The Sage Wisdom of Marvin Lee Aday

It turns out that Marvin Lee Aday was actually referring to baseball. The artist commonly known as Meatloaf once sang that, "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad". In baseball winning two out of every three games leads to 108 wins. The Red Sox won Friday, lost Saturday, and won on Sunday. They now sit at 8-4, which ain't bad at all.

Schilling was phenomenal on Friday night. He held the Mariners to only three hits and a single run over 8 strong innings in the 2-1 victory. Schilling struck out 7, including Ichiro in the 6th inning with a runner on third base and only one out. He lowered his E.R.A. to 1.64 while improving to 3-0. Only Forrest Gump, who I'm told, is in fact a Yankees fan, could now question how effective Schilling will be this year. He is healthy, healed, and pitching better than ever. He's a bona-fide Cy Young contender again and a legitimate staff ace.

On Saturday Francona either had a brain fart or regressed to his old ways. Josh Bard is clearly an inferior offensive player when compared to Jason Varitek. Trot Nixon is nursing a sore groin (although he's expected to play today). Rather put the best available lineup on the field in support of Tim Wakefield, Francona decides to give Mr. Professional, Mark Loretta, and the Doubles Machine, Mike Lowell, the day off. So Wakefield pitches well, despite some Bard difficulties, and only allows two earned runs (3 overall) in a complete game effort. The meager Sox lineup only produces 5 hits and scores exactly as many runs as the Patriots scored points on Saturday, ZERO. Great game by Wake, unfortunately wasted by Grady Little 2, Electric Boogaloo.

Beckett became the second Sox starter to go 3-0 this year in a brilliant effort on Sunday. The Sox were able to scratch out a couple of runs in the first inning. In the third Seattle was able to tie the game thanks in part to some poor fielding. Wily Mo looks more and more like Jose Canseco every day. Alex Gonzalez drove in the winning run in the fourth, just as he drove in both runs on Friday. With a runner on 3rd with one out in the 6th inning Beckett reached back and fired... a curveball to Richie Sexson. It was a thing of beauty delivered on a 3-2 count. Sexson flailed and missed causing traffic on the Turnpike to swerve in the stiff breeze. Then Beckett fired a fastball, as fast as 98 MPH by some counts, past Adrian Beltre to end the inning. Beckett managed to maintain his league leading 1.29 E.R.A. by allowing only the one earned run in seven innings. Ace number two, and two only by nature of the rotation, is thriving so far in Boston.

Papelbon saved both one run games this weekend. He's now six-for-six in save opportunities with four saves coming in one-run games. He is holding opponents to a mere .087 batting average. He's throwing all of his pitches effectively and for strikes. He maintains a calm steady demeanor that belies the fire burning inside his eyes. I want a number 58 jersey, be it a replica, authentic, or tee-shirt. The future is now with Papelbon.

The Sox complete their four game series with the Mariners today. Today is the traditional 11:05 AM start on Patriots Day. Lenny DiNardo subs for Tubby today and will face Gil Meche. Strangely the Sox will remain home for three games with the Devil Rays before traveling to Oh, Canada for a weekend series with the Jays. If the Sox can continue to win two out of three games, it won't be bad. No, it won't be bad at all.

We're Streaking...

...but it's in the wrong the direction. Matt Clement left everything up in the strike zone last night. I hope it was a singular instance of a pitcher having a bad game and not a prolonged funk. If he's planning to compete with Tubby for "most likely to be replaced in the rotation by Papelbon", he should reconsider. Tubby will probably land on the DL at some point this year so Clement should focus on trying to pitch well.

Here's hoping that the first losing streak of 2006 ends at two games with a victory tonight. Schilling is going for his third win in as many chances. I like his chances to start my weekend off on the right foot. A victory tonight could turn Good Friday into a great Friday.

I saw a link to a great article on romance and baseball that is worth a read. The author is a Blue Jays fan, so consider yourself warned. It's very well written and contains many truthful insights on relationships with one sports nut and one non-fan.



On a different note, please leave some feedback on the site. I've enabled anonymous feedback so no one needs to register. I've been able to post every day since the season started and I have no plans to stop doing so. I want to know what works and what doesn't. Should I spend a little more time on the writing to craft great metaphors and grammatically challenging sentences? Should I leave open ended questions at the end of each post? I'm thinking about adding questions next week. Do I need to start adding pictures to every post? In addition to feedback, your comments will help me to understand how much traffic I may or may not be getting. I've submitted the blog to Boston.com to be added to their list of user Red Sox blogs and their Feedster site of blog updates. Once added that should increase the traffic.

Extensions for Everyone

Two great pieces of news crossed the wire just after I posted yesterday. The Red Sox signed Coco Crisp to a 3-year contract extension and the Patriots signed Richard Seymour to a 4-year contract extension.

The Crisp deal is excellent for the Red Sox. Crisp receives a $1-million signing bonus and will be paid $3.5-million in 2007, $4.75-million in 2008, and $5.75-million in 2009. There is an $8-million option for 2010. I've said all along that Crisp would outperform Johnny Damon for the entire life of Damon's 4-year deal with the Yankees. To think that Crisp will average just over $4-million per year for the next four years while Damon robs Steinbrenner of $13-million annually makes me smile.

Seymour is rumored to have signed for about $30-million over four years. He will now be one of the highest paid defensive players in the NFL. This is great news for Patriots fans. It's been a long and dark offseason so far, with an exodus of talent and no apparent influx of quality new players. The Seymour extension sheds a positive light on the Patriots heading into the NFL draft which is just over two weeks away.



So... David Wells stunk out loud yesterday. Is anyone really surprised? That fat lard needs to shut his cakehole. He shouldn't be running his mouth about being in the rotation (and wanted to be the number 2 starter?!!!) and he shouldn't be eating so much junk food. He'd be in a lot less trouble and he might actually be in a physical condition that would allow him to pitch moderately well. I hope he goes on the DL soon so he can actually try rehabbing and find the time to join Jenny Craig. His new official monicker is "Tubby".



And the envelope please....

AL MVP: Travis Hafner, 1B, Indians
Runner-up: David Ortiz, DH, Red Sox

AL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Blue Jays
Runner-up: Josh Beckett, Red Sox

NL MVP: Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals
Runner-up: David Wright, 3B, Mets

NL Cy Young: Roy Oswalt, Astros
Runner-up: Jake Peavy, Padres

Great Start to Season, If Not to Game

Great start for the Sox. They sit at 6-1 with a 3.0-game lead over the O's, Rays, Jays, and Yanks.

Once again Beckett struggled in the first inning, but stronger as the game wore on. He seemed to overthrow in the first. His velocity was down and his location was off. He was pretty lights out after that. If he's shakes the first inning bug, he's going to be dangerous. I'm starting to think that if he stays healthy, my prediction of 20 wins is going to be on the low side.

Awesome double play turned by Loretta-Gonzalez-Youkilis yesterday. Loretta skied to attempt to snare a liner by Molina but ended up deflecting the ball towards SS. Gonzalez alertly scooped up the ball, stepped on second, and fired to first.

Coco broke his index finger, not his pinky. I saw a picture of him with the splint.

Papelbon looks like a seasoned veteran. I'm amazed by his excellent control. He's been hitting his spots will all his pitches this year. His stare is awesome and ice cold.

I really, really like the new "Baseball Tonight" graphics. They consist of animated baseball cards arranged in a house-of-cards fashion. They also have slick matching backgrounds with a slightly older feel to them. The team logos are shown burnt onto the barrel of a baseball bat. All-in-all a very cool new set of graphics.

Good to see Big Papi tie old friend Bronson Arroyo with his second homerun yesterday.

Wily Mo was looking liking Jose Canseco yesterday with his fielding skills. At least the ball didn't bounce directly off his head and then go over the wall.

Tomorrow I'll predict the major award winners.

I've Got Good News and I've Got Bad News...

Bad News:
Coco Crisp broke his left pinky finger near the base of the finger. I broke my knuckle playing hoops a couple years ago and I remember how difficult it was to bend my finger when I removed the splint. I had no range of motion and it hurt like hell to even try to move it. I hope that Coco doesn't have as much pain or as much difficulty of movement.

Good News:
Crisp has a non-displaced fracture and will be re-evaluated in 10 days. Hopefully he won't miss more than a couple of weeks. A couple of weeks would be great news considering that early reports by CBS4 indicated he could miss 6-8 weeks.

Bad News:
The home opener is at 2PM today. I can't leave work until almost 4PM at the earliest.

Good News:
I'm DVR'ing the game. I'll watch it when I get home. I'm excited to see Beckett's Fenway debut.

Bad News:
David Ortiz could have been a free agent after the season if the Red Sox bought out his 2007 option.

Good News:
The Sox and Ortiz came to terms on a new 4-year contract extension that will pay Big Papi $52 million over the next four years. This is actually great, not good, news. The Sox keep the best hitter in baseball off the market and he signs for less than market value. $12.5 million per year is quite manageable in this era of bloated contracts.

Prediction Time

Once again I'll attempt to gaze into my crystal ball and see the oft-clouded future. Here are my season predictions for the key Sox personnel. Remember, I'm predicting a 98-win season and a division title.


Hitters
Crisp: .310 14 HR 61 RBI 32 SB
Loretta: .301 11 HR 78 RBI
Ortiz: .317 43 HR 141 RBI
Ramirez: .276 34 HR 118 RBI
Nixon: .272 18 HR 102 RBI
Varitek: .289 15 HR 94 RBI
Lowell: .264 23 HR 87 RBI
Youkilis: .271 12 HR 76 RBI
Gonzalez: .247 10 HR 52 RBI

Pena: .239 14 HR 34 RBI
Pedroia: .286 1 HR 18 RBI


Pitchers
Schilling: 20-7 3.62 ERA
Wakefield: 14-12 4.53 ERA
Beckett: 20-8 3.44 ERA
Clement: 16-10 3.98 ERA
Wells: 9-9 4.47 ERA
Papelbon: 7-3 3.16 ERA 14 S 1 BS
Foulke: 2-5 3.88 ERA 11 S 4 BS

Hansen: 2-1 2.74 ERA 10 S 2 BS

Party Like It's 1999

We're going to party like it's 1999 because at 5-1 the Red Sox are off to their best start since 1999. The Sox completed the three game sweep of the Orioles and have completed their season-opening road trip. Josh Beckett makes his Fenway debut in the home opener on Tuesday.

I'm going with a quick-hits style post today.

- I thought Schilling got squeezed yesterday. It happened to Papelbon today. Good to see him work through it, not let it affect him, and earn his 3rd save in as many chances without allowing a run.

- Miguel Tejada is a big hypocrite. He complained (and cried) when DLowe make a crotch-related gesture after getting the final out in the series clincher against the A's in 2003. Tejada said his kids were watching and that the gesture was inappropriate. If you've ever read Tejada's lips during a game, he's one of the most foul-mouthed athletes in the game today.

- Wakefield and Bard looked much better today. What a relief. In fact Wakefield didn't allow an earned run today.

- Foulke looked great today. He's gotten better with each appearance. Personally, I hope he stays in the 8th inning set-up role and Papelbon remains the closer. I think Timlin-Foulke-Papelbon is great sequence to close out the tight games.

- Alex Gonzalez has made some great plays in the field and almost made some others. He doesn't seem quite as smooth as Orlando Cabrera or Pokey Reese but I think he has a better arm. I also feel like he's not totally in rhythm yet and that he will continue to appear more smooth and make more plays.

- Lowell has been great defensively so far. Hopefully he can hit for a respectable average with moderate power.

- Ortiz had two hits today against the defensive shift. It was a great job after struggling earlier in the series.

- Adam Stern came through today. He could be a good contributor next year for the big league club.

- Wily Mo looked awful yesterday. He chased every fastball that was high and away. So much for his supposedly improved plate discipline.

Deja Vu All Over Again

Well they did it again. The Sox played a tight 2-1 game and came out victorious for the second time in a week. Once again Jonathan Papelbon secured the save. Today Schilling pitched his second gem of the season. He's definitely primed for a huge year.

Today's victory comes on the heels of an Orioles' pounding last night. The Sox had 14 at bats with the bases loaded in the win. Clement pitched very well. He gave up several hits with two down in the 7th leading to four Baltimore runs. He was unscathed through the first six innings.

Francona has done an excellent job managing the first five games of the year. He just might change my opinion of him after all. Previously, I've really felt that he was no more than Grady Little 2, Electric Boogaloo with a better playoff record. This year, however, he has made some good defensive substitutions (Sterns for Manny, Snow for Youkilis) and even offensive ones (Trot for Pena today). All this on top of using Papelbon in one-run games. I hope he continues the great job he's done this year.

Goodbye Old Friend

I recorded the first few innings of the Mets-Nats game last night. I wanted to see how Pedro Martinez pitched. He had a good year last year: 2.82 E.R.A., 208 K's, .204 BAA, and he won 15 games. As good as he was I never really got the sense that he was dominant at any point last year. I think he's continuing a slow decline, which is unfortunate.

Petey and I go way back. The Sox acquired Pedro in the Fall of my Freshman year of college. My friends and I would walk to the park on game nights and buy bleacher seats to see him pitch. Often we would splurge for the more expensive lower bleacher seats, a mere $10 at the time, rather than pay the $8 price for the upper bleachers. We had many great nights watching Petey strike out 10+ batters while heckling the opposing outfielders. We got in Ken Griffey Jr.'s head one time and he started yelling back at us. It was great.

Last night Petey didn't have great velocity or control. He was topping out in the high 80 MPH range. He hit three batters. It wasn't fun to watch.

Pedro Martinez will end up in the Hall of Fame one day. He was absolutely brilliant for seven years. I hope that fans will remember that he dominated in the era of steroids, HGH, and other illegal performance enhancers. That should make his accomplishments all the greater. I hope that he is able to finish out his contract with the Mets and put up respectable numbers.

One final note: Nick Johnson has the worst mustache on a professional athlete that I've ever seen. It's about a 7/10 on the unintentional comedy scale.

He Does Have a Brain

Wow, Francona let Papelbon pitch the 9th in a 2-1 game. I'm shocked. I figured he'd let Foulke blow 4 or 5 saves before giving Papelbon a chance. I have to say that I'm very happy that Francona made the right move last night.

Beckett started somewhat slowly; he was dancing out of trouble for the first few innings. He seemed to settle down, though, and did retire 12 of the last 13 he faced. He and Schilling are going to be fun to watch this year. I really hope they both push each other to another plane of greatness.

I love hearing the home crowd chant, "Let's go Red Sox!", *clap*, *clap*, *clap*clap*clap* when the Sox are on the road. I heard that during the 2nd and 3rd games of the opening series. I meant to mention that yesterday.

My lovely wife and I bought a dual-reclining over-stuffed loveseat on Tuesday. It arrived today. I'm going to now go and enjoy some HD coverage of the Masters in total comfort. *Homer Simpson drool...*

There Goes the Perfect Season

And just like that, the dream of 162-0 is gone...

Some quick thoughts about last night's game:

- Coco Crisp looks like he's going to be great. And he's fast.
- Jerry Remy is now reading the catcher's signs, i.e., "fastball away". This could get old really fast.
- Josh Bard looked scary behind home plate. I was reminded of Varitek trying to catch Wake in the 2004 ALCS.
- Demarlo Hale actually prevented a runner from being thrown out at home plate last night. Looks like it might not be the Sveum old song and dance after all.
- Manny looks awful right now. Just like April and May of last year. He looks lost at the plate.
- Ortiz is already locked in. Every year he gets better. Sign him to an extension NOW.
- Why was the radar gun for NESN not working last night? Opening day is one thing, but two days in a row?
- Why was Alex Cora playing last night? I don't care if he's 12-for-13 against Padilla. This smells rank, like Francona starting to play the veterans too much.
- Why is J.T. Snow playing today? Is Youkilis so out of shape that he can't play 3 days in a row?
- Why does Bill Simmons, ESPN's Sportsguy, spell Youk as "Yook"? Just abbreviate, Bill, don't over think.

I'm looking forward to Josh Beckett's first start today. He and Schilling give the Sox a legitimate chance for a pair of 20-game winners. The Sox haven't had that since... oh, Pedro and Schilling in 2004. Things worked out well for the Sox in 2004. Let's hope Beckett can stay off the DL this year.

We're Undefeated!

Yeah! The Sox are on pace to go 162-0 this year. By my calculations David Ortiz in on pace for 162 homeruns.

All kidding aside, it was great to see Schilling pitch as well as he did. He hit 93 MPH on his 115th pitch of the day. I think his ankle must finally be normal again. He looks thinner than last year, too. I think start #1 was a great one for Curt.

I was glad to see Papelbon yesterday. He looked solid. Foulke on the other hand looked very shaky. I don't think Foulke is closing by the end of April. I think Papelbon will be closing games from late April until around late June/early July when Hansen takes over. At that point I think Papelbon will be back in the rotation. I think Wells will end up on the DL in June, clearing a rotation spot for Papelbon.

The new guys looked good yesterday. Coco scored from 1st base twice. Loretta had an RBI double. Gonzalez had two hits. Lowell even hit a solo homerun.

As long as Francona doesn't screw things up (like letting Foulke close games when he has already blown 4 or 5 saves by May) this team looks very good. Francona even made some nice defensive substitutions yesterday, replacing Manny with the Canadian Babe and Youkilis with Snow.

Play Ball!

It's like Christmas in April today; the Red Sox season opener starts at 2 PM EST. I'm running out the door at 4 PM today to watch the NESN HD broadcast on my DVR. I will be avoiding the score like the plague until I get home. Okay, maybe not the plague, but I will avoid any updates like a really bad head cold with fever.

Here are my brief season predictions.

Sox win 98 games and the division crown. Yanks and Jays battle for second place in the division, but both finish out of the wild card. If Burnett is healthy, the Jays should edge the Yanks for second.

White Sox win the Central. The Indians will battle Oakland for the wild card.

Angels win the A.L. West title. I think Oakland will lose out to the Indians for the wild card, but I wouldn't be surprised if the A's hold off Cleveland and win it.

The Mets edge the Braves for the N.L. East crown. I think the N.L. East will be a dog fight this year. I think Atlanta wins the wild card.

The Cards will run away with the Central.

The Dodgers should finish ahead of both the Giants and Padres.

I'll throw up some quick numerical predictions and individual award winners in the next couple of days.

March Maddening

So my NCAA predictions were a bust this year, just like my brackets. I'm in contention in both of my ESPN groups only because everyone's bracket is trashed. I completely missed on my Cinderella, 12-Over-5 Special, and picking Kansas as an underrated team.

I time shifted the BC-Villanova game last night. I must say that I was pretty pissed off by the lousy officiating. It reminded me of the end of the Duke-BC game in Chapel Hill this year. Sheldon Williams twice hacked a BC player going for a layup without getting called for a foul at the end of that game. Last night the little guard for Villanova (Foye?) kept hacking the BC forwards after they made a defensive rebound. He didn't get called for a single reach-in or hand-check foul in the second half. Craig Smith was mugged twice within five feet of the basket with less than five minutes in regulation and didn't get to go to the free throw line. The poor officiating meant that BC couldn't overcome the multitude of turnovers they committed.

The Pats let Adam Vinatieri walk this week. His exit is eerily similar to Johnny Damon's departure. Both players said screw loyalty and fled to their most hated rival when offered too much money to say no. I really feel the same about losing Vinatieri as I did about losing Damon. I would have liked to keep him if the price was right but I didn't want to overpay. I believe Adam is also on the downturn in his career. His distance has decreased in recent years and he has a flaky back. I remember a handful of games this year when the Pats went for a fourth-and-three/fourth-and-two or punted rather than attempting a field goal in the 47-50 yard range.

I like Vinatieri; I wish him well. He was definitely the most clutch kicker in NFL history and a first ballot Hall-of-Famer. He will probably pad his stats playing in a dome for a few years. However, I hope the Colts go 0-16 every year and that he doesn't even have the opportunity to attempt any more game winning kicks.

I think the reason that we New Englanders are so extreme with our feelings about sports and athletes is because we are so tied to the region. Many families, mine included, have been in the area for many, many generations. I'm 11th generation directly descended from the "Mayflower". We feel the same direct ties to our sports teams that we do about where we live. That makes us scorned lovers if and when things don't go well. We want our teams and our players to do so well that we invest an incredible amount of emotion into their performances. It's much easier for us to hate those players when they leave because if we can't have them, no one should.

I try to be level-headed about "my" players; I usually wish them well, but only to a point. I'll hope for individual successes (Pedro with the Mets), moderate success without injury (Vinatieri with the Colts), or simply for total lack of team success regardless of individual performance (Damon with the damn Yankees).

With the start of the Red Sox season only 9 days away I will be blogging with much more regularity in the very near future. I'll even stick it to the man by blogging at work if I have to.

March Madness

Now that the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has arrived, here are my picks:

Cinderalla: San Diego State reaches the Sweet 16
12 Seed Over 5 Seed Special: Utah State over Washington
Overrated: Gonzaga and Syracuse
Underrated: BC and Kansas

Final Four:

Texas over Kansas
Connecticut over BC

Texas beats UConn to take it all.

Quick Hits

New Pearl Jam material available through iTunes today! I totally forgot that today was the day until I happened to check out the iTunes store today. Check out "Worldwide Suicide", the first single from Pearl Jam, their eighth studio album. The B-side, "Unemployable" is also available. Pearl Jam is my favorite band, so I'm pumped for the new disc. I have to say that "Worldwide Suicide" is pretty catchy and way better than the short snippet of the song they released a while back.

David Ortiz is in midseason form. It's March 14th. The man is amazing. He gets better every year. I said that he was in midseason form last year on opening day when he roped a double off of Randy Johnson, a tough lefty. Yesterday he hit a homerun against Cuba that LEFT THE STADIUM. Yes, it cleared everything. The Sox definitely got it right with Ortiz. They fixed the hole in his swing and made him a monster.

Francona got a two-year extension today. I'm happy for him, but I still think that he's Grady Little 2, Electric Boogaloo. Francona is a terrible in-game manager and lets the players call the shots. I'm betting that Kevin Youkilis gets about 300 ABs this year tops. Francona is bound to give J.T. Snow waaaaaay too much playing time. He'll probably bat Snow 5th, too, just so he can steal RBIs from Tek and Nixon even though Snow will probably hit .230. Last year I'm convinced that Francona cost Varitek at least 20 RBI in April and May by letting Millar bat 5th. Millar ended numerous innings with runners on base with a pop-up and Varitek proceeded to get a basehit to start the next inning.

Clement looks good this spring. Yes, it's only Spring Training, but a good sign, nonetheless. I hope that he has a big year as the No. 4 or 5 starter. Last year the Sox asked too much of him with Schilling's injury. He also claims he lost stamina by the end of the year and that the line drive he took off his noggin didn't affect him. If he plays well this year, he could be a quiet 15-18 game winner. If he doesn't play well, dump his ass for a prospect or two.

Arroyo looks awful this spring. Yes, it's only Spring Training, but a bad sign, nonetheless. I expect big things from Arroyo as he has shown progress year-to-year as a pitcher. I hope he gets it figured out soon. At least he is making the decision to put him in the pen to start the year for Francona at this point.

I agree with Schilling that Papelbon needs to be a starter. Whether he's the next Clemens or not, Papelbon is an innings eater. If Foulke doesn't work out this year, and believe me, his leash should be the shortest on the team (FRANCONA ARE YOU LISTENING?!!!), I think that the Sox need to look at Hansen or Riske or maybe even Cla Meredith as the closer. I don't think that Hansen is far away from being with the big club.

I can't wait to see Lester pitch for the Sox. If nothing else, I hope he gets to pitch in September in Boston. The Sox are loaded with more young arms than I can ever remember. Hopefully that bodes well for continued success for years to come.

I'm cuckoo for Coco Crisp. By some measures he was the best defensive left fielder in baseball next year. I think he's definitely primed to surpass Johnny Damon this year and every year going forward, but he also gives the Sox additional flexibility if the Manny being Manny headache crops up again.

Have I mentioned NEW PEARL JAM MUSIC TODAY?!!!...

Must see TV

Although not entirely technology related, I thought I would give insight into my favorite TV shows. I decided to do the breakdown by night.


Monday

Prison Break - I was intrigued by the concept and I really like the complexity of the plan. Michael has had to orchestrate some nifty moves in order for things to go nearly as planned. I'm anxious to see how how they manage to escape now that the original plan has failed.

How I Met Your Mother - I only started watching this show recently, but it's pretty funny. Neil Patrick Harris is a scene stealer. The show is like a better version of "Friends".

Tuesday

Supernatural - I've seen about 6 episodes and I enjoy the show. It's sort of an "X-Files" spin, but stays true to the doctrine of vampire, werewolf, and ghost stories. Unfortunately this show is moving to 9 PM on Thursdays, which is the kiss of death. I already record "CSI" and "My Name Is Earl"/"The Office" on Thursdays from 9 to 10 PM. Now I will have to miss out.

Wednesday

Lost - One of the best shows on television. My brother bought me the 1st season on DVD for my birthday last fall and I've been hooked ever since. It's full of intrigue and looks awesome in HD. Like a junkie needing a fix, I scan the viewing guide anxiously seeking the next new episode air dates.

Bones - I like the different characters on this show. It's a good, but not great show. It's definitely worth trying in order to see if you like it.

Thursday

Smallville - This has been my favorite show for a couple of years. I love the retelling of a young Superman. This show adds a human element to Clark's development and realization of skills and responsibilities. Sometimes it's the "Kryptonite freak of the week", but the longer story arcs are worth it.

My Name Is Earl - The funniest show on TV. Or maybe 1A with "The Office". I've always been a Jason Lee fan and I'm happy to see him shine in prime time. This show just keeps getting better as it begins to hit its stride. They also like to throw in HD Easter eggs, which are always cool.

The Office - See above. Just a riotous half-hour. "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and a friend's recommendation led me to give this show a second chance this year. I'm glad that I did. This show and "Earl" should be the weekly office-cooler talk.

CSI - Still enjoy a good episode of CSI after 5 years on the air. One thing that it has going for it is a continuous cast. None of the major players have left, although Nick and Sara almost left/got fired last year. The season 5 finale, a two-parter directed by Quentin Tarantino, in which Nick gets buried alive was the best 2 hours of drama on TV last year.

Friday

Ghost Whisperer - A bit formulaic, but sort of a guilty-pleasure show. It's usually good for at least a misting if not an all-out cry.

Saturday

Nothing worth watching. Go out and get a life, you loser!

Sunday

Family Guy - What "The Simpsons" was 15 years ago. No target is safe from insult in this show.

Other Shows

Here are a few other shows that I watch somewhat regularly and recommend.

The Simpsons - Sadly, I've finally had enough of "The Simpsons". I watch them occasionally when I run across an airing.

CSI: Miami - A gorgeous show, especially in HD, and good for a CSI-fix when you need one.

House - Another show that has become a bit formulaic, but Gregory House is one of the best characters on television, right up there with Earl Hickey.

NUMB3RS - Not a bad show, but I don't enjoy it enough to make a significant effort to see it. What's with the "7eet" name anyway? (On a side note, go rent "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" if you haven't already seen it. You'll think differently about the math genius on "Numbers".)

America's Next Top Model - I tend to watch the reruns when VH1 has marathons.

Still Standing - I enjoy this show when I happen to catch it, but again, I won't go out of my way to view it. I like the dad.

Sons and Daughters - I'm on the fence right now with this new show, but I'm sort of hoping that it works out for the better. This could be the quirky comedy that satiates the "Arrested Development" pangs you're suffering.

If you haven't read my post on DVR/Tivo service ("I'm not an addict"), give it a look. Then when you get DVR service it will help you watch the shows above and find some new favorites.

Call a spade a spade

I'm going to playa-hate two days in a row. That's alright because I'm much delayed in writing this entry. I wanted to write it up before I went on vacation.

I watched the NBA All-Star skills competition, three point contest, and dunk contest this year. I was channel surfing and found myself stopping on TNT. I ended up DVRing the event and watching most of "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey" live. I enjoyed the ability to skip TNT's very frequent commercial breaks when I actually watched the events.

One thing really bothered me during the telecast. TNT showed a fluff piece on Kobe Bryant. Kobe was shown meeting with a young boy who has been displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Apparently Kobe has meet at least twice with this young child. Wow. What a great humanitarian. It probably took Kobe about 10 minutes combined. As I watched the piece I was pissed off because the last time I checked Kobe was still a damn rapist!

The only reason that the word "convicted" didn't appear in the previous sentence was because Kobe's defense team continually leaked information regarding the name and location of the victim to the media. His entire legal team should be debarred for repeatedly throwing the information to the press. The poor girl couldn't take the harassment and threats from blind Kobe loyalists so she had to bow out.

I've never understood fanatics. I am a fan of many people and things. I understand that the word "fan" is short for "fanatic". I'm not, however, dumb enough to believe that Michael Jackson is not a pedophile or that Kobe Bryant is not a rapist. I hate when people blindly defend their idols like lemmings over the cliff. Barry Bonds apologists fit in the same category.

TNT should be embarrassed and ashamed by the fluff piece. Kobe wasn't even participating in any of the events I mentioned on Saturday night. It was a cheap attempt by Kobe's people to clean up and polish his image.

It's time for the media to call a spade a spade and call a rapist a rapist. If you want to include "accused", that's your choice. I'm not going to.

Ba da ba ba baaa... I'm lovin' it

Finally the world is admitting what many of us knew for years now. Barry Bonds is a steroid freak. The current issue of Sports Illustrated contains a lengthy excerpt from a novel, "Game of Shadows", which is to be published later this month. The book details Bonds many transgressions and his obsession with setting the home run record.

I'm giddy with delight. I hate Barry Bonds. I've always despised him for being a surly asshole who thinks his shit don't stink.

I grew up a fan of Mark McGwire. I used to have a framed picture of McGwire, a bunch of his baseball cards, and an A's hat. I want to believe that McGwire only used steroid precursors and not actual steroids. I do believe that he stopped taking many supplements, such as Andro, as they were added to baseball's banned substances list. McGwire is a nice and likeable guy. He's friendly and amicable and by all accounts a gentleman and a good dad. I was excited for him when he set the single season home run record in 1998. He and Sosa were good for baseball as they played the role post-strike ambassadors of good will.

It turns out the attention given to McGwire (and a lesser extent to Sosa) was what drove Bonds to 'roids. Barry is a racist. He hated that baseball celebrated a white player while he had a terrific season in 1998 (.303 average, 37 homers) and went unnoticed. He thought that "they" wouldn't allow Sosa to set the record, whoever "they" are.

Barry started doing every performance enhancer under the sun. He used multiple types of steroids, insulin, the "clear", the "cream", human-growth-hormone (HGH), and more. I thought that the freakishly enlarged jawline was clear evidence that he was doing HGH years ago.

I hated that many members of the national media refused to call Bonds out on the steroid issue. Writers like Tim Kurkijan have written many columns indicating that players like Bonds and Rafael Palmeiro would still get their votes for the Hall of Fame. Now Kurkijan has finally woken-the-Hell-up. I thought Kurkijan was an idiot for believing the players' lies, but at least he has finally seen the light.

I'm actually thinking of reading the book. The excerpt from SI was entertaining. I recommend that you check it out.

I hope that Barry is kicked out of baseball by Bud Selig even though I know it will never happen. Barry might be a steroid user, but his testes are still bigger than Selig's.

Anything but classic

Alright, I'm back from the dead. I was on vacation in Florida two weeks ago and I had an intestinal virus last week. I had taken one sick day in nearly three years prior to last week. Last week I missed four days. I'm starting to feel better and back to blogging...

So the "World Baseball Classic" has started much to Bud Selig's delight. I have to rank my feelings on the subject just above the Olympics - I don't really care, but at least it's baseball. I personally think that Bud screwed this one up. The WBC could really be a classic event like the World Cup is to soccer. However, thanks to Selig the WBC is going to be a dud. It's spring training with all-star teams. As Shakespeare once said, "Spring training by any other name would smell as sweet."

The WBC should be held either in the middle of the season or after the World Series. Either way the players are in top condition. I don't understand how Venezuela's best effort in the WBC is three innings from Johan Santana. Give me 8 innings and I'm a believer.

In the current format the WBC is nothing more than a cheap attempt at birthing a cash cow. Maybe Selig thinks that people from other countries will shell out money to buy the horrendous uniforms and gear, or worse yet, to see the games. I don't expect many from this country to do so.

Two side notes, big props to Big Papi for homering off Santana today leading the DR to a win and the WBC website crashed five times on me when I tried to confirm the spelling of "Venezuela" and "Santana". Nice job, Bud. Nice job.