Didn't they read Moneyball?

Twins extend closer Nathan's contract until 2011.

Sigh. Didn't the Twins read Moneyball? I read that book and absolutely loved it. And while I don't necessarily subscribe to everything it says, I agree with much of it. For example, I don't agree the lack of value it places on defense or stealing bases, but I completely agree with the idea of drafting proven college players over untested high school players.

I can't stand it when people talk about how great a high school football player is and how he is going to be so great when he gets to college. In high school, 95% of the players are awful, especially compared with the players at the college level. Showing me a YouTube video of some dude running circles around a bunch of 14-18 year olds is extraordinarily not impressive. Whatever!

Anyway, back on the subject of Moneyball and the Twins. One of the things that book talks about is the amazing emphasis that has recently been placed on closers and how undeserved it really is to value them so highly. It will save a team a lot of money and generally not make much difference if they just fill the closer's position with any good reliever. If a pitcher can't get three outs without giving up one or more runs on a regular basis, he probably shouldn't be on your team anyway. Perhaps the Twins should have let Nathan go, or traded him, and filled their holes at any infield position except catcher and first base...

Oh well, could be a long year for the Twins. Don't get me wrong, I like Nathan, but after reading Moneyball I just can't get behind paying him that much to keep him around

Back with more pop songs

Hey Team! I'm back and I have some more songs you need to hear from pop radio if you haven't heard them already. Admittedly, me being the dork I am, I actually listen to NPR most of the time. But when I journey outside the range of my NPR station (which I often do), or when the Diane Rheem Show is on (I'm pretty sure she is going to die while broadcasting any day now!) I always gravitate back to whatever station plays "today's best hits!"...

That is definitely not all bad though, and here are four reasons why. Take a listen when you get the chance:

1. "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles.
--The beginning of this song is really great, in my opinion. The piano throughout the whole song kind of drives the song, in my mind. And while the refrain gets pretty old pretty quickly, I enjoy the song during most of the verses.

2. "Shadow of the Day" by Linkin Park.
--Sometimes I'm a sucker for slow, dramatic songs, and this is one of those times. Personally, I think the lyrics are pretty cheesy, and I don't really buy them coming from this band, nor do I buy the video. The song is extremely catchy, and I always stop my radio on whatever station I hear playing this song no matter how many times I've already heard it.

3. "New Soul" by Yael Naim.
--Now I've only heard this song on the radio once or twice, but I guarantee if you've watched t.v. for more than an hour in the last month, you've heard this song. It's the one you catch a little bit of during the Mac Book Air commercial. I'm not sure if it's the simplicity or innocence of the song that makes it so catchy, I just know that it makes you happy every time you hear it, even if it's just for a few seconds. Don't believe me? Watch/listen:


4. "Clumsy" by Fergie.
--Dammit, this is the second Fergie song in the two times I've done this exercise. I swear I'm not obsessed with her or anything, she just writes these dumb songs that I can't stop listening to. I really like the plodding synth part throughout the song, and I like the dude who yells in the background every once in a while. Also, I HATE the part where she stops and talks to you. I don't believe for a second that she's the kind of girl who gets super down when her boyfriend breaks up with her, nor do I believe the love bug jumps right back up and bites her. Not at all. (For those of you keeping score at home, I didn't have to look at the lyrics or listen to the song to type that last part. I just know the song that well. I hate myself.)

Well, there you have it. Go listen to those songs and then you tell me if pop radio is always so bad...

You'll find most of it is that bad, of course, but you might hear some of these songs, so maybe they'll brighten your day.

Reminiscing....

...on YouTube? I first saw this video about 3 years ago on YouTube, but it is still funny. If you haven't seen it, you really should take a look.

I'm not sure how to embed this in my blog, but whatever. Just take the time and go there.

Also, if you are undecided about which Republican candidate to support in the Iowa Caucuses on January 3rd, let Uncle Chuck help you decide.

Did I bring the Virginia crazy back with me?

So it really hasn't snowed significant amounts before Christmas in Eau Claire in probably ten years. I can't remember the last time it snowed on Christmas in Eau Claire. This year it has snowed bunches. What's the difference?

I attribute it to my residence in Virginia the past seven months. Virginia is a very different, and sometimes much more crazy, place than Wisconsin. I can only imagine that when I flew back, I had a little bit of the crazy residue on me and it cause massive snowfall here.

Somehow this must be the reason it snowed so much before I came back...or...um...

This is my nephew, Bodhi White! He is a cute little thing and is a month old tomorrow.

Acoustic makes everything better

Hip hop and rap songs can be sweet. But they're awesomer when done acoustically. Especially the lyrics. They are really funny when there's not a lot of digital effects and bass...

Don't YOU wonder these things too?

After I hear a particularly dumb advertisement on the radio, or I see a idiotic or confusing ad on television, or I read a poorly written article about something, I do what most people do. I think, "Wow. That was really dumb." I'm pretty sure most people have that reaction.

What I wonder after that, however, is maybe something not everyone else thinks about. I wonder, "How many people saw this ad/article/whatever, and not only gave their approval, but also thought it was a brilliant idea or a hilarious bit of humor or something?" People get paid a lot of money to make these ads. Other people get paid lots of money to look at them and agree that they are brilliant. I get paid no money, and I think they are stupid. I think the people who made and approved them are stupid.


Sometimes I just barely miss getting on an elevator, or get to a busy intersection right as the stoplight turns red, or I just barely miss a bus. I think most people think, "Dang! I was just a little bit late, and now I have to sit and wait for a long time!". Sometimes I also think this. Usually, however, I think of something else.

Often when this happens, my first thought is, "What did I do in the last 10 minutes that could have saved me 15 seconds and made me get through the stoplight or catch the elevator/bus?" Usually it's something like: I dropped my keys. Or: I sat in my car for 10 seconds longer than I needed to because I was listening to the radio.

This makes me wonder what I've almost done in my life. I wonder if I would have found $5000 or something if I had always caught that elevator, or made that green light.

An assignment for all of you

I thought I'd list 4 songs that you may or may not have heard on the radio that I have heard and have enjoyed at least portions of.

I don't listen to pop radio EVER, but I have a bit more since I've been in Danville, and I've been glad, because most songs have at least parts that are interesting to listen to.

So without further ado, here are the 4 songs, the bands that perform them, and why I like each song.

1. "Beautiful Girls" by Sean Kingston.
--Admittedly, most of this song is pretty generic pop stuff, but there are a couple reasons I like it. It uses the beat from "Stand By Me", which is pretty cool and works pretty well in this song. Also, there is a short section which is a capella, and the singer sings his own backup. Or, he at least synthesizes his own voice into backup vocals.

2. "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie.
--The refrain in this song is horrible. However, the song also has verses! The acoustic guitar in the background during the verses is pretty good. Plus, there are at least synthesized strings incorporated into the verses later in the song, including some cello right at the end of the song. For some reason, the cello and other strings make me really enjoy this song, even though I absolutely can't stand 1/2 of it.

3. "4 in the Morning" by Gwen Stefani.
--I've always liked her No Doubt stuff better than most of the crap she's come out with since the mid-90s, but I really like this song. I think the guitar riff that repeats through most of the song in pretty sweet. Plus when she sings/raps it has a really awesome syncopation and rhythm.

4. "Hey There Delilah" by Plain White Ts.
--Another song I first heard on Cities 97, I just happen to like this song start to finish. The acoustic guitar works really well, plus some of the lyrics, which I usually never notice, I happen to particularly enjoy.

All four of these songs can be heard regularly on you local canned pop radio station. Just goes to show you that even the most produced and unoriginal seeming songs have good moments in them.

Maybe you should save a little for later...

Yesterday at work, I followed the Twins score online for the first game of their doubleheaders against the White Sox. The Twins won the first game 20-14. Yep, 20 to 14 in a single game of baseball. That is a lot of runs. Just guessing, but I'd bet that the Twins scored more runs in that game than in their previous, say, 4 games combined. Wow.

But like I said, that was just the first game of the day. What would the Twins do to follow up in the second game? Well, it turns out they won the second game 12-0.

So in summary, the Twins went 2-0 in baseball games yesterday, scoring 32 runs. Perhaps they could have spread those 32 runs out over 5 games. They would have scored 6 runs in 3 of those games and 7 in the last 2. They probably would have gone 5-0.

Then again, with some of the Twins pitching this year, they might have gone 0-5 in those games. I guess I'll take what I can get.

Finally!

I finally received my digital camera that I ordered one of the first days of June. As promised, here is a picture I took with it in Danville.



This is some little pull-tag inside the trunk of my rental car. As you can see, the instructions for using it are simple. You pull on the tag, hop out of the car, and run away very fast! Most likely, you were in the trunk against your will, so the running fast is crucial.