On my way from the train to my office, I pass a Starbucks, two Dunn Brothers, and four Caribou Coffee shops. I then go to the break room, make myself a free cup and start my day.
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Cup of Coffee: January 22, 2009 This entry was posted by SBG
on Thursday, January 22nd, 2009 at 6:49 am and is filed under Cup of Coffee. It is one of 3096 entries by the author.
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68 comments to Cup of Coffee: January 22, 2009 |
Cup of Coffee Wolves lose again by 22, Kevin Love down to 17 minutes. This is the worst possible situation for the Wolves. They are driving what is left of their fan base with a tremendous stretch of terrible basketball. Their best, or second-best, player has checked out and is getting buried on the bench. I doubt that Love is in their long term plans. How's that O.J. Mayo deal looking now? Citizens Online18 Users Online WGOM Sign InLog InRetired WGOM Jokes
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Race to the Bottom: Highest Loss Totals in T-Wolves History67: 1991-92 Recent Letters to the EditorIn Response to Cup of Coffee: March 18, 2010, brianS wrote: Yea, Marquette did me no favors. davidwatts wrote: I was very disappointed that the Mankato CBS station went to the Marquette game instead of sticking to the UNI game and my bracket is done blown up! meat wrote: Cc to Andrew: I'm suddenly going to be in Dublin for a short weekend this summer (late June), any suggestions would be good as to where to stay / eat drink / be Irish. spookymilk wrote: Boy oh boy, would most of those references be lost on my...let's call them … twayn wrote: Danke! Bummer that there's no radio for Friday's game with the Mets. Slowey vs. Johan. Klawitter wrote: Working in Century City. Living for the moment in Westwood, at least until I sell my place in DC this spring and move everything. New Britain Bo wrote: How's this for script idea: At a planning session for an … a committee of twelve Indians (4 dot, 4 feather, 4 West) hires a crack director to run their event. He shows up at… DK wrote: I missed this earlier today since I was apparently too busy … in the Nightmare thread, but I'd be down with this too. In fact, I'd probably be willing to contribute to coverage. Milt on Tilt wrote: I'm picking up my puppy tomorrow. I couldn't be more excited. spookymilk wrote: Oh, and Rhu: one of my challenges in this week's Survivor game was to do a six-word evaluation of Lew Zealand. These were the … flinger never flounders for puns. Better than Belladonna with fish… In Response to Nightmares at WGOMville, hungry joe wrote: i wasn't planning on going out, but two heavies from my company were in town, and they took me out for a crazy night (got home at 2, and i've been hating life most of… spookymilk wrote: I instantly love the person who took that photo, hungry man. I'm sitting here drinking Bass; yesterday I went the nostalgia route with my St. Pat's choice, opting for a drink that reminded me of college… Milt on Tilt wrote: hehe. Beer. spookymilk wrote: To be fair, drama is kind of the world I live in. I'm prone to exaggeration. Plus, I'm drunk because this script is making me tense and I needed to take the edge… Milt on Tilt wrote: Yeah, man. I wouldn't "disregard" it either, because it was truly a horrifying move. Oh come now. That's just being completely over dramatic. Milt on Tilt wrote: O-Cab lead the majors in Outs as a batter in 2009. Call me … Jimmy Rollins actually did. But Cabrera was second, and first in the AL. Even so. I could use that same… nibbish wrote: I don't know what to make of it. On one hand, Cabrera was made of suck. On the other, any shortstop we put in there was going to. I'd have to side with DK and… spookymilk wrote: Yeah, man. I wouldn't "disregard" it either, because it was truly a horrifying move. 0-Cab cleared the bases for the team's best hitter over and over. I know it's nice to remember… DK wrote: O-Cab was a baseball band-aid over a severed limb. Acting like doing that was a "victory" is what seems foolish to me. In Response to Luna - 23 Minutes In Brussels (Tell Me Do You Miss Me), E-6 wrote: Love me some Luna. In Response to Cup of Coffee: March 17, 2010, brianS wrote: I dunno. But we're not really talking about a legal argument so much as an ethical one, I think. Moss wrote: The old "you can't have your coke and snort it too" … can't get a conviction on a … test...and is possession of any amount of coke a felony?? hungry joe wrote: tell me about it... brianS wrote: It is hard to consume if you do not possess. Popular Recent Posts
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Keeping up with the ex-Twins: San Diego signs Henry Blanco to a one-year contract.
Bill Smith asleep at the switch again. Because, you know, we really miss Blanco. Besides, it would've been fun to see if he could've beaten out Drew Butera.
Well, I know that Caracas beat Lara, so they, at least, are tied with Aragua at 9-7. I have not been able to find out the LaGuaira/Zulia score yet, so it may or may not be a three-way tie. I also have not found out how the tie is broken. I'm going to be gone a lot today, but if I have time and learn more later in the day, I will let you know.
LaGuaira beat Zulia 6-1, so there is a three-way tie for first at 9-7. I gather that there will now be a three-team single elimination tournament. Aragua plays Caracas, and the winner plays LaGuaira. It kind of looks like both these games are going to be played today. However, I am not sure about any of this, so if anyone knows more, please feel free to share with the rest of us. This is the first time I've ever followed a winter league, so I'm learning as I go.
It's apparently a double-elimination or a round robin. Aragua lost to Caracas, and is playing LaGuaira now. I'm leaving early in the morning and won't get back until Saturday night, so I probably won't update things until Sunday morning, unless someone else wants to provide an update before then.
Over the course of the last couple years I've turned into a coffee snob (and I LOVE coffee). I can drink most any beer or and any wine and smile. Folgers, on the other hand, turns my stomach.
I've done the same thing, using a french press was a revelation. Got a new burr grinder for Christmas and have been loving the Peet's Holiday blend from the press every morning. Have OK coffee at work if I want an extra cup, but I prefer home brewed over purchased now.
I'm usually too lazy to make french press, even though it makes amazing coffee. I've been using a percolator for the past couple of months since my drip machine broke, and it's doing the job.
My very favorite coffee, ever, is boiled coffee--with an egg in it. My wife's grandma used to make it. She had this huge old pot that she'd fill with water and put on the stove. Once it was boiling she dump tons of coffee grounds directly in. After about 5 minutes she'd crack an egg and put it in. After another couple more minutes she'd strain it all out into pots, thermas', cups, etc. It was very, very labor intensive but it gets me excited just to think of how great it was.
I can't stand coffee. I even tried a vanilla latte at Starbucks one time but couldn't even finish it even after adding more sugar (a lot!). Tea is my preferred drink. My wife doesn't like coffee either. When we go to Starbucks, she gets a hot chocolate and I usually get a Chai Tea Latte.
I also don't do the coffee thing. But I also don't do the tea thing either. If I really need some caffeine i do a sugar free/lo carb energy drink.
Mark McGwire's brother trying to sell him down the river by saying in a book proposal (of course) that he introduced Mark to steroids in 1994 (and says Canseco's story about injecting McGwire is wrong). Jay McGwire is "admittedly estranged" from his brother. Oy.
and what about Dan? His stats seem really inflated.
It's amazing to see that a 1st round QB in 1991 only had 5 career starts. The bonuses are so big for first round picks now that they'll give a 1st round QB at least a year's worth of starts no matter how bad he is.
Andre Ware, 7th pick overall (1990), 6 career starts
Jim Druckenmiller, 26th pick (1997), 1 career start
Tommy Maddox, 25th pick (1992), 4 starts during 1992-95. He was out of the league 1996-2000, then had a bunch of starts in Pittsburgh in the early 2000s.
I suppose if you amend your statement to say "high first-round QBs", the statement still holds pretty well.
No. I meant comparing the patience they had with quarterbacks in general in the 1990s compared to now.
Of the QBs drafted in the first round in 2000-2005 that I would consider at least borderline failures, you have the following: David Carr, Joey Harrington, Patrick Ramsey, Kyle Boller, Rex Grossman, J.P. Losman, and Alex Smith. Grossman and Alex Smith tie for the least number of starts with 30. And I think they are all still in the NFL. You just don't see QBs only getting 5 starts to prove themselves anymore if they were drafted in the first round.
This might be a silly thought, since he was drafted 1st overall, but I wonder if this phenomenon has anything to do with Peyton Manning's career. A 71 QB rating isn't a total disaster (certainly better than Dan McGwire), but the Colts went 3-13 and they stuck with Peyton anyway. I would expect teams to be most patient with a #1 overall pick, but today's conventional wisdom seems to be that it takes QBs a long time to adjust to the NFL and Peyton would be at least one point that supports that theory.
I think the c.w. on when to throw the rookie into the fire has cycled a bit.
Terry Bradshaw was the first pick overall in 1970. He started the first 7 games of the season, 8 overall (30.4 QB rating!). Terry Hanratty started the other games (46.1 rating!)
1971 was the Year of the Quarterback, with Plunkett, Manning and Pastorini going 1-2-3. Plunkett started every game for the Patriots his first four seasons. Manning started 10 games for the Aints (although some dude named Ed Hargett actually attempted more passes). Pastorini started 13 games for the Oilers*
*well, pro-football-reference.com says so, but it also says that Oiler QBs had 19 regular-season starts between Pastorini, Charley Johnson and Lynn Dickey in 14 regular season games. So who knows?
Jerry Tagge went 11th in the 1972 draft, John Reaves 14th. Tagge, best known for pitching out to Johnny Rogers and handing off to Jeff Kinney, started zero games as a rookie and only 12 in his three-year NFL career. Reaves started 7 games as a rookie, but zero the following two seasons of caddying for Roman Gabriel.
Bert Jones went 2nd in 1973, starting five, then eight games his first two seasons as Howard Schnellenberger preferred to bring him along slowly (despite thus having to start Marty Domres (the second-best QB ever to come out of Columbia!).
Steve Bartkowski went first in 1975, starting 11 games in front of Pat Sullivan and Kim McQuilken.
Richard Todd went 6th in 1976 and started six games for the Jests that year (Namath's woeful last season in NY).
so there are some data points from the early 1970s showing varying philosophies. Some coaches threw their kids into the deep end; others let them get their toes wet; still others made them hold clipboards. Although the clipboard holders tended never to establish themselves as legit NFL starting QBs.
Ken Stabler sat on the Raiders' sidelines for three seasons before being made the starter.
Tommy Maddox, 25th pick (1992), 4 starts during 1992-95. He was out of the league 1996-2000, then had a bunch of starts in Pittsburgh in the early 2000s.
dont forget about his XFL MVP season in 2001
Keith Law ranks the minor league systems ($) and has the Twins 21st.
Jeff Kent is retiring
Not a HOFer.
That stache, however, is porn HOF worthy.
I don't know. Isn't he one of the best offensive second basemen in the last fifty years? I'll wait for Ubelmann to chime in, but my gut right now says yes.
I think it will be interesting. He had kind of a late peak (32-34), which might suggest something funny going on. Plus, he's somewhat of a dink, although his role as the primary antagonist to Bonds in the SF clubhouse might give him some cachet with writers. On the merits, he's a borderline case I think, but most HRs as a 2Ber might be enough to put him over the top.
When it comes to bullshit excuses given for suffering an off-season injury to avoid admitting that he'd violated his contract HOF, he's a first ballot, inner circle type of guy.
Bill James' HOF standards has Kent right there with the average HOFer and James' HOF monitor has him better than a likely HOFer.
Apparently, no one read my comment yesterday about his need to spend more time washing his truck.
I completely missed that. doh!
saw it, chuckled.
He's no Bobby Grich, mustache-wise. And Bobby had a higher career OPS+, fwiw.
Bobby Grich's parents were the caretakers of the Long Beach, CA apartment complex my older sister lived at as a newly-wed back in 1973. Because I was a baseball-mad 11-year-old who always liked to draw, I did a pencil drawing of the then-Baltimore Oriole second-baseman's '72 baseball card.
So when we visited my sister that summer, it was arranged for me to give Grich 's mom and dad my little doodle. They couldn't have been nicer--saw young Bobby's trophy room which included all his minor league awards and silver gloves. I really don't remember if the picture was any good--I remember the adults thought so--but I do remember the O's hat and autographed picture that arrived back in southern Minnesota a few weeks later. I still have the photo. Lord knows what happened to the hat. I bet I left it at the diamond.
Oh, and this was all pre-porn 'stach.
I posted with tongue only part-way in cheek. Grich was a stud. During 1972-76 he amassed 53.1 WARP3 for Baltimore and during 1978-83 45.0 WARP3 for the Angels. He was an excellent defense 2b and, as noted above, had a higher career OPS+ than Kent.
I didn't think you'd dissed the guy, doc. I was just reminiscing...
He was heckuva player, though.
For those out there who are Black Keys fans, Dan Auerbach (the less percussive of the Black Keys members) is coming out with a solo project. "Keep it Hid" will come out Feb. 10.
His tour comes through Chicago (March 6 - Metro) and Minneapolis (March 7 - First Avenue). I've already got tickets to the Chicago show ($25 after fees and such), so if any Citizens would be interested in attending, we could meet up beforehand for drinks, or meet at the concert, either way.
I had not heard of this! I will certainly check it out though.
Any thoughts on the Oscar nominations? Personally, I think that Wall-E should have definitely received a Best Picture nom (and possibly The Dark Knight, although BB was much better IMHO) rather than Forest Gump 2 and Drama Staring Ralph Fiennes. Also, Tom Cruise was Best Supporting Actor for Tropic Thunder was robbed.
I haven't seen any of the movies nominated, but I have seen Wall-E. That was a very good movie, I thought, and I wouldn't have complained a bit if it had gotten a nomination.
Of the 26 total movies nominated (non-documentary, non-foreign division), I have seen 9 (Benjamin Button, Milk, The Wrestler, Hellboy 2, Iron Man, Australia, The Duchess, The Dark Knight, In Bruges) and will probably see 2 or 3 more before the awards.
The love for Button confuses me a little bit. Didn't think it was fantastic, and wasn't overly impressed with Mr. Pitt. But nominations other than Rourke and Penn probably don't matter much in that category. In fact, I'm not sure that movie will win in any of the major categories (Picture/Director/Actors/Screenplay).
Ebert has very little love for Button, too. BTW, Ebert is far and away the best movie critic that I have ever read.
Agreed. I usually read his review of all the movies I see. About half the time I disagree with his assessment, but his reviews are worth reading anyway.
Also, his takedown of Mariotti was fantastic.
This is true.
Ebert's the man. I bet he would make a good HOF voter if he was into baseball.
Tom Cruise wasn't that good in Tropic Thunder. Robert Downey, Jr, however, was brilliant.
I concur with this statement.
Clint Eastwood was robbed. Gran Torino is a pretty incredible film with a unexpectedly strong emotional punch at the end. Mrs. CH and I went and saw it during the opening weekend, and the packed house was laughing throughout, and I'm not sure there was a dry eye at the end. The middle-aged woman sitting next to me was sobbing, and I heard plenty of sniffles from elsewhere in the theatre. From the acting standpoint alone, it's one of Clint's best roles, and he also found time to direct and produce it. For him or the film to not get a single nomination is a frickin' travesty.
He composed the score, too.
IMDb lists only Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens as composing the score. I'm trying to remember if Clint was listed with them in the end credits of the film or not (I thought he was, though maybe it was just for performing part of it), but I can't. At any rate, it doesn't seem like there's anything the guy can't do, movie-wise.
I love free work coffee. It's not the greatest of beans, and it's not brewed in the greatest of machines, but damn if it doesn't taste amazing because of its free-ness.
Today's trivia: Who is the Minnesota Twins' all-time leader in ERA (min. 500 IP)?
My first guess was correct, both for the Senators years and the Twins.
If you're thinking Walter Johnson, he didn't pitch in Minnesota.
Tom Klawitter?
Camilo Pascual? I'm thinking it was somebody from the sixties (depressed offensive environment). Maybe Jim Perry.
No, but you're in the right neighborhood.
Big Mak's comment about both clubs threw me; I was going to say Pedro Ramos, but he was only on the Twins for one year. Unless he somehow pitched 500 innings in 1961, he's out.
It's gotta be a Sixties guy to benefit from both the low scoring environment and the Met's dimensions, and he'd have to be around for enough years to get the necessary innings, but not long enough for some off years to drag down his average. SBG guessed Pascual, so it's either Dean Chance or Mudcat.
I'll take a Chance.
Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!
Hey Bossman, when you were running the 1986 Twins did you ever run into any problems with facial hair? I discovered that a certain former pitcher, current announcer was fined $50/day beginning in the middle of the 1986 season for growing a beard. He struggled during the first half of the year and then explained, "that the purpose of regrowing the beard is to feel confident and get back in the right frame of mind."
I guess you could call him a bearded-type pitcher who really needed facial hair to succeed at the Major League level.
I noticed that that guy gave up about 35 HRs in his first 10 starts but then settled down. So, maybe it was the (simulated) beard.
How many NDs and Ls did he have before he decided to pay the fines and grow the beard? Is it possible that he could have had 13 more Ws in that period of time? Could a facial-hair policy be keeping Bert out of the HOF? Even if not possible, that is now my argument...like a beard Sampson.
I hate no-beard policies. I would turn down a job because of beard policies. I could go along with a no-moustache policy though, if they wanted me to look Amish. No-beard policies are one of the reasons I hate the Yankees.
I hate no-beard (aka mandatory shaving) policies as well. I haven't shaved a day since I got out of the Corps, and I'll never again take a job that requires it.
You'd think something as historically important as beards would never be forbidden. I must admit, however, that if in a work environment that required beard nets, I would shave. I had to wear one down in a Nestle plant this summer, and it was an awful experience.
The clean shave didn't keep him short of 300, but at the time he started growing the beard he was 5-7 with a 5.56 ERA. Without that stretch, he's 282-243 with a 3.26 ERA. However, if you give him his stats from the rest of the year at the same rate (insanely risky proposition), he becomes 291-248 (and picks up his second 20-win season).
Just read Thesier's newest column on MLB.com. In it she says (again) that Beltre is not an option because he put us on his no-trade list. That's not true, is it? I'm very certain that he'd take us off the list if we were willing to give him a free agent contract--ala Johan and the Mets--along with the transaction.
Anyhow, I know this is a dead horse. I just want them to quite BSing me. OK, rant done...bring on the season.
My understanding is that you just need the player to waive it. If they're desperate to leave, they'll do it for free. Usually need to buy it out or give a contract extension though.
Right. Usually cash is used to help change a player's mind.
Cash is king. Too bad. Wonder where he ends up maybe a mountain of money after next year?
I think that she means that he is effectively off the list of options because, in addition to all of the prospects we would have to trade to get him (I'm pretty sure that the current FO is well aware that he is a studly player), the compensation that we would have to give Beltre to waive it would make it a net negative move (in the view of the Twins' FO.) So it's technically an option, but quite probably a bad one.
Also, I think Beltre's agent is Boras, and all other things being equal, I'd rather not deal with Boras clients. (If nothing else, it seems as though he almost has too many high-profile clients these days. It took him forever to start moving his guys this off-season.)
A new Boom! React! post. This time its a video. It might be only funny in DC, but New Guy likes the music: http://cli.gs/7TX5HZ