Monthly Archives: June 2009

1999 Project

1999 Project: Games 54-56 (The End of the Beginning)

Click here for an intro/manifesto on The 1999 Project.

99subwayseries.jpgJune 4, 1999: Yankees 4, Mets 3

After a horrific homestand, the Mets couldn’t have been looking forward to the media hoopla of the Subway Series (although Mike Piazza told reporters he was excited about his first game at Yankee Stadium). The Yankees were, of course, at the pinnacle of their latest dynasty, the defending world champions, a team that seemed to do everything single thing right at just the right time. Whereas the Mets found themselves mired in a stretch where they could do nothing right, and all the breaks went against them.

And this would only be the first round. 1999 marked the first year of two separate series between the Mets and Yankees. The two teams played single three-game sets in the Bronx in 1997 and at Shea in 1998, with the Yankees taking two out of three each time.

Continue reading 1999 Project: Games 54-56 (The End of the Beginning) →

Baseball

Your Math Teacher Was Right: Graphs Can Be Fun!

I have no idea how this escaped my notice up until this point. But I’ve seen several people post and/or tweet about it in the past few days, so allow me to jump on the bandwagon way too late.

This thing is a site called Flip Flop Fly Ball, wherein artist Craig Robinson has created a whole slew of awesome baseball-related infographics. These graphs answer such questions as, how long did it take to assemble (and disassemble) the 1986 Mets? If bases were literally stolen, how much would it cost each team? How do the Indians reflect the Native American population of Cleveland? (As you might guess, not very much.)

And the best one of all: a complete box score for “an Eastern Division Tiebreaker Game that Exists in My Head” between the Wu-Tang Clan and the E-Street Band. As you might expect, the starting pitchers were RZA and The Boss.

This just scratches the surface. There’s a buffet of awesomeness here–including an 8-bit page header with many subtle nods to baseball touchstones both real and fictional (see if you can figure out what “game” is referenced on the scoreboard). So click and enjoy.

Politics Schmolitics

Governor Sanford Has a Lost Weekend

sanford.jpgWhere have I been? Out. I went out.

I was gone for four days? No, I don’t think so. No, I’m pretty sure I was just out for the afternoon.

Today’s Wednesday? Really? Yeah, I guess I was gone for four days. Boy, time flies when you’re…well, you know.

Where did I go? Hiking. Took a little hike. You know how I love to hike, honey. Can’t get enough of that hiking.

What’s this? A duty free bag. They got some great stuff in them stores. I got a hundred Kit Kats for, like, five bucks.

Yeah, I was at the airport. Why?

Oh, I see. My staff told you I was on the Appalachian Trail. That’s where the whole misunderstanding comes from. See, they have code phrases they use so no one else can figure out where I am. So when they said I was “hiking on the Appalachian Trail”, what they meant was I was on a very important diplomatic mission to…France. Qatar. Argentina-land.

I meant Argentina! See, sometimes we use “France” and “Qatar” as, um, alternating code words for “Buenos Aires”. See, I’m getting myself all mixed up now!

I know I said I was hiking. That was because of the hiking code word, so I got that all mixed up with…you know, I’m so confused from the trip and the jet lag and the secret code words and whatnot, I think I’m gonna turn in early tonight…

What was I doing in Buenos Aires? Oooh, that’s a good question. It was a diplomatic mission, honey. You know how those are. Just trying to get the Argentinians to be more, um, diplomatic. Can’t say too much about it, though. Pretty hush hush, you see.

Why was I on a diplomatic mission for the current president, who I don’t like very much? Boy, that’s another good question. You are just full of them today! Well, honey, some things are bigger than partisan politics. And I would love to tell what those things are, I really would! But I am just so bushed from my flight, I think I’ll just go hit the hay right now! *yawn*

Why was this trip such a big secret? It wasn’t a secret, honey! Sure, I left for several days and didn’t tell you or anyone else where I was going, but that doesn’t make it a secret!

Okay, fine, that does make it a secret. Technically. We’re not gonna argue semantics, are we? Because I could do the same thing back to you! What does the word “secret” mean, huh? Think about it!

Jeez! Can’t the executive of a state of the union go completely off the grid for a long weekend to commit certain unnamed deeds without it being a huge deal?

Tell you what. Why don’t you fix me a scotch and we’ll go watch Jon and Kate Plus 8 on Tivo. Sound like a plan? Great.

Oh, and honey? If you ever tell the press you don’t know where I am again, you’re gonna wind up with a pair of cement shoes. Got it?

Good. Thanks, sweetie! Still waiting on that scotch!