Random Thoughts On A Sunday Morning Updated To 7-28

[Yankee4Life]

Updated to 6-20

...Oh I got to tell you it is such a pleasure watching the Yankees play lately. It really is. This team drives me nuts as it is but it's even worse now since they've stopped hitting.

...Lately the best way you can tell a Yankee game is going to go to hell is when they bring Joba Chamberlain in to pitch because he's got the talent of turning a close game into a blowout.

...And it doesn't make Phil Hughes look good when he gives up two home runs to a banjo hitter like Jose Reyes.

...Will somebody please tell me who the hell this Lady Gaga is and why is she so poor that she can't leave the house in nothing but her underwear?

...Here's a shocker for everyone: Once again the Red Sox make out with the schedule makers. They get to play the Dodgers at home and the Yankees have to travel out west to play them. Thank you Bud Selig for looking out for them again.

...And before I forget, a huge thank you to the Los Angeles Lakers for winning the NBA Championship over Boston because if Boston would have won the New England fans in here would still be talking about it but since they lost not one word was said.

...Manny Ramirez is back in Boston this weekend and to celebrate the occasion he urinated in the left field scoreboard.

...When you watch the World Cup you do not even need to take a Tylenol PM before you go to bed. Just turn on one of these games and within ten minutes you are fast asleep.

...I risk being ridiculed again because soccer is the current favorite sport of the New England elite.

...R.I.P. to Manute Bol, who was only 47 years of age. The cause of death was not disclosed.

...Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there, including mine. Thank you for everything.

[DylanBradbury]

Updated to 6-27

Since Y4L is at his (pack-rat) in law's place, I'll keep it updated even though it's not the morning...

...On Wednesday our apartment was all shook up. Literally. A 5.0 maginitude earthquake shook a town on the Ontario-Quebec border and was felt as far as Pennsylvania. When it got to Toronto, it managed to shake me around on the fifteenth-floor.

...The person who suggested to stand under a door-frame during an earthquake was wrong. While walking over to the nearest door-frame, I managed to fall. Twice. It would have been impossible to stand.

...Kudos to all Californians. You've got real guts living in a earthquake hotzone.

...The G8/G20 Summits took place in Huntsville and Toronto, respectively. There was little civil disobedience until yesterday, when anarchists took over the city. While every police office in the city was making sure everyone was OK in a $5.5 million dollar fence, the rest of the city was torn to shreds.

...They managed to take control of two streetcars, force everyone off, and then graffiti it. How nice.

...Banks and stores in the downtown core were broken into while the police were scrambling to get where the action was, (not the fenced zone).

...If Toronto's Mayor David Miller hadn't already announced he wasn't going to run in the upcoming October Mayoral Election, he should resign for the worst G20 plan in history. Telling people they'll be lots to do in downtown Toronto and be sure to take the TTC is great. But when you say so, be sure to make sure they'll be lots to do, and try not to stand people downtown, by disabling the TTC.

...I wonder why these summits can't be held over the internet , where no physical damage could be done. If they're worried about internet security, how about a cruise ship?

...On my way to the grocery store yesterday, I saw Marine Force Once which was delivering Barack Obama to the summit. Kind of neat.

...Because of the summits, the Jays had to move their home to Philadelphia. Weird seeing us in our home uniforms on the road. Weirder to see us facing Roy Halladay. I miss him.

...I hate Interleague Play, it seems it's always then when the Jays great start turns into a lousy season.

...I hope Y4L finds his way out of his packrat in-law's place...

[MarkB]

Thanks for covering for Y4L today, Dylan. The weekend wouldn't be the same without the random thoughts on a Sunday updates from someone!

I can't believe I haven't heard about Toronto being torn to shreds - the fact that they just put up a fence and ignored everyone outside of it is just crazy - how naive can they possible be? Did they honestly think that everyone would be utterly well-behaved when the whole city knows that almost all of the police are inside the fence?

I remember you mentioned that the G8 and G20 were happening in Toronto and we had some discussion about it in the shoutbox - I had no idea it was so soon, though.

Although, I can add a random thought of my own. I hope the next G8 and G20 summits are here in Glasgow, and are equally well-planned. We could do with a boost to the economy. Not the government's economy, the people's economy. With our VAT going up to 20% in January, we could do with some extra income, and I'd be more than happy to relieve some very large retailers of some very large TV's and some very expensive stereo equipment.

Anarchy in the UK!

[DylanBradbury]

Thanks for covering for Y4L today, Dylan. The weekend wouldn't be the same without the random thoughts on a Sunday updates from someone!

You're welcome man, I agree that Sunday would never be the same without it.

I can't believe I haven't heard about Toronto being torn to shreds - the fact that they just put up a fence and ignored everyone outside of it is just crazy - how naive can they possible be? Did they honestly think that everyone would be utterly well-behaved when the whole city knows that almost all of the police are inside the fence?

I remember you mentioned that the G8 and G20 were happening in Toronto and we had some discussion about it in the shoutbox - I had no idea it was so soon, though.

Toronto's probably hiding it from international media due to embarrassment.

I'm pretty sure a four-year-old would realize putting all your eggs in one basket-or in this case all our police officers in one fence-would be pretty dumb and naive.

Sad thing is they're still making dumb mistakes. This morning they caught a bunch of people using the sewers to get around and avoid arrests. My dad and my first thought's were "How were people allowed to get in the sewer system?!" Only after did they decide to weld manholes shut.

It's like the anarchists are one-step ahead of the police force.

And to strand a bunch of folks downtown who used the TTC to get there, and then have no way of getting home is just diabolical.

Here's some photos:

[MarkB]

You're welcome man, I agree that Sunday would never be the same without it.

My God, I watched 30 seconds of that and feel as if my ears have just been raped by Godzilla.

Toronto's probably hiding it from international media due to embarrassment.

I'm pretty sure a four-year-old would realize putting all your eggs in one basket-or in this case all our police officers in one fence-would be pretty dumb and naive.

Sad thing is they're still making dumb mistakes. This morning they caught a bunch of people using the sewers to get around and avoid arrests. My dad and my first thought's were "How were people allowed to get in the sewer system?!" Only after did they decide to weld manholes shut.

It's like the anarchists are one-step ahead of the police force.

And to strand a bunch of folks downtown who used the TTC to get there, and then have no way of getting home is just diabolical.

Here's some photos:

Maybe I'm too left wing for my own good, but all I see in those pictures is a whole hell of a lot of fun. Stool thrown through window of large corporate entity? Check. Stomping on police cars? Check. Raging fire from police car in middle of open street, with civilians nearby? Check.

When's the next flight to Toronto?

Meanwhile, the top 10 stories on BBC.co.uk involve Glastonbury, England epically failing at the World Cup yet again, brothels being banned in Australia, and a re-link of a story from '06 about sitting straight being bad for your back.

Ahh, well.

If you're against anarchy, though...just be glad the raiders in Toronto weren't wearing Guy Fawkes masks. If they were...well, suffice it to say that stool wouldn't be going through a window.

[Yankee4Life]

Updated to 6-27

...Thank you Dylan for keeping up with this thread this morning while I was temporarily detained in hell. Do you know what I did while I was there? I sat in a chair for two days hoping to God that sleep would come over me and I would be able to nap away some of the time. That only worked a little bit. Most of the time I was wide awake and climbing the walls.

...Good news though! I've returned home with something brand new that is wrong with me. When I am down there I have to sleep on a bed that has no support to it. Zero. None. Friday night it was so bad I couldn't sleep. When I finally was able to nod off I woke up with a sharp biting back pain in my lower back that has not gone away or subsided yet. In fact it got worse because of the three hour ride home today. Every bump on the New York State Thruway I felt.

...Did I mention no Internet access down there? I don't know when or where I am going to meet my maker and I hope to God it is a long time away and I feel that I have lead a very decent life with respect for my fellow man. And I want to continue this for the rest of my days because I had a glimpse of what hell would be like when I was down there this weekend. No internet access. Who the hell are they kidding?

...Even watching sports down there I received the short end of the stick. By Saturday night I was begging my wife to let me watch something that I'd like instead of the usual feed of country and Lifetime and I got lucky to catch the second game of the Yankees-Dodgers series. Yeah, I was lucky. I got to see another A.J. Burnett meltdown. I couldn't even watch it for three innings because of this asshole. I gave the remote back to my wife right in time for another boring women's movie.

...Speaking of Burnett, he's another mistake that the Yankees made. I don't have to tell anyone how much I love that team but I will be the first to admit that they do some pretty stupid things and signing this guy for five years is one of them. No one can ever convince me that the reason why he was signed was because Burnett had such a good record against the Yankees when he was with Toronto. The guy has been an inconsistent loser his entire career except in 2008 (the year he was playing for a new contract) and why the Yankees thought it would be any different is beyond me. They got what they paid for from this bum and it is their fault alone.

...I only was able to keep up with baseball news because they have the MLB Network down there. That is where I read about what Carlos Zambrano did in the dugout the other day. This guy has a screw loose and the Cubs are stuck with this overpriced hothead until his contract runs out. There is a huge difference between a player being a hard nosed type player and very intense and a player that Zambrano is. A classic example of an intense player was Paul O'Neill and before him his current manager Lou Piniella. He was a very demanding player and he put a lot of responsibility on himself and when he got mad he got mad at himself. In every one of Zambrano's incidents it always was the other guy who was wrong and always after a short time Zambrano would come back with the expected "I'm sorry" act. Good for the Cubs for suspending this prick right away.

...I take that back. I can only think of one place where Zambrano could end up at and that's Boston. That region of the country just loves baseball players that act just like that.

...Don't like what I said Sox fans? The person that always speaks the truth always gets hounded in here.

...Wait, am I supposed to pretend to be upset because the USA team got eliminated in the World Cup? Because if I am supposed to I will.

...And this week I read on here from someone on here that knows everything about everything that we shouldn't call American Football by that name. I think it is my duty to send the NFL commissioner an e-mail to let him know this so he can change the name right away.

[Yankee4Life]

Updated to 7-4

...Happy Fourth of July everyone! This is one of my favorite holidays because it is in my favorite month of the year. July's always been at the top for me and not only because that's the month I was born in. I just love the summer.

...For those of you in here that are not American and for you today is just July 4, let me tell you what you are missing. Today's the day Americans get together and fire up the grill and have hots and hamburgers and there's always a ballgame on the radio in the background. Large quantities of beer is consumed along with potato salad and anything else that you can fit on your plate. Then when you get so hot that you can't bare the heat anymore you either jump in the pool, have the hose turned on you or retreat back in your house to cool off. At night you either go someplace to watch the fireworks or if you don't want to do that, you can stay home and you'll hear firecrackers going off from some asshole until 3:00 in the morning. And that right there is the Fourth of July. I can't wait.

...Happy Birthday to George Steinbrenner of the Yankees and to Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders. My two favorite owners of my two favorite teams.

...Does Stephen Strasburg belong in the All-Star Game? Windbag Joe Morgan and Moron Dusty Baker SAY NO WAY. Well, that's good enough for me. Now I want him in the All-Star game.

...Am I the only person that doesn't care where Lebron James ends up?

...I was watching an old movie the other day with a young Drew Barrymore in it and the title of the movie reminded me of Joba Chamberlain. It was called Firestarter.

...I don't like the way this Yankee team is playing. The hitting is inconsistent. They can go a few games looking terrible. Then they break out like they did yesterday against Toronto with 11 runs in one inning and then back to looking awful again. And the pitching has been nothing to brag about. When you watch them on TV you just wait for something bad to happen.

...And I don't buy it for a second that A.J. Burnett is going to straighten himself out just because Dave Eiland is back. The law of averages say he will begin to improve because that is what he has done his entire career. He's up and down. Never dependable. He is another guy that needs to get the shit kicked out of.

...Burnett, Javier Vazquez and Jorge Posada are my unholy trio on the Yankees. I can't stand any of them.

...Dennis James is quickly approaching Sainthood for MVP users on this website.

[jay16509]

Happy 4th of July guys,

Well, it is the 4th, America's birthday, so Happy Birthday America. Time to celebrate with your family. Enjoy the day, for every day is special. I hope everyone here has a safe holiday.

Jay

[MarkB]

Happy 4th of July guys, have a great day.

(It's windy and raining here. Can someone buy me a ticket? )

[Yankee4Life]

Updated to 7-11

...While Yankee fans might be disappointed that we did not land Cliff Lee yesterday from Seattle, I am not one of them. I'm glad that we held onto Jesus Montero. Why not have these good young talented players win for the Yankees instead of everyone else? Even though Seattle used and played the Yankees to get a better deal from Texas I still think we are the winner for holding on to this young catcher.

...This is going to be a good week because two of my favorite shows are returning on the USA Network. Psych and White Collar are back just in time for some good summer television.

...Had to go pick up the ashes from our dog on Saturday and that was a tough thing to do. I am still dealing with the loss of this little Scottie.

...Sometimes I ask myself is it best for a person not to be a dog owner. That way they never have to deal with losing them. Then again they don't have the happy years a dog gives you. All I can say for sure is when they are gone it tears you up inside and doesn't let go.

...Want a laugh? Go to Youtube and watch this video of Lindsay Lohan crying in court when she finds out she has to go to jail for 90 days. I have no sympathy for people like this at all. NONE.

...Supposed to be cooler here in the east this week compared to last week. Someone like DylanBradbury had it harder than I did because the poor guy is not allowed to have air conditioners in his apartment building. Something that I just don't understand. Exceptions should be made for days like this with high heat and humidity.

...So Lebron James went to Miami? Hey, it's his life. It is not going to affect me any because I don't follow basketball. But of course on this website I had to defend myself from one clown in here even on a subject like this that means absolutely nothing to me only because this person is so defensive on anything said about the city of Boston. And he doesn't even live there. Makes sense? Not to me. And for what it's worth all I said was that I was glad Lebron didn't sign with Boston because the Celtics fans would be talking about this until the start of the NBA season. Pretty bad huh? I ought to be stoned for that comment. Get a life.

...One final thing about Lebron, Cleveland and Boston: I didn't care about Lebron James at any time since he's been in the NBA and I will continue to do so. I also feel bad for Cleveland here because it always seems that city gets the short end in everything. And for Boston? Shoot, Boston didn't need Lebron James. Love that team or dislike them you got to admit that the Boston Celtics play as a team and they really didn't need a player who is as selfish as this Lebron guy seems to be. And I would have said all this in the shoutbox if given the chance.

...You thirsty Jamarcus Russell? Go get some more Purple Drank. This guy is the perfect example of the idiot athlete that people hate. Guys that have it all with a ton of money. And he's got to get arrested for getting into this stuff. Hell, when I want "Purple Drank" I go and get myself the grape flavored Gatorade.

...Joba Chamberlain has proven to be a flash in the pan and now needs to go back to Scranton to give up his roster spot so a major league pitcher can use it.

...If any of you watched the Yankee game last night in 3D can you let me know how it was? Thank you.

[Yankee4Life]

Updated to 7-18

...It's only proper of me to start this week's version of Random Thoughts with my expression of condolences to the Steinbrenner family for the loss of Mr. Steinbrenner on Tuesday. I even had the honor of meeting him once. The date was July 5th, 1976 and that's when my family and I took a little vacation down to New York City. It was the year of the reopening of Yankee Stadium so I was taken down there for an early birthday present. We got there early for the game with the Royals and I saw the players walking into the park. Roy White, Thurman Munson, etc. And then George Steinbrenner. I struck up all my nerve and asked him for an autograph and he said sure. I was a fan for life. R.I.P. sir and thank you for owning the Yankees.

...I admit I am the first one to criticize the Boston Red Sox organization for anything but I have to say thank you to them for the tribute they did at Fenway on Thursday for Mr. Steinbrenner. The Sox went all out to do this and it was done respectively and with a lot of class. It showed me a lot.

...I want to thank everyone for their very nice birthday wishes for Dylan Bradbury and myself on Wednesday. It's a nice feeling and it's also nice to share my birthday with Dylan, whom I've developed a lot of respect for as well as a friendship. And I was equally happy to hear that he got a fan for his birthday because that is one thing he really needed. (In case any of you don't know, this poor kid lives in an apartment building that does not allow the residents to have air conditioners. And with the heat we have been having it has been tough on him.) I'm assuming his parents got him the fan and I also hope they got one for themselves. Me? I got a fifty dollar gift card from my wife for Amazon.com. It will come in handy very soon when I buy season nine of Hawaii Five-O, which will be released in August.

...Apple haters must be in heaven these last few days with the way the Apple company is spinning their story around trying to explain away their latest piece of very expensive and practically worthless iPhone 4.

...One thing I look forward to every year is the Yankees Old Timer's Game and this year was no exception. That team always makes that day a can't-miss event every year.

...A.J. Burnett, meet Kevin Brown.

...I was in a doctor's waiting room waiting for my wife to finish up with a check up she had to have and I saw a copy of the May Newsweek that had Facebook on the cover. It seems that Facebook now has over 500 million people who now have Facebook accounts. After reading that article it made me feel very good about myself because I am not one of the 500 million.

...Doctor's offices and magazines, part two: Another time, another doctor and this time it was a copy of Sports Illustrated that caught my eye. SI had an article about Robinson Cano, who as we all know is having a career year for the Yanks. I did not know that Cano was a better major league hitter (career .312 hitter) than his minor league numbers (career .278 hitter.) Also, as with most baseball stories fate always has a part in things. It seems that the Boston Red Sox arranged for a tryout for Cano but it was scheduled on a day when Cano had a final exam in school. Cano missed the tryout and the Sox did not get to see how good he was for themselves.

...If any of you were ever curious to know what a Hong Kong hooker looks like, take one look at MLB.com's Hazel Mae.

...Yesterday, July 17th, was a very special day here at Mvpmods. Dennis James did not release a mod for Mvp baseball yesterday. Keep up the great work my friend. The more people get into 2k10 the better Mvp baseball will look and you are a big part of it.

[DylanBradbury]

Updated to 7-18

...I want to thank everyone for their very nice birthday wishes for Dylan Bradbury and myself on Wednesday. It's a nice feeling and it's also nice to share my birthday with Dylan, whom I've developed a lot of respect for as well as a friendship. And I was equally happy to hear that he got a fan for his birthday because that is one thing he really needed. (In case any of you don't know, this poor kid lives in an apartment building that does not allow the residents to have air conditioners. And with the heat we have been having it has been tough on him.) I'm assuming his parents got him the fan and I also hope they got one for themselves. Me? I got a fifty dollar gift card from my wife for Amazon.com. It will come in handy very soon when I buy season nine of Hawaii Five-O, which will be released in August.

Right back at you Y4L! Celebrating a birthday is nice, but it's 10x better to celebrate with the great people on this board and share it with a friend like you.

Thanks again everyone for the wishes!

[HFLR]

A day later but nevermind.

...I got back from a week in Tucson, Arizona for vacation. It was great and finally got the Mariners cap I have been looking for since I was a kid. Bought some batting gloves and a new baseball glove too since I plan to be a pitcher when I enter to the University next month, so if you see me in Yankee pinstripes in a few years don't be surprised.

...Went to Taco Bell and had a Crunchwrap Supreme that week in Tucson and actually enjoyed it.. does it make me a bad Mexican?

...The Boss, George Steinbrenner is gone, I admired him for making the Yankees a winning franchise again and for being one of the greatest owners in history.

...AJ is hurt but he won't miss his next start, Pettite is hurt the next day and he'll miss like 5 weeks, this sucks...

...Rumors about Soria going to the Yanks? I couldn't believe it until I saw it on MLB Trade Rumors, but it seems kinda hard to get him, the Royals will ask for a lot for Joakim, I still remember when I attended his perfect game in Mexico when he was a starter and before he made his MLB debut, I'm very happy for him now.

EDIT: I have to admit I was kinda scared about the Arizona law there, I know I have my passport and american visa card to get to the country but I was scared about it but when I got there it was so normal, like the other times I've been to Tucson or Phoenix, nice to see that but that governor is a crazy b....

[Yankee4Life]

Updated to 7-25

...Forgive me everyone for being a bit pre-occupied this week but I am going to be paying a lot of attention to what the Yankees do between now and the July 31st trading deadline because if history repeats itself they'll trade some good young talent for an aging outfielder who can only play DH. Or a pitcher who can't pitch.

...Nothing against Dan Haren, who is probably a fine pitcher in his own right, but this year he is 7-8 with a 4.60 ERA and that's way to high for the NL. Just imagine what it would be in the homer happy AL. And trading for this guy and giving up someone like Jesus Montero would make no sense. Stay in Arizona Haren and finish in last place in the NL West with the rest of your teammates.

...One of the first things I did in my Yankee trade watch for this week was check out the Pittsburgh Pirates active roster because one or more of those guys are probably playing their last games for the Bucs this week.

...Speaking of Pittsburgh, you can say what you want about your favorite team but they will never be as bad as this organization that they have in that city. We all know this stat. 17 straight losing seasons. And as far as I am concerned they can add another 100 years to that. Barry Bonds exit at the end of the 1992 season began Pittsburgh's long demiss e and questionable moves by the front office in recent years have done nothing to improve the team. Once they do get a good player you can set your watch to when he is going to be traded. I'm waiting for Andrew McCutcheon to be wearing a new uniform soon because he is the best player on that team.

...Went to a family picnic yesterday and the humidity here in the Northeast has not let up at all. Couldn't eat anything but cheese and crackers but I did put away more than my share of Nestea iced tea. Or was it Lipton? No matter. It was in a can and it was cold. Family picnics are fun. It reminds you of the great people you have in your family and also the ones to avoid.

...Nice going Chone Figgins on that play you didn't make at second base the other night. For anyone who didn't see it, Mike Cameron doubled and when the ball was thrown into second base, Figgins just stood there and let the ball get past him and Cameron took third. I've seen this play before - in a little league game when the kid is pouting about something. Not a major league game. Figgins probably realizes now that following the money to go to Seattle wasn't the best move.

...Seattle's another team I have no love lost for. They made a lot of noise by signing all those guys this past winter and they themselves and some sportswriters were awarding them the AL West title before any games were played. Kind of reminds me of the first year Johan Santana went to the Mets. The Mets had themselves already in the World Series because of that Didn't work out that way now did it?

...Cheers to Jorge Posada for driving in his 1,000th run a few games ago. He'd of done it two years ago if he didn't have the annoying habit of striking out with men on base or grounding into double plays. Retire you son of a bitch.

...Here is hoping for a quick recovery for Yogi Berra and also my condolences to the Houk family.

...Hall of Fame induction ceremonies today. You couldn't pay me to be there. I went in 2001 and it was wall to wall people with little bastard children constantly running into you.

[jay16509]

Guys,

How are you today? Y4L, Unfortunatly being a Pirates fan, I have to agree with you. My team always seems to make these boneheaded decisions. I have always stood by my Buccos, but each year it gets a bit harder. I look for Maholm to be traded soon, and I don't think McCutchen will be traded this year, but I have a feeling as soon as he gets close to an arbitration year, watch out, he will be next to go. I would love to have an owner like Steinbrenner who, while sometimes he made some questionable decisions, would do whatever he thought would help his team win.

It is raining today here in Erie, Pa. I hope that it ends this heat wave we have had here lately. Especially since our air conditioning at work has not been working for a month. When you work in a fast food restaurant, it can get very hot very quickly.

American football will be starting soon. I am very happy about that. Not sure how my Steelers will do, but still have to root for them. I have rooted for my Pirates and Steelers since I was a little kid, and will still support them no matter what. Ben Roethlesberger... I think it is time we get rid of him. He has all the talent in the world, but he has no class off of the field. Time to get rid of this jerk, and get a new QB.

Anyhow, I have rambled long enough, but I hope that everyone has a wonderful day. Jay

[Yankee4Life]

Ramble on as much as you want in here Jay. That's what this thread is for. Consider it a little sound off thread if you will. Come by any time you want.

As for you being a Pirates fan, I admire your loyalty. It really is tested and for quite a long time.

[MarkB]

This week's thoughts (he says as if he makes a habit of posting them...)

Updated Firefox earlier today. Got the surprise of the year so far when I rolled over the "Persona" images, curious to see what "Roll over to try, click to apply" did. Not at all happy at the fact that it's possible to actually change the look of your Firefox GUI simply by rolling over a piece of code. From a security aspect, that a web-page has that level of access to the front-end of the browser is worrying. On further inspection, it seems to be Yahoo code running a frame inside the page. Definitely requires further inspection.

Slowly watching the talks from The Next HOPE conference. Some very insightful, some funny, all intelligent.

And with that said, Adrian Lamo seems to be about as close to human garbage as it's possible to get. It's funny how many people dismissed the "Stop snitching" movement in 2004, and now it rears its ugly head again. I wonder how mainstream it will need to get before people pay attention. Has no-one learned from the last 40 years?

Thank you, MLB.com, for the free MLB.TV trial for voting in the Final Vote in the All-Star Game. Sadly, it didn't persuade me to purchase MLB.TV, but it may comfort you to know that I was not too disturbed by the occasions in which your terrible service made it impossible to watch a game live on most occasions during the trial, and that I turned to "illegal" streams instead. It may also comfort you to know that instead of watching the live games on MLB.TV, I used the access simply to make multiple connections to your server in order to download around 30 games from past seasons. They make nice additions to my collection.

And with the above in mind, if I ever get a job at a university, or somewhere else with a huge pipe, I'll be very happy the moment I hit the upload button to create a torrent of the games on The Pirate Bay or ISOHunt. Very happy indeed. Damn 70kB/s upload.

Oh, and having ads for "Bikini 101" and "Daytime In No Time" every half-inning until around the 6th or 7th inning is stupid. Were MLB.TV free, then yes, I could understand it. But it's not. Subscribers to MLB.TV are, essentially, paying for the privilege of watching advertisements. And on top of that - who are they kidding? In the middle of a baseball game? Budweiser ads, sure, I get it. I don't condone it, but I get it. Hot dogs? Yep. Barbecues? D.I.Y. kits? Trailers for home maintenance shows? Yep, all fine. Hell, the umpire camp ad is absolutely fine. A "get fit for summer so that you'll look great in your bikini" advertisement? Really? And I wonder what percentage of men watch daytime TV and baseball. You guys ever hear the phrase "target audience"? Researched demographics? Just brain-dead on both MLB.TV and Yahoo's part.

Is it just me, or are mint Tic Tac's incredibly addictive?

Only a matter of time before there was a third. R.I.P. Ralph Houk.

Saw an ad at the side of the site earlier in the week with the text "What's your IQ?? Take the test" or something very similar. First thought: "High enough to know that using 2 question marks in that context is improper". Am I the only one?

EDIT -

Also: it's "should have", not "should of", "your" and "you're" are not interchangeable, neither are "there/their/they're", and "then" and "than" do not mean the same thing.

MRI on right knee this Friday. Here's hoping they actually find something this time. On the face of it, not finding a problem sounds like a good thing, but when you're told your knee is fine and you still have problems with it 4 years later, "frustrating" isn't the word. Also, migraines are annoying as hell. Not the regular migraines, no. The "I'll rip your brain stem apart, cut every nerve between the bridge of your nose and the tip of the highest hair on your head and drip acid in your eyes for 10 days straight" type of migraines. More than a mild inconvenience, I assure you.

Rule 34-2 of the Internet: If there is not a stream of the game, the game does not exist. No exceptions.

(I just lost the game typing the above. FUUUUUUUUUUUUU-)

Anyway, hope everyone has a good week.

[jay16509]

Great posts, guys. Y4L, thank you for you saying you admire my loyalty to the Pirates. I have stuck with my Pittsburgh teams for years. I support them in good times and bad. I supported my Buccos when they had Sammy Khalifa (possibly spelled wrong) at short, etc, so I remember the bad years of the 80's, then supported them as they had success in the early 90's with Spanky Lavalliere, Jose Lind, Jay Bell, Barry Bonds, etc. And I support them now over the long 17 years. I wish that we could pull off another miracle like we did in 86 or 87 when we traded Tony Pena to the Cards and received Mike Lavalliere, and Andy Van Slyke, etc. and where we traded a pitcher who I can't remember to the Yankees for Doug Drabek.

Going to the Erie Seawolves game tomorrow night. I took my son Eric to Wendy's tonight for dinner, and they had a deal here where if you got milk for your drink in a value meal, you received two tickets to a Seawolves game. Plus tomorrow is buck night for concessions, so it will be a great night.

Anyhow, Dan Haren was traded to the Angels. It should be an ok move for the Halo's, but still am not sure how good Haren will be in the AL.

I hope you guys all have a good night.

[Yankee4Life]

Updated to 8-1

...Well the trade deadline came and went and while the Yankees did make some moves they didn't make a blockbuster one that took a big bite out of the farm system. Which, of course, was very strange to see coming from them.

...Ok, I can understand getting Lance Berkman. We need someone to replace Nick Johnson who is having another one of his fine years on the injured list. And Austin Kearns, a right handed bat. But Kerry Wood? Why? He's 1-4 with a 6.30 ERA. Don't we have enough people on the staff already with numbers like his? Like Joba?

...Speaking of Joba, he must be ecstatic with the acquisition of Wood. Wood was the only pitcher doing worse than he was this year on the mound so maybe the fans will start getting off his back the next time he comes in to pitch because they know there is someone even worse than he is out in that pen.

...Nick Johnson's excited about the trade for Kerry Wood too. Wood's been on the disabled list 14 times in his career so now Johnson can honestly say there is someone even worse than him on the team. WOW!! What a trade.

...Poor Cub fans. Their team trades a decent lefthander in Ted Lilly and a good, hustling ballplayer in Ryan Theriot yesterday but they still have that statue out in left field and nut job out in the bullpen. You see Cubs, the idea when you make trades is to try to improve your ballclub and not make it worse.

...Let's hear it for the Pittsburgh Pirates because they actually held on to their most talented player in Andrew McCutcheon instead of trading him off for four Double A pitchers and cash. Good for them.

...Finally, what the hell are you thinking Atlanta Braves in trading for Kyle Farnsworth? Of all teams you have no excuse because Farnsworth actually played for you a few years ago. You should already know what you are getting. So when he blows a lead in August and September -and he will...don't look shocked.

...Anyone see what's going on down in Tampa this weekend? They are playing in front of sell out crowds. Don't let it fool you though. Rays management is letting people in for free. That's the only way they can pack the place.

...I have had it up to here visiting The Sporting News website because every time I click on an article to read it they have audio commercials on each page that pop up automatically to sell Lexus LS automobiles.

...Hey Derek Jeter. It's August now. Don't you think you should start hitting the damn ball? Just asking.

...Finally, R.I.P. to a great Oakland Raider, Jack Tatum. Tatum was one of the best defensive backs in the NFL back when you were actually allowed to tackle people without getting a penalty. Most people remember him for one sad incident in a pre-season game, but he was much more than that. He was a truly great player.

[Yankee4Life]

Updated to 8-8

...Thank you to JoeRudi26 for bringing up this idea for a Mvp baseball 2011 and here is hoping this idea sprouts wings and takes off because we really need an update from Mvp 2008.

...And I will not go further in this week's edition of Random Thoughts if I did not thank Mr Jim825 for releasing his latest gem, the total conversion mod for the 1974 season which I will be very happy to provide the download link right here.

...I like when the Yankees play day games because that means guys like MarkB can get a decent night's sleep, provided of course if he ever slept.

...You are never too old to learn things and if you keep your eyes open you can learn something new every single day here and I have to thank the shoutbox crowd earlier this week for this eye opener that almost got me into serious trouble with my better half. Only because of a bad phone connection at her work (they have been installing a new phone system this week at her work and sometimes the connection is not that good.) I avoided some serious trouble because I called her up before she came home for lunch to ask her if she knew if anyone she worked with had a wizard's sleeve. How the God damn hell am I supposed to know what it really meant?? I swear before God himself that before that a wizard's sleeve was well, a wizard's sleeve. The work on those phones last week bailed me out because they thought I was talking about some Harry Potter stuff. So did I...until I googled it when I got off the phone.

...This is why when Mark and other people tell me to stay away from a website called 4Channels I do it. They make it sound like if I go there my eyes will melt.

...Hey, I don't want you to think that I don't know things on the Internet but the things that I know those guys already know so why should I bring them up if they already know them? In other words...ah hell let me change the subject here.

...I heard some talk from some Red Sox fans in here like SeanO that the season for the Red Sox is over for the year. And as much as I want that to be true I won't believe it until it is mathematically true. I've seen too many comebacks over the years. You think the Mets have forgotten that they blew a seven game lead with two weeks to play a few years back? That ballclub still has not recovered from that. Or look at what the Twins did last year. They came on like gangbusters in September. Yeah, that team has had a lot of injuries but I don't turn my back on anyone until the door is officially closed on them.

...Baseball is such a fascinating sport because you can never understand why certain things happen in baseball that really have no explanation. Like this: The Orioles, the team with a 36-74 record, who are 32 1/2 games out of first place as of this writing, swept the Los Angeles Angels recently in a three game series. This is the same Angels team that always pushes around the Yankees every year. Go figure. And if you do figure it out, get back to me.

...Poor Lance Berkman. He finally got a hold of one yesterday -even though it was in batting practice- and unfortunately hit Alex Rodriguez in the leg. Now if he had done the same thing and KO'ed AJ Burnett he would have got a standing ovation.

...It's strange seeing the Cincinnati Reds in first place this late in the season because usually around the beginning of August that team is making their plans for the winter.

...The Whiner of the week award goes to Joe Maddon, manager of the Rays. He cried this week because the a ball hit by a Twins player hit the catwalk and fell in fair territory, helping the Twins beat Tampa. Now, he is pushing for a rule change just in case the Rays make the playoffs. Of course, he was very very quiet when the same thing happened in April against the Yankees. But in that case it was the Rays who got the hit and not the other team.

[jay16509]

Y4L,

How are you? I don't know if you have ever seen it, but if you Google AJ Burnett sucks, there is actually a forum for it. Pretty funny stuff. Jay.

[Yankee4Life]

Y4L,

How are you? I don't know if you have ever seen it, but if you Google AJ Burnett sucks, there is actually a forum for it. Pretty funny stuff. Jay.

I'm fine, and I hope you are too.

I just googled it. I don't believe this! Funny stuff.

[MarkB]

...You are never too old to learn things and if you keep your eyes open you can learn something new every single day here and I have to thank the shoutbox crowd earlier this week for this eye opener that almost got me into serious trouble with my better half. Only because of a bad phone connection at her work (they have been installing a new phone system this week at her work and sometimes the connection is not that good.) I avoided some serious trouble because I called her up before she came home for lunch to ask her if she knew if anyone she worked with had a wizard's sleeve. How the God damn hell am I supposed to know what it really meant?? I swear before God himself that before that a wizard's sleeve was well, a wizard's sleeve. The work on those phones last week bailed me out because they thought I was talking about some Harry Potter stuff. So did I...until I googled it when I got off the phone.

...This is why when Mark and other people tell me to stay away from a website called 4Channels I do it. They make it sound like if I go there my eyes will melt.

I know nothing. About anything. Ever. Never heard of 4Channels.

[Yankee4Life]

I know nothing. About anything. Ever. Never heard of 4Channels.

Yeah, right. Tell me another. :)

[jay16509]

Ok,

Just thought I would go into a bit about how a guy originally from Virginia became a Pirates fan. I grew up in the Washington DC area of Virginia in Prince William County. My Mom and Dad were originally from Punxsutawney, Pa., but my Dad had got a job with the government before I was born. Well, at that time, the closest major league team was the Baltimore Orioles, (this was way before the Nationals ever came into existance), so we hardly ever got to Baltimore to watch any games. Due to my Dad being a Pirates fan, we watched them whenever they used to come on TBS or WGN at the time. Then, lo and behold, in 1984, Prince William got a minor league team, the Prince William Pirates. That first year, the only players I remember were Joe Charbonneau (spelling might be wrong), and Felix Fermin. Then, in 1985, we had Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, a great fielding 2nd Baseman in Jose Lind, and probably my favorite player there, Bip Roberts, who I hated to see the Pirates trade away.

We had one more year of the Pirates in 1986, and then it became the Prince William Yankees. That is probably why I like the Yanks a bit as my AL team. Watching players like Hensley "Bam-Bam" Meulens, Kevin Maas, Bernie and Gerald Williams, was great. Anyhow, then for a little bit, due to my teenage stupidity, my parents and I were fighting a lot. Did not get to many games for a long time after high school. Then, in the mid 90's, my grandmother had gotten real sick. No one else from the family lived close, and I moved up to Punxsutawney to help her. Unfortunatly, there were not many jobs in the Punxsy area, so I moved to Erie, Pa. It was close enough to Punxsy that I could drive there and help my grandmother out, but yet there were decent jobs here.

Erie at that time had a team in the New York-Penn league, the Erie Seawolves which was a Pirates organization at the time. It was great seeing the young kids here play ball, Jose Guillen, etc. Anyhow, then in 1998 or 1999, I can't remember which year, the Seawolves moved up to Double AA. We became an affiliate of the Anaheim Angels. Got to see Gary DiSarcina, Ramon Ortiz, etc, come through here. Neatest thing though, was when the Angels themselves came here for an exhibition game.

Finally, in the year 2000, my grandmother passed away. Being a southern boy, I never liked the monstrous snow amounts Erie received, I moved to Florida. I was near the Tampa area, got to go over to a few (at the time Devil Rays) games, but the thing I liked most was going to spring training. However, Erie drew me back after 5 years, and now the Seawolves are a Tigers affiliate, but it does not matter. I love going to Jerry Uht park, and watching the kids play ball. Anyhow, I have probably rambled enough, just figured I would give you some insight as to my little bit of baseball background. If you guys are ever in the Erie, Pa. area in the summer, go to a game here if you can. I will probably be there. I promise you that it is a fun place to watch a game, and an interesting stadium to be at. Jay