Schutzenfest
Schutzenfest translates as “shooting festival,” and although there is a fair share of shooting going on during the event, the major focus is on celebrating Germanic traditions and heritage. These festivals are very popular in Germany and also manifest elsewhere across the world, including Adelaide, Australia. In order to celebrate the large amounts of German immigrants that came to the country nearly 200 years ago, they put on their own popular event.
Many different versions of Schutzenfest have been held in Adelaide over the years, the first recorded taking place in 1865. They continued until World War I stopped them, but once the Second World War had come and gone, they resumed, becoming an annual tradition in 1964. Organized by the South Australian German Association, Schutzenfest now brings in more than 20,000 people and is the largest folk festival in this part of the country.
When you attend Adelaide’s Schutzenfest, expect plenty of great German food and drink, including loads of beer. Accompanying this is traditional German dancing and music to create a festive atmosphere. And, as the name implies, there is indeed some shooting. A shooting competition is held to honor the age-old tradition of marksmanship that was quite important for defending one’s self back in the day.
There are also plenty of other things to keep one busy aside from shooting and drinking. There are activities for the kids, Strong Arm Beer Stein Lifting Competitions and a variety of cultural displays to show off German descendants’ pride in their heritage.
Whether you come from German stock or just happen to be in Australia at the time, stop through and enjoy Schutzenfest with the locals. Drink some beer, eat some good German food and enjoy the company of some native Southern Australians.
Mike Napoli, DH/1B
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Q. Does most of Napoli's value lie at catcher?
A. Napoli is a whale of a DH. Let's get that straight.
Napoli's career slash line is better than Jay Bruce's, and Napoli does it in the AL. Mark Teixeira has a career OBP of .370 and SLG of .525 -- Napoli's is .355 and .510.
Paul Konerko, who carries the White Sox, has a career OBP of .360 and SLG of .500. With Napoli, you're talking about a Konerko who can't stay on the field.
Justin Upton has a career OBP of .355 and SLG of .475, in the NL, compared to Napoli's .355 and .510 in the AL.
Nick Swisher: .360 OBP, .470 SLG. Nick Swisher is not as good a hitter as Mike Napoli is. Let me read that sentence again.
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Q. How about at 1B?
A. SSI guesstimates that you want to minimize Napoli's games at 1B. ... if Smoak's gone, I guess it's him or Montero, though. This is a negative not to be minimized.
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Q. How does the jobshare work?
A. Let's start with the gleeful observation that John Jaso is a G-R-E-A-T platoon player:
| Jaso, 2012 | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| vs RHP (50:42 EYE) | .300 | .420 | .510 |
| vs LHP | .119 | .143 |
Now let's take that slash line and compare it to some of the very best in the game:
| AVG | OBP | SLG | |
| Jaso vs RHP | .300 | .420 | .510 |
| Prince, 2012 | .310 | .410 | .530 |
| Mauer, 2012 | .320 | .415 | .450 |
| Butler, 2012 | .310 | .370 | .510 |
| Pujols, 2012 | .285 | .345 | .515 |
| Ryan Zimmerman, 2012 | .280 | .350 | .490 |
And Jaso catches. In other words, he's a GREAT platoon player. No, wait, those aren't other words, are they...
So that's one great thing about a potential Russell Martin or Mike Napoli deal. The concept of John Jaso playing only against RHP's. Slap me silly.
You could say that 2012 was one year. I would respond, "you should have paid attention during that year." John Jaso can flat rake. But the Mariners may have outgrown him, as far as "best player on the team" is concerned.
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Q. How would the jobshare work?
A. Let's start with Thirteen's very well thought out plan:
Let’s say Smoak starts the year in AAA, and Carp is still on the roster. Napoli has only ever broken 115 games once, so let’s pencil him in for four out of every five starts tops. Jaso should be starting every day vs. RHP, and I don’t think he’s going to get a shot against LHP, so three out of every four starts. Napoli usually catches in a 2:1 ratio with playing 1B/DH, but maybe we can get him down to 50/50 like he was two years ago. Presumably we still want to get Montero some catching time and also a little first base time. Actually, if we work Wells into it, it makes a little more sense, but the Mariners have to be willing to watch Carp in left field.
C: 40% Napoli, 40% Jaso, 20% Montero
DH: 35% Jaso, 55% Montero, 10% Napoli
1B: 30% Napoli, 55% Carp, 15% Montero
LF: 80% Wells, 20% CarpOf course, if even one of Smoak and Zunino does well enough in the minors to warrant a promotion and the above guys are all playing well, someone’s gotta move.
I might quibble that there should be "other" in there ;- ) which will be 10%-20% ... the scrubeenies bring your team OPS+ down by five points. But that's a quibble. The basic chart is the money idea here, and 80% for Napoli allows some slack anyway.
Where I really agree is that if Napoli's here, Smoak's not.
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Q. Would Jaso keep catching?
A. I think the M's would rather he didn't. My confidence on that "think" is verrrry high. Suppose they were bringing in Martin instead? The writing's on the wall.
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Q. So what about Zunino?
A. Jay-Z's famous for making 'em earn it... suppose you move Zunino down the line a year. Still!
Jay-Z tells Napoli, "You're the number one for 2012. I think you'll catch some, not a ton, if and when our kid takes over; you'll be the #2 for the life of your contract. We do give you the fourth year."
So you know the selling point needs to be the contract, not the position.
BABVA,
Dr D
The Muscat Festival of Oman
For a month in the country of Oman, a series of events take place known as the Muscat Festival. From the last week of January until the end of February sees a wide variety of culturally focused Omani festivities that highlight this unique piece of Western Asia. They are held in one of two of the city’s parks and Muscat could perhaps more aptly be described as a collection of many festivals, each focusing on a specific area of Omani life and history.
During the festival, people dress in regional costume, creating a bright and traditional procession. In addition, there are parades and ceremonies and many fantastic displays of swordsmanship held for attendees.
One of the main attractions of the festival is the Omani Heritage and Culture Village. This virtual community is designed to look like a traditional fort village and create an atmosphere that is genuinely Omani, featuring markets, food and cultural exhibitions. There are also such events as the Tour of Oman cycle race, Muscat Fashion Week, the Omani Food Festival and many art exhibits. Concerts go on all throughout the month and there are seemingly endless numbers of performances featuring dancing, fireworks, acrobatics and regional music.
Part of the festival focuses on keeping the kids entertained. There is an amusement park that features rides, shows organized specifically with children in mind and several educational presentations.
There are few better ways to experience the country of Oman than the Muscat Festival. You can learn about the country’s culture, have fun and meet the locals. Currently, this event is not very well known among tourist crowds, so it’s a great time to visit, before the streets become crowded with people. Just make sure to bring your camera - the variety of sights and sounds will give you the opportunity to take many amazing pictures.
Alaska’s Iditarod
For those that enjoy the most challenging adventures, Alaska’s Iditarod - “a distant place” - dog-sledding race is one that appeals to the truly hardcore. It is a race through the snow and ice of Alaska that takes place during the winter, in March of each year. It starts up on the first Saturday of the month and generally takes competitors around 10 days to finish.
The race is said to be 1049 miles long, but the “49” in this claim is symbolic of Alaska being the 49th state. In reality, it’s a bit longer at approximately 1150 miles. The trail runs from Anchorage to Nome across frozen tundra, iced over rivers and mountains covered in blankets of snow.
Iditarod started up in 1973, on the 100th anniversary of the United States acquiring the Alaskan territory. It was organized to commemorate the “Great Race of Mercy,” an event in Alaskan history in which many teams of dog-sledders raced to the city of Nome to bring medicine during the middle of an outbreak of disease. Those saviors of life took 5 ½ days to reach their destination, though now participants enjoy a more relaxed pace.
The event attracts around 70 teams per year, each one using about 16 dogs. The total number of dogs competing reaches approximately 1500. The first 30 teams to cross the finish line in Nome get a piece of a cash prize that totals in the hundreds-of-thousands. The last person across doesn’t get any cash, but they do have the honor of extinguishing a ceremonial lantern, as well as getting to take it home with them.
Iditarod isn’t necessarily the most crowd-participatory race, since observers rarely see more than the teams leaving or passing through any given town or city along the way. But it’s a very big deal for Alaska and a great thing to put on the bucket list. If you’re looking to challenge yourself before your time on Earth is up, there are few ways more intense than this legendary race.
The Paragliding Festival of Ghana
Ghana’s Paragliding Festival may seem like an unusual celebration in the mostly poor southern African nation, but this four day event has been a steadily growing source of tourism for the last eight years. Both professionals and amateurs come together to experience the beautiful landscape of the country from high up in the sky. First taking place in 2005, it has since been incorporated into the Kwahu Easter Festivities and has become popular on an international level.
The festival celebrates the sports of paragliding and hang gliding, welcoming tandem flyers as well as solos. This area in Ghana is known for having some remarkable flying conditions, providing the weather doesn’t go bad, thus making it easy for those of any skill level to take part.
One of the main focuses of the festival is to allow those who might normally not get a chance to experience this form of flight to get in on the action. The local people of Ghana are unable to afford any of the equipment involved, so people raise money to cover the expenses that a tandem flight would incur. All the pilots who come to the festival are encouraged to offer up some space on their craft for these curious people.
But being a part of the Easter celebrations, there is more going on than just flying. Hiking, walking marathons, visits to the local observatory and nonstop music every day are just a few things one can expect. And most flyers come with the intention of raising money for one of the many charities that are dedicated to helping the children of the African continent.
Visiting Ghana during the festival can be a great way to get in some good gliding or experience this activity for the first time by taking a tandem trip. Or, if you happen to want to stay on the ground, you can just hang out, enjoy the celebration and watch others soar through the skies.
Reading Pile: 11/23/12 Pt. 2
Captain America #1- I went into this with zero expectations and came out fairly impressed. I tend to enjoy Remender, while Romita Jr’s art is kind of 50/50 for me depending on the character he is drawing. I still maintain that he can’t draw children as they always end up looking like little watermelon head mutants, but when he has to draw an actual mutant that tends to be a whole different deal. Plus he draws a pretty awesome Arnim Zola, and that’s never a bad thing. Remender moves the story away from all the spy/espionage material that Brubaker tends to play with and seems to be moving Cap more towards a sci-fi/superhero genre which is actually a nice change of pace. I will also say that he opened up with a pretty powerful scene that sets up a lot of tone for the character, and that’s something worth giving credit to for any run of a book. $3.99 isn’t great for twenty-two pages of story, but I will note that these were an entertaining twenty-two pages that delivered a fairly dense introduction. A-
Baltimore: The Play One Shot-Although it would be amazing to have a regular Baltimore series, I consider every one of these minis or one-shots to be a nice treat. Ben Stenbeck’s artwork is fantastic and the stories are always top notch. A
Deadpool #2- This issue picked up a better pace for the humor and I really enjoyed Moore’s artwork for the character and the overall atmosphere. Fighting the re-animated corpse of Teddy Roosevelt while it’s on a rampage hunting animals at a zoo makes for some pretty decent comedy. Plus, Teddy Roosevelt upper cutting a bear just makes for a great visual. B+
Judge Dredd #1- Judge Dredd is one of those properties where it just really depends on the creative team because the core concept and character are ok but not enough to maintain my interest. Swierczyinski offers up a decent enough script with some humor I can appreciate, and I actually really like Nelson Daniel’s artwork. The second story is decent, but I’m generally not a huge Paul Gulacy fan. I think it’s interesting that it’s been over a decade since an American Dredd comic has been published, and I hope they can maintain some momentum. Overall though this was a tough sell for me with twenty-two pages for $3.99, but I will want to give the next few issues a chance to see if they can hook me in for a longer run. B
Mike Napoli - Keep Weight Underside
Q. How does Napoli look from an aikido perspective?
A. Dr. D LOVES LOVES LOVES the way that Napoli sinks his weight to the pitch. This is one of O'Sensei's four golden laws, "Keep Weight Underside."
Digest that for a second, the fact that "Keeping Weight Underside" was one of Ueshiba's four basic insights. It's like Ted Williams studying hitting his whole life, and saying "Get Your Pitch" is one of four things every hitter needs to do. It's not an opinion. It's an observation of natural law.
In Japan this is as common an idea as, say, "put your hip into it" is in America. The Dragonball Z characters above are routinely drawn with their weight wayyyyy underside for dramatic effect.
Mike Napoli has probably THE most dynamic weight-sink in baseball. And it's not just dropping his weight by habit; Napoli sinks his center of gravity to connect with the incoming energy. Here's an example - actually three examples. Grok the way his thighs look like they weigh 1,000 lbs. each.
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Q. What does that even mean?
A. "Keep Weight Underside" implies special relaxation as physical power is applied.
... Imagine that a Doberman attacked you at your front door as you stepped outside. Imagine that you panicked. You'd go up on your toes, lean back, hands up, palms facing the dog, eyes open. You float your weight when you panic, because you're about to run.
On the other hand, imagine a cat that doesn't want to be picked up. It leisurely melts into the sofa and seems to weigh an extra ten pounds... you've tried to lift a dead body perhaps? There's the expression "dead weight." We're not talking about fantasy here; relaxation leads to a solid base, anchored in the ground -- the mortar can fire after its base is tacked down.
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An athlete who, at THE key moment of conflict, SINKS his weight calmly, that is a dangerous man. That is a man who will cause you harm.
I read some stat - go look it up - that Mike Napoli hit for a 1.100 OPS against the Yankees (or in the Bronx), either last year or lifetime. And that he's hit for a 1.100 OPS in Fenway.
We all know that he has murdered the LA Angels most foully, slugging .700+ against them since he left. In the playoffs what has he done? For Texas in 2011 he slugged .700+ as they ran to the World Series, and his lifetime playoff slash line is .273/.373/.472. Against what kind of pitching has that been?
You get him into Seattle, maybe he'd add the Rangers to his mud list. I kinda like the idea of a player who goes nuts against two of our three division rivals.
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"Keep Weight Underside" implies a lot of things, of which "relaxation with great power" and "listening" are only a couple of them. And Napoli chokes up an inch, like Bonds did ... the barrel of his bat is just wonderfully connected to his navel. It isn't his bat that covers the baseball; it's HIM that covers the baseball.
Napoli's .250 AVG kind of makes you think he's a stupidish player. The aiki perspective indicates the opposite - that Mike Napoli is the anti-Brandon League. Napoli first sees the opponent, and then he responds.
If Napoli became a Mariner, he'd become one of my favorites, in part because I flat enjoy watching him sink his weight to the ball. It's beautiful like Ichiro was beautiful - granted we're comparing water buffalo and peregrine falcons. I'm ready to switch zoology departments, anyway.
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I don't say that Mike Napoli is a guarantee. I just say that the invisible AIKI indicator for his career path reads, "UP."
Cheers,
Dr D
Sims 3 Alchemy
I've had the Supernatural expansion pack for months now, but I'm still exploring its new features. (I'm obviously not ready for Seasons yet!) This week I spent a lot of time researching and playing with the Alchemy skill.
Keep Your Hands Up
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Dr. D's sister-in-law is blonde, 6-foot-3 and 150 lbs.with ripped triceps, a triathlete, if that gives you the picture. If you think you've never played basketball with a female who throws elbows with teeth gritted like a guy does, let me introduce the two of yer.
One time she and Dr. D were boxing, she with closed fists and Dr. D using two fingers to tap her cheekbones. He tapped her a bit crisply and she went into pandemonium mode. He backed up, laughing, hey, watch the control here, and called it off. After he thought it was over, she came down the centerline with a bony set of knuckles and caught him right in the teeth. Who knew she could hit like THAT. Good thing my teeth are shorter than average. None came out.
From an aiki standpoint, it taught Dr. D that when a train is coming, you step off the centerline; you don't back up directly on it.
The Mike Napoli tweets have had Dr. D laughing, but now come the last four bony knuckles down the centerline - that Napoli is in fact meeting with the Mariners, after Boston has hesitated on a fourth year. Jack Zduriencik is apparently considering the top-hand-on-the-bat, and if he does it will apparently be a 4-year deal with Napoli to catch Opening Day.
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Q. What is the basic case against?
A. This Fangraphs article lists its favorite 25 free agent values this year, and also stamps the Skull-and-Crossbones poison yucky sticker on five big land mines - one of which is Napoli. At three years.
The case is well reasoned; the author ticks off the negatives on his fingers, thumb-to-index, thumb-to-middle, thumb-to-ring finger, goes through the right hand and on to the left hand finishing "Too many red flags here." Fair enough.
This argument says "Napoli isn't liable to play well next year, much less for four more years." At 3/36 you're liable to waste fifteen million, it says there.
SSI concurs that if Mike Napoli were to crash, starting next season, it wouldn't shock anybody. He's got plenty of the seismo's that presage a Richie Sexson dropoff -- as do 80% of free agents over the age of thirty. Whether Napoli is particularly a player subject to quick aging ... let's split that out.
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Q. What is the basic case for?
A. That just in 2011, Mike Napoli was worth 6 WAR ... in two-thirds of a season! ... based on nothing given for position!
Napoli's lifetime slugging percentage is .507; Adrian Gonzalez also has a lifetime slugging percentage of .507. Mike Piazza, the greatest hitter who ever played catcher, had a lifetime slugging percentage of .512. David Wright's is .506. Troy Tulowitzki's is .504.
And Napoli draws 70 walks per 162 games, so it's not like SLG is Napoli's only skill. You are talking about a man whose production is loosely comparable to Prince Fielder's. THAT's the case for.
Fangraphs says no way. The Red Sox brain trust, and Mariner brain trust, says gimme gimme gimme. SSI's task is to run through some of the talking points, so that Noble Readers can organize their own thinking.
Cheers,
Jeff
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Phone calls from the dead
A recent plot twist in a certain popular television show got me wondering whether people have actually reported receiving calls from the dead. And it turns out that indeed, this is one of the most common forms of accidental communication with ghosts. Hundreds of cases have been reported over the years since the telephone was invented, and no doubt hundreds more went unreported for various reasons.