Random Thoughts On A Sunday Morning Updated To 7-28

[emath2432]

Time changes in about 15 minutes.

Kids with cell phones drive me nuts. In their defense though, I never thought I would get one, but I did. It sounds funny saying that though, because I ended up getting one all the way back in 1996. Also, I said I would never get a fancy one that had internet, but here I am with a fairly new phone (got it a few months back), and use the net to check scores and such every day.

My phone wont come to the dinner table though. I find it highly disrespectful, and don't like when my wife's former step daughter comes over and and is on hers the entire time. Doesn't matter if we are watching a movie, eating dinner, or playing a game as a family.... Text messages are constant. I don't approve of it, but my wife is okay with it (probably why the kid is that way now that she is a teenager), so she is allowed to do it.

[jay16509]

Guys,

First and foremost I would like to say Goodbye to Sparky Anderson. He was a good person and a good manager, and he will be missed. Second, congrats to the Giants for winning the World Series, although I just could not get into it this year. Did not watch any of the games, just checked on the scores the next day.

Waiting to see who the Pirates hire as manager. Not that I think the change will be major, as long as this ownership is still in place, but I miss baseball in the offseason. I still check mlbtraderumors.com every day to check up on what is going on. Trying to get things for Christmas for my 8 year old. He already said he wants a PSP (Playstation Portable). So I will probably end up getting that for him and some games. Anyhow, I hope everyone here has a great day! Jay16509

[Yankee4Life]

Kids with cell phones drive me nuts. In their defense though, I never thought I would get one, but I did. It sounds funny saying that though, because I ended up getting one all the way back in 1996. Also, I said I would never get a fancy one that had internet, but here I am with a fairly new phone (got it a few months back), and use the net to check scores and such every day.

I've got a cell phone too but I don't have my phone surgically sewn onto my hand for quick and easy access. And I am guessing you are the same way too. I use the phone for what I need it for at that moment and then that's it. The damn thing isn't the center of my universe.

My phone wont come to the dinner table though. I find it highly disrespectful, and don't like when my wife's former step daughter comes over and and is on hers the entire time. Doesn't matter if we are watching a movie, eating dinner, or playing a game as a family.... Text messages are constant. I don't approve of it, but my wife is okay with it (probably why the kid is that way now that she is a teenager), so she is allowed to do it.

I can relate to that and I also agree that it is very disrespectful. Hell, when I was a kid my mother wouldn't let me wear my baseball hat to the table when I came in from the outside. Didn't understand it and I can recall telling her "but I'm going back out there!!!" I can imagine what she would have said if I had a cell phone.

Let me tell you of two examples that I saw that ties into what you said about your step daughter. My father's side of the family is big. He is one of seven children. Last year for Christmas Eve we were at one of the relative's homes for the holiday. Just about every kid had their phones with them and not once did they put them away. What was the sense of going somewhere to spend time with your family when in a sense you were really not there in the first place?

One other time was when my grandmother on my father's side was still alive. She was living in a nursing home at the time and we all went there for her birthday. They rented a room and we spent a few hours there together. The kids brought their phones there also. They all were sitting at one table and instead of talking they had their heads down and were focused on their phones. One of them was actually texting the person that was sitting on the other side of the table. When I asked them why they were doing that instead of just talking to the person the reason that I was given was incredible. "Because we were bored."

I turned and walked away, silently thanking my luck for not being a kid during this day and age.

[Jim825]

We have a strict "no cell phones at the dinner table" rule. In fact, when we're eating, we don't even answer the "regular" phone. We let the answering machine take the call and unless it's someone calling an about an emergency, nobody gets up to get the phone.

[dennisjames71]

Wow, I cannot remember ever being so bored in my life where I would get a thrill by texting someone sitting next to me. Needless to say, I couldn’t agree with you more, the prevalence of the cell-phone/in constant communication obsession is definitely a problem. The next generation of young people are going to be so socially maladjusted that if they cannot communicate through a cell-phone/texting/computer/twitter; they will be effectively lost. I am a counseling psychologist at a mental health center and I see this nearly every day with the younger people I talk with. Whether it’s a mild or major form of psychological problems; I find that the 17-23 year-olds seem to struggle with verbal communication in almost every capacity, more than older individuals.

Younger people have a much more difficult time when trying to express themselves in person; but I bet if they could text/twitter someone; they would be more at ease. That’s fine and dandy that they are master phone texters; but what’s going to happen when they are trying to maintain personal relationships later in life or trying to get through a job interview without imploding? It’s no surprise that there has also been evidence that people who are so extremely dependent on this form of communication also suffer from greater anxiety; it because there is no such thing as “down-time” when you are attached to an electronic leash and have to be in constant communication.

My worst cell-phone story happened this past spring when I was up in San Jose, Ca. 2 or 3 times a year I get up there to play (guitar) in my buddy’s blues/rock band and to hang out. We were playing this gig in April on a Saturday night and we had a substitute bass player because the regular one had a bad flu. I swear, in the middle of a song, the bass player’s phone went off/vibrated and he took it out of his pocket to check it. We found out later that it was a huge emergency, his girlfriend in the audience was texting him. I wanted to go Babe Ruth on his head with my Strat. Needless to say, we never used him ever again.

When I asked them why they were doing that instead of just talking to the person the reason that I was given was incredible. "Because we were bored."

I turned and walked away, silently thanking my luck for not being a kid during this day and age.

[Yankee4Life]

Updated to 11-14

...Well the big news in baseball this week was the announcement by ESPN that they are breaking up the Sunday Night team of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan after twenty-one years. Miller, always an announcer I could live with, will be missed. But there's no way I'll miss Joe Morgan. That guy was terrible and he kept on getting worse and worse as the years went by.

...Look for the MLB Network to scoop up Morgan and have him join their team. I can see it now. They'll prop him up in front of a monitor and anything that happens in baseball he can compare it to the 1970's Big Red Machine.

...If anyone here wants to complain about east coast bias in baseball, what happened this week says it all. The Seattle Mariners lost Dave Niehaus, their announcer since the Mariners came into the league in 1977 when he died of heart failure on Wednesday. Niehaus announced every game for every season for thirty-three years and hardly a word was said when he passed away. It's because he announced for a team based in the Northwest that gets no exposure in baseball. Have Niehaus' talents anywhere on the east coast and he would have been more famous than he was. At least he was able to be inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in 2008 in the broadcast wing in Cooperstown. R.I.P. to a great announcer.

...So, Jenn Sterger talked to the NFL bigshots this week about Brett Favre? I wonder how the NFL is going to cover up this one?

...Sure would have liked to been a fly on the wall when Favre was trying to explain to his wife why he sent pictures of his you-know-what to that gorgeous young girl.

...While I got Favre on my mind right now, do you know who reminds me of him in baseball right now? Andy Pettitte.

...I read that the Cubs are interested in Nick Johnson for first base "if the medicals look good." That's great. Now who is the other first baseman that they will have that will end up playing the other 140 games for them?

...The new Conan O'Brien show on TBS looks pretty good.

...Here's something I've always wondered. You've seen those political signs at the edge of the road when you are out and about driving around? "Vote for Joe Smith on Election Day" etc, etc. Know what I mean? Who ends up getting rid of those signs after the elections are done? It's like there they are, they're still there. And then one day, they disappear. Where do they go?

...I absolutely love the Goodwill people here in my town. For three reasons. First, they take anything you got. Secondly, you get a tax write off for it and if those two reasons are not good enough, you know that once you donate your stuff to them it is finally out of the house for good and you don't have to look at it anymore.

...Finally, a big thank you to Jim825 for the release of Total Classics 1975.

[emath2432]

MLB.com hot stove report says Dunn is on the Cubs wish list as well, if he is willing to sign a back loaded contract. A lot of the Cubs big contracts are gone after next year (Ramirez/Fukudome), with Lee's already being off this year.

We already know the Cubs are gonna suck, so they may as well add a horrible defensive 1st baseman, who can hit a TON of home runs and at at least give us something to be excited about. We caught a bunch of hell for that when Sammy was here, but come on, if we suck, whats the problem with giving us a little something to watch. ;)

[DylanBradbury]

Updated to 11-14

...Here's something I've always wondered. You've seen those political signs at the edge of the road when you are out and about driving around? "Vote for Joe Smith on Election Day" etc, etc. Know what I mean? Who ends up getting rid of those signs after the elections are done? It's like there they are, they're still there. And then one day, they disappear. Where do they go?

Apparently, in the US it depends where you live. In Bridgeport, West Virginia, it's the campagin teams' responsibility to remove the signs. The timeframe to take down campaign signs depends on the city your in. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, sign-placers are responsible for removing signs, and have seven days to do so.

[Yankee4Life]

Updated to 11-21

...Kind of late in the morning for the weekly contribution in here but it's because I slept in today and since this thread has almost turned into a one man show I didn't think it really mattered when I posted this.

...It's sad. This website has changed so much. I miss the days when Fuzzone was running around. He was a unique personality to say the least. Kraw. KC. Cartersyard. On and on and on. Good people, good contributors. Makes me wonder how different this site would have been had EA not lost that baseball license because eventually we lost people over the years.

...Couldn't sleep last night so I was flipping through the channels and I saw some show that I never heard of before. Something called Fear Factor. No thank you. In one part of the show they had the contestants eat spiders for some reason. No thank you!! I did not stay tuned to see what other fun stuff they had planned for those people. And they call this television?

...Cleveland's Shin-Soo Choo helped South Korea's baseball team clinch the gold medal Friday and that should keep him out of his obligation for required military service in Korea. Talk about playing for your life.

...Poor Derek Jeter. He thinks the Yankees should give him a blank check and be done with it.

...Thing is, everyone knows that re-signing Mariano Rivera is much more important than re-signing him.

...Isn't it funny that all Michael Vick had to do was throw a few touchdown passes and everyone forgave him?

...I don't care what Felix Hernandez' stats were. He still only won 13 games.

...Three games on this Thanksgiving day folks. Patriots at Detroit, Saints at Dallas and the Bengals at the Jets on the NFL Network at night. It figures that the best game is the one that not everyone gets. And why do the Cowboys always have to play on Thanksgiving?

...Everyone have a great Thanksgiving. I will be at the in-laws this year so having a good Thanksgiving has no chance of happening But I will grin and take it as much as I can. Happy holiday to all Mvpmods members, the ones here now and also the ones who do not come here anymore.

[kado456]

Updated to 11-21

...It's sad. This website has changed so much. I miss the days when Fuzzone was running around. He was a unique personality to say the least. Kraw. KC. Cartersyard. On and on and on. Good people, good contributors. Makes me wonder how different this site would have been had EA not lost that baseball license because eventually we lost people over the years.

So true Y4L, I haven't been a member as long as you or other major players on this board, but the community has dropped even since the time I joined. Like you said i think the lost of the baseball license really did hurt, and time in general; I know people have obligations that take away from the commentary and modding they could give in the past. But, it's still good to see the site still here and people like you and others still active both posting and modding.

Hell, I even feel a little inspired after reading this maybe I'll dig in the old PC and find something to post up.

Anyways, Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

[Jim825]

...Three games on this Thanksgiving day folks. Patriots at Detroit, Saints at Dallas and the Bengals at the Jets on the NFL Network at night. It figures that the best game is the one that not everyone gets. And why do the Cowboys always have to play on Thanksgiving?

For as long as I can remember (going back to the mid-70's) Dallas and Detroit have always played on Thanksgiving. They must have made some non-revocable agreement with the NFL years ago. Both teams must have had some compromising pictures of Commissioner Pete Rozelle way back when..... :D

[DJEagles]

Edited. I am cool with you all. Peace, and don't forget to smile!

[DylanBradbury]

I can't be bothered with this site anymore. Jim, you are a class act, and it was a pleasure serving a long side you. You will always have my utmost respect.

JoeRudi26, you are a two face hypocrite. I heard and saw what you did to Yankee4Life in the shoutbox. You are a ******* disgrace to this site...but keep on keeping on playa....what a joke.

As for Trues...well, what can I say, you were a pleasure to deal with until the end...then I don't know what the hell happened. It wasn't that we were removed from staff, it's how you did it. Now, none of the old staff could be bothered to show their faces around here....and I don't blame them. Tossed out like trash. May MVPMods be put out of it's misery soon...

Bye, DJ. :(

[Yankee4Life]

Please do not take anything out on DJEagles for his post. Let him just have his opinion here and leave it at that. The guy does not need to be raked over the coals for what he said since 99% don't bother to come in this thread only because I was the one who started it.

Besides, I don't think DJEagles really cares what anyone thinks in here anymore. The guy was a loyal staff member. Towards the end of his stay on the staff he was not around as much but that was not by choice. He had to go across country to work to provide for his family and he did this a few times. Then real life situations got in the way. But he still came back here every chance he got to help out.

So, don't get all over him because he had the nerve to speak his mind. DJEagles, myself and the rest of the guys thrown away last month may not be part of the inner circle anymore, but his opinion is just as worthwhile and valuable as always.

[dennisjames71]

I definitely wish you the same great Thanksgiving too Y4L. I always enjoy reading your contributions around here and appreciate your insight on the many topics you write about. You've been a great bud to me since I've joined up this year and you and many other members here have been an encouragement for me to want to contibute to the site. I wish you and your family the best on the upcoming holiday weekend.

...Everyone have a great Thanksgiving. I will be at the in-laws this year so having a good Thanksgiving has no chance of happening But I will grin and take it as much as I can. Happy holiday to all Mvpmods members, the ones here now and also the ones who do not come here anymore.

[jay16509]

Guys,

First off I would like to say that I hope everyone here has a great Thanksgiving. I would have posted yesterday, but Sundays are usually one of my busiest days, between church and then from there to work all day. To the core group that started this site and have been loyal members, thank you all very much for your time, efforts, and contributions. I joined here back in 2006, and have had years of enjoyment from the files provided here for both MVP Baseball and the MLB series, but even more important than that is the friends that you can make here. Y4L, MarkB, etc, have been great friends here, and I am proud to call them such.

Second, glad my Steelers came back yesterday and won against the Raiders (sorry Y4L). We needed that game, especially after losing to the Patriots the week before.

I am already tired of the Christmas scene. I work at an Arby's here in Erie, Pa, and for three hours yesterday, our district manager had us putting up the tree and moving around the ornaments till they were exactly where the District manager wanted them, and then we are now treated to the pleasure of Christmas Carols all day. Now, I love Christmas, but am already tired of these things. I swear if I hear Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer or Frosty the Snowman again, I am going to snap. I already heard them about 10 times each yesterday.

[Yankee4Life]

Updated to 11-28

...I don't know how everyone's Thanksgiving was but mine was one to forget, although I am not about to any time soon. Consider:

A. We got there on Wednesday night and didn't leave to go home until Saturday. I had to sleep in a broken recliner because there wasn't enough beds. That is to say I didn't sleep. I couldn't keep my eyes opened during the day and as soon as I got home I went right to bed. And no, I couldn't have slept on the couch. Someone already had dibs on that.

B. There's a little seven year old S.O.B. down there that doesn't shut up or stop screaming at all. The kid doesn't listen because he doesn't have to. They watch him grab a candy bar and eat it and only then they will tell him not to have one. That's how bad it is. The only person who told this little devil not to do something was me when he was playing rough with my dogs. The kid got confused because someone said no to him. I'd like to give the kid a kick in the a$$ and be done with it. It is because of rotten kids like this that I am happy I never had kids.

C. I did not find out until Saturday who won the Bengals-Jets game on Thanksgiving night because (1) they don't get the NFL Network down there and (2) they don't get the newspaper either. So after I take another nap today I am going to be reading up on some webpages to see what I missed. Who knows? Cliff Lee could be a Yankee right now and I don't even know it.

...With all I heard about having extra state troopers out on the holiday, I did not see one trooper on the way down. They are easy to spot too. But I did see a couple going home yesterday afternoon. It is always a pleasure driving north towards home away from that place.

...I do all the driving, and invariably my wife ends up falling asleep on the way down there because we leave as soon as she gets out of work. I always end up constantly switching the radio stations just to see if I can get something to listen to provided it isn't country music. I fell upon some religious show where some guy was reading the gospel and talking about it and I ended up listening to it until I went out of range. It suddenly occurred to me that this is not the first time I have stopped to listen to these type of programs while driving. The people who talk about God on the radio are simply doing that as opposed to the ones on TV, who have to make a big show about it. These guys on the radio don't make it seem phony as opposed to the TV guys.

...Going back to my mother-in-laws house after Thanksgiving dinner we drove past Toys-R-Us. It was around 8:30 at night and it was freezing out. But that didn't stop some people though. There had to be a line there about fifty yards long because that store was going to open up at 10 pm and those people were not going to let something as trivial as 30 degree weather stop them.

...The store that was going to open up the earliest on Friday down there was a store called Kohl's and they were opening their doors at 3 am. Damn, I could have been there since I wasn't asleep anyways.

...I didn't get a chance to watch a lot of football but I was lucky enough to see that touchdown grab by the Patriot's Deion Branch, who made one of the best runs after a catch that I have seen in years that tied the score at 24-24 against the Lions.

...I had no say about what was going to be watched on TV by everyone so that is why I had to watch for the very first time a movie called Elf. Yeah, I am probably one of the few people who has never seen this movie and I never wanted to watch it because Will Ferrell was in it. I happen to this this guy isn't funny at all so I avoid every one of his movies. That is, until Friday night.

...There is a show I have been starting to watch and it does seem very interesting. Have any of you heard of Dr. Oz? If you can get past the stupid screaming women they have on there, this guy has a lot of helpful tips for being healthy. Hey, I need all the help I can.

...The Nazi party is alive and well. They're now known as the Transportation Security Administration (the TSA) at the airports. These people can get away with anything by hiding behind two words: National Security. All they got to do is say those two words and they can say and do anything. I've read so many horror stories about these people in the last week that it makes me dread going on my trip in March.

...How good is Total Classics, how much does it drag you in to keep playing it? Read on. Recently I played a game with the 1968 Detroit Tigers. The Tigers that year had a guy named Ray Oyler playing shortstop. Now these are his actual statistics. I'm not making them up and if you think I am, go look them up yourself. In 1968, Oyler hit .135. In 111 games he had 29 hits and 21 of them were singles. He was a career .175 hitter. So what does Oyler do for me? He went 3 for 4. Go figure.

...My Thanksgiving starts today. I'm home.

[emath2432]

The longest I have to travel for Thanksgiving is about 35 minutes. Hearing your story, I am as thankful as ever.

As far as kids go... Telling them no doesn't do much either. I have an 8 year old that was raised similar to me, and I think I came out okay. She is taught right from wrong, she is punished when she does wrong, and she is told no if she starts to do wrong, or is getting carried away...

Then she goes to school and learns all the sh** that her bratty little friends do, and comes home and starts acting out. At home, or with her little bratty school friends she is a terror. I guess the one thing that I can be proud of is how she acts when she is not around her friends, or at home with just mommy and daddy.

I took her with me to my uncle's this weekend. His kids (4 boys) are a handful, and then some. Every 5 minutes one of us is reprimanding them. Their mother (who thankfully is no longer in the picture) was awful. She had all their ears pierced by the time they were like 4 or 5 (which I think covered the 3 oldest), and she bought them all cell phones (once again, I think the oldest was maybe 4) because she thought they could call her any time they wanted. Basically, at the time she only had supervised visitations, and only got to talk to them when my uncle approved, so she tried to circumvent that by buying them cell phones as a "gift".

She had no job. Stole money for drugs. Was bringing the kids into a home that had animal feces all over the floor, some so old it was all dried up, and crumbled. Trash everywhere. Yes, this lady was a real winner. In fact, her oldest son was happy when they took away her rights. She now has zero rights, and can not talk to, or see the kids. He was abused often enough, and was old enough to see the filth, and abuse, and how it affected his younger brothers. At the age of 8 he flat out told me he "hated that bit**". I tell you all of this so you know how the kids are, because with a parent like that, they are bound to be trouble.

So, I am there, and they are acting out big time. My little one is an angel. She is polite, doesn't act out. While she did get a little rambunctious at one point playing with that wild pack of boys, she wasn't doing anything worthy of being yelled at. She did get bit at one point, but luckily the youngest (I think he is 4) didn't bite hard enough to break any skin, so I just cleaned it up.

I guess my point is, that it doesn't matter how you raise your kids in this day and age, because television, and their friends will corrupt them as soon as they leave your house. And at home, she is an absolute brat... But put her around other people (not her school friend) and you can see how much of an angle she can be.

[pistonj92]

...I know it's not morning, but I sure do like turtles

[Yankee4Life]

Just an FYI for those of you that read this thread on Sundays. The Random Thoughts thread will return on the 19th of December. Believe me, I would love to do one this Sunday but I will be out of town on a family emergency (a funeral) and the God damn house I will be staying in does not have an internet connection. It's a bull**** situation down there and I hate it each and every time I have to go there. Being on the computer is not my priority this weekend anyways since I'll have other things to do down there like attending the wake, etc. So, be back on the 19th!

[kado456]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

[Yankee4Life]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

Thank you. It actually was my wife's sister. It was sudden. She was only 49 years old.

[Padres67]

My thoughts and prayers are with you. I hope your wife is doing OK.

[DJEagles]

Updated to December 12, 2010:

- Good thing the Yanks have resigned their Captain, cause it sure looks like they aren't going to get much more done this offseason. I could be wrong, but I see Lee in a rangers uniform next season.

- The Red Sox seem to be restocking, watch out American League...the Boys may get back to The Show.

...and the Jays trade away arguably their second best pitcher for a cocky, douchebaggy, prospect....here`s hanging in there with the Yanks and Red Sox....atleast the Rays cupboards appear to be getting raided. There maybe a third place finish yet!

...I fear we may see Manny in a Jays uniform next season....God help us all....

- Christmas in a couple of weeks. My kids are bouncing off the walls. I can`t wait.

- Of course, my condolences go out to Y4L`s family. I am truly sorry for your loss.

[Yankee4Life]

Updated to 12-19

...It sure is nice to be back in here again doing another edition of the Random Thoughts thread. I didn't know that there were that many people who followed this and that's pretty nice. But I want to kindly remind you that this is not a private thread exclusively for me. Join in any time you wish to.

...Thank you everyone for the condolences you sent our way. I forwarded them to my wife, because it was her older sister who passed away. She was 49 and even though she was very sick this was unexpected.

...My job during all this was to pay my respects, sit near my wife during the wake and then basically get the hell out of the way when it was all going on and I think I did this admirably. I figure that is the best thing to do in situations like that.

...But it did not stop me from observing what went on during the wake. Because when you are at a wake and you watch what some people do at one while its going on, the time passes more quickly for you. Here's a few things that I noticed:

1. Some people attended this wake like they were dressed to go out to the movies instead of being dressed respectively for a wake. I'm not saying bring out the suit and tie, but don't come in with a dirty pair of jeans on either. One lady actually came in with a matching jogging suit on, a fact that did not escape my sister-in-law's eyes either.

2. One guy came in so fast that if you would have blinked you would have missed him. He came in, rushed up to the casket and said the fasted prayer known to man, got up, turned around and headed for the door like he was double parked or something.

3. I was waiting for this to happen and it ended up happening twice. Two times during the wake someone's cell phone went off and started ringing. And both times when it was really quiet in the room when no one was talking. I should have bet with someone that this would happen but probably no one would have taken my bet since it was as close as a sure thing as you can get.

4. Remember that little seven year old SOB I talked about briefly when I was there for Thanksgiving? Well towards the end of the ceremony someone decided to bring the little terror to the wake. He comes running in the room looking around at all the people and I think he got confused because this time no one made a fuss over him or asked him what he wanted from Santa. To his credit he was not disruptive and was even quieter than a lot of the adults.

And that my friends is how I passed four hours away in a funeral parlor.

...Once again, the lack of internet access, no newspaper and not being able to watch any kind of sports on TV prevented me of learning that Cliff Lee signed with Philadelphia until I returned home. Can any of you imagine how frustrating this is?

...And as far as Cliff Lee goes, if he didn't want to sign with the Yankees, oh well. Can't worry about it and besides, what the hell good would it do to dwell on it?

...Right now you would have to favor heavily the Boston Red Sox to win the American League East next year with the acquiring of Adrian Gonzalez via trade and the free agent signing of Carl Crawford. I'd have loved to have Crawford with the Yankees because I don't trust Brett Gardner.

...But the real reason to favor the Sox? The pitching situation. Boston's got it and the Yankees are struggling right now. Only Sabathia is dependable. Pettitte is still not sure if he is going to play in 2011 and is still going through his Brett Favre moment. Phil Hughes is ok until you really need an important game out of him and then he chokes. You don't know what you are going to get from Ivan Nova and then there is A.J. Burnett. He's the pitcher that separates the Red Sox from the Yankees. The Red Sox are fortunate that they don't have to throw this guy out there every fifth day. The Yankees on the other hand are in the unfortunate situation in that they have to send him out there because there is no one else. I can hear everyone blaming Joe Girardi already.

...It's a good thing the Vikings are not going to the post season this year because there is no way they are going to fix that roof in the Metrodome any time soon. And why the hell did they put a roof like that up in the first place?

...I read in the shoutbox where DylanBradbury reported that Kansas City's Zach Greinke went to Milwaukee. Dylan even provided a link for it right here. But I swear to God I don't see this posted anywhere else. Not on ESPN, not on the MLB homepage and not on the Sporting News website. Maybe TSN.CA has the jump on everyone else. Wouldn't surprise me. And look at what Milwaukee gave up for Greinke! Absolutely nothing. This could go down as being the best deal the Brewers ever made.

...Just wanted to say thank you to the New York Yankees for an early Christmas present when they signed Russell Martin to be the starting catcher and effectively taking Jorge Posada's job away from him. Our defense behind the plate has suddenly improved and maybe next year we will throw some runners out.

...I have once again avoided listening to The Twelve Days of Christmas during this holiday season and I am determined to continue avoiding it for the rest of the week. You have no idea how much I hate that song.

...Ok folks, less than a week now and this Christmas stuff is all over with!

...And finally, R.I.P's to Cleveland's Bob Feller, Boston's Walt Dropo and the Chicago Cubs' Phil Cavarretta, all who passed away this week. It was a tough week for baseball.