Revelation 15 - Kevin Garnett is Happier Than You Are

A common refrain in sports analysis has been that the modern athlete doesn't care enough. That he's only in it for the check, that he's all attitude and swagger. Seems to me that fans would appreciate an athlete willing to take performance enhancing drugs, putting his physical well being at risk in order to give his all on the field, but that's a different discussion. Kevin Garnett won an NBA Title last week. He was happy. He got criticized by some as overly effusive. 'Cause, you know - we want you to care, but only the right amount.

I had no dog in the finals fight, but I watched this on DVR at 6 the following morning and teared up. Good for KG, good for the Celtics.

Life's hard. Bad things happen. If you are able to be happy, be as happy as you can be.

Congratulations to the Celtics.

Top 200 Major League Baseball Players Ever, #172-170, CHUCK FINLEY, BILLY HAMILTON, JAKE BECKLEY

EDIT - YOU CAN FIND THE UPDATED RANKINGS UNDER THE LABEL BEST BASEBALL PLAYERS EVER

#172 CHUCK FINLEY LHP Angels

1986-02

ERA+ 115

PW 20.2

WARP3 99.2

Pitchers, note, from the recent era are better than you think. Finley does well after the era adjustment. And, you know, it gives the ability to make Whitesnake jokes.

#171 BILLY HAMILTON OF Phils/Braves

1888-01

OPS+ 139

BFW 27.2

WARP3 95.9

#170 JAKE BECKLEY 1B Pirates/Reds/Cardinals

1888-07

OPS+ 126

BFW 23

WARP3 98.2

The hits don't stop 'till we get to the top. 31 down, 169 to go.

Revelation 14 - Apples Are Better Than Oranges

The next time someone uses the phrase, "it's apples and oranges" recognize that if he is saying "these two things aren't comparable" he's using that phrase incorrectly.

Because apples are better.

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Apples taste better on their own, and the body of apple products, from pies to crisps to cobblers and brown bettys to martinis to jacks are superior to the body of orange related products, juices and roughys and whathaveyous.

I don't hate oranges.

But if there's one point I'd like you to take away from the totality of this blog - if this blog has a mission statement it's this:

There are no ties. Pushing is for pussies.

Everything can be evaluated as superior or inferior. Everything is either over or underrated.

Everything.

Money, for example, is underrated.

"But it's so highly rated - everyone knows money is huge - huge - how can it be underrated?"

Because it isn't overrated. So it's underrated. Make a goddamn decision please.

If you won't, I will. Someone has to.

So, the next time you hear "it's like apples and oranges" recognize that's code for "I don't have the stones to make that evaluation, so I'm going to punt."

If he won't make it - you make it.

And if you won't. I will. Hell, I'll make it even if you do. That's how I roll, sister.

Apples are better than oranges. It's just that easy. Next.