Somewhat Manly Nerd

Yes, I know I said I’d be WRITING for the rest of the week. I’m just utilizing the “1 picture = 1000 words” formula, ok? This is why I only need two pictures in this post. This post also serves as the additional purpose of teaching me how to properly utilize the NextGEN Gallery plugin. You can click on the pics to see slightly bigger versions!

My eyeball, contact lens included.

Showing off my Quake-like burn from my toaster oven.

It’s awesome when you’re walking your dog and you think of a whole personal rant about writing and then when you get home and sit in front of your massive laptop, you have no urge other than the one to hit F5 while surfing the same few websites.

I’ve now had this post editing box up for an hour without typing anything. This is what happens when you talk on post on forums while watching a playoff baseball game…

…and another hour later I’m tuning from the Phillies ending the Rockies season to the Jets-Dolphins game almost at halftime.

Perhaps it’s just easier for me to be honest with myself in my head, knowing I’m not spewing all my thoughts out on my blog for the entire virtual and real world to see. Who wants to read about how writing is one of the few things I truly enjoy? And that I could honestly see myself doing it all fucking day every single day? Well, I was trying to prove to myself that I could do it, saying that I’d write my ass off for this blog for the rest of the week. I’ve already failed miserably for the past two hours. I don’t know what this means. Possibly that I should start looking harder for a real job?

Yeah, I definitely find it impossible to be too personal on the internet at this juncture. I have plenty of stuff rattling around my head to type (the same stuff that popped into my head while watching my dog take a shit), but I don’t see the purpose of airing it on this blog. I need to stick to posting stats from Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs, posting YouTube videos, giving my thoughts on random pieces of entertainment, and dishing out REAL TALK when it’s most needed.

Fuck the Phillies.

Although, Boston is certainly not happy right now. Red Sox Nation tears are flowing across New England.

Yesterday, the Cardinals were put out of their misery. Today we witnessed the end of both ALDS series. One sweep was expected, what with Andy Pettitte matching up against Carl Pavano, but I can’t imagine many people saw the Red Sox blowing a 5-2 lead through 7 innings. The combination of Billy Wagner and Jonathon Papelbon gave up 4 runs in the final two innings, forcing Massholes to leave the stadium in a state that only could have lead to many racial slurs being shouted and wives and girlfriends getting beaten.

Going into the playoffs I’m sure many people figured the Twins would get swept, but both the Red Sox and Cardinals going down in flames has to be a surprise to most baseball fans — and ESPN experts. Last year, everyone picked the Cubs to roll over the Dodgers and we all saw how that turned out. I really shouldn’t bother posting the following, since it happens every year in every sport, but it’s fun nonetheless. They get paid for these predictions!

It’s kinda amazing: the two AL closers who are supposed to be close to Mariano Rivera’s level both failed spectacularly in a past few days. Today was the first time Jonathon Papelbon ever let up a run in the postseason, but it would have been fine if he only let up a run (instead of three). The moron threw 26 straight fastballs. I guess he was attempting his best Rivera impression, only without the success. As for the other closer, the guy who is always seemingly overlooked and underrated, Joe Nathan, showed why he’s not worth a second look. Holy shit, he sucked. Yeah, yeah small sample size, but he still sucked. He single-handedly made A-Rod amazing in the postseason! I thought A-Rod sucked? I guess that means Nathan sucks more. Simple logic here, people.

Totally awesome note: A-Rod has a higher postseason OPS than Derek Jeter.

Meanwhile, Rivera pitched 3.2 scoreless innings in the series, notching 7 strikeouts in the process. Somehow this is not surprising, considering we’ve all come to the consensus that he’s an android from the future.

So all that’s left is a Phillies-Rockies series that is in the middle of its 3rd game as I type this — which reminds me of how moronic the scheduling today was. Who’s idea was it to play a game in Denver at 7 pm local time? Because when I think of baseball, I think of 30 degree weather. And playing a game involving a West Coast team at noon eastern time — meaning people in California needed to wake up at 9 am on a Sunday to watch playoff baseball — is just a dick move. Bud Selig is a senile old man who has no business running a multi-billion dollar business, ugh.

Bear McCreary – All Along the Watchtower

I was going to embed the YouTube video of this, even though Battlestar Galactica nerdiness isn’t very cool, but luckily the video couldn’t even be embedded. So mp3 only! I’m going to end up talking about BSG anyway, I apologize. The show left a bad taste in my mouth with its fairly disastrous final season, but there were still at least some high points. And even though the 4th season was bad, that doesn’t stop the first two and a half seasons from being probably the most epic show I’ve ever watched. Every time I go back and listen to the soundtracks (usually skipping around), I remember how much I enjoyed it, and get the urge to post a random song on this blog.

A 12 inning one-game playoff for the honor to lose to the Yankees, a complete game by a midseason pick-up, and an imminent free-agent pulling a Daniel Murphy in the outfield. There is nothing better than October baseball. Nothing. Except maybe steak and blowjob day.

That has to be the worst error on a potential final out in a playoff game since Buckner. Feel free to enlighten or remind me of anything in the past 23 years so embarrassing and devastating to occur with two outs in the 9th inning. Matt Holliday got hit in the nuts with a fly ball and then tripped over his own feet. It doesn’t get any more emasculating than that on a baseball field.

So, the Cardinals are pretty much done now. Anything’s possible, of course — I know that better than anyone now due to recent events — but asking a team to come back after sending out two of the five best starters in the NL this year and LOSING is asking a wee bit too much. I’m so pissed I didn’t make a preseason prediction post or a postseason prediction post. Before making any decisions, it’s advisable to check out 4Rabet user reviews to learn about the platform’s reputation and reliability. I would have picked the Dodgers both times! Damn it. If only Twitter kept track of everything I ever posted, or else I could link to the random time I replied to someone’s question with my prediction of a Yankees-Dodgers World Series. You’d have to believe me!

Getting back to that one-game playoff, how fucking amazing was that? I thought that game was over at least five times. Game of the year material? And is Chip Caray worst professional announcer in the history of mankind material? LINE DRIVE BASE HIT — CAUGHT! He makes Ron Darling worse by being in the same booth with him, goddamn it. The only good thing about TBS’s coverage so far has been that Pitch Trax graphic. Now everyone knows it’s truly the YEAR OF THE UMP — COMPUTERS 2010â„¢.

I wouldn’t give a shit about Glenn Beck if people didn’t listen to him, but unfortunately, way too many Americans actually buy all his bullshit. So when Colbert totally destroys him like he does in this segment, I can’t help but love it, while also laughing the entire time.

Everyone can appreciate some Chris Hansen action. And Roman Polanski is a creepy rapist who gets defended by people in Hollywood because he made some good movies. As Chris Rock said on the Jay Leno Show last week:

“People are defending Roman Polanski because he made good movies 30 years ago? Are you kidding me? Even Johnny Cochran didn’t have the nerve to go, ‘Well did you see OJ play against New England?’”

Thanks for being awesome, internet. And thanks to Warming Glow for posting awesome shit every day.

70-92

Who had the Mets losing 90 games this season? Anyone? Sports Illustrated picked them to WIN THE WORLD SERIES, so I’m guessing they didn’t, and PECOTA had them winning 90 games. Yep, I’m pretty sure the Vegas line would have been set at 100-1 for such an occurrence before the season started. Yet somehow, someway, the Mets managed to crush all their fans again, only this season it wasn’t on the very last day.

Nope, this season — in contrast to the last two — was a long, slow painful burn, in which a feeling of dread hung over the team for almost the entire season. Perhaps my thoughts are clouded by my father’s incessant pessimistic comments, but I’m not sure I ever believed this team was going anywhere, even before being totally inundated with injuries. There were just too many question marks, and none of them turned out the way the Mets wanted them to. Not ONE.

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For about two months, I’ve barely given thought to video games, let alone actually played one. I find that I always rather do something else then play one of the games in my huge backlog, and I don’t visit the gaming side of GAF anymore, so why would I get excited about gaming? The following is the answer.

Leave it to Infinity Ward to tingle my balls with this epic trailer. It’s better than pretty much 95% of movie trailers. If it were a movie trailer, the music would be the Requiem theme or some similarly overused song, the voiceover would be done by one of the three guys that does it for a living, and the reveal would have been handled like total shit.

Modern Warfare 2 is going to totally destroy everything in its path. Even though I barely follow the gaming scene, I do know that plenty of games have been moved away from its release because companies are afraid of this fucking beast. Apparently this trailer was aired during the Sunday Night Football game — I bet at least 5 million of the guys watching that game already have 60 bucks put aside to give to Infinity Ward.

A note: The music in the very beginning sounds similar to the TDK trailer music, right?

I really should have gotten more mileage out of Mark Sanchez while he was still perfect. 3-0 = savior; 3-1 = shit. He can’t protect the ball! He isn’t careful enough in the red zone! 3 interceptions — who does he think he is, Brett Favre? Come on people, we all knew this had to happen eventually, and it’s probably good it happened in a game that most people thought the Jets were going to lose anyway. It’s just frustrating that Sanchez had to throw 3 picks and fumble in his own end zone in a game where the Jets’ defense only gave up 10 points to a Saints team that had averaged 40 points its first three games — in the Superdome no less. At least we know the Jets’ defense is for real.

As for Sanchez, he does need to learn how to protect the ball, and try to get rid of the ball QUICKLY when he’s running around his own goddamn end zone. I also REALLY need to start watching these Jets’ games more attentively, or else I’m going to continue making these half-assed posts throughout the entire season. It looks like we both have something to work on, Mr. Sanchez.