Cheech Tremendous

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26877682/

This show is phenomenal. I started watching this season and totally got hooked. I'm now working my way through the Season 1 DVD set. Highest recommendation.

I don't care how comfortable they are, Crocs look like shit.

Okay, that game was excruciating to watch. There's bad football and then there's whatever that was.

Also, Raul Ibanez is the worst defensive outfielder in the bigs not named Manny Ramirez. Since the Mets offense is already really good, adding Ibanez would probably be a net negative for the team. They are going to have to find a closer for next year. K-Rod would be a bad move, but Chad Cordero, Brian Fuentes, Huston Street and others will be available. It will be important, however, that Minaya show some restraint in acquiring bullpen arms. You don't want to go all '07 Orioles on the market.

CC is in the discussion for Cy Young, but he can't compete with Tim Lincecum or Johan Santana. Those guys were great for an entire season, not 2/3. Had either of those guys slipped up down the strecth (see Brandon Webb), then yes, I would have voted for him. As for Manny, no way. I don't think he'll crack my top 10.

We need to an MLB Awards thread again. Santana 2nd? Really? I'm guessing that means Santana leap frogged Lincecum for the Cy, too?

Omar Minaya's done a decent to good job the fast few years, despite ultimately coming up short. He's been able to put out a team in position to make the playoffs every year and there aren't many organizations you can say that about. He's had several great signings/trade acquisitions (Beltran, Wagner, Johan, Delgado and Oliver Perez). If you seriously think the guy should go over the failures of a bullpen, then your hate is seriously misguided.

How serious? I still don't think anyone is even in the discussion with Albert Pujols.

I've had barleywine and have never particularly cared for it. Bigfoot, mentioned earlier in the last post, is decent, but on the whole I haven't really felt in necessary to sample many others. I did go to a barleywine beerfest at the Lucky Labrador last year. Even with my tremendous beer snobbery I don't remember having anything that impressive.

Mik, you're my buddy now, since we're both on staff, but this post was kinda homosexual. Czech, weren't you just recently deriding some posters for using "elitist" as the ultimate negative for a poster? Now you're calling a guy homosexual for wanting to look nice? I feel we are inching closer to a TSM Fashion Thread. I envision three or four of us discussing how great we dress, and the rest of the board making fun of us.

The pythagorean record is an estimate of how many games a team should have won based on their runs scored and runs allowed. It is named as such because it closely resembles the pythagorean formula (runs^2/(runs^2 + runs allowed^2)). This formula is far from perfect, as the exponent should be closer to 1.8, and has been adapted as such by stat teams like Baseball Prospectus. In simple terms, a team outperforming their P-W/L would regress in the future, either in a first half/second half split or the following season. Conversely, an underperforming team would be likely to play better in the future. Essentially, the quality of the team is a function of their ability to score runs and prevent runs, and that is not always reflected in the team's actual winning percentage. Although it is important to understand this formula, there are significant flaws. Since it regresses so heavily to the mean, good teams on the whole outperform their W/L and bad teams underperform. Also teams that deviate from the normal run-scoring environment often can change their expected outcomes (like the Angels, who play in an inordinate amount of close games that they win because of mediocre offense and a good bullpen).

I can't think of a single wrestler that would have been more out of place during the Monday Night Wars than Ricky Steamboat. You hate to see a guy retire early, but in the case of Steamboat, it was probably the best thing for him in the long run. Not sure where he would have fit into Hogan's WCW. Probably would have finished the feud with Austin in the fall and then moved on from the company some time in 1995. I could see Vince giving him one more shot working the upper card with Bret, Shawn and company. With his family values I don't think he would have touched ECW with a ten foot pole. He probably would have retired by '95 or '96.

Ok, I'm glad that I've had the 120 Minute IPA. Now I will never drink one again. I think I found the reason why more beers don't aren't 20% alcohol.

I took VX's advice and went to Belmont Station. Tonight I finally sample the 120 Minute IPA.

http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Baseball/article/507488 I figured they would try and do something like this. It's probably below market value, and I'm worried that we'll end up with the 2006-07 version of Burnett, though. Can't see him going for that unless he really loves Toronto and wants to stay there. I think it will take five years and something between $75 and $90 million to sign him as a free agent. That's a lot of money to leave on the table.

I am a former moderator of a message board specializing in lowbrow wrestling discussion and scatological pictures. Right now I am aspiring to be a moderator for the same message board.

In other news, the sky is blue.

You're 21? That makes you an adult. Start acting like one.

Technically it is the bullpen, but there are other factors at play. Last year they couldn't get their starting pitchers to go more than 5 innings, leaving them with too many innings from the back end relievers. It also managed to burn out their good relievers down the stretch. Any bullpen will look bad in this scenario. This year the bullpen failed again, but it was because Wagner got hurt, Heilman lost his edge and the situational guys were shoved into roles they weren't equipped for. You cannot plan for that in the offseason. I know every Mets fan wants Minaya's head, and I probably would too if I were a fan, but this isn't really his fault. Bullpens are the weakness of every team because relievers are just failed, shitty starting pitchers. They're erratic and unreliable. If you think some team's bullpen is good, it's only because they've managed to hide their flaws better than others. Trying to spend money to build a bullpen is a fool's errand.

Coincidentally, I went and saw the Who in concert. Rolling Stones, too. Is the live experience a fraction of what these bands once were? Sure, but this is the only chance I'm going to get. I was born thirty years too late to see these bands in their prime. I'll choose 75% Zeppelin over 0% Zeppelin any day.

That's exactly what I intend to do.

"Computer Blue" is the one that comes to mind for me, but I've only listened to Purple Rain a few times. Hmmm, maybe I should pop that on for next week's Classic Vinyl thread.

Kid's already here. Did you miss this piece of EHME parenting?

I work in commercial real estate doing valuation and consulting assignments (which includes everything from market value appraisals to litigation to feasibility studies). I am employed by a mid-size firm and do work in California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho.