T-shirt #136: KUDL 2013: Pink

T-shirt #136: KUDL 2013: Pink

Still maintaining the time off time.

What you will find here are some photos of recent events with captions, and a few links of some good, recent blog things that have caught my attention. If you need something to read, check out some of these.

Photos to the right are actually two different photos with very subtle differences.

Today's shirt is the Pink KUDL 2013 shirt. I wanted to have pink as our team color this year but was beaten to it by Will Maddix and his color theft (as I like to tease him). The pink team won no games all season until they beat our Light Blue team by two points two weeks ago. Fitting and ironic.

LINKS


THE TROUBLE WITH TROLLS

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO BE HYPNOTIZED?

DC COMICS: THE NEW 52 AT TWO

THE "I FULLY EXPECT ABUSE" GAMBIT

HOW WOLVERINE'S CLAWS WORK

Warren Ellis on DEAD PIG COLLECTOR

Warren Ellis Talks About His New Novella And Living In A Science Fiction Present

'Dead Pig Collector': Eight Questions With Author Warren Ellis [INTERVIEW]

RECENT PHOTOS

Grading Robot rarely has a day off. A true day off. None of these days (Friday-Sunday, today) have been completely work free, but they have been more work free than usual. Today, Sunday, only a very little work needs to be done, and it is not the kind of work that will require powering up Grading Robot. The man-machine goes back online tomorrow (Monday).

In taking off as much time as possible from work and sort of taking off the weekend from the blog, I managed to attend Day Three of the Fab MagiCelebration in Colon, Michigan on Friday, and I rode about 20 miles of the Kal Haven Trail (about 10 out to Kendall and 10 back) with my friend Chris Dilley yesterday, Saturday. Two Bucket List items down.

BTW, there's a nice little old style general store right off the trail in Kendall. It's awesome. I recommend the ride to the general store and back. I should have taken a picture of the general store. Maybe next time.

Here's some photos (with comments and some captions)...

Here's me posing with this handsome bunny in front the Fab Magic Shop,
not to be confused with Abbott's.

This is Abbott's or MECCA for magicians.
It has not changed much in the last 30 some years.

Here's a beautiful depiction of what's happening in Colon:
Two different magic fests, two different companies,
two different weeks.

This all seems a bit silly that there are TWO different magical conventions and that this silliness has been going on for ten years as this was the 10th annual Fab MagiCelebration is all the more silly.

Silly, silly, SILLY. But it is more magic for people and more business into Colon, so it's not all bad.

For more, info: FAB MAGIC

and

ABBOTT'S MAGIC COMPANY
The Abbott's site has some You Tube clips and there's more on You Tube if you are interested.

ABBOTT'S GET TOGETHER - OFFICIAL SITE

ABBOTT'S GET TOGETHER - WIKIPEDIA

Find other Wiki links off the page above if interested.

Above you will see two different pictures, On the left, a very nice photo of Ivan and me taken by the helpful young man who showed us magic and sold us magic at Abbott's. This is an interior shot of Abbott's.
On the right is a poster display at the third magic shop in Colon: Sterlini, which is next door to Fab Magic on the main drag in Colon: State Street.



Close up of the Doug Henning costume from Broadway's The Magic Show. I did not ask if this is replica or the actual costume. Given its display and prominence, I suspect it may be the original, though there may have been more than one costume.

STERLINI MAGIC

I am going to include all the Amazing Billini pictures even though some are blurred. Even the blurred ones give the effect of the startling magic taking place in the Fab Magic Shop for the free magic show on Friday August 2nd 2013 during the Fab MagiCelebration.

This is funny. Apparently, there is an Amazing Billini in England that is different than this Amazing Billini featured here. The Amazing Billini featured here does not have a web presence that I could find.

Billini doing something amazing with tubes

Billini explaining his grandmother's spirit is
in the book he's holding. Why does that guy have such a big hat on
that blocks my view? ASSHAT!

Ye Olde milk jug trick, though a bit blurry. Probably because
of the asshat with the huge HAT!!
I almost asked him to remove his hat.

Billini did a good olde fashioned kid-centered magic show

Billini's Zombie illusion

Billini was very hot and had to wipe his head a lot
Not that he's doing that in this picture,
but I wanted to mention it.

Billini used many volunteers, which was nice to see.

Finale: Billini magically produced chocolates that he
threw to the audience

Here's some of the most impressive magic we saw Friday night.

Rings & Bowling Ball 2011

- Charlie Frye and Company

-chris tower - 1308.04 - 11:35

T-shirt #135: KUDL Yellow 2007

T-shirt #135: KUDL Yellow 2007

Welcome to Saturday.

For you, it's Saturday. For me, it's still Friday, and I am in the M&M Grill in Colon, Michigan using the free Wi Fi connection and killing time before the evening performance at the Fab MagiCelebration.

This is another of the many shirts I have from KUDL 2007. This one in yellow. It seemed like a good "day off" choice.

Today, today for you, which is Saturday, I am planning to teach two classes (my normal Saturday work routine), and then head off for an hour or so along the Kal-Haven Trail, and then turn around and come back. This is part of the "bucket list" of things I wanted to do before I have surgery on the 16th of August (so expect another blog break then).

But now, after learning what I have learned here in Colon, the thing I really wanted to attend is next week. Clearing two days from the work and family schedules in two consecutive weeks may not be possible. But there is always next year, except for this lingering feeling that my "normal life" will come to an end on the 16th with the surgery, which is not true, but that's how I feel.

But you know, I am keeping this one short. Day off and all that.

Check back tomorrow for pictures from yesterday at the MagiCelebration and today on the bike ride.

Viva la "time off!!"

POSTSCRIPT: I am typing this last bit on Saturday, back home. Being in Colon yesterday was like stepping back in time. After driving home last night, things felt different. The same familiar places around my house and even my house itself felt different. The feeling is starting to fade, but it was still strongly in force this morning as if I had taken a trip back in time. My body returned from the past first, but my consciousness still remained in the past and is returning to the present more slowly.

- chris tower - 1308.03 - 8:55

T-shirt #134: Explore the Secrets of Balloon Anatomy

T-shirt #134: Explore the Secrets of Balloon Anatomy

WE INTERRUPT THIS REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG FOR AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After a busy week, Grading Robot is powering down.

ALSO, the little man who runs Grading Robot from the inside is also taking a break.

Since I started this blog, I have realized that it is an EVERY DAY THING. Dedicating myself to 365 T-shirts means that EVERY DAY I have to come up with a post. I have realized that I cannot write a large essay every day. I cannot create a love letter to some beloved popular culture icon every day. And, surely, I cannot expect (do not expect) readers to read every post every day. It all seems a bit much.

And so... I have to figure out ways to manage all of this. One thing I started doing around post #57 is working ahead. I had to start writing the bigger entries in advance or plan them for days so that I had time to render the size of entry I desired. I have been hit and miss with this approach. I have a list through #142 right now with a couple of unnumbered entries logged and queued. And I have been sketching out some of these entries and pushing them back when I am not yet completed with the draft of the content or the thinking through of the content. For a while, I was doing very well with the schedule of sitting down each morning and writing the next day's entry, which gave me plenty of time to think and revise. But I have struggled to maintain this writing in advance system. So, time for a new approach:

MR. T-SHIRT BLOGGER IS TAKING THE WEEKEND OFF!!

What does this actually mean? How can I take the weekend off? If I take time off, wouldn't this mean I would not actually produce 365 T-shirts consecutively and fail in my mission? Yes, that's true. So, I am not skipping any days. There will still be posts. But I refer you (if curious) to T-shirts #s 65-67 posted May 25-27th (1305.25-.27) for the last time I took a weekend off for Memorial Day and family time. There were posts.

But they were short and simple. Same concept.

Today, Friday, I am off to Colon, Michigan, better known as the magic capital of the world with my step-son Ivan. Though I do not plan to wear a T-shirt for the day, expect pictures and a future posting detailing our adventure. We are attending the Magic Get Together that is held every year in Colon. It used to be called the Abbott's Magic Get Together after the name of the magic company located in Colon and the reason why Colon is considered the magic capital of the world. Now, I believe, it is called the Fab MagiCelebration after the new name for the Abbott's Company: The Fab Magic Company. (IMPORTANT NOTE: The previous sentences are inaccurate. Keep reading for the real scoop.)

For those who have not learned this nugget yet from my blog, or know it about me, I used to perform magic as as semi- and part-time professional in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I attended several get togethers in Colon back then and performed in the youth talent contest (which I am currently missing as I could not get to Colon in time for it). This is probably my first get together attendance since 1980-1981-ish. I am excited, and I am even more excited to share it with my step-son Ivan.

Expect more information and dedication to this lovely enterprise in a future blog entry.

Tomorrow, I am heading out the Kal-Haven trail on an extended bike ride with my pal Chris Dilley, and Sunday is a day dedicated to my beloved wife, Liesel, and our home. Though I am not idle, my presence here must be light.

Today's T-shirt is a creation of artist Robert Lewis: "Explore the Secrets of Balloon Anatomy."

I worked with Robert at a Kalamazoo-based comic book company called Chiasmus in the mid-1990s.

Robert is an original and brilliant artist, and I adore his work. I have another T-shirt of his which I will feature in the future.

I have lost track of Robert, and his name is too common to produce much in a Facebook search.

I chose today's shirt because balloons are featured prominently in magic shows, as fun sculptures--balloon animals--and as illusions ("magic tricks"), such as penetrating a balloon with a large needle (one of my favorite all time magical effects).

See you all tomorrow but back to full swing next week!

- chris tower - 1308.02 - 10:19

UPDATE: So, here I am, sitting in the World Famous M&M Grill, which is next door to the Fab Magic shop pictured here. They have free Wi Fi. And ice cream. And homemade goulash.

Why am I updating my blog? Well... because I made a HUGE ERROR.

Guess what? The Fab Magic Company and the Abbott's Magic Company are NOT the same thing!! I am embarrassed that I did not better investigate the situation here in Colon before I came down, and I am even more embarrassed that I did not better educate myself before I officially proclaimed the how and the what of my  re-connection with the world of magic on this blog. I furthered my error by suggesting that Abbott's had dropped its historic name and renamed itself. This is not AT ALL what happened as I have now found out by spending part of the day in Colon. In fact, there's not just two different magic shops. There are THREE different magic shops in this little town of Colon, Michigan.

Apparently, some years ago, two gentlemen had a falling out: the owner of Abbott's and the (now) owner of the Fab Magic Company. Now, because these gentlemen cannot get along, the Fab Magic Company and Abbott's both host their own conventions, which this year are one week apart. Currently, Ivan and I are attending day three of the four day Fab MagiCelebration. Next week, the Abbott's Company will host its 76th annual Magic Get Together. After a visit to Abbott's, we learned that next year will be the 80th celebration of Abbott's as a business (as it opened in 1934) and the 77th Get Together.

I am not sure if I will be back next week, though I may try, as the real re-connection would be with the REAL Get Together of my past: The Abbott's Magic Get Together!!

- one again, now updated, by chris tower - 1308.02 - 17:53

T-shirt #133: Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon 1972

T-shirt #133: Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon 
- Rainbow Theatre - 1972

I did not choose the "Concert T-shirt" category for this shirt. Obviously, this is a concert T-shirt, but I cannot claim I was at the Rainbow Theatre of London in 1972 for the culminating performances of Pink Floyd's sixteen date UK tour of their new and unrecorded piece of music entitled The Dark Side of the Moon.

After all, I was ten years old when all of this was happening.
I had not even heard of Pink Floyd yet.
But it is cool to have the shirt.

This retro shirt is available online (mostly through eBay). It was a gift from my best friend Tom Meyers, also known as the Lord of Chaos.

It's rather odd that I did not own a Pink Floyd T-shirt prior to my friend sending me this one.

But sadly, Pink Floyd is one of the few bands or artists that I dearly love that I have never seen live. And now with the death of Richard Wright (2008), there's no chance for a reunion of the foursome (not counting the era in which they were a five-some, including the brilliant Syd Barrett.

There are amazing resources online for this seminal rock concert series, starting with Pink Floyd's own site and historical timeline.

PINK FLOYD - TIMELINE - 1972

One site provides the tour program from those shows in 1972:

PinkFloydz.com Rainbow Theatre Tour Program

There are FLAC bootlegs available for download on a guitars site:

[FLAC] Pink Floyd - 1972-02-20 - Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park, London

All four shows are available as downloadable bootlegs via:

VIVA LES BOOTLEGS

There's also a great history of the bootlegs for this show and "restored" versions at

BIGOZINE2

Amazingly, there's a You Tube "video" ... or rather a still shot with the bootleg recording.

*********************************************************************************

Pink Floyd Rainbow Theater London 20-02-1972

*********************************************************************************

If you want to get crazy, there's NINE HOURS of the complete RAINBOW TAPES (all four shows) on You Tube along with a huge selection of other stuff: the director's cut of the Live at Pompeii movie, Complete 1973 Earls Court concert, Pink Floyd Live at the BBC 1970-1971, and so much more. You Tube has become a Pink Floyd's fan paradise.

Fans of Pink Floyd--those well acquainated with every note and nuance of Dark Side of the Moon--will find this recording of one of the early performances of the album to be quite different than the eventual 1973 studio recording. In fact, listening to it now, I am inclined to argue that some of the choices here in the live version work better than the choices for the studio album, especially in the instrumental ending to "Breathe."

Then again, some of the changes made for the studio album were quite wise, such as the vocals for "Time" and the addition of Clare Torry's vocals to "Great Gig in the Sky."


"Time" is one of my all-time favourite Pink Floyd songs. Do you feel a list coming? Oh yeah...

My first Pink Floyd album was 1975's Wish You Were Here, which I did not own until 1979 shortly before the release of The Wall, my second Pink Floyd album.

I listened to these albums repeatedly over the years; however, in the last 20 years or so, I have found it increasingly difficult to listen to the entire album of The Wall, which I find incredibly depressing and upsetting.

The core three albums Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), and Animals (1977) are the triumvirate of my love for Pink Floyd with the first side of Atom Heart Mother as an honorable mention.

In college, when trying to stay up for three days straight to get work done at the end of the quarter, I would "power nap" to any of these albums: too caffeinated to sleep, I would have a lie down while listening to the album and be somewhat refreshed afterwards.

Animals has probably become my favourite of these three albums, and it is definitely the one I have listened to the most and find the most complex and enduring. As much as I love Wish You Here, I find "Welcome to The Machine" and "Have a Cigar" a bit tedious and find that I would rather just listen to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts I-IX" uninterrupted. I do adore Dark Side of the Moon and have decades of enjoyment from it, and I do not tire of it, but there's something about Animals, which seems more sophisticated and has managed to grow with me through the years.

Once again, I cannot indulge in a lengthy love letter for Pink Floyd as Grading Robot must robotically dispense with all of this WORK. But I can see more Pink Floyd love letters being featured on this blog before the 365 days runs its course.

*********************************************************************************

PINK FLOYD - "Time"  (Wembley, 1974)

*********************************************************************************

Amazingly cool video... Oh how I wish I had seen them live.

TOP TEN FAVORITE PINK FLOYD SONGS

1.  "Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts I-IX"
2. "Time"
3. "Dogs"
4. "Atom Heart Mother Suite"
5. "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun"
6. "Wish You Were Here"
7. "See Emily Play"
8. "Comfortably Numb"
9. "The Great Gig in the Sky"
10. "Learning to Fly"

COMICS I read Fatale volume three the other day. It was VERY EXCELLENT. This "noir"-esque series by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips is SUPERB, and it would be one of my top five recommendations for anyone, especially non-comic readers, to try of the current crop of comics (along with things like Saga,  Optic Nerve (obviously), Daredevil (need a superhero choice), and Lazarus... Okay, and FABLES because I need a DC pick to go with the Marvel pick and the THREE Image picks). READ COMIC BUZZ REVIEW. WEEKLY COMIC BOOK STACK Not a very exciting week. Because of skips and delays, it's difficult to compare this month to last month at this time. Guardians of the Galaxy takes first this week instead of third like it did on June 26th simply because none of these other comics can be ranked higher and other issues came out June 26th that did not come out this week. I am loving Daredevil, though I often rank it lower because I want to give it my full attention and want it first up in night #2 of the week's comic reading. However, X-Men, which is enjoyable but not amazing, takes a back seat to Daredevil and Guardians this week simply because of the nature of the week. I would place Optic Nerve on top of the stack because I do dearly love it as explained in T-shirt #98. BUT it looks as if Tomine is experimenting with a different style, and I often delay gratification on comics like that one until I can just focus on it when I am alone and not likely to be interrupted. I did not get the last Defenders read yet, but it was actually next up on my stack before buying this week's comics, so it stays ranked in the new comics. And I sprung for the $7.99 Inhumans reprint because I love the Inhumans and the giant-sized comic features great art by Neal Adams, whom I have mentioned many times on this blog (such as in T-shirt #83). COMICS FOR 1307.31 Guardians of the Galaxy #005 Daredevil  #029 X-Men # 003 Uncanny X-Men #009 Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril #1 Optic Nerve #13 Fearless Defenders #006 (back log) Fearless Defenders #007 (this week) Something Inhuman This Way Comes: Black Bolt (reprints: one shot) BACK LOG Batman Incorporated #13 FF #010 Indestructible Hulk #011 The Ultimates #28 Uncanny X-Force #009 Uber #4 - chris tower - 1308.01 - 9:16

T-shirt #132: Detroit Tigers Stadium and Billy Sauce

T-shirt #132: Detroit Tigers, Tigers Stadium, and Billy's Hit-a-Ton Barbecue Sauce & A BIG ROUNDUP OF RANDOM STUFF!!

A GOOD DAY TO BE A DETROIT TIGERS FAN

Good morning from the Bloggy Carnival of Towerness. By the time I finished writing this one, it was no longer morning.

It's Wednesday the last day of July 2013, and it's a good day to be a Detroit Tigers fan.

I was actually watching last night, and I was actually hoping with the power of my mind and heart for the very outcome that occurred as Alex Avila clubbed a two-out, grand slam in the sixth off one of the best pitchers in Baseball, the Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg. It was Avila's first career GRAND SALAMI.

Usually, if I send a Twitter message during a game, crowing about something that happens in the game, I jinx the outcome, and the Tigers lose. Last night, I sent the message, and the Tigers still won, by a score of 5-1.

In other Tigers news, a big trade went down last night that will bring Boston shortstop Julio Iglesias to the Tigers as a backup in case regular and All-Star shortstop Jhonny Peralta is suspended by the MLB on the bogus Biongenesis scandal. The Tigers gave up OF Avisail Garcia and RHP Brayan Villarreal in the deal.

Stories. I love Baseball's stories and I love its statistics. History and numbers. The history of numbers. The human interest of stories. The numbered story of history. The personalities and the oddities. Today, I am going to feature a little bit of all that delightful big country buffet in one roundup blog post.

DISLOYAL BARBECUE SAUCE

I have been disloyal.

I bought barbecue sauce featuring a Kansas City Royals player named Billy Butler or as he's known by the nickname: "Country Breakfast."

And this was not an impulse buy in the store. I sent away to Kansas City for this sauce and paid extra fees in Federal Express shipping.

In my defense, proceeds from the sale of the sauce benefit a Kansas City food pantry and community kitchen charity called the Bishop Sullivan Center.

Also, hey, I kind of like the Royals. There, I said it.

The Kansas City Royals would not be on my list of "most hated" Baseball teams. I kind of like the current crop of young players who are making a run in the AL Central. And I have always liked the franchise, going back to the days of George Brett. If a team is going to duke it out with the Tigers down the stretch, I would rather see the Royals in the fight than the Indians and Twins (whom I do hate) or even the Chicago White Sox (about whom I am on the fence).

Plus, I like Billy "Country Breakfast" Butler. He was a pick up on my main fantasy Baseball team a few years back (is anyone surprised that I play FANTASY BASEBALL? I thought not.), and he has "hit a ton" for me ever since.

Plus, in these days of summer, I am keen to try specialty BBQ sauce. And Kansas City intrigues me as a great place to visit.

And though the Royals have produced "Fear the Sauce" T-shirts, I do not expect to purchase and wear one of those shirts. Sauce for another team I will try; T-shirts for another team, a RIVAL team? No way.

If you are interested, here's some LINKS:

HIT-A-TON ROLLS OUT "FEAR THE SAUCE" SHIRTS

BIG LEAGUE STEW: BILLY GETS SAUCED

SALES BOOM FOR BILLY SAUCE!

BISHOP SULLIVAN CENTER - HIT-A-TON SAUCE

FANTASY BASEBALL

Is it any surprise that I play Fantasy Baseball? I thought not. I have played for many years and in many leagues. For the last ten years or so, I have run my own league: The Tiger Towne Baseball League. Our league eschews team stats like RBIs and runs and focuses on more individual stats like OBP and Total Bases.

In 2013, I chose to play in six leagues. I know this sounds like a lot, but it really isn't that difficult once the drafting is done at the beginning of the season. I am not in first place in any of these leagues. But I won each of my main two within the last few years, and I always place highly.

Every morning, I record the Tigers and Cubs scores on my own special log sheets. I read recaps just for those two games (three yesterday as the Cubs played a double-header), and then I study the box scores. After devoting some times and attention (while playing SportsCenter on the TV), I look at each box score from the day's games and watch for what a lot of my fantasy players are doing. After all of that, I set my fantasy lineups. I used to set the week in advance, but I have gotten away from that in an effort to save time on Sunday. This ritual may sound time consuming, but it only takes 30-60 minutes depending on how many non-sports Yahoo stories catch my eye, how tired I am, and if my fantasy teams need new players.

Patience is a virtue in Fantasy Baseball, but too much patience can be a killer. In several leagues, I drafted Victor Martinez because he would qualify as a catcher all season without playing catcher and would get more plate appearances than most catchers. But Victor struggled to start the season batting .221/.290/.274 in April with no homers and .235/.257/.333 in May with two homers. But things started to go up in June, and in July, Victor hit .380/.421/.580 with three homers, ELEVEN doubles, and an OPS of 1.001.

So that's patience, but one of my league mates could not be patient. He dropped Toronto 1B/3B Edwin Encarnación on April 15th just two weeks into the season (before Edwin even qualified at two positions) when Edwin got off to a lousy start at .184/.247/.386 with two homers. I snatched him off the waiver wire immediately. Edwin has gone on to hit 27 homers since April 15th. In July, he has hit .321/.432/.641 for an OPS of 1.073. Not patient enough. In fact, I just noticed that in this league I had not drafted VMart to start but grabbed him off waivers in the same player dump by my friend and his team the Fastball Flakes.

Now, not to say that I will hold on to a player past all reason. In some cases, I will give up on a player. I gambled that Encarnación had more upside than Adam LaRoche, and so I gave up on the Nationals' first baseman when I grabbed Encarnación. How did I fare? LaRoche has 14 homers, and Encarnación has 29. After a decent May and June, LaRoche is batting .167/.237/.298 in July with two homers.

I do switch out relievers a lot. I will rotate these guys based on who is hot and who is not, and who is accumulating HOLDS, which is the most overlooked stat in fantasy, while maintaining high strikeout numbers, low walks, and low ERAs.

It's also key to draft well and spot players who are not on anyone's radar but who are going to out perform top ranked players by miles and miles. Sometimes, I will not even draft these little known players or I will wait and draft them last. Some picks this year include Arizona's SP Patrick Corbin and Seattle's SP Hisashi Iwakuma. The main measure I like best for starting pitchers is the QUALITY START stat, which a pitcher earns if he throws at least six innings while giving up three runs or fewer. Without looking at other important pitching stats, Corbin's 18 Quality Starts puts him in first place in the majors along with Bartolo Colon, Adam Wainwright, Clayton Kershaw, and Travis Wood (many of whom were not the highly touted pitchers by fantasy "experts"). Iwakuma's 15 Quality Starts ranks him 21st on the list, still higher than so-called studs like Justin Verlander, Matt Cain, and CC Sabathia.

For more on Quality Starts and meaningful pitching stats, check out:

FACT OR FICTION: QUALITY STARTS A MISLEADING STAT

I may not be winning that league (I am in third and I am playing 4th place Fastball Flakes this week), but I am holding my own. I will make the playoffs if my team does not have an epic collapse. Still, as much as I banked on these pitchers, I am not leading the league in Quality Starts. I am 5th. However, I am leading this league in pitcher strikeouts, holds, saves,  wins, and WHIP. I am second in ERA. I am not leading in any offensive category, but I am holding my own with decent numbers.

Patience but not too much patience.

THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES AND WHY PITCHING AND DEFENSE MATTER

More on statistics. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, old school Baseball minds evaluated players on "gut" and not so much on numbers. When the old school Baseball scouts, managers, and coaches looked at stats, they looked at things like wins for pitchers and batting average for hitters as key factors. As it turns out, neither statistic is very useful for evaluating performance. As I already mentioned, Quality Starts is a much more revealing statistic for pitching performance than Wins totals. A case for this and other related measures can be made by looking at the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in first place in the NL Central after taking three games of a five game set (a four game series with a double header for a make up rained out game) from the previously NL Central leading St. Louis Cardinals.

How are they doing it? Not with offense. Their offense is anemic, ranking 20th in Total Bases, 22nd in Runs, and 20th in OPS in the Majors.

The story for the Pirates is pitching and defense and how these work together.

First, some stats history and then back to the Pirates and how this all relates. Bill James began publishing statistical analysis of Baseball in the late 1980s. By the mid-1990s, this stuff was immensely popular among Baseball geeks, like myself. However, most actual MLB teams were not making decisions based on these new statistical innovations (such as runs created, range factor, and win shares) until the coming of Billy Beane to the Oakland Athletics, a transformation immortalized by Micheal Lewis in the 2003 book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. In the book, two key measures helped Beane to make player decisions: drafting or acquiring players for whom a strong set of data existed (relying on high school stats or a scout's "gut" alone was not a good predictor), and the belief that offense is twice as important as defense. In other words, a team could absorb some losses and some of a player's mistakes to benefit from his increased On-Base Percentage and/or Runs Created numbers that translate to WINS and placement in the division.

However, since Moneyball, statistically-minded analysts have discovered that defense does matter, and how defense functions with pitching can make up for an anemic offense depending on divisional competition.

Though the Pittsburgh Pirates have the best ERA in the majors, they are 21st in Quality Starts, 6th in walks allowed, and 10th in strikeouts. So how are the Pirates then second in the MLB in wins by the pitching staff? It's a combination of pitching and defense.

The Pirates get more swinging strikes on bad balls than any team in the NL. When the opposing batters do make contact, the results are batted balls that are easy for the defense to gobble up. Between how well the pitchers fool batters and how easy the results are for the defense to handle, the Pirates may continue to win and stay atop the NL central, breaking a trend of 20 consecutive losing seasons, a record in North American team sports (not just Baseball).

I love this kind of statistical analysis to explain what we see in the standings. For the full explanation, see the following article.

PIRATES MAKING FIRST PLACE PITCH

MAX SCHERZER

It's difficult to have a favorite Detroit Tigers player. For a while, I was a Brandon Inge fan, and then an Alex Avila fan. But how could I not love Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera? And what about Prince Fielder, Victor Martinez, Jhonny Peralta, Doug Fister, and Joaquin Benoit?

They are all favorites. They are all special because they are on my favorite team. Even when the Tigers acquire someone I did not like previously, such as Jose Valverde, I have to come to like the player because he is now a Detroit Tigers player.

I already liked Max Scherzer before reading the Sports Weekly article from July 18th, which is mostly cribbed from these articles by Jeff Seidel of the FREEP:

Detroit Tigers first-time All-Star Max Scherzer takes modesty, intellect to mound

and

Detroit Tigers' Max Scherzer (10-0) shows all his talent, strength.

There's also a good blog post here:

Five awesome things about AL All-Star starter Max Scherzer

What I read in these articles makes me love Max Scherzer all the more. He was an under-valued, smart pick up from the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he's having a career year following a very good year to prove it.
I learned how competitive he is, how much he studies the game, that he loves scuba diving, that he is a kid at heart, and most importantly that he's a life long learner, learning and reading all the time, getting into what he calls "Google Freefalls."

I also learned that his nickname on the team is "Mad Max."

Go Mad Max.

BASEBALL TEAMS - LOVED, LIKED, HATED

Because no one demanded it, but you are all wanting to see it, today's list of loved, liked, and hated MLB teams.

LOVED: The Detroit Tigers and the Chicago Cubs!!

LIKED: In the AL: The Oakland Athletics, The Kansas City Royals, and the Tampa Bay Rays.
In the NL: The Washington Nationals, The Pittsburgh Pirates, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies.

HATED: In the AL: The Minnesota Twins, The Cleveland Indians, The New York Yankees.
In the NL: The St. Louis Cardinals, and The Atlanta Braves.

I am luke warm or on the fence about all the others.

As I conclude today's blog entry, the Tigers are about to start a day game against the Washington Nationals, whom they beat last night on Avila's Granny.

It's a good day to be a Detroit Tigers fan.

And just because I am not yet done with it, another photo of pages from the ticket book. There are more Tigers tickets in it than any other single thing.

GO TIGERS!!

- chris tower - 1307.31 - 13:01

T-shirt #131: Starfleet Academy

T-shirt #131: Starfleet Academy Training: THE KLASSIC ARCADE

I have read a lot of very good books this year.

I would be hard pressed to pick a book of the year out of this year's choices--at least so far--and my "to read" book stack is looking very good with works like Joyland by Stephen King and Gadget Girl by Suzanne Kamata up next followed by City of Bones, Kite Runner, and Earth Afire among so many others. I also have a plan to re-read Dune and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

I posted about books that I have enjoyed recently in T-shirt #107: The Daily Planet with some newsy lists of favorite things. One of the books on that list was Ernest Cline's Ready Player One. I liked it so much that I also blogged about it here in T-shirt #61: Blade Runner. So far, everyone to whom I have recommended Ready Player One has loved it and had a difficult time putting it down. Though I thoroughly enjoyed John Scalzi's Red Shirts and Warren Ellis' Gun Machine, if forced at threat of a boiling in a pot surrounded by hungry cannibals, I would choose Ready Player One as my book of the year.


Is it cheating to quote myself? Well, I am going to do it anyway.

"Recently, I read a great book called Ready Player One, which had references to Blade Runner among many other references to favorite '80s media. This was a GREAT book, and if you love 1980s geeky media as much as I do (and even if you do not), you must read it. (Basically, everyone should read it.)" (T-shirt #61: Blade Runner).

...and...

"But really, out of this list, Ready, Player One by Ernest Cline is the most amazing. Everyone to whom I have recommended it has loved it, and the audio edition with narration by Wil Wheaton is fantastic! Beware. You will not be able to put it down. I originally mentioned Ready, Player One in the entry for T T-shirt #61: Blade Runner, another post that could have made the top five and of which I am enormously proud. (See how I am sneaking in more than a top five in posts?)" (T-shirt #107: The Daily Planet).

Here's my Goodreads review. I gave Ready, Player One FIVE stars: "This is one of the single most entertaining reads I have had in a long time, and I give it five stars with no hesitation. I finished it a week ago, but I have been waiting to share my review because I thought it needed a long review.

It does not.

Certain readers, geeks like me, will love this book. It's a lovefest for the 1980s. With a constant stream of TV show, movie, music, video game, and other game references, this book will be adored by any fun loving geek who grew up and/or lived through the 1980s. It's delightful.

The reading experience is made more delightful by listening to the audio book narrated by the brilliantly funny Wil Wheaton. This marks the third Wil Wheaton book I have listened to recently. The last one was the book I read right before this one, Scalzi's Red Shirts, which gave me a back-to-back Wil Wheaton love fest. The other book was Scalzi's Fuzzy Nation, which was another immensely entertaining reading experience.

I only wish to applaud this book and reveal no spoilers. Beyond sharing that it's an '80s love fest, I do not want to share anything else. I went into it with no pre-knowledge except the rave reviews of several of the vendors at Fanfare, the local comic and game shop.

All I can say is to READ IT. If you are in any way like me, you will love it.

Thank me later" (Goodreads review, 2013).

I have been informed that I was wrong that only those geeky kids of the 1980s would thoroughly enjoy this book. One reader, a child of the late-1990s and early 2000s, told me I was dead wrong. So, I will qualify: the resonance for those who grew up in the 1980s or the late 1970s and early 1980s will find a richer experience here than those who have consumed 1980s culture in retrospect. The experience of reading the book will be just as enjoyable for both readers, but their experiences will inform their enjoyment differently.

At this point, many of you may be asking: "what does Ready, Player One have to do with that Starfleet Academy shirt you are wearing and the Klassic Arcade?"

Good question.

First, the Klassic Arcade. After finishing  Ready, Player One, I did a Google search to find a local arcade. With my love of old 1970s and 1980s electronic arcade games rekindled by this book, I needed an outlet to play the classics. This is how I discovered the Klassic Arcade of Gobles, Michigan. But this was back in March. My delayed gratification system seems to be working well. Four months after finding this place, I made my trek on Saturday July 27th, accompanied by my step-son Ivan and his girlfriend Olivia (pictures courtesy of both). Believe me, after visiting this great place and spending most of my time at the Asteroids machine, I will be back soon.

Second, the shirt. I have featured SEVEN Star Trek shirts so far on this blog. This one makes eight.

This was my first Star trek shirt, and it was a gift from my parents (or my sister, I forget). I may have lied when I claimed in T-Shirt #39 that the UFP logo shirt was the first Star Trek shirt that I owned. Since I am committed to accuracy, I may have to try to fact check these claims, but that's nothing I can do now. So it goes on my list (it's a short list) of potential updates to make later.

In any case, why this shirt? Well, why not? I have written quite a lot of Star Trek related content. My love for Star Trek is well documented on this blog. So, I do not feel that I needed to write more about Star Trek (though I could and I probably will as I expect purchasing at least one more Star Trek shirt before this yar of 365 days ends). Also, I do not own an Asteroids or an Atari shirt. No classic arcade game shirts, though, again, this may change. So, it seemed fitting to wear my Starfleet Academy shirt. After all, what is the Kobayashi Maru but a big video game? And what better training for something like Starfleet than simulations like electronic games, which will be demonstrated in the Ender's Game film due out this fall (and the controversy over which is the subject of an upcoming blog post). My friends and I always said we were the military's secret training project, and each game had a hidden video camera that sought the best and the brightest to recruit for the future war against the alien invaders. Hmmmm... there's a book there.

I am afraid I will have to sign off soon before I can do a full love letter to the games of the 1980s as Grading Robot is still in high production mode. But as I share my silly pictures, more snippets of fun. Thanks for reading me today!





I have always pronounced the game in the sign above as "Gal-AH-ga" rather than "GAL-a-ga," IE. a long "a" sound on the middle A and emphasis rather than a short "a" in the middle and an emphasis on the first "a." My wife and step-kids love to tease me about this pronunciation, but before them, no one corrected me. Apparently, I have been mis-pronouncing this game's name for years. And yet, when I look at the word, it makes more sense to me to pronounce it my way. Hey, I have to do my own thing. Besides, I have always preferred Galaxian anyway, and I know how to pronounce that name.

My favorite all time video arcade games are Asteroids, Joust, and Robotron followed by Galaxian, Tempest, and the little known Elevator Action.

Sadly, the arcade's Robotron is in for repairs.

But the arcade has a Joust machine. This games is prominently featured in Ready, Player One, and its pairing with another great 1980s popular culture artifact is reason alone to read the book. If you read it, you will see what I mean.

But Asteroids is my all time favorite game.

When I arrived at the arcade, I went straight for the Asteroids machine. I set the high score for the day at 13,500-ish because playing Asteroids is like riding a bike. I had not forgotten how to fly and shoot and avoid death, especially in killing the tiny, annoying spaceship with the excellent targeting system.

For my old days, 13,500 is a low score for me, so I was definitely rusty. But hey, I haven't played Asteroids in about 25 years, so give me a break.

The rest of our time at the arcade (about two hours), I could not beat my first game score. The closest I came was 11,000-something.

I also had forgotten (but quickly remembered) that I used to sign all my high scores with the initials ARM, which comes from Larry Niven's Gil Hamilton books.

One important play tactic with Asteroids is to use the thrust to fly, not only to dodge asteroids but also to avoid and KILL the two ships that will come to break up asteroids and kill you. I call them fatty and the annoying little fucker, respectively.

I also remembered that we used to often cry out "certain death! certain death!" while playing games like Asteroids and Robotron.

If you are interested, play of all of these games can be found on You Tube, including my wife's favorite: Moon Cresta.

- chris tower - 1307.30 - 9:23

T-shirt #130: KUDL 2012

T-shirt #130: KUDL 2012: Zombie Grass

Hello ever faithful readers. It's KUDL Monday and you know what that means: Another KUDL shirt.

Grading Robot has final grades due for one of his universities on Tuesday, so this one is mostly pictures with pithy comments. At least, I hope they are pithy.

How am I looking? This is a frightening photo on the left. I do not think I am even aware that a picture is being taken, so it's not like I am giving the camera person the stink eye.

Or am I?

The photo to the right was shown before, and for once, I am not referencing the former post with a link. It's a photo from costume night in 2012. We were named Zombie Grass because dead grass is yellow and dead things are zombies. If that makes no sense, then leave it alone. We're Ultimate players; we do not need to make sense.

STOP MAKING SENSE! Words to live by.

As for the picture to the right, for costume night last year, we were zombies. This is us being zombies. Josh Danks (who is usually shirtless) is in front. I am behind in my yellow nightie to give with our yellow shirts.

Really, it's not that exciting. I know.

Something happened with the Patagonia shirts we use in KUDL last year. This one seems thinner and more insubstantial than the rest. Plus, yellow is not really my color, at least this hue of yellow, because if you have been reading I have already featured several yellow shirts and wrote about my Spring yellow shirt thing, such as in T-shirt #30: Kid Flash (yes, Kid Flash, despite what's in the URL). So this shirt is more or less my work shirt. I wear it when working around the house or in the yard, which I do not do (the work that is) nearly enough.

But yesterday was more or less a day of rest, and so I decided to get pictures taking the puppy for a walk.

"Satchel, don't pull."

"SATCHEL, Really, DO NOT PULL!"

"Dad... come on, what's the hold up.
And what's Adam Kemp doing
with your phone?"

Photos with Satchel courtesy of Adam Kemp (not pictured).

Since you did not get a really good look at the shirt, here's art proofs from last year that we did not use. I kind of like the disc and our league name, though, but we have to be consistent with our brand.

KUDL enters week nine tonight. Only one more Monday left after tonight and then the end of the season tournament on Saturday August 10th.

Our team, FUNKTION JUNKTION, is very excited. We have a great team. Expect to see more pictures.

Huzzah!

- chris tower - 1307.29 - 8:33