Memories and other ramblings

The Top Five Falls from Grace in Baseball in the last Five Years

2010-07-12T18:34:00.005-04:00

With the 2010 MLB All-Star game upon us, I figured I'd create my own Top Five list. While many people like to focus on greats and achievements, I'd like to focus on something different. Often times when a baseball player meets early success in his career, people expect him to continue his performance. They throw big contracts at him and hope for the best. Unfortunately baseball is a tough game and sometimes the smallest thing can deride a promising career.

Now without further ado, here are the Top Five Falls from Grace in the last five years.

Name: Milton Bradley, Montreal, Cleveland, LAD, Oakland, San Diego, Texas, CHC, Seattle

Peak Years: 2003 - 2008

Best Year: 2008 - .321 ba, 22 hrs, 77 rbis, .999 OPS

Unlike the other players on this list, Bradley's on field performance was affected mostly by his poor attitude towards his manager. He's got loads of talent and is still young enough to turn his career around.

Name: Richie Sexson, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Arizona, Seattle, NYY

Peak Years: 1999 - 2006

Best Year: 2003 - 45 hrs, 124 rbis, .927 OPS

Bottom: 2008 - .221 ba, 12 hrs, 36 rbis, .703 OPS in 96 games.

A power hitter who was always known to strike out a lot seemingly overnight became a fly-ball out hitter who still struck out a lot. His career ended after the 2008 season at the age of just 33 when no one wanted him on their team anymore.

Name: Travis Hafner, Cleveland

Peak Years: 2004-2007

Best Year: 2006 - 42 hrs, 117 rbis, .308 ba, 1.097 OPS

Bottom: 2008 - .197 ba, .628 OPS in 57 games

A typical storyline of a power hitter that was felled with injuries. Hafner seemed to be on his way to become one of the greatest sluggers in Indians history before he encountered injuries. He was never the same afterwards.

Name: Andruw Jones, Atlanta, LAD, Texas, ChiSox

Peak Years: 1998 - 2006

Best Year: 2005 - 51 hrs, 128 rbis, .922 OPS

Bottom: 2008 - .158 ba, .505 OPS, 3 hrs, 14 rbi in 75 games

Jones was a superstar slugger, until he some how forgot how to hit. When he became a free agent at the end of the 2007 season, he was one of the most coveted players. In just a couple seasons his OPS dropped over .400 points and no one seemed to want him any more.

Name: Dontrelle Willis, Florida, Detroit, Arizona

Peak Years: 2003 - 2006

Best Year: 2005 - 22 - 10, 2.63 ERA, 5 SHO, 1.134 WHIP

Bottom: His entire time with Detroit - 2 - 8, 6.86 ERA in 24 games.

From Cy Young runner-up to total wash up in just three seasons, Willis was cursed with injuries when he was traded to Detroit. He lost command of his pitches and never regained it. Only 28, he still has time to recover.

US Census Bureau

2010-05-21T13:09:00.003-04:00

The US Census Bureau is the most disorganized and chaotic government entity ever created. Then again, should we really expect a high level of talent from an organization that is paying low wages and hiring people solely on a test score?

This is certainly an example of bureaucracy at its worst.

The government could probably save a lot of money and get a fairly accurate census estimate if they hired a few eggheads from MIT to determine population density and distribution in each town and city. Perhaps then all the money saved could actually be put to good use, such as public safety, education and transportation.

The Curse of the LA Clippers Strikes Again

2010-01-13T19:58:00.004-05:00

Do you remember the column written by ESPN's Bill Simmons prior to the 2009 NBA Draft? It's here if you haven't read it. He makes a lot of good points in it. Everyone knows the Clippers is one of the worst franchises in professional sports. However, the optimism of newly ordained franchise-player-to-be Blake Griffin hoped to reverse the so-called curse.

Griffin had an excellent pre-season, until he hurt his knee on Oct. 23. At the time he was expected to be four to six weeks. Well, physical rehab hasn't gone so well for Griffin. Today it was announced he would miss the rest of the season because he knee would now require surgery.

Has the curse struck Blake Griffin? Perhaps he should have taken Bill Simmons' advice and fled to Europe - ala Danny Ferry style. What a waste of talent...

Ikea Snille chairs

2009-10-10T21:21:00.002-04:00

So last weekend I went to the Brooklyn Ikea to do some shopping. I was really in need of a new chair. After searching, I fell in love with the comfort and look of the Snille chairs. Here is a pic from the Ikea site: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S59864147

Well today, I went to the Elizabeth Ikea and picked up two of them. I was very excited about these chairs. When I returned home, I assembled them right away. The frame assembly was very quick and easy. When it came time to attach the frame to the seat, I ran into some trouble. The seat did not want to easily fit onto the frame. I had to use the assistance of a table (which the instructions actually suggests). Even with that, I had to force the frame on. When I finally got the frame on, the plastic on the seat already started showing signs of fatigue from the stress caused by the frame.

On the second seat I assembled the chair already cracked. This is absolutely unsatisfactory for a brand new chair. After a few quick searches on Google, it seems like this is very common. Apparently these chairs are utter pieces of shit. They look great and are pretty comfortable to sit in, but don't expect it to last a lifetime or even three months in this review I found: http://cndrnh.blogspot.com/2007/08/ikea-snille-chair-and-other-things.html

Well I guess I'll be returning these to Ikea. What a dissapointment. My first Ikea purchase has been a complete fail.

Kanye West at the VMAs

2009-09-14T10:52:00.003-04:00

I really hate celebrity related "news," but I figured I had to chime in on this one. I'm sure a bunch of you saw the whole ordeal where Taylor Swift won the award for best female music video and Kanye West stormed the stage and stole her spotlight. Well, truly that was a jerk move by West.

A quick glance at twitter and one will find it littered with posts about Kayne West and how he did a wrong. What people don't realize is that many of these big stars (movie, tv, music, etc) are egotistical jerks that require such antics to further their own cause. West had a chance to grab the spotlight and get some more publicity, which is exactly what he did. As they say no publicity is bad publicity. Sure some people are mad at him, but in the end he's going to sell more cds and more tickets to his shows.

So was something like this expected? It surely wasn't unexpected. I almost feel bad for Taylor Swift having to be the recipient of such brute thuggery. However, an after show interview showed she cared little about the incident. She proved she was the better person - by far.

It continues to amaze me at how much people care about stupid celebrity bs like this. This, my friends, is not news! Why should it be the front page of CNN? I'm glad my paper didn't have it on their front page. Real news (a Connecticut bride-to-be found murdered the day of her wedding) made the cover. Tragic news, but it is news. When will people learn to stop living vicariously through empty suit celebrities?

Do you want the government controlling health care?

2009-08-25T10:55:00.003-04:00

Do you want the government controlling your health care? Well it would be the same gross inefficiency as the post office, I'm sure. Look at this:

	Arrival at Unit, August 25, 2009, 5:57 am, NEW YORK, NY 10199
	Processed through Sort Facility, August 25, 2009, 2:31 am, BETHPAGE, NY 11714
	Processed through Sort Facility, August 24, 2009, 9:38 pm, KEARNY, NJ 07032
	Acceptance, August 24, 2009, 3:36 pm, WASHINGTON, NJ 07882

I bought something online yesterday. The guy shipped it from Northwest NJ and I live in Midtown Manhattan. So why does the package go allllllllll the way to Long Island only to come back to Manhattan? That just doesn't make sense. I thought the central sorting facility was on 8th Avenue across the street from Penn Station.

So how does this relate to government health care? Imagine this: You have a broken foot. You live in Manhattan where their are plenty of good doctors and they send you out to see a doctor in Massapequa. That's essentially equivalent to the gross inefficiency of the USPS. I rest my case.

New York Governor Paterson is an Idiot

2009-08-24T14:45:00.005-04:00

Yes you heard me right. This guy is an idiot. He's claiming racism is the cause for all of his problems. Well, I think he just spelled his political death.

While it is true that the governor is having problems, it is not because he is black. It's purely because he's incompetent. Guess what Mr. Governor, you weren't elected to office, you only took office because Elliot Spitzer was a sex fiend. You know what? Had you run in a general election, you would have never won because you lack the necessary skills to lead a state.

I won't be attending your political funeral.

NYC Street Fairs

2009-08-23T14:40:00.003-04:00

Have you ever gone meandering down one of the weekly NYC Street Fairs? I wonder what their target audience is. The food is overpriced and the items for sale are utter garbage. I was walking down towards Spring St. yesterday and stumbled upon one of these fairs on Bleecker St.

I figured I would grab a bite to eat so I stopped at a Halal stand. I asked him how much for a falafel, and he told me $8. I was completely aghast. EIGHT DOLLARS for a falafel??? I told the guy that I'd give him $5 for one (and to be honest even that was being generous). He wasn't interested at all. So I left hungry and he returned to tend to his unpatronized food stand.

This is what makes me angry about these fairs. They are set up to create some type of fun atmosphere, but instead it just attracts money hungry vultures who just hope to ripoff unsuspecting tourists.

I must say there are some deals to be found there. The Thai food stands tend to have pretty decent food for cheap. I ended up buying a spring roll for $1 and I've purchased pad thai for $1 in the past.

The arepas stand are a common sight at these fairs. They run about $3 for something I can eat in about four bites, but they are absolutely delicious. $3 might be a little steep for what you get, but I'd say it's almost worth it.

Dog disobendience problems?

2009-08-20T01:45:00.002-04:00

If you have a dog and he doesn't obey, buy him one of these Michael Vick jerseys. Each time he disobeys, just kindly remind him of the wrath of Vick. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/2009/08/19/2009-08-19_eagles_dog_jersey.html

My theory on Steve McNair's death

2009-07-06T13:03:00.003-04:00

Former Tennessee Titan quarterback Steven McNair was found dead on Saturday. Police have stated he was shot multiple times and his girlfriend, Sahel Kazemi, was shot only once. The gun was found nearby Kazemi's body. Police have also further stated stated that they were not looking for suspects. Many believe that this was a murder suicide, as do I. However, the big question is motive. Here is my theory.

McNair has been married for over 12-years. He has four kids. He secretly had a girlfriend in Kazemi, which would mean that his marraige was probably on the rocks.

Kazemi's family disapproved her relationship with McNair because he was a married father of four, but she seemed very much consumed by his generosity towards her (i.e. taking her on nice vacations and even gifting her a Cadillac Escalade for her birthday). Kazemi has even told some people close to her that McNair was working out a divorce so he could marry her.

Now, it is known that McNair and Kazemi spent the night of July 3rd out on the town drinking and eventually headed back to Kazemi's apartment. What transpired inside was probably some type of alcohol-influenced argument. At some point in the argument Kazemi probably raised the question of marraige in which McNair might have told her that wasn't going to happen. Kazemi, having been raised in an Iranian family, held honor as an extremely important standing within her family. She did not want to be disgraced by McNair's refusal of marraige (and ultimately disgracing her own family) and in an act of poor drunken judgement filled McNair's body with four bullets and subsequently ended her own.

Let's see how the investigation plays out...

I remember when...

2009-06-29T11:37:00.001-04:00

... digital photography didn't exist. It was a painstaking wait to get the film developed and photos printed before you could see them.

I remember when...

2009-06-17T12:03:00.002-04:00

... New York City used to be overrun with bums, graffiti and porn shops. It sure is nice to be here after it was all cleaned up.

I remember when...

2009-06-09T02:18:00.002-04:00

... personal computers were not yet mainstream household items. Teachers would marvel at how nicely presented my papers and reports were printed on dot-matrix printers. I always felt bad for those who had to hand-write all their work.

I remember when...

2009-06-03T10:32:00.000-04:00

... as a child your only responsibilities were to go outside to play and have fun. What great times.

I remember when...

2009-06-01T20:04:00.001-04:00

... baseball was still fun to watch. Nowadays it just seems like most ballplayers are overpaid primadonas that don't even want to hustle or give the fans their moneys worth.

I remember when...

2009-05-29T16:34:00.001-04:00

... the subway fares in New York City used to be a lot cheaper. I used to pay $63 for a monthly pass. I think I just paid $81 for one the other day.

I remember when...

2009-05-22T17:32:00.002-04:00

... I didn't have to worry about car maintenance. It was so much easier having someone drive me around and I wouldn't have to worry about taking care of it.

I remember when...

2009-05-18T18:31:00.001-04:00

... my mom used to put leftover cereal milk in a sippy cup because I wouldn't drink it out of the bowl. She had me fooled every time.

I remember when...

2009-05-18T00:27:00.001-04:00

...I first got behind the wheel of a car. I didn't know what to do with the gas pedal so I completely floored it. It scared the shit out of the instructor.

I remember when...

2009-05-16T15:46:00.002-04:00

I used to wake up early on Saturday mornings and watch the cartoons. That required a lot of dedication, but it was totally worth it.

I enjoyed cartoons such as Denver (The Last Dinosaur), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and GI JOE.

2009-03-08T15:58:00.001-04:00

My photo blog will now be at http://www.mikeip.com/blog