Seriously

How is Mos Def so cool? He just is, I guess.

All Good Things

I had a realization today. 2010 has the potential to go down as quite a bad year overall. If the Lakers don't end up making the Finals (which certainly seems possible at this point), it will be a disappointment. The Dodgers are looking pretty bad, and I honestly don't see a whole lot of improvement on the horizon. Meg Whitman is leading every poll for Governor, and is the odds-on-favorite to win in November. Our neighbor, Arizona, is leading the world in bad ideas! I guess whenever/wherever the stakes are high, there is potential for (seemingly-)huge failure.

It is, of course, possible that each of these situations will actually result in better-than-expected outcomes. But, Meg Whitman's scary, you know?

On the other hand, there is some good left in the world: The Dodgers sad, sad, road trip is ending; The Kobe-era Lakers showed that they are not over the hill (yet) last night; and California still isn't Arizona.

Now, Bruce tells it like it is:

What's wrong with Bills?

Chad Billingsley has not pitched that well so far this season. I don't think he's been quite as awful as some would say, but still, it is not what we need from a guy who just last summer was considered to be the NL starter in the All-Star game.

So what's wrong?

Memories of Kevin Malone has a really interesting (though technical) analysis. Most bizarre, I think, is how his pitch selection has changed over the years. As you can see (below) there has been a serious drop-off in his use of four-seam fastballs in favor of using a cutter or a slider nearly 50% of the time. Historically, he succeeded using these two pitches to vary from his highly effective four-seamer. Why is he doing this? I don't know, but I hope someone shows Joe Torre this chart and quick!

Confederate Teabaggers

There are people in America who want Sarah Palin to be President. Some of our compatriots don't believe that the earth is older than a few thousand years. Many of them think that our government is too large. They are taking to the streets in Teabag 'uprisings.' They think that our overgrown government spends too much money on "programs" and "special interests". Meanwhile, they also send their kids to public schools, get to work and church by driving on public roads and highways, live in relative comfort and safety with public police and firefighters, and know that their own freedom and that of their families has been earned and is preserved by the US military, by far the largest (and most expensive!) public institution in the history of the world. When they are interested in fueling their righty knowledge by reading a book like "The Wealth of Nations" or "Atlas Shrugged", they head to their public library and check it out for free.
One of their biggest complaints is that the government infringes on their liberties. These same provincialists want to determine what goes on between a woman and her doctor from their own remote locale somewhere in the middle of the country (far far from where most Americans actually live--and make such decisions--on the coasts).
And some of these folks are moronic, confederate-romanticizing jerks who think that post-Civil War American history is a story of the "Nawth" stealing the wealth of the South. The idea that taking anything using any degree of force from slaveowners in the South could ever be remotely wrong is just ludicrous, but the argument (see below) that Lincoln was basically conspiring to steal from the South is positively insane. These are basically the same teabagging people who want to keep our country far behind the curve as far as: health care, global warming, education, public infrastructure, economic recovery, etc. "Which horrible idiots?" you say. Oh, here's one now:



If someone is hanging teabags from their ears, they qualify as an official "teabagger". I think that's more than fair. But, seriously. These people suck. I'm tired of them getting to talk and everyone pretending like we have to care what garbage comes out of their mouths. Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinions. Yes, we are all free to express whatever crazy idea or belief we have--especially unpopular political ones. But, I really think we need to make one thing clear: Normal, sane, not-crazy America is a whole lot bigger than these Teaparty morons. AND we don't have to listen any more. For my own mental health, I'm going to try to stop listening to this crap. It's disturbingly interesting, I know, like seeing an accident on the freeway or something. But, like real accidents, the thought process here is just kinda gross. Apparently, it's so gross that it sometimes grosses out other drivers and causes minor fender-benders and the like, tying up our political traffic for a while.
Let's stop listening to their stupid ideas and their stupid arguments. We don't need to engage them. They have made this much obvious: they don't know what they're talking about.

Things that should have happened

Sometimes--especially when it comes to potential music pairings--there are things just seem like they would've been such a good idea, that they really should have happened. If only...

Happily, I discovered that one of those things that definitely should have happened at some point, actually did. The obviousness and brilliance of it, makes me feel a little embarrassed for ever having doubted it. So, I give you Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer:

Oooh, sick burn

"The last I checked, Sarah Palin is not much of an expert on nuclear issues."

Shine

On Spring Break this week. This is without a doubt the worst "vacation" experience I've ever had. I can't help but wish I had spent this week working.

Anyway, I've been actively combating my tendency to get down in such situations. I think I may have found the antidote:


"It's time to align your body with your mind--
It's hero time.
It's time to align your body with your mind--
It's time to shine."
"Hard times are getting harder.
The liars are acting strong.
You better get a grip on yourself
or you won't be around too long."

There's a reason for this internet meme: