Flip217
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Posts posted by Flip217
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Oi! Spring forward my ass - how is it 3:00am already?
More Yards IPA, sez I...
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Sounds like an awesome prof, too. Thanks for the recommendations.
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"Motown Nuggets", the latest cd that comes with MOJO magazine -- the Feburary '09 issue. I've always liked Motown, never really got much into it though, and this collection has some really good stuff you probably know and some really good stuff you probably don't know. "Do You Love Me?" by the Contours, "At Last" by Marvin Gaye, "Fading Away" by the Temptations, "Come to Me" by Marv Johnson...and a bunch more.
MOJO is always doing that kind of thing. I love that magazine.
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I didn't see it mentioned but
Sam Walker - Fantasyland
For anyone who has ever had felt obsessed with fantasy baseball, you will not be alone. One of my favorite books of all time.
I just picked that up the other day -- really good, very funny and also an interesting approach to winning.
In some ways it inspired me for the upcoming fantasy season, and in other ways it convinced me I just don't have the time or statistical wherewithal to compete!
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Several Stoudt's Winter Ales out at dinner tonight...then a quick walk to a friend's party w/ plenty wine and more beers...then a brisk walk home for a Johnny Walker on the rocks (or three) and other adult intoxicants...and now I shall fall asleep watching "Arrested Development" and giggling quietly (don't wanna wake the wife).
But maybe some tacos first.
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Apologies if I posted this already - it's been on my mind for a while....
I'm so sick and tired of reading "LOL" when it's used to convey laughter at someone else's opinion. I was just reading a thread where a fairly well-known poster was refuting another well-known poster's point, and he starts with "LOL..."
What a jackass.
You'd never have the balls to do that in real life -- can you imagine discussing sports at a bar, and the guy next to you says something you disagree with, so you turn to him and laugh in his face and say "You don't know what you're talking about"? You'd be lucky to walk out and not be carried out.
I guess it's great fun to act like a total jerk to another human being you disagree with, but it makes me think not very highly of you, that you really aren't all that clever if "LOL" is the best and first retort you can come up with, and makes me not want to read any more of your posts. Which is a shame, as you normally have some very interesting points to make.
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One of my favorites that hasn't been mentioned is David Halberstam's October, 1964. From the end of one Yankee's era (Mantle's), to the grudging acceptance of black players, to the chronicling of the genuine true grit of Bob Gibson, this understated book captured a pivotal moment in baseball history. But then again, David Halberstam always had the knack for picking his moments when he wrote about baseball didn't he? What a shame he died before his time.
When I was a very little boy (back when Steve Barber was pitching) a man named Duane Decker wrote series of baseball books for young boys that I couldn't get enough of. I wonder if 10-year-olds still enjoy them as much as I did.
My Mom just finished October, 1964 and immediately told me to go out and pick it up. Sounds like a great read.
I just found a copy of The Baltimore Ballpark Project, by Janis Retalliata in one of my local used bookstores for $12. It's a nice collection of photos documenting the building of Camden Yards, and includes some really cool pics of the warehouse in disrepair before construction and renovation started.
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I like Philly decently. It's not the greatest city, but it's at least a city and not only a college town. And now that I am off of Penn's greedy meal plans, I have discovered the wonders of food carts, so food is awesome now. And to clarify, I do not hate the Phillies (though I did temporarily out of anger last night), only their fans.
As for transferring, I only applied to two Ivy League schools (Penn and Princeton) and got into one of them. I would rather go to Maryland than any of the other Ivies, even Harvard and Yale. And in retrospect, I think the culture at Princeton would have been bad for me (to eat with people you have to join freaking eating clubs. If that's not elitist I don't know what is). The greatest advantage of Penn, though, is that most people don't know what it is. So if you are trying to fit in or trying to not be a pretentious d-bag at the time, you can just nod and talk about Joe Pa when people ask you which campus of Penn you attend. And when you're trying to impress people or feel superior to them, you can wear your "Not Penn State" shirt and loudly and arrogantly proclaim your Ivy League status.
I'm glad you finally found some decent eating options! Sometimes I felt like I had to drop off gift certificates to you for POD or something.
And you know I'm just busting your chops anyway, right? I don't mind the Phillie fans as much as some, but it's nice to know there's at least one other Hangouter in this teeming city.
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You don't live in Philadelphia.
Jeez, Square -- you hate the Phils, you hate their fans, you hate Philly, there's no good place to eat (cheap) near UPenn -- have you considered transferring to another Ivy League school?
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I know it's a cliche, but it's one for a reason: Ball Four by Jim Bouton.
You know, that's one of those books that I always mean to pick up...and yet I always forget about it when I'm in the bookstore or browsing online.
Some kind soul should really just pick one up & send it to me....
What did you like best about it? Humor, or getting an "inside view" of the game?
Anybody ever read "The Natural"? I liked the movie well enough but I've heard the book is head and shoulders above it, albeit with a significantly different ending. I'd like to check it out, though.
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I figured we ought to have a dedicated thread for reviews and recommendations of baseball books, fiction / non-fiction / whatevah....
I'm a huge fan of Roger Angell; I've posted so many times about his books that I probably don't even need to mention him again -- but I will.
Many of his collected stories are now out of print but some aren't, and you can find almost everything used/new online anyway. He writes with a subtle sense of humor, finds joy in the small and sometimes overlooked pleasures of baseball, and seeks out unusual stories. One of my favorites was when he hung out in the bullpen of the Royals for a week or so (this was in the late 70's, iirc). The bullpen was on the side of the field in foul territory with a peculiar, half-sunken-in-the-field bench -- the players' heads were just about field level when they were sitting down. The relief pitchers would get bored and make up games to amuse themselves, and one of their favorites was playing "submarine" -- the bench was their sub, and foul balls were depth charges. When one would come flying their way, they'd let off warning bells and whistles, had a chain of command to report damage, sometimes start sinking and have to take emergency action, etc. Anyhow, I'd recommend "Five Seasons" and "The Summer Game", but any of his stuff is good.I also like "The Book on The Book" by Bill Felber. Released in 2005, it's definitely in the vein of "Moneyball", in that Felber uses statistical inquiry to look at the various strategies in baseball, and see what works and what doesn't. In the end, he thinks managers often do what they do because "that's the way it's always been done" (no big revelation here), but in other areas he makes good arguments for such things as not stealing bases, unless you are really good at it, in which case steal all the time; that starting pitchers should pitch more often but not throw more pitches in each game; that bullpen hierarchy is the biggest sham in baseball strategy today; and that park effects are far more variable than we assume. He contradicts some of the finding of heavyweights like Bill James but does so with all due reverence and a load of stats and formulas to back him up. A good read, and made me question many assumptions I've held for along time about how the game should be played.
Any other favorites out there?
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Something about the autumn light, the colder nights, the leaves turning, makes me want to listen to Pogues, Pogues, and more Pogues. I mean, they're classic anytime, but I always find myslef listening a lot more each Fall.
So I've got a lil' mix going right now, with "Turkish Song of The Damned", "Yound Ned of the Hill", "Navigator", and "Sit Down By the Fire" getting heavy, heavy rotation.
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This is fairly stupid, but it made me mad, so anyway...
The trash men threw out my entire garbage can yesterday. I saw them do it, as I just happened to be in my garage fixing my bike. I ran out and was like "What the hell?" and they said they thought it was disposable (it wasn't a green plastic variety, it was red tarp-like material, collapsible, and not even a week old -- I used it for lawn waste). I asked who would buy me a replacement and they shrugged and left.
Only $15, but still....
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LOL:D!!!!!!!! I am dying!!!
No offense to Goober Noodles...he seems nice.
Cindy! Are you drunk?
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Okay, it's 3:10 in the afternoon on a Friday. My work is done for the week, I'm drinking my first Guinness, and so technically not drunk yet. But in about four hours I'll be at a huge holiday party drinking plenty more beer, and five hours after that I'll be drinking whisky and watching the Acoustic League of Justice, the best dang bluegrass band in Philadelphia! So I've taken the first step on a road that will end with me fairly pickled. As Shane MacGowan put it, "I'll walk in on my feet but I'll be leaving on my back."
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Kurt Rosenwinkel -- if you like jazz guitar, check him out, this guy is doing some really amazing stuff.
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Another fire alarm makin me mad. Unbelievable. These people got into UPenn and can't figure out that it's just easier to go somewhere else to smoke pot?!?!
Honestly, I see so many people just smoking herb on the sidewalk I wonder if Philly didn't legalize it while I wasn't looking. You can get a contact high strolling through Rittenhouse Square on a Friday evening. :002_scool:
What are you listening to right now?
in Music
Posted · Edited by Flip217
The Police, Synchronicity.