He's a Mad Bum

Dear Joel,

There's a pitcher in the major leagues named Max Scherzer. He was a star for the Detroit Tigers from 2010-2014, and he even won the American League Cy Young Award in 2013. In January, Scherzer signed a contract with the Washington Nationals.

Last weekend, Scherzer made comments to a reporter about how the National League needs to implement the use of the Designated HItter (like the American League does). His primary arguments were "pitchers can get hurt while batting" and "DHs are better and therefore more entertaining to watch."

There's a pitcher in the major leagues named Madison Bumgarner (nicknamed MadBum). He has played for the San Francisco Giants since being called up in 2009. Last year he started 2 World Series games, and came in to pitch 5 more innings in relief in a third game (which happened to be Game 7) on only 2 days rest. In his 3 World Series appearances he picked up two wins and save, and had an ERA of just 0.43, giving up 1 run in 21 innings.

On Monday night Bumgarner basically called Max Scherzer a moron. His primary arguments were, "pitchers can also get hurt pitching," and "Scherzer didn't seem to mind the National League rules when he signed his $210 million contract with Washington."

If I were a debate analyst, I'd give the win to Bumgarner. But then again, I think the DH is a terrible thing that should never have existed anyway.

Maybe I'm a curmudgeon, but there are more and more things going on in baseball that I find irritating (and I believe I have good reasons for feeling that way). At some point (if, for example, the NL does adopt the DH) I might want to start a new baseball league. I'd first have to find some investors, and start with a few teams. I'd have to entice at least a few of the current popular MLB players, but I could also recruit heavily out of high schools, Japan, and Caribbean nations. My league would be the game without the stupidity. There would be no DH, there would be no instant replay, and instead of complaining about defensive shifts, players would learn to bunt and run the bases agressively in order to curb the shifting. Less whining, more playing. That's the power of the New Baseball League.

Do you hate instant replay in baseball as much as I do? Or am I preaching to the choir?

Read More

Hey Hey From Tampa Bay

Dear Jake,

I had posted an article that I believed to be true but my wife said was mean and made me look like an (expletive) and the internet doesn't need truth on it.  So I'm writing a poem instead.

Beauty is the unicorn
Perfection is he
Power ripples from his shoulders
The king of the forest
Lions don't live in the forest

Mystic are his farts
Magic is his blood
His tears would wipe away disease
But he does not cry
His world offers nothing to cry about

This is the worst poem ever
So now it's done
Just remember
Unicorns don't exist
That is all

I'm going to Tampa.  I'll blog in response to your question next week.  I wouldn't be able to give it the proper diligence today.

Are you a fan of abstract art?  Why or why not?

Read More

Baseball has a lot of good movies

Dear Joel,

What a great question. My favorite sports movie of all time? I'm probably going to have to make a list, because I can't settle on one. I'll group them by their sport. That way I don't even have to pick the ones I like more. After making this list I realized that of the ten movies I have here, six of them are based on true events. Also interesting is that six of the 10 are baseball movies, but if I were to rank them, my top 3 would probably be non-baseball movies. They're all great stories, and although they have the expected Hollywood embellishments, they illustrate well some of the reasons I like sports.

HOCKEY

Miracle

Based on the true story of the US Olympic hockey team who defeated the Soviets in the 1980 olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It's emotional and patriotic. If I were ranking all of these sports movies, this one could actually be #1. It's certainly no worse than #3 on my list. I'm not even a hockey fan.

The Mighty Ducks trilogy

One of those too-rare sets of movies in which parts 2 and 3 rise to the bar set by the original. These are favorites largely because they were a beloved part of my childhood.

FOOTBALL

Remember the Titans

I think this movie is one of the first reasons I decided I was a Denzel Washington fan. This is another top-3 for me in the sports movies world. It's the story of the football team at a newly-integrated high school in Virginia in the early 1970's when racial tension's were incredibly high.

Rudy

I don't have any particular love or hate for Notre Dame football, but Sean Astin is great in this "true story" movie about a relatively small, un-athletic, un-intelligent young man whose dream was to play for the Fighting Irish. It's inspiring, and it has an excellent soundtrack.Probably the third of my top-3.

BASEBALL

The Rookie

The true story of Jim Morris, who retired from baseball after pitching in the minor leagues and having arm health issues in the mid-80s. Almost 15 years later, he was a high school teacher and baseball coach, and he made a deal with his team that if they won the district championship, he'd try out for the majors again. They won, unexpectedly, and he fulfilled his end of the deal, ending up playing for the Tampa Bay Rays in 1999 as a 35-year old rookie. It might not be the greatest of all sports stories (though still a good one), but it's really well made, and I think Dennis Quaid is excellent.

A League of Their Own

Another (sorta) true story of the All American  Girls Professional Baseball League, which put some all-female teams on the diamond during WWII when the men were at war. It's a really good movie, and Tom Hanks' Jimmy Dugan is one of my favorite movie characters of all time (along with Tom Cruise's Daniel Kaffee, Val Kilmer's Doc Holliday, Heath Ledger's Joker, and Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka).

The Sandlot

A group of kids who spend all summer playing baseball in the town's sandlot in the 1960s. This is a great movie, and it always makes me feel like a kid again.

For Love of the Game

This movie is at least 50% "chick-flick." I happen to like chick flicks enough that I still consider it a great movie -- especially since the baseball portion of the film is really good. But I could understand if someone who likes sports movies docked this one for not being sports-centered enough. I think this fictional movie is part of the reason why I have a tender place in my heart for the Detroit Tigers.

Little Big League

This is a light-hearted comedy for kids and families. It's about a 12-year old boy named Billy who becomes the owner of the Minnesota Twins when his grandfather passes away and leaves the team to Billy in his will. The boy is a sort of baseball savant, and appoints himself as the team's manager. Under intense scrutiny and disapproval from players and fans alike, Billy has to try to help his team be successful. Very enjoyable. Kind of a cool (albeit unrealistic) premise.

Eight Men Out

Of course we can't forget the true story of the eight members of the 1919 White Sox who conspired to throw the World Series and were, as a result, banned from baseball forever. I like historical drama, and I like baseball, so how could this movie fail?

Here are a few other sports movies I left off my list for various reasons. If you want to know my reasons, I guess you'll have to ask.

Field of Dreams

Major League (both 1 and 2)

Rookie of the Year

The Natural

42

 What do you think of my list?

Unrelated: What's your favorite kind of candy bar and why?

Read More

If Jimmy Dugan Were an Announcer

Dear Jake,

     That's easy.  I want to be the stadium announcer.  I don't want the pressure of play by play or color commentary, I just want to announce batters, special events, etc...  Since you've forced me to switch my dedication from the Giants to the Cardinals my family better get it's own suite and wait staff.  Season tickets by themselves won't do.

     I also want in on team meetings.  I don't need to have a vote or a say, but I want to be the first to know everything.  Also, you have to pay me at least $1 million a year.  I'm really good at announcing things.  I deserve to have a house and a membership at whatever golf course on the West Coast that I choose and that is what I will be doing in the off season.

     I also will work away games too.  I won't be announcing them, but I will be traveling with the team and visiting every stadium and player and manager in the MLB.  After all, as the announcer I need the compiled information from these trips to do my job well.  My family or any portion there-of will be welcome to accompany the team at their will.

     I would like my own VIP seat at the Cardinals Nation restaurant and bar.  I know from experience that their post-game parties are pretty wild and full of energy.  As an extravert, this is where I will need to recoup from my exhausting announcing job after the game.
 
     I'd like a midget or a set of identical twins to be my personal assistant(s).  Gender doesn't matter but faithfulness does.  I will treat them well and the job will be desirable.  Turnover in a position like that is not good.  I need consistency and will strive to make my assistant do the best job they can.

     I need access to the team dietician and strength coach.  I don't have to be a professional athlete to look like one.

     I want permission once a season to call out an umpire over the stadium speakers and say, "Did anyone ever tell you, you look like a penis with that little hat on?"

     Thanks for hiring me!  I'm so excited!

     What is your favorite sports movie of all time and why?

Sincerely,
Joel Rohde

Read More

What is it About Catchers?

Dear Joel,

My guess is that many of the people you hear on ESPN complaining about the need to speed up the game of baseball are the same people who fully support the increased use of instant replay. I don't know how I feel about the necessity of "speeding up" baseball. I would probably support some measures that are aimed at making it go a little more quickly. The players today who spend 45 seconds between every pitch in order to adjust their batting gloves certainly don't need that extra time. They abuse the clock-free, deliberate pace of baseball. But I'm not sure what those measures would be. I hate the idea of introducing a clock to any aspect of the game. That's one of the key features of baseball's greatness, and a big piece of what differentiates it from other popular sports.

I do, however, know where I stand on the use of instant replay. And I think it's terrible. I'd love to write a lengthy post on why it's terrible, but I feel like I'd be preaching to the choir.

So instead, I'll answer your other questions. If I had a bajillion dollars, I would absolutely buy a baseball team. Then I'd hire John Mozeliak, Tony La Russa, Theo Epstein, Bruce Bochy and Mike Matheny to all coach/run my team (you said a bajillion dollars, right?). You'll notice that I'm partial to the NL Central, and guys who used to be catchers. I'd also keep Jose Oquendo on as my team's third base coach - another former catcher (you'll also notice that in my hypothetical team-buying thought experiment, I bought the Cardinals).

Don't worry. I'd also hire you to do something on my team. What would you want to do? You and your family can have complimentary season tickets too.

Read More

It's Baseball Season! Yay!

Dear Jake,

     I loved the poem "What Teachers Make" and I was going to rant about the sorry state of our public school system.  Working with a bunch of high school students I can honestly say that most of them are incredibly smart and get good grades, but they have no idea how to think.  We stopped teaching kids how to think somewhere along the lines.
     Lucky for you I'm not in the mood to rant.  Instead, I want to talk baseball.  Just a little bit.  I freaking love baseball.  The layers that go into winning championships in baseball are almost too many to count.  I love the Giants.  I love them because they have built a system and a culture that churns out winning teams.  I've noticed something about baseball.  If you collect all the very best players and talent it won't be enough to win it all.  I've sort of gotten into the NBA as of late but I've noticed something.  These teams go out and get 2-3 stars and then they get themselves into the playoffs and the team with the best 2-3 stars win.
     I think you understand.  You are a fan of the Cardinals who also have an amazing culture of winning.  People don't like the Yankees and since they are AL I don't really count them as a real team, but you have to admit, there is an idea among their entire system that if you wear the pinstripes you will win.  And they do.
     There are so many intangibles that go into creating that environment.  I love it.  I mean, I really love it.
     I listen to ESPN radio and it's all doom and gloom from them on baseball.  They are talking about how the game needs to change and speed up the pace or it's going to die.  What do you think?  Personally I don't mind the long games.  On the other hand I only really watch in spurts.  Usually I have the game on in the background while I'm doing something else.  Maybe I'd watch more if the game was sped up.  I'm afraid it'd lose something sacred if you messed too much with speeding it up unnaturally.
     What are your thoughts on the speeding up of baseball games debate?  If you had a bajillion dollars would you buy a baseball franchise?  What would you do to try to create that winning culture?

Sincerely,
Joel

Read More

C'mon, Patrick!

Dear Joel,

Thanks for posting those YouTube channels! I checked out every single one you linked to (I didn't get to all the ones you listed at the bottom). Very interesting stuff. If I had to choose a couple, I would say Smarter Every Day and CGP Grey were my favorites from your list.

I hope I don't disappoint with the videos below. You said you're looking for "viral" videos, and while many of my favorites probably are, I also tend toward videos that probably aren't quite as universally popular.

Here's a segment from Jimmy Kimmel Live that still makes me laugh every time I watch it.

There's a channel called Lutheran Satire and they've made a few videos featuring a couple of cynical Irish guys having conversations with various figures. Here's the first one I ever watched, in which Donall and Conall call out St. Patrick himself for his failed use of analogy to try to explain the Trinity. It's hilarious.

Just yesterday I saw another one of these where Donall and Conall engage with noted atheist Richard Dawkins. Also hilarious. The fact that these two guys call everyone "Patrick" is absurdly funny to me too (make sure you stick around through the credits).

I've also got a favorites list on YouTube with some videos I consider to be of the "inspirational" sort, and my favorites of those are Benjamin Zander's TED talk:

And Taylor Mali's poem, What Teachers Make:

Here's a quick list of other YouTube videos I've enjoyed. I'll provide links but not embedded videos.

From the Music category:

What Does the Fox Say? (more funny to me than it should be)

Stonehenge (by the same guys - also funny, but a little NSFW)

The Man Song (don't watch the video - it's a creepy puppet - but listen to the song)

Dumb Ways to Die (best PSA ever)

Counting Song (it's got a great surprise ending)

Epic Rap Battle of Manliness (2nd favorite from Rhett and Link)

I am a Thoughtful Guy (1st favorite from Rhett and Link)

From the Sports category:

Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay - 2008 Beijing Olympics (I still watch this at least once a year, and I still tear up. It's one of the greatest athletic performances I think I've witnessed in my lifetime.)

World Series Game 6, October 27, 2011 (Yep, this is available on YouTube. As a Cardinals fan, I'm biased, but this is definitely one of the great World Series games that's happened in my lifetime.)

Two for the Road:

The Butterfly Circus (If you haven't seen this short film yet, do it.)

Ozymandias (Bryan Cranston reading the famous Shelley poem gives me chills. This video was a promo for the third-to-last Breaking Bad episode, but you don't have to be a BB fan to recognize the beauty of Shelley's poem, or the talent of Cranston.)

I also watch a bunch of clips of various Milton Friedman lectures. Videos of him are how I learned a little something about economics (any non-conservative reading this will surely say that I therefore have still not learned anything about economics). I don't know if my favorites fit the bill if you're looking for a consensus list of "viral" videos, but I find them entertaining.

Baseball season started this week. What did you do to celebrate? Do you have expectations or predictions? Do you have plans to make it to the ballpark at all this year (River Bandits? White Sox? Giants? Anywhere else?)?

Read More

Junky

Dear Jake,

I love YouTube.  I'm sort of a junkie.  I am not sure how most people use YouTube, but I get this feeling that most of the people around me wait for a video to be shared with them, waltz across their social media feed, or come up in a conversation to be looked up.  I admit that many an enjoyed video is consumed by me through those means as well.  However, I am the sort of YouTube guy who carries a profusion of subscriptions that include vloggers, film makers, musicians, scientists, historians, and professors.  It is such an interesting form of communication and interaction and I love it.  I am going to share a short list of my favorite YouTubers.

Blimey Cow
Jordan and his family/friends hilariously discuss a variety of issues using variety of styles.  Sometimes they create funny lists such as, 5 Tips for Healthy Dating and 3 Things We are Tired of Hearing About.  Sometimes it's just a dramatized speech.  On Mondays they do a challenge and answer questions from their subscribers.  Their target is teens but I enjoy them because they present everything from a biblical perspective and it seems their background is similar to mine.  They poke fun at things like HS Youth Group and AWANAS without invalidating their importance.  They are really creative and funny.

CommunityChannel
Natalie is from Australia, if I remember right.  She does these sketches mixed with monologue.  She does all the acting herself and has conversations with...herself.  Every video is guaranteed to make you belly laugh.  Most of the time it isn't deep stuff at all, but she always brings up observations that you can immediately relate to.

Desiring God
John Piper's channel.  Basically any time he's filmed talking it shows up here.  My favorite thing though is when they post these videos called Look at the Book.  You see a Biblical text and John Piper then voice overlays himself as he breaks down each word of the text.  He marks the text up like crazy and brings to light all sorts of cool things that a quick glance won't show you.  You learn not just what the Bible says, but also how to study the text yourself.

ERB
Epic Rap Battles of History.  I'm sure you've seen some of these in the past.  This channel runs in seasons like a TV show would.  It pits historical figures in dramatized rap battles.  It's witty, funny, over the top, and always entertaining.

OlanRogers
Olan is a story teller.  You know how you would go hang out with your friends and there was always the one guy who could recall a past memory with you and then make it sound hysterically funny?  This guy is that guy.  He tells about stories of his life and he sees life in an incredibly joyful way.  I don't think there is a YouTuber that makes me laugh as hard as this guy does.  He also produces very cinematic short films sometimes too.  The films are on par with a professional level, but it's his stories that I crave.

vlogbrothers
Hank and John Green do on video what we do blogging.  Who are Hank and John Green?  Just spend a couple of minutes on the internet.  They sort of own it...  Oh and John writes books.  I don't know if you've heard of "A Fault in Our Stars" or "Paper Towns", but that's John.

CGP Grey
Using pictures and illustrations he explains big questions.  How does the pope become the pope?  What's the difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain, and England?  Where is the true border between Canada and the U.S.?  Super interesting stuff

Veritasium
Derek Muller uses fewer pictures and illustrations than CGP Grey and more interviews and live footage to explain stuff.  Often he lands on more of the sciency topics.

Then there is my personal favorite:
SmarterEveryDay
Destin is one of the coolest people I've ever met.  He's a Christian who happens to be a lover of all things science.  He exudes joy and brings a child like perspective to life in general.  He LOVES his family and isn't afraid to explain why.  He loves using the extreme hi-def slow motion cameras to find out about physics and biology.  He is curious about everything.  He takes you into the rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, and his own backyard to show you how awesome things really are.  The icing on the cake is the little picture of Reepicheep's silhouette and an accompanying scripture refernce at the end of each video.  I never miss one of his videos.

There are a ton of YouTubers I didn't mention that are on my list but I don't want to make this a mile long.  A few of them that I feel bad not mentioning in depth are:
Agent XPQ
BatDadBlake
BadLipReading
Charlieissocoollike
Convos With My 2-Year-Old
juliansmith87
KevinOilPainting (Bob Ross reincarnate no joke)
Kurt Hugo Schneider
Mental Floss
MysteryGuitarMan
RocketJump (They did the amazing Video Game High School web series)
ScottBradleeLovesYa
Vsauce
The Art Assignment
SoulPancake
ThePianoGuys

And I'm embarrassed to say, many more.

Keep in mind I don't watch every video that comes my way.  Most of them only produce between 1 and 3 videos a month.  My favorites I watch nearly all that they post and the others I watch when I'm bored.

I want you to post some of your favorite all time viral videos.  You don't have to be original here.  I'm interested in why things go viral.  I think everyone likes different videos and there are a lot of different types of videos out there.  Almost all these types of videos have some that have gone viral.  What are your favorites?  Why?

Sincerely,
Joel

Read More

Nutmeg

Dear Joel,

I didn't know you were a big famous rock star. That's pretty cool! I would actually love to talk about that a lot.

But this post is going to be short, and for that, I apologize. I'm in Hartford, Connecticut right now, on-site with a customer for work. And so you should imagine me in my best Josh Lyman voice saying, "Go Whalers... (there's not a lot to get excited about in the nutmeg state)."

Also, baseball starts Sunday.

Read More