I managed 74.65 in 15 runs this month. A lot of short mileage (my typical lunch-time run is 3.5 - 4.1 miles) combined with ever-longer runs on the weekend.
Know that due to vacations, babies and injuries, this month was a bit smaller for both of you, but what do you have?
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Lackey in August
I don't know why, but John Lackey seems to be the pitcher we all like to write about. This morning, I've been looking at his stats, and it's amazing how consistent he has been during the month of August --
8/1 - 6.2 IP, 5 ER, no decision
8/6 - 6.0 IP, 3 ER, win
8/12 - 6.0 IP, 4 ER, win
8/17 - 6.2 IP, 3 ER, loss
8/23 - 6.2 IP, 4 ER, win
8/30 - 7.0 IP, 4 ER, loss
I suppose I would rather have this Lackey than the one who showed up earlier in the season. But it's still pretty funny to listen to Francona spin this stretch of consistent mediocrity as something to be admired:
"He's been huge and consistent and you know what you're going to get . . . . It's been great. This is Lackey. It took us a while. His ERA is higher, and it'll probably be that way, but that doesn't mean we haven't gotten the pitcher we want."
8/1 - 6.2 IP, 5 ER, no decision
8/6 - 6.0 IP, 3 ER, win
8/12 - 6.0 IP, 4 ER, win
8/17 - 6.2 IP, 3 ER, loss
8/23 - 6.2 IP, 4 ER, win
8/30 - 7.0 IP, 4 ER, loss
I suppose I would rather have this Lackey than the one who showed up earlier in the season. But it's still pretty funny to listen to Francona spin this stretch of consistent mediocrity as something to be admired:
"He's been huge and consistent and you know what you're going to get . . . . It's been great. This is Lackey. It took us a while. His ERA is higher, and it'll probably be that way, but that doesn't mean we haven't gotten the pitcher we want."
Sabatha vs. the Sox
Two thoughts on last night's Yanks/Sox game:
1. Sabathia was lucky to get out of the jams that he got himself into. It's not often that you'll be able to hold the Sox to 2 runs if they get 13 hits. After all, they left 16 men on base last night!
2. Lackey sure has pitched much tougher recently. He'll never be lights out, but he's pretty gritty these days, and I no longer automatically assume a loss when he takes the mound (unlike poor Wake).
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
taking a break
the 'burlington 2012 marathon exploratory committee' has finally run it's course. the findings?
1. provided my colleagues Todd and Joel, who inspired the launch of this committee in the first place, are toeing the line, i will be toeing the line in May as well
2. in arriving at the comfort level i required to make the decision above, i had to run a lot; too much as it turns out. yes, i'm convinced i can do it. but, my body has suffered and i'm injured and i need a significant break from running.
i've been complaining about a calf injury for a long time. that injury is not only worse right now, but has caused a few other parts of the left leg to 'go bad' in succession. from what i can tell, the calf injury is what is described in this very helpful article, called a calf heart attack. i've been dealing with it for a while, but now i can hardly walk, much less run, with the calf pain, shin pain, knee pain and other lower leg pain that has resulting from running too much.
the first step in this was to see how bad it really was/is. to do this, i stopped running for 7 days. this past sunday, i resumed with a casually paced 3.5m run. ouch. not good.
secondly, i've taken advice from my fellow bloggers here, running websites all over and ultra-running legend Geoff Roes. Geoff's writings hardly apply to me, as i'm not an elite runner by any stretch of the imagination. but if i can take his words and boil them down to how they apply to me, i find them to be quite helpful. in his blog post on consistency, Geoff writes about his feelings on how to achieve the healthy running fitness you need to continue to achieve your running goals over the long term. he writes
training for a marathon will push my weekly mileage into territory it has never consistently been. in order to do so, i need to be completely healthy. if i want to be ready for the race in may, my thought is that i'd have to start a pretty serious program about mid-november. that means i need to be healed AND i need to build my base-level fitness back up to about where it is right now (which isn't all that bad, actually). first and foremost i will need to take some extended time off. how long will be dictated to how well my calf heals.
next step will be to make it a slow re-entry... not trying to launch back to where i am now, but rather easing into higher mileages.
further to that, i need to fine tune the method of training such that i'm not getting myself into another injured state during the process (for example, i read one website that indicated people with left leg injuries, like mine, tend to run counter-clockwise too much; that the way roads are typically sloped will lead to injury if this is done too much. whether i believe that or not, i don't know, but i hope to at least have a theory before i'm back on the saddle).
and that's pretty much it!!
onward, then!!
1. provided my colleagues Todd and Joel, who inspired the launch of this committee in the first place, are toeing the line, i will be toeing the line in May as well
2. in arriving at the comfort level i required to make the decision above, i had to run a lot; too much as it turns out. yes, i'm convinced i can do it. but, my body has suffered and i'm injured and i need a significant break from running.
i've been complaining about a calf injury for a long time. that injury is not only worse right now, but has caused a few other parts of the left leg to 'go bad' in succession. from what i can tell, the calf injury is what is described in this very helpful article, called a calf heart attack. i've been dealing with it for a while, but now i can hardly walk, much less run, with the calf pain, shin pain, knee pain and other lower leg pain that has resulting from running too much.
the first step in this was to see how bad it really was/is. to do this, i stopped running for 7 days. this past sunday, i resumed with a casually paced 3.5m run. ouch. not good.
secondly, i've taken advice from my fellow bloggers here, running websites all over and ultra-running legend Geoff Roes. Geoff's writings hardly apply to me, as i'm not an elite runner by any stretch of the imagination. but if i can take his words and boil them down to how they apply to me, i find them to be quite helpful. in his blog post on consistency, Geoff writes about his feelings on how to achieve the healthy running fitness you need to continue to achieve your running goals over the long term. he writes
How do we best do this? By not focusing too much on short term consistency and just taking individual days as they come and letting our bodies dictate when and how much we run.for me, much easier said than done. my MIND wants me to be out there right now... and despite the lingering injury, i've BEEN out there running like crazy. now, i quite simply cannot, so, no matter what my mind says, it's time to let my body dictate when and how much i run; at this point, not at all.
training for a marathon will push my weekly mileage into territory it has never consistently been. in order to do so, i need to be completely healthy. if i want to be ready for the race in may, my thought is that i'd have to start a pretty serious program about mid-november. that means i need to be healed AND i need to build my base-level fitness back up to about where it is right now (which isn't all that bad, actually). first and foremost i will need to take some extended time off. how long will be dictated to how well my calf heals.
next step will be to make it a slow re-entry... not trying to launch back to where i am now, but rather easing into higher mileages.
further to that, i need to fine tune the method of training such that i'm not getting myself into another injured state during the process (for example, i read one website that indicated people with left leg injuries, like mine, tend to run counter-clockwise too much; that the way roads are typically sloped will lead to injury if this is done too much. whether i believe that or not, i don't know, but i hope to at least have a theory before i'm back on the saddle).
and that's pretty much it!!
onward, then!!
1Q84
I think it fair to say that 2011 has been a weak year for new fiction in the United States. However, the publishers at Knopf must be pleased: this literary famine has almost certainly heightened the anticipation for the English translation of Haruki Murakami's massive Japanese bestseller, 1Q84.
For those who want a teaser, the New Yorker has a rather lengthy excerpt, available here. (As I know I will be purchasing it, I am avoiding excerpts, plot summaries, and the like.)
I do find it a bit disconcerting to learn that the novel has two translators: Jay Rubin, for the first two parts, and Philip Gabriel, for the third. I suppose this was done in order to finish the 944-page translation in as timely a manner as possible. Happily, both are experienced as translators of Murakami. I can only hope that there will not be a noticeable break in style.
Otherwise, the question for me is whether to buy the hardcover (if so, pre-ordering may be wise) or the Kindle version. Certainly, it looks to be an attractive book, and one I would be happy to have lingering on my shelf. But, it is not going to be an easy book to carry on the subway.
For those who want a teaser, the New Yorker has a rather lengthy excerpt, available here. (As I know I will be purchasing it, I am avoiding excerpts, plot summaries, and the like.)
I do find it a bit disconcerting to learn that the novel has two translators: Jay Rubin, for the first two parts, and Philip Gabriel, for the third. I suppose this was done in order to finish the 944-page translation in as timely a manner as possible. Happily, both are experienced as translators of Murakami. I can only hope that there will not be a noticeable break in style.
Otherwise, the question for me is whether to buy the hardcover (if so, pre-ordering may be wise) or the Kindle version. Certainly, it looks to be an attractive book, and one I would be happy to have lingering on my shelf. But, it is not going to be an easy book to carry on the subway.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Perrotta Novels
I've had mixed experiences with the novels of Tom Perrotta. I absolutely loved Little Children (you can find my review here), but The Wishbones, not so much - I found it to be too glib and with too many coincidences.
His new novel The Leftovers has a fascinating premise: "a rapturelike event has whisked millions of people off the face of the earth." What makes this conceit really interesting is that the people that were taken away have nothing in common. As Stephen King puts it in his great NYTimes review, "Nor do all (or even most) of the missing qualify as Camping-style Christians; those raptured away include Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews and the odd alcoholic… [and] the rapture’s failure to conform to biblical prophecy has driven some people plumb over the edge."
I heard Perrotta talking about the novel on NPR the other day and was intrigued by his thinking about the premise. He was thoughtful and respectful about the implications of the rapture but didn't seem too serious. I enjoy the idea of taking a seemingly absurd idea and making it come true but with a twist. Plus, if the book is anything like Little Children, it will be written well in what SK describes as "beautifully modulated narration... His lines have a calm and unshowy clarity."
What do you think? Have you read any Perrotta? If so, did you like it or not?
Cross posted at Thought Ambience.
His new novel The Leftovers has a fascinating premise: "a rapturelike event has whisked millions of people off the face of the earth." What makes this conceit really interesting is that the people that were taken away have nothing in common. As Stephen King puts it in his great NYTimes review, "Nor do all (or even most) of the missing qualify as Camping-style Christians; those raptured away include Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews and the odd alcoholic… [and] the rapture’s failure to conform to biblical prophecy has driven some people plumb over the edge."
I heard Perrotta talking about the novel on NPR the other day and was intrigued by his thinking about the premise. He was thoughtful and respectful about the implications of the rapture but didn't seem too serious. I enjoy the idea of taking a seemingly absurd idea and making it come true but with a twist. Plus, if the book is anything like Little Children, it will be written well in what SK describes as "beautifully modulated narration... His lines have a calm and unshowy clarity."
What do you think? Have you read any Perrotta? If so, did you like it or not?
Cross posted at Thought Ambience.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
red sox lately
the other day i was thinking about writing a post about how i just haven't liked the way the red sox have been looking. of course, with all the injuries, any sox fan certainly has cause for concern. but beyond that, there was the much lower run production, a general stalling of the office; lack of consistency in the lineup leading to what i felt were junior-jammer defensive efforts at times, and the major woe of pitching that we collective have built up this season. even in beckett's last start, the one guy who has been particularly solid on the mound this year, i just didn't feel comfortable. the analysts found a lot of good things to say about his outing, but it felt strained.
last night's game though... how sorely needed was THAT!! adrian gonzalez coming off a night where he homered twice, beckett dancing around the strike zone and throw 95 mph fast balls, ellsbury being his MVP-self, CarlCrawford mashing the ball (5 RBIs!!), Ortiz back and hitting well, even Darnell McDonald was hitting well. The sox finally gave Beckett some run production, and he barely even needed it for as well as he pitched.
what a game. let's hope they keep it up!!
last night's game though... how sorely needed was THAT!! adrian gonzalez coming off a night where he homered twice, beckett dancing around the strike zone and throw 95 mph fast balls, ellsbury being his MVP-self, CarlCrawford mashing the ball (5 RBIs!!), Ortiz back and hitting well, even Darnell McDonald was hitting well. The sox finally gave Beckett some run production, and he barely even needed it for as well as he pitched.
what a game. let's hope they keep it up!!
Monday, August 22, 2011
The Modern Library's Top 100 Novels
Like all lists, take it with a grain of salt. What's interesting about this one is that they list the Board's top 100 with the reader's top 100.
Personally, any list that is topped with either Joyce's Ulysses or Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged is suspect, but included here as a thought experiment.
Complete lists here.
Personally, any list that is topped with either Joyce's Ulysses or Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged is suspect, but included here as a thought experiment.
Complete lists here.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Lineup without Ortiz
I just heard the news that Big Papi is going to miss the next week with Bursitis. (I had to look it up too.)
I'm curious: how does this affect our lineup moving forward? I assume that it means that Lowrey plays DH, and when either Yook or Scutaro DH when he plays the field. Or perhaps Aviles?
I'm curious: how does this affect our lineup moving forward? I assume that it means that Lowrey plays DH, and when either Yook or Scutaro DH when he plays the field. Or perhaps Aviles?
Giving Up on Books
I’ve given up on a disturbingly large number of books lately. I’m not entirely sure why this is. It could be that I’m simply choosing the wrong books to read; they might not be my style of books, or perhaps I’m just reading them at the wrong point in my life. It could be that as I get older, I either have less patience for books that aren’t blowing me away, or that my minimized reading time (and ensuing shortened attention time) means that it’s more difficult for me to become completely engaged in certain types of books. I do know that I’m reading more non-fiction, and have found that despite my best intentions, it’s easier to put them down then fiction (I’m continually finding half-read non-fiction books in suspended animation deep within the sub-strata of my nightstand). Some of these non-fiction books are "improvement" books (like The Artists Way or "When Things Fall Apart") where I find I need time to absorb the implications of the lessons and to start implementing suggested changes (the homework), but that I don’t always make it back for the next lesson in a timely manner.
Regardless, my bedside table is filled with dozens of casualties – ranging from Elmore Leonard’s Road Dogs (not as entertaining as I expect from a crime novel) to Richard Slotkin’s Regeneration Through Violence: The Mythology of the American Frontier, 1600-1860 (reads too much like a text book to hold my interest for extended periods of time) all the way to Alfie Kohn’s Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason (the least relaxing thing I can imagine when sitting down to read is to read something that details exactly what you’re doing wrong in the rest of your life). I'm not proud of this, but I also recognize that I have limited reading time and I need to prioritize.
Do you give up on books, or do you always finish what you started? Why?
Regardless, my bedside table is filled with dozens of casualties – ranging from Elmore Leonard’s Road Dogs (not as entertaining as I expect from a crime novel) to Richard Slotkin’s Regeneration Through Violence: The Mythology of the American Frontier, 1600-1860 (reads too much like a text book to hold my interest for extended periods of time) all the way to Alfie Kohn’s Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason (the least relaxing thing I can imagine when sitting down to read is to read something that details exactly what you’re doing wrong in the rest of your life). I'm not proud of this, but I also recognize that I have limited reading time and I need to prioritize.
Do you give up on books, or do you always finish what you started? Why?
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Changes at JoS
For years, i've enjoyed the Red Sox news compilations and game summaries at The Joy of Sox. However, the blog has decided to make some changes so posts like those will be harder to come by in the future. Bummer.
Where do you get your Red Sox news?
Where do you get your Red Sox news?
Monday, August 15, 2011
Apolo Ohno: Marathoner?
So, in case you haven't been following, Apolo Ohno is planning to run the New York marathon in the fall. And according to Yahoo!, this is his training program.
No doubt, he's going to be in shape. But - where are the long runs?
Sunday, August 14, 2011
The Top SciFi and Fantasy Books?
So NPR recently polled its readers for the 100 best scifi/fantasy novels, and published the results here. These types of exercises are pretty meaningless in that they are highly dependant on the people that respond (have internet access at home, have time to kill, are fans of the genre and poll host, the books that they've happened to have read, etc.) I know my co-writers are not necessarily fans of these genres but I'm a huge SciFi buff so indulge me as I offer some reactions to this list:
- There’s no way that you should combine SciFi and Fantasy together. While there are sometimes some blury lines between the two, most often books fall hard to one side or another of this line. The survey would have been MUCH more relevant if the had been sepearated – even if to the top 50 in both.
- Nice to see that enough other people like Neil Stephenson that four of his books made the cut. Having said that, as pure SciFi, The Diamond Age (#75) is 1000% better than Snow Crash (#26). The Diamond Age is a trip because it combines stunning ideas, excellent writing, and believeable words together while continually pulling the rug out from underneath you, so that the world at the end of the novel is completely transformed from the world at the beginning. It's a hell of a lot of fun! Snow Crash feels like Neuromancer-lite and is probably is more popular because it’s less complex and was his first book that propelled Stephenson into the mainstream. Cryptonomicon(#53) is an excellent, amazing read (have to read it again sometime) but it’s not strictly scifi (in this case, the book is lumped in with the genre because of his past work). Anathem (#86) was unreadably dense.
- Only one PKD (at #21)? Really? The problem here is that some of his best writing and ideas are in short stories, and he doesn’t have any truly excellent collections like Ray Bradbury (both The Martian Chronicles at #27 and The Illustrated Man at #91 helped flesh out my dreams). I would have voted for UBIK, one of the best mind-fucks of a book i've ever encountered.
- Again, suffering for being a novella rather than a novel, but Arthur C. Clarke’s
"A Meeting with Medusa" is one of the best SciFi writings I’ve come across.
- To have left Solaris off this list completely is an inexcusable oversight. To be recognized as being even remotely credible, this book really has to be in the top 20.
- Have Canticle for Libowitz (#35); haven’t read it yet. Should move it to my bedside table.
- The first Dune (#4) really is an excellent novel. It sticks with you. Haven’t read any of the sequels though.
- China Miéville should really be higher than #98.
- As much as I like William Gibson, they did him right by only including Neuromancer (#14), although I can’t imagine anyone would quibble with the Burning Chrome collection.
- A bit surprised that Stephen King’s It didn’t make the cut - I still think it's the best thing he's ever done. Can’t speak to The Stand (#25), as it’s the only major Stephen King novel I haven’t yet read. Enjoyed the Dark Tower series (#23) but it didn't blow me away.
- I’m not much of a fantasy reader, but I do enjoy some of the classics like Lord of the Rings (#1) and LeGuin’s Wizard of Earthsea. If you want a good fantasy read, pick up the old Years Best Fantasy and Horror anthologies (edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling) at your local used book stores; they were gold mines of good stories, and I still pick them up to this day to read a story or two.
Cross-posted at Thought Ambience.
- There’s no way that you should combine SciFi and Fantasy together. While there are sometimes some blury lines between the two, most often books fall hard to one side or another of this line. The survey would have been MUCH more relevant if the had been sepearated – even if to the top 50 in both.
- Nice to see that enough other people like Neil Stephenson that four of his books made the cut. Having said that, as pure SciFi, The Diamond Age (#75) is 1000% better than Snow Crash (#26). The Diamond Age is a trip because it combines stunning ideas, excellent writing, and believeable words together while continually pulling the rug out from underneath you, so that the world at the end of the novel is completely transformed from the world at the beginning. It's a hell of a lot of fun! Snow Crash feels like Neuromancer-lite and is probably is more popular because it’s less complex and was his first book that propelled Stephenson into the mainstream. Cryptonomicon(#53) is an excellent, amazing read (have to read it again sometime) but it’s not strictly scifi (in this case, the book is lumped in with the genre because of his past work). Anathem (#86) was unreadably dense.
- Only one PKD (at #21)? Really? The problem here is that some of his best writing and ideas are in short stories, and he doesn’t have any truly excellent collections like Ray Bradbury (both The Martian Chronicles at #27 and The Illustrated Man at #91 helped flesh out my dreams). I would have voted for UBIK, one of the best mind-fucks of a book i've ever encountered.
- Again, suffering for being a novella rather than a novel, but Arthur C. Clarke’s
"A Meeting with Medusa" is one of the best SciFi writings I’ve come across.
- To have left Solaris off this list completely is an inexcusable oversight. To be recognized as being even remotely credible, this book really has to be in the top 20.
- Have Canticle for Libowitz (#35); haven’t read it yet. Should move it to my bedside table.
- The first Dune (#4) really is an excellent novel. It sticks with you. Haven’t read any of the sequels though.
- China Miéville should really be higher than #98.
- As much as I like William Gibson, they did him right by only including Neuromancer (#14), although I can’t imagine anyone would quibble with the Burning Chrome collection.
- A bit surprised that Stephen King’s It didn’t make the cut - I still think it's the best thing he's ever done. Can’t speak to The Stand (#25), as it’s the only major Stephen King novel I haven’t yet read. Enjoyed the Dark Tower series (#23) but it didn't blow me away.
- I’m not much of a fantasy reader, but I do enjoy some of the classics like Lord of the Rings (#1) and LeGuin’s Wizard of Earthsea. If you want a good fantasy read, pick up the old Years Best Fantasy and Horror anthologies (edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling) at your local used book stores; they were gold mines of good stories, and I still pick them up to this day to read a story or two.
Cross-posted at Thought Ambience.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
John Lackey redux
It's nice to see that John Lackey has brought his ERA down sufficiently that he no longer has the worst ERA among all regular starters in the MLB. Though he is still awfully close to the bottom of the heap, with his ERA sitting at 6.13.
What's amazing, though, is that despite it all he still somehow has an 11-8 win-loss record. That says something about the Sox's offense.
Can you think of any major league pitcher in history that has sported a winning record this far into the season, despite an ERA above 6.00?
What's amazing, though, is that despite it all he still somehow has an 11-8 win-loss record. That says something about the Sox's offense.
Can you think of any major league pitcher in history that has sported a winning record this far into the season, despite an ERA above 6.00?
Friday, August 12, 2011
Bad Runs
If you're like me, you enjoy writing about good runs. It is chance brag a little bit, yes, but also a chance to personally relive the moment and to make sense of one's accomplishment.
On the other hand, when a run goes bad, I just want to forget it as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, that's not always possible; the memory of it keeps nagging at me, annoying me, reminding me that maybe I am not quite as good as I thought I was.
Case in point: last Friday, I drove out to the canal, excited for a long run. The weather was lovely, I had the day off from work, and I was pumped. I was sure I was going to run further than I ever had before, and that I would maintain a good pace while doing so.
Six miles in, though, things started going wrong. Ultimately, I ended up cutting my run short by 20%, and my overall pace was one of my slowest on record. All of this was especially disturbing because the day before I had just signed up for a 50k. So, how to deal with it?
First, I kept reminding myself that any run is better than no run. 18 miles is nothing to be ashamed of - even if it is slow, even if it is not as far as I wanted.
Next, I started trying to figure out what went wrong. Once I started thinking about it, it was easy to figure out. First, I had been invited over to a friend for drinks before. I shouldn't have joined. Several beers the night before a long run is not a recipe for success -- because of the beer, but also because I only ended up getting 5-1/2 hours of sleep. On top of that, I didn't eat nearly enough breakfast - just a small bowl of oatmeal. And despite all of that, because the weather was fine, I took off too fast out the gate.
So, those were all factors within my control. Things to learn from. The bad run was because I made bad decisions, not because my body randomly quit on me.
Having figured all of that out, I knew I had to make some good decisions and set myself up for a good run, so I could get back on the right track. So, early this morning, with the temperatures hovering at a cool 68 degrees, I loaded up my iPod with some power songs, then took the car and drove to a course along the river, where I could blast out three miles without worrying about traffic crossings or other runners. I'm proud to say that I blew away my previous personal best, running the three mile course at an 8:02 pace. Sure, that's not going to win me any awards, but last year at this time, the best I could pull was 8:48. I'm pretty pleased with myself, and I don't mind bragging a bit about it.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Philip Levine
I am happy to find out this morning that Philip Levine will named America's next Poet Laureate.
Here is a wonderful interview with him in The Atlantic, including links to a few of his poems, such as The Return.
Here is a wonderful interview with him in The Atlantic, including links to a few of his poems, such as The Return.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Long Runs and Water
So i'm trying to figure out the best way to stay hydrated on my long runs. At the moment, i'm thinking that the best thing is to pick up a hand strap water bottle (something like this).
What are your thoughts? How do you stay hydrated? If you use a hand strap water bottle, what kind do you use and/or recommend?
What are your thoughts? How do you stay hydrated? If you use a hand strap water bottle, what kind do you use and/or recommend?
Bedard and Closers
In our email exchanges last night, we were crapping on Bedard a little bit, bemoaning the fact that he was pitching like crap to the Twins. However, according to JoS, he may not have been pitching that badly, it's just that the umpire was calling balls and strikes irregularly. In true JoS fashion, he writes: "Home plate umpire Tim McClelland was squeezing Bedard as though the Boston lefty had defiled his daughter or run over his dog (or defiled his dog and run over his daughter)" and notes that "...even the Twins announcers were raising their eyebrows at McClelland's shitty calls." Click the link to see his computer analysis of the balls and strikes.
Moving to the other end of the game, I noted with pleasure this morning that Mariano Rivera gave up the winning homer and, according to hardballtalk.com, has "now allowed as many hits in 44 1/3 innings this season (39) that he did in 60 innings last year. His current batting average against of .241 would be his second highest mark in his 16 years as a reliever." Could the robotic Sox-killer finally be slowing down? I still don't want him to be up in a situation where it counts, but at some point the guy just has to start showing his age.
Finally, i'd be remiss (esp. considering how much i've been busting on the guy) if I didn't note that Papabalon has been lights out lately. He hasn't allowed a run in his last 12 appearances and in that time, as hardballtalk.com notes, "he's allowed just two hits and posted a 12/0 K/BB ratio. Papelbon hasn’t walked a batter since July 10, and he has a 64/8 K/BB ratio for the year." Here's hoping he can keep it up!
Moving to the other end of the game, I noted with pleasure this morning that Mariano Rivera gave up the winning homer and, according to hardballtalk.com, has "now allowed as many hits in 44 1/3 innings this season (39) that he did in 60 innings last year. His current batting average against of .241 would be his second highest mark in his 16 years as a reliever." Could the robotic Sox-killer finally be slowing down? I still don't want him to be up in a situation where it counts, but at some point the guy just has to start showing his age.
Finally, i'd be remiss (esp. considering how much i've been busting on the guy) if I didn't note that Papabalon has been lights out lately. He hasn't allowed a run in his last 12 appearances and in that time, as hardballtalk.com notes, "he's allowed just two hits and posted a 12/0 K/BB ratio. Papelbon hasn’t walked a batter since July 10, and he has a 64/8 K/BB ratio for the year." Here's hoping he can keep it up!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Waiver
"I fully understand that running an ultra marathon is a potentially hazardous activity. I am prepared to cover the distance in the time limit specified and am prepared with the proper clothing and equipment to ensure my safety if conditions become difficult. I assume all risks associated with participating in this event, including but not limited to a fall, slipping on leaves and walnuts, effects of weather including heat, cold, precipitation; salmonella or botulism that may be lying in wait on the food; the condition of the course; black toenails and severe chafing; and crossing roads where motorized vehicles have the right of way; all such risks being known and appreciated by me. Having read this waiver and knowing these facts, I waive, release and hold harmless the race organizer, New River Trail State Park, all other sponsors, agents, employees, officers, directors, and volunteers working for those entities from all claims and liabilities of any kind arising out of or related to my participation in this event. I also understand the course will be shared with the public-walkers, runners, cyclists and people on horses for the duration of this event and that pacers (with exception of non prize seeking individuals during last several miles), pets are not allowed on the course. Runners choosing to wear personal headsets are urged to keep the volume to a level so they can be aware of and respond to other trail users."
Review: Patagonia
My inlaws are in town this week, and whenever they visit, one of the places they absolutely have to go is Patagonia. Lucky for me, this means I get to pick out a gift or two as well! I've never really thought of Patagonia as a brand for runners, but I decided to take the chance to expand my running wardrobe a little.
The first item I got was a Capilene 1 silkweight tank. It looks great and fits well (too often, when I get something in a size "large", it is the right length but ends up baggy). Compared to other shirts, the fabric is extremely light, smooth and stretchy. Unfortunately, by the end of my 3.5 mile run (31:31) this morning in the DC heat, it was drenched, heavy and clinging to my skin. The bottom line is that it is not as good as other technical fabrics for a summer run, but I'm really looking forward to wearing it more once the weather cools down.
The other item I got was a pair of lightweight Merino wool blend socks. I'll admit, I was a little skeptical pulling wool socks on in the middle of summer. But they fit like a dream (including just the right amount of room in the toes) and they felt like butter. Most importantly, they continued to stay comfortable during my run - they didn't get hot at all, and there was no sign of any problematic rubbing. When I took my shoes off, they were slightly damp, but somehow still drier than my more technical running socks would have been. An additional bonus for me is that they fit up over the ankle, which should offer protection from the little bits of rock and gravel that I sometimes get inside my socks when running offroad. I'm really excited to take these on my longer trail runs.
The first item I got was a Capilene 1 silkweight tank. It looks great and fits well (too often, when I get something in a size "large", it is the right length but ends up baggy). Compared to other shirts, the fabric is extremely light, smooth and stretchy. Unfortunately, by the end of my 3.5 mile run (31:31) this morning in the DC heat, it was drenched, heavy and clinging to my skin. The bottom line is that it is not as good as other technical fabrics for a summer run, but I'm really looking forward to wearing it more once the weather cools down.
The other item I got was a pair of lightweight Merino wool blend socks. I'll admit, I was a little skeptical pulling wool socks on in the middle of summer. But they fit like a dream (including just the right amount of room in the toes) and they felt like butter. Most importantly, they continued to stay comfortable during my run - they didn't get hot at all, and there was no sign of any problematic rubbing. When I took my shoes off, they were slightly damp, but somehow still drier than my more technical running socks would have been. An additional bonus for me is that they fit up over the ankle, which should offer protection from the little bits of rock and gravel that I sometimes get inside my socks when running offroad. I'm really excited to take these on my longer trail runs.
Muscling Thru the Run (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Heat)
Since today was merely hot rather than stifling, I decided to go for a run during my lunch break. Urgh. Still too hot to be comfortable, I became overheated rather quickly and was forced to slog through the last third of the 4 mile run (finishing in 33:36 if you're counting.)
Having said that, I tried to embrace a mindset change while I was running. Like the story about the Devil's Valley race in Born To Run, I tried to reset and just divorce my mind from the heat. In other words, I just muscled through it. I'm tired now, mentally and physically, but finishing tough runs in this manner is probably good mental practice for end-of-race conditions. You know - when you're dying, with that painful stitch in your side, and want to stop so badly but know you can't. At least that's what I'm telling myself until the weather gets a bit cooler!
Having said that, I tried to embrace a mindset change while I was running. Like the story about the Devil's Valley race in Born To Run, I tried to reset and just divorce my mind from the heat. In other words, I just muscled through it. I'm tired now, mentally and physically, but finishing tough runs in this manner is probably good mental practice for end-of-race conditions. You know - when you're dying, with that painful stitch in your side, and want to stop so badly but know you can't. At least that's what I'm telling myself until the weather gets a bit cooler!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Watching Lackey
Joy of Sox summarizes the experience well:
I'll take Lackey's line [yesterday] against the Yankees every time out, but it wasn't pretty. His only 1-2-3 inning was the first. In the third and fourth, he threw a total of 59 pitches. The dread of a meltdown is so strong that when Lackey strands a runner or two, the pervasive feeling is relief that he made it through another inning instead of realizing that he pitched all right except for a hiccup (or two).
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Sox-Yankees
I have no idea how Yankees caught up with the Red Sox AL East, but the Red Sox know it and they are ALIVE on defense tonight. Lester throwing K's, Salty gunning down runners, Crawford making sliding catches in the 'field. They're playing this game like they want to take back the lead. Now their bats just need to get to Colon.
My first race!
With the dog days of summer upon us, I decided to take Todd's advice and sign up for my first ever race as a way of staying motivated.
So, on October 8th, I'm headed down to Virginia to run the New River Trail. I know that I'm not going to be competitive, but it's going to be fun!
So, on October 8th, I'm headed down to Virginia to run the New River Trail. I know that I'm not going to be competitive, but it's going to be fun!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Kindle List
Here the unread books currently awaiting me on my Kindle:
Birchwood, by John Banville
Christine Falls, by Benjamin Black
Troubles, by J.G. Farrell
The Glass Room, by Simon Mawer
The Child in Time, Ian McEwan
Ghosts of Belfast, by Stuart Neville
Sex and the River Styx, by Edward Hoagland
Archimedes to Hawking, by Clifford Pickover
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat, by Oliver Sacks
Several of these were temporarily on sale at one time or another on Amazon.com for 2.99 or 3.99. Though they offer a lot of crap at that price point, hopefully I've found a few gems.
Are there any here that you can comment on?
Birchwood, by John Banville
Christine Falls, by Benjamin Black
Troubles, by J.G. Farrell
The Glass Room, by Simon Mawer
The Child in Time, Ian McEwan
Ghosts of Belfast, by Stuart Neville
Sex and the River Styx, by Edward Hoagland
Archimedes to Hawking, by Clifford Pickover
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat, by Oliver Sacks
Several of these were temporarily on sale at one time or another on Amazon.com for 2.99 or 3.99. Though they offer a lot of crap at that price point, hopefully I've found a few gems.
Are there any here that you can comment on?
Ellsbury
Congratulations to Ellsbury! The celebration at the plate last night was well deserved.
A lot of fan sites, including Joy of Sox and others, are reciting a stat that the last Red Sox player to deliver a walkoff RBI hit on consecutive days was Butch Hobson on Aug. 27-28, 1978. Sounds good, but . . . .
How are these fans forgetting October 2004?
On October 17, 2004, with the Sox down three games to zero against the Yankees in the ALCS, Big Papi hit a walkoff home run in the 12th inning. On October 18, in the fourteenth inning, he drove in Johnny Damon for the game winning RBI.
In any case, I'm glad to see Ellsbury following in Ortiz's (very large) footsteps!
A lot of fan sites, including Joy of Sox and others, are reciting a stat that the last Red Sox player to deliver a walkoff RBI hit on consecutive days was Butch Hobson on Aug. 27-28, 1978. Sounds good, but . . . .
How are these fans forgetting October 2004?
On October 17, 2004, with the Sox down three games to zero against the Yankees in the ALCS, Big Papi hit a walkoff home run in the 12th inning. On October 18, in the fourteenth inning, he drove in Johnny Damon for the game winning RBI.
In any case, I'm glad to see Ellsbury following in Ortiz's (very large) footsteps!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Monsoon and Anil's Ghost
I've been promising to put up some book reviews for some time. Unfortunately, work got the better of me, leaving me without time to write. Things are now returning to normal, but it's been a while since I finished reading, making the reviews that much harder much to write.
The first book I wanted to discuss was Monsoon, by Robert S. Kaplan. Kaplan has been one of my favorite non-fiction writers for a long time. In books like Balkan Ghosts and The Ends of the Earth, he travels to some of the harshest areas of the world, to explore how their history, culture and politics create modern powder kegs. He ignores or rejects even the most basic conventional wisdom about these regions, preferring to learn for himself from the ground up.
Monsoon, by contrast, contains very little in the way of travel or original exploration. He pops into a few places and looks around for a few hours, but mostly it felt like his editors made him. Otherwise, it reads more like a college thesis, simply regurgitating other people's writing. You will learn a lot about Bangladesh and Myanmar and Pakistan and Sri Lanka from reading this book. And there's an interesting thesis about the roles of Chinese and Indian naval power in the Indian Ocean. But reading it was a real chore.
That being said, it was a chore that quite unexpectedly paid off when, a few books later, I read Anil's Ghost, a novel by Michael Ondaatje set in the midst of Sri Lanka's civil wars. Ondaatje plunges right in, keeping a tight focus on the interwoven lives of the story's characters. Although the effects of the war are all around them, he never broadens his gaze to explain who is fighting, or why, or where. I would have been bewildered if I hadn't just had Kaplan's crash course.
Otherwise, Anil's Ghost is not as challenging as some of Ondaatje's other work. Although it does move forward and backward in time, it is (relatively) more straightforward and more plot focused than, say, The English Patient or In the Skin of a Lion. It also includes a wallop of an ending that rivals the best political thrillers. His prose, as always, is amazing, deployed here to describe beheadings and suicide bombings and torture in a manner that is somehow luminous and brutal at the same time. His skills are put to equally impressive service when he delves into forensic archaeology and Buddhist ritual. A highly recommended book.
The first book I wanted to discuss was Monsoon, by Robert S. Kaplan. Kaplan has been one of my favorite non-fiction writers for a long time. In books like Balkan Ghosts and The Ends of the Earth, he travels to some of the harshest areas of the world, to explore how their history, culture and politics create modern powder kegs. He ignores or rejects even the most basic conventional wisdom about these regions, preferring to learn for himself from the ground up.
Monsoon, by contrast, contains very little in the way of travel or original exploration. He pops into a few places and looks around for a few hours, but mostly it felt like his editors made him. Otherwise, it reads more like a college thesis, simply regurgitating other people's writing. You will learn a lot about Bangladesh and Myanmar and Pakistan and Sri Lanka from reading this book. And there's an interesting thesis about the roles of Chinese and Indian naval power in the Indian Ocean. But reading it was a real chore.
That being said, it was a chore that quite unexpectedly paid off when, a few books later, I read Anil's Ghost, a novel by Michael Ondaatje set in the midst of Sri Lanka's civil wars. Ondaatje plunges right in, keeping a tight focus on the interwoven lives of the story's characters. Although the effects of the war are all around them, he never broadens his gaze to explain who is fighting, or why, or where. I would have been bewildered if I hadn't just had Kaplan's crash course.
Otherwise, Anil's Ghost is not as challenging as some of Ondaatje's other work. Although it does move forward and backward in time, it is (relatively) more straightforward and more plot focused than, say, The English Patient or In the Skin of a Lion. It also includes a wallop of an ending that rivals the best political thrillers. His prose, as always, is amazing, deployed here to describe beheadings and suicide bombings and torture in a manner that is somehow luminous and brutal at the same time. His skills are put to equally impressive service when he delves into forensic archaeology and Buddhist ritual. A highly recommended book.
Quote of the Day
Feeling unmotivated to workout today after a long night (don't ask), Livestrong picked me up with this quote:
"Those who think they have no time for exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness."
- Edward Stanley
Motivating because being sick is what I hate most in this world!
"Those who think they have no time for exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness."
- Edward Stanley
Motivating because being sick is what I hate most in this world!
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