(no subject)
~ Have discovered a new (to me!) writer that I like! This happens so infrequently as to be quite noteworthy. It's Patricia Briggs, a fantasy writer out of the NorthWest. I've never been a big fan of urban fantasy, but she's great with descriptions and character voices. And the best part is, she has a handful of three or four book series already out, so I have plenty to dive into. XM Radio is pricey, but I've really enjoyed having it this past year because it has introduced me to a lot of things that probably never would have caught my attention otherwise. I first heard Briggs' work on Book Radio, where they featured her Alpha and Omega title, Hunting Ground, in June.
~ After all the breast beating and everything, Bri's lord and savior is in Baltimore with the team, and she couldn't be more pleased. Notwithstanding the fact that he has no hair now, and I can't get over how he has no hair now. My brain! And eyes! I mean, I knew he was balding but. still. This choice, it's v. disconcerting. Bri took about eleventy billion pictures of him yesterday, so I'll let her share the visuals on that. But for the record, it's not in any way like the times Huston Lowell has gone with the close shaved look. So weird!
He didn't sign yesterday, but he did come out for batting practice, which is, like, 75% of the battle with James Richard. And not only did he come out, he gave several shagged balls to little girls in the stands which almost, ALMOST, makes up for what he's done to his head. I would have been pleased with one ball to one little girl, but I am pretty sure he created at least five mini-Briannas yesterday. (He also gave balls to a few boys, but most everyone does that, so whatever.) He also may or may not have said "Nice jersey!" to me on his way off the field, as he tossed a ball to a kid to my left. I was wearing a hella old white Athletics Huddy tee (yeah, I'm one of those people - the ones who wear shirts for teams not playing in the game I'm actually at), which is not a jersey, but Bri is convinced he was talking to me since the only person actually in a jersey around us was in Orioles' colors. (Huston also reacted to my A's tee in Pittsburgh last year. It's an endearing quality about former Athletics not named Barry Zito.)
And then, icing on the cake, the Orioles ruined Cliffmas! I like Cliff Lee and all, but it was the Fox Game of the Week for our region, so I was not sad the Orioles knocked him around. The best part was Josh Bell's two homeruns - this kid can't hit the broadside of a barn for months, and then he gets healthy on Cliff Lee of all people. What a treat of firsts this series has turned into. Thursday night: my dad's first win in ages. Friday night: Markakis' first career ejection (YOU'RE A WANKER, JEFF NELSON), and CJ Wilson's career high 12 strikeouts (YOU'RE A WANKER, JEFF NELSON). Yesterday: Josh Bell's first career homerun (and first career two homer game), and Cliff Lee allows four homers in a game for the first time in his career. Hee. And okay, to be fair, we also saw Mike Kirkman make his MLB debut for the Rangers, and strike out the side doing so. We were sitting behind home plate, which we hardly ever do, because we cannot seem to figure out how to take pictures of the field from behind the net. We had a decent view of the visitor's dugout, though, so we sat put. We were also in the shade all game, thank goodness.
This or That was Wayne vs. Garth, which I have seen like half a dozen times now, and I'm not even at Camden Yards all that often >:[ Wayne wins, if I haven't mentioned before, 7 to 2. However, Jeremy Guthrie's Get To Know Your O's feature involved a decent amount of him latin dancing with Felix Pie in the weight room, so all is forgiven. I need to start video taping those things, because they are too much fun.
Last game tomorrow (er, later today). We're gonna be in the sun all day this time, and I'm fasting, so that could get interesting. Hopefully Harden signs, and the Orioles take the series :) Of course, Kevin Millwood is starting, so odds are Texas will crawl home with a split. No odds on Bri continuing her streak of getting her pic taken with Harden in every uniform he's ever donned, but I am crossing my fingers.
~ Just saw Mike Hampton's name on the MLBN crawl. Apparently some team signed him to a minor league deal. So random. Why is it that no pitchers I actually like ever come out of quasi-retirement and return to baseball?
~ I don't wish the kid ill at all, but it's always something or another with Strasburg lately, sheesh. This is why you don't put all your eggs in one basket, Washington :/ Timmy K says they might have to shut him down for the season? On the plus side, maybe Cards-Nats ticket prices will come down to earth?
~ Does anyone on ye olde f-list keep score at baseball games? I have some technique questions.
~ After all the breast beating and everything, Bri's lord and savior is in Baltimore with the team, and she couldn't be more pleased. Notwithstanding the fact that he has no hair now, and I can't get over how he has no hair now. My brain! And eyes! I mean, I knew he was balding but. still. This choice, it's v. disconcerting. Bri took about eleventy billion pictures of him yesterday, so I'll let her share the visuals on that. But for the record, it's not in any way like the times Huston Lowell has gone with the close shaved look. So weird!
He didn't sign yesterday, but he did come out for batting practice, which is, like, 75% of the battle with James Richard. And not only did he come out, he gave several shagged balls to little girls in the stands which almost, ALMOST, makes up for what he's done to his head. I would have been pleased with one ball to one little girl, but I am pretty sure he created at least five mini-Briannas yesterday. (He also gave balls to a few boys, but most everyone does that, so whatever.) He also may or may not have said "Nice jersey!" to me on his way off the field, as he tossed a ball to a kid to my left. I was wearing a hella old white Athletics Huddy tee (yeah, I'm one of those people - the ones who wear shirts for teams not playing in the game I'm actually at), which is not a jersey, but Bri is convinced he was talking to me since the only person actually in a jersey around us was in Orioles' colors. (Huston also reacted to my A's tee in Pittsburgh last year. It's an endearing quality about former Athletics not named Barry Zito.)
And then, icing on the cake, the Orioles ruined Cliffmas! I like Cliff Lee and all, but it was the Fox Game of the Week for our region, so I was not sad the Orioles knocked him around. The best part was Josh Bell's two homeruns - this kid can't hit the broadside of a barn for months, and then he gets healthy on Cliff Lee of all people. What a treat of firsts this series has turned into. Thursday night: my dad's first win in ages. Friday night: Markakis' first career ejection (YOU'RE A WANKER, JEFF NELSON), and CJ Wilson's career high 12 strikeouts (YOU'RE A WANKER, JEFF NELSON). Yesterday: Josh Bell's first career homerun (and first career two homer game), and Cliff Lee allows four homers in a game for the first time in his career. Hee. And okay, to be fair, we also saw Mike Kirkman make his MLB debut for the Rangers, and strike out the side doing so. We were sitting behind home plate, which we hardly ever do, because we cannot seem to figure out how to take pictures of the field from behind the net. We had a decent view of the visitor's dugout, though, so we sat put. We were also in the shade all game, thank goodness.
This or That was Wayne vs. Garth, which I have seen like half a dozen times now, and I'm not even at Camden Yards all that often >:[ Wayne wins, if I haven't mentioned before, 7 to 2. However, Jeremy Guthrie's Get To Know Your O's feature involved a decent amount of him latin dancing with Felix Pie in the weight room, so all is forgiven. I need to start video taping those things, because they are too much fun.
Last game tomorrow (er, later today). We're gonna be in the sun all day this time, and I'm fasting, so that could get interesting. Hopefully Harden signs, and the Orioles take the series :) Of course, Kevin Millwood is starting, so odds are Texas will crawl home with a split. No odds on Bri continuing her streak of getting her pic taken with Harden in every uniform he's ever donned, but I am crossing my fingers.
~ Just saw Mike Hampton's name on the MLBN crawl. Apparently some team signed him to a minor league deal. So random. Why is it that no pitchers I actually like ever come out of quasi-retirement and return to baseball?
~ I don't wish the kid ill at all, but it's always something or another with Strasburg lately, sheesh. This is why you don't put all your eggs in one basket, Washington :/ Timmy K says they might have to shut him down for the season? On the plus side, maybe Cards-Nats ticket prices will come down to earth?
~ Does anyone on ye olde f-list keep score at baseball games? I have some technique questions.