Last night was what should have been a happy occasion for me. My first game of the year in Yankee Stadium: the 72nd to last game in the history of the House that Ruth Built. We had seats in the bleachers, which is cool...but do you know they don't serve beer in the bleachers? Yeah, we didn't either...and it was cold, but I knew about this, and even though I had planned on sweet inebriation helping to pad my three layers, I pressed on. I didn't get to my seat until the middle of the first and the Yanks were already down 2-0. It got chilly. I ate a hot dog. That wasn't the source of the pain.
No, the source of the pain was the next two dingers I witnessed Hughes giving up - balls that traveled so far they should have had a meal served on them. 6 earned runs in 3.2 innings bringing this year's ERA up to 9. He got booed, embarassingly booed, by the 40,000 some odd strong crowd at Yankee Stadium - can a kid recover from that? He's 21, and thank God he's old enough to buy booze because maybe he can kill that selected memory as soon as he got home from the ballpark, providing he escaped the angry mobs.
But the pain didn't subside...because this was the Yankee's all scrubs team, that's right, after Giambi in the batting order, who is technically the highest paid scrub in the league, we saw the likes of Shelly Duncan, Morgan Ensberg, Robinson Cano (who is vastly underachieving), and Chris Stewart (triple-A callup). Even Cano's two run shot was a source of pain, as it was quickly erased the next inning by two home runs over the course of three batters, courtesy of Curtis Granderson and Gary Sheffield.
The Stanks then proceeded to leave 13 men on base, taking extreme care to only get hits with two out and nobody on, walking the bases full, and then choking in the clutch. I did the only humane thing I could - I left.
The Yanks posted a moderate attempt at a comeback...though when you drive in a run because you got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, you are reaching - very far - to call it an attempt at a comeback.
It was a pretty severe beating, but not with a terrible score, but by the time I left in the eighth inning, balls and strikes weren't even registering. All I could feel was the cold, another hot dog in my stomach, and the sense that this is going to be a long season. Who would we replace Hughes with...Igawa? Karstens? If they want some Wily 50 year old Lefties, my dad's warming up out in the backyard. He's got a wicked curveball and a shuto that'll make your knees buckle...granted, this is all with wiffle ball, but without the performance enhancers...that's gotta be worth something in these troubling times, right?
-Jobimoto out.
"Is it possible to leave 27 men on base?"
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
And so we send another pair of jeans to that big hamper in the sky...
It is a sad, sad day, though it should be a happy occasion.
I have the day off from work, which we all know is an amazing thing. I have to get on a bus in about 7 hours, which really grinds my gears, but I am going to be that guy on the Ithaca College campus all day long - you know that guy, the one who thinks he's cool because he graduated two years ago, and now he's back to see his professors and tell all the students how it really is - that will be me. That guy is a douchebag, and we know this, because everyone always goes, "OMG! It's THAT guy!" And they make a big fuss about him showing up, but no one really cares, because really, they're not going to talk to him again after he leaves. I'm more stoked about my free meal at the dining hall, courtesy of my dad - I am going to eat my weight in high-carb, high-fat, low-nutrient dining hall food, and the horrible jet fuel coffee will wear off right around the time I'm getting on the bus, and I can hibernate for the five hour hell which is the trip to New York from Ithaca by bus. If anyone sits next to you on these busses, there's a rule that they must either be a) fat b) smelly c) both d) in treatment for heroine or crack cocaine e) Dave Coulier.
What I'm really sad about today though, is discovering a hole in one of my three pairs of jeans. This means really, I only have two pairs of jeans, and one pair that I'm embarassed to wear but will wear anyways, even though I know it's only a matter of time before my girlfriend says, "Uhm, don't you think you should throw those out?"
The problem is no, I don't. I am a cheap, cheap bastard, and I still wear shirts I bought 7 years ago because they kinda fit and even though they might have started out black and now look navy blue...who wants to spend 40 bucks on a shirt? Not this guy. That's a 7 year investment I got, and I'd say it's matured wonderfully! For me, buying new clothes is a lot like going to the dentist, though at least at the dentist you usually get a lollipop afterwards (to ensure that you'll be coming back).
The other problem right now is I started this blog yesterday when I had the day off, and now I am finishing it at work. Lamesauce. The other thing, is now I don't care about those jeans, because I'm not looking at them. Here's what I care about right now:
Portishead's new album, "Third" - it's awesome, listen to it.
Barry Zito headed to the bullpen. I really don't even have the heart to rag on Blogi at this point, so I don't think anything needs to be said...
I'm supposed to go to a Yankees game tonight, but I have a feeling that a) it'll get rained out b) I'll have to work late as a result...
Bloody weather.
-Jobimoto out. Sorry for the half-assed post
"Spahn and Sain and pray for rain."
The other problem right now is I started this blog yesterday when I had the day off, and now I am finishing it at work. Lamesauce. The other thing, is now I don't care about those jeans, because I'm not looking at them. Here's what I care about right now:
Portishead's new album, "Third" - it's awesome, listen to it.
Barry Zito headed to the bullpen. I really don't even have the heart to rag on Blogi at this point, so I don't think anything needs to be said...
I'm supposed to go to a Yankees game tonight, but I have a feeling that a) it'll get rained out b) I'll have to work late as a result...
Bloody weather.
-Jobimoto out. Sorry for the half-assed post
"Spahn and Sain and pray for rain."
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Wot, no Super Lager?
No one has written in a while, we are busy as hell. I do not find this shocking.
But lately I have found a lot of things shocking, and now you have to hear about them.
1) Ken Griffey Jr. is about to hit the 600 home run milestone and nobody cares.
- WHY??? Where is the outrage?? Ken Griffey Jr. is the greatest player that never was. If he didn't spend most of the years after 2000 severely injured, this guy would probably be past 700 right now and would potentially staring down 800. On top of that, the guy's got over 2500 hits and over 1700 RBI, and if you just look at him you know he did it without the juice. As someone said, "first guy in 35 years to hit 600 home runs and do it without drugs." To the 38 year old man once known as, "The Kid" - I will be watching, and I will be applauding. I played little league during the years when Jr. was tearing it up and making a name for himself - and wearing his hat backward and always smiling. We thought it was so cool and we all tried to emulate him - he bought Nintendos on the road and just had a blast. We all looked up to him. I got mad when he said he'd never play for the Yankees because of how they treated his father. But you know what, could for him - a man of morals, and that's what baseball needs: a man of morals with 600 home runs. I tip my cap to you.
2) "Watchmen" - how did I not read this sooner?
- Seriously?? What the hell?? Was I trapped under a rock for the first 25 years of my life? I am outraged, OUTRAGED that I did not read this sooner. This is the single greatest collection of comics I've ever read and is on par with much of the literature I have ever read. No wonder it's ranked in Time's Top 100 novels since 1923. It's incredible, and even if you don't like comics, read it, because you're missing out. I feel like there are so many layers to this that maybe after four readings I'll have it 80% sussed out. But on this first reading, I'm trying not to burn through it in a matter of days.
3) "Tales of Brave Ulysses" is the greatest song that I almost never hear on the radio.
- This is one of Cream's gems, in my opinion maybe their best song, but I feel like I hardly ever hear this song on the radio, and maybe that's the beauty of it. But listen to it if you haven't, because seriously, you are going to be bitch-slapped with brilliance. You want to hear the Odyssey in three minutes in trippy music? Listen to it, and write a paper on it for your Lit 101 class and impress the girl who sits across from you with the blond hair and the nice smile. Ask her if she'd like to come over to hear the song sometime, tell her it's rocks when you listen to it with candles on and a glass of wine in your hand...but if you're in college you'll probably turn on a black light and give her an Old Milwaukee...so take my advice, or don't, and remain her, "good friend." The choice is yours.
4) The sheer brilliance of Arrested Development
- This show is amazing, and doesn't need my endorsement for more people to realize this. But I'm working on a scene right now where we're attacking Twelfth Night as characters from Arrested Development, so I'm watching a lot of it lately. The actors are all perfect, PERFECT. I don't believe the show could work with anyone other than those actors cast in those roles. I haven't even seen anyone able to impersonate the job Michael Cera does on that show. We can mimic some of the other people, but I believe there is no substitute for most, if not all of these guys.
5) (Added later in the day, which was the purpose of the post...) America, as a country, hasn't discovered Super Lager.
- WHY??? THIS is outrageous. Super Lager is a lager made by the Tennent's Brewing Company of Scotland, it tastes a little like PBR, only with a little bit more of a syrupy quality, and it's 9% alcohol. You do the math. It's two beers in one, in a 500ml can, so really it's 3 beers in one. Drink two, it's a party. We have crappy equivalents in the states - Steel Reserve, Old English High Gravity, but come on, I'd easily pay 4 bucks for a can of Super over here...be aware Tennent's, and send that shit over.
Ok, 4 (5) things really isn't "a lot" - but I'm sure there are more, and I'll post them as they come to me. That or I'll be shocked by the amount of hyperbolic statements I make.
-Jobimoto out
"It's a duck. No, it's a piano."
But lately I have found a lot of things shocking, and now you have to hear about them.
1) Ken Griffey Jr. is about to hit the 600 home run milestone and nobody cares.
- WHY??? Where is the outrage?? Ken Griffey Jr. is the greatest player that never was. If he didn't spend most of the years after 2000 severely injured, this guy would probably be past 700 right now and would potentially staring down 800. On top of that, the guy's got over 2500 hits and over 1700 RBI, and if you just look at him you know he did it without the juice. As someone said, "first guy in 35 years to hit 600 home runs and do it without drugs." To the 38 year old man once known as, "The Kid" - I will be watching, and I will be applauding. I played little league during the years when Jr. was tearing it up and making a name for himself - and wearing his hat backward and always smiling. We thought it was so cool and we all tried to emulate him - he bought Nintendos on the road and just had a blast. We all looked up to him. I got mad when he said he'd never play for the Yankees because of how they treated his father. But you know what, could for him - a man of morals, and that's what baseball needs: a man of morals with 600 home runs. I tip my cap to you.
2) "Watchmen" - how did I not read this sooner?
- Seriously?? What the hell?? Was I trapped under a rock for the first 25 years of my life? I am outraged, OUTRAGED that I did not read this sooner. This is the single greatest collection of comics I've ever read and is on par with much of the literature I have ever read. No wonder it's ranked in Time's Top 100 novels since 1923. It's incredible, and even if you don't like comics, read it, because you're missing out. I feel like there are so many layers to this that maybe after four readings I'll have it 80% sussed out. But on this first reading, I'm trying not to burn through it in a matter of days.
3) "Tales of Brave Ulysses" is the greatest song that I almost never hear on the radio.
- This is one of Cream's gems, in my opinion maybe their best song, but I feel like I hardly ever hear this song on the radio, and maybe that's the beauty of it. But listen to it if you haven't, because seriously, you are going to be bitch-slapped with brilliance. You want to hear the Odyssey in three minutes in trippy music? Listen to it, and write a paper on it for your Lit 101 class and impress the girl who sits across from you with the blond hair and the nice smile. Ask her if she'd like to come over to hear the song sometime, tell her it's rocks when you listen to it with candles on and a glass of wine in your hand...but if you're in college you'll probably turn on a black light and give her an Old Milwaukee...so take my advice, or don't, and remain her, "good friend." The choice is yours.
4) The sheer brilliance of Arrested Development
- This show is amazing, and doesn't need my endorsement for more people to realize this. But I'm working on a scene right now where we're attacking Twelfth Night as characters from Arrested Development, so I'm watching a lot of it lately. The actors are all perfect, PERFECT. I don't believe the show could work with anyone other than those actors cast in those roles. I haven't even seen anyone able to impersonate the job Michael Cera does on that show. We can mimic some of the other people, but I believe there is no substitute for most, if not all of these guys.
5) (Added later in the day, which was the purpose of the post...) America, as a country, hasn't discovered Super Lager.
- WHY??? THIS is outrageous. Super Lager is a lager made by the Tennent's Brewing Company of Scotland, it tastes a little like PBR, only with a little bit more of a syrupy quality, and it's 9% alcohol. You do the math. It's two beers in one, in a 500ml can, so really it's 3 beers in one. Drink two, it's a party. We have crappy equivalents in the states - Steel Reserve, Old English High Gravity, but come on, I'd easily pay 4 bucks for a can of Super over here...be aware Tennent's, and send that shit over.
Ok, 4 (5) things really isn't "a lot" - but I'm sure there are more, and I'll post them as they come to me. That or I'll be shocked by the amount of hyperbolic statements I make.
-Jobimoto out
"It's a duck. No, it's a piano."
Mountain of Pain
I know I haven't posted in a while, so just cram it. Fortunately, Jobi has risen to the occasion and put up a solid series throughout the past week.
First of all, I would like to shout out to our confirmed readership of I believe 3. Perhaps more are reading, but only 3 separate people have made comments, so thank you, and I hope you've been enjoying our eggs and toast.
Secondly, I need to get this out of the way: I bought a new camera. For anybody that knows me, that might sound pretty foreboding, considering the behemoth I lug around currently, but this is a simple point and shoot digital camera so that I can take snapshots of friends. The item in question: the Canon SD850 IS. I did very extensive and careful research on this little bugger and its competitors, and I finally settled on it for these reasons: compactness and speed combined with superior image quality and a decent set of adjustable features. And boy what a payoff. This thing is sleek looking and it has a fair amount of weight to the feel, so it doesn't feel cheep to hold. It is rather small, but that's part of the reason I got it. I am careful to make use of the wrist strap, however, as I'm afraid my big hands might slip and drop it. But it fits nicely in my jacket pocket, which is awesome. Photo quality is pretty spectacular for a small camera. Digital noise is pretty substantial at 800 ISO (it goes up to 1600), but the lower ISO's are fantastic, and if I really wanted to get crafty with low light and nice pictures, I'll bust out my real camera. For going to bars, snapshots of goofy crap, and small videos, this thing is my toy of choice, and I highly recommend it. It also has exposure compensation and color effects, ISO selection, and a few other handy settings. It doesn't go so far as to get fully manual, but I don't really mind that much. It's a big relief, actually, not to have to deal with really advanced settings, and the semi-auto modes adjust perfectly well enough and come out with great results. Again, I have my DSLR for "real" photos, which I have full manual control over. Now I can feel better about leaving the beast behind on relaxing trips and fun outings (plus my girlfriend doesn't have to stand around making fun of me anymore while I take 5 minutes to take out my camera, set up a shot, and take 40 photos before I'm satisfied).
Pro's:
Cons:
You laugh.
You shouldn't.
And while I'm on this note, I'd like to suggest, if you haven't already been convinced by Jobi or myself, the absolute splendor of what is known as the Corona with a Tequila Shot. I Think Jobi should have the honor of naming this drink, as he introduced it to me. What you do is simple: Drink about the neck's worth of beer out of a Corona bottle, pour a shot of Tequila into the bottle, drop a lime wedge in, plug the neck with a thumb or palm, turn upside-down until the lime wedge floats to the bottom, upright, and enjoy. You may think this sounds disgusting, but it is a magical summer wonder. Be forewarned, however, as my first introduction to this Mexican liver party resulted in one hell of a story which ended in a lost t-shirt, a soaked and sandy car, and the infamous Gay Blanket. Details will not be disclosed.
That's all for now. More to come.
B-Moto Out.
"yeah... that just came out of your nose...."
First of all, I would like to shout out to our confirmed readership of I believe 3. Perhaps more are reading, but only 3 separate people have made comments, so thank you, and I hope you've been enjoying our eggs and toast.
Secondly, I need to get this out of the way: I bought a new camera. For anybody that knows me, that might sound pretty foreboding, considering the behemoth I lug around currently, but this is a simple point and shoot digital camera so that I can take snapshots of friends. The item in question: the Canon SD850 IS. I did very extensive and careful research on this little bugger and its competitors, and I finally settled on it for these reasons: compactness and speed combined with superior image quality and a decent set of adjustable features. And boy what a payoff. This thing is sleek looking and it has a fair amount of weight to the feel, so it doesn't feel cheep to hold. It is rather small, but that's part of the reason I got it. I am careful to make use of the wrist strap, however, as I'm afraid my big hands might slip and drop it. But it fits nicely in my jacket pocket, which is awesome. Photo quality is pretty spectacular for a small camera. Digital noise is pretty substantial at 800 ISO (it goes up to 1600), but the lower ISO's are fantastic, and if I really wanted to get crafty with low light and nice pictures, I'll bust out my real camera. For going to bars, snapshots of goofy crap, and small videos, this thing is my toy of choice, and I highly recommend it. It also has exposure compensation and color effects, ISO selection, and a few other handy settings. It doesn't go so far as to get fully manual, but I don't really mind that much. It's a big relief, actually, not to have to deal with really advanced settings, and the semi-auto modes adjust perfectly well enough and come out with great results. Again, I have my DSLR for "real" photos, which I have full manual control over. Now I can feel better about leaving the beast behind on relaxing trips and fun outings (plus my girlfriend doesn't have to stand around making fun of me anymore while I take 5 minutes to take out my camera, set up a shot, and take 40 photos before I'm satisfied).
Pro's:
- Compact, solid feel.
- Easily navigable menus and quick access to settings.
- Image quality is excellent.
- Auto White balance is pretty accurate.
- Semi-manual settings like exposure compensation, white balance, ISO settings available.
- Movie mode: continuous 30fps high quality movies.
- Fast. Starts up in about a second flat and shot to shot time is pretty fast for its class.
- 4x optical zoom (35-140mm equivalent). That's just pretty impressive.
- Optical image stabilization. Rated to boost camera shake a few f stops.
- Relatively inexpensive at only $215 from Amazon.
Cons:
- On/Off button a little oddly placed. Not annoyingly so, but it's flush with the body on the back of the camera and at the top above the lcd screen. On one hand, it takes a little bit of doing to press it (so it's unlikely it will turn on and off at random), but on the other hand, it takes a little bit of doing to press it. *shrug*
- The battery/SD card cover at the bottom doesn't have a lock on it, so when I'm pulling the camera out of the leather case I got for it, I often slip the cover off. Fortunately, both the battery and SD are secured in their slots with springs and locks, but it's still a little strange.
- The zoom lens begins at 35mm equivalent as opposed to something like 24 or 28mm, which means you have a lean back or take a couple steps back to get group shots in at a table. On the flip side you get a pretty good zoom out of it, though. It's just nice not to have to look like an idiot leaning back in your seat at a bar (plus, at a bar and after a few tequila/corona or whiskey/pbr combinations, that could end up being a safety concern..... What? Don't tell me you've never done it)
You laugh.
You shouldn't.
And while I'm on this note, I'd like to suggest, if you haven't already been convinced by Jobi or myself, the absolute splendor of what is known as the Corona with a Tequila Shot. I Think Jobi should have the honor of naming this drink, as he introduced it to me. What you do is simple: Drink about the neck's worth of beer out of a Corona bottle, pour a shot of Tequila into the bottle, drop a lime wedge in, plug the neck with a thumb or palm, turn upside-down until the lime wedge floats to the bottom, upright, and enjoy. You may think this sounds disgusting, but it is a magical summer wonder. Be forewarned, however, as my first introduction to this Mexican liver party resulted in one hell of a story which ended in a lost t-shirt, a soaked and sandy car, and the infamous Gay Blanket. Details will not be disclosed.
That's all for now. More to come.
B-Moto Out.
"yeah... that just came out of your nose...."
Friday, April 18, 2008
Draft day, bold predictions, and blind squirrels...
Everybody put your big boy pants on, because the NFL draft is coming and it is going to hit like a 22 year old man-boy who's 260 and runs the 40 in 4.3. It's going to come so fast that it'll run you over, take you about five seconds to register the pain, and as you're looking up at the sky going, "what the fuck just happened?" you'll realize it's only the beginning, and the rest of the dog pile is about to form over your already limp frame.
This is in no way a guide to surviving the draft, nor is this even a set of statements or predictions of who is going to be the prize of this draft class, because I'm going to let you in on a dirty little secret: there is no way of knowing, period.
Just read a great article on espn.com about the Ryan Leaf vs. Peyton Manning debate that raged back in 1998. We all know how that one turned out, and if you don't, all you have to do is this: realize that you can't turn on a TV on a Sunday in the fall without seeing Peyton's boyish backwoods grin and that you're also asking yourself, "Who the hell is Ryan Leaf?" Exactly.
Scouting reports, breakdowns, statistical analysis - all of these are great things and can be used for bold predictions, but nothing will tell you the future. Of the 30 first round picks in the class of '98, 15 are retired or unsigned, 2 are in the CFL, and a few more are still twiddling their thumbs in free agency. The numbers aren't great, neither is the ridiculous amount of money thrown at these guys who haven't played a single game in the pros. But this ain't moneyball, this is draft day, and any combo of a team with deep pockets and a young stud with a flashy smile can give a fanbase hope until the grim reality of Autumn sets in once again.
I go back to the quote, "Paying for superstars doesn't kill you, paying for mediocrity does." There is no way to predict at the draft who is going to be a superstar, but you can sure as hell tell if a guy isn't going to pan out. Yeah yeah yeah, everyone will throw Tom Brady and him being drafter in the 119th round as proof that you can never tell how it's going to go, but I think he solidifies rather than hurts my point - New England had a good feeling about this guy, but they weren't going to go overboard on him. Not everyone is going to pan out, all of the other picks the Patriots had in that draft have now left football, or if they're still playing, are third stringers or practice squad guys.
ESPN.com also ran the top 50 busts of the NFL draft, and all i could think was, "only 50?? Where is every guy the Giants drafted except Eli Manning since 1991??" The Giants drafted a dude with a detached retina, WHEN THEY DRAFTED HIM, and he never even suited up. Maurice Clarrett sat out for two seasons and was drafted in the last round by the Broncos...you're telling me your scouting reports said it was better to take someone who had potential TWO YEARS AGO rather than an active runner? You deserve what you get Denver.
See the outrage? This is what I'm talking about. So when your team drafts with big hopes and throws an insane signing bonus at some guy who'd still rather be at a kegger (Matt Leinart) than carrying his team to a national championship (Manning, Manning, Roethlisberger, Brady), just grin and bear those 5 dollar hikes in ticket prices, and comfort yourself with the fact that the NFL Draft is a lot like the presidential election - a lot of speculation, way too much hype, and in the end, the wrong guy is always the one picked.
-Jobimoto out
"With the 1st pick of the NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins select...it doesn't matter. They're still gonna suck."
This is in no way a guide to surviving the draft, nor is this even a set of statements or predictions of who is going to be the prize of this draft class, because I'm going to let you in on a dirty little secret: there is no way of knowing, period.
Just read a great article on espn.com about the Ryan Leaf vs. Peyton Manning debate that raged back in 1998. We all know how that one turned out, and if you don't, all you have to do is this: realize that you can't turn on a TV on a Sunday in the fall without seeing Peyton's boyish backwoods grin and that you're also asking yourself, "Who the hell is Ryan Leaf?" Exactly.
Scouting reports, breakdowns, statistical analysis - all of these are great things and can be used for bold predictions, but nothing will tell you the future. Of the 30 first round picks in the class of '98, 15 are retired or unsigned, 2 are in the CFL, and a few more are still twiddling their thumbs in free agency. The numbers aren't great, neither is the ridiculous amount of money thrown at these guys who haven't played a single game in the pros. But this ain't moneyball, this is draft day, and any combo of a team with deep pockets and a young stud with a flashy smile can give a fanbase hope until the grim reality of Autumn sets in once again.
I go back to the quote, "Paying for superstars doesn't kill you, paying for mediocrity does." There is no way to predict at the draft who is going to be a superstar, but you can sure as hell tell if a guy isn't going to pan out. Yeah yeah yeah, everyone will throw Tom Brady and him being drafter in the 119th round as proof that you can never tell how it's going to go, but I think he solidifies rather than hurts my point - New England had a good feeling about this guy, but they weren't going to go overboard on him. Not everyone is going to pan out, all of the other picks the Patriots had in that draft have now left football, or if they're still playing, are third stringers or practice squad guys.
ESPN.com also ran the top 50 busts of the NFL draft, and all i could think was, "only 50?? Where is every guy the Giants drafted except Eli Manning since 1991??" The Giants drafted a dude with a detached retina, WHEN THEY DRAFTED HIM, and he never even suited up. Maurice Clarrett sat out for two seasons and was drafted in the last round by the Broncos...you're telling me your scouting reports said it was better to take someone who had potential TWO YEARS AGO rather than an active runner? You deserve what you get Denver.
See the outrage? This is what I'm talking about. So when your team drafts with big hopes and throws an insane signing bonus at some guy who'd still rather be at a kegger (Matt Leinart) than carrying his team to a national championship (Manning, Manning, Roethlisberger, Brady), just grin and bear those 5 dollar hikes in ticket prices, and comfort yourself with the fact that the NFL Draft is a lot like the presidential election - a lot of speculation, way too much hype, and in the end, the wrong guy is always the one picked.
-Jobimoto out
"With the 1st pick of the NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins select...it doesn't matter. They're still gonna suck."
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Birthdays: the needle in the steroid shot of life
Another brief post...
It officially came out today that Miguel Tejada is 33, not 31. Yes, ladies and gents, the same man that claimed steroids were B-12 injections also told scouts in the DR that he was 17, not 19, when he got signed. He claimed he was a poor kid wanting to get signed. That I don't care about, what I care about is his explanation:
"The thing is I didn't want Houston to find out from somebody else," Tejada told the Chronicle. "I wanted to find out just from my face. I'm a man and I'm responsible for everything. That's why I prefer to come to them and say, 'You know what? That's the way it is and we're moving forward.'
This is the same guy who vehemently denied using steroids, was named in the Mitchell Report, and has maintained complete silence on the issue while slinking away from everything by demanding a trade from one shitty team to another. Way to man up, dude.
Who are these guys? And who are we that we give them this free pass? Am I outraged? Not really. Do I find this ridiculous? You bet your B-12 I do.
-Jobimoto out
"When you speak of me, speak well."
It officially came out today that Miguel Tejada is 33, not 31. Yes, ladies and gents, the same man that claimed steroids were B-12 injections also told scouts in the DR that he was 17, not 19, when he got signed. He claimed he was a poor kid wanting to get signed. That I don't care about, what I care about is his explanation:
"The thing is I didn't want Houston to find out from somebody else," Tejada told the Chronicle. "I wanted to find out just from my face. I'm a man and I'm responsible for everything. That's why I prefer to come to them and say, 'You know what? That's the way it is and we're moving forward.'
"I was feeling like I had something to say in the last three days. That's why I waited for today to do it," he said." - espn.com
This is the same guy who vehemently denied using steroids, was named in the Mitchell Report, and has maintained complete silence on the issue while slinking away from everything by demanding a trade from one shitty team to another. Way to man up, dude.
Who are these guys? And who are we that we give them this free pass? Am I outraged? Not really. Do I find this ridiculous? You bet your B-12 I do.
-Jobimoto out
"When you speak of me, speak well."
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Ridiculous.
Very brief post on Tiger Woods:
The Masters was this past weekend, and Woods rallied from being pretty far back in the pack to coming in second, and the entire world reacted the same way: Oh wow, he lost.
Think about that for a second.
Think about it again.
Ok, good, we're ready now.
Every golf analyst in the world was ready to hand the guy the trophy last thursday, and all of them said similar things when the tournament was over, such as, "not a strong showing for Woods." Are you kidding me? He came in second! Some people wait their whole lives to come in second at the Masters! And the guy had a bum knee! If anyone wants to contend, even for a second, that this second place finish means that he is somehow "slipping," I will publicly flog them with a sea-bass. Yeah, he came in second, but you know what? If you were to tell me that they were going to play the Masters over again tomorrow, I would STILL put all my money on Woods to win. In fact, I'm currently accepting bets on his surgery, I believe he's going to kick that operations ass...anyone want to bet against me? I'll even give you 3:1.
Fuck it, just pay me now.
-Jobimoto out.
"Suck my knob, police-woman!"
The Masters was this past weekend, and Woods rallied from being pretty far back in the pack to coming in second, and the entire world reacted the same way: Oh wow, he lost.
Think about that for a second.
Think about it again.
Ok, good, we're ready now.
Every golf analyst in the world was ready to hand the guy the trophy last thursday, and all of them said similar things when the tournament was over, such as, "not a strong showing for Woods." Are you kidding me? He came in second! Some people wait their whole lives to come in second at the Masters! And the guy had a bum knee! If anyone wants to contend, even for a second, that this second place finish means that he is somehow "slipping," I will publicly flog them with a sea-bass. Yeah, he came in second, but you know what? If you were to tell me that they were going to play the Masters over again tomorrow, I would STILL put all my money on Woods to win. In fact, I'm currently accepting bets on his surgery, I believe he's going to kick that operations ass...anyone want to bet against me? I'll even give you 3:1.
Fuck it, just pay me now.
-Jobimoto out.
"Suck my knob, police-woman!"
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
A minor apology and several statements that will surely warrant an apology later...
Ok, a few things.
First, I know I said I don't care what you think, and for the most part it's true, especially because I'm not sure that our readership is even in the double digits, but I still feel the need to apology to Blogi, because frankly, this blog was supposed to be about surviving work and sticking it to the man. Recently, I have turned this into, "Jobimoto's baseball blog." This is completely unfair, and to Blogi, I apologize. I was going to write about how the rest of you should be thanking me for my analysis, but it got really convoluted so I'll close by saying - you should, because I am right and if you want to dance, bring your stats, and we'll go toe to toe.
That being said, there was a series against Boston this weekend, and Boston won. I don't like to acknowledge it, but my only solace is that Wang shut them down with 93 pitches over 9 innings on Friday night, and that was sweet. I once saw Maddux when he was with the Braves disassemble the Yankees with 84 pitches over 9 innings, it was incredible. Even Boston fans were impressed by the game.
I'm not sweating the series, I'll be a little bummed if the Yanks can't get it together this weekend in the Bronx, they need to take a couple back, but the truth of the matter is neither team looks great right now. Boston pulled off a typical rally last night against the Indians and the Yankees finally went back to their old ways by swinging the Big Bats and having their bullpen almost blow the game (sorry boys, until you start proving you can hold a five run lead, you are going to get the wrath). Mo looks sharp again, which is something he didn't have at all last year. I remember as he got pulled in the 9th against Boston after blowing the lead and the bases were juiced...it was like watching Captain America carried off the field of battle on a stretcher...you just couldn't imagine it. But Cap is coming back and so has Mo, and all is right in the world.
I'm proud of Blogi's Giants, who are sporting a mediocre record on par with the Yankees. Not proud of them for beating up on Randy Johnson, not that I love RJ, cause he should just quit, but I mean come on, the guy's insides are more synthetic than natural now...it's like pinning the blind kid in a wrestling match. Ok - I yield: he gave up 3 runs over 5 innings, none of them earned, and still technically has a 0.00 ERA, so I should cut the guy some slack. However, he will always draw my ire for being another high-priced mercenary who haunted the Yankees and they went out and signed.
That reminds me of something I realized last night. The Yankees classically go out and sign the players that have burned them. Sometimes this works out great, look at Tino Martinez, Roger Clemens, and Wade Boggs. Those guys were stellar for the Yanks. But they've picked up some guys who have strung together a couple good years, but have been mediocre at best: Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, Gary Sheffield. Alex Rodriguez used to eat the Yankees alive. So rather than figure out how to beat these guys, the Yanks go after them, only a couple years too late (exception of A-Rod). Mark my words, when Papi decides to leave baseball, the Yanks will pursue him to the nth degree to stick it to the Sawx. They'll overpay him, and Boston will humiliate the Yanks that year. Bold Prediction for the future.
Now to switch it up style. Video games are crack. I am certain of this, because they become an addiction. I have a sweet-ass PS2 that still works and I have about 6 games for it that I have not beat, including God of War because I thought I could play it on Spartan and it has been making me it's bitchboy since November. Yes, that's 5 months of playing the same damn level if you're keeping score at home. So I ran out and bought a PS3 and of the four games I own for that, I have beat one, and haven't even opened two. I've been waiting to buy a pair of DSes for my girlfriend and myself so we can play video games together rather than have this being a solitary act, and THEN I read that crisis core came out for PSP and is an FF7 prequel, and now I'm determined I must buy this damn game. I can only assume this is what it's like to be a junky, or, maybe more realistically, to love shoes and clothes like some people do. Sony, you are my Prada.
I'm still waiting to get my PS3 repaired, and I'm still waiting for that magical day when I actually have time to play video games again. This summer a huge suite drops for Sony where it is going to p0wn the shit out of the 360 with GTA4, FF13, and Metal Gear Solid 4. By that estimation, I have about 3-4 months to get my video game chops/credit back, and also come to grips with the sad realization that I've just created a development plan for myself to attack the summer rush of games.
While I'm at it, anyone want to play Magic or roll a couple d20's?
-Jobimoto out
"Roll for initiative."
First, I know I said I don't care what you think, and for the most part it's true, especially because I'm not sure that our readership is even in the double digits, but I still feel the need to apology to Blogi, because frankly, this blog was supposed to be about surviving work and sticking it to the man. Recently, I have turned this into, "Jobimoto's baseball blog." This is completely unfair, and to Blogi, I apologize. I was going to write about how the rest of you should be thanking me for my analysis, but it got really convoluted so I'll close by saying - you should, because I am right and if you want to dance, bring your stats, and we'll go toe to toe.
That being said, there was a series against Boston this weekend, and Boston won. I don't like to acknowledge it, but my only solace is that Wang shut them down with 93 pitches over 9 innings on Friday night, and that was sweet. I once saw Maddux when he was with the Braves disassemble the Yankees with 84 pitches over 9 innings, it was incredible. Even Boston fans were impressed by the game.
I'm not sweating the series, I'll be a little bummed if the Yanks can't get it together this weekend in the Bronx, they need to take a couple back, but the truth of the matter is neither team looks great right now. Boston pulled off a typical rally last night against the Indians and the Yankees finally went back to their old ways by swinging the Big Bats and having their bullpen almost blow the game (sorry boys, until you start proving you can hold a five run lead, you are going to get the wrath). Mo looks sharp again, which is something he didn't have at all last year. I remember as he got pulled in the 9th against Boston after blowing the lead and the bases were juiced...it was like watching Captain America carried off the field of battle on a stretcher...you just couldn't imagine it. But Cap is coming back and so has Mo, and all is right in the world.
I'm proud of Blogi's Giants, who are sporting a mediocre record on par with the Yankees. Not proud of them for beating up on Randy Johnson, not that I love RJ, cause he should just quit, but I mean come on, the guy's insides are more synthetic than natural now...it's like pinning the blind kid in a wrestling match. Ok - I yield: he gave up 3 runs over 5 innings, none of them earned, and still technically has a 0.00 ERA, so I should cut the guy some slack. However, he will always draw my ire for being another high-priced mercenary who haunted the Yankees and they went out and signed.
That reminds me of something I realized last night. The Yankees classically go out and sign the players that have burned them. Sometimes this works out great, look at Tino Martinez, Roger Clemens, and Wade Boggs. Those guys were stellar for the Yanks. But they've picked up some guys who have strung together a couple good years, but have been mediocre at best: Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, Gary Sheffield. Alex Rodriguez used to eat the Yankees alive. So rather than figure out how to beat these guys, the Yanks go after them, only a couple years too late (exception of A-Rod). Mark my words, when Papi decides to leave baseball, the Yanks will pursue him to the nth degree to stick it to the Sawx. They'll overpay him, and Boston will humiliate the Yanks that year. Bold Prediction for the future.
Now to switch it up style. Video games are crack. I am certain of this, because they become an addiction. I have a sweet-ass PS2 that still works and I have about 6 games for it that I have not beat, including God of War because I thought I could play it on Spartan and it has been making me it's bitchboy since November. Yes, that's 5 months of playing the same damn level if you're keeping score at home. So I ran out and bought a PS3 and of the four games I own for that, I have beat one, and haven't even opened two. I've been waiting to buy a pair of DSes for my girlfriend and myself so we can play video games together rather than have this being a solitary act, and THEN I read that crisis core came out for PSP and is an FF7 prequel, and now I'm determined I must buy this damn game. I can only assume this is what it's like to be a junky, or, maybe more realistically, to love shoes and clothes like some people do. Sony, you are my Prada.
I'm still waiting to get my PS3 repaired, and I'm still waiting for that magical day when I actually have time to play video games again. This summer a huge suite drops for Sony where it is going to p0wn the shit out of the 360 with GTA4, FF13, and Metal Gear Solid 4. By that estimation, I have about 3-4 months to get my video game chops/credit back, and also come to grips with the sad realization that I've just created a development plan for myself to attack the summer rush of games.
While I'm at it, anyone want to play Magic or roll a couple d20's?
-Jobimoto out
"Roll for initiative."
"Cocaine is a Helluva Drug"
First, I'd like to thank Jobi. His back must surely be sore as hell with the amount of weight he's carrying around for me. Keep on truckin, bro.
Secondly: FUCK YEAH GIANTS!!!! Takin down those bastard D-back D-Bags was awesome. Couple of strategic hits won you guys the game. THAT'S what you guys need to get in the groove of doing. You don't have power bats, so don't even try to pretend like you do. Play a smart ball game and hit 'em where they look like absolute idiots going after them.
On a related note, after all this time in CT, I JUST NOW found out that the Connecticut Defenders, which play like 20 minutes away, are a FUCKING GIANTS AA FEEDER TEAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm breaking out my cap and my glove and enjoying me some goddamn baseball REAL SOON.
..... as soon as my job stops killing me that is....
Oh, and I would just like to point out that Jobi laid the smack down on Carl Pavano, A.K.A C-Piddy. Bad move, bro..... bad. move. You know he's gonna come over to your apartment, beat every single one of your PS2 AND PS3 games before breakfast, down an entire vat of Hollandaise in front of your face, and then throw Truth Sauce at you in the form of a 500mph curveball through your TV that somehow ends up lodged in your colon last week. Cuz that's how he rolls. And you, my friend, have awoken the sleeping dragon. Warn your girlfriend and the neighbors, they won't want to see this....
Moving on:
Yes, I agree that Eggs and Toast has been dominated by sports talk as of late, but you know what? I'm ok with that for the time being. Why? Cuz baseball rocks and is a very important part of both Jobi's and my lives. Besides which, my brain is so damn fried from being beaten into the mantle of the Earth, I really haven't been able to find anything to talk about recent. I haven't even been keeping up with Penny Arcade! *GASP!* Yes, it's true. I am a shame to the human race. I shall fall on my sword upon finishing this post.
Now, I must re-touch on something quite important to me: My Creative Zen. In my initial review I made mention that I would download videos from Unbox and check them out on my Zen. Well, I did, and the verdict is: BUY THIS DEVICE. I watched Christopher Walken's recent hosting of SNL on the Zen on my way to New York this past weekend, and that little 16.7 MILLION color screen is a thing of absolute wonder. Sound was great, and the picture was astounding. Only drawback? It's small. But then again, that's why I got it. I didn't want to lug around a massive media player device (nor could I afford it). What's next? I just downloaded the first two episodes of Battlestar Galactica season 4. Yeah. That's right. A whoooole lotta Tricia Helfer.
As for Unbox itself, the verdict is still out I think. What's nice: it downloads both a full video file for my computer of whatever I order as well as a smaller file specifically for my Zen. That's pretty slick. The interface of unbox's website and specialized desktop browser/asst. is nothing fancy, but it's intuitive and gets the job done. Great thing: It's not iTunes, which I hate with an absurd passion. "But Blogi, how do you live without iTunes?! The world can't spin without iTunes!!" Bite me. It's called Winamp. I can customize pretty much anything about Winamp that I want AND it doesn't take up my entire goddamn screen. I can set it to become transparent when not being used, which is slick. What does it lack? mp3 ripping. Do I care? no. Why? because there is absolutely no lack of free software (that's NOT itunes) to rip mp3's from CD's (AND strip them of any stupid encoding as well). I personally use the software that came from my old Creative Muvo, which allows me to rip MP3's of any bit rate of my choosing, and DOESN'T automatically encode songs into that stupidass protected AAC3 format. I'll go off on this whole topic of music sharing and protected digital files on a later date. But I'll say this for now: Big time music artists are in no danger of filing for bankruptcy any time soon, and the record industry has found creative ways to maintain its revenue. SO QUIT YER BITCHING.
I also might have a new digital camera review on the horizon.
But first: I fall on my sword.
Roadkill Blogi out.
"That's not a knife, that's a spoon!" ..... Damn.
Secondly: FUCK YEAH GIANTS!!!! Takin down those bastard D-back D-Bags was awesome. Couple of strategic hits won you guys the game. THAT'S what you guys need to get in the groove of doing. You don't have power bats, so don't even try to pretend like you do. Play a smart ball game and hit 'em where they look like absolute idiots going after them.
On a related note, after all this time in CT, I JUST NOW found out that the Connecticut Defenders, which play like 20 minutes away, are a FUCKING GIANTS AA FEEDER TEAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm breaking out my cap and my glove and enjoying me some goddamn baseball REAL SOON.
..... as soon as my job stops killing me that is....
Oh, and I would just like to point out that Jobi laid the smack down on Carl Pavano, A.K.A C-Piddy. Bad move, bro..... bad. move. You know he's gonna come over to your apartment, beat every single one of your PS2 AND PS3 games before breakfast, down an entire vat of Hollandaise in front of your face, and then throw Truth Sauce at you in the form of a 500mph curveball through your TV that somehow ends up lodged in your colon last week. Cuz that's how he rolls. And you, my friend, have awoken the sleeping dragon. Warn your girlfriend and the neighbors, they won't want to see this....
Moving on:
Yes, I agree that Eggs and Toast has been dominated by sports talk as of late, but you know what? I'm ok with that for the time being. Why? Cuz baseball rocks and is a very important part of both Jobi's and my lives. Besides which, my brain is so damn fried from being beaten into the mantle of the Earth, I really haven't been able to find anything to talk about recent. I haven't even been keeping up with Penny Arcade! *GASP!* Yes, it's true. I am a shame to the human race. I shall fall on my sword upon finishing this post.
Now, I must re-touch on something quite important to me: My Creative Zen. In my initial review I made mention that I would download videos from Unbox and check them out on my Zen. Well, I did, and the verdict is: BUY THIS DEVICE. I watched Christopher Walken's recent hosting of SNL on the Zen on my way to New York this past weekend, and that little 16.7 MILLION color screen is a thing of absolute wonder. Sound was great, and the picture was astounding. Only drawback? It's small. But then again, that's why I got it. I didn't want to lug around a massive media player device (nor could I afford it). What's next? I just downloaded the first two episodes of Battlestar Galactica season 4. Yeah. That's right. A whoooole lotta Tricia Helfer.
As for Unbox itself, the verdict is still out I think. What's nice: it downloads both a full video file for my computer of whatever I order as well as a smaller file specifically for my Zen. That's pretty slick. The interface of unbox's website and specialized desktop browser/asst. is nothing fancy, but it's intuitive and gets the job done. Great thing: It's not iTunes, which I hate with an absurd passion. "But Blogi, how do you live without iTunes?! The world can't spin without iTunes!!" Bite me. It's called Winamp. I can customize pretty much anything about Winamp that I want AND it doesn't take up my entire goddamn screen. I can set it to become transparent when not being used, which is slick. What does it lack? mp3 ripping. Do I care? no. Why? because there is absolutely no lack of free software (that's NOT itunes) to rip mp3's from CD's (AND strip them of any stupid encoding as well). I personally use the software that came from my old Creative Muvo, which allows me to rip MP3's of any bit rate of my choosing, and DOESN'T automatically encode songs into that stupidass protected AAC3 format. I'll go off on this whole topic of music sharing and protected digital files on a later date. But I'll say this for now: Big time music artists are in no danger of filing for bankruptcy any time soon, and the record industry has found creative ways to maintain its revenue. SO QUIT YER BITCHING.
I also might have a new digital camera review on the horizon.
But first: I fall on my sword.
Roadkill Blogi out.
"That's not a knife, that's a spoon!" ..... Damn.
Friday, April 11, 2008
It's on like Donkey Kong
So it begins. Today. Tonight. Yankees at Sox, the rivalry renewed in 2008. Wang vs. Buchholz. Two mediocre looking teams will duke it out to the delight of millions across the nation and around the globe. I have often wondered what it would look like for two punching bags to fight one another...and tonight I will know.
Because it's baseball, there is a rule stating that someone will win - someone has to, this is a given and it's why this game is beautiful. But these three games this weekend have the potential to be ugly, very ugly, or it has the potential to jump start both of these merely .500 teams with negative run differentials. Even with the injuries, the cold weather, and the nature of it still being April, these teams have too much talent to look this lethargic. The Yankees got caught stealing 3 times in the first 2 games (I can't back this actual number up) and decided to stop running altogether. The Red Sox will score 12, or they will score 0. The Yankees, the model of consistency have been scoring in the 3-4 range, with the occasional nil and 6 here and there. These teams look soft and sad. Swept by the Jays? Choke. Losing a series to the Royals? Hold on, let me initiate the Heimlich.
Ok, it's April, whooptie-freakin'-doo. But this is baseball, and there is no crying, especially for these punching bags:
- Detroit Tigers. You boys suck. I've seen people suck before but you are the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked. What good is scoring 1000 runs if you have no arms to back it up? Oh wait, you haven't scored that 1000 runs yet, and there is only one team worse than you in all of baseball (the Giants) and another on par with you (the Rockies). This is sad and pathetic, where are your fangs? Where are your claws? This is crap, sheer, utter crap. Start offering Cabrera empanadas for every home run this guy hits, because nothing else seems to be working. This team should be a juggernaut, and will be at some point, maybe they just need Granderson back, but even I feel bad making fun of these guys at the moment. It's sad. The problem is, this team should not be a punching bag, but I'm not convinced they are going to recover from a start like this unless they go 20-2 starting yesterday. I read a stat that only 2 teams since 1900 have started 0-7 and made the playoffs, and I don't think either won a series. Make no mistake, Detroit will not be content with the playoffs, they want that ring that they gave away in '06 to the 82 and 80 Cardinals. Deep down, I believe this is another perfect storm year, similar to what happened to the '07 White Sox - they fell apart, in all aspects. As Leland said, "every team wins 60 games and every team loses 60 games, it's what you do with the other 40 that's important." Hate to break it to you, Leland, but I think these are those 40. I predicted big things for these guys on opening day, but right now I truly believe that this team will turn into a punching bag, even if it comes back and goes 90-72, they will get battered and beat around in the playoffs with no arms, and everyone will go home to nurse their bruised egos and inflated contracts.
- San Francisco Giants. I can't say anything about you perpetual losers that I didn't already say a few days ago. You are now 4 and 6, congrats, how the fuck did you win 4? On 25 runs! Did you make the other team use ghosties in those four games? This is going to happen all year for Blogi, and I feel bad.
- Teams that are punching bags but that I'm too tired to comment on: Pittsburgh, Houston, Washington. I guarantee you everyone will still agree with me in two months.
- Team that have the potential to be year long punching bags: Seattle.
- Teams that won't be punching bags forever: Atlanta, Cleveland.
- Teams that currently are punching bags and should be ashamed of themselves for starting this abysmally: Red Sox and Yankees.
I'm tired, I'm at work, and I can barely keep my eyes open. Dumber than a sack of drunk rocks.
GO YANKEES!
- Jobimoto out.
"You have a hole in your swing."
Because it's baseball, there is a rule stating that someone will win - someone has to, this is a given and it's why this game is beautiful. But these three games this weekend have the potential to be ugly, very ugly, or it has the potential to jump start both of these merely .500 teams with negative run differentials. Even with the injuries, the cold weather, and the nature of it still being April, these teams have too much talent to look this lethargic. The Yankees got caught stealing 3 times in the first 2 games (I can't back this actual number up) and decided to stop running altogether. The Red Sox will score 12, or they will score 0. The Yankees, the model of consistency have been scoring in the 3-4 range, with the occasional nil and 6 here and there. These teams look soft and sad. Swept by the Jays? Choke. Losing a series to the Royals? Hold on, let me initiate the Heimlich.
Ok, it's April, whooptie-freakin'-doo. But this is baseball, and there is no crying, especially for these punching bags:
- Detroit Tigers. You boys suck. I've seen people suck before but you are the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked. What good is scoring 1000 runs if you have no arms to back it up? Oh wait, you haven't scored that 1000 runs yet, and there is only one team worse than you in all of baseball (the Giants) and another on par with you (the Rockies). This is sad and pathetic, where are your fangs? Where are your claws? This is crap, sheer, utter crap. Start offering Cabrera empanadas for every home run this guy hits, because nothing else seems to be working. This team should be a juggernaut, and will be at some point, maybe they just need Granderson back, but even I feel bad making fun of these guys at the moment. It's sad. The problem is, this team should not be a punching bag, but I'm not convinced they are going to recover from a start like this unless they go 20-2 starting yesterday. I read a stat that only 2 teams since 1900 have started 0-7 and made the playoffs, and I don't think either won a series. Make no mistake, Detroit will not be content with the playoffs, they want that ring that they gave away in '06 to the 82 and 80 Cardinals. Deep down, I believe this is another perfect storm year, similar to what happened to the '07 White Sox - they fell apart, in all aspects. As Leland said, "every team wins 60 games and every team loses 60 games, it's what you do with the other 40 that's important." Hate to break it to you, Leland, but I think these are those 40. I predicted big things for these guys on opening day, but right now I truly believe that this team will turn into a punching bag, even if it comes back and goes 90-72, they will get battered and beat around in the playoffs with no arms, and everyone will go home to nurse their bruised egos and inflated contracts.
- San Francisco Giants. I can't say anything about you perpetual losers that I didn't already say a few days ago. You are now 4 and 6, congrats, how the fuck did you win 4? On 25 runs! Did you make the other team use ghosties in those four games? This is going to happen all year for Blogi, and I feel bad.
- Teams that are punching bags but that I'm too tired to comment on: Pittsburgh, Houston, Washington. I guarantee you everyone will still agree with me in two months.
- Team that have the potential to be year long punching bags: Seattle.
- Teams that won't be punching bags forever: Atlanta, Cleveland.
- Teams that currently are punching bags and should be ashamed of themselves for starting this abysmally: Red Sox and Yankees.
I'm tired, I'm at work, and I can barely keep my eyes open. Dumber than a sack of drunk rocks.
GO YANKEES!
- Jobimoto out.
"You have a hole in your swing."
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Settle down, youngin's
No one's posted in days, because we are both in a complete daze. Not just from work, but because our teams suck. The Yankees are merely mediocre right now, starting out at 4-4, which they have done for the past five years, so no cause for alarm as they haven't missed the playoffs in those years, but they also haven't brought home one bit of hardware except for A-Rod's MVP trophies in that time, and kudos to him, but who the fuck cares. We want rings.
The Giants on the other hand, are awful. Two (2) and Six (6)...how they ever managed to win 2 is anyone's guess. Fifty (50) percent of those wins are attributed to Tim Lincecum, who is going to be a stud, and will be gone either this year or next in a SF Giant's mid-year fire sale. Get your Time Lincecum Bobbleheads while you can Giant's fans, and you can say you knew him when.
Shame on you, San Francisco giants, you have a payroll of 90.5 million dollars, which, is only good enough for 11th in the league (that is a travesty right there), but good GOD 90.5 million dollars should at least be able to buy a better run differential than -25 after 8 games. Paying for superstars doesn't kill you, but paying for mediocrity does, and when Barry Zito (10m) and Ray Durham (7m and turning 37 at the end of the season) are your top earners - you are a culprit, not a victim. San Francisco, you owe it to your fans, because you have a great stadium, you're a commercial moneymaker, and these guys have stuck with you for years, and how many rings do you have since you moved to San Francisco? That's what i thought, go sit in the corner.
The Yankees are a whole other can of worms, and by comparison, their 195 million dollar .500 team is about the same equivalent of the Giants, though their record is nominally better and their run differential isn't as shudder-inducing. A lot of it has to deal with contracts to aging veterans such as Posada and Rivera, one of whom is back to his youthful form. Posada's year last year was an aberration, not a preview. He will have more good years, but none like last. The simple reason these Yankees paid these guys this much money, that they would not have received anywhere else (save Rivera), is because they could. It's the same reason the Sox overpaid on Drew, but this isn't about money, this is about teams that stink right now, and the Red Sox and the Tigers are getting a free pass because I'm pressed for time.
Mathematically, at some point, the bats have to wake up, same as the Tigers, but that's what people said all year last year about the White Sox, and they were a joke. Sometimes the Gods of Baseball rear their ugly head and things happen you can never explain, such as Chuck Knoblauch somehow being unable to hit the first baseman, but becoming amazing at hitting a patch of dirt five feet in front of him on every throw. Am I panicked? No. Am I worried? Yes. But at the end of the day I know it matters to the guys who run my team, and that's what counts. And that's why I wag the finger of shame at the San Francisco Giants: care more, try harder, make better deals, and don't let Scott Boras tell you that Barry Zito is a top of the rotation guy, when even Barry himself didn't buy it. Chew on that, and see if there's still enough HGH in Bond's old locker to get Lincecum to pitch all 154 remaining games.
-Jobimoto out
"Candlesticks make a nice gift. Let's get two!"
The Giants on the other hand, are awful. Two (2) and Six (6)...how they ever managed to win 2 is anyone's guess. Fifty (50) percent of those wins are attributed to Tim Lincecum, who is going to be a stud, and will be gone either this year or next in a SF Giant's mid-year fire sale. Get your Time Lincecum Bobbleheads while you can Giant's fans, and you can say you knew him when.
Shame on you, San Francisco giants, you have a payroll of 90.5 million dollars, which, is only good enough for 11th in the league (that is a travesty right there), but good GOD 90.5 million dollars should at least be able to buy a better run differential than -25 after 8 games. Paying for superstars doesn't kill you, but paying for mediocrity does, and when Barry Zito (10m) and Ray Durham (7m and turning 37 at the end of the season) are your top earners - you are a culprit, not a victim. San Francisco, you owe it to your fans, because you have a great stadium, you're a commercial moneymaker, and these guys have stuck with you for years, and how many rings do you have since you moved to San Francisco? That's what i thought, go sit in the corner.
The Yankees are a whole other can of worms, and by comparison, their 195 million dollar .500 team is about the same equivalent of the Giants, though their record is nominally better and their run differential isn't as shudder-inducing. A lot of it has to deal with contracts to aging veterans such as Posada and Rivera, one of whom is back to his youthful form. Posada's year last year was an aberration, not a preview. He will have more good years, but none like last. The simple reason these Yankees paid these guys this much money, that they would not have received anywhere else (save Rivera), is because they could. It's the same reason the Sox overpaid on Drew, but this isn't about money, this is about teams that stink right now, and the Red Sox and the Tigers are getting a free pass because I'm pressed for time.
Mathematically, at some point, the bats have to wake up, same as the Tigers, but that's what people said all year last year about the White Sox, and they were a joke. Sometimes the Gods of Baseball rear their ugly head and things happen you can never explain, such as Chuck Knoblauch somehow being unable to hit the first baseman, but becoming amazing at hitting a patch of dirt five feet in front of him on every throw. Am I panicked? No. Am I worried? Yes. But at the end of the day I know it matters to the guys who run my team, and that's what counts. And that's why I wag the finger of shame at the San Francisco Giants: care more, try harder, make better deals, and don't let Scott Boras tell you that Barry Zito is a top of the rotation guy, when even Barry himself didn't buy it. Chew on that, and see if there's still enough HGH in Bond's old locker to get Lincecum to pitch all 154 remaining games.
-Jobimoto out
"Candlesticks make a nice gift. Let's get two!"
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Watch Out, That Kid's Got a Gun!
First off, I'd like to echo Jobimoto's sentiments about baseball season being officially underway. Specifically:
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! (go ahead and laugh now...)
Yes, that's right, the San Francisco Giants. I'm from Northern California (Fuck you, Dodgers), so deal with it. But since I reside out in Yankee/Red Sox territory, will I ever see a Giants game in the near future on TV? That would be a big, resounding punch in the nads from the television networks. Geez, a simple "no" would have sufficed.....
Bold Prediction #1: The Giants will finish ABOVE .500 this season. Yes, that IS a bold prediction, and about as much as any Giants fan can really hope for this year.
Bold Prediction #2: Tim Lincecum will pitch a no hitter and then sprout wings and fly.
I kid you not, this is within the realm of possibility given this kid's outstanding talent. And I'm not just speaking from the articles and stats I read online; I've seen this kid in action live and in person at PacBellAT&T3ComWhateverthehellCompanyWantstoPut
TheirNameonThisStadiumThisWeek Park (which, beside the name is one hell of an amazing ball park and a right proper new home for our SF heroes; Although anyone who's ever been to Candlestick, or "the Stick" as its better known, knows that there is no real replacement) and Lincecum is a flat out wonder to watch on the mound. The problem is, there's no one to really back him up with a bat or even some relief. As seen in yesterday's bizarre game, Lincecum has proved that he is both the Giant's star pitcher as well as their most valuable reliever now. Well, great. Let's just clone the boy wonder a couple times and be done with it. Yesterday's game also seemed to indicate that the Giants are going to have to go back to the strategic drawing board and start screwing around with funky fresh tactics in order to win some games this year. They've got a solid young crew that will take a few years to groom into fierce competitors (if they hold on to them), but if they're going to play run-of-the-mill predictable ball, they're going to get pretty regularly hammered. Which is fine and what we'll expect, but it would be pretty frickin' cool if they found a rhythm in changing it up and doing some crazy things with their young and energetic crew. Hell, it might even create some buzz, throw the rest of the division off a bit, and make it interesting enough that they'll want to broadcast the games all the way over here. It would be the kind of innovative, balls-to-the-wall, I-blew-my-entire-signing-bonus-on-hookers-and-booze-last-night gameplay that makes NCAA football and basketball so much more interesting to watch than the pro leagues.
A man can hope.
That's all for now, but I'll be back at ya a little later in the day with some sweet ass reviewing of my new toy....
B-Moto out
"are you gonna eat that?"
GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! (go ahead and laugh now...)
Yes, that's right, the San Francisco Giants. I'm from Northern California (Fuck you, Dodgers), so deal with it. But since I reside out in Yankee/Red Sox territory, will I ever see a Giants game in the near future on TV? That would be a big, resounding punch in the nads from the television networks. Geez, a simple "no" would have sufficed.....
Bold Prediction #1: The Giants will finish ABOVE .500 this season. Yes, that IS a bold prediction, and about as much as any Giants fan can really hope for this year.
Bold Prediction #2: Tim Lincecum will pitch a no hitter and then sprout wings and fly.
I kid you not, this is within the realm of possibility given this kid's outstanding talent. And I'm not just speaking from the articles and stats I read online; I've seen this kid in action live and in person at PacBellAT&T3ComWhateverthehellCompanyWantstoPut
TheirNameonThisStadiumThisWeek Park (which, beside the name is one hell of an amazing ball park and a right proper new home for our SF heroes; Although anyone who's ever been to Candlestick, or "the Stick" as its better known, knows that there is no real replacement) and Lincecum is a flat out wonder to watch on the mound. The problem is, there's no one to really back him up with a bat or even some relief. As seen in yesterday's bizarre game, Lincecum has proved that he is both the Giant's star pitcher as well as their most valuable reliever now. Well, great. Let's just clone the boy wonder a couple times and be done with it. Yesterday's game also seemed to indicate that the Giants are going to have to go back to the strategic drawing board and start screwing around with funky fresh tactics in order to win some games this year. They've got a solid young crew that will take a few years to groom into fierce competitors (if they hold on to them), but if they're going to play run-of-the-mill predictable ball, they're going to get pretty regularly hammered. Which is fine and what we'll expect, but it would be pretty frickin' cool if they found a rhythm in changing it up and doing some crazy things with their young and energetic crew. Hell, it might even create some buzz, throw the rest of the division off a bit, and make it interesting enough that they'll want to broadcast the games all the way over here. It would be the kind of innovative, balls-to-the-wall, I-blew-my-entire-signing-bonus-on-hookers-and-booze-last-night gameplay that makes NCAA football and basketball so much more interesting to watch than the pro leagues.
A man can hope.
That's all for now, but I'll be back at ya a little later in the day with some sweet ass reviewing of my new toy....
B-Moto out
"are you gonna eat that?"
My girlfriend is jealous of the attention I'm giving this thing.....
Ok, so last week I went over how much ipods suck compared to lower-priced, more compatible, better-featured competitors.
I am about to go on a lengthy review of my new toy, the Creative Zen 8gb. For those of you who don't want to sit through the nitty gritty details, here it is plain and simple: It's amazing and I recommend it over a stupidass iPod any day. This aint some cheap knockoff competitor, this is the real thing. Solid design, great interface, and features that will make you cry alone in your sleep for having wasted your cash on Apple's marketing scheme. AND, it looks great enough to tote around and be stylish with if that's all you really care about. Again, I have to re-iterate:
EAT MY SHIT, APPLE.
Now, on with the details:
Well, my Creative Zen arrived in all it's 8gb glory yesterday and my god am I like a kid on Christmas today. This thing is freakin sweet. It's been far too long that I've been in the audio stone age trying to navigate around on a two-tone 1/4"x1" lcd display. When I turned this thing on for the first time, the 2.5" 16.7 MILLION color screen made me very concerned for the aridity and integrity of my pants. This player is gorgeous, plain and simple. It's about the size of a credit card and about as thick as the diameter of a Sharpie, and it's got a solid feel to it. Not heavy by any means, but also not cheaply light either. Metal enclosure with a hard plastic front make it look very sleek. Next to the screen are the navigation buttons, which include a four-way rocker with a center button, a play/pause button, a programmable option button, a menu/back button, and an advanced options button. The tactile buttons are easily used and spaced out well enough that you're not going to push the wrong one, but they are the flimsiest piece of the player (though aren't really that flimsy). Did I mention the screen? Oh. I did alread? Well too bad, it's fantastic. It's got a slick, fading backlight on it that you can adjust the timing for, and the brightness can also be adjusted. It comes set at 50% brightness, and I boosted it to 70%, and it's amazing. 100% is just ungodly pretty and might give you a sunburn.
Let me lay out the features on this thing:
Music player: MP3, WMA, non-protected AAC, WAV and Audible 2,3 and 4 (for audio books) formats
Video Player: MJPEG, WMV9 and (with transcoding - MPEG1 and 2, MPEG4-SP, DivX 4 and 5 and XviD)
Photo Viewer: JPEG and (with transcoding - GIF, TIFF, PNG and BMP)
FM Radio: with 32 presets
Voice Recorder
Clock & Alarm
Organizer: Syncs with Microsoft Outlook
& it supports album art
The provided software is nothing fancy, but it coincides nicely with Windows XP for a straightforward, no frills approach and will convert video and image files into the proper format.
Back to the interface: awesome. It comes in a default red color scheme, which looks great as it is, but you can choose from 6 color themes (I changed mine to a great-looking royal blue), and you can also opt to make your own photo as a background for a bit more fun and personalization. The main menu is large, stylish and very easy to navigate. You can make a whole lot of custom settings to the thing including: 5 band custom equalizer (plus 8 presets), date/time display, customize the menu, playlists, 3 ways of viewing the song you're playing, and as I mentioned before you can program one of the buttons to do a number of different shortcuts.
My only gripe about the interface so far (and it's a very minor one) is that the auto scrolling isn't as smooth or as fast as it is with the ipods (via the slick scroll wheel), 2nd gen Zune (very nice accelerated scrolling), and the older Zen touch strips (where did they go, Creative??). That being said, you can still move around easily and fast enough, and there is an accelerated scroll function that kicks in after a couple seconds; it's just not as smooth as those others. But then again, it also costs half as much, and for all the features it gives you, I can't really complain too much for skimping on something.
Sound quality? Crystal clear. Especially after I customized the EQ. The bass on this sucker is thumping, and although there is a Bass-boost option in the sound settings, with the low end of the EQ boosted up a bit, I didn't need it, and when I did try turning it on, it actually ended up pushing it too far and started to distort. I tried out both the factory provided headphones (not bad sounding for freebies, by the way) and then plugged in my Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones (An amazing set of cans, by the way, and a steal at 90 bucks for the quality they put out). The Zen made excellent use of the higher-grade headphones and had plenty of power to put the volume through (with a volume level from 1-25, I couldn't push it above 23 comfortably, so it gets plenty loud).
Video Quality: It will take me some time to really flesh out the capabilities of this thing as a video player, but the supplied video sample looks incredible on the screen. Is it a big screen? No. But that's the point. I plan on renting some tv shows and movies from Unbox when I travel next and see how it goes.
Phew. You'd think I'm on Creative's payroll or something (damn, I wish...). And although it may seem like I'm adamantly opposed to Apple no matter what, that's not really the case. They have their uses to the everyday consumer, and I actually recommend Macs for a lot of people (if they can afford it, that is). But I think they've been hyped up way beyond what they're worth, and the disgusting elitist cult following they've established is pretty damn sickening. Apple fanatics are truly the most aggravating idiots out there. You can't really be a "PC fanatic" because "PC" isn't really a brand, it's just a code structure. The closest equivalent might be a Sony fanatic since they're the only ones that make the full range of products that Apple does, but you really don't see too many of those people, and having anything Sony besides a PS3 won't put you in the center of any hipster circles.
Allright, I'm pretty sure I'm about to get slapped by Jobimoto on my feeble attempt at sports talk if I haven't already, so I'll go back to staring at my Zen and touching it inappropriately....
B-Spot Out
"Crime is rampant in these streets!"
I am about to go on a lengthy review of my new toy, the Creative Zen 8gb. For those of you who don't want to sit through the nitty gritty details, here it is plain and simple: It's amazing and I recommend it over a stupidass iPod any day. This aint some cheap knockoff competitor, this is the real thing. Solid design, great interface, and features that will make you cry alone in your sleep for having wasted your cash on Apple's marketing scheme. AND, it looks great enough to tote around and be stylish with if that's all you really care about. Again, I have to re-iterate:
EAT MY SHIT, APPLE.
Now, on with the details:
Well, my Creative Zen arrived in all it's 8gb glory yesterday and my god am I like a kid on Christmas today. This thing is freakin sweet. It's been far too long that I've been in the audio stone age trying to navigate around on a two-tone 1/4"x1" lcd display. When I turned this thing on for the first time, the 2.5" 16.7 MILLION color screen made me very concerned for the aridity and integrity of my pants. This player is gorgeous, plain and simple. It's about the size of a credit card and about as thick as the diameter of a Sharpie, and it's got a solid feel to it. Not heavy by any means, but also not cheaply light either. Metal enclosure with a hard plastic front make it look very sleek. Next to the screen are the navigation buttons, which include a four-way rocker with a center button, a play/pause button, a programmable option button, a menu/back button, and an advanced options button. The tactile buttons are easily used and spaced out well enough that you're not going to push the wrong one, but they are the flimsiest piece of the player (though aren't really that flimsy). Did I mention the screen? Oh. I did alread? Well too bad, it's fantastic. It's got a slick, fading backlight on it that you can adjust the timing for, and the brightness can also be adjusted. It comes set at 50% brightness, and I boosted it to 70%, and it's amazing. 100% is just ungodly pretty and might give you a sunburn.
Let me lay out the features on this thing:
Music player: MP3, WMA, non-protected AAC, WAV and Audible 2,3 and 4 (for audio books) formats
Video Player: MJPEG, WMV9 and (with transcoding - MPEG1 and 2, MPEG4-SP, DivX 4 and 5 and XviD)
Photo Viewer: JPEG and (with transcoding - GIF, TIFF, PNG and BMP)
FM Radio: with 32 presets
Voice Recorder
Clock & Alarm
Organizer: Syncs with Microsoft Outlook
& it supports album art
The provided software is nothing fancy, but it coincides nicely with Windows XP for a straightforward, no frills approach and will convert video and image files into the proper format.
Back to the interface: awesome. It comes in a default red color scheme, which looks great as it is, but you can choose from 6 color themes (I changed mine to a great-looking royal blue), and you can also opt to make your own photo as a background for a bit more fun and personalization. The main menu is large, stylish and very easy to navigate. You can make a whole lot of custom settings to the thing including: 5 band custom equalizer (plus 8 presets), date/time display, customize the menu, playlists, 3 ways of viewing the song you're playing, and as I mentioned before you can program one of the buttons to do a number of different shortcuts.
My only gripe about the interface so far (and it's a very minor one) is that the auto scrolling isn't as smooth or as fast as it is with the ipods (via the slick scroll wheel), 2nd gen Zune (very nice accelerated scrolling), and the older Zen touch strips (where did they go, Creative??). That being said, you can still move around easily and fast enough, and there is an accelerated scroll function that kicks in after a couple seconds; it's just not as smooth as those others. But then again, it also costs half as much, and for all the features it gives you, I can't really complain too much for skimping on something.
Sound quality? Crystal clear. Especially after I customized the EQ. The bass on this sucker is thumping, and although there is a Bass-boost option in the sound settings, with the low end of the EQ boosted up a bit, I didn't need it, and when I did try turning it on, it actually ended up pushing it too far and started to distort. I tried out both the factory provided headphones (not bad sounding for freebies, by the way) and then plugged in my Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones (An amazing set of cans, by the way, and a steal at 90 bucks for the quality they put out). The Zen made excellent use of the higher-grade headphones and had plenty of power to put the volume through (with a volume level from 1-25, I couldn't push it above 23 comfortably, so it gets plenty loud).
Video Quality: It will take me some time to really flesh out the capabilities of this thing as a video player, but the supplied video sample looks incredible on the screen. Is it a big screen? No. But that's the point. I plan on renting some tv shows and movies from Unbox when I travel next and see how it goes.
Phew. You'd think I'm on Creative's payroll or something (damn, I wish...). And although it may seem like I'm adamantly opposed to Apple no matter what, that's not really the case. They have their uses to the everyday consumer, and I actually recommend Macs for a lot of people (if they can afford it, that is). But I think they've been hyped up way beyond what they're worth, and the disgusting elitist cult following they've established is pretty damn sickening. Apple fanatics are truly the most aggravating idiots out there. You can't really be a "PC fanatic" because "PC" isn't really a brand, it's just a code structure. The closest equivalent might be a Sony fanatic since they're the only ones that make the full range of products that Apple does, but you really don't see too many of those people, and having anything Sony besides a PS3 won't put you in the center of any hipster circles.
Allright, I'm pretty sure I'm about to get slapped by Jobimoto on my feeble attempt at sports talk if I haven't already, so I'll go back to staring at my Zen and touching it inappropriately....
B-Spot Out
"Crime is rampant in these streets!"
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
A short taunt, and a partial disclaimer...
Disclaimer first: I am clearly a Yankees fan and my views are not representative of the sports tendencies of eggs & toast as a whole, simply my own.
YANKEES WON.
Kiss my ass, losers, and be prepared for this to happen at least 150 more times this season. And that's spotting you Red Sox fans a couple games to keep it interesting.
Whatever, I'm fucking tired, lay off me.
-Jobimoto out.
"Eighteen and One."
YANKEES WON.
Kiss my ass, losers, and be prepared for this to happen at least 150 more times this season. And that's spotting you Red Sox fans a couple games to keep it interesting.
Whatever, I'm fucking tired, lay off me.
-Jobimoto out.
"Eighteen and One."
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