Links: Dumb Fantasy Trades, Cooter Obama and the Worst Analysis Ever
BASEBALL
The Rays recently intentionally walked Josh Hamilton with the bases loaded, up four in the 9th inning. Mathematically, it’s the wrong move. It worked anyway. The list of known instances of intentional walks with the bases loaded now includes Nap Lajoie in 1901, Mel Ott in 1929, Bill “Swish” Nicholson in 1944, Barry Bonds in 1998, and Josh Hamilton in 2008.
Friend of JonahKeri.com Derrick Goold on the amazing Ryan Ludwick and his singular achievements this year. Earlier this season, in a “my team is stacked this season but definitely going into rebuilding mode at year’s end mode” in my Strat-O-Matic league, I traded Ludwick and several role players for Jorge Posada. In Strat, you’re going off last year’s stats, where Posada was a deity and Ludwick merely a good, part-time player. Still, Posada was signed for two more years at a high salary, while Ludwick had three more years at bargain-basement prices. With Ludwick having an MVP-caliber season three months later and Posada’s season washed out by injury, let’s just say this is a Hall of Fame stupid move unless I win it all this year.
Another candidate for Photo of the Year, courtesy of Tommy Rancel of Outs Per Swing. Keep sending in those photo submissions, folks!
RUSSIA/GEORGIA
Dealing with savvy, ambitious Russian puppet master Vladimir Putin will take a great deal of diplomacy and nuance.
Overhyping Georgia for political purposes
The cost of war (WARNING: Some of these pictures are very graphic).
POLITICS
Thoughtful article on John McCain’s history, which can objectively be described as fugly.
Which one’s the elitist again?
Joe Lieberman, the most hated politician in America
Pervez Musharraf’s mixed legacy
POLITICAL HUMOR
News flash! Annella Kaine named Secretary of Cute Boys
Dick Cheney, straight balla
SPORTS
Women’s softball won’t be a sport in the 2012 Olympics. No problem, says the U.S. team—they may just switch sports!
Chad Johnson legally changes his last name to “Ocho Cinco”. Which is cool, until you realize that 85 in Spanish is “ochenta y cinco”. In other news, Chad Johnson is vastly overrated in fantasy football. I will not be picking him in my home league draft (14th season!) Wednesday night.
GOOFY STUFF
Garfield Minus Garfield (hat tip to Kris)
OK, this is crazy stuff…possibly best viewed while in an altered state. Charlie the Unicorn Part One, Part Two and…you know what? If you really want more, go to YouTube. I got through Part Two and needed a long walk afterwards just to get my mind right.
As always, Dave finds a great catch.
This only works if you talk in a Cartman voice (“I’ll Rochambeau you for it!”).
Big Ball Knockout Montage (another hat tip to Kris)
MISCELLANEOUS
Good public service message about the stupidity of legislating against gay marriage.
With global food prices skyrocketing…why is lobster getting cheaper? I don’t know, but the fact that, as noted in the article, you can get a pound of Maine lobster with butter for the price of a meal at McDonald’s sounds mighty enticing, given that I could canoe to Maine from my house if I so desired.
People are in denial about the U.S.’ lack of oil.
Those people include Jerome Corsi, a well-known nutbar who recently wrote a hit job book on Obama. He now claims that oil isn’t a fossil fuel but rather a substance that constantly regenerates itself within the Earth. Oy.
Does praying for lower gas prices actually work?!
GREAT MOMENTS IN PROGNOSTICATION
Finally, last year I wrote a column for ESPN.com in which I posited that Garret Anderson…well… sucks. The very next day, he had the game of his life, pocketing 10 RBI. Monumentally horrible punditry on my part (because of the bad timing, not the fact that I was wrong–Anderson is still a below-average player making about five times what he’s worth).
But Anderson could’ve bagged 50 RBI in one game, and I still wouldn’t have been as wrong as the person who wrote this.
