October 22, 2003
In (not very) related news, I'm in 6th place (out of 20 teams) in my fantasy hockey league. And no, I still have no clue what I'm doing.
Also, it looks like the Sharks have some connection to the San Jose Stealth, a brand new professional lacrosse team starting up in a fledgling western league. For those of you not from the northeast U.S., lacrosse is a wicked cool sport that's kind of a cross between hockey and soccer and rugby. It was taught to early settlers by the native indians, who almost certainly didn't have a team called the 'Stealth'. This link takes you to a virtual tour of the Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame.
Posted by: Ted at
08:58 AM | category: SciTech
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Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup shortening
1½ cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2¾ cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 Tbsp white sugar
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, 1½ cups sugar, eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
3. Mix the 2 Tbsp white sugar and ground cinnamon together in a small dish.
4. Shape the dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls. Roll balls of dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets to cool completely.
Makes 4 dozen.
Posted by: Ted at
08:29 AM | category: Recipes
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They weren't the only team to have a legendary defense in that era though. The Philidelphia Athletics boasted their "$100,000 Infield" (photo here - the guy second from the left was a teammate but not a member of the infield). They earned that nickname when Owner/manager Connie Mack claimed that even that amount of money could not get him to break up his stellar infield.
Comprised of first baseman John "Stuffy" McInnis, second baseman Eddie Collins, shortstop John "Jack" Barry, and third baseman Frank "Home Run" Baker, the four did eventually move on to other teams but continued to have a major impact on baseball. Combined, the four members of the $100,000 Infield appeared in 12 of the 16 World Series played from 1910 to 1925 - on the winning side eight times.
Posted by: Ted at
05:08 AM | category: History
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October 21, 2003
WHO GIVES A SHIT!!!!!
Freaking World Series brought to you by the XFL. Tell me how much money he makes, what his batting average is against left handed dyslexic kleptomaniacs, or that he doesn't change his underwear during winning streaks, but for Pete's sake don't tell me non-baseball related stupidity. I get enough of that elsewhere.
UPDATE: Yanni is in the stands. So is Mike Tyson. I say put 'em together and Mike gets a meal, and gets put away for good. With leniency for doing in freakin' Yanni.
Posted by: Ted at
09:27 PM | category: Square Pegs
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Jim Belushi comes down the stairs with the Third Base Guy!* He's in hiding, but dressed just like he was at the game (headphones, jacket, etc). Jim tells him that his new name is "Ed... Ed Gameblower. No, sorry, that was mean. How about Ed Dreamwrecker."
Then the wife goes to throw Jim his car keys, and you can guess what happens.
Funny as hell.
* I don't know if it was the actual guy, but the resemblance was there.
Posted by: Ted at
09:10 PM | category: Square Pegs
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Mock Octopus Chowder
1 can mushroom soup
1 cup pencil erasers
Combine. Heat and serve.
Posted by: Ted at
12:49 PM | category: Recipes
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The guys at Random Nuclear Strikes keep posting quality stuff. As I scrolled through their blog, I couldn’t decide whether to link to the bit about rebels without a clue, or the one about the legacy of Ronald Reagan, or Noah. Until I found their new effort, the Bellicose Woman’s Brigade, and its primary topic – the right of self defense. Personal note to oldest daughter and Mookie: go read this, and think about it.
While IÂ’m on that subject, go check out the ShooterÂ’s Carnival too. Lots of good stuff for beginners, in a group blog format. Entries by Publicola, Alphecca, and Say Uncle.
ThereÂ’s a nice little debate going on over at Across the Atlantic about the most beautiful airplane ever, prompted by the soon-to-be-retired Concorde.
This guy always has something thought-provoking to read. You should stop by, and while youÂ’re there ask him why IÂ’m not on his blogroll.
ThereÂ’s always a party going on at Madfish WillieÂ’s Cyber Saloon.
Mr. Helpful is going to be posting chapters of his novel online (there are a lot of bloggers writing novels, which I suppose isnÂ’t all that surprising). Megan is also writing a new story for the Second Spherewide Short Story Symposium. With an owie, no less. That is a dedicated wordsmith.
Kin's back, and he's picked up right where he left off.
Nic talks of charity walks and poor pumpkin crops. Blame Canada!
TwoDragons is having problems with our comment routines not remembering her. We discussed the problem and unofficially decided that it’s the ‘system’ keeping you down.
Alright, lunch is over. Later.
Posted by: Ted at
12:14 PM | category: Links
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Robyn, I mean this in the most loving way possible: you have rotten taste in music.
Posted by: Ted at
08:06 AM | category: Family matters
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Posted by: Ted at
07:56 AM | category: Munuvian Daily Tattler
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Ballplayers, like every other American citizen, understand the importance of giving one's self for their country. Hall of Famer Morgan Bulkeley served in the Civil War. Twenty-five Hall of Fame members served in World War I. Thirty-five Hall of Fame members and more than 500 major league players served in World War II. 95 percent of the players who were major leaguers in 1941 eventually served in World War II in some capacity. Five Hall of Famers served America during the Korean War. A few examples:
Ted Williams flew for the US Marines during World War II and the Korean War, losing nearly six years of his career to military service. He was almost killed when he crash-landed his plane in Korea in 1953.
Warren Spahn missed the entire 1943, 1944, and 1945 seasons to war service and appeared in only four games in 1942. He won his 100th career game after his 30th birthday, but still won an amazing 363 games in his career. No left-hander has ever won as many.
Detroit slugger Hank Greenberg was in the Army prior to Pearl Harbor and was discharged on December 5, 1941. After Pearl Harbor he voluntarily enlisted again as an officer candidate in the Air Corps.
Pitcher Christy Mathewson was gassed while in the US Army in World War I and died several years later still suffering from the effects.
Cleveland Indians hurler Bob Feller (from Iowa!) enlisted in 1942 and earned eight battle stars in combat during World War II. He missed four seasons while in the service.
Here's a memorial and list of those ballplayers who gave their lives in service to their country.
Posted by: Ted at
05:32 AM | category: History
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October 20, 2003
"Mr Bailey complains that his (Eminem's) rap is trash, so he's seeking compensation in the form of cash," she wrote.
"Bailey thinks he's entitled to some monetary gain, because Eminem used his name in vain.
"The lyrics are stories no one would take as fact, they're an exaggeration of a childish act.
"It is therefore this court's ultimate position, that Eminem is entitled to summary disposition," she concluded.
Word.
Posted by: Ted at
02:53 PM | category: Square Pegs
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Josh Gibson was a catcher in the old negro leagues and one of the greatest sluggers the game has ever seen.* He was selected to the Hall of Fame in 1972.
Sadaharu Oh is the greatest slugger in Japanese baseball history**. He finished his career with more homers than Hank Aaron, and led the Japanese league in home runs for 13 straight seasons, averaging 45 homers a year. Upon his retirement, he became the manager for his team, the Yomiuri Giants.
* Take most stats from the negro leagues with a grain of salt because accurate records were not always kept and the newspapers of the day often did not cover the games with any consistency. Historians usually try to determine the actual numbers by cross-checking multiple sources, some of dubious reliability. The numbers might not be correct, but there's no doubt that Josh Gibson was a monster at the plate.
** There is some dispute over whether Josh Gibson hit more homers in his career (see note above).
Posted by: Ted at
05:49 AM | category: History
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Posted by: Ted at
05:18 AM | category: Rocketry Resources
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October 19, 2003
First things first, but not necessarily in that order. We've got trolls! Mr. Green had the first run-in with one JadeGold and soon many Munuvians were involved. Rather than try to make sense of the running battle, I'll just link to a few and let you sort it out for yourself. Lots of non-Munuvians on the link list at Heathers place too. They've also set up the Gold Enclave of Privileged Capitalists, complete with graphics supplied by Jennifer and Cherry. Woot! (can a privileged capitalist say that?)
Later, Mookie got her own troll. I know the gentleman (notice I didn't say 'boy') in question, and I am not happy.
In other MookieNews, there are recent reports of not just one, but two many other Mookies out there! Be afraid. Also, just to embarrass her (which is one of my favorite parental perks), I'll announce now that although she was born in Landstuhl, Germany, Mookie was concieved in Luxembourg.
Victor attended the Tour of Hope ceremony this weekend. He posted some excellent pictures as well. If you haven't already, do go see.
Our resident Rat-meister also set up an informal wagering system for us Munuvian hockey fans. Losers must display the logo of the winner's team for a day.
Uber-traveler Lady H continues her globetrotting ways. She's in Atlanta, was there time or inclination to set up a visit with Daniel?
Pixy gets into an analysis of Cowboy Bebop, which is a famous Anime series. I always thought 'anime' was Japanese for 'crappy cartoon', but my opinion has changed some in the last year. I've seen a couple series where the story was so good that you forgot the quirks of Japanese animation. Unfortunately, I've also seen popular series (Trigun comes to mind) where my original opinion is just reinforced.
Nobody ever answered my question. What's the difference between Manga and Anime?
Susie gets my vote for best blog banner out there! She also thinks Daniel is adorable. Jennifer agrees, but says she knew it first.
Jen also claims that there is in fact water in Iowa. Sorry dear, that's not water, it's creamed corn.
Tuning Spork is still out there, because he leaves comments. But he's not posting much. My guess is it's the combination of the Cubs losing, beautiful fall weather, and idiotarians. Guess he picked the wrong day to quit smoking, eh?
Over at Chez Cheese, LeeAnn blogs about panty liners and the importance of accuracy. For some reason, I kept hearing those scenes from Memphis Belle in the background... "Steady... steady... right in the pickle barrel!" Make sure you read the comments, but don't touch the cars or you might set off the alarms.
Mmmmm. Carrot cake, courtesy of the official mascot of the Alliance.
Stevie never ceases to amaze me.
Anger Management's Don posted this link about the unedited communications when man landed on the moon. Priceless.
Jim, being the last kid picked when we chose up teams, gets this single solitary mention. Mainly because otherwise he'll get mad and take his blog home. Actually, it's just because I'm tired of all this linking. You're up at the top next time guys - for a small financial consideration - because I am part the Gold Enclave of Privileged Capitalists.
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06:01 PM | category: Munuvian Daily Tattler
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Merkle's Boner
It happened in September of 1908, in NY City. The Cubs were facing the Giants with the pennant on the line. Each and every game was a must-win situation. The score was tied 1-1, in the bottom of the 9th, the Giants had runners on the corners with two outs.
Fred Merkle, a 19 year-old rookie, was the runner on first. The next batter lined a single. The runner at third came home. It appeared to be a Giants victory, they had taken the lead for the pennant, the cheering fans swarmed the field. Merkle looked toward home plate and saw his teammate cross the plate. Merkle, startled as the crowd swarmed out of the bleachers onto the field, stopped. Thinking the game was over, Merkle sprinted off the field. But, he had forgotten an important rule of baseball, he did not go touch second. The Cubs retrieved the ball, went and touched second.
The game was declared at tie because order could not be restored because the fans could not be removed from the field. The two teams went on to finish the season in a dead tie for the pennant. They had to play a one-game playoff. The Cubs won and went to the World Series. One loss, the loss, that day knocked the Giants out.
Merkle was never forgiven by the NY fans for that blunder. He went on to have a solid career of 14 years and a lifetime average of 273. However, everywhere he went he always was reminded by fans of his terrible mistake on that day of his rookie season. A mistake that will always be called Merkle's Boner.
Didjaknow: The ball that Bill Buckner muffed was hit by Mets batter Mookie Wilson. Our Mookie was indirectly named for him.
Posted by: Ted at
08:53 AM | category: History
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In 1978, the legal drinking age in North Dakota was 18. The legal drinking age in Minnesota was 21. This wasn’t a problem as long as I stayed on my side of the state line. It became a problem because the best bars were on the Minnesota side of the line. In Grand Forks, North Dakota you had the Mr. Spud disco and that was about it. In East Grand Forks, Minnesota there were several nicer non-disco places to drink and meet girls. ‘Nicer’ is a relative term here, because it's not the cultural center of the universe. The NoDaks weren’t too fond of us basers either.
I was an Air Force Security Policeman, and as the old military saying goes, “young, dumb, and full of cum”. Definite emphasis on ‘dumb’, although the others certainly applied. Knowing that I’d get carded across the river, I needed some form of identification that would pass muster. I don’t remember exactly when I got the idea, but less than a minute’s work with an x-acto knife, and the date of birth on my California drivers license changed from 1959 to 1956. Score!
I used my altered license as ID for almost four years without problem, even having to hand it over to a Canadian policeman once when pulled over for speeding in Manitoba. One night my best friend and I went to buy beer, and out of habit I used my drivers license when carded. Things quickly went to hell when the worldÂ’s most observant 7-11 clerk detected my handiwork and called the cops. The true bitch of it was that I was 22 by this time and didnÂ’t even think about the license anymore.
Finally the policeman arrived, checked out the license, and invited me to get into his car. He asked me if I worked at the base (as if the haircut didn’t give it away). “Yeah,” I replied.
“What do you do at the base?”
Head hanging low, “I’m a cop.”
“Do you know Sgt. Thomas?”
I was a little puzzled by this question, but I admitted that yes, I knew Sgt. Thomas.
“So what do you think he’d say about this?”
Huh? Why would Sgt. Thomas care at all... and it dawned on me that his Sgt. Thomas isnÂ’t the same Sgt. Thomas I knew. Something like one in three people at the base were cops of one type or another, and Thomas isnÂ’t an uncommon name. My answer was obvious.
“He would be very disappointed, officer.”
So I got a stern talking to, and he confiscated my drivers license. That wasn’t a major problem, because I was of legal age and my military ID sufficed. In other words, I didn’t bother to get another license for about 6 months. Then I got orders to report to Mississippi for computer school. Driving across country (in the short direction) without a license wouldn’t do, so I went down and applied for a new North Dakota license. They got a kick out of California boy missing every ‘winter’ question on the test, but I did well enough to pass. Piece of paper in hand, the new license would be coming in the mail in a week or so.
Except it didnÂ’t. I was ok for the trip because of my DMV paper, and I figured that the license was in the mail somewhere catching up to my change of address. One day I got a notice telling me that I could stop by the DMV to get my picture taken, but the appointment was for about a week previous. I wrote back and explained that I was in Mississippi and couldnÂ’t come in for a picture. They sent back a nice letter apologizing for the short notice last time and scheduled me for another picture appointment, this time about a month ahead. It was comical. Once again I wrote back and informed them that I wasnÂ’t going to return to North Dakota. Since IÂ’d already paid for my license, I asked them to refund my money and IÂ’d go ahead and get a Mississippi license.
Two weeks later I got my North Dakota license, and man it was a beauty! Heavily laminated (tamper-proof), there was big bold lettering on the front where the picture would normally be that said ‘VALID WITHOUT PHOTO OR SIGNATURE”. The back had a big banner stating “90 Day Temporary License”, which wasn’t entirely accurate. North Dakota law says that military personnel can use a temporary license until they return to the state to get their permanent version.
I used my 90-day temporary license (without photo or signature) for nine years as valid ID. Most people would do a double-take, but accept it, and very occasionally I would be asked for a second ID, which is when I would produce my military ID card. It took a while to get my new Maryland license when I got out of the military because I no longer had a military ID, and the only things I could show was my North Dakota license and my European drivers license, neither of which had photo or signature. Both valid and perfectly good while managing to be utterly worthless as positive ID.
Back to the Bull and Finch. We were in Boston for a week of training, and we wanted to do some sightseeing, including the ‘Cheers’ bar. When we tried to get in, the bouncer wouldn’t let me enter because I didn’t have a picture on my license, and he wouldn’t accept our Military ID’s as valid. He wanted to see drivers licenses and that was all he’d take (time to make the donuts). We finally raised so much hell at the entrance that nobody could get in or out and they threatened to call the cops. I wanted that too, until the manager came out and pulled the bouncer’s head out of his ass.
The bar was a huge letdown. Sgt. Thomas would have been very disappointed.
Posted by: Ted at
08:46 AM | category: Boring Stories
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October 18, 2003
1905 - New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Athletics.
Game 1: Giants: 3, A's: 0, Christie Mathewson (W)
Game 2: A's: 3, Giants: 0, 'Chief' Bender (W)
Game 3: Giants: 9, A's: 0, Christie Mathewson (W)
Game 4: Giants: 1, A's: 0, 'Iron Joe' McGinnity (W)
Game 5: Giants: 2, A's: 0, Christie Mathewson (W)
Each game was a shutout, with Christie Mathewson winning three times. In the last game he outdueled 'Chief' Bender (nicknamed because he was a member of the Chippewa tribe) who had pitched the shutout victory in Game 2 for the A's.
Christie Mathewson was one of the original five players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and Honus Wagner.
Didjaknow: Chief Bender is also in the Hall of Fame, and is credited with inventing the slider.
Posted by: Ted at
05:29 PM | category: History
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18 - legal to drink in some states.
21 - legal to drink everywhere.
25 - auto insurance went down.
30 - officially no longer a 'kid'.
Other than that, I really didn't care. Now here are some milestones that bugged me a little:
First time I saw a Playboy playmate younger than me.
First time I saw a Playboy playmate younger than my little brother.
First time I saw a Playboy playmate younger than the year I graduated high school.
Being called 'Sir' for the first time. This one was due to my military rank and a young MP. I was a sergeant and too damn young to be a 'Sir'!
In the NHL, the Phoenix Coyotes have completely revamped their uniforms, scrapping the old "peyote-dog" (my description, but I loved it) for a cleaner and more traditional look. I have to admit I like the new ones better, and their 'evolution video' is way cool. Meanwhile, both the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild introduced new 'third' logos and jerseys this year. Minnesota also moved more towards the traditional while Dallas tries to become Texas' team.
You know what just occurred to me? When I think about vintage television, I picture old black&white shows, but I talked about 'vintage television' and was referencing a show from 1979! Hell, I was already in the military in 1979. Must be the mind going...
The song 'I Love You More Today (Than Yesterday)' was sung by Spiral Staircase, a classic one-hit wonder. I know this because my wife told me so last night. It had been bugging her after hearing it on the radio.
Not to sound obsessive or anything, but Jennifer is a punk. She only slightly amends my opinion by inviting everyone to spend the day on her boat.
Mookie and Mom are getting ready for work. Mookie just popped downstairs to tell me she noticed that Jethro Tull's first compilation CD is titled 'M.U. The Best of Jethro Tull'. I'm a big Tull fan. One of the best concerts I've ever seen was Tull in Germany, in a smallish hall. Just me and a few thousand very mellow friends. I was one of the youngest people there.
I'm wearing a baseball cap because I had to go out back and hush the dogs up. It's too early to be barking, which has nothing to do with the hat, but I have a world-class case of bed-head going on.
Lots to do, enjoy the day!
Posted by: Ted at
08:16 AM | category: Square Pegs
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October 17, 2003
I'll be fiddling with it over the weekend I'm sure.
Posted by: Ted at
10:55 PM | category: Square Pegs
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Here's a hint:
Once upon a time, a junkman had a dream...
Ringing any bells? The name of the show was Salvage 1, starring Andy Griffith. It ran for 20 episodes in 1979, and was among the worst crap ever broadcast or the most brilliant and inspirational programming - depending on who you talk to.
In it, Andy... uh, Harry rounded up a team of experts and built his own rocketship. He was a junkman, and the moon was full of stuff that NASA had abandoned. The whole tone of the show was that ordinary people could do extraordinary things and like the original Star Trek, the technology was only a background to the 'people' stories being told.
Wonderful pilot movie. The series was pure crap, and I never missed a single forgettable episode. Am I the only one who remembers this?
Y'all were probably watching Three's Company or Dukes of Hazzard.
Posted by: Ted at
01:34 PM | category: Cult Flicks
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