Wednesday Bird Droppings
by Camden Chat on Dec 30, 2009 7:00 AM EST
in Open Threads
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Would you look at this? An honest to goodness bird droppings open thread. I promise next week after my mini-vacay is over we'll get back into the rhythm with the open threads as well as some other good (I hope) content :-) -Stacey
What's Wiggy's role?
Roch ponders how Ty Wigginton fits in now that Garrett Atkins has been signed. -Stacey
Facebook | Greg Miclat (#5 shorebirds)
C'mon, go click Become A Fan. You know you want to. -duck
The O’s Enviable Outfield Logjam | FanGraphs Baseball
I linked to this in the comments yesterday but think it's worth a mention here as well. The O's are in good shape, outfield-wise (as if we didn't already know). -Stacey
Pondering the Offense
"Here's a question that could well produce a variety of opinions. Is the Orioles offense better now than it was last season?" Steve Melewski makes a case that just by the younger players going through normal development curves, it could be. -duck
Zimmerman Hosts New Year's Bash
Not O's related, but sounds fun. I do love Ryan Zimmerman and Chris Cooley. -Stacey
How AL teams have addressed needs
Tracy Ringolsby at Fox Sports gives an update on the AL moves to date. -Stacey
In hot stove news, the Mets finally got their man, signing Jason Bay to a four year contract, Bob Howry is going to the Diamondbacks, the A's re-signed Justin Duchscherer, Mark DeRosa (the most talked about guy that I just don't get) signed with the Giants, and the Nats added Eric Bruntlett.
"Is it being prepared to do the right thing, whatever the cost? Isn't that what makes a man?"
"Hmmm... Sure, that and a pair of Open Threads"
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C'mon, Roch: "What's Whiglingggton's *role*?" for cripes sake?!? On the three tablets Moses shlepped down from Mt. Sinai...
Commandment 12(a) was “Thou shalt ever maintain on thy bench a Utility Infielder.” And YHWH-fearing peeps have ever since. Duh. Look, we’re gonna start Dr. Atkins at 3rd and Aubrey Beardsley at 1st, right? But neither one is going anything like 162…
Whigggly is actually a pretty good value, too— although having to look at his phisiognomy all season exacts a certain price.
That said, Roch’s cred took another massive self-inflicted blow with the No Big Lebowski news. What is he, your parents? (Mine, btw, have just discovered the Coen Bros. via A Serious Man. My sibs and I figure it might be best to break them in slowly: they’ve rented Fargo, which is fine; but we have a ways to go, cult-prep wise, before Barton Fink or, hee-hee, Bad Santa get our recommendation for Mom ‘n’ Dad. Of course, as Dr. Seuss put it, You’re only old once…)
In other news, Titov’s Magical Mystery Bowl Avalanche into the Poorhouse did indeed stop; the 0-7 start was followed by a nice, normal, laws-of-nature-following 5-0 run…until frickin’ Miami made WI look like an actual competitive team yesterday instead of simply one more Big Ten Big Joke. You kept wondering How is Miami going to not win this game?!? But they found a way…
In a sense it’s sort of nice to see a Big 10 team win a bowl game— kind of like appreciating the anomaly value when an NPL team wins the WS: hey, if it all made sense al the time, we wouldn’t have to play the games.
Anyway, the TMMBT juggernaut is 5-8 now— thx a lot, LoserCanes— with ‘Zona in the marquee event tonight vs some Big 12 team (called the Cornholers, I think) from Flyoverland. The Mildcats better show up and play, dammit: frickin’ Cal and OSU both decided to phone theirs in against, groan, Utah and BYU, providing the recent MWC headline “Mormons 2, Pac Ten 0.” [Sound of teeth grinding.]
Oh, and did I mention: Go O’s!
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Churchill,1942-- a rebuilding year.
I'll go ahead and say it, I find the Big Lebowski to be incredibly overrated
maybe it was just all the hype before I saw it, but i was very underwhelmed. Its not even one of my favorite coen brothers movies, much less favorite overall.
agreed
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
Hard to top some of its moments-- many, actually -- especially those with Turturro, for my money
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsEa_M7MqYE&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IONyLZn0pLI
And hearing him talk about it is, for once, both illuminating and entertaining (unlike the airtime actors are apparently forced to waste with the likes of applause monger James Lipton and his select audience of fawning goobers). I wish this interview ran longer:
unhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0W2crjd4bc&feature=fvw
The film itself fits into the Agreeable Mess category, but it’s so Agreeable that I watch it every summer (while Nordic-Tracking at the radio-reception-challenged estate in PA)… and laugh in the same places. And yes, it’s in my Top 25 (somehwere).
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Churchill,1942-- a rebuilding year.
Everyone has different tastes
I personally love it. It’s a movie I could watch over and over again and laugh at the same parts every time. Every time I watch it, I’m amazed that I still find it as funny as I did the previous viewing. It’s totally on my wavelength. It’s probably also because I love Jeff Bridges.
yeah but...
you also think the Pitts is a better city than DC. So you’re taste is questionable at best! :)
Or see "Dissertations on His Dudeness" from yesterday's NYT, which I stumbled across 5 min. after entering the above:
By DWIGHT GARNER
December 29, 2009
“Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1998 movie, "The Big Lebowski," which stars Jeff Bridges as a beatific, pot-smoking, bowling-obsessed slacker known as the Dude, snuck up on the English-speaking world during the ’00s: it became, stealthily, the decade’s most venerated cult film. It’s got that elusive and addictive quality that a great midnight movie has to have: it blissfully widens and expands in your mind upon repeat viewings. "
[And yes, people write dissertations on it…]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/books/30lebowski.html?_r=1&em
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Churchill,1942-- a rebuilding year.
i find it to be rated...
just about right.
underrated for a coen brothers film is miller’s crossing. just superb.
"If they pitch to you, make them pay."
--Diamond Dave to the Phenom
by j.q. higgins on Dec 31, 2009 6:28 AM EST up reply actions
I'm looking soooo much forward to seeing Ndamakong Suh.
Don't give up, don't ever give up. - Jim Valvano
by BaltimoreSportsFan on Dec 30, 2009 10:39 AM EST up reply actions
turn them onto the hudsucker proxy
it’s killer.
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
by zknower on Dec 30, 2009 11:16 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
That FanGraph's article is interesting and all...
but do they have any editors over there? Can I get a once over proofread at least
jeebus
graf 3, three of the first four sentence start with “While”. That guy is a terrible writer.
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
*sentences
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
Not even close to what I was talking about...
and he projects as a about a -6/150 defender in left field
a about a?
that’s about about a league-average player.
about about?
While he probably won’t ever be the superstar people though he would be become
though? or thought?
Like I said, just simple proofreading.
but that paragraph is funny too.
Can’t tell if you were being sarcastic or not, but I didn’t notice that the first time I read it.
not sarcastic
there’s typos (like you were pointing out), and then there’s just bad writing. i was pointing out the bad writing.
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
Ty, your role is to
make sure that at all cost, above self and land, you DO NOT allow Sidney Ponson anywhere near Camden Yards. Oh and fill in for an infielder twice a week.
Wow, who wins that fight?
I’m gonna say on water you have to go with Sid— he’ll jet-ski up your *ss, clearly. But on land, I dunno. If the judge-puncher isn’t careful, Whiglingggton could simply UGLY him to death. Plus, dude can swing a bat, too, a skill with which nobody ever charged Sid (ask the Giants).
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Churchill,1942-- a rebuilding year.
I picture the Casino corn field scene
and Wigginton just beating the absolute fuck out of Sir Fat!!
by sickuvitall on Dec 30, 2009 11:19 PM EST up reply actions
Yah
Oh and fill in for an infielder twice a week.
I didn’t read Roch’s article but rolled my eyes at the headline… Wiggy’s role should be what it’s always been. He only started as often as he did this year because Aubrey left, oh and because Melvin didn’t hit a thing.
Where's Twisted? he'll appreciate this comment on the fangraph's article:
Travis Bickle says:
December 29, 2009 at 8:09 pm
Just in case anyone needs reminded UZR is for stat geek morons who never played the game. And the minute it`s quoted it renders all other statements moot. Ask yourself if any GM`s use this stat? Do any players? Former players? Managers? It`s total B.S. And the sooner you all accept that the sooner more than 15 people a day will read these articles.
Travis is a moron. The Red Sox and Mariners rely heavily on defensive stats.
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
by birdman on Dec 30, 2009 5:38 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Sure, fair enough, but I doubt SABER oriented teams like the Mariners and Red Sox rely on one defensive statistics. I imagine they use UZR AND other measures.
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
right, which is why that guy is a moron.
I wouldn’t be surprised if UZR less relied upon than other defensive stats but I’m sure teams like the Mariners use it.
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
The Red Sox? They seems to do pretty well in the W/L department. And the M’s made a nice jump in wins by focusing on defensive metrics.
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
fail
maybe fangraphs has a stat that will relate UZR with the money that a team throws out at players.
by twistedlogic on Jan 2, 2010 12:50 PM EST up reply actions
Huh?!
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
i was referring to that red sox comment
you said they do well in the W/L department. quite a bit of that has to do with the money that they shell out.
The RS’s success isn’t solely attributed to money though. They have an extremely forward thinking, SABER orientated front office that makes smart moves. Plenty of big spending teams have failed over the years.
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
I wasn't replying to a comment where you referenced the Red Sox.
I replied to your comment about the Mariners. They suck.
Jack Z is a doing a great job so far. He took a losing team and made them into a 85 win by focusing on defensive metrics. And he’s continued to do a great job this offseason. I’m not saying they’re a sure fire playoff contender, but they’ll be a good team this year.
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
Weren't you the same guy
who said that 85 wins was nothing to get excited about for the O’s in the Millwood argument?
No
I said the difference between 69 or 67 wins is meaningless… or 75 or 77 wins for that matter. But once you’re approaching 85 wins, you’re at least within shouting distance of the wild card. Thus every extra win you gain really means something at that level. I posted a fangraphs article about this idea a couple weeks ago. It’s good brain food.
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
Hmmm
Ok but nobody was saying anything about winning 69 games with Millwood – we were talking about getting to .500 and I could have sworn you were saying that was a stupid thing to aim for…
hahaha Travis Bickle FTW!!
clutchhhhhhh
by twistedlogic on Jan 2, 2010 12:49 PM EST up reply actions
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