I could not even imagine undertaking this sort of effort to rank my favorite songs of the 1990s, so I link to Keith Law and his Top 200 rock songs of the 1990s.
It is a exhaustive list, and as with any musical ranking list, plenty of room for disagreement. It would probably be easier to do albums, because then people won't quibble with the song you select from the album. But if you are like me, the choice of a song was a validation of the entire album and I could let it go. A few I could not believe were from the 90s, I even googled Depeche Mode because to me that is 80s, but Keith was right and I was wrong.
I found a few glaring, in my opinion, omissions, which I shared in a post to Keith for his follow up post:
“Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch/Who watches over you/Make a little birdhouse in your soul” – It might be on my top 10 list of all time.
“I know a girl who thinks of ghosts/She’ll make ya breakfast/She’ll make ya toast/She don’t use butter/She don’t use cheese/She don’t use jelly/Or any of these/She uses vaseline” – Any Lips fan will argue it’s a poor representation of the band and rightfully so, but this song is iconic.
“Hike up your skirt a little more /And show your world to me /In a boys dream/In a boys dream” – I have vivid 90s memories every time I hear this song.
“Kitty on my foot and I wanna touch it/Kitty on my foot and I wanna touch it/Kitty on my foot and I wanna touch it/Kitty on my foot and I wanna touch it” – POTUSA needs to at least be mentioned somewhere in this discussion.
“Elevator lady/ Elevator lady/ Elevator lady/ Levitate me” – ‘Where is my mind’ may be the more memorable song thanks to Fight Club, but I sing this song to myself every day when I step into the elevator at work.
“I woke up this morning with a bad hangover/And my penis was missing again./This happens all the time./It’s detachable” – This song reminds me of drinking heavily, which is essentially the 90s for me.
Maybe these are a little more obscure than I realized, but even so, I had to speak my peace.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
It's just one game, but I think I was wrong
My focus on yesterday's opening day game between the Padres and dbacks was probably not the same as most other people. I was not expecting a new look Padre lineup, because the lineup is essentially the same as the end of last year. I was not waiting to see the running game in action, because these are real games now, which means less risk, and many of the spring steals were sent down at the end of spring. I was not expecting Garland to be the Padres new ace, because he's Jon Garland. So the loss was ugly, but not totally unexpected against a true ace like Dan Haren. The fielding was bad, but that happens (and sure made me feel better about our little league team!).
My focus was on the broadcast. You see, no matter how the team plays, I will watch every single game. Sure, it's more fun to watch a winner, but I think this young team will do decent, and is moving in the right direction, so I'm not worried about that. And I will watch regardless. So my focus was on Dick Enberg foremost, and to a lesser extent on Mark Grant. I was worried about bringing in the seventy something year old, but I though Enberg did an excellent job. He was very prepared and his normal professional self. He has this pace to the way he calls the game, and I found it very enjoyable. I was very pleasantly surprised and positive about that part of the game.
Mark Grant was a little off yesterday. You could tell this was a reigned in Grant, which I do not consider a good thing, but it was the first game he's done with Enberg and he has to be a lot intimidated by him. I hope as the season goes along, he will loosen up and they will mesh better than yesterday. I think that is a realistic expectation.
The grind and game 2 start tonight. Let's see if the kids can bounce back, even up their record and then take their first series tomorrow. That will be the big test, to see if the team can keep winning series like they did at the end of last season. Hopefully they can and the entire season will be full of surprises!
My focus was on the broadcast. You see, no matter how the team plays, I will watch every single game. Sure, it's more fun to watch a winner, but I think this young team will do decent, and is moving in the right direction, so I'm not worried about that. And I will watch regardless. So my focus was on Dick Enberg foremost, and to a lesser extent on Mark Grant. I was worried about bringing in the seventy something year old, but I though Enberg did an excellent job. He was very prepared and his normal professional self. He has this pace to the way he calls the game, and I found it very enjoyable. I was very pleasantly surprised and positive about that part of the game.
Mark Grant was a little off yesterday. You could tell this was a reigned in Grant, which I do not consider a good thing, but it was the first game he's done with Enberg and he has to be a lot intimidated by him. I hope as the season goes along, he will loosen up and they will mesh better than yesterday. I think that is a realistic expectation.
The grind and game 2 start tonight. Let's see if the kids can bounce back, even up their record and then take their first series tomorrow. That will be the big test, to see if the team can keep winning series like they did at the end of last season. Hopefully they can and the entire season will be full of surprises!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Football is finally over
For me, at least. I have not spent any time talking about football at this site, because I really don't like football. I watch football, I vehemently cheer for the local team, but I don't enjoy the game for a variety of reasons, including this one:
I wish a comparable study was done on baseball. It would have to do better than 11 minutes per three hours.
You can compare the commercial time fairly easy, 60 minutes for football according to this study. For baseball, I figure 2 2 minute breaks before the game starts, a 2 minute break between each half inning (17), and say 3 mid-inning pitching breaks (which should be high I would think, so very conservative). That is 22 commercial breaks at 2 minutes a pop, or 44 minutes of the same three hour average broadcast time. Over 33% more in a football game, sure seems that way.
So football is finally over. And unlike with the baseball season, I am glad it is over. I already spent too much time watching football, and I'm thankful it is finally done. However painful the season ending game may have been, at least we don't have to spend another week waiting for the same fateful ending that 31 teams share each season.
Now we can really get on with baseball! Even Mr Hoyer noticed and has taken some action lately. And I even read a pitchers and catchers post. We're close!
According to a Wall Street Journal study of four recent broadcasts, and similar
estimates by researchers, the average amount of time the ball is in play on the
field during an NFL game is about 11 minutes.
I wish a comparable study was done on baseball. It would have to do better than 11 minutes per three hours.
You can compare the commercial time fairly easy, 60 minutes for football according to this study. For baseball, I figure 2 2 minute breaks before the game starts, a 2 minute break between each half inning (17), and say 3 mid-inning pitching breaks (which should be high I would think, so very conservative). That is 22 commercial breaks at 2 minutes a pop, or 44 minutes of the same three hour average broadcast time. Over 33% more in a football game, sure seems that way.
So football is finally over. And unlike with the baseball season, I am glad it is over. I already spent too much time watching football, and I'm thankful it is finally done. However painful the season ending game may have been, at least we don't have to spend another week waiting for the same fateful ending that 31 teams share each season.
Now we can really get on with baseball! Even Mr Hoyer noticed and has taken some action lately. And I even read a pitchers and catchers post. We're close!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Dodger "Businuess as Usual"
I stopped by my favorite Dodger blog today, and found a link to a Q&A with the Dodgers President. Hold onto your hats Dodger fans, the ride is about to get bumpy! This is my favorite part:
The Dodgers are where they are today primarily thanks to their farm system, and the lack of spending there is what will hurt them down the road. You know, after the divorce, through the sale and all that.
"We hear from you and Ned that it is "business as usual." Yet, that is becoming increasingly difficult for fans to believe, given the actions of a major-market team that just about broke even last season. In the last two years, in addition to the Wolf decision, the Dodgers have:
* Deferred more than $45 million in player salaries, most of that with Manny Ramirez
* Traded top prospects in lieu of picking up contracts
* Declined to bid on virtually every top free agent
*Declined to bid on top international prospects
* Spent fewer dollars than any other club in the last two drafts
* Delayed playoff ticket refunds this year
*Fired more than a dozen employees
* Didn't re-invest $19 million from the Jason Schmidt insurance payment and the Manny Ramirez suspension into baseball operations"
The Dodgers are where they are today primarily thanks to their farm system, and the lack of spending there is what will hurt them down the road. You know, after the divorce, through the sale and all that.
Boy the NL West has been busy this winter...Not!
Tim Dierkes at MLBTradeRumors.com runs through all of the additions and subtractions for the NL West so far this winter. It's not just quiet in Padre land, it is quiet in the entire NL West! This list is downright embarrassing for all parties!
Well, outside of Arizona. They have been very active, but it is difficult to say they are a lot better off than before. Just getting Webb back will be huge for them, if he comes back to pre-shoulder injury form. But who is the real Edwin Jackson? The guy of the first half for the Tigers, or the guy that is on his fourth big league team before the age of 25 (ish, not really sure and too lazy to look it up)? And seems to me that their pitching wasn't a huge problem last year, it was their offense. Sure, the young guys might get better, but don't they bank on that every year? And this list was before Kelly Johnson, so maybe that will help, but not so much that I would worry about them this year.
The Dodgers are just hilarious. "The pending divorce has no effect on our baseball operations." "The pending divorce has no effect on our baseball operations." "The pending divorce has no effect on our baseball operations." Are they wearing ruby red slippers and clicking the heels together as they stick to their mantra? Because otherwise this is an out-and-out lie! They need about three starters.
The Giants need more offense, and 35 year old Mark DeRosa is not doing it all himself. If they could get some bats to go with that rotation, they would be a front runner in my book. They need to do something, but maybe they are worried about Lincecum's arbitration hearing and are saving money for that. Expect some proven major league veterans (read desperate former bats) to sign there in January to fill out the roster.
The Rockies haven't done much, but if you were them, and you considered yourself the class of the West, which I think they do, they really haven't been pushed to do much so far. Hopefully they continue their up and down cycle and have another off year.
And our Padres? They've done nothing, but at least that means that AG is still in town, and that's a good thing. They need big years from a lot of guys on offense, and some surprises from the starting pitching pool they've stockpiled, and maybe, just maybe, there is a 85 win season in there. As of right now, 85 might be enough!
Well, outside of Arizona. They have been very active, but it is difficult to say they are a lot better off than before. Just getting Webb back will be huge for them, if he comes back to pre-shoulder injury form. But who is the real Edwin Jackson? The guy of the first half for the Tigers, or the guy that is on his fourth big league team before the age of 25 (ish, not really sure and too lazy to look it up)? And seems to me that their pitching wasn't a huge problem last year, it was their offense. Sure, the young guys might get better, but don't they bank on that every year? And this list was before Kelly Johnson, so maybe that will help, but not so much that I would worry about them this year.
The Dodgers are just hilarious. "The pending divorce has no effect on our baseball operations." "The pending divorce has no effect on our baseball operations." "The pending divorce has no effect on our baseball operations." Are they wearing ruby red slippers and clicking the heels together as they stick to their mantra? Because otherwise this is an out-and-out lie! They need about three starters.
The Giants need more offense, and 35 year old Mark DeRosa is not doing it all himself. If they could get some bats to go with that rotation, they would be a front runner in my book. They need to do something, but maybe they are worried about Lincecum's arbitration hearing and are saving money for that. Expect some proven major league veterans (read desperate former bats) to sign there in January to fill out the roster.
The Rockies haven't done much, but if you were them, and you considered yourself the class of the West, which I think they do, they really haven't been pushed to do much so far. Hopefully they continue their up and down cycle and have another off year.
And our Padres? They've done nothing, but at least that means that AG is still in town, and that's a good thing. They need big years from a lot of guys on offense, and some surprises from the starting pitching pool they've stockpiled, and maybe, just maybe, there is a 85 win season in there. As of right now, 85 might be enough!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Winter Meetings Day 3 Recap
The mlb.com headline is "Padres laying groundwork for moves". Translated, that means "We were working, even if it doesn't look like it". The Padre highlights:
- Kouz: Drawing lots of interest, but no good offers. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
- Correia: "Hoyer said the team will likely either sign Correia to a deal before the deadline or they will trade him." So either he takes a lower than arbitration market figure to stay, or the Pads find someone else to give them a shade over league average performance for next year (for clearly the Pads aren't buying his last six game stretch as an indicator of future performance). So, there will be two open rotation spots (I'm putting down Young, Latos and Richard in pencil for now) with a pool of Stauffer, LeBlanc, Ramos, Gallagher and Poreda, plus the ubiquitous cheap veteran reclamation project they will sign during the end of January free agent clearance sale. I understand the argument that you really shouldn't pay a premium for basically replacement level players, but there is at least something to be said for KNOWING you will get at least replacement level performance . Also, I have this unfounded belief that pitchers develop later than hitters. I remember Jason Schmidt bouncing around the league then becoming a stud for the Giants, and I think that this happens all the time, even though, other than Jason Schmidt, I have no point of reference . What if Correia finally found his mojo at 29 and really can be the pitcher he was for his last 6 starts? The Pads, with scouts and analysis galore, say no, so I have to trust them.
- De La Cruz: Released.
- The rule 5 draft (technically this should be a day 4 recap item, since it happened this morning, but with this being the only real thing going on for day 4, I suspect there won't be a recap tomorrow): Pads made no selections in the major league portion. I thought with the dropping of de la Cruz yesterday they were clearing a spot to take someone in the rule 5 draft, but apparently not. Still one free spot on the 40 man roster, maybe it will be part of a 2 for 1 deal! Yeah, an actual deal, how about that?
In the rest of the majors, someone gave too much money and way too many years to Randy Wolf, a couple of relievers changed teams, some AL junk I sort of ignored, and that's about it. One of the quietest winter meetings I remember. Which should not be surprising in the quietest off season I remember so far. Sigh. I'm bored.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Winter Meetings Day 2 Recap
And I thought Day 1 was quiet, Day 2 is two meager rumors about Kouz:
- The Giants want Kouz, but Frandsen and Lewis does not sound like a serious offer. But that is exactly how I would start dealing with the Pads, assume they just want salary relief and offer diddly squat!
- Apparently the Twins wouldn't mind Kouz as well, offering Glen Perkins. I think this is year 3 on that rumor, both Kouz to the Twins and Perkins coming to the Pads. It is so slow in Indy, people are just dusting off last year's fodder and throwing it around! And I hate when there are rumors of trades with the AL, I have no frame of reference. I don't watch the AL, like never.
That is it. Mr Hoyer said he would be busy, I didn't realize that part of that meant keeping all information away from any media source! Throw us a bone Jed, drop some names, something.
D-backs made a big trade, sending out two very young pitchers for two slightly older but still young pitchers. Dave Cameron and Keith Law didn't like it from the d-backs perspective, nice! That's all I need to know.
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