I've recently become semi-obsessed with Sherlock Holmes once again. I say "once again" because there was a time when I would read the complete run of Holmes stories from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle every few years. I was generally into contemporary authors when I was growing up. But we had a bound copy of the 4 novels and 50+ short stories that were written by him about Holmes, and a full set of bound Charles Dickens novels as well. And when I had nothing else to read, I would turn to these to re-read. Over and over again. The Holmes stuff never took that long, so I read those probably a dozen times or so.
But it's honestly been about two decades since I've read them. A lot of that has to do with me reading much, much less than I did when I was a teen or in my early twenties. That's kinda sad. Non-stop availability of just about anything I want to see streaming-wise has also been a big problem.
But problem solved! Well, at least in the Sherlock Holmes situation.
I watched the first season, ahem...series, of the BBC Sherlock production a year or so ago, and I loved it. Starring the immensely talented and oh-so-British-named Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, it's an extremely watchable contemporary update of the Sherlock Holmes stories. But I forgot about it until about a week ago. So I jumped into Series 2...and then watched all 6 episodes over again. Just because I could. I highly recommend this series.
Then I went and found Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows someplace, and I watched that too. And, since it had been awhile since I had seen its' predecessor, Sherlock Holmes, I watched that too. These are the Guy Ritchie films starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law. Much, much different than the BBC series, but a lot of fun with Sherlock portrayed as more of an action hero.
And I didn't stop there. I had been hearing some good words about the American TV adaptation, Elementary. Mostly from this guy. Another contemporary update, this one stars Jonny Lee Miller as a former Scotland Yard consultant living and recovering from addiction in Brooklyn. Oh, and they made Watson an American. And female. Portrayed by the always wonderful Lucy Liu. Sure...why not.
So last night I gave it a try. And after one episode, I'm probably hooked again. Except I haven't been able to find anyplace that streams the earlier episodes from this first Season. Our cable company has the last 5 aired episodes (some re-runs) On Demand, but that's it. So that sucks. I thought it was going to be on Hulu Plus, but it's not. Durn.
I am NOT going to be happy if I cannot satisfy my Sherlock fix with Elementary. I may have to go back to, gasp, reading!
Any other Sherlock adaptations out there I should be watching? Zero Effect, starring Bill Pullman and Ben Stiller was loosely based on Sherlock, but it was a lot of fun. So I'm up for anything. Hit me.
Mar 12, 2013
Mar 7, 2013
Chicken Chili with Black-Eyed Peas
Fergie, amirite?
No, not those Black-Eyed Peas. I'm talking about the food. The legume. The main ingredient in Hoppin' John. Those black-eyed peas. And they've recently become one of our new favorite foods. As in yesterday. Yup...that recent.
I was whipping up a batch of chicken chili (see an old recipe here) and I usually add some small white beans to the mix. But I happened to see a bag of black-eyed peas right next to them at the grocery. So I says to myself "Self, howzabout you give them black-eyed peas a shot instead." Then the old woman next to me in the grocery aisle gave me a snide look and went in search of manager or security guard. So I moved on.
Cooking the black-eyed peas is as simple as...cooking black-eyed peas. You give them an overnight soak in some cold water, or you can do a quick soak per the instructions on the bag. But that's only if you are one of them lazy sumbitches. You aren't one of them lazy sumbitches, are you? Then rinse the beans and give 'em a once through to make sure there aren't any stones or anthrax capsules hidden amongst them. Then simmer them in some vegetable broth for around 45 minutes or so. Or until just tender, but not mushy. I used 4 cups of broth for a 16 oz bag of beans. This left the cooked beans in a just a bit of delicious beany veggie broth. Is beany a word? Not beanie. That's a silly cap. Hmm...
Anyway, the beans tasted delicious just as is. Didn't need to add any salt or pepper or anything. Just delicious beans in a light broth. This would have been a delicious meal unto itself. Except...
Ingredients
- In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil and then add the green curry paste and heat for a minute or so to release the delicious flavor and aroma. Add the green pepper, white onion, celery and jalepenos. Simmer on medium-low heat for a few minutes. Until the onions get a bit translucent. Add the salt, white pepper, red pepper flakes and allspice and give it a give mix. Simmer for another minute or so.
- Add the tomatillos, cilantro, chicken broth, lime juice and the cooked chicken you had previously set aside. Give it all a proper mix and get a nice little boil going. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for around an hour or so. The tomatillos should cook all the way down and leave you with a thick, delicious green sauce.
- This is when I would normally say that you should now add the cooked beans to the chili and cook for a bit more. But the chili on it's own tasted awesome, and so did the black-eyed peas. Instead, I served the beans as a side dish to the chili. In the same bowl. Kinda like this:
Made all with fresh ingredients, this mother-fucker tasted like it was handed down from heaven by the baby Hay-zoos himself. I started alternating spoonfuls at first. One spoon of chili. One spoon of beans. But I was soon just scarfing the whole thing down like a prisoner huddled over the bowl, gripping the spoon like a weapon in case anyone rolled up on me. Yeah...it was that good.
Everyone go out shopping for ingredients and make this over the weekend. You kitchen will smell wonderful and you will most certainly thank me once you have begun putting it in your tummy.
That is all.
No, not those Black-Eyed Peas. I'm talking about the food. The legume. The main ingredient in Hoppin' John. Those black-eyed peas. And they've recently become one of our new favorite foods. As in yesterday. Yup...that recent.
I was whipping up a batch of chicken chili (see an old recipe here) and I usually add some small white beans to the mix. But I happened to see a bag of black-eyed peas right next to them at the grocery. So I says to myself "Self, howzabout you give them black-eyed peas a shot instead." Then the old woman next to me in the grocery aisle gave me a snide look and went in search of manager or security guard. So I moved on.
Cooking the black-eyed peas is as simple as...cooking black-eyed peas. You give them an overnight soak in some cold water, or you can do a quick soak per the instructions on the bag. But that's only if you are one of them lazy sumbitches. You aren't one of them lazy sumbitches, are you? Then rinse the beans and give 'em a once through to make sure there aren't any stones or anthrax capsules hidden amongst them. Then simmer them in some vegetable broth for around 45 minutes or so. Or until just tender, but not mushy. I used 4 cups of broth for a 16 oz bag of beans. This left the cooked beans in a just a bit of delicious beany veggie broth. Is beany a word? Not beanie. That's a silly cap. Hmm...
Anyway, the beans tasted delicious just as is. Didn't need to add any salt or pepper or anything. Just delicious beans in a light broth. This would have been a delicious meal unto itself. Except...
White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 lb mild chicken sausage - removed from casing
- 1 lb fresh tomatillos - cleaned and roughly cubed
- 1 large green bell pepper - diced
- 1 large white onion - diced
- 4 celery stalks (include the leafy part) - diced
- 3-4 jalepeno peppers - seeded and diced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp green curry paste
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- juice of 2 limes
- In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil and then add the green curry paste and heat for a minute or so to release the delicious flavor and aroma. Add the green pepper, white onion, celery and jalepenos. Simmer on medium-low heat for a few minutes. Until the onions get a bit translucent. Add the salt, white pepper, red pepper flakes and allspice and give it a give mix. Simmer for another minute or so.
- Add the tomatillos, cilantro, chicken broth, lime juice and the cooked chicken you had previously set aside. Give it all a proper mix and get a nice little boil going. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for around an hour or so. The tomatillos should cook all the way down and leave you with a thick, delicious green sauce.
- This is when I would normally say that you should now add the cooked beans to the chili and cook for a bit more. But the chili on it's own tasted awesome, and so did the black-eyed peas. Instead, I served the beans as a side dish to the chili. In the same bowl. Kinda like this:
 |
| Not sure what that shadow is there at the bottom. My nose? |
Everyone go out shopping for ingredients and make this over the weekend. You kitchen will smell wonderful and you will most certainly thank me once you have begun putting it in your tummy.
That is all.
Feb 27, 2013
Nik Turley
Summer of 2011
My Gia is visiting her family in Charleston. The Yankees' Low-A affiliate, the Charleston Riverdogs, have a home series against one of the other teams in the South Atlantic League. Nik Turley pitches the first game she attends and he pitches well. A big lefty with a great pickoff move similar to Andy Pettitte. The next game, she's sitting next to a young guy keeping score and tracking pitches. Turns out it's Nik Turley. Down at that level of the minors, the starting pitchers all take turns doing this on their off days. Was a real nice guy, and someone that we decided was a new favorite of ours in the Yankees organization. We've been keeping tabs on him ever since.
Today
Nik Turley is now an interesting prospect in the Yankees organization. Not much of a commanding fastball (despite his 6'6" 230lb frame), but great control of all of his pitches. Recently was made a member of the 40-man roster. And at 23 he's making a Spring Training start for the Yankees against the Orioles at 1PM. I'm going to be watching. And not only for young Mr. Turley. Another favorite, Slade Heathcott, will be manning CF for the Bombers. Heathcott has had an up and down minor-league career thus far, but he had a tremendous showing in the Arizona Fall League. And he's got a troubling but inspirational backstory. Someone that I'll be rooting for. Especially today.
Good luck, fellas!
UPDATE 1:12PM - Turley is NOT impressing right now. Walked the first batter, threw wide to 1st base on a pickoff attempt (runner reached second officially on interference from Dan Johnson), got behind the second batter before giving up an infield single. Then an RBI single to CF to give up his first run. All before getting an out. Yikes!
UPDATE 1:19PM - Nothing has gone right for Turley or the Yanks. Still no one out. 5 runs in for the Orioles. A few wild pitches for Turley. He and we may just want to forget about this one. HEY! He just struck out Lew Ford. In other news, Lew Ford sucks. Ugh. Turley is out of the game.
UPDATE 2:01PM - Heathcott reaches base in his first at-bat on a fielder's choice. Not a particularly great at-bat, but it was nice to hear Singleton and Flaherty rave about the potential for the AA Yank's outfield of Heathcott, Mason Williams and Tyler Austin.
My Gia is visiting her family in Charleston. The Yankees' Low-A affiliate, the Charleston Riverdogs, have a home series against one of the other teams in the South Atlantic League. Nik Turley pitches the first game she attends and he pitches well. A big lefty with a great pickoff move similar to Andy Pettitte. The next game, she's sitting next to a young guy keeping score and tracking pitches. Turns out it's Nik Turley. Down at that level of the minors, the starting pitchers all take turns doing this on their off days. Was a real nice guy, and someone that we decided was a new favorite of ours in the Yankees organization. We've been keeping tabs on him ever since.
Today
Nik Turley is now an interesting prospect in the Yankees organization. Not much of a commanding fastball (despite his 6'6" 230lb frame), but great control of all of his pitches. Recently was made a member of the 40-man roster. And at 23 he's making a Spring Training start for the Yankees against the Orioles at 1PM. I'm going to be watching. And not only for young Mr. Turley. Another favorite, Slade Heathcott, will be manning CF for the Bombers. Heathcott has had an up and down minor-league career thus far, but he had a tremendous showing in the Arizona Fall League. And he's got a troubling but inspirational backstory. Someone that I'll be rooting for. Especially today.
Good luck, fellas!
UPDATE 1:12PM - Turley is NOT impressing right now. Walked the first batter, threw wide to 1st base on a pickoff attempt (runner reached second officially on interference from Dan Johnson), got behind the second batter before giving up an infield single. Then an RBI single to CF to give up his first run. All before getting an out. Yikes!
UPDATE 1:19PM - Nothing has gone right for Turley or the Yanks. Still no one out. 5 runs in for the Orioles. A few wild pitches for Turley. He and we may just want to forget about this one. HEY! He just struck out Lew Ford. In other news, Lew Ford sucks. Ugh. Turley is out of the game.
UPDATE 2:01PM - Heathcott reaches base in his first at-bat on a fielder's choice. Not a particularly great at-bat, but it was nice to hear Singleton and Flaherty rave about the potential for the AA Yank's outfield of Heathcott, Mason Williams and Tyler Austin.
Feb 26, 2013
Blogogenesis
Yeah, I know. I'm not there when you wake up in the morning, and you hate that! Actually, I'm under the bed. Just waiting for you to leave for work so I can do nasty things with your underwear drawer.
Now do you feel better?
Anyway, this happens to me every Spring Training. I just don't care about anything except baseball. Well, I still care about bourbon. And food. And The Walking Dead. Oh, and Gia...crap, almost forgot Gia. You see what baseball does to my brain?
Speaking of baseball, it brought a big ole' smile to my ruggedly handsome face to see some people actually care about February baseball games on Twitter the past few days. Sure, it's February. And if March baseball doesn't fucking matter, then I don't know what the hell we are supposed to do with February baseball. Me? I'm taking it out behind the junior high and gettin' it pregnant. That's how much I love me some February baseball.
Speaking of Gia, we've both been doing well with our diets. Well, we are trying hard not to call it a diet because we don't plan on it ever ending. It's more of a healthy life-style change. A Live-it, if you prefer. Ugh...I really don't prefer that. In fact, I fucking hate that term. Purge it from your mind, forget that I ever mentioned it. Here's what we are doing; controlling portions, limiting caloric intake, fresh ingredients, lotsa water, weekend splurging. Lather, rinse, repeat. It can be a little boring, but I'm trying to keep things interesting in both the bedroom (heyooo!!!) and the kitchen. That's how I roll.
Speaking of The Walking Dead, it's been fucking fantastic this year thus far. Haven't watched this past Sunday's episode yet, but I'm sure I'm gonna dig. Maybe they will finally do something interesting with that great big black hole of suck that is Andrea. Right now, I just want a spin-off where Carl roams the country just shooting fucking zombies in the fucking head. That's it. That's all I want the show to be about. It's faint praise that annoying, little Carl has become my favorite character on the show. Everyone else needs to take a big step up...RIGHT NOW!
Speaking of food, Gia's sister is still rocking her food blog. Her latest installment detailed a Hobbit-themed party that she threw for her son's birthday. You gotta go check it out. I helped a bit with the preparation of the menu, but that's all. And since it happened in warm SC while we were stuck in cold NY, I'm more than a little jealous. Sigh.
Speaking of bourbon, I've got a new inexpensive favorite. Old Grand-Dad 100 Proof. I never gave it a try because...well, the bottle looked so cheap. Bad orange label. Bad orange plastic cap. It's around the same price as Jim Beam, maybe a couple of bucks cheaper. And I recently found out the Old Grand-Dad himself is Basil Hayden, a founding member of the bourbon expansion into Kentucky back in the 1700's. There is another, more premium bourbon eponymously named after him as well. And the two share the same mash bill (oooh....getting me hot with all these fancy bourbon terms!). Just aged 6 years instead of 8. It's delicious! A bit more rye than your normal bourbon, which is something that really appeals to me over some of the wheated bourbons on the market. Needs a bit of ice to mellow it, but that's how I drink bourbon anyway. So it works out perfectly. Don't judge the book by it's awful cover and give it a try.
And I'm spent. Bye!
Now do you feel better?
Anyway, this happens to me every Spring Training. I just don't care about anything except baseball. Well, I still care about bourbon. And food. And The Walking Dead. Oh, and Gia...crap, almost forgot Gia. You see what baseball does to my brain?
Speaking of baseball, it brought a big ole' smile to my ruggedly handsome face to see some people actually care about February baseball games on Twitter the past few days. Sure, it's February. And if March baseball doesn't fucking matter, then I don't know what the hell we are supposed to do with February baseball. Me? I'm taking it out behind the junior high and gettin' it pregnant. That's how much I love me some February baseball.
Speaking of Gia, we've both been doing well with our diets. Well, we are trying hard not to call it a diet because we don't plan on it ever ending. It's more of a healthy life-style change. A Live-it, if you prefer. Ugh...I really don't prefer that. In fact, I fucking hate that term. Purge it from your mind, forget that I ever mentioned it. Here's what we are doing; controlling portions, limiting caloric intake, fresh ingredients, lotsa water, weekend splurging. Lather, rinse, repeat. It can be a little boring, but I'm trying to keep things interesting in both the bedroom (heyooo!!!) and the kitchen. That's how I roll.
Speaking of The Walking Dead, it's been fucking fantastic this year thus far. Haven't watched this past Sunday's episode yet, but I'm sure I'm gonna dig. Maybe they will finally do something interesting with that great big black hole of suck that is Andrea. Right now, I just want a spin-off where Carl roams the country just shooting fucking zombies in the fucking head. That's it. That's all I want the show to be about. It's faint praise that annoying, little Carl has become my favorite character on the show. Everyone else needs to take a big step up...RIGHT NOW!
Speaking of food, Gia's sister is still rocking her food blog. Her latest installment detailed a Hobbit-themed party that she threw for her son's birthday. You gotta go check it out. I helped a bit with the preparation of the menu, but that's all. And since it happened in warm SC while we were stuck in cold NY, I'm more than a little jealous. Sigh.
Speaking of bourbon, I've got a new inexpensive favorite. Old Grand-Dad 100 Proof. I never gave it a try because...well, the bottle looked so cheap. Bad orange label. Bad orange plastic cap. It's around the same price as Jim Beam, maybe a couple of bucks cheaper. And I recently found out the Old Grand-Dad himself is Basil Hayden, a founding member of the bourbon expansion into Kentucky back in the 1700's. There is another, more premium bourbon eponymously named after him as well. And the two share the same mash bill (oooh....getting me hot with all these fancy bourbon terms!). Just aged 6 years instead of 8. It's delicious! A bit more rye than your normal bourbon, which is something that really appeals to me over some of the wheated bourbons on the market. Needs a bit of ice to mellow it, but that's how I drink bourbon anyway. So it works out perfectly. Don't judge the book by it's awful cover and give it a try.
And I'm spent. Bye!
Feb 14, 2013
Rock it!
We went out for a wonderful dinner tonight. Came home with a rose for Gia, which Wolowitz was all over from the get go. He jumped into my arms as soon as we walked into the door and started messing with it.
It was most awesome. Look at that fucking tooth!
We have some wonderful pictures of the two of us from the night. But fuck that. Wolowitz playiing with our rose was and is so much more fun. Rock it.
Oh, and this was waiting for us on the chalkboard at our favorite local restaurant when we went out for dinner tonight.
I'm so lucky.
Feb 12, 2013
The War of the Roses
Here's a little baseball fact-nugget that I gleaned from Bill Veeck* today on Twitter.
Back around the turn of the last century, a bitter rivalry began between two Pennsylvania minor-league baseball teams named after historic cities in Great Britain. York and Lancaster. The York White Roses had been around in some form or another since 1884. In 1904, they joined the Tri-State League and changed their name to the York Penn Parks. Which is horrible name. So in 1905 they changed it back to the White Roses.
One of their rivals in that league at that time was the Lancaster Maroons. And prior to the 1906 season, the Maroons changed their name to the Red Roses. Just to piss off their rivals from York, or so it would seem. The manager of the White Roses immediately denounced the name change as an insult and a copycat maneuver. He also predicted they would finish last in that league in the upcoming season.
As things happen, the two teams met each other in the season opener in 1906 and the upstart Red Roses beat the White Roses by a score of 9-6. An even more bitter rivalry ensued.
The two teams moved around a bunch of times over the years. York moved to Atlantic City for a while, and then to Lancaster where they oddly called themselves the Red Roses during the middle of the 1914 season. How the hell does that happen?
Both teams (same team?) folded after the 1914 season, but they both returned later on. The York White Roses joined the NY-Penn League from 1923-1936, went dormant for a few years because of the Great Depression, joined the Interstate League in 1943, the Piedmont League in 1953 and the Eastern League in 1958 until calling it quits in 1969. The Red Roses were dormant until 1940 when they joined the Interstate League. Then the Piedmont League and the Eastern League until 1962. All the while playing their other half of the classic British war on the baseball diamond.
Baseball's own War of the Roses. A rivalry that kinda exists to this day between the Revolution of York and the Barnstormers of Lancaster. Eh...I prefer the old nicknames.
Pitchers and catchers reported today. I'll take all the baseball content I can handle, frankly.
*Not really Bill Veeck. He's dead, ya know.
Back around the turn of the last century, a bitter rivalry began between two Pennsylvania minor-league baseball teams named after historic cities in Great Britain. York and Lancaster. The York White Roses had been around in some form or another since 1884. In 1904, they joined the Tri-State League and changed their name to the York Penn Parks. Which is horrible name. So in 1905 they changed it back to the White Roses.
One of their rivals in that league at that time was the Lancaster Maroons. And prior to the 1906 season, the Maroons changed their name to the Red Roses. Just to piss off their rivals from York, or so it would seem. The manager of the White Roses immediately denounced the name change as an insult and a copycat maneuver. He also predicted they would finish last in that league in the upcoming season.
As things happen, the two teams met each other in the season opener in 1906 and the upstart Red Roses beat the White Roses by a score of 9-6. An even more bitter rivalry ensued.
The two teams moved around a bunch of times over the years. York moved to Atlantic City for a while, and then to Lancaster where they oddly called themselves the Red Roses during the middle of the 1914 season. How the hell does that happen?
Both teams (same team?) folded after the 1914 season, but they both returned later on. The York White Roses joined the NY-Penn League from 1923-1936, went dormant for a few years because of the Great Depression, joined the Interstate League in 1943, the Piedmont League in 1953 and the Eastern League in 1958 until calling it quits in 1969. The Red Roses were dormant until 1940 when they joined the Interstate League. Then the Piedmont League and the Eastern League until 1962. All the while playing their other half of the classic British war on the baseball diamond.
Baseball's own War of the Roses. A rivalry that kinda exists to this day between the Revolution of York and the Barnstormers of Lancaster. Eh...I prefer the old nicknames.
Pitchers and catchers reported today. I'll take all the baseball content I can handle, frankly.
*Not really Bill Veeck. He's dead, ya know.
Feb 11, 2013
Earl's Favorite Film Scenes: Vol. XI
I haven't done one of these in well over a year. How is that possible?
Anyway, I was thinking about Moonstruck the other day. Gia and I consider it a classic. Just so funny with such great performances. We disagree about Olympia Dukakis. I think she was fantastic, while Gia didn't really buy her as the matriarch of the family. But we do agree that she is in many of the great scenes from the film. Mostly filmed in the household kitchen.
So, naturally, I picked a clip from the film that doesn't feature her. See? I'm whimsical that way.
The bakery scene/introduction to Nic Cage's character has become one of my favorite scenes of all-time. I remember not being able to stand Cage in this film when I first saw it. But he grew on me, like a cancerous mole. And this scene, in particular, is one that lets him fly his freak flag in a glorious way.
Enjoy!
Bring me the big knife!
Anyway, I was thinking about Moonstruck the other day. Gia and I consider it a classic. Just so funny with such great performances. We disagree about Olympia Dukakis. I think she was fantastic, while Gia didn't really buy her as the matriarch of the family. But we do agree that she is in many of the great scenes from the film. Mostly filmed in the household kitchen.
So, naturally, I picked a clip from the film that doesn't feature her. See? I'm whimsical that way.
The bakery scene/introduction to Nic Cage's character has become one of my favorite scenes of all-time. I remember not being able to stand Cage in this film when I first saw it. But he grew on me, like a cancerous mole. And this scene, in particular, is one that lets him fly his freak flag in a glorious way.
Enjoy!
Bring me the big knife!
Feb 8, 2013
The Sandy Effect
UPDATE: There was no false hype. This was a killer storm. We had around 2 and 1/2 feet of snow, at least where I was shoveling. We need the plows to come by before we can even think of getting the cars out. Holy shit!
And, honestly, it's been going on for a lot longer than Superstorm Sandy* back around Halloween. But the hype and (over)reactions to the predictions for this nor'easter, Nemo** to be specific, is a bit out of control. Earlier in the week I heard talk of a coastal storm that we would need to watch, but the meteorologists weren't too worried about it. Then a few days ago, it was upgraded to a major snow event, and Snowpacalypse was nigh. Predictions of over 3 feet of snow in New England with up to 2 feet of snow or more here on Long Island. With blizzard conditions resulting from hurricane-force winds to boot.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
As I write this at 1PM on Friday, it is snowing here on the north shore. Something I wasn't expecting. The latest forecast called for rain all day turning to snow sometime after sundown, which is when it is supposed to get crazy. So maybe we are in for some significant accumulation. Or not. Because we are right on the line of the storm where it is snow to the north and rain in the south. I have no doubt that we are going to wake up to a bunch of snow tomorrow, but how much is anyone's guess. And that's all it seems to be. A guess.
Back to the Sandy Effect, however, and it seems like perception and dire predictions are all that matters for a portion of the population. I had to go out for supplies. For us, that meant a trip to the liquor store. We are stocked with plenty of food, but we were running low on happy juice. And while I was out, I saw something I couldn't believe.
Gas lines.
That's right. Some people, at least in my neighborhood, are waiting on long lines to fill up their SUVs just in case we get a repeat of the gas shortage associated with the power outages that came with Sandy. And the gas stations are feeding into it. They have closed off entrances and have their workers directing traffic and it looks exactly like what happened back in early November.
People, it's a snowstorm. Yes, we may get some significant snowfall. Yes, some people may lose some power. Yes, it's gonna be cold over the weekend. But an all-day rainstorm and 48 degree temperatures on Monday virtually guarantees that it will be all gone by Tuesday. And while the potential for extended power outages does exist, I believe that it just isn't going to be the case here on Long Island. I'm sure things are going to be bad for our neighbors across the Sound, and I wish them the best. But I'm still of the opinion that it's a winter storm. Something we have gone through a hundred times in my lifetime.
But we have been spoiled by the past two years. This is shaping up to be our first significant snow storm in around 3 years. But we all grew up with it. We should be tougher than this.
Ah...I probably just jinxed myself into 5 feet of snow and 3 weeks without power. I'm an ass.
*I'm not making light of Sandy here. It was truly a horrific storm that affected millions and is still affecting thousands.
**A part of this hype is the current trend of naming winter storms. This one is Nemo. Really? We are naming snowstorms now? This has to end.
_________________________________________________
And, honestly, it's been going on for a lot longer than Superstorm Sandy* back around Halloween. But the hype and (over)reactions to the predictions for this nor'easter, Nemo** to be specific, is a bit out of control. Earlier in the week I heard talk of a coastal storm that we would need to watch, but the meteorologists weren't too worried about it. Then a few days ago, it was upgraded to a major snow event, and Snowpacalypse was nigh. Predictions of over 3 feet of snow in New England with up to 2 feet of snow or more here on Long Island. With blizzard conditions resulting from hurricane-force winds to boot.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
As I write this at 1PM on Friday, it is snowing here on the north shore. Something I wasn't expecting. The latest forecast called for rain all day turning to snow sometime after sundown, which is when it is supposed to get crazy. So maybe we are in for some significant accumulation. Or not. Because we are right on the line of the storm where it is snow to the north and rain in the south. I have no doubt that we are going to wake up to a bunch of snow tomorrow, but how much is anyone's guess. And that's all it seems to be. A guess.
Back to the Sandy Effect, however, and it seems like perception and dire predictions are all that matters for a portion of the population. I had to go out for supplies. For us, that meant a trip to the liquor store. We are stocked with plenty of food, but we were running low on happy juice. And while I was out, I saw something I couldn't believe.
Gas lines.
That's right. Some people, at least in my neighborhood, are waiting on long lines to fill up their SUVs just in case we get a repeat of the gas shortage associated with the power outages that came with Sandy. And the gas stations are feeding into it. They have closed off entrances and have their workers directing traffic and it looks exactly like what happened back in early November.
People, it's a snowstorm. Yes, we may get some significant snowfall. Yes, some people may lose some power. Yes, it's gonna be cold over the weekend. But an all-day rainstorm and 48 degree temperatures on Monday virtually guarantees that it will be all gone by Tuesday. And while the potential for extended power outages does exist, I believe that it just isn't going to be the case here on Long Island. I'm sure things are going to be bad for our neighbors across the Sound, and I wish them the best. But I'm still of the opinion that it's a winter storm. Something we have gone through a hundred times in my lifetime.
But we have been spoiled by the past two years. This is shaping up to be our first significant snow storm in around 3 years. But we all grew up with it. We should be tougher than this.
Ah...I probably just jinxed myself into 5 feet of snow and 3 weeks without power. I'm an ass.
 |
| And I don't even drink vodka. Seriously. |
*I'm not making light of Sandy here. It was truly a horrific storm that affected millions and is still affecting thousands.
**A part of this hype is the current trend of naming winter storms. This one is Nemo. Really? We are naming snowstorms now? This has to end.
Feb 7, 2013
Herb
So y'all know that we have four cats. A couple of pure-bred snot-noses, who are really lovely. They both do some remarkable things as well. Bennington, since he has been a wee kitten, does this weird begging/clapping thing when he wants something. Could be food, could be one of the other cats sitting up high on something. Could be angels. We aren't sure. Then there is Bootsy. He's an asshole, but we have to give him some credit. He has been getting really creative with waking us up each morning. He's learned an entirely new cat vocabulary, or so it seems. Brilliant, autistic animal.
But for truly unique behavior, you have to observe one or both of our rescue cats for a while. The brother and sister duo of Wolowitz and Gogo.
Gogo, always our most vocal cat, has this habit of just yelling at us. Out of nowhere! Usually it's when we've disturbed her sleep by sneezing or, ya know, breathing loudly. But she also does it every time we walk into the bathroom. She follows, yelling at us, wanting to be brushed either in the sink or near the tub. She knows that the hair brushes are in that room, and she ain't no fool. Apparently.
And she's famously skitchy. Doesn't sit still ever. Always a blur of motion. So this makes this next trick something truly unexpected.
After more than four years, she has become a lap cat. An insistent lap cat. A cat who needs to be on our fucking laps all fucking day long. It's both wonderful and annoying. Wonderful, because we were used to lap cats with Sydney and Sammi before they passed away, and our current pride of four have been anything but lap cats. Annoying because she's still as skitchy as all hell. In a given day, she will settle in on my lap, rest for a few minutes, then hear a noise in another room and run like hell to see what it was. Then do it all over again. Ad nauseum. All day long. And she gets pushy if you don't seem interested in actually having her on your lap. Odd fucking cat.
Then there is Wolowotiz. Dr. Wu. Mother-fucking Wu. This guy bristles with intelligence. I often think of that line in "Jurassic Park" when they are talking about the velicoraptors. One of the characters says something to the effect of being able to look at them and see that they are figuring things out in their heads. That's Wu. Saw him once try to open a closed door by putting his front paws on either side of the doorknob and attempting to turn it. If only he had those opposable thumbs he's always wishing for. He'd rule the fucking world!
He's funniest, however, when I'm cooking up something in the kitchen. He loves leafy greens and herbs. Mint, fresh basil, romaine lettuce...anything with a leaf and a bit of a scent, preferably. He generally will leave me alone if I'm making something without any fresh herbs or greens. Just not interested.
So I thought it was funny that he was so intent on watching me cook up a batch of New Orleans-style red beans and rice today. Lots of aromatics in there in the form of dried herbs and spices, but no fresh herbs. And he came into the kitchen to watch right away. Just as I was preparing all the ingredients and starting with the chopping of the veggies. Then when I picked up the celery, he got super-excited....ah that's what he wanted. But just the leafy ends, of course. Smart fucking cat.
But for truly unique behavior, you have to observe one or both of our rescue cats for a while. The brother and sister duo of Wolowitz and Gogo.
Gogo, always our most vocal cat, has this habit of just yelling at us. Out of nowhere! Usually it's when we've disturbed her sleep by sneezing or, ya know, breathing loudly. But she also does it every time we walk into the bathroom. She follows, yelling at us, wanting to be brushed either in the sink or near the tub. She knows that the hair brushes are in that room, and she ain't no fool. Apparently.
And she's famously skitchy. Doesn't sit still ever. Always a blur of motion. So this makes this next trick something truly unexpected.
After more than four years, she has become a lap cat. An insistent lap cat. A cat who needs to be on our fucking laps all fucking day long. It's both wonderful and annoying. Wonderful, because we were used to lap cats with Sydney and Sammi before they passed away, and our current pride of four have been anything but lap cats. Annoying because she's still as skitchy as all hell. In a given day, she will settle in on my lap, rest for a few minutes, then hear a noise in another room and run like hell to see what it was. Then do it all over again. Ad nauseum. All day long. And she gets pushy if you don't seem interested in actually having her on your lap. Odd fucking cat.
Then there is Wolowotiz. Dr. Wu. Mother-fucking Wu. This guy bristles with intelligence. I often think of that line in "Jurassic Park" when they are talking about the velicoraptors. One of the characters says something to the effect of being able to look at them and see that they are figuring things out in their heads. That's Wu. Saw him once try to open a closed door by putting his front paws on either side of the doorknob and attempting to turn it. If only he had those opposable thumbs he's always wishing for. He'd rule the fucking world!
He's funniest, however, when I'm cooking up something in the kitchen. He loves leafy greens and herbs. Mint, fresh basil, romaine lettuce...anything with a leaf and a bit of a scent, preferably. He generally will leave me alone if I'm making something without any fresh herbs or greens. Just not interested.
So I thought it was funny that he was so intent on watching me cook up a batch of New Orleans-style red beans and rice today. Lots of aromatics in there in the form of dried herbs and spices, but no fresh herbs. And he came into the kitchen to watch right away. Just as I was preparing all the ingredients and starting with the chopping of the veggies. Then when I picked up the celery, he got super-excited....ah that's what he wanted. But just the leafy ends, of course. Smart fucking cat.
 |
| Wolowitz and his greens. Herb. |
Feb 4, 2013
Saturday in NYC
Hi! Remember me?
So we went to NYC this past Saturday to see some friends, eat some food and listen to some jazz/pop standards courtesy of John Pizzarelli. John's a super-talented jazz guitarist and band leader, and he and his brother Martin (bass) are friends with friends of ours. That's a clunky statement. Whatever. Anyway, they are also the sons of jazz legend Bucky Pizzarelli. Which is interesting because Gia's two uncles, also big names in the jazz community, worked with Bucky quite often. So when our friends found out that he would be doing a week-long engagement at Birdland (nice joint), they arranged for this little get-together. It was a blast. Something that I probably wouldn't have wanted to do if it hadn't been for the personal connections. But I'm so glad that I did. The band was awesome, and John does a great job with the banter in between songs. Funny, smart guy.
Some time during the evening, we started talking about famous people we have run into in the city. Gia told us how she and her sister basically stalked Phillip Seymour Hoffman one afternoon. They saw him walking around Times Square and they just followed him for a half-hour or so. Never spoke with him. Just followed him around like psychopaths. That's my woman.
After the show, we headed back to our friend's apartment as the womenfolk were a bit tipsy. The manly men decided to stay out and do manly things like drinking more brown, manly liquor at the restaurant downstairs. After sitting at the bar and having many manly discussions, our friend looks up and says "Hey, Phillip Seymour Hoffman just walked in." To which I replied "fuck you..."
But goddammit, Philip Seymour Hoffman was there meeting some folks for dinner. How freakin' weird is that? Gia, of course, was upstairs falling asleep. Kinda glad that she wasn't there. A restraining order might have been necessary.
Oh, and on my way to the bathroom I gave a quick howyadoin nod to a familiar face having drinks and dinner at one of the back tables. It was Chris Noth. Mr. Big himself.
Weird nite. Weird, but fun.
Let's let John and Martin Pizzarelli play us out. Cheers!
So we went to NYC this past Saturday to see some friends, eat some food and listen to some jazz/pop standards courtesy of John Pizzarelli. John's a super-talented jazz guitarist and band leader, and he and his brother Martin (bass) are friends with friends of ours. That's a clunky statement. Whatever. Anyway, they are also the sons of jazz legend Bucky Pizzarelli. Which is interesting because Gia's two uncles, also big names in the jazz community, worked with Bucky quite often. So when our friends found out that he would be doing a week-long engagement at Birdland (nice joint), they arranged for this little get-together. It was a blast. Something that I probably wouldn't have wanted to do if it hadn't been for the personal connections. But I'm so glad that I did. The band was awesome, and John does a great job with the banter in between songs. Funny, smart guy.
Some time during the evening, we started talking about famous people we have run into in the city. Gia told us how she and her sister basically stalked Phillip Seymour Hoffman one afternoon. They saw him walking around Times Square and they just followed him for a half-hour or so. Never spoke with him. Just followed him around like psychopaths. That's my woman.
After the show, we headed back to our friend's apartment as the womenfolk were a bit tipsy. The manly men decided to stay out and do manly things like drinking more brown, manly liquor at the restaurant downstairs. After sitting at the bar and having many manly discussions, our friend looks up and says "Hey, Phillip Seymour Hoffman just walked in." To which I replied "fuck you..."
But goddammit, Philip Seymour Hoffman was there meeting some folks for dinner. How freakin' weird is that? Gia, of course, was upstairs falling asleep. Kinda glad that she wasn't there. A restraining order might have been necessary.
Oh, and on my way to the bathroom I gave a quick howyadoin nod to a familiar face having drinks and dinner at one of the back tables. It was Chris Noth. Mr. Big himself.
Weird nite. Weird, but fun.
Let's let John and Martin Pizzarelli play us out. Cheers!
Jan 23, 2013
Food Blog Reminder
Gia's sister is continuing to run through her Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking cookbook, and I've been a bad blog friend because I forgot to keep checking it out. I'm a feed reader guy, and she didn't have her feed enabled in the beginning. But now it's all set and you can go visit daily or put her blog in your feed reader and enjoy the food porn.
And holy hell!!! She's been up to some shit! Collared Greens with Pot Likker. Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder.
And Chicken Dumpling Soup with Kale. Wow!
To it to it, kids! You won't regret it. Food porn is the best porn.
And holy hell!!! She's been up to some shit! Collared Greens with Pot Likker. Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder.
And Chicken Dumpling Soup with Kale. Wow!
 |
| Via Jill |
Jan 21, 2013
MLK
I had the pleasure of meeting Coretta Scott King very briefly once. She was speaking and receiving an honorary degree from the college I attended. I believe that I had to go to the event for one of my courses, but I can't be sure about it. Afterward, there was a meet and greet that was sparsely attended. But I went, not because I had to, but I was moved and interested by her words, presence and grace. We briefly shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. That was that.
I had what was a 19-year-old's understanding of the life and death of Martin Luther King at that point. Meaning, I knew he was a leader of the civil rights movement in this country and that he had been assassinated for his troubles. And I knew something about a speech he had given at one point involving a dream. That's about it.
Sadly, many people don't know much more than that today. And many more grouse at the forced "day off" and the lack of mail delivery or whatnot each year on this day.
Me? I try to find out something new about the man and his mission every year on this day. Something big, something small...anything really. He's a fascinating individual to research. Someone who would have had much, much more to accomplish had he not been taken from the world so tragically and suddenly.
I had what was a 19-year-old's understanding of the life and death of Martin Luther King at that point. Meaning, I knew he was a leader of the civil rights movement in this country and that he had been assassinated for his troubles. And I knew something about a speech he had given at one point involving a dream. That's about it.
Sadly, many people don't know much more than that today. And many more grouse at the forced "day off" and the lack of mail delivery or whatnot each year on this day.
Me? I try to find out something new about the man and his mission every year on this day. Something big, something small...anything really. He's a fascinating individual to research. Someone who would have had much, much more to accomplish had he not been taken from the world so tragically and suddenly.
Jan 8, 2013
Dec 31, 2012
Unchained
Took in an early Saturday film this past weekend. Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. I loved it, just as I have loved every QT film so far. Yeah, even Death Proof. Imagine, if you will, a revenge flick even more violent and more bloody than Inglourious Basterds. That's what this film was. I only had one small issue with the film.
And it's not the issue that many of you might assume. The big controversy that has arisen from the release of this film has been the subject matter and the language used by the characters. I can understand the controversy, to a point. A not-so-serious film about slavery and racism and all that goes with it is difficult to pull off. I happen to think that he did it, and I came at the movie from a place where I understood that it was all in the name of entertainment. But the plain and simple fact is that others will NOT be able to watch the movie from that angle. Because there is no way that they can find themselves willing to trivialize subjects like slavery or racism. By the way, I don't believe QT trivialized those subjects with this film. It was very, very clear who the good guys were and who the bad guys were. And, spoiler alert, the bad guys get theirs. And no decent person is going to be anything but exhilarated that they did.
Even though I don't believe he trivialized anything, I can still see how some people might not see it that way. And that's fine. QT films aren't for everyone. He is a bold, in-your-face filmmaker who makes no apologies for his films or the language that he chooses to use. If I were African-American, I might be offended by this film. I might not be offended. Difficult for ME to know. Just as Inglourious Basterds may have been difficult for WWII veterans or Jews. Maybe if it was a revenge flick about something oppresive from my background as an Irish-American. Like the Catholic Church. I kid....kinda.
Anyway, that's a long way to go to say that the film isn't without its' controversies. And it's certainly not for everyone. But I enjoyed it. Mostly. As with all QT ensemble pieces, he got some extraordinary work out of his supporting players. I even hesitate to call Christoph Waltz or Leonardo DiCaprio or Samuel L. Jackson supporting players in this film. Each one of them absolutely dominated the screen every time they appeared. Which kind of dulled the shine on the real star of the film, Jamie Foxx as Django himself. I think he did a yeoman's job, and he seems like a class act. But he often seemed like the straight man playing opposite the either wildly comedic or charismatic supporting team. He just didn't dominate the film in the way that, say, Uma Thurman did in Kill Bill. And that was my only real problem with the film. But it was fairly minor.
I'd say if you enjoy QT's films, then go check it out. If he or the subject matter of this particular film aren't your preferred brand of tequila...then skip it.
PS - Happy New Year, bitches!
And it's not the issue that many of you might assume. The big controversy that has arisen from the release of this film has been the subject matter and the language used by the characters. I can understand the controversy, to a point. A not-so-serious film about slavery and racism and all that goes with it is difficult to pull off. I happen to think that he did it, and I came at the movie from a place where I understood that it was all in the name of entertainment. But the plain and simple fact is that others will NOT be able to watch the movie from that angle. Because there is no way that they can find themselves willing to trivialize subjects like slavery or racism. By the way, I don't believe QT trivialized those subjects with this film. It was very, very clear who the good guys were and who the bad guys were. And, spoiler alert, the bad guys get theirs. And no decent person is going to be anything but exhilarated that they did.
Even though I don't believe he trivialized anything, I can still see how some people might not see it that way. And that's fine. QT films aren't for everyone. He is a bold, in-your-face filmmaker who makes no apologies for his films or the language that he chooses to use. If I were African-American, I might be offended by this film. I might not be offended. Difficult for ME to know. Just as Inglourious Basterds may have been difficult for WWII veterans or Jews. Maybe if it was a revenge flick about something oppresive from my background as an Irish-American. Like the Catholic Church. I kid....kinda.
Anyway, that's a long way to go to say that the film isn't without its' controversies. And it's certainly not for everyone. But I enjoyed it. Mostly. As with all QT ensemble pieces, he got some extraordinary work out of his supporting players. I even hesitate to call Christoph Waltz or Leonardo DiCaprio or Samuel L. Jackson supporting players in this film. Each one of them absolutely dominated the screen every time they appeared. Which kind of dulled the shine on the real star of the film, Jamie Foxx as Django himself. I think he did a yeoman's job, and he seems like a class act. But he often seemed like the straight man playing opposite the either wildly comedic or charismatic supporting team. He just didn't dominate the film in the way that, say, Uma Thurman did in Kill Bill. And that was my only real problem with the film. But it was fairly minor.
I'd say if you enjoy QT's films, then go check it out. If he or the subject matter of this particular film aren't your preferred brand of tequila...then skip it.
PS - Happy New Year, bitches!
Dec 28, 2012
Earning Her Roots
Hey kids!
Long time, no blog, amirite? It's the holidays and I suck at life so there are excuses (or none). I plan on getting back to a regular blog schedule starting in January. Yeah, right! We'll I said I was planning on it, not that I'm actually going to do it.
But until that time, lemme give a shout-out to my talented and lovely sister-in-law on her new blog that she just started today. It's called Earning Our Roots, and it's a project that I'm personally very excited about. She and her family moved down to Charleston, SC a few years ago, and they have fallen in love with the regional cuisine down there. You can read her story about it on the first blog post here.
The project is this: She has her talented mitts on Nathalie Dupree's latest cookbook, Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking, and her plan is to attempt all 760 recipes in the next year starting on January 1st. And she will attempt to chronicle that journey on her blog. Not in a trying to get famous/Julie Powell kind of way. Just something for herself, her family and their community that they have grown to love. And to give some of that love back...in the form of delicious food!
So join her on this journey, if you are interested, and let her know how she is doing along the way. She's a blog newbie so I'm going to give her all the assistance and encouragement that I have to offer. Should be a fun ride.
Dig.
Long time, no blog, amirite? It's the holidays and I suck at life so there are excuses (or none). I plan on getting back to a regular blog schedule starting in January. Yeah, right! We'll I said I was planning on it, not that I'm actually going to do it.
But until that time, lemme give a shout-out to my talented and lovely sister-in-law on her new blog that she just started today. It's called Earning Our Roots, and it's a project that I'm personally very excited about. She and her family moved down to Charleston, SC a few years ago, and they have fallen in love with the regional cuisine down there. You can read her story about it on the first blog post here.
The project is this: She has her talented mitts on Nathalie Dupree's latest cookbook, Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking, and her plan is to attempt all 760 recipes in the next year starting on January 1st. And she will attempt to chronicle that journey on her blog. Not in a trying to get famous/Julie Powell kind of way. Just something for herself, her family and their community that they have grown to love. And to give some of that love back...in the form of delicious food!
So join her on this journey, if you are interested, and let her know how she is doing along the way. She's a blog newbie so I'm going to give her all the assistance and encouragement that I have to offer. Should be a fun ride.
Dig.
Dec 24, 2012
Merry Christmas!
I decided, with the assistance of my Gia and my water-logged buddy, that this is going to be my annual Christmas post. Such a great song.
The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl doing Fairytale of New York. Have a great one everyone!
H/T Savannah Marsh Mama
The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl doing Fairytale of New York. Have a great one everyone!
H/T Savannah Marsh Mama
Dec 19, 2012
Make this. Eat this.
Trying to be a bit more health savvy lately. Sometimes that means cutting back on the fats, cutting back on the calories, cutting back on the processed crap. But I've been missing pasta a whole freakin' bunch lately. And in that vein, I found the following recipe while watching an episode of America's Test Kitchen. It's a version of Pasta Primavera that uses no cream at all, and I have to tell you...it's one of the most favorite meals I've ever prepared. So easy too. The original recipe is behind a membership wall, but I changed it anyway. I'll paraphrase it here.
Ingredients
- Place the dark green leek trimmings, ass half of asparagus trimmings, 1 cup of the peas, 3 minced clove of garlic, vegetable broth and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over high heat then reduce to medium-low and continue to simmer for around 10 minutes. Strain broth through a fine mesh and extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids and return broth to saucepan. If you don't have 5 cups of broth, add some water until you do.
- Combine your herbs and lemon zest in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. When oil is shimmering, add the rest of the leeks and a pinch of salt. Cook, covered, stirring often until leeks have cooked down a bit and browned. About five minutes. Add the asparagus tips and cook, stirring often, for about four minutes. Add the herbs, lemon zest and remaining clove of minced garlic and stir vigorously until aromatic, about a minute. Add the rest of the peas and cook for another minute. Then transfer all vegetables to a plate or bowl and set aside.
- Heat the remaining 4 tbsp of oil in the Dutch oven after carefully wiping clean with a paper towel. When oil is shimmering, add the dry pasta. I know...right? Cook over medium-high heat for about five minutes stirring frequently until the pasta starts to brown. Add the wine and cook down for about two minutes, until the pasta absorbs the wine.
- Add the hot broth...all five cups of it. Cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is al dente. Around eight minutes or so.
- Remove pot or Dutch oven from heat and add lemon juice, Parmesan and vegetables. Stir and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle a bit more grated Parmesan on each serving as you plate it.
So you are basically cooking the dry pasta almost like a risotto. Amazing! I had never tried anything like this before, but it worked out incredibly.
The starch from the pasta should thicken the broth to a light sauce, as will the addition of the Parmesan cheese. The flavors that arose from the fresh vegetables and boosted veggie broth was amazing. Nutty and fresh and delicious. You can use either vegetable or whole wheat pasta, if you prefer. The version I made came out to about 8 servings at 350 calories per serving or so. Of course, we eat more than the recommended 1 serving, but it probably wasn't more than 500-550 servings based on our larger portion. So I was fine with going with the regular pasta. Gia recommended I use some sun-dried tomatoes next time, and I think that would be a fine addition. Maybe some pine nuts as well.
Guys...this sounds too healthy, but it was really, really, really freakin' good.
Do it to it.
Spring Vegetable Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 leeks - washed and halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Split between dark and light parts.
- 1 pound asparagus - washed and split 1/2 between the spear and the rest. The spear halves can be cut into 1/2 inch pieces cut on a bias. The ass ends can be chopped roughly however you want.
- 2 cups frozen peas - thawed.
- 4 cloves of garlic - minced or pressed.
- 4 cups no-sodium added vegetable broth.
- 2 cups water.
- 1/2 tsp fresh grated lemon zest.
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice.
- 4 tbsp fresh chopped herbs (I used oregano and chives, but feel free to play).
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes.
- 1 cup dry white wine.
- 1 oz grated Parmesan cheese.
- 1 lb dry farfalle/bow-tie pasta (or something similar...I used mini-farfalle).
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the dark green leek trimmings, ass half of asparagus trimmings, 1 cup of the peas, 3 minced clove of garlic, vegetable broth and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over high heat then reduce to medium-low and continue to simmer for around 10 minutes. Strain broth through a fine mesh and extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids and return broth to saucepan. If you don't have 5 cups of broth, add some water until you do.
- Combine your herbs and lemon zest in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. When oil is shimmering, add the rest of the leeks and a pinch of salt. Cook, covered, stirring often until leeks have cooked down a bit and browned. About five minutes. Add the asparagus tips and cook, stirring often, for about four minutes. Add the herbs, lemon zest and remaining clove of minced garlic and stir vigorously until aromatic, about a minute. Add the rest of the peas and cook for another minute. Then transfer all vegetables to a plate or bowl and set aside.
- Heat the remaining 4 tbsp of oil in the Dutch oven after carefully wiping clean with a paper towel. When oil is shimmering, add the dry pasta. I know...right? Cook over medium-high heat for about five minutes stirring frequently until the pasta starts to brown. Add the wine and cook down for about two minutes, until the pasta absorbs the wine.
- Add the hot broth...all five cups of it. Cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is al dente. Around eight minutes or so.
- Remove pot or Dutch oven from heat and add lemon juice, Parmesan and vegetables. Stir and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle a bit more grated Parmesan on each serving as you plate it.
______________________________________________________________________
So you are basically cooking the dry pasta almost like a risotto. Amazing! I had never tried anything like this before, but it worked out incredibly.
The starch from the pasta should thicken the broth to a light sauce, as will the addition of the Parmesan cheese. The flavors that arose from the fresh vegetables and boosted veggie broth was amazing. Nutty and fresh and delicious. You can use either vegetable or whole wheat pasta, if you prefer. The version I made came out to about 8 servings at 350 calories per serving or so. Of course, we eat more than the recommended 1 serving, but it probably wasn't more than 500-550 servings based on our larger portion. So I was fine with going with the regular pasta. Gia recommended I use some sun-dried tomatoes next time, and I think that would be a fine addition. Maybe some pine nuts as well.
Guys...this sounds too healthy, but it was really, really, really freakin' good.
Do it to it.
Dec 15, 2012
Dec 5, 2012
Humpday Music Picks
I can't stand the term "Humpday", by the way. I use it here against all of my better judgment. I also always want to put an "e" after the "g" in judgment. I'll never get over the fact that there isn't one there.
Hi.
Anyway, Gia and I had a conversation about rock stars the other day, and the current lack thereof. I mean, in the Legends category we have a bunch of them. But does anyone really consider Mick Jagger to be a rock star anymore? Eric Clapton? Pete Townshend? Hell, even Bono?
But we agreed on two current rock stars. Dave Grohl (although Gia fought with me on that one) and Jack White. Especially Jack White. Everything that the guy does is just spot-on. And he has somehow turned his unique looks and talents into an iconic thing. He's an absolute rock star in every sense of the term.
Have a listen to "I'm Shakin'" from his Blunderbuss album:
Now that's a song that I can't imagine anyone who has ever loved Rock & Roll not loving as well. And it seems as if he cranks out product like this so effortlessly. Amazing. Fucking rock star.
And one more tune for you. And from a band who reminds me a bit of The White Stripes with a lead singer who stylistically reminds me a bit of Jack White. Wolfmother with "Joker and the Thief" from their 2005 titular debut album. Hehehehe...titular. Enjoy!
Hi.
Anyway, Gia and I had a conversation about rock stars the other day, and the current lack thereof. I mean, in the Legends category we have a bunch of them. But does anyone really consider Mick Jagger to be a rock star anymore? Eric Clapton? Pete Townshend? Hell, even Bono?
But we agreed on two current rock stars. Dave Grohl (although Gia fought with me on that one) and Jack White. Especially Jack White. Everything that the guy does is just spot-on. And he has somehow turned his unique looks and talents into an iconic thing. He's an absolute rock star in every sense of the term.
Have a listen to "I'm Shakin'" from his Blunderbuss album:
Now that's a song that I can't imagine anyone who has ever loved Rock & Roll not loving as well. And it seems as if he cranks out product like this so effortlessly. Amazing. Fucking rock star.
And one more tune for you. And from a band who reminds me a bit of The White Stripes with a lead singer who stylistically reminds me a bit of Jack White. Wolfmother with "Joker and the Thief" from their 2005 titular debut album. Hehehehe...titular. Enjoy!
Dec 3, 2012
2013 Hall of Fame Ballot
Note: This post is details the content from our latest episode of Just Talking to the Cornfield. It's about baseball and it's really, really fucking long. Continue on at the risk of your own sanity. You have been warned.
The 2013 ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame was released last week. I, of course, don't have a vote. Neither does my esteemed colleague, the Colonel. But that ain't gonna stop us from shoving our two cents into the debate of who goes in (or should) and who doesn't. This is a very, VERY interesting year for the Hall of Fame vote. There are some incredibly interesting holdovers from previous years and the new crop of retired players who are eligible for the first time is amazing. Here is the list:
Player Years on Ballot 2012 % of Ballots
Jack Morris 14th 66.7%
Jeff Bagwell 3rd 56.0%
Lee Smith 11th 50.6%
Tim Raines 6th 48.7%
Alan Trammell 12th 36.8%
Edgar Martinez 4th 36.5%
Fred McGriff 4th 23.9%
Larry Walker 3rd 22.9%
Mark McGwire 7th 19.5%
Don Mattingly 13th 17.8%
Dale Murphy 15th 14.5%
Rafael Palmeiro 3rd 12.6%
Bernie Williams 2nd 9.6%
Barry Bonds 1st
Roger Clemens 1st
Mike Piazza 1st
Curt Schilling 1st
Kenny Lofton 1st
Craig Biggio 1st
Sammy Sosa 1st
David Wells 1st
Steve Finley 1st
Julio Franco 1st
Reggie Sanders 1st
Shawn Green 1st
Jeff Cirillo 1st
Woody Williams 1st
Rondell White 1st
Ryan Klesko 1st
Aaron Sele 1st
Roberto Hernandez 1st
Royce Clayton 1st
Jeff Coninie 1st
Mike Stanton 1st
Sandy Alomar 1st
Jose Mesa 1st
Todd Walker 1st
Let's begin with a little primer on the voting, the ballot and the rules. The members of the Baseball Writer's Association of America (BBWAA) are authorized to vote on recently retired players. To be eligible, players had to have played in at least 10 major league seasons after a 5-year waiting period subsequent to their last year. BBWAA members can vote for up to 10 players on their ballot with the results being reported this coming January. If a player is mentioned on 75% of the ballots, he will be inducted into Cooperstown. If a player is mentioned on at least 5% of the ballots, he will be included on next year's ballot. A player falls off the ballot if he receives less than 5% recognition or after 15 years on the ballot. For example, this will be Dale Murphy's last year on the ballot regardless of how well he does in the vote.
Here's the interesting thing about the voting. It's EXTREMELY subjective. According to the rules, well...let's just see what they say.
Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.
That's what voters are asked to judge. Record, playing ability and their contributions to the teams(s) on which the player played are all fairly easy to judge. Especially for players who have recently retired. We have all kinds of statistic websites to review their careers along those paths. But integrity, sportsmanship and character? Besides the fact that all three things roughly mean the same thing, those can be pretty hard to judge. Which leads us to our first topic of conversation on the subject.
Cheating, PEDs and the Hall of Fame
Because this is the first Hall of Fame ballot to include such a wealth of players who have either admitted to using Performance Enhancing Drugs or have been (fairly or unfairly) associated with their use, the topic of cheating is at the forefront of this year's vote. More so than it ever has in the past. To be sure, there were cheaters on previous ballots. To be sure, there ARE cheaters already in the Hall of Fame. Legend has it that Babe Ruth used a corked bat at times. Gaylord Perry made a career out of the use and/or the threat of using the spitball. Don Sutton and Whitey Ford both admitted to doctoring balls later in their careers. Not to mention the many, many, many players who gobbled "greenies" like popcorn during their careers. The thing with cheating and baseball, as Joe Posnanski recently pointed out, is that cheating has always been a part of baseball. And, until recently, it has always been kind of a cherished part of baseball.
But now, in the waning dusk hours of the Steroid Era, cheating is suddenly frowned upon. Nevermind that baseball all but encouraged the use of steroids and other PEDs. Sure, they called it "illegal", but they didn't begin testing for their use until 2004. In the wake of the 1994 Player's Strike, baseball needed something like the Summer of 1998 to bring the fans back. Everyone marveled at the distance and frequency of the home runs hit that summer by Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and the rest of the league. And we all saw how big these guys had become. It wasn't until after that year that we began to question the ethics behind their feats. But make no mistake, baseball wasn't interested in punishing these players at that time. It took nearly a decade of juiced players and broken sacred records for them to get involved in fixing the situation. Clearly a reactive rather than proactive movie on MLB's part.
So the question, in many voters minds this year, is whether or not it is fair to punish these cheaters and suspected cheaters by denying them induction to the Hall of Fame. There will be some voters who will refuse to vote for ANY player who played during the Steroid Era. Guilty by association, they will say. Or they might give a blanket explanation that they can't be sure who cheated and who didn't during that era, so they can't reasonably vote for anyone. Again, regardless of the fact that many of these guys voted for players who cheated in the past. Back when it was acceptable.
And while we are on the subject of integrity, sportsmanship and character, here's something else that bothers me. The "Good Guy" vote. Maybe a player who doesn't quite have the statistics to get into the Hall of Fame, but he was a good guy and well respected by the rest of the league and the media. Most of those inclusions in the Hall have come from the Veteran's Committee. But I'll outline another famous example and how it sometimes can come back to bite the BBWAA in the ass.
PA Runs Hits HR RBI BA OBP SLG rWAR
Player A 7,772 1,007 2,153 222 1,099 .307 .358 .471 39.8
Player B 7,831 1,071 2,304 207 1,085 .318 .360 .477 48.2
Both players had roughly the same counting stats over injury-shortened careers. Player B had a few more hits resulting in a bit higher batting average, but these two players have nearly identical "classic" baseball numbers. That last number is something called WAR or Wins Above Replacement. It's one way of determining how many wins better than a replacement level player. Think of a career 4th outfielder type or the so-called AAAA player, a player who excels at the AAA level in the minors but fails to produce in the majors. It's adjusted for era, park effects, position, baserunning and defense. Player B played a premium defensive position (although he was not considered to be an excellent defender) while Player A did not (although he was considered to be an excellent defender). But Player B's injury that shortened his career was more sudden and his peak lasted a bit longer than Player A. Plus he was a "good guy", so he was voted into the Hall of Fame on his very first ballot while Player A has lingered near the bottom of the ballot for 13 years.
Player A, of course, is Don Mattingly. Player B is Kirby Puckett. Now I don't believe that either of these guys belongs in the Hall. I think the breadth of their careers each falls short of the kind of numbers I like to see for members of the Hall of Fame. And injuries certainly had a lot to do with that. There are exceptions to the rule when it comes to career numbers. No one argues about Sandy Koufax being in the Hall even though he "only" has 165 career wins. But his peak was SOOOO incredible and he left the game on top due to an arthritic condition in his throwing arm. But Kirby Puckett was no Sandy Koufax. He was a great player and a joy to watch. And the media loved him. So not a lot of eyebrows were raised when he was voted in on his first ballot. We later found out that Puckett might not have been such a "good guy" after all. Marital affairs, charges of false imprisonment, criminal sexual conduct and assault began to erode his cherished public image. He died at the age of 45 from a stroke after taking himself out of the public eye.
That was a long way to go to make a point, but basically it's this. Basing your vote on the integrity or lack thereof of a player is slippery slope. Maybe everyone who voted for Puckett still believes that he was and is a Hall of Famer. But the statistics just don't prove it for him. It was that intangible element that put him into Cooperstown.
Now we have the PED arguments. And one of the major issues is that much of it is speculative. Jeff Bagwell, an immense talent who put of easily defended Hall of Fame numbers, is now in his third year on the ballot. In the past, a player with his numbers would have been a first ballot lock. But because he played in the Steroid Era and because he had a muscle-bound physique, there are voters who are are lumping him in with Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Roger Clemens (we'll get to them later on) even though he was never mentioned in any report that ever linked him to steroids. He is being punished purely on speculation. Did he use steroids? We have no idea what the answer is to that. He has denied it, but so have most athletes who later test positive or come clean with an admission. But nearly half of the BBWAA voters left him off their ballots last year anyway.
And now we have Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza and Sammy Sosa on the ballot for the first time. The first wave of all-time talents that have been linked to PEDs in one way or another. Bonds in the book Game of Shadows. Clemens in his 300 or so court appearances defending is name. Piazza has Murray Chass and back acne. And Sosa famously forgot how to speak English in front of Congress. They all have varying degrees of evidence against them for PED use. As does Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro. What do we do with these guys now?
I say we vote them in. At least the ones who have the numbers for it. The Hall of Fame vote shouldn't be a morality play. And it shouldn't be up to the voters to punish players for something that the league itself couldn't and wouldn't do. Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe sums this up perfectly here. And I totally agree with him. Judge the players on what they did on the field. Don't totally discount their PED use is something I believe as well. Especially if they tested positive after MLB instituted drug testing. Such is the case of Rafael Palmeiro. Although he amassed 3,000+ hits and 500+ home runs, both were yardsticks by which automatic induction used to be measured, he was a borderline candidate for me. Mostly because his statistics were generated in an era of inflated offense. That is something we can consider. But throw in his positive test in 2004 and he becomes a clear no vote. For me, at least.
So that's my thinking. Take a look at each case separately. Judge the players by their statistics and on-field accomplishments. Don't totally ignore the PED situation, but don't judge them solely by it either. That's what I'm going to try to do here. Let's give it a whirl.
My Ballot
1. Barry Bonds. The all-time leader in so many categories, most notably home runs. I saw most notably because it was after his alleged use of PEDs around 1999 that he became a human wrecking crew with hitting the ball out of the park. But he was an all-time great prior to 1999 as well. He was 33 at that point and he had already amassed 411 HR and 445 stolen bases. The only player in history with 400+ of each. And he had already won three league MVP awards. He would go on to win 4 more after his alleged use of PEDs began, and he went from an all-time great to a legend.. His career war of 158.1 is the third highest total ever. But 96.9 of it was earned prior to 1999. At that point, I was sure he was already a first-ballot Hall of Fame guy. His PED years are just icing on the cake. The Hall of Fame without Barry Bonds isn't worthy of the name. It make take some time for voters to "forgive" Bonds, but he will eventually get in. He should get in this year, but he won't.
2. Roger Clemens. I can make almost exactly the same argument for Clemens. His PED usage began around the same age as Bonds when he was 33 prior to his tenure in Toronto. But before that? Well, he was fucking great! Three Cy Young Awards and close to 200 wins. Led the league in ERA four times and in ERA+ (ERA adjusted to the league) five times. And he amassed 2,590 strikeouts in that time. For a bit of reference, that total would now be good for 25th on the all-time list. Of course, he would finish with a lot more. 4,672 in total. The 3rd most in history after Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson. And he would win four more Cy Young Awards. Yeah, Roger Clemens is in the conversation for the greatest pitcher of all-time. His numbers are massively amazing. And he much of his success in his later years occurred during the higher offensive environment of the Steroid Era. So there's that. He may be just as disliked as Bonds in the media, but that shouldn't matter. Roger Clemens belongs in the Hall of Fame.
3. Jeff Bagwell. His third year on the ballot, and it may take him a few more years to make it. But, as I stated above, he never tested positive or had any allegation of PED use during his career. All he did was bat .297 with a .408 OBP and a .540 SLG. That's amazing. Plus he was a premium defender at first base and he ran the bases awfully well to boot with 202 career stolen bases. Sure, he didn't reach the magical milestones of 500 HR or 3,000 hits. But according to WAR, his total of 76.7 is fourth best all-time for first basemen. Behind guys named Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx and Albert Pujols. And his total is ahead of guys named Johnny Mize, Eddie Murray and Willie McCovey. All Hall of Famers. Yeah, I think the Hall of Fame is big enough to include the 4th greatest first baseman of all-time. He should have been inducted in 2011.
4. Mike Piazza. They guy was supposedly atrocious on defense. I saw him play a lot, and I would have to agree with that assumption. Yet his teams finished in the top third in league ERA most every year that he played. Sure, that has a lot to do with the pitchers. But could his defense and game-calling really have hurt his teams that much? And he was simply the greatest hitting catcher of all-time. Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, Ivan Rodriguez and Carlton Fisk may have all accumulated more WAR than Piazza, but what Piazza earned he earned with his bat. A slash line of .308/.377/.545? For a freakin' catcher? That's beyond ridiculous. His OPS+ (OBP and SLG adjusted to league average) was 143. The highest ever for a catcher. Yes, higher than Bench, Yogi Berra, Mickey Cochrane and anyone else whomever donned the tools of ignorance. His defense hurts him, yes. But not enough to take away what he accomplished as a hitter.
5. Craig Biggio. Jeff Bagwell's Astros teammate for all those years. He might not be an all-time talent at second base like Rogers Hornsby, Eddie Collins or Joe Morgan. But he is comfortably in that next group with Charlie Gehringer, Lou Whitaker (more on him in a bit) and Ryne Sandberg. 3,000 hits, nearly 300 HR and over 400 stolen bases. He's got the counting stats for sure. Add that to the fact that he played all over the field, starting as a catcher before moving to second base. Then to the outfield for a few years before moving back to second base. There are a lot of great second basemen in the Hall of Fame. There are a lot of great second basemen who are not in the Hall of Fame (Whitaker, Grich, etc...). I think Craig Biggio's induction might make people appreciate the latter group a bit more.
6. Tim Raines. He is simply the second-greatest leadoff man of all-time after Rickey Henderson. And he is so under-appreciated. He finished his career with the 5th most stolen bases of all-time and although he didn't reach the magic plateau of 3,000 hits, he did get on base more times in his career than Tony Gwynn. And Gwynn was a slam-dunk first ballot Hall of Famer. And Raines was better at some many other things than Gwynn except for batting average. Judging by WAR, Gwynn is the 24th greatest outfielder of all-time. A worthy inclusion in the Hall of Fame. Tim Raines is right above him at 23rd (66.2 vs 65.3). Tim Raines belongs in the Hall of Fame. Period.
7. Curt Schilling. Man, I hate this guy. Hated him as a player, hate him as a business owner and an MLB analyst. Hate his political beliefs. But look at the bones, man! His career WAR total of 76.9 is the 26th best all-time even though he "only" finished his career with 216 victories. His career average of Strikeouts to Base on Balls is 4.383. Besides a guy named Tommy Bond who pitched in the 1870's, that's the best average ever for a pitcher. EVER! There are other metrics to compare players from different eras. Adjusted Pitching Wins, Win Probability Added...things like that. Schilling ranks in the top 20 all-time in most of them. Is he one of the greatest 20 pitchers of all-time? Maybe. He certainly was one of the best post-season peformers of all-time. I didn't appreciate how good he was while he pitched. And there is that damned bloody sock. But he gets my vote. And he should get plenty more from the BBWAA because he was generally considered one of the "clean guys" in the game. Being an outspoken opponent of PEDs while he played probably helped cement that image. I say he's in.
8. Alan Trammel. I mentioned Lou Whitaker above. Whitaker only appeared on 2.9% of the ballots in his only year on the ballot in 2001. Ridiculous, as he is clearly one of the ten best second basemen of all-time. His double-play partner in crime has done a bit better in the voting, but not nearly good enough. For years, I wasn't sure that Trammel belonged in the Hall. But my mind has been changed by various writers and analysts. Trammel is just too good to be left out of the Hall. Especially considering that Barry Larkin, a shortstop with similar career totals, easily just made it in. Trammel is one of those guys that just about everything well. Got on base, hit for a bit of power, ran the bases well, played outstanding defense. But he was always a bit under the radar. Maybe because he played in a down offensive environment. Maybe because his basic numbers don't pop. But he is one of the 10 greatest shortstops of all-time, and (as I keep repeating) surely the Hall is big enough to include someone like him.
9. Larry Walker. Here's where things get mighty interesting. Everyone knows about the Coors Field Effect. In his career, Walker batted .381/.462/.710 at Coors Field. That's...Ruthian! But he also hit pretty much every else. A true five-tool guy early in his career, Walker would hit for average and power, run the bases well and play superb defense in the outfield. Remember me talking about the greatest outfielders of all-time up there with Tim Raines? Well, Walker is 19th all-time for outfielders in WAR. Right around where Reggie Jackson sit. He's another guy who I used to never consider for the Hall. A deeper look at the numbers away from Coors Field have me now in his corner.
10. Kenny Lofton. Wow. I didn't see this coming. And I'm still not 100% convinced of my decision here. But here goes: Lofton, in terms of career WAR ranks 25th all-time for outfielders. And much of that is tied to his 622 career stolen bases which is 15th on the all-time list. And he was considered a superior defender, so that is a part of it too. Let's take a look at just centerfielders for a moment. Here are the greatest CFers by WAR all-time:
Close But No Cigar
There are arguments to be made for a handful of guys that I left off of my ballot. Let's tackle some of them here.
Jack Morris - I simply have never felt that Morris was anything more than a really good pitcher who played for a long time. I know all about Game 7 and his reputation as a big game pitcher. But, for me, a guy like David Wells was just as valuable if not moreso than Jack Morris. He probably gets in this year, and that's a shame. He doesn't belong.
Lee Smith - The all-time leader in Saves at the time of his retirement. Closer, in general, are overrated. And Smith was one of the more overrated closers in the game. Shocking that he garnered over 50% approval in last year's ballot. That number means he will probably eventually get in. Another shame.
Edgar Martinez - I think Edgar Martinez is the greatest DH of all-time. And I was this close to including him on my ballot. But, for now, I think he comes up just short. Maybe because he was such a unique player. I can only think of a handful of guys who DHed for most of their careers. He's the best, and I think he will eventually get in. But he falls just short of my ballot this year.
Mark McGwire - Hit a ton of HR, got on base at an incredible rate and played a bit better defense than he is usually given credit for. All that said, he played in a high offensive era and has admitted to using PEDs. I could look past both of those, but maybe if he had been a little less injury prone in his career he would have had enough numbers for my vote. As it was, he wound up just short.
Rafael Palmeiro - As I mentioned above, fuck him.
Sammy Sosa - Sosa is an interesting argument. The only player in MLB history to hit 60+ HR in three seasons, and he finished his career with 609 of them. Both amazing numbers. Using WAR, he's only the 47th best OFer of all-time. So he didn't do much besides hit home runs. And he is a guy who you could clearly see benefited from his alleged PED use. Blew up like a tick on a hound's ass and started jacking HRs all over the place. Before he got big? Yeah, he was a fine player. But not a Hall of Fame guy. And it's pretty damning that he fell off a cliff once testing began. He certainly will go down as one of the great power hitters of all-time. I just don't think he did enough of everything else to get on my ballot. But maybe one day.
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The 2013 ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame was released last week. I, of course, don't have a vote. Neither does my esteemed colleague, the Colonel. But that ain't gonna stop us from shoving our two cents into the debate of who goes in (or should) and who doesn't. This is a very, VERY interesting year for the Hall of Fame vote. There are some incredibly interesting holdovers from previous years and the new crop of retired players who are eligible for the first time is amazing. Here is the list:
Player Years on Ballot 2012 % of Ballots
Jack Morris 14th 66.7%
Jeff Bagwell 3rd 56.0%
Lee Smith 11th 50.6%
Tim Raines 6th 48.7%
Alan Trammell 12th 36.8%
Edgar Martinez 4th 36.5%
Fred McGriff 4th 23.9%
Larry Walker 3rd 22.9%
Mark McGwire 7th 19.5%
Don Mattingly 13th 17.8%
Dale Murphy 15th 14.5%
Rafael Palmeiro 3rd 12.6%
Bernie Williams 2nd 9.6%
Barry Bonds 1st
Roger Clemens 1st
Mike Piazza 1st
Curt Schilling 1st
Kenny Lofton 1st
Craig Biggio 1st
Sammy Sosa 1st
David Wells 1st
Steve Finley 1st
Julio Franco 1st
Reggie Sanders 1st
Shawn Green 1st
Jeff Cirillo 1st
Woody Williams 1st
Rondell White 1st
Ryan Klesko 1st
Aaron Sele 1st
Roberto Hernandez 1st
Royce Clayton 1st
Jeff Coninie 1st
Mike Stanton 1st
Sandy Alomar 1st
Jose Mesa 1st
Todd Walker 1st
Let's begin with a little primer on the voting, the ballot and the rules. The members of the Baseball Writer's Association of America (BBWAA) are authorized to vote on recently retired players. To be eligible, players had to have played in at least 10 major league seasons after a 5-year waiting period subsequent to their last year. BBWAA members can vote for up to 10 players on their ballot with the results being reported this coming January. If a player is mentioned on 75% of the ballots, he will be inducted into Cooperstown. If a player is mentioned on at least 5% of the ballots, he will be included on next year's ballot. A player falls off the ballot if he receives less than 5% recognition or after 15 years on the ballot. For example, this will be Dale Murphy's last year on the ballot regardless of how well he does in the vote.
Here's the interesting thing about the voting. It's EXTREMELY subjective. According to the rules, well...let's just see what they say.
Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.
That's what voters are asked to judge. Record, playing ability and their contributions to the teams(s) on which the player played are all fairly easy to judge. Especially for players who have recently retired. We have all kinds of statistic websites to review their careers along those paths. But integrity, sportsmanship and character? Besides the fact that all three things roughly mean the same thing, those can be pretty hard to judge. Which leads us to our first topic of conversation on the subject.
Cheating, PEDs and the Hall of Fame
Because this is the first Hall of Fame ballot to include such a wealth of players who have either admitted to using Performance Enhancing Drugs or have been (fairly or unfairly) associated with their use, the topic of cheating is at the forefront of this year's vote. More so than it ever has in the past. To be sure, there were cheaters on previous ballots. To be sure, there ARE cheaters already in the Hall of Fame. Legend has it that Babe Ruth used a corked bat at times. Gaylord Perry made a career out of the use and/or the threat of using the spitball. Don Sutton and Whitey Ford both admitted to doctoring balls later in their careers. Not to mention the many, many, many players who gobbled "greenies" like popcorn during their careers. The thing with cheating and baseball, as Joe Posnanski recently pointed out, is that cheating has always been a part of baseball. And, until recently, it has always been kind of a cherished part of baseball.
But now, in the waning dusk hours of the Steroid Era, cheating is suddenly frowned upon. Nevermind that baseball all but encouraged the use of steroids and other PEDs. Sure, they called it "illegal", but they didn't begin testing for their use until 2004. In the wake of the 1994 Player's Strike, baseball needed something like the Summer of 1998 to bring the fans back. Everyone marveled at the distance and frequency of the home runs hit that summer by Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and the rest of the league. And we all saw how big these guys had become. It wasn't until after that year that we began to question the ethics behind their feats. But make no mistake, baseball wasn't interested in punishing these players at that time. It took nearly a decade of juiced players and broken sacred records for them to get involved in fixing the situation. Clearly a reactive rather than proactive movie on MLB's part.
So the question, in many voters minds this year, is whether or not it is fair to punish these cheaters and suspected cheaters by denying them induction to the Hall of Fame. There will be some voters who will refuse to vote for ANY player who played during the Steroid Era. Guilty by association, they will say. Or they might give a blanket explanation that they can't be sure who cheated and who didn't during that era, so they can't reasonably vote for anyone. Again, regardless of the fact that many of these guys voted for players who cheated in the past. Back when it was acceptable.
And while we are on the subject of integrity, sportsmanship and character, here's something else that bothers me. The "Good Guy" vote. Maybe a player who doesn't quite have the statistics to get into the Hall of Fame, but he was a good guy and well respected by the rest of the league and the media. Most of those inclusions in the Hall have come from the Veteran's Committee. But I'll outline another famous example and how it sometimes can come back to bite the BBWAA in the ass.
PA Runs Hits HR RBI BA OBP SLG rWAR
Player A 7,772 1,007 2,153 222 1,099 .307 .358 .471 39.8
Player B 7,831 1,071 2,304 207 1,085 .318 .360 .477 48.2
Both players had roughly the same counting stats over injury-shortened careers. Player B had a few more hits resulting in a bit higher batting average, but these two players have nearly identical "classic" baseball numbers. That last number is something called WAR or Wins Above Replacement. It's one way of determining how many wins better than a replacement level player. Think of a career 4th outfielder type or the so-called AAAA player, a player who excels at the AAA level in the minors but fails to produce in the majors. It's adjusted for era, park effects, position, baserunning and defense. Player B played a premium defensive position (although he was not considered to be an excellent defender) while Player A did not (although he was considered to be an excellent defender). But Player B's injury that shortened his career was more sudden and his peak lasted a bit longer than Player A. Plus he was a "good guy", so he was voted into the Hall of Fame on his very first ballot while Player A has lingered near the bottom of the ballot for 13 years.
Player A, of course, is Don Mattingly. Player B is Kirby Puckett. Now I don't believe that either of these guys belongs in the Hall. I think the breadth of their careers each falls short of the kind of numbers I like to see for members of the Hall of Fame. And injuries certainly had a lot to do with that. There are exceptions to the rule when it comes to career numbers. No one argues about Sandy Koufax being in the Hall even though he "only" has 165 career wins. But his peak was SOOOO incredible and he left the game on top due to an arthritic condition in his throwing arm. But Kirby Puckett was no Sandy Koufax. He was a great player and a joy to watch. And the media loved him. So not a lot of eyebrows were raised when he was voted in on his first ballot. We later found out that Puckett might not have been such a "good guy" after all. Marital affairs, charges of false imprisonment, criminal sexual conduct and assault began to erode his cherished public image. He died at the age of 45 from a stroke after taking himself out of the public eye.
That was a long way to go to make a point, but basically it's this. Basing your vote on the integrity or lack thereof of a player is slippery slope. Maybe everyone who voted for Puckett still believes that he was and is a Hall of Famer. But the statistics just don't prove it for him. It was that intangible element that put him into Cooperstown.
Now we have the PED arguments. And one of the major issues is that much of it is speculative. Jeff Bagwell, an immense talent who put of easily defended Hall of Fame numbers, is now in his third year on the ballot. In the past, a player with his numbers would have been a first ballot lock. But because he played in the Steroid Era and because he had a muscle-bound physique, there are voters who are are lumping him in with Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Roger Clemens (we'll get to them later on) even though he was never mentioned in any report that ever linked him to steroids. He is being punished purely on speculation. Did he use steroids? We have no idea what the answer is to that. He has denied it, but so have most athletes who later test positive or come clean with an admission. But nearly half of the BBWAA voters left him off their ballots last year anyway.
And now we have Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza and Sammy Sosa on the ballot for the first time. The first wave of all-time talents that have been linked to PEDs in one way or another. Bonds in the book Game of Shadows. Clemens in his 300 or so court appearances defending is name. Piazza has Murray Chass and back acne. And Sosa famously forgot how to speak English in front of Congress. They all have varying degrees of evidence against them for PED use. As does Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro. What do we do with these guys now?
I say we vote them in. At least the ones who have the numbers for it. The Hall of Fame vote shouldn't be a morality play. And it shouldn't be up to the voters to punish players for something that the league itself couldn't and wouldn't do. Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe sums this up perfectly here. And I totally agree with him. Judge the players on what they did on the field. Don't totally discount their PED use is something I believe as well. Especially if they tested positive after MLB instituted drug testing. Such is the case of Rafael Palmeiro. Although he amassed 3,000+ hits and 500+ home runs, both were yardsticks by which automatic induction used to be measured, he was a borderline candidate for me. Mostly because his statistics were generated in an era of inflated offense. That is something we can consider. But throw in his positive test in 2004 and he becomes a clear no vote. For me, at least.
So that's my thinking. Take a look at each case separately. Judge the players by their statistics and on-field accomplishments. Don't totally ignore the PED situation, but don't judge them solely by it either. That's what I'm going to try to do here. Let's give it a whirl.
My Ballot
1. Barry Bonds. The all-time leader in so many categories, most notably home runs. I saw most notably because it was after his alleged use of PEDs around 1999 that he became a human wrecking crew with hitting the ball out of the park. But he was an all-time great prior to 1999 as well. He was 33 at that point and he had already amassed 411 HR and 445 stolen bases. The only player in history with 400+ of each. And he had already won three league MVP awards. He would go on to win 4 more after his alleged use of PEDs began, and he went from an all-time great to a legend.. His career war of 158.1 is the third highest total ever. But 96.9 of it was earned prior to 1999. At that point, I was sure he was already a first-ballot Hall of Fame guy. His PED years are just icing on the cake. The Hall of Fame without Barry Bonds isn't worthy of the name. It make take some time for voters to "forgive" Bonds, but he will eventually get in. He should get in this year, but he won't.
2. Roger Clemens. I can make almost exactly the same argument for Clemens. His PED usage began around the same age as Bonds when he was 33 prior to his tenure in Toronto. But before that? Well, he was fucking great! Three Cy Young Awards and close to 200 wins. Led the league in ERA four times and in ERA+ (ERA adjusted to the league) five times. And he amassed 2,590 strikeouts in that time. For a bit of reference, that total would now be good for 25th on the all-time list. Of course, he would finish with a lot more. 4,672 in total. The 3rd most in history after Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson. And he would win four more Cy Young Awards. Yeah, Roger Clemens is in the conversation for the greatest pitcher of all-time. His numbers are massively amazing. And he much of his success in his later years occurred during the higher offensive environment of the Steroid Era. So there's that. He may be just as disliked as Bonds in the media, but that shouldn't matter. Roger Clemens belongs in the Hall of Fame.
3. Jeff Bagwell. His third year on the ballot, and it may take him a few more years to make it. But, as I stated above, he never tested positive or had any allegation of PED use during his career. All he did was bat .297 with a .408 OBP and a .540 SLG. That's amazing. Plus he was a premium defender at first base and he ran the bases awfully well to boot with 202 career stolen bases. Sure, he didn't reach the magical milestones of 500 HR or 3,000 hits. But according to WAR, his total of 76.7 is fourth best all-time for first basemen. Behind guys named Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx and Albert Pujols. And his total is ahead of guys named Johnny Mize, Eddie Murray and Willie McCovey. All Hall of Famers. Yeah, I think the Hall of Fame is big enough to include the 4th greatest first baseman of all-time. He should have been inducted in 2011.
4. Mike Piazza. They guy was supposedly atrocious on defense. I saw him play a lot, and I would have to agree with that assumption. Yet his teams finished in the top third in league ERA most every year that he played. Sure, that has a lot to do with the pitchers. But could his defense and game-calling really have hurt his teams that much? And he was simply the greatest hitting catcher of all-time. Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, Ivan Rodriguez and Carlton Fisk may have all accumulated more WAR than Piazza, but what Piazza earned he earned with his bat. A slash line of .308/.377/.545? For a freakin' catcher? That's beyond ridiculous. His OPS+ (OBP and SLG adjusted to league average) was 143. The highest ever for a catcher. Yes, higher than Bench, Yogi Berra, Mickey Cochrane and anyone else whomever donned the tools of ignorance. His defense hurts him, yes. But not enough to take away what he accomplished as a hitter.
5. Craig Biggio. Jeff Bagwell's Astros teammate for all those years. He might not be an all-time talent at second base like Rogers Hornsby, Eddie Collins or Joe Morgan. But he is comfortably in that next group with Charlie Gehringer, Lou Whitaker (more on him in a bit) and Ryne Sandberg. 3,000 hits, nearly 300 HR and over 400 stolen bases. He's got the counting stats for sure. Add that to the fact that he played all over the field, starting as a catcher before moving to second base. Then to the outfield for a few years before moving back to second base. There are a lot of great second basemen in the Hall of Fame. There are a lot of great second basemen who are not in the Hall of Fame (Whitaker, Grich, etc...). I think Craig Biggio's induction might make people appreciate the latter group a bit more.
6. Tim Raines. He is simply the second-greatest leadoff man of all-time after Rickey Henderson. And he is so under-appreciated. He finished his career with the 5th most stolen bases of all-time and although he didn't reach the magic plateau of 3,000 hits, he did get on base more times in his career than Tony Gwynn. And Gwynn was a slam-dunk first ballot Hall of Famer. And Raines was better at some many other things than Gwynn except for batting average. Judging by WAR, Gwynn is the 24th greatest outfielder of all-time. A worthy inclusion in the Hall of Fame. Tim Raines is right above him at 23rd (66.2 vs 65.3). Tim Raines belongs in the Hall of Fame. Period.
7. Curt Schilling. Man, I hate this guy. Hated him as a player, hate him as a business owner and an MLB analyst. Hate his political beliefs. But look at the bones, man! His career WAR total of 76.9 is the 26th best all-time even though he "only" finished his career with 216 victories. His career average of Strikeouts to Base on Balls is 4.383. Besides a guy named Tommy Bond who pitched in the 1870's, that's the best average ever for a pitcher. EVER! There are other metrics to compare players from different eras. Adjusted Pitching Wins, Win Probability Added...things like that. Schilling ranks in the top 20 all-time in most of them. Is he one of the greatest 20 pitchers of all-time? Maybe. He certainly was one of the best post-season peformers of all-time. I didn't appreciate how good he was while he pitched. And there is that damned bloody sock. But he gets my vote. And he should get plenty more from the BBWAA because he was generally considered one of the "clean guys" in the game. Being an outspoken opponent of PEDs while he played probably helped cement that image. I say he's in.
8. Alan Trammel. I mentioned Lou Whitaker above. Whitaker only appeared on 2.9% of the ballots in his only year on the ballot in 2001. Ridiculous, as he is clearly one of the ten best second basemen of all-time. His double-play partner in crime has done a bit better in the voting, but not nearly good enough. For years, I wasn't sure that Trammel belonged in the Hall. But my mind has been changed by various writers and analysts. Trammel is just too good to be left out of the Hall. Especially considering that Barry Larkin, a shortstop with similar career totals, easily just made it in. Trammel is one of those guys that just about everything well. Got on base, hit for a bit of power, ran the bases well, played outstanding defense. But he was always a bit under the radar. Maybe because he played in a down offensive environment. Maybe because his basic numbers don't pop. But he is one of the 10 greatest shortstops of all-time, and (as I keep repeating) surely the Hall is big enough to include someone like him.
9. Larry Walker. Here's where things get mighty interesting. Everyone knows about the Coors Field Effect. In his career, Walker batted .381/.462/.710 at Coors Field. That's...Ruthian! But he also hit pretty much every else. A true five-tool guy early in his career, Walker would hit for average and power, run the bases well and play superb defense in the outfield. Remember me talking about the greatest outfielders of all-time up there with Tim Raines? Well, Walker is 19th all-time for outfielders in WAR. Right around where Reggie Jackson sit. He's another guy who I used to never consider for the Hall. A deeper look at the numbers away from Coors Field have me now in his corner.
10. Kenny Lofton. Wow. I didn't see this coming. And I'm still not 100% convinced of my decision here. But here goes: Lofton, in terms of career WAR ranks 25th all-time for outfielders. And much of that is tied to his 622 career stolen bases which is 15th on the all-time list. And he was considered a superior defender, so that is a part of it too. Let's take a look at just centerfielders for a moment. Here are the greatest CFers by WAR all-time:
- Willie Mays 150.8
- Ty Cobb 144.9
- Tris Speaker 127.8
- Mickey Mantle 105.5
- Ken Griffey 79.2
- Joe DiMaggio 75.1
- Kenny Lofton 64.9
- Duke Snider 63.1
- Carlos Beltran 62.3
- Richie Ashburn 60.2
Close But No Cigar
There are arguments to be made for a handful of guys that I left off of my ballot. Let's tackle some of them here.
Jack Morris - I simply have never felt that Morris was anything more than a really good pitcher who played for a long time. I know all about Game 7 and his reputation as a big game pitcher. But, for me, a guy like David Wells was just as valuable if not moreso than Jack Morris. He probably gets in this year, and that's a shame. He doesn't belong.
Lee Smith - The all-time leader in Saves at the time of his retirement. Closer, in general, are overrated. And Smith was one of the more overrated closers in the game. Shocking that he garnered over 50% approval in last year's ballot. That number means he will probably eventually get in. Another shame.
Edgar Martinez - I think Edgar Martinez is the greatest DH of all-time. And I was this close to including him on my ballot. But, for now, I think he comes up just short. Maybe because he was such a unique player. I can only think of a handful of guys who DHed for most of their careers. He's the best, and I think he will eventually get in. But he falls just short of my ballot this year.
Mark McGwire - Hit a ton of HR, got on base at an incredible rate and played a bit better defense than he is usually given credit for. All that said, he played in a high offensive era and has admitted to using PEDs. I could look past both of those, but maybe if he had been a little less injury prone in his career he would have had enough numbers for my vote. As it was, he wound up just short.
Rafael Palmeiro - As I mentioned above, fuck him.
Sammy Sosa - Sosa is an interesting argument. The only player in MLB history to hit 60+ HR in three seasons, and he finished his career with 609 of them. Both amazing numbers. Using WAR, he's only the 47th best OFer of all-time. So he didn't do much besides hit home runs. And he is a guy who you could clearly see benefited from his alleged PED use. Blew up like a tick on a hound's ass and started jacking HRs all over the place. Before he got big? Yeah, he was a fine player. But not a Hall of Fame guy. And it's pretty damning that he fell off a cliff once testing began. He certainly will go down as one of the great power hitters of all-time. I just don't think he did enough of everything else to get on my ballot. But maybe one day.
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