'Moneyball' Trailer

I remember when Bring It On came out and it was followed in a few years by Drumline and critics said it was like Bring it On for band geeks.

From the looks of the first trailer, The Social Network scribe, Aaron Sorkin, and a few others wrote a screenplay that feels like The Social Network for baseball geeks.

Based on the best-selling book, Moneyball tells the story of Oakland A's manager Billy Beane and how he made a championship contending team for pennies on the dollar using advanced statistics, called 'sabremetrics' in baseball nerd jargon. By ignoring scouting techniques used for over a century, Moneyball and its sabermetric strategies caused a rift in the baseball community between old-school traditionalists and new-school math whizzes.

There are some fair criticisms to be made about Beane's strategies and how much of them actually worked and how much of his success was just luck. What can't be argued against, though, is how sabermetrics have permeated baseball culture, not only through the fantasy baseball game that nerds like Adonis and I play, but in the statistical analysis that takes place in every major league front office.

There was a great article posted last week about "Moneyball 2.0" on Grantland. The writer, Bill Barnwell, detailed how sabermetrics and Billy Beane's notion of "Moneyball" have evolved over the years and how teams have been able to maximize wins against each dollar spent. Worth a read if only because last year's overachieving San Diego Padres are used in nearly every example he uses.

As far as the movie goes, after toiling in development hell for some time, it looks like it has a lot of potential. Nazer and I were huge fans of The Social Network, and I'll watch anything that Aaron Sorkin attaches his name to (The American President is one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time).

There's a fat guy played by Jonah Hill who wows powerful people with his smarts? Lightning fast "walk and talk" dialogue along with nerdy baseball-isms? I'm not sure I can find anything to dislike there.

EMO: Farewell Grandpa Hoffman

It's Official.

Unlike high school, rumors in Major League Baseball are mostly true - Trevor Hoffman will no longer be closing/blowing games for the San Diego Padres. What seemed like a perfect match, evidenced by a warm, loving relationship that lasted over 15 years, ended in a dramatic break-up after last season, with the Padres front office and Hoffman walking away from each other bitter and angry.

I was always hoping that the couple would work out their differences (apparently Hoffman felt disrespected and the Padres felt he was a gold digger and getting lousy on the mound) and kiss & make up, but at this point it seems like both sides have moved on for good; especially Hoffman, who has already found a rebound in the Milwaukee Brewers.

On September 27th of last year, with only two games left to finish a terrible season, I was fortunate enough to watch the Padres beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 at Petco, a game highlighted by Hoffman closing out the top of the 9th in a quick, 1-2-3 inning. That officially would be Hoffman's last save and appearance of 2008.

While I had a feeling that night might of been that last time I would get to witness Trevor Time, (there was already rumors flying around that he could retire) I never imagined he would ever pitch for another team.

The prospect of THE Trevor Hoffman wearing an alien uniform, without SD on his cap, and the idea of "AC/DC - Hell's Bells" being played in another stadium makes me want to throw up.

Lots of good (and sometimes bad) memories watching Hoffy play, but the one memory that easily comes to mind definitely has to be in 2006, when I was lucky enough to witness his 478th save at San Diego, also putting him on top as MLB's all-time saves leader. I remember the place going nuts as I fumbled around with the camera, trying to capture the historic moment.

Blah, I guess I jinxed myself into this heartbreak.

Fuckin Padres: On Life Support? (May 1, 2008)

Save for another playoff run, Hoffman has little more to prove or show for, as he already leads the All-time Saves list, a milestone that took 15 years in the making. Regardless, Trevor Time and the days of hearing Hell’s Bells ring in San Diego, not to mention watching one of the most dominant closers in baseball history play, are running short.

Sigh.

There is of course, much more to be said about the 2nd greatest player in Padre's history, (or the greatest player in Padre's history, if you happen to be a Tony Gwynn hater) but it'll have to wait; the news is still fresh and the emoness has already kicked in...

Fuckin padres man.

[San Diego Union Tribune]

Congratulations Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the conclusion of their postponed Game 5 to win the World Series. I guess for Tampa Bay it was more like...postPWNED right? anyone? Fine then...

Cole Hamels is your World Series MVP. Cole is an alumnus of Rancho Bernardo High School. My brother had the honor of watching him play Mt. Carmel during his high school days. I don't think anyone I watched at Nelson and Alexand's football games became famous, but I did get to watch Aaron bodyslam a motherfucker on his head, and I guess that's better than watching a future World Series MVP.

As much as it pains me to watch another team that's not mine hoist a championship trophy, it's nice to see a city that hasn't won in a while finally get it done because I always think that people will think the same thing if we can somehow win a Super Bowl before the Chargers leave San Diego (joke!).

Philadelphia has only been in a "drought" for 25 years though, so if the sports gods feel something is owed to us, I'm sure it's coming soon! Maybe like Philly, it might come in the form of a World Series Championship.







Nevermind...

Feeling inadequate all of a sudden...

That's the last time I complain about a "tweaked ankle".

Credit: With Leather

Manny being Manny

DrewL mentioned this to me last night, and Awul Announcing put the video up. It's the best of Manny Ramirez's bizzare moments, and it's the funniest video I've watched on the internet in quite some time.

Fuckin Padres: Oh yeah, fuck you too Jim Edmonds

Fuckin Padres. I admit, I was fairly pleased when I first heard the news that the Padres signed former Cardinals superstar and 8-time gold glover Jim Edmonds to play centerfield. I mean, why not? This guy for years has repeatedly fucked us over during his tenure with St. Louis, making spectacular dives and over the shoulder grabs in a Swan Lake fashion, robbing our paltry hitters for all of their worth.

Problem is, I had no idea he could still fuck us over even in a Padres uniform.

The brittle 37-year-old Edmonds was released by the Padres after just 6-weeks into season with nothing to show for but plenty of strikeouts and dropped balls.

Apparently, the Padres’ front office felt Edmonds was doing more harm than good, a notion supported by his pathetic .178 batting average and his miserable defensive play which essentially made him useless. They were also willing to cough up 4 million dollars worth of Edmonds’ contract, as compensation for kicking the washed-up outfielder to the curb. Edmonds now returns to St. Louis a hero, his secret mission to infiltrate and destroy the Padres organization from within all but complete.

The sad part is, while no one expected Edmonds to make any real offensive contributions, I for one, hoped to watch him make at least a few brilliant catches before blowing out his knee, or, I guess in his loser-case, getting kicked off the team just for being a total bust. Instead, he leaves us with zero highlight reel appearances, a question mark in centerfield, 4 million dollars down the drain, and another embarrassing stain on the Padres ‘08 season.

For the sad little Padre fan, fear not; since Edmonds’ departure, the freaky friars have made adjustments to the batting order, winning 3 of the past 4 games, and at least have a centerfield replacement in Jody “I will always be mediocre” Gerut. Plus, with several moves to the overall team roster, Edmonds will soon just be an unpleasant, but forgetful memory.

What could have been... (Just imagine blue in place of all the red)


Since everything in sports can be attributed to superstition and jinxes, I firmly believe that the centerfield position for the Padres is legitimately CURSED ever since Petco Park’s conception in 2004.

No Padre has been able to consistently play the position, or for that matter, handle the spacious baseball hell that is Pecto's centerfield.

2008: Jim Edmonds, Jody Gerut?


The washed-up Edmonds in his short-stint probably gave up more hits playing centerfield than the Padres’ offense could probably muster all year. Still, he obviously wasn’t our first choice to play center for San Diego this season; remember Japanese import Kaisuke Fukudome? Speaking of Fuck-u-do-me, he is currently hitting .321 for Chicago while winning the hearts of Cubs fans with his determination and winning attitude. Fuckin Padres man.

2007: Mike Cameron, now with the Milwaukee Brewers


Oh how I miss thee Mike Cameron. He was probably the only Padre closest to taming Petco’s beast-like centerfield, but the aforementioned curse prevented him from playing in last year's one-game-playoff where we needed him most, as he was forced to sit out with an injured thumb. Ex-Padre and true goat Brady Clark attempted to help take centerstage that night, and coincidentally, missed several potential outs with his shaky defense despite not even playing in San Diego. The Pads would eventually lose the game 8-9 and miss the playoffs as a result of his and the rest of the team's fuck-ups. Fuck you Matt Holliday, fuck you. And you too Brady Clark.

2006 & 2005: Dave Roberts, now with San Francisco


The blackanese Dave Roberts patrolled centerfield during these years, and while he was a fan favorite and a speedster on the basepaths, his defense was suspect, especially in Petco’s cavernous outfield.

2004:
Jay Payton…what trash, he fell way short of expectations, and he is not even worth talking about. Fucking garbage machine.

Before Petco:
Ironically, before moving from Qualcomm to the newly built Petco Park, the Pads’ 2003 opening-day roster included names such as Jason Bay, Mark Kotsay, Shane Victorino, and Gary Matthews Jr., all of whom are capable outfielders and now making spectacular plays for other teams... I guess they forgot to bring one of these guys along for the ride downtown. Fuckin Padres.

*Update: Edmonds to the Chicago Cubs? Really??

Fuckin Padres: On life support?

Fuckin Padres. 5 weeks into the season, it comes to no surprise that the San Diego Padres are exactly where they left off last year… as LOSERS. Currently the freaky friars sit on a pathetic 11-17* record, struggling to gain a foothold in a competitively-agonizing division that’s characterized by some of the worst offensive numbers as a team, and by a lackluster bullpen led by none other than Grandpa Hoffman himself, only one-year removed from being one of the best in baseball.

In all fairness, many of our players aren’t living up to their full potential as evidenced in the past. Likewise, there remains much baseball left to be played, meaning things can turn around for the Pads in a hurry as long as the Swinging Friar can lay off the Asian girls. Still, temper your expectations going forward, as it seems the team is still hungover from last season’s heartbreaking debacle. Fuck you Matt Holliday, fuck you.

Why you should still be keepin’ the faith

Jake Peavy and Mark Prior


If there is one player on the Padres that can carry the team on his back and single handily lead them to another playoff berth, it has to be the 2007 Cy Young Winner and home-grown hero Jake Peavy. You really have to feel bad for the guy though – all he does is go out there and pitch brilliantly, even hitting better than half his teammates, but ends up having to watch his team go to shit time and time again. Still, I have confidence that his demi-god powers alone will salvage the Padres season from total embarrassment.

Off-season addition Mark Prior also boasts superhuman powers like Peavy, being a dominant hurler and owning batters with an impressive arsenal of power pitches... but that was 5 long years ago. Since then, the San Diego native has been plagued by injuries and bad luck, and is currently rotting away on the disabled list in hopes of returning by mid-summer.

There is hope though, even if he is made of glass. The Padres have always worked well in developing their pitching staff, and if Prior can return to even a shell of his former self would be huge; his 2003 numbers alone were on par with Peavy’s Cy Young campaign of last year. Thus, Prior is the Padres’ low-risk high-reward secret weapon; capable of improving an already quality starting rotation as long as he and stella can get their groove back.

Trevor Hoffman and Greg Maddux


2008 may also be the last opportunity to watch two of baseball’s all-time greats and future Hall-of-Famers, Grandpa Hoffman and Grandpa Maddux, respectively, both of whom just recently joined AARP. The two of them are only signed through this season, so whether they choose to retire, or move on to another team, or if the Padres decide to re-sign them, is still up to much speculation.

My guess with Mad Dog is he’ll still pitch for one or two more years at most before moving on to his Professional Poker career, but not in a Padres uniform – most likely with an eager team in serious contention as quality starters are becoming hard to come by. Also, because the pricy Maddux has been playing since the end of the Cold War, re-signing him seems very unlikely, especially for the stingy-minded Padres.

On the bright side, Maddux seems to have taught his young grasshopper Peavy everything he knows, so his work in San Diego is complete. But despite being at the end of his career, don’t let his goofy appearance fool you; Maddux is still the grand wizard of pitching, and still amazing to watch even as a senior citizen.



Hoffman on the other hand, is someone that I feel will finally hang up the glove by season’s end. While he had a terrible April last year as well and still ended the season with elite numbers, he and his signature leg kick no longer strikes that same fear into batters as it once did. Also, now that his ‘fastball’ is the same velocity as his changeup, his ability to close games is becoming more of a coin-flip than the sure-thing of the past, which is painful to watch for any fan. Of course, no Padres fan wants to see the San Diego favorite call it quits, but even then I’d rather see him retire and bring some stability back to bullpen, and at least not in another team’s uniform.

Save for another playoff run, (which the Padres should be able to pull off this season...) Hoffman has little more to prove or show for, as he already leads the All-time Saves list, a milestone that took 15 years in the making. Regardless, Trevor Time and the days of hearing Hell’s Bells ring in San Diego, not to mention watching one of the most dominant closers in baseball history play, are running short.

*Note: O.K. so we did win yesterday, but the opposing pitcher is also an old geezer like Hoffman and Maddux - hopefully it’s a positive sign of things to come.

They might as well be murdering kittens

The Padres are breaking my heart right now. Considering the struggles of Grandpa Hoffman (seen above, looking desparately in need of a cane) and our lame excuse for an offense, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Sitting in last place in the NL West, 9 games behind the D-Backs, we're struggling early to say the least. We still have outstanding starting pitching, so we're far from out of it. If things don't turn around though, you can find me drowning my sorrows in a bottle of sake, wondering what could've been another first round playoff exit.

Monday Morning Buffet: Spring Break Endeavors

■ My Spring Break technically ended last Monday, but due to the nature of the quarter system, which tends to begin each new quarter with a pick-up-your-syllabus week, and due to my pathetic work ethic, I decided to extend my break for a few more undeserving days’ worth of gallivanting.

Even with my self-extended break, I knew I had very little time to accomplish all of the goals I set up beforehand. Naturally, I crossed out what I saw as the least important things on my list of Spring Break Goals, deeming them expendable for time being.

- File my tax return
- Work on my resume
- Clean out room of junk
- Get an oil change for my car
- Attempt to work out again

After setting my priorities straight, I managed to find time for more significant endeavors.

■ Goal #1: Become the greatest fisherman this side of the Pacific.

I haven’t gone fishing since back in the day when I was 7 or so, so I was glad that some of the homies took me out to terrorize the ocean-depths once more.

But after hours worth of fishing, my night ended with a fish count of 0. Zip, nada, ZERO.

On the bright side, I did have a close encounter with a creature that resembled something like this:

Fortunately for him, I was caught off guard when he fell for the bait, and the creature was able to escape before I had a chance to reel him in. He escaped me once, but next time, he won’t be so lucky...

Result: 0 fish in 5 hours. FAIL.

■ Goal #2: Drink enough to acquire an iron liver.

Besides celebrating multiple birthdays, and drinking on consecutive days, my alcoholic-bound training program also included a round of playing Power Hour.

My urbandictionary.com definition of Power Hour: An evil drinking game conceived by the devil himself, which requires players to take a shot of beer per minute for an entire hour or until tapping out. One notable participant, CommanderCacho of coolkidsroom, has accomplished this feat on numerous occasions.

Even under the tutelage of Lance himself, I only managed to achieve a grand total of 33 shots prior to taking refuge at a toilet, or well, in my case, a plastic bag provided by Ray, before throwing up a Carl’s Jr. Chili Burger.

Result: Barely reaching the half-way mark of Power Hour. FAIL.

■ Goal #3: Become the newest crew member of the JabbaWockeez.

As Nazer mentioned earlier, television is finally back in business with fresh new content, although this previous void of entertainment was fulfilled for me thanks to America’s Best Dance Crew and its recent crowning of the JabbaWockeez as winners of season 1.

After being wholeheartedly inspired by them, and after a few hardcore sessions, I decided to test my skills and take it to the dance floor.

Result: Go clubbing downtown. Attempt to jock on girls using Jabbawockee moves. Look like an idiot. FAIL.

■ Goal #4: Become the greatest singer ever.

O.k. not really, but I just wanted to mention that Miss Ramiele Malubay finally got the boot on American Idol, after what her critics agreed was nothing short of an uninspiring series of lackluster performances. Either way, she's still an idol in my book.

Result: Ramiele Malubay, FAIL.

■ Goal #5: Become the next great baseball phenom.

With baseball season in full gear, my break also consisted of an unhealthy dose of baseball-related activities, including watching games across Major League Baseball, researching and tinkering with my fantasy teams, and enjoying the Padres opening week at Petco Park; highlighted by Jake Peavy’s should-of-been-a-shut-out complete game, and ending with Grandpa Hoffman once again showing his age.

Result: Attempt to prove my worth at the batting cages. Swing away and go 0 for 100. FAIL.

■ Goal #6: Lastly, catch up on movies I’ve been eager to see.

Namely, this meant finally watching the Oscar Winner for Best Picture, the movie No Country for Old Men such as Trevor Hoffman. I’ve been impressed with all of the Best Picture winners for the past several years, from Gladiator in 2000 to The Depated in 2006. Likewise, 2007 was no different.

In fact, I was so impressed with No Country for Old Men, that I decided to make a secondary goal of becoming a badass like the movie’s antagonist, Anton Chiguhr, played by Javier Bardem. Not surprisingly, Bardem won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his memorable performance as the psychopathic killer. However, I also figured that this meant I had to copy his stylish hair-do, in order to achieve such a level of badass-ness.

Even Hannibal Lector and the Terminator couldn't fuck with this guy.

After applying some instant hair-growth gel and observing the results, I realized that I had no chance whatsoever of imitating his Beatles’ mop-top, as you can see here:

Result: A nappy-ass fro. FAIL.

■ In retrospect, I guess you can say my Spring Break fell short of expectations, as I failed to accomplish any of my goals that were more than easy to attain. Still, I suppose it was worth the fun and effort. Now that I look back, this post could’ve been the perfect compliment to the FAILURE homie edition, minus the pedophilic attempts and a ridiculously huge bump on the forehead. Now begins another lame attempt to get back into school mode; good luck everyone.

Best,
Adonis

It's Saturday, What's New

To: Ray, Lance, Adonis, and affiliates
From: Nazer
Re: Single Poison

That was an awesome piece. All of this is a subject that I don't comment very much on, and after reading Ray's post as well as Mel's and Kristine's I thought, why don't I comment on stuff like this? There are a ton of reasons why I shy away from this subject, but the most concrete would be that I'm the kind of person who bases a lot of things on fact. The simple truth is that the subject of dating and relationships really have no simple truths. There are no laws set in stone, there is no step by step guide to get you to where you wanna be, but there are a ton of shoots and ladders, and as we all know you can't predict when you'll reach an end. You can't explain attraction, you can't define love, and as cliche as this sounds, it really is a roller coaster with so many ups and downs, and that's what makes it all so scary, but so exciting and cool at the same time. I'll probably go more in depth in a future post down the line, so if you really wanna know more about my point of view feel free to ask or just stay tuned.

In other news, being 21 is expensive as hell. Money once saved for games or books or cds now goes to beer for beer pong and expensive ass drinks at restaurants. Don't get me wrong it's all extremely enjoyable and there's always good stories, but watching my bank account rapidly deplete isn't that tight.

Baseball season has officially begun, and the natives of Boston do their team proud by rocking Red Sox gear literally EVERYWHERE. I subscribed to the video stream on MLB.com so I can watch Padres games, and having the Channel 4 SD commentary really makes me feel like I'm at home, go Padres!

I'm really excited for the Spring TV season to start up. I can't wait to sit my ass down in front of the television for hours lazily watching 30 Rock and The Office. In the meantime I've been watching AMCs Breaking Bad, a show about a man with a wife and child who teaches chemistry at a high school. He becomes diagnosed with lung cancer and his life is quickly spiraling downward with financial problems and stress, so he decides to make cook meth and sell it to get by. I'm only a couple episodes in but it's been pretty entertaining so far.

I'll be spending the rest of my day planning out my schedule for next semester, maybe playing some video games, deciding on dinner, some practicing, then another night of random acts. Time is flying by and I'll be home in a month, till next time.

CRY MORE NOOB

Weekend Wrapup:


Chargers kick ASS

Give credit to the Chargers’ and their photographers, this picture is a masterpiece. Poor Vince Young, I can almost see the tears swell up in his eyes as he holds his fatass runningback ever so gently. I get the notion that after the game, Philp Rivers, being a dick as usually, ran with his notorious trash-talking mouth for another week in a row… He must’ve said some really mean things, as it appears Lendale White got his feelings hurt pretty bad as he rushed to cry on Young’s shoulder. “Don’t worry baby, he can’t hurt you anymore…”

While I am a firm believer in sportsmanship and conducting yourself with a sense of “class” like good ol’ LT, San Diego’s triumph over the Tennessee Titans could make me care less. While this matchup at the Q wasn’t the most impressive or prettiest of wins, (e.g. LT managed only 42 yards on the ground and Antonio Gates became a casualty of war after stubbing his big toe) it was a satisfying PLAYOFF victory, nonetheless, and there’s much more to be overjoyed about along with this win.

Mainly, my jumping for joy and cheap shots towards Titans fans stems from the fact that a San Diego sports teams has finally gotten over this time-honored San Diego tradition of teasing with a promising regular season, and then LOSING disastrously early on in the playoffs, as recent history of the Chargers and Padres suggest. Likewise, a loss would’ve thrown the city in chaos, as this defeat would’ve coupled with the Padres' pathetic meltdown (this day sucked) to the Colorado Rockies only a few months earlier, resulting in impending dark times for San Diego. Besides being shited on by the media, the coaching situation would be in disarray, A.J. Smith’ life in jeopardy, the crime rate would rise, the economy in shambles, and for some reason there’d be another crazy wildfire.

Of course, one could argue that the REAL matchup is still to come, as the Chargers head to Indianapolis to play against the defending Super Bowl Champs. The Colts present a stiff challenge for obvious reasons; Unlike Vince Young, Peyton Manning is white and actually knows how to pass. Plus, the Colt’s boast a respectable D, (allowed the fewest point per game and ranked 3rd as an overall defense) and will have the porn star-mustached tight end, Dallas Clark, as well as Manning’s partner-in-crime wide reciever, Marvin Harrison, both available at his disposal.

Regardless of the tougher matchup, I hope to see a lot of this next Sunday:

Mitchell Report underwhelms like Padres offense without blacks or the mexican

Today was supposed to be an historically significant day in the sport of baseball. Instead, it simply reminded me of why this sport is relatively low on the tier of my fan priorities. Baseball couldn't even make its biggest scandal interesting.

The Michael Vick story for the NFL was worth my attention span. The ending was unsurprising, yet still fascinating. The great climax to the whole saga took place a couple days ago when Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison. One of the most dynamically talented athletes ever in the world of professional sports will likely never be able to resume his career as it was before. Overall when you look at this story, it's stunning.

The Tim Donaghy referee scandal in the NBA was worth my time as well. It was everyone's worst fear, that a ref would be affecting the game to serve other interests like gambling. The great hook in this one? Check out the youtube video of Game 3 from the Spurs-Suns series where "questionable" can only begin to describe Donaghy's calls.

And so yesterday's Mitchell report was supposed to be the coup de grace in MLB infamous steroid scandal. Barry Bonds' federal indictment was merely an appetizer to what culminated in years of anticipation fo this report.

Instead we learn nothing that we haven't already known or suspected. The big name drop was Roger Clemens. But really, is anyone surprised that he was using steroids? Everyone suspected it already, right? Is it realistically natural for a 40-year-old to be pitching lights out, Cy Young quality seasons?

To the baseball community, please let this thing go. Testing is in place now, we can't go back and change what happened 10 years ago. No one is going to stop buying tickets because of this, and it's not like we can get a fucking refund from watching the Mark McGwire's, Barry Bonds's, and Ken Caminiti's of yester-year.