The Value of Pie
No, not 3.14159 or circumference divided by diameter or even the real but irrational part of the natural logarithm of -1 (e to the i pi references rule). Something natural, real, rational and not subject to circular arguments. It’s not even a thinly veiled reference to my favorite high school hockey goalie, best known for [...]
Going For Joe
I find myself in a strange position this first week of October: There’s baseball on TV, and I am only counting the days until hockey coverage begins. In every fall since I’ve been able to carve out sports-watching time (read: after the great sleeplessness of having two toddlers), I’ve been able to cheer for some [...]
The Bronx is Churning
It’s been a few days since Joe Torre’s implicit dismissal as the Yankee skipper, coming full circle with Joe Girardi’s filling the managerial jersey today. I’m still flabbergasted by this move: Torre was micro-managed from above (like he couldn’t figure out how to pitch Joba Chamberlain himself?), was given horrible resources to manage (his pitchers [...]
Missed, er, October
Almost precisely 3 months ago I posited that Scott Gomez and Alex Rodriguez were increasingly alike. Let me add to the list: neither one has shown up for big games in October. At least Gomez recorded three shots tonight (plus one miss, and one blocked, is it me or are the new NHL statistics not [...]
Free Agency and the Price of Beer
I’m about two weeks behind in blogging various trips, adventures and random technology thoughts, so I’ll probably start with the most recent and work backwards. Scott Gomez’ departure across the Hudson River was not the way I wanted to start my summer vacation. At some level; I knew he was leaving the Devils because he [...]
Gomez Is The Next A-Rod
First the strong words: Forget the comparisons to Bobby Holik. Scott Gomez is the next Alex Rodriguez, in the eyes of the fans, the league, the press, sports agents and possibly youth hockey players. Tough call? Absolutely, and not one I’ll make in publicly lightly, because as a person I still think Scott Gomez is [...]
Say It Ain’t So, Joe
The New York papers are abuzz with rumors of Joe Torre’s imminent firing. I hope the reports of his coaching death are greatly exaggerated, because Torre was far from the one to blame for the Yankees’ post-season demise. He was handed a pitching staff that might have been young (as opposed to the Padres’ Chris [...]
Choking Into The Winter
Stick a fork in the Yankees. They’re doing their best Atlanta Braves imitation, consistently winning the division and then failing to advance in the post season. This season’s choke-fest, though, was spectacular: They went without a run for 20 consecutive innings. Want to call a turning point? How about A-rod failing to do anything – [...]
A-Rod and 10 Year Olds
Yesterday was one of those very cool days when things just seemed to go right. Unless you were wearing pinstripes in the Metrodome, in which case they went wrong at the wrong times. We had our first Little League game yesterday, after losing a week to rain and school vacations. After opening up leads of [...]
Leadership and Tradition
Two games into the 2005 Fall Classic, and I keep thinking about Albert Pujols. In Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, the Cardinals needed a monster hit, and Pujols delivered. His body language at the plate said “gopher ball”; he can be forgiven for an extra slow start toward first because, well, even [...]