Friday High Fives (12/30/05)

This week's five items, ideas, and individuals that I am thankful for, appreciate, or admire.

Annual Christmas Vacation
I usually lament the fact that I don't get everywhere I want to during the "nice" months because I blow a large chunk of my vacation during the last couple weeks of the year doing nothing but man do I enjoy not having to deal with going through the charade of trying to "work" during the holidays. I can't think of one instance where anything substantial got completed during the last two weeks of the year in any of the groups that I've worked in or with and this makes trudging into the office more of a waste of time than anything.

Bamboo Cutting Board
I took a knife skills class at The Chopping Block and learned that wood is actually safer than plastic with proper care when it comes to cutting boards. This wasn't a huge deal for me, the owner of a couple plastic boards, but when I got a nice, heavy bamboo cutting board for Christmas I don't think I'll every go back and now I can justify spending the extra dollars on wood ones in the name of safety.

Online Flight Booking
It seems so common place now and certainly taken for granted by almost everyone who uses the internets but a lot of people forget that booking flights and hotels online was one of the web's first "killer apps" and completely revolutionized the travel industry.


Clinton Portis
Easily my favorite non-Bears NFL player. A must see press conference with one of his alter-ego's Southeast Jerome from yesterday is online at the Redskin's website.

2005
There are a lot of things I can say about this past year but you won't hear me say that it wasn't an absolute blast or it wasn't memorable. I am absolutely convinced that I shortened my lifespan by at least two years during 2005.

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Congratulations to the 2005 NFC North Division Champions

Now let's make some noise in the playoffs!

Filed in: sports nfl bears

Friday High Fives (12/23/05)

This week's five items, ideas, and individuals that I am thankful for, appreciate, or admire.

Heat
After sitting through -8 degree cold last Sunday night at the Bears game I would be hard pressed not to be thankful for having a condo with heat to warm my bones. I know everyone has been hit up for money this year for some charitable cause given all the distaters we've experienced but I'd like to offer a couple more for your consideration. Warm Wishes which accepts warm blankets, comforters, and sleeping bags as well as cash donations and Southwest Chicago P.A.D.S. which is a homeless shelter providing meals, shelter, and blankets.

Holiday Parties
Last weekend Tim, ElShocker, and I picked the reigns after Gate had to be in London for business. Fun was had by all and we drank every ounce of alcohol in ElShocker's apartment except for the Nog that someone insisted on making (seriously does anyone under the age of 50 like Egg Nog?) and didn't even cause any damage. Nothing like the holidays to put everyone in a festive mood and mistletoe can't hold a candle to 12 bottles of wine and two gallons of champagne punch.

Dirk's Fish & Gourmet Shop
Kiddo and I had our faux-Christmas Wednesday night because she was flying back home on Thursday and for dinner I cooked Swordfish with a balsamic brown butter sauce which was really, really good. I get all my seafood from Dirk's because not only is their selection ultra-fresh they really make shopping there a treat with a friendly staff and great customer service. Make sure to check them out.

James Bond marathons
SpikeTV is showing the 008 Days of 007 right now and seem to have picked up the torch from TBS who use to show the 12 Days of Bond conveniently during finals while I was an undergrad. I've seen them all and still find myself sucked in when flipping through the channels. It'll be interesting to see how the new Bond, Daniel Craig, does. I really think Eon Productions dropped the ball in not naming Clive Owen to be the new 007. He is gritty, can be both tough and suave, and chicks dig him. Exactly the type of actor who can pull off what Ian Fleming envisioned.

Colbert Report
I didn't like the show at first but it has really grown on me. Sometimes Colbert lays it on a little thick but I think that the show will find its stride and it does make for a good sidekick to the Daily Show.

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Cubs: Things that make you go hmmm.

So according to FOXsports.com's Ken Rosenthal the Cubs are considering a trade involving Mark Prior and Miguel Tejada.

Talks are supposedly stalled right now because the Cubs want a pitching prospect in return for Prior (I think rightfully so) and won't give up top prospect Felix Pie or other Cubs pitching prospects.

It is obvious to just about everyone that Big Z is and has been the ace of the Cubs staff for the last 2 seasons but I think giving up on Prior
(and in reality that is what they are doing since Prior just turned 24 in September and, barring further injuries, certainly has his best years still ahead of him) for the older Tejada who will turn 30 in May.

I am really torn on this. My gut is saying keep Prior and Z as your core since good starting pitching is so hard to find but adding a bat like Tejada's into the mix with Aramis and DLee is awfully appealing. When the Dodgers got into the Furcal bidding at the 11th hour and swiped Furcal from the Cubs and Braves I thought that LA over paid for him but now, in hindsight, I am not so sure. I understand that the Cubs have to give up something of value to get something of value I can't help but wonder if we'd be giving up too much for Tejada. All of a sudden $13M/year for Furcal and still having Prior in the rotation doesn't sound so expensive compared to Tejada in the lineup and Prior pitching for the perennial 3rd place Orioles.

Filed in: sports mlb hotstove cubs

Geev um, Bears!

Apparently having the #1 defense in the NFL has more benefits than just a playoff appearance. Yesterday the NFL announced that 5 Bear defenders have been named to the NFC Pro Bowl roster. along with Olin Kruetz, the lone offensive Bear player named.

Admittedly, I was suprised at some of the guys (Tommie Harris over Alex Brown, Adewale Ogunleye, or in my opinion the Bears' best D-lineman this year Ian Scott) named to join prerennial Pro Bowler (dare we say 2005 NFL Defensive MVP?) Brian Urlacher but I think that the number of players named was on par with what would be expected from the top ranked D.

Congrats to Tommie, Nate, Mike, Lance, Olin and Brian. You guys are truly "the pride and joy of Illinois."

(image via ChicagoSports.com)

Filed in: sports nfl bears

Cubs: Plugging Holes with Bubble Gum

Yesterday the Cubs got Jacque Jones for $16M over 3 years and I can't say that I share the same enthusiam as Tim about it. I think we over paid for a player who has declined offensively over the last two years and statistically is Jeromy Burnitz but younger and more expensive.

Peter Gammons said in a column(Insider-Only) about a month ago that teams use three year trends to try and find undervalued players that are on rise and try to determine if a player is on the decline. For Jones it isn't pretty.

Jacque Jones 3 Year Trend

Year	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2003	.304	.333	.464	.797
2004	.254	.315	.427	.742
2005	.249	.319	.438	.757

If we delve deeper into his stats it gets worse. Jones is adequate against righties but is awful against lefties.

2005 Righty vs. Lefty Split

Split	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
vs.Left	.201	.247	.370	.617
vs.Right	.268	.348	.466	.814

This move is like trying to plug a hole in a dam with bubble gum. It might work out for a little bit but certainly isn't a long term or satisfactory fix. Jim Hendry still needs to find an outfield bat to face lefties and I need to find some way to get excited about next years prospects because right now it isn't looking good.

Filed in: sports mlb hotstove cubs

Quickies - I. Can't. Feel. My. Feet. Edition

King Kong isn't doing as well as expected at the box office. This movie will make more than enough on DVD sales to make everyone happy but do yourself a favor and make sure to catch it on the big screen. The T-Rex vs. King Kong battle scene is worth the price of admission alone.

Michael Stipe sat in on Coldplay's Austin City Limits set and Muzzle of Bees has the mp3's.

Really funny SNL skit that is all the rage on the internets right now.

I missed it last night because I was at the game but it sounds like GDubs made his message clear: Stop Snitching. Unfortunately Carmelo Anthony was unavailable for a guest cameo at the press conference which would have added some street cred.

A couple new Google extensions released for Firefox.

Filed in: quickies music movies

Welcome Back Kid

Some thoughts about yesterday's game as I continue to defrost and wonder what the hell I was thinking when I said yes to tickets:

• It would be criminal to even entertain thoughts of starting Kyle Orton over Rex Grossman again this season. Grossman completed more passes in one drive than Orton did in one half and converted 3 out of 4 third downs with the interception then fumble recovery accounting for the lone unconverted third down. Under Orton the Bears converted 3 out of the last 33 third downs.
• I think Andy Dolan over at Desipio said it best about the Urlacher vs. Vick match-up, "Urlacher spent so much time on Vick that he’s probably got herpes today."
• Even though Mike Green made a big hit causing the Jenkins' fumble and had a pick yesterday he still missed tackles and seemed to be out of position on more than a few plays. I can't wait until one of our top 3 safeties get back and Green can go back to warming his ass on the heated bench prior to being let go this offseason.
• Wow. No muffed punts this week.
• You can sum up the differences between Rex and Kyle like this: Rex wants to make plays and Kyle doesn't want to make mistakes.
• Our defense stopped the #1 rushing team in the league twice on 4 and 1. Twice.
• Yesterday afternoon I was worried about clinching our playoff spot and holding off the Vikes for the NFC North title. This morning I am worried about getting tickets to the first playoff game at home after the bye.

Welcome back Rex. You're exactly the type of spark this team needed heading into the playoffs.

Filed in: sports bears nfl

Friday High Fives (12/16/05)

This week's five items, ideas, and individuals that I am thankful for, appreciate, or admire.

Indictments handed out in Viking sex boat scandal
Is this mean spirited especially giving that it is the holidays? Yes. Will this be a distraction for the team during crunch time as they try to catch the Beloved? Hopefully. And by the way Fred Smoot, stay classy.

King Kong
Review to follow. In a word: Awesome.

Saturday NFL games
It might come as a suprise with all this MLB hot stove league talk that goes on around these parts but my favorite team sport by a large margin is football. Specifically NFL football. With college football ready to start its 28 or so bowl games the NFL gets to schedule some games on Saturdays and I couldn't be happier about it.

Ricky Gervais
I am really, really late to this party but I just watched seasons 1 and 2 of The Office and thought, like the zillion other people who told me about it, that it was phenomenal. Thanks to Kiddo for recommending we rent season one when 40 Year Old Virgin was not in stock and Tim for lending me the second season and special DVDs. Make sure you check out his incredibly funny podcast.

Yahoo!
Lots of cool stuff going on in Yahoo!land. The have a new email interface set to be unleashed, cool mapping features, and a slew of purchases ranging from upcoming.org to the recently acquired del.icio.us. They stuck to their guns and didn't fold up shop when Google was king of buzz and rolling out innovative projects. Now that they've taken the fight to Google and Microsoft it'll be very interesting to see how they respond. Imagine that, competition in business really does create benefits for consumers.

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Quickies - The I Knew the NYE Plans Were Doomed Edition

Thoughts while I ponder WTF we are going to do on NYE now that only 30% of our group has tickets to a sold out party.

Matt Leinart is still a winner in my book.

Jenna Bush continues to make the family proud. Apple doesn't fall far from the mountain of blow.

Interesting take on the Hendry Q & A and the local paper coverage over at Cub Town. It appears also that Corey Patterson is going to definitely be offered arbitration. Hopefully this is so that we can deal him and not have to entertain the thought of him being our everyday RF.

Just in time for the Holiday Soiree that is coming up this weekend Metromix has posted their 12 Drinks of Christmas. The FoodNetwork also has an extensive list of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Fascinating interview on NPR's Fresh Air with author Bart Ehrman who is the chairman of the religious studies department at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and just wrote the Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why.

Pretty cool concept. An artist is stamping and hand screening 450 pieces of US currency and circulating them as an Acquired Art Crusade.

Filed in: quickies art religion booze

Friday High Fives (12/9/05)

This weeks items, ideas, and individuals that I am thankful for, appreciate, or admire.

Hot Stove League
I've never been as caught up in baseball offseason moves than now but these are serious times and we've got serious holes to fill. Cubnation demands a legitimate RF, SS, and starting pitcher Jim Hendry. You're getting close to being put on the On Notice board.

Hot Chocolate
One of the simple pleasures in life and perfect for crappy weather days like yesterday.

Scottie Pippen
Ok. We all know you wrote the book on professional athlete douche-baggery with your terrible sense of entitlement, selfishness (1.8 seconds anyone?), and reputation as "No Tippin' Pippen" but I realize the impact you had on the Bulls championship teams. That is why when they hoist your jersey tonight to the rafters I'll raise my glass from the 300-level and toast you.

New York Times Crossword Puzzles
My obsession with you is approaching golf-like proportions. Scary.

Cute girls with big black sunglasses
Gets me everytime.

Filed in: fridayhighfives

Dubai == Adult Disneyland

With ridiculous architecture, crazy property for sale, worldclass sporting events, and a booze and legalized prostitution fueled nightlife Dubai has quickly become an adult version of Disneyland.

Now add skiing into the mix.


Crazy. I think a golf vacation there would be amazing.

Filed in: dubai travel awesome

Double Dip: Cubs get Pierre

As has been widely reported (here and here) the Cubs have acquired CF and leadoff man Juan Pierre for three pitching prospects. This move solves a couple immediate needs for the club and doesn't appear to come at a huge price (though 3 prospects seem a little much for a 28 year-old CF that is coming off a "down" year). A lot of other SABR-heads have poured over Pierre so I am going to leave it to them to take you inside the numbers.

Next up, finding a RF.

UPDATE: This split (via Bleed Cubbie Blue's comments) makes me a bit more optomistic but I still don't have a good feeling about next year.

Pierre (Avg, OBP, SLG, OPS)
Career in day games : .344/.394/.429/.733 in 1069 AB
Career in night games: .287/.337/.351/.688

Filed in: sports mlb hotstove cubs

What's My Name?

File it under guilty pleasures I guess but I like Mike Jones (WHO!?! MIKE JONES!). Matt Perpetua over at Fluxblog apparently agrees with me and asks a great question along with posting an MP3 of Cuttin'.

Is there another artist in contemporary pop music who is as consistently on-message as Mike Jones? Every lyric on Who Is Mike Jones reiterates one of maybe ten key talking points:

1) His name is Mike Jones (MIKE JONES!!!)
2) The name of his album is Who Is Mike Jones?
3) His cell phone number is/was 281-330-8004, you can feel free to call him.
4) He's about to become a superstar.
5) Formerly disinterested women want to get with him now that he is famous.
6) As a result, he does not trust scandalous hoes.

However, he does enjoy the following:
7) Swanging.
8) Woodgrain steering wheels.
9) Purple drank.
10) Princess cut diamonds.

If this rap thing doesn't work out for him I am sure he could get a cushy job as the communications director for a certain Republican president.

Filed in: music mikejones culture

NFC... You've Been Put on Notice

The Chicago Bears D is dealing out pain.

Filed in: sports bears nfl

Quickies - The Aftermath Edition

This weekend was one for the ages. Tim's place sustained heavy damage from Hurricane Hawkette and I apparently got into a fight with a shower curtain that was looking at me funny. Thankfully I payout quicker than FEMA and there were no fatalities.

AllPosters.com have some pretty funny alcohol related posters.

360eats.com is a pretty slick restaurant and food blog aggregator.

5 Tips to speed up your bit torrent links. (via LifeHacker)

Rafael Furcal signed with LA for way more than he is worth. Thankfully we didn't match or try and beat that offer but this leaves the Cubs without their number one offseason target and two holes (leadoff man and SS) to fill. I guess Jayson Stark was right when he predicted that he'd ultimately sign with who ever ponied up the most money. I expect a lot of movement today and tomorrow since the winter meetings close on Thursday and the Cubs have a lot of needs to address and the Cubs, according to Bruce Levine, are linked to a bunch of rumored deals.

One final note. Comedy Central is going to air four previously unreleased Chappelle's Show. I am wondering if these episodes are going to be funny or end up like Godfather III, Rocky V, and Caddyshack 2 and classified as things that never happened.

Filed in: quickies weekend cubs

Friday High Fives

Riffing a little bit on Tim's Thanksgiving post about what he is thankful for I am going to start posting five things I am thankful for, appreciate, or admire each Friday.

$2 Sangrias at Grand Central
So good.

Shit-wrecking D
Watching a team get pounded by the Bears D is one of the most gratifying things I've seen all fall.

Firefox
Not to get all religious on you but about as Anti-MS a piece of software as you can get. Standards compliance, extensibility, cool, reliable, and fast.

deviantART
cool desktop wallpaper.

Autumn Roast Coffee
Einstein Bros. has a winner with their Autumn Roast. I've been kinda coffee polygamist lately with my attention being split between Starbuck's Gingerbread lattes, old faithful, and this blend. A lot of that has to do with Einstein's not offering this blend everyday.

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A Tune For Your Friday

This is a B-Side from Death Cab's last album. It is more up beat and poppy than their usual fare and it won't make you want to kill yourself. Perfect for a Friday.

Death Cab For Cutie - Bad Reputation [MP3] (follow link)

Filed in: dcfc music recommended