I've been using spare time recently to work on a new project.
http://hangingcurves.blogspot.com will be a place to find some articles on baseball that should prove to have some occasional unique value. It also will have some great links to other baseball sights that any fan should know about.
PS - Congrats to my Wolverines. Super-Regional Bound.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
My Message Regarding Sports
I have a simple message regarding sports: it comes in two forms.
Message #1: If you call in a sports talk show, you not are bringing to light anything new that someone who is actually playing or coaching the team hasn't already noticed or addressed 10 times over. Simply put, if you do not like what you see, it is simply a difference of opinion between you and the coach/player. You may not like the athlete/coach's decisions or rationale, and you may be correct in second guessing it, but it never has to do with you discovering something that hasn't been addressed already. If you think you are coming up with a new idea or grand theory involving your favorite sports team, it is only new and grand to you. In reality, all that means is that it is terribly stupid - so stupid, in fact, that no other person on earth has been dense enough to offer it up as a thought. No, your suggestion of a 7 man pitching rotation to save the arms of your best pitchers is not a good idea. No, your idea of starting Kyle Orton over Rex Grossman is not a good one. No, the Cubs should not bat Carlos Zambrano in the #4 hole when he pitches. Listen, I hate to say it, but the reason why I have a hard time following sports coverage and sports talk isn't because I have low interest in the subject matter; I have a boundless interest. What I cannot listen to is people who have absolutely no idea what they are talking about proclaiming things like they are gospel when they haven't a clue what they are saying. Sadly, this isn't just addressed to the average dumb sports fan. This extends to media members who have been in the business for 30+ years. I once heard a favorite radio host of mine bet his life, on the air, that when there are runners on the corners and less than 2 out, that the correct play ISN'T to run for home plate immediately when the ball hits the ground off the bat (for those who played baseball, we know it is a contact play). Anyway, he mocked a caller who suggested that you WERE supposed to run, and then when the host had the audacity to call up the Sox third base coach Joey Cora to ask if running on contact was the right play, Cora made him eat crow when he told him "of course you go on contact, every team in the MLB does that - its not even a question." The host then tried to backpedal for 20 minutes, saying in his 20 years of covering baseball, he has never seen teams do that.
News flash for you buddy. They all do that. They have - forever. This isn't some new baseball thing - this is how the game is played, and the average fan has NO IDEA that things like that go on during the game, thats why he never noticed in 20 years. All the average fan does is see a guy score or get tagged out, and then say "what a great play" or "what a stupid play". The average fan couldn't even tell you why something like the contact play exists, and why it is the correct baseball play. In fact, I bet the average person reading this diatribe doesn't even follow what I am talking about.
This totally proves my point again. If you can't follow this, do not offer your sports knowledge. Ever. Please. Just cheer, be happy when there is a win, and sad when there is a loss. I am not saying you can't become an expert in a certain sport, but it takes some actual studying and some actual time.
Message # 2:
If you are an athlete or your kid is an athlete, and you think you are good and will become a big time pro one day, ask yourself a few questions:
1. Am I the best player I know at this sport?
2. Am I clearly more athletic than everyone else around me?
3. Do I do more than excel, do I utterly dominate?
If you are below the major college sports level and cannot answer yes to these three questions, I have some news for you. You are not as good as you think you are. In fact, you might not even be good. You MAY, if you work hard, have the potential to make it, and by that I mean a 1/10000th chance. But do not for a second think you are God's gift to a sport. Have fun, play hard. Laugh and have a good time. But please, understand the level of play you think you are one day aspiring to. Sports on TV look a lot easier than they really are, because the best 20-30 in the world at what they do are going at each other at any given event, and the skill levels tend to nullify each other. Are you a big, powerful hitter that can hit a homerun? Cool. Does that make you Alex Rodriguez? Not exactly. Think hitting 10 homeruns in a row in batting practice means you have skills? Can you do the same thing...off of a batting tee? Didn't think so. Again, let me reiterate, tens of millions of people end up competing for the spots you see on TV in your favorite sport(s). Many of these people are so physically gifted that it is borderline in-human.
I hope everyone achieves their playing dreams, lord knows I loved following mine. I do hope that everyone has some perspective on those things, however, and do not lose focus of what makes sports so great and so important - the lessons in life and the fun we derive from them.
The following clips cover a variety of sports and many do not even showcase the world's best talent at their sport (except for the soccer clips, which come from Premier League and World Cup caliber players). As you will see, these clips will bring to light a small portion of these athlete's outrageous athletic abilities. It will also clearly illustrate the point that there are not only a couple hundred people in each major sport that have ability well beyond the normal person's wildest fantasies, but also there are usually another 500-1000 or so right behind them that have the same ridiculous ability, but just can't put it to practice consistently enough to be the best in the world at what they do. Anyway, enjoy the videos. Next time you think you are athletic or think you are good at a sport, take a long, hard look at one of these and humble down.
Message #1: If you call in a sports talk show, you not are bringing to light anything new that someone who is actually playing or coaching the team hasn't already noticed or addressed 10 times over. Simply put, if you do not like what you see, it is simply a difference of opinion between you and the coach/player. You may not like the athlete/coach's decisions or rationale, and you may be correct in second guessing it, but it never has to do with you discovering something that hasn't been addressed already. If you think you are coming up with a new idea or grand theory involving your favorite sports team, it is only new and grand to you. In reality, all that means is that it is terribly stupid - so stupid, in fact, that no other person on earth has been dense enough to offer it up as a thought. No, your suggestion of a 7 man pitching rotation to save the arms of your best pitchers is not a good idea. No, your idea of starting Kyle Orton over Rex Grossman is not a good one. No, the Cubs should not bat Carlos Zambrano in the #4 hole when he pitches. Listen, I hate to say it, but the reason why I have a hard time following sports coverage and sports talk isn't because I have low interest in the subject matter; I have a boundless interest. What I cannot listen to is people who have absolutely no idea what they are talking about proclaiming things like they are gospel when they haven't a clue what they are saying. Sadly, this isn't just addressed to the average dumb sports fan. This extends to media members who have been in the business for 30+ years. I once heard a favorite radio host of mine bet his life, on the air, that when there are runners on the corners and less than 2 out, that the correct play ISN'T to run for home plate immediately when the ball hits the ground off the bat (for those who played baseball, we know it is a contact play). Anyway, he mocked a caller who suggested that you WERE supposed to run, and then when the host had the audacity to call up the Sox third base coach Joey Cora to ask if running on contact was the right play, Cora made him eat crow when he told him "of course you go on contact, every team in the MLB does that - its not even a question." The host then tried to backpedal for 20 minutes, saying in his 20 years of covering baseball, he has never seen teams do that.
News flash for you buddy. They all do that. They have - forever. This isn't some new baseball thing - this is how the game is played, and the average fan has NO IDEA that things like that go on during the game, thats why he never noticed in 20 years. All the average fan does is see a guy score or get tagged out, and then say "what a great play" or "what a stupid play". The average fan couldn't even tell you why something like the contact play exists, and why it is the correct baseball play. In fact, I bet the average person reading this diatribe doesn't even follow what I am talking about.
This totally proves my point again. If you can't follow this, do not offer your sports knowledge. Ever. Please. Just cheer, be happy when there is a win, and sad when there is a loss. I am not saying you can't become an expert in a certain sport, but it takes some actual studying and some actual time.
Message # 2:
If you are an athlete or your kid is an athlete, and you think you are good and will become a big time pro one day, ask yourself a few questions:
1. Am I the best player I know at this sport?
2. Am I clearly more athletic than everyone else around me?
3. Do I do more than excel, do I utterly dominate?
If you are below the major college sports level and cannot answer yes to these three questions, I have some news for you. You are not as good as you think you are. In fact, you might not even be good. You MAY, if you work hard, have the potential to make it, and by that I mean a 1/10000th chance. But do not for a second think you are God's gift to a sport. Have fun, play hard. Laugh and have a good time. But please, understand the level of play you think you are one day aspiring to. Sports on TV look a lot easier than they really are, because the best 20-30 in the world at what they do are going at each other at any given event, and the skill levels tend to nullify each other. Are you a big, powerful hitter that can hit a homerun? Cool. Does that make you Alex Rodriguez? Not exactly. Think hitting 10 homeruns in a row in batting practice means you have skills? Can you do the same thing...off of a batting tee? Didn't think so. Again, let me reiterate, tens of millions of people end up competing for the spots you see on TV in your favorite sport(s). Many of these people are so physically gifted that it is borderline in-human.
I hope everyone achieves their playing dreams, lord knows I loved following mine. I do hope that everyone has some perspective on those things, however, and do not lose focus of what makes sports so great and so important - the lessons in life and the fun we derive from them.
The following clips cover a variety of sports and many do not even showcase the world's best talent at their sport (except for the soccer clips, which come from Premier League and World Cup caliber players). As you will see, these clips will bring to light a small portion of these athlete's outrageous athletic abilities. It will also clearly illustrate the point that there are not only a couple hundred people in each major sport that have ability well beyond the normal person's wildest fantasies, but also there are usually another 500-1000 or so right behind them that have the same ridiculous ability, but just can't put it to practice consistently enough to be the best in the world at what they do. Anyway, enjoy the videos. Next time you think you are athletic or think you are good at a sport, take a long, hard look at one of these and humble down.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Turnabout.
So, it's 1:34 a.m.
I'm sitting at one of four tables left in a $25 tourney. Multi-table.
For the majority of the evening, I had nothing really going. I was hardly even playing, just blinding away as I got crap hand after crap hand.
I somehow caught QQ before the last break, and made it up to $6000 in chips, about 1/3-1/2 of the avg stack.
I then hit A9 over AQ.
A9 over A10.
AQ over KK.
Suddenly, I was up to 29000 in chips, in the money, and possibly on my way.
Then, I decided to start an entry.
I got KK. one raiser to me, I call.
Flopped J 8 6. I bet, get raised. I push.
He is all in. He calls. Flips.
QQ.
The turn is a Q.
I'm sitting at one of four tables left in a $25 tourney. Multi-table.
For the majority of the evening, I had nothing really going. I was hardly even playing, just blinding away as I got crap hand after crap hand.
I somehow caught QQ before the last break, and made it up to $6000 in chips, about 1/3-1/2 of the avg stack.
I then hit A9 over AQ.
A9 over A10.
AQ over KK.
Suddenly, I was up to 29000 in chips, in the money, and possibly on my way.
Then, I decided to start an entry.
I got KK. one raiser to me, I call.
Flopped J 8 6. I bet, get raised. I push.
He is all in. He calls. Flips.
QQ.
The turn is a Q.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Monday, April 02, 2007
King-sized Folds
So after taking down another $100 in sit-n-go's last night after a brief pull-back a few nights ago, I have a few observations:
I don't think I've played in one tournament, big or small, where I moneyed and I didn't lay down at least one huge hand. For example, this past evening, I lead out with about 1/8th of my stack with KK, and got one caller. The flop hit A 8 5, and my bet on the flop was immediately raised. It was pretty obvious I was up against Aces, and when the A came on the turn, my check and eventual fold came as a bit of a disappointment. I was stuck with only 60% of my original stack, and I felt a little gypped.
45 minutes later, I took 3rd out of 18 and took home a little cash to soothe my ego.
Point being? I might have gotten bluffed out of that pot from a smaller PP, but that was the ONLY hand that could have bluffed me. QQ or JJ was a possibility, but every other hand that would've called me, typically A2-AJ, was more than likely what i was up against. Even though it would have been a "bad beat", there was more sense in swallowing a small defeat than trying to be macho and go down in flames.
The most common sign of an idiot player (and/or new player) is their insistence on playing cards that cannot win, just because pre-flop they had a monster. Listen, you may have gotten a caller and started a hand at an 80% favorite, but after the flop, you could be a 15% underdog. There's no glory in proudly emptying your pockets out trying to win on that 15%, just because you "should've won", and the guy that called you is "such a donkey".
It doesn't make a difference, you still lost all your money. Now who's the donkey?
I don't think I've played in one tournament, big or small, where I moneyed and I didn't lay down at least one huge hand. For example, this past evening, I lead out with about 1/8th of my stack with KK, and got one caller. The flop hit A 8 5, and my bet on the flop was immediately raised. It was pretty obvious I was up against Aces, and when the A came on the turn, my check and eventual fold came as a bit of a disappointment. I was stuck with only 60% of my original stack, and I felt a little gypped.
45 minutes later, I took 3rd out of 18 and took home a little cash to soothe my ego.
Point being? I might have gotten bluffed out of that pot from a smaller PP, but that was the ONLY hand that could have bluffed me. QQ or JJ was a possibility, but every other hand that would've called me, typically A2-AJ, was more than likely what i was up against. Even though it would have been a "bad beat", there was more sense in swallowing a small defeat than trying to be macho and go down in flames.
The most common sign of an idiot player (and/or new player) is their insistence on playing cards that cannot win, just because pre-flop they had a monster. Listen, you may have gotten a caller and started a hand at an 80% favorite, but after the flop, you could be a 15% underdog. There's no glory in proudly emptying your pockets out trying to win on that 15%, just because you "should've won", and the guy that called you is "such a donkey".
It doesn't make a difference, you still lost all your money. Now who's the donkey?
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Poker:Music:Goodwill:Fitness:Humor:Me
Poker:
I won 4 straight single-table tournaments at the 20/2 level a couple of weeks ago. Talk about a crazy run. All in all, there was a stretch of 8 of 10 placed in the money. To be fair, I got some real lucky turns and rivers along the way - as well as one game in particular where I couldn't avoid getting dealt PP after PP. Sometimes the gods smile.
Music:
Songs Ive recently learned (piano):
Boston - Augustana
Brick - Ben Folds Five
A Message - Coldplay
Songs I want to learn:
Good -Better Than Ezra
Mad World - Gary Jules
Come and Go - Virginia Coalition
Songs I already know:
The Scientist
Clocks
Fix You (half)
Lightning Crashes (half)
1000 Miles
Goodwill:
I recently gave blood the other day, and they have this crazy machine that can separate your platlets from your red blood cells. THEN, it spits the platelets back into your arm! What I didn't understand is 1. Why does that count for 2 pints of blood instead of 1, and 2. Why do I need the platelets back in the first place? Wouldn't that make really runny?
Fitness:
I pulled my calf doing sprints the other day. I'm old. I can do 35 pullups in a row, but apparently can't make it through 8 sprints anymore without needing an ice pack and a rub down.
Humor:
Gaffigan, Silverman, Curb's 6th Season?
"Oh Rocco, I hope you die in your sleep tonight." (as she pets her dog in bed) - possibly the best line I heard over the past few months.
"Good Morning! You're about to call in sick." - possibly the best standup skit I've seen.
Me: Status Quo. Sickening.
I won 4 straight single-table tournaments at the 20/2 level a couple of weeks ago. Talk about a crazy run. All in all, there was a stretch of 8 of 10 placed in the money. To be fair, I got some real lucky turns and rivers along the way - as well as one game in particular where I couldn't avoid getting dealt PP after PP. Sometimes the gods smile.
Music:
Songs Ive recently learned (piano):
Boston - Augustana
Brick - Ben Folds Five
A Message - Coldplay
Songs I want to learn:
Good -Better Than Ezra
Mad World - Gary Jules
Come and Go - Virginia Coalition
Songs I already know:
The Scientist
Clocks
Fix You (half)
Lightning Crashes (half)
1000 Miles
Goodwill:
I recently gave blood the other day, and they have this crazy machine that can separate your platlets from your red blood cells. THEN, it spits the platelets back into your arm! What I didn't understand is 1. Why does that count for 2 pints of blood instead of 1, and 2. Why do I need the platelets back in the first place? Wouldn't that make really runny?
Fitness:
I pulled my calf doing sprints the other day. I'm old. I can do 35 pullups in a row, but apparently can't make it through 8 sprints anymore without needing an ice pack and a rub down.
Humor:
Gaffigan, Silverman, Curb's 6th Season?
"Oh Rocco, I hope you die in your sleep tonight." (as she pets her dog in bed) - possibly the best line I heard over the past few months.
"Good Morning! You're about to call in sick." - possibly the best standup skit I've seen.
Me: Status Quo. Sickening.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Not Welcome!
I've found some great websites where I am definitely not welcome.
Tallpeople.org
It says right in the description: TALL PEOPLE ONLY. Priceless.
Compassion over Killing
It's for people who don't eat meat. It's for people who stand for animal rights and the end of animal cruelty. It's a website aimed at educating others on social issues. I am totally against all of that.
Tallpeople.org
It says right in the description: TALL PEOPLE ONLY. Priceless.
Compassion over Killing
It's for people who don't eat meat. It's for people who stand for animal rights and the end of animal cruelty. It's a website aimed at educating others on social issues. I am totally against all of that.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
Monday, March 05, 2007
Deep Depression
So I haven't posted in a while - mostly because of one reason.
Internet poker is pretty much dead right now here in the U.S. And, quite frankly, it leaves me with the task of putting together little pieces on other topics -- and I'm struggling to find the inspiration. What is this without having good bad beat stories to vent about once in a while, or a story about a crazy tournament hand or priceless character at the table?
Personally, I'm dejected. I might have to take this in a different direction. UGH. CMON, U.S., this is a tired act. Since when is online poker morally reprehensible? How is this now illegal and fantasy football isn't? Just come up with some tax, and get it over with already. I want to play!
Internet poker is pretty much dead right now here in the U.S. And, quite frankly, it leaves me with the task of putting together little pieces on other topics -- and I'm struggling to find the inspiration. What is this without having good bad beat stories to vent about once in a while, or a story about a crazy tournament hand or priceless character at the table?
Personally, I'm dejected. I might have to take this in a different direction. UGH. CMON, U.S., this is a tired act. Since when is online poker morally reprehensible? How is this now illegal and fantasy football isn't? Just come up with some tax, and get it over with already. I want to play!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
The "Cooler"
Poker tips for future Reno-goers:
* You'll find a preponderance of "2/4" games -- they are basically the same as slot machines. It might be "hold'em", but get serious.
* The morning tournaments at the casinos aren't serious either.
* When you are "the cooler", just stand up and cut your losses -- no matter how tempting it is that this is the only city anyone's ever seen "one-deck" blackjack.
* More later...
* You'll find a preponderance of "2/4" games -- they are basically the same as slot machines. It might be "hold'em", but get serious.
* The morning tournaments at the casinos aren't serious either.
* When you are "the cooler", just stand up and cut your losses -- no matter how tempting it is that this is the only city anyone's ever seen "one-deck" blackjack.
* More later...
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