more evidence of Ken Griffey Jr's amazingness

The title may lead you to believe that I've written about Ken Griffey Jr., centerfielder extrodinaire, in a previous post.  I haven't, but if every time I've had my "first baseball chat" with someone over the past 15 years, if the conversation went longer than 10 minutes, I've gone into significant detail why the great pro sports tragedy over my lifetime has been the injuries that have derailed the career of the greatest baseball player ever.
(run-on sentence?  i'm back, baby!)

Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star and Sports Illustrated has one of the best blogs for baseball nerds on the internet.  In his latest column, he tackles an interesting subject: Zero Intentional Walks.  He finds the 5 seasons in history in which a player has 35 or more home runs without being intentionally walked, and he then analyzes why they had the statistically quirky season that they had.

The excerpt about my boy:

Alex Rodriguez (1998)Hit 42 homers without an intentional walk

Main batter who hit behind him: Ken Griffey

Comment: Here is the golden one. Who was SO scary a hitter that managers simply refused to walk A-Rod? And, yes, A-Rod was absurdly good in 1998. He had been absurdly good for three years. He was INCREDIBLE as a 20-year-old in 1996, leading the league in hitting, runs and doubles. He was plenty good as a 21-year-old in 1997. And in 1998, he hit .310/.360/.560 with 42 homers, 123 runs, 124 RBIs, 46 steals and a league-leading 213 hits. He led the league in WAR. Oh, everyone knew all about A-Rod. 

But, much like Mantle, much like Chipper, managers were not going to walk anybody to face Ken Griffey in the 1990s. Griffey mashed 56 homers in 1998, just like he had in 1997, and he did it with such style and grace … and I really do believe that plays a part in the managers’ mindsets. I mean, sure, 56 homers is 56 homers. But there was something about Griffey that seemed classical and legendary even before he WAS classical and legendary. He always felt like a player out of time — he was Buck O’Neil’s favorite player, the one who reminded him sometimes of Willie Mays, sometimes of Ted Williams, sometimes of Oscar Charleston, sometimes of Turkey Stearnes … 

In any case, managers intentionally walked A-Rod TWO TIMES in more than 2,000 plate appearances from 1996-1998. That was the power of the young Ken Griffey Jr.

awesome. 

Missing the Point

In response to Grant Hill's rebuttal to the "Fab Five" documentary aired on ESPN (also, take time to read at least the first page of comments to get the general idea of what the majority of readers thought)...


Jalen Rose clearly states that these were his feelings when he was a FRESHMAN at Michigan. He also states that the reason these feelings came about were because he was JEALOUS of Grant Hill's family situation. The adult Jalen Rose admitted that he had immature feelings as a kid and also recognized, as an adult, that they were not justified in truth! I'm glad Mr. Hill is defending himself and his teammates, but Mr. Rose made it clear that he doesn't believe the same things that he thought as an 18-year-old kid now that he is a grown man who has a lifetime of new experiences.

The fact that everyone thinks this rebuttal is "amazing" makes me think they are rushing to judge Mr. Rose unfairly. If anything, Jalen Rose should be commended for realizing that WHEN HE WAS A FRESHMAN IN COLLEGE, he didn't have the proper perspective in life, and now that he is older and wiser, he very much realizes who wrong he was in making those characterizations he made as a child. Of course Grant Hill should be proud of his family and his upbringing, but here are a few other feelings that Mr. Hill should show, if he wants to really take a "big picture" look at things: pity, for seeing Jalen Rose's upbringing, and appreciation, for realizing that someone who came from so little and who had such a limited world-view at 18 years old was able to, in 20 years, recognize the folly of his adolescent ways and grow up to lead a just-as-successful life and Mr. Hill himself has.

I hope all of the viewers who have been so quick to jump on Grant Hill's high horse can take the time to see the context of the comments that have been lambasted all over sports radio and blogs and realize that it wasn't a reflection Mr. Hill at all; it was allowing a world set far apart from Southwest High School in Detroit to see that same world through eyes of a street-tough but immature and inexperienced boy saw.

----------

Another good take on this is by Bomani Jones at his blog:  http://www.bomanijones.com/blog/2011/03/15/parsing-uncle-tom/

----------
post-script:
just adding a bit of dialogue i've had with one of my favorite long-distance friends (pretty sure i haven't actually seen her in over ten years)


SR: glad to see you're blogging again =)  but i don't think that Jalen Rose's admission of being a bit ignorant when he was 18 (who wasn't?) makes Grant Hill's column any less well-written, touching or "amazing"... i shared this story bc it's good and worth sharing, imho, not because i'm jumping on Grant Hill's high horse


Me: To me, at least, the whole tenor of the column is finding fault in a comment that Jalen himself admitted was incorrect. All of the statements that Grant makes are statements that are not in dispute at all, and at no point does he give context to the voice that made the accusation.

I guess my whole take is that we have to ask ourselves this... What is the more noteworthy story to discuss: that Grant Hill was called a name 20 years ago that all parties deem immature and inappropriate? Or that there were kids who were 18 who were coming from poverty, and then immediately bombarded with inordinate amounts of bad press, hate mail, and death threats for doing nothing but being themselves which, while being unusual in community like U of Mich., wasn't even illegal?

Piggy-backing off of that, I think it's kind of amazing that the "uncle tom" comment is the lightning rod of the doc while everyone just lets all of the racist taunts and threats that the kids received, mostly from seemingly more "mature" adult alumni, pass by with nary a mention. The Rose/Hill interaction was a very small part of the piece, while the public's reaction to the Fab 5 was pretty much the entire story... And yet the former explodes in the sports media universe and the latter is barely discussed. And it sucks, because I thought the doc was really good, and no one is talking about it as a whole.

I think Hill takes a cowardly way to approach a difficult subject. He's defensive, and he's attacking, rather than trying to promote healthy ideas and feelings. Michael Wilbon wrote a much deeper and philosophically responsible article than Hill did. Yeah, I know, Wilbon's a writer and Hill isn't... But check that out, and then let me know if you understand where I'm coming from.

and here's a link to Wilbon's article

pray for japan. not nic cage.

Risk of Meltdown Spreads at Japanese Plant

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/world/asia/15nuclear.html?_r=2&hp

TOKYO — Japan faced the likelihood of a catastrophic nuclear accident Tuesday morning, as an explosion at the most crippled of three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station damaged its crucial steel containment structure, emergency workers were withdrawn from the plant, and much larger emissions of radioactive materials appeared immiment, according to official statements and industry executives informed about the developments.

terrifying.  "likelihood of a catastrophic nuclear accident"... that's not supposed to happen in real life. that's supposed to happen in bad summer blockbusters with nic cage and a wise-cracking, been-there/done-that older mentor/boss figure who busts balls but has a heart of gold and sheds a tear when the countdown to the accident is approaching zero and he realizes he's about to lose the son that he never had because his biological son was actually killed in a science experiment gone wrong during the first year of his Ph.D. program and he almost can't bear to see history repeating itself...

but in that make believe world, everything turns out ok.  i'm hoping and praying for the best with our japanese brothers and sisters.

(this is how i cope with apocalypse-type events)

some shots from killington

Should I make a separate blog for photography? It's a good idea, but I'm thinking that for right now I'm going to make sure that I remember to post pictures, first and foremost. If I start posting a lot more, then I might make a photo-only forum. Anyways, here are some pics from my first ski trip in a while. I was rolling solo on the trails, so I stopped a few times to take some shots with my point-and-shoot. I couldn't always get the exact perspective I was looking for, but a few of these came out ok I think.

bilzzard shots

these are a few attempts at snowstorm photos... i'm sure i'll have plenty more chances this season to go for a couple more, but here are a few (it was too cold to travel too far):

welcome to a new day

This has to be one of the coolest segments of an interview with a president EVER!

Q Let’s talk about this game today. You came out --- and most Presidents don’t pick a team -- you came right out and you said, look, I know the Rooneys, they’ve been good friends of mine, they endorsed me. I think you got the AFC championship ball --

THE PRESIDENT: I did.

Q So you said, other than my dear Bears, they’re closest to my heart. But I’m having a hard time understanding how you, of all people, wouldn’t associate with the Cardinals.

THE PRESIDENT: Underdog --

Q I mean, it is a Cinderella story, the team that came from nowhere to the big game –- the audacity of hope.

THE PRESIDENT: Not to mention the fact that Kurt Warner is close to my age. (Laughter.)

Q Right, exactly. How can you turn your back on the Cardinals?

THE PRESIDENT: I love Kurt Warner’s story. I love -- Larry Fitzgerald seems like just a wonderful young man. It’s a great story. But Rooney didn’t just endorse me -- that guy was out going to steel plants campaigning for me. Franco Harris was out waving towels at my rallies.

Q Do you have a Terrible Towel in the other room?

THE PRESIDENT: I do, actually, so

Q Are you going to be waving them at the party?

THE PRESIDENT: I’m not going to be rubbing it in, we’ve got some Arizona congressmen here and I may need their vote on the recovery package. (Laughter.)

Q Give me a score –- what’s the score going to be in this game?

THE PRESIDENT: You know, it’s tough to predict, but I think the Steelers are going to eke it out in a close one.

Q All right. Well, last year you predicted the Patriots over my Giants. I don’t have a question here, I just wanted to rub that in a little bit. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I’m still wondering how the guy made that catch.

Q The Hail Mary?

THE PRESIDENT: He has some Stickum on his helmet.

Q David Tyree.

THE PRESIDENT: He had Stickum on his helmet.

Q They just dissected that play in about a five-minute segment on the show.

THE PRESIDENT: It was one of the greatest plays in pro football history.

Q Let’s talk about the BlackBerry, all right? You got to keep it.

THE PRESIDENT: I did.

Q Can I see it? Do you have it?

THE PRESIDENT: You know, I didn’t bring it down here.

Q No?

THE PRESIDENT: No, it’s like Inspector Gadget -- you know, if you touched it, it might blow up.

Q I kind of envision that, it’s like Q in the James Bond -- did they give you, like, fingerprint recognition technology or something?

THE PRESIDENT: The works. The works. It turns into a car if I have to make a quick getaway. (Laughter.)

Q How many people have that email address?

THE PRESIDENT: A handful. Look, there are security issues involved, and so we’ve got to make sure that I’m not creating a situation where, you know, potentially people can comprise our system somehow.

Q But, like, world leaders -- can they contact you on that BlackBerry?

THE PRESIDENT: Typically, world leaders are going to be contacting me through the Oval Office. They know how to reach me there.

Q Sasha and Malia?

THE PRESIDENT: Sasha and Malia can always contact me.

Q Oprah?

THE PRESIDENT: Well --

Q Maybe. You’re not going to hook me up, are you?

THE PRESIDENT: Matt, do you want one?

Q No, I want your email address. (Laughter.) I want to communicate with you during the game.

THE PRESIDENT: I like your son, I might give it to him -- I’m not going to give it to you. Jack, he might get one.

random 90s r&b

Back in the day (early 90s, say between 1991 and 1994), I was fan of Boyz II Men.

I'm not sure how common that was, but whatever, I liked their sound and they were always singing about girls and making love and all that stuff that I dreamt about but was too scurred to actually do anything about. They did the "black-and-white and color in the same video" thing a bunch, which was awesome. But more than anything, I loved their clothes. Smooth, but not flaming like a lot of singers did. Sometimes they wore varied outfits with the same color scheme, sometimes the same outfits in different colors, and sometimes they just wore the same thing. But what the hell? If people tried to pull that crap off today, they'd be laughed at forever! I'm not sure if they'd be looking effeminate or just cheesy as hell, but it would never work.

I'm wondering... was it the 90s that made that ok? Or was it me being a kid (in other words, did older people/adults think it was ridiculous at the time, as i do now?) that made it ok in my head?

And then, on a related note... if I'm calling out Boyz II Men's outfits and overall appearance out, what can I say about these guys??

They even stole Boyz II Men's name scheme (word-number-word)? If nothing else, these 4 would totally get their asses kicked by the Boyz if they had some sort of smooth voice crooner cage match.

What a sick idea that turns into though... some sick battle royale with cross-generational boy bands...

four tops, temptations, the jackson 5, boyz II men, all-4-one, backstreet boyz, nsync...

Temptations have to be the favorites. Four tops and B2M probably fight it out for the numbers 2 and 3. All-4-One is the solid 4 (not intentional) spot. Then it gets tricky... I'd probably go with Backstreet @ 5 because Michael Jackson would either be a) too young to fight, or b) too busy thinking about his monkey and Justin Timberlake would be too busy with his celebri-girlfriend of the day to give two craps about the rest of *Sync to make them a force.

This leads to the bottom of the barrel being the Jackson 5 vs. *SYNC. Joe Jackson vs. Lance Bass and crew? I say Crazy Papa Joe comes in like a homophobic bat outta hell and pistol whips the crap out of JT's crew, leaving them in the cellar.

Where's your civilian rocketship ticket now, Lance?


I have too much time on my hands.

Body of an American

The cadillac stood by the house
And the yanks they were within
And the tinker boys they hissed advice
'Hot-wire her with a pin'
We turned and shook as we had a look
In the room where the dead men lay
So big Jim Dwyer made his last trip
To the home where his father's laid

Fifteen minutes later
We had our first taste of whiskey
There was uncles giving lectures
On ancient Irish history
The men all started telling jokes
And the women they got frisky
At five o'clock in the evening
Every bastard there was piskey

Fare thee well going away
There's nothing left to say
Farewell to New York City boys
To Boston and PA
He took them out
With a well-aimed clout
He was often heard to say
I'm a free born man of the USA

--the drinking song sung at Kavanaugh's for every homocide police's wake.

a hit of culture

A Dream Deferred
by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Dreamcatching

In recent weeks, I have discussed with friends and co-workers random topics on the current political climate in our country. I've been asked "Who do you plan on voting for?" Without going into a political debate here, one of the points that I inevitably give is "Well, voting for Barack is throwing your vote away", and I get crazy looks.

"HHHHHHHHHHWHAT?! Why would you say that?", with non-black people probably thinking "You can't say that! You're black! You agree with most of his political philosophies! You read his autobiography and loved it! You told me to read it! And now you say something like that?!!"

This is true. And in a perfect world, well, I still probably wouldn't vote for Barack just yet; I think I'd give him another 4-8 years in the Senate before I'd want him as Commander in Chief, just so he can get a little firmer handle on the political skillet in Washington. With a little more experience on committees, a few more alliances made on both sides of the aisle, and a few more significant legislation authorings/sponsorings under his belt, I think he'd be the best president since JFK. Which leads me to my next point...

Quick! Name the most significant assassinations in US History! Lincoln. Jack Kennedy. Bobby Kennedy. Martin. Malcolm. What's the connection? Yeah, pretty obvious. But think about that... the only successful assassination attempts in the history of this country have pretty much occurred against targets whose primary political, social, and moral goals were to help gain equality for black Americans.*

Now, if people (some readers might blindly assume that the people I'm describing were either white, racist, or both, but a good scientist never makes those inherently obvious assumptions in fear of stating a hypothesis with an initial bias) in the 1860s, and 1960s (jeez, what's with the 60s? I'm not leaving my house between new years 2060 and 2070...) were adamant enough about keeping black people from getting people to be treated as equal citizens in their country, what in the HELL is going to happen if one of these citizens now tries to take his liberties a step further, and attempts to because the most important citizen in the country! These people (I'll call them "haters" for simplicity) did everything possible to stop the country from allowing black people to rise from less-than-citizen to the citizen level. Once a black person tries to rise to the highest authority position in the land? Do people really believe that this is a safe undertaking? Really? The haters killed Lincoln, Martin, and JFK because they were trying to create a level playing field. If a black man is trying to leave the level playing field and jump to the top of the mountain, I'm supposed to believe that the haters, after40 years, have just learned their lesson and will sit idly by and watch a black man, the hatee**, appear on television and in the world's eye, as their leader?

I want to believe that this nation is ready for it. I know that my life is much easier (with regards to racial tolerance) than my parents' was, and infinitely easier than that of my grandparents. I mean, most of my friends are white. I went grew up in a middle class community, went to a private high school and attended a fairly good university. I am happy at least part of Dr. King's dream has been fulfilled: "We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one."

But even myself, ever the racial equality optimist, knows that the whole dream has not been realized. I know that there are many towns in this country where my family would probably not be welcome to visit for a trip. Does it make me sad? Sure. But unfortunately its a reality of life that I have to accept. Do I wish our United States could be like the United States on the hit show 24, where the greatest president of all time was elected? Of course. But that's not our reality. Our reality is that we live in a country that probably isn't ready for a black President. And that makes me sad... but not as sad as I would be if I was able to see a qualified candidate for President of the United States elected into office, and having his life taken not of the conduct of character, but because of the color of his skin.

...This all came to because I was watching this youtube clip. I was getting really excited, proud, and happy to be an American , and happy that one man was able to make such a significant difference in our world, and then I read some of the accompanying comments (click on the comments marked as "spam" or the ones with multiple thumbs down) listed below the video and saw that there are definitely many closed-minded haters among us even today.

---

*Yes, I know, Mr. Lincoln has been quoted with saying that his goal was just to keep America as one united country and the slavery topic was a secondary idea, but if that's all he really wanted, he could've done it with much less bloodshed if he continued to support legal slavery.

**hatee? hate-ee? recipient of the hate; yeah I make up words, wanna fight about it?

Oh Pedro

Do you think Pedro Gomez is satisfied with his lot in life? Does he feel out of place?

I saw him on SportsCenter last night, doing a little pre-game research bit for Game 1 of the world series. I just realized that for the last 3 years, up until August of this year, Pedro Gomez has only reported on Barry Bonds. Not the Giants, not big milestone home run for across Major League Baseball... just Barry Bonds.

No joke; when he first started covering the Barry Bonds saga, he had mostly black hair, with a small streak of grey. After reporting on the trials and tribulations that Barry Bonds has gone through, he's fully entered the Anderson Cooper- full head of silver hair zone. Is it total coincidence that he's reached the age of hair color transformation at the same time as this Barry Bonds era of his career, or has the Bonds drama actually stressed him? If so, what exactly stressed him: was it the lack of dignity that he suffered by going from being a sports journalist to almost a personal gossip columnist for Barry? Or did he vicariously feel the slings and arrows of the outrageous fortune that Bonds had to endure? Did he sympathize with the constant barbs and denigration that Barry had to endure from his detractors? Did the fact that Pedro and Barry's lives became so inexplicably intertwined lead to Gomez actually empathizing with him?

And how does he feel now? Is he relieved to finally be rid of the Bonds Crazy Train? Or does part of him miss it?

Right now, Pedro Gomez is in Boston, Massachusetts, part of ESPN's travel team, covering the World Championship of Major League Baseball: The World Series. To most sports journalists in the world, nay, most sports fans in the world, that is a dream come true. Is it possible that, deep down, Pedro Gomez instead wishes he was the lead reporter following the story of the tainted anti-hero of America's Pastime?

Business Time

What else is there to say?

It's business time.

Re: A History of Mistrust

regarding Wright Thompson's piece on ESPN.com, August 2007

note: this is very "train-of-thought"... I just wanted to make sure I wrote a response while the piece was still fresh in my head, and I might not have organized the thoughts as well as I could have.

Good Afternoon-

I would just like to say that I feel honored to have read your story on ESPN.com this morning. I've read so many pieces in the media pertaining to this story, and it's been almost sickening to see the wrath of the public's hatred without anyone even beginning to take into account the entire racial circumstances of the situation. Being an African-American youth (relative youth; I'm 25, and my parents were teenagers during the 60s) growing up in the Northeast, I feel like I've been blessed and cursed with regards to the significant racial undertones that do still permeate many American communities. At times, I almost feel like I've grown up with too much of a sense of naivete towards these feelings that are so common in the South because of the acceptance (real or facade? probably a little of both) of integration in my neighborhoods. But with the innocence and lack of experience of overt malevolent racist thoughts and actions, my naive view of the world is hiding me not only from what my ancestors had to deal with on a daily basis, but what some of our black brother and sisters still deal with today in given areas south of the Mason-Dixon line.

Your piece has forced me to experience a rainbow of emotions. I feel angered that someone as talented as Michael Vick, someone who was placed on a pedestal because of his amazing ability, can be vilified so quickly without being given the chance to defend himself. I feel saddened that the monumental steps that Martin, Malcolm, and so many other strong activists and leaders from decades past are almost insignificant when one realizes that there is still so much deep-rooted, irrational hatred for man towards his fellow man. I feel disappointed when I realize how many people don't understand this strong racist undertone still exists, even though there aren't the obvious displays of racism as there were in generations past. But I also feel a sense of hope. I feel proud that there are still men and women who will take up the challenge to educate the public to the state of affairs that still exists; that even though integration is law, that de facto segregation still has a strong place in the old Jim Crow South, and that it's not going to go away or get better with effort. I feel stronger knowing that a family such as the Abernathys, with such strong ties to the Movement of the 60s and 70s, has not slowed away from being active in their community, nor have they shied away from the controversy that they might encounter by speaking their mind.

Thank you, Mr. Thompson, for providing not only the African-American community but the entire country (via espn, at least) with an educated look at the dark past of our nation, and for reminding all of your readers that although the "Civil Rights Movement" has technically passed, the idea of Jim Crow is still prevalent in some areas and that everyone still has to continue to help eliminate that idea of overt and latent racial biases in their everyday lives.

JJ

you see all these movies

(originally written 2/21/2004)

You see all these movies, books, tv shows
With men being men
The ultimate man
Pure
No flaws
No problems
Strong principles
Never wavering
But in the real world, its not like that
No one has principles
Everyone wavers
And yet all these people experience “Greatness”
“glory”
“fame”
and I try and stick to what I think is right
what is pure in the world
what is right…
what is right…
and I get screwed over
nothing goes right for me
people treat me like shit
and I find amusement in trying to treat other people like shit
but I shouldn’t
I don’t really want to
I feel like I’m a good person
I was a good person
I just want to be a good person again

Joe Buckman

*character sketch for my upcoming story

I'm 35, overweight and balding, and i have a penchant for biting sarcasm. I just purchased my first pair of glasses in 15 years; apparently aviator prescription glasses are no longer in style. I'm clever as hell but lonely as a rock. I grew up in Ann Arbor, and have spent pretty much every day of my life in michigan, save a vacation I took when I was twelve (my little sister was five) to disney world and a spring break trip i took during college to visit san diego.

I like sushi but HATE fish. I like thai food but am allergic to peanuts. I write poetry but I am unable to feel emotions. I love baseball but I hate hot weather. I'm going to vote for Obama even though I know he can't win. I'm an OSU fan even though I ride past the Big House on my bike every day.

...and I just inherited 325 million dollars, but have no friends or family.

Enter Sandman

"Here's what we'll tell our kids: He looked like an alien, and threw like a god. He had one pitch -- and with that one pitch, like David with one rock in a slingshot, he could fell any foe. With that one pitch he could escape any danger. With that one pitch he could intimidate any lineup. With that one pitch he won world titles. With that one pitch he pitched his way to the Hall of Fame. With that one pitch he performed surgery. With that one pitch he wrote poems. With that one pitch he sang songs. With that one pitch he saved souls and converted non-believers, and brought peace to the boroughs and joy to the masses. And we will not be exaggerating."

--Eric Neel, espn.com

variations on a theme, howard dean style

Howard Dean Speaking to Supporters in Iowa, 2004

---

Dave Chappelle as Howard Dean:

---

Joey Porter as Dave Chappelle as Howard Dean

another copout

I swear, I'm going to post regular entries in this soon... just as soon as I figure out my life. Priorities: life, then blog. Fair enough? Sweet.

As recommended by RF. (yeah, this song is kinda lame, soft, sappy, etc., but i can still kick your ass. remember that)

The Shins - Pink Bullets

random discovery #2

Gnarls Barkley. As much as I dislike trendy music (because I'm not cool enough to be trendy), these guys are awesome. Their music has an original flavor to it, and they're crazy. It's the good kind of crazy; the kind of crazy that I call myself.

And these outfits are amazing.




 

random discovery

Fact: This is a statue located in the Boston Public Gardens.
Fact: This statue is a monument to the first surgical procedure which used an anaesthetic.
Fact: I saw this statue for the first time two weeks ago.
Fact: I just finished a novel which referenced this fairly esoteric piece of art two days ago.

Hi ho.