Winning Takes A Little Patience, Not $160 Million (Yankees Suck!!)

I like what is going on in baseball right now. The Winter Meetings are taking place and agents are talking to players and owners and GMs about big signings. The big names out there, Francisco Rodriguez, Mark Texiera, Manny Ramirez, CC Sabathia, all will get huge pay days. Big name teams all bidding for these guys; the Red Sox, the Dodgers, the Mets, and the Yankees. I find the most humor in the Yankees, though. They desperately want to be the team that breeds their talent in their farm system. The Rays are the best example of this. They aren't necessarily doing it as a strategy as much as they are out of necessity. When you pack 13,000 a night into your shitty stadium you have no money for the big name free agents. They want to rely on Chamberlain and Hughes, but they don't have the patience...or maybe they just don't have the scouts to recognize "can't miss talent". They overcompensate for these defficencies (lack of patience, bad scouting, lack of team chemistry) by over paying for "talent". Carl Pavano, Bobby Abreu to name two. They are the fat kid who is paying to have friends. They are a collection of great talent that will not win. The Yankees are not a team, but a mirage that big "names" go to, to get paid and when they get there they realize the fucked up; that the pressure was too much for them to handle and they realize they should have stayed in Milwaukee or in Oakland or in Kansas City.
Sabathia will be the same as the rest of them. He is getting 7 years 160 million, which really is 4 years 160 million because no one can expect him to be effective for 7 years. He is 28 and throws more pitches than anyone in baseball. He has never won 20 games. He got hot last year...very hot...in the National League, not the American League. I expect him to be a good pitcher for the Yankees next year. He won't be great. He is a hired gun who might not think its necessary to throw 9 hard innings anymore. With that kind of pay day it doesn't really matter.

Favorite Albums of 2008

By the end of the year I try to compile a list of my favorite albums released this year. It is hard to think back to January and February and the albums released then. I always seem to forget a couple here and there. I rate them on a couple criteria.
1) When I bought the album did I listen to it over and over and have a hard time listening to anything else. This could be skewed if another good album was released simultaneously. This is not a scientific study though so I don't even think about things being skewed.
2) Could I put this album in 3 months later and still enjoy it. Some albums have not been out for 3 months so do not qualify. I have the ability though, to see into the future and I can tell if I will like the album in 3 months. The ability to see into the future only pertains to deterimining if I will like an album in 3 months. It is disappointing that "the gift" doesn't work for anything else...
So hear is the list. In reverse order...to build up to the suspense of #1...
My Favorite Albums of 2008
14. Times New Viking-Rip It Off
13. The Dodos-Visiter
12. My Morning Jacket- Evil Urges
11. Ryan Adams and The Cardinals- Cardinology
10. She and Him- Volume One
9. Sigur Ros-
**Titus Androndicus-The Airing Of Grievances
8. The Walkmen- You and Me
7. Sun Kil Moon- April
6. The Mountain Goats- Satanic Messiah EP
5. Conor Oberst- Conor Oberst
4. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks- REal Emotional Trash
3. Frightened Rabbit- The Midnight Organ Fight
**The Tallest Man On Earth-Shallow Grave
2. Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes
2. Okkervil River- The Stand Ins
1. Wolf Parade- At Mount Zoomer

There you have it. Probably forgot something in there. Think Beach House came out this year and I enjoyed that album. Haven't listened to some of the albums on other peoples top 50 lists. I see Bon Iver on there quite a bit and should probably see what the fuss is all about. Forgot about Bonnie Prince Billy. I liked Lie Down in the Light. Don't know if it would make this prestigious list or not...

Ben Stein is the Commissioner of The Christmas Season

I can only hope we find God again before it is too late!!



The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning

Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a crïeche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK..

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talkin g about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is i n.


My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

Ten is still better than any album fools are making today

I can't figure out if this has just been a terrible year for music or if my age is catching up to me. I wonder if I have become the person that feels new music has no relevance and that everything is beginning to sound the same. There hasn't been one album this year that has had me waiting outside a music store for the doors to open.
Last year had Iron and Wine, Band of Horses, The National, Beirut, The Weakerthans, Spoon...Handsome Furs...and on and on. This year has nothing that has interested me for more than a second. Okkervil River Stand-Ins is probably as good as it got this year and that is not bad. I liked the album a lot. I liked it more than Stage Names...
I liked Sigur Ros but you can only listen to that so many times before your brain needs to hear real words. I don't exactly know what I am waiting for, but I am waiting for something.
It was much easier when my expectations soley lay with Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, and Radiohead. There are so many more bands to choose from. All the choices have watered down everything. Go back and listen to Ten or Vitology or Tiny Music or Pablo Honey. I liked it when things weren't so complicated. The music was amazing and you didn't have to think about why you liked it. It was just great.
What are you listening to all that other stuff anyway. You should be listening to Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole right now. Where are your priorities and sense of the Christmas season.
In unrelated news here is our christmas tree. We now have a glowing angel on top so add thatto what you are looking at.

Cardinology Is A Terrible Title To a Pretty Good Album

I kind of like this Ryan Adams and The Cardinals new album, Cardinology. It doesn't have that overall twangy country sound that a lot of Jacksonville City Nights and Easy Tiger has. And I have really grown to enjoy that sound. Five years ago I would have found it a bore, but I guess as I get on in years I like good old roots country tunes. This album sounds more pop like than some of his other, and thats alright. In a time where I am sincerely struggling to like any music at all, I find this record to be pretty good.
I like Ryan Adams because he pukes out songs, and not in a bad way either. He is a songwriter and for the most part a very good one. Here is one of my favorite songs on the album.


Ryan Adams and The Cardinals [mp3] Crossed Out Name

NBA Basketball is Back

NBA basketball is back. It is imperative, for professional sports leagues to be successful, that big name teams contend for Conference and World Championships. For the NBA to be truly successful and back in the living rooms of sports fans then the Celtics and the Lakers have to be successful. The Knicks need to be successful. It would be great for the Pistons and the Bulls to be successful. Right now the Lakers and Celtics are a combined 15-1 coming off their Finals showdown last year. The Knicks have found a way to get to 5-3 and the Pistons are a half game out of first in the Central. There are more guys I would pay money to see (Lebron, Kobe, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, Troy Paul, Amare Stoudemire, Pierce, Allen, Garnett). The Trail Blazers are a fun team to watch, as are the Suns.
I am looking forward to watching the Celtics on Friday night basketball for the first time since watching Bird, McHale, Parish on those Friday nights before Church League Basketball. Shooting phantom jump shots in my basement during timeouts imagining that I was probably as good as Bird was at this age. Ha!
It seems that guys are playing harder. Playing with enthusiasm. The Celtics winning the championship last year was a great thing for the sport. No one cares if San Antonio or Utah or Miami wins it. We all want to see Boston or Detroit or Chicago or Clevland. With that being said. I would rather see Oklahoma City win the Finals Championship than the Hollywood Lakers.

The Unanticipation of Thanksgiving Makes it the Greatest Holiday since my Birthday

-Turkey, you are probably not alive anymore, and if you are you are on death row-

Thanksgiving is the most underrated Holiday in our country. Easily overlooked for obvious reasons and taken advantage of, as simply an extended weekend of discount shopping. I believe that I like it more than Christmas. Thanksgiving holds all the fun that Christmas does...getting together to eat lots of food over and over again, to drink alcoholic beverages over and over again, watch sports and movies and take naps intermittently throughout the day. You don't have the presents and of course, the birth of Christ and all, but most importantly, you don't have the pressure. Every year you get so hyped up for Christmas. More excited than anything. With overexcitement comes the dread of it ending. I dread Christmas ending more than I look forward to it.
With Thanksgiving you don't count down the days on a calender pulling out a piece of candy as you get closer to the big day. You don't prepare long lists of things you don't really need and you don't hang lights and torture trees...the day comes without a ton of overdone anticipation. You wake up when you wake up. Drink, eat, and watch football. Nap and eat and nap and drink.

5 great things about Thanksgiving
1. I don't love turkey. I don't request it for birthday meals or for special occasions, but on Thanksgiving eating plates and plates of turkey sounds better than meatballs during the Super Bowl.
2. Sleeping through the 3rd and maybe 4th quarter of the Lions game.
3. The Friday after Thanksgiving might be the busiest shopping day of the year, but it is irrelevant if you spend that entire day in your basement.
4. Saying, "The Thanksgiving Day Parade is on!!!" and then watching Sportscenter.
5. After the dishes are done and it has just gotten dark getting the turkey out and making the greatest turkey sandwich ever assembled.

I think that the best bands to listen to today are as follows--
Fleet Foxes
Sun Kil Moon
My Morning Jacket
Bod Dylan (just Blood on the Tracks)