Where pop culture meets geek culture and they make out a little.
Archive for March, 2008
Yeah, I’m writing about baseball…you can all suck it!
61410 days
by kilian
in General Nerdom
Two games in Japan not withstanding, today is the real opening day for the MLB as the rest of the National and American league teams get going…and my beloved Dodgers are taking on the hated Giants at Chavez Ravine.
With that in mind I’m going to do the terribly stupid thing of making my annual pre-season (or, beginning of the season I guess) predictions which, if the Cardinals world series victory of 2006 is any indication, will all be completely wrong.
AL EAST
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles
When a team has won two of the past four World Series, as the Red Sox have, it’s hard to not pick them. Especially when that team is far and away the best in their division. The Yankees will be fun to watch this year, since they have some young players mixing in with their veterans, and ARod pretty much assures them at least 70 wins on his own, but they won’t take the Sox. The Rays really are on the upswing (for once!), too bad they play in the AL East where any high profile player on the Yanks or Sox is making more then the entire Tampa Bay franchise. The Blue Jays made some decent moves but, again, AL East. The Orioles are now, possibly, the worst franchise in the entire sport. I don’t know why Baltimorians (Baltimorites?) haven’t strung Angelos up yet…
AL CENTRAL
1. Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Kansas City Royals
Yes the Indians made it to the ALCS, but Detroit added Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis (whose a fifth starter now). I’m not entirely sold on them as a playoff team. Leyland is a good manager, but their bullpen is a big question, especially if they’re stuck with Todd Jones longer then expected. Cleveland will be good again, but I don’t expect Hafner to rebound like some people think. Minnesota, even without Santana and Jones still have a solid core, and Gardenhire’s players always give it their all. The White Sox could surprise, or they couldn’t. I’m not sure about Guillen as a manager. The longer he’s in the South Side the less and less he appears to know what he’s doing. Some year the Royals won’t finish in the bottom…but not this year. They are starting to see some of their kids play well, unfortunately they play in the second most competitive division in all of MLB.
AL WEST
1. Anaheim Angels
2. Seattle Mariners
3. Texas Rangers
4. Oakland Athletics
This one could be close, considering Kelvim Escobar may be out for the rest of the year (if not, forever). If Lackey comes back fine, the Angels will be fine, if not…The Mariners made a very good short term trade, but since they haven’t had much of a legitimate power hitter (who isn’t always on the DL) since Edgar Martinez, trading away Adam Jones may come to haunt them in years to come, but the Angels are vulnerable, so who knows? The Rangers, if they could ever get anyone who could pitch, would be a good team, but they will always be stuck in the middle. No team in the MLB has more crests and troughs then the A’s, in part because of a small payroll, and in part because Billy Bean is always looking to capitalize on any advantage he has (which in this last off season was proven veterans). They’ll rise to preeminence in the AL West again in three years or so, until then A’s fans can content themselves with the knowledge that they have to watch their team in, literally, one of the worst baseball stadiums in the world.
AL WILDCARD
1. Cleveland Indians
I think the Yankees could possibly swipe this, but they’re perennially shaky pitching is now even more reliant on aging veterans and unproven kids and they have no real ace. Cleveland is still well balanced, and will probably feel they have something to prove after last season’s ALCS collapse.
NL EAST
1. Atlanta Braves
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. New York Mets
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals
I’m not sure why nearly everyone else wants to anoint the Phillies the new kings of the senior circuit. Last I checked, they had one decent starter and only made the playoffs last year because the Mets, literally, fell into a black hole (I don’t think they ever even found Shawn Green…). This current iteration of the Braves is fairly young and untested (all props due to Chipper), but they’ll have Texeira for a whole season, and they’re pitching looks really good this year. Plus they have Bobby Cox whereas the Mets and Phillies are stuck with two guys who claim to know how to manage, but evidence has suggested otherwise. The Marlins will probably be decent, but once they show signs of competitiveness the entire roster will probably be traded away, or the manager fired, or both, on the same day. As for the Nationals, I’m just going to say that when you’re opening day starter is a 600 pound half-man/half-dominican walrus, you’re in for a very long 162 games.
NL CENTRAL
1. Milwaukee Brewers
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Houston Astros
5. St. Louis Cardinals
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
I picked the Brewers last year, and damnit if they didn’t lose the division right at the end. Honestly, you could make a compelling case for the Brewers, Reds or Cubs. Not because they’re good, really, but just because they’re all pretty even. Even the Astros have a (very) slight outside chance of winning this division. But unlike the AL EAST and CENTRAL, this one won’t be fun to watch. The Cardinals are just plain bad, and Pujols should just scrap this year and get the surgery already. I take back my comment about Baltimore being the worst organization in the MLB, at least they made some smart moves this off season to pick up prospects. The Pirates are, hands down, terrible. They should be playing DOUBLE-A teams! And if Jason Bay still has a pulse by July, I guarantee you he’ll be traded.
NL WEST
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. San Diego Padres
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Francisco Giants
I am willing to admit that my selection of the Dodgers as division champions is base more on the fact that this is what I want to occur. But the problem with making this choice is that the NL WEST is the toughest division in baseball, period. Besides the Giants (HA HA, suck it Giants!), any of the teams could win it (in fact, LA, Arizona, Colorado, and San Diego have all made the playoffs in the last three years), and it’ll come down to, probably, whoever has the best health over the course of the season. Arizona won the division last year with a -20 run differential, so I think they will lose a few more games this year unless their young bats do some serious maturing (not assured). And while Dan Haren was a huge addition, besides him and Brandon Webb, the rest of their pitching staff is (including the bullpen) pretty questionable to me. San Diego can pitch, and may be even deeper if Prior gives them a decent amount of starts, but other than Adrian Gonzalez they have no bats. Colorado, on the other hand, can hit, but they have even more pitching questions then Diamondbacks, and it’s doubtful they’ll end the season winning 18 straight games. The Giants are just bad. I can’t stress this enough because it makes me so happy. They’re really bad. Like, bad BAD! And the Dodgers, I think, have the best mix of youth and experience. Both Jones and Kuroda were huge signings, but already the boys in blue have been forced to turn to Blake Dewitt, a guy who had been scheduled to start the season at Jacksonville, to fill the 3rd base void. Hopefully, the starting pitching won’t be as thin this year (now that Tomko and Hendrickson are both gone). Basically, if Kemp and Loney produce they way they did at the end of last year, Martin does not regress (which he probably won’t) and Andrew Jones hits somewhere in the realm of .280 we should be fine.
NL WILDCARD
1. Philadelphia Phillies
The NL West has produced the wildcard team something like 3 of the last four seasons, but it’s going to be so competitive this year, that I just don’t see it happening. The NL CENTRAL division champ will be lucky to be a .500 team, so by default the second place NL EAST Team gets it.
So my playoff teams are:
AL – Red Sox, Tigers, Indians and Angels
NL – Braves, Phillies, Brewers and Dodgers
If pushed, I’d say that the Red Sox and Braves will probably meet in the World Series. At this point, I’d say the Sox are the odds on favorites. It is so hard to repeat as champions that I hesitate to pick them, but as it is now, they have the best team, one of the deepest rotations and bullpens, and a great manager, so they get the nod.
And for all of you still reading this…there will be a post later tonight (once I find/hook up my scanner) with much recapping of Saturday’s festivities, and for those that weren’t there, a visual treat courtesy of gilgrim.
It just keeps getting better!
71413 days
by kilian
in General Nerdom
I’m going grace you all with a quote from page 129 of The Book of Lost Things:
“They ate her,” said Brother Number One. “With porridge. That’s what ‘ran away and was never seen again’ means in theses parts. It means ‘eaten.’”
“Um, and what about ‘happily ever after’?” asked David, a little uncertainly. “What does that mean?”
“Eaten quickly,” said Brother Number One.
Pure Genius!
One of the best headlines I’ve read in at least a month!
41413 days
by kilian
in General Nerdom
No joke, but an article up on abcactionnews.com, the Tamba Bay ABC affliate, actually reads “Boozy Bosworth has no memory of sex scene.” Now that’s journalism!
You know what? It’s a short article so I’ll just excerpt the whole thing…
Actress Kate Bosworth has no recollection of her love scene with co-star Jim Sturgess in new gambling film 21 – because she was so drunk.
The Superman Returns star drank to calm her nerves before the revealing scene – but admits she overdid it.
She says, “We were both so drunk. Jim and I became such good friends, we decided to have a couple of drinks, loosen up and go for it.”
Sturgess adds, “We were on Grey Goose (vodka), I think. It was brilliant for about half an hour. As we continued to drink, it just became sloppy and messy. I couldn’t stand up at one point.”
In 21, Bosworth and Sturgess play college students who use their brains to break the bank in Las Vegas.
My question is, how is that experience any different then 95% of all one night stands in this country?
Abounding continues…everyone say “Tra, La, La” with me!
241414 days
by kilian
in General Nerdom
Here’s a story that, when I read the headline I thought, “what an f’ing douche!” Then I started to read it, and saw his mugshot, and I thought, “that kid has some serious problems, and should probably seek out some help.” Then, after I was finished reading I thought, “who the hell would date this guy?”
Now I’m all for calling Oprah the anitchrist, and it’s nice to agree with a Baptist once in a while, you know, for variety’s sake. But I would say that when “Christians ‘just say no’ to the big ‘O’.” They’re not spelling that O-P-R-A-H…if you know what I mean…wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
So if you look over there on the right, you’ll notice that I am currently reading three books. One of those, The Book of Lost Things, has quickly taken precedence over the other two. Daniel Martin is, if you’re not familiar, fucking MASSIVE, and not nearly as fast paced as some of Fowles’ other work (which is usually at about dead tortoise speed anyway). Odd and the Frost Giants, by contrast, is so small that if I just sat down for 30 minutes I’d finish it…but I digress. The Book of Lost Things is just so damn original and well written that I’m not even reading my homework. And the best part is, I’m only about 1/3 of the way through it and it just keeps getting better. The one issue I am having with it is that, in the book, wolves are portrayed as malevolent. After reading Robert Jordan and Fables, I’ve really come to love wolves in literature and seeing them painted in a less then a good light is sorta hard to swallow. And Bigby is probably my all time third favorite comic book character…
On that note, because I’m sure you all care so much, here’s a list of my favorite all time comic book/fantasy/sci-fi characters…
1. The Joker – Without a doubt the greatest villain ever. He has no powers, no magic, no advanced technology. He strikes terror into people simply by being the most crazy mother fucker to ever grace a comics page. Now that’s a villain!
2. Shadowman – I’m willing to admit that, probably, I should be mocked for this by other comic nerds. Valiant certainly had its ups and downs (many more downs, sadly), but there was a time when they were coming out with some pretty decent lines, and they had a couple really solid cross universe stories. Of everything they did, Shadowman, I thought, was the best. At one point in the series (the first series, that is, which was the good one) Jack (Shadowman) discovers the time and place of his death. After this he becomes such a reckless/half insane mess that watching him spiral downward is both engaging and disturbing. Plus, Jack lived in New Orleans and the entire series was heavily voodoo themed…and he fought the devil. What’s not to like!?
3. Bigby – He really makes me wish I were a half air spirit, half werewolf who fathered a litter wolf/human flying shape changers with Snow White!
4. Matrim Cauthon – Easily the best of the Two River’s three, Mat is a gambler, womanizer, sorta con man, jokester, who becomes the greatest military mind since…well, ever. And unlike Rand and Perrin, Mat’s story never becomes even slightly annoying because he is just such a fun character to read.
5. Batman – because when it comes right down to, “he’s Batman” is all you really need to know…but he’s also the only hero who could take down Superman…if he had to…so just watch it Kal-El!
6. Sam Vimes – It’s hard to pick just one Discworld character, because they are all so interlinked, but I think Vimes really stands a bit above the rest. I suppose a lot of people might pick Rincewind, or Death, or Granny Weatherwax, or even the Librarian, (and sometimes I lean toward Lu-Tze, but since he only really features in two books, it is hard to justify him as the best character of the series) and those would all be good choices. But Vimes is the Discworld’s every man. OK, yes, he does eventually end up a Duke, but the first time we meet him he’s a washed up, alcoholic, night watch commander who, in Sgt. Colon’s eternal words, was “brung low by a woman.” From that inauspicious beginning he, nearly single handedly, creates real policing in Ankh-Morpork (and thereby, the entire world). And even after he becomes one of the richest men in the city (and therefore, probably the world), he still prefers to patrol the streets at night in cheap boots. Now that’s a guy I’d like to have a beer with.
7. Lucifer – In case you didn’t already know, I have a thing for the devil as a character. Mike Carey’s Vertigo line is, I think, the best portrayal of the devil as an actual character that has ever been produced in any medium, period.
8. Tristran – I guess you could say that this is a tie with Shadow from American Gods and Richard Mayhew from Neverwhere. If pushed, I’d even say that, as far as reading goes, I preferred those books over Stardust. But Tristran holds a special place in my heart because after reading Stardust I sent my copy to a girl I knew who was studying in London and now we’re married and have a kid. In fact, my wife once said that this book is probably the reason we got back together in the first place.
9. Arthur Dent – I am referring here to the Arthur Dent of the books (and TV and radio), not the film. The distinction is important because, although I enjoyed the film quite a bit and watch it more then is probably good for me, and thought that Martin Freeman did a really good job with the character (and, by the way, Mos Def WAS Ford Prefect), the end of the film is not totally genuine with the character. With the exception of his (very brief) time with Fenchurch, the Arthur of the books wants nothing more then to STAY ON EARTH. Which is what makes him such a great character because HE NEVER GETS TO STAY ON EARTH until it (along with all possible iterations of it) is completely and utterly destroyed…at which point, so is Arthur.
10. Wedge Antilles – Certainly not your average Star Wars choice, I realize. But I think this list shows a bit of a running theme with me. I really get attached to the “every man.” And as far as “a galaxy far far away” is concerned, there is no greater every man then Wedge. He’s the only pilot to survive both Deathstar battles (remember, Luke was not in a fighter for the second one) and he didn’t have the luxury of Jedi powers. And not only is he a gifted pilot, but he works his way up the ranks and eventually becomes a General. The X-Wing comics and novels do such a good job of making Wedge more then a fringe character that it’s a shame they didn’t do more of them.
Well, I could keep going, but I’m sure everyone has stopped reading so I’ll end with a little video goodness that wasn’t in the last post…
On this day, randomness abounds.
41414 days
by kilian
in General Nerdom
I drove all 55 miles to work before realizing that I had left my wallet (and therefore, my driver’s license) at home. That, in and of itself, wasn’t such a big deal…I mean, as long as I don’t get pulled over on the way home. Sure, not having my ATM card with me is a bit of a bummer, but since I filled the gas tank last night and brought my lunch to work, I didn’t need money today.
Actually, I should point out that I do not need any money beyond the $3.55 in assorted change I was able to scavenge from my laptop bag in order to purchase coffee. Though the prospect of a second coffee is intriguing…
So here’s an interesting little interwebz thingamabob, the Sci-Fi Convention finder. Just type in your zip code and see any convention goodness in your general geographically related area. I guess that I should mention that I saw it on Io9 which, as far as blogs go, certainly isn’t the worst, but for some reason I find myself continuing to think that the whole Io9 site isn’t as good as it could (or should) be. Maybe it’s their insistence on pushing the new Flash Gordon, maybe it’s that (at least to me) the whole look of the page is too mainstream for a blog that’s supposed to be sci-fi based, maybe I am secretly jealous and want to blog for them. I don’t honestly know, but something about it seems forced. But maybe I’m wrong…
I am currently listening to the new Raconteurs album and I would say that right now (during my first listen) it is superior to the first. I’ve never been a huge White Stripes fan, but I really liked the last Brenden Benson album, though I can’t really explain why, and the first Raconteurs offering, while decent, always seemed a bit of an anomaly to me, like the guys in the band couldn’t figure out if they were treating it as a serious musical endeavor or as something to do for a couple of weeks. The songs on this one, however, are a lot more complex and the actual recording seems to have been given more thought. Is it the second coming of the Beatles? No. But after the first album, I could have lived the rest of my life happily without another Raconteurs offering, this one makes me want to hear a third.
My wife asked me to tell her something small I wanted for my birthday, so that my sister in law could buy me something. I responded with, “beer.” To which she responded, “you already have beer” to which I responded, “yes, but I could always have more beer…” I was finally forced to say something other then beer, which I did, but I think that small exchange, in some fundamental way, epitomizes the relationship I have with my wife in a manner that seriously warms my heart.
More to come later…
An Open Invitation to All Normalinauts
111415 days
by kilian
in General Nerdom
I think that most anyone who reads this regularly, and happens to live in Southern California, is probably already aware, but I’m going to throw it out there anyway.
Sometime this week I will turn 30. On Saturday, my wife has decreed that their will be a party type gathering at our house. Pretty much everyone who wants to come over (or is able), is more than welcome. We have stated that festivities will commence at 4 pm, though that just means that the chili I am making will be ready around that time.
Presents?
DEAR GOD NO!
If you are so inclined, you can purchase alcohol and bring it along. I will definitely have both Guinness and Bass on hand, as I plan on drinking Black & Tans until I pass out. The wife will have some sort of fruit style something or other…
I know what you’re thinking, “but I don’t know where you live?” Well, as sure as I am that few people read this, I just can’t in good conscious throw my home address up here, so if you want to come and don’t already know the address, e-mail me.
More changes on the way…
11416 days
by kilian
in General Nerdom
My apologies, faithful Normalinauts, as this will be the only post today. Stupid work getting in the way of everything!
Tomorrow, hopefully, we will have a new poll up and next week (possibly) installment III of The Dawn Lights the Way.
Someday, maybe, we’ll actually put up another comic…maybe…
Just a heads up, the site will likely change (AGAIN!) very soon as exsulis and I have decided to test out WordPress 2.5, which seems to include a lot of the functionality we want, without the need for 2 dozen plugins. Of course, it is still in beta form, so…