I know no one will really care about these videos. The first is a shot putting video that is set to the best ACDC song ever. The throws do not match up with their distances but they are still all bombs. Nelson's throw in the beginning is unreal. Around 2:28 you will see some sweet stretches in the background and a good shot of Wernor Gunthor's taint. He also hits a perfect position at the front with a bent left. Amazing. Nelson hits a sweet spot at the front of the circle as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5jpErXKvwg
The second video is of two throwers that my coach had coached for all of his years in the Soviet Union. These dudes were freaking freaks and monsters. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEcY24YAWyk
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Current Events and Carpet Bombing
This morning I spent a fairly long time coming to a conclusion in regards to politics. After learning of the victory of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner as the new president of Argentina, I created a hypothesis that may be proven over the next decade or so. My assumption is this...the more attractive an individual is, the more democratic these individuals tend to be. Now, obviously this is extremely chauvinistic my idea has backing.
Kirchner's husband (and former president of Argentina) is an extremely strange looking man. She on the other hand is quite attractive, especially for someone her age. I am hoping that her attractiveness will eventually guide her to tremendous political and social success as a leader in Argentina.
I personally feel that the uglier the leader is, the more authoritarian they lead. This may be a result of never getting laid at a younger age, never having a partner at the middle school dance or taking an annoying person to the prom. Take for example, President Bush. He is a very dopey looking person. He has a strange face and most likely never got laid in college unless he took advantage of a drunk woman (presumably his future wife). This may have led him to dispose of numerous constitutional articles and demand tremendous executive powers. As an American president, he may be the second most authoritarian leader we have had. Vladimir Putin is another individual with a strange appearance. He is the "democratically elected" dictator of Russia and has commanded numerous attacks upon his people for control (in the media and military). This may stem from his unsociable childhood that guided him to join the KGB and spy on people who would not be his friend. (see photo of his weirdness and unattractive wife who wears way too much eye crap http://img.epochtimes.com/i6/607170617271509.jpg)
Next in line we have Margaret Thatcher whose ignorance coined the term T.I.N.A. Meaning, there is no alternative. Actually believing that there is no alternative in itself is pathetic and thinking that man has perfected his political and economic existence leaves us in a sad state for the future. (see image of MT http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/gallery/2005/03/23/MargaretThatcherhanibal.jpg)
Next we have Andrew Jackson. In my opinion, Jackson is ranked as the second ugliest president behind Martin Van Buren. Some find Jackson attractive, I find him as the pompous ass that I would love to beat the shit out of. His ugliness may have led him to treating the women in his life terribly and gaining him the ranking as America's worst president. I firmly believe this because he really was, King Jackson. He neglected to follow republican ideology and made his own decisions based off of his personal prejudices toward individuals. This prompted the slaughtering of thousands of American natives and the displacement of well over 45,000 natives from their own lands. His famous quote, "John Marshall made his decision, now let him enforce it," is quite possibly the most despicable and pathetic statement ever made by a president. I demand he be removed from the 20 dollar bill. I had added another local leader who was a principal at Schuylkill Valley Middle School, but I have decided to take this down from the blog. If anyone would like to inquire for this statement, I may email you the statement privately.
In conclusion, I hope this influences our future election. Clearly, Ron Paul should be chosen as he is a good looking guy for being in his 60's. We all know the appeal of individuals like Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani. I mean let us be honest here. Giuliani has the most annoying lisp and his son is a fat brat who acted/acts like a giant loser (see Giuliani's mayoral inaugurations.) Also, how good of a leader can Giuliani be if he has been married 3 times? Rudy's problems may have led him to be a pathetic husband and also poor decision maker...(see article about Rudy hiring a child molester to be a part of his campaign.) Here is a nice link for the Rudy supporters, haha...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_of_Rudy_Giuliani
Anyway, these are my morning thoughts. The thoughts will close with another discovery I made around 4:30 this morning. I love carpet bombing my car with my ass and then getting out before I can smell my fart. I enjoy reentering my car about 10 minutes later, only to find that th entire car smells like rotten ecto cooler and Anton has nearly passed out from the stench.
Kirchner's husband (and former president of Argentina) is an extremely strange looking man. She on the other hand is quite attractive, especially for someone her age. I am hoping that her attractiveness will eventually guide her to tremendous political and social success as a leader in Argentina.
I personally feel that the uglier the leader is, the more authoritarian they lead. This may be a result of never getting laid at a younger age, never having a partner at the middle school dance or taking an annoying person to the prom. Take for example, President Bush. He is a very dopey looking person. He has a strange face and most likely never got laid in college unless he took advantage of a drunk woman (presumably his future wife). This may have led him to dispose of numerous constitutional articles and demand tremendous executive powers. As an American president, he may be the second most authoritarian leader we have had. Vladimir Putin is another individual with a strange appearance. He is the "democratically elected" dictator of Russia and has commanded numerous attacks upon his people for control (in the media and military). This may stem from his unsociable childhood that guided him to join the KGB and spy on people who would not be his friend. (see photo of his weirdness and unattractive wife who wears way too much eye crap http://img.epochtimes.com/i6/607170617271509.jpg)
Next in line we have Margaret Thatcher whose ignorance coined the term T.I.N.A. Meaning, there is no alternative. Actually believing that there is no alternative in itself is pathetic and thinking that man has perfected his political and economic existence leaves us in a sad state for the future. (see image of MT http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/gallery/2005/03/23/MargaretThatcherhanibal.jpg)
Next we have Andrew Jackson. In my opinion, Jackson is ranked as the second ugliest president behind Martin Van Buren. Some find Jackson attractive, I find him as the pompous ass that I would love to beat the shit out of. His ugliness may have led him to treating the women in his life terribly and gaining him the ranking as America's worst president. I firmly believe this because he really was, King Jackson. He neglected to follow republican ideology and made his own decisions based off of his personal prejudices toward individuals. This prompted the slaughtering of thousands of American natives and the displacement of well over 45,000 natives from their own lands. His famous quote, "John Marshall made his decision, now let him enforce it," is quite possibly the most despicable and pathetic statement ever made by a president. I demand he be removed from the 20 dollar bill. I had added another local leader who was a principal at Schuylkill Valley Middle School, but I have decided to take this down from the blog. If anyone would like to inquire for this statement, I may email you the statement privately.
In conclusion, I hope this influences our future election. Clearly, Ron Paul should be chosen as he is a good looking guy for being in his 60's. We all know the appeal of individuals like Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani. I mean let us be honest here. Giuliani has the most annoying lisp and his son is a fat brat who acted/acts like a giant loser (see Giuliani's mayoral inaugurations.) Also, how good of a leader can Giuliani be if he has been married 3 times? Rudy's problems may have led him to be a pathetic husband and also poor decision maker...(see article about Rudy hiring a child molester to be a part of his campaign.) Here is a nice link for the Rudy supporters, haha...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_of_Rudy_Giuliani
Anyway, these are my morning thoughts. The thoughts will close with another discovery I made around 4:30 this morning. I love carpet bombing my car with my ass and then getting out before I can smell my fart. I enjoy reentering my car about 10 minutes later, only to find that th entire car smells like rotten ecto cooler and Anton has nearly passed out from the stench.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Weather, Training and My Gorch
Yes, that is correct. My gorch...for those of you not in the know, that is Klingon for giant pimple. I have a massive zit on the back of my neck. It is quite possibly the largest zit I have ever had in my entire life. It is ridiculous. So large I may as well have a name for it. And it will not pop. This thing is embarrassing and it seriously hurts my neck.
My throwing went a lot better today than it had yesterday. Dr. B changed up my movement out of the back of the circle and the shot was flying much easier today. I have figured out that by the time I come home, I will have taken more throws in three months than I ever had previously in an entire year. Anyway, back to the gorch. So, I was done throwing and I see Mr. B walking around looking for something in the grass. He walks over and yells, "Dane, Dane, put on neck." Well, I had thought he wanted me to put these weeds on the spot where I have a callas from throwing. Instead, he pointed to my giant pimp and was like, "No, no, for red spot, for red spot...leave on for 5-6 hour." So, I went to my second practice and came home and got a shower. Here I am, writing this blog with a line of tape around my neck holding weed leaves to my neck. It is rather amusing.
Weather is getting colder up here. Every night is below freezing and when we are throwing it is definitely around 34-38 degrees. It really is not that bad as long as I have my fleece and spandex on. The wind is not bad where we throw either. Another week and fall should be over and the coldness will be barreling in. Hope all is well at home. Perhaps PSU will upset OSU tonight. To me, Ohio State is the Wilson of the Big Ten. They can blow me.
My throwing went a lot better today than it had yesterday. Dr. B changed up my movement out of the back of the circle and the shot was flying much easier today. I have figured out that by the time I come home, I will have taken more throws in three months than I ever had previously in an entire year. Anyway, back to the gorch. So, I was done throwing and I see Mr. B walking around looking for something in the grass. He walks over and yells, "Dane, Dane, put on neck." Well, I had thought he wanted me to put these weeds on the spot where I have a callas from throwing. Instead, he pointed to my giant pimp and was like, "No, no, for red spot, for red spot...leave on for 5-6 hour." So, I went to my second practice and came home and got a shower. Here I am, writing this blog with a line of tape around my neck holding weed leaves to my neck. It is rather amusing.
Weather is getting colder up here. Every night is below freezing and when we are throwing it is definitely around 34-38 degrees. It really is not that bad as long as I have my fleece and spandex on. The wind is not bad where we throw either. Another week and fall should be over and the coldness will be barreling in. Hope all is well at home. Perhaps PSU will upset OSU tonight. To me, Ohio State is the Wilson of the Big Ten. They can blow me.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Mr. Moerder and Giant Trucks
Today while I was delivering the afternoon free paper, I noticed the large number of massive trucks bustling around the neighborhood in which I was delivering. It is a nice neighborhood and I continued to think about the trucks. I personally enjoy large, beastly trucks although I drive around in a little dodge neon. The trucks up here are quite impressive, most of them are diesel which save gas and I believe most of them are bought and used with good reason. Shitty weather, help on the work site, leaving out in the bush, etc...I guess the problem I do have is that many people in these suburban "American-like" neighborhoods are all scooting around in their GMC 2500 HD Diesel or their Dodge Rams with a Cummins diesel engine. They drive these massive trucks yet keep them spic and span, not allowing a drop of dirt to get on them. This really irritates me and this is when I noticed that a lot of these suburban areas around Kamloops are stricken with the same disease that we have in the US suburbs.
My friend Jules has a specific term for the disease but I cannot recall. Anyway, everyone has these perfectly manicured lawns. This is late October and in the morning I still come across homes running their watering system in the early hours. In my afternoon runs, I may see some homes with their local landscaper spreading oil based fertilizer throughout the lawn to spruce it up. I never understood these phenomena. I understand taking care of your truck, but why not use it for what it was built for? If you work on a big construction site or live on a farm, etc...then so be it, they are perfect for you...but a suburb. I don't know. I hope Aunt Bonnie does not get mad at me because I love her red Dodge Ram, I am not going to lie. The lawn thing bothers me more than anything. I understand the soil is weak up here, but maybe attempt to throw down a garden, I know my landlord was successful in this endeavor...it saved her money and it has a positive effect on the environment. Hell, put rocks instead of grass down or make it like Nevada...throw down some astroturf. I struggle to see how having these homes and perfectly kept yards can actually make someone truly happy. That is why I am writing this.
Now, Moerder popped into my head because he is the most awkward person I have ever seen driving a large truck. The bastard also worships science like it is a religion. I have my qualms with science but for the most part I enjoy the benefits of modern science. Nothing beats the ability to travel anywhere, learn about anything (thank you internet and wikipedia), be exposed to new ideas, meet people you may have never met in the old days and stay in touch with family and friends via email, telephone, computer. I especially love the telephone. I truly believe it is gradually bringing people closer together, including cell phones. My problem with the cell phone is that it does cost too much.
My biggest problem with science is that people put so much stock into what it can do for us in the future. Everyone is always saying, "Oh, science makes life so easy and things are going to be so easy in the future for us." Well, science I think screws us in that sense. We work long hours and we are no longer working apprenticeships in our homes, instead we sit in tight cubicles with cramped backs, bugged out eyes and a yearning for our children or wife or husband who may be at home. We go to the chiropractor or doctor and then if we are feeling down about something we fix it with zoloft or some other pill. These are the types of things that bother me. Pasteurizing milk, brainwashing people to think certain things and abusing the power of controlling new technology is destroying science. So, in regards to Moerder (and I believe he knows this), I do respect science but I do not respect those in power who abuse it or those who are not in power and succumb to the temptations of the quick "fix" that science may provide. I guess I just need to continue to wait for 2063 when we achieve warp speed and the science based utopia is achieved and we can continue on our amazing star trek.
I know these posts and concepts may offend people, I am sorry but this is how I feel. We can discuss them in a reasonable fashion at some point.
My friend Jules has a specific term for the disease but I cannot recall. Anyway, everyone has these perfectly manicured lawns. This is late October and in the morning I still come across homes running their watering system in the early hours. In my afternoon runs, I may see some homes with their local landscaper spreading oil based fertilizer throughout the lawn to spruce it up. I never understood these phenomena. I understand taking care of your truck, but why not use it for what it was built for? If you work on a big construction site or live on a farm, etc...then so be it, they are perfect for you...but a suburb. I don't know. I hope Aunt Bonnie does not get mad at me because I love her red Dodge Ram, I am not going to lie. The lawn thing bothers me more than anything. I understand the soil is weak up here, but maybe attempt to throw down a garden, I know my landlord was successful in this endeavor...it saved her money and it has a positive effect on the environment. Hell, put rocks instead of grass down or make it like Nevada...throw down some astroturf. I struggle to see how having these homes and perfectly kept yards can actually make someone truly happy. That is why I am writing this.
Now, Moerder popped into my head because he is the most awkward person I have ever seen driving a large truck. The bastard also worships science like it is a religion. I have my qualms with science but for the most part I enjoy the benefits of modern science. Nothing beats the ability to travel anywhere, learn about anything (thank you internet and wikipedia), be exposed to new ideas, meet people you may have never met in the old days and stay in touch with family and friends via email, telephone, computer. I especially love the telephone. I truly believe it is gradually bringing people closer together, including cell phones. My problem with the cell phone is that it does cost too much.
My biggest problem with science is that people put so much stock into what it can do for us in the future. Everyone is always saying, "Oh, science makes life so easy and things are going to be so easy in the future for us." Well, science I think screws us in that sense. We work long hours and we are no longer working apprenticeships in our homes, instead we sit in tight cubicles with cramped backs, bugged out eyes and a yearning for our children or wife or husband who may be at home. We go to the chiropractor or doctor and then if we are feeling down about something we fix it with zoloft or some other pill. These are the types of things that bother me. Pasteurizing milk, brainwashing people to think certain things and abusing the power of controlling new technology is destroying science. So, in regards to Moerder (and I believe he knows this), I do respect science but I do not respect those in power who abuse it or those who are not in power and succumb to the temptations of the quick "fix" that science may provide. I guess I just need to continue to wait for 2063 when we achieve warp speed and the science based utopia is achieved and we can continue on our amazing star trek.
I know these posts and concepts may offend people, I am sorry but this is how I feel. We can discuss them in a reasonable fashion at some point.
Canadians and Mr. B
Canadians, at least those specific to British Columbia are the worst drivers of all time. They drive very slow and they are very hesitant. I am a fairly patient driver, yet I feel like I am a Jersey driver compared to these bastards. They are pathetic. I doubt there has ever been a Canadian Formula One driver that was actually successful.
Canadians also seem to know everything that Canada has or is about...very similar to me and how I brag about stuff from Reading and Pennsylvania. A few specific ones that I know seem to believe that most of their cars come from Canada, made across the river from Detroit in Ontario. These specific Canadians also feel that most of the American oil is from Canada (which it may be) and this infuriates them because Canada gas prices are higher than Americans prices. They also know the exact amount of money that California owes British Columbia.
Canadians also put their curling results on the front page of the sports section...similar to the way Reading puts their MIBS tourney on the cover of the sports section and also includes duplicate bridge suggestions/results in the back.
I cannot really think of any other Canadian stories right now so here is a quick Mr. B (Bondarchuk) story. You may not enjoy this as much as I do.
So, last year Dylan and Mr. B were at World's and they were sitting on the Team Canada bus. Dylan noticed Robert Weir (a massive black man from the UK) walking toward the Canada bus because he saw Mr. B in the front seat and wanted to say hello. Robert Weir came on the bus and said, "Hey Mr. B, I am Robert Weir I am not sure if you remember me. It is great to see you."
Mr. B's response in his thick Russian accent was, "Yes, Yes, I remember...I remember...black face, I remember. Yes, I REMEMBER, black face. Black face. I remember black face." And Robert Weir gave an awkward look and left.
Dylan claims that he laid behind the seat laughing hysterically and Mr. B just looked at him perplexed, not knowing what Dylan was laughing about.
In other news, Vladimir Putin is doing a tremendous job of continuing to cement his stronghold of the new dictatorship in Russia. He is also doing well at slaughtering the Chechnyans and not allowing them to become a sovereign nation.
Gary Kasparov is doing a splendid job at making a fool out of himself...running for the Russian presidency and in the meantime making terrible jokes about Putin.
Mr. B also describes grown men as boys. I asked him...Do you know or like Alexander Karelin? (He was the big greco-roman wrestler that lost to Rulon Gardner.) His response, "Yes, Yes. I know who he is. Big Boy. Polar bear boy. Big muscles. Big boy, big boy. Good genetics and muscles. Very smart genius."
Training is going well. I will try and come up with a more exciting blog later.
Canadians also seem to know everything that Canada has or is about...very similar to me and how I brag about stuff from Reading and Pennsylvania. A few specific ones that I know seem to believe that most of their cars come from Canada, made across the river from Detroit in Ontario. These specific Canadians also feel that most of the American oil is from Canada (which it may be) and this infuriates them because Canada gas prices are higher than Americans prices. They also know the exact amount of money that California owes British Columbia.
Canadians also put their curling results on the front page of the sports section...similar to the way Reading puts their MIBS tourney on the cover of the sports section and also includes duplicate bridge suggestions/results in the back.
I cannot really think of any other Canadian stories right now so here is a quick Mr. B (Bondarchuk) story. You may not enjoy this as much as I do.
So, last year Dylan and Mr. B were at World's and they were sitting on the Team Canada bus. Dylan noticed Robert Weir (a massive black man from the UK) walking toward the Canada bus because he saw Mr. B in the front seat and wanted to say hello. Robert Weir came on the bus and said, "Hey Mr. B, I am Robert Weir I am not sure if you remember me. It is great to see you."
Mr. B's response in his thick Russian accent was, "Yes, Yes, I remember...I remember...black face, I remember. Yes, I REMEMBER, black face. Black face. I remember black face." And Robert Weir gave an awkward look and left.
Dylan claims that he laid behind the seat laughing hysterically and Mr. B just looked at him perplexed, not knowing what Dylan was laughing about.
In other news, Vladimir Putin is doing a tremendous job of continuing to cement his stronghold of the new dictatorship in Russia. He is also doing well at slaughtering the Chechnyans and not allowing them to become a sovereign nation.
Gary Kasparov is doing a splendid job at making a fool out of himself...running for the Russian presidency and in the meantime making terrible jokes about Putin.
Mr. B also describes grown men as boys. I asked him...Do you know or like Alexander Karelin? (He was the big greco-roman wrestler that lost to Rulon Gardner.) His response, "Yes, Yes. I know who he is. Big Boy. Polar bear boy. Big muscles. Big boy, big boy. Good genetics and muscles. Very smart genius."
Training is going well. I will try and come up with a more exciting blog later.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
From the Window, to the Wall
Alright, the past two and half days have probably been my most mentally challenging days in an extremely long time. Thursday evening, my heart was racing after an intense post on sabermetrics. I could not sleep, instead I dreamed of spouting out useless baseball stats to help my opinionated arguments on who was the best player at each position. So, I had a terrible nights rest on Thursday night, going into Friday.
Friday morning, I woke up...nice and groggy but I still moved out of bed to deliver the paper for a few hours. I came back and attempted to salvage some rest prior to my Friday throwing session. I actually threw fairly well. After my morning session Dylan and Jesse convinced me to come with them to Starbuck's. I am not huge fan of coffee, I like the taste and bitterness I just really do not like spending money. They got me to come once Dylan said, "Why not? Do you have to go home and take your dog out and cuddle up with him?" So, that was the kicker. Long story short, I did not get to nap Friday because I came back late and then could not sleep since I drank coffee. Then after my second session I received a call from the head bouncer at the bar and he asked if I could come work. So, I did.
This bar is crazy. The place gets nuts and there are literally thousands that come in and out each evening. Probably about 1,000 - 1,500 people. It is fun to work the door because I get to talk with everyone but it is not fun to stand outside with one layer of socks on when it is 0 degrees Celsius. Nevertheless, it was a good night and some retardedly drunk guy tried to get back in after we closed at about 2:01 and he was like, "No, I can come back in." My response was, no you can't dude. Then he proceeded to slip me 40 bucks and I obviously let him back in, haha. The best part was that he left within about 2 minutes of going back in. I also found a girls purse for her and she was so grateful that I found it for her that she asked if she could give me a blow job...so I dropped my trousers and she went to town, haha just kidding. She did ask if she could give me a BJ but I told her this was not going to happen. Jesse found this amusing and kept telling everyone how I got 40 bucks and a BJ.
I was done work at 2:45 Am and then headed to deliver papers from 3-5:30 AM. This was miserable since I was tired from not napping and getting shitty sleep. I got home and slept for 2 and a half hours and then got up for my throwing session. I threw alright but was dead tired. The thing that sucked was after throwing, Jesse and I had to help Dylan and his girlfriend move giant copying machines out of her business. This took about an hour and a half and then I got free food, so I ate for about 30 minutes. I got home later than expected and only caught an hours rest prior to my second session. Between me falling asleep and waking up, I turned off my alarm and slept straight through my second session until 6 in the evening. I caught up on some sleep but I missed a little training. I viewed it as a trade off but I am still sort of pissed that I missed the afternoon.
Saturday night was fun. They paid me 15 bucks an hour to watch the UFC 77 and see Anderson Silva absolutely annihilate Rich Franklin for the second time. It makes me wonder what the hell Franklin is going to do with his career. He is a great fighter but not as dynamic as The Spider Silva. I also got pissed watching Tim Sylvia beat Brandon Vera and thought about how I wished Carmelo went back to HWT and fought there. Sylvia called Cheik Kongo, who Carmelo beat, and now Kongo is regarded as a top 5 HWT in the division. The UFC also signed Brock Lesnar, the juice monkey.
The west coast makes money off of having everything run on EST. The fights were over early and it enabled the bar to turn into the club it is at night. So, they made tons of money off of the fight and also off of the club at night. Their fight setup was awesome, too.
Last night I was the guy who checked people for weapons, alcohol and drugs so that was enjoyable. A lot of people try and sneak in the sample shots of alcohol, so I confiscated a few of those. Weed is legal to possess up here but the bar does not want people smoking it in the smoking room. This is funny because everyone tells you this and their way of saying it is this..."It is not that we don't mind smoking weed, I mean obviously it is a lot safer than alcohol, just look how belligerent people get here. But, the Big Bossman does not want this place to become a drug haven so he tries to keep it all clean and proper." I tend to agree that weed is a lot easier on the body and a lot safer for public than booze are especially, after working in "the business."
All and all it was a safe night but I was dead tired from my lack of sleep. I got home around 2:45 and headed straight to bed and did not wake up until about 11. My body recovers quite well, now that I am not drinking as much as I did when I was in college. I have not drank at all since Chris left, which is nice on the pocket as well.
I also love working at the bar and hearing all of the god awful pop-rap songs that I have not heard since my last bar stint. Anyway, I hope this week everything goes well and my body really starts ripping into the training. I may start getting Vitamin B compound shots twice a month. These are supposed to be great for training and used widely in the eastern European nations for recovery.
Also, check out Stamm's blog. I was worried he had flown home but I he is still thumbing back to the east. I hope he is having fun and I am sure he has ridiculous stories for us all. This will be fun to hear since Chris is one of the best story tellers I know. cstamm.blogspot.com
Friday morning, I woke up...nice and groggy but I still moved out of bed to deliver the paper for a few hours. I came back and attempted to salvage some rest prior to my Friday throwing session. I actually threw fairly well. After my morning session Dylan and Jesse convinced me to come with them to Starbuck's. I am not huge fan of coffee, I like the taste and bitterness I just really do not like spending money. They got me to come once Dylan said, "Why not? Do you have to go home and take your dog out and cuddle up with him?" So, that was the kicker. Long story short, I did not get to nap Friday because I came back late and then could not sleep since I drank coffee. Then after my second session I received a call from the head bouncer at the bar and he asked if I could come work. So, I did.
This bar is crazy. The place gets nuts and there are literally thousands that come in and out each evening. Probably about 1,000 - 1,500 people. It is fun to work the door because I get to talk with everyone but it is not fun to stand outside with one layer of socks on when it is 0 degrees Celsius. Nevertheless, it was a good night and some retardedly drunk guy tried to get back in after we closed at about 2:01 and he was like, "No, I can come back in." My response was, no you can't dude. Then he proceeded to slip me 40 bucks and I obviously let him back in, haha. The best part was that he left within about 2 minutes of going back in. I also found a girls purse for her and she was so grateful that I found it for her that she asked if she could give me a blow job...so I dropped my trousers and she went to town, haha just kidding. She did ask if she could give me a BJ but I told her this was not going to happen. Jesse found this amusing and kept telling everyone how I got 40 bucks and a BJ.
I was done work at 2:45 Am and then headed to deliver papers from 3-5:30 AM. This was miserable since I was tired from not napping and getting shitty sleep. I got home and slept for 2 and a half hours and then got up for my throwing session. I threw alright but was dead tired. The thing that sucked was after throwing, Jesse and I had to help Dylan and his girlfriend move giant copying machines out of her business. This took about an hour and a half and then I got free food, so I ate for about 30 minutes. I got home later than expected and only caught an hours rest prior to my second session. Between me falling asleep and waking up, I turned off my alarm and slept straight through my second session until 6 in the evening. I caught up on some sleep but I missed a little training. I viewed it as a trade off but I am still sort of pissed that I missed the afternoon.
Saturday night was fun. They paid me 15 bucks an hour to watch the UFC 77 and see Anderson Silva absolutely annihilate Rich Franklin for the second time. It makes me wonder what the hell Franklin is going to do with his career. He is a great fighter but not as dynamic as The Spider Silva. I also got pissed watching Tim Sylvia beat Brandon Vera and thought about how I wished Carmelo went back to HWT and fought there. Sylvia called Cheik Kongo, who Carmelo beat, and now Kongo is regarded as a top 5 HWT in the division. The UFC also signed Brock Lesnar, the juice monkey.
The west coast makes money off of having everything run on EST. The fights were over early and it enabled the bar to turn into the club it is at night. So, they made tons of money off of the fight and also off of the club at night. Their fight setup was awesome, too.
Last night I was the guy who checked people for weapons, alcohol and drugs so that was enjoyable. A lot of people try and sneak in the sample shots of alcohol, so I confiscated a few of those. Weed is legal to possess up here but the bar does not want people smoking it in the smoking room. This is funny because everyone tells you this and their way of saying it is this..."It is not that we don't mind smoking weed, I mean obviously it is a lot safer than alcohol, just look how belligerent people get here. But, the Big Bossman does not want this place to become a drug haven so he tries to keep it all clean and proper." I tend to agree that weed is a lot easier on the body and a lot safer for public than booze are especially, after working in "the business."
All and all it was a safe night but I was dead tired from my lack of sleep. I got home around 2:45 and headed straight to bed and did not wake up until about 11. My body recovers quite well, now that I am not drinking as much as I did when I was in college. I have not drank at all since Chris left, which is nice on the pocket as well.
I also love working at the bar and hearing all of the god awful pop-rap songs that I have not heard since my last bar stint. Anyway, I hope this week everything goes well and my body really starts ripping into the training. I may start getting Vitamin B compound shots twice a month. These are supposed to be great for training and used widely in the eastern European nations for recovery.
Also, check out Stamm's blog. I was worried he had flown home but I he is still thumbing back to the east. I hope he is having fun and I am sure he has ridiculous stories for us all. This will be fun to hear since Chris is one of the best story tellers I know. cstamm.blogspot.com
Friday, October 19, 2007
Star Trek and Sabermetrics (I will leave Master Yoder for Another Time)
To begin, I would like to inform all of you that this post will be rather long but nevertheless a very interesting blog. For those of you not in the know, next Christmas (December 25, 2008) will be the greatest Christmas in recent memory. The prequel to Star Trek, Star Trek XI will be coming out and inspiring us all to live a greater life of peace and happiness. It will also inspire us to be manly individuals and attract beautiful women, like the young James T. Kirk does throughout his years at the Academy. It will also inspire to acquire tremendous philosophical understanding and to stop fighting stupid wars, instead we will stand for the greater good of society...much like the elder Spock who was influenced by the great Vulcan philosopher Surak (see beautiful photo above). Yes, it will be a great day.
Now, onto Sabermetrics. I am sure some of you are thinking this is some stupid idea to make gambling on baseball an easier activity, in reality sabermetrics is a tool to be used when arguing with the uninformed because it is a system that has been used to create amazing analysis to actually prove things like..."Who was faster, Joe DiMaggio or Willie Mays (Hayes)?"
This can be done by taking a look at numerous different statistics that value speed on the bases and in the field. Stats such as, who hit more triples, how many bases each man stole and how many times each player was caught in the act (of stealing). The conclusion and argument could subsequently be settled by viewing these objective facts.
Sabermetrics also laughs at ridiculous popular statistics such as batting average and the wins and losses of a pitcher. The batting average really does not determine how often an individual is on base or how many runs they may produce throughout a year. Runs are what really matter, therefore players are rated higher and valued much more if they have a better on base percentage. Same with the wins and losses for a pitcher. Wins do not show how well a pitcher has actually pitched. In countless situations, pitchers win when they pitched poorly or they have lost when they pitched well, making the stat worthless and outdated. Sabermetrics is an excellent way to value players and to figure out who actually is worth more than they are getting paid. Basically, it makes players like Andruw Jones look like giant wastes of money, which he is, and hard working players like Jimmy Rollins look like a very positive financial investment, which he is.
Now, I will go over a few simple sabermetric terms. Remember, this is the first lesson so covering three terms shall be enough for a brief introduction to the study of baseball and statistics. The first three statistics I will be covering are OPS (on base plus slugging), WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) and VORP (value over replacement player). I have chosen these because one deals with hitting, one with pitching and one because Moerder never shuts his trap about VORP and spouts off VORP totals like he is Mother Theresa hating on Christopher Hitchens.
On Base Plus Slugging:
This is a calculation of a players on base percentage plus slugging percentage. In essence, it is a calculation that puts a value on the players ability to get on base (this is important if you want to score runs) and his ability to hit for power, another important aspect to run production (see Barry Bonds in his big years...walks plus doubles plus homers = high total). The basic formula is OPS = OBP + SLG
This particular calculation takes hits, hit by pitch, walks, at bats, sac flies and total bases into consideration. However, one complaint behind this measurement is that the calculation does equally weigh OBP and SLG. The problem being that on base percentage translates into greater run production than slugging percentage. Here is a list of the greatest career OPS leaders, perhaps creating an argument for who is the most productive hitter. (I still like Bonds as the best ever, but perhaps I am finally wrong, haha.)
WHIP = walks + hits/innings pitched
For those of you like Adam Moerder, WHIP is a tool that is very effective in the management of a fantasy baseball team.
Finally, one of the more intriguing sabermetrics stats is VORP (value over replacement player). It is a tool that demonstrates how effective a hitter is or how effective a pitcher is, compared with a fake replacement player that is average at their respective position. The replacement player performs at "replacement level," which is the level of performance an average team can expect when trying to replace a player at minimal cost, also known as "freely available talent." (thank you wikipedia)
VORP can be used when comparing players from different eras because it shows the value of a player in comparison to the league average of that specific year.
VORP in regards to hitting:
Because runs and outs are the ultimate way to understand the value of a hitter, it is simple to figure out, just take the number of at-bats an individual has, subtract their total hits and then add any miscellaneous outs (caught stealing) and one can figure out how often a batter created an out on his voyage to producing runs. Loaded with runs and outs, the final VORP can be figured out for a particular individual.
VORP in regards to hitting:
VORP for pitchers is a measurement of the number of runs he has prevented from scoring that a replacement-level pitcher would have allowed. A scholarly text describes the pitchers VORP very well...The concept is essentially the same as it was for hitters: using the player's playing time (in a pitcher's case, his innings pitched), determine how many runs a theoretical "replacement" would have given up in that playing time (at the most basic level, the replacement level is equal to 1 plus the league's average runs per game), and subtract from that number the amount actually allowed by the pitcher to arrive at VORP.
Next lesson, we will go into Run Average which will gradually replace the ERA. Win Shares, which goes over the value of a player in a given year compared with the rest of the league and finally and defense independent pitching statistics, this goes over how effective a pitcher is by themselves without the fielder coming into the equation.
I am sorry I did not elaborate as much as I could. I expect my editors to post notes on ways to better understand certain concepts. Also, I could not continue the lesson because I need to take a nap before I bounce tonight.
Now, onto Sabermetrics. I am sure some of you are thinking this is some stupid idea to make gambling on baseball an easier activity, in reality sabermetrics is a tool to be used when arguing with the uninformed because it is a system that has been used to create amazing analysis to actually prove things like..."Who was faster, Joe DiMaggio or Willie Mays (Hayes)?"
This can be done by taking a look at numerous different statistics that value speed on the bases and in the field. Stats such as, who hit more triples, how many bases each man stole and how many times each player was caught in the act (of stealing). The conclusion and argument could subsequently be settled by viewing these objective facts.
Sabermetrics also laughs at ridiculous popular statistics such as batting average and the wins and losses of a pitcher. The batting average really does not determine how often an individual is on base or how many runs they may produce throughout a year. Runs are what really matter, therefore players are rated higher and valued much more if they have a better on base percentage. Same with the wins and losses for a pitcher. Wins do not show how well a pitcher has actually pitched. In countless situations, pitchers win when they pitched poorly or they have lost when they pitched well, making the stat worthless and outdated. Sabermetrics is an excellent way to value players and to figure out who actually is worth more than they are getting paid. Basically, it makes players like Andruw Jones look like giant wastes of money, which he is, and hard working players like Jimmy Rollins look like a very positive financial investment, which he is.
Now, I will go over a few simple sabermetric terms. Remember, this is the first lesson so covering three terms shall be enough for a brief introduction to the study of baseball and statistics. The first three statistics I will be covering are OPS (on base plus slugging), WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) and VORP (value over replacement player). I have chosen these because one deals with hitting, one with pitching and one because Moerder never shuts his trap about VORP and spouts off VORP totals like he is Mother Theresa hating on Christopher Hitchens.
On Base Plus Slugging:
This is a calculation of a players on base percentage plus slugging percentage. In essence, it is a calculation that puts a value on the players ability to get on base (this is important if you want to score runs) and his ability to hit for power, another important aspect to run production (see Barry Bonds in his big years...walks plus doubles plus homers = high total). The basic formula is OPS = OBP + SLG
This particular calculation takes hits, hit by pitch, walks, at bats, sac flies and total bases into consideration. However, one complaint behind this measurement is that the calculation does equally weigh OBP and SLG. The problem being that on base percentage translates into greater run production than slugging percentage. Here is a list of the greatest career OPS leaders, perhaps creating an argument for who is the most productive hitter. (I still like Bonds as the best ever, but perhaps I am finally wrong, haha.)
- Babe Ruth, 207
- Ted Williams, 190
- Barry Bonds, 182
- Lou Gehrig, 179
- Rogers Hornsby, 175
- Mickey Mantle, 172
- Albert Pujols, 171
- Dan Brouthers, 170
- Joe Jackson, 170
- Ty Cobb, 167
WHIP = walks + hits/innings pitched
For those of you like Adam Moerder, WHIP is a tool that is very effective in the management of a fantasy baseball team.
Finally, one of the more intriguing sabermetrics stats is VORP (value over replacement player). It is a tool that demonstrates how effective a hitter is or how effective a pitcher is, compared with a fake replacement player that is average at their respective position. The replacement player performs at "replacement level," which is the level of performance an average team can expect when trying to replace a player at minimal cost, also known as "freely available talent." (thank you wikipedia)
VORP can be used when comparing players from different eras because it shows the value of a player in comparison to the league average of that specific year.
VORP in regards to hitting:
Because runs and outs are the ultimate way to understand the value of a hitter, it is simple to figure out, just take the number of at-bats an individual has, subtract their total hits and then add any miscellaneous outs (caught stealing) and one can figure out how often a batter created an out on his voyage to producing runs. Loaded with runs and outs, the final VORP can be figured out for a particular individual.
VORP in regards to hitting:
VORP for pitchers is a measurement of the number of runs he has prevented from scoring that a replacement-level pitcher would have allowed. A scholarly text describes the pitchers VORP very well...The concept is essentially the same as it was for hitters: using the player's playing time (in a pitcher's case, his innings pitched), determine how many runs a theoretical "replacement" would have given up in that playing time (at the most basic level, the replacement level is equal to 1 plus the league's average runs per game), and subtract from that number the amount actually allowed by the pitcher to arrive at VORP.
Next lesson, we will go into Run Average which will gradually replace the ERA. Win Shares, which goes over the value of a player in a given year compared with the rest of the league and finally and defense independent pitching statistics, this goes over how effective a pitcher is by themselves without the fielder coming into the equation.
I am sorry I did not elaborate as much as I could. I expect my editors to post notes on ways to better understand certain concepts. Also, I could not continue the lesson because I need to take a nap before I bounce tonight.
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