Ever wonder what pitchers have surrendered gut-punching base hits in post-season play, and never recovered? Well, look no further than here, at the baseball crank. This lists all relief pitchers who have given up costly base hits, errors, wild pitches, and home runs in post-season play since 1972, and analyzes their careers after that confidence killing play.
Former FEMA Head Michael Brown:
E-mails sent by Brown during and immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast reveal that he was looking for a dog sitter, chatting about shopping and showing concern about his appearance during the tumultuous time.
In one e-mail, sent on Aug. 29 as Katrina was pummeling the Gulf, a FEMA public affairs official tells Brown the outfit he wore on a television appearance looked "fabulous," to which Brown replies, "I got it at Nordstroms," then adds, "Are you proud of me? Can I quit now? Can I go home?"
CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports that an hour later, as thousands of evacuees huddled in the Superdome "shelter of last resort," Brown fired off another email: "If you'll look at my lovely FEMA attire you'll really vomit. I ama fashion god." (sic)
And after the levees failed and the situation grew even more desperate, FEMA's point man in New Oreans pleaded for Brown to send more help. "... you know the situation is past critical," wrote Marty Bahamonde. "Estimates are many will die within hours." Just four minutes later Brown wrote back a light message: "Thanks for the update. Anything specific I need to do or tweak?"
In another, an aide reminds Brown to pay heed to his image on TV, suggesting that he roll up his sleeves. By Sept. 2, Brown expressed inundation with the disaster response. He wrote to a GOP consultant who had requested a meeting, "I'm trapped now! Please rescue me!"
The following day, Brown wrote to a fellow FEMA employee: "I feel like I'm getting the s--t beat out of me …" In response to an e-mail with a subject reading "U ok?" Brown wrote on Aug. 30, "I'm not answering that question." But he did ask the fellow FEMA employee if he knew of a good dog sitter or even "any responsible kids."
Steve Young picked on the wrong family.
The Hall of Fame quarterback stirred things up earlier in the week with his comments about Bucs QB Chris Simms' mental toughness.
"I worry that he grew up in a much different atmosphere, [a] laissez-faire kind of atmosphere," Young said during ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown." "And I'm worried that he doesn't have the mental toughness to deal with the information overload that comes with the NFL."
That comment set off Simms' father, former New York Giants QB Phil Simms.
"Come to my house, live with me, and let's see how laissez-faire it is," Simms said Tuesday on a media conference call. "I don't know how Steve Young lives his life, but I don't live mine that way. And I didn't raise my kids that way.
"You can say whatever you want about my son, but one thing that'll get me mad, and I'll stand in your face about it, is about toughness."
Chris Simms, who is seeking his third consecutive win as the Bucs' starter, said he was unaware of Young's comments until his agent called and told him. He conceded Young is entitled to his opinion, but doesn't agree with it.
"In the environment I grew up in, being the son of Phil Simms, you had to be mentally tough," he said. "Especially going to the Giants games and hearing people yell at your dad in the stands. If it was one thing I did, it was taking pride in being mentally tough."
As of press time, Steve Young was unavailable for comment. However, an unidentified representative suggested that Mr. Young was mulling Mr. Simms offer over the holiday weekend.
Because Stayin' Classy has just predicted the Milwaukee Bucks as Eastern Conference Champions.
Hey, I ain't complaining. Then again, Stayin Classy doesn't have a good track record at getting bold predictions correct.
In a Columbia University lecture hall in Manhattan last week, a visiting professor showed a slide of a misty cityscape with docked yachts, a riverfront row of rehabbed loft buildings and outdoor café tables. Without naming the city, the professor said U.S. Census data suggests that the fetching downtown is poised to add new residents and the commerce and urban life that they bring.
The graduate students, who come from around the world, could not name the city when asked. But they were "flabbergasted" to learn it was Milwaukee.
This does not surprise me. Milwaukee has done a lot to turn itself around. Its major drawback is its image, not its reality. In reality, Milwaukee is a fun, hip place to live. It has a thriving downtown, with 2 major colleges, 2 major professional franchises, a world class art museum, and new developments and re-developments popping-up all around. It also has a large, youthful, diverse population, of 25-35 year olds.
Its image is its problem. Nationally, it has the unfortunate reputation of being the most segregated city in the country. There is also that concern of losing all of its foundational strength - industry - as a crumbling example of the failing Rust Belt.
So, articles and studies like those mentioned in this article are great for the city and Wisconsin. It keeps smart Wisconsin residents in the state (instead of having them move to California) and draws outsiders in. An important next step for Milwaukee's growth is establishing a quick, efficient transportation connection to Chicago. Ehem, high-speed train, anyone?
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson admits that he was never drafted by the Kansas City Athletics. He has been maintaining this as the truth since 1966.
Try the Detroit Lions team chronology. Best stretch for the franchise has to be from 1970 to the present. Couple of highlights:
By the way, the last NFL championship for the Detriot Lions: 1957.
Looks like Donovan McNabb might be done for the season.
Hmm. Do you think the Madden Cover Jinx played a role?
Looks like it. It is truly unfortunate. That show was hi-larious. It was smart funny, which is often the kiss of death. But, Seinfeld was smart funny too. They often complained about it's low viewership. Well, maybe that is because you moved it three times over its lifetime. And the final move was to Mondays at 8 PM in the fall. Hmm, I wonder what else is on Monday nights in September thru December? Do you have any ideas?
Yes, yes. My ma and pa came out to visit me and Paige at our little teenie apartment in Sacramento, California. They also brought my sister, Jacie. It was their first visit to California's state capitol. They took many pictures, some of the inside of my apartment, which can be seen at their blog at 6 minus 4. My little brother, John, joined the cadre on Friday night around midnight.
After spending last Thursday and Friday in Sacramento, we ended up traveling to Paige's hometown of Santa Rosa. This is where Paige and I plan on getting married. So we visited the wedding ceremony and rehearsal site, before heading to Paige's family home, where we met her parents and other "younger brother" Cecil. Everyone sans Cecil then made the trip out to Korbel and then the Sonoma Coast, before having dinner. It was a busy day, and we crashed pretty hard and early around 10 PM. However, it was a glorious day, which I am sure the pictures make pretty evident.
Sunday, however, was the other side of weather in Sonoma - at least in November. It was foggy and drizzling most of the day. We still had a lot of fun with Sunday Brunch at the Saunders House, and then a visit to Healdsburg and Geyersville, two little cities north of Santa Rosa.
All in all it was a great trip, one I hope they feel comfortable making more often. I also look forward to having them come-out for long and either in the spring or early fall when the weather is more ideal.
Love you guys. Thanks for visiting.
From McSweeney's (hat tip to Thomas Plochocki):
Used to be, the key to beating Teen Wolf's Beavers was just to play them on any night there wasn't a full moon. We were unlucky one season in that we met them 28 days apart, both times in their barn, and Teen Wolf destroyed us—64 points in the first game, then a quadruple-double in the second, with 14 blocked shots and 25 steals. Our third matchup, though, we were fortunate enough to have a 76 percent waxing gibbous, so it was regular Scott Howard, who turned the ball over twice before fouling out, scoreless, in eight minutes of play. These days, however, it seems the guy can change over whenever he wants, which poses a real problem to opposing coaches. What follows is the best strategy my staff and I have come up with to limit Teen Wolf's effectiveness on the court. While admittedly far from foolproof, it will, hopefully, prove useful to your team. We're all in this together, folks.
To begin, you're going to have to resign yourself to the fact that Teen Wolf is probably going to drop at least 50 points. That might seem like a lot, but, unfortunately, it's just the way the ball bounces. As coach, you need to recognize that your job isn't to do the impossible; you're not going to stop Teen Wolf entirely, but you can try to contain him by making him play your team's style of basketball. Discipline and defensive fundamentals help: nose on the ball, feet moving, channeling him into traps—careful with those, though. Soon as Teen Wolf gets two guys on him, he tends to find the open man. He's a heads-up ballplayer with great court sense, so if you're going to bring a trapping zone against Teen Wolf, make sure you have solid weak-side rotation and your defenders are communicating.
Of course, that's only if he feels like passing. Teen Wolf gets scrappy once you put the pressure on, and he's a great ball handler with a low-to-the-ground style reminiscent of Pistol Pete or a young Isiah Thomas. Add to his skill and quickness those gigantic, hirsute paws, and you're up against one hell of a dribbler. We've tried giving Teen Wolf a step, respecting his speed, but we've found that if our guys slack off him, he'll generally hit the open jumper—or else take off from wherever he's standing on the court, sail over everyone's heads, and finish with one of those dunks where he ends up sitting on the top of the backboard, howling, feet dangling down through the hoop.
While you're welcome to try it, my feeling is that man-to-man defense simply isn't an option. Some teams like to play a box-and-one, which generally works well against most lycanthropes.
With Teen Wolf, though, you have to be careful. He'll just stand baying by the sideline while the rest of the Beavers run four-on-four. Then, at a signal from Coach Finstock, Teen Wolf will come screaming down the lane, fur bristling and fangs bared, for the alley-oop. (And with him having what's rumored to be a 78-inch standing vertical leap, rest assured he's even more difficult to stop once he gets up in the air.) I've heard of coaches dealing with this by putting a sniper in the crowd with a box of silver bullets and a hunting rifle. We tried it once, back when Teen Wolf was only a freshman: the shooter missed, and when the cops showed up and cleared the gym we were forced to default.
So, I bet you're wondering, if it's impossible to cover him through conventional defenses, what can we do? Here's the key: Teen Wolf doesn't get along with his teammates. While he's certainly got the individual skills to dominate most games, I'd have to struggle to think of ever seeing a more selfish player in my 28 years of coaching. He tends to alienate his fellow Beavers by doing things like stealing the ball off them, or stealing their girlfriends, and their resentment is easy for opposing teams to exploit. Sympathy seems to work well; get your players to say stuff like, "Man, sure sucks playing with Teen Wolf," or "I'd hate to have a guy like Teen Wolf on my team," and you'll be surprised how quickly the Beavers' team defense will start to open up.
Another trick is to keep on the officials about aggressive play. Granted, most refs are pretty scared to call anything on Teen Wolf, what with the risk of being devoured in the parking lot after the game. Still, it's hard to ignore someone being gouged by lupine talons, especially if the player's entrails are exposed. Coach Finstock hates sitting Teen Wolf, but if his star picks up three fouls early, there won't be any other option. Just make sure to tell your guys to resist taunting Teen Wolf while he's on the bench; it only makes him angrier, and with that anger comes frightening strength.
Finally, keep in mind that beneath all that fur, Teen Wolf is only human—or half-human, whatever—with weaknesses, just like any of us. And as a hormonally imbalanced, eternally cursed teenager, he's particularly fragile. For one thing, at just under 70 percent, Teen Wolf's free-throw shooting is comparatively weak; if you've got a kid on your team brave or crazy enough to knock Teen Wolf down with a hard foul, encourage it. Make him earn his points at the line. "Hack-a-Wolf" brought us within 10 of the Beavers during last year's playoffs—that is, until Teen Wolf dunked eight consecutive trips down the floor from the 3-point line, putting the lead out of reach.
OK, that's pretty much all I've got. As I mentioned earlier, defending Teen Wolf isn't an exact science, and you're more than welcome to alter these tactics as befits your own ball club. I hope that between us we can keep the lines of communication open and continue to share strategies that seem to work. My feeling is that there's no team that is completely unbeatable, even if their star transforms into a werewolf before every game. Oh, and if you come up with some way of preventing Teen Wolf from jumping up and catching your team's shots, I'd be particularly interested in hearing it.
Thanks, and best of luck.
From "Family Guy":
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4600307639036265086&q=firetrucks
Hat tip to Phillip J. Shackton.
UPDATE:
Best line:
"My God. Does your face have a pelvis?"
February 5, 2006
When the clock struck twelve in the swirling winds of Detroit, a collective cheer emanating from the South echoed throughout America. The cheer then turned to a chant, becoming more and more audible as it progressed and got louder. "T E X - A N S, T E X - A N S" could be heard from Sacramento, California, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Madison, Wisconsin. As suprising as the sound of this chant would be on any given day, on this day it was expected and accepted. Why, you ask? For the Houston Texans had thorooughly dominated and embarassed the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XL. Houston was no longer a second-class NFL city to its big brother Dallas. No, Houston had joined the pantheon of Super Bowl winners.
The load was carried by Super Bowl MVP David Carr. Carr, who has turned around his career with this strong performance dissected the pathetic and apathetic Arizona defense, which could not muster much of a pass rush or pass defense. Equally patheitc and apathetic was Arizona's offense. 8 points! Against one of the weakest defensive units in the league.
Regardless, off how horrendous Arizona played (as well as the many questionable coaching decisions made early-on, and at key pressure points later in the game) the game and the championship belonged to Houston. They were clearly the better team, better prepared, and better equipped. This may have been because of the keen leadership of their coach. Or this may have been the key acquisitions made throughout the season by the ingenious GM.
So enjoy the soothing sounds of "T E X - A N S, T E X - A N S". Join-in. It is a sweet chorus. And do not feel afraid to add a "SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS, clap... clap..., clap, clap, clap" as a second verse.
For there will be no repeating as Wisconsin State Champions. Mukwonago was upset 24-8 by Racine Park in the Quarterfinals last night.
The second stomach-punch is that the game may have been long-time Head Coach Ketih Hensler's last game.
So claims Derek Cody Blakeslee. Derek is claiming a triumphant return to the blogosphere, with his sophisticated and hip "Stayin' Classy" blog.
Well, although Derek does not have many kind words for myself or my blog, I wish him the best of luck. To be completely honest, I am amazed everyday that kid can get his pants zipped up without losing an extremity. So to see him blogging is awe-inspiring.
Best of luck, Derek. Keep reaching for that rainbow!
"I was part of that wild and crazy Class of '94 that shook the political landscape by taking over the House after more than 50 years of unfettered Democrat control. We came to Washington full of ideals and conviction. But sadly, what they say about absolute power is coming to reality in the 2005 GOP Washington. Republicans in just 10 years have developed the arrogance it took the Democrats 30 years to develop."
- Former Rep. J.C. Watts (R-OK), writing in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
with my new cell phone still in them. Discovered this problem about halfway through the load. Right now I am looking to see how early/late the local cell phone shop opens/stays open. Hopefully, no one will try to reach me.
In the matter of 1 week, I have had my pants washed with my wallet and my cell phone still in them. What is next?
UPDATE:
To answer a question posed in the comments, No, these are not the same pants from my lunch at Togo's.
Right here. So humble:
"This being coach Alvarez's last year, guys want to send him off on the right note. When people look back on his tenure, people are going to remember his last year. That's definitely in the back of our minds as we try to finish this year off strong."
What a headline! What will be tomorrow's? How about "Sex Blamed for Pregnancy"?
Hat tip to The Corner.
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