La Vie parisienne, Deuxième acte

Now for the performance...

What can I say? We kicked ass. Kathleen played beautifully, and I sang like a beast. That's all there is to it.

Oh - you need more detail? Okay - here goes.

We get back to the residence later that evening (Wednesday) and got there in time to wait for an hour just outside where they were having dinner (this was the last event of a long celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Marshall plan), and where we would sing in a minute. Long lines of servant-types going in and out with food and drinks tried to mke us nervous, but hah! We foiled them.

THEN - we get introduced by Connie Morella (U.S. Ambassador to OECD) and walk into this room -



Morella hypes us up, big-time, and Vivien (our great friend who set this up) talks about the songs we will sing. We then launch into "La vie en rose" and the song we were supposed to do "One Song." This one was really the whole point of the trip, and they had cards printed up for it, and everything. We were in great synch and I sang my heart out for this piece. It went over very well, I must say.

We were originally told that they MAY want one more after that, so we planned on a German operetta piece - Dein ist mein ganzes Herz. Great show-stopper. They definitely wanted more, so we launched into it and knocked it out of the freaking ballpark. It was great.

We leave the room on an absolute high. We did what we had come to do and we did it wonderfully, together - in a high-pressure situation. It was amazing.

THEN - we were taking a quick breather and looking to pack up, etc., when the U.S. Ambassador's assistant came out and said "The Ambassador wants more!"

This will remain one of the greatest moments of my life for a while, I think.

Unfortunately, of course - we hadn't prepared anything! We weren't sure we'd be able to do all three we'd put together, and now we had to perform some more opera arias picking relatively random things out of the book I happened to have to hand - in front of big-time state dept. people!

What fun.

Of course - we still kicked ass, and they gave us a standing ovation after we finished two more arias... but MAN was that harrowing. We didn't do AS good a job on the last two bits (I forgot some words, and we didn't stay together as well as we would if we had actually practiced them at all), but we still sounded solid... which under the circumstances is amazing, I think.

Then we went back to the hotel, got some food at out, and crashed like mad.

Oh yeah - did I mention that they were so impressed they asked us to come back the next day for a wine-tasting they were having at the residence? And that we were too cool to go?

Living the life, man...

La Vie parisienne, Troisième acte

Now... about the more fun stuff in Paris itself.

One quick thing I have to mention. Bizarrely, and for no good reason for the first few days, we did not actually get any French food. Our first meal was Lebanese. Then we had Greek and then we had Italian...

It wasn't until after our performance that we actually got to a traditional French restaurant. And that one was somewhat disappointing (food-wise, at least - it was perfect, atmospherically). This isn't to say that we did not eat well and often. We had some great meals and some wonderful times out everywhere we went. The only issue we had was the one time we really tried to do something special. We set up a reservation at the famed and historic Procope cafe, after it was recommended from a reputable source (which will go unnamed). However - when we went there the service was dreadful and we got stuck at a table with four other people! Not very romantic for our one big dinner out in Paris.

So we just left. Screw those stuffy French jerks. We found a much friendlier and more intimate place a few blocks up and had a great time. Probably had just as good food, as well.

This was our first free day. After we finally woke up and got out and around we went to go see some nearby sight and completely stumbled upon the Musée national du Moyen Âge and had a lovely time looking at amazingly old things like this -












And this -

















This was the most amazing thing about staying right in the Latin Quarter. Not only did I continually feel like singing stuff from "La boheme" (and I did - I hope Kathleen liked it), but you walk out of your hotel and two steps later you are near something amazing.

After that, we were about spent and needed more rest, food, etc. The next day was the big one.

Friday we got up early, feeling awake and alive for once. This was our chance to get all the big Paris sights in. We got to the Louvre just as it opened... and boy were we glad we did. Not only does that place get crowded - but you would need at least a week to see half of the place and appreciate it even a little. It truly is worthy of the reputation it has. The hype does not do it justice. We spent half the day there and barely scratched the surface, really. But we saw the big things a little (got annoyed with the Mona Lisa crowd - especially since the large groups basically ignore the French and lowlands painters. Crazy. This room of Rubens was unbelievable.

















I need to find a book about that series of paintings.... it was probably my favorite part of the museum.

This one is fairly representative -






























This Caravaggio was one of Kathleen's favorites -



























And she loved this Rembrandt -

















One more post should get us through the rest of our trip....

La Vie parisienne, Quatrième acte

To wrap this up (mercifully). We then ran around to some of the Paris highlight spots - Notre Dame, Champs-Élysées, l'Arc de Triomphe, Angelina's (unbelievable hot chocolate - good lord!)

We were not able to go inside Notre Dame - but we'll do that next time. Also, Kathleen was bummed that we missed out on the inside of the Saint Chappelle. Oh well... we really only had the one day to get in all of the big cool thins in Paris and we were not going to kill ourselves. By the time we got to the end of the Champs-Élysées and saw the Arc - we were about burned out. More food was needed. This one really fun lady on our street had been harassing us all week to come into her restaurant, especially after she saw Kathleen looking beautiful in her lovely gown for the performance evening (I would like to think My tux helped get attention, but Kathleen stole all eyes). We finally relented that last evening - and were very happy we did - it was the best meal we had all week! We both had great meals, and Kathleen decided to fall off of the gluten-free wagon for an evening... because one can't go to Paris and forsake bread, and all suchlike things completely, can one!??!

We had a nice, romantic, lovely evening there and had a beautiful time later with more Boheme in our Garret in the Latin Quarter. A good final evening.

Then we got up, had a quick (wonderful) Parisian breakfast and ran out to the airport - ready for our long, long trip home. And now we have a couple of days off to de-compress. Lovely.

And that is ONE way to do Paris. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it - but we had a great time. I'd do it again, for certain.

Since You've Been Gone

Yes, it's the official Kelly-Clarkson-title-inspired, welcome-home-Wiggins post. Here are some of the highlights from the week you missed while you were off singing for important people in France.

• Justin Verlander through a no-hitter. Not only that, but he delivered a 102-mph fastball to the last batter of the game. That's pretty sick. Oh, and I suppose this means I have to give up talk about his impending drop off.


• Going to the opposite end of the "no hitter" spectrum, if certain allegations can be believed... Elijah Dukes further poised himself to take prospect flame outs to a whole new level. This story is so bizarre that I don't even know how to comment. Despite his incredible baseball skills, it's impossible -- even for me -- to be a fan of the guy at this point.


• The Cal-Irvine Anteaters take the field Saturday night for their first ever College World Series game. Their jerseys say "Eaters". Awesome.


• The Marlins honored the 1997 World Series champions this week. On Thursday night, they even wore turn back the clock jerseys. While the players didn't like them (apparently), they looked pretty cool:


• In light of the above, I think the Marlins should bring back at least one jersey that incorporates some teal. It could be an alternate jersey of some sort.
• FIU hired Turtle Thomas, a former long time Miami assistant, as their new baseball coach. Mark the day... Turtle will help the FIU program, which will hurt the state's traditional baseball powers. How much is still up for debate. What's also still up for debate is how long it will take controversy and/or probation to land on FIU's campus. Those things usually follow Thomas as well.

That's all I know. Not much else exciting happened. I hope Paris was awesome (well, speaking of that, there was a lot of Paris Hilton news, but I'm not getting into that... unless you stayed at the Paris Hilton... then we'd have some cool stuff to talk about I suppose).

Bonds Hits 747

I think the SFGate moved the image location, but I finally found it. Looks like I may need to update the previous homers.

Man, it's been a long time since Barry homered. And he's been hobbling around the OF, looking absolutely nothing like the former Gold Glover that he is. I'm hoping that last night's homer gets him going again.

I Have a Dream

The Yankees tank badly this year - Steinbrenner gives up control to someone who overreacts and does even dumber moves, and the team goes in the tank for the foreseeable future. We have years of Yankee darkness. How delicious.

ARod has to leave right? He is bound for Chicago or Anaheim next year, a huge contract and more fun freak-out shit. I can't wait.

So far, this all seems not only plausible, but semi-likely, if you ask me - but here is the real fun part - if this all comes to pass... Does Jeter stick it out to the bitter end? Or does he go elsewhere? Where could he go?

I can only think of one likely destination - playing second base for the Mets, in a last ditch attempt to win another ring. He can't leave New York... the Mets are set up to win for a few years, and that infield would be sick. He can justify leaving if Torre is gone as well, I would imagine (which he would be).

How do you think the ever-so-faithful Yankee fans would react to that? I hate press conferences, but I would pay to watch that one.

The Bonds Show

Whether he's hitting home runs or not, Barry Bonds has turned into a show unto himself. Wherever he goes, he's the big story. And that's always most definitely the case when the Giants are in New York. Last night the Giants started a series against the Mets. And like last year, Bonds wasn't in the starting lineup to start the series. Part of me thinks he does this to enhance the "Bonds Show", as the Mets have special (i.e. higher) ticket prices when the Giants are in town (due to Bonds, of course), despite that it's a mid-week series. It's speculation on my part, but my guess is that this doesn't sit well with Bonds, as he doesn't see a dime of the extra revenue the Mets generate because of his presence.

Although he didn't do anything more than draw a pinch-hit walk in the 10th inning last night, Barry Bonds caused the now-typical Bonds show at Shea Stadium last night. Here's my best attempt to set the scene: Bonds approaches the plate to a chorus of boos. One young boy best represents the whole scene. This boy, about twelve, is sitting in the first row, just above the Mets dugout. His seat places him just over Bonds' shoulder when the camera from the Giants dugout is used.

The boy is holding a small sign that says, simply, "B*NDS". Whenever the boy is shown on screen, he is booing furiously. I am fairly sure that he has no voice today (but all of his friends definitely saw him on television). Best of all, the "B*NDS" sign was small enough that he only needed one hand to hold it up (while it was still big enough to be seen, even with the wide shots).

Since he only needed one hand for the sign, he had one hand free... which he of course used to take pictures of each and every pitch that was delivered to Bonds.

I thought that was just perfect. It sums up much of America's fascination with Bonds. While many may hate the man, most of those same people wouldn't miss him for anything. While they are booing Barry, they're also making sure they're capturing every swing he takes.

Still way too early MLB predictions that will look unbelievably embarassing in two weeks, probably.

Here we go - I'll keep it simple. Division and WC winnersfor each league. Maybe I'll get ambitious and add one more funky prediction. We'll see how the spirit takes me.

NL -
EAST - Mets (I have no faith in the Braves keeping it up for the season)
CENTRAL - Brewers (Actually thought this early on, but no way to prove it now - I'm really just a bandwagon-jumper, I guess)
WEST - Padres (ONE - MORE - YEAR!)
W.C. - Diamondbacks (gotta go out on one limb - I say the Unit carries 'em)

AL -

EAST - Sox (duh)
Central - Injuns (finally)
West - A's (because I am blinded by my optimism about Harden. Damnit)
W.C. - Tigers (sorry - I see the Sox contending, but not pullign it out)

Random prediction - okay... not sure if this is so much of a prediction or what, but it is pretty immediate, anyway. I think in his next start, King Felix will either A) Dominate, and then go on to be lights out the rest of the year, or 2) have his arm fall off, and be done for the rest of the year. This will happen IN his next start, there is no in-between. Mark my words.

When polar bears attack

Polar bears have always been my favorite animal. I've never really thought about it, but one of the scariest things in the universe would be to have a polar bear attack you. Here's what it would be like...



I wish American television was like this.

745

You would think that I would get this stuff posted more quickly considering I'm about the only person in America who is genuinely excited about it. But life gets in the way... anyway:

I'm a little slow: 744

Sorry. I was out of town. I know the masses were waiting on pins and needles.

All Barry, All the Time

Barry Bonds hit homer number 743 last night. I have to get back on top of my Bonds tracking.

Here's an updated version of the graphic I used to use on The Book of Mike.



Now I just have to figure out how to get it updated... this is a static graphic. I used to have a link to a dynamic one.

Congress Now Controls The Sun

This is far and away the stupidest thing I've ever read. Politics, global warming, and everything else aside, apparently this woman thinks that daylight savings time has some sort of an effect on how much sunshine there is in a given day.

Wow. That's amazing.

Although I linked to it, I'm including the entire text of her "article" here. Inevitably this article will be removed eventually. But it will be preserved here at Hooray Beer.

Also, I apologize in advance for increasing your stupidity by putting this in front of you. And I also apologize from taking us away from baseball and inane things. But at least I bumped the platypus off the top of the page.

Anyway, here's the story:

Daylight exacerbates warning
You may have noticed that March of this year was particularly hot. As a matter of fact, I understand that it was the hottest March since the beginning of the last century. All of the trees were fully leafed out and legions of bugs and snakes were crawling around during a time in Arkansas when, on a normal year, we might see a snowflake or two. This should come as no surprise to any reasonable person. As you know, Daylight Saving Time started almost a month early this year. You would think that members of Congress would have considered the warming effect that an extra hour of daylight would have on our climate. Or did they ? Perhaps this is another plot by a liberal Congress to make us believe that global warming is a real threat. Perhaps next time there should be serious studies performed before Congress passes laws with such far-reaching effects. CONNIE M. MESKIMEN / Hot Springs

I truly hope that not everyone in Arkansas is this stupid. Apparently the "letters to the editor" editor is equally stupid as he (she) left the title as "daylight exacerbates warning" instead of replacing "warning" with "warming". I suppose we should just be thankful for the well placed use of "exacerbates". That's a big word for folks from Arkansas.

Okay - it's a new regime around here.

I got the new account working and now I am ready to rock.

And not like the ESPN fantasy baseball thing.

I actually mean it.

And to prove it - here is a picture of a pissed off platypus.





















Do NOT mess with me and the platypus.

Jackie Robinson Day

I am a huge Jackie Robinson fan. And I'm a big supporter of Ken Griffey Jr's idea (ok, I don't think it was really Ken's idea, but he's getting credit for it -- for whatever reason, that I can't verify, I feel like I read an idea very similar to this a few year's back on some blog or website).

But I think what's going to happen on Sunday is a little out of control. For the most part, I agree wtih what Torii Hunter had to say (and being that he's a Twin, that's rare for me).

Yes, all of the Dodgers should be wearing 42 on Sunday. Whether it's Juan Pierre, Jeff Kent, Wilson Betemit, or anyone else, it makes absolute sense for every Dodger to wear 42 in Robinson's honor. Regardless of race (but not to diminish anything that Robinson did for African Americans), Jackie Robinson did more than most people can comprehend for the game of baseball. His impact for blacks was both obvious and tremendous. But he effectively opened the door for foreigners (regardless of skin color) as well. Jackie Robinson changed the game, and a lot more in America, as a Dodger. All Dodger players should honor that each and every April 15th.

And I think at least one player on each other team should wear 42 on April 15th too. Whether it's a black player or not is not the issue for me though. The player(s) on each team who wear 42 need to "get it".

For one, I think each player who wears 42 for the day (Mariano Rivera can get a pass if he doesn't want to do this) should have to take and pass a test about Jackie Robinson. Each player who wears the number should be able to demonstrate that they know why they are wearing it. If you can't pass the test, you should study up and maybe you will be granted the honor next year.

Second, everyone who passes the test should either be evaluated by a committee and/or nominated by their team. If you have character issues, are an off the field problem, or shouldn't be associated with Jackie Robinson for any other reason, this is how baseball can ensure they don't. Players who wear 42 should be worthy of the honor. I would put Mr. Robinson's wife on the committee and a handful of others in and associated with baseball who "get it" (maybe Tony Gwynn, Ken Griffey Jr, Frank Robinson, and Kenny Williams -- just to name four people).

Also, having entire teams wear 42 (other than the Dodgers) just seems goofy to me. I don't get it. If that's part of a larger plan and each of the players can pass the Jackie Robinson history test, fine. But I doubt that's the case.

Is He a Hall of Famer?

Last year we talked about a bunch of guys who were borderline Hall of Fame candidates. With his home run last night, giving him home runs with 10 different teams, I couldn't help but think about whether Kenny Lofton was a potential Hall of Famer.

Here are his stats.

He has about 2,300 hits right now, over 600 stolen bases, and a lifetime OBP of .372. He's a 6 time All-Star, four time gold glover, received MVP votes in four different seasons, and was the runner-up for Rookie of the Year (to Pat Listach, of all people). Despite 10 post-season appearances, Kenny hasn't won any rings (and his teams only advanced to the World Series twice).

Kiki Cuyler is the only Hall of Famer on his most similar players list (his career ended in 1938). Ken Griffey (the dad) is Kenny's most similar comparable.

Based on the stats, Kenny isn't a Hall of Famer. I hope he gets some votes. Based on how many teams he's played for, it's tough to say what cap he'd wear in the Hall. It's probably not an issue anyway. He has been a lot of fun to watch though. And he's been a guy for a long time that was a good guy to build a team around. He might not have ever been the MVP/statistical leader of a team, but he's been a really good table setter with some pop (about an average SLG percentage for his career -- not bad for a leadoff guy).

Mike's Pre-Season Predictions

Last year I couldn't even predict how the season would turn out when we adjusted our picks as late as Labor Day. So I'm not very confident that I'll come up with anything good here today. While I think there are a lot of really good teams, nearly every team is seriously flawed or has significant questions.

Anyway, on to the predictions:

AL East - Boston Red Sox
I probably pick the BoSox every year. But this year I really believe it. I think Dice-K will contend not only for Rookie of the Year honors, but for the Cy Young too. If Schilling and Beckett stay healthy (big ifs), this team is stacked. Still, it's weird that Julian Tavarez (!) is in the starting rotation.

The Red Sox hopes are aided by the apparent weakness of the Yankees' starting rotation. The Yankees will score a lot of runs, but they'll need to. Carl Pavano is starting on opening day; coming into the camp it wasn't clear that he'd make the opening day roster. And it was just a few weeks ago that there were serious talks about Kei Igawa ending up in the minors. Now he's towards the top of the rotation to start the year.

I like the Blue Jays, but I don't think they can overcome the division's two super powers. The same is true of the O's and Rays. Both clubs are probably better, but I'm not convinced their place in the standings will change this year.

AL Central - Detroit Tigers
This was a really tough pick for me. There are at least three, and probably four, teams that are legit contenders for the division title and the AL pennant.

Some thoughts on everyone but the Royals: the Twins, despite how great their front office is, have a rotation full of question marks. It's Santana and who? Scary stuff.

The Tigers are likely to regress this year. Aren't they? I think they're subject to the same type of slump the White Sox had last year. That said, they could still win 90 games. The Tigers added Sheffield to the lineup this offseason (like the Sox adding Thome last year). He'll be a big improvement. They also get a full year from Mike Maroth. But can the starter and the bullpen be as good as they were last year? How long can Todd Jones continue to be better than he was when he was young?

I wanted to pick the White Sox, but I just can't. Too many questions and weird decisions being made. That said, I have a hard time questioning Ozzie Guillen and Kenny Williams. The team's on field performance the past few years has been pretty impressive. If the rotation stays healthy and performs closer to 2005 levels, the Sox will likely win the division. Not sure if that can really happen though. There are huge concerns about the lineup, particularly at the top. But that doesn't matter as much as the pitching. I particularly like the nicknames of Peter Pan and Tinkerbell for Podsednik and Erstad, although the nicknames make me sad at the same time.

I really like the Indians too, but their pitching isn't improved. That was there problem last year. Peralta should be better and that will help. But he can't do much about holding a late, close lead. That will be their downfall.

AL West - LA Angels
I'm running out of steam, so this will be briefer. I like the Angels. They made a strong push late last year. And I think the A's are a little worse than last year (no Zito). Can Piazza replace Thomas? We'll see.

The Rangers are my dark horse though. The last two teams to get rid of Buck Showalter won the whole thing the next season.

NL East - Atlanta Braves
For years I said I would pick the Braves until they finally lost. Now they lost and I'm still picking them. Why? Well, who's going to pitch for the Mets? The lineup is sick, but the pitching staff is anemic.

The trendy pick is probably the Phillies, but how are they going to do it? Can Howard be as good again this year as he was last year? Teams will pitch around him until Burrell or someone else produces. Freddy Garcia is a nice pickup, but there's a reason the Sox were willing to give him up. Freddy could allow as many homers at CBP as Howard hits. And the Phillies bullpen does not inspire awe.

The Braves lost a lot of late leads last year. They spent the offseason trying to improve their pen. I'm not convinced, but Schuerholz and Cox have a decent track record, to say the least. If the Braves' pen improves and the Mets regress even just a little bit, the division is the Braves for the taking.

The Marlins are kidding themselves. It will be a nice story if they can contend again. Willis will rebound. But can the sophomores in the rotation duplicate their rookie success? And why would anyone pitch to Miguel Cabrera?

If the Nationals can avoid losing the most games in ML history, it will be a significant accomplishment.

NL Central - Milwaukee Brewers
This division is brutal. If anyone wins 85 games, I think they'll take it. Really just about anyone other than the Pirates could win the division. And by saying that, I probably added 5 games to the Pirates win total.

Last year the Cardinals won the division with 83 wins. It's not that they're a bad team. There are a lot of good (but not great) teams in this division and they beat the crap out of each other.

The Cardinals rotation is a mess. The Cubs spent a fortune on upgrades this offseason, but have no pitching after Zambrano to speak of. The Brewers could be interesting if they stay healthy. The Astros could be interesting if they get Clemens, but I doubt that will happen. And the Reds could surprise if their pitching lives up to insider expectations. If the outfielders stay healthy (big if), the Reds have a big bat to trade for a pitcher in July.

All I can say about the Pirates is that they have Jason Bay. Don't tell me about Freddy Sanchez. He'll be exposed. And the LaRoche kid is nice too.

NL West - San Diego Padres
Here's another free for all. Coming into the spring, I liked the Dodgers best. But throughout the spring I've been impressed by the raw talent the Diamondbacks have. And the Padres are the two-time defending division champs and they're better this year than last year. Even the Rockies are better.

I'll stick with the Padres. They addressed some of their offensive issues by acquiring Kouzmanoff and Giles offsets Barfield. Plus they added Maddux and Wells. While neither is anywhere near their prime, they'll excel at Petco. And Peavy has to be better.

Wild Cards
In the NL, the West and Central teams will beat each other up so much that no one will seriously be in the wild card race. The wild card winner will likely be whoever beats up on the Nationals the most. It comes down to the Phillies and Mets. While the Phillies are cursed, I hate the Mets (but like many of their players), so I'll take the Phillies.

The AL is also pretty crazy. All three divisions should be uber-competitive. The Yankees will likely be in it and make a trade or two in July. Someone will rise up in the Central though and a team or two will falter. I'll take the White Sox to put it together and take the wild card.

World Series - Red Sox over Brewers
I really don't know. I like the pick of the Red Sox. I have no clue in the NL. Having the Brewers in the World Series would be fun in one regard: the TV ratings would suck, but what could Bud say? It's his small market team. And I'd like a big market, big dollar vs. small market, small dollar matchup to throw another wrench into the mix for people who say small market teams can't compete.

Ok, now go and bet against everyone I picked.

More Questions

There was a story in yesterday's NY Post by Mike Vaccaro that was pretty interesting. It started off talking about classic baseball questions (i.e. Willie, Mickey, or the Duke?) and went on to talk about the potentially classic questions in today's game.

Since it was in a New York paper, they started with the most obvious: Who would you rather have - David Wright and Jose Reyes of the Mets or Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter of the Yankees?

From there they focused on the NL East with Wright and Reyes or Ryan Howard and Chase Utley of the Phillies. In the article they said that foursome could represent the NL in the All-Star game for many years to come. That may well be the case, but it could be due to the fact that those guys are from the larger media markets.

One could just as easily throw the Marlins duo of Miguel Cabrera and Hanley Ramirez into the left-side-of-the-infield debate mix. Given the choice between Wright and Reyes, or Rodriguez and Jeter, or Cabrera and Ramirez, you really couldn't go wrong.

Another NL East pairing to throw into the mix would be the Nats Ryan Zimmerman and... oh... well... nevermind. Do the Nats even have a SS prospect?

Tough Questions

Ok, let's be honest here for a moment. Take salary/budget out of the picture. Forget about fantasy baseball. If you were starting a team and could have any third baseman you wanted (maybe it's for an Olympics/World Baseball Classic type of event), which player would you pick. Say you're looking to have this guy for this year and for the next five years.

The candidates, at least in my mind, probably are: Eric Chavez, Scott Rolen, Miguel Cabrera, David Wright, Alex Rodriguez, Alex Gordon, Ryan Zimmerman, Joe Crede, and Brandon Inge. There are definitely some other prospects and major leaguers out there to consider. But I think that's the A-list.

So who do you pick?

Chavez and Rolen have had off years and/or injuries. They've both probably peaked and their better days are behind them.

Crede and Inge are fun to watch, but don't have the upside of others on this list. They're definitely not the types you would build around.

Cabrera, Wright, Gordon, and Zimmerman are all either stars or will be stars very shortly. I think they each have holes in their game though. They're all pretty small and are really defense and/or speed. You can work around all of those things when you get the bats you get with these guys.

But I think the guy I would have to take -- and it really pains me to say this -- is ARod. He had a down year last year with 30+ homers and well over 100 RBI. Everyone talks about what a great year Jeter had (and don't get me started there), but ARod, in a "down" year scored about as many runs as Jeter and drove in more. Bad Arod is better than good/great just about anyone else.

The knock on ARod is what he does in the "clutch" and what he's done in the post-season. I think ARod is close to "getting" it though. Barry Bonds used to struggle in the playoffs. But he owned the 2002 post-season (I think the homer he hit off Percival is still in orbit). ARod seems like the type who will come around later in his career.

Maybe I'm just going soft on ARod. The talk of him being traded to the White Sox (or just about anywhere else in the league) doesn't seem to go away. Maybe I'm just preparing myself for the inevitable.

Regardless, I hope Wiggins ends up with ARod on his fantasy team.

News of the Day

I'm not sure which of these stories I like better:

1 - Man tries to cash check from God

2 - A police dog was called into court because a judge wanted to know about the college degree he allegedly earned. The real kicker (this shocked me) is that the degree is not from Florida State.