Feelin' Frisky At The South Pole
Polar scientists order 16,500 condoms.
Forget Spring Break in Cancun-- let's hit up Antarctica!
Monday, June 09, 2008
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Yankees Do A Bad Joba Starting Joba
Joba Not InKansas Nebraska Anymore
Joba Chamberlain made his highly-anticipated first Major League start on Tuesday for the Yankees. Hank "The New Boss" Steinbrenner argued with everybody for the first two months of the season, trying to convince everyone to shift the Native American kid with the 100 MPH fastball from the bullpen into the rotation. He finally got his wish.
Joba pitched 2.1 innings, giving up 1 run and walking four in what would eventually be a 9 - 3 Yankees loss.
Immediately, the press jumped all over Steinbrenner's decision. "Joba's 1st Start a Bust as Jays Top Yanks" ABC News declared. The NYPost called Joba "shaky," and "simply disappointing." WCBS New York went even further, declaring: "Joba Start Just Latest In String Of Disasters." Salon.com called it "Joba's first-start disaster." Today, there's reports that several Yankees players are questioning the move.
Here's why they shouldn't.
This is what Joba Chamberlain did as a starter at the University of Nebraska:
207.3 innings, 3.37 ERA, 232 Ks, 67 BBs, 15 HRs.
This is what Joba Chamberlain did as a starter in the minors:
84.3 innings, 2.56 ERA, 125 Ks, 27 BBs, 4 HRs.
Those figures are pretty hard to top. What they show is a power pitcher with good command over his pitches, who doesn't give up the long ball. That's a recipe for MLB success. One blog, which uses a conversion chart called MLE to translate minor league stats into major league ones, came up with these major league numbers: 4.07 ERA, 83 Ks, 36 BBs, 10 HRs in 84 innings. That ERA would make him better than any starter on the Yankees other than Mike Mussina, and that strikeout rate would beat all of them.
What has Joba done lately to change this positive outlook? Only 33 Ks in 26 innings-- better than his predicted K rate, and only 1 HR allowed, better than his predicted HR rate. He's actually been better than advertised.
Take away the 4 walks he threw in Tuesday's game, and his control isn't too shabby either: 0.46 walks per inning vs. a predicted 0.42 walks per inning.
And I take away those four walks on Tuesday for good reason. The Yankees set up Joba to fail.
That's right. They made it very, very difficult for Joba to be successful.
By announcing a 65-pitch limit, they basically told the Toronto Blue Jays how to beat Joba. By being patient. Toronto knew Joba's start would end after 65 pitches. So Toronto players took pitches (refused to swing) the majority of the time. When they got ahead in the count, they watched the next pitch rather than being aggressive. They often didn't take the bat off their shoulders until there were two strikes. This game plan is typically used against a pitcher known for wildness-- see Daniel Cabrera-- but in Joba's case, it was simply a matter of Toronto hitters wanting to see as many pitches as possible. “We worked him good, we really did,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. Notice he didn't say "hit him" or "beat him," but instead "worked him." The red light was on for the Blue Jays, and on pitches they may have chased on a normal night, they laid off. They weren't trying to slug against Joba, indeed, no ball was hit significantly hard. The lone run scored on a weak dribbler through the 2nd base-1st base hole.
Toronto forced Joba to throw 38 pitches in the 1st inning.
Now imagine you're Joba. You know you have a limited pitch count. What do you do? You try to make every pitch an out pitch. When the pitches start adding up, you're trying even harder to make every toss count as a strike or ground-out. You start aiming pitches instead of letting them fly. This is not how a pitcher is successful. A good pitcher often purposely throws balls to set up strikes later in the count. A good pitcher is willing to induce contact that leads to ground-ball outs and pop flies. Joba wasn't able to do this. Almost every pitch had to be a strike in order for 65 pitches to last the minimum 5 innings required to be credited for a win.
Putting that much pressure on a 22 year old is a recipe for disaster. But Joba actually did well. 3 Ks in 2.1 innings is in line with his career strikeout rate. He didn't give up any big hits. The four walks were more the result of the Toronto strategy of waiting Joba out.
Not wanting to "waste" pitches, Joba threw his two "out" pitches-- a 100 MPH fastball and a wicked slider--90% of the time, almost completely ignoring his change of pace curveball and change-up. Without half his arsenal, he wasn't nearly as deadly as he could have been.
The Yankees mistake was not in making Joba the starter. It was making Joba the starter before his arm was stretched out to pitch at least 5 innings. Perhaps they should have given him a four-inning relief effort before inserting him into the rotation. The Pettite start on June 2nd would have been a nice time to do it. Pettitte could have easily been lifted after putting two on in the bottom of the 6th, with the Yankees clinging to a 2-run lead. Hell, he could have been put into the game after Pettitte already blew the lead. Had he pitched to the conclusion of the game, he would have pitched nearly 4 innings, which would have stretched out his arm enough to pitch this weekend against the Royals, the weakest hitting team in baseball.
That would have been an ideal first start for Joba. Without a 65-pitch limit, against the light-hitting Kansas City squad, it could have been a legendary start to what still promises to be a legendary career.
The good news? Joba will make his second career start Sunday against the Royals, with a somewhat normal pitch count (90-100 pitches). Plus he'll be pitching to Jorge Posada, who will be back from the DL. If you're in a fantasy baseball league, the time to trade for Joba would be now, before he throws the inevitable shutout/no-hitter.
So Yankees and the media. Cut the kid a break. The guy allowed 1 run in 2.1 innings. He retired the side in order in the 2nd. If he had been given permission to pitch a normal game, that may have been the only run he allowed.
Would he be better as a set-up guy? The Yankees are 23-15 in games NOT started by the number 5 combo of Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes (who are both personally on the hook for 7 losses). They needed someone to start winning those games every 5 days.
I'll be at Joba's start Sunday, and I don't expect to be disappointed. As T.O. would say, "Getcha popcorn ready."
Joba Not In
Joba Chamberlain made his highly-anticipated first Major League start on Tuesday for the Yankees. Hank "The New Boss" Steinbrenner argued with everybody for the first two months of the season, trying to convince everyone to shift the Native American kid with the 100 MPH fastball from the bullpen into the rotation. He finally got his wish.
Joba pitched 2.1 innings, giving up 1 run and walking four in what would eventually be a 9 - 3 Yankees loss.
Immediately, the press jumped all over Steinbrenner's decision. "Joba's 1st Start a Bust as Jays Top Yanks" ABC News declared. The NYPost called Joba "shaky," and "simply disappointing." WCBS New York went even further, declaring: "Joba Start Just Latest In String Of Disasters." Salon.com called it "Joba's first-start disaster." Today, there's reports that several Yankees players are questioning the move.
Here's why they shouldn't.
This is what Joba Chamberlain did as a starter at the University of Nebraska:
207.3 innings, 3.37 ERA, 232 Ks, 67 BBs, 15 HRs.
This is what Joba Chamberlain did as a starter in the minors:
84.3 innings, 2.56 ERA, 125 Ks, 27 BBs, 4 HRs.
Those figures are pretty hard to top. What they show is a power pitcher with good command over his pitches, who doesn't give up the long ball. That's a recipe for MLB success. One blog, which uses a conversion chart called MLE to translate minor league stats into major league ones, came up with these major league numbers: 4.07 ERA, 83 Ks, 36 BBs, 10 HRs in 84 innings. That ERA would make him better than any starter on the Yankees other than Mike Mussina, and that strikeout rate would beat all of them.
What has Joba done lately to change this positive outlook? Only 33 Ks in 26 innings-- better than his predicted K rate, and only 1 HR allowed, better than his predicted HR rate. He's actually been better than advertised.
Take away the 4 walks he threw in Tuesday's game, and his control isn't too shabby either: 0.46 walks per inning vs. a predicted 0.42 walks per inning.
And I take away those four walks on Tuesday for good reason. The Yankees set up Joba to fail.
That's right. They made it very, very difficult for Joba to be successful.
By announcing a 65-pitch limit, they basically told the Toronto Blue Jays how to beat Joba. By being patient. Toronto knew Joba's start would end after 65 pitches. So Toronto players took pitches (refused to swing) the majority of the time. When they got ahead in the count, they watched the next pitch rather than being aggressive. They often didn't take the bat off their shoulders until there were two strikes. This game plan is typically used against a pitcher known for wildness-- see Daniel Cabrera-- but in Joba's case, it was simply a matter of Toronto hitters wanting to see as many pitches as possible. “We worked him good, we really did,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. Notice he didn't say "hit him" or "beat him," but instead "worked him." The red light was on for the Blue Jays, and on pitches they may have chased on a normal night, they laid off. They weren't trying to slug against Joba, indeed, no ball was hit significantly hard. The lone run scored on a weak dribbler through the 2nd base-1st base hole.
Toronto forced Joba to throw 38 pitches in the 1st inning.
Now imagine you're Joba. You know you have a limited pitch count. What do you do? You try to make every pitch an out pitch. When the pitches start adding up, you're trying even harder to make every toss count as a strike or ground-out. You start aiming pitches instead of letting them fly. This is not how a pitcher is successful. A good pitcher often purposely throws balls to set up strikes later in the count. A good pitcher is willing to induce contact that leads to ground-ball outs and pop flies. Joba wasn't able to do this. Almost every pitch had to be a strike in order for 65 pitches to last the minimum 5 innings required to be credited for a win.
Putting that much pressure on a 22 year old is a recipe for disaster. But Joba actually did well. 3 Ks in 2.1 innings is in line with his career strikeout rate. He didn't give up any big hits. The four walks were more the result of the Toronto strategy of waiting Joba out.
Not wanting to "waste" pitches, Joba threw his two "out" pitches-- a 100 MPH fastball and a wicked slider--90% of the time, almost completely ignoring his change of pace curveball and change-up. Without half his arsenal, he wasn't nearly as deadly as he could have been.
The Yankees mistake was not in making Joba the starter. It was making Joba the starter before his arm was stretched out to pitch at least 5 innings. Perhaps they should have given him a four-inning relief effort before inserting him into the rotation. The Pettite start on June 2nd would have been a nice time to do it. Pettitte could have easily been lifted after putting two on in the bottom of the 6th, with the Yankees clinging to a 2-run lead. Hell, he could have been put into the game after Pettitte already blew the lead. Had he pitched to the conclusion of the game, he would have pitched nearly 4 innings, which would have stretched out his arm enough to pitch this weekend against the Royals, the weakest hitting team in baseball.
That would have been an ideal first start for Joba. Without a 65-pitch limit, against the light-hitting Kansas City squad, it could have been a legendary start to what still promises to be a legendary career.
The good news? Joba will make his second career start Sunday against the Royals, with a somewhat normal pitch count (90-100 pitches). Plus he'll be pitching to Jorge Posada, who will be back from the DL. If you're in a fantasy baseball league, the time to trade for Joba would be now, before he throws the inevitable shutout/no-hitter.
So Yankees and the media. Cut the kid a break. The guy allowed 1 run in 2.1 innings. He retired the side in order in the 2nd. If he had been given permission to pitch a normal game, that may have been the only run he allowed.
Would he be better as a set-up guy? The Yankees are 23-15 in games NOT started by the number 5 combo of Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes (who are both personally on the hook for 7 losses). They needed someone to start winning those games every 5 days.
I'll be at Joba's start Sunday, and I don't expect to be disappointed. As T.O. would say, "Getcha popcorn ready."
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Rachael Ray Is A Terrorist
By Robbie Republican
My dear patriots, we have been on quite a journey these past few years, ever since 9/11 showed us how jellyfish-spined liberals could lead to the end of the world as we know it. But even in our age of increased vigilance, it's often easy to overlook some of the gravest threats to our nation. While the blue state elitists distract us by forcing hard-working American farmers to grow abortion pills instead of corn, subliminal messages are being sent to our nation's impresionable minds through the television airwaves. And not just in pinko programs like "Sex in the City."
I wish the only station that existed was Fox News, and that the only commercials were for wholesome, family products like AK-47s and those Left Behind books. But unfortunately, the vast majority of Americans unwittingly expose themselves to television programming specifically designed to turn ordinary citizens into terrorists.
Case in point: Rachael Ray's Dunkin' Donuts Commercials
Now, an ordinary, perfectly sane American may see the commerical and believe it's just an innocent advertisement for coffee. But look closer. Look what's around Rachael Bin la... I mean Rachael Ray's neck:
That's right, the exact same keffiyeh, or "terrorist scarf" that Yasser Arafat wore. I'm not sure where she got it, but reliable sources tell me that Ray once trained in a Sudanese terror camp, where I can only assume she met up with influential Islamic cell leaders.
Need more proof Rachael Ray is in bed with Bin Laden?
That's right. There she is with Bin Laden's best friend, Bill "9-11" Clinton.
I'd like to thank political genius Michelle Malkin for pointing out all this to me. I actually am ashamed to say I used to drink Dunkin Donuts coffee, because the fat man they used to use in their commercials reminded me of a heavier, older version of a nice German gentleman I used to know who had some wonderful, if a bit poorly executed, ideas about how to get rid of liberals.
Now that I know better, I'm on the lookout for other subliminal messages trying to turn the good people of America into terrorist zombies. I believe I found one earlier today:
Yes, the Charmin Bear. At first, I didn't see anything. But then I noticed that the way the bear is holding the toilet paper, it almost looks like a keffiyeh. Almost exactly like a keffiyeh. So I looked deeper. And deeper. And the closer I looked, the more I became horrified by what I saw...
Kill USA??? A Hammer and Sickle?? What is he really selling, I wonder. Toilet paper?
Or TERROR???!!
So to you, my brave soliders, I say, be careful about what you watch. Especially if it's on one of those souless idol-worshipping stations, like NBC. And don't use Charmin anymore. Or any toilet paper for that matter. It's just not safe. Do what I do. Use the New York Times.
Till next time, my conservative warriors. Stay strong, and stay right.
By Robbie Republican
My dear patriots, we have been on quite a journey these past few years, ever since 9/11 showed us how jellyfish-spined liberals could lead to the end of the world as we know it. But even in our age of increased vigilance, it's often easy to overlook some of the gravest threats to our nation. While the blue state elitists distract us by forcing hard-working American farmers to grow abortion pills instead of corn, subliminal messages are being sent to our nation's impresionable minds through the television airwaves. And not just in pinko programs like "Sex in the City."
I wish the only station that existed was Fox News, and that the only commercials were for wholesome, family products like AK-47s and those Left Behind books. But unfortunately, the vast majority of Americans unwittingly expose themselves to television programming specifically designed to turn ordinary citizens into terrorists.
Case in point: Rachael Ray's Dunkin' Donuts Commercials
Now, an ordinary, perfectly sane American may see the commerical and believe it's just an innocent advertisement for coffee. But look closer. Look what's around Rachael Bin la... I mean Rachael Ray's neck:
That's right, the exact same keffiyeh, or "terrorist scarf" that Yasser Arafat wore. I'm not sure where she got it, but reliable sources tell me that Ray once trained in a Sudanese terror camp, where I can only assume she met up with influential Islamic cell leaders.
Need more proof Rachael Ray is in bed with Bin Laden?
That's right. There she is with Bin Laden's best friend, Bill "9-11" Clinton.
I'd like to thank political genius Michelle Malkin for pointing out all this to me. I actually am ashamed to say I used to drink Dunkin Donuts coffee, because the fat man they used to use in their commercials reminded me of a heavier, older version of a nice German gentleman I used to know who had some wonderful, if a bit poorly executed, ideas about how to get rid of liberals.
Now that I know better, I'm on the lookout for other subliminal messages trying to turn the good people of America into terrorist zombies. I believe I found one earlier today:
Yes, the Charmin Bear. At first, I didn't see anything. But then I noticed that the way the bear is holding the toilet paper, it almost looks like a keffiyeh. Almost exactly like a keffiyeh. So I looked deeper. And deeper. And the closer I looked, the more I became horrified by what I saw...
Kill USA??? A Hammer and Sickle?? What is he really selling, I wonder. Toilet paper?
Or TERROR???!!
So to you, my brave soliders, I say, be careful about what you watch. Especially if it's on one of those souless idol-worshipping stations, like NBC. And don't use Charmin anymore. Or any toilet paper for that matter. It's just not safe. Do what I do. Use the New York Times.
Till next time, my conservative warriors. Stay strong, and stay right.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
"Gads" For Dads and Grads
Best Tech Gadget Gifts For Father's Day and Graduation
My latest MSN piece:
Enjoy!
Other gift ideas that didn't make it into the final article:
For Dads:
The “Grill Master”: Dad makes the best hamburgers in the neighborhood, but even he could use some help. The Char-broil Commercial Series Infrared Gas Grill uses an infrared burner system that eliminates flare-ups that cook food unevenly. An 810 sq. inch stainless steel cooking area provides room for approximately 36 burgers, and a 13,000 BTU side stove with griddle is perfect for heating sauces or vegetables. $499 at lowes.com.
The "Couch Potato”: After eating all that meat, Dad might need to hit the gym. He can work out at home using Wii Fit for the Nintendo Wii. The game uses a wireless peripheral called the Wii Balance Board, which measures body mass index and helps players perform more than 40 different exercises, including step aerobics, yoga, even simulated skiing. $89.99 + Nintendo Wii ($294.99) at gamestop.com.
“Mr. Fix It”: Every craftsman needs a cordless drill, and the Makita 18V Compact Lithium-Ion Cordless ½ inch Driver-Drill Kit packs the most power in a light package, providing 450 pounds of torque while weighing in at a measly 3.5 pounds. And it only takes 15 minutes to charge the battery. $201 at homedepot.com
"The Traveling Salesman": When Dad's on the road, he might miss all those shows he watches at home. Help alleviate the homesickness with the Sling Media Slingbox Pro. The device connects to your cable or satellite box at home, and beams the signal through the internet to your mobile phone or laptop. $249.99 at circuitcity.com.
"The Outdoorsman": You've heard of the old idiom "carrot and stick," but the folks at Element 21 took it literally. They built their E21 Carrot Stix Fishing Rods with a composite material containing 70% cellulose fibers extracted from—you guessed it—carrots. The result is a lightweight, but durable fishing rod that won the Freshwater Rod award and overall Best of Show at the 2007 American Sportfishing Association's annual convention. $149.95 at e21fishing.com.
For Grads:
Beach Bum: After four grueling years of college—which involved no partying whatsoever—your graduate deserves to relax. This summer, they can lounge poolside or on the beach listening to their iPod on the weather-resistant BoomBucket Portable Music System. Unlike many other iPod docks, a clear cover protects the iPod from harm. The bucket doubles as a portable iPod charger. $150.00 at brookstone.com
The Blogger: Whether your son or daughter is the next TalkingPointsMemo or the next Washingtonienne, they'll need a laptop computer to type up their story. For Apple fans, there's the MacBook Air, one of the lightest laptop computers on the market, good for when reporting breaking news from the field. For PC lovers, Lenovo's ThinkPad X300 is nearly as thin and light as the Air, and includes a DVD burner drive. Air, $1799 at apple.com. Thinkpad, $2799.99 at compusa.com.
The Amateur Photographer: Your graduate has an eye for the perfect picture—just check out those photos they posted on Facebook. The Sony Cybershot W170 Digital Camera has 10.1 megapixel resolution, a 5x optical zoom, face recognition and anti-blur, plus "Smile Shutter" technology—which can automatically capture the moment your subject is smiling or laughing. $299.99 at bestbuy.com
The Traveler: Many graduates want to see the world before settling into a job. Make sure they don't get lost. The Garmin nuvi GPS Navigation touch-screen devices are small enough to fit in your pocket and come loaded with road maps and millions of points of interest for North America. The top of the line 750 model includes an MP3 player, audio book player, picture viewer, and a currency converter. Optional features include traffic alerts and a subscription to MSN Direct content. $250 - $600 at garmin.com.
The Pod Person: Wherever your grad goes, they'll probably need some portable entertainment. Not much needs to be said about the iPod Nano, the latest in the line of Apple's popular MP3 players. The slim, palm-sized player comes in six different colors and both the 4 GB and 8 GB models have plenty of room for your graduate's collection of music, TV shows, movies and podcasts. $149 at apple.com.
Best Tech Gadget Gifts For Father's Day and Graduation
My latest MSN piece:
Enjoy!
Other gift ideas that didn't make it into the final article:
For Dads:
The “Grill Master”: Dad makes the best hamburgers in the neighborhood, but even he could use some help. The Char-broil Commercial Series Infrared Gas Grill uses an infrared burner system that eliminates flare-ups that cook food unevenly. An 810 sq. inch stainless steel cooking area provides room for approximately 36 burgers, and a 13,000 BTU side stove with griddle is perfect for heating sauces or vegetables. $499 at lowes.com.
The "Couch Potato”: After eating all that meat, Dad might need to hit the gym. He can work out at home using Wii Fit for the Nintendo Wii. The game uses a wireless peripheral called the Wii Balance Board, which measures body mass index and helps players perform more than 40 different exercises, including step aerobics, yoga, even simulated skiing. $89.99 + Nintendo Wii ($294.99) at gamestop.com.
“Mr. Fix It”: Every craftsman needs a cordless drill, and the Makita 18V Compact Lithium-Ion Cordless ½ inch Driver-Drill Kit packs the most power in a light package, providing 450 pounds of torque while weighing in at a measly 3.5 pounds. And it only takes 15 minutes to charge the battery. $201 at homedepot.com
"The Traveling Salesman": When Dad's on the road, he might miss all those shows he watches at home. Help alleviate the homesickness with the Sling Media Slingbox Pro. The device connects to your cable or satellite box at home, and beams the signal through the internet to your mobile phone or laptop. $249.99 at circuitcity.com.
"The Outdoorsman": You've heard of the old idiom "carrot and stick," but the folks at Element 21 took it literally. They built their E21 Carrot Stix Fishing Rods with a composite material containing 70% cellulose fibers extracted from—you guessed it—carrots. The result is a lightweight, but durable fishing rod that won the Freshwater Rod award and overall Best of Show at the 2007 American Sportfishing Association's annual convention. $149.95 at e21fishing.com.
For Grads:
Beach Bum: After four grueling years of college—which involved no partying whatsoever—your graduate deserves to relax. This summer, they can lounge poolside or on the beach listening to their iPod on the weather-resistant BoomBucket Portable Music System. Unlike many other iPod docks, a clear cover protects the iPod from harm. The bucket doubles as a portable iPod charger. $150.00 at brookstone.com
The Blogger: Whether your son or daughter is the next TalkingPointsMemo or the next Washingtonienne, they'll need a laptop computer to type up their story. For Apple fans, there's the MacBook Air, one of the lightest laptop computers on the market, good for when reporting breaking news from the field. For PC lovers, Lenovo's ThinkPad X300 is nearly as thin and light as the Air, and includes a DVD burner drive. Air, $1799 at apple.com. Thinkpad, $2799.99 at compusa.com.
The Amateur Photographer: Your graduate has an eye for the perfect picture—just check out those photos they posted on Facebook. The Sony Cybershot W170 Digital Camera has 10.1 megapixel resolution, a 5x optical zoom, face recognition and anti-blur, plus "Smile Shutter" technology—which can automatically capture the moment your subject is smiling or laughing. $299.99 at bestbuy.com
The Traveler: Many graduates want to see the world before settling into a job. Make sure they don't get lost. The Garmin nuvi GPS Navigation touch-screen devices are small enough to fit in your pocket and come loaded with road maps and millions of points of interest for North America. The top of the line 750 model includes an MP3 player, audio book player, picture viewer, and a currency converter. Optional features include traffic alerts and a subscription to MSN Direct content. $250 - $600 at garmin.com.
The Pod Person: Wherever your grad goes, they'll probably need some portable entertainment. Not much needs to be said about the iPod Nano, the latest in the line of Apple's popular MP3 players. The slim, palm-sized player comes in six different colors and both the 4 GB and 8 GB models have plenty of room for your graduate's collection of music, TV shows, movies and podcasts. $149 at apple.com.
Jewish Fantasy Baseball: Week 9
I've been busy the last few weeks with birthdays, graduations, and yes, actual work. So I didn't check in on the "semites of swat" lately. And I should have, because while I was reveling in the joy of springtime, my ragtag crew of yamulke-wearing sluggers were putting on an impressive show. Like Moses triumphing over the Pharaoh, or David slaying Goliath, the Major League Jews have overcome incredible mismatches to find themselves tied for 1st place in the East division after 8 weeks.
Their run for the top began in week 6, when the Koufax Kids beat "Coming From Behind," 232-190. Kevin "The Knish" Youkilis easily took home the Adam's Life Sluggin' Semite of the Week award with a 12 for 32, 3 2B, 5 HR, 8 R, 10 RBI, BB, SB performance.
Sox 'em Rocks 'em came to town in week 7, but soon discovered that a team featuring David Ortiz and Josh Hamilton was no match for a chosen squad led by Ryan Braun and Ian Kinsler. Braun's 50 points (10 for 29, 2B, 3B, 6 HR, 8 R, 10 RBI, BB) tied with Lance Berkman for the team lead, and helped the Team Temple to a 269-222 victory. Braun's running out of room on his shelf for all the Sluggin' Semite of the Week awards he's collected.
The Mitzvah Men came back down to earth in a week 8 matchup against cmobaseball. An injury to Moises Alou, and weak performances all around spelled the end of the winning streak (some bad gefilte fish is rumored to be at fault). Only Ian Kinsler, who opted for the chopped liver instead, came through when needed. He only hit .243, but had a double, 3 HR, 6 R, 8 RBI, a BB and a SB, good for 36 points. Kinsler wins the Adam's Life Sluggin' Semite Award for week 8.
This week, the Tallis Troop faces wyometslover, whom they defeated in week 2. A victory could mean sole posession of first place in the division, while a loss would be worse than a broken sauna at the JCC. Stay tuned for more.
Division Standings:
--------------------------W L T PTS
Chipperfan08............4-4-0 1742
Major League Jews....4-4-0 1598
cmoBaseball.............2-6-2 1600
wyometslover............1-7-3 1617
I've been busy the last few weeks with birthdays, graduations, and yes, actual work. So I didn't check in on the "semites of swat" lately. And I should have, because while I was reveling in the joy of springtime, my ragtag crew of yamulke-wearing sluggers were putting on an impressive show. Like Moses triumphing over the Pharaoh, or David slaying Goliath, the Major League Jews have overcome incredible mismatches to find themselves tied for 1st place in the East division after 8 weeks.
Their run for the top began in week 6, when the Koufax Kids beat "Coming From Behind," 232-190. Kevin "The Knish" Youkilis easily took home the Adam's Life Sluggin' Semite of the Week award with a 12 for 32, 3 2B, 5 HR, 8 R, 10 RBI, BB, SB performance.
Sox 'em Rocks 'em came to town in week 7, but soon discovered that a team featuring David Ortiz and Josh Hamilton was no match for a chosen squad led by Ryan Braun and Ian Kinsler. Braun's 50 points (10 for 29, 2B, 3B, 6 HR, 8 R, 10 RBI, BB) tied with Lance Berkman for the team lead, and helped the Team Temple to a 269-222 victory. Braun's running out of room on his shelf for all the Sluggin' Semite of the Week awards he's collected.
The Mitzvah Men came back down to earth in a week 8 matchup against cmobaseball. An injury to Moises Alou, and weak performances all around spelled the end of the winning streak (some bad gefilte fish is rumored to be at fault). Only Ian Kinsler, who opted for the chopped liver instead, came through when needed. He only hit .243, but had a double, 3 HR, 6 R, 8 RBI, a BB and a SB, good for 36 points. Kinsler wins the Adam's Life Sluggin' Semite Award for week 8.
This week, the Tallis Troop faces wyometslover, whom they defeated in week 2. A victory could mean sole posession of first place in the division, while a loss would be worse than a broken sauna at the JCC. Stay tuned for more.
Division Standings:
--------------------------W L T PTS
Chipperfan08............4-4-0 1742
Major League Jews....4-4-0 1598
cmoBaseball.............2-6-2 1600
wyometslover............1-7-3 1617
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