Fool's Platinum

It was a great thought, though

2008-04-16T11:11:00.004-06:00

Gino Castignoli made two mistakes: You don't tell anyone about it until construction is complete and you don't bury an Ortiz jersey, you bury a Dave Roberts jersey.

Great Moments in Poorly Placed Advertising Banners

2008-04-10T10:48:00.002-06:00

We did not want a belly scratcher

2008-04-09T12:32:00.000-06:00

Yorvit Torrealba (a/k/a Yorvit Terribleba, Yorvit Horribleba, Youswing Andamissa, The Anti-Clutch), Colorado Rockies starting Catcher, is beginning this season much where he left the last one: in a 3 for 22 rut with goose eggs in every category (although one of his hits was a double). That's zero walks, zero hr's, zero rbi's, zero runs, and zero stolen bases, for those of you keeping score at home. The guy's OPS is .318 for god's sake. A guy in one of my fantasy leagues (who must not have known much about him) actually added him to his lineup - and it only took about 10 days before that sour taste of Torrealba made this manager drop him in favor of Mr. Anyone Else, Catcher. Ok, the season just started. April is typically a pitcher's month and his bat may not be hot yet. That's fair. So let's take a look at his stats from 2007, when he played in 113 games and had over 400 plate appearances:

In 2007, Torrealba hit .255 with 47 runs, 47 rbi's, 8 hr's, and 73 strikeouts. He had only 31 extra-base hits (including his HR's), but then again he had only 101 hits all season. His refined patience at the plate resulted in 34 walks and his OPS was under .700 - although he did steal two bags. Those numbers are pretty bad on their face, but let's break down the numbers to see how he was in certain situations:

With no one on base and no outs, his average rose to a solid .330. He hit half of his home runs (4) with no one on and no one out, and he only struck out 10 times in over 100 plate appearances in this situation. With the bases empty, regardless of how many outs there were, he hit a respectable .283. Of course, as everyone in baseball knows, this situation is one of the least clutch moments in the game.

However, as we'll see in these next stats, the more clutch the moment was, the worse he performed. With runners on base, he hit only .227. With runners in scoring position, he hit only .201. And finally, with runners in scoring position and two outs, arguably one of the most clutch moments for any hitter, Torrealba belted a whopping .151 batting average, striking out 22 times in only 73 at bats. And although we don't have a large sample to pull our stats from his performance in October, his career batting average in the postseason is .238. Now you see why I call him The Anti-Clutch.

Now let's take a look at his supposed defense that was much touted by the national press during the NLCS and World Series, when I'd put money down that Joe Buck & Co. had never heard of Torrealba prior to October '07. Last year, Torrealba ranked 21st among 29 qualifying catchers, throwing out only 17.6% of base stealers. He failed to stop 23 wild pitches and allowed an additional 4 passed balls. His fielding percentage was a solid .991, but 61 runners stole bags on him. Overall, his defense as judged by Range Factor was slightly below average for Catchers per 9 innings: Torrealba's RF was 7.07 while the league average was 7.39.

Memo to Dan O'Dowd: Torrealba has got to go. He's been given plenty of opportunity and done nothing with it. Maybe it's time to give Chris Iannetta a full season to see how he performs. Or maybe the Rox can rip off the Astros again and trade them Jeff Francis straight up for J.R. Towles and Felipe Paulino. Either way, we have a gaping hole at the C position and we need to fix this if we're planning on ever bring a world championship to Colorado in the near future. Yorvit, if you're reading this, I'm sure you're a nice enough guy - but you definitely should have taken that offer from the Mets.

Absolut Nonsense

2008-04-08T18:03:00.003-06:00

Apparently trying to gain favor with those Mexican consumers unfamiliar with Guadalupe Hidalgo, Absolut Vodka unveiled a new ad campaign showing a crudely (and inaccurately) redrawn border of Mexico that includes all the lands lost and sold to the US after the Mexican-American War of the late 1840's. Evidently, Absolut believes that this land rightfully belongs to Mexico, and those Mexican's who agree should imbibe their vodka. Anyone who has passed sixth-grade history has learned that almost every country that has ever existed in this world has seen its border expand or compress based on wars and land-sales. Thus the problem with Absolut's cherry-picking of history.

We all know how chic and cliche it has become to criticize the world's sole superpower, and America-Envy is rampant across Europe and Asia. But how telling that Absolut would have to go back over 150 years to find a war in which the US actually kept the land it had won. Maybe the Swedish company is still pissed about Finland and is just commiserating with our southern amigos. Thanks for the history lesson, Absolut, but I'll stick with my Belvedere and Tonic.

Look for liberal cities to ban them in bars

2008-03-31T12:21:00.003-06:00

In a much more grim condemnation of cellular telephones than this, a new study finds that using cell phones over a period of 10 years can double the risk of brain cancer. In fact, the study goes on to claim that the use of cell phones is actually more dangerous than smoking. I'm not really sure what to make of this, so I'll let you read the full story and make up your own mind - the part of your mind that hasn't been ravaged by the heinous rotting pestilence care of AT&T and Sprint.

"Hard Work" Loses All Meaning

2008-03-28T13:43:00.005-06:00

Paris Hilton, the slow-witted hotel heiress, earns the Fool's Platinum Quote of the Month for March, with this gem:

"I work very hard and I've built this empire on my own. I think this is an inspiration for a lot of girls out there."

Senility from the Far East

2008-03-26T17:11:00.003-06:00

The two-game series that kicked off the '08 MLB season was a little... off. It seemed like the whole thing was a little surreal, and it had nothing to do with the fact that the games started at 4 am local time. We saw a 28-year-old white rookie from Minnesota walking to the plate with 50 Cent in the background yelling "If I can't do it, homey it can't be done..." We had Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz standing back at the plate and admiring long balls that turned out to be outs or doubles. We had guys like Brandon Moss and Mark Ellis hitting the long ball, and guys like Travis Buck and David Ortiz going oh-fer in both games. And then, to cap it off, we had the play-by-play (with some bonus color commentary) by one Gary Thorne. It wasn't bad enough that the guy was calling batters by their wrong name or getting the counts backwards (0 strikes and 2 balls is not an 0 and 2 count). The worst on-air commentary I've heard in a long time happened this morning when old man Thorne apparently confused Jose Canseco with Jason Giambi. Check out the video and full story over at Awful Announcing.

DisappoinTV

2008-03-25T17:00:00.003-06:00

So out here in the Mountain Time Zone, the Red Sox - Athletics's Opening Day game began at 4 am. That's just about too late to stay up and too early to wake up. No matter, I thought to myself, I have good ol' DirecTV with my trusty DVR. I can simply record the game and watch it the next morning over Frosted Flakes.

You can understand my confusion when I awoke to find that I had recorded three straight hours of "WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE DELAY - SEARCHING FOR SATELLITE SIGNAL - PLEASE DO NOT CALL AS WE ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM". Sure enough, as I fast forwarded from one hour to the next, I discovered that not even one pitch had been recorded. Evidently this was a problem nationwide.

Calm down, I thought to myself. I can avoid the internet, ESPN, and the news this morning until the game is rebroadcast at noon. Then I can just shut off my phone and enjoy the game as if it was live. This sounded like a good idea, so I ran with it. I made sure to keep the TV off, the phone upstairs, and the computer far away from me throughout the morning. And as the minutes slowly crept towards noon, I started getting excited about Opening Day. Sure, DirecTV screwed me, but good ol' ESPN will rebroadcast the game and I'll get to enjoy it all as if nothing ever went wrong! And when noon finally arrived, and I sat down with my noodles to watch baseball - meaningful baseball - for the first time since last October when I was at the World Series, I recoiled in horror at what I saw. While ESPN was going over the starting lineups, I glanced at the little scroll bar along the bottom of the screen, which read "AL: Boston 6, Oakland 5 - Final". These network executives are worse than Jack Cust with an 0-2 count.

It's been a long winter

2008-03-24T15:52:00.000-06:00

Ok, time to stop pretending to be mildly interested in hockey and basketball. The Major League Baseball season kicks off in Japan in 12 hours. Ahhhh....

How Not To Defend

2008-03-20T14:07:00.004-06:00

Thanks to collegepork.com.

Gimme the... loot?

2008-03-20T13:28:00.006-06:00

This is one of the better dumb-crook stories I've read in a while. Two young boys, 12 and 14 years old, attempted to rob a police station in Port St. Lucie, Florida. I'm not sure what they expected to gain from their robbery, but within a minute or two they were surrounded by a half-dozen cops with weapons drawn.

The older kid was on probation. They laughed after they were arrested, saying "We're gonna be famous". 12 and 14 years old, trying to rob a police station. Someone get these kids a decent set of parents.

More Recalcitrance Than Talent

2008-03-15T12:47:00.004-06:00

In communist China, everyone is equal! If one person gets an autograph by L.A. Dodgers Pitcher Chan Ho Park, everyone gets one! Because there are 1.3 billion people in China, there is no way to disperse those autographs. Thus, no autographs for anyone!

Seriously - let the guy sign some autographs.

There Goes The Neighborhood

2008-03-14T18:13:00.008-06:00

About an hour and a half south of me on I-25 is the lovely town of Florence, CO. Nestled into the foothills in the shadow of Pike's Peak, the small town of Florence is best known for its United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX), known as a "Supermax" prison. The Alcatraz of the Rockies, as it is known, houses some of the most violent and dangerous criminals for whom a regular Maximum Security Prison is just not good enough. Inside the concrete walls of ADX Florence, you'll find your typical most wanted: cop-killers, inmates who have killed other inmates, and terrorists. The inmates are housed in solitary confinement for 23 hours per day in 7' by 12' rooms, in which every piece of furniture, including their bed, is made of poured concrete. Check out where these guys call home.

What I didn't know until just recently was how many well-known criminals live just a 90-minute drive away. The thought went through my brain that, hell, these guys could be in the same softball league as me. I ran with that idea, and tried to figure out just who would be on the softball team and which position would fit them best. If you don't recognize these players or you forget what they're in for, just click on their names for a news story about them. So, without further ado, I present to you the ADX Florence 2008 Summer Softball Team, The Florence Felons:

1) Robert Hanssen - SS - Leading off is the former FBI agent, who went from stealing secrets to stealing bases. And no, the SS doesn't stand for Sovietskikh Sotsialistichieskikh, this time it stands for shortstop.

2) John Walker Lindh - CF - The perfect man to cover all that ground in center is a man who spent years covering the vast mountainous terrain of northern Afghanistan. Lindh is still surprised when opposing fans boo him.

3) Zacarias Moussaoui - 1B - This guy's bat is a weapon of mass destruction, but he is always getting caught up with something right before the game.

4) Eric Rudolph - LF - Batting cleanup, Mr. Rudolph is now hitting bombs, instead of just detonating them.

5) Richard Reid - 3B - Every time he slides, it's cleats up - constantly trying to hurt people with his shoes.

6) Terry Nichols - RF - From crazy right-winger to crazy right fielder, Nichols is involved in the game planning but is always far from the action on the field.

7) Anthony Casso - 2B - Not a great defensive second-baseman, you'd think he'd be able to flip the ball better.

8) Ramzi Yousef - C - From Praise Allah to Base Ballah.

9) Ted Kaczynski - P - "The Professor" is known to write delusional manifestos to opposing hitters before games. He relies on two things; his Harvard education to plan his game-strategy, and his signature pitch, the screwball. He is a bit of a recluse around the locker room, however.

The team is managed by Omar Abdel-Rahman, who never seems to know what's going on in the game. And there you have it.

Oz. of Au for a K

2008-03-13T13:17:00.008-06:00

Gold reached $1,000 an ounce today, which is bad news for those of us looking at wedding rings (although platinum is looking nicer and nicer). Precious metals do better (the price increases) with rising inflation (up a full point in January alone). The thing that seems out of whack to me is the rate at which gold has increased. It is up 20% in 2008 so far, and it rose another 32% in 2007. In 2002, gold was $278.20 an ounce. As you can see from the chart above, gold has steadily increased over three-and-a-half times from '02 to today. In other words, if you invested $1000 in gold at it's low point in 2002, you would now have $3,595. That's nothing to laugh at. What other investment could more than triple in less than 6 years?

With oil now up around $110 a barrel, the dollar hitting it's lowest point against the yen in 12 years and a record low against the euro, and the fed rumored to be cutting rates again on March 18, it's time to start seriously worrying about the state of our economy. I'm not sure about you, but my pay raises aren't going up a percentage point a month. Here is my plea to Ben Bernanke: let the economy go through it's natural cycles. Stop with the sudden rate adjustments. The housing bubble burst, there is a "credit crunch", we can deal with it. What we do not need is an incompetent Federal Reserve adding to inflation to somehow steer us away from a natural recession. Let the recession hit. Recession is better than stagflation, Bernanke, and it's better than depression. President Bush, what impact with your $600-per-family tax rebate drop of water have on the vast ocean of our multi-trillion dollar economy? Seriously - let people control their own finances, let people take responsibility for bad decisions, prosecute lenders who break laws, but otherwise leave the economy alone. It will right itself. If you really want to help, Mr. President, take those $600 checks, combine them, and create a lucrative salary package to coax Alan Greenspan out of retirement.

Client 9

2008-03-12T06:55:00.003-06:00

On Wednesday, Eliot Spitzer's inflatable human-suit announced that it will be resigning as governor of the state of New York.

The people of New York are left wondering how an upstanding politician such as "Spitz" even comes in contact with high-priced prostitution rings.

To the right of Mr. Spitzer's man-suit stands the lovely Silda Wall Spitzer, two-and-a-half diamond quality. Eli, why go out for filet mignon when you have petit filet at home? Silda looks weary in this pic, but check out New York's first lady here - come on, Spitz... At least Larry Craig had his excuse.

Typo Eradication Advancement League

2008-03-11T23:27:00.003-06:00

Check out the website of the month, TEAL. These guys are driving around the country documenting typos on signs, menus, posters, etc. The reason this site is funny is because they're actually fixing the typos with their correction kits of white-out, sharpies, and colored markers. Then, they take pictures of the fixed typographical errors and post it to their blog. Funny stuff here. Even NPR thinks so.

The Mosh Pit was Lame

2008-03-07T14:03:00.004-07:00

Abby and I went to see Billy Joel last week for her birthday. Aside from that "Heart Attack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack" song and the a cappella, Longest Time, I didn't know any Billy Joel songs at all. Ok, I knew We Didn't Start the Fire too, because when we were in grade school we used to sing "I didn't fart, you liar. It was just a breeze I didn't squeeze the cheese." But aside from those, I had no idea what we were in for. I had lumped the Piano Man in with Elton John and Jimmy Buffett (yeah - quite a range) as kitschy pop rock that fell somewhere between "We appreciate your patience, please continue to hold..." muzak and typical top-40 hits a la 1983. I went into the show prepared for three hours of boredom, and I ended up being dead wrong.

You can't underestimate the old boozebag. He's been around for decades for a reason. Billy Joel plays the hell out of the piano - and the guy is a hell of a songwriter. I can say without embellishment that I've never heard anyone grind on keys in person like he did. They started the show with the sick, rhythmic piano-intro to Angry Young Man (check it out live here), and then went on to My Life, which I'm sure everyone knows. I was surprised that I recognized almost half of the songs, like Piano Man, Tell Her About It, Uptown Girl, and Only The Good Die Young, not to mention the song I could have sworn was from The Lion King, River of Dreams (In the Middle of the Night). The guy is a prolific songwriter to be sure.

This show marked the first time I've watched an entire performance while sitting in my seat. It also marks the first time I've been embarrassed to admit I had a great time. Billy Joel. I never thought that things would go this far. By the way, if anyone can find the link to the Saturday Night Live skit where Horatio Sanz plays Billy Joel driving his daughter home shitfaced, please let me know.

Grumpy Old Men

2008-02-19T19:05:00.005-07:00

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?

2008-02-19T09:02:00.008-07:00

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

2008-02-16T12:05:00.005-07:00

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:

Willy Taveras
Troy Tulowitzki
Matt Holliday
Todd Helton
Garrett Atkins
Brad Hawpe
? (2B)
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

2008-02-15T20:50:00.003-07:00

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

2008-02-14T19:00:00.003-07:00

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

2008-02-09T12:41:00.001-07:00

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

2008-02-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-02-08T14:04:00.001-07:00

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?

16 - 0

2007-12-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

DYNASTY. The best team in NFL history: the 2007 New England Patriots. Yeah, the Dolphins went 14-0 in the regular season and won the superbowl, but the Pats had two more regular season wins and they beat the next best three teams (Colts, Cowboys, Chargers) during the season. When the Pats win the superbowl this year, they won't only be the best team ever, they will be the best dynasty ever. Better than the Steelers of the 70's, better than the 49ers of the 80's, better than the Cowboys of the 90's.

I blogged about them going undefeated back in October, and I've been talking about it ever since they won decisive victories over the Jets in week one and the Charge in week 2. Check out these records they set this year:

Most points during the regular season (589)
Most Passing TD's (Tom Brady - 50)
Most Receiving TD's (Randy Moss - 23)
Longest Winning Streak (19)
Most wins during one regular season (16)

Man! What a season. And the icing on the cake is the fact that Cris Collinsworth has sand in his panties after rooting against the Pats all season. During week 17's game during the Giants, he stopped veiling his anti-Pats bias and literally was pumped up about the Giants chances - and his disappointment after the Pats went ahead was palpable. I love this line after they went undefeated: "Are they the best ever? I don't know. If they don't win the superbowl I wouldn't call them the best ever." HAHAHAA. The guy who spent 17 weeks rooting against them is now holding out for a playoff loss - what a d-bag. Collinsworth, and the rest of America, the 2007 Patriots are the best team ever, and the Patriots are the best dynasty ever. It will take a fourth superbowl this decade to prove it, but I don't have a doubt in my mind that they'll win another super. Next year, we'll be chanting 'One for the Thumb'.

A New England Christmas Poem

2007-12-23T14:56:00.000-07:00

'Twas the night before the superbowl, and all through the season
Fans, bloggers, and journalists had looked for a reason
To call it a sham, a contortion of sport
In hope that the Patriots soon would fall short

Don Shula stood up and said it wasn't fair
While visions of shared perfection came near
Mangini cried foul, "They're videotaping!"
Then sent Pennington out for a nice Christmas raping.

Collinsworth tried to brand Belichick a cheater
Which made their win vs. San Diego much sweeter
Bradshaw said the rings are now clouded in suspicion,
But St. Terry's naive, and no one really listened.

See, what these old scrooges simply failed to discern
Was the raw talent that proved the Pats' wins were all earned
'Cause taping the sidelines is hardly unfair
And it's not like Brady to Moss needed a prayer.

The defensive formation was copied to view it,
Is it an unfair advantage when all the teams do it?
As far as the asterisk - why? What's the reason?
It's not like it helped them one play this whole season.

As Buffalo and Cinci watched the Pats do their thing.
The Mass-Haters couldn't believe what was happening
Then Cleveland, and Dallas, the Dolphins and Redskins,
Were pummeled and muted, in decisive Pats wins.

Then Indy tried their best to defend their ring,
But Brady continued with the dismantling.
Peyton had been unable to crack the Pats' defensive enforcement.
But he still had his Mastercard, Sprint, and Xbox endorsements.

Then Anthony Smith guaranteed a Pitt win.
And Harrison replied "Who? Never heard of him."
Smith's guarantee soon went up in smoke.
And I laughed when I heard it, a quite jolly ol' joke.

It appeared Belichick's bag of tricks never ended,
And as they kept winning, cries from critics suspended.
The Loss column laid bare, the fans did rejoice,
By the end of the season Gil Santos lost his voice.

Thanks to Brady and Seymour, Watson and Samuel,
to Adalius and Welker, Moss and Coach McDaniels
As they wrap up their fourth ring this decade remember,
Merry Christmas to all, the Pats are the best ever.

Buddy Holly

2007-12-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

Abby and I are spending Friday night watching VH1 count down the top 100 songs of the 90's. It was on in the background and we didn't care much about it until we realized that we were singing along with every song - and that we hadn't heard many of the songs since the 90's. Good ol' VH1. We're only at #32 right now, but so far I can't imagine any of them will be better than this classic:

Stephen King's Prison Break Scheme

2007-12-18T00:15:00.001-07:00

In a great example of life imitating art, two prison inmates at the Union County Jail in Elizabeth, NJ, escaped through holes that were hidden by posters of women, mimicking one of the greatest movies of the 20th century, The Shawshank Redemption. I haven't figured out why I get such a laugh out of this story, which you can read here.

It's the economy, stupid

2007-12-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

I don't get something. Why is the price of gasoline an economic indicator? The average price of gasoline is about $3.00 a gallon. Is that a significant hit to the paycheck when you full up? Is that significant enough to begin worrying about the economy overall?

Gas has been pretty stagnant for the last two years. In fact, the current price of gas is a few cents lower than it was back in Sept. 2005. Go back 5 years and the price is all the way down to $1.50 a gallon. Ok - the price of gas has doubled in 5 years. That's horrible. (And inexcusable - didn't we recently invade a country sitting atop the largest oil reserves in the world?) But still - $1.50 increase in five years - is that really stretching anyone's paychecks out there?

Assuming you drive about 15,000 miles a year, and the average car gets around 25 miles per gallon (that's a big guess - mileage swings wildly depending on the model and age of your car), you're spending about $900 more per year on gas. (15,000 miles ÷ 25 miles per gallon = 600 gallons of gas. 600 gallons x $1.50 = $900)

That's $75 per month. Yeah - it's an inconvenient truth. But how much are you paying for your DVR and On-Demand? I'm sure you picked that up in the last 5 years. How about your tall latté in the morning? At $4 a pop, you're spending more on coffee than the gas increase if you stop off for a caffeine-boost on your way to work every morning. And I hope in the last 5 years you've received more than a $900 raise overall. I get it - it sucks to see those numbers on the gas meter keep spinning until you're paying $50 to fill your tank. But is it really an economic indicator? Is it really a sign of our economy's downfall? Or maybe I'm that out of touch riding around in a company car...

And may dog have mercy on your soul

2007-12-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in jail for financing a dog-fighting operation. I wonder if people will chalk this up to the Madden Curse. I'm kind of surprised by the sentence - we're talking about a first-time offender and what amounts to a (disgusting) white-collar crime. Still, why couldn't Vick put aside his lowlife impulses and obey the laws of a society that overpays him millions of dollars a year to play a child's game for a living? I'm always amazed by the fall from grace of some professional athletes (read: Maurice Clarett) who just can't seem to leave the scumbag thug lifestyle behind them. You're playing football for a job. You're making millions of dollars. You will retire comfortably at age 35 and never have to work again. Your children will never have to work. Can you please just obey the law for a while? Millions of hard-working blue-collar Americans live paycheck to paycheck and find a way to play by the rules. Vick used to amaze us on the field - now he just amazes us. And disappoints us.

Never heard of him

2007-12-13T22:01:00.000-07:00

On December 5th, Steelers CB Anthony Smith.. wait, what does he play - defensive back, right? Oh. Ok, On December 5th, Steelers FS Anthony Smith guaranteed a win against the 12-0 New England Patriots. Read about it here. His words: "We're going to win. Yeah, I can guarantee a win. They should be worried about us. We never worry about receivers. We're the ones doing the hitting. They have to run routes. We're attacking them, they're not really attacking us."

Rodney Harrison: "Who was it?" Told it was Smith, "Never heard of him."

Final Score: New England 34, Pittsburgh 13

Thanksgiving Day Deceit

2007-11-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

Just want to point out that the abundance of "tryptophan makes you drowsy" stories on the news over the last couple of days are incorrect. Turkey does not contain a significant amount of tryptophan relative to other poultry (there is about the same amount of tryptophan in chicken, for example), and turkey has similar amounts of tryptophan to cheddar cheese, salmon, pork chops, beef, and lamb. If you eat a large amount of any of these products over dinner you'll feel as drowsy as would after eating a turkey dinner.

Instead of the turkey causing post-Thanksgiving-feast drowsiness, scientists (such as myself) believe it is caused by the large amount of carbohydrates ingested. Carbs release insulin, which in turn results in the production of sleep-inducing melatonin and seratonin in the brain. Ever wonder why you feel drowsy after the Christmas feast, even though you ate ham or chicken? It's not the tryptophan, it's the carbs. It's also why Dr. Atkins was so goddamn active and was able to mass-market his diet - he never slept. All of my research was done here, so I may be absolutely wrong.

Maurice Jones-Dropped

2007-11-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

For those of you who missed the ridiculous block put on Shawn Merriman by 4'10" Maurice Jones-Drew this past Sunday, here it is one more time:

I Hate Jimmy Rollins

2007-11-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

So he barely beats out Troy Tulowitzki for a Gold Glove, even though Tulo has better fielding stats across the board. Now, he beats out Matt Holliday for the MVP. Holliday led the league in RBI's and Average in '07. Holliday had more hits, doubles, and homeruns than Rollins. Holliday also had a higher OBP, a higher slugging percentage, and thus a higher OPS than Rollins. You can say it's because of Rollins' defense (and that's one thing I'm not going to argue with you about), or because Rollins steals a lot of bases, but I say it's because of that good ol' east coast bias. I'm not saying Rollins isn't a great player, I'm just saying Holliday is better and he's more important to his team than Rollins, who is surrounded by Chase Utley, Aaron Rowand, and Ryan Howard (all of whom received MVP votes). Some dumb sportswriter had Holliday ranked 6th in MVP voting. What? 6th?! Why? Well, that's fine sportswriters. All you've done is made Rollins beat out A-Rod as my most hated player in the majors.

Mayflower

2007-11-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

With Thanksgiving approaching, I figured I'd review a book with a Turkey-Day-esque feel to it. Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War, by Nathaniel Philbrick, is an excellent read this time of year if you like reading about history or war, or if you're from the Bay State. I've been unable to read anything except non-fiction for a few years now, and this book is one of the better ones I've come across.

The book chronicles the original 102 Pilgrims who made the journey from England to Holland and finally to the New World on board the Mayflower. The book really starts getting interesting once they spot land. The reader follows along as the Pilgrims attempt to build a small town in modern-day Plymouth center, communicate and trade with the several much more powerful native tribes, organize themselves into a pure democratic government, and deal with incredible loss as more than half of the original Pilgrims fail to live through the first bitter New England winter. We also learn about individuals without whom America would not exist - the forefathers to our forefathers - such as the military general Miles Standish, who brutally attacks a tribe of natives to make the English appear stronger than they are, Governor William Bradford, whose steady and sound leadership make our current crop of politicians look like children playing politics, and Massassoit, the sachem of the Pokanokets, who befriended the English and protected them during the infancy of their colony.

Mayflower was meticulously researched and is complete with so much factual information and so many characters that it is sometimes dry. However, it also comes replete with maps, pictures, and old photographs that serve to put things into perspective and assist the reader in keeping a clear understanding of the events as they unfold. As I was reading, I was often flipping back to see which tribes lived where along the New England coast or to see where the forts were built in relation to where the tribes lived. We celebrate the birth of our country on the Fourth of July, so this Thanksgiving check out this book and celebrate our country's conception.

You can read better reviews from professionals here and you can buy the paperback for about $10 here.

The Robbing of Troy

2007-11-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

In another indefensible example of east coast bias, Troy Tulowitzki, phenom rookie shortstop of the Colorado Rockies, lost the 2007 Gold Glove to Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins. This award is not based solely on fielding percentage (if it were, Troy would have won, as he had the highest fielding percentage in the league at .987). Instead, the Gold Glove is awarded to the player who exhibits "superior individual fielding performance" as voted on by coaches and managers in each league. Every casual fan of baseball knows Jimmy Rollins, and he's a stud at short. But Troy Tulowitzki is one of the greatest shortstops I have ever seen - and if you don't live in the Denver metro area or you're not a huge fan of baseball, you've probably never heard of him. He routinely throws people out from the grass, he has snatched up grounders that were on the first-base side of second, and he helped the 2007 Rockies achieve the highest fielding percentage of any team in the history of Major League Baseball (no Rockies earned a Gold Glove this year). As a bonus, he turned an unassisted triple play this season, the first in the MLB since 2003 (and the 13th in MLB history).

But forget my personal opinion of the guy, let's take a look at the stats:

Both Rollins and Tulo had 11 errors on the season

Tulo had 561 assists to Rollins' 479

Tulo had a .987 fielding percentage to Rollins' .985

Tulo was involved in 114 double plays to Rollins' 110

Tulo's Range Factor per Nine Innings is an unbelievable 5.39 to Rollins' paltry 4.41

For those of you who aren't familiar with Range Factor, it was developed by Bill James (of Moneyball fame) as a better statistical indicator of defensive ability than fielding percentage alone. Read about Range Factor here.

Troy Tulowitzki was robbed, pure and simple. Rollins fans will point to the fact that he started 7 more games than Tulo this year. Awesome. Rollins is an excellent shortstop and a scrappy guy to play all 162 games of the season. But Tulo started 155 games - is that difference what cost him a Gold Glove? He deserved the '07 Gold Glove award, and if not for Milwaukee's Ryan Braun, he would have had the Rookie of the Year award to go along with it (that award isn't awarded until November 12th, this is just a prediction). Tulo also serves as a refreshing departure from the whiny, spoiled, Carl Everett-type complainers who play in the Majors - Troy always has a smile on his face in the field and in the dugout, he's always willing to talk to a reporter or sign autographs for kids in the stands, and he always acts grateful to have the chance to play baseball for a living. He's a stand-up guy and a class act, not to mention one hell of a ballplayer. You may hear more from me about the Rockies getting screwed by east coast bias if Holliday doesn't win the MVP after coming in first in two of the three categories of the Triple Crown.

35 Years of Imperfection

2007-11-08T07:56:00.000-07:00

Don Shula made headlines this week when he claimed that an asterisk would need to be placed next to the Patriots' 16-0 record if they manage to win out the rest of the way, due to the "Spygate" scandal. This is his quote:

"The Spygate thing has diminished what they've accomplished. You
would hate to have that attached to your accomplishments. They've got it. Belichick was fined $500,000, the team was fined $250,000 and they lost a first-round draft choice. That tells you the seriousness or significance of what they found. I guess you got the same thing as putting an asterisk by Barry Bonds' home run record. I guess it will be noted that the Patriots were fined and a No. 1 draft choice was taken away during that year of accomplishment. The sad thing is Tom Brady looks so good, it doesn't look like he needs any help."

Whoa, Don - back up a second. If I remember correctly, the "Spygate" scandal came out in Week 1 against the Jets. You can read the full story as reported by the NY Daily News here, but I'll just point out the important things: A cameraman on the Jets sideline was stopped right before halftime by security as he tried to enter the Patriots' locker room with the tape. The tape was seized by NFL security, sealed into a box, and sent to the league. Thus, the Patriots didn't have access to it during the game.

This was wrong, blatant, and against the rules - and I'm not defending what the Pats did at all. But as far as giving an "unfair advantage" to the Pats, was it that different from video taping the sideline from the stands, using binoculars in the owners box, or hiring staff with photographic memories to study the opposing play calls? The NFL rules are clear, as reported in the same story by the Daily News: No video recording devices of any kind are allowed on the field, in the locker room, or in a coach's booth during the game. The Pats broke that rule and Belichick was fined. We'll never know the extent to which it gave the Pats' an advantage in prior years, but it sure seems to be overblown. Belichick video tapes the opposing defensive calls and learns that when a D-Coordinator pats his left elbow, the defense blitzes. Tony Dungy's guy in the owners box studies the D-Coordinator with binoculars and learns the same thing. It's obviously easier to study tapes, but this kind of thing goes on in every game in every stadium.

My point is this: First, the Pats had the tape seized before halftime of game 1, before they could even look at it. Why would we add an asterisk to this season if they weren't able to look at the tapes this season and thus gained no competitive advantage this season? Second, the tactic of stealing opposing players signs is overblown, it happens in every sport, and it hardly constitutes cheating. If Dusty Pedroia is standing on second and he's looking in to Jorge Posada's signs and then relaying them back to Ortiz, is that cheating? Hardly.

My last point is the hypocrisy that comes out of Don Shula's embalmed trap. In 1969, while coaching the Baltimore Colts, Don Shula was approached by the owner of the Miami Dolphins, Joe Robbie, to inquire about Shula's future coaching plans. Shula went behind his own team's back and negotiated a contract with the Dolphins to become their next head coach. Clearly this isn't cheating, but it was against the AFL's rules (this was pre-merger), it put the Colts at an unfair disadvantage, and guess what - the Dolphins were fined a first-round draft pick. Sound familiar? There is a great write-up about the comparison between what Belichick did in '07 and what Shula did in '69 in the Honolulu Advertiser, which you can read here.

Don Shula is a legend. He is clearly one of the two best coaches in the history of professional football (along with the late great Vince Lombardi). But I wasn't surprised at his comments about the Patriots. Since his "Perfect Season" in 1972, Shula has been celebrating every time the last undefeated team loses their first game of the season. In 1985 it was the Bears, in 1991 it was the 'Skins, in 1998, the Broncos, and in 2005, the Colts. All of those teams started the season 11-0 or better, and they all had Don Shula and some of the 'Fins from '72 reaching for their Zantac. All of these teams eventually lost during the regular season, preserving the one undefeated team in the history of the NFL: the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

So the timing of Shula's statement reflects his nervousness. He didn't say anything after this scandal made light in week 1. He kept his mouth shut after the Pats blew away the Chargers in week 2. He probably started getting worried as the Pats continuously dismantled their opponents by at least 17 points per game. Then the two undefeated teams met in week 9, with the Patriots narrowly taking out the excellent Indianapolis Colts, to remain the sole undefeated team this season. Of course Shula released a statement now. The Colts were the best competition the Patriots will have this season (although I'll be watching the Steelers game on the edge of my seat in December), and if they can't stop Brady to Moss, who can? My only question is this: did Shula have a different statement prepared had the Colts won and Indianapolis was now the team threatening Shula's prized record - something about how free agency has changed the game or Peyton Manning plays indoors and the Colts can't compare to the '72 Dolphins? Don Shula, ladies and gentlemen - one of the best coaches of all time, and one of the worst ex-coaches.

Okay, as I was typing this up, I learned that Don Shula had 100% backed away from his earlier statements. Good for you, Don. I no longer consider you one of the worst ex-coaches in NFL history. Here is some of what Shula said on ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike in the morning (read the full story here):

"If they run the table, and they win all the games, then they are doing it within the rules of the National Football League, and there shouldn't be any asterisk to it. That would be the accomplishment that they made. It would be the best in all of sports."

Don Shula also went on to say that if the Patriots win their next 7 games to finish the season 16-0, and then win the Superbowl, they "will deserve to be called the best team." I'd say so. Anyway, Shula's retraction has pretty much rendered this entire posting obsolete, and so I guess nothing that you've read thus far matters much.

In other news, the Celtics took apart the Nuggets last night (Why is Denver constantly on the losing side of Boston teams?) to start the season 3-0. Two of their wins have been by 20+ points. It's still very early, but the Celts look pretty dominant. I might have to fly home to check out the Celtics/Bulls at the Garden in March. Is this the Golden Age of Boston Sports or what? 2007 City of Champions - Red Sox have a ring, the Pats look like the best team in the history of the NFL, and the Celtics are looking like the early favorite in the Eastern Conference. I'm sure this will be a recurring theme throughout the next couple of months here at Fool's Platinum.

A vs B

2007-11-06T20:39:00.001-07:00

I've always enjoyed optical illusions. This is one of the better one's I've come across. Check it out, and I'll explain it below.

Which is the darker square, A or B?

Answer: They're the exact same shade of gray. The mind can be easily tricked with patterns, and in this case your mind tells you that the B square is much lighter than the A square. It's not. If you want to see for yourself, open this picture up in paint, crop a piece of each square and place them next to each other. It is the exact same shade of gray. I don't know who Edward Adelson is, but I like his work.

An Inconvenient Sunset

2007-11-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

I apologize in advance for the noticeable lack of intelligent writing about to appear on Fool's Platinum, but due to events outside of our control, you may notice a decrease in your reading pleasure in the near future.

Daylight savings time is gone for the year, and while the extra hour of sleep is appreciated, the sun setting before the end of the work day is not. If daylight savings time was implemented to save energy in the evenings with an extra hour of sunlight, not to mention all the car accidents it prevents when the afternoon commute is during daylight hours, why not just keep daylight savings year round? Well, in 1973 they tried just that. They repealed it after one year because of all the school-bus-related accidents in the dark pre-dawn mornings. Seriously - you can read about it here.

In other news, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and former Vice President Al Gore has announced plans for a new national bus-tour to spread awareness of Global Darking. Gore, a vehement opponent of ending daylight savings time, has claimed that the earlier sunsets and longer darker nights during the winter months are anthropogenic (human-caused). "There is almost unanimous consent in the scientific community that 'turning back the clocks' results in approximately one hour of less daylight during the afternoon and evening hours," he told The Today Show on Monday. "Scientists have learned through studying the ice in Antarctica that 500,000 years ago, there was no recordable evidence of Daylight Savings Time." If you would like to donate to Al Gore's latest enviro-campaign, or for more information, or if you fear that we are only 30 years or so away from 2- or 3-hour daylight savings time changes, go to http://www.climateprotect.org/.

The Fall Classic

2007-10-30T15:02:00.000-06:00

Amazing. Probably the most important sporting event I'll ever be lucky enough to attend. The only thing better than the clinching game of the World Series is the Superbowl - and since tickets start at $3000 for Superbowl tix, the Fall Classic will be it for me. Growing up a Red Sox fan and going to games at Fenway for the past 25 years, it was numbing to watch the Sox clinch game 4 against the Rockies. I went wearing my Rockies cap but there's no way I can root against the Red Sox. I basically just saw the clinching game of the world series between my favorite two teams, and it was amazing. We made it over to the Pour House, a Red Sox bar (the owners are from Boston) a few blocks from Coors Field, after the game. The place was packed with Sox jersey's and Red Sox chants, and a couple of knuckleheads started a Rockies Suck chant only to be told to shut up by a few other Sox fans. It's just not the same when you're the favorite and you're chanting against the underdog - its hard for some of these Sox fans to be gracious in victory after finding it impossible to be gracious in defeat (Yankees Suck, anyone?). Still, the Sox are clearly the most dominant team in the MLB and will continue to be for many years. How about the Boston sports dynasty - Sox, Pats, Celtics, even Boston College is undefeated and ranked #2 in the BCS standings after a Flutie-esque win against Virginia Tech on Thursday night. We are living in the Golden Age of Boston Sports. Figures it happens two years after I move to Colorado. So here are a few pics from Game 4 of the World Series:

Dave, Ben, and I arrive at the game about an hour before the first pitch.

Blake Street, outside of Coors Field, before the game.

The scoreboard - with the Rocky Mountains in the background.

The largest American flag I have ever seen during the Star Spangled Banner.

Fireworks and balloons are released after the fly-over at the end of the Star Spangled Banner.

The Rockies take the field for the first time.

The first pitch.

Bottom of the ninth, down 4-3, two outs, 2 and 2 count, Seth Smith facing Jonathan Papelbon.

The Sox celebrate after Seth Smith strikes out for the final out of the 2007 season.

As Ben said, there are probably only a 100,000 people or so who can say they've seen the Sox clinch the World Series in person.

Congratulations 2007 Boston Red Sox.

Sox fans crowd around the Red Sox dugout after the game.

The World Series Trophy (Commissioner's Trophy) being held by an unidentified Red Sox player. (To the left of the glare, next to the green and white sign being held by a fan.)

Confessions of a Boston Expatriate

2007-10-26T14:58:00.000-06:00

My friends are crazy. Two of them bought round trip plane tickets from Boston to Denver for this weekend, hoping to somehow get tickets to the World Series. I told them it was going to be hard, because the tickets were averaging close to $900 a piece on Stubhub.com. They booked the flights before they had any real hope of scoring tickets, and then for the next couple of days scoured internet sites looking for deals on World Series tickets. Then, yesterday morning, they struck gold - eBay had two tickets in the upper decks for a reasonable price, and my buddy was the top bidder. They were going to the Game 4 of the Fall Classic, which could turn out to be the clinching game for the Sox.

After they got the tix, I knew I had to act fast and I began searching out one solitary ticket for the same game on Craigslist. 45 minutes later I was pulling into a gas station off 470 to meet up with "Steve", who was lucky enough to get into the Rockies website a few times and buy a bunch of single tickets. I'm not going to tell you how much I paid, but I had the leverage of cash and the ability to buy immediately - which is something an arm-chair scalper likes very much. So long story short - the three of us are going to the World Series Game 4 on Sunday. I also lucked out and got a hard ticket (my buddies got "print-at-home" tickets that look like boarding passes), and I plan on mounting the stub with a picture from the game and keeping it on my wall.

After I moved out here I immediately took to the Rockies. Talk about your perennial underdogs - as of last year they were a team that had been to the playoffs exactly once in their 14-year history, a team that had finished the season above .500 only a handful of times, and a team that had never even been to a National League Championship. Also, if you had $4 in your pocket, you could go to a game any day of the week. Fenway used to be like that, before 2004. I remember shortly after I graduated from college, a couple of us were dropping off a buddy in the Back Bay on a summer evening, and one of my friends was like "Want to go to the Sox game tonight?" It was that easy. Well, it's still that easy at Coors Field. The Rockies are a team that any true fan of baseball can really get into.

So after I moved here, a lot of people began asking me who I

would root for if the Sox and Rox ever faced off in the World Series. This question was usually followed by laughter and a sarcastic "Yeah, Ok!", because there was no way that was ever going to happen. The Rox finished dead last in the division two years in a row, and the Sox were only making it to the Series every other decade - what were the odds that the two of them would both have excellent seasons at the same time? Well, now we're not laughing, it's late October and we're watching every pitch. I didn't know who I'd be rooting for during this Series. In my head, I reasoned that I should be rooting for my old home town team, the same team I had followed and screamed about for 25 years, the same team I had seen play at Fenway since I was 8 years old, when a bald sweaty fat dude in his mid-30's could buy a kid a soda without being investigated by Chris Hansen. (The guy bought me a soda because I had turned an unassisted triple-play in a little league game the night before.) But reason doesn't come into play when you're a fan, and when the Sox started teeing off on the Rockies - the team I had followed religiously for the past two years; the team that I watched from the stands at least 10 times over the past couple of summers; the team that helped Abby and I feel like we were true immersed citizens of Denver - that was when I cringed and realized that I didn't want the Rockies to lose. My mind told me I should want the Sox to win, but my heart is with the Rockies. I am a Rockies fan. Let the "Benedict Arnold" taunts begin.

So, what's it mean to go to the world series? There's a great article on mlb.com here, that explains it better than I ever could.

World Series Tickets (pt. 2)

2007-10-23T15:22:00.000-06:00

World Series tickets for games 3, 4, and 5 at Coors Field were sold out as of 2:30 PM Mountain Time. Neither I nor any of my buddies were able to get tickets. Either that or one of my buddies had an impulse of capitalist opportunity and decided to hawk the tix for some hard cash and not tell anybody. Anti-ticket-scalping laws are rarely enforced, which allows fans of making-a-quick-buck to rip off fans of baseball through online fleece markets like Craigslist and Stubhub. Those dedicated Sox and Rockies fans can still see a game at Fenway or Coors Field, but only if they have this guy's money.

World Series Tickets

2007-10-23T13:07:00.000-06:00

Round two of Rockies Tickets went on sale today at noon. Yesterday's fiasco during which the entire server that hosted the ticket sales crashed was blamed on hackers. Today I've been trying to get tix for over an hour, and still no luck. I gotta remain patient. The website works for five minutes, stalls, and then the "Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage". So I try again. The local news is reporting "many problems" with the ticket sales. Rockies team officials are asking fans to "be patient". I'm patient. I have no problems. I just assumed that in 2007 there are more efficient ways of fairly distributing 60,000 tickets to fans. At this point I don't think I have a prayer to score tickets, but we'll see. I gotta remain patient.

Unstoppable

2007-10-21T21:50:00.000-06:00

Am I the only person who thinks the New England Patriots have a legitimate, if not likely opportunity to become the second NFL franchise to post a perfect season? For anyone born after 1972, have you ever seen a team that was so dominant? I've been telling people that they have a shot at 16-0 for a few weeks, but now I think it's more than a shot. The only two games that give me any concern at all are Indy in Nov. and Pittsburgh in Dec. We shall see. Bodoglife's NFL Team Props had a perfect season for NE at +750 before today's win. Now the sportsbook has the odds of the Pats going undefeated at 4/1.

As Jim Mora might say, You kiddin' me???

Winter in October

2007-10-21T13:54:00.000-06:00

Woke up this morning to find 5 inches of snow on the ground. Yesterday's high was 78 degrees. Gotta love Colorado. I really like the auburns and golds of our mid-autumn foliage contrasted with the bland emptiness of the white stuff in our back yard. Ahh well. Time to put away the sunblock.