Haiku Wednesday

Flu

That achy feeling
Greets us when Winter arrives
I prefer Santa

Rox Talk

The Week That Was

A 3-3 week against the Padres and Cards. The Roxs currently stand at 88-68. Five games back from division leading Los Angeles in second place and two and half games ahead in the Wild Card Hunt. Currently 48-30 at home and 40-38 on the road, the Roxs have outscored its opponents 771-689 (expected wins is 86 versus historical wins at 74). On pace for 91 wins with 801 runs scored and 716 runs against.

One week to go...six games left...three at home, three on the road. If we can go 3 - 3 we would finish with a 91 - 71 record (a team record!) but will that be enough? The Braves (Giants are done) have seven games to go and would have to finish 6 - 1 to tie the Rox. Impossible(?)...not really with 3 games against Marlins and then 4 games with the worst team in the world (Nats). So in the big scheme of things we have to root for the Marlins and then cross our fingers to sweep the Brewers. Sure would be nice to leave town with 91 wins...

Haiku Wednesday

Gourds

A plants destiny
Bountiful harvet, the hope
An autumn's symbol

TV - Fringe

It has been a while since a TV show actually grabbed hold of me and made me think or at least still made me think about it after the TV has been turned off. Of all of Abrams works this one is the most fun. Alias started this way but then dissolved into silliness. Lost just fell apart for the casual viewer. While this show obviously has ties to the X-Files and what made that great this one takes things a bit further and isn't has murky. Answers are doled out just enough to make you keep watching. The whole alternate universe is fantastic. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Loved the Twin Towers reference...wish I could travel there...maybe?

Rox Talk

The Week That Was

A 3-3 week against the Giants and D-Backs. The Roxs currently stand at 85-65. Five games back from division leading Los Angeles in second place and four and half games ahead in the Wild Card Hunt. Currently 45-27 at home and 40-38 on the road, the Roxs have outscored its opponents 744-658 (expected wins is 83 versus historical wins at 71). On pace for 92 wins with 804 runs scored and 711 runs against.

Thank goodness the roadtrips are done (well one more, but just 3 days) because this last one was just plain painful. Two blow outs in San Fran (ugly) and then an almost ugly Giant come from behind smackdown which could have spelled the end of the season. Fortunately Betancourt got the save of his life and the Rox were able to go into Arizona and get two more wins. A 4 - 5 road trip ain't too bad. Talking about roadtrips, here is an updated spreadsheet of Rox road wins. If the Rox can win one more game they assure themselves a .500 road record. Not bad for a team that averages about 32 road wins a year. You know it doesn't take a rocket scientist (I happened to have been one long ago) but the three years the Rox made it to the playoffs just happen to be three of the top 4 winning road percentages.

One other thing...how amazing has this year's starting pitching been? Look at the data. Two more weeks...can they hold it together? Go Rox!

Haiku Finder

Found this really cool website....haiku finder

Princess of Mars

And now the signal

has been given to resume
the march, you must go.

If I can open
these doors is there a man who
can start the engines?

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

You did not know where
to look, and so you missed all
that was important

You did not know where
to look, and so you missed all
that was important

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Toto played all day

long, and Dorothy played with him,
and loved him dearly.

You see, I am stuffed,
so I have no brains at all,"
he answered sadly.

Haiku Wednesday

Autumn

Nature's last hurrah
Trees reveal their color wheel
A splash before sleep

Ellen Ruppel Shell - Cheap

An eye opening book, don't agree with it all, but the underlying theory that the need for cheap will eventually affect us all is probably true.

Some interesting quotes from the book...

Page 62 - "...universal phenomenon of loss aversion, the tendency of most people to strongly prefer avoiding losses rather than acquiring gains..." We want to win but our we are more likely to make decisions so that we don't lose. Losing is worse then winning so often we just don't play because the fear of loss is more overwhelming. Why we hang on too long in jobs or stocks...

Because of priming we are more likely to worry about getting killed in a car accident if we just recently witnessed a fatal crash.

Page 73 - "the reflexive, primitive area of the brain responds more powerfully when confronted with what may happen than with what does happen."

Page 110 - "When consumer goods are marked down to a pittance, those of us who can least afford it end up paying the difference in the form of low wages, lost opportunity, and crushing debt."

Rox Talk

The Week That Was

A 5-2 week against the Reds and Padres. The Roxs currently stand at 82-62. Three games back from division leading Los Angeles in second place and four and half games ahead in the Wild Card Hunt. Currently 45-27 at home and 37-35 on the road, the Roxs have outscored its opponents 717-624 (expected wins is 81 versus historical wins at 68). On pace for 92 wins with 807 runs scored and 702 runs against.

This time of year is just plain hard. Rox just aren't usually in this position and to try and watch when every game seems to be important is just nerve racking. Sometimes I wonder why I am even a fan when I just can't even watch these games! Ughhhhh

Some things I found interesting...

Team Hit Leaders

Look who is second in runs created during this decade...

and average

Remember

Here is to the Towers. NY City still doesn't look right to me. By the way Man on a Wire is a good salute to the great buildings, a salute to those who dare, and a great memory.

Current Events

My rant...

What's is wrong with America? Two words...Joe Wilson. When fellow Americans, especially politician's, cannot be civil and respect the thoughts and opinions of others than we have no discourse. Issues are not black and white, America is a better place when compromises occur. When we begin to lose respect for each other, our country truly loses...

Maureen Dowd...great article in Sunday's Op Ed...so true!

Haiku Wednesday

Pencils

Instrument of Choice
Tackles the standarized test
Keep sharp like our minds

Essential Captain America Volume 2

Classic old school Captain America. Always interesting reading the old stuff. Stan Lee was so over the top you almost think he defined the term for being over the top! It is kind of funny because it seems that it is actually the way he truly writes. Funny to think that no one writes like that today although it would be fun. The thing that gets me is that a lot of what was written back then seems to be the basis of what Brubaker is writing today. A lot of similarities (well except the whole Bucky thing and death). Either way it is good to read the past.

Rox Talk

The Week That Was

A 5-1 week against the Mets and D-Backs. The Roxs currently stand at 77-60. Three and half games back from division leading Los Angeles in second place and two games ahead in the Wild Card Hunt. Currently 41-27 at home and 36-33 on the road, the Roxs have outscored its opponents 692-605 (expected wins is 77 versus historical wins at 64). On pace for 91 wins with 818 runs scored and 715 runs against.

Back to the winning ways. Rox continue to win the games they should. It was nice to sweep the D-back for the first time in 5 years. Have to admit it is nice to see the Rox jump ahead of the D-bags. When we met in the NLCS I thought it was going to be a long term duel of two young teams. Last year Rox fall apart and this year the D-backs seem to be going the other way. Maybe next year will be the fight?

Haiku Wednesday

Chili Peppers

Nature's spice packet
They add the wow and pizazz
Water - Our Savior

Incognito

Ed Brubaker has been huge. Along with Bendis and Rucka they have really revitalized writing in the comic world. Looking back in the late 90s we had the Lee, Silversti, and McFarlane triumvirate which really brought art up to snuff but then we really had no good writing. It was all flash. Now with this writing (which is really essential to good comic books) trio we really have had a renaissance. Good plots with meaningful stories that aren't just all flash. Brubaker's run on Capt America has just been awesome. So with all this I decided that Incognito would be probably pretty good and it has been. I especially like the history lesson on the pulp all stars. The series had series of articles on pulp characters by Jess Nevins on: The Shadow (#1), Doc Savage (#2), The Spider (#3), Operator No. 5 (#4), Fu Manchu (#5), and Zeppelin Pulps (#6). Overall a pretty good series.