Maybe in the Top Three Days

You know it is going to be a good one when your boss doesnt mind that you are checking scores all afternoon. Or when she doesnt care that you leave a couple minutes early to listen to the dulcet tones of the venerable Bob Uecker. What could be better than baseball going on all day, and on TV no less? Maybe Christmas, or St. Pats. But they are close. The only difference is that Baseball asks that you be gritty and always hustle.

Music for the Angry...Or Im Overrated...

Since I could not get any video of the Sunset Rubdown...Here is the good shit to fall asleep to. Fuck you if I need two o's.

Or maybe...New lead singer?

Really, They say good things.

Horns are great

Last but not least...Work is shitty.

Low grade Ska was there...But it takes good taste to weed it out. See below.

Booze is Awesome

The lady I was talking to gets turned on by teeth. She is getting married soon.

Time on your hands?

More time...Now you are an asshole. Mr Rubik is a jerk.

I thought they said potatoes.

Only because I wish I had one.

I cant stand work people who surf the internets.

News

Did you folks hear about this bad boy??? Cant find the original article as I am way to tired to care, but for fucks sake...Hospitals let prayer in. Most have chapels. One thing come to mind about the living lord.

Man...the Punk Rock has an answer to everything. Freedom of religion is great. Think what you want to think. I will not be pissed about that. But there comes a point when what you believe and what happens are two different things.

And in Other News

Sure, I could write about the 4000 US Citizens that are now dead, or the fact that Hillarino, yes she deserves a nickname now, misspoke to her adoring fans. It is tough to get the "news" tag people. But I choose to write about this.

As more people leave the office computer, only to log on as soon as they get home, the American Journal of Psychiatry has found addiction to text messaging and emailing could be another form of mental illness.

I have to say this...My Internets were down tonight for about 3 hours and I was forced to curl up in a ball and cry in a corner for the entirety of that time. But thats only one of four criteria listed buddy. Cut me some slack. I am still better than you.

I think in general it's escalating," Dr Kaplan said. "We now all live in an internet world, and it brings with it a range of problems

Down with technology...and up with it at the same time. Lets get it together folks. All of these things are ways of communication not seen by other people, over time. It will all pass in ten years, and no one will care. At least they are not giving people drugs for this "addiction." For fucks sake, I spend 5 days a week sitting in my apartment drinking tequila and sharpening knives...Is there a drug for that? Really, I read the internets. It seems to make me somewhat intelligent, and allows me to be informed. So what if my friends send me links. Muntaba sent me one today that was quite interesting in fact. I will abuse the Internets as much as I please thank you very much, and the skip asshole who thinks these things in the first article referenced can do whatever he pleases. Dont fuck with routine.

I Hate Goats...or How to be a Cubs Fan

Since I am one of the few people at my job to not make personal calls all day and surf the 1/3 of the internets that the man provides, I like to spend my lunch reading articles. Fortunately, they let me read this article. It is funny in that national sports columnist way, and the best part is the comments. Anyway, at least the guy tells it like it is, and he doesnt kowtow to the local team's management like the Brewers guy does.

The best parts are when he craps on Kerry Wood, and his "eventual" rise to the top of the NL closer list. A pitcher who has been Dusty Bakerized like he has probably will not do so well pitching three nights in a row in high pressure situations. See the end of the season for Mark Prior in Sand Diego for further proof. Lucky Wood was not sent to the 'Natty, so Dusty could have him throw 7 innings, and close out the game the next night. To reroute Crash Davis, million dollar arm and a ten cent manager.

Money Quote: You say it's a sign of special camaraderie when several Cubs pitchers maul a '95 Nissan Sentra belonging to Tim Buss, the team's strength and conditioning coach, and his wife.

That seems to say that they, the merry little Cubbie pranksters, happened upon her in a bar and proceeded to claw her eyes out like a bear.

Second Money Quote: You say the Milwaukee Brewers are frauds. I say slugger Prince Fielder, who last year became the youngest major-league player to hit 50 home runs, is now a vegetarian after reading his wife's book, ``Skinny Bitch: A No-nonsense, Tough-love Guide for Savvy Girls who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous.'' You say I'm making this up. I say it's impossible to make up something this weird -- USA Today reported it -- and that the man will be even more dangerous.(links mine.)

Sweet Zombie Jesus hates Chicago as a city as well as the Cubs. Make sure to peruse the comments to the article.

Thinner

MLB Trade Rumors is going crazy with the outright release of Claudio Vargas from the Brewers. Like normal, there are two edges to the Neddy Bear sword of doom. On the one hand, cutting over 3 million from the salary is a good thing. On the other hand, with Capuano out for 2 years, the starting pitching depth is now kaput. Although I have come down on Vargas a bunch, the guy was tough...sort of. I was at one game where he pitched the bases loaded something like 4 times in a row, and got out without a run scoring every time. Based on the "grittiness" alone he will find a team. It does however make you wonder why he was on wavers for 2-3 days with no takers, though it would only take 20,000 to take him off the Crew's hands. It is good though that there is only one Dave Bush in the starting 5 instead of two. If youll notice the first bunch of comments though, Vargas was listed in Brewer Guy's starting rotation, then fixed it. Way to go Carlos V in making the rotation. Dont make me look like more of an idiot.

The Less Decisions, the Better

Well, Capuano is due for his second "Tommy John" surgery in the past 8 years. It is never good when a professional athlete gets an injury like this. And for it to be the second, that may just be a career ender. So good luck to him getting better.

But, on the plus side, Neddy Bear has one less call to make. I would rather he make the least amount of decisions possible, so thats a good thing. But in another of the venerable posts to his blog, the Brewer guy lays out this bad boy.

After Ben Sheets and Jeff Suppan, it appears Manny Parra, Dave Bush and Claudio Vargas are the front-runners. We expect to hear later today that Chris Capuano is going on the DL with an elbow problem, and Carlos Villanueva could be headed to Nashville to start there.(emphasis mine)

I dont know about you, but I would rather have the kid Parra start out at AAA. The great part about the pitching depth that the crew has is in fact that Parra is an actual big name prospect. He is young, he is good, and for the first time in his career he is not marred by injury. To put him under the command of Neddy Bear for an entire season a this point, would be like Dusty Bakerizing him. See Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. There is no need for him to pitch in the bigs this year unless something really bad happens. Villanueva on the other hand, has proven that he is a Major League starter. Out of the list above, excluding Parra, he has pitched the best. He is a team guy who was arguably the second best pitcher on the team last year. He deserves his chance. Parra's will be there for a while.

And All the Roads that Lead You there are Winding

Rock out because it is a big Sunday...and the Sweet Zombie Jesus does not love you.

Jesus loves shitty music.

I knew I was not alone.

I hate children...a lot...but they make some good points.

My degree is bad ass...

Super heroes dont exist.

Spring Break!!!!!

An article from a Florida newspaper. I dont think I have ever been on a vacation and been so drunk that I detonated a stick of dynamite. Though it may be fun, Id like to keep my arms, thank you very much.

Money quote: "They're really nice guys, they were just really drunk yesterday," said spring breaker Dan McDonough. "We saw 'em before dark and they were so wasted that I don't think they remember doing that."

And how do you not remember explosions? These people are un-American, as we all love guns and things blowing up.

This is What Makes Spring Training Fun

So there has been some talk of a prospect in the brewers system by the name of Alcides Escobar. The one article linked, at FoxSports...hope I dont get sued...suggests that Rickie Weeks be traded as soon as possible, move Hardy to 2b, and let Escobar come of age in the bigs. Couple of things about this...

First, Weeks has effectively played for three years. Lest us not forget that he was the number two pick overall. Marred by injury, his big league numbers arent that great. His minor league numbers however, are decent. Good OBP, good stolen base percentage. He does have some of the skills that make a good ball player. His OPS in the minors is almost 100 points better, so there is something there. The problem is that he has had his issues with the injury.

Second, why tinker any more for the sake of a 20 year old? Not worth it. Gone are the days of bringing in a really young, under the legal drinking age, player. The kid has been in the system since what, '04, so let him get to some of those AAAA pitchers in triple A. These days, you have to hit. Hardy was brought up based on his defensive play and potential, and in his one decent regular season playing, did nothing after the All-Star break.

I guess it comes down to how long you want to let Weeks "try out" at being a good ballplayer. Me...this is the last year. If he shows during the season that he does in fact have the "grit" and "hustle"(thanks Ned) to play big league ball, keep him around, and wait again. If not, it may not be a bad idea to package him and Sheeter, another glass body, and get something for him. Maybe a real catcher.

Jameson

Streams of Whiskey

Ukraine is Weak

Something special for the freedom loving tots in your life.

Fun with religion, or science.

You all know that he would prefer Miller.

Fun with the pope...Man, thats 3 religious ones, I am going to hell.

In the early 1800s, this was a delicacy.

I Would Believe the Mentor

I found the link to this article from one of the baseball blogs that I tend to read. It is more general pre season stuff, but one part jumped out at me.

“[Bleeping] Ned, he got into the stats - look out,”

and

“Might cost you more games than it helps,”

If one of the better managers in the games history says things like that, I would tend to believe him.

I Cant Even Begin to Say Anything

Here is the article, with video. Like I said, I have nothing to say.

Holy Shit

This is where I work...Luckily, I finally caught whatever disease that has been going around the office all winter and left at 11:30. I do not need shrapnel in me. Even if it means closing the building down.

Think for a few Moments

So there is a lot of chatter on the JS Brewers blog comments about Manny Parra being in the starting rotation at the beginning of the season. For regular readers, this is a shame. Do Brewers fans in Milwaukee really want a guy who has only pitched 26 innings in the Major Leagues to start the season? I get it. He has been good this spring and in his cup of coffee last year, he pitched well. And he is a lefty. But look at his career as a whole...He was the end all be all when he was drafted, and never pitched a full season until after that. Except in some capacity in ought 6, as well as last season of course. Look folks, we are stuck with Busherino or Crappuano out of the gates. No questions, no answers, and no reason why. Neddy Bear wants it that way.

Let me ask you this...How awesome would it be if Sheets got hurt? Pretty shitty. How about if Parra came up in mid June to take his spot? See how nice that works out? At that point, we have Gallardo and Parra at the top of the rotation. Bad ass. Want to know why? Options, and a long history of injury. Does Nick Neugebauer ring a bell? Brought up to early, and now where is he...Bagging groceries, and thats the positive outlook.

Fucking take it easy people. The monster offense will take care of itself, and the revamped bullpen will make that a bit easier. Ask yourself if you want a one time shot, or a long haul winner. Then, look at how old Parra is. If he can get over the fragility that has plagued him in the past, he will be a great pitcher. Couple that with YoGo and Villenueva, and you have the makings of a good rotation for years to come.

Baseball is a marathon, and lots of things can happen. We have not started the season yet. Be patient...His day will come.

Its Like that...and Thats the Way it Is

Welcome to Hell.

So thats how they do it.

4 of 39

12 step programs saved my life.

The life of an outlaw.

So It Begins

Here is a gem from the JS this morning.

After right-hander Dave Bush was roughed up by Texas for five runs (three earned) in three innings Wednesday, manager Ned Yost indicated that Bush's history with the club (two 12-victory seasons at the back of the rotation) meant more than performances this spring.

According to Neddy Bear, a players history with the club seems more important than his performance this spring...

Asked again Thursday if past success counted for more than current showings, Yost said, "A little bit. It sure does."

Im not sure how much success Bush, Vargas, and Cappy had last year, but the only one I would put any stock in is Cappuano, as he had a good season year before last.

Here is the funny part...Nedders goes on to say

"Of course, it's a competition," he said. "There's nothing cut and dried.It's an eight-man battle for five spots. And that's the way it stays. Are there variables that go into it? Absolutely."

So which is it? Do we reward Bush a rotation spot because he had a 10+ win season last year? Or what about Vargas, who never made it out of the sixth, mush like the former? I am an advocate of starting Parra in AAA, but I think that Villanueva deserves a spot. Man I hate Ned Yost.

Those Crazy Brits Part 2...Or...You Likee the Golden Shower

Here is a funny one for you. I will let the article explain itself, save for the money quote below.

They highlighted local people complaining that they were fed up with yobbish behaviour by British troops, whom they accused of displaying a "nasty edge" compared with soldiers from other countries.(emphasis mine)

The venerable Wiki has a definition for Yobbo.

Salary

So Prince Fielder is saying that he does not like that the Brewers signed him to a one year deal...again. I guess, as always, you can look at this bad boy in two ways.

1...Throw the kid some cash for christs sake(I like the fact that I can say kid since he is 5 years my junior). He was in the MVP voting, hit more home runs that any rookie ever, and was pretty much the "heart and soul" of the club down the stretch. I use quotes because I dont believe in intangibles all that much. He deserves a raise. Moreover, even if you dropped a million on him for this year, the odds are you wont be able to afford him in the next couple of years. The unholy spawn of Satan will make sure of that. What with Ryan Howard inking his deal for 900k per year. Let him mash for a year or two, and ship him off to the Yanks, because that is the only team that will spend the money on him. The guy can hit, and you are going to need that in the next 2 years while you try to get to the big show.

2...To throw that much money at a third year player is ridiculous. Yeah, sure, he had an unbelievable year(see the aforementioned reasons). But since his agent is the aforementioned spawn of the devil, he isnt going to sign a long term deal anyway. Not to mention the fact that his team, the people he came up with, are OK with signing a one year deal to tide them over until a better agreement can be reached.

Braun said, "Of course not. I understand the system. You have to respect the way they do it. That's just the way it is.""There are no hard feelings, either way,"
Hart said. "It's just part of it. You don't always agree."

And those are the two position players, outside of the Price, that are the most important to the franchise. In my opinion. Long term, fat guys do not hold up to the marathon that is professional baseball these days. Hey, mustache has a system, it has worked in the past with other teams, and it will work again.

The fact is, sooner or later, this team of young and bad ass players will not be held together. Baseball is a business these days, and if you dont have the capital, you dont have a team. With a salary approaching 80 million, and that many good players, It aint going to last long. Granted, the sun shines on a dogs ass once in a while, but not all that often. The whole organization has done a phenomenal job of putting it together this way knowing full well that some ties must be cut. The fact that the agent does not do long term deals for players this young, lets hope that some of the players that wont mash that many HRs but are still good at baseball will want to stick it out.

Please note that if it was up to me, he would be inked at any price for no less that 5 years, and maybe more. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I am not an owner/general manager of a baseball team.

Sorry About That

Well...I just got home. Here is something funny to see while I pound the three beers in my fridge.

In case you dont know the slang.

If only I cared about movies as much as Chopper.

I must be back in highschool.

Just in case you have forgotten.

Everything makes sense.