Bolivia: From La Paz to Rurrenabaque
The flight from La Paz, Bolivia into the jungle is a much better ride than anything at Disneyland. La Paz is built in a little valley the breaks up the monotonous altiplano – a super high-elevation plain that makes up central-western Bolivia. Its main avenue runs along where the river must have been. The walls of the valley, which are now mostly built up with humble concrete houses, resemble the odd rock formations of the Badlands of South Dakota.
The La Paz airport is up on the plain above the city. I went twice because my flight was canceled the first time due to rain. I was flying to Rurrenabaque in the Bolivian part of the Amazon rainforest. The small town is on the Beni river, a large tributary of the Amazon, and an excellent access point for getting into deep jungle.
There is a bus that goes there, but along what is called the most dangerous road in the road. I rode a bike down it a few days earlier and passed a few slow moving buses navigating its hairpin turns of dirt. So I thought 80 dollars was a good investment – a safe one-hour trip rather than an undoubtedly dangerous 12-hour one.
Between the city and the jungle are high peaks of the Andes. The plane flew right through them – the peaks are so high that the small 10-passenger plane doesn’t fly high enough to go over them. It was a clear, beautiful day, and the dark grey peaks were jagged and patchy with snow.
On the other side there is a steep descent and then an endless flat landscape of deep green. We flew over this for a while – nothing but trees in sight, until we saw an impossibly short grassy landing strip. The runway wasn’t even paved.
I spent a week in Rurrenabaque, venturing into the jungle for one of the best adventures of my life, and spending my 30th birthday in a beat-up jungle bar.
Early Critical Mass Rides
In Vancouver during the summer, Critical Mass rides have upwards of 1,000 people. It’s almost like a party. People have boom boxes tied to their bicycles, huge low-rider bikes and some even drink beer. Children ride along, and if your bike skills aren’t so great, don’t worry because the group moves slowly and people take care of each other.
I first did Critical Mass rides about 15 years ago in Milwaukee. These were much different rides. At that time, riding your bicycle on city streets was a rather dangerous thing to do. I would ride downtown from the campus of the University of Wisconsin, only a 15-minute ride, nothing compared to the hours I spend on a bicycle commuting nowadays. But I had to be extremely careful, and I always had that vague feeling that I was doing something wrong.
My early Critical Mass rides did a lot to help alleviate that feeling. There were usually only around ten of us. Most of the riders were bike messengers, who were pretty used to riding in traffic.
We took up a whole lane in two or three lane city streets. I would never have dared before – I always stuck to the curb as much as possible as cars flew by. We didn’t run red lights or stop signs like people do now, but it was just a question of not being enough people.
I have no idea how I first heard of them, but these first Critical Mass rides were a lot of fun and helped give me the confidence and skills to commute by bicycle. I moved away from Milwaukee and completely forgot about Critical Mass until years later, when I saw it had evolved into something truly great. I was and still am quite proud of my early involvement in something so important, the gradual change of our cities to more bike-friendly places.
Fried chicken, fried fish
There’s a lot more to deep-frying than just flour and oil. Yes, you need both, but throw a few more ingredients into the process and you’re golden.
Fish filets or thinly sliced chicken breasts work best. Or you can cut them up and make “fingers.” Three bowls contain all you need for the batter: one with flour, one with egg whites and one with some kind of breading, like bread crumbs or even Ritz crackers. I don’t know what it is about this mixture that works so well, but whatever you deep fry will come out a lot nicer than if you just use one of these ingredients.
You don’t need a deep fryer, but about a finger or half a finger of oil in a pan will do. Heat it up on medium low heat.
Using tongs, first dip your chicken or fish in the flour, then in the egg white and finally in the breading. Then slide it into the oil. You will be able to see when it’s done. Let it cool and dry on some paper towel.
While you’re at it, why not make your own sauce? Tzatziki sauce is great on chicken. I wrote about how to make it last week – remember, though it’s easy to make, it takes a little time to really “mature” in the refrigerator.
Tartar sauce is great for fish. It’s really just mayonnaise and sliced up pickles, along with salt, pepper and some spices like parsley. Add whatever you like. Once you get the hang of it, you can deep-fry almost anything. Just remember to keep the heat low and have plenty of paper towels on hand.
Quimera Music Festival
After years of so many music festivals, in so many countries, it’s easy to get jaded and think you’ve seen it all. But really, music is like knowledge: the more you discover, the more you realize that you don’t really know.
The Quimera Music Festival in Metepec, Mexico lasts about a week. It is heavy on culture, with dance performances, art workshops, jazz and classical music, but also features some popular Mexican acts. This year the two big names were Celso Pina and Pate de Fua. I’m a big fan of Celso Pina and his rebel cumbia, but missed his show because of work. But I caught Pate de Fua and their old-timey, jazzy music – the only time I’ve seen a banjo played in Mexico.
Metepec is a small town outside industrial Toluca, about an hour from Mexico City. The concerts are mostly held in three locations: inside an old cathedral, on a big stage in the Zocalo (center square) of town, or on the steps of the hill on which another, larger cathedral is located. They are all just minutes from each other, and between them are lots of vendors. You can eat tacos and other Mexican specialties like pambazos, or buy crafts like pottery or hand woven clothing.
This year, after seeing some lukewarm tango on the Zocalo stage, I finally made the discovery I was waiting for. Fado is traditional Portuguese music, and Ana Moura is one of the leaders of the modern Fado pack. But I had no idea of this at the time. Accompanied by an acoustic bass, guitar, and Portuguese guitar, she sang a mix of traditional numbers and her own hits, like the song “Leva-me aos Fados,” during which she got the Spanish speaking crowd to sing along with the chorus. She also did a long, slow rendition of “No Expectations” by the Rolling Stones.
It’s enchanting music and was a total surprise, which are the best reasons to attend festivals like Quimera.
Trade Nick Franklin -or- Kyle Seager?
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"But, Grandmaster, how could you lose to that young man? You yourself wrote the book on how not to lose at chess!"
"The victory is ultimately still mine. They beat me because they have all read my book!" - Attributed variously to Eugene Znosko-Borovsky (pictured), or to the demon Zorax who used his brain as a transceiver
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Dr. D threw out a dime's worth of shtick on the shortstop position, and SSI denizens buried him in ten bucks' worth of style and substance on the issue. Thirteen made the interesting point that if you really believe in Brad Miller - who's also a Top 100 prospect - then you owe it to yourself to accept the greater return on Franklin in this winter's trade market. You'll be able to get Lawrie or Stanton or their ilk for SOME collection of prospects. How about starting with Hultzen, Franklin and ?
In principle, Thirteen's idea is as axiomatic as the fact :- ) that the Mariners needed to bring their fences in.
Let's say that Dr. D has two rotisserie SS's, one of which he values at 60c and one of which he values at 75c. Let's say that you value one of them at 40c and the other at 5000c. Which do you think he's going to trade you? You guessed it. Dr. D's BABVAns are going to ride that 60c shortstop, and the Roy Halladay that you trade him, all the way to yet another Yoo-Hoo shower.
Player pairs, bab-eh. The M's would rather win their next pennant with Brad Miller and Giancarlo Stanton than with Nick Franklin and (say) Eric Thames. That's a big key to roto domination: be willing to cough up the glitz and glamor, and to yourself deploy and live with the spurned leftover chaff that you secretly believe in. See Beane: Billy and all of the Hudson, Zito, Mulder, Haren, etc etc trades.
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But while we are on the subject of our trade enemies, and their valuing one commodity at 60c and the other at 70c. What the deuce do you suppose is the value of Kyle Seager right now?
Justynius rightly chimes in that James Paxton has a value of X ... and that after a single Michael Pineda season, Paxton's value could be 2X. Or 3X. Or XXY (with that extra beefy chromosome that the guys on Cellblock D sample out with).
That being the case ... there is a Nick Franklin who has had a single Pineda season, that being Kyle Seager. There's a further argument against trading Nick Franklin, and that is the one that Dr. D made in ten parts back in August 2010. It is possible that Nick Franklin's left hand swing is the best swing in O.B., the very best, and now we've got the sabermetric results to go with that swing.
(Dr. D considers it a no-brainer for Nick to give up switch-hitting, as explained in the series. But that's another subject. G-Moneyball adroitly pointed out that Shin-Soo Choo is still getting strafed by LHP's, and it hasn't prevented his 130++ OPS stardom.)
Alllll righty then. Supposing that [Nick Franklin ROI] > [Strategies that Neglect Brad Miller.] Might we then ask, in the reductio ad absurdum, whether [Kyle Seager ROI] >>> [Nick Franklin ROI]?
Here's a dime. C'mon back with my dollar.
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Keep Kyle Seager: SLOPS
Q. Earlier you said that Kyle Seager would lose value in the new stadium. How can you say that?! Zorax, indeed.
A. There was one (1) significant player on the Mariners' roster whose hit chart showed no benefit from the new fence overly. No benefit. No extry homers, at all. That was Kyle Seager.
Seager pulls the ball in the air. When he does go the other way he's like Ichiro; it doesn't go far.
Seager's last year were mediocre in an absolute sense -- a .259 AVG with a .316 OBP and a .423 SLG. The AL average was .255/.320/.411, so Kyle was riiiiiight AT! the middlin' level.
Now, because he accomplished that in Safeco, his adjusted OPS+ was 110. Twenty home runs won a whale of a lot more games in Safeco than they did in Texas.
If Seager hits .259/.316/.423 again next year, that exact same 110 OPS+ could become a 95 OPS+. If the other three players at the Monopoly table are given a free +$1,000 from the bank and you're not, well .... you see why that is precisely the same thing as your becoming -$1,000 poorer.
Seager could easily become worse next season - maybe much worse. He figures to become worse by precisely the same margin by which other players benefit. The more YOU AND I enjoy Mariners offense next year, the less Kyle Seager will enjoy it. That kind of relationship is known as "linear" and is known as "one I'm not looking forward to living through."
SLOPS to the relationship between our finest young player and the stadium changes that will be made around him.
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Q. Maybe Seager is just scratching the surface of what he can become.
A. Maybe, but:
(1) Seager doesn't have impressive physical power. He hit 20 homers last year, but 19 of them were 426 feet and under. You saw the games. You're not talking about Josh Hamilton here.
(2) Seager has a good contact swing, a KBIZLT swing, but his strikeouts and EYE don't suggest a .300 AVG. No way no how.
He hit .259 in 2011 and .259 in 2012. Now, I think he'll wind up at .280. But EYE is the leading indicator for .300 hittin', and it's a stretch to pencil him in for .300 given all of the component skills.
SLOPS to Seager's offensive upside. The component PX (power index) and EYE suggest a solid hitter, not an exciting one.
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Q. What are his comps?
A. Run his comps and you come up with a lot of guys like Rick Schu. Maybe you also get some Mark Teahens in there.
There are caveats and quibbles; B-Ref.com gives you comp lists that don't take into account Safeco Field. Find a lot of young 3B's who had 150 hits and 80 RBI as rookies and you'll get a lot of Darnell Coleses.
We don't say that's the gospel truth. But it's very easy to see a low ceiling for Kyle Seager. ... Dr. D has an inkling that it's going to be very easy for Trader Jack to see this low ceiling, too.
Now that Dr. D has pointed to the CF bleachers, two weeks into the season, and called his shot on Kyle Seager ::he blushes modestly:: and now that Seager has posted the 110 OPS+ as a rookie ... Dr. D now finds it disquietingly easy to see a Mark Teahen career for the lad.
SLOPS to the comps lists for Seager's skillset.
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Q. How about position scarcity?
A. Well, if you're dealing Nick Franklin because of Brad Miller ... wouldn't you consider vacating third base for Nick Franklin, Brad Miller, Stefen Romero, Alex Liddi, Vinnie Catricala, Carlos Triunfel, and whatever 4 guys that Spectator is going to tell me I forgot about?
SLOPS to Seager's indispensibility index.
But....
Keep Kyle Seager: PROPS
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Q. Whew. So Kyle Seager needs to get the powerflush, but fast.
A. Reasons to keep Kyle Seager do exist, if you strain your eyes hard enough. Starting with the fact that he was a rookie who posted 3.6 WAR, at a scarce position, and provided $15.5M in net profit value to the Mariners in 2012.
PROPS to a potential $50-75M in net performance profit over the next five years. You could always trade him at the deadline in 2017, and rent Michael Pineda for the World Series run.
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Q. You argued that he has no upside. Do you believe that he has no upside?
A. No. I think there's an upside scenario.
On the road in 2012, he hit .293/.324/.511. That's on the road - as a rookie. Under normal circumstances, hitters produce significantly better at home than their road numbers show.
PROPS to the damage done last year, actual countable bases that is, outside Safeco.
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Q. How could a .500 SLG be anywhere in his future?
A. He hit 15 homers on the road, and his HRTracker numbers were pretty solid - 401 feet average, 103.3 MPH off the bat. You saw them. Seager doesn't go 450 feet on you, but he does go a nice steady 390, 400, 410. He takes a mean cut at the ball and when he squares it he gets a consistent trajectory, a consistent vector and consistent length.
For those new to the board, Bill James used a profound understanding of hitting to guide Theo Epstein into the decision to commit to Dustin Pedroia. All of the same logic applies to Seager but more so.
It's quite possible that Seager merely needs to relax at Safeco in order to bring his stats up there. Late last year, he seemed to do that. If in 2013 his teammates are KO'ing pitchers at Safeco, that will relax him more.
PROPS to Seager's KBIZLT swing, his contact rate, his flyball rate and his pull rate.
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Q. In the SLOPS section you "argued" that his AVG has been .259 and that it may cap at .280. You argued that or believe that?
A. Seager's AVG will naturally improve if his EYE does. His EYE has been kinda weak, 49 K's vs 159 BB's to date and it didn't improve last September, 5:21.
But there's something about Seager's EYE - couldn't tell you what it is precisely - that makes me wonder if he isn't going to pull a Carlos Beltran in that department. Beltran came up sooner than expected, posted a 46:123 EYE and was way below 0.50 for three years ... but before long was walking 90 times a year.
Very easy to see the same for Kyle. He can tell a ball from a strike, doesn't fish at sliders. He can stay back on an offspeed pitch. The low BB's just seem to be a respect issue at the moment, and the fact that he's kind of up too soon.
The EYE rises, then the AVG rises, and you could visualize a .300/.380/.480 Seager.
PROPS to Seager's management of the strike zone, whether or not it showed up in the numbers at first blush.
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Q. Does Dr. D put a thumb on the scale for Seager's RBI thingy?
A. He's a tough player. He does not get fazed by better players, and does not get fazed by bad situations. He's a gamer. There've been a whale of a lot of Mariners who weren't.
PROPS to gamers in the city of Brett Tomkos and Danny Tartabulls.
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Q. What's that John Benson rule again?
A. I love these setup questions designed to lead right where I wanna go. Should we insert a joke about the White House press corps here? ..... naaaaahhhh...
;- ) Simmer down, kids. This isn't the humorless blog. Third door on the left.
Benson won a bunch of fantasy baseball championships, back in the day, by emphasizing Second Half Performances more than other people did. "Remember," John would say, "A player IS what he was WHEN WE LAST SAW HIM." Those being his last 2-3 month's worth of performances.
Seager -- who went through a slowdown his second time around the league -- seemed to solve it his third time round. His September splits, in 130+ AB's, were .298/.336/.496. Granted, there's a little BABIP in there, but a .330 BABIP the way Seager lets the bat fly, the way he pulls the ball, is hardly asterisk-worth.
So I dunno. You could deal Seager and then find that NEXT YEAR, in Miami or some place, he's outplaying Ryan Zimmerman (.290/.350/.480) and he's got five years of club control left.
PROPS for Seager's sprint to the finish line.
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Q. Where does that leave us? Trade Seager: Props or Slops?
A. You're as equipped as Dr. D is to analyze it. There will be some GM's this winter who are very bullish on Kyle Seager, especially having seen his late adjustments and home runs down the stretch. The most valuable commodity to any team, including the Yankees and Red Sox, are young club-controls players who can be major pieces of a pennant puzzle. Bill James, as VP of the Red Sox, doesn't value Y2 4-WAR players any less than you do.
While you bring that up: the Yankees themselves might be an ideal destination for Seager, assuming that ARod's in-game broadie stalking gets him flushed out of the Bronx.
Are you more bullish on Kyle Seager's future than other GM's will be this winter? Huh.
PROPS to Jack Zduriencik for trans-warping Kyle Seager into Safeco and its starting lineup as soon as he did.
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The Phimai Festival
In the province of Nakhon Ratchasima, in northeastern Thailand is the small town of Phimai. Just outside of that town are the ruins of Prasat Hin Phimai, thought by many to be the model for the famous Cambodian site of Angkor Wat. These ruins go back around 1000 years and once served as capital to the region when it was under the control of the Khmer Empire. This area of archaeological beauty is a point of pride among the Thai people and to show their devotion to their heritage they organize the Phimai Festival each year in early November.
The event begins with a procession of people, dressed in traditional and ornate costume and accompanied by traditional music and dancing. From there, there are several things one can experience to learn more about Thailand’s past and people. Several exhibitions are dedicated to the local culture and history. A market features people both making and selling local crafts - the most famous of these being Thai silk, which is world-renowned for its quality.
When evening falls, the night is filled with extravagant dance performances designed to tell the story of King Jayavarman VII, all set to amazing and brilliant light and sound shows. These take place among the temple ruin complex, surrounded by the remains of fortresses and temples.
A few more things that one might expect at Phimai Festival include a fireworks show, theater performances, booths everywhere serving regional food, cooking competitions to determine the best cooks of these foods and, almost as famous as the nighttime presentations, the longboat races. These races take place along the Mae Nam Mun River, pitting many boats, each with a crew of around 50 people, against each other to see which is the best.
Phimai is one of the best cultural events you could see if visiting Thailand and interested in their rich history. It also gives you the chance to eat tons of amazing food and enjoy some of the most spectacular performances in the country. If you want to get a full spread of Thailand, Phimai is the way to go. This year, the festival takes place from the 7th to the 11th of November, so it’s not too late quite yet.
Whistler’s Cornucopia
Aficionados of wine and food will find few better events than Cornucopia. It takes place in Whistler, British Columbia, in the western mountains of Canada each year and features five days of drinking, eating and enjoying of the best of what life has to offer. From suit-and-tie clad businessmen looking to relax to casual lovers of wine, Cornucopia invites all who share the same passion.
This event brings together some of the best in the industry, from vintners to chefs to sommeliers. The main intent of Cornucopia is to showcase the wine and food tasting, but it has grown over the years to gain a reputation for being quite the risqué event, particularly the sexy after parties.
There are many wine- and food-themed activities to take part in while in Whistler. There is the CRUSH Gala Grand Tasting wine event, the High Rollers casino with its music, dancing and gaming, the night market which celebrates Asian cuisine paired with drink and a giant House Party, featuring local bands, a BBQ, more food and wine and a selection of top-quality beers and vodkas.
There is also the crowning of the Top 25 wines, as determined by judges. This wine is later served up to attendees of the event. An artisan market lets people sample and purchase local wines. There are films about wine and wine making, a chef cooking competition and several wine seminars, with the best in the industry speaking on many subjects.
And the entertainment doesn’t stop there. Dinners and feasts abound. Plenty of after parties feature yet more wine, food, casino tables, showgirls, pole dancers, magic shows and even more. The sheer amount of things to do at Cornucopia makes it an event that one can easily enjoy for all five days. This year, this grand gathering of wine and food takes place from November 7th to the 11th, though it could already be sold out so you might just have to wait until next year.
Consider train travel for a unique trip
Train travel is something that many people have never had the chance to experience. However, they need to make sure they ride the train at least once in their life, if for nothing else than to say they rode a train. This may even include taking day trips on some of the tourist trains which are around for them to use.
The first reason you should take a train trip is you will be one of the few people who is riding a train. Normally people are in a constant hurry and will not think about the train. However, you will take a trip where you won't be concerned with speed and therefore will be able to relax and enjoy the journey and scenery.
Another reason you need to be looking into the train trips is because you get to explore some different areas you have never thought about traveling to before. You may think you can see these areas when traveling by plane, but when you are looking at the locations up close from the tracks, you will notice more details and unique features about the landscape.
Traveling across America and even global travel can be a great thing. This is when you should know more about train travel and how it can help you slow down and enjoy your trip. Once you know about the novelty of riding a train and the great experience you can have by seeing new landscape up close, you may want to travel by train all the time.