Si! Si! Si! Si!

CC Sabathia has now had four starts. His numbers: 33IP, 5 ER, 31 K, 3 CG, 1.36 ERA.

Of course, the most important number of all: 4-0.

August 5, 2008

I just found out about this last week. I can't believe I missed this for so long. I'm not sure yet how this blog is going to celebrate this monumental event, but rest assured that it will not go unnoticed.

Moving on up in the blogging world

At the risk of shedding part of my anonymity once again, I'd like to note that a question of mine made it into ESPN's Live Blog of the British Open:

4:56 p.m.: E-mail from Ryan in Milwaukee:

There's a good chance none of the "Big Four" will play on Saturday and Sunday. When was the last major with no Tiger, Phil, Ernie, or Vijay on the weekend?

Believe it or not, that's actually a pretty easy one to look up. It was the 1992 U.S. Open, when Tom Kite won at Pebble Beach. (Mickelson missed the cut; Woods, Singh and Els failed to qualify.) That's 64 straight majors in which at least one of those four made the cut.

I'm going to have to avert my eyes when I see the "What have you done to increase the share price today?" sign this afternoon.

Am I part of the conservative press?

Senator Obama on the perceived shabby treatment of his wife:

"It's infuriating, but it's not surprising, because let's face it: What happened was that the conservative press—Fox News and the National Review and columnists of every ilk—went fairly deliberately at her in a pretty systematic way...and treated her as the candidate in a way that you just rarely see the Democrats try to do against Republicans. And I've said this before: I would never have my campaign engage in a concerted effort to make Cindy McCain an issue, and I would not expect the Democratic National Committee or people who were allied with me to do it. Because essentially, spouses are civilians. They didn't sign up for this. They're supporting their spouse. So it took a toll. If you start being subjected to rants by Sean Hannity and the like, day in day out, that'll drive up your negatives.

"Everybody who knows Michelle knows how extraordinary she is. She's ironically the most quintessentially American woman I know. She grew up in a "Leave it to Beaver" family. She is the best mother I know. And our kids are a testimony to that, because she's really had to raise them, oftentimes without me being there. She's the most honest person I know, she's smart, she's funny, so yeah, it infuriates me. And I think that it is an example of the erosion of civility in our political culture that she's been subjected to these attacks, and my attitude is that the people who have attacked her in the ways that they have...if they've got a difference with me on policy, they should debate me. Not her."

Other people have already tackled this, but I'd like to address one specific point. The "most quintessentially American woman (you) know" probably shouldn't have been ashamed of America for her entire adult life prior to her husband's presidential campaign. I'm no expert on the Beav (ha!), but I'm pretty sure June Cleaver had some pride in her country.

Secondly, if Michelle Obama gives high-profile speeches where she discusses her policy views, we absolutely unequivocally should debate her. She's pushing her own views as a reason to elect her husband. We who oppose those views have a responsibility to take her to task.

Defensive Numbers

Contrary to most Notre Dame fans' expectations, the Irish are going to be hurting more at linebacker than defensive line these next few years.

Because Notre Dame is going to be running a 3-4, numbers are far less of a problem at d-line. This will be the last year that Notre Dame will need to rely on a freshman to help out there. Starting in 2009, we ought to have more than enough players to pitch in and provide a solid, if not good, defensive line.

NT: Ian Williams (true junior), Brandon Newman (true sophomore), Hafis Williams (redshirt freshman), also Paddy Mullen (redshirt junior) + Tyler Stockton

DE: Morrice Richardson (true senior), John Ryan (true senior), Emeka Newankwo (redshirt sophomore), Ethan Johnson (true sophomore), Sean Cwynar (true sophomore), and Kapron Lewis-Moore (redshirted) + any new recruits (Anthonly Lalota, Pat Muldoon and Davon Custis are the most likely)

In 2009 we'll have a line young but having the appropriate weight and body types, so that we should be solid against the run. In 2010, it will be very hard for Notre Dame not to have a good-to-very good defensive line.

Linebacker is more troubling. 2009 numbers:

ILB: Toryan Smith (true senior), Steve Filer (true sophomore), Anthony MacDonald (true sophomore), and David Posluzney (redshirt freshman) + Carlo Calabrese and any other recruits

OLB: Kallen Wade (redshirt junior), Brian Smith (true junior), Kerry Neal (true junior), Darius Fleming (true sophomore) + Dan Fox and someone else

While the numbers are ok (I've read that you want a 3 deep +1 at each position), the ages are not. Notre dame will be required to start a sophomore at ILB, never a good position to be in and, unless Kallen Wade comes on, we'll need a freshman on the 2 deep at OLB.

What we can take away from this post, then, is that 2010 will be the first year that Notre Dame will be able to field a defense composed entirely of upperclassmen. That's scary.

Jim Geraghty is a National Treasure

The man is tireless in his efforts to draw attention to Obama's various gaffes, contradictions, inconsistencies, and outright lies. He also relentlessly goes after an even more deserving target: Michelle Obama.

See his latest here:

Michelle Obama: Americans Spending $600 Stimulus Checks on Earrings

Amanda Carpenter notes:

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle, complained the government’s $600 economic stimulus check was only enough to buy “a pair of earrings” while stumping for her husband.

“You're getting $600 - what can you do with that?” Mrs. Obama said in Pontiac, Michigan last week. “Not to be ungrateful or anything, but maybe it pays down a bill, but it doesn't pay down every bill every month. The short-term quick fix kinda stuff sounds good, and it may even feel good that first month when you get that check, and then you go out and you buy a pair of earrings."

She made these remarks at a “working women’s roundtable discussion.”

Well, it's not like Michelle Obama makes comments like this all the time.

not everyone can afford to keep it all together, especially here in Muskingum County, where, according to the census, the median household income in 2004 was $37,192, below both the Ohio and national average. Out of that, there’s the mortgage. And child care. Health care. Education. Lessons. “I know we’re spending — I added it up for the first time — we spend between the two kids, on extracurriculars outside the classroom, we’re spending about $10,000 a year on piano and dance and sports supplements and so on and so forth,” Mrs. Obama tells the women. “And summer programs. That’s the other huge cost. Barack is saying, ‘Whyyyyyy are we spending that?’ And I’m saying, ‘Do you know what summer camp costs?’”

One wonders whether that $600 budgeted for earrings could be spent on, say, fruit:

"Now we’re keeping, like, a bowl of fresh fruit in the house. But you have to go to the fruit stand a couple of times a week to keep that fruit fresh enough that a six-year-old—she’s not gonna eat the pruney grape, you know. At that point it’s, like, ‘Eww!’ She’s not gonna eat the brown banana or the shrivelledy-up things. It’s got to be fresh for them to want it. Who’s got time to go to the fruit stand? Who can afford it, first of all?”

Eh, nevermind the fruit. It's probably not worth it, what with all the nefarious labeling of products:

"And the notion of trying to think about a lunch every day! . . . So you grab the Lunchables, right? And the fruit-juice-box thing, and we think—we think—that’s juice. And you start reading the labels and you realize there’s high-fructose corn syrup in everything we’re eating. Every jelly, every juice. Everything that’s in a bottle or a package is like poison in a way that most people don’t even know. . "

What with the $600 earrings, the $10,000 summer camps, unaffordable fruit and hidden poisons on the store shelves, daily life in America seems particularly tough on women:

"I wake up every morning wondering how on earth I am going to pull off that next minor miracle to get through the day. I know that everybody in this room is going through this. That is the dilemma women face today. Every woman that I know, regardless of race, education, income, background, political affiliation, is struggling to keep her head above water." (This presumably includes her friend Oprah.)

(COUGHoprahCOUGH) So who's to blame?

"What I notice about men, all men, is that their order is me, my family, God is in there somewhere, but me is first."

Dear Obama campaign, please make sure this is the theme of her prime-time address at the convention.

If it's possible, I may dislike her more than I dislike Theresa Heinz Kerry.

Timewasters!

Got some time to kill? These tests will keep you busy for a half hour!

Presidents: I got 42/43.

Simpsons Characters: I got 60/63.

BCS Conference Colleges: I got 72/73.

In the comments, I'll tell you which ones I missed for each test. No cheating!

Fact of the Day

According to a recent poll, Congress' approval rating is...





wait for it...





seriously, this is going to be worth it...





prepare yourself...





9!

How is that even possible? I assumed that you could get at least 10% of Americans to approve of just about anything. In fact, I'm pretty sure that that's the theory behind this.

Si! Si!

Rico and the Milwaukee Brewers would like to thank Big Jim and the Cleveland Indians for trading reigning American League Cy Young winner CC Sabathia to Milwaukee, where he is destined to lead the Brewers to their first World Series. In his first start last night, he earned the win after allowing two earned runs in six solid, if unspectacular, innings. Projecting the rest of the season based on last night’s performance, he shall finish 15-0 in his 15 regular season starts.

Also, he’s as cute and as cuddly as a teddy bear. A 6’7”, 290-pound teddy bear with a 96-MPH fastball.

Rock rocks

Speaking of music, I'm certainly no expert on modern rock, mostly ignoring the radio stations on which it plays. Having said that, it seems like there's a pretty good collection of rock music coming out these days. Whenever I happen to flip to a Daughtry, Nickelback, or Three Doors Down song, I find myself enjoying it. I think American Idol winner David Cook also has a good chance of putting out some good straightforward rock music if he goes in that direction.

At any rate, radio rock today is certainly better than it was 5-10 years ago, when it was dominated by some truly awful bands. (I'm looking at you, Limp Bizkit and Creed.)

It's even funnier when you see a guy say it while playing a guitar and occasionally blowing on a harmonica

"I'm in a weird situation 'cause I like rainbows, but I'm not gay.

So I wear a rainbow on my shirt, but then under it I gotta put 'Not Gay.'

But I'm not against gay people, so then under that I gotta put 'But Supportive.'

I just think it's weird that one group took refracted light.

That's pretty greedy, gays."

--Demetri Martin

A Thought on Country Music

I find it interesting that rock and pop artists have been popping up more and more in country music in recent months and years. Just to name a few, The Eagles, Jewel, Sheryl Crow, and Darius Rucker (Hootie!) have all recently had songs on country radio. I suppose there are two possible explanations for this (not to say that they are mutually exclusive):

1. When rock/pop stars are washed up and can no longer succeed in their original genres, they move to country music because its really easy to be a country star. After all, all country fans are dumb yokels.

2. Pop and rock are so image-centric that when you reach a certain age, you can no longer be a mainstream star in these genres, regardless of the quality of your music. Country fans, on the other hand, care only about the quality of the music produced, regardless of the age or sex of the person producing it. (See 55-year-old George Strait touring last summer with 17-year-old Taylor Swift.)

I've thought about this for a while, but I've never had a way to test these competing theories. Now, a possible litmus test has emerged: I just heard that Jessica Simpson will be performing at a big country music festival in rural Wisconsin later this summer. If she does attempt to move into country music and if she succeeds, clearly theory #1 is true. If she fails, however, there's hope for theory #2 yet.

(Also, for what it's worth, I'm a fan of Hootie's new country song, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It.")

(Also, despite the anti-Hootie backlash that emerged in the late-1990's, Cracked Rear View was a phenomenal album. I just heard "Let Her Cry" on the radio this morning, truly a timeless song.)

What a Great Great Story

For those of you who haven't seen the story on the rescue of the Colombian hostages, go here. This is absolutely one of the best stories I've read in a really long time. 15 people held captive (including three Americans) are set free AND terrorists are embarrassed, to top it off.

To summarize, Colombian troops infiltrated FARC, the left-wing guerilla/drug trafficking movement. Over the course of a year, the gained the trust of the group's leaders and rose to positions of power. Then, earlier this week, the moles ordered the movement of 15 hostages to a central location and made them board a helicopter (ostensibly controlled by FARC) right in front of the terrorists' noses. When the hostages got on board, the moles convinced the remaining real FARC members to abandon their weapons and brought the hostages to freedom.

It's always a good day when terrorist groups get hoodwinked and bamboozled.

An Alternate Ending

For those who haven't seen Boromir's brilliant scheme:

And the even better:

So That's How He Did It

Movie Aragorn's absurd prowess becomes explicable:

Why'd they have to translate it into Elvish though?

Breakfast

Today I had my typical breakfast of two pieces of toast and a cup of tea. However, instead of the usual honey, I used cheese.* Also, instead of my usual non hamburger, I decided to go with a hamburger. That is all, carry on.

*On the bread, not the tea--I only put cheese in my tea for special occasions, such as Wednesdays.