One year ago

A year ago today, at around 6 in the evening, my wife and I were running errands in the Hartford area when a drunk driver (going approximately 70-75 miles per hour) crossed over the center line and hit us head on. We were pushed backwards, and were hit again, on our passenger side by an SUV. We had to be cut out of our vehicle, transported by ambulance to a local hospital, and endured months of physical and emotion rehabilitation that, unfortunately, has not completely cured us. The experience is one that we will live with for the rest of our lives. Were it not for the fact that we were in an extremely safe car, I shudder to think what could have happeend. Doing absolutely nothing wrong, my wife and I were almost killed that day.

If you read this blog or contribute to this blog, I tell this story as a cautionary tale. If you drink, don't drive, and if you have are with someone who is drinking to excess, be a friend and be the designated driver. Taking a chance isn't worth it, and even if you don't hurt yourself, you could hurt or kill someone else.

Coming to you live from New England's Rising Star...

So, a couple of quick notes:

- For the first time, yesterday, I was a caller on a sports talk radio show. When I got to campus for class last night, they were talking about parity in baseball on "The Back Page with Jason Page," a local show on ESPNRadio. Now, the discussion wasn't Cowherd-esque (saying loud incorrect things with no basis), but he did make a pair of bad points:

1) Only 2-3 teams have a reasonable shot at the World Series; and
2) The Giants are in trouble because of a lack of finances.

I felt the urge to call in because both of those statements are ridiculous; there are more than a handful of teams with a shot at the World Series, and the Giants are in trouble because Brian Sabean gives over-the-hill veterans long expensive contracts. I was all ready to debate him to the death on those topics, then remembered that I'd get 90 seconds of air time, tops. Basically, I tried to say as much on the air; to Page's credit, he let me talk for a while before loudly interrupting me. However, my phone freaked out as he was going through every major league team and asking me if they had a shot at a title. Overall, not a bad experience, and hopefully I didn't sound like an idiot to the 15 people listening throughout Connecticut.

- I'm excited because it looks like I'll be going to a New Britain Rock Cats/Trenton Thunder game in May. The Rock Cats are the AA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, and previously the New Britain franchise was the Red Sox affiliate. As a result, I've gotten to see Jeff Bagwell, Mo Vaughn, David Ortiz, Doug "Long last name I can't spell," Tori Hunter, Bam Bam Meulens, and a whole host of other big leaguers play in the minors. This year will be fun because the Thunder outfield should include both Jose Tabata and Austin Jackson, possibly 2/3 of the future Yankees outfield. I'm enough of a baseball dork that this will be one of the highlights of my summer. Feel free to mock me starting...now.

It's Schadenfreude, Bitches!

If there's anything those wacky Germans have done to make our lives infinitely better, other than (obviously) giving idiots the ultimate endgame to any online discussion, it would have to be the concept of Shadenfreude, allowing me a justification for my near-constant reveling in the difficulties, downfalls and disasters befalling others.

Well, Milwaukee fans, welcome to the shit show that is Eric Gagne circa today. While the Brews eventually pulled out the game in the 10th (War Plan Orange, anyone?), it was not before Kosuke Fukudome played Admiral Yamamoto to Gagne's USS Oklahoma,
rocking a 3-run bomb in the bottom of the 9th in his first MLB game. Fukudome went 3-for-3, accounting for all of the Cubs' offense.

The Fukudome signing was an inspired move by the Cubs, to be sure, but most projections show The Admiral (as I will now fruitlessly refer to him for about 3 weeks, until I am beaten by everyone I watch games with) as someone with about 15 HR power over the course of the season (but with great OBP - pretty much exactly what CHC needed, to be honest, which is why the signing was stunning at best). However, the $10 million to let Gagne get Pearl Harbor'ed by a moderate-power guy playing his first game against true major-league talent . . . well, that's not so much a great move. After watching dipshit have the confused look in the photo above for the Sox for a couple of months, I couldn't be any happier for the fine cheese-eating, beer-drinking, hedgehog-of-a-wife-fucking denizens of Wisconsin. Love your lineup, hate your closer, dudes - enjoy the 85-win season and underplaying your Pythagorean record by about 5 games (or, the difference between yourselves and the Cubs).

In other notes, Ben Sheets looked great, Josh Willingham needs to be on your fantasy radar if you're looking for off-the-shelf power in the OF/UTIL slots after taking Johan Santana deep (and with a solid PECOTA projection), the Giants may never score another run, trade Jim Thome immediately if you find someone silly enough to want him, and Chris B. Young is obviously on pace for 162 HRs, with a .250 OBP and nearly 500 strikeouts - and, really, only the HR number seems completely unreasonable (and not even by that much). By the way, I drafted him before the 6th round in a bunch of fantasy drafts - I would make out with the guy if I got the chance. He's Adam Dunn with stolen bases, and without hilarious quotations about being the most attractive All Star. He's the evolutionary Rob Deer, except he can actually play defense, run, whatever. It's an exciting time for Three True Outcomes devotees.

Thank God for baseball season - one day in, and I'm already stoked.