DLD 8/4/011: (26, actually, but it's gonna seem like) 100 views of A's hats
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 9:50 AM PDT
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Printi'm not sure if it's the color combo, or what it stands for. but hands down, there is one best cap in baseball, a classic. a cap so good even the '77 pirates pillbox has to stand back and say "you're the one." and we all know which one it is, right. just think of the first time you saw it. you got tingly, didn't you?
i was in 5th grade when i did, in orange county at a time when fernando was on the news almost every night, or so it seemed to me as i watched the only segment of the news that made any sense to me. it wasn't just heads talking about the economy but clips of people doing things—albeit strange things that i couldn't really understand, done in weird uniforms with long sleeves under short ones and colored rubberband thingies keeping people's pantlegs down, with different colors spelling out names that i still had no grasp of, but that i was sure, just sure, if i could somehow get this sports thing i'd probably be able to talk to some kids in school during recess and make some friends.
being new to the US, i didn't know about baseball, really, or which teams where which. but one day, in the middle of the school year, this kid jason moved into the district from somewhere called oakland and came to school wearing this home-town hat so proudly. i remember staring at the hat. in an era of maroon velour pullovers and beige OP corduroy shorts, it was almost transcendent. the colors, green and gold, which are normally the also-rans next to blue and red, instead combine into an even stronger force than blue, red, or blue and red can muster. so at the same time that everybody else is in dodger blue, or pete rose red, or california angel blue with red (remember them?), diluting the otherwise stalwart strength of these colors into a monochromatic incomplexity and creating its own crowd to fade into, along comes this against-the-current jolt of other colors, the crayons nobody fights over, if you will, and which, in combination, just blow away everything you expected two tones to do. the green, it carries everything either blue or red would hope to: depth, strength, foundation, calmness like blue, energy like red. but that's where the other primaries stop, even when contrasted to each other. so here's the brilliance of the A's, or rather, of the A's gold. it's bright, sharp, and clear; as soon as you were going to be lost in the forest of green, it brings you back to excitement, to freshness—it is lemon scent, it is sunlight, it is NOW. and then, that clearly superior tonal harmony is choreographed upon the cap itself—i mean, picture the hat without a gold button on top, totally and completely incorrect, right? but the button is gold, and it makes the gold brim not an oddity but integral, and this in turn strengthens the trim to play evenly against what would otherwise be an overabundance of green. then, a touch of clean in the white of the lettering, and let's not forget that initial A (for my name, obviously!). and that apostrophe... OMG, there's an apostrophe, nothing says USA! USA! USA! in the eyes of a non-english-speaker with an assimilation wish the way a good apo does (even if used to pluralize an adjective in initials...).
yeah, it was a thrill the first time i saw jason's A's hat.
i ended up being friends with him fifth–eighth grades, with good and bad times both, of course. i remember one drenchful spitting incident which actually began with a bit of gleaking—that wasn't so good. and the night someone prank called me saying it was him and asking if i wanted to come spend the night leading to a bunch of surprised looks when i made my dad drive me over and i showed up carrying my sleeping bag on a tuesday night—thanks to forgiving parents, that one turned out fun. but before that, way before that, maybe the first or second time i visited his house, i looked up from whatever we were playing and saw his hat hanging on the hook behind his door. i asked him, "what does your hat mean?"
"it's the A's," he said. "you know... baseball?"
"sure, sure," i said, "but what makes it so cool?"
so, is it the color combo, specially the home classic yellow bill with green top? or is it what it stands for? i need your help determining this. and i think the best way to decide is just by looking at some and asking the right questions: what if it's not even the right colors, does it still rep the A's? what if the person wearing it is a dork beyond measure, does the hat not still rock? is it cool because we like it, or do we like it because it's cool?
in nearly random order, with any explanation given probably an exaggeration or unfounded interpolation (with asterisks denoting the links of better substance, at least IMO), some A's hats...
look at the third walkway up, the guy in the cream jacket... uh-huh. alan parsons knew. (full size here.)
from "highway to heaven," nico's choco-tini face, as modeled by victor.
page links
an otherwise bright-looking guy robbing a bank in ohio.
when vice says "do," it's a good suggestion.
well, at least we know the A's have heard of field artillery...
a sleepy-looking woman not robbing a bank anymore.
mini-star power. angie's kid shopping in the elmwood strip.
confirmed: it's integral to hipster fash.
it's not going to be a popular view, but i kinda dig this one.
video area
* remember when you didn't know about wOBA?
* erm... on the other hand, it's just one letter away from A'ss hat.
see? you can pick by a team by the colors if you want to...
showing off a single hat in classic colors. (why are there videos like this?)
showing off a single hat in red on white?
not sure if this is showing off at all.
* maybe we can figure out if the A's colors are cool through... protosabermetrics?
* the hats are classic because we don't change them, and apparently, so are the marketing slogans.
eyelids are the hats of the eye.
* a helmet, in case you're left hanging.
hip hop corner
amateur hour in front of the cam-phone.
autotune + abercrombie-n-finch cleancut + name dropping the A's hat? …o-kaaay!
big hat, big car, big town. and big coli parking lot to boot.
* the best-kept secret is out.
and finally, some hour-long entertainment: a TV show (you'll have to sit through an entertaining commercial too). in sliders, set in the bay area at all different moments of time as this scientist kid and his changing entourage try to wormhole back to current day oakland, we get pretty much the highlight of the entire series at minute 1:53 of the pilot episode, when we can see our favorite hat hanging on the pre-timetravel hero's wall. no more references to the A's will occur in this show—at least through the first 2 sudden and barely explicable cast changes, which is when the series turned from painful to impossible to watch.
so... do we have enough of a sample to decide? are we asking the right questions? do you have a favorite A's cap sighting you want to share? dump away!
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Dood. Klinsmann named the squad for the US v Mexico
GOALKEEPERS (2): Bill Hamid (D.C.United), Tim Howard (Everton)
DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Etienne), Edgar Castillo (Club America), Timmy Chandler (FC Nürnberg), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Michael Orozco Fiscal (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Chivas USA), Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), José Torres (Pachuca)
FORWARDS (5): Freddy Adu (Benfica), Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Edson Buddle (FC Ingolstadt), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)
I think the defense is going to suck, and it’s interesting that Altidore and Dempsey were left off.
I really, really hope Mwanga puts in for US citizenship, too.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
DURRRR THEY’RE TOO OLD, BABIP IS TOO HIGH, TOO MANY Ks, DURRRRRR
I wonder if Shea will start
That would be interesting. I think Honigstein suggested in a SI column that he’d be the type of player Klinsmann would like.
The surprising thing to me is Lichaj’s absence. Maybe he and Dempsey were left off because Klinsmann wants to let the EPL outfield players start the season with their club teams?
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
yea that might be.
Also I am not a fan of Edson Buddle. Hopefully Altidore replaces him when he starts playing full time again
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
DURRRR THEY’RE TOO OLD, BABIP IS TOO HIGH, TOO MANY Ks, DURRRRRR
Still, at least Buddle isn't Robbie Findley
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Kinda wondering what's up with Charlie Davies, too.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
DURRRR THEY’RE TOO OLD, BABIP IS TOO HIGH, TOO MANY Ks, DURRRRRR
Good point, he's been scoring goals at DC United this season, hasn't he?
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
He's definitely giving the guys in the Mexican League a shot to impress
I can dig it.
Pretty sure Mwanga will put in for citizenship the day he’s eligible. What’s he going to do, play for the Congo, which he left as a refugee after his father was assassinated?
by Glorious Mundy on Aug 4, 2011 10:40 AM PDT up reply actions
the SBN nation article says:
Clint Dempsey, who will be starting a new Premier League season and Europa League campaign, along with Jozy Altidore, who is settling in with AZ Alkmaar, were not called up.
i don’t think it signals a big change. they’re just out for this game.
also, you see this gem?
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 10:40 AM PDT up reply actions
Yup. That was awesome.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
DURRRR THEY’RE TOO OLD, BABIP IS TOO HIGH, TOO MANY Ks, DURRRRRR
good thing the first chivas goal was pretty convincing. made me start paying attention and this one was so worth seeing in play.
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 10:56 AM PDT up reply actions
Wait, Altidore is at AZ?
Wow. It’s pretty hard for me to imagine him playing in the Eredivisie — he’s not exactly the most stylish ball handler out there, and AZ is a good team that generally plays really attractive soccer.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
I should hope he doesn't handle the ball. Otherwise he's doing it wrong.
And he’s big, physical and quick. He’ll do fine.
"Nah, you look like Elijah Wood." - danmerqury
And now for some sad soccer news
Split : England 0:2
2011 Oakland Athletics: We have Cy Young pitchers and make yours look like it, too
huh? england’s game doesn’t start for another 25 minutes… sad about croatia though.
(or are we not talking about the u-20?)
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions
No, Euroleague team qualifiers
Hajduk Split vs Stoke City, RNK Split vs Fulham
2011 Oakland Athletics: We have Cy Young pitchers and make yours look like it, too
i’m out of my league here. i don’t even know what split means… half the team goes somewhere else, like in spring training?
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Stoke City is playing in Europe?
That’s remarkable.
by Glorious Mundy on Aug 4, 2011 2:41 PM PDT up reply actions
I think it's cos they were in the FA cup final and Manchester City qualified for the Champs League.
Generally the FA cup winner goes into the Europa League.
"Nah, you look like Elijah Wood." - danmerqury
EPL is about to start, I'm guessing Dempsey's given the pass so that he can play with Fulham.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
DURRRR THEY’RE TOO OLD, BABIP IS TOO HIGH, TOO MANY Ks, DURRRRRR
Fangraphs article on Brandon Allen (You knew it was coming!)
Don’t read it if you want to keep your BA buzz going.
For anyone else, it’s here.
Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day
by PDXAthleticsfan on Aug 4, 2011 10:41 AM PDT reply actions
Ha! I was just gonna post that.
We shouldn’t tell anyone in that Brandon Allen thread, should we?
by LoneStranger on Aug 4, 2011 10:44 AM PDT up reply actions
i say copy/paste our BA thread in comment to theirs…
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 10:46 AM PDT up reply actions
Probably not.
Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day
by PDXAthleticsfan on Aug 4, 2011 10:47 AM PDT up reply actions
I think even then, we're looking at SSS, but here's how his plate discipline stats look so far
BA MLB Avg.
O-Swing% 27.9% 28.20%
Z-Swing% 60.4% 65.10%
Swing% 42.2% 45.67%
O-Contact% 46.8% 65.47%
Z-Contact% 79.4% 87.93%
Contact% 67.3% 80.70%
Zone% 43.8% 47.17%
F-Strike% 54.5% 58.73%
SwStr% 13.4% 8.53%
So he doesn’t swing as much, but it looks like when he does, he’s missing a lot, especially on pitches out of the zone (Red Dot!) So, your garden variety hacker, in other words. There’s definitely cause for concern.
Also, can anyone give me a pointer on:
1) formatting tables in a comment?
2) importing images from my computer?
I’ve been trying to figure it out on my own and failing miserably.
Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day
by PDXAthleticsfan on Aug 5, 2011 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Re: 1) - no idea
Re: 2) upload it to some online storage (flickr or something like that, then link it from here)
2011 Oakland Athletics: We have Cy Young pitchers and make yours look like it, too
Thanks, EC.
Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day
by PDXAthleticsfan on Aug 8, 2011 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions
For #1,
I assume your text was formatted to appear properly in a monospace font. To make it appear in monospace font in the comment, type <PRE> before it and </PRE> after it. Everything between the PRE tags will print in monospace font.
Check it in preview to make sure it looks how you want it: The vertical spacing will vary depending on whether you have line breaks after your tags, and you may need to convert tab characters to spaces for the horizontal spacing.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Thanks, iglew. I'll try that next time.
Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day
by PDXAthleticsfan on Aug 8, 2011 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions
I wonder if Sogard is the only glasses-wearing major leaguer.
LookoutLanding Jeff Sullivan
@B__McCarthy Have you ever tried on Eric Sogard’s glasses
B__McCarthy Brandon McCarthy
@LookoutLanding is there a joke in there that I’m not getting? Do I have to Urban Dictionary this?
LookoutLanding Jeff Sullivan
@B__McCarthy No joke. Just like, whoa, glasses! That’s crazy!
Jeff is obsessed with Keebs.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. —Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
That dude looks like my childhood dentist
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on Aug 4, 2011 12:41 PM PDT up reply actions
yes
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on Aug 4, 2011 1:10 PM PDT up reply actions
I really don't get the facination
We yet enjoy little to be envied, but endure much to be pitied.-Thomas Dudley
Everything exists.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. —Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
The interwebz are wondrous.
Also, this exists:
I don’t know how he kept a straight face while posing for that.
by whiteshoes40 on Aug 4, 2011 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
That's not wondrous.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. —Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
I see your Pudge and raise you a Canseco.
"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities." - Grand Master Bruce Lee
in the kingdom of passion the ruler is obsession.
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 12:16 PM PDT up reply actions
I meant that whole site.
That particular photo is more disturbing than anything else.
by whiteshoes40 on Aug 4, 2011 12:20 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm not sure how YOU kept a straight face while posting that.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. —Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
He is awesome.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. —Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
If by "hit and miss" you mean "always hilarious," then yes.
But somehow I doubt that’s what you meant. We disagree! Shocking.
You know what I meant. And yes we disagree. Big deal.
"Nah, you look like Elijah Wood." - danmerqury
And adorable.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. —Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
This is possibly the most puzzling thing you've ever posted,
and you’ve post a lot of puzzling opinions.
Oh noes. Dan doesn't agree with me. Whatever shall I do?
"Nah, you look like Elijah Wood." - danmerqury
Not really anything new in it
But there’s an article about Zito on Grantland that’s moderately interesting.
Jose Molina just tripled
We yet enjoy little to be envied, but endure much to be pitied.-Thomas Dudley
Blue Jays blew a lead in the 10th and now the 11th
We yet enjoy little to be envied, but endure much to be pitied.-Thomas Dudley
I am disappointed that I am able to watch the tigers Rangers game at work
but the tigers are losing so I won’t get to see a valverde dance
We yet enjoy little to be envied, but endure much to be pitied.-Thomas Dudley
I like Brandon.
B__McCarthy Brandon McCarthy
We’re staying at a hotel that’s supposedly haunted, but that seems weird to me. Did ghosts choose the nicest hotel in area on purpose?
Did ghosts get together and say “well I’d sure be up for haunting some people, but I want to be close to the beach with a nice spa”
Also, everyone says that they either see something like a ghost, or their water goes on and off. That’s it? I could put up with that
Are there any helpful ghosts? Like would one iron my shirt while I shower? Or are they all into messing with plumbing for some weird reason?
by whiteshoes40 on Aug 4, 2011 1:08 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
ghosts in florida? kinda hard to picture the tan lines, but i guess it’s possible.
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 1:15 PM PDT up reply actions
intriguing, but this is not going to win against combination pizzahut/tacobell cravings.
then again, the only thing that wins against combo ph/tc cravings is actually tasting combo ph/tc (one bite and you’re cured!).
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 1:33 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh, I love that
Only I do it without broccoli.
2011 Oakland Athletics: We have Cy Young pitchers and make yours look like it, too
Stupid people astound me
"If you wrote something for which someone sent you a check, if you cashed the check and it didn't bounce, and if you then paid the light bill with the money, I consider you talented." —Stephen King
Yes
Anger is probably the more fitting term right now.
"If you wrote something for which someone sent you a check, if you cashed the check and it didn't bounce, and if you then paid the light bill with the money, I consider you talented." —Stephen King
Sometimes I wish we could just knock them over the head, take their money, and throw their bodies in the creek.
by Leopold Bloom on Aug 4, 2011 2:47 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't understand the use of a hypothetical here.
Aren’t we doing this already?
Get out the time-fracture wickets, Hobbes! We're gonna play Calvinball!
[gets knocked in the head for announcing plans to be a snitch]
We yet enjoy little to be envied, but endure much to be pitied.-Thomas Dudley
[kicks dirt on bodies to be safe]
Get out the time-fracture wickets, Hobbes! We're gonna play Calvinball!
.
Al Swearengen: Sometimes I wish we could just hit ’em over the head, rob ’em, and throw their bodies in the creek.
Cy Tolliver: But that would be wrong.
by Leopold Bloom on Aug 4, 2011 4:39 PM PDT up reply actions
So I've listened to 95.7 like 4 separate times today.
I’ll give you one guess as to what the topic was every single time
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
DURRRR THEY’RE TOO OLD, BABIP IS TOO HIGH, TOO MANY Ks, DURRRRRR
Why ladies shouldn't go to ball games to talk about shoes?
We yet enjoy little to be envied, but endure much to be pitied.-Thomas Dudley
I mean what are women doing at games anyway?
We yet enjoy little to be envied, but endure much to be pitied.-Thomas Dudley
on a serious note, did the station fire those awful guys that used to be on around 4 or 5?
We yet enjoy little to be envied, but endure much to be pitied.-Thomas Dudley
actually, they claim they quit of their own accord.
They do a morning show and were spending like 14 hour days in the studio.
by Leopold Bloom on Aug 4, 2011 2:49 PM PDT up reply actions
sammich woman!
:-)
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on Aug 4, 2011 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions
WHAT IS BOCHY GOING TO DO??!!
We yet enjoy little to be envied, but endure much to be pitied.-Thomas Dudley
condoms?
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on Aug 4, 2011 2:18 PM PDT up reply actions
it's at the point
where unless there’s a game on I’d rather have them playing the cougar life commercial on an endless loop
"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities." - Grand Master Bruce Lee
cougarlife.com
(date a cougar!)
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on Aug 4, 2011 2:33 PM PDT up reply actions
i’m done with them.
yesterday the only thing they could say about the A’s was that purposefully enraging “call us in and tell us if you can forgive * * for the 88 HR if his diamondbacks stop the giants from getting to the playoffs.”
it was immediately obvious that the part of the topic that was about the A’s was only a pretext to continue talking about the giants. but it took me all day to realize, they were trolling! baiting A’s fans on their own station.
their business plan is not the same as it was last week. they are through serving the A’s. now they are competing with NBR for giants fans. and since i’m not one of them, i’m not going to listen anymore.
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 2:28 PM PDT up reply actions
What I love is the tagline on one of their station promos
“Your Giants information source”
Clearly their business model is built around an assumption that there is a sizable group of people who are hungry for talk about the Giants (and, really, the 49ers), but want to get it from a station that is not in bed with the team. We’ll see.
I’m actually reluctantly coming around to being OK with this, because at least they talk about the A’s when there’s something (usually something bad right now) that merits talking about. For me, the worst show on the station is actually the one with the most A’s talk. Townsend’s ignorant rants about “Moneyball” and his anti-Oakland stance really turn me off.
by Glorious Mundy on Aug 4, 2011 2:30 PM PDT up reply actions
The Eric Davis show in the afternoon was insulting the first day. Fuck those guys.
by Leopold Bloom on Aug 4, 2011 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions
My fav thing is Brandon Tierney being a douche to listeners on The Game FB page. It's like... what are you doing, dude.
"This must be heaven," he says.
"No. It's Oakland."
He's from New York
That’s how they roll there.
by Glorious Mundy on Aug 4, 2011 4:00 PM PDT up reply actions
they have a bit
where they ring a bell every time someone says A’s. The whole “look everyone, we’re taking about them” thing is sort of insulting.
"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities." - Grand Master Bruce Lee
Yeah, I pretty much am done.
I’ll listen to Townie on my commute home, that’s about it. A part of me kind of wants to literally time out the breakdown of Giants/A’s/Niners/Raiders/other during a 4-hour block just for funsies, though.
It’s just really, really gross. And having Urban as a regular is pretty much a red flag of doom.
"This must be heaven," he says.
"No. It's Oakland."
I'm afraid it's going the way of the religious station and the country station for me
Listen to it during games, but be sure to change the channel before you turn off the car so you don’t have to hear any of the non-A’s programming. 95.7 TheShame,
M-A, M-A-R, M-A-R-K, Ell-is!
by Englishmajor on Aug 4, 2011 3:49 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
LOL. That's awesome.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. —Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
new nickname.
"I thought it was going in," Warriors center Chris Hunter said. "It looked like the invisible man tipped it away at the last second."
"He's chicken curry right now. He'll become beef curry a little later on."
-Keith Smart
Why does the Lucy link say "SF Giants" in the title???
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
it’s in the vid’s description (and it’s a better answer than you’d expect):
On June 13, 2010, the Giants gave out a Lucy bobblehead for the first 20,000 fans. Being an A’s fan, I decided to take the bobblehead and give it a paint job.
The jersey is a replica of the jersey the A’s wore from 1981-1985.
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 2:31 PM PDT up reply actions
yup yup!
And I still have another few days before I return to work. Woo hoo!!
There's no crying in baseball!
I have a 3 day weekend after I get home from Vegas on Thursday :D
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
DURRRR THEY’RE TOO OLD, BABIP IS TOO HIGH, TOO MANY Ks, DURRRRRR
yes.
Work on Monday will be tough, but I’ll enjoy every day of my staycation until then….
There's no crying in baseball!
I now feel insulted when they try to charge me for wi-fi in an airport.
I must be spoiled.
Get out the time-fracture wickets, Hobbes! We're gonna play Calvinball!
I know
I am pretty disappointed
2011 Oakland Athletics: We have Cy Young pitchers and make yours look like it, too
I have answers.
And if I don’t know the answer, I can make one up.
by Leopold Bloom on Aug 4, 2011 2:52 PM PDT up reply actions
you sure? I can come up with some incredibly creative fictitious answers.
by Leopold Bloom on Aug 4, 2011 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions
hey! i need help with fictitiousness!
i’m supposed to be reading a 400-page manuscript today and distilling it to 2 or 3 images/tropes that encapsulate the mood and content.
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 3:00 PM PDT up reply actions
I can do that. My years with Sebald finally pay off!
by Leopold Bloom on Aug 4, 2011 4:41 PM PDT up reply actions
heh
Can you give me Austerlitz in 50 words or less?
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
sure!
Austerlitz is a Czechoslovakian Jew who is sent to England to live in 1939. The novel is set in the 1960s as Austerlitz and a nameless narrator retrace the history of Austerlitz’s dead parents. The story is told using pictures and a recollective style that echos of Proust.
by Leopold Bloom on Aug 4, 2011 5:06 PM PDT up reply actions
dear sir,
i just realized what it is i don’t like about your new avatar. out the corner of my eye, where i keep avatars while reading so that i know who’s talking, i saw this as JA answering JA. in general shape and line weight, you two are twins right now.
just clearing my mind…
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions
I really loved the Woodstock one.
Clear, attractive, and distinctive.
I hate avatars that are just blobby blurs at size.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
both his woodstocks worked for me. the earlier one was slightly better because he was facing right and whistling. it went well with bloom’s short, offhand style. when i’d read one and look at the avatar to see who’d written it, there was this little bird with his head turned to ignore the comment (as if saying “i didn’t say that”) and whistling nonchalantly to prove it.
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 5:03 PM PDT up reply actions
you didn’t have to do it on my account!!! and i never meant that opus was a bad one. just that it looks like another one here.
but yeah, i like you dressed as woodstock. now, how’d you change just one avatar when all your other comments on this page still have the opus?
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 5:11 PM PDT up reply actions
the avatar doesn't change til you reload it, I'd guess.
by Leopold Bloom on Aug 4, 2011 5:12 PM PDT up reply actions
Little birdy, why do you fly upside down?
You're remarkable in a funny way. Or funny in a remarkable way.
Vince Guaraldi is awesome.
Here is the same scene with much better quality.
Here is a remake in similar style.
Here is another remake in a more modern jazz style.
Personally I like the first two better. I think the song (like most of Guaraldi’s Peanuts music) is better suited to the lazy cool style of the 1970s than the hot energetic style the Marsalis brothers give it. (Though I do like the variety.)
Vocals for the last one is Germaine Bazzle. Not sure who it is on the others. I think the first might be Guaraldi himself.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
by iglew on Aug 5, 2011 10:36 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I really like Vince Guaraldi.
I downloaded a bunch of his Peanuts soundtracks just because I love that laid back style.
by LoneStranger on Aug 9, 2011 10:32 AM PDT up reply actions
I have not done as many job apps today as I thought.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. —Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
you're the boss!
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. —Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
FUCK YO COUCH.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
DURRRR THEY’RE TOO OLD, BABIP IS TOO HIGH, TOO MANY Ks, DURRRRRR
La donna è mobile!
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Heh
I often used it as “Woman is a furniture”
2011 Oakland Athletics: We have Cy Young pitchers and make yours look like it, too
Speaking of which - there's a tv show just started here about the staff in a supermarket.
Whilst they’ve nailed the characters you find in there……..it’s not as funny as you’d expect. Oh it’s called ‘Trollied’ btw.
"Nah, you look like Elijah Wood." - danmerqury
Is there a reason the title is excessively British?
Get out the time-fracture wickets, Hobbes! We're gonna play Calvinball!
But not every American show is titled along the lines of "Guns, Fast Food and Amurican Freedom"
Get out the time-fracture wickets, Hobbes! We're gonna play Calvinball!
I never thought 'Sliders' would come up on AN.
If anyone needs me, I’ll be ogling Jerry O’Connell for the next hour.
Fun fact: there’s a surprising amount of A’s hats worn by background extras on ‘Saved By the Bell’, despite the show being set in SoCal.
"This must be heaven," he says.
"No. It's Oakland."
I never noticed that, actually (SBTB)
I’ll have to look out for it next time.
"If you wrote something for which someone sent you a check, if you cashed the check and it didn't bounce, and if you then paid the light bill with the money, I consider you talented." —Stephen King
yeah, sliders… i discovered it recently in the piedmont library, which has the DVDs. i really wanted to like the show, too… oh well.
but, speaking of so-cal A’s hats, jack the bear (with danny devito, not by duke ellington) is set in oakland during the ‘72 world series and the main character is a fan, so there’s lots of good memorabilia spotting. unfortunately, it was filmed in echo park.
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 4:14 PM PDT up reply actions
Sliders was so, so good until Season 3.
DAMN YOUUU FOX!
"This must be heaven," he says.
"No. It's Oakland."
I know this is old news
but I just read in one of the people magazines at work that the mom of the 8th grader in the “Friday” video paid a studio $4,000 to make the damn thing.
We yet enjoy little to be envied, but endure much to be pitied.-Thomas Dudley
Oh, yeah.
It was one of those lame “give us a shit ton of money, and we’ll give your kid the pop star treatment!” things. I guess they write a song for you, have you record it, and film a video. And shit it out onto youtube.
but that’s WHY we hated the song. it was terrible to start with, sure, but it was scheming, paid terribleness and that makes people angry.
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 4:19 PM PDT up reply actions
sadly
it’s like most modern pop music. Someone else writes it, then someone sings it and it winds up on the radio/youtube.
even worse the Friday girl wound up in a Katy Perry video later.
"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities." - Grand Master Bruce Lee
It's not like having a separate songwriter is anything new, though.
What’s different is that, rather than having someone be “discovered,” if you have the money, you can go to Starz ’R Us, write out a check and go viral in three days time.
Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day
by PDXAthleticsfan on Aug 4, 2011 4:29 PM PDT up reply actions
True, but back then, at least if you had a separate songwriter, the artist would still have to perform it.
Now? You “sing” in a mic, they autotune the hell out of it, and add in a backing track. What did Rebecca Whatshername actually do, musically?
We agree completely
Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day
by PDXAthleticsfan on Aug 4, 2011 4:44 PM PDT up reply actions
Well, musically speaking, she had rich parents,
so she was born with a measure of affluence.
That’s talent, right there.
by Leopold Bloom on Aug 4, 2011 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions
yeah, i hate it when i turn on the radio and it isn’t mozart singing the aria…
no, what i mean is that they went to a promo company to boost this girl’s “singing career.”
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 4:30 PM PDT up reply actions
true
without the promotion, it’s just like the places that they used to have at the mall (or your local theme park) where you would record your own song/make your own video
"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities." - Grand Master Bruce Lee
Having spent a fair amount of time working next to the record your own song
booth at Great America, it’s a good thing there still is vaguely a financial barrier to entry.
Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day
by PDXAthleticsfan on Aug 4, 2011 4:35 PM PDT up reply actions
my old roommate
still has a video (actually it was “Celebration”) that he and some coworkers recorded at a company outing. The “special effects” alone could cause seizures.
"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities." - Grand Master Bruce Lee
the motorcycle punk with the lighter
looks like Flea
"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities." - Grand Master Bruce Lee
oh wow
Bill Forsythe? Awesome.
"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities." - Grand Master Bruce Lee
For years, I confused William Forsythe and Powers Boothe.
Deadwood cleared that up finally.
by Leopold Bloom on Aug 4, 2011 5:11 PM PDT up reply actions
one things for certain: Erik Estrada cannot sing.
by Leopold Bloom on Aug 4, 2011 5:19 PM PDT up reply actions
but if we autotune him, everybody starts complaining. you just can’t win.
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 5:20 PM PDT up reply actions
and in those booths, you still had to be good to sound good, and if you did, someone might hear it and sign you. but this was, sign first and pay up, then the company will manipulate everything else.
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 4:36 PM PDT up reply actions
I miss
life before autotune.
"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities." - Grand Master Bruce Lee
i don’t mind it as an added effect. form follows function and if you need a song to sound like that, fine. but when the effect carries the artist rather than the artist using the effect, i’ve lost all interest.
by AV on Aug 4, 2011 4:42 PM PDT up reply actions
On SFGATE.com, pics of model of proposed 49er stadium... It's hideous.
Hard to imagine that they could come up with such a lousy plan. May as well tarp the entire thing. They should build a new stadium with the Raiders. In Oakland, of course.
Hi ho.
NM. found it. search for “vane.”
http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/4065
just as insane as i remember it.
by AV on Aug 5, 2011 12:17 PM PDT up reply actions
no one is around, so I'm actually working
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on Aug 5, 2011 12:49 PM PDT up reply actions
I just got done with my chores and am about to go to the store.
(Say something funny so I can replace this boring sigline)
by Gaijin_Suketto on Aug 5, 2011 1:17 PM PDT up reply actions
Dude, I thought you had a big work project to do today??
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. —Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
i had to wait for more questions to be answered. now i am back from the store and back to work.
sigh this project is a huge pain in my ass. :( i don’t know how much longer i can deal with it today.
Lady Jesa
Actual Brett Anderson humor
BrettAnderson49 Brett Anderson
Depending on how good Change-Up is..has a direct correlation to how the the rest of my day goes
23 minutes ago
BrettAnderson49 Brett Anderson
Pretty sure the other person watching this movie solo, is a lady that has at least 14 cats…so I feel pretty good about myself.
8 minutes ago
Someone replied to the last one with “slumpbuster?”… LOLOLOL
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
He must be getting Twitter lessons from McCarthy.
Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day
by PDXAthleticsfan on Aug 5, 2011 2:29 PM PDT up reply actions
Thanks for the a lovely collection
of A’s hats in situ.
Everybody's got a little light under the sun.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Aug 7, 2011 10:40 PM PDT reply actions
I only now clicked through all of them
Great job, Alvaro. Rec’d
2011 Oakland Athletics: We have Cy Young pitchers and make yours look like it, too
Jonah Keri on FIP
I highly recommend this if you’re one of those people, like me, who didn’t really understand FIP (fielding independent pitching).
The idea behind FIP was to strip out the impact of defense, as well as luck, official scorers, and other factors beyond a pitcher’s control. If a pitcher commits a two-out throwing error, then gives up seven runs, none of those runs are earned and none count against his ERA. If Terry Francona loses his mind and puts David Ortiz at shortstop, the countless balls that get by Papi (which wouldn’t be ruled errors) that a competent shortstop could normally handle wouldn’t destroy Josh Beckett’s FIP. To make the stat easier to understand, FIP runs along a similar scale to ERA. For instance, Josh Johnson led all qualified starters last year with a 2.41 FIP; Ryan Rowland-Smith finished last with a 6.55 FIP; league average came in at 4.08.
"If you wrote something for which someone sent you a check, if you cashed the check and it didn't bounce, and if you then paid the light bill with the money, I consider you talented." —Stephen King
I guess it would be too much to ask for a non-SABR site
but I find it interesting that Keri quotes Colin Wyers without any context.
The passage he quotes (and links to) is the lead-in to Wyers’ monumental treatise on why Baseball Prospectus dumped SIERA, essentially the manifesto for the BPro side of the Great SIERA Debate that has torn the sabermetric community in two this summer.
It appears to me that AN’s statheads are pretty solidly on the FanGraphs side of the rift. Am I the only one here who sides with BPro?
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
I pretty much do
There’s no point to more complicated statistics if they produce very similar results to the ultimate goal. 97% as good and easy is better than 99% good and hard, IMO.
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on Aug 8, 2011 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Hmm, I could have sworn that not too long ago
you made a comment that SIERA is a “better version of” FIP.
Wyers’ point (and mine) is not that FIP is 97% and SIERA is 99% but 97% is good enough. His point (stated even more forcefully by others) is that SIERA is not better, because its regressions can’t be trusted. That’s what that multicollinearity business is all about.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
It was until I learned about this
To me, it’s “better” in that it’s trying (but failing) to incorporate additional variables, but not as good in terms of its results. I do think there’s probably something out there better than FIP that we just haven’t found yet; but for now, FIP is good enough.
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on Aug 8, 2011 3:32 PM PDT up reply actions
That's where I get confused
It seems like there’s two sets of data for SIERA and WAR, Fangraphs and BPro. I just want one solid figure to go to.
"If you wrote something for which someone sent you a check, if you cashed the check and it didn't bounce, and if you then paid the light bill with the money, I consider you talented." —Stephen King
There is no such thing as a solid figure. That's the problem.
But with regard to SIERA, BPro has done you a favor by removing itself from the equation. There’s only one SIERA now. Use it if you like. Me, I’m sticking with FIP.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
what's your favorite airport in france?
mine’s… o rly!!!
by AV on Aug 8, 2011 8:15 PM PDT up reply actions
FIP only accounts for the end result of the at bat
If a ball is put in play it has the same value, regardless whether it was a meatball fastball in the middle of the plate, or a slider that fooled a batter and had him reach for it and hit it off the end of the bat.
There are so many additional effects and noise that pitchers’ BABIP often seems to be nothing but chance, but it is a fact that bad pitches put in play are more likely to be hits. So, while it is great in most imaginable situations, FIP could in theory misrepresent the true level of a certain type of pitcher.
2011 Oakland Athletics: We have Cy Young pitchers and make yours look like it, too
Apologize if this has already been posted,
but I listened to this last night. Science Friday interview of a doctor who is starting to compile/analyze baseball injury data. Nothing amazingly surprising, but it’s really the first attempt at seriously compiling and analyzing injury data, which has been done by other sports leagues for years, but never by MLB.
Writing in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, Brett Owens and colleagues examine 7 years worth of injury records for Major League Baseball and find that pitchers are more likely to be injured than fielders, that pitchers are more likely to be injured before the All Star Game than later in the season, and that there has been a significant increase in player injuries since 2005
Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day
Is it really a 2 hour podcast only about baseball injuries?
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on Aug 9, 2011 9:39 AM PDT up reply actions
No - maybe the last 10 minutes about baseball injuries
Although other interesting stuff about the genesis of the dark side of the Moon (non-Pink Floyd version) and evidence of water on Mars.
Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day
by PDXAthleticsfan on Aug 9, 2011 10:56 AM PDT up reply actions
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