Grumpy Old Men

In an effort to get a bit older at linebacker, the New England Patriots offered a contract to former Miami linebacker Zach Thomas yesterday. Thomas, who has 1,639 career tackles, will turn 35 years old during the upcoming season. The guy is a tackling machine and a future hall-of-famer, but he's never scored a touchdown, and perhaps would be attracted by Belichick's now obvious trick offensive plays that allow guys like Mike Vrabel to catch short TD passes. Either way, Thomas would be joining Tedy Bruschi (34 years old) and Junior Seau (39 years old) to make up the Thin Grey Line of defense. Perhaps they could also coax Andre Tippett out of retirement.

Red Dusk?

I try to stay away from politics here at Fool's Platinum, for two reasons: no one cares about my political opinions (nor yours) and the internet already has an overabundance of rabid partisans eager to gnash their obtuse teeth into the tender neck of any controversy (to the left and to the right of you), to the hurrah's of their equally partisan choir. But hopefully the passing of the Fidel Castro-era in Cuba is something all freedom-loving people can celebrate, whether the flag they're flying is red or blue. Unless you happen to be a misguided American professor defending tyranny ("Many in the West think that the [Cuban government] controls the newspapers. In fact, the state prohibits the private ownership of newspapers."), that is.

With the announcement today that Fidel Castro is resigning the presidency of Cuba, the future of that country is uncertain. The US will likely not lift its trade embargo (sorry cigar aficionados) and Fidel's younger brother Raul looks likely to take the reigns of the Cuban horse-and-buggy, if only for a temporary period (Raul is 76 years old). Yet the fall of Castro (pictured at right) more than anything else represents hope for Cuba's masses.

For those unfamiliar with Fidel's nearly fifty-year reign of terror (or who feel sympathetic to Fidel's revolution against dirty streets and economic progress), below is a partial listing of what Fidel's brand of utopia has brought Cuba's citizens. In fairness, pre-Fidel Cuba was not much better, having never enjoyed the luxury of a stable government without massive corruption. However, Fidel's cure was more painful than the illness. Here are some of Fidel's more notable accomplishments:

• Between 12,000 and 15,000 political dissidents murdered by the Cuban government, including 4,000 killed by firing squads in the first three years after the revolution.
• A cessation of individual rights, including the right to organize, the right to travel, the right to own property, the right to speak freely against the government, and even the right to use the internet.
• An excellent state-run health care system, as long as you aren't Cuban.
• Since the State is the highest power, God has been outlawed.
• Free education! All you have to do is work in the fields for 30 days each year without pay, starting in seventh grade.
• Raise your children how you see fit. But if you teach them about God, democracy, or anything contrary to the teachings of Communism, you will go to jail for three years. You may be the child's parents, but the State is the child's true father.

There are some who claim that Fidel was not a dictator. They claim that the only reason he is portrayed as such by the US is because he nationalized all of those US-owned industries back in 1960 and took all those rich Americans' money. Those apologists are flatly wrong. Let's take a look our friend-o and decide for ourselves whether he's a dictator. Leader of a state dressing in drab military garb? Check. Long-winded, four-hour speeches about the "revolution", decades after the last bullet was fired? Check. The national military a constant presence in city streets enforcing local laws? Check. Taking power by force, and keeping it for decades without free elections? Check. The ultimate irony - the outlawing of any criticism against the ruling powers and any political dissent? Check. Yeah, this guy isn't a dictator. He's a Salvador!

If you are interested, Cuba Verdad is an excellent site that details the horrors of Cuba under Fidel Castro. With Castro's passing, I'm hoping Cuba Verdad becomes obsolete. There's no telling where Cuba will go from here, but at least there's hope now. Hope for freedom and justice, hope for the people Fidel was supposed to help the most - the poor, the oppressed, the people unlucky enough to find themselves outside of Castro's group of friends. And I'll be hoping that every last member of Castro's regime will "resign" from power. Will the last communist out of Cuba please apague las luces?

Second Question

As pitchers and catchers report to spring training, the Rockies will have basically the same position players we saw last year, with one glaring omission: Kaz Matsui was signed by the Astros in the offseason. This leaves Clint Hurdle with two questions: who will bat second (or lead off if Taveras is hurt again), and who will man second base? The first question is the easier one: I'm guessing they move Tulo back to the second spot in the lineup, so the potential lineup going into the season will look something like this:

1. Willy Taveras
2. Troy Tulowitzki
3. Matt Holliday
4. Todd Helton
5. Garrett Atkins
6. Brad Hawpe
7. ? (2B)
8. Yorvit Terribleba

As you can see, I assume an unknown second-baseman will bat higher than Yorvit. But the question mark at second remains: Who can replace the speed (32 stolen bases) and defense of Kaz Matsui? Let's not forget that among National League starters, Kaz' .992 fielding percentage was tops. Kaz was instrumental in the Rockies record-setting team defense in '07, and he was half of the vicious combo (with Tulo) that knocked out 84 double plays in 102 games. The Astros got a defensive stud to complement Tejada at short, and the Rockies now have a gaping hole at second. Thus far, the Rox have two perennial backups, Omar Quintanilla and Clint Barmes, vying for the 2B job - and unless they blow up in spring training, I don't see either of them starting the season at second. So it comes down to the three other second base options: Ian Stewart, Jayson Nix, and Marcus Giles.


Although there's been more talk about Nix, you have to call Stewart (pictured at right) an early front-runner for the spot. A former first-round draft pick, Stewart was considered one of the Rockies top prospects before a pair of mediocre seasons in the minor league system. He bounced back in Colorado Springs last year, hitting .304 with 15 hr, 65 rbi, and an .857 OPS. He's been a third baseman throughout his (young) career, so he'll need to impress at second in spring training before Clint will feel comfortable starting him there on opening day. He will be at least as good as Kaz with his bat (and will hit a hell of a lot more long-balls), and we can expect about half as many steals as Kaz had last year. But the defense is still a question. It'll be interesting to see how Stewart handles himself at second throughout spring training.

Jayson Nix is another former first-round pick, and based on the early chatter on local sports stations, he'd be starting at second if the season started today. Nix is the closest thing the Rockies have to the Kaz mold, as he is fast (39 steals in 50 attempts over the last two seasons in AAA) and he knows how to play second. He also hit a respectable .292 in 439 at bats last year.

Marcus Giles, the old man of the group at age 29, is a Non-Roster Invitee, but if Nix and Stewart don't work out at second, Giles has the experience. The bat is a huge concern, as this guy's batting average has been dropping thirty points each season, with a disgusting .229 average and .621 OPS in 420 at bats last year. The defense is ok, with a career .982 fielding pct at second. There's also an outside chance that we'll see Jeff Baker take second base. Baker has never played second in the majors, and he hasn't done much with the bat while he's been in Denver, but he hit .305 with 20 hr and 108 rbi in his last full AAA season, 2006.

Over the next six weeks, I'm sure a clearer picture will emerge, but at this point I'm guessing we'll see Nix starting the season at 2B, mostly based on his defense. In other news, I added two new links on the left-hand side of Fool's Platinum: An excellent Rockies blog, Purple Row, that I can't believe I just found, as well as my old reliable online statistics warehouse, Baseball Reference.

The Ronnie James Dio Show

Thank god New England's own Dio left Elf, Rainbow, and Black Sabbath to start his own band. A cartoon shadow superimposed over flowing lava, rats in a dungeon, and Mr. Dio Himself slaying some viking/cave-man from the middle ages. Best video ever.

A Coen Brothers Valentine

Go see No Country for Old Men (click the link for the trailer). Typical of Coen bros. creations, it's a movie that you watch, you take it all in, you consider it slightly above average at the time, and then you can't stop thinking about it for the following week (much like Fargo and Big Lebowski). It has that same Coen brothers artsy anti-climactic plot structure that is just enjoyable to watch. Great acting, great story, great directing - I considered this a 6 out of 10 when I got out of the theater, but after having it bounce around inside my skull for the last week I upped it to an 8 or 9. Just don't expect to be blown away right after you see it - it takes a few days to really sink in. Watch it and you'll see what I mean.

Shot in the Neck

Those of us who were in college during the heyday of Goldeneye 007 for the Nintendo 64 know that it will go down in history as one of the funnest multi-player games of all time. We also know that it has been copied over and over, but nothing will be as great as the original. And we all have secretly wished there was a building designed just like the Bunker level, complete with regenerating body armor and random weapons stashed around, where we could battle our buddies in real life.

Well, there's nothing like that. Grow up.

Fortunately, there's something close: Paintball. I had never been paintballing before my buddy's Bachelor Party back in Boston last month. Being January, we went to an indoor course at Boston Paintball in Somerville. The place is spread out in a 31,000 square-foot gymnasium with large blow-up padded obstacles peppered throughout. The ground is coated with a thin layer of paint, and it's damn slippery. Two teams of equal numbers square off at opposite sides of the field and slowly move toward the center, knocking out opposing members by shooting them with the paint, within the three-minute time limit. Most games don't last that long, though.

If you've never been paintballing, you gotta try it. I can't believe how much fun it was to run around, dive behind obstacles, and use cover techniques with your teammates. I imagine anyone with a military background would kick ass at paintball, but for unathletic civilians like yours truly, it's still a blast. We played about six or seven games, and no one was really keeping score. In fact, after you were knocked out, you stopped caring about who won. The last game came down to my now-married buddy and me squaring off behind an obstacle. As we shot towards each other, my gun jammed and his didn't - he got me in the neck, right under the helmet. Good stuff. Paintball is a great idea for a bachelor party. And a whole lot of fun.

I'm Back, Baby

So for those of you who know me, every January I take a sabbatical to spend some time meditating, playing croquet, and trying my hand at fashion design. Well, I'm back now, and I'm full of energy ready for another 11 months. So expect some more regular blog activity here at Fool's Platinum. And in the meantime, here's a picture of Abby and I swimming at her mom's Lake house over the holidays.

What the hell just happened?

Talk about anti-climactic. The Giants are world champions? The team that won 3 games at home all year? The Pats are no longer the best team in history? What? That drooling kid with a severe underbite and an extra chromosome is the MVP? What?

Seriously... what?

Don't want to talk about missed opportunities, don't want to talk about Asante Suckuel, don't want to talk about a complete failure to alter the game plan after the NY def consisted of rushing 6-8 guys every play. It's called a screen pass. It's called a draw play. It's called a three-step drop. Don't want to talk about Tom screaming at Welker for no reason. Don't want to talk about going for on 4th and 13 when a field goal is 49 yards away. Didn't they lose by a field goal?

Belichick was quoted after the press conference as saying "Well, you can't spy on Karma." Bill, the 2008 season starts today. Anything less than 19-0 will be a major disappointment. And let's play by the god damn rules this time. Hopefully in '08 my two teams won't both lose in the championship like in '07. When does spring training start?