Me: Boy, you really lucked out. It’s been really nice here the last couple of days.
Colleague from San Diego: I’m freezing!
Me: This is the warmest day we’ve had in six months.
Month: March 2005
I believe in a universe …
… that is too complex for any of us to really understand. Each of us has an organized way of thinking about the world — a paradigm, if you will — and we need those, of course; you can’t get through the day unless you have some organized way of thinking about the world.
But the problem is that the real world is vastly more complicated than the image of it that we carry around in our heads. Many things are real and important that are not explained by our theories — no matter who we are, no matter how intelligent we are.
— Bill James, baseball statistician and consultant to the Boston Red Sox front office, explaining how the team overcame a 3-0 series deficit to beat the evil, evil Yankees and win the World Series.
Quotable
“Don’t go around whining, ‘Waaa! Now I can’t be a highly paid Hollywood screenwriter just because I wanted to overthrow the government.'”
— Al O’Reilly, on the Communists blacklisted during the McCarthy era.
Barking up the wrong tree
Who knew a little double entendre would draw such an outcry? I sure didn’t. But now I know, and knowing — as I believe G.I. Joe used to say — is one-eighth the battle.
Remember Alf?
He’s back … in blog form. Many blog forms, apparently, but none actually based on or about the ’80s TV sitcom character or ’90s pog subject.
Are we there yet?
“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
— H.L. Mencken
Turn, turn, turn again
After all the off-season talk about the Cubs’ offensive and bullpen woes, it’s all pretty much moot if their starting rotation isn’t healthy and effective the entire year. Yes, the Cubs would have made the playoffs last year with a more effective closer. But they would have competed for the division crown had Prior and Wood been healthy the entire year.
And now both are question marks again. Wood is out with a sore shoulder and Prior’s out with a sore elbow. The Cubs are, once again, agonizingly trying to downplay the injuries, but until I see Wood and Prior out there on the mound pitching 30 starts in a row without trouble, I’ll assume they’re damaged goods.
The Cubs’ success this season — and, frankly — for several seasons to come, depends on their young starters. And no matter how talented they may be, it doesn’t matter if they’re on the disabled list. I sure hope that the young farm-club studs the Cubs have so zealously guarded from the trading block in recent years turn out to be all they’re cracked up to be. Otherwise, this latest Renaissance may quickly revert to another epoch — the Dark Ages.
Am I being alarmist? Probably. But this news is cause for alarm.
Quotable: “If he was a horse, they would have shot him already.” — Al O’Reilly, on the oft-injured Kerry Wood.
(Also posted to CubsNet.com.)
Quote of the month
“I can tell you my testicles are the same size. They haven’t shrunk. They’re the same and work just the same as they always have.”
— Giants’ slugger Barry Bonds, on the possible side effects of his steroid use.
Quote of the week
“Be the person your dog thinks you are.”
— T-shirt worn by anonymous Independent Spirit Award winner.
kboreilly.com 