Valadius

This is beautiful!

Wow, he came back? I could've sworn he was put away somewhere.

Whatever happened to him?

Firefly was an awesome show. 1-hitter! We're moving in the right direction!

I was there. The place is completely built. I have no idea what the Lerners are thinking.

Nate Silver (creator of PECOTA) has been working on another project this election season - http://www.fivethirtyeight.com. It uses regression analysis to predict what's going to happen in November. I read it every day.

Yahoo Sports interviewed Davey Johnson, mostly because he's managing the US Olympic baseball team. The whole interview can be found here, but I wanted to pull out the portions of the interview where he talks about the Mets: ]Q: What was your reaction to the way the Mets handled the Wilie Randolph situation? DJ: Well, (chuckles a little bit), A lot of times I think big organizations in New York, that's part of the way they like to do business. I remember when I was fired, and I was very successful. We won a World Series (in 1986). We were on the road, I'm not even sure where it was, Philadelphia I think, and Frank Cashen came in, he wasn't on the road trip, and at the time we had like three GM's, Al Harrison, Joe McIlvaine and Cashen. I was getting ready to go to the ballpark. I think it was about two o'clock. Frank Cashen knocks on my door. I said that's not a good sign, what are you doing here? I know what he was doing here, he was going to make a change. So he fired me, and asked me if I would leave quietly and not talk to the press. I said if that's what you want I would have liked to have the opportunity to speak to my players, and tell them thank you for all the effort and the good times, and wish them luck in the future. But (Cashen) wanted me to sneak out of town and have all the emphasis on the new (manager). I think that's what they were trying to do with Willie Randolph. I don't agree with it. I think the manager should have a chance to talk to his troops before he is dismissed. It was a big regret of mine that I just didn't say no at the time (to Cashen), but at the time I was hurt, and I figured if that's what (the front office) wanted I would do it. I think that's basically what they tried to accomplish with the firing of Willie. Q: Would it be fair to say you had some flashbacks to your experience with the Mets when you heard the Randolph story? DJ: (Smiling) Oh yeah. No doubt, no doubt. That's their modus operandi. They had a car waiting out back for me, they rushed me to the airport, they had my flight already arranged, and I was on a plane like that. I think that was before cell phones, so nobody had a way to reach me until they got me at home, two or three days later. Q: So apart from the cell phones, the more things change the more they stay the same. DJ: Exactly, exactly. They say that's just part of baseball, you get fired, I never wanted to get fired anywhere I was ever at, I always wanted to solve the problems. When you're hired as a manager, really, in reality, you're a problem solver. The field manager is responsible for solving the problems on the active roster, and creating the atmosphere in the team that he wants to go to battle with every day. The general manager gets him those weapons. If he's not successful, he should go. Willie wasn't successful. He didn't finish the last year on a good note, and he was struggling a little bit this year. That's a criteria to get fired. Q: If Omar Minaya called you after the Olympics and said, "Davey, we need you back, we need you to turn this thing around ... " DJ: First of all, it's not going to happen. I respect Omar Minaya as a good general manager, but I haven't had a working relationship with him ... but as far as do I want to pursue a career in the big leagues again? No. I'm really looking forward to managing the Olympics (team) and if it turns out I could manage the World (Baseball) Classic (team) I would be happy. I love the game of baseball. I know I'm good at what I do. I know every club I've been with, I've left them in better shape, and they managed to mug it up right after I left, change the direction that I had them going in. I strongly encourage everybody to read the whole interview though. It's a good one.

I thought it was good. Certainly much better than Temple of Doom.

I just saw it. I thought it was fantastic, and should (I hope) jolt those of us who don't care about the environment to do so.

He looked as enthusiastic as ever when Delgado hit that homer today. I think he just is susceptible to brooding.

I had to come out of hibernation to say... NINE FREAKING RBIS??????

]Astros release Chacon after altercation with GM By KRISTIE RIEKEN, AP Sports Writer 2 hours, 26 minutes ago HOUSTON (AP)�The Houston Astros have released Shawn Chacon, opting to cut the right-hander a day after he reportedly grabbed general manager Ed Wade by the neck and threw him to the ground. The team requested waivers on Chacon on Thursday for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release. If he isn�t claimed by another major league team by Monday, waivers will expire and his contract will be terminated without pay.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AvjPQiDgA1Yul6nHRWJ4v_I5nYcB?slug=ap-umpiresuspended&prov=ap&type=lgns ]Umpire suspended by MLB NEW YORK (AP)�Umpire Brian Runge was suspended for one game Thursday for bumping into New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel before ejecting him earlier in the week. Manuel and center fielder Carlos Beltran also were fined by Major League Baseball for arguing with Runge in the fourth inning of the Mets� game against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. Beltran started talking to Runge after he took two called strikes from R.A. Dickey to begin the inning. Runge took off his mask and continued the dialogue before he brushed dirt off home plate. Manuel then came out and started arguing. Runge bumped into Manuel before throwing him out of the game. The manager walked to the bench after getting a few more words in as the Shea Stadium crowd roared. Beltran continued the conversation and Runge quickly threw him out. An incensed Beltran then got in Runge�s face and had to be held back before Manuel came out to escort the All-Star to the dugout. MLB said Runge�s suspension will be served immediately.

From the Houston Chronicle: ]Astros' Chacon goes all Sprewell on Wade By. STEVE CAMPBELL Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Shawn Chacon's bosses wanted to see him. In the office of Astros manager Cecil Cooper. Immediately. Chacon didn't want to go into the office, didn't want to hear what Cooper and general manager Ed Wade had to say. Chacon wanted to sit in the clubhouse dining room and eat in peace. The Astros agreed to pay Chacon $2 million this season, and there are no incentive clauses in his contract for accepting invitations to appear in the manager's office. Apparently, it never occurred to anybody that such a thing could possibly be above and beyond the call of workplace duty. That led to a confrontation Wednesday in which Chacon, by his own admission, literally tried to wring Wade's neck. Wade had the nerve to suggest � a tad indelicately, perhaps � that Chacon take a good look in the mirror. Well, no wonder Chacon couldn't stand there calmly and take that. If you were Shawn Anthony Chacon, and you'd pitched your way into a demotion on a pitching-starved team, and you'd somehow developed a misguided sense of entitlement that caused you to think you deserved the job security of a Supreme Court justice, would you really want to look yourself in the mirror? Chacon has wanted out of Houston desperately since the Astros made the decision Sunday to move him from the starting rotation. Well, Chacon got what he wanted shortly before a 3-2 defeat against the Texas Rangers. He might be a little more careful what he wishes for in the future. The Astros suspended Chacon "indefinitely" after he admitted he attacked Wade during an argument shortly after batting practice. In what may have been Chacon's last act as a big leaguer, he went Latrell Sprewell on his boss. "Insubordination to the club," was as far as Wade was willing to go in explaining the suspension. Sprewell got other chances after his attack on coach P.J. Carlesimo. Of course, Sprewell was an All-Star NBA guard. Chacon is a 30-year-old righthander with a 45-61 career record and 4.99 earned run average. He is 2-3 with a 5.04 ERA this season in 15 starts. When Chacon learned Sunday of the Astros' plans to drop him from the rotation, he characterized the decision as "horse (expletive)." Through agent Dan Horwits, Chacon began lobbying for a trade. Never mind that the four pitchers that impending call-up Runelvys Hernandez joins in the rotation have lower ERAs than Chacon this season: Brandon Backe (4.82), Brian Moehler (4.03), Wandy Rodriguez (2.81) and Roy Oswalt (4.77). "I hoped he would pitch better for us," Wade said. "The bottom line is we took him out of the rotation Sunday basically on merit." Chacon signed with the Astros after spring training began on the promise he would get a chance to compete for a spot in the rotation. He earned a starting job, fair and square, and had a 3.53 ERA in his first eight starts. His performance began eroding � an all-too-familiar pattern in his career. Again and again, Chacon has been good enough to get a job and not good enough to keep one. He made the All-Star team for the Colorado Rockies in 2003 � the year after he went 5-11 with a 5.73 ERA. The year after that All-Star selection, Chacon went 1-9 with a 7.11 ERA as a closer. During the 2005 stretch run for the New York Yankees, Chacon went 7-3 with a 2.85 ERA. The Yankees dumped Chacon and his 7.00 ERA midway into the next season. Up, down, up, down. A major league record nine consecutive no-decisions to start this season. A tantrum on the mound during a recent rocky outing. Now this. The Astros are Chacon's fourth team in the past four seasons. Even at that, Cooper was talking enthusiastically a few hours before the game about the impact Chacon could make out of the bullpen. He had watched in admiration as Chacon fashioned a 1.59 ERA in seven relief outings against the Astros last year as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. "I thought he was really good," Cooper said. The plan, Cooper said, was to get Chacon into the bullpen mix "as soon as I can get him in." Next thing Cooper knew, Chacon was taking the quickest way off the team � maybe out of the majors � for good. Maybe some baseball numerologist should have seen it coming. Chacon had quality starts in each of his first five outings � and nary a victory to show for it. In 10 starts since then, Chacon allowed a .299 batting average and a .583 slugging average. His ERA: 6.66.

Shawn Chacon has been suspended indefinitely for going insane: Chacon Bodyslammed Ed Wade After Demotion to Bullpen ]Astros suspend pitcher Shawn Chacon indefinitely By KRISTIE RIEKEN, AP Sports Writer 40 minutes ago HOUSTON (AP)�Astros pitcher Shawn Chacon was suspended indefinitely by the team Wednesday for insubordination after reportedly grabbing general manager Ed Wade by the neck and throwing him to the ground. Chacon, upset after getting demoted to the bullpen over the weekend, told the Houston Chronicle this problem began when Wade saw him in the dining room before the game against Texas. Wade wanted to meet with Chacon in manager Cecil Cooper�s office, the pitcher said. �I sat down to eat and Ed Wade came to me and very sternly said, �You need to come with me to the office,�� Chacon said. �I said �for what?� I said �I don�t want to go to the office with you and Cooper.� And I said, �You can tell me whatever you got to tell me right here.� He�s like, �Oh, you want me to tell you right here?� And I said, �yeah.� I�m not yelling. I�m calm.� Chacon said things went downhill from there. �He started yelling and cussing,� Chacon said of Wade, according to a story on the Chronicle�s Web site. �I�m sitting there and I said to him very calmly, �Ed, you need to stop yelling at me. Then I stood up and said, �You better stop yelling at me.� I stood up. He continued and was basically yelling.� Chacon said that after Wade told him he needed to �look in the mirror,� it got worse. �So at that point I lost my cool and I grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground. I jumped on top of him,� he said. �Words were exchanged.� Chacon said players quickly came and separated the two. He recalled outfielder Reggie Abercrombie pulling him away from Wade. Wade announced the move, but would not provide any other details. Chacon has been upset since being bumped from the rotation and moved into the bullpen on Sunday. Chacon is 2-3 with a 5.04 ERA in 15 starts for Houston this year. The right-hander set a major league record with nine straight no-decisions to start the season. �He is suspended pending final resolution of whatever move we end up making with him,� Wade said. When asked if Chacon was disciplined because he physically accosted Wade, the GM said: �I�m not getting into any details of anything beyond what I just said. It is an internal matter.� Wade did confirm that Chacon�s agent called and requested a trade earlier this week but said �that has nothing to do with the events of today.� Chacon is now concerned that he might not pitch in the majors again. �Maybe it shouldn�t have happened,� Chacon said. �But when you do those things and you�re yelling at somebody and you�re cussing you better know what type of person you�re dealing with. If there�s any regret, I just wish they had just let me alone. I wish they had left me alone,� he told the Chronicle. Chacon signed a $2 million, one-year contract with Houston in February after spending 2007 with Pittsburgh. He split time as a starter and a reliever there and was 5-4 with a 3.94 ERA and one save in 64 appearances with the Pirates.

Something needed to be done. I dunno if this will end up being the right move though.

Steve Henson of Yahoo Sports has us selecting: ]18. New York Mets � Ethan Martin, RHP/3B (Toccoa, Ga., Stephens County HS): Here we go again, another player whose future could be as a pitcher or as a position player. Martin�s best asset is his power � as a pitcher who touches 95 mph and as a hitter who blasts tape-measure home runs. Scouts love his passion for the game, and he appears willing to go forward either as a pitcher or an everyday player. 22. New York Mets � Conor Gillaspie, 3B (Wichita State): The reigning most valuable player of the Cape Cod League, the left-handed hitting Gillaspie has tremendous makeup as well as a power stroke. There are questions about his defense, and although he might be ready to hit in the big leagues within a year or so, he might be better off with an American League team. Martin would satisfy my desire to have a Micah Owings-type player.

Ok, I am convinced that Ollie is tipping his pitches.

Catcher's interference. Not sure what happened.

Ha, it's Kid Pro Kuo!

Finally a chance to use this again:

Vargas is the shit.

And we go to extra frames.

Hey, somebody should grab Donn Clendenon. It's available for $10 a year.

I had to be made even more scared of lightning? Damn, RIP Jeremi.