tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-103906782024-03-13T11:05:44.556-05:00Views from the North Side of DallasJordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-41748131879646260372011-09-28T18:00:00.002-05:002011-09-28T18:00:05.023-05:00Voters RegistrationOnce again the debate is on for who should win each baseball award. So here are the hypothetical votes that I would submit and which awards I would vote for.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Best Pitcher - Cy Young Award</span><br />This is the award for who had the best stuff during the entire year.<table><tr><td><span style="font-weight:bold;">Rank</span></td><td><span style="font-weight:bold;">AL</span></td><td><span style="font-weight:bold;">NL</span></td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>CC Sabathia</td><td>Roy Halladay</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Justin Verlander</td><td>Clayton Kershaw</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Dan Haren</td><td>Cliff Lee</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Jered Weaver</td><td>Madison Bumgarner</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>C.J. Wilson</td><td>Matt Cain</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Doug Fister</td><td>Matt Garza</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Felix Hernandez</td><td>Cole Hamels</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>David Price</td><td>Ian Kennedy</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>James Shields</td><td>Daniel Hudson</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>Justin Masterson</td><td>Tim Lincecum</td></tr></table><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Best Non-Pitcher - The Babe Ruth Award</span><br />This is the award for the best position player. Both hitting and fielding are considered<table><tr><td><span style="font-weight:bold;">Rank</span></td><td><span style="font-weight:bold;">AL</span></td><td><span style="font-weight:bold;">NL</span></td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Jacoby Ellsbury</td><td>Matt Kemp</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Jose Bautista</td><td>Ryan Braun</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Ian Kinsler</td><td>Joey Votto</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Dustin Pedroia</td><td>Justin Upton</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Miguel Cabrera</td><td>Troy Tulowitzki</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Curtis Granderson</td><td>Jose Reyes</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Alex Gordon</td><td>Brandon Phillips</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>Adrian Gonzalez</td><td>Shane Victorino</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>Ben Zobrist</td><td>Andrew McCutchen</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>Adrian Beltre</td><td>Prince Fielder</td></tr></table><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Most Valuable Player - Lou Gehrig Award</span><br />This is the award for the person who added the most during games to get their team a win.<table><tr><td><span style="font-weight:bold;">Rank</span></td><td><span style="font-weight:bold;">AL</span></td><td><span style="font-weight:bold;">NL</span></td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Jose Bautista</td><td>Prince Fielder</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Miguel Cabrera</td><td>Joey Votto</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Jacoby Ellsbury</td><td>Matt Kemp</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Josh Hamilton</td><td>Ryan Braun</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Justin Verlander</td><td>Lance Berkman</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Jered Weaver</td><td>Ian Kennedy</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>James Shields</td><td>Roy Halladay</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>Dan Haren</td><td>Cliff Lee</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>Ricky Romero</td><td>Cole Hamels</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>Josh Beckett</td><td>Albert Pujols</td></tr></table><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Gold Glove Award</span><br />This award is for the best fielder at each position per league.<table><tr><td><span style="font-weight:bold;">Position</span></td><td><span style="font-weight:bold;">AL</span></td><td><span style="font-weight:bold;">NL</span></td></tr><tr><td>Catcher</td><td>Matt Wieters</td><td>Jonathan Lucroy</td></tr><tr><td>First Base</td><td>Adrian Gonzalez</td><td>Joey Votto</td></tr><tr><td>Second Base</td><td>Dustin Pedroia</td><td>Brandon Phillips</td></tr><tr><td>Short Stop</td><td>Alexei Ramirez</td><td>Clint Barmes</td></tr><tr><td>Third Base</td><td>Adrian Beltre</td><td>Placido Polanco</td></tr><tr><td>Left Field</td><td>Brett Gardner</td><td>Gerardo Parra</td></tr><tr><td>Center Field</td><td>Jacoby Ellsbury</td><td>Chris Young</td></tr><tr><td>Right Field</td><td>David DeJesus</td><td>Jason Heyward</td></tr><tr><td>Pitcher</td><td>Felix Hernandez</td><td>Jake Westbrook</td></tr></table>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-26125729203130786792011-07-17T14:38:00.003-05:002011-07-17T16:39:16.387-05:00Deathly Hallows<span style="font-style:italic;">Spoiler Alert</span><br /><br />The last movie and final movie is over and it was thoroughly satisfying. The movie enhanced the books. Once again a great story and good acting rise above cinematic gimmicks (I saw the 2D version, more on that later). The child actors have certainly grown, but the surrounding giants allow the film and series to excel.<br /><br />In the final film, several performances stood out. They were helped by their excellent situations, but they took it to the next level. Ralph Fiennes as Tom Riddle was great. The steady deterioration due to parts of his soul being obliterated was done quite well. The quick transitions from pompous triumph to shocked vulnerability were excellent. Matthew Lewis played Neville Longbottom to a T. Limping to his defiant speech and then ignorantly and boldly challenging Voldemort was a highlight of the film. Helena Bonham Carter playing Hermione Granger using a polyjuice potion to play Bellatrix Lestrange was very convincing. Just like part 1, I enjoy watching actors play characters pretending to be other characters. Those 3 exceeded expectations. The others certainly did well and my high standards were met.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3D Rant</span><br />I realize that 3D allows you to charge extra to attend a movie, but it typically adds very little to the actual movie (unless it is a low budget 80s monster flick). There were several spots that I am sure would look fun in 3D (e.g. the Gringott's Mine Train). The real travesty to me was that the 2D experience was affected by this. Several times I could tell that rather than the background being out of focus, it was actually doubled up like a 3D film would look without glasses. Unacceptable.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Intermission</span><br />Grand films might just need a break. This is not a new idea at all. Movies such as Ben Hur and Lawrence of Arabia had intermissions. Why? Because they were really long. But also because they were a single idea and could not be split up. The Deathly Hallows was split in two at its most logical point, but the story really works as a whole. The drama and setup in part one is entirely unfulfilling. The action of part two really makes little sense without part one. The other epic conclusion this century was 3.5 hours in theaters and 5 hours on extended DVD, yet The Return of the King only makes sense in that context. It could have been split after the battle of Minas Tirith. It makes logical sense but not emotional sense. The ups and downs of a movie need to be there. Separate them by 8 months and you lose all of the buildup that works in the ending of the film. I suggest that the best way to watch both films is to watch part one, take an hour break for food, and then watch part two. As soon as the DVD comes out, I think it will make both parts of this film that much better. The Deathly Hallows as a whole might just be the best movie in the series.Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-65207621218823399482011-07-08T14:23:00.002-05:002011-07-08T14:37:59.285-05:00Saber Answer to 300 WinsYesterday I took on the 3000 hits plateau. Today, 300 wins. Trying to smooth out longevity and performance is difficult with pitchers. There are so many eras out there. This list because of its components is skewed towards the former days. I considered all outings since 1890 so that Cy Young would be involved. In the 1880s some pitchers threw up to 650 innings in a year and really skewed things. But for simplicity sake, I chose Innings Pitched divided by WHIP minus 1 times 2. Boy that seems complicated doesn't it. Basically it measures longevity in innings pitched. Performance is measured by (WHIP - 1) * 2. This takes CY Young's WHIP of 1.13, turns it into .13, and then finally into .26. The times 2 part keeps some rarely used pitchers with good stats from sneaking too far up the ladder. I also limited this to pitcher with > 1500 innings pitched. Without that restriction, Mariano Rivera is the greatest pitcher ever (which you could argue for I guess). So without further ado, here is the list:<table border ="1"><th>Rank</th><th>Name</th><th>Wins</th><th>W Rank</th><th>IP</th><th>WHIP</th><th>New Stat</th><tr><td>1</td><td>Walter Johnson</td><td>417</td><td>2</td><td>5914.2</td><td>1.06</td><td>48338</td></tr><br /><tr><td>2</td><td>Christy Mathewson</td><td>373</td><td>3</td><td>4780.2</td><td>1.05</td><td>40543</td></tr><br /><tr><td>3</td><td>Cy Young</td><td>511</td><td>1</td><td>7354.2</td><td>1.12</td><td>28322</td></tr><br /><tr><td>4</td><td>Pedro Martinez</td><td>219</td><td>63</td><td>2827.1</td><td>1.05</td><td>25966</td></tr><br /><tr><td>5</td><td>Mordecai Brown</td><td>239</td><td>46</td><td>3172.1</td><td>1.06</td><td>24083</td></tr><br /><tr><td>6</td><td>Pete Alexander</td><td>373</td><td>3</td><td>5190</td><td>1.12</td><td>21411</td></tr><br /><tr><td>7</td><td>Tom Seaver</td><td>311</td><td>15</td><td>4782.2</td><td>1.12</td><td>19755</td></tr><br /><tr><td>8</td><td>Eddie Plank</td><td>326</td><td>10</td><td>4495.2</td><td>1.11</td><td>18891</td></tr><br /><tr><td>9</td><td>Don Sutton</td><td>324</td><td>11</td><td>5282</td><td>1.14</td><td>18525</td></tr><br /><tr><td>10</td><td>Greg Maddux</td><td>355</td><td>7</td><td>5008.1</td><td>1.14</td><td>17492</td></tr><br /><tr><td>11</td><td>Juan Marichal</td><td>243</td><td>42</td><td>3507.1</td><td>1.10</td><td>17328</td></tr><br /><tr><td>12</td><td>Babe Adams</td><td>194</td><td>107</td><td>2995.1</td><td>1.09</td><td>16257</td></tr><br /><tr><td>13</td><td>Fergie Jenkins</td><td>284</td><td>23</td><td>4500.2</td><td>1.14</td><td>15851</td></tr><br /><tr><td>14</td><td>Gaylord Perry</td><td>314</td><td>14</td><td>5350.1</td><td>1.18</td><td>14801</td></tr><br /><tr><td>15</td><td>Rube Waddell</td><td>193</td><td>115</td><td>2961.1</td><td>1.10</td><td>14521</td></tr><br /><tr><td>16</td><td>Roger Clemens</td><td>354</td><td>8</td><td>4916.2</td><td>1.17</td><td>14237</td></tr><br /><tr><td>17</td><td>Robin Roberts</td><td>286</td><td>22</td><td>4688.2</td><td>1.16</td><td>13809</td></tr><br /><tr><td>18</td><td>Warren Spahn</td><td>363</td><td>5</td><td>5243.2</td><td>1.19</td><td>13465</td></tr><br /><tr><td>19</td><td>Chief Bender</td><td>212</td><td>75</td><td>3017</td><td>1.11</td><td>13385</td></tr><br /><tr><td>20</td><td>Catfish Hunter</td><td>224</td><td>55</td><td>3449.1</td><td>1.13</td><td>12849</td></tr><br /><tr><td>21</td><td>Bert Blyleven</td><td>287</td><td>21</td><td>4970</td><td>1.19</td><td>12551</td></tr><br /><tr><td>22</td><td>Doc White</td><td>189</td><td>121</td><td>3041</td><td>1.12</td><td>12429</td></tr><br /><tr><td>23</td><td>Deacon Phillippe</td><td>189</td><td>121</td><td>2607</td><td>1.10</td><td>12402</td></tr><br /><tr><td>24</td><td>Randy Johnson</td><td>303</td><td>17</td><td>4135.1</td><td>1.17</td><td>12077</td></tr><br /><tr><td>25</td><td>Curt Schilling</td><td>216</td><td>68</td><td>3261</td><td>1.13</td><td>11868</td></tr><br /><tr><td>26</td><td>Don Drysdale</td><td>209</td><td>81</td><td>3432</td><td>1.14</td><td>11616</td></tr><br /><tr><td>27</td><td>Kid Nichols</td><td>361</td><td>6</td><td>5056.1</td><td>1.22</td><td>11372</td></tr><br /><tr><td>28</td><td>Jim Palmer</td><td>268</td><td>28</td><td>3948</td><td>1.18</td><td>10945</td></tr><br /><tr><td>29</td><td>Sandy Koufax</td><td>165</td><td>177</td><td>2324.1</td><td>1.10</td><td>10938</td></tr><br /><tr><td>30</td><td>Nolan Ryan</td><td>324</td><td>11</td><td>5386</td><td>1.24</td><td>10889</td></tr><br /><tr><td>31</td><td>Carl Hubbell</td><td>253</td><td>35</td><td>3590.1</td><td>1.16</td><td>10814</td></tr><br /><tr><td>32</td><td>Steve Carlton</td><td>329</td><td>9</td><td>5217.1</td><td>1.24</td><td>10566</td></tr><br /><tr><td>33</td><td>Jim Bunning</td><td>224</td><td>55</td><td>3760.1</td><td>1.17</td><td>10505</td></tr><br /><tr><td>34</td><td>Eddie Cicotte</td><td>208</td><td>84</td><td>3223.1</td><td>1.15</td><td>10369</td></tr><br /><tr><td>35</td><td>Bob Gibson</td><td>251</td><td>36</td><td>3884.1</td><td>1.18</td><td>10320</td></tr><br /><tr><td>36</td><td>Dennis Eckersley</td><td>197</td><td>98</td><td>3285.2</td><td>1.16</td><td>10204</td></tr><br /><tr><td>37</td><td>Jack Powell</td><td>245</td><td>40</td><td>4389</td><td>1.21</td><td>10127</td></tr><br /><tr><td>38</td><td>Phil Niekro</td><td>318</td><td>13</td><td>5404.1</td><td>1.26</td><td>10078</td></tr><br /><tr><td>39</td><td>John Smoltz</td><td>213</td><td>74</td><td>3473</td><td>1.17</td><td>9870</td></tr><br /><tr><td>40</td><td>Jack Chesbro</td><td>198</td><td>95</td><td>2896.2</td><td>1.15</td><td>9623</td></tr><br /><tr><td>41</td><td>Vic Willis</td><td>249</td><td>37</td><td>3996</td><td>1.20</td><td>9538</td></tr><br /><tr><td>42</td><td>Sam Leever</td><td>194</td><td>107</td><td>2660.2</td><td>1.14</td><td>9415</td></tr><br /><tr><td>43</td><td>Mike Mussina</td><td>270</td><td>26</td><td>3562.2</td><td>1.19</td><td>9292</td></tr><br /><tr><td>44</td><td>Ed Reulbach</td><td>182</td><td>136</td><td>2632.1</td><td>1.14</td><td>9190</td></tr><br /><tr><td>45</td><td>Joe McGinnity</td><td>246</td><td>39</td><td>3441.1</td><td>1.18</td><td>9152</td></tr><br /><tr><td>46</td><td>Bret Saberhagen</td><td>167</td><td>167</td><td>2562.2</td><td>1.14</td><td>9097</td></tr><br /><tr><td>47</td><td>Hoyt Wilhelm</td><td>143</td><td>240</td><td>2254.1</td><td>1.12</td><td>9044</td></tr><br /><tr><td>48</td><td>Luis Tiant</td><td>229</td><td>52</td><td>3486.1</td><td>1.19</td><td>8769</td></tr><br /><tr><td>49</td><td>Jim Kaat</td><td>283</td><td>24</td><td>4530.1</td><td>1.25</td><td>8748</td></tr><br /><tr><td>50</td><td>Tommy John</td><td>288</td><td>20</td><td>4710.1</td><td>1.28</td><td>8328</td></tr><br /></table><br /><br />The winners? Pedro Martinez and his 219 wins. Lots of people from the early days... Sandy Koufax and his short lived career.<br /><br />The losers? Lefty Grove and his 1.28 WHIP. Tom Glavine and his 1.31 WHIP.Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-26291660075836354192011-07-07T16:06:00.004-05:002011-07-07T16:25:25.883-05:00Saber Answer to 3000 Hits3000 hits is always a fun topic. Does it mean anything or is it arbitrary? I decided to come up with a new stat to judge hitters by: Plate Appearances times On Base Percentage. This combines longevity with performance. How does this redefine our top hitters? Currently 27 players have 3000 or more hits. If we sort by PA * OBP, we have to show 76 players to see those 27.<table border="1"><tr><th>Rank</th><th>Name</th><th>H</th><th>Hit Rank</th><th>OBP</th><th>PA * OBP</th></tr><br /><tr><td>1</td><td>Pete Rose</td><td>4256</td><td>1</td><td>0.373</td><td>5929</td></tr><br /><tr><td>2</td><td>Barry Bonds</td><td>2935</td><td>32</td><td>0.444</td><td>5599</td></tr><br /><tr><td>3</td><td>Ty Cobb</td><td>4189</td><td>2</td><td>0.423</td><td>5532</td></tr><br /><tr><td>4</td><td>Rickey Henderson</td><td>3055</td><td>21</td><td>0.400</td><td>5343</td></tr><br /><tr><td>5</td><td>Carl Yastrzemski</td><td>3419</td><td>6</td><td>0.379</td><td>5304</td></tr><br /><tr><td>6</td><td>Stan Musial</td><td>3630</td><td>4</td><td>0.415</td><td>5282</td></tr><br /><tr><td>7</td><td>Hank Aaron</td><td>3771</td><td>3</td><td>0.373</td><td>5205</td></tr><br /><tr><td>8</td><td>Tris Speaker</td><td>3514</td><td>5</td><td>0.416</td><td>4998</td></tr><br /><tr><td>9</td><td>Babe Ruth</td><td>2873</td><td>40</td><td>0.468</td><td>4978</td></tr><br /><tr><td>10</td><td>Eddie Collins</td><td>3315</td><td>10</td><td>0.406</td><td>4891</td></tr><br /><tr><td>11</td><td>Willie Mays</td><td>3283</td><td>11</td><td>0.383</td><td>4791</td></tr><br /><tr><td>12</td><td>Ted Williams</td><td>2654</td><td>71</td><td>0.481</td><td>4714</td></tr><br /><tr><td>13</td><td>Mel Ott</td><td>2876</td><td>39</td><td>0.409</td><td>4648</td></tr><br /><tr><td>14</td><td>Eddie Murray</td><td>3255</td><td>12</td><td>0.359</td><td>4606</td></tr><br /><tr><td>15</td><td>Frank Robinson</td><td>2943</td><td>31</td><td>0.388</td><td>4561</td></tr><br /><tr><td>16</td><td>Craig Biggio</td><td>3060</td><td>20</td><td>0.360</td><td>4505</td></tr><br /><tr><td>17</td><td>Honus Wagner</td><td>3415</td><td>8</td><td>0.383</td><td>4503</td></tr><br /><tr><td>18</td><td>Rafael Palmeiro</td><td>3020</td><td>24</td><td>0.370</td><td>4460</td></tr><br /><tr><td>19</td><td>Paul Molitor</td><td>3319</td><td>9</td><td>0.366</td><td>4460</td></tr><br /><tr><td>20</td><td>Wade Boggs</td><td>3010</td><td>25</td><td>0.413</td><td>4445</td></tr><br /><tr><td>21</td><td>Cap Anson</td><td>3418</td><td>7</td><td>0.391</td><td>4433</td></tr><br /><tr><td>22</td><td>Joe Morgan</td><td>2517</td><td>91</td><td>0.390</td><td>4422</td></tr><br /><tr><td>23</td><td>Cal Ripken</td><td>3184</td><td>14</td><td>0.339</td><td>4379</td></tr><br /><tr><td>24</td><td>Dave Winfield</td><td>3110</td><td>19</td><td>0.352</td><td>4351</td></tr><br /><tr><td>25</td><td>Al Kaline</td><td>3007</td><td>26</td><td>0.374</td><td>4339</td></tr><br /><tr><td>26</td><td>Gary Sheffield</td><td>2689</td><td>63</td><td>0.392</td><td>4299</td></tr><br /><tr><td>27</td><td>George Brett</td><td>3154</td><td>15</td><td>0.368</td><td>4283</td></tr><br /><tr><td>28</td><td>Paul Waner</td><td>3152</td><td>16</td><td>0.397</td><td>4281</td></tr><br /><tr><td>29</td><td>Lou Gehrig</td><td>2721</td><td>57</td><td>0.442</td><td>4274</td></tr><br /><tr><td>30</td><td>Frank Thomas</td><td>2468</td><td>99</td><td>0.419</td><td>4222</td></tr><br /><tr><td>31</td><td>Ken Griffey Jr.</td><td>2781</td><td>48</td><td>0.369</td><td>4174</td></tr><br /><tr><td>32</td><td>Mickey Mantle</td><td>2415</td><td>112</td><td>0.419</td><td>4161</td></tr><br /><tr><td>33</td><td>Robin Yount</td><td>3142</td><td>17</td><td>0.339</td><td>4156</td></tr><br /><tr><td>34</td><td>Derek Jeter</td><td>2997</td><td>28</td><td>0.380</td><td>4125</td></tr><br /><tr><td>35</td><td>Jimmie Foxx</td><td>2646</td><td>72</td><td>0.425</td><td>4111</td></tr><br /><tr><td>36</td><td>Rod Carew</td><td>3053</td><td>22</td><td>0.388</td><td>4096</td></tr><br /><tr><td>37</td><td>Charlie Gehringer</td><td>2839</td><td>45</td><td>0.398</td><td>4075</td></tr><br /><tr><td>38</td><td>Alex Rodriguez</td><td>2762</td><td>50</td><td>0.385</td><td>4069</td></tr><br /><tr><td>39</td><td>Luke Appling</td><td>2749</td><td>52</td><td>0.396</td><td>4062</td></tr><br /><tr><td>40</td><td>Reggie Jackson</td><td>2584</td><td>81</td><td>0.355</td><td>4055</td></tr><br /><tr><td>41</td><td>Rusty Staub</td><td>2716</td><td>58</td><td>0.360</td><td>4050</td></tr><br /><tr><td>42</td><td>Chipper Jones</td><td>2562</td><td>85</td><td>0.403</td><td>4020</td></tr><br /><tr><td>43</td><td>Rogers Hornsby</td><td>2930</td><td>34</td><td>0.423</td><td>4016</td></tr><br /><tr><td>44</td><td>Manny Ramirez</td><td>2574</td><td>83</td><td>0.410</td><td>4012</td></tr><br /><tr><td>45</td><td>Jim Thome</td><td>2239</td><td>160</td><td>0.403</td><td>4007</td></tr><br /><tr><td>46</td><td>Tim Raines</td><td>2605</td><td>75</td><td>0.383</td><td>3977</td></tr><br /><tr><td>47</td><td>Tony Gwynn</td><td>3141</td><td>18</td><td>0.386</td><td>3955</td></tr><br /><tr><td>48</td><td>Jesse Burkett</td><td>2850</td><td>42</td><td>0.411</td><td>3954</td></tr><br /><tr><td>49</td><td>Harold Baines</td><td>2866</td><td>41</td><td>0.355</td><td>3942</td></tr><br /><tr><td>50</td><td>Omar Vizquel</td><td>2831</td><td>46</td><td>0.330</td><td>3898</td></tr><br /><tr><td>51</td><td>Nap Lajoie</td><td>3242</td><td>13</td><td>0.372</td><td>3892</td></tr><br /><tr><td>52</td><td>Dwight Evans</td><td>2446</td><td>108</td><td>0.368</td><td>3890</td></tr><br /><tr><td>53</td><td>Darrell Evans</td><td>2223</td><td>167</td><td>0.359</td><td>3863</td></tr><br /><tr><td>54</td><td>Luis Gonzalez</td><td>2591</td><td>79</td><td>0.366</td><td>3857</td></tr><br /><tr><td>55</td><td>Jeff Bagwell</td><td>2314</td><td>138</td><td>0.407</td><td>3843</td></tr><br /><tr><td>56</td><td>Fred McGriff</td><td>2490</td><td>96</td><td>0.376</td><td>3834</td></tr><br /><tr><td>57</td><td>Lou Brock</td><td>3023</td><td>23</td><td>0.341</td><td>3833</td></tr><br /><tr><td>58</td><td>Mike Schmidt</td><td>2234</td><td>162</td><td>0.379</td><td>3820</td></tr><br /><tr><td>59</td><td>Richie Ashburn</td><td>2574</td><td>83</td><td>0.391</td><td>3815</td></tr><br /><tr><td>60</td><td>Roberto Alomar</td><td>2724</td><td>56</td><td>0.365</td><td>3806</td></tr><br /><tr><td>61</td><td>Billy Williams</td><td>2711</td><td>61</td><td>0.361</td><td>3799</td></tr><br /><tr><td>62</td><td>Eddie Mathews</td><td>2315</td><td>137</td><td>0.374</td><td>3785</td></tr><br /><tr><td>63</td><td>Max Carey</td><td>2665</td><td>66</td><td>0.351</td><td>3782</td></tr><br /><tr><td>64</td><td>Bobby Abreu</td><td>2342</td><td>127</td><td>0.399</td><td>3771</td></tr><br /><tr><td>65</td><td>Brooks Robinson</td><td>2848</td><td>43</td><td>0.319</td><td>3761</td></tr><br /><tr><td>66</td><td>Sam Rice</td><td>2987</td><td>29</td><td>0.366</td><td>3751</td></tr><br /><tr><td>67</td><td>Sam Crawford</td><td>2961</td><td>30</td><td>0.353</td><td>3744</td></tr><br /><tr><td>68</td><td>Goose Goslin</td><td>2735</td><td>54</td><td>0.380</td><td>3739</td></tr><br /><tr><td>69</td><td>Jake Beckley</td><td>2930</td><td>34</td><td>0.356</td><td>3729</td></tr><br /><tr><td>70</td><td>Tony Perez</td><td>2732</td><td>55</td><td>0.340</td><td>3700</td></tr><br /><tr><td>71</td><td>Fred Clarke</td><td>2672</td><td>65</td><td>0.376</td><td>3699</td></tr><br /><tr><td>72</td><td>Harmon Killebrew</td><td>2086</td><td>222</td><td>0.375</td><td>3693</td></tr><br /><tr><td>73</td><td>Harry Hooper</td><td>2466</td><td>101</td><td>0.359</td><td>3678</td></tr><br /><tr><td>74</td><td>Johnny Damon</td><td>2662</td><td>68</td><td>0.352</td><td>3663</td></tr><br /><tr><td>75</td><td>Bill Dahlen</td><td>2457</td><td>105</td><td>0.352</td><td>3661</td></tr><br /><tr><td>76</td><td>Roberto Clemente</td><td>3000</td><td>27</td><td>0.358</td><td>3656</td></tr><br /><tr><td>77</td><td>Frankie Frisch</td><td>2880</td><td>38</td><td>0.360</td><td>3639</td></tr><br /><tr><td>78</td><td>Willie McCovey</td><td>2211</td><td>171</td><td>0.374</td><td>3625</td></tr><br /><tr><td>79</td><td>Edgar Martinez</td><td>2247</td><td>159</td><td>0.417</td><td>3619</td></tr><br /><tr><td>80</td><td>Zack Wheat</td><td>2884</td><td>37</td><td>0.361</td><td>3611</td></tr><br /><tr><td>81</td><td>Todd Helton</td><td>2318</td><td>136</td><td>0.422</td><td>3605</td></tr><br /><tr><td>82</td><td>George Davis</td><td>2660</td><td>69</td><td>0.355</td><td>3605</td></tr><br /><tr><td>83</td><td>John Olerud</td><td>2239</td><td>160</td><td>0.397</td><td>3602</td></tr><br /><tr><td>84</td><td>Chili Davis</td><td>2380</td><td>117</td><td>0.359</td><td>3589</td></tr><br /><tr><td>85</td><td>Lou Whitaker</td><td>2369</td><td>120</td><td>0.359</td><td>3586</td></tr><br /><tr><td>86</td><td>Willie Keeler</td><td>2932</td><td>33</td><td>0.373</td><td>3585</td></tr><br /><tr><td>87</td><td>Eddie Yost</td><td>1863</td><td>332</td><td>0.389</td><td>3576</td></tr><br /><tr><td>88</td><td>Al Simmons</td><td>2927</td><td>36</td><td>0.375</td><td>3572</td></tr><br /><tr><td>89</td><td>Ozzie Smith</td><td>2460</td><td>103</td><td>0.330</td><td>3565</td></tr><br /><tr><td>90</td><td>Harry Heilmann</td><td>2660</td><td>69</td><td>0.396</td><td>3556</td></tr><br /><tr><td>91</td><td>Mark Grace</td><td>2445</td><td>109</td><td>0.382</td><td>3554</td></tr><br /><tr><td>92</td><td>Brett Butler</td><td>2375</td><td>119</td><td>0.371</td><td>3542</td></tr><br /><tr><td>93</td><td>Julio Franco</td><td>2586</td><td>80</td><td>0.363</td><td>3541</td></tr><br /><tr><td>94</td><td>Nellie Fox</td><td>2663</td><td>67</td><td>0.340</td><td>3524</td></tr><br /><tr><td>95</td><td>Roger Connor</td><td>2467</td><td>100</td><td>0.396</td><td>3507</td></tr><br /><tr><td>96</td><td>Mickey Vernon</td><td>2495</td><td>95</td><td>0.355</td><td>3499</td></tr><br /><tr><td>97</td><td>Willie Randolph</td><td>2210</td><td>172</td><td>0.368</td><td>3491</td></tr><br /><tr><td>98</td><td>Rabbit Maranville</td><td>2605</td><td>75</td><td>0.309</td><td>3483</td></tr><br /><tr><td>99</td><td>Andre Dawson</td><td>2774</td><td>49</td><td>0.322</td><td>3474</td></tr><br /><tr><td>100</td><td>Dave Parker</td><td>2712</td><td>60</td><td>0.338</td><td>3451</td></tr><br /></table><br />So who wins using this system? Well, Barry Bonds, Rickey Henderson, Babe Ruth, and Ted Williams all move up. Not bad at all.<br /><br />Who loses? Roberto Clemente (twice as many strikeouts as walks), Lou Brock (over 1700 strikeouts)<br /><br />So using that stat... hitters with a PA*OBP > 4500 would be:<ol><li>Pete Rose</li><li>Barry Bonds</li><li>Ty Cobb</li><li>Rickey Henderson</li><li>Carl Yastrzemski</li><li>Stan Musial</li><li>Hank Aaron</li><li>Tris Speaker</li><li>Babe Ruth</li><li>Eddie Collins</li><li>Willie Mays</li><li>Ted Williams</li><li>Mel Ott</li><li>Eddie Murray</li><li>Frank Robinson</li><li>Craig Biggio</li><li>Honus Wagner</li></ol><br />Not a bad group to be in.Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-86464431986389421242011-03-29T10:03:00.004-05:002011-03-29T10:45:41.626-05:002011 Baseball PredictionsIn the past (<a href="http://jchrisp.blogspot.com/2009/04/2009-baseball-predictions.html">2009</a>, <a href="http://jchrisp.blogspot.com/2008/03/2008-baseball-predictions.html">2008</a>, and <a href="http://jchrisp.blogspot.com/2007/03/2007-baseball-predictions.html">2007</a>) I have made predictions about the outcome of the baseball season. I based these on the previous year's record and then added in my own personal adjustment. It is a fairly simple formula. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Previous Years Wins +/- Off-season Moves.</span> <br /><br />This years predictions are below:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">AL East</span><br /><ol><li>97 - 65 Boston Red Sox</li><br /><li>88 - 74 New York Yankees</li><br /><li>82 - 80 Tampa Bay Rays</li><br /><li>74 - 88 Baltimore Orioles</li><br /><li>69 - 93 Toronto Blue Jays</li></ol>The Red Sox are far and away the class of the division with their staff. The Yankees have a lineup but a questionable rotation. The Rays will take a step back with the loss of key players. The Jays should stink it up.<br><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">AL Central</span><br /><ol><li>91 - 71 Minnesota Twins</li><br /><li>87 - 75 Chicago White Sox</li><br /><li>81 - 81 Detroit Tigers</li><br /><li>77 - 85 Cleveland Indians</li><br /><li>71 - 91 Kansas City Royals</li></ol>The Twins have the tools to win this division. The White Sox will put up quite a fight though. The rest are just also rans.<br><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">AL West</span><br /><ol><li>87 - 75 Texas Rangers</li><br /><li>85 - 77 Oakland Athletics</li><br /><li>80 - 82 Los Angeles Angels</li><br /><li>65 - 97 Seattle Mariners</li></ol>The Rangers and As will duke it out for the playoff spot. The lineup of the Rangers should give them the edge.<br><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">NL East</span><br /><ol><li>98 - 64 Philadelphia Phillies</li><br /><li>90 - 72 Atlanta Braves</li><br /><li>80 - 82 Florida Marlins</li><br /><li>70 - 92 New York Mets</li><br /><li>66 - 96 Washington Nationals</li></ol>What's not to love about arguably the best rotation ever. The Braves however will compete mightily in the NL. The Mets and their putrid rotation will fall back this year.<br><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">NL Central</span><br /><ol><li>89 - 73 Milwaukee Brewers</li><br /><li>86 - 76 St. Louis Cardinals</li><br /><li>82 - 80 Chicago Cubs</li><br /><li>82 - 80 Cincinnati Reds</li><br /><li>70 - 92 Houston Astros</li><br /><li>69 - 93 Pittsburgh Pirates</li></ol>This will be the hardest division to win this year. I can honestly see any of the top 4 teams pulling it out. I like the Greinke addition and the Prince contract year to pull it out.<br><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">NL West</span><br /><ol><li>91- 71 San Francisco Giants</li><br /><li>83 - 79 Los Angeles Dodgers</li><br /><li>81 - 81 Colorado Rockies</li><br /><li>78 - 84 San Diego Padres</li><br /><li>68 - 94 Arizona Diamondbacks</li></ol>As usual, I am not sold on anything in this division except the Giants rotation.<br><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">AL Playoffs</span><br />Boston over Texas and Minnesota over New York<br />Boston over Minnesota<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">NL Playoffs</span><br />Phillies over Brewers and Braves over Giants<br />Phillies over Braves<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">World Series</span><br />Phillies over BostonJordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-30753158928191953712011-02-02T19:00:00.000-06:002011-02-02T19:00:06.945-06:00January LessonsSo how is this for a New Year's resolution? Invest better. Better yet, look at your investments rather than just open a statement once a quarter. This is a time consuming pursuit, but one that could be very worthwhile. My portfolio has beat the S&P 2 years in a row now. Pretty impressive until I mention that I made 0 moves during that time frame. Perhaps that works out best... we shall see.<br /><br />What is the easiest way for me to become interested in something? Why join a fantasy league of course. Yes they do have those. Unlike sports related leagues this only has one category: Return on Investment. I managed to eek out 6 basis points higher than the S&P during the first month. Impressive I know. One important note here is to say that this is 'fake' investing for the purpose of gaining knowledge. I have not make actual investments in any of the thing I will reference.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Lessons</span><br /><ul><li>Emerging Market Valuations are <u>highly</u> suspect. Everyone for instance wants a piece of the Chinese market right now. Make sure that it is a credible analyst providing information. Several companies were stung by corruption and bad accounting in January. Their touting analysts were somewhat complicit. I am not saying that company is necessarily bad, just that some numbers may be way off. A good example of this would be RINO or <a href="http://www.streetinsider.com/Insiders+Blog/China+Valve+Tech+(CVVT)+Going+the+Way+of+RINO+(RINO);+to+the+Pink+Sheets/6215596.html">CVVT</a> that both got stung.</li><li>Valuations are based on available data. Using old data right before earnings reports come out puts you behind in the game.</li><li>Publicity does not guaranty that a stock will go up. Good news in the press does not always mean good news for your portfolio.</li><li>Ultra ETFs try to double or triple the return of a given index. Inverse ones do the same thing but bet the thing will go down. These can seem too good to be true. They can be useful, but take extreme caution.</li><li>Betting on earnings is a risky game. This goes back to the publicity thing as well. Just because they beat earnings does not mean that their future forecast is favorable.</li></ul><br /><br />So at this point you are probably laughing at these realizations, but there they are. Now what DID work for me?<br /><br /><ul><li>Choosing companies with High Profit Margins and High Earnings per Share Growth. e.g. <a href="http://www.google.com/finance?chdnp=0&chdd=1&chds=1&chdv=1&chvs=Linear&chdeh=0&chfdeh=0&chdet=1296503040000&chddm=6571&chls=IntervalBasedLine&q=NASDAQ:ISRG&ntsp=0">ISRG</a> or <a href="http://www.google.com/finance?chdnp=0&chdd=1&chds=1&chdv=1&chvs=Linear&chdeh=0&chfdeh=0&chdet=1296500640000&chddm=7704&chls=IntervalBasedLine&q=NASDAQ:FSLR&ntsp=0">FSLR</a> or <a href="http://www.google.com/finance?chdnp=0&chdd=1&chds=1&chdv=1&chvs=Linear&chdeh=0&chfdeh=0&chdet=1296577200000&chddm=7930&chls=IntervalBasedLine&q=NYSE:GLW&ntsp=0">GLW</a></li><li>Related to that, I also chose items with High Profit Margins and Low PEG Ratios (PE Ratio / EPS Growth) eg. <a href="http://www.google.com/finance?chdnp=0&chdd=1&chds=1&chdv=1&chvs=Linear&chdeh=0&chfdeh=0&chdet=1296503520000&chddm=7752&chls=IntervalBasedLine&q=NASDAQ:MU&ntsp=0">MU</a></li><li>Last, betting that Silver and Gold was overpriced and would go down. This was pure luck and have decided to stay out of that.</li></ul><br /><br />Hopefully February will be even better. Now for those of you wondering. I am not an investment professional. I have no personal stake in the stocks mentioned here in either real money or a fake portfolio at this time.Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-75115268604156058292010-04-06T11:45:00.001-05:002010-04-06T11:45:00.414-05:00Play Ball<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S7svpOJNk4I/AAAAAAAAAfw/1WPViqB0vx8/s1600/SAM_0214.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S7svpOJNk4I/AAAAAAAAAfw/1WPViqB0vx8/s400/SAM_0214.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457007758707364738" /></a>Scott Feldman throws out the first pitch of the 2010 season. Baseball is back, and that is a good thing. I was fortunate enough to attend the <a href="http://jchrisp.blogspot.com/2009/04/opening-day-2009.html">2009 opener</a>. It is hard to top the experience of an opening day game. Several opening day quick hits and then some player analysis.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Opening Day Thoughts</span><br /><ul><li>First off kids, I found out that Santa is a Rangers fan. He sat 3 rows in front of me and handed out business cards all game long.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S7sw3vW73gI/AAAAAAAAAf4/cYF12wQWBYg/s1600/SAM_0207.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S7sw3vW73gI/AAAAAAAAAf4/cYF12wQWBYg/s400/SAM_0207.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457009107653090818" /></a></li><li>Opening Day at the ballpark is a celebration of everything Texas. We had Nolan Ryan and Roger Staubach on the mound for the ceremonial first pitch. Staubach still has quite an arm and threw a great first pitch. I can't think of any 2 bigger names that you could put out there except the Lone Ranger. And yes, he was on the jumbotron leading our 9th inning rally. The singing of Deep in the Heart of Texas has much more passion than Take Me Out to the Ballgame. In this picture our goofy recent mascot Rowdy tries to catch the strike from Roger in his mouth.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S7syQ3UjbYI/AAAAAAAAAgA/Ea61FvCoq6U/s1600/SAM_0211.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S7syQ3UjbYI/AAAAAAAAAgA/Ea61FvCoq6U/s400/SAM_0211.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457010638798941570" /></a></li><li>Steak Nachos - YES</li><li>On the left field wall "Around the League" scoreboard, we kept highlighting the fact that Roy Halladay won his opening day game. That had to be intentional.</li><li>Before the game started, a former paratrouper with no legs dropped into the stadium. Incredible.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S7szjcxl-tI/AAAAAAAAAgI/Z7qqG6wdmnM/s1600/SAM_0210.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S7szjcxl-tI/AAAAAAAAAgI/Z7qqG6wdmnM/s400/SAM_0210.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457012057602128594" /></a></li><li>I am out of practice on clapping. When the game got wild in the late innings, my hands were beet red.</li><li>I am pretty sure that if you start drinking hours before a 1 PM game, you might have some issues. Just my opinion.</li><li>Speaking of which, the most awkward moment of the game belongs to Budweiser. They sponsored a between innings thing where they announced they would put people drinking Bud on the jumbotron. Guess what, they found NOBODY. For 30 seconds to a minute, just an icon on the screen. Jokes were rampant about how "I guess nobody drinks that stuff."</li><li>2 of the 9 Rangers come up to plate with Christian intro music. Josh Hamilton has Toby Mac and Chris Davis has Let it Fade by Jeremy Camp.</li><li>I found a new route to the ballpark that had virtually no traffic. Take the Bush Turnpike (161) south until it ends. Drive over I 30 and take a right on SH 180. Take this over 360 all the way to Stadium drive. I had almost no traffic in and out of the game.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S7s13EYl4QI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/HNpJHRdCPOc/s1600/routeToBallpark.PNG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 349px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S7s13EYl4QI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/HNpJHRdCPOc/s400/routeToBallpark.PNG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457014593675452674" /></a></li><li>The Lexus Club seats in the corners of the stadium are really good. They are priced at $25 for most games, have almost no lines for bathroom and food out back, and on the first base side are shaded from the sun. I will aim for these seats again.</li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Scouting Report</span><br /><ul><li>Julio Borbon has a horrible looking swing. I am calling it the Slap Chop. He looks like he is hoping to foul off the pitch.</li><li>Michael Young is solid. He picked right up where he left off. Solid hits.</li><li>Josh Hamilton did not have the best day, but his swing looked good and his at bats were good. His arm in left kept a run from coming in.</li><li>Vlad still has it. That guy has crazy extension. He looks like he is swinging a 12 foot tree or something. He also hit one of the farthest foul balls I have seen to the 3rd deck left of the foul pole. Also, what is his history with the Jays? They threw at his neck on the first pitch he saw.</li><li>Nelson Cruz is really really good. He hit a 400 foot shot into the wind. He also has good range in the field. He cut off a line drive in the gap that I figured for a double at least and kept the runner at first.</li><li>Chris Davis did not get any hits, but his at bats looked good. There were no ugly strikeouts.</li><li>Salty was pretty weak at the plate until the last pitch of the game. He did his job and lifted it over the pulled in outfielders.</li><li>Andres Blanco looks like he is not ready for the big leagues. Please come back quick Kinsler.</li><li>Elvis Andrus pulled a good looking double play. His bat was so-so.</li><li>2-6 was dangerous in our lineup: Young, Hamilton, Vlad, Cruz, Davis. The rest were gimme outs most of the game.</li><li>Scott Feldman is hard to judge. He got hit really hard. His box score line looks better than what I saw. A lot of rockets were hit right to people. In fairness, the winds were gusting up to 25 MPH and so that might have affected him. He settled down in the 5th, 6th, and 7th which is a good sign.</li><li>Neftali Feliz needs a 2nd pitch. He topped out at 97 MPH and hitters were looking fastball all the way. Breaking pitches were automatic takes and most likely balls.</li><li>Darren Oliver still has it at age 39. He should be valuable this season.</li><li>Franky was decent in the closer role but made me nervous.</li><li>Shaun Marcum had a quiet no hitter going at the park. He does not throw that hard (never saw him hit 90) but until the 7th, no one could hit his stuff except straight to a player.</li><li>Adam Lind is the real deal. He made solid contact throughout the game.</li><li>Vernon Wells looked like his old self. He crushed one off of Feldman and turned on a Feliz fastball. I am definitely bullish on him.</li><li>Besides those 2, the Jays looked really really weak. Their lineup will not fare well in the AL East.</li></ul><br />Salty about to hit the game winner:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S7s-XkzMPrI/AAAAAAAAAgY/sIK9dOdA9uQ/s1600/SAM_0215.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S7s-XkzMPrI/AAAAAAAAAgY/sIK9dOdA9uQ/s400/SAM_0215.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457023948225789618" /></a><br />The crowd goes wild!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S7s-f2ZcOHI/AAAAAAAAAgg/LsWmmrD-wpQ/s1600/SAM_0216.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S7s-f2ZcOHI/AAAAAAAAAgg/LsWmmrD-wpQ/s400/SAM_0216.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457024090388576370" /></a>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-12176106963451000392010-01-12T21:30:00.003-06:002010-01-12T21:30:02.727-06:002000s - MoviesI figured I should join in on the best of the decade talk. I have read lots of lists and seen some consensus, but everyone seems to have their individual flair. I decided to go with a different criteria than the rest, so my list will not be filled with critically acclaimed artsy films. I am basing this list upon nothing less than "Rewatchability". I have seen lots of films that were good this decade, but it turns out that I don't want to watch a lot of them over and over again. I also notably left out some recent movies because I frankly don't know yet if I will want to watch them over and over again. So I made the following list counting down the films that I have watched countless times and that I think I will continue to watch in the decades to come.<br /><br /><table><tr><td><b>10. Gladiator</b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0I9mqzKx6I/AAAAAAAAAbY/yl6NRN1C1qw/s1600-h/10.Gladiator.jpg"><img style="margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 281px;" align=RIGHT src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0I9mqzKx6I/AAAAAAAAAbY/yl6NRN1C1qw/s400/10.Gladiator.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422964635840726946" /></a><br><br>This movie is known for its action sequences, but the famous monologue that screams righteous defiance is the pivotal point in the film. "<span style="font-style:italic;">My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.</span>" The cheap political pandering that Commodus tries is still a tactic used today. The movie is probably short on historical accuracy, but comes up big in its defining moments.</td></tr><tr><td><hr><b>9. Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers</b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JCtCWAK1I/AAAAAAAAAbg/lwFgDWqlzJo/s1600-h/9.LotR.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 284px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JCtCWAK1I/AAAAAAAAAbg/lwFgDWqlzJo/s400/9.LotR.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422970242798201682" /></a><br><br>I will admit that I own the super-extended version of the series. All 13 hours of it. But what do I want to watch over and over again? The Battle of Helms Deep. The main ideas that it conveys are that you can "Lay Down and Give Up or Fight for what You Hold Dear" and that "There are No Neutral Parties because all are affected". Like its predecessor, the cgi balrog scenes are great to watch. Gimli and Legolas baiting each other during battles successfully lightens the mood. The scene with the Uruk-Hai smashing their shields in front of Helms Deep is the most memorable point in the film.<br /></td></tr><tr><td><hr><b>8. National Treasure</b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JEGr0vzaI/AAAAAAAAAbo/hp2x8N5cL3s/s1600-h/8.NationalTreasure.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 280px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JEGr0vzaI/AAAAAAAAAbo/hp2x8N5cL3s/s400/8.NationalTreasure.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422971782941363618" /></a><br><br>For History Channel nerds, this movie had enough truth in it to make it enjoyable. Everyone loves a good treasure hunt as well and this movie delivered. Its just a fun film to get in to. I am sure that the historical sites have had to beef up security because of tourists wanting to see the 'secret passageways' and such. Nicolas Cage plays his stereotypical self, but for once it may actually be called for.</td></tr><tr><td><hr><b>7. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl</b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JEyV4AE8I/AAAAAAAAAbw/5UiU5uRN-Wc/s1600-h/7.Pirates.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 277px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JEyV4AE8I/AAAAAAAAAbw/5UiU5uRN-Wc/s400/7.Pirates.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422972532963677122" /></a><br><br>This is a film that caught people of guard with its strong characters that defied convention. It is way too much fun and humorous for a swashbuckling tale. The film also defined Johnny Depp. His quirky self keeps reappearing in other films such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland. It will be interesting to see if he can escape the typecasting. The film's successors tried to remake the magic, but the original is by far the best. "<span style="font-style:italic;">I think we've all arrived at a very special place. Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically.</span>"</td></tr><tr><td><hr><b>6. Harry Potter</b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JGJadwDOI/AAAAAAAAAb4/h8-uwK0n2OI/s1600-h/6.HarryPotter.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 283px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JGJadwDOI/AAAAAAAAAb4/h8-uwK0n2OI/s400/6.HarryPotter.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422974028844371170" /></a><br><br>Yup, I am one of these people. I have read all of the books. I have seen all of the movies multiple times. For some reason these are comfort movies for me. I do not think that they are Oscar worthy; but when nothing else comes to mind, I will watch any one of them. My favorite so far is The Prisoner of Azkaban and its time travel sequence. Like almost all instances, the books are better. The later ones are so long that they cut out many key things in the films. If you need more of the backstory, read the originals.</td></tr><tr><td><hr><b>5. Elf</b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JHFPO0qgI/AAAAAAAAAcA/Z4r8qvwI6OE/s1600-h/5.Elf.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 272px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JHFPO0qgI/AAAAAAAAAcA/Z4r8qvwI6OE/s400/5.Elf.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422975056621120002" /></a><br><br>This over the top bowl of sillyness is always good for a laugh. The notable quotes are abundant and the fact that it does not take itself too seriously adds to the humor. If you have a chance, check out the soundtrack as well. Faizon Love's scenes as the Gimbel's manager are probably my favorite. Who can forget: "<span style="font-style:italic;">Buddy the elf, What's your favorite color</span>"</td></tr><tr><td><hr><b>4. Night at the Museum</b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JHzppARLI/AAAAAAAAAcI/5j0KvdoKfHs/s1600-h/4.NightattheMuseum.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 282px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JHzppARLI/AAAAAAAAAcI/5j0KvdoKfHs/s400/4.NightattheMuseum.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422975853984236722" /></a><br><br>Another nod to us supposed smart people. The humor is slapstick and is frankly my style. Mickey Rooney (Andy Hardy movies) and Dick Van Dyke (tons of stuff, with Diagnosis Murder being the most recent) are old favorites of mine and they play their part well. The scenes of Ben Stiller and Dexter, the capuchin monkey, slapping each other are great. Octavius and Jedediah are greatness together. Like many fell good movies, it has a great dance scene at the end. This light-hearted fun is a great way to unwind.</td></tr><tr><td><hr><b>3. Oceans Eleven</b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JJayTyhZI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/bGVpEtlcvb8/s1600-h/3.Oceans.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 271px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JJayTyhZI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/bGVpEtlcvb8/s400/3.Oceans.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422977625837700498" /></a><br><br>The movie Maverick said it best: "<span style="font-style:italic;">there is no more deeply satisfying religious experience... than cheatin' on a cheater.</span>" This series epitomizes that phrase while being quite humorous. The movie leaves out details on purpose until the end and then it seems so obvious and so doable when in reality it is not. The second film got all artsy and such a key point was left out so early, it was infuriating. The third film was better and included the famous line: "<span style="font-style:italic;">Willie Bank: This town might have changed, but not me. I know people highly invested in my survival, and they are people who really know how to hurt in ways you can't even imagine.<br />Danny Ocean: Well, I know all the guys that you'd hire to come after me, and they like me better than you.</span>" These films get better with each viewing. Why is that? Well, now that you know the entire story, you can search for all of the connecting pieces that were purposefully left out. In this way, watching things happen in chronological order is fun vs. the order that they actually tell you. This series is also about the legitimization of Matt Damon. He moves from bumbling novice to running the show in the three films. His bumbling youngster routine has hopefully been left behind for good.</td></tr><tr><td><hr><b>2. Ratatouille</b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JTPIHCfaI/AAAAAAAAAcg/NsD3B_UoLB0/s1600-h/1.Ratatouille.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 288px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JTPIHCfaI/AAAAAAAAAcg/NsD3B_UoLB0/s400/1.Ratatouille.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422988420647648674" /></a><br><br>This is a very close 2nd for me. Pixar created a lot of quality in the decade. Their films as ranked by me are Up, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, Wall-E, and Cars. But the creme de la creme for me is this film. The writing is superb, the delivery is well timed and not forced. The animation is more than good enough. This is my comfort film. I can go to bed with a smile on my face after watching it. I love Skinner's line: "<span style="font-style:italic;">Let us toast your non-idiocy.</span>" Peter O'Toole's delivery of the best line is magnificent: "<span style="font-style:italic;">But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.</span>"</td></tr><tr><td><hr><b>1. The Bourne Identity</b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JROAOUFEI/AAAAAAAAAcY/yGKFND3LERA/s1600-h/2.Bourne.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 277px; height: 396px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0JROAOUFEI/AAAAAAAAAcY/yGKFND3LERA/s400/2.Bourne.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422986202327553090" /></a><br><br>I debated about putting this here, but in the end I had to. I am fairly certain I have seen this movie more than any other during the past decade. I know that I saw it 4 times in theaters. This film came out right after I studied in Europe. I was at both the Zurich and North Paris train stations right before I saw the film. I knew the climate over there right after 9/11. This movie resonated. I still enjoy the tale and find myself enjoying the sequels more and more. Marie Kreutz's cynical line: "Nobody does the right thing." is probably a view held by more people than will admit it. I love how this was a throwback film. I say that because after The Matrix came out in 99, everyone went to the super-stylish computerized fights. Next came Mission Impossible 2, The latest Bond films, X-Men, and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Now compare those to the action sequences in this film. They suddenly felt both raw and plausible. It reminded me somewhat of the film Bullitt. The sequels were good, but it took time for me to warm up to them. The Supremacy seems better with every passing year. The Ultimatum seemed a little over the top, but then again it was more about closure. The uniqueness and timing of the Identity hold up. By far my film of the 2000s.</td></tr></table>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-44923481418811414662010-01-05T21:45:00.000-06:002010-01-06T07:21:51.851-06:00How To Build a Flower BedThree months ago I started a seemingly innocuous project. "How hard can it be to make a flowerbed?", I said. Well I learned along the way and so I am now going to share what I learned and the steps to make your project easier.<br /><br />The major milestones are:<br /><ol><li>Design the Area</li><li>Excavate the Area</li><li>Construct a Border</li><li>Refill with Good Soil</li><li>Plant the Flowers</li><li>Cover with Mulch</li></ol><br /><br />Required Tools<br /><ol><li>Work Shoes - At several points it stormed and flooded my half-dug bed. After working for just 15 minutes I would have 2 inches of mud on the bottom. Be prepared to throw away your shoes or be stuck with permanent junk shoes. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FoFMp66UI/AAAAAAAAAaA/AzV1tnSvhxo/s1600-h/100_7441.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FoFMp66UI/AAAAAAAAAaA/AzV1tnSvhxo/s400/100_7441.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422729864836475202" /></a></li><li>Work Gloves - This pair is actually the 2nd that I used. The first pair is in the trash. I wore through all 10 fingers on the first set. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FoXaSB96I/AAAAAAAAAaI/P510g-YQ7Kc/s1600-h/100_7519.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FoXaSB96I/AAAAAAAAAaI/P510g-YQ7Kc/s400/100_7519.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422730177732016034" /></a></li><li>Large Spade - This is the best way to get soil up. I tried a shovel and had no luck. This worked especially well with the black clay that we have. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FolXRoBOI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/nQGNygnEFrY/s1600-h/100_7520.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FolXRoBOI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/nQGNygnEFrY/s400/100_7520.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422730417443177698" /></a></li><li>Whatever This Is - Yup, I have no idea what to call it, but it is the best tool for clearing out defined areas. I used it dig out the outline for the bed before I started. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FpB4QYcYI/AAAAAAAAAaY/xCyGsBeKHkU/s1600-h/100_7518.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FpB4QYcYI/AAAAAAAAAaY/xCyGsBeKHkU/s400/100_7518.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422730907332669826" /></a></li><li>Spreader - I used this to spread out the new soil evenly throughout the bed. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FpM3etkxI/AAAAAAAAAag/Vxg2GsaImts/s1600-h/100_7521.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FpM3etkxI/AAAAAAAAAag/Vxg2GsaImts/s400/100_7521.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422731096102900498" /></a></li><li>Small Spade - Most people have this already. You dig holes for the bulbs and flowers with it. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FpYYCGuWI/AAAAAAAAAao/s-DXbKd6vGY/s1600-h/100_7517.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 169px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FpYYCGuWI/AAAAAAAAAao/s-DXbKd6vGY/s400/100_7517.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422731293819844962" /></a></li><li>Heavy Duty Cart - Now I did not have this wonderful contraption for most of the project. For the first 40 or so bags, I just manually carried them to their locations. This will save your back when hauling a lot of soil. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FprEX1Y9I/AAAAAAAAAaw/1vwH-BV3cIg/s1600-h/100_7515.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FprEX1Y9I/AAAAAAAAAaw/1vwH-BV3cIg/s400/100_7515.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422731614959789010" /></a></li></ol><br /><br />Now you may ask why I am going to all this trouble. Well that is because I have lots of Black Texas Clay underneath my yard. It has the nickname of "Black Gumbo". It soaks up water and swells. This is one of the reasons that so many people have foundation problems in our area of North Texas. Most plants need "Well Drained Soil" which is pretty much the opposite of what I have. So I replaced it. I ended up digging up only about 1 - 1.5 feet down. Others have done more, but I frankly got tired of digging. Here is what I replaced it with:<br /><ol><li>Peat Moss - 10 Bags <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0Fq0gACD9I/AAAAAAAAAa4/-AaKVCYVkIE/s1600-h/100_7440.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0Fq0gACD9I/AAAAAAAAAa4/-AaKVCYVkIE/s400/100_7440.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422732876506599378" /></a></li><li>Top Soil - 20 Bags <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FrBNE48uI/AAAAAAAAAbA/BY_-sxECF5c/s1600-h/100_7439.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FrBNE48uI/AAAAAAAAAbA/BY_-sxECF5c/s400/100_7439.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422733094764999394" /></a></li><li>Manure - 10 Bags of the cheap stuff. They have premium manure... but I can't imagine what that means. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FrKrE7zGI/AAAAAAAAAbI/VQArX3-tMjk/s1600-h/100_7446.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FrKrE7zGI/AAAAAAAAAbI/VQArX3-tMjk/s400/100_7446.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422733257437072482" /></a></li><li>Compost - 10 Bags</li><li>Top Soil - 20 Bags</li><li>Mulch - 12 Bags <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FrYeRBGNI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/kZ-7FnGqP3s/s1600-h/100_7514.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0FrYeRBGNI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/kZ-7FnGqP3s/s400/100_7514.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422733494516259026" /></a></li></ol><br /><br />So let's take a look at those milestones again.<br /><ol><li>Design the Area - This is probably the most important step. This allows you to put in a lot of effort without having to redo things. My wife gave in to my pleadings and helped measure the back yard space beforehand. The map came out like this:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QAzGRIYyI/AAAAAAAAAeg/goike3VfbUk/s1600-h/backyard.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QAzGRIYyI/AAAAAAAAAeg/goike3VfbUk/s400/backyard.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423460729116713762" /></a> I went online and printed off a grid and then with help of a ruler hand drew the dimensions. Next, we did an initial master plan, or how we want it to look in the end. Our friends, Karson and Sharon, helped in this process. This keeps each sub-project from being vastly different and looking odd in the end. Next, we prioritized the sub-projects and focused on our first bed, outside of our bedroom. We found a plan in a landscaping book tailored to our area and used it as our base:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QDYZdxlfI/AAAAAAAAAeo/xSSRDLYPBEg/s1600-h/bookPlan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 392px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QDYZdxlfI/AAAAAAAAAeo/xSSRDLYPBEg/s400/bookPlan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423463568948434418" /></a> This plan came from Creative Homeowner's Texas Home Landscaping book. I would highly recommend it. We then took our master plan for the backyard and fit the plants that we wanted into it. The end result looks like this:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QD0YHEOUI/AAAAAAAAAew/tP7pxWhLz38/s1600-h/bedPlan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 310px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QD0YHEOUI/AAAAAAAAAew/tP7pxWhLz38/s400/bedPlan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423464049621088578" /></a> Sp now that you have a good plan, digging in the right spot and building a border is not a game of chance.<br><br></li><li>Excavate the Area - This where all the oomph comes into play. At least 50% of my time on this project was spent digging. I am estimating that I dug out about 3,000 lbs of dirt. So be prepared for this phase to go slower than you thought.<br><br>The first thing to do is to dig out the border a little bit. This allows you to be reckless inside that border with your spade. I used our hose and snaked it around into the shape that I wanted the bed to be. I then used the yet-to-be-named tool from above to strip the grass along the hose. I then removed the hose and dug a little trench and shaped the border a bit.<br><br>The rest is just good ole-fashioned hard labor. One thing that I did <i>not</i> consider before starting this phase was where on earth all of this dug up dirt was going to go. Luckily, the lot next door to me is empty right now.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QF6-voZKI/AAAAAAAAAe4/chigo7SSYik/s1600-h/100_7443.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QF6-voZKI/AAAAAAAAAe4/chigo7SSYik/s400/100_7443.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423466362094249122" /></a>Now lifting all of that dirt over the fence was no fun, but at least it is out of my yard.<br><br></li><li>Construct a Border - I used two different kinds of border. We have leftover brick from the house construction and so I turned that into a decorative border:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QGcJTAnTI/AAAAAAAAAfA/AiOrTLNDmsY/s1600-h/100_7435.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QGcJTAnTI/AAAAAAAAAfA/AiOrTLNDmsY/s400/100_7435.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423466931862674738" /></a> I had enough brick to go vertical and it looks good from the grass side. You can also see that famous black clay with the brick there. The fence did not need anything fancy, so I bought the cheap pliable plastic border from Lowes:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QGyp2TkqI/AAAAAAAAAfI/RU1AcBByOpI/s1600-h/100_7442.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QGyp2TkqI/AAAAAAAAAfI/RU1AcBByOpI/s400/100_7442.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423467318557774498" /></a>Before going to the next step of refilling the area, it is a good idea to consider drainage and watering levels. I have a downspout that was pouring right into the middle of the new bed and would erode my hard work. I got a very cheap solid black tube and extended the drain out of the flower bed:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QHM3BSkzI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/5jXUgcjYS0w/s1600-h/100_7436.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QHM3BSkzI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/5jXUgcjYS0w/s400/100_7436.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423467768770106162" /></a>I also had four different sprinkler heads that were designed for a lawn and not a flower bed. I found replacement heads that are gentler and used a simple female-female connector to attach them to the main line:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QHgK5TyYI/AAAAAAAAAfY/7d-ucy5JTA4/s1600-h/100_7434.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QHgK5TyYI/AAAAAAAAAfY/7d-ucy5JTA4/s400/100_7434.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423468100522854786" /></a><br></li><li>Refill with Good Soil - Now is when all of those bags of 'the good stuff' comes into play. I put the good stuff in quotes because frankly anything was better than my black clay. So when I see a $20 miracle bag and a $1.85 pretty good bag, I choose the cheaper. With the number of bags that I bought, this added up to a lot of savings. I layered Peat Moss, Top Soil, Manure, Compost, and Top Soil. I had a friend recommend a combination similar to this and so far I like it. I used my spreader to evenly mix the dirt around the entire bed. Make sure at this point re-check your drainage. Make sure that it slopes away from the house for instance.In the end, my nasty soil was transformed into this:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QJG2kQ-ZI/AAAAAAAAAfg/2CzEf4VE3fs/s1600-h/100_7451.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QJG2kQ-ZI/AAAAAAAAAfg/2CzEf4VE3fs/s400/100_7451.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423469864592406930" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QJMcd92yI/AAAAAAAAAfo/DsrJwlW71Vs/s1600-h/100_7452.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/S0QJMcd92yI/AAAAAAAAAfo/DsrJwlW71Vs/s400/100_7452.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423469960665881378" /></a><br></li><li>Plant the Flowers - This is the part that you actually planned for. This is the easiest stage. We planted a bunch of bulbs and using our nifty plan, I knew exactly where to go. This stage is fairly anti-climactic.<br><br></li><li>Cover with Mulch - Protect your plant from moisture, bugs, and weeds with a good mulch. This last step also adds a colorful layer to the top</li></ol><br /><br />Hopefully this guide can help you. Feel free to post and questions or suggestions. I will be following up in the Spring and beyond with how the plants grow in and look.Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-33329429094315158582009-08-03T15:12:00.003-05:002009-08-03T15:55:47.154-05:00Quit Fooling YourselfI am tired of being saturated with overly hyped meaningless statistics. At least, I am 63.78% sure that I am. The film industry has been getting away it for years and this chicanery cannot go on. The is one of the few industries that publicly denies that inflation exists. The only inflation that they are aware of involves either bicycle tires or their own track record of success.<br /><br />The only statistic that is publicly acknowledged is Gross Revenue, or how much money they took in. Now it is one thing to report a statistic such as this, but it is another thing to flaunt it. <span style="font-style:italic;">This film had the largest opening for a non-action film debuting on a second Thursday in July since 1974!</span> I am sorry, but that is really disingenuous.<br /><br />The business world does not fawn over Gross Revenue numbers like this. They use calculations like Net Profit and Return on Investment (Money you make / Money you spent). And guess what, companies don't break all time records every three weeks!<br /><br />Another example is baseball. Aside from the sport's recent spotty numbers, they have not inflated their statistics. For instance, what if baseball did what the film industry does and multiply home runs by average price of admission? This year (2009) the <a href="http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3147:average-ticket-price-up-54-percent-in-mlb-yankeesmets-skew-total&catid=56:ticket-watch&Itemid=136">average ticket price to a Yankees game is $72.97</a>. The year before (2008) the average price was only $41.40. So Alex Rodriguez's 35 home runs last year would equal 1449. This year's 19 home runs equals 1386. So by the movie theater logic, he is 1 home run away from besting last year's rousing success. I don't think so. Let's go back to $5 dollar seats in 1961 and look at Roger Maris's amazing 61 home runs. Wait no, that only equals 305. ARod is almost 5 times better than Maris this year according to the industry.<br /><br />So, what is the solution?<br />A simple acknowledgment of total ticket sales . Now there is once again a problem with this because the population has grown, but not near as much as prices have. Or maybe we can use a percentage of the total census that saw the movie. So in 2009, 17.5% of the population saw that movie. So for example, so far this year, <span style="font-weight:bold;">roughly 47 million Americans have seen Transformers 2</span>. Impressive. Current figures put the number of people in the country at 307 million. So <span style="font-weight:bold;">Transformers 2 sold tickets to 15.33% of Americans</span>. Now there is a statistic I can buy.<br /><br />Let's put this in perspective a little. In 1993, Jurassic Park came out. So far, Transformers 2 has sold $30 million more than the Crichton classic. But wait, ticket prices were different back then. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Jurassic Park sold more than 86.2 million tickets in America</span>. In 1993, the estimated population was around 258 million people. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Jurassic Park sold tickets to 33.41% of Americans</span>.<br /><br />So while Transformers 2 has grossed more than Jurassic Park did, Jurassic Park attracted twice as much of the population to the theater.<br /><br />So if we unwind, all of the inflation gobbledygook, we are left with the following list of movies that were 'huge' in my conscious lifetime. And whether you liked the movies or not, you can remember that these movies were huge events out there.<br /><br /><ol><li>Titanic-1997</li><li>Jurassic Park-1993</li><li>Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace-1999</li><li>Forrest Gump-1994</li><li>The Lion King-1994</li><li>The Dark Knight-2008</li></ol><br /><br />Come on Hollywood, let's be realistic.Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-63537396173473708722009-06-21T21:41:00.011-05:002009-06-21T21:56:06.701-05:00A Real YardOur landscaping has been installed and looks great. We no longer have a mud pit surrounding our house garnished with a port-o-potty. Life is good.<br /><br />The Almost Completed Look<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7wEihjzsI/AAAAAAAAAYs/wxGk5spWJkg/s1600-h/100_3276.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7wEihjzsI/AAAAAAAAAYs/wxGk5spWJkg/s400/100_3276.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349977368140435138" /></a><br /><br />The Lone Tree in the Backyard (Red Oak)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7wTv3_75I/AAAAAAAAAY0/oQ0v7AhU050/s1600-h/100_3277.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7wTv3_75I/AAAAAAAAAY0/oQ0v7AhU050/s400/100_3277.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349977629422251922" /></a><br /><br />The rest of the Backyard<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7wi57PFUI/AAAAAAAAAY8/jB1PmrJckBQ/s1600-h/100_3278.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7wi57PFUI/AAAAAAAAAY8/jB1PmrJckBQ/s400/100_3278.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349977889818219842" /></a><br /><br />A plant up front (Juniper ?)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7wz7e19vI/AAAAAAAAAZE/AzB5ubcSxNM/s1600-h/100_3279.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7wz7e19vI/AAAAAAAAAZE/AzB5ubcSxNM/s400/100_3279.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349978182293780210" /></a><br /><br />Crape Myrtle (we have 2)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7xGXQgwyI/AAAAAAAAAZM/ewYePby_oh8/s1600-h/100_3281.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7xGXQgwyI/AAAAAAAAAZM/ewYePby_oh8/s400/100_3281.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349978498987508514" /></a><br /><br />Japanese Sky Pencil Holly<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7xUYOgJZI/AAAAAAAAAZU/YUMlcDKpAEs/s1600-h/100_3283.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7xUYOgJZI/AAAAAAAAAZU/YUMlcDKpAEs/s400/100_3283.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349978739765683602" /></a><br /><br />Kitchen Sink Fixture<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7xksmtZhI/AAAAAAAAAZc/vOxxmJlxuZk/s1600-h/100_3286.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7xksmtZhI/AAAAAAAAAZc/vOxxmJlxuZk/s400/100_3286.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349979020113831442" /></a><br /><br />Master Bath Granite and Sink Fixture<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7xw42jN5I/AAAAAAAAAZk/RcRRMoPMnAw/s1600-h/100_3291.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7xw42jN5I/AAAAAAAAAZk/RcRRMoPMnAw/s400/100_3291.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349979229559928722" /></a><br /><br />We are busy packing right now.<br />As you can see, we are just about ready to move!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7yCoG3QII/AAAAAAAAAZs/GWg2HFMMzTA/s1600-h/100_3275.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sj7yCoG3QII/AAAAAAAAAZs/GWg2HFMMzTA/s400/100_3275.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349979534302593154" /></a>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-81613302927528561602009-06-05T07:33:00.005-05:002009-06-05T07:39:44.287-05:00On the FenceWe now have the backyard officially defined and I like it. The fence has not been stained yet, but you can get a better feel for the yard now.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SikRO7OqHRI/AAAAAAAAAYE/-3PFppuGJ8A/s1600-h/HouseFrontFence.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SikRO7OqHRI/AAAAAAAAAYE/-3PFppuGJ8A/s400/HouseFrontFence.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343821380966817042" /></a><br /><br />My panoramic attempt<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SikReuEVW-I/AAAAAAAAAYM/7AOCbz7sV8M/s1600-h/BackyardWithFence.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 198px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SikReuEVW-I/AAAAAAAAAYM/7AOCbz7sV8M/s400/BackyardWithFence.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343821652311759842" /></a><br /><br />Oh, and they built our mailbox<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SikRl2vQeMI/AAAAAAAAAYU/ejO3nqem__g/s1600-h/Mailbox.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SikRl2vQeMI/AAAAAAAAAYU/ejO3nqem__g/s400/Mailbox.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343821774898362562" /></a><br /><br />Tile was started. Here you can see the pattern around the fireplace<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SikRuYBCbZI/AAAAAAAAAYc/CLga8z93VMg/s1600-h/FireplaceTile.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 349px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SikRuYBCbZI/AAAAAAAAAYc/CLga8z93VMg/s400/FireplaceTile.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343821921270263186" /></a><br /><br />The kitchen and dining room were tiled, but it is covered right now. You can see the light fixture that will be above our table.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SikR4BW1NrI/AAAAAAAAAYk/Veo1GY_aKvM/s1600-h/DiningArea.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SikR4BW1NrI/AAAAAAAAAYk/Veo1GY_aKvM/s400/DiningArea.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343822086986348210" /></a>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-84852728288286859212009-05-29T15:25:00.007-05:002009-05-29T15:32:41.107-05:0085% KitchenThe house is rolling along. July 10th is the latest that we will close on it. Here is the latest:<br /><br />The kitchen now has cabinets and counter tops.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SiBFNZCXqMI/AAAAAAAAAXU/WhaDuBk1v2s/s1600-h/kitchen.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SiBFNZCXqMI/AAAAAAAAAXU/WhaDuBk1v2s/s400/kitchen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341345254422849730" /></a><br /><br />A closer look at the granite pattern (Santa Cecilia).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SiBFViRChiI/AAAAAAAAAXc/mckWmCY7UGE/s1600-h/granite.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 293px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SiBFViRChiI/AAAAAAAAAXc/mckWmCY7UGE/s400/granite.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341345394339251746" /></a><br /><br />The walls and trim have been painted. This was taken in the kitchen.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SiBFqyQrnAI/AAAAAAAAAXk/DcTlF0fEvEw/s1600-h/stairsFromKitchen.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SiBFqyQrnAI/AAAAAAAAAXk/DcTlF0fEvEw/s400/stairsFromKitchen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341345759409970178" /></a><br /><br />The Living Room so far.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SiBF0mrpT-I/AAAAAAAAAXs/QwTLGNjtTz0/s1600-h/livingRoom.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SiBF0mrpT-I/AAAAAAAAAXs/QwTLGNjtTz0/s400/livingRoom.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341345928100532194" /></a><br /><br />Where the TV will eventually go upstairs.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SiBF8_L4kQI/AAAAAAAAAX0/bI9EvUA6QIk/s1600-h/tvRoom.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SiBF8_L4kQI/AAAAAAAAAX0/bI9EvUA6QIk/s400/tvRoom.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341346072117154050" /></a><br /><br />They have finished grading the site so now it is all level and not quite as trashy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SiBGGrPXy0I/AAAAAAAAAX8/IXNcZYK1MTw/s1600-h/frontGrade.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SiBGGrPXy0I/AAAAAAAAAX8/IXNcZYK1MTw/s400/frontGrade.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341346238561766210" /></a>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-62287649323975036982009-05-29T07:55:00.007-05:002009-05-29T08:04:53.580-05:00Feelin the BluesWe recently made a trip to a prime photo op location less than a mile from our apartment. Below are the best of the best:<br /><br />Kimberlee and her Favorites<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sh_bwLDS_jI/AAAAAAAAAWs/KOlpPdMS2CM/s1600-h/100_3131.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sh_bwLDS_jI/AAAAAAAAAWs/KOlpPdMS2CM/s400/100_3131.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341229303731519026" /></a><br /><br />Mollee<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sh_b5-YYtpI/AAAAAAAAAW0/Pm4zRtFa5mQ/s1600-h/100_3163_2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 233px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sh_b5-YYtpI/AAAAAAAAAW0/Pm4zRtFa5mQ/s400/100_3163_2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341229472129005202" /></a><br /><br />Buddy<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sh_cAgA7Z1I/AAAAAAAAAW8/LMau4Tw9pmM/s1600-h/100_3166_2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sh_cAgA7Z1I/AAAAAAAAAW8/LMau4Tw9pmM/s400/100_3166_2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341229584236635986" /></a><br /><br />Now Buddy has something that he is always on the lookout for... clean clothes. Whenever we do the laundry, he finds the freshest pile and plants himself on it. This is him using a recent pile of clothing for a pillow.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sh_cT-9B6dI/AAAAAAAAAXE/8LHthl8Uj1c/s1600-h/100_3246.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sh_cT-9B6dI/AAAAAAAAAXE/8LHthl8Uj1c/s400/100_3246.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341229918959299026" /></a><br /><br />Now, If you are going to be on my clean clothes, you had better be clean yourself. Therefore, it is bath time, the most feared time of all. Now in the past, I have treated you to <a href="http://jchrisp.blogspot.com/2008/07/aom-what-is-your-greatest-fear.html">Mollee's bath experience</a>. This time, I will show you a glimpse of the 'Bud Man' in his deepest nightmare.<br /><br />Since this past weekend was the <a href="http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/">World Beard Championships</a>, here is a little treat:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sh_dHMlBWOI/AAAAAAAAAXM/e_Fo20U22ys/s1600-h/100_3247.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sh_dHMlBWOI/AAAAAAAAAXM/e_Fo20U22ys/s400/100_3247.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341230798790023394" /></a>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-20583093300842514872009-05-21T07:27:00.008-05:002009-05-21T07:37:44.402-05:00Its a Brick HouseThe Entrance<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/ShVJWVywqaI/AAAAAAAAAV8/W1aFwZ98qac/s1600-h/100_3227.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/ShVJWVywqaI/AAAAAAAAAV8/W1aFwZ98qac/s400/100_3227.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338253581473589666" /></a><br /><br />Brick Close-Up<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/ShVJl9QoOBI/AAAAAAAAAWE/C9vnqL4RhYU/s1600-h/100_3222.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/ShVJl9QoOBI/AAAAAAAAAWE/C9vnqL4RhYU/s400/100_3222.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338253849765885970" /></a><br /><br />Back of the House<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/ShVJ0ZzOCcI/AAAAAAAAAWM/R0ywYjQ-H7E/s1600-h/100_3224.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/ShVJ0ZzOCcI/AAAAAAAAAWM/R0ywYjQ-H7E/s400/100_3224.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338254097945332162" /></a><br /><br />Side of the House<br />Interesting to note how the look changes as the mortar dries. You can tell which sections where done in sequence.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/ShVKD8yYx4I/AAAAAAAAAWU/1NXkAxcWlZQ/s1600-h/100_3220.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/ShVKD8yYx4I/AAAAAAAAAWU/1NXkAxcWlZQ/s400/100_3220.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338254365035120514" /></a><br /><br />Front of the House<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/ShVKO-_yrqI/AAAAAAAAAWc/j2W1qIh4618/s1600-h/100_3219.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/ShVKO-_yrqI/AAAAAAAAAWc/j2W1qIh4618/s400/100_3219.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338254554606775970" /></a><br /><br />Interior Paint Color<br />They just started putting paint on the walls. I tried to capture both the base white and the new color in this photo.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/ShVKYHWaKtI/AAAAAAAAAWk/bf33H-m2HOM/s1600-h/100_3223.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/ShVKYHWaKtI/AAAAAAAAAWk/bf33H-m2HOM/s400/100_3223.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338254711467944658" /></a>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-89095535360043991342009-05-10T21:08:00.007-05:002009-05-10T21:15:08.634-05:00We Have WallsThe sheet rock is up. Things are moving very quickly now. We should have interior doors, cabinetry, wall texturing, and maybe even brick next week.<br /><br />Entryway:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SgeJKe8SpwI/AAAAAAAAAU8/LbkTdCSOYsA/s1600-h/100_3189.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SgeJKe8SpwI/AAAAAAAAAU8/LbkTdCSOYsA/s400/100_3189.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334383096841283330" /></a><br /><br />Kitchen:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SgeJSPsEacI/AAAAAAAAAVE/uE3nv72t0Z0/s1600-h/100_3186.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SgeJSPsEacI/AAAAAAAAAVE/uE3nv72t0Z0/s400/100_3186.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334383230185662914" /></a><br /><br />Game Room:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SgeJkoio7nI/AAAAAAAAAVM/QbIi6Ivj-R0/s1600-h/100_3190.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SgeJkoio7nI/AAAAAAAAAVM/QbIi6Ivj-R0/s400/100_3190.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334383546094644850" /></a><br /><br />Upstairs Guest Rooms:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SgeJqJ812nI/AAAAAAAAAVU/e1lEOBE7CIM/s1600-h/100_3191.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SgeJqJ812nI/AAAAAAAAAVU/e1lEOBE7CIM/s400/100_3191.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334383640962259570" /></a><br /><br />Looking Down:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SgeJw6TPgeI/AAAAAAAAAVc/fA3ime2RSa0/s1600-h/100_3192.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SgeJw6TPgeI/AAAAAAAAAVc/fA3ime2RSa0/s400/100_3192.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334383757020332514" /></a><br /><br />Rear of the House:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SgeJ2k3aNkI/AAAAAAAAAVk/xrmYOUCf9qo/s1600-h/100_3185.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SgeJ2k3aNkI/AAAAAAAAAVk/xrmYOUCf9qo/s400/100_3185.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334383854345664066" /></a><br /><br />And in the why not category...<br /><br />The neighborhood werewolf:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SgeKAGuwK0I/AAAAAAAAAVs/HnECqQxdjQU/s1600-h/100_3184.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SgeKAGuwK0I/AAAAAAAAAVs/HnECqQxdjQU/s400/100_3184.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334384018054982466" /></a>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-26491315027578070182009-05-04T17:03:00.005-05:002009-05-04T17:07:09.068-05:00UpThe house has been moving along quite quickly. Here are a few updates.<br /><br />The cross-stitch that Kimberlee's grandma made for us:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sf9mdwuOxII/AAAAAAAAAUc/mbZE3_cDe4s/s1600-h/100_3172.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sf9mdwuOxII/AAAAAAAAAUc/mbZE3_cDe4s/s400/100_3172.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332093145311003778" /></a><br /><br />From across the road:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sf9mmzP2eaI/AAAAAAAAAUk/tocyb_tuxU8/s1600-h/100_3173.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 236px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sf9mmzP2eaI/AAAAAAAAAUk/tocyb_tuxU8/s400/100_3173.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332093300607711650" /></a><br /><br />Kimberlee and I out front:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sf9mw1U8opI/AAAAAAAAAUs/C8QkXeWaf94/s1600-h/100_3176.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 287px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sf9mw1U8opI/AAAAAAAAAUs/C8QkXeWaf94/s400/100_3176.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332093472964649618" /></a><br /><br />The first official "Hesse Wave":<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sf9m4u7ybSI/AAAAAAAAAU0/ObD8KHELoI0/s1600-h/100_3177.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sf9m4u7ybSI/AAAAAAAAAU0/ObD8KHELoI0/s400/100_3177.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332093608687463714" /></a>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-37668916730083065172009-04-08T12:01:00.001-05:002009-04-08T12:03:18.998-05:00Completed FoundationThe foundation is complete. In fact, as I type they are working on the frame. Things are really moving now.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SdzYvQfF3GI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/XoyyKR6X9-A/s1600-h/foundationFinished.jpg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SdzYvQfF3GI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/XoyyKR6X9-A/s400/foundationFinished.jpg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322367166035909730" /></a>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-70478649618598141942009-04-06T20:31:00.008-05:002009-04-06T20:54:46.886-05:00Opening Day 2009<span style="font-weight:bold;">Pregame Festivities</span><br /><br />Balloons Released Around Noon<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sdquvpxg8qI/AAAAAAAAATg/MYMZBIFEL88/s1600-h/100_3109.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/Sdquvpxg8qI/AAAAAAAAATg/MYMZBIFEL88/s400/100_3109.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321758043382280866" /></a><br /><br />Rosters and Alumni<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SdqvEXDBWVI/AAAAAAAAATo/apKqikh4e1s/s1600-h/100_3110.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SdqvEXDBWVI/AAAAAAAAATo/apKqikh4e1s/s400/100_3110.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321758399132686674" /></a><br /><br />The Biggest Flag Ever<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SdqvYLUPSjI/AAAAAAAAATw/PUWZqSV9lpg/s1600-h/100_3111.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SdqvYLUPSjI/AAAAAAAAATw/PUWZqSV9lpg/s400/100_3111.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321758739581061682" /></a><br /><br />President Bush (43), Nolan Ryan, and owner Tom Hicks on the mound<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SdqvjwbiVlI/AAAAAAAAAT4/981ysFkBdvk/s1600-h/100_3112.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SdqvjwbiVlI/AAAAAAAAAT4/981ysFkBdvk/s400/100_3112.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321758938522342994" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">View During the Game</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SdqwE2936QI/AAAAAAAAAUA/_I0h7Fuu538/s1600-h/100_3117.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SdqwE2936QI/AAAAAAAAAUA/_I0h7Fuu538/s400/100_3117.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321759507212658946" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">My Dad and I During the 7th Inning Stretch</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SdqwbccuBsI/AAAAAAAAAUI/9P8Ajc0ebcc/s1600-h/100_3119.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SdqwbccuBsI/AAAAAAAAAUI/9P8Ajc0ebcc/s400/100_3119.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321759895231268546" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Thoughts from the Game</span><br /><br /><ul><li>If traffic was that bad for a Rangers game, I do not want to be out there within a week of a Cowboys game</li><li>Ian Kinsler is hitting the ball very well. Everything was solid contact</li><li>Michael Young is a very good defensive 3rd baseman</li><li>Josh Hamilton has not found his groove yet, but his Willie Mays catch in center was great</li><li>Nelson Cruz looked off on every play in right field, not a good sign</li><li>Hank's Homies should be excited, he seems motivated this year</li><li>Marlon Byrd continues to be too productive to ignore</li><li>Chris Davis looked silly at the plate</li><li>Salty showed why his bat earned the starting job</li><li>Andrus was nimble and efficient, exactly what we want</li><li>Millwood was fooling hitter all day, lots of sky high pop ups</li><li>Grady Sizemore is fast... beat out a for sure double play by making it to 2nd</li><li>Nothing like a packed house to fire up the troops</li><li>Note to the home crowd, our pitchers throw worse when you get rowdy</li><li>Opening Day is much better than Monday at the Office</li></ul>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-51855243743535082032009-04-02T14:16:00.003-05:002009-04-02T21:26:33.970-05:002009 Baseball PredictionsSo once again, I offer the greatest compilation of sports prognostication around. I crunched the numbers and added in my own special expertise. Without further adieu, the greatness: <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">AL East</span><br /><ol><li>95 - 67 Boston Red Sox</li><br /><li>89 - 73 New York Yankees</li><br /><li>88 - 74 Tampa Bay Rays</li><br /><li>78 - 84 Toronto Blue Jays</li><br /><li>68 - 94 Baltimore Orioles</li></ol><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">AL Central</span><br /><ol><li>85 - 77 Cleveland Indians</li><br /><li>84 - 80 Minnesota Twins</li><br /><li>83 - 78 Detroit Tigers</li><br /><li>81 - 71 Chicago White Sox</li><br /><li>74 - 88 Kansas City Royals</li></ol><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">AL West</span><br /><ol><li>88 - 74 Los Angeles Angels</li><br /><li>83 - 79 Texas Rangers</li><br /><li>80 - 82 Oakland Athletics</li><br /><li>69 - 93 Seattle Mariners</li></ol><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">NL East</span><br /><ol><li>90 - 72 Philadelphia Phillies</li><br /><li>87 - 75 New York Mets</li><br /><li>82 - 80 Florida Marlins</li><br /><li>75 - 87 Atlanta Braves</li><br /><li>72 - 90 Washington Nationals</li></ol><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">NL Central</span><br /><ol><li>91 - 71 Chicago Cubs</li><br /><li>89 - 73 St. Louis Cardinals</li><br /><li>86 - 76 Milwaukee Brewers</li><br /><li>82 - 80 Houston Astros</li><br /><li>74 - 88 Cincinnati Reds</li><br /><li>70 - 92 Pittsburgh Pirates</li></ol><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">NL West</span><br /><ol><li>89 - 73 Los Angeles Dodgers</li><br /><li>83 - 79 Arizona Diamondbacks</li><br /><li>81 - 81 San Francisco Giants</li><br /><li>75 - 87 Colorado Rockies</li><br /><li>70 - 92 San Diego Padres</li></ol><br /><br />So according to that account the Playoffs look like:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">American League</span>: Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles and New York<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">National League</span>: Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, and St. Louis<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">World Series</span>: Boston over ChicagoJordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-42231007153624936492009-04-01T13:43:00.003-05:002009-04-01T13:48:19.334-05:00Taking RootToday I had the good fortune of checking out our land just as they were pouring our foundation. I got to meet a guy named Mike who was using a remote control to pump the mixture into the ground. A team of guys walked around in the stuff and tried to smooth it out as quickly as possible. I only had my camera phone available, so the photo is a little blurry.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SdO2h8iRLkI/AAAAAAAAATY/qZJLi8BakxQ/s1600-h/Foundation.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SdO2h8iRLkI/AAAAAAAAATY/qZJLi8BakxQ/s400/Foundation.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319796279156485698" /></a>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-65296384076722181052009-03-11T11:59:00.002-05:002009-03-11T12:40:03.348-05:002009 Baseball Predictions PrimerIn the past (<a href="http://jchrisp.blogspot.com/2008/03/2008-baseball-predictions.html">2008</a> and <a href="http://jchrisp.blogspot.com/2007/03/2007-baseball-predictions.html">2007</a>) I have made predictions about the outcome of the baseball season. I based these on the previous year's record and then added in my own personal adjustment. It is a fairly simple formula. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Previous Years Wins +/- Off-season Moves.</span> <br /><br />This year I am taking a different approach. I have run some regression statistics and will be using those. I figured that I would explain the process before I actually posted the predictions. I have run a regression analysis on the premise that Win Total is a function of OPS and WHIP. To make it simpler, Winning is a combination of Hitting and Pitching. I chose OPS and WHIP as indicators of each respectively. Running a regression analysis on the past 5 seasons, I came up with this formula:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Win Total = 55.19 + (192.8 * OPS) - (86.2 * WHIP)</span><br /><br />Now, you may ask, "How accurate is that formula?" A good question. According to the regression model, the adjusted R squared is .7835. In other words, The above formula accounts for 78.35% of the reason wins are the total that they are. For baseball, this is a fairly strong relationship. There is obviously no way to account for random occurrences fully, so a good 21.65% is still left to chance and situational factors.<br /><br />So with that formula in mind. I calculated how many wins each team <span style="font-style:italic;">would</span> have won if that formula were perfect. I then took the difference between reality and prediction and multiplied it by 78.35%. So with that, I have come up with the Adjusted Win Total for each team last year. <br /><br />I will use this as my base prior to adjustment this year rather than actual results. Why do I want to do this? I want to know how good teams were, not how lucky they were. Therefore my formula this year is:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Previous Years Adjusted Wins +/- Opinion of Off-season Moves.</span><br /><br />So what exactly are the adjusted win totals that I will be working with?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">AL East</span><br /><ol><li>96 - 66 Boston Red Sox</li><br /><li>92 - 70 Tampa Bay Rays</li><br /><li>89 - 73 Toronto Blue Jays</li><br /><li>87 - 75 New York Yankees</li><br /><li>68 - 94 Baltimore Orioles</li></ol><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">AL Central</span><br /><ol><li>91 - 71 Chicago White Sox</li><br /><li>84 - 78 Cleveland Indians</li><br /><li>84 - 78 Minnesota Twins</li><br /><li>76 - 86 Detroit Tigers</li><br /><li>75 - 87 Kansas City Royals</li></ol><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">AL West</span><br /><ol><li>88 - 74 Los Angeles Angels</li><br /><li>77 - 85 Texas Rangers</li><br /><li>72 - 88 Oakland Athletics</li><br /><li>61 - 101 Seattle Mariners</li></ol><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">NL East</span><br /><ol><li>88 - 74 Philadelphia Phillies</li><br /><li>85 - 77 New York Mets</li><br /><li>82 - 80 Florida Marlins</li><br /><li>77 - 85 Atlanta Braves</li><br /><li>63 - 99 Washington Nationals</li></ol><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">NL Central</span><br /><ol><li>98 - 64 Chicago Cubs</li><br /><li>87 - 75 Milwaukee Brewers</li><br /><li>87 - 75 St. Louis Cardinals</li><br /><li>81 - 81 Houston Astros</li><br /><li>71 - 91 Cincinnati Reds</li><br /><li>61 - 101 Pittsburgh Pirates</li></ol><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">NL West</span><br /><ol><li>86 - 76 Arizona Diamondbacks</li><br /><li>85 - 77 Los Angeles Dodgers</li><br /><li>74 - 88 Colorado Rockies</li><br /><li>70 - 92 San Diego Padres</li><br /><li>68 - 94 San Francisco Giants</li></ol><br /><br />Which team was adjusted the most?<br /> Los Angeles Angels (-12 wins)<br /><br />Feel free to post comments or suggestions. Is there a stat that you think would be better to use than either OPS or WHIP?Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-3014842299886375572009-03-07T19:10:00.006-06:002009-03-07T19:17:54.061-06:00Starved for AttentionI had to get my camera out and capture the fun that our dogs bring to our lives.<br /><br />This picture is Mollee trying to get my attention while I am studying by chewing on my chair.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SbMbn4XcUDI/AAAAAAAAATA/Z_54ntYc8dg/s1600-h/100_3083.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SbMbn4XcUDI/AAAAAAAAATA/Z_54ntYc8dg/s400/100_3083.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310618757559504946" /></a><br /><br />Buddy is a fun dog to have. He seems genuinely happy and frankly excited just to be alive. So you can do all sorts of things to him and he is either clueless or too excited to care. Take today, when Kimberlee decided to put some Easter Bunny ears on him, this was his reaction.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SbMcFfMRQ8I/AAAAAAAAATI/64uVqRYNUO0/s1600-h/100_3085.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SbMcFfMRQ8I/AAAAAAAAATI/64uVqRYNUO0/s400/100_3085.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310619266197832642" /></a><br /><br />Now Mollee being the spoiled little thing that she is deems silly things like this to be both pointless and humiliating. Therefore, she gives us the evil eye whenever we try to make her prissy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SbMcX8ZrIkI/AAAAAAAAATQ/55VeMz8XCxw/s1600-h/100_3086.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SbMcX8ZrIkI/AAAAAAAAATQ/55VeMz8XCxw/s400/100_3086.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310619583276327490" /></a>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-84477648100412088372009-03-05T21:00:00.007-06:002009-03-05T21:13:01.640-06:00Outlines and TrenchesIf you are like me, this title evokes thoughts of presentation summaries and World War 1 fighting strategies. But, these two words can adequately describe the current state of my house. The builder has put up form boards that will be used later on for the foundation. This is like having a chalk line of your house. It is pretty cool to see where it is going to go, but boy does it look small when you look at it. Kimberlee wanted me to double check that the builder wasn't skimming some of the square footage off. The familiar view across the street is now:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SbCT2cAnNnI/AAAAAAAAASw/CaVhz33ME40/s1600-h/100_3075.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SbCT2cAnNnI/AAAAAAAAASw/CaVhz33ME40/s400/100_3075.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309906524110796402" /></a><br />They have dug a bunch of trenches that will be used for pipes of various sorts. They have to get all of that done before the foundation is poured. Because of this pre-design, we should only have 1 hole in the foundation for all of the pipes to enter the house.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SbCUTvVzriI/AAAAAAAAAS4/QAobf3nB48k/s1600-h/100_3077.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SbCUTvVzriI/AAAAAAAAAS4/QAobf3nB48k/s400/100_3077.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309907027516173858" /></a><br />Current estimates are that we will have a good amount of the framing done by the end of the month!Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390678.post-67997913880747068042009-02-26T08:15:00.006-06:002009-02-26T08:39:27.207-06:00Bear DownHow does a baseball team's ability to keep runner's from scoring affect their win total? Today I am going to look at the relationship between Team Wins and Left on Base %.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Team Wins</span><br />Number of total wins for a team<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Left On Base %</span><br />The percentage of hitters that reach base but do not score.<br /><br />I charted out 2008's values to see what kind of trendline it would generate. The Correlation is only about 60%, but if you remove the 1 obvious anomaly, it jumps to 70%.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SaanipqfuOI/AAAAAAAAASg/sG3NbGuqCLQ/s1600-h/LOB_Wins.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 276px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iaKa7sA0CI4/SaanipqfuOI/AAAAAAAAASg/sG3NbGuqCLQ/s400/LOB_Wins.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307113424644192482" /></a><br />It is quite obvious that holding runners or bearing down is a key component to winning. What determines how far a team is above or below the line? <span style="font-weight:bold;">Hitting</span><br /><br />The anomaly? That would be the 79 win Texas Rangers. The equation Wins = 435.37(LOB %) - 231.28 describes the slope of the line without the Rangers. That would peg the Rangers at 55 Wins last year based upon pitching. <br /><br />The teams that were farthest from the line were (Actual to Equation):<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Can't Hit</span><br />Seattle Mariners (61 to 77)<br />Washington Nationals (59 to 74)<br />San Diego Padres (63 to 77)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Hit a lot</span><br />Texas Rangers (79 to 55)<br />California Anaheim LA Angels (100 to 87)Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06562011699117576893noreply@blogger.com0