April 17, 2015
Link-O-Rama
• "Gleeman and The Geek" is officially back on the radio, starting our fourth season on KFAN this Sunday at 4:00 pm. As always you can listen live on 100.3-FM and KFAN.com streaming audio or you can continue to listen to the show as a podcast via however you've been doing that already. We broadcast an hour live on the radio and then record another hour afterward in a side studio without any commercials, gluing the two pieces together for the final podcast product.
• Rob Neyer of FOXSports.com wrote about my NBCSports.com blog-mate Craig Calcaterra and the criticism that comes with criticizing other writers.
• A national security expert wrote in the Washington Post that MLB forcing fans at every ballpark to go through metal detectors is "pure security theater" and "laughable."
• Dana Wessel told the cute story of how he unexpectedly met his idol.
• I need two new owners my "Hardball Dynasty" league on WhatIfSports. Click here for details.
• You can't wear a spiked leather wristband and not expect people to mock it. Well, you can. But then it'll be even funnier.
• There's a vacant lot next to Calhoun Square and this summer Prime Time Wrestling "is planning five free outdoor shows" where "attendees just need to bring their own lawn chairs."
• I put together a guide to where the Twins' top 40 prospects are playing in the minors.
• If you like Boston Terriers, junk food, or dating you'll love this as much as I did:
The lesson to be learned is that meatballs are great.
• On a related note: This is a perfect representation of what life is like with a cat.
• Coincidentally the Cubs called up No. 1 prospect Kris Bryant on the same day his service time had been delayed long enough to push back his eventual free agency by an extra year.
• Bryce Harper is still the youngest player in the National League.
• Grantland's oral history of the Orland Magic's non-dynasty was really good and included this what-if scenario from Shaquille O'Neal's agent about the Wolves winning the 1992 lottery:
Shaq was never adamant about going to L.A. or any big market. He went to LSU, so it wasn't like he was saying, "I need to go to some big market." Our strategy wasn't to force anybody to go anywhere. Maybe if he was picked by Minnesota he might have said, "I don’t want to go there."
Instead the Wolves picked third, missing out on both O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning.
• Flip Saunders will surely disagree, but three-point shooting and playoff teams go hand in hand.
• It was another awful Wolves season, but television analyst Jim Petersen provided an ideal mix of passion, opinion, criticism, knowledge, and analytics. He's proof stats on TV can work.
• In the rare instances when the Twins talk publicly about their use of "statistical analysis" it comes across as rudimentary.
• Twins president Dave St. Peter took some shots at me during a Q&A session at the Minneapolis Star Tribune's new building and in doing so coined the phrase "Gleeman disciple."
• Seinfeld plus Limp Bizkit amused me way more than it should have:
The internet is an amazing place.
• As a Food Network viewer and Deadspin reader Drew Magary's appearance on "Chopped" was magical from start to finish.
• The photos from my podcast co-host John Bonnes' trip to Las Vegas are fascinating and scary.
• Congrats to Stu Neuman, Jon Marthaler, Brandon Broxey, and Clarence Swamptown on "The Sportive" winning the City Pages award for "2015 Best Sports Podcast."
• Restaurant recommendation: The Strip Club is a cozy gem in St. Paul. Tim Niver and Christy Niver treated us like family, every dish was fantastic, and I'm still thinking about the pork belly.
• Netflix recommendation: "Bloodline" is a slow burn, but Kyle Chandler, Linda Cardellini, and Ben Mendelsohn are all great and I enjoyed the 13-episode first season.
• Jason Isbell has a new album coming out in July. His last album was amazing, as were the two lives shows in Minnesota that I went to.
• Some of this week's weird and random search engine queries that brought people here:
- "How did Aaron Gleeman die?"
- "Kid trips over man"
- "Spoon and Stable what to order"
- "How hard did Bert Blyleven throw?"
- "Heaviest center fielders"
- "Paul Molitor shirtless"
• Finally, this week's AG.com-approved music video is "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth:
This week's blog content is sponsored by Uber, which is offering a free ride to first-time users who sign up with the promo code "UberGleeman."
