Softball 2007: Playoffs Round One

We knew going into the game that everything was against us...

Watch this to see what happened:



That's right...we took down the two-time Defending Champions. No 3-peat on our watch.



We were losing from the 1st inning until the top of the 6th, and we needed those insurance runs in the top of the 7th, too.


Batting Stats for Playoffs-Game One:
1st AB: 1B
2nd AB: line out
3rd AB: 2B, run
4th AB: 3B, rbi, run
5th AB: 1B, rbi

Average: 0.800
Slugging: 1.400


Pitching Stats for Playoffs-Game One:
7 IP
10 runs
0 K
0 BB

ERA: 10.00 and the win


In the top of the 6th, with two outs and us trailing by one, I stepped to the plate with a runner on first. And I cracked a line drive down the first base line and didn't stop running until I got to third. I drove in the tying run, and on the next play, crossed home plate giving us the lead.

It was my first triple on the season (I did have one home run and at least one triple last year)

It was a great game. It's the only time I can think of where we were trailing most of the way and came back. And it was still tense in the last inning, but we pulled it off.

I pitched great. I mean, they had some big hits off me, but I was painting the corners, and as the game went on, was really trying to not give them anything to hit. The last time we played, when I wasn't pitching, we gave up 25 runs.

Batting Stats on the Season:
17/30: 12 singles, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 10 runs scored, 4 walks, 6 rbi, 1 strike out.
Average: .566
Slugging: .766
OBP: .618

Pitching Stats on the Season:
58 innings pitched
72 runs
10 K
2 BB

ERA: 8.69
Record: 6-4

hoagie central digs deeper

Much ballyhoo has been made of the fact that Larry Johnson set a NFL record for carries with 416, and the infamous Curse of 370 that says he won't have a good year because he ran too much.

Would it surprise you to learn that including receptions, Stephen Jackson has 436 touches last year and LDT had 404 touches. LJ had 454 touches for comparison.

So all this drama over Larry Johnson, and he touched the ball once more per game then Stephen Jackson. My gut says LJ's offensive line will be more of a problem than the curse of 370.

Softball 2007: Regular Season Wrap/Playoff Preview

I was on vacation for Game 8, and had to work late missing Game 9. Our team lost both, dropping our regular season record to 3-6.

Here are my regular season stats, including the mid-season tournament:

Batting Stats on the Season:
13/25: 10 singles, 3 doubles, 8 runs scored, 4 walks, 4 rbi, 1 strike out.
Average: .520
Slugging: .640
OBP: .586

Pitching Stats on the Season:
51 innings pitched
62 runs
10 K
2 BB

ERA: 8.51
Record: 5-4


I think we ended up finishing 6th, so tonight the playoffs begin, facing off against the 3-seed, the two-time defending champs. They beat us in Game 2, and whooped us in Game 8, but I didn't get to play in much of our first meeting and I missed the second.

I'm penciled in to be the full-time pitcher and the lead off hitter. I think that we could go out there and play a great game and surprise them.

deangelo hall needs help

So you've probably seen DeAngelo Hall's boastful haircut, and heard that he got owned by #85, Chad Johnson.

But here is the video of Hall getting roasted, toasted by Ocho Cinco:

running backs projected ahead of julius jones that were still available when matt took julius jones

(with 2007 fantasy point total projections)

Clinton Portis 174
Travis Henry 174
Ronnie Brown 172
Maurice Jones-Drew 170
Thomas Jones 168
Willis McGahee 168
Edgerrin James 164
Brandon Jacobs 162
Cedric Benson 150
Deuce McAllister 148
Ahman Green 144
Marshawn Lynch 144
Adrian Peterson 144
Marion Barber 140*
Cadillac Williams 138
Tatum Bell 128
Jamal Lewis 126
Julius Jones 122


*on the same team as Julius Jones

Complete (ly Worthless) 2007 NFL Predictions: Part Two

AFC Playoff Picks

Ravens d. Jets
Colts d. Steelers

Pats d. Colts
Chargers d. Ravens

Pats d. Chargers

NFC Playoff Picks

Bears d. 49ers
Eagles d. Rams

Saints d. Eagles
Cowboys d. Bears

Saints d. Cowboys

Super Bowl XLII

Pats d. Saints


It is worth noting that although this is ridiculous, I did correctly predict the Colts to win last year.

how SI ruined their covers

Sports Illustrated covers mean something. Just like getting on the Wheaties box, it's a special honor. And yet, this decade they've done something to diminish that honor.

Take a look at these Michael Jordon covers:

(1997)

(2003)

Or how about these Super Bowl covers:

(1998)

(2007)

Can you tell the difference?

I could do this all day, but here's one more from the Masters:

(2001)

(2004)

The difference is that SI covers used to be something worthy of framing and putting on a wall. But now, even on special historic issues, they clutter them up with worthless banners and windows...You think Colts fans or Peyton himself would want to frame a SI cover with Carlos Delgado peeking over his shoulder. And who cares about the NBA Playoff preview when Lefty finally won a major.

this is embarrassing

Stupid pose aside, look at the shoddy photoshop work on his right foot. His toes (and the nike swoosh) are CUT OFF. The only possible explanation is that his foot is curled towards the camera...but I don't buy it, because the toe swoosh faces out. And then if it's not a photoshop error, it's a photography error because it looks stupid.

Also, there's another, though less glaring error on his left shoe. They clipped the outline on the right side too close so the toe piece sticks out. Just piss poor work all around.

In general though, I have a bigger beef with SI covers...

how famous does google think I am?

If you start typing in names into google, it gives you suggestions based on most popular searches. Let's see how popular I am. First a benchmark. I'll try Will Leitch. He can't crack the list of just "will"

If I try "will l", he's 3rd on the list.

And by the time you get here, it's all him.


Okay, let's try me. Hmm....dave f is a tough list to crack.

Surely if I keep going...uh-oh. Google is out of suggestions. Hmm.

Perhaps, just fymbo then. Fym gets me nowhere.


Crap.

it's official: the chiefs stink

As much as I read that the defense will be better...I can't help but realize that the Chiefs are going to be terrible. I would post some shocking stats but I'd rather stick my face in a toaster.

Hoagie Middle East Fantasy Tips

With NFL fantasy drafts coming up, I want to share with you my list of sleepers.

1. Joey Harrington - Sure he wasn't so good in Detroit of Miami, but he had terrible teams around him. Remember, he's good enough to be drafted #3 overall in real life. Probably a mid- to late-third round pick in fantasy.

2. Devin Hester - We saw what he did last near while only returning kicks. Think about what he can do when he catches the ball mid-stride.

3. Lions DST - With everybody thinking they're terrible, they can't finish below your expectations.

Now that you have my sleepers, here are some of my overrated players.

1. LaDainian Tomlinson - Nobody has repeated as the top fantasy player since Marshall Faulk. If I had the #1 pick, I'd take an up-and-comer like Steven Jackson. Odds are against Tomlinson repeating.

2. Peyton Manning - I wouldn't take him until the 3rd round. Super Bowl hangover. He lost his left tackle, running back, 3rd receiver, and he and Marvin Harrison are a year older and slower.

3. Terrell Owens - Remember year 2 in Philadelphia? This is year 2 in Dallas.

how the deadspin hall of fame got started

Anyways here are my votes for the 2007 Class so far:

Ned: Yes
Brady Quinn: No
Salisbury: No
Barbaro: Yes
Espn Memo: No
Pac Man: Yes
Kige: No
Lemme Know: No

what the people want

So I uploaded 3 videos a month ago, and it's time to check and see what's the most popular.

Amazingly, clear shower curtain is the winner! I'm assuming people were hoping to see someone behind a clear shower curtain, and were disappointed when it was just mark being stupid. Although that doesn't really explain why no one's interested in seeing missy fuck katie.

what is this, lunesday?

I'm off today. On a Wednesday. I went to work for 2 days, have a day off, and will go back for Thursday and Friday. And it feels great.

Also, a google search for lunesday shows that I'm in the top 3 but, not #1.

bend it like fymbo

although not the first i've uploaded, this is the first video i've edited and created from scratch. also, all the kicks are from the same distance - the darker ones are zoomed, but still from the same spot. it was somewhere in between the penalty spot and the edge of the box.

Complete (ly Worthless) 2007 NFL Predictions: Part One

Pats 12-4
Jets 10-6
Bills 7-9
Dolphins 4-12

Ravens 11-5
Steelers 10-6
Bengals 8-8
Browns 7-9

Colts 10-6
Jags 9-7
Texans 6-10
Titans 4-12

Chargers 11-5
Broncos 9-7
Chiefs 6-10
Raiders 5-11

Cowboys 11-5
Eagles 10-6
Skins 8-8
Giants 5-11

Bears 9-7
Packers 6-10
Lions 6-10
Vikings 6-10

Saints 12-4
Panthers 9-7
Falcons 7-9
Bucs 6-10

Rams 9-7
49ers 9-7
Seahawks 8-8
Cardinals 6-10

So of course, trying to guess records is a fruitless task, but what the hell. I'm afraid I have too many repeat division winners, but I don't know any better. If you already know that I got something wrong, let me know in the comments.

Updated 8/30: I revised the NFC south and NFC West and took a win from the Chiefs and gave it to the Raiders.

bad rex

Well it's the preseason so Grossman only played 22 minutes for the Bears...so of course he had 3 fumbles (2 lost) and a interception. And to think, he was this close to being a Super Bowl Champion.

i think this is one of the signs of armageddon

f-bomb count

The Aristocrats 100
Any Given Sunday 129
South Park movie 139
Shaft 141
Snatch 159
Boogie Nights 164
Superbad 186

The movie could have been a lot funnier if they had focused on actual humor instead of just being vulgar. 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up used swearing to amplify the humor, not relying on teenagers using f-bombs to be the humor.

Michael Cera is too funny to be wasted on a script like this.

new nfl.com with awesome videos

So I can't embed them, but the new nfl.com has a great video player with free highlights for basically every recent game it looks like. Here's a sampling, including providing visual evidence to games that I've blogged about in the past. I could watch great football clips all day.

Here's a great clip of the Chiefs beating the Chargers as time expires, which I forgot all about.

Here's the game from 2005 that I called the greatest game ever played.

Here's LT's 44 point fantasy explosion that helped me win that week's draft league matchup by 6 points, as I noted here.

Here's the video from last year's game (Grossman's 6 turnover, 0 touchdown game) that I dubbed the most bizarre game I've ever seen.

Here's the Chiefs's season opener in 2005, featuring a deadly combination of Priest and LJ. The Jets fumbled 8 times that game--it also has a great shot of then Jets coach Herm Edwards looking confused. This was the first game I watched in Chicago.

Here's the Chiefs' 2004 opener vs the Broncos, featuring the famous left hand interception by Jake Plummer from his goal line.

Thankfully, they don't have video evidence of the 2003 beatdown courtesy of Mr. Portis. The Chiefs entered the game 11-1...and gave up 218 yards and 5 rushing touchdowns to a guy with a championship belt.

So it looks like they have videos for all the 06 and 05 games, plus some from 04. If you find any good ones, leave em in the comments.

happy anniversary to me

So I didn't want to mention it until I had the tickets in my hand, but mrs. hoagie central and i did exchange anniversary gifts in July. Although tradition would state the first anny gift should be paper, I gave her a perfume/body wash set and a really expensive card. The perfume smells like cotton candy, in a good way.

Her gift?

2 tickets to Jaguars at Chiefs, week 5, October 7th:
Section 122, Row 10:(click to see giant size)

This will be the first time in the modern era (not counting the 3 or so games I went as a kid) that I will be in the lower bowl, and on the Chiefs bench side. Rumor has it that Gonzo tosses a football into this section after the pregame warmup.

Here were our seats in the 04 and 05 season (we didn't go in 06--I think we were busy planning for the wedding so we never thought about getting tickets):

i think croyle won the job

Three Things I Think I Think after Chiefs/Dolphins:

1. Not that it really matters, but the replay clearly showed the Fins QB down and touched by a Chief about a foot in front of the goal line, on the game winning 2-pt conversion. I thought they were supposed to have HD replay this year. Jaws clearly saw it, so why can't the refs?


2. This AP headline and lede seems awfully fishy:


Because when you look at the stats:

In fact, Green looked shaky at best throwing behind the receivers, and was taken out after 2 series, a 3 and out, and a turnover on downs. So why exactly were Chiefs fans supposed to want Trent Green back?

Especially in the 4th quarter when Printers was completing almost all his passes? Odd choice for the focus of the game recap.

3. And I think Croyle won the starting job. He's obviously still making bad decisions. But it looks like he's the future, and we might as well start building now. If this QB battle was on the Patriots, I might say go with Huard to win this year. But this team is not the Patriots. I'm tired of seeing an older quarterback hold on to the ball too long, taking sacks. Let's make something happen.

i've got september 16 circled on my calendar

So when I found that hoagie middle east would be making a chicago visit during football season, I was already excited. I knew we would have to go to Joe's to watch the NFL Sunday ticket. What I didn't realize until yesterday, is what the schedule of games are on September 16th:

3:00 Chiefs at Bears
7:15 Chargers at Patriots

So not only will the place be rocking and rooting for the Bears against the Chiefs, but that means the Chiefs will be on the big screen. And it should* be a reasonably good game. Larry Johnson vs the Big Bears D...battle of young, turnover prone cannon arm quarterbacks (assuming Croyle wins the job).

And then, the class of the NFL squares off in a primetime showdown with fantasy implications. Just wow.

(Oh and and the Lions/Vikings will be on at 3 as well, but that's just depressing.)

suck it, beckham haters

So of course, Beckham's goal and assist were top stories on Sportscenter, Deadspin, and Fanhouse, as well it should be. But I was there. Okay, not in the stadium, but I was there watching the game from the beginning. I was there to watch his previous 21 MLS minutes, and was surprised that he was actually going to start.

I was watching when he got the first card of the game in the 18th minute, and when he lined up to take the first close range free kick in America, I got Mrs. Hoagie Central's attention, and said "watch this, free kicks are his specialty."

And she did. There we were, watching the ball dip and curve and see the goalie didn't even have an attempt to save it. I was shocked. His first direct kick? It's that easy for him?

And yes, the announcers were spanish. GOL! GOL! GOL! GOL! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!

Of course his assist in the second half is going to be how he really makes the team better. Good stuff.

"I can't hover!"

8.15.07

I've learned/am learning a lot about myself. One of the keys to losing weight is eating smaller portions. And once I was eating smaller portions for a while, my body got used to them. I wasn't as hungry. A 6" would fill me up where I would used to eat a 12".

But here's the interesting part: If I want to eat the 12" (or say a whole frozen pizza, or a 1 lb. burger and fries) I can do so with alarming ease. Even though my body is used to smaller portions, I can easily put away huge foods.

Which I find very interesting, because it reveals a human truth. For me, for all that time and to this day, eating was so often more for me, than it was for my body.

...

Every time I go to Burnsy's I'm shocked that he has the same snacks in the cupboard that he had weeks/months earlier. Bags of chips that are still open--they're open!--and haven't been touched in weeks. It's so foreign to me because I'm so used to eating for pleasure, that when I get something snacky, it disappears instantly. Once a bag of chips gets open, it gets finished in a day or two. That's just the way I am. So I've learned it's easier to not buy the chips then to try and make them last.

my madden holiday didn't exactly go as planned

My blockbuster opens at 10. I had been planning for weeks to show up at 10:30 to rent it, with my free monthly coupon from using blockbuster online.

Well, I got caught up in meetings and didn't get there until 11:30. I was nervously walking over there, wondering if they had all been sold out already. I mean, it's been out for an hour and half already!

So I walk in, and they don't have it even on the shelf. For any platform. Boo. So I walk back dejectedly and have to wonder all day whether I'll be able to get it. I would have liked to leave at 5 and see if they've stocked it by then.

Unfortuantely, work threw me a curve ball. I stayed until after 8 pm finishing up some projects. I was tired, hungry and desperately in the mood for this hyped-up game. I went into Blockbuster on my way home, and what did I see? Would they have been all sold out, it is 8:30 by now...

They had 5 ps2 display boxes, and not a single one was checked out. I waited in line, and then before I left the store, I checked to make sure it was 08, and for ps2, and when I saw it for the first time, I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear.

So after playing it for a few hours last night, how does it stack up? Um, not as exciting as I had hoped.

First the background: I bought Madden 06 and rented 07 last year. The only new feature last year was lead blocking (which was cool but not enough to buy the game again) and updates to the superstar mode.

So it's been 2 years since I've really played this game. And it feels exactly the same. Menus, fonts, playbooks, virtually everything is what I've had for the past two years. And the Chiefs roster isn't even right--Trent Green was still in red and gold. (I understand he wasn't traded THAT long ago, but still.)

Their most hyped new feature is player weapons. This is a joke. So they've labeled Peyton a star and Hester fast. The best players we're already the best players--I've yet to see how these weapon icons mean anything beyond the players rating (I mean if JaMarcus Russel has a 99 pass strength rating, shouldn't I already know he has a Cannon Arm--does that icon make him throw it harder?)

The new skill drills are neat, except for I beat the running drill on the first try without even knowing what I was doing. But the defense and pre-snap drills have a level of difficulty on the other extreme. The passing drill is the only drill set to a fair difficulty.

That's about it.

The playbook is frustratingly unchanged. At least move the plays around so it feels like I'm looking at something new.

And the announcing...ugh. Contrary to reports I've read (which must have been about next-gen) Al Michaels and Madden still do the commentary. And by still do, I mean they have the same sound clips they had TWO years ago. It's not a good sign, when the first time I put in 08, I am talking word for word along with Al Michaels. If they can't record new lines every year, then get different people.

Basically the only great new thing is the new players. I created Calvin Johnson and Dwayne Bowe (etc.) for my 06 game, but now they have faces. That's cool.

I might have a more positive view later on, as tonight begins the Brodie Croyle years on a Chiefs franchise, but so far, I haven't seen anything that's compelling me to buy 08. I mean 07 at least changed the gameplay by adding lead blocking, so far I haven't seen anything that changes the actual game. Besides adding more and more annoying product placement.

Now I've got to go eat a Snickers and make calls on a Sprint phone.

just one more day

my plan is to take an early lunch break to blockbuster to rent madden tomorrow. hopefully no one has the same idea.

weekend hamper dump

Ah, the first preseason game. After reading the Chiefs blogs you'd think the Chiefs are a great team. And then they go play like poop. I'm not to get to worked up over the first preseason game, but it's just a little reminder that this team isn't going to be that great this year. (But they're still going to win the Super Bowl!) sigh.

Also, I got out ye old soccer ball and went out to the field across the street. I counted out 36 steps to place a 12-yard penalty kick. At first it seemed farther then it looks on TV, but I had no problem zipping right under the crossbar.

So then I moved it back and was flying them over the crossbar from estimated 60, 70 feet. It felt really good to let it fly off my foot and hold my arms up and hope that it would dip down into the goal. I hit one free kick from the wing about 40 feet away that just curved right into the top corner. Good times.

becks rules

So I had been scheduling to Tivo LA Galaxy games for a while, only to cancel it when I found out Becks wouldn't be appearing. So last night, I finally got my wish, and saw Beckham make his debut. It was some of the most compelling, exciting sports I've seen, probably since the NFL playoffs in January.

Watching him send that long pass up the left side to Donovan was a thing of beauty. What would be really amazing, is if they could make a comeback and get into the playoffs. Perhaps, next season will be the year that he makes a big impact, if he can turn the franchise around.

ooooh, fujitas

So the Saints take a day off from camp to go to a water park and Fujita ends up on crutches. That's good stuff.

a cheese for special occasions

Although I've been known to enjoy Merkt's cheese spread in my day, throughout 2007 I've hardly had any soft cheeses at home. I still buy grated parmesan, and the occasional hard parmesean, but that's about it.

Until, about a week ago when I purchased a cheese that had come highly recommended: Canadian Black Diamond Aged White Cheddar. I had the choice of two 8oz. packages: the 1-year aged in slices or the 2-year reserve in a wedge.


While the 2-years was enticing, the wedge looked like it it would disappear in about 3 or 4 servings. At about 7 dollars (thats $14/pound) I opted for the slices to make it last.

I can't say enough good things about this cheese. The one-year was amazingly flavorful so I can only imagine how strong the 2 years would be. Try this cheese.

you know who got screwed?

Charles Bergstresser.

food hamper dump

I've been craving homemade guacamole for a while, and Sunday I decided to go and buy everything for a guac party:

2 avocados
1 lime
head of garlic
onion
cilantro

chips
sour cream

I was excited. Unfortunately, the avocados I purchased with "ripe" stickers on were not in fact ripe. It was an avocado disaster and a big waste of time and money. And it's not that I want my money back, it's that I want the guac.

Anyways, since I had the onion and sour cream, I decided to make the best of it last night and made a Mexican Burger:

I spread the sour cream on my whole-wheat bread, and topped the burger with slivers of onion, chipotle tabasco, and a squeeze of fresh lime. I would have used salsa if I hadn't run out on monday, putting the chips to good use. But the burger was delicious with just the chipotle, lime, onion and sour cream combination. In fact, I might make another tonight.

(Weird burger topping sidenote: In Grand Cayman I had a BBQ bacon cheeseburger with a slice of grilled pineapple--I'm not a big fan of pineapple in general, but it was delicious with the cheese and the meat and the bacon and the barbecue sauce. )

But you know what would be really good on a Mexican burger? Guacamole.

blackhawks non sequitur

So I get a voicemail from the "Chicago Blackhawks Front Office" and I was all excited. The Front Office? Did I win something? Do they need me for a focus group? Clearly this was a phone call from Management...

And then I returned the call and found it they were just trying to sell me tickets:

Front Office: "I noticed that you went to a game in 05 and a game in 06, so is that something that you would like to continue in the future?"
Me: Not really.

Thanks for wasting 2 of my daytime peak cell phone minutes.

proposed chiefs-lion wager

Well, the Chiefs do play the Lions this year, but it's a home game for Detroit and it's in week 16 when either team could be resting starters (or more likely, trying out prospects for the 08 season). Regardless, I think that overall record is a better indicator of who's having the better season, and the 12/23 game will be used only as a tie breaker.

As for possible stakes, perhaps the fan with the worse team record should have to write 500 words about why the other team is superior, complete with photoshop illustration showing the losing fan rooting for the winning team.

anything else?

Update: And the loser has to buy the winner a burger. Just because.

deadspin comment of the week

I think that one of the most common blog topics is "why I haven't been blogging that much lately." Suffice to say, I'm really looking forward to the NFL, which includes looking forward to fantasy and Madden. I'm happy that the Chiefs signed Bowe--but reading Chiefs blogs is dangerous. You might start to believe that the Chiefs will be good this year.

keep watching, it's worth it

the fymbo ultimatum