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Monday, July 13th, 2009
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survivinggrady
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5:49a
Josh Beckett, Destroyer of Worlds
http://www.survivinggrady.com/2009/07/josh-beckett-destroyer-of-worlds.html 
You know that killer guitar riff at the beginning of Van Halen's version of "You Really Got Me"? That blazing red mushroom cloud towering over Los Alamos? The sound of hot metal-on-metal action whenever giant robots battle over Tokyo in those Japanese monster flicks? That look in the eyes of a starving pack of wolves as they come across a broken down bus full of fat camp kids? The scene in Reservoir Dogs where everyone's got their guns aimed at each other and no one's backing down? The sound of a turbo engine roaring down a desert highway, sixteen drunken hookers rolling into your party suite at Caesar's, the first time you heard the Ramones and that white-knuckle sensation of seeing Luke Skywwalker blow up the Death Star?
That's Josh Beckett, folks. That's Josh Beckett.
Much like everything described above, his awesome has reached a point at which mere words are almost unfitting. It's like we need a sort of dinner theatre performance or some Michael Bay pyrotechnics to properly convey the full scope of just what this motherflipper does every time he hits the mound. Yesterday, he scored his 100th win, his eleventh of the season, and struck out seven as he cooly joined The Waker at the top of the AL Wins Leaders chart. And he did it like he always does it. With that blank, serial killer-esque that's perpetually welded to his mug. When he's not barking down batters or carpet bombing pressers with the F-word, that is.
But we expect it. Because cool guys don't look at explosions. They blow things up, then just walk away.
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center_field2
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3:29p
Beckett Hyperbole
http://www.outincenterfield.com/2009/07/beckett-hyperbole/ http://www.outincenterfield.com/?p=5801 Josh Beckett is a firm believer in the “go big or go home” mentality. And when it came time to claim his 100th career win, he did it with flair: a complete game shut-out masterpiece (yeah, I said it, MASTERPIECE), with under 100 pitches, 7 K’s, 0 BB, and (of course) 0 ER — notching his 11th win of the year, tied for the most wins overall. And although we all know that wins are a near-useless stat for evaluating the performance of a pitcher, even my win-dismissing self can’t deny that 100 career wins is a major milestone.
After a performance like that, you’ll forgive the media and the fans for going above and beyond with the Beckett hyperbole. Although – is it really hyperbole if it’s ALL TRUE?
Adam Kilgore, Boston Globe:
Just when it appeared the Sox may stagger into the break, bats slumping and bodies aching, they beat the Kansas City Royals three straight games, concluding with yesterday’s 6-0 throttling, a victory engineered by Beckett. In dealing a three-hit, no-walk shutout, Beckett shredded the Royals’ paper-maché lineup and propelled himself to the fore of the American League Cy Young race.
Soxaholix:
The thing is, too, he hasn’t just won those games, he’s pwned the opposition.
Are you kidding me? Beckett is so hot that Hans Blix called saying he needs to inspect him.
Seriously. Dude’s fastball is so hot and unhittable that they should staht calling it the Megan Fox.
Get Out of My Ballpark:
JOSH BECKETT WILL SHUT DOWN THE OPPOSING BATTING ORDER WITH BY POUNDING THE STRIKE ZONE WITH EXPLODING FASTBALLS, KNEE BUCKLING CURVEBALLS, AND DAYLIGHT SAVINGS CHANGEUPS! IT’S NOT FAIR! HE USES PATENTED UP-DOWN, IN-OUT, FAST-SLOW TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE THE OTHER TEAM SEND EVERY ONE OF THEIR PLAYERS TO THE MINORS! THE SECRET IS IN THE FACT THAT HE GOES ALL NINE INNINGS! YOUR BULLPEN CAN GO INTO THE ALL STAR BREAK THE WAY THEY ARE BEST, SITTING IN THE OUTFIELD PLAYING DRUMS ON THE ROOF OF THEIR DUGOUT, NOT SCREWING UP ANOTHER GAME!
Even the Royals manager couldn’t help but indulge himself in a wee bit of Beckett hyperbole.
“He was outstanding — not a lot we could do with him today, to be honest with you,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said.
The one person who is not prone to hyperbole when it comes to Josh Beckett? Josh Beckett.
“It’s pretty memorable,” Beckett said of reaching the 100-win plateau. “It’s cool. It means I’ve stuck around for a little while.
He prefers to let his pitching do the talking for him.
© Center Field
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dolittler
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12:00a
How to negotiate with your vet (in five simple steps)
http://www.dolittler.com/2009/07/13/How-to-negotiate-with-your-vet-in-five-simple-steps.html  It’s 6 PM and your favorite veterinary hospital is windng down for the day. You can see the lights go off inside just as you pull up with “the mother of all emergencies.” Your dog has just bloated and you didn’t think to call ahead. You were so wound up and near-hysterical when you found him at home, mid-bloat and retching, you didn’t even have time to register the time of day.
As you see your dog’s chances downgraded with that one flip of a light switch from across the parking lot, you’re beginning to come to grips with a scary reality:
Not only do you have to convince your veterinarian and her staff to stay after hours, you’ve got to pull off the near-impossible: prove that you’re good for the balance on what will certainly be a huge vet bill that extends way beyond the limits of what’s left on your credit cards.
Here’s how you do it––and, so you know, this works for all manner of emergencies or non-emergencies, big or small, personal or financial:
#1 Put yourself in your vet’s shoes
The number one “trick” to all negotiations is to understand things from the other side’s point of view. What is it they “need”? What makes them tick? Why would they make exceptions for you and not for others? What’ll make your appeal successful?
Here are some tips on this front:
Veterinarians want to make you happy,
we want to save your pets,
we respect the severity of an every-minute-counts emergency (here’s where we shine),
we want to feel respected for our unique ability to render this kind of care, and....
we don’t want to feel taken advantage of.
Always understand that...
we have families we need to get home to,
we have employers, staff and other parties to satisfy, financially and otherwise, and that...
we have lives to live beyond our practices.
#2 Acknowledge that you’re getting special treatment...
...and that you’re grateful for anything she can do. Not that you have to grovel, just get a little personal and admit that you understand what she’s giving up to help you.
Hearing it in words can make all the difference between feeling like we’re helping of our own free will and feeling like we’re being manipulated to do something for you because you expect us to. No one likes the latter option. It makes us feel like chumps.
#3 Don’t forget the staff
The almighty staff can make the difference between a willing veterinarian and one that knows she’ll have to beg from her own staff to get things done. A doc that doesn’t have her staff’s buy-in suffers for anything “extra” she’s willing to commit to. And she’s less willing to go the extra mile if that’s the case.
Therefore, it’s your job to recruit the staff’s interest. Appeal to their sense of loyalty to veterinary medicine and their unique ability to get things done well. Try this: “Without you I know none of this would be happening.” I know it sounds cheesy but, come on, you know it’s true.
#4 Convince us you can pay
Sure, we all hit hard times. Negotiating on the issue of finances is not easy for any of us. Not only do veterinarians not want to hear about your intimate financial details, we know you hate doing it, too. Still, we need just enough information to understand that you’ll pay us back.
Here are some more tips:
#1 Ask if you can apply for CareCredit (if your veterinarian offers it). It shows you’re proactive about paying your bill as soon as possible.
#2 Leave something valuable behind. A post-dated check, a pre-signed credit card slip. Offer to do this before anyone asks. It helps.
#3 Have something to offer by way of a barter? Do you paint houses? Draw? Pet-sit? Wash cars? Fell trees? Grow mangoes or avocadoes? I’ve bartered successfully with clients for all of these goods and services. Even if we don’t accept, we’ll value you more for taking the initiative to ask.
#5 Nurture your relationship...in good times and bad
Brownies, cookies, thank-you cards, great questions and follow-through on at-home pet care are always valued. Maintaining a great relationship for years is unquestionably the best way to get through the rough patches and crazy emergencies we’ll all eventually have to muddle through.
After all, we’re exactly like you. Treat others the way you’d like to be treated and everything tends to fall into place. Not a bad reminder for a Monday morning, right?
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letsgosoxfeed
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2:35p
Two Bates-Debut-y Galleries I Meant To Post Earlier
http://letsgosox.blogspot.com/2009/07/two-bates-debut-y-galleries-i-meant-to.html  Lugo: I could kick myself for being so Lugoey! These are pics from the Nomar-return game. Before I only showed you the actual Nomar part. After these are some Pawtucket shots I never posted.
 Aaron Bates aka The Motel on the field before his first major league game.
 A walrus threw out the first pitch that night.
 Nomar emerging from the dugout. This was in the first inning--the guy before him ended the inning so he didn't get introduced until the next inning.
 But between innings, they showed a little retrospective of Nomar and formally welcomed him back.
 The roof deck in some kid's helmet.
 Nomar up for the first time. See my original gallery for the video.
 Monster shot with vendors.
 Yes, it's supposed to be this dark.
 Aaron Bates' first major league at bat.
 Kim was with me at this game, and we both thought this shirt was hilarious. Is that a golf club?
 The bullpen parrot.
 Did you know the garage door in the left field corner can be opened by typing in a code into the box visible to the left of the 310 mark? Either that or it's a key. But I had no idea. I've seen people go from scoreboard to side garage before, but I thought someone in the garage opens the door. But on this night, the guy left the scoreboard door, walked over between innings, and opened that box, making the garage door on the side wall go up.
Now, for the Pawtucket game from June, on "Legends Night."
 Aaron Bates was making his AAA debut. I wouldn't have known, except that Kim and I ran into David Laurila there, and he clued me in.
 Bates after making an out in his first AAA at bat.
 People of the sun at McCoy.
 The legends were Bill Monbouquette and an old favorite of mine, Brian Rose. I was convinced back then that Rose and Juan Pena would be taking us to the promised land.
 McCoy Stadium, Pawtucket, RI, just a few miles from where I now live.
 You don't get this joke unless you know Providence.
 Late in the game, after the place had emptied out a bit. They lost. I think.
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ayrdaomei
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10:56a
Lincecum will start the All Star Game. Supposedly. Good luck actually getting to the field this time, Timmy. (what, me? bitter?) Roy Halladay is getting the ball first for the American League. That choice is less disappointing for me, even though I wanted it to be Greinke, since Zack's been shaky the last couple of times out.
From the Boston Globe: Mulder will be in Cincinnati this week to work with his former coach from Michigan State, putting the finishing touches on his rehab from major shoulder surgery. He’s worked out his arm slot and now has to perfect his stride. "I’m hoping that by the last week of July we can start entertaining offers," said his agent, Gregg Clifton. "It doesn’t appear he’s going to need much time in the minors because he’s been throwing all along." The Dodgers, Brewers, and Phillies have remained interested.
From USA Today, Albert Pujols batting cleanup for baseball: "I would never [use banned substances]. You think I'm going to ruin my relationship with God just because I want to get better in this game? You think I'm going to ruin everything because of steroids? .... Pujols, who has three children with his wife, Deidre, and another baby on the way, goes to great lengths to maintain his untarnished image and uphold his deep religious beliefs. He doesn't drink or smoke. He doesn't have a tattoo or wear earrings. He doesn't go to bars, nightclubs or any place where his character could be assaulted.
"If we're in a hotel and a woman gets on the elevator by herself, I'll wait for the next one," Pujols says. "People have their agenda. You have to be careful who you can trust." ...Fascinating, as Mr. Spock might say.
I didn't see it, but apparently Amy Gutierrez (Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area sideline reporter) hugged Jonathan Sanchez before/after the post-no hitter dugout interview. I'm thinking I don't have a problem with her hugging him, per se, but she shouldn't have done it on camera, and probably not even in the dugout where she was in public view. Thoughts?
current mood:  working
current music: knbr
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letsgosoxfeed
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1:09p
Rice Sale?
http://letsgosox.blogspot.com/2009/07/rice-sale.html They finally made tix available for that late-August weekend Jays series. Lots of sections as of now. That weekend is a candidate for a Jim Rice Day at Fenway. Just sayin'.
Hey, did you hear who's opening for Yankee fan Paul McCartney when he plays Fenway? A coupla drug kids from my state! (That group MGMT. I really like that one song but they seem like tools.)
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cool_tools
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5:00a
Pelican 0450
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CoolTools/~3/f87Tm-yvKos/003821.php http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/003821.php 
Before I decided to purchase this Pelican case, I did check out some other options. One that I considered was the Stanley FatMax 4-in-1 Mobile Work Station, but it isn’t waterproof and doesn’t seem as durable as the Pelican. While the Pelican tool chest is pricier than most of its competition, it has several features that have made it well worth the extra cost.
First off, it’s virtually indestructible. No matter how rough I am with it or how often it gets banged up, it has not been damaged. The same is true, of course, for the tools tucked away safely inside. Secondly, I live in Southern Louisiana and our weather is often humid and wet; like all Pelican cases, this one’s watertight and it ensures that my tools are kept safe from moisture and corrosion. The few times I’ve left the chest in the back of my truck in the rain everything inside the case stayed as dry as can be.
A variety of drawer configurations are available, including custom-made, and the drawers even extract for on-site mobility. This case isn’t light -- about 40 pounds without tools -- however, the trolley handle and wheel system make it possible for me to move it around easily on my own.
-- Chris Catalanotto
Pelican 0450WD Mobile Tool Chest (with drawers)
$431 (plus about $50 for shipping)
Available from Ralph's Industrial Electronic Supplies
Manufactured by Pelican
Related Entries:
Veto Pro Pac Tool Bag
McFeely's Square Drive Screws
Plan Station Portable Workstation
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redsoxdad
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2:03a
Red Sox Nation of Domination
http://redsoxdad.blogspot.com/2009/07/red-sox-nation-of-domination.html  *Image courtesy of Kelly O and www.sittingstill.net*
Complete game.
3 Hits.
7 K's.
0 Walks.
0 Runs.
Sox win 6-0 and thanks to the Yankees losing head into the All-Star break with a 3 game lead in the AL East and the only two pitchers in the American League with 11 wins; Beckett and the ageless Tim Wakefield.
Pitching the entire game with a look I can best describe as "I'm Josh Beckett and you're the freaking Royals" he went about his business as if he was a butcher cutting up a steak.
Only if the butcher uttered a profanity every 2.7 seconds.
Throw in the fact that dude in the picture with him may be an even bigger bulldog than The Commander? It's almost not fair.
Now, take those two and put them with a guy who throws a pitch Bugs Bunny would say is ridiculous and add in a future Hall of Famer who JUST may be back on track and add a burly Oklahoman with a sour disposition and a 98 mph fastball?
It's gonna be a LONG second half for the rest of the AL East.
Next Red Sox game is Friday in Toronto.
I'm pretty sure I'll be in a straight jacket by Wednesday night but who knows.
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misscalculation's Friends Page
Over the last few months, Cardinals manager 
