The Reds better enjoy the off-day they have Thursday after getting home from Cleveland. Because after that, they don't get a break until the All-Stars head to...Kansas City?
**ASIDE** Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium gets renovated in 2009 and gets an All-Star game. Cincinnati opens a brand new stadium in 2003, and has still yet to see a Mid-Summer Classic. The only team to have a new stadium longer without an All-Star game is Tampa Bay. Just pointing it out. That's all. **ASIDE DONE**
Anyway, after finishing up the Ohio Cup, the Reds need to take full advantage of what's in front of them. They have three games with the terrible Twins and three with the surprisingly under-achieving Brewers (Remember the Brewers? The guys every sports writer had winning the division?). Yeah, the Reds need to bulldoze both those teams. From there, they head out on the dreaded West Coast Swing.
In more recent years, the schedule-makers have split up the games, making the Reds travel West a few different times a year rather than one big trip. Some of this has to do with the creation of the Rockies and the Diamondbacks. But apparently someone in the Commissioner's Office thought it would be fun to send the Reds West for 11 days before the break. The last time the Reds played 11 games in a row in the Pacific time zone was at the end of July the year they won the West, and everything else, in 1990. They played four with the Padres, four with the Giants, two with the Dodgers, then one more random one with the Padres. Still trying to find out if that was some sort of make-up game.
Since Dusty took over in 2008, the Reds have faired thusly while in California:
Padres: 5-7
Giants: 7-6
Dodgers: 5-7
That's not terrible over a 4-year stretch, but you would hope they could improve those numbers this year against the dismal Padres, and at least keep pace with the Giants and Dodgers. The Dodgers own the best record in the league and the Giants are percentage points behind the Reds. If the Reds want to prove to the media on both coasts that they're for real this year, they have to play well against good teams, not to mention very well against the bad ones.
Other than a quick trip to Houston and Colorado, then one to Houston and Arizona, this WCS will be the last time the Reds travel west of St. Louis for the remainder of the season. And even that St. Louis trip only happens once to close the season. So we can take solace in the fact that they'll be close to home the rest of the way.
By the way, that 1990 team. The great Wire-to-Wire team. They went 3-8 on that West Coast Swing. And they never fell out of first. So you'd like to hope this team could get it done even better than that.
Twitter bio of the day: @redsfacts
In my somewhat early days of tweeting, I found Reds Facts. He was argumentative with some of the other folks I had begun following, but he did it in a respectful way. I like that. I hate having a timeline full of people calling each other names and spewing anger. If you can have a discourse, but make it reasonable, I like you better. Reds Facts knows how to do that. Plus I like his snark.
He's also got a blog of his own. You can look at it here. Reds Facts loves the desktop apps and the memes. The "Haters Gonna Hate" of Lou Piniella throwing a base was my creation. He also has recently been putting together Fan Softball Games before Reds games. Ask him about them, he'll be happy to fill you in. He doesn't need you to follow him. But you need to. So do it.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Closing the Book on Closing
All this started when Ryan Madson got hurt. I mean, it's not Madson's fault. But without a "closer" on the roster, one had to be found amongst the possible bullpen candidates. From that group, the most likely choice was the guy who was planned to be the set-up. That was Sean Marshall. But there's been a snag.
Sean Marshall has been pulled twice in favor of a different pitcher in a jam in the 9th inning. Now, to be fair, Marshall has converted 7 of 8 save tries. So, he does the job when he needs to. But I keep going back to the times he was pulled. On May 9th in Milwaukee, with the Reds up 2-0, he gave up a homer to Braun, got 2 outs, then gave up 2 singles and was lifted for Ondrusek, who gave up a walk then got a fly out to end the game. And today with the Reds leading the Yanks 6-3, he gave up a double, a run-scoring single, a strikeout, and 2 more singles that scored another run. On came Arredondo, who got a fielder's choice and a ground out to end the game. So in both situations, it didn't ultimately hurt the team. But clearly Dusty has Marshall on a very short leash.
He as much as said in his post-game comments today that he wants to put Chapman into the closer role. But I have to question the entire idea. If Chapman becomes the closer, you've now taken arguably your most effective pitcher and put him into a situation in which he can only come in during the 9th inning when the team is winning, but not by more than 3 runs. But if you don't want to pin Chapman into that role, then who? Ondrusek, who until recently had not had much trouble, could be the answer. Or perhaps it's Arredondo, who's strikeouts are second only to Chapman's out of the bullpen. Maybe the answer could be rookie JJ Hoover, whose ERA is a paltry 0.96, second again to Chapman. Or heck, why not Sam LeCure or Alfredo Simon, who have been just as dependable out of the bullpen? Or they could just go back to Marshall, and just hope that this was a bump in the road.
But here's what I'm thinking. Why choose? Sure, brand a "closer" if you want. But why limit yourself to the one guy who can come in during the 9th? Sean Marshall is left-handed. Dusty is always talking about "playing the match-ups". Well if Chapman has gone two or three days in a row, but there's a spot in a game in the 7th where it might be good to bring in a lefty. Why hesitate to bring in Marshall, especially when you think one of your righties might get shelled? And if it's a save situation, but Arredondo has had success against the batters coming up, why not send him in over your "closer"?
I know a lot of people put emphasis on stats like saves. But if the team wins, who cares who gets credit for making sure the other team doesn't take the lead in the 9th? I'd imagine you could walk through just about any clubhouse on any level and take a poll, and a majority of the answers would be "If we win, I'm happy". And honestly, isn't that what we all want?
Twitter bio of the day: @jluckhaupt
Today, we go to Joel Luckhaupt. He's another guy you might not have ever seen or heard of before, but if it wasn't for him, your baseball game-viewing might be a lot quieter. That's because Joel is the statistician for the Reds. When Chris Welsh tells you the last time a Reds pitcher struck out 10 batters, Joel found that. When George Grande reminds you of how many home runs Sean Casey had at this point in his career compared to Joey Votto, Joel was all over that.
In addition to stats for the Reds games, Joel also co-wrote the book 'Wire to Wire' chronicling the sensational journey to a World Series victory for the 1990 Reds. On Twitter, Joel always comes at things a bit differently than everyone else, and likes to slide a little snark into his observations, just the way I like it. So if you like to know the stats behind the games, and you like to get it with a little bite, then give Joel a follow.
Sean Marshall has been pulled twice in favor of a different pitcher in a jam in the 9th inning. Now, to be fair, Marshall has converted 7 of 8 save tries. So, he does the job when he needs to. But I keep going back to the times he was pulled. On May 9th in Milwaukee, with the Reds up 2-0, he gave up a homer to Braun, got 2 outs, then gave up 2 singles and was lifted for Ondrusek, who gave up a walk then got a fly out to end the game. And today with the Reds leading the Yanks 6-3, he gave up a double, a run-scoring single, a strikeout, and 2 more singles that scored another run. On came Arredondo, who got a fielder's choice and a ground out to end the game. So in both situations, it didn't ultimately hurt the team. But clearly Dusty has Marshall on a very short leash.
He as much as said in his post-game comments today that he wants to put Chapman into the closer role. But I have to question the entire idea. If Chapman becomes the closer, you've now taken arguably your most effective pitcher and put him into a situation in which he can only come in during the 9th inning when the team is winning, but not by more than 3 runs. But if you don't want to pin Chapman into that role, then who? Ondrusek, who until recently had not had much trouble, could be the answer. Or perhaps it's Arredondo, who's strikeouts are second only to Chapman's out of the bullpen. Maybe the answer could be rookie JJ Hoover, whose ERA is a paltry 0.96, second again to Chapman. Or heck, why not Sam LeCure or Alfredo Simon, who have been just as dependable out of the bullpen? Or they could just go back to Marshall, and just hope that this was a bump in the road.
But here's what I'm thinking. Why choose? Sure, brand a "closer" if you want. But why limit yourself to the one guy who can come in during the 9th? Sean Marshall is left-handed. Dusty is always talking about "playing the match-ups". Well if Chapman has gone two or three days in a row, but there's a spot in a game in the 7th where it might be good to bring in a lefty. Why hesitate to bring in Marshall, especially when you think one of your righties might get shelled? And if it's a save situation, but Arredondo has had success against the batters coming up, why not send him in over your "closer"?
I know a lot of people put emphasis on stats like saves. But if the team wins, who cares who gets credit for making sure the other team doesn't take the lead in the 9th? I'd imagine you could walk through just about any clubhouse on any level and take a poll, and a majority of the answers would be "If we win, I'm happy". And honestly, isn't that what we all want?
Twitter bio of the day: @jluckhaupt
Today, we go to Joel Luckhaupt. He's another guy you might not have ever seen or heard of before, but if it wasn't for him, your baseball game-viewing might be a lot quieter. That's because Joel is the statistician for the Reds. When Chris Welsh tells you the last time a Reds pitcher struck out 10 batters, Joel found that. When George Grande reminds you of how many home runs Sean Casey had at this point in his career compared to Joey Votto, Joel was all over that.
In addition to stats for the Reds games, Joel also co-wrote the book 'Wire to Wire' chronicling the sensational journey to a World Series victory for the 1990 Reds. On Twitter, Joel always comes at things a bit differently than everyone else, and likes to slide a little snark into his observations, just the way I like it. So if you like to know the stats behind the games, and you like to get it with a little bite, then give Joel a follow.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Worst. Trade. Ever.
Many consider the Frank Robinson trade to be the most lopsided, ignorant trade in Reds history. However, in recent years, some have begun to say that trading Josh Hamilton may have been just as bad or worse.
People on Twitter often point to several issues that suggest it was a worse trade. Here are a few.
People on Twitter often point to several issues that suggest it was a worse trade. Here are a few.
- They suggest that because Edinson Volquez didn't work out here, it was a bad deal. Volquez, in his time in a Reds uniform, went 30-18 with a 4.17 ERA in 4 years. I think the problem that people had with Volquez was that he was never as good as he was in his first season. He had steadily declined as time went on. Was this because NL batters were figuring him out? Was he getting worse? Did the Tommy John surgery mess up his mechanics? Was the pressure getting to him and the behavioral issues he had in Texas crept back up on him? There's really no way to know if any or all of these questions were factors. He's had a 2-2 record in 8 starts for San Diego this season, although 6 of those 8 starts have come in spacious Petco Park. A decent start to the season. So the jury is still out.
- They see the continued lack of a power-hitting left fielder as an indicator of a bad trade. Josh Hamilton played 9 games in left in 2006, while Adam Dunn was still here. Would anyone care to fathom a guess at how many different guys from 2006-2012 have stood in left field? Anyone? Okay. Including Dunn and Hamilton, a total of 25 different men has patrolled the grass behind shortstop and third. Besides Dunn, Gomes in 2010 was the only one to play more than 100 games at left. So, the lack of a solid left-fielder would be a reasonable concern. But one has to wonder, has Dusty given any of them, other than Gomes, a decent chance at doing the job on an everyday basis?
- Obviously, the biggest point they make is that Josh Hamilton has been a 5-tool, All-Star, MVP since going to Texas. With the short porch in right, many suggest he would have had just as much, if not more, success if he had stayed in Cincinnati. I can't disagree with this. But Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs and Joey Votto were on the way up. And Griffey and Dunn were still there. The front office thought they had all the power they needed, and they thought it was time to finally go get some pitching. Hamilton was their biggest bargaining chip. But then the Big Donkey got sent to the desert. The Kid's injury-riddled time in the Queen City got him shipped to the south side of Chicago to DH. Bruce and Stubbs had some trouble, as rookies often do, when they showed up.
So, add all these things up, and I can understand the outrage some people have with the fact that Hamilton was traded away. And I can understand that. But I have to suggest that it had to be this way. Trades are the nature of the beast. More often than not, it works out for one team better than another. I'd imagine the Indians might like to have Brandon Phillips back. But at the time, the trade seemed like it made sense for everyone. And for small-market teams like the Reds, and at the time the Rangers, it's difficult to hang on to a lot of superstars for a long period of time. Hamilton is a free agent at the end of this season. The past two seasons, he's made $12 million. I'm gonna guess he's gonna get Votto/Pujols/A-Rod money from some team very soon.
And obviously, if the Reds had to pay Mr. Hamilton that much money, some combination of Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce and Johnny Cueto probably can't stay here too. So while I think that it was a bad trade in retrospect, there was no way to know that then. But every team is a product of all the trades call-ups, send-downs, retirements, and free agent departures that occur. I like this team right now. And I think they have the potential to do well without Hamilton. And if they get better over the next couple of years, and it's partly because of Mat Latos, we can indirectly thank Josh Hamilton for that.
As for Frank Robinson, talk to me again once Hamilton has been retired for 5 years. Then we'll decide which trade was worse for the Reds. Then again, I'm sure there will be some other current trade to complain about by then.
Twitter bio of the day: @thejoshhamilton
What? you thought I was gonna write an entire entry about Josh Hamilton, then make someone else the bio of the day? Well, had I done it any other day but today or yesterday, I would have had to. Josh just got on Twitter yesterday, but he's got over 52,000 followers already. So hurry up and get over there. All the nostalgic kids are doing it.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
The Return From Hiatus
It's been a long time. How is everyone? Good. Good to hear. Now, since I've been away for a while, my pal Juice has de-followed my blog. So I'm going to try to reel him back in. Let's see how it goes.
Well, first, an over-view of the Big To-Do. It rained the day of the wedding, so the pictures were indoors. I barely ate all day. My bride was stunning. The food was good. The cake looked sweet as hell (cause I designed it myself). The music was jumpin'. I did a sweet move to go under her dress to get the garter. It was met with much acclaim. My friends started a hashtag on Twitter for our wedding (one friend live-tweeted it). It is physically impossible to have fun dancing with your friends and say hi to everyone at the same time. We got to the hotel and crashed. I felt like I hadn't sat down in hours. The next day was full of laundry and packing. We arrived at CVG at 5:30am Monday morning to hit our 7:00am flight. Down to Miami and onto our cruise ship and away we went. The next 5 days were spent eating, sleeping, and laying on beaches. Oh, and on Wednesday we got to watch E.T. on a huge screen. Back to Miami on Saturday morning. A full day of hanging out in airports. A quick stop-over in Chicago, and we were home by 11:30pm Saturday night. And the rest of the time has been spent getting adjusted to normal married life.
Time out! Just remembered. Tuesday in Nassau, I was offered cocaine. It was simultaneously the strangest and most cordial interaction I had the entire trip. As I walked the streets of Nassau to procure more sunscreen, i encountered a man leaning on a fence in front of a taxi stand near the Nassau Hilton. The exchange went a little something like this. And mind you, I never stopped walking.
Dealer: Hey, how's it going?
Me: Good.
Dealer: Hey, you want some blow?
Me: No thanks, I'm good.
Dealer: Ok. Have a nice day.
And that's it. He was the least pushy person on the entire island. So that was fun.
Sooooo, now that you're all caught up, let's do a quick sports round-up of teams that I care about (even if you don't care about them).
REDS- A month into the season, I suppose this is okay. .500 pretty much is the definition of okay. They definitely need to find a way to score more runs. Losing Madson hurt a lot, but I don't think it is totally crippling. Everything I like about Zack Cozart is pretty much everything I hate about Willie Harris. Cozart figures out a way to get on base, plays defense, and he has the one quality that I value a lot, he hustles. No matter what he does, Cozart hustles. Harris needs to figure out how to hustle somehow, or get shipped out when Cairo comes back. I still think this team has a lot of upside if it can get some run support for these pitchers. The bullpen, even without Madson has been stellar.
BENGALS- The draft has come and gone. A lot of pundits have suggested that the Bengals had the best draft of any team this year, and also possiby the best draft the team has ever had. Let me know when that means something. I'll say it was the best draft ever IF half the rookies play and contribute significantly and this team figures out how to win a playoff game. Theoretical championships based on draft grades are just that; theoretical. That being said, I do believe that they have the potential to do well. As it has been the past few years, I think the receiving corps will be dangerous if they stay healthy. I can't wait to see Shipley back. And if they're firing on all cylinders, I think this defensive front seven could be one of the most dangerous in the AFC, if not the entire NFL.
PREDATORS-I'm not a hockey fanatic. But since we don't have a hometown team, a few years back, I just picked one. When it came to picking a hockey team, I wanted one with a cool mascot. I thought the Sharks were the best, but I have a friend who already rooted for the Sharks and I didn't want to be that guy. Plus the Preds are in Nashville, so there's a legitimate chance I could take some time to go see a game there. Unfortunately, the Preds are down 3-1 in the best of seven series to the Coyotes and game five is heading back to Phoenix. It's still possible to come back, but Pekka Rinne is going to have to do a better job at keeping the Coyotes out of the net.
MAGIC- I'm a long-dormant Magic fan. I stopped caring about the NBA for a while. Plus its hard to root for a team that habitually loses in the first round of the playoffs...if they even make it. And I feel bad now backing Dwight Howard, because I didn't realize he was such a dick. But I've rooted for the Magic ever since I had an Orlando Starter jacket when I was eight. I was a big Shaq and Penny Hardaway fan. Plus it's cool cause they're basically as old as I am. And with their 2-point overtime loss to the Pacers, like the Preds, the Magic are trying to stave off elimination at 3-1. The Magic will also have to contend this game away from home court. And without Dwight because of his injury, I can't see them coming all the way back here. But a guy can hope.
PONIES-I'm not big on gambling, but I did get a chance to see the featured race from the Derby. The build-up for the Big Trot seems like the biggest anticipation followed by the most sadness in sports. At least if its the Super Bowl or the World Series, you get some regular season games first. And when its over, you assume that roughly half the people watching are happy.But for the Derby, you wait an entire year for this one race. If they all run, you get 20 ponies and 20 little men sitting astride each one.
The gun goes off. The gates open. And off they go. In the next 2 minutes, a lot of hopes, dreams, and money hangs in the balance. Sometimes your horse gets out well. Sometimes it falls back. Sometimes your horse closes after the final turn. Sometimes it runs out of gas. Hopefully no one spills their Thousand Dollar Mint Julep and no floppy hats blow away. And then, one horse hits the finish by a nose. And a small group of people are elated, throw their hats in the air, and become a little (or possibly a lot) richer. And a very large group of people is pissed off, throws their hats on the ground and walks away a lot poorer. And then, as if the whole thing had never happened, the anticipation begins to build for next year. It's an amazing phenomenon to watch. Especially when you're not betting.
PIGGIES- A different kind of racing went off today. Much like Opening Day, the Flying Pig Marathon is an institution in Cincinnati. My wife is a hardcore runner. I ran track in high school, but doing more than a lap was not my forte. She's been trying to get me to start running again. She has designs of making me a 5K runner. Maybe it'll work out. Mostly I just don't want to get fat. So I give in and run with her. She had issues with some fluid in her knee about two months ago. The doctor said she had to stop running for several weeks and it really threw off her training schedule. She was set to do the entire marathon, but said she'd need to decide when she got to the split-off point whether she'd do the full or the half. She just told me she finished in 2 hours and 33 minutes in the half marathon. I'm very proud of her. I'm always proud of her no matter how she finishes. The fact that she run that far is crazy to me. Maybe soon I'll be doing 5Ks. Maybe I'll just be jogging around the block. We'll see.
More to come, now that I'm back on my digital horse. Luckily, I don't have to wear silk or hit my computer with a riding crop to get something done.
Twitter bio profile of the day: @mjuszak
That's the link to my friend Marc Juszak. You probably wouldn't recognize Marc if you didn't already know him. But without him, you'd get a lot less sports information a day. Marc is one of the producers in the Local 12 sports department, and with Zach Wells, puts together the Sports Authority on Sundays after the 11pm News. Marc's dedication to his job can be seen every day. I can't recall a day in which I've walked into the Sports department that Marc wasn't writing, editing video, or searching for the biggest, most important local and national sports stories of the day.
Marc is an avid Xavier basketball fan. He'll root for the Reds. But sadly, the rest of his allegiances lie in Pittsburgh. He's the resident station Steelers fan, but is still able to be objective in his assessments of all NFL teams. The mark of a true professional. Marc also roots for the Penguins, and will defend Sidney Crosby to his death, even though Crosby is a dirty Canadian. While Marc admits he hasn't seen many movies that aren't comedies, I've attempted to help him broaden his horizons. But if you wanna know anything and everything about sports, Marc is you man. Definitely a quality follow.
Well, first, an over-view of the Big To-Do. It rained the day of the wedding, so the pictures were indoors. I barely ate all day. My bride was stunning. The food was good. The cake looked sweet as hell (cause I designed it myself). The music was jumpin'. I did a sweet move to go under her dress to get the garter. It was met with much acclaim. My friends started a hashtag on Twitter for our wedding (one friend live-tweeted it). It is physically impossible to have fun dancing with your friends and say hi to everyone at the same time. We got to the hotel and crashed. I felt like I hadn't sat down in hours. The next day was full of laundry and packing. We arrived at CVG at 5:30am Monday morning to hit our 7:00am flight. Down to Miami and onto our cruise ship and away we went. The next 5 days were spent eating, sleeping, and laying on beaches. Oh, and on Wednesday we got to watch E.T. on a huge screen. Back to Miami on Saturday morning. A full day of hanging out in airports. A quick stop-over in Chicago, and we were home by 11:30pm Saturday night. And the rest of the time has been spent getting adjusted to normal married life.
Time out! Just remembered. Tuesday in Nassau, I was offered cocaine. It was simultaneously the strangest and most cordial interaction I had the entire trip. As I walked the streets of Nassau to procure more sunscreen, i encountered a man leaning on a fence in front of a taxi stand near the Nassau Hilton. The exchange went a little something like this. And mind you, I never stopped walking.
Dealer: Hey, how's it going?
Me: Good.
Dealer: Hey, you want some blow?
Me: No thanks, I'm good.
Dealer: Ok. Have a nice day.
And that's it. He was the least pushy person on the entire island. So that was fun.
Sooooo, now that you're all caught up, let's do a quick sports round-up of teams that I care about (even if you don't care about them).
REDS- A month into the season, I suppose this is okay. .500 pretty much is the definition of okay. They definitely need to find a way to score more runs. Losing Madson hurt a lot, but I don't think it is totally crippling. Everything I like about Zack Cozart is pretty much everything I hate about Willie Harris. Cozart figures out a way to get on base, plays defense, and he has the one quality that I value a lot, he hustles. No matter what he does, Cozart hustles. Harris needs to figure out how to hustle somehow, or get shipped out when Cairo comes back. I still think this team has a lot of upside if it can get some run support for these pitchers. The bullpen, even without Madson has been stellar.
BENGALS- The draft has come and gone. A lot of pundits have suggested that the Bengals had the best draft of any team this year, and also possiby the best draft the team has ever had. Let me know when that means something. I'll say it was the best draft ever IF half the rookies play and contribute significantly and this team figures out how to win a playoff game. Theoretical championships based on draft grades are just that; theoretical. That being said, I do believe that they have the potential to do well. As it has been the past few years, I think the receiving corps will be dangerous if they stay healthy. I can't wait to see Shipley back. And if they're firing on all cylinders, I think this defensive front seven could be one of the most dangerous in the AFC, if not the entire NFL.
PREDATORS-I'm not a hockey fanatic. But since we don't have a hometown team, a few years back, I just picked one. When it came to picking a hockey team, I wanted one with a cool mascot. I thought the Sharks were the best, but I have a friend who already rooted for the Sharks and I didn't want to be that guy. Plus the Preds are in Nashville, so there's a legitimate chance I could take some time to go see a game there. Unfortunately, the Preds are down 3-1 in the best of seven series to the Coyotes and game five is heading back to Phoenix. It's still possible to come back, but Pekka Rinne is going to have to do a better job at keeping the Coyotes out of the net.
MAGIC- I'm a long-dormant Magic fan. I stopped caring about the NBA for a while. Plus its hard to root for a team that habitually loses in the first round of the playoffs...if they even make it. And I feel bad now backing Dwight Howard, because I didn't realize he was such a dick. But I've rooted for the Magic ever since I had an Orlando Starter jacket when I was eight. I was a big Shaq and Penny Hardaway fan. Plus it's cool cause they're basically as old as I am. And with their 2-point overtime loss to the Pacers, like the Preds, the Magic are trying to stave off elimination at 3-1. The Magic will also have to contend this game away from home court. And without Dwight because of his injury, I can't see them coming all the way back here. But a guy can hope.
PONIES-I'm not big on gambling, but I did get a chance to see the featured race from the Derby. The build-up for the Big Trot seems like the biggest anticipation followed by the most sadness in sports. At least if its the Super Bowl or the World Series, you get some regular season games first. And when its over, you assume that roughly half the people watching are happy.But for the Derby, you wait an entire year for this one race. If they all run, you get 20 ponies and 20 little men sitting astride each one.
The gun goes off. The gates open. And off they go. In the next 2 minutes, a lot of hopes, dreams, and money hangs in the balance. Sometimes your horse gets out well. Sometimes it falls back. Sometimes your horse closes after the final turn. Sometimes it runs out of gas. Hopefully no one spills their Thousand Dollar Mint Julep and no floppy hats blow away. And then, one horse hits the finish by a nose. And a small group of people are elated, throw their hats in the air, and become a little (or possibly a lot) richer. And a very large group of people is pissed off, throws their hats on the ground and walks away a lot poorer. And then, as if the whole thing had never happened, the anticipation begins to build for next year. It's an amazing phenomenon to watch. Especially when you're not betting.
PIGGIES- A different kind of racing went off today. Much like Opening Day, the Flying Pig Marathon is an institution in Cincinnati. My wife is a hardcore runner. I ran track in high school, but doing more than a lap was not my forte. She's been trying to get me to start running again. She has designs of making me a 5K runner. Maybe it'll work out. Mostly I just don't want to get fat. So I give in and run with her. She had issues with some fluid in her knee about two months ago. The doctor said she had to stop running for several weeks and it really threw off her training schedule. She was set to do the entire marathon, but said she'd need to decide when she got to the split-off point whether she'd do the full or the half. She just told me she finished in 2 hours and 33 minutes in the half marathon. I'm very proud of her. I'm always proud of her no matter how she finishes. The fact that she run that far is crazy to me. Maybe soon I'll be doing 5Ks. Maybe I'll just be jogging around the block. We'll see.
More to come, now that I'm back on my digital horse. Luckily, I don't have to wear silk or hit my computer with a riding crop to get something done.
Twitter bio profile of the day: @mjuszak
That's the link to my friend Marc Juszak. You probably wouldn't recognize Marc if you didn't already know him. But without him, you'd get a lot less sports information a day. Marc is one of the producers in the Local 12 sports department, and with Zach Wells, puts together the Sports Authority on Sundays after the 11pm News. Marc's dedication to his job can be seen every day. I can't recall a day in which I've walked into the Sports department that Marc wasn't writing, editing video, or searching for the biggest, most important local and national sports stories of the day.
Marc is an avid Xavier basketball fan. He'll root for the Reds. But sadly, the rest of his allegiances lie in Pittsburgh. He's the resident station Steelers fan, but is still able to be objective in his assessments of all NFL teams. The mark of a true professional. Marc also roots for the Penguins, and will defend Sidney Crosby to his death, even though Crosby is a dirty Canadian. While Marc admits he hasn't seen many movies that aren't comedies, I've attempted to help him broaden his horizons. But if you wanna know anything and everything about sports, Marc is you man. Definitely a quality follow.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Stupid Things On Twitter Rant!!
**RANT RANT RANT!!!**
It's been a while since I've blogged. Sorry to all 6 of you that read on a regular basis. I'm getting married Saturday, so things are going to be few and far between for a little while. But today, as baseball season is starting to get into the SWING... of things, I need to say something about people on Twitter.
If you read my blog, it's most likely because you use Twitter (because that's the only place I post the link). And much in the same way that MySpace and Facebook began to get annoying, so too in some ways, is Twitter. MySpace got creepy with all the pedophiles and cops posing as little girls to draw them in. Facebook got over-loaded with people's parents, grandparents, and every business known to man on there. Like everything. Come visit my farm. Wish everyone a happy birthday. I use Facebook very infrequently now. And this brings me to the annoying-ness of Twitter.
Twitter is done on the computer. On the internet. And mostly on SMART phones. Yet, the part of Twitter that drives me crazy is how dumb people get. The people that first started using Twitter a long time ago got it. Twitter isn't Facebook. Just because I follow you doesn't mean you have to follow me. If you don't like what I have to say, you don't have to follow me. (Lots of people have. They're missing out.) But as Twitter has become more mainstream, Everyone from Grandpa to little 11-year old sister has an account.
It seems that about 20% of people on Twitter have an account because they love either Justin Bieber or the Jonas Brothers and despise the other, or they have some sort of beef about which male "Twilight" star is hotter. But that's really not important, because I just steer clear of those people.
But what does drive me crazy is when people do one of two things. They ask stupid questions, or they are intentionally mean and spiteful for no reason other than to hurt other people's feelings or make fake accounts of famous people.
Twitter is supposed to be an exchange of information location, to be sure. But when people ask others questions that can easily be looked up, or that were answered at some other point recently, I can't stand it. It's just redundant and a hassle for the people who are getting asked. I don't know what it feels like to get more than about 3 mentions a week, but for the people who get hundreds a day, it must suck to answer those questions.
And when some people get on to Twitter to intentionally to hurt others, I can't stand it. Why would you want to do that without provocation. Some people have a lot of anger and spite in their life, and they must find it fun to let it out to complete strangers. I guess they want to bring everyone down to their angry, sad level and make the world suck. I for one am not a fan. But just remember...
Nor do I like the fake accounts of real people. I do very much like the parody account of famous people. But only when its to be outrageous and they point out early and often that they are not, in fact the real people. But when people pretend to be the actual person, such as, for instance, Pete Rose, it drives me nuts. That guy fooled a lot of famous people and even tricked Aaron Boone into sending him Aaron's cell number. People need to grow up.
So, in summation, I don't follow anyone that falls into any of these categories, but I know there are a lot of them out there. So look out. And if any famous or important people that are often facing these people, I'm sorry. And just know that for every terrible person there is out there like that, there's at least one normal person out there that doesn't want to annoy or dupe you.
Today's Twitter bio profile is: @Jamieblog
I've been waiting this one a while. Jamie is a super blogger, and in general, a super awesome person. First, Jamie's last name is not blog, it's Ramsey. He is the Assistant Director of Media Relations for the Reds. He's always 100% Reds. Even when he's not at games.
He also loves some crazy, cool music and has recently started following Futbol. But when promoting the Reds, he goes above and beyond. His blog, Better Off Red, is often rated as one of the highest MLB sponsored blogs in the country. The reason is because of all the extras and nuggets of info that he offers to the average fan that we normally wouldn't have access to. If the Reds were a bowl of vanilla ice cream, Jamie would be the sprinkles and fudge and other awesome candy bits on top. So if you call yourself a Reds fan and you're not following Jamie Ramsey, you're doing it wrong.
Also for those who wanna know when the gates open
Also for those who wanna know when the gates open
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Seasons of Change
The title of this post applies to both sports and my current life situation. Kentucky did as everyone expected of them and proved that they were in fact worthy of that number 1 overall seed. Thus ends another season of Madness. And also, the Reds wrapped up their Spring Training schedule. Today will be the Reds vs. Futures Spring Showcase game at GABP.
And then a day off. Followed by possibly the biggest day in all of sport for the city of Cincinnati.
A foolish UK fan at work suggested to me that the ratings for the NCAA National Championship game would be higher than the ratings for Opening Day. He used to work at a station in Lexington. He doesn't quite understand.
The Reds just dropped some seeeerious coin on Joey Votto. He'll more than likely be in town as long as he wants to be. The Brass suggest there is still a chance that Phillips might get a deal too. I'm not so sure Brandon would be as optimistic. But hopefully money doesn't get in the way. For anybody. I honestly and truly think this could be the year.
It's a shame the Reds lost Ryan Madson for the year. But I think most of the pieces are in place. This is one of the first years I can remember in which there was controversy over who the 5th starter would be, instead of trying to figure out who to randomly stick in the spot. I think this has a great chance to be one of the best rotations in franchise history. Mat Latos was a huge addition, regardless of the guys we gave up for him. That doesn't matter to me. I'm not a fan of the fact that Chapman is not a starter, but they'll all contribute. I've always been a hige Bill Bray fan, and I think Sam LeCure will be as steady as possible. Marshall will be a decent substitute for Madson at the end of the game.
Joey, Brandon and Jay Bruce will produce as always. Hopefully old man Rolen stays healthy. Playing or not, he's a great leader. He'll be tough to replace in the intangibles department in the coming years. Mesoraco could have ROY-type season. That would be sweet. The two guys that will be the biggest keys to whether the Reds do well this season or not could be Drew Stubbs and Zack Cozart. We really don't know how well they'll perform, but if they do well, this whole line-up is dangerous.
There aren't many seasons I've gone in thinking, "there are not any glaring holes anywhere on this team". Sure they won't go 162-0. There will be slumps. But this team should be good. I'm gonna say they go 91-71 and win the division. That's my prediction. I'll check back on this at the end to see if I'm right. Like I said, I think they could win it all...or at least make it to the Series.
Apologies for the lack of posts lately. As I said, I've also been in flux. The fiance and I moved into our new home for the year. We decided on an apartment, because we just couldn't find "our" house. We're still moving in and setting things up. All while working on wedding plans. It's nearly here. Just 11 more days til the big day. This time two weeks from now, I'll be on a big boat in the Caribbean. So from now til I get back, there might not be that many posts. I'm sure you'll all survive. (Whoever you are that reads this).
Today's Twitter bio is: @DallasLatos
Dallas is the wife of one of the newest Reds, Mat Latos. She's got her own blog here. It gets way more views than mine. Probably because she's more interesting than me. Dallas and Mat are big animal people. Lots of reptiles and dogs. I hope they get involved with SPCA when they get to town. I'm sure they'd love it. Dallas has to fight off the dingbats out there that she's an idiot. She's super-duper not. Trust me. But those TV shows about chicks who aren't really wives of baseball players ruin people's perceptions.
She seems like a super nice lady, and hopefully some random day at the ballpark, I might get to meet her... And her husband too, I guess. But that's not as big of a deal. Dallas gave up her own career to be a career baseball wife. And if you don't think it's tough, ask her. She'll let you know. So if you want some insights on how daily life goes for a baseball player's wife, give her a follow. It's pretty intriguing. But don't ask her how Mat's feeling or any "insider dope" like that, she won't respond. And for heaven sakes, Mat's not getting on twitter. So don't bother asking that either. She'll take care of that for the both of them.
And then a day off. Followed by possibly the biggest day in all of sport for the city of Cincinnati.
A foolish UK fan at work suggested to me that the ratings for the NCAA National Championship game would be higher than the ratings for Opening Day. He used to work at a station in Lexington. He doesn't quite understand.
The Reds just dropped some seeeerious coin on Joey Votto. He'll more than likely be in town as long as he wants to be. The Brass suggest there is still a chance that Phillips might get a deal too. I'm not so sure Brandon would be as optimistic. But hopefully money doesn't get in the way. For anybody. I honestly and truly think this could be the year.
It's a shame the Reds lost Ryan Madson for the year. But I think most of the pieces are in place. This is one of the first years I can remember in which there was controversy over who the 5th starter would be, instead of trying to figure out who to randomly stick in the spot. I think this has a great chance to be one of the best rotations in franchise history. Mat Latos was a huge addition, regardless of the guys we gave up for him. That doesn't matter to me. I'm not a fan of the fact that Chapman is not a starter, but they'll all contribute. I've always been a hige Bill Bray fan, and I think Sam LeCure will be as steady as possible. Marshall will be a decent substitute for Madson at the end of the game.
Joey, Brandon and Jay Bruce will produce as always. Hopefully old man Rolen stays healthy. Playing or not, he's a great leader. He'll be tough to replace in the intangibles department in the coming years. Mesoraco could have ROY-type season. That would be sweet. The two guys that will be the biggest keys to whether the Reds do well this season or not could be Drew Stubbs and Zack Cozart. We really don't know how well they'll perform, but if they do well, this whole line-up is dangerous.
There aren't many seasons I've gone in thinking, "there are not any glaring holes anywhere on this team". Sure they won't go 162-0. There will be slumps. But this team should be good. I'm gonna say they go 91-71 and win the division. That's my prediction. I'll check back on this at the end to see if I'm right. Like I said, I think they could win it all...or at least make it to the Series.
Apologies for the lack of posts lately. As I said, I've also been in flux. The fiance and I moved into our new home for the year. We decided on an apartment, because we just couldn't find "our" house. We're still moving in and setting things up. All while working on wedding plans. It's nearly here. Just 11 more days til the big day. This time two weeks from now, I'll be on a big boat in the Caribbean. So from now til I get back, there might not be that many posts. I'm sure you'll all survive. (Whoever you are that reads this).
Today's Twitter bio is: @DallasLatos
Dallas is the wife of one of the newest Reds, Mat Latos. She's got her own blog here. It gets way more views than mine. Probably because she's more interesting than me. Dallas and Mat are big animal people. Lots of reptiles and dogs. I hope they get involved with SPCA when they get to town. I'm sure they'd love it. Dallas has to fight off the dingbats out there that she's an idiot. She's super-duper not. Trust me. But those TV shows about chicks who aren't really wives of baseball players ruin people's perceptions.
She seems like a super nice lady, and hopefully some random day at the ballpark, I might get to meet her... And her husband too, I guess. But that's not as big of a deal. Dallas gave up her own career to be a career baseball wife. And if you don't think it's tough, ask her. She'll let you know. So if you want some insights on how daily life goes for a baseball player's wife, give her a follow. It's pretty intriguing. But don't ask her how Mat's feeling or any "insider dope" like that, she won't respond. And for heaven sakes, Mat's not getting on twitter. So don't bother asking that either. She'll take care of that for the both of them.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Hungry Hungry Hunger Games
**Movie Review! Movie Review!** If you don't give a damn about my opinions regarding the film industry, this post might not be your cup of tea.
Over the weekend, the fiance and I went to see "The Hunger Games". Some men would suggest I was forcibly drug there. Au contraire, mon frère . I was just as interested to see the film adaptation of this story as she was. (And if you're one of those tough guys who swore he'd never see it because he doesn't "follow trends" or "read books and see movies that interest teenage girls" well, then, your horizons aren't very broad. I'm sorry you're missing out.)
I read all three books about six months ago. I must say, it was a series I had trouble putting down. In general, I'm the kind of guy who reads things like 'Dracula', 'Lord of the Rings', Sherlock Holmes stories, and pretty much anything Stephen King writes. But I will also I read every 'Harry Potter' story with much vigor. It was easy to read but still had an engaging story-line.
If you're not aware of the plot, basically, it goes a little somethin' like this. Post-apocalyptic America has been ravaged by civil war. After the uprising, the country was left as 12 fenced-in districts, ruled over by the Capital. Each district is far away from one another, so they cannot work together to rise again. The districts each do a certain specialized job, such as farm, mine coal, or make clothes, and their products are sent to the Capital. In turn, the Capital provides a little of these products for the districts to keep them alive. The Capital lives a life of decadence, while the districts basically live- if they can at all- in poverty. As another way to keep the districts in check, the Capital instituted an annual event called the Hunger Games. During the Hunger Games, a girl and boy between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen at random from each district to compete. At the prescribed time, the 24 competitors are trained, then put into a pre-created arena to battle to the death. 24 children enter, only one can leave alive.
Our story follows Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year-old girl from District 12. District 12 is the mining district, where Appalachia used to be. Her father died in a mine explosion. She has resigned herself to take care of her mother and little sister any way she can. Because of power outages, the fence surrounding District 12 is almost never electrically charged. She takes to the woods with her hunting partner, an older boy named Gale, where they are able to catch enough wild game and pick enough fresh fruit to live on or trade for the supplies they need.
At this year's Reaping, where they choose the competitors for the Hunger Games, Katniss's 12 year-old sister is chosen. Obviously, feeling her need to protect her sister, Katniss volunteers to take her place.
I think the film did a good job of setting all this up and not being overwhelming, while still closely following the storyline. I've read many books, then seen movie adaptations, and walked away from the film thinking "That's not how the book went at all". The settings were very well done. (I believe the movie was shot in North Carolina for the "District 12" portions of the movie). Unlike a fake set in Hollywood, I felt like we were really in a desolate Appalachian mining town.
The futuristic Capital was clearly a computer-generated location, but it wasn't overwhelmingly computery, like "Beowulf". I really enjoyed the way they costumed the characters in the Capital, who were described opulent and overly flashy. They looked how I assume it would look if you threw every Dr. Seuss character into real-life in one city.
The action sequences within the arena were well-done. I felt like they showed what needed to be shown to get the point across, without being overly graphic (remember the target audience is still a 15 year-old girl). But at the same time, they still had enough to keep a blood-thirsty 24 year-old man interested as well. I especially enjoyed a scene in which Katniss gets stung by Tracker-Jackers (genetically altered bees who's sting causes pain and halluncinations). We see an awkward sequence through Katniss's eyes where she stumbles through the woods, not sure what she is seeing, and what is in her mind. All the while, the camera is drifting in and out of focus, and we get a shuddering effect, as if the film is getting hung up on the reel. The whole scene is very jarring.
The character development followed pretty close to the book, which I was happy with. However, the noticeable difference is that the book is told from Katniss's point of view, so we often get her internal feelings, especially about her fears for her family and her ongoing struggle to decide her feelings about Gale and Peeta. We're able to see some of that in her acting and reacting with Peeta in the lead up to and in the arena. We only get a few glimpses of how she feels about Gale before she leaves. But I assume these issues will be more addressed the second and third movies. We are also shown more situations from the Capital, during the games, which Katniss would never have known about.
**NERD ALERT** If you've hung with me so far, bare with me a little longer. I went to school for movie-making. So I always watch a movie a little different than the average person. I really enjoyed the way they lit the movie. Lots of imitated natural light. Especially moonlight. No reason to over-blow anything. I also thought the music choices were very well done. Everything seemed to marry the action very well. I always think the best lighting and music are the ones that make sense in the moment, but that you don't really notice if you're not looking for them.
Overall, whether you've read the books or not, I feel like anyone young or old, man or woman, can find some way to enjoy this movie. Obviously there will always be some people that don't like it, but I think a majority of people who like a good movie with a deep story, a little action, a little romance, and that "underdog against the world" feeling can dig on this movie.
Over the weekend, the fiance and I went to see "The Hunger Games". Some men would suggest I was forcibly drug there. Au contraire, mon frère . I was just as interested to see the film adaptation of this story as she was. (And if you're one of those tough guys who swore he'd never see it because he doesn't "follow trends" or "read books and see movies that interest teenage girls" well, then, your horizons aren't very broad. I'm sorry you're missing out.)
I read all three books about six months ago. I must say, it was a series I had trouble putting down. In general, I'm the kind of guy who reads things like 'Dracula', 'Lord of the Rings', Sherlock Holmes stories, and pretty much anything Stephen King writes. But I will also I read every 'Harry Potter' story with much vigor. It was easy to read but still had an engaging story-line.
If you're not aware of the plot, basically, it goes a little somethin' like this. Post-apocalyptic America has been ravaged by civil war. After the uprising, the country was left as 12 fenced-in districts, ruled over by the Capital. Each district is far away from one another, so they cannot work together to rise again. The districts each do a certain specialized job, such as farm, mine coal, or make clothes, and their products are sent to the Capital. In turn, the Capital provides a little of these products for the districts to keep them alive. The Capital lives a life of decadence, while the districts basically live- if they can at all- in poverty. As another way to keep the districts in check, the Capital instituted an annual event called the Hunger Games. During the Hunger Games, a girl and boy between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen at random from each district to compete. At the prescribed time, the 24 competitors are trained, then put into a pre-created arena to battle to the death. 24 children enter, only one can leave alive.
Our story follows Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year-old girl from District 12. District 12 is the mining district, where Appalachia used to be. Her father died in a mine explosion. She has resigned herself to take care of her mother and little sister any way she can. Because of power outages, the fence surrounding District 12 is almost never electrically charged. She takes to the woods with her hunting partner, an older boy named Gale, where they are able to catch enough wild game and pick enough fresh fruit to live on or trade for the supplies they need.
At this year's Reaping, where they choose the competitors for the Hunger Games, Katniss's 12 year-old sister is chosen. Obviously, feeling her need to protect her sister, Katniss volunteers to take her place.
I think the film did a good job of setting all this up and not being overwhelming, while still closely following the storyline. I've read many books, then seen movie adaptations, and walked away from the film thinking "That's not how the book went at all". The settings were very well done. (I believe the movie was shot in North Carolina for the "District 12" portions of the movie). Unlike a fake set in Hollywood, I felt like we were really in a desolate Appalachian mining town.
The futuristic Capital was clearly a computer-generated location, but it wasn't overwhelmingly computery, like "Beowulf". I really enjoyed the way they costumed the characters in the Capital, who were described opulent and overly flashy. They looked how I assume it would look if you threw every Dr. Seuss character into real-life in one city.
The action sequences within the arena were well-done. I felt like they showed what needed to be shown to get the point across, without being overly graphic (remember the target audience is still a 15 year-old girl). But at the same time, they still had enough to keep a blood-thirsty 24 year-old man interested as well. I especially enjoyed a scene in which Katniss gets stung by Tracker-Jackers (genetically altered bees who's sting causes pain and halluncinations). We see an awkward sequence through Katniss's eyes where she stumbles through the woods, not sure what she is seeing, and what is in her mind. All the while, the camera is drifting in and out of focus, and we get a shuddering effect, as if the film is getting hung up on the reel. The whole scene is very jarring.
The character development followed pretty close to the book, which I was happy with. However, the noticeable difference is that the book is told from Katniss's point of view, so we often get her internal feelings, especially about her fears for her family and her ongoing struggle to decide her feelings about Gale and Peeta. We're able to see some of that in her acting and reacting with Peeta in the lead up to and in the arena. We only get a few glimpses of how she feels about Gale before she leaves. But I assume these issues will be more addressed the second and third movies. We are also shown more situations from the Capital, during the games, which Katniss would never have known about.
**NERD ALERT** If you've hung with me so far, bare with me a little longer. I went to school for movie-making. So I always watch a movie a little different than the average person. I really enjoyed the way they lit the movie. Lots of imitated natural light. Especially moonlight. No reason to over-blow anything. I also thought the music choices were very well done. Everything seemed to marry the action very well. I always think the best lighting and music are the ones that make sense in the moment, but that you don't really notice if you're not looking for them.
Overall, whether you've read the books or not, I feel like anyone young or old, man or woman, can find some way to enjoy this movie. Obviously there will always be some people that don't like it, but I think a majority of people who like a good movie with a deep story, a little action, a little romance, and that "underdog against the world" feeling can dig on this movie.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
In Memorium
Sorry I've been absent a few days. I knew that things were going to get hectic this week. I moved into a new apartment with my fiance, and we've been trying to get our stuff and new furniture in there to get set up. But on Tuesday, I got some terrible news while we were at IKEA.
I found out that a very old friend by the name of Tommy Grady had passed away that afternoon. He had been involved in an accident while riding his motorcycle. We kept in touch from time to time, and I had actually just seen him two weeks ago where he told me about his new purchase; that very same motorcycle.
Tommy and I had been friends for nearly 20 years now. Along with Craig Buschle and Kurt Olding, the four of us were put on the same baseball team in first grade. We all quickly became friends, and by extension, so did our families. It always seemed like all four of our dads were involved with coaching our teams, so when it came to picking teams each year, we all seemed to end up on the same team. Our families became so close that it became a monthly tradition that we go to one of the four of our houses. The adults would play party games or watch movies and yammer, while the kids would go and play. There were always video games, board games, Legos, and of course, sports.
We loved to run. We loved to play. Each person's house offered different opportunities to explore. Kurt's house had woods behind it. Tommy had a cul-de-sac for stick-ball. Craig had lots of kids in the neighborhood to play team games with. And none of my neighbors have fences, so we had plenty of room for hide and go seek. Plus, we were always playing make-believe. We couldn't help but let our minds imagine pretend adventures we could go on. Craig was always the leader. Kurt had the muscle. I was the problem-solver. And Tommy was, unsurprisingly, the daredevil. There was nothing Tommy wouldn't climb, run into, or jump off of.
We were always so different, but at the same time, always drawn together. I think from the ages of 5 to 12, there was nothing we looked forward to more than those Saturday nights once a month where we were all together. It was a simpler time. Unfortunately, in 6th grade, things got a little less tight. Tommy was by no means an unintelligent person. He just had a different way of learning than most, and the teachers at our grade school didn't have the right tools to help him. They recommended that Tommy repeat 6th grade. So instead of doing it all over again, his parents decided it was time to move him to public school, where he remained a grade behind us for the rest of our school career.
When we hit high school, it seemed the get-togethers were less frequent. We began to find that the things that used to bind us together were no longer there. We had different friends. We had different interests. Our lives were headed in different ways. So slowly, but amicably, we seemed to part ways. Our parents are all still friends. We get regular updates on what the others are doing. But with our busy lives, we've had difficulty staying in touch ourselves.
I had to hear of Tommy's passing from my mother. I had heard on the radio that there was a wreck on Glenway that afternoon, but could never have fathomed that anyone had died, or that the person that was gone was a long-time friend.
It's never fair when a person dies before they have a chance to experience all the best parts of life. It's worse when it's someone you know personally. Tommy always lived his life full-go. He never had any quit in him, and if you needed help, he'd be there for you, giving it all he had. It's going to be tough for a while to think about the fact that I'll never run into him at the gas station again or that any reunion we have will never be quite whole.
But I plan to live my life a little fuller from now on. Tommy would have wanted that. He always thought I was a little bit of a wet blanket, but I guess I had to do it to keep him in check. And he got me to do things I would have never done on my own. The four of us used to rub off on each other that way. We will miss Tommy and his gung-ho, give-it-everything-you-have style, but we will never, ever forget him.
I found out that a very old friend by the name of Tommy Grady had passed away that afternoon. He had been involved in an accident while riding his motorcycle. We kept in touch from time to time, and I had actually just seen him two weeks ago where he told me about his new purchase; that very same motorcycle.
Tommy and I had been friends for nearly 20 years now. Along with Craig Buschle and Kurt Olding, the four of us were put on the same baseball team in first grade. We all quickly became friends, and by extension, so did our families. It always seemed like all four of our dads were involved with coaching our teams, so when it came to picking teams each year, we all seemed to end up on the same team. Our families became so close that it became a monthly tradition that we go to one of the four of our houses. The adults would play party games or watch movies and yammer, while the kids would go and play. There were always video games, board games, Legos, and of course, sports.
We loved to run. We loved to play. Each person's house offered different opportunities to explore. Kurt's house had woods behind it. Tommy had a cul-de-sac for stick-ball. Craig had lots of kids in the neighborhood to play team games with. And none of my neighbors have fences, so we had plenty of room for hide and go seek. Plus, we were always playing make-believe. We couldn't help but let our minds imagine pretend adventures we could go on. Craig was always the leader. Kurt had the muscle. I was the problem-solver. And Tommy was, unsurprisingly, the daredevil. There was nothing Tommy wouldn't climb, run into, or jump off of.
We were always so different, but at the same time, always drawn together. I think from the ages of 5 to 12, there was nothing we looked forward to more than those Saturday nights once a month where we were all together. It was a simpler time. Unfortunately, in 6th grade, things got a little less tight. Tommy was by no means an unintelligent person. He just had a different way of learning than most, and the teachers at our grade school didn't have the right tools to help him. They recommended that Tommy repeat 6th grade. So instead of doing it all over again, his parents decided it was time to move him to public school, where he remained a grade behind us for the rest of our school career.
When we hit high school, it seemed the get-togethers were less frequent. We began to find that the things that used to bind us together were no longer there. We had different friends. We had different interests. Our lives were headed in different ways. So slowly, but amicably, we seemed to part ways. Our parents are all still friends. We get regular updates on what the others are doing. But with our busy lives, we've had difficulty staying in touch ourselves.
I had to hear of Tommy's passing from my mother. I had heard on the radio that there was a wreck on Glenway that afternoon, but could never have fathomed that anyone had died, or that the person that was gone was a long-time friend.
It's never fair when a person dies before they have a chance to experience all the best parts of life. It's worse when it's someone you know personally. Tommy always lived his life full-go. He never had any quit in him, and if you needed help, he'd be there for you, giving it all he had. It's going to be tough for a while to think about the fact that I'll never run into him at the gas station again or that any reunion we have will never be quite whole.
But I plan to live my life a little fuller from now on. Tommy would have wanted that. He always thought I was a little bit of a wet blanket, but I guess I had to do it to keep him in check. And he got me to do things I would have never done on my own. The four of us used to rub off on each other that way. We will miss Tommy and his gung-ho, give-it-everything-you-have style, but we will never, ever forget him.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Where Did Winter Go?
I decided about halfway through "winter" to start checking out the highs and lows each day. If you live in the Cincinnati-ish area and nearby, you've probably noticed its been a little warm. And we haven't seen much of that white stuff. No, Lindsay Lohan, the frozen white stuff. Someone with more eco-knowledge or meteorological savvy might know what to do with this data and find some sort of correlation to... you know, melting polar ice caps or tsunamis or some interesting stuff like that. I just have a thing for statistics and trends. So here are the highs and lows for each day since winter began on December 21st.
High Low
Anything below freezing in the 30's is highlighted in yellow, below freezing in the 20s is green, below freezing in the teens is blue. And as you'll notice, we didn't have a low in the single digits all winter. At least not according to The National Weather Service, where I got all my information. I hope it's right. It sounds right. It felt like the temperatures those days. You'll also notice we had a mere 8 days where the high was below freezing.
Any temperatures we had above 60 I highlighted in orange, and any in the 70s were highlighted in red. Like I said, these numbers might be a little inaccurate by a few degrees, but I'd be willing to bet they're pretty darn close. And again, this isn't some sort of eco-attack or anything. Simply an interesting observation of the warming trend and lack of frozen precipitation we saw all season. I wonder how this will affect the rest of the year. Could this be a year we set all kinds of high temperature records? I hope not, cause I just leased an apartment with a window unit air-conditioner in it, and I can't afford a high electric bill.
Today's Twitter bio goes to: @DopplerTim @JohnGumm @Bouts12 and @ScottDimmich
I planned on getting to the Local 12 Weather team at some point. This seemed like a good time to do it. All four members of this team do a great job getting the best, fastest, and most accurate weather information to the viewers. They're constantly and tirelessly working to be better than they already are. (Trust me, they're always asking for new equipment). But to their credit, they don't let any of their skills or equipment go to waste.
The day we had the huge, massive crazy weather day (which happened to be my birthday) They worked round the clock to get the most important and up-to-date information to those most affected. They were also able to use some of their most state-of-the art gadgets, like the app from the iPad, to help better inform viewers.
If you need weather information, which will be gained most quickly from Twitter, look no farther than the Weather Authority Four. I can nearly guarantee that should you need to know about a big weather event in the area, at any time of the day, at least one of them has tweeted about it in the past hour or two. Also follow the @Local12Alerts page for even more up-to-date weather alerts. There's a reason they're the Weather Authority. They're very good at what they do.
High Low
12/21 60 48
12/22 48 40
12/23 40 34
12/24 41 26
12/25 52 29
12/26 45 24
12/27 40 35
12/28 38 28
12/29 52 31
12/30 55 44
12/31 46 37
1/1 55 32
1/2 33 19
1/3 27 15
1/4 40 17
1/5 50 23
1/6 59 40
1/7 52 37
1/8 45 29
1/9 51 33
1/10 54 28
1/11 49 37
1/12 45 16
1/13 20 15
1/14 29 18
1/15 32 11
1/16 55 25
1/17 58 31
1/18 32 22
1/19 37 22
1/20 29 16
1/21 30 24
1/22 53 26
1/23 58 39
1/24 39 29
1/25 38 28
1/26 51 35
1/27 41 34
1/28 41 30
1/29 46 24
1/30 57 20
1/31 60 47
2/1 62 46
2/2 54 35
2/3 55 33
2/4 47 39
2/5 48 32
2/6 50 23
2/7 39 28
2/8 36 31
2/9 36 28
2/10 33 27
2/11 32 14
2/12 35 13
2/13 35 16
2/14 37 31
2/15 48 33
2/16 49 38
2/17 51 27
2/18 51 28
2/19 39 27
2/20 45 19
2/21 50 32
2/22 57 36
2/23 56 33
2/24 51 32
2/25 37 22
2/26 51 21
2/27 60 31
2/28 59 28
2/29 67 49
3/1 55 37
3/2 62 39
3/3 45 33
3/4 40 27
3/5 38 25
3/6 63 24
3/7 69 42
3/8 61 36
3/9 47 32
3/10 54 27
3/11 68 36
3/12 64 52
3/13 74 56
3/14 78 47
3/15 76 57
3/16 67 54
3/17 76 53
3/18 79 57
3/19 81 58
Anything below freezing in the 30's is highlighted in yellow, below freezing in the 20s is green, below freezing in the teens is blue. And as you'll notice, we didn't have a low in the single digits all winter. At least not according to The National Weather Service, where I got all my information. I hope it's right. It sounds right. It felt like the temperatures those days. You'll also notice we had a mere 8 days where the high was below freezing.
Any temperatures we had above 60 I highlighted in orange, and any in the 70s were highlighted in red. Like I said, these numbers might be a little inaccurate by a few degrees, but I'd be willing to bet they're pretty darn close. And again, this isn't some sort of eco-attack or anything. Simply an interesting observation of the warming trend and lack of frozen precipitation we saw all season. I wonder how this will affect the rest of the year. Could this be a year we set all kinds of high temperature records? I hope not, cause I just leased an apartment with a window unit air-conditioner in it, and I can't afford a high electric bill.
Today's Twitter bio goes to: @DopplerTim @JohnGumm @Bouts12 and @ScottDimmich
I planned on getting to the Local 12 Weather team at some point. This seemed like a good time to do it. All four members of this team do a great job getting the best, fastest, and most accurate weather information to the viewers. They're constantly and tirelessly working to be better than they already are. (Trust me, they're always asking for new equipment). But to their credit, they don't let any of their skills or equipment go to waste.
The day we had the huge, massive crazy weather day (which happened to be my birthday) They worked round the clock to get the most important and up-to-date information to those most affected. They were also able to use some of their most state-of-the art gadgets, like the app from the iPad, to help better inform viewers.
If you need weather information, which will be gained most quickly from Twitter, look no farther than the Weather Authority Four. I can nearly guarantee that should you need to know about a big weather event in the area, at any time of the day, at least one of them has tweeted about it in the past hour or two. Also follow the @Local12Alerts page for even more up-to-date weather alerts. There's a reason they're the Weather Authority. They're very good at what they do.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Tourney Time:Weekend Recap
What a whirlwind of opening round action in the Big Dance. Who could have predicted before the tournament started we'd have the 16 teams left that we do now. Right now, I'm going to break down the number of teams left by state.
Texas-1
Kansas-1
Michigan-1
Indiana-1
New York-1
Florida-1
Wisconsin-2
Kentucky-2
North Carolina-2
OHIO-4
A quarter of the Sweet 16 from the Buckeye state is just unbelievable. The next four days will be nothing but battle talk between Cincinnati and Columbus, with the UC-OSU match-up. It's going to be explosive. And to have both Cincinnati teams still in the tournament is great. I hope that this helps repair the image of the figurative (and in Kenny Frease's case, literal) black eye the city has gotten since the Crosstown Shootout. Of course, Shootout II is still a possibility, however slight.
Other marquee match-ups (they're all marquee at this point, idiot) include UK taking on the only team to beat them in the regular season, the plucky team from Bloomington Indiana. OU gets the distinction of now being the lowest-seeded team left in the tournament. But they have a tough test in big, bad North Carolina this week.
Bonus Breakdown, teams by conference:
Big East- 4
Big 10- 4
Big 12- 2
SEC- 2
ACC- 2
Atlantic 10- 1
MAC- 1
My bracket isn't as torn up as I thought. I'm at 45 of 68 possible points. I've got 7 of 8 Elite 8 left and 3 of my Final Four, and my finals and winner are still intact. But I'm not gonna lie, I wouldn't be upset if I lost 3 bucks and the locals kept going. What a cool ride that would be.
Excuse me sir, can I offer you some....ratings?
This is the line I used as I passed the News Director's office on the way in to work today. CBS has gotten the UC-OSU game on Thursday and both Xavier and UK's games on Friday. I posed the thought that we could do Bengals-like numbers. He hoped the same. Tune in folks, its gonna a wild ride to New Orleans. Hopefully some local teams can make it there too.
Today's Twitter profile: @Dan_Hoard
Dan is the play-by-play man for the University of Cincinnati's basketball and football teams. He also recently started calling the Cincinnati Bengals games on the radio. Dan is always excited when he calls a game. Regardless of who the opponent is, he always seems to feel as if the 'Cats and Bengals can win. Listening to some announcers can lull a person to sleep. **Take two Jim Nantz and call me after the Masters.**
But if you're looking for an upper, don't reach for a Red Bull. Just flip on a game Dan's calling. I was able to catch the last 10 minutes of UC's game last night on the way home from work. Every shot the Bearcats made was poetry. Hearing Dan call it made me feel like I was there. I didn't even go to UC, and I found myself punching the air every time Sean Kilpatrick hit a 3, and got goosebumps when Hoard called Dion Dixon's steal and dunk. Dan's got a verbiage only rivaled by Marty Breannaman and my pal Brad Johansen.
And Dan tweets how he calls a game. Always excited. Dan is full-throttle UC and Bengals. He really loves what he does and it shows. He also tweeted me back last night after I tweeted about my goosebumps. It's a little thing to do, but when you only have 140 followers, its neat when someone with nearly 6,000 gets back to you. Check him out for all your Bearcat and Bengal needs.
Texas-1
Kansas-1
Michigan-1
Indiana-1
New York-1
Florida-1
Wisconsin-2
Kentucky-2
North Carolina-2
OHIO-4
A quarter of the Sweet 16 from the Buckeye state is just unbelievable. The next four days will be nothing but battle talk between Cincinnati and Columbus, with the UC-OSU match-up. It's going to be explosive. And to have both Cincinnati teams still in the tournament is great. I hope that this helps repair the image of the figurative (and in Kenny Frease's case, literal) black eye the city has gotten since the Crosstown Shootout. Of course, Shootout II is still a possibility, however slight.
Other marquee match-ups (they're all marquee at this point, idiot) include UK taking on the only team to beat them in the regular season, the plucky team from Bloomington Indiana. OU gets the distinction of now being the lowest-seeded team left in the tournament. But they have a tough test in big, bad North Carolina this week.
Bonus Breakdown, teams by conference:
Big East- 4
Big 10- 4
Big 12- 2
SEC- 2
ACC- 2
Atlantic 10- 1
MAC- 1
My bracket isn't as torn up as I thought. I'm at 45 of 68 possible points. I've got 7 of 8 Elite 8 left and 3 of my Final Four, and my finals and winner are still intact. But I'm not gonna lie, I wouldn't be upset if I lost 3 bucks and the locals kept going. What a cool ride that would be.
Excuse me sir, can I offer you some....ratings?
This is the line I used as I passed the News Director's office on the way in to work today. CBS has gotten the UC-OSU game on Thursday and both Xavier and UK's games on Friday. I posed the thought that we could do Bengals-like numbers. He hoped the same. Tune in folks, its gonna a wild ride to New Orleans. Hopefully some local teams can make it there too.
Today's Twitter profile: @Dan_Hoard
Dan is the play-by-play man for the University of Cincinnati's basketball and football teams. He also recently started calling the Cincinnati Bengals games on the radio. Dan is always excited when he calls a game. Regardless of who the opponent is, he always seems to feel as if the 'Cats and Bengals can win. Listening to some announcers can lull a person to sleep. **Take two Jim Nantz and call me after the Masters.**
But if you're looking for an upper, don't reach for a Red Bull. Just flip on a game Dan's calling. I was able to catch the last 10 minutes of UC's game last night on the way home from work. Every shot the Bearcats made was poetry. Hearing Dan call it made me feel like I was there. I didn't even go to UC, and I found myself punching the air every time Sean Kilpatrick hit a 3, and got goosebumps when Hoard called Dion Dixon's steal and dunk. Dan's got a verbiage only rivaled by Marty Breannaman and my pal Brad Johansen.
And Dan tweets how he calls a game. Always excited. Dan is full-throttle UC and Bengals. He really loves what he does and it shows. He also tweeted me back last night after I tweeted about my goosebumps. It's a little thing to do, but when you only have 140 followers, its neat when someone with nearly 6,000 gets back to you. Check him out for all your Bearcat and Bengal needs.
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