Get a free call from a Disney character
If you have a child under the age of eight, you probably watch a great deal of Disney cartoons. I know when my girls were a bit younger that was all I was allowed to watch. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Bear in the Big Blue House were their favorites. Currently, Pull-ups has a unique offer for parents. You can sign up to have a Disney character call the house to give your child a message. Best of all this is entirely free.
To get the free call you'll need to head to free call request banner on the Pull-ups website. You'll see a picture of Minnie Mouse and Finn McMissle from Cars. Click on the button underneath the pictures that says “Set up call.”
The first step is to select which character you want to call your child-either Minnie Mouse or Finn McMissle. Step two allows you to choose the exact date and time you want the call to take place. Step three allows you to preview the call so you can hear exactly what the message will say. Finally, step four requires you to enter your telephone number so the call can be made.
All you have to do is make sure you and your child are ready to answer the phone at the time you selected in step two. You may want to get out your video camera to record your child's reaction to the call. I wish they had something like this when my girls were little. Back then all you could do was request a written letter from Santa Clause.
Just Watchin'
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=== Good Pitching Beats Good Hitting ===
... except when it doesn't. Dave Fleming, at BJOL, goes over the four Division Series matchups to see if Good Pitching won. He's not trying to prove a case in a court of law. He's just cracking peanuts, and watching baseball. ... Of the Final Eight teams, in four matchups, how many qualified as Pitching vs Hitting matchups?
NYY vs BAL: both teams had 109 ERA's. NYY had a far better offense. No test case here. The better team squeaked out a win.
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A's vs DET: both teams had ERA's of 114 and 112, and both had OPS's of 97-104. Fleming called Oakland the pitching team and Detroit the hitting team, saying that hitting beat pitching. I'd call it a non-test case.
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SF vs CIN: Huge test case. Did you realize that the Reds had an ERA+ of 127 ?! And they had a lousy OPS+ of 90 also, despite Votto, Bruce, Phillips and Ludwick. San Fran, on the other hand, had an excellent offense and below-average pitching.
The Giants won, so that's an In Yo Face against the purists.
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Gnats vs Cards: the Montreal Expos had a sky-high ERA+ of 119. The Expos' offense was league average; the Cards' offense was better than their defense. Legit test case.
The Cardinals, the hitting team, won -- staging a huge comeback against a terrific closer. In Yo Face.
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=== ALCS ===
The Yankees got rolled like a ZigZag paper in Jered Weaver's minibus. Was it a test case for pitching vs hitting?
Well, the Yankees had a 112 and 109 for hitting and pitching, respectively. The Tigers had 104 and 112. I wouldn't call it a clear Arms vs Bats squareoff -- you could say the Tigers are kind of a pitching team, but they do have Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. And we didn't call Oakland a pitching team earlier.
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=== NLCS ===
Neither the Giants nor Cards are pitching teams. No test here either, but when the Tigers face off against St. Louis you might call that a bit of an Arms vs Bats plotline.
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=== Dr's Diagnosis ===
If your idea had ever been to amass brilliant pitching, and ride it to a series of World Series titles, the evidence probably hasn't been coming in on the side of your idea. The 2012 postseason hasn't been an Air Force theater of war, either. It's got to be pretty depressing to amass a 127 ERA+ pitching staff and get powerflushed in the first short series.
Like we said, we're not taking 2012 as the final word on the Grand Strategy investigation. But it's interesting to simply watch the games on the field and see what's going on. A friend of mine, a comic store guy, said something that stuck: "I'm going to go home and watch the debate and just pretend I don't know who the guys are. I'm just going to listen to what they say." On that basis, I was fascinated to hear President Obama say that he doesn't believe that the government creates jobs, and that he thought that our capitalist system was the greatest monetary engine in world history. It was fascinating to hear Romney point out that he'd been a pastor for ten years, working with poor people who needed help with their financial situation.
It was one whale of a lot of fun to just watch the debates. I've found a new light bulb here. Thank you, comic store guy.
Listening to baseball dogma, that's one thing. Watching the games as if never having seen a game before, that's another thing.
It'll be Cabrera, Fielder and Verlander for the junior circuit each making in excess of $20M per year, with Holliday, Berkman, Beltran, Carpenter and Wainwright for the senior circuit. The Cards' top six players, those guys and Lohse, pull down $73M of their $114M payroll. I dunno about Good Pitching Beats Good Hitting, but in the playoffs I'll go with the Stars & Scrubs over the 25 Honda Civics.
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Tout Wars and Safeco Field
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Cory Schwartz won this year's mixed Tout Wars with a record points total. He's won multiple championships in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship and is currently vice president at the stats department of MLB Advanced Media. So he's the state of the art.
It's interesting to see that the state of the art in roto is precisely where Dr. D left it four or five years ago, and where Ron Shandler left it twenty years ago. (In the Hardball Times article, Schwartz is taking the Yoo-Hoo shower made famous by Shandler in a galaxy far, far away.) It's possible that there are no fundamental gains to be made in macro baseball roster strategy. Hitters are what they are, and pitchers are what they are.
A few excerpts from Estimable Schwartz' post-game interview:
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I prioritize offense first, bullpen second and starting pitching last in all leagues, with the exact distribution of dollars and draft picks determined by the league format. In a 15-team mixed league like Tout Wars I usually maintain a relatively typical 70/30 split during auctions, but the distribution of that 30 is somewhat atypical compared to other clubs. My split at Tout Wars this year was 71/29, with the $79 I spent on pitching only a dollar less than the league average...
John Benson, one of the pioneers of using analytics in fantasy baseball, taught me that "strength loves certainty, but weakness loves risk." As a result, I try to look for reasonably predictable offensive picks, with balanced category value and some upside, while I spend more aggressively and take on more risk in my starting pitching.
This aspect of Game Theory will be as true in two years as it is now. It will be as true in 100 years. In backgammon, if you're winning, you don't want a bunch of loose blots. Time is on your side. You want a conservative game, to let the dice and the clock do your work for you. In a baseball game, if you're up 5-2 in the sixth, you don't want a sudden wild change in the weather. The loser wants things muddied up.
In roster terms: John Hart was inherently correct with the 1990's Indians. All things being equal, you'd like to have eight star hitters and you'd like a fungible pitching staff that you can swap in and out as you go along. Pitching isn't reliable, so it's objectively true that you should pile your resources into hitting.
Other things being equal. If Jered Weaver wants to sign for $15M per, you do that. There are many Golden Principles that intersect with with another. But in general, trading Michael Pineda for Jesus Montero, trading Cliff Lee for Justin Smoak, drafting Dustin Ackley and Mike Zunino ... that's the way to go. In Milwaukee, Jay-Z went with Braun and Fielder and Weeks. We've got a guy here who visibly executes Game Theory.
Curse his luck at the way his high-stakes kids have turned out so far. But if and when the M's splash $180M on a free agent, it will be for a thumper. Good to have Jack in the captain's chair, ain't it?
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The 2013-2016 Mariners are positioned absolutely perfectly from a Shandler standpoint. They've got one Aircraft Carrier starting pitcher, as reliable as it gets, and the rest of their rotation they can mix-and-match over the coming years. There is a huge implication here. Don't give Jason Vargas too much money, dude.
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What do you think are some of the most common misconceptions about team building/player evaluation that lead to draft day mistakes?
Overspending on any one player is always a risk, particularly a starting pitcher, because it limits flexibility during the auction and leaves too big a hole in a team's production if the that player is injured or underproduces. Of the top 10 most expensive hitters purchased in Tout Wars this year, only Miguel Cabrera ($41) and Ryan Braun ($40) came close to earning full value, while Carlos Gonzalez ($40), Robinson Cano ($39) and Hanley Ramirez ($39) produced solid seasons but none provided full value. However, Albert Pujols ($43), Matt Kemp ($40), Justin Upton ($40), Adrian Gonzalez ($40) and Joey Votto ($39) all incurred considerable losses on their owners.
Fangraphs authors would misintepret Schwartz as saying "don't buy Stars." But Schwartz would have been the first one to buy any of those players at a $5 discount -- the equivalent of giving Fielder $170M in real life rather than $200M. He bought Kinsler for $31 and Hosmer for $26, that being out of a $260 budget.
All roto champs buy Stars; Schwartz is talking about the tendency to OVERpay for these Stars (and scrubs) out of infatuation with S&S that has gotten out of hand.
"Leaving a hole if a player underproduces" is the key idea. The core concept in a $260 draft is to get OVERproduction out of the Scrubs, to get $15 value for $5. That can best be done by locking in a few $30 MVP candidates and getting as many $5 draws at the deck as possible.
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The 2013-16 Mariners have many draws at the Kyle Seager deck - so many draws that it's impossible to count all of them. The problem comes when Owner X is spotting Owner Y his three Stars -- when Taro gets to spend $260 and G-Money only gets to spend $180. It's tough to beat Taro on even terms; spot him three Miguel Cabreras and you might as well go watch soccer.
Zduriencik has talked about The Straw that Stirs the Drink. Last year he wanted that to be Fielder. This year he's making noises again, both on the trade front and the FA front.
Slam one Josh Hamilton, or Giancarlo Stanton, and the 2013-16 Mariners are a classic Tout Wars roster. Complete with Pryor-Wilhelmsen bullpen and all the trimmings. Like Geoffy says, though, there are two big holes right where the $31 hitters go.
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Peru’s Mitsura Food Festival
Peru is world-renowned for being a country with a rich culinary heritage. The traditions of cooking that have formed in Peru come from the many people who have populated the country over the years, fusing into some of the best South American recipes that one could hope for. Each year in mid-September the city of Lima celebrates their love of food with the Mitsura Food Festival.
This food festival is a fairly recent event, starting just four years ago in 2008, but it is quickly becoming known as one of the best. Each year it gets bigger, attracting more people and getting more establishments to take part and bring what they have to offer. Last year saw about 400,000 people attend over the 10 days of the event, approximately 10 percent of these from outside the country. Mitsura even attracts some of the most famous chefs in the world who come to try the many Peruvian dishes.
The festival consists of cooking demonstrations and classes, chef competitions and, of course, people bringing the best of what they can cook up for attendees to enjoy. From the smallest local restaurants to the most fancy, upscale establishments, all have a place at Mitsura. In addition, there is a massive market selling locally grown foods and other ingredients, including many items that people from outside of Peru have probably never even heard of.
Food festivals are becoming a popular way to plan a vacation, allowing one to see all the sights of a place while indulging in the absolute best food that the country has to offer. Mitsura is no exception to that rule, and food lovers of all sorts would do well to take some time out and visit Peru during the festival. Or better yet, stick around for all 10 days and try as much as possible.
Seville’s La Feria de Abril
Every April in the city of Seville, Spain celebrates La Feria de Abril. As the story goes, the original version of this festival was a cattle fair back in the 1840s. That fair grew in size and took on a different flavor over the years, becoming less about cattle and more about just having an excuse to party. In 1950 the cattle part of it went away altogether and the new modern incarnation took hold. It still continues to grow, pushing it to the point where the city has had to relocate the event to a larger space several times over the years.
During the day, La Feria de Abril is a time of colorfully costumed people making processions through the streets. There are horse-drawn carriages, carnival games and rides and plenty of music and dancing all over the place. This is the time when the families come out and the mood is mellower, albeit still very festive. There are also bullfights daily and plenty of food to go around. The meals are, however, a bit expensive due to the touristy nature of the festival and most meals consist primarily of seafood. Luckily, the festival is held near the center of the city so there are plenty of restaurants around as well. The whole thing closes out at the end of the week with a fireworks display.
The nights of La Feria de Abril are somewhat different. One of the main elements of the festival are tents called casetas. These things number in the 1000s and each hosts its own party. Most of the parties are private, unfortunately, but there are some that invite all comers. Or, if you happen to be friendly or pushy enough, you can usually get people to invite you back to their own casetas for some drinking and fun.
If you happen to be in Spain and have the desire (and endurance) to party for an entire week, check this event out. All day and all night there are things to do, enough to satisfy most everyone. Each year the dates for this event are different, being officially established around December of the previous year, so you have to be aware if you want to know when to attend. Next year has been announced early and will be from the 16th to the 21st.
The official ultrarunning mom
Liza Howard is a mother, an instructor at the Wilderness Medicine Institute of National Outdoor Leadership School, and a rock star trail runner. She's been the first female finisher and set course records in almost every race she's entered, including the 2011 Rocky Raccoon 100 mile and the Javelina Jundred 100 mile. By the way, she only started ultrarunning in 2008. Impressed yet?
For more about ultrarunning mom Liza Howard, check out our Q & A below.
Q: How did you get into ultrarunning? Was your first win a surprise?
A: A friend that I taught with at the National Outdoor Leadership School suggested we run the Zane Grey 50k. My son would be just about eight months on race day and it seemed like a good goal to keep me sane during the early days of motherhood. I loved the run and I actually managed to place – there were probably only three women entered -- and then it was just the usual story of falling in with the wrong crowd, peer pressure and a slippery slope. Before I knew it I signing up for my first 100-miler. Winning was a huge surprise and a wonderful treat in the midst of dirty diapers and a messy house.
Q: How do you train?
A: My son started kindergarten this year, so now I train while he is at school. I try to get all my training done during the week, so the weekends are free for family and my husband’s biking. Some weeks I'm more successful at that than others. Before Asa started kindergarten, he went to a day school three half days a week so I could run -- and shower regularly.
Q: Do you follow a special diet?
A: No. I’ve experimented with a number of different things from vegan to paleo. These days I find that “just” choosing foods that are minimally processed keeps me feeling energetic and strong. I do log my food daily to make sure I’m getting enough of what I need though. That also helps keep me away from the fourth cookie.
Q: Do you have any thoughts on minimalist footwear? What kind of shoes do you wear?
A: I am sponsored by New Balance and I wear their MT1010s. The terrain is rocky and technical where I live in South Texas, and more minimalist footwear doesn’t provide enough protection or cushion for runs lasting more than four hours. I think running barefoot or in more minimalist footwear is a good training tool and I would do more of it if our terrain permitted. It’s important to respect the terrain you’re running on. I try to balance going light with not wanting to worry about stepping on something sharp or starting to ache over the course of a 30-mile run.
Q: What motivates you to run?
A: Running makes me feel happy. I am more peaceful, more patient, more compassionate... more everything when I run regularly. The trails here in San Antonio are also an escape from the city. I’m very grateful to the trail running community for the friendships and adventures it’s given me. I’m constantly humbled and inspired by the people I’ve met through ultrarunning.
To read more about Liza Howard and her amazing running career, check out her webpage. And don't forget to watch for her at the Leadville 100 and the Western States 100.
Man jumps to Earth from near-space
Just in case you’ve been living in a cave that’s been buried by an avalanche, thus leaving you completely without contact to the outside world, you’ve probably heard by now of Felix Baumgartner. This is the guy who just recently ascended to the very reaches of space only so he could jump back down to the Earth again and break all sorts of records. Eight million people got a view of his jump via YouTube, making it the most watched stream in the Internet’s rather brief history. And, of course, the man was successful in his endeavor, else we would be hearing more about his funeral than about his crazy jump.
The spot where he jumped from was high up in the Earth’s atmosphere, around 128,000 feet (24 miles) in the sky. This near-space experience gave Baumgartner the distinction of entering into the Guinness Book of World Records three times. Once for having the highest freefall, another time for being the first human being to break the sound barrier (without a vehicle, that is) and the final time for achieving the highest manned balloon flight.
After he leapt, it took Baumgartner more than nine minutes to finally touch down on solid ground again. That’s an amazing amount of time suspended above the ground. And even if what this daredevil did doesn’t really help us develop our space technology or get to other planets faster, it does demonstrate the adventurous spirit that some people still possess.
I’m guessing that it won’t be long before 24 mile jumps to the Earth become a bit of a hobby among the most enthusiastic extreme sports aficionados. And those very same people may end up being some of the first people to jump onboard when it comes to experimental space programs. So, in the end, they just may be helping with technological development after all.
YouTube Nation: Showing off
Human beings are one of those species that takes pride in showing off whatever they have that others don’t. Maybe this is some sort of mating ritual, similar to the way peacocks and other brightly colored birds do it, but when you have the brain to understand what’s going on, it really just looks kinda pathetic. Now that we have instant video, on demand and available at any time, YouTube has become a place where the egos can go to expand themselves across the entirety of the world. Pretty much everyone can tune in and watch these people being obnoxious concerning whatever they feel about themselves is superior to the rest of the world.
The only benefit of this added range for show-offs is that you at least don’t have to have them up in your face about it. Their egos are thankfully many hundreds or thousands of miles away. Plus, you can always turn it off when you want, whereas in real life these types of people generally just don’t shut up, even if you beg on hands and knees. And besides, the idea of watching someone show off across the internet is actually pretty damn funny. While they’re hoping to make some people jealous, I think what really ends up happening is that they make people snicker and shake their heads.
Here are a few people that feel the need to let the world know about their cars, muscles and money - the holy triumvirate of picking up chicks.
The first poor people weren’t even aware that they’d be going out all over the Internet. Theirs is a total fail, someone forgetting that certain cars, no matter how expensive or nice looking, just don’t do well driving on certain substances.
Being proud of your body and the work you put into making it well-defined is one thing. When you get in front of your web camera, grip your junk and then start talking about how amazing you are while you flex your muscles, it just becomes pathetic.
Warning! This video contains nothing of value and may actually make you stupider if you watch it!
And here’s another of the same, except this one proves that men aren’t the only ones who feel the need to show off. The only difference is that somehow I don’t think her muscles are the main focus of attention for most of the people who end up watching this…
The final video shows that even celebrities can get into the YouTube ego-maniacal fashion trend. I know what you might be saying…”Hey, but celebrities are already usually douchebags!” Yes, of course, you are right. So it takes an extra helping of ego to really push the bounds and come across as even more of an idiot. Rapper 50 Cent pulls that off quite well.
Warning! NSFW unless you turn the volume off.
As long as there are ways for humans to record ourselves doing the stupid crap that we do, there will always be those who want to use this technology for evil instead of good. The above were just a few examples of egos-gone-wild, but there are plenty more out there. You can hardly do a search on YouTube without stumbling into someone’s overinflated opinion of themselves. I imagine that in another 10 years YouTube will have to make a separate section of the site just to hold videos like this or risk being overrun with worthless content.
So until next week, try not to video yourself and put it on the Internet. 9 people out of 10 who do turn out to be complete tools.
The Craigslist Files #170 - Looking for a friend
One thing that many people overlook on Craigslist is a handy little area in the Community section called “Activities.” This is the place where lonely people can come to find someone to hang out with, sports teams can find an extra for their weekend game and people with strange hobbies can find other, like-minded individuals with which to share their strangeness. You need be lonely no more, for there is almost certainly someone out there that would be willing to join you in their spare time. Right?
Well, I guess it depends on what you’re looking for.
I’ve collected four of the more entertaining ads from “Activities” that cover a range of desires - some more appropriate to this section than others. But as you shall see by scrolling down, there are some people who may never find a buddy to hang out with.
The first is a pretty straightforward ad about finding someone to help on the football team. The ad is quite honest, even to the point of weeding out the exact sort of people who would be spending their afternoons playing “flag” football.
Athletic Guy needed for Flag FOOTBALL Team
hi.
if you're a fast runner and skilled at playing football, we're in need 2 more guys to complete our flag football team.
i'm not trying to be mean but, we're not looking for someone who "used to be" really good in high school but have gained weight since then. we're looking for someone who is good right now.
speed, good route runner, good hands, can cover man to man ... basically just all around good player.
please send me an email if you're interested (and qualified).
In our generation, cartoons seem to have become the hobby of many a mid-20s males. My Little Pony fanatics (appropriately called “bronies”) are perhaps the most well-known representation of this sub-cultural phenomenon, but the guy below seems to have his own thing going. I’d have to wonder at the quality of his friends though, assuming that he can’t get anybody he already knows to hang out with him
Adventure Time friend wanted
I am far too into Adventure Time than anyone should be but I am tired of watching it by myself! I am looking for someone who can get all up and about Adventure Time and go nuts about what an amazingly math-a-MATICAL(!) show it is!!! I am not quite all the way caught up so maybe we can watch the end of season 4 and then go back and check out some earlier episodes (I hear they have had some plot-lines planted way back). I also have a hard time spotting the snails, maybe you can point them out to me? Anyhow, hit me back about it. I'm a 25 yr old male in full-time graduate school studying eastern philosophy, since that kind of info seems a prerequisite.
This next posting is something that one probably wouldn’t see if they looked on the Craigslist sites of other countries. Only Americans have made an art form out of obesity and are willing to endure pain to pursue that creative outlet. I imagine that they have to advertise for more members every month or so due to deaths from heart attacks.
Big Eaters Everywhere
The newly formed Big Eaters Club was created by and for people with a passion for food. But we are no ordinary connoisseurs. Our culinary interests are driven by the need to push the limits of taste, portion size, and speed of consumption. The Big Eaters Club also hopes to grow into a social venue for like-minded people to share in challenges, exchange tips and ideas, and most importantly...to collectively seek and conquer all things edible. We are actively seeking new members. Anyone who is a Big Eater, wants to become a Big Eater, or is otherwise interested in food challenges, competitive eating, or has a love of food should contact the Big Eaters Club
The next and last ad is… well, it’s not really in the right spot. Or maybe it is? I guess what the girl is looking for could certainly be considered an “activity”, though I’m thinking she might have better luck with responses if she went to another part of the site, perhaps the “misc romance” section.
Looking for a good freind
I am 19 years old, looking for an older male. Looking for a sugar daddy, or a boyfriend that gets turned on by cheating girls. I cannot be faithful because one man isn't enough for my sex drive. 40 is the oldest I can be with. I am STD free and drug free... put either boyfriend or sugar daddy in subject line.
I have the next 5 days off and I know exactly how I want to spend them! Naked! LOL
Please post "like red" in the subject of your email so I know you aren't the spam bot :)
So, for all your friendship needs, Craigslist is there for you. If you’re looking for something to do on a Friday night you can advertise for a temporary companion and even entertain the possibility of making them a permanent friend. That is, of course, assuming that the poster isn’t really a stalker trying to lure you to their place so they can tie you up and make you watch furry porn. But I believe that is the subject of another post entirely…
White Castle: BOGO Slider Deal
Until November 10, 2012, you can get a FREE Crispy Jalapeno Cheese Slider from White Castle if you buy one while using this coupon.