First and foremost, all day Saturday (9am-5pm), I'm in front of the CVS at Shattuck/Rose in Berkeley, supervising student volunteers who will be guilt-tripping encouraging shoppers to donate canned foods and Robert Parishibles to the Alameda County Community Food Bank. OptimistPrime and 67MARQUEZ have promised to stop by at some point, and not just because I informed them that if they did stop by I would match all the canned food donations but if they didn't stop by I would take cans out of the barrel and hurl them at frightened kittens. Gigglingone is still thinking about how she feels about animal brutality and is listed as a "definite maybe."
Please stop by and say "hi" if you can. (I don't mean if you can say "hi" -- I mean if you can stop by.) By doing so, you will be helping the hungry (because if you don't stop by, I will see to it that my student volunteers starve). Oh yes, of course, you can bring canned foods too -- terrific idea, excellent point. But mostly, stop by and entertain me. And please don't use excuses like "I live on the East Coast" or "I have to go to work," because we both know that you can still buy a plane ticket and arrive before 5pm, or you can quit your job in order to come entertain me.
So be a team player -- show some grit and intangible leadership and tell the world, "I will make this a canned food drive, not a can't food drive." You were going to come until I said that, weren't you? Dang.
In other news, I'm excited to see some of baseball's metrics now being applied to other sports, as it shows how baseball is really at the forefront of complex statistical analysis.
Baseball fans are familiar with FIP, a pitching metric that only looks at "fielding independent" results such as walks, HRs, and HBP. The NBA has announced they will soon begin using a similar metric known as DIS. DIS stands for Defense Independent Shooting, and will look only at free throws, breakaway layups, and shots defended by Steve Nash. They are also trying to incorporate "line drive rate" into the metric, but so far only Shaq's free throws would be affected anyway.
I really don't get what takes so long about these Staturday posts -- I whipped that one out in less than 15 minutes. What do you mean? That's what who said? Oh, heh.
Finally, John Sickels interviewed Billy Beane yesterday. (I don't mean "He should have interviewed Billy a long time ago!" or "In his last act before dying, Sickels interviewed the A's GM. I mean this information is also the last item in this post.) The interview went kind of like this.
See you tomorrow for a cartoon and a real post -- or see you later today if you care at all about kittens.
0 recs | 49 comments
Your continued bullying of the cow-eyed 67M is sickening.
I’m the only one allowed to bully 67M.
Leopold Bloom - November 20, 2009
Bengals
They’re going down on Sunday.
Rated-R Superstar - November 20, 2009
I have a feeling you are right.
Leopold Bloom - November 20, 2009
GO RRRRRRRRRRRAIDERS!!!
J Money is not starting, and much like Jax being traded from the Dubs, thats addition by subtraction. JUST WIN BABY!!
s0sNe@kYbUtY? - November 20, 2009
I all for the Raiders taking down the Bengals, but what is the health status of
McFadden? is he still third on depth-chart?
MMunoz33 - November 21, 2009
Running Back Situation
Bush has proven to be a better runner between the tackles, so that’s why Cable starts him. We need to better utilize McFadden in things like the passing game. He needs to be out in space. As for Fargas, he gets us the tough yards.
Rated-R Superstar - November 22, 2009
I'm psychic.
Leopold Bloom - November 22, 2009
I already knew that,
because I’m psychic too…
oh wait… forgot the o and t…
there we go!
Gaijin_Suketto - November 23, 2009
We're certainly not two clearly insane people!
Leopold Bloom - November 24, 2009
If you mean "down the field with little to stop them" I agree
Flashfire - November 21, 2009
kaluah and milk is a good thing
Err…I mean, I’m not far from that CVS, I may have to make a trip out there. And cans can be tossed at my noggin because its made of stone. Fire away
ChickenStanley - November 20, 2009
By the way, while I'm giving free advertising to CVS
let me just add: CVS sucks. If you don’t believe me, ask any employee because (judging from my conversation with some of them) no one hates CVS more than the people who work there.
Longs was great; your neighborhood store. CVS is your basic impersonal, big-business feeling, sterile environment, customer unservice, our employees are chattle, “you’ll have to combine these 4 coupons, none of which actually apply for what you’re buying but will hold the line up forever while the checkers try to figure out what the heck they’re supposed to do,” nightmare.
What does CVS even stand for? Corporation Very Sucky? And yes, this comment is about baseball: CVS is the Bobby Crosby of drugstores.
Nico - November 20, 2009
CVS
My mom bought me an eraser from there. It sucked.
Rated-R Superstar - November 20, 2009
I bought spot remover from there,
and now I can’t find my dog anywhere.
I may have stolen that from Steven Wright.
Nico - November 20, 2009
YOU STOLE HIS DOG?!
You’re a monster.
Leopold Bloom - November 20, 2009
and i can now be released from my prison that is the proverbial rock.
THAT’S where the Longs drug stores went? To CVS Hell?
DyeLongJustice - November 21, 2009
It makes me so sad that
CVS now owns the old Longs building at Broadway & Pleasant Valley in Oakland. That Longs mega-store was so awesome, the only place that was open 24 hours a day and had almost ANYTHING that you would need. They had a watch repair guy on staff. You could get fishing tackle, or knitting stuff, or drafting pencils, or yard-work equipment. At 3 in the morning. Man, that place rocked…
cityplANner - November 20, 2009
When I lived there, that was a Rite-Aid
Also, site of the original, eponymous “rock ridge”. Funny how over the years the conceptual center of the neighborhood migrated up College Avenue toward Berkeley.
iglew - November 21, 2009
you remind me of a creative blog writer, or something.
what gives?
DyeLongJustice - November 21, 2009
By the way, something in the Sickels/Beane interview confused me:
JOHN SICKELS:
You mentioned the wave of young hitters who will be ready soon. Where does Chris Carter fit into that? Can he really play the outfield?
BILLY BEANE:
Chris is far more athletic than people think. He needs work out there, but he has a better chance to stick in the outfield than the other candidates like Barton. We haven’t given up on Barton at all by the way, we still believe in his potential. But Chris’s bat looks special. It would really help us fit him into the lineup if he can play the outfield.
Was Barton tried as an OFer and couldn’t hack it? Otherwise, I really don’t understand Billy’s answer. I only recall C → 3B → 1B for Barton. Plus, considering he’s become a very good defensive 1Bman, it doesn’t seem like it turned out badly compared to if he had become an “ok LFer.”
Nico - November 20, 2009
Arrows
They look pretty nifty.
Rated-R Superstar - November 20, 2009
→ → →
↑ ↓
↑ ↓
← ← ←
iglew - November 21, 2009
I think its more along the lines of finding Carter a home other than 1B, so they can still give Barton time there to develop. But that if he can’t hack it in the OF, Carter’s bat is too special to keep down on the farm for long, even at teh expense of Barton.
At least, thats what I got from it.
ZeroIndulgence - November 20, 2009
But "he has a better chance to stick than the other candidates like Barton"?
That sounds like Barton couldn’t stick as an OFer.
Nico - November 21, 2009
maybe they don't think he has the footspeed
and his instincts at reading flyballs are poor.
but he’s super good at getting groin strains from stretching.
That’s what I want in my first baseman
bobnothing - November 21, 2009
"other candidates"
I read that as Billy thinking through the logic:
1. Too many guys who look like 1B.
2. Which ones might we move to OF?
Everyone in the 1B logjam was under consideration. Carter seemed least unpromising. So Barton was a “candidate” even though they never actually tried him. Carter was deemed better than all the other “candidates”.
iglew - November 21, 2009
Oh, that makes sense
Though I’d think the reasoning would have been, “Leave the guy at 1B who plays it really well, not the guy who we could only hope would play it passably.”
Nico - November 21, 2009
That approach is usually incorrect
Typically you’re better off, given two particular players, arranging them so the objectively better fielder plays the harder position.
In this case, I can understand why that wouldn’t hold true, because Chris Carter fielding ground balls is pretty much a Hieronymous Bosch nightmarescape at this point in his career.
PaulThomas - November 21, 2009
Can't make it
However, I could if you had that transport beam thingy from Star Trek.
Daniel777 - November 20, 2009
Since were going to be in recession mode this off-season;
I am hoping to see either Scutaro, Kennedy, or Orlando Hudson sign to be the veteran IF to “hold down” the positions…
I think he means 2B and3B; (Ellis and Chavez) ?
MMunoz33 - November 21, 2009
Branyan to DH/OF? Any predictions from AN to see if he goes back to the M's...
Goodbye to Cust????
MMunoz33 - November 21, 2009
There's little reason to believe that Branyan will hit better than Cust this year
Last year, the A’s could have fit both of them onto their roster. This year, not so much, unless he’s open to playing third base again. He’d probably be as bad defensively as Brett Wallace, but at least he’d likely hit better.
PaulThomas - November 21, 2009
There is a free stream of the AFL championship game, featuring the Phoenix Desert Dogs, on MLB.com.
Aufheben - November 21, 2009
Yep!
Getting together with friends to watch it. Yay!
lynnzgal - November 21, 2009
I'm watching it too
on MLB.com. Nico, it was not a good day for me to come help, but I did make a donation online
LibrariAN - November 21, 2009
Woo hoo! Thank you!
Nico - November 22, 2009
Live a bit far from the location of the store....but I did make a donation to the foodbank and will again before Christmas.
Anybody who wants to support the food bank can donate on line at this link: Alameda County Community Food Bank
Berry Jo - November 21, 2009
Not as much fun as hanging out with Nico - or dodging cans - or saving little kitties but the end result is the same. Food for those in need.
Berry Jo - November 21, 2009
Thank you, Berry Jo!
Nico - November 22, 2009
Can't make it, I live on the east coast
Oh, wait, I’ll go buy a ticket to the west coast
eastcoasta'sfan - November 21, 2009
Close the shop, sell the house.
Then you’ll give us a stand-up routine in L.A.
iglew - November 22, 2009
huh.
k.
Leopold Bloom - November 22, 2009
That was for you, LB.
And for Paul.
And you never did tell me the story of how you won your freedom from the hell-dimension.
iglew - November 23, 2009
It's kind of simple, really.
I told my brother I was about to pop. This talk somewhat serendipitously coincided with my health completely melting down. They were forced to take over significantly earlier than they had thought or hoped. I’m basically out.
Soooo, sell my stuff, pack up the Honda, come back to CA when the hills are green. Life is good, Florida sucks and I’m outta here!
Leopold Bloom - November 24, 2009
Hurray!
Six months later, when the hills turn
ugly brown“golden” again, drive that Honda up north and come visit me.iglew - November 25, 2009
I called you, repeatedly!
But you shirked my calls :( I hope you guys also got the homeless and hungry some can openers as well!
OptimistPrime - November 22, 2009
Sorry -- I'm cell phone challenged and couldn't figure out
how to redial your number, which you didn’t leave in your message. The odds of reaching you dialing random series of 10 digits just seemed on the low side.
Nico - November 22, 2009
Damn you, Tommy Tutone!
Leopold Bloom - November 22, 2009
true story here
a high school friend had a sister named jenny and their # was 867 5309. she was just about the age tommy seemed to go after (like 10 or 11). but we’re pretty sure it wasn’t this jenny. at least, we hope.
eastcoasta'sfan - November 30, 2009
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