Tendown July 12, 2015

182 is here. This is Tendown 183.

Can you name every Giants All-Star since 2000?

SCORE41/41TIMER00:39

You got 100% correct

YEAR ANSWER POS. 2000 Barry Bonds OF 2000 Jeff Kent 2B 2001 Rich Aurilia SS 2001 Barry Bonds OF 2001 Jeff Kent 2B 2002 Barry Bonds OF 2002 Robb Nen P 2002 Benito Santiago C 2003 Barry Bonds OF 2003 Jason Schmidt P 2004 Barry Bonds OF 2004 Jason Schmidt P 2005 Moises Alou OF 2006 Jason Schmidt P 2007 Barry Bonds OF 2008 Tim Lincecum P 2008 Brian Wilson P 2009 Tim Lincecum P 2009 Matt Cain P 2010 Tim Lincecum P 2010 Brian Wilson P

YEAR ANSWER POS. 2011 Tim Lincecum P 2011 Matt Cain P 2011 Ryan Vogelsong P 2011 Brian Wilson P 2011 Pablo Sandoval 3B 2012 Matt Cain P 2012 Buster Posey C 2012 Melky Cabrera OF 2012 Pablo Sandoval 3B 2013 Madison Bumgarner P 2013 Sergio Romo P 2013 Buster Posey C 2013 Marco Scutaro 2B 2014 Madison Bumgarner P 2014 Tim Hudson P 2014 Hunter Pence OF 2015 Madison Bumgarner P 2015 Buster Posey C 2015 Brandon Crawford SS 2015 Joe Panik 2B

1. Every Week Until He Stops - Vote for Bernie Sanders.

2. Which is better - Bernie Sanders America or Scott Walker's?

3. The first line of Cosby's obit.

4. 

5. Meanwhile, in Florida..

6. In Alito's dissent in the gay marriage case, he expressed concern that Christians would now face the same persecution that gays had faced.  Here's being gay in America right now.

7. Jeb Would Like You to Work More, Thanks.  Workers were 25% more productive in 2012 than in 2000.  Their monetary gain was 0.

More work from us = more corporate profit and executive salary.  If there's one economic takeaway from the last 35 years, that needs to be it.

8. Here's what tyranny looks like.

9. I'm no scientist, but...

10.  

And one more...

That's all for this time.  I'll be back next time.  If there is a next time...

Your pal,

Jim

Okay, Who Got Screwed?

The final fan pick is still left.  Here's where we stand.

NL
C Posey
1B Goldschmidt
2B Gordon
SS Peralta
3B Frazier
LF Holliday?
CF McCutchen
RF Harper

3B Bryant
OF Pederson
1B Gonzalez
3B Arenado
SS Crawford
C Molina
C Grandal
1B Rizzo
2B LeMahieu
2B Panik
OF Pollock
OF Upton
Inj Stanton

Votto, Turner definitely should have made the team.  I also would have picked Granderson, but he'd go if that third catcher was needed.  

P Scherzer
P Greinke
P Cole
P Bumgarner
P Wacha
P DeGrom
P Miller
P Burnett

RP Rosenthal
RP Chapman
RP Melancon
RP Papelbon
RP Rodriguez

All Star teams have ridiculous numbers of relievers, this is no exception.  Hamels winds up getting left off at the expense of Papelbon.  Cueto lost his for Chapman, which is not that big a deal.

1. Votto
2. Turner
3. Hamels

All should make the team. 

AL
C Perez
1B Pujols
2B Atluve
SS Escobar
3B Donaldson
LF Cain
CF Trout
RF Gordon
DH Cruz

3B Machado
OF Jones
DH Fielder
OF Bautista
C Martin
2B Kipnis
C Vogt
OF Holt
1B Teixeira
SS Iglesias
OF Martinez
Inj Cabrera

The AL. Miller and Gardner should be starting and neither made the team. Miller's a small crime, best of a bad lot - but Gardner should have made the team. Dozier should have definitely made the team. I'd have Bogaerts over Iglesias, but again, shortstops.  And then backup outfielders - Kiermaier, Pillar, Cespedes over Holt, Martinez, Tex.  None of those changes are dire, but Kiermaier really should have made this team.

SP Sale
SP Keuchel
SP Gray
SP Hernandez
SP Price
SP Archer

RP Betances
RP Boxberger
RP Britton
RP Davis
RP Herrera
RP O'Day
RP Perkins

Seven Relievers!  Awful.  I had Price just missing the team; Gallardo's having a better year and should make it - I'd take four relievers off the roster and replace them with starters, but outside of Gallardo none of the left out starters has a real beef.  Even Gallardo can't say he got screwed.

1. Gardner
2. Dozier
3. Kiermaier

Tendown July 5, 2015

Tendown 181 is here. This is 182.




1. Slow down on how much you love this Court.

2. How Many Small Government Republicans Are in Favor of This?

3. Even the Klan wouldn't say that immigrants are rapists.

4. Obama - Yeah, This Has Actually Been a Heck of a Presidency.

5. Christianity continues to be attacked.

6. A Half Century of Maria.

7. Okay - it's not her fault - but the balls on this girl...

8.

9. Lies About the Confederacy

10. Every Week Until He Stops - Vote for Bernie Sanders.

And one more..

This week.  Yikes.  Finger infection.  I went to a Giants game in Miami, which, for longtime readers, ended as you'd think it would, the same way if did in four playoff games in '97 and '03, with a walkoff loss.  The other thing that happened is I blew an interview for a job I didn't want.

So - I have a job, but I need two, 'cause money. To get an an online adjunct job in 2015 means 3 rounds of interviews plus an additional essay round (fortunately, I didn't have to take the personality tests that have been required from other schools, which is a word I nearly put in quotation marks).  I was in the final round with, who I believe would have been my boss's boss, had what happened not happened.  Going in, given the surrounding circumstances, I felt confident the last interview was largely a formality.

"Karen" began with a harmless "hey, you live in Florida, how's the weather?" question and I responded with a similarly noncontroversial, "Hot - the planet's on fire!" 

And that was it.  She said "well, it is summer" which is what people say when they don't understand climate change isn't a thing they can disbelieve any more than they can reject the concept of Thursdays "well it is pre Friday".  I heard the clicking of her computer and about ten minutes later it struck me that she had totally checked out of the interview.

Did I assume that someone in a hiring position for a school which has four rounds of an interview process would not be a global warming denier?  Yup.  Was this error?  

I guess.  The trouble with these online adjunct jobs is you're paid a flat rate for each course, and then what schools look to do is inflate your responsibilities.  I've done that second teaching job for six years and I can't claim a ton of enthusiam for staying on that wheel.  

"It is summer.  And don't get me started on 9-11 and vaccinations."

That's all for this time.  I'll be back next time.  If there is a next time...

Your pal, Jim

2015 MLB All Star Rosters: Halfway Through.

The 60 game look is here.

We're 80 games into the 2015 MLB season.  Here are the updated predictions.

AL East
1. NYY 85
2. Baltimore 84-WC
3. Tampa 83
4. Toronto 83
5. Boston 80

AL Central
1. KC 87
2. Cle 82
3. Det 82
4. Minn 78
5. CWS 76

AL West
1. Hou 88
2. LAA 84-WC
3. Tex 80
4. Sea 79
5. Oak 79

NL East
1. Wash 92
2. NYM 80
3. Atl 75
4. Mia 74
5. Phil 62

NL Central
1. St Louis 97
2. Chi 88-WC
3. Pitt 87-WC
4. Cin 77
5. Mil 73

NL West
1. LAD 92
2. SFG 84 
3. SD 78
4. Ari 77
5. Col 73

Here's my final selection for All Star Game Rosters.  

Each league has 34 players.  There have to be at least 5 starters/3 relievers for each league.  Each league had 13 active pitchers last year, so I'll make that my target. Both leagues use a DH.  Every team needs to be represented. The number is my WAR number (B-Ref+Davenport).

AL
C S.Vogt Oak 3
1B M.Cabrera Det 3.95
2B J.Kipnis Cle 3.8
SS B.Miller Sea 2
3B M.Machado Bal 4.1
LF B.Gardner NYY 3.25
CF M.Trout LAA 4.75-MVP
RF N.Cruz Sea 3
DH P.Fielder Tex 2.2

Bench
C R.Martin Tor 2.7
1B A.Pujols LAA 2.75
2B B.Dozier Min 3.05
2B J.Altuve Hou 2.8
SS X.Bogaerts Bos 2
3B J.Donaldson Tor 4.05
3B M.Moustakas KC 2.6
OF L.Cain KC 3.4
OF K.Kiermaier TB 2.95
OF K.Pillar Tor 2.7
OF J.Bautista Tor 2.65
OF Y.Cespedes Det 2.45

SP D.Keuchel Hou 4.6-Cy
SP S.Gray Oak 3.95
SP C.Sale CWS 3.1
SP C.Archer TB 3.1
SP Y.Gallardo Tex 2.6
SP F.Hernandez Sea 2.55
SP K.Gibson Min 2.3
SP S.Kazmir Oak 2.25
SP H.Santiago LAA 2.2
SP J.Quintana CWS 2.2

RP G.Perkins Min 2.45
RP W.Davis KC 2.4
RP D.Betances NYY 2.1 

NL 
C B.Posey SFG 4.35
1B P.Goldschmidt Ari 5.4
2B D.Gordon Mia 3.5
SS B.Crawford SFG 4.1
3B T.Frazier Cin 3.9
LF J.Upton SD 2.7
CF AJ Pollock Ari 3
RF B.Harper Wash 5.6-MVP
DH A.Rizzo Chi 3.5

Bench
C Y.Molina StL 1.8
1B A.Gonzalez LAD 3.25
1B J.Votto Cin 3.1
2B J.Panik SFG 3
SS J.Peralta StL 2.95 
3B N.Arenado Col 3.9
3B J.Turner LAD 3.1
3B K.Bryant Chi 2.55
OF G.Stanton Mia 3.7
OF J.Pederson LAD 2.7
OF C.Granderson NYM 2.4
OF A.McCutchen Pit 2.35

SP M.Scherzer Wash 5.5-Cy
SP Z.Greinke LAD 4.3
SP AJ Burnett Pit 3.4
SP J.DeGrom NYM 3.3
SP G.Cole Pit 3.25
SP C.Hamels Phi 3.1
SP S.Miller Atl 2.95 
SP M.Bumgarner SFG 2.6
SP C.Martinez StL 2.5
SP J.Cueto Cin 2.45

RP T.Rosenthal StL 2.8
RP J.Familia NYM 2.5
RP F.Rodriguez Mil 2.15

Tendown June 28, 2015

Tendown 180 is here.  This is 181.

CEO-to-worker compensation ratio, 1965–2014

View the underlying data on epi.org.

1. Diddy. Kettlebell.

2. When he's right, he's right.  I mean, they should be recognized - they fought a war against the US in order to maintain a system of racial supremacy.  We should recognize that.  This ain't a 21st century agenda for the left.  Maybe for Democrats - but there's never been a day in my life where "Jefferson Davis Highway" ever made a damn bit of sense.  It's always been an agenda.  

 

Bill KristolVerified account‏@BillKristol

The Left's 21st century agenda: expunging every trace of respect, recognition or acknowledgment of Americans who fought for the Confederacy.

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2:54 PM - 23 Jun 2015

3. Restoring the Voting Rights Act.

4. The Confederacy Speaks for Itself.  What a crazy week.  When NASCAR and Wal-mart come out against the Confederacy it's time to stop whistling Dixie.

5. Some of my best NBA Friends are Black.

6. The Same 40% Who Are Also Wrong About Everything Else.

7. Weirdly, people like health insurance.

Helluva week.  Wins for gays and the uninsured.  A loss for white supremacists.

8.

9. In the gay marriage dissent Scalia finally emraced diversity - sure, it was to say that in a case about gay marriage the Supreme Court, with 6 Catholics and 3 Jewish members, wasn't quite religious enough, as he called for an evangelical Christian.  Because that's the missing perspective.  Not an out gay person, for example.  How about an atheist who would treat with the same disdain his cartoonish, childlike belief in an imaginary person in the sky, that he treats those who argue on behalf of equality.

Scalia's not the smart one.  He's Hannity with a thesauraus.

10. Every Week Until He Stops - Vote for Bernie Sanders.

And one more...

That's all for this time.  I'll be back next time.  If there is a next time...

Your pal,

Jim