Here and Now...There and Then

How Good is Kershaw?

2011-08-14T08:42:00.002-04:00

Clayton Kershaw won his career high fourteenth game last night versus the Houston Astros. (Click on the link to view his highlights from last night.) This makes him 14-5 on the season. This with a team ten games under .500 at 54 wins. Some interesting stats: 2.72ERA, 193 SO in 175.2 innings pitched with 46BB, a walks + hits per inning pitched of 1.03, and opponents batting average of only .212.

I knew when he came up in 2008 he was going to be good. He has more than lived up to that expectation. For his career he is 40-28 with an ERA of 3.05, 690SO in 658.2 innings pitched with 270BB, opponents BA of .219 and a WHIP of 1.20. And he's only twenty three years old!

Lindsay Is Getting Married

2011-08-03T21:06:00.002-04:00

Lindsay Tarbell and Dan Edlich are being joined in matrimony this Saturday. The wedding is at five in the afternoon at the Ardmore Mansion at Mountain View in Glen Spey, New York. They make a great couple and I am extremely happy for them.

Debbie called Patti Monday night: Dan has a wicked ear infection and Lindsay is showing indications for a kidney stone! What is up with that?!? I'm sure all will pass (pun intended).

Bruce cut some old barn boards for signs for the wedding and Patti painted them. They are to announce the wedding and point the way to the ceremony and the reception. Another says "Thank You" of which they will have a photo taken while holding the sign to make thank you cards.

Jessie is driving home Friday and we will all ride down together Saturday and stay over after the reception. Lindsay and Dan invited us to a Sunday brunch at the Mountain View. There is shuttle service between our hotel and the reception, so it will be paartaay time!

No Asomugha

2011-07-30T12:25:00.004-04:00

I saw on the Sportscenter crawl this morning that Philadelphia won the Nnamdi Asomugha pursuit. I never even heard of them being in the running. Especially after getting Cromartie in the Kolb trade from Arizona. I figured if the Jets didn't get him the Cowboys would end up with him.

This will free up some money for the Jets to get a player who can get to the QB. They didn't fare too well in that category last year. Bryan Thomas led with 6 sacks last year. There's talk of Kris Jenkins coming back to the Jets, but he's not much of a pass rusher. Jevon Kearse was released by the Eagles but how much does he have left? Justin Smith is durable but only had two sacks with Cincinnati last year, but is available.

Brad Smith is signing with the Buffalo Bills. It's sad to see him go. He's very valuable as a return guy with two TD returns last year. Perhaps Joe McKnight can fill those shoes.

Stay tuned.

Football in the News

2011-07-28T21:10:00.004-04:00

The NFL is going to have a season after all. The only game to be cancelled is the Hall of Fame game. Preparation time was too short for the Bears and Rams to be ready to compete on August 7th.

The New York Jets have signed Santonio Holmes (left). Many thought they would lose him to free agency. Santonio Holmes has been a clutch performer for the Jets and a favored target for Mark Sanchez. No word on whether the Jets will re-sign Braylon Edwards. Of the two Holmes is the preferred signing. Edwards makes some good catches, but has a few crucial drops in his resume. Braylon tweeted his love for the Jets while saying he doesn't feel it returned by Jets management. He did take that tweet down , however.

The Jets are said, by some, to have the inside track on signing free agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. Can you imagine Darrelle Revis on one side and Asomugha on the other side? What a combination. How often do you think Ryan would blitz with those two in man-to-man coverage?

Bring on the season...it's time for football.

I Told You So

2010-09-06T10:06:00.003-04:00

Manny Ramirez proved himself to be a self-centered overpaid athlete once again by quitting on the Dodgers. Does that sound familiar Red Sox Fans? As a Dodger fan I am happy to see him go. When the Dodgers picked him up in '08 I predicted this very scenario.

Darelle Revis has reportedly signed with the Jets and is supposed to arrive in New Jersey today. It is hopeful he can come back to the team and fit in as a team player. He certainly does not come across as a team player. $10,000,000 is not enough for him? Oh, Asomugha makes more! Check the ego at the door. You had a signed contract. Honor it. When it is up then you negotiate. If you're half as good as you seem to think you are, you will be rewarded. I was hoping the Jets would let him sit out the year. You don't want to be a part of the team stay home.

Tucker Tape Parade

2009-10-24T21:05:00.003-04:00

This is our new pup, Tucker. He's twelve weeks old in this video taken today. I wanted to email this to my daughter, Jessica, in West Virginia, but the file is too large. Hopefully I can link this to the email I send her so she can see how he has grown. We got him at eight weeks old. He is a real pisser! Very intelligent and sensitive. I took him for a walk in our woods today and he just loved it.

The video was shot on a Canon Power Shot A590 digital camera. It's a little darker than I'd like. It was taken inside on a gloomy day and there are no movie lights on this little digital camera.

It's pretty good for a digital camera, though.

Tucker's ears have just started to stand up in the last week. They still have a ways to go, but they're pretty sharp. He's funny when he tries to scoot around the house. He's very clumsy and not real fast. His huge paws sound like a little horse romping through the rooms.

My wife, Patti, was sweeping the floor today and Tucker kept grabbing the broom. She said, "He doesn't bother the vacuum cleaner when I use that." My daughter, Lisa, said, "So, just make a noise like a vacuum cleaner while you sweep." Patti did just that, he gave her a funny look and didn't touch the broom once. What goes through his mind?!?

He's a real good boy!

A Rainy Sunday

2009-08-09T17:09:00.003-04:00

We were very spoiled last week. Five straight days with no rain. Today it has been rainy all day. Severe storm warnings in Tioga and Broome Counties with sixty mile an hour winds. We got lots of heavy rain, no high winds here at the house.

The Dodgers are in first place but sinking fast. They can't seem to find a way to win the close ones lately. I still can't stand Manny. He has sucked lately in the pressure situations. Two games in the last week he could have won with a timely hit and he has failed. Put Pierre back in the lineup.

We saw a 2010 Mustang the other day in Binghamton. Nice!

The Jets are practicing in Cortland this year. I have thought about going up to see them, but probably won't. Ray Simek's son got sixteen autographs last Thursday after a scrimmage. One was Mark Sanchez's, their first round draft pick out of USC. From reports I've heard he will probably start this year. Clemons is not performing up to standards.

Catch Up

2008-11-22T10:06:00.003-05:00

Many things have occurred since my last post. The Dodgers were whipped by the Phillies crushing their aspirations for the World Series. Now the Manny waiting game continues. Will the Dodgers sign him or will Boros play his games and rip some other team off with his exorbitant demands?

Barack Obama has been elected, in a landslide vote, to be our next President. What a change to have a man in the presidency who is eloquent and in touch with the common man. I saw a piece on the news last night showing him in a Chicago deli. When was the last time you saw Bush in a deli after being elected to office? Obama is busy choosing people to help run our government. May he choose wisely. I hope he can bring this country together. It has been disheartening to see our country so polarized, as it has been for the last decade.

The New york Jets are in first place in the AFC East! How about that? Brett Favre has made quite a difference for this team. No Jets fan in their right mind could have expected this turn around. The Jets take on the undefeated Tennessee Titans tomorrow. I have predicted a Jets victory. Talk about a change in confidence!

MLB STANDINGS

2008-09-24T10:18:00.003-04:00

Just an interesting little widget (at the bottom of the page) to keep anyone who might show up on my site informed and up-to-date on the MLB Standings. I wonder if I would have posted this if the LA Dodgers hadn't made such a miraculous comeback in the last three to four weeks? My first instincts about Manny Ramirez were wrong. I truly did not want him to be with the Dodgers. He has awakened the team from their funk and blasted them right to the top. That doesn't mean that he won't revert to his old Boston ways if things don't always go his way in the future. That is assuming the Dodgers sign him in the offseason. Wouldn't it be interesting to see the Dodgers v. Red Sox in the World Series? If the Dodgers get in the playoffs won't that be sweet for Joe Torre? The Yankees did not want him and they are toast this year. The Yankees chose the wrong Joe. Don Mattingly and Joe Torre in the playoffs while the Steinbrenners stew in their silent offices. How great is that? Go Dodgers!

Obama or McCain Vote.

2008-09-13T14:41:00.001-04:00

Take a look at this:
http://www.sodahead.com/question/41731/

This is a very interesting site. They posted an election for President of the United States of America if you were to vote right now. The comments that are posted in regards to this vote are both eye opening and some are a bit disturbing. The comment listed as "Top Comment" is a 'shopped picture of Obama in Al Quaida-type garb. That is disturbing. People find it so much easier to post something like this than to delve into the candidate's actual beliefs and hopes and dreams for this great country of ours. The part that truly bothers me is that many will view this picture and make judgments based on falsehood.

It is interesting to read the comments. The Barack backers seem to quote facts, while the McCain supporters use vile and hate-filled comments to attack Obama. They don't seem to like McCain as much as they despise Obama.

Google Chrome

2008-09-02T21:49:00.000-04:00

What a great browser. I heard about Google Chrome on the news on NPR this morning. It was leaked to the public yesterday. I downloaded it as soon as I got home tonight. I cannot believe how much quicker it is than Microsoft Explorer. I haven't figured out how to import my bookmarks from Explorer yet. I watched the little video and did what they said, but I don't see where it all imported. Maybe I have to have Explorer running when I import. Can you tell I'm not a computer genius? I had most of my bookmarks on my Google toolbar. I have to figure out how to get them on my homepage , also. Geek. com has a good article on Google Chrome. They had a question on the importing as well.

Sweep

2008-08-15T09:58:00.000-04:00

The Dodgers sweep the first place Phils. (Ex-first place Phils) You're welcome, Mets fans. For such a weak division the West leader sure put it to the East leader. Mostly due to the Dodger's league-leading ERA. No thanks to Brad Penny's performance Wednesday night. He must still have been hurt, though, for I see he is back on the Disabled List this morning for his shoulder.

This series is just what the team needed after the last two games in SF where the blew late leads. To think where they'd be right now if they could have held on in those two games against the hated Giants. As a Dodger fan I understand the history. Both teams seem to upset the other at crucial times.

Random thought: What goes through a Cub fan's mind when they throw a perfectly sound baseball back on the field of play when an opposing batter clubs a home run against them? Do they think that changes the fact? Do they just shallowly want to show their disdain for the opposition? Or, perhaps they are all mindless followers susceptible to heavy peer pressure? I hope the Cubs never win another World Series.

Buy Local

2008-08-08T20:17:00.000-04:00

One of the easiest ways to green our environment is to buy our food from local sources. The cost of transporting food across America is staggering. An example of this is California winter lettuce. East coasters pay to have the privilege of having fresh lettuce while enduring the drudgery of our long winters. I know I am guilty of this practice. This winter I will not buy it. There are many alternative foods to enjoy until we can once again enjoy local produce. I have made a point of buying local produce from area farmstands. Nothing beats fresh corn on the cob picked in the morning and eaten the same day. New York Local Food Directories is a great resource for information on local foods in my home state. There are links for other locales as well.

The Dodgers and the Jets?

2008-08-07T18:55:00.000-04:00

I never thought I would see the day when I would get to say I am excited about both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Jets. First the Dodgers trade for Manny Ramirez from the Boston Red Sox and then the Jets receive Brett Favre from the Green Bay Packers.

Manny hit his fourth HR in six games with the Dodgers in a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Of course that only puts their record at 57-57, but they are still in the hunt for the West title.

As a long-suffering fan of both teams it is difficult to get too excited. Every time there is a day like today to get hopes up, both teams always seem to find ways to dash those feelings. The Dodgers haven't won the Series since 1988; the Jets last won the Super Bowl in 1969. That pretty well sums it up.

A Peek at the 2010 Ford Mustang

2008-08-06T21:09:00.000-04:00

2010 Ford Mustang - Future Vehicles - Motor Trend

Check out the new Mustang. Twin turbos on a V-6? I have always been a diehard V-8 guy, often ridiculing V-6s as not being true Mustangs. Could Ford come up with something that could change my perspective? ....Maybe...