Amazon reviews
I adore Amazon. They are like eBay for adults where the sellers and buyers are vetted for (heck, buyers have to pay upfront! Sellers have to send proof that they sent the item!), the items look decently made, the deals are actually worthwhile and it just looks nice. It’s like comparing Macy’s to Walmart.
Black Friday at the mall
Oh, you all know what Black Friday entails. A bit of (OK, a lot of) pre-planning is required because you need to know which places have the items you want. Especially the items you decided to wait until the last minute to buy for Christmas. Then you have to plan which hours, merchandise and crowds are expected. Then the travel time and the method.
2012 NCAA XC Nationals
In a year that held some fantastic story lines in the world of university level running, the 2012 NCAA Meet was a treat for all involved. The literal Super Bowl of College Running, which was held in a new venue for the first time in four years, held individual and team excitement on both the men and the women’s side.
On the men’s side, the real question was whether Lawi Lalang of Arizona would defend his title, and continue on his path to becoming the first runner to ever win four straight NCAA individual titles. His competition was strong this year, first against his own teammate Stephen Sambu, as well as Texas Tech’s Kennedy Kithuka, who also came into the race undefeated. The team race saw Wisconsin trying to defend their title against the likes of OK State, Colorado, Stanford and Iona.
As the race progressed, the group of Africans went out at a blistering pace, leaving the lead pack with only three by the second half of the race. The chase pack consisted of a lot of runners from the top teams, while the three in front, Lalang, Sambu and Kithuka, all were on non-contending teams. Heading into the final stretch, Kithuka, who was competing in his first season in the NCAA after graduating from Junior college, put in the a final kick that left Lalang and Sambu in the dust. Lalang faded, getting 3rd, and Sambu came in 2nd.
The team race was decently close, but saw Stanford drop from podium spot to out of the top-ten mid race, and saw Dave Smith’s OK State team finish strong enough to dominate the field. They scored 73 points, to 2nd place Wisconsin’s 135, 3rd place Colorado’s 158.
One the women’s side, the question was whether Jordan Hasay of Oregon would break the Foot Locker Champion Curse, and win an individual NCAA title. Her competition was stiff, and along with individual glory, she was leading the Oregon women to an attempt to win a team title for the first time since the late '80s.
The individual race came down to a kick finish between Hasay, as well as Iowa State’s Betsy Saina and Abbey D’Agostino of Darthmouth. Just as it was last year, the kick was too much for Hasay to hang on, and she found herself in 3rd. Saina took the individual title, and D’Agostino came in second.
The stars did align for the Oregon women’s team, though. With Hasay’s 3rd place finish, and strong showings from the rest of the top 5, Oregon won their first team title since 1987. They had a team score of 114, besting Providence with 183, and Stanford with 198.
For full results, head to the NCAA official website.
Robert Andino, SS
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The most [optimistic, while realistic] way to view Robert Andino would be as a Jack Zduriencik take on the concept of Willie Bloomquist.
70-80 OPS+: Willie would hit a scrappy .250-.280 with kinda okay walks and below-average power ... but could steal a base for you. Andino may be more like .240-.250 with kinda okay walks and below-average power, or he could hit a little better than that. His swings outside the zone have been REALLY good for a noob, and he's kinda fast, so his BABIP going forward could increase.
... Andino stole 13/16 bases in 2011, so he could serve as a bit of a balance to the M's slow offense. A little. In theory. Willie would enter the game in the late innings to steal a base; because of Andino's position, and Ryan's lack of usefulness when behind late in the game, Andino could pinch-run for various players when behind 4-3 in the 8th.
Multitasking with the glove: Andino appears to be able to play any position. Maybe not center field. This seems like a small thing to us -- us not being in the dugout, responsible for Mariner stoplosses.
Character: Willie was the #25 guy because a huge club loyalty guy. For Mike Hargrove ... well, we don't have to tell you how much Hargrove prioritized that. Andino on the other hand seems to be a #25 guy who adds to the clubhouse ambience in the areas of --- > competitiveness and toughness.
That says all you need to hear about the difference in regimes. A regime can emphasize its own comfort zones and political territory, or it can emphasize having more runs than the other team. For me, Andino vs Bloomquist is symptomatic.
Defense: Andino seems to move past Bloomquist in terms of having a sharp glove at shortstop, which Zduriencik obviously believes to be a key component of fielding "a real ballclub out there." I don't necessarily disagree with that, when you are talking SS and CF specifically.
So you've got the Winning Ballclub's version of Willie Bloomquist here? I think so, yeah.
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Whether Andino will actually make the 25-man, I dunno. Zduriencik's last radio interview seemed to point towards Franklin getting more time in AAA. If so, that just underlines the crunch that will occur when Brad Miller's also ready...
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As all of these All-Hope Team players hit their Rule 5 finish lines with the Mariners, you wonder whether they're (1) simply going to be lost for zero, or (2) converted into real value. The first one, Trayvon, hits the powerflush pipeline, and the Mariners get zero. Zduriencik did a good job of grabbing back a fun interpretation of zero, but it's still just a powerflush.
That's why Stars & Scrubs deals are so important. There's a Grand Imperative to convert multiple lesser culinary dishes into nutrient-dense assets at the top of your roster. It prevents those side dishes from being tossed into the dumpster after they spoil.
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Get Back the Best Player In the Deal
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Sez DaddyO, in the Mighty Klat shout box,
DaddyO: Well, it now appears that the trade of Erik Bedard and Josh Field at the deadline of 2011 netted us a largely failed prospect (Chiang from Boston) and a journeyman utility infielder (Andino, after we just flipped Trayvon Robinson to Baltimore for him).
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If all of the GM's were free agents, then Jack Zduriencik would probably be among my top 5 targets. Just his skills with the bottom of the talent pyramid alone, that would be enough, but I also like his self-confidence with a trade, his Stars & Scrubs orientation, his tough-but-totally-fair persona, and 9,000 other things.
That said, I am still trying to figure out what happened at the Fister/Bedard trade deadline. The M's had the best rotation that Chris "Six-Time" Chambliss had seen, "ever," dismantled it, and got zero. Practically zero. The moves drew howls at the time and they draw howls now. I'm trying to organize my thinking as to what happened. I don't mean, "it was dumb." I mean, "I don't understand what happened." Feel free to explain it to me.
The Doug Fister deal was the absolute antithesis of "Make sure you get back the best player in the deal." The antithesis. But was the Bedard trade much better? Erikkk had serious market value at the time.
Lesson learned: Try to be the one giving 75c, 60c and 50c for the 1.00 player. That's the exchange rate, kiddies, because the 40c player is the replacement-level, zero-value guy: subtract that 40c baseline and you're giving 35c, 20c and 10c for 60c.
But for sure, don't take back four 50c players for a buck!
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Not only did the Mariners take back Trayvon Robinson, who was flipped for zero to the Mariners, but they also invested 319 Safeco at-bats in Robinson. A full 1/4 of a season in 2011, and another full 1/4 of a season in 2012. That was a 319 AB investment that could have been given to, say, Alex Liddi.
The Mariners are crushed for time, with all of their "All-Hope Team" players desperately pressing against the chainlink fence trying to break through before the Rule 5 clock disappears them from Mariner history forever. Trayvon went to the head of the line. He turned out to be zero.
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Looking at it more dynamically: Trayvon did hit 26 homers in 103 games in AAA in 2011, including some long ones to the opposite field. The Mariners did gain a dice roll, a draw at the deck, to pull a Curtis Granderson. That dice roll was not valueless. It's like saying you had a lotto ticket with a 10% chance at a million dollars. If you pay $40,000 for that ticket, you got good value. It comes up a loser, you still were right to pay the $40,000.*
Trayvon's got a whale of a shot to Mike Morse us in three years, but we don't got three years. Zduriencik bought a lotto ticket, scratched off the gray metallic stuff, and got three oinkers underneath. See you in 2014, Trayvon.
BABVA,
Dr D
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Check out the Gaslight Anthem's new video for "National Anthem"
I've been a fan of the Gaslight Anthem for quite some time now, having been introduced to the New Jersey rockers via fellow Bruce Springsteen fans. I've followed their career, purchased all of the albums and hoped to see them live at some point. Now, I absolutely love them. Why?
Because the Gaslight Anthem put out a brand new video for the song "National Anthem." The video is incredible, and incredibly tragic, as it highlights so much of the devastation wrought by Superstorm Sandy last month.
Just when I thought I'd seen all of the worst images I could see in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, along comes the Gaslight Anthem "National Anthem" video to remind me that I haven't. The images are poignant and they remind me of just how devastating it is to see such widespread destruction and suffering. Here is the Gaslight Anthem video for Hurricane Sandy relief, "National Anthem:"
It's a beautiful tribute and a fitting song, isn't it?
My heart goes out to everyone affected by Sandy, especially the residents along the New Jersey Shore. Seeing the scope of the destruction is truly mind-boggling, and help is still very much needed. It will take years, not weeks or even months, for this area to be fully recovered. Hats off to all of the wonderful musicians who are coming together right now to aid with Sandy relief, including the Gaslight Anthem.
If you'd like to help, you can visit Punk Cares to make a donation and to learn more about the ongoing recovery efforts to help those most affected by Sandy.
40-Man Roster Decision Day: Additions
Quick refresher course: The Rule 5 draft allows teams to take players from other organizations who are not on that club's 40-man roster. If taken in the Rule 5 draft, however, the player must spend the entire year on the MLB 25-man roster.
It's a complicated process, but the general idea is that teams can't "stockpile" more than "their share" of good players by keeping them stashed in the minors. There is a "cut-off" date by which players must be on the 40-man or exposed to the Rule 5 draft.
Lucas Leutge was a brilliant Rule 5 pick by the Mariners last year, and also the most typical kind: a guy who can play a role on the major-league team without doing much damage if he's a bust (remember: the Rule 5 guy can't get sent to the minors, only back to his prior team).
So, in ranking the guys whom the Mariners least want to expose to the draft, we have to recognize that part of the equation is "how likely will another organization be willing to use an MLB roster spot on this guy?"
The Ms already have three spots open (they only have 37 on their roster right now), and they will need to create spots to add any more than three players. The other article takes a look at which guys are likely to be dropped from the current 40-man.
No Brainers
Since there are three open spots, there ought to be no issues with these three:
- Brandon Maurer, RHP will be 22, has a big arm and just had a 3.20 ERA at AA. Zero doubt.
- Brian Moran, LHP fanned 10.7 K/9 and had a 2.62 ERA at AA and AAA.
- Bobby LaFromboise, LHP fanned 9.5 K/9 and had a 1.36 ERA at AA and AAA.
The latter two are similar to Leutge, in that it would be very easy for another team to make good use them in the majors in 2013.
Pretty Darn Likely
- Anthony Fernandez, LHP zipped up the depth chart in the last two seasons and was even effective at High Desert. He's one of my favorites, and I would think another team might view him the same way.
- Vinnie Catricala, 3b/LF/1b is still a MarinersTalk.com hero, and I still view him as a top prospect. But the team might take the gamble on exposing him, since his 2012 AAA season was a bust.
Zone of Uncertainty
- Andrew Carraway, RHP stalled out in AAA, but still has "Fister wannabe" status with the low walk rate.
- James Jones, OF had a big second half to pull his OPS up from .748 on June 1 to .881 at year end. But that was at High Desert.
- Danny Farquhar, RHP came from Yankees in the Ichiro trade. Was effective at Tacoma, and now in Winter League in Venezuela, but he's not a guy they would shed tears over losing.
Don't See It
- Steven Hensley, RHP was once one of my favorite arms on the way up, but he never distinguished himself.
- Denny Almonte, OF has flashes of decent play, but has never done it consistently. He will go down in history, though, as the guy the Mariners took instead of Giancarlo Stanton, for whom folks now want to give up four or five quality prospects. Not Almonte's fault.
- Joseph Dunigan, DH/OF slugged .507, but, come on ... he's going to be 27. If someone wants him, let him go.
Best guess: The first five all make it, plus one or two of the others.
40-Man Roster Decision Day: Removal
No, Bono's '80s hair is not on the 40-man roster.
Quick refresher course: The Rule 5 draft allows teams to take players from other organizations who are not on that club's 40-man roster. If taken in the Rule 5 draft, however, the player must spend the entire year on the MLB 25-man roster.
It's a complicated process, but the general idea is that teams can't "stockpile" more than "their share" of good players by keeping them stashed in the minors. There is a "cut-off" date by which players must be on the 40-man or exposed to the Rule 5 draft.
In the other article, we looked at the guys likely to be added. But, since there are only three vacancies, and more than three guys likely to be added, we need to look at the guys who might get dropped.
One such issue was resolved earlier today: Trayvon Robinson was traded to Baltimore for veteran utility guy Robert Andino. They wouldn't trade for a guy and then cut him from the 40-man roster later the same day, so the "Robinson" spot is taken.
Ought to Go:
- Chone Figgins, IF/OF is just taking up space, and he wants to go. And now we have a guy in Andino who plays similar positions. Should be a no-brainer, but you never know with the Ms and Figgy.
- Carlos Peguero, OF had a 28:1 K:BB ratio in the majors. And, given his minor-league numbers, that's not surprising. He'll be 26 and he's not ever going to be a consistent MLB hitter. If someone wants him on their bench, I have no problem.
Mystery Man:
- Scott Cousins, OF is a guy they claimed off waivers, so they must like him, and think he has some potential. But there was speculation that they'd cut him loose at this time, taking a chance that teams wouldn't have a roster spot to stash him in. Then they could get him back as a minor-league free agent.
Bullpen Question Marks:
- Mauricio Robles, LHP is still coming back from injury, but he had a strong second half in Jackson, and he's putting up good numbers in Venezuela.
- Chance Ruffin, RHP was inexplicably awful at the start of the year, and then much better at the end.
- Yoervis Medina, RHP was same song, different verse. Awful in the first half, strong in the second half. Many have wondered why he was on the 40-man in the first place, but his late-summer showing (just 5 ER in June, July and August) at least answered why they cared.
Best guess: At least two get cut. The Andino trade sure seems like a prelude to a Figgy farewell. It seems like the bullpen guys may have saved themselves in the second half.
Republicans blame Limbaugh
Limbaugh is used to being hated and blamed by liberals and Democrats. But now he is being hated and blamed by conservatives and Republicans. I would almost feel bad for the guy, if it wasn't such a self-created problem. And the truth is that Limbaugh, like the Dark Side of the Force, thrives on your hatred.
Nuclear Weapons 2 - Manhattan Project 1
The Manhattan Project was started in 1939 by the US Government to explore the military potential of uranium. The knowledge that the Germans were working on nuclear weapons research at the same time spurred the creation of the program. It started with a modest budget and a small group of researchers. In the meantime, Brittan was also pursuing nuclear research and verified in 1939 that fifty pounds of uranium could be made into a bomb that could be carried in a conventional bomber.
World War II began in 1939 with the German invasion of Poland. Brittan created their own atomic bomb project in 1940. Information on their research was forwarded to the United States. Having received no reaction to their information, a member of the project flew to the United States and visited physicists doing nuclear research.
In 1941, the President moved forward to create a major project dedicated to creating an atomic bomb as quickly as possible. The attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941 and the declaration of war with Japan and Germany added urgency to the project. The Manhattan Project was charged in 1942 with the task of developing the infrastructure necessary to building an atomic bomb.
Millions of dollars were allocated and the project was carried out at a number of different sites around the United States. The first major problem that had to be solved was how to separate the U-235 isotope from uranium ore which consisted mostly of U-238. Three different techniques were pursued. Research was also done on the newly discovered radioactive element plutonium as a possible alternative to U-235. Finally, graphite was investigated as a possible moderator to control nuclear chain reactions. The Germans were also working on graphite moderation but their graphite rods contained boron which reduced their effectiveness. U.S. researchers created rods without boron and they worked as expected to control the reaction.
Many physicists worked on theoretical problems of neutron diffusion and possible designs for an atomic bomb. The main approach was to create a sphere of U-235 which would exceed the critical mass and result in an explosion. The problem was how to arrange the parts of the bomb so that the sphere was created when the bomb was triggered. One idea was to shoot a plug into a subcritical sphere. Another was to use shaped charges to slam segments of a sphere together. When the critical mass was achieved, a runaway chain reaction in the U-235 would cause it to fission, creating a huge explosion.
Physicist Edward Teller proposed a more powerful nuclear bomb which he called a hydrogen bomb. His idea was to use an atomic bomb as a trigger to cause deuterium and tritium to undergo nuclear fusion. The resulting explosion would be much more powerful than that atomic trigger. Teller pushed hard to build such a bomb but all his proposals were turned down in favor of creating a fission bomb.
