm calling it right now.... 29 home runs, 119 ribbies... we'll give him that high on-base percentage, as well. Not to mention, he's thrown out 25% of potential base stealers. Not too shabby, V. Keep it up
#1 Vladamir Guerrero: Right Field, Anaheim Angels: AVG .357 | HR 12 | RBI 50 | OBP .460 |
-YESSSSSSSS! Vlad the Impaler is number one on my list. Not just because he is my absolute favorite baseball player. Not because he's spearheading the AL West's best... but because he's having a monstrous season. Third in the AL in batting average, second in RBIs, number 1 in on-base percentage, sixth in homers, and second in OPS. What blows me away is that Vlad does this every single year. And what's even more amazing is that he does it so quietly, on a team that offers very limited protection in the lineup. All of that aside, I just flat out love Vladamir Guerrero. I love the fact that he doesn't wear batting gloves. I love the fact that he has arguably the best arm in baseball, but nobody ever talks about it. I love the fact that he flails at first pitch fastballs in the dirt, and has the brute strength to smash them 440 feet into the upper deck. And how he does all of this going completely unnoticed, with a huge smile always plastered to his face. Sure, he doesn't get the attention like Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter, or Johan Santana, but just like the first two, and possibly the third one, #27 is on his way to the Hall of Fame. He's without question, a first ballot player. And I'm proud to say I root for him day in and day out.
Honorable Mention: Matt Holliday (LF, Colorado), Kevin Youkilis (1B, Boston), Trevor Hoffman (RP, San Diego), Ichiro Suzuki (CF, Seattle), Jose Reyes (SS, New York)
Phew, that was a mouthful. But so worth it.
God, what the fuck was I thinking? Seriously....
Chien-Ming Wang winning 20 games? The NL Central being more competitive then the NL West? The Cubs..... winning? I feel sooooo stupid. On one regard, a few of my predictions, the Blue Jays being near the top of the AL East all year, the Cubs winning, Wang and Beltran's success have been hindered thanks to the unforeseen injuries. Although, Beltran has been outstanding when he's been on the field, and his injuries have all been minor. He's still gonna' play 140 games which could still get him an MVP, as I had originally predicted.
But it hasn't been a total shut out. Dice-K has pitched well enough to be considered the best rookie in the AL. Both Bob Jenks and Billy Wagner have been lights out, and are arguably the best closers in their respective leagues. Oh yeah, and the Red Sox are running away with the AL East.
I'm giving myself the chance to redeem myself. Here are five hot topics so far this season, as well as some of my favorite performances.
-The Red Sox best player's been David Ortiz. Yes! Just like I predicted! Wait.... you mean... he's not. Mike... Mike Lowell is? Yup. While Big Papi has played great and is clearly in the AL MVP talks, Mike Lowell's numbers have been just as impressive, and he actually plays in the field everyday, unlike his DH counterpart. Check out these numbers: .332 batting clip, 11 bombs, 45 ribs, 30 runs scored, and an on-base percentage right around .400. Like I said, those aren't David Ortiz's numbers, those are Lowell's. I should also mention that Lowell has played stellar in the field and has made several appearances on ESPN's Web Gems. Mike Lowell is a good player. Look for his string of solid play to continue
-I have absolutely LOVED watching the Devil Rays play. LOVED. Sure, they aren't 10 games over .500. How can you expect that? A team whose average age is around 25 playing in the tough AL East is actually staying competitive. This team is friggin' loaded with future all-stars. In all honesty, I could see several of their players making the cut this year. If it was up to me, I'd drop 100 million dollars in front of their front office, because these types of players deserve to grow together and play on the same club for a dozen years and win championships together. B.J Upton, Ellijah Dukes, Delmon Young, Rocco Baldelli, Carl Crawford, James Shield and Scott Kazmir can all be something special. Heck, look at the year Upton is having right now. He could (might be a long shot) run down a 30/30 season and hit .300. And he's only 22? Christ, that's sick. Appreciate the way these guys play.
-Remember how I said the Mets weren't going to have stellar pitching, except for closer Billy Wagner? Ummm, can I take that one back? Okay okay, I shouldn't be too hard on myself. The Braves have played great so far this season, and the rest of the division has kept it interesting all year long (Hell, look how well the Nationals have played lately!) But that's not my original gripe. I busted pretty hard on their starting pitching, dismissing everyone besides Tom Glavine. It's pretty funny that he's been the THIRD best pitcher on his staff. Oliver Perez has stifled his control demons and pitched outstanding. John Maine has continued to develop into a solid big leaguer, and even El Duque has pitched like a 24-year-old during his 7 starts this year. Each of these men is sporting an ERA under 3, and has piled up a high strikeout total. All I can do is tip my caps to the Mets. They're the most complete team in the National League. And if you consider the Diamondbacks second, they're a very distant second.
-The Brewers young power tandem of Prince Fielder and J.J. Hardy are slowly turning into the next great 1-2 punch in baseball. They're both running 1 and 2 in the NL for home runs and they're also both in the top 5 in runs batted in. While the Brewers pitching has stepped it up in the young 2007 season and really put this team atop the NL Central. Much like the Marlins and Devil Rays, I love watching the Brewers play. They're extremely fun. They run, they play defense, their pitching always makes it tough on opponents and they produce runs. Hats off to them. I hope their success continues.
-I've reserved this spot to talk about how much I hate the Yankees. I truly can't express in words how much I hate this franchise. Whether it's seeing George Steinbrenner's stupid face, or watching the team somehow blow a three run lead in the eighth inning, or even seeing each one of their overpriced aging superstars flounder at the plate, my face lights up with a smile that could power the Vegas strip for 24 straight hours. Oh, and their pitching.... can't forget the pitching. You know, I truly love getting a bio on the night's starting pitcher, because it seems every other day, we're getting introduced to their newest AA-prospect who has to be brought up prematurely because somebody on their major league roster can't stay healthy.Thanks for the great season so far, New York! The AL needed a punching bag.
Joey's favorite performances
#5 Cole Hamels: Pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies:8-2 | 91 K| ERA 3.55 | WHIP 1.15
-Right now, there's no young pitcher in the bigs dominating like Hamels. His stuff is flat out ridiculous, especially his change-up that handcuffs even the best NL hitters. I'm blown away that he has an outside shot to win the NL Triple Crown. He's on his way to an 18-win season, and is proving to be the best player on the Phillies. Yes, right now, even better then Ryan Howard.
#4 Magglio Ordonez: Right Field, Detroit Tigers: AVG .362 | HR 13 | RBI 52 | OBP .436 |
-It's conventional wisdom that Maggs is an outstanding player when he can stay healthy. But, is he honestly this good? Leading the bigs in batting average, pounding homeruns out of the park on a regular basis, and he's even made some flashes of his leather out in right. Certainly you have to point to Gary Sheffield's addition to the lineup as a huge plus for everyone else. This is definitely a return to form of his 2002 season with my Chicago White Sox, when he finished with 38 home runs and a .320 batting average.
#3 Dan Haren: Pitcher, Oakland Atheltics: REC 6-2 | SV 0 | ERA 1.70 | WHIP .87
-I said it back in 2004 when the Cardinals included Haren in the Mark Mulder trade that they were going to regret this three years down the road. Welp... it's been three years. And look what Haren is doing on the mound. Looking at his WHIP is making me dry heave. In 90 innings, the guy has only allowed 57 hits. Not to mention, of his 12 starts this season, 11 have been at least 6 innings. Oh yeah, he's won his last 6 decisions, too. As of now, this guy right next to John Lackey for the AL Cy Young award.
#2 Victor Martinez: Catcher, Cleveland Indians: AVG .316 | HR 12 | RBI 50 | OBP .379 |
-Martinez is one-third of the Hafner-Martinez-Sizemore offensive machine in Cleveland, and is arguably the most well-rounded at this point of the season. He is already going to obliterate his 2006 home run total, and is well on his way to having his biggest offensive season in his career. I'm calling it right now.... 29 home runs, 119 ribbies... we'll give him that high on-base percentage, as well. Not to mention, he's thrown out 25% of potential base stealers. Not too shabby, V. Keep it up
#1 Vladamir Guerrero: Right Field, Anaheim Angels: AVG .357 | HR 12 | RBI 50 | OBP .460 |
-YESSSSSSSS! Vlad the Impaler is number one on my list. Not just because he is my absolute favorite baseball player. Not because he's spearheading the AL West's best... but because he's having a monstrous season. Third in the AL in batting average, second in RBIs, number 1 in on-base percentage, sixth in homers, and second in OPS. What blows me away is that Vlad does this every single year. And what's even more amazing is that he does it so quietly, on a team that offers very limited protection in the lineup. All of that aside, I just flat out love Vladamir Guerrero. I love the fact that he doesn't wear batting gloves. I love the fact that he has arguably the best arm in baseball, but nobody ever talks about it. I love the fact that he flails at first pitch fastballs in the dirt, and has the brute strength to smash them 440 feet into the upper deck. And how he does all of this going completely unnoticed, with a huge smile always plastered to his face. Sure, he doesn't get the attention like Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter, or Johan Santana, but just like the first two, and possibly the third one, #27 is on his way to the Hall of Fame. He's without question, a first ballot player. And I'm proud to say I root for him day in and day out.
Honorable Mention: Matt Holliday (LF, Colorado), Kevin Youkilis (1B, Boston), Trevor Hoffman (RP, San Diego), Ichiro Suzuki (CF, Seattle), Jose Reyes (SS, New York)
Phew, that was a mouthful. But so worth it.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Recovery slash life support
Sorry for the lack of updates, but I've seriously needed the past 36 hours to rejuvenate myself. Physically, emotionally... My God, the past few days have been literally insane. Being me, I waited until the last second and decided that I was going to drag Jake, Nathan and Brianne to the Fucking Champs concert in Detroit. I could bore you with all of the specifics of the trip, but I think it'd be more than acceptable to not only plug Brianne's blog, but push off the responsibility of scripting our adventure to her. Read about our escapade here.
Wow. All I can really say about the performance is 'wow.' I should make it clear that I have spent the past five years trying to mosey my way to a Ch4M95 concert. Whether I simply couldn't get off work, or they didn't come close enough... I could simply never get to one. I finally said "Fuck it." We bought the tickets, we drove nearly 300 miles one way, and we watched an amazing concert. Red Fang and Birds of Avalon opened up for tFC.
When we got into Detroit, it did suck having to wait nearly two extra hours for the doors to open to the concert. Apparently there were some travel issues. I probably ate too much while we were in Muncie, and when I finally got there, I was fucking sick. My stomach was killing me, my head was killing me. I felt like somebody was continually stepping on my face. However, as the night trekked on, I started feeling better. My anxiety began to plummet as the concert grew closer.
And then the doors opened. The concert was intimate... the crowd wasn't too big and I got this feeling that everyone was there because they loved music, and they wanted to be entertained. Not simply to go to a show because there were three "fresh" indie bands that nobody's ever heard of.
Red Fang walked onto stage and played a spirited set for a little more then a half hour. I hadn't heard too much of their stuff previously, but what I heard I had liked a lot. Honestly, their recording didn't do them justice. God almighty, amazing. Tons of energy, great power, great riffs. And a 45 second bass solo that made my asshole pucker like a fucking balloon knot.
Birds of Avalon took the stage, and they were definitely underwhelming. I'm gonna contribute that mostly to their sound being so overstated, it was almost impossible to keen your ears on one thing, because it all meshed together into a giant sonic mess. The lyrics weren't completely unintelligible. Although... they did have this backdrop that had tons of birds and shit flying over them. Oh, and I think the singer played a harmonica at one point. Very ambitious, but that's not always a good thing.
The fifteen minutes leading up to the CH4M95 set was like having somebody pull out every one of your teeth without any anesthetic. But when they finally took the stage, I was overwhelmed. They're one of my favorites, they're "my" band. I love the Champs. Just like Red Fang, hearing their sound recorded onto an album simply can't do their live tone justice. Filled with raw energy that punches you in the face. Their second song "The Loge" was played a level of intensity that completely dwarfs its recorded counterpart.
What I loved about the show is that there was no set list (the legend is true, apparently, the Champs never have and will never use a set list, except they have to end every show with 'Flawless Victory, unless there's an unavoidable encore.) It's funny... they don't have any lyrics. Just pure metal, but that aside, all of the fans know each song. Whether it was 'Extra Man,' 'Spring Break,' or 'Forgotten Chapter,' everyone knew what was coming. Everyone was nodding their head. It was like we were a machine. No words can really describe everything... it was amazing. Pure metal. My only regret is that they didn't play "What's a little reign?"
But who can complain? The show was flat out awesome.
Wow. All I can really say about the performance is 'wow.' I should make it clear that I have spent the past five years trying to mosey my way to a Ch4M95 concert. Whether I simply couldn't get off work, or they didn't come close enough... I could simply never get to one. I finally said "Fuck it." We bought the tickets, we drove nearly 300 miles one way, and we watched an amazing concert. Red Fang and Birds of Avalon opened up for tFC.
When we got into Detroit, it did suck having to wait nearly two extra hours for the doors to open to the concert. Apparently there were some travel issues. I probably ate too much while we were in Muncie, and when I finally got there, I was fucking sick. My stomach was killing me, my head was killing me. I felt like somebody was continually stepping on my face. However, as the night trekked on, I started feeling better. My anxiety began to plummet as the concert grew closer.
And then the doors opened. The concert was intimate... the crowd wasn't too big and I got this feeling that everyone was there because they loved music, and they wanted to be entertained. Not simply to go to a show because there were three "fresh" indie bands that nobody's ever heard of.
Red Fang walked onto stage and played a spirited set for a little more then a half hour. I hadn't heard too much of their stuff previously, but what I heard I had liked a lot. Honestly, their recording didn't do them justice. God almighty, amazing. Tons of energy, great power, great riffs. And a 45 second bass solo that made my asshole pucker like a fucking balloon knot.
Birds of Avalon took the stage, and they were definitely underwhelming. I'm gonna contribute that mostly to their sound being so overstated, it was almost impossible to keen your ears on one thing, because it all meshed together into a giant sonic mess. The lyrics weren't completely unintelligible. Although... they did have this backdrop that had tons of birds and shit flying over them. Oh, and I think the singer played a harmonica at one point. Very ambitious, but that's not always a good thing.
The fifteen minutes leading up to the CH4M95 set was like having somebody pull out every one of your teeth without any anesthetic. But when they finally took the stage, I was overwhelmed. They're one of my favorites, they're "my" band. I love the Champs. Just like Red Fang, hearing their sound recorded onto an album simply can't do their live tone justice. Filled with raw energy that punches you in the face. Their second song "The Loge" was played a level of intensity that completely dwarfs its recorded counterpart.
What I loved about the show is that there was no set list (the legend is true, apparently, the Champs never have and will never use a set list, except they have to end every show with 'Flawless Victory, unless there's an unavoidable encore.) It's funny... they don't have any lyrics. Just pure metal, but that aside, all of the fans know each song. Whether it was 'Extra Man,' 'Spring Break,' or 'Forgotten Chapter,' everyone knew what was coming. Everyone was nodding their head. It was like we were a machine. No words can really describe everything... it was amazing. Pure metal. My only regret is that they didn't play "What's a little reign?"
But who can complain? The show was flat out awesome.
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