Book Signing - Jonathan Lethem

Ever go to a book signing with the ideal that hey this guy seems interesting; has put out some tantalizing books, but you know, you haven't quite gotten around to actually reading anything of his? I mean Fortress of Solitude reached out to me because of the comic book reference and you know I have stared at the book cover so often that sometimes I think I might have it or perhaps read it? Sit and listen to his reading and the guy still sounds great. Answers questions with real answers and generally seems happy that you came out. Well Mr Lethem fit this profile fully for me. I swear I had read something by him but alas nothing and then, and then, towards the end, when I was getting my book signed, a book at the very bottom of the shelf reached out and spoke to me...Gun, with Occasional Music...wwwwwait I have read this author. Almost 15 years ago I read this pseudo hard boil sci-fi mess of a book. I mean it was good, little weird, but then this is about the time I was reading Snow Crash by Stephenson which was a bit odd as well and perhaps that was reading agenda back then (?). Either way once the connection was made my brain settled down and was glad that I had spent the evening getting to know the author.

World Series - Game 2

Funny how history seems to repeat itself when it comes to baseball. Charlie Manuel went with his gut, just like Grady Little went with his in 2003. So let me see a 6 year younger Pedro can't make it past 100 pitches and yet last night Charlie let Pedro enter the seventh with 99 pitches? I mean really, you were already down 2 - 1 with the likelihood of Mariano coming in the 8th and you felt the need to send Pedro out? Yanks go on and get that other run and pretty much seal the deal. Bullpen hasn't seen action in 8 days you've got the rest day today and what? Don't want to wear out the 'pen? I don't get these managers during the playoffs...I mean if this was a regular season game you are pulling Pedro and saying nice outing. Where is the aggressiveness, the desire to just win. I mean in the 8th you have Mariano panting, on the ropes, with the meat of your line up up and instead of sending the runners you hold off sending them and Utley grounds into a inning ending double play. You honestly think Mariano is going to give you another inning with two runners on? Ughhhh just crazy I say...

World Series - Game 1

Baseball, to me, is about offense. Someone is going to have to score to win the game. While pitching helps prevent those scores eventually if the game is to be finished someone has to cross the plate...pitchers can't score (at least from the mound)! So I don't begrudged those that think baseball would be better served if the offense explodes and games become football scores (to an extent). The old Nintendo ball at Coors was a sight to behold and sometimes I wonder what beer sales were back in the day when a 9 inning 14 - 12 score lasted 4+ hours?

So with that preface I turn to last nights World Series. Two Cy Young winners, two former Indians (Cleveland must have hated to watch this), and two of the top hitting clubs in their respective leagues matched off in new Yankee Stadium. A game of possibilities...which why we watch and play the games. The thing that become apparent very quickly was that Cliff Lee was Godzilla last night. To watch a pitcher with complete command and control of a game is a thing of beauty. As I said above offense sells tickets but pitching makes memories. If last night had been a slugfest we'd only remember who won but a great pitching performance like that will be remembered. That spike curve he threw changed zip codes! Not only was Lee in the zone but his defense was on par. That nonchalant grab of the ball, that behind the back stab...wow what a game. Ten strikeouts, a complete game almost shutout. That was awesome.

So last night performance got me thinking...what kind of game score was that. Well it was 83. Not too shabby and how would it have fared in the annals of baseball post seasons? In postseason history it is the 80th best performance and in world series history it is 45th (!*&# only 45?). I was a bit amazed by that but I guess the top teams with the best pitchers do make the playoffs and thus a pitcher can shut a team down.

Who has the highest game score in world series history? - Babe Ruth's 14 inning win in 1916 (97), Don Larsen's perfect game garnered a 94.

What about modern day (post 80s)? Randy Johnson's 11 strikeout shut out in 2001 (91). Lee's performance last night put him 9th behind Johnson, Clemons, Hershiser, Glavine, Boddicker, Beckett, Morris (very memorable game), and Tudor.

Interesting to see what Pedro does tonight...

Haiku Wednesday

Vote

Our obligation

Thank our forefather's for chance

Makes our Country great

William Anderson - Ice Diaries

I visited the Nautilus last summer. Walking aboard was like going on a time machine and visiting the 50 and 60s. Technology back then was so in your face. Big analog dials, non-petite switches, and that pale greenish color. It is as if engineers back then figured will just make it look impressive and thus it should work. Today's control panels and switches all look breakable as if now we decided as long as they look good they'll work.

Any way while there I saw this book on the Nautilus journey underneath the North Pole. While it was news to me that this was the answer to the Soviet's Sputnik (I think that is a bit contrived). Nuclear submarines back then must have been a mystery black box. Tremendous engineering to go from making a bomb to harnessing that energy in about 10 years time.

The book was good although I came away from it with an opinion that the captain was somewhat full of himself and although he talked the talked about being safe and thinking of his crew, he was really selfish in wanting to make the first journey under the pole. Week after the Nautilus made it another sub, the Skate, made it as well. Not that I thought he took any risk but he certainly pushed the envelope at times. Although I guess to become a Captain of a vessel it does require a bit of hubris, I would think the men under your command and getting them to port would be the first priority. He became a politician later in life so my guess is that he had a rather large ego. Daring adventure, fascinating, and a bit frightening to think of all that ice above you!

Haiku Wednesday

Tricks

Anansi's night out
Sneaky black cats spread the word
Treats quell the chaos

Rox Talk - Wrap Up

Great season...wished it would have lasted a bit longer...the weather did get better after that wintry weekend! As you know I am a big follower of the WPA. I have been tracking it forever. To me it is the essence of baseball. Every bat, every pitch helps a team either win or lose. Having tracked it for so long I am not for sure if it really means anything over a long season (?). For a single game maybe but you can have a bad couple of weeks and never seem to be on the winning side. Take for instance...Jason Hammel's season...see graph below.

Started in the bullpen, gave up some runs, then became a starter and went 1 - 3 out the gate. So at about Week 6 - 7 he is sitting at a season WPA of -1.23. He then starts the long journey to 10 wins and finishes a pretty respectable season...nothing great but ten wins for a Rox is pretty good. The thing is if you look at his cumulative WPA for the season he pretty much appears to have never got much better. Compare that to Marquis, who started out like superman and even though finished the season in rotten form, still managed a final WPA of 1.75. I guess it isn't an exact science or maybe Hammel really wasn't that good and didn't contribute to his winning rather he had a good offense behind him that got him some wins? Food for thought...here is the outfield WPA

Again Hawpe looked like a monster but he only started two games during the playoffs! The infield WPA...

Look at the Rox Star go...Helton was the man and boy did Yorvit earn his pay in the last 6 weeks of the year...and well Barmes didn't do much. You know looking at Hawpe's he didn't fall quite as bad as Barmes. Perhaps we shouldn't pile on the Hawper...question is whether O'Dowd will keep him around another season? And finally the relief corp or at least those who made it to the end.

As much as Street made us sweat off and on all year he did win pull the team through some big wins although you have to wonder if some of that WPA wasn't self directed...I mean you walk the bases loaded and then get the final out you have suddenly helped your bottom line ;-). Morales stepped in when needed but sure fell off. Betancourt was a good pickup...Biemel not so much. I think the bullpen unsung heroes were Belisle and Daley who threw 31 and 51 innings apiece and picked up 4 wins and 13 holds.

New York, New York

Went to the East Coast to see my grandmother and stopped in NY for a quick look see. Went to the MOMA (great museum...love Monet's water lilies although they changed the room and I miss the old room...lots of people surprised by how crowded it was), Time Square, top of the Empire State Building (102 floor...what a view...see above), dinner in Grand Central Station (love the ceiling, and then a quick stop by 30 Rock. Next day we stopped and ate at Katz Deli on the lower East Side. Been around since 1881 and had a great turkey sandwich. Lots of interesting people! Then swung by Ground Zero. My mom claims that has a child we went to the viewing deck in the tower but I have no recollection of it. It has been 8 years but it is amazing that the site is still a construction zone of some sort. Also amazing that two towers totally collapsed and yet the surrounding buildings are still there. Where did the material go? I miss the towers...the skyline looks empty without them. To me NY is always the Empire State building and then two towers on the tip of Manhattan. This was the first time being back in the city since I was a kid. It doesn't seem as big as I used to think it was but it is still sizable and still no fun to drive in. If I go back I am staying in the City...I will pay the extra!

Towers reach the sky

Majestic silent symbols

Your image remains

Skyline is empty

Memory fills in the blanks

Lost souls seek closure

Gerard Jones - Men of Tomorrow

Being a comic book lover and reader for the past 25 years, I never really bothered to read about its roots. I had a fairly good ideal of its beginnings (Kavalier and Clay by Chabon is pretty good representation of those early years) and it was interesting to read this book. In some ways it would be great to have been around in that time and be able to read the Amazing Stories and counterparts. The sheer volume of work that was put out is amazing. Today it seems they just put out enough to keep you interested but going to a perceived quality over quantity sure can bore the senses. To be around during the golden age of comics and just have the sheer volume. Kind of my problem with comics today is you get a new book every 4 - 6 weeks...sometimes hard to keep on top of what happens...and then the artist complain that they just can't publish the stuff fast enough because they only want to submit quality work. Well not to dismiss your honesty but we are talking comic books here...not works of art. Give me a decent story and passable art and move the books. I think one reason Bendis has found support in today's storytelling is that he can get the word out. The art is passable but because the stories come out on time you can keep up with it and not lose touch of your heroes.

Anyway I digress...the book was interesting...although kind of a shotgun approach. He touched on the superman thing, but only mentions batman and wonder woman in passing. Spends a lot of time defining the period and discussing the publishers. Boy do the publishers always get the bad end of the deal.

Haiku Wednesday

Exotic, sexy
A new diet plan, drink only blood
I would miss the Sun

Rox Talk - Post Season

Tale of the Tape

Well the playoffs were over before they really started. Rox came home tied up 1 -1 and then it snowed and they delayed Game 3 until Sunday. Start time on Sunday was 8 PM and game time temperature was 35 deg. It was my first ever playoff game and it was grand. The crowd was a bit subdued probably due to the temp and Sunday night. The last pitch was thrown around 12:15 AM (and temperature had dropped into the 20s). To be honest when the Phillies took the lead in the ninth I was glad that someone was going to win and that extra innings wasn't going to happen. Game 4 was a roller coaster of emotions. Rox were real close to taking it back to Philly for Game 5. In the end it wasn't meant to be...Street blew two consecutive saves and the Phillies moved on.

Looking back at the series and looking at the numbers it really is hard to say with any definitiveness that the Phillies were a better team. The walks really added up against the Rox but overall it was a pretty even series. Couple of pitches here, hits there, and who knows. I think the Rox can look back and say they gave the reigning a champs a run for their money but came up a bit short in the end.

Closer Look

Big Rox playoff winner was CarGo...the big playoff loser was Street. CarGo managed 10 hits (and 2 walks) throughout the playoffs (17 plate appearances). What a coming out party for the big guy. Yorvit continued to be a playoff batter while Iannetta never saw a pitch. Betancourt was the relief and once again Tulo just couldn't get it done when it counted.

Stephen Hunt - The Court of the Air

An interesting read to say the least. Really enjoyed the first half. A real good steampunk feel. Great characters, interesting mystery, and good flow. Then disaster struck...as in what happened to the Matrix trilogy (movies). Great ideal that transformed into some sort of whacky quasi religious tome of just plain insanity. Maybe call me shallow but couldn't really figure how this all fit into the steampunk genre. It basically lost me...while still good and I will probably read on I can't say the the middle two-thirds did a lot for me.

Haiku Wednesday

Home

It's where you grew up
More than just wood, brick, and nails
Defines who you are

Crazy Bar Codes

Rox Talk

The Week That Was

A 4-2 week against the Brewers and Dodgers. The Roxs finish at 92-70. They finish three games back from division leading Los Angeles in second place and win the Wild Card. Rox finish 51-30 at home and 41-40 on the road, the Roxs outscored its opponents 804-715 (expected wins is 90 versus historical wins at 77).

Well the Rox held on...they clinched at home (yes) but failed to win the West (okay). They gave it a run, made LA sweat on Saturday, and probably helped make LA a better team for trying out some playoff baseball before it gets real on Wednesday.

Playoffs!

Would have been nice to open the playoffs at home but we've gone to Philly once before so no surprise there. Should be an interesting series with the two most prolific offenses in the NL. I like the Rox pitching. We have a good bullpen, good starters. Philly has some issues on the mound but they are the reigning world champions so they deserve the respect. I think we can keep up offensively but we will be going in as a known quality this time around. Let's steal one on the road and come home up and try to finish it! Although we went 2 - 4 against them during the season we scored 28 runs to 31 runs against. The first series was in April and the second was in early August after stops in NY and Cincinnati. I think it is a pretty even series. Below is the WPA for the 2007 NLDS. If you look closer all the players who helped contribute to that series win are all gone...who is going to step up this time? Looking at the big picture...if Helton can put this team on his back and take them to the Series and win a MVP, he might just have his ticket to the Hall confirmed...just saying!

Roxtober Again

Well what ya know...it's Roxtober again! No drama, no play at the plate, no play in game, just a good outting by Cook and some offense to round out a fantastic second half. Whew just time to catch our breath before heading to the City of Angels. Can the Rox sweep our nemesis and take the division title?. Okay so I was wrong in saying that they would stroll in LA tied but hey this thing ain't done yet (it's okay to drink the Kool Aid). Three to play and two out mean we still have a chance. Once again you think this means more to Tracey or Torre? Where would you rather open up for Game 1...in your bed or a hotel's? Lots to play for, but time out for celebration. It is good to be a winner! Thank you Rox for your efforts!