Pet peeves. Stuff that pisses us off. Stuff that pisses us off and probably shouldn't, but our time is much better spent being annoyed at whatever the hell is bothering us, instead of taking a deep breath and being patient. To being pissed off! (Editor's Note: Few of these will be my own, genuine pet peeves. Most of (to all of) these will be things that I remember from Values Game, or from this website.)
1. People who clog up the right lane. This wouldn't bother me so much if there was a street in Watertown that I frequented enough, but when there are two lanes where you're driving, and you want to turn right on red, one of the worst things in the world is when someone in the right lane wants to go straight. And is stopped at that red light. And you can't go anywhere. If you are one of these people, 1) damn you, 2) please go to the left lane.
2. Not giving reasons for something. In my much more cynical days, I preached that there was always a reason for something happening. Note - this is VERY DIFFERENT from "Everything happens for a reason." That is false and I do not believe it. What I do believe is that there is always reason behind actions. Something made you do what you did, or say what you did, and when people respond with "because" instead of searching for said reason, well....that's frustrating, to say the least.
3. Leftover time on the microwave. Totally stealing this from Daniel Juergens, who might have won Values Game by saying exactly that, and nothing else. Got a huge round of applause from the PMs.
4. Bad grammar. You could be writing the greatest thing ever, but if you tell me that you're "to good" at something, then you immediately lose all credibility of having a worthwhile conversation. Read more here.
5. People who think they have OCD. I don't know why this wasn't the first one, this probably pisses me of the most. There is a stark difference between having everything aligned and neat, and having to wash your hands after every time you touch a doorknob because you are literally and psychologically obsessed with keeping clean. There is a difference between disliking multiples of 3, and having to turn the light switch on and off seven times because you have a literal and psychological compulsion to do so.
6. People who still think they have OCD. And despite what I just said, this won't stop anybody.
7. Highway drivers. Between people weaving in and out of traffic who go ten miles per hour faster than everybody else for whatever reason, people on their cellphones as they're driving 75 miles per hour (or texting, which is exponentially worse), people who don't get the hint when they've slowed down traffic by going 60 in the left lane, and people who change lanes without indicating, driving on the highway absolutely sucks. To the point where I really think I'm going to die in a highway car crash eventually. One of my friends once told me that it takes two careless drivers to cause a car crash, but on the highway, I think this is excepted.
8. People who think "dived" should remain an appropriate past tense of "dive". It totally is an acceptable form of the past tense of "dive," but it just sounds so awful that it needs to be "dove." If you say to someone that you "dived in the pond," you just sound like you have no idea what you really did. And I know that I'll get flak for this because I say "draw" instead of "drawer," but hey, c'est la vie.
9. When I can't finish something numerical. I'll tie everything together here by saying that it kinda bothers me when I don't finish a list like this. This blog post is one of the first that comes to mind, which is just an embarrassment of an idea for a blog post. But if I'm reading a book (which rarely happens, I will add) and for whatever reason I fall two pages shy of finishing a chapter, that'll bug me. This only happens with numbers though, I think. If I'm eating a box of Cheez-Its, I have no problem leaving a very small number of Cheez-Its in the bag for a later time.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Friday, July 26, 2013
The philosopher House
"As the philosopher Jagger once said, you can't always get what you want."
- House, "Pilot"
And so begins the conquest to watch every episode of House. Going through House a second time (well, probably fourth if you count failed attempts and marathons on USA) will be much different from going through Lost again - the latter was more for entertainment, and so I could see little things that I missed seeing it live on ABC. With House, my plan is to actually write down my favorite episodes, and talk about why I love those particular ones. Here, actually. I'll be forced to think about my favorite TV show in a different way, which is totally awesome. Having seen every episode at least once, I can already tell the differences between House circa Season One and the House at the end of the series. The humor and wit are still there, but House becomes a lot more alive as the series progresses. I'm sure that this is something that I'll be thinking about as I get farther into the series, as well as other dynamics of the show and the messages that it tries to send.
On a slightly unrelated note, I would like to mention that this is the first time in a while where I have a fairly lame post title. That is, if you don't think that any of the post titles between now and this post were lame. But my rationalization for its use is that House really does go into a lot of philosophical questions in many episodes. One such episode being the entire premise of my blog. So yeah, I'd say that I'm pretty excited to do this.
- House, "Pilot"
And so begins the conquest to watch every episode of House. Going through House a second time (well, probably fourth if you count failed attempts and marathons on USA) will be much different from going through Lost again - the latter was more for entertainment, and so I could see little things that I missed seeing it live on ABC. With House, my plan is to actually write down my favorite episodes, and talk about why I love those particular ones. Here, actually. I'll be forced to think about my favorite TV show in a different way, which is totally awesome. Having seen every episode at least once, I can already tell the differences between House circa Season One and the House at the end of the series. The humor and wit are still there, but House becomes a lot more alive as the series progresses. I'm sure that this is something that I'll be thinking about as I get farther into the series, as well as other dynamics of the show and the messages that it tries to send.
On a slightly unrelated note, I would like to mention that this is the first time in a while where I have a fairly lame post title. That is, if you don't think that any of the post titles between now and this post were lame. But my rationalization for its use is that House really does go into a lot of philosophical questions in many episodes. One such episode being the entire premise of my blog. So yeah, I'd say that I'm pretty excited to do this.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
(Don't) make outs
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| Correlation between win% and opponents' OBP |
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
2013 MLB All-Star Game running diary
Well, I'm a little late to the (blogging) game, but not for the All-Star Game. Here's the running diary of the 2013 All-Star Game, started in the bottom of the first inning, with the game in a scoreless tie.
8:35pm After a Mike Trout double and Robinson Cano HBP, Matt Harvey retired Miguel Cabrera, Chris Davis, and Joey Bautista, in arguably the most lethal top five of any batting order ever. Cano's looked pretty bad after getting hit on the knee, which is particularly worrisome for myself as his fantasy owner. So help me baseball gods that he is okay.
8:36 Ah, Tim McCarver and Joe Buck just referenced Pedro and the 1999 ASG at Fenway, where he struck out 5 of 6 in two innings of work. Arguably the most exciting beginning to an All-Star Game, and I was there to see it. But damn, do I wish I was old enough to really appreciate it.
8:45 The top of the second just ended, and I might have seen two pitches. I was looking up running diaries that Bill Simmons has written over the years. He's the head honcho as far as running diaries go, and I can only hope to aspire to the level that he is at. Still no score heading to the bottom of the second.
8:46 Vicki told me to say hi. I'm not sure if this "hi" is directed at the running diary, or anybody reading the running diary, or me, but hi.
8:48 The best part about that AT&T commercial wasn't the part where the adult's mind was blown, it was where that kid couldn't think of a number larger than.....ten.
8:49 Miguel Cabrera just made a moderately impressive play at third base. I needed a second after seeing that.
8:50 Chris Sale's pitching motion looks like it hurts his entire body with every single pitch. Has he been getting tips from Elastigirl?
8:55 That Miguel Cabrera "Most Interesting Man" commercial was pretty cool....too bad he BEAT HIS WIFE.
8:58 The FOX broadcasting crew is a joke. I'm surprised it took me this long to announce it, but what the hell...in better news, the fact that Ken Rosenthal mentioned Robinson Cano's injury in the same segment as Max Scherzer's orange cleats makes me feel better about him getting hit by a 97mph fastball.
9:06 There has never been a bad "Sounds of the Game." NEVER.
9:17 Second time through for Cabrera/Davis/Bautista and it starts with a double and a single. Runners on the corners for Joey Bats, with the best chance so far to put a run on the board.
9:18 And with that, the American League takes a 1-0 lead on a Joey Bautista sac fly.
9:25 Carlos Beltran breaks up the combined perfect game by the AL after Scherzer, Sale, and Felix Hernandez combined to retire the first ten National Leaguers. Beltran might be the epitome of the why-is-this-person-still-good club.
9:31 These Chevrolet truck commercials seem to paint the perfect idea of what being a man really is....how wrong I think they are...
9:38 The AL is in the same spot here in the 5th as they were in the 4th, runners on the corners with nobody out. J.J. Hardy steps up against Cliff Lee, in a game that seems to be now less about the festivities and more about the baseball.
9:40 A fielder's choice for Hardy plates Adam Jones, and the AL takes a 2-0 lead, scoring as many runs tonight as they have in the past three All-Star Games combined, losing all three.
9:48 Wait...Tim McCarver just said that Joe Buck will be sitting next to someone else at next year's All-Star Game....does this mean...no...he's retiring?!?!?! I HOPE THIS IS TRUE!!!
9:50 That was a cool commercial until the part where it was for the new FOX Sports Network station.
9:52 I'm absolutely amazed at all of these athletes who are younger than I am doing all of these incredible things. Jose Fernandez, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Mike Trout (well, four months older than me) are a few names just in baseball. That's not to mention half of the NBA.
10:00 Reading some of these tweets about Tim McCarver are absolutely hilarious. My favorite? "Hell is commentated by Joe Buck and Tim McCarver."
10:01 Michael Cuddyer might be one of only a handful of All-Stars with visibly gray hair, as he draws a four-pitch walk from none other than Grant Balfour.
10:04 Found a .gif of that fan who ran on the field getting tackled. Word on the street is that he did it because his tweet was retweeted a thousand times, and he said that he'd do it if that happened. This is what you get for listening to the rest of the world.
10:09 After six full, it's the American League holding on to their 2-0 lead. Part of me just wishes that everyone could skip the 7th and 8th, because there are absolutely no signs of anything besides people getting out happening.
10:16 The 6-4-3 double play is one of the nicest things in baseball. That, a triple, and a three-pitch strikeout.
10:17 Aroldis Chapman throwing 101mph as he strikes out Adam Jones....wow.
10:18 Thanks to the graphic just displayed, we've all been reminded that each run scored in tonight's game came on an out. What exciting baseball for everyone who doesn't enjoy pitching.
10:20 Seriously, Marc Anthony? Or whoever made the decision to repeat half of God Bless America. I've come to realize that one of the things I hate the most is when people take something like God Bless America or the Star-Spangled Banner and make it something completely different from the way it should be. That, and people who think that they have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, but in reality, they just don't like things being out of place. THIS is what OCD looks like.
10:24 WHO SAID MANNY MACHADO COULDN'T PLAY THIRD BASE?!!?!? WHO!?!?
10:27 And with our first pitching change during an inning, the game will now end at 11:46pm, where the 7th-9th innings will take about an hour and a half to complete. At least Tony LaRussa isn't managing the NL.
10:32 Seriously though, it bothers me that these commercial breaks take longer than the amount of time the pitchers actually spend on the mound. Speeding up the game has nothing to do with the actual game itself, and everything with how much money people have to make from it. It is not hard to enforce a couple of rules and everything would be exactly as it still is, minus about ten to fifteen minutes every game. Which is significant.
10:34 See? It took ten minutes for three separate pitchers to get three separate outs, all with only one baserunner. This is what's wrong with the MLB. I guarantee that the three pitchers spent less time on the mound than we spent watching commercials. In fact, I'm going to tweet about this in addition to being outwardly pissed off here.
10:38 Updates on the kid who ran on the field...this link has his entire sequence of tweets leading up to the whole thing. Definitely worth a read.
10:40 It must be good to be Mariano Rivera this year. He's definitely getting the "going-out" party of his life, and I'm so excited to be able to be at Fenway for Rivera's last game in Boston in September. By far my favorite Rivera moment was on Opening Day at Fenway in 2005, where he tipped his cap to 38,000 fans cheering for him.
10:43 I'll say it now - definitely not a fan of teams putting their logo behind the pitcher's rubber. Especially if it's going to be off-centered.
10:44 Love "Sweet Caroline," but please leave it for Fenway. Especially with Neil Diamond not singing it live. Again, love the song, but only at Fenway. A Jason Kipnis RBI double makes it 3-0 in favor of the American League in the top of the 8th.
10:48 Halfway through the song, and I feel like I'm at some bad birthday party for a seven-year-old. I wish there was a better way to describe this feeling, but I just don't have the mastery of it right now. Hopefully Bill Simmons has something to say about this.
10:50 Honestly couldn't tell you which player from the Houston Astros is here tonight. I'm not even going to pretend I know who. Same goes for whoever is here from the San Diego Padres.
10:51 Damn. What a great moment, Rivera running onto the field and literally everybody with two hands is cheering for him. Mets fans, Red Sox fans, people who don't know what's happening...absolutely spectacular.
10:52 That being said, five hundred points to Gryffindor for anybody who can name who Rivera throws to on a regular basis for the Yankees.
10:54 On a separate note, there hasn't been a pitch thrown in ten minutes.
10:56 As much as I've come to detest the Yankees over the years, they provide this weird sense of baseball nostalgia, or appreciation for my place in baseball history, or some weird thing like that. Rivera, Jeter, Torre...those three (more so than Pettitte/Posada) seem to be in a class each their own, and I can't think of three people who have gone through it together.
11:01 A 1-2-3 inning for Rivera, and he walks off the field the same way he walked on, to a standing ovation.
11:07 Yes, that's Prince Fielder who just hit a triple in the 9th inning of the All-Star Game. The same Prince Fielder who could have just as easily been thrown out on a 4-6-5 from the right field warning track.
11:09 If Rivera is getting this solemn at the All-Star Game, mentioning the fans, players, and coaches, I can't wait to see how it's going to be at Yankee Stadium and at Fenway.
11:14 Fielder gets stranded at third, and the American League takes a 3-0 lead to the bottom of the 9th. Not sure who is up for the National League, but the way this game has been going, they could trot out Paul Bunyan and he would still make an out. Actually, I wonder what the starting lineup would be for fictional characters. Bunyan has to be batting cleanup, right?
11:18 Joe Nathan strikes out the first batter of the ninth, and then promptly begins picking his nose violently.
11:20 Two outs remain in the 9th and this is the first time I mention home-field advantage in the World Series. It'd be cool if the American League had it, in case the Red Sox make it to the World Series, or something. McCutchen strikes out, and Paul Goldschmidt is the NL's last chance.
11:21 A first-pitch double puts one on for the National League, and Pedro Alvarez gets a shot next. The game still seems to be in the hands of the AL - if the NL comes back, we might have to wonder if there's some larger society that's fixing all of the major sports, instead of just the NBA.
11:25 A pop-up to Jason Kipnis ends it tonight, and the AL picks up the All-Star Game victory in three hours and six minutes. I can't think of too much to say about the game, since I've been talking about it for the past three hours, so I will close here. Thanks for reading along and staying with this severely long but always enjoyable blog post.
8:35pm After a Mike Trout double and Robinson Cano HBP, Matt Harvey retired Miguel Cabrera, Chris Davis, and Joey Bautista, in arguably the most lethal top five of any batting order ever. Cano's looked pretty bad after getting hit on the knee, which is particularly worrisome for myself as his fantasy owner. So help me baseball gods that he is okay.
8:36 Ah, Tim McCarver and Joe Buck just referenced Pedro and the 1999 ASG at Fenway, where he struck out 5 of 6 in two innings of work. Arguably the most exciting beginning to an All-Star Game, and I was there to see it. But damn, do I wish I was old enough to really appreciate it.8:45 The top of the second just ended, and I might have seen two pitches. I was looking up running diaries that Bill Simmons has written over the years. He's the head honcho as far as running diaries go, and I can only hope to aspire to the level that he is at. Still no score heading to the bottom of the second.
8:46 Vicki told me to say hi. I'm not sure if this "hi" is directed at the running diary, or anybody reading the running diary, or me, but hi.
8:48 The best part about that AT&T commercial wasn't the part where the adult's mind was blown, it was where that kid couldn't think of a number larger than.....ten.
8:49 Miguel Cabrera just made a moderately impressive play at third base. I needed a second after seeing that.
8:50 Chris Sale's pitching motion looks like it hurts his entire body with every single pitch. Has he been getting tips from Elastigirl?
8:55 That Miguel Cabrera "Most Interesting Man" commercial was pretty cool....too bad he BEAT HIS WIFE.
8:58 The FOX broadcasting crew is a joke. I'm surprised it took me this long to announce it, but what the hell...in better news, the fact that Ken Rosenthal mentioned Robinson Cano's injury in the same segment as Max Scherzer's orange cleats makes me feel better about him getting hit by a 97mph fastball.
9:06 There has never been a bad "Sounds of the Game." NEVER.
9:17 Second time through for Cabrera/Davis/Bautista and it starts with a double and a single. Runners on the corners for Joey Bats, with the best chance so far to put a run on the board.
9:18 And with that, the American League takes a 1-0 lead on a Joey Bautista sac fly.
9:25 Carlos Beltran breaks up the combined perfect game by the AL after Scherzer, Sale, and Felix Hernandez combined to retire the first ten National Leaguers. Beltran might be the epitome of the why-is-this-person-still-good club.
9:31 These Chevrolet truck commercials seem to paint the perfect idea of what being a man really is....how wrong I think they are...
9:38 The AL is in the same spot here in the 5th as they were in the 4th, runners on the corners with nobody out. J.J. Hardy steps up against Cliff Lee, in a game that seems to be now less about the festivities and more about the baseball.
9:40 A fielder's choice for Hardy plates Adam Jones, and the AL takes a 2-0 lead, scoring as many runs tonight as they have in the past three All-Star Games combined, losing all three.
9:48 Wait...Tim McCarver just said that Joe Buck will be sitting next to someone else at next year's All-Star Game....does this mean...no...he's retiring?!?!?! I HOPE THIS IS TRUE!!!
9:50 That was a cool commercial until the part where it was for the new FOX Sports Network station.
9:52 I'm absolutely amazed at all of these athletes who are younger than I am doing all of these incredible things. Jose Fernandez, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Mike Trout (well, four months older than me) are a few names just in baseball. That's not to mention half of the NBA.
10:00 Reading some of these tweets about Tim McCarver are absolutely hilarious. My favorite? "Hell is commentated by Joe Buck and Tim McCarver."
10:01 Michael Cuddyer might be one of only a handful of All-Stars with visibly gray hair, as he draws a four-pitch walk from none other than Grant Balfour.
10:04 Found a .gif of that fan who ran on the field getting tackled. Word on the street is that he did it because his tweet was retweeted a thousand times, and he said that he'd do it if that happened. This is what you get for listening to the rest of the world.
10:09 After six full, it's the American League holding on to their 2-0 lead. Part of me just wishes that everyone could skip the 7th and 8th, because there are absolutely no signs of anything besides people getting out happening.
10:16 The 6-4-3 double play is one of the nicest things in baseball. That, a triple, and a three-pitch strikeout.
10:17 Aroldis Chapman throwing 101mph as he strikes out Adam Jones....wow.
10:18 Thanks to the graphic just displayed, we've all been reminded that each run scored in tonight's game came on an out. What exciting baseball for everyone who doesn't enjoy pitching.
10:20 Seriously, Marc Anthony? Or whoever made the decision to repeat half of God Bless America. I've come to realize that one of the things I hate the most is when people take something like God Bless America or the Star-Spangled Banner and make it something completely different from the way it should be. That, and people who think that they have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, but in reality, they just don't like things being out of place. THIS is what OCD looks like.
10:24 WHO SAID MANNY MACHADO COULDN'T PLAY THIRD BASE?!!?!? WHO!?!?
10:27 And with our first pitching change during an inning, the game will now end at 11:46pm, where the 7th-9th innings will take about an hour and a half to complete. At least Tony LaRussa isn't managing the NL.
10:32 Seriously though, it bothers me that these commercial breaks take longer than the amount of time the pitchers actually spend on the mound. Speeding up the game has nothing to do with the actual game itself, and everything with how much money people have to make from it. It is not hard to enforce a couple of rules and everything would be exactly as it still is, minus about ten to fifteen minutes every game. Which is significant.
10:34 See? It took ten minutes for three separate pitchers to get three separate outs, all with only one baserunner. This is what's wrong with the MLB. I guarantee that the three pitchers spent less time on the mound than we spent watching commercials. In fact, I'm going to tweet about this in addition to being outwardly pissed off here.
10:38 Updates on the kid who ran on the field...this link has his entire sequence of tweets leading up to the whole thing. Definitely worth a read.
10:40 It must be good to be Mariano Rivera this year. He's definitely getting the "going-out" party of his life, and I'm so excited to be able to be at Fenway for Rivera's last game in Boston in September. By far my favorite Rivera moment was on Opening Day at Fenway in 2005, where he tipped his cap to 38,000 fans cheering for him.10:43 I'll say it now - definitely not a fan of teams putting their logo behind the pitcher's rubber. Especially if it's going to be off-centered.
10:44 Love "Sweet Caroline," but please leave it for Fenway. Especially with Neil Diamond not singing it live. Again, love the song, but only at Fenway. A Jason Kipnis RBI double makes it 3-0 in favor of the American League in the top of the 8th.
10:48 Halfway through the song, and I feel like I'm at some bad birthday party for a seven-year-old. I wish there was a better way to describe this feeling, but I just don't have the mastery of it right now. Hopefully Bill Simmons has something to say about this.
10:50 Honestly couldn't tell you which player from the Houston Astros is here tonight. I'm not even going to pretend I know who. Same goes for whoever is here from the San Diego Padres.
10:51 Damn. What a great moment, Rivera running onto the field and literally everybody with two hands is cheering for him. Mets fans, Red Sox fans, people who don't know what's happening...absolutely spectacular.
10:52 That being said, five hundred points to Gryffindor for anybody who can name who Rivera throws to on a regular basis for the Yankees.
10:54 On a separate note, there hasn't been a pitch thrown in ten minutes.
10:56 As much as I've come to detest the Yankees over the years, they provide this weird sense of baseball nostalgia, or appreciation for my place in baseball history, or some weird thing like that. Rivera, Jeter, Torre...those three (more so than Pettitte/Posada) seem to be in a class each their own, and I can't think of three people who have gone through it together.
11:01 A 1-2-3 inning for Rivera, and he walks off the field the same way he walked on, to a standing ovation.
11:07 Yes, that's Prince Fielder who just hit a triple in the 9th inning of the All-Star Game. The same Prince Fielder who could have just as easily been thrown out on a 4-6-5 from the right field warning track.
11:09 If Rivera is getting this solemn at the All-Star Game, mentioning the fans, players, and coaches, I can't wait to see how it's going to be at Yankee Stadium and at Fenway.
11:14 Fielder gets stranded at third, and the American League takes a 3-0 lead to the bottom of the 9th. Not sure who is up for the National League, but the way this game has been going, they could trot out Paul Bunyan and he would still make an out. Actually, I wonder what the starting lineup would be for fictional characters. Bunyan has to be batting cleanup, right?
11:18 Joe Nathan strikes out the first batter of the ninth, and then promptly begins picking his nose violently.
11:20 Two outs remain in the 9th and this is the first time I mention home-field advantage in the World Series. It'd be cool if the American League had it, in case the Red Sox make it to the World Series, or something. McCutchen strikes out, and Paul Goldschmidt is the NL's last chance.
11:21 A first-pitch double puts one on for the National League, and Pedro Alvarez gets a shot next. The game still seems to be in the hands of the AL - if the NL comes back, we might have to wonder if there's some larger society that's fixing all of the major sports, instead of just the NBA.
11:25 A pop-up to Jason Kipnis ends it tonight, and the AL picks up the All-Star Game victory in three hours and six minutes. I can't think of too much to say about the game, since I've been talking about it for the past three hours, so I will close here. Thanks for reading along and staying with this severely long but always enjoyable blog post.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
I believe in the designated hitter
Two years ago, I read and blogged about This I Believe, saying that I would create my own personal belief statement at some point. (Editor's Note: The fact that this was two years ago is a little unsettling. That's a long time.) My belief statement just came to me one day recently, but is founded on years of experience and knowledge. It's something that I didn't really figure passed as a personal belief statement, but hey, I write about what I want.
I believe in the designated hitter.
The game of baseball is America's pastime. Children grow up playing it throughout Little League, high school, college, and for the lucky few, the professionals. The game has purists, radicals, and more recently, sabermetricians. I've taken pride in my meager status as a member of the latter category, but for now, I shed (most of) my statistical background in favor of the game itself.
To be clear, this isn't an argument for higher scores. Sure, the designated hitter means more scoring (home runs, specifically), but the reason that I'm all for having the DH in both the American and National Leagues is for the pitching. For anyone who thinks I just contradicted myself, consider this - having a designated hitter means that the pitcher never has to bat. Pitchers will like this. Some pitchers might even like it more than they would dislike having to face another non-pitcher batter. Pitchers also get to stay in the game longer, which they will also like. Having a pitcher removed in the 6th inning of a close game in favor of someone off the bench is the first of many managerial moves that would not need to be made. With the DH, pitchers stay in the game, the bullpens are used more effectively, and there is ultimately less confusion for anyone trying to keep up with the game. Box scores would be considerably cleaner.
On top of the game itself becoming more efficient, the uniformity that would ensue would also be good for the game. There would be no talks of American League teams losing their DH when traveling to a National League park. (That is, David Ortiz would never have to play first.) No talks of National League teams picking up a DH when playing in AL parks. The World Series wouldn't have to deal with this, interleague play wouldn't have to deal with this, and the circus that is the MLB All-Star Game wouldn't have to deal with this. (The All-Star Game has enough problems to worry about.)
And sure, let's talk about what the average fan wants. Because if nothing else, the average fan can probably be tricked into thinking that she or he has seen an exciting baseball game, when that really depends on what kind of baseball you enjoy. The majority of fans seem to enjoy higher-scoring games - more of us dreamed of hitting the World Series-ending home run, instead of striking out the last batter of Game 7 to win. Having a DH permanently would increase scoring in the long run, and would not change the game too dramatically. When all things are considered, having the designated hitter in both the American and National League just makes sense for baseball. And yet, only one of the leagues has had the DH, now in its 30th year. It just doesn't always work out like it should, but that shouldn't stop anyone from what they believe.
I believe in the designated hitter.
The game of baseball is America's pastime. Children grow up playing it throughout Little League, high school, college, and for the lucky few, the professionals. The game has purists, radicals, and more recently, sabermetricians. I've taken pride in my meager status as a member of the latter category, but for now, I shed (most of) my statistical background in favor of the game itself.
 |
| This is one spot in the batting order of a 20-inning game. |
On top of the game itself becoming more efficient, the uniformity that would ensue would also be good for the game. There would be no talks of American League teams losing their DH when traveling to a National League park. (That is, David Ortiz would never have to play first.) No talks of National League teams picking up a DH when playing in AL parks. The World Series wouldn't have to deal with this, interleague play wouldn't have to deal with this, and the circus that is the MLB All-Star Game wouldn't have to deal with this. (The All-Star Game has enough problems to worry about.)
And sure, let's talk about what the average fan wants. Because if nothing else, the average fan can probably be tricked into thinking that she or he has seen an exciting baseball game, when that really depends on what kind of baseball you enjoy. The majority of fans seem to enjoy higher-scoring games - more of us dreamed of hitting the World Series-ending home run, instead of striking out the last batter of Game 7 to win. Having a DH permanently would increase scoring in the long run, and would not change the game too dramatically. When all things are considered, having the designated hitter in both the American and National League just makes sense for baseball. And yet, only one of the leagues has had the DH, now in its 30th year. It just doesn't always work out like it should, but that shouldn't stop anyone from what they believe.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Top 5 Stonehill wiffleball fields
One of the best summer activities has to be wiffleball. Grab a dozen people, find some grass, and take part in America's pastime. It's just a fantastic, leisure activity where everyone can have a good time. During the beginning of my second summer at Stonehill, I've been around campus to discover the best wiffleball fields. Here are the top five:
5. Alumni Park. The picture here doesn't do it justice, but one look at the giant, grassy area between Alumni and Donahue will be all it takes to want to run around and play some sports. The picnic benches would be awesome to have food lying around in between innings or something, and the amount of space available might just make it kickball-worthy.
5. Alumni Park. The picture here doesn't do it justice, but one look at the giant, grassy area between Alumni and Donahue will be all it takes to want to run around and play some sports. The picnic benches would be awesome to have food lying around in between innings or something, and the amount of space available might just make it kickball-worthy.
4. Donahue Field. Moving closer to the center of campus is Donahue Field, located at the bottom of Donahue Hill. The hill might cause some problems in the outfield, but to be able to play wiffleball on one of the most passed-by locations on campus has to attract some people walking around. Donahue Field could just be another tradition that Stonehill students have with the hill, much like sledding.
3. Quad Field #2. Quad Field #2 is right in front of Duffy, adjacent to its counterpart closer to the Duffy benches, Quad Field #1. QF2 has some nice trees for shade, and is certainly a lot flatter than QF1 is. The general theme so far has been moving closer and closer to the middle of campus, but this next one will certainly break the pattern.
2. Science Center Stadium. By far, Science Center Stadium is the most beautiful of the fields. Nicest and greenest grass, good amount of shade (depending on time of day) from the Science Center, and it has a natural layout, hitting away from the Atrium. It would have been an easy choice from the top spot on the list, if not for the original wiffleball field that my friends and I played on.
1. O'Hara Park. I have to give the top spot to O'Hara, where my friends and I first started playing wiffleball freshman year. Hitting towards the stone wall separating the O'Hara quad and the area by the pond, it's a great field to play at, to hang out at, and is certainly the best draw for anybody wanting to play wiffleball on campus.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
5 bands I want to see in concert, pt. 2
I'd like to believe that I've come a long way since the first concert post I had, almost two years ago. Not only have my musical tastes changed, but I feel a deeper connection to music than I had two years ago. And it's definitely something that is perfect to come out in the form of concert. I've toyed with the idea to blog about the best concerts I've seen, but I want to remain ambitious with my concert-viewing pleasures. Alas...
1. Foo Fighters. I don't regret many things, but not seeing them in November of 2011 is absolutely something I wish I did. From what I heard, it was an amazing concert, and I would have loved to have been there. What I knew two years ago is that I didn't want to be behind the stage - I wanted to see it all in front of me - and that's still true today, so whenever I get around to seeing Foo Fighters...that is, whenever they get around to not being on hiatus, I will damn well make sure it counts.
2. Explosions In The Sky. This is somewhat of a cop out, since Vicki and I are already planning on seeing them in a month, but when I was talking about that "deeper connection to music," I meant this. I literally feel as though EITS is a part of me, something that I must give in to. I can guarantee that there will be a blog post about this concert when we go see it, so I'll leave the love-fest short-lived here.
3. Young the Giant. What I love about Young the Giant is that every single one of their songs sounds totally different from all the other ones. They just seem like a bunch of guys who have a lot of fun together, and I think that they would be a really good show. But I'd have to see just them. None of this festival nonsense. Kind of a theme for any concert I'd be seeing, actually. I want the night to be theirs so I can take in as much of it as I possibly could.
4. Imagine Dragons. I saw them in late February, and it was a great show at the House of Blues. But this was at a time when I knew only five of their songs; now, I know about seven. I would definitely make sure I knew everything by the next time I saw them, which could have been this July 24th, but the show is already sold out. At the Bank of America Pavilion, too, which is one of my favorite places to see a concert.
5. Coldplay. It bothers me somewhat that the five bands here are a subset of my favorite bands, but I mean, you'd want to see your favorite bands in concert, right? Coldplay was absolutely a spectacle. I would see them a hundred times over, and then a hundred times more. I don't think I could ever get bored of watching Coldplay live. I can't imagine that Coldplay gets bored of being Coldplay, either. They're at the point in the career where I could talk about them for an entire post, and how their music has changed, but I'll leave their mention in this space for the mere atmosphere of their show, and how incredible it is. Seriously, it was just straight up awesome.
So there it is. I could probably push this to ten bands I want to see, but it would just be more of me listing my favorite bands, and then talking about what it would be like to see them in concert. Concerts are cool in the sense that we get to experience a band's music with them, with other people, all at the same place at the same time listening to the same thing. The collective nature of concerts is what makes them so appealing for me, where the entire crowd is singing the chorus at the same time, or something like that. It's powerful to feel everyone experiencing the same thing you are, but knowing that everyone is experiencing it in a completely different way.
1. Foo Fighters. I don't regret many things, but not seeing them in November of 2011 is absolutely something I wish I did. From what I heard, it was an amazing concert, and I would have loved to have been there. What I knew two years ago is that I didn't want to be behind the stage - I wanted to see it all in front of me - and that's still true today, so whenever I get around to seeing Foo Fighters...that is, whenever they get around to not being on hiatus, I will damn well make sure it counts.2. Explosions In The Sky. This is somewhat of a cop out, since Vicki and I are already planning on seeing them in a month, but when I was talking about that "deeper connection to music," I meant this. I literally feel as though EITS is a part of me, something that I must give in to. I can guarantee that there will be a blog post about this concert when we go see it, so I'll leave the love-fest short-lived here.
3. Young the Giant. What I love about Young the Giant is that every single one of their songs sounds totally different from all the other ones. They just seem like a bunch of guys who have a lot of fun together, and I think that they would be a really good show. But I'd have to see just them. None of this festival nonsense. Kind of a theme for any concert I'd be seeing, actually. I want the night to be theirs so I can take in as much of it as I possibly could.
4. Imagine Dragons. I saw them in late February, and it was a great show at the House of Blues. But this was at a time when I knew only five of their songs; now, I know about seven. I would definitely make sure I knew everything by the next time I saw them, which could have been this July 24th, but the show is already sold out. At the Bank of America Pavilion, too, which is one of my favorite places to see a concert.
5. Coldplay. It bothers me somewhat that the five bands here are a subset of my favorite bands, but I mean, you'd want to see your favorite bands in concert, right? Coldplay was absolutely a spectacle. I would see them a hundred times over, and then a hundred times more. I don't think I could ever get bored of watching Coldplay live. I can't imagine that Coldplay gets bored of being Coldplay, either. They're at the point in the career where I could talk about them for an entire post, and how their music has changed, but I'll leave their mention in this space for the mere atmosphere of their show, and how incredible it is. Seriously, it was just straight up awesome.So there it is. I could probably push this to ten bands I want to see, but it would just be more of me listing my favorite bands, and then talking about what it would be like to see them in concert. Concerts are cool in the sense that we get to experience a band's music with them, with other people, all at the same place at the same time listening to the same thing. The collective nature of concerts is what makes them so appealing for me, where the entire crowd is singing the chorus at the same time, or something like that. It's powerful to feel everyone experiencing the same thing you are, but knowing that everyone is experiencing it in a completely different way.
Monday, July 1, 2013
8 highs of Orientation
If it ain't broke...in the final Orientation post of the summer, out of all the summers I'll ever have, I must conclude with another "8 highs" post. Here are the best moments from my last Orientation ever.
- It actually felt like I had done this before. Not that the 4:59am wakeup was boring, not that welcoming families was unexciting, but it actually felt as though I had gone through this. Which was different from last year. That feeling of going through this gave me some sort of preparation for all of this before any of it actually started.
- That being said, there wasn't any magic lost throughout Orientation. For both Playfair sessions, I was right up at the front, getting the front line of the PMs all fired up with chants and cheers as the pumper-uppers sent the students through the tunnel. It's something that I want so badly to happen at athletic events this year, but to have it in a moment like Playfair really is special.
- And speaking of Playfair, the second session closed with my favorite activity - essentially, giant Where The Wind Blows. I talked about this last year, and the same thing pretty much happened. The PMs had a psyche-circle as the first-years came closer, and by the time they reached us, we were all jumping up and down, just screaming for its own sake. It was an awesome moment, and a great way to close out Playfair.
- Alright, enough about me. This team...holy crap, I've never had this much fun with a Peer Mentor Team. Seriously, I haven't lost it from laughing so hard so often in my life. I talked about this in my previous post, but there was something special about this team that made it so easy for everything to come together. I can't think of specific examples, but just being on this team was hilarious enough.
- For the third time, I had a fantastic partner. It was my first time with a first-year, rising sophomore, but it certainly didn't feel like it. Candace kicked so much ass throughout the week, especially at times when I felt that I wasn't doing so on my end. That's something that kept our groups going and left something in the tank for when we needed it, and something that will make her an awesome PM for the next three years.
- I realized the subconscious reward of being a Peer Mentor, and this came duringCryfest Celebration. Of the 620 incoming students, there is likely a handful (at the very least) of stories about students not wanting to come to Stonehill, or not being excited, or whatever, but Orientation changed that for them. Well, that's true even on the PM Team -- after hearing stories of people's faith in Stonehill being restored by these ten days, it was something that I realized was the inherent beauty of what we do -- that it's not only for the incoming students, but this kind of makes us love Stonehill all the more as well.
- This entire thing was just straight up fun. And another thing that I only seemed to be able to realize in my third year is that mentees see all of this fun we have and it becomes infectious. They see the no bones, the floor being lava, the random dancing, the knives being sent around, Playfair...all of this making fools of ourselves ends up spreading to the first-years. They see the fun we have and it's awesome to know that in a small percentage of those people, they'll want to join in on the fun.
- Lastly, Piano Man. I resist the urge to play it right now as I remember what it felt like being on the inside circle of Peer Mentors, the one reseved for the seniors. I made it through three lines, and when the time came to hit higher and bolder notes, I totally lost it. But it was an absolutely good cry. It was the past three years of doing this coming out all at once, seeing everyone else go through the same thing, and seeing the mixture of confusion and "shit, this will be me one day" on the first- and second-year PMs' faces. I kinda get the feeling that I'll always think of Piano Man this way now, where I can just tilt my head back, belt out the words to the song, and just remember how incredible doing this has been.
- It actually felt like I had done this before. Not that the 4:59am wakeup was boring, not that welcoming families was unexciting, but it actually felt as though I had gone through this. Which was different from last year. That feeling of going through this gave me some sort of preparation for all of this before any of it actually started.
- That being said, there wasn't any magic lost throughout Orientation. For both Playfair sessions, I was right up at the front, getting the front line of the PMs all fired up with chants and cheers as the pumper-uppers sent the students through the tunnel. It's something that I want so badly to happen at athletic events this year, but to have it in a moment like Playfair really is special.
- And speaking of Playfair, the second session closed with my favorite activity - essentially, giant Where The Wind Blows. I talked about this last year, and the same thing pretty much happened. The PMs had a psyche-circle as the first-years came closer, and by the time they reached us, we were all jumping up and down, just screaming for its own sake. It was an awesome moment, and a great way to close out Playfair.
- Alright, enough about me. This team...holy crap, I've never had this much fun with a Peer Mentor Team. Seriously, I haven't lost it from laughing so hard so often in my life. I talked about this in my previous post, but there was something special about this team that made it so easy for everything to come together. I can't think of specific examples, but just being on this team was hilarious enough.
- For the third time, I had a fantastic partner. It was my first time with a first-year, rising sophomore, but it certainly didn't feel like it. Candace kicked so much ass throughout the week, especially at times when I felt that I wasn't doing so on my end. That's something that kept our groups going and left something in the tank for when we needed it, and something that will make her an awesome PM for the next three years.
- I realized the subconscious reward of being a Peer Mentor, and this came during
- This entire thing was just straight up fun. And another thing that I only seemed to be able to realize in my third year is that mentees see all of this fun we have and it becomes infectious. They see the no bones, the floor being lava, the random dancing, the knives being sent around, Playfair...all of this making fools of ourselves ends up spreading to the first-years. They see the fun we have and it's awesome to know that in a small percentage of those people, they'll want to join in on the fun.
- Lastly, Piano Man. I resist the urge to play it right now as I remember what it felt like being on the inside circle of Peer Mentors, the one reseved for the seniors. I made it through three lines, and when the time came to hit higher and bolder notes, I totally lost it. But it was an absolutely good cry. It was the past three years of doing this coming out all at once, seeing everyone else go through the same thing, and seeing the mixture of confusion and "shit, this will be me one day" on the first- and second-year PMs' faces. I kinda get the feeling that I'll always think of Piano Man this way now, where I can just tilt my head back, belt out the words to the song, and just remember how incredible doing this has been.
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