August 20, 2010
Link-O-Rama
• Not surprisingly, this news set the all-time AG.com record for number of people who sent me a story. Hollywood could produce The Aaron Gleeman Story starring Brad Pitt as me and I'd be less likely to see it than Black Swan.
• When it comes to old baseball cards, apparently "worst" is synonymous with "best."
• See if you can spot the biggest sex symbol of the 1990s in this photo from high school.
• I probably get to sleep before 1:00 a.m. at most a few dozen times each year, so if this data and research is accurate I should be a genius.
• Headline of the Week: "Tila Tequila attacked at Insane Clown Posse festival."
• Eric Fisher of Sports Business Journal wrote about NBCSports.com's blog-based growth.
• If you've ever wondered what Craig Calcaterra and I do all day, read this. If nothing else it explains why I like to think of myself as the Samantha Ronson of baseball bloggers.
• I was planning to make some sort of Kelly Brook-in-3D comment in linking to these pictures, but then the sheer number of possibilities overwhelmed me.
• It's tough not to root for Stafon Johnson given his ridiculously horrendous luck.
• Suzanne Solheim interviewed Jeff Manship on just about everything but baseball.
• I'm not even really sure why exactly, but I find this incredibly funny:
I actually think Don't Stop or We'll Die's music is legitimately good, even without the humor.
• Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune was on fire all this week. First he referenced Ultimate Zone Rating in an article about Danny Valencia, then he quoted Lester Freamon in a blog entry about the AL Central, and last but not least a throwaway line from one of his game stories was the inspiration for two of my posts on Hardball Talk.
• Even at 46 years old Jose Canseco is still better at hitting home runs than he is at spelling.
• Based on this story, Peggy Olson clearly didn't follow Freddy Rumsen's advice on marriage.
• Speaking of Mad Men, any fans of the show will also enjoy watching John Slattery's lengthy appearance on Kevin Pollak's Chat Show.
• Sad news but an incredibly compelling piece from my NBCSports.com colleague Mike Celizic.
• HBO has thankfully thought better of their decision to cancel The Life and Times of Tim, which is one of television's most underrated shows.
• Bill Baer of Crashburn Alley put together a nice collection of resources for sabermetric stats.
• Here are some highlights from my NBCSports.com blogging this week:
- Mark Prior is "having a blast" playing independent league ball
- Bryan Bullington gets first career win eight years after being No. 1 overall pick
- Designated for assignment by Reds, should Micah Owings try hitting full time?
- Carlos Gonzalez makes a great catch, but loses to the still-undefeated wall
- Mike Leake moved to bullpen to keep rookie's workload down
- Nationals call up 22-year-old catching prospect Wilson Ramos
- A's send Chris Carter back to Triple-A with .000 average
- Despite monster debut, J.P. Arencibia sent back to minors
- Nationals president says draft pick signing setup is "silly"
- Shawn Chacon's grievance versus Astros denied by arbitrator
• Finally, this week's AG.com-approved music video is Aloe Blacc singing "Femme Fatale":
Cowley doesn’t seem very professional to be a team beat writer but I guess that is what you get from Chicago. LOL at him having his voting rights taken away.
Comment by Evan — August 19, 2010 @ 9:20 pm
Cowley’s rantings against Minnesota are really nothing compared to his ongoing flame war vs. Canada:
http://www.drunkjaysfans.com/2010/04/moron-ignores-reality-to-maintain.html
Comment by Neil — August 19, 2010 @ 11:18 pm
Black Swan, huh? I’ll have to see. Maybe I’ll just find the scene with Nat and Mila on YouTube, because Darren Aronofsky’s films can be… well… unnerving to watch. Pi was cool, but I think I had a headache for a week after. And the less said about Requiem for a Dream, the better, possibly. If you’re ready for those, well, by all means – go for it.
Comment by Son of Shane Mack — August 20, 2010 @ 2:40 am
Hahaha Cowley is actually right; there are many busted dudes walking around the Twin Cities with 8’s. Hilarious.
Comment by Kurt E. — August 20, 2010 @ 6:45 am
Nice phone, Harper …
Comment by marietta mouthpiece — August 20, 2010 @ 7:46 am
Wow, Aaron… That piece about Celizic and his death sentence was something else. Thanks for the link.
Comment by Jon — August 20, 2010 @ 10:58 am
Camping trip song: Would have been funnier if they had sung the chorus line more than 100 times in the song. Maybe just as clever: “I have a stupid perm” repeated 1000X to a very gradual fade. Otherwise an excellent song, right up there with “Take The Skinheads Bowling” and “Guitarzan”!
Comment by Buddy Grant — August 20, 2010 @ 12:51 pm
Thanks for the link, Aaron! The Manship was a fun Q & A to do. He was a pretty good sport, all things considered.
Comment by Sooze — August 20, 2010 @ 4:31 pm
Joe C is one of the best in the business
Comment by msmatt — August 21, 2010 @ 11:22 am
Aronofsky’s first two films were a bit difficult, yes, but his most recent two, The Fountain and The Wrestler, have been nothing short of brilliant. Black Swan looks very promising. I wonder if he’ll use Thom Yorke’s song of the same name. That would be a good start.
Comment by NicoSamuelson2 — August 21, 2010 @ 12:35 pm
Thanks for linking my band’s video, Aaron! I know nothing about baseball, but my boss kentremendous seems to like ya!
Comment by harris wittels — August 21, 2010 @ 7:26 pm
Harris’ Phone Corner
http://www.earwolf.com/clip/harris-wittels-harris-phone-corner
Comment by Jake — August 21, 2010 @ 8:49 pm
Sweet. They pulled Harden with a no-hitter. Let the games begin.
Comment by brian — August 23, 2010 @ 9:09 pm