Attack of the Sox Vol.1 Issue 4

I love how no matter how hard I get each blog entry to look exactly as perfect as I can get it in its preview state that in the long run it doesn't mean anything. In my last post all those stats were lined up in a beautiful little OCD world and then WAM! I hit the publish button and everything is incredibly hard to read. Screw you blogger.

All right as promised my Teixeira blog. First things first the man is a Scott Boras client. Does Mark Teixeira deserve more money then A-Rod? No. More money than the man he would essentially be replacing, Manny Ramirez? Yes. I am fully supporting anywhere between 22 and 26.5 mil a season for a player of his caliber entering his prime years.

The question of years is another matter though. I heard rumor that Boras was asking the angels for a ten year contract which is just insane. Does Scott Boras remember what happened to his client A-Rod who opted out of his long contract with the Yankees last year (then re signed without Boras help essentially screwing him of his cut). Does Boras remember the last time a Red Sox had a long term contract? It was only a few months ago when Manny Ramirez was faking his way out of his long term contract 2 1/2 years early. Within one year two of the biggest & longest contracts on the books found ways through loop holes to end early.

Ten Years is insane, but Mark Teixeira will be just 29 when the new season gets rolling and is definitely the type worthy of a longer then usual contract. I would justify somewhere up to 6 years for him. I would be OK with a 7th year, but anything more then that and I would get a little sick to my stomach. 

So why do we need him? A lot of people think are offense was fine with Jason Bay replacing Manny. Don't get me wrong at all I love Jason Bay and hopes he re-ups with the team, but Jason does not make up for the offense we lost when Manny left. Its hard to gauge Manny's worth after last year. He was a very good player for us and then turned into and absolute beast in the national league. I don't know which Manny his new team will get or if it will be a whole new Manny yet again.

Either way we could not get past the Tampa Bay Rays this year and I totally believe we need a kick to our offense. Youkilis will still be good, but will he be as great as he was in '08? Same question is thrown out to Dustin Pedroia. What if David Ortiz doesn't bounce back? Can Mike Lowell recover from major hip surgery? Those are way too many questions to put our hopes around for another title. Mark Teixeira is simply the best and most obvious choice to fill our holes this year and to build around in the future.

Below (hopefully more organized then the last post) is a comparison of stats for Manny in '04 (Probably his last great healthy season as a Red Sox), Teixeira in '08, Jason Bay in '08 and Mike Lowell in '06 (Probably his most true to form season for us).

                   G      R       H    HR  RBI   AVG.  OBP.   Win Share

Bay          155   111   165   31   101    .286     .373      25.6

Manny    152   108  178   43   130   .308     .397      24.1

Teixeira  157   102  177   33   121    .308      .410     27.8

Lowell     153   79     163  20   80     .284      .339     11.5

Yes, Jason Bay is only a few steps behind Manny, but Teixeira is right there and leagues above Mike Lowell. I do like Mike Lowell, but I honestly don't want to bet the farm on him for his final year in the contract. Mike Timlin didn't know when to throw in the towel and look what happened to him in '08. I don't want to see Mike Lowell coming back if he can't really do it and bring the team down more then help.

One of the things I always loved about Lowell was his great defense, but you saw at the end of the season how his injury was increased by his fielding. I can only think that his range will be hurt dramatically after an injury like the one he had. Yes, I know Youkilis won a gold glove at first, but he is equally good at third base and Teixeira has won 2 gold gloves.

A comparison of career fielding Stats for Teixeira and Youkilis (at 1b & 3b) and 2008 Al 3b gold glove winner Adrian Beltre. RF9 stands for range factor which is a handy stat some brainiacs have come up with. The lg in front of 2 of these stats means league average if given the same opportunities. For more crazy stats check out the Hardball Times.

                    G      E   F.PCT   lgFP   RF9   LgRF9

Teixeira    853   31   .996      .994   9.84     7.97     

Youk 1B    396   9     .997      .994   9.24     8.70

Youk 3B    154   14   .962      .955   2.94     2.69

Beltre        1553   191   .956   .956   2.82   2.71

As you can see Teixeira and Youk are on par at first although Mark might have a leg up on range. Youkilis numbers are just as good at the harder position of third. Teixeira would be worth nearly every penny. An upgrade in offense and defense. We have money to spend this year and I cannot think of another position that we can improve with free agent cash then 1b/3b. Next week I will weigh in on the catching conundrum and our many options for next year's rotation.

 

Why Don't I live Somewhere That Plays Movies

Attack of the Sox Vol. 1 Issue 3

Oh welcome to my winter wonderland! I might be the only baseball fan who finds the off season just as exciting as the regular season. I love the battle for free agents and the creativity (or lack of) in trades. I find it exciting to watch my team rebuild and retool for the future. I find it comical to see the Mets waste millions of dollars every year. I find it a great mystery to sit around and see what crazy shit Billy Beane will pull off next and who will be first to jump on his band wagon as his team again goes nowhere farther then the 1st round. I wait and wait on the edge of my seat to see which owner finally takes out a professional hit on Scott Boras. Oh its better then a Michael Bay movie.

This off season for the sox started before I could even get my first off season blog off. Last week the sox traded Coco Crisp to the Kansas City Royals for Ramon Ramirez. A hard throwing middle relief pitcher who could possibly become our new set up man. Good ol Pessimistic Keith Law is back at it hinting that both teams will be disappointed.

Coco Crisp did a very good job for us in a more limited role this year. He kept his mouth shut and did his job. He deserved this trade. He earned it. There is no reason to keep a player as good as him on the bench as a fourth outfielder. The Red Sox can get another fourth outfielder easily, but what they cannot seem to get is a stable top line bullpen.

So first thing's first. Is Jacoby Ellsbury better then Coco Crisp? Jacoby has only played one full year for the Red Sox so its hard to really tell, but lets compare his '08 season to Coco's best season for the sox ('07 in my opinion).

                  G         R        H      RBI      SB      SB%       OBP   WS (HIT) Fielding  WS (FLD)
Jacoby    145      98      155      47       50      82%       .336         9             1.000           6.5
Coco        145       85      141      60       28      82%       .330       7.5              .998           8.5
Rocco     136      79      145      74        17      81%       .326     10.4              .978           4.9



You will notice a line for Rocco Baldelli up there. It is from his last fully healthy year back in 2004. Keep in mind the Rays were 70-91 that year.I bring him into the equation because he is a free agent who was in town last week to talk to Boston about that 4Th outfielder spot. In my opinion if his mitochondrial disorder is all better (and doesn't go all Parasite Eve on him) then he is worth the risk. Moving Coco so he can get a full time gig and picking up Baldelli would be a great set of moves to start the off season.

Now as far Ramon Ramirez goes I don't see how this hurts us at all either. A lot of people are saying he will come in and be the new set up man because of how Okajima apparently let everyone down last year. I don't know what Okie I was watching, but I never felt let down. Was he not as good as his debut year when no one knew who the hell he was? Yes. Was he bad? Not by a long shot.

Ramirez would be a good middle relief man as well. They say getting Ramon could allow for Justin Masterson to get put back in the rotation (where I think he belongs), but they just lost Mike Timlin to retirement so they had a hole to fill anyway (granted Timlin's hole could be filled by a baked potato). So getting Ramirez not only makes the bullpen better, but does something to it that I have not seen in awhile: He makes it flexible.



                          G      ERA  WHIP   HR     K     INN    Win Shares
Masterson    36    3.16    1.22    10    68    88.3        8
Ramirez        71     2.64   1.23      2     70    71.7       8.9
Okie                64     2.61   1.16      6      60     62          8
Timlin            47    5.66   1.62      9      32     49.3      1.4



Keep in mind that 9 of those games for Masteron were starts. Now that I look at those numbers on screen it blows my mind even more that people were upset by Okie's performance this year. 2.61 is a damn good ERA for a reliever. Well anyway that's it for now. Next time I have a chance to write it will be about why the Red Sox should be going hard after Mark Teixeira and why the naysayers to that plan should shut their mouths.

Then Again This Might Have My Vote

DK has my vote so far

From Here

Its What I Was Thinking

from here

Great Googely

A continuing series of articles in which i wet myself over everything that is Google.

About one month ago my phone broke. I had it for just over a year (like days over) and I was suddenly left with the problem of having to buy a new phone that I really didn't have the money for all because the damn select button on my cell phone stopped working. That button, I would come to realize, controls everything. I could no longer text, check my call log, access my phone book or even make a phone call. Since it was just a year over my contract their was nothing to be done except buy a new phone. What phone will I get? What could I afford? What the hell I am I gonna do?! All those thoughts screamed through my head and then finally the clouds cleared and I saw this:

That's right once again Google has come out to save my ass. Last year I switched over to T-Mobile from Sprint and now I am glad I did. The problem with paying for it was eliminated. T-mobile allowed me to pre-purchase it for $0. They just add the cost of the phone to my bill and that wont even be added until the phone is actually shipped. That would be around November before I need to cough up the $300 dollars for it. That's easy. 

Why does this phone excite me so much? Well its not quite as pretty as an iphone, but in my mind the rest of its features out does the iphone. How? Its the iphone without rules. The G1 is using the new android operating system developed by the open handset alliance. This alliance of technology and mobile companies (including Google) was set to make software that can work without boundaries. You wont need one phone company (like AT&T) to use certain features. They will be available to any phone running the android operating system. Big whoop I am sure your saying, but you have to use your imagination. For instance what if someone built a program that you could download that would allow you to use the phone's camera to read a bar code and automatically find better prices online or for stores your already near? That's impressive technology and its real:

That's amazing and its just the start. The future will be amazing and Google is their on the forefront helping to free technology for everyone and for making technology better and better. I will see you in one month with another report on this phone when its in my hand and my pants have dried.

P.S. Happy Birthday Mom.

My Quick Reaction

Quick cause I am exhausted and I want to sleep, but the brilliance of Joe Torre is keeping me awake.

Damn. Nobody fucked up. I guess SNL will be funnier then tonight. Sarah Palin did a hell of a lot better then I thought she would so I guess John McCain wont kick her off the ticket. Thats a shame because I still think she is a moron and is hurting John. Her answers tonight were not dumb, but they were very vague and repetitive. Everything seemed to have the same answer and all the questions to her kind of blended in.

On the flip side of that Joe Biden also did better then I expected. In fact I would go so far to say that his performance was better than McCain and Obama's from their first debate. His answers were precise and actually had meat to them. Their were actual answers to issues and his answers on foreign policy seemed like he had a hell of a lot more experience then anyone else on these tickets. 

A very good job by Palin to stick in this thing. Nobody thought she would really beat Biden in this debate, but she held in there well enough. Biden however thoroughly impressed me.  

And yes I said the brilliance of Joe Torre. I hate the yankees, but the one thing I could always say was that Joe Torre was a great manager. He is proving that this year with the Dodgers as his formerly dysfunctional team is now shocking the team people were picking to win it all. Go Joe. I am routing for Terry v. Torre 2: This Time For the Whole Sha-Bang.

VP Debate Warm Up

Just to get you all ready for tonight here is a video from Keith Olbermann's show with his best of Sarah Palin moments. Keep in my mind Olbermann is about as far left as you can go in the media. Having said that, I would love to see a video of the things Sarah Palin has done right in the past month.

My prediction is this: Joe Biden says 3 stupid things in the course of 90 minutes while Sarah Palin says only 4.5 things that are true or make sense or at least make her sound like she knows what she is talking about. In the end Joe Biden's slips will do no harm compared to those of Sarah Six-pack. Maybe I will be wrong and maybe Palin will have one of those touching made for Disney 3d under dog tales that capture our hearts.....but I dont think so. I wish she could turn this into a race again. I wish she could make John McCain respectable again, but I wont hold my breath. 

One final note: Do I think tonight's moderator Gwen Iffil has a conflict of interest? I sure do. Should she be removed? Nope. Its way too late in the game for that. I just hope if things go as poorly as predicted for Palin that McCain doesn't step out tomorrow and blame Iffil. You see a presidential nominee should know the battles he is fighting and should know the people he is standing tall with. It is a show of his character which is the second most important part of an election next to issues in my mind. John McCain and crew did a horrible job vetting Sarah Palin and instead of fixing that mistake they are holding on to it for dear life. John McCain and crew approved Iffil even though her book was announced (and in hundreds of magazines and newspapers) back in July. Long before she was approved. Its been on Amazon for pre sale and its been in her publishers '09 guide book for a month. I dont know what McCain's crew is doing with their time, but they are not vetting anyone or anything in a way to help their candidate. What if John McCain becomes president and a world crisis erupts? Should we trust McCain on whose side we take after seeing how well he has done on his research so far? 

Because Turn Around Is Fair Play

So I received this article in a chain email today. It goes on about how Joe Biden claims to know where Al-Qaeda is because his helicopter was forced down in Afghanistan. Now he never says his helicopter was forced down by terrorists or gun fire or Osama Bin Laden's pet dragon (in fact it was forced down by snow), but Biden was dumb enough to put in words that were mis-construed. This is why fact checking is important and I appreciate the people out there working so hard to keep this campaign impartial.

So in the spirit of fact checking and being impartial here are several links fact checking a few of the things that Sarah Palin has said in the mere month she has been on the trail.

From Politifact

From FactCheck.org

From The Washington Post

Now if you dont want to spend all that time reading facts then how about some video of her talking about regular ol' things:

Here with Charlie Gibson

With Couric here and here 

So let me be honest and if you want to call me impartial then do it, but I'll call you a fool. I dont care if Joe Biden claims Darth Vader forced his helicopter down or if he spells potato with an e and a silent x (that would be pxotatoe for the record) I will still have more respect for him then Sarah Palin. George Bush has a 70% disapproval rating right now, but that other 30% will still claim its all because of biased liberal left wingers. However, that 70% includes everyone. Democrat, republican, white, black, male, female, etc. etc. It is time to come to your senses and stop blaming left or right on George Bush and Sarah Palin. They have dug their own holes and neither have proven they should be in the white house. The saying goes "If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it must be a duck". Well in the case of Bush and Palin if they walk like morons and quack like morons then they must be morons. Palin is ruining any chance John McCain has to become president. Everyday he goes out to defend her instead of defending his policies and issues while Barack Obama sits back and does nothing but reap the benefits. Obama is politically windsurfing his way to the white house. Maybe I will be proven wrong during the VP debate, but I have the feeling that Thursday's 90 minutes will be a better bone tickler then whatever 90 minutes SNL throws our way on Saturday.

Attack of the Sox Vol. 1 Issue 2

The future of the Boston Red Sox

AAA Pawtucket won the wild card from the international league's northern division with an 88-58 record. They were eliminated by the scranton Yankees in the first round of playoffs.

AA Portland clinched a playoff spot with a 74-66 record,but were knocked out by Trenton - another Yankee farm team.

A (advanced) Lancaster won their division in the California League in both the first and second halves with an overall record of 76-64, but lost the championship to the Stockton Ports an affiliate of the Oakland A's. Next year the Lancaster Jet's will be representing the Houston Astros while the Red Sox will move their affiliate to Salem in southwest Virginia.

A Greenville won their division with a record of 47 and 22.

A (short-season) Lowell won their division in the New York - Penn League with a 40-33 record, but were eliminated from playoffs by Batavia an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardnials.

Rookie League GCL Red Sox finished third in their division with a 28-27 record. 

My Top Five Favorite Prospects '08:

5) Yamaico Navarro - SS in 2008 for Class A Lancaster and Greenville, 20 years R/R

83 games for Greenville: .280 with 54 RBI and 46 runs. 

42 games for Lancaster: .348 with 23 RBI and 33 runs. 

Signed as an international free agent in 2005 he has shown great improvement in '08 with improved patience at the plate and is getting better at defense in the ss, 2B and 3B roles.

4) Josh Reddick - OF in 2008 for Class A Lancaster and Greenville as well as AA Portland, 21 years bats left and throws righty.

14 games for Greenville: 0 homers, 7 runs, 9 RBI and a .340 avg.

76 games for Lancaster: 17 homers, 60 runs, 57 RBI and a .343 avg.

34 games for Portland: 6 homers, 22 runs, 25 RBI and a .214 avg, but had a .290 OBP

17th round draft pick in 2006 is an excellent outfielder with a great arm. While his averaged dipped in AA he did take the time to work on his plate discipline. 

3) Lars Anderson - 1B in 2008 for Class A Lancaster and AA Portland, 21 years L/L

77 games for Lancaster: 13 homers, 58 runs, 50 RBI, .317 avg and a .408 OBP

41 games for Portland: 5 homers, 27 runs, 30 RBI, .316 avg and a .436 OBP

18th round pick in 2006 is probably the best 1B prospect in the minors right now. Has great patience and could have amazing power. Decent defense might be his only weak link. Red Sox named him offensive player of the year.

2) Daniel Bard - RP in 2008 for Class A Greenville and AA Portland, 23 years R/R

16 games for Greenville: 43 K in 28 innings with a 0.64 ERA

31 games for Portland: 64 K in 49.2 innings with a 1.99 ERA and 7 saves

1st round pick in 2006 he struggled at first in AA, but quickly calmed down . Has a 97-98 fastball, a cut fastball, a slider and a circle change with movement. Should be in the bullpen at some point in 2009. Red Sox named him their pitcher of the year.

1) Michael Bowden - SP in 2008 for Class AA Portland, AAA Pawtucket and at the MLB level, 22 years R/R

19 games for Portland: 9-4 with a 2.33 ERA, 101 K's in 104.1 innings with a 4.21 K/BB

7 games for Pawtucket: 0-3 with a 3.38 ERA, 29 K's in 40 innings with a 5.80 K/BB

1 game for Boston: 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA struck out 3, walked one in 5 innings

1st round pick in 2005 with a 90-94 four-seam fastball, 12-6 curve a great circle change-up. Has excellent control and I would rather see him in the rotation that Bucholz.

Best pick in the 2008 draft: Casey Kelly SS/Pitcher in 2008 for Sarasota High School, Rookie League GCL Red Sox and class A Lowell, 18 years R/R

Has great power potential and could be a great defensive SS. Wants to play SS, but the organization may move him back to pitching where he has a low 90's fastball, hard curve and a changeup all with good command. He was their first round draft pick this year.

Trade 'im or play 'im: Charlie Zink SP in 2008 for AAA Pawtucket and the MLB team, 28 R/R. Ok forget about his horrible debut start against Texas. He is a very good knuckleball pitcher who deserves to play somewhere wether in the rotation or in someone's bullpen. This year he was 14-6 with a 2.84 ERA. 

Other Red Sox award winners were: Che-Hsuan Lin (20 year old OF for class A Greenville) for Defensive player of the year, Wilfred Pichardo (18 year old for GCL Red Sox and A Lowell) for Base Runner of the year (42 of those in 55 games), Manny Rivera (18 year old LHP for rookie league DSL Red Sox) for Latin Program pitcher of the year and Eddie Lora (19 year old 1B for rookie leagues DSL & GCL Red Sox) for Latin Program player of the year.

The future of the Red Sox looks very bright. 

Dear Diarrhea: The Joys of Skype

So a few weeks ago my cell phone broke. The up, down and select buttons stopped working and you'd be surprised how much those three tiny things do. I cannot check or send text, check my missed call log or access my phone book for starters. All it can do is check my voice mail and pick up incoming phone calls. How did I get it fixed? Well I didnt because it was going to cost me about three hundred dollars. So while I save up to buy a new phone I needed to come up with a short term alternative.

Enter Skype (again). When I first moved to my current apartment and had sprint as a cell phone service I could not get any reception. To fix that tiny problem I signed up for Skype service. I guess you could call a VOIP since you are talking through your computer, but I feel like too many people would compare it to Vonage. Anyway I switched to T-Mobile and wonder upon wonder I had reception at my house and felt I no longer needed Skype.

Now here we go again. Why am i using Skype as my alternative? Well its costing me 7 a month to have a home phone. Skype is a service that runs through your computer. Yes your talking through your computer. You can use a usb phone, one of those stupid bluetooth headsets, or buy one of this big boxes to plug your regular home phone in. They even have wi-fi cell phones now that allow you to install Skype directly onto them.

So what is the advantage? Well if you know other people on Skype you can talk to them for free no matter where in the world they are. You can still call regular land lines as well. For an unlimited amount of calls to US & Canada a monthly subscription costs 2.95/ a month. Want to call Mexico too? 5.95 a month. The rest of the world? 9.95 a month. If you dont want to subscribe monthly they also have a pay as you go feature. 

What if someone from a land line wants to call me? Well thats why I signed up for the call in service. I can buy a phone number that will allow anyone to call my computer. The price varies depending on your subscription plan, but it is basically costing me 4 bucks a month. So between my phone number and the US subscription I am just paying $7 dollars a month to have a home phone. I even get free voice mail with it. 

I was talking to a friend of mine who (if I remember correctly) has Verizon and is paying around 45 dollars a month. He was switching over to Comcast and was going to save $9 a month. Thats still almost thirty dollars more then I am paying. The reception is fine and a usb phone is cheap. Bluetooth is even a better way to go. If your looking to cut down on your monthly costs and you still need to have a home phone then I can't imagine why you are not looking into this service yet.

Now lets say you live in southern Maine and one of your best friends lives in....Oh I dunno...let's say..... Ireland. Would you pay $9 a month to call your friend? Well I guess it depends on how often you call. Do you know what would be an even better idea? If your American friend in Ireland and you both had Skype and talked to each other over this amazing piece of software. If you both have skype and talk to each other through skype then your international calls will be free. FREE. YOU WOULD BE AN IDIOT NOT TO TRY IT OUT. FOR FREE. 

Anyways thats me doing my good part on introducing you to a great a little company & program that could save you a lot of money or be a cheap way to have a home phone.

Debates Round 1

I think I need to invest in a defibrillator. Not because the debate the other night kept my heart pumping, but because about 30 minutes into it I wanted to make sure I didnt go into coma. Figure a good shock to the heart would wake me up. While the two candidates talked around each other last night I had the MLB scoreboard running to my side in the hopes Milwaukee could upset the Mets and the Sox could steal the AL east crown. I wishI had a monitor to tell me how much time I spent watching the debate and how much time I spent hitting the refresh button on a browser that was set to automatically refresh itself every 30 seconds. Any ways I guess this blog comes down to who I think won. Well as you probably have heard a hundred times now there was no knock-out blow on either side so we have to start nit picking the small things. First things first: yes, Obama said John McCain was right about a dozen times. Republicans would look at this as a win for the candidate and they probably should've. Only problem is their candidate blew and continues to blow that momentum. John McCain couldnt look his opponent in the eye. Normally I wouldnt give a shit, but the particular format of this debate was the two candidates would come out and give a two minute answer each and then have five minutes to talk to each other about it. Obama continually tried to look over and turn it into a conversation, but McCain refused to make eye contact. Instead he stood their with a condescending smile and did that annoying thing where he constantly just seems to hop in place. Yes Obama kept saying John McCain was right, but because John McCain stood their like a pouting old man who refuses to listen to those "pesky youngins" it made him look like he was not open to change. It made Obama look near brilliant. Barack came off looking like he was the one who was trying to be bi-partisan while John McCain looked like he could give a rats ass about listening to anyone elses opinions or reaching across an aisle. The whole thing played like a very boring episode of Scooby Doo. In the end Barack jumped in his van and took off in a puff of smoke while McCain was left their shaking his fist at the meddling young kids as he was hauled off by the police. So McCain blew the opportunity last night to make Obama look stupid for saying McCain was right all the time, but John could still spin it in his favor the next day right?.........right?

wait.......what? Watch it again. This ad shows Barack Obama agreeing with John McCain 3 times.

Then it asks you if Barack Obama is ready to lead and answers the question for you with a "no". .......have you figured out my frustration yet? In an ad supported by John McCain we are told BarackObama is not ready to lead because he agrees with John McCain. So if John McCain thinks agreeing with John McCain's ideas is bad who exaclty is he going to be voting for? You are blowing it McCain. Between your odd week running up to this debate and the horrible Palin interview with Couric things are quickly going off track. Ok. What else can we nit pick. How about when Obama tried to one up John McCain with his bracelet only to screw it up by forgetting the name and making it look like he read it off his wrist. All right Johnny gets a point now right?.......nope. Because foreign policy is supposed to be Jon's forte and he could not remember the name of a world leader. Its a tough name I will grant him that, but he spent so much time name dropping to try and show up Obama and then blew it on the home stretch. So again no points to either candidate. You remember in Karate Kid one when the blond kid from cobra kai kept getting a point on Daniel San, but then would lose the point because of a foul just to wind up back at square zero? This is how it felt to me. This was John McCain's home turf and he failed to drop a crane kick to Obamas chin or at least to one of his ears and that is why in my opinion: The edge in debate 1 goes to Barack Obama. By the slimmest of margins. They went toe to toe and both stood their ground. Thats the problem. A tie in this debate is a win for Barack. John McCain needed a strong and clear win, but he did not come through. So what is everyone else saying: Looks like Obama is the winner.

From CBS:

From CNN: 

Who Did the Best Job In the Debate?

Obama 51% McCain 38%

Who Would Better Handle Economy? Obama 58% McCain 37%

Who Would Better Handle Iraq? Obama 52% McCain 47%

 Who Did the Best Job In the Debate?

Obama 51% McCain 38%

Who Would Better Handle Economy? Obama 58% McCain 37%

Who Would Better Handle Iraq? Obama 52% McCain 47%

From Fox News:

And when conserative web sites like The Pundit Review and National Review Online call it a close win for John McCain then you know something is wrong. Both reviews seemed deeply upset by McCain strategy, but being consertative still gave the nod to McCain......barely. Their is a lot of work needed to be done by John McCain in the next week and a half. Somehow he has to hope Sarah palin does not screw up his campaign anymore then she already has with three simple television interviews and he has to prepare himself to have a clear victory for the October 7th town hall debate. 

Issues: Social Security

Social Security. My arch enemy. For years I have looked at my beloved pay check wondering where all my hard money goes. I knew who you were SS. I even knew most of what you did, but I had heard the rumors. The rumors that all this money I was giving to you would never be seen by these eyes again. Now I finally get of my ass to figure this out. What are you really? Are the rumors true? Finally, what if anything, will be done about this system by the two men running for the White House?

Social Security is a program signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1935. It has changed a lot through the years, but the basics of the program remain the same. We the people are taxed directly from our paychecks and all the money is put into a fund nicknamed the "federal old-age, survivors and disability insurance." Its like a little savings fund the government forces on us in case we have a rainy day. Don't let my language mislead you. Forcing us into action on something like this is actually a good idea. I am horrible with my money and it is nice to know that my hard earned cash will be there when I get older or when doctors finally admit that I am mentally disabled.

Anyway this fund covers me for when i want to retire (the retirement age of course being set by the government babysitting my money) or if I become disabled. If I die the money will go to my wife (that I dont have) or my children (that dont know I exist) and all the accumulated monies are invested in treasury securities. It is apparently against the law for this money to be invested into the private sector like Wall Street. Thats not a joke, the money can only be invested in government securities instead of taking a chance on a high rate of return on wall street or other private sector investments.

If that were not enough that very same government our funds are invested in can, and does, reach into this social security surplus when it needs some extra cash by replacing it with government bonds. Basically imagine you are a small child trying to save up your allowance money to buy the newest super soaker gun (man I loved those things) so you can out duel the neighborhood kids. Only daddy needs a case of beer and all of his money is wasted somewhere else so he opens your money jar, takes out your money and replaces it with a little piece of paper with I.O.U. written on it. Thankfully every four to eight years mommy gets smart and gets a new daddy. However, this new daddy needs money for his crack cocaine and the whole freakin process starts all over again. Suddenly you wonder if you will ever see that fancy new super soaker. Fun fact: in 2007 the social security surplus fund held 2.2 trillions government bonds i.e. daddy's I.O.U.'s

The final kick in the balls from this shoddy operation is that the social security tax is only taken out of the first 102,000 thousand you make. So thankfully after that 102,000 all the rest of my money is.....awwwww, fuck. Never in my days did I ever dream of hitting it big so that I could make enough money to stop paying social security. I wanted to make mucho money to have golden super soakers and be comfortable in life. Sadly I doubt I will ever come close to that $102,000 threshold. So if a person stops paying at $102,000 they get less benefits right? Nope. The upper class pays less into the system and makes the same benefits of the middle and lower classes who need the money more.

More controversy comes from those politicians in the government who think we would benefit more by privatizing the program. There are many different ideas on how to do this, but the simplest way seems to be making it like a 401(k). A 401(k) is already like privatized social security. If your job has it as an option and you choose to take it, then a portion of your weekly paycheck will go into a 401(k) account. This money is invested in stocks, bonds, money markets or a mix of anything you want. You are the one who usually chooses how the money is invested. None of this money is taxed until after you decide to remove it from the fund.

Barack - He strongly opposes privatizing social security and wants to fix the payroll system so that it applies to more then just the first $100,000 a person makes. I believe I read that he would increase the cap to $250,000,but don't quote that number. He has also said that he will work with congress to get a new reform package on the books that will keep the program healthy for at least the next half century.

note - many people attack Obama because they feel he wants to raise taxes. In fact by removing the social security tax cap there will be a 1.3 billion tax increase. However since anyone making under $100,000 is already putting in the full amount they can, then this tax would only affect people with incomes greater then $100,000. So the talk of him taxing the middle classes in this case is false.

McCain - He advocates supplementing the social security benefits with individual investment accounts and prefers slowing the growth benefits to raising the taxes.

My View - I am not much of an economist and I have not seen a serious plan from either one of the candidates, but instead just quotes on what they would like to do. Like I said above their are many different ideas on how to privatize and I don't have the first inkling on how McCain's plan would work. Hopefully we learn more during one of the upcoming debates. Having said all of that and read all I have on this subject i would personally vote to privatize social security. The program is not working in its current state, its not making enough interest as it could on the private market and quite frankly its my money and I should be able to invest it how I please. Every week workers in this country pay into social security and many of them also pay into 401(k) accounts. The government should be able to find an intelligent plan to combine these two systems while still insuring our money that is invested just as I described last week with my housing blog. Why the government will insure investors in the housing market, but not insure our social security benefits is beyond me. Obviously the hardest part of this would be the change over. I am not sure how it would be done or if it could be done, but I am willing to listen to ideas on privatizing more then I am willing to listen to ideas on how to fix a failing pyramid scheme.

Obama - 2
McCain - 1

Attack of the Sox Vol. 1 Issue 1

The Story of the Bitter End

In my hands I struggle to hold a small cardboard box which contains a cheap piece of bread surrounding sausage, vegetables and the saliva of a man who hasn't eaten all day. As I push by thousands of people to find my place to sit, as I revel in my surroundings, as I follow an adult friend who moves with the anticipation of a small child I try in vain to put some of this cheap bread with sausage and vegetables into my gullet, but fail to get anything more then a few onions and maybe one pepper. Finally I arrive at my seat and sit down. The cheap piece of bread has turned into two pieces of cheap bread and it no longer surrounds meat and vegetables as they are now lying in a pool of oil and grease at the bottom of the cardboard box. It doesn't matter though because its September 10, 2008 and I am sitting in the bleachers of Fenway Park. The failed attempt to eat a whole sausage meets with no ill will from me; it means little when everywhere I look, everything I smell, every noise rattling in my ears is an onslaught of history. Its the first inning and I am breathless, I am bliss, I am on the edge of a seat that can barely hold my fat ass and I am friggen starving for more.

It takes little time for the Tampa Bay Rays to score and leave me fearful that Josh Beckett may not be fully recovered from his recent stint on the disabled list. Willy Aybar shoots a triple to deep right to score Cliff Floyd for the first run of the game in the top of the second. Thankfully thats all Beckett will allow in this inning. This is the first time I have ever seen him pitch in person. The last time I sat (or stood) in this majestic park was during memorial weekend way back in 2004. My good friend the J-Train and I had spent a few days in Boston watching the Red Sox face the New York Yankees. They were two of the most intense games I have ever attended especially in the wake of the Yankees destroying our World Series dreams in the previous year's American League Championship Series. Of course 2004 was a different story. The tables turned and for the first time in 86 years my team finally won the championship which set in motion a series of events that made it nearly impossible for me to get back to Fenway. The sox win a championship and suddenly everyone in New England loves them again. Tickets go quickly and the prices on EBAY rise dramatically. In fact the only way I even made it to this game in 2008 is because of the kindness of my friend Kyle's mother who gave me two free tickets that are usually saved for her company's clients.

Am I bitter that Red Sox fever has caught on with the rest of the population? No, not at all. In fact I am very proud that Red Sox nation broke the MLB sellout record just last week. I do feel upset though that while I sit at home watching all these games on NESN their are people who get to come out to Boston more often then I and whom do not notice how lucky they are. In fact they take their seat, this park, this amazing team and all of its true fans for granted. For example the gentleman from Gray, Maine who sits behind me. While thousands of people are enjoying every pitch of this game within these walls, this one "fan" who has come on a man's night out trip with the boys is ruining the experience for everyone around him. The man has spent these first three inning berating another fan who simply moved up to an empty seat to get a better view (threatening him at one point) and when he wasn't doing that he shot his mouth off at his friends. Clearly all these men were drunk before even coming in the park. Nothing wrong with that it happens all the time, but in this case he cannot hold his drink. He can do nothing more then shoot off his mouth and swear left and right trying to make a spectacle of himself. This is would be the one reason I despise the new Red Sox fever. This man who is being thrown out by security in the third inning (and forces his saddened friends to leave as well) has wasted a seat that could've gone to someone who actually wanted to see the game. To someone that would not have distracted me from seeing Dustin Pedroia double in Jed Lowrie for the tying run.

As the innings tick on so do the memories. I remember seeing both games of a double header against the Orioles as my mother's favorite player Lee Smith closed out both games for a sox sweep. I remember sitting behind third base with my uncle after getting lost all over Boston while the fans around us did everything they could to distract the Blue Jay's Kelly Gruber. I remember seeing Yaz's number retired. I remember sitting so close to David Wells in the Yankess bullpen that you could spit on him. I am sure someone did. I can remember sitting outside not once, but twice overnight with the J-Train. I remember taking my good friend Jon to his first baseball game to see them face off against the Royals, when for a brief time they were formiddable. Fitting now, since I am seeing the Tampa Bay Rays during the first season in their history where they have been a team to fear. The only thing I do not remember is how or why Neil Diamond became the 8th inning mascot, but good god its impossible not to sing along.

Now the 9th inning has ticked away and you would think I would be sad, but the game lives on. This game has been locked in a 1-1 duel since that drunkard was heaved away from my section. Its like that moment has frozen this game and condemned it to live on forever. Which is fine by me because its been too long since I have been here and as some of the crowd begins to leave I stay behind with my friend Jeff to take in every moment that is allowed to us.

Anyone who has talked baseball with me for more than five minutes knows that I am a fan of the pitcher's duel. Each team has moved into their bullpen, but still the pitching continues to shine. Now in the bottom of the tenth inning as I eagerly hope for a walk off win the hardest working player (and mouth) Dustin Pedroia leads off with a double. The crowd erupts. The cowards from Tampa intentionally walk Mr. Clutch David Ortiz. These are the moments when the crowd stops being a crowd and we all take on one form. One super fan. With our powers combined we can will another run. Kevin Youkilis comes to the plate and does one of the things I never expect from him...he hits into a double play. Dustin moves to third with two outs now and it is left to Jason Bay whose theme music comes blasting through the speakers. Pearl Jam's "Alive" seems incredibly fitting right now as Bay comes to the plate, but instead it becomes ironic as he grounds out to shortstop. The crowd becomes slimmer as fans head for their cars unable to go another inning.

That feeling that comes from being on the edge of your seat to having your head in your hands is one that I have become use to with the Red Sox. I remember Buckner. Morgan Magic. Aaron Boone and every year in between those events. Getting to the edge, but never crossing the line. Getting an inch closer each year, but the goal is always a foot away. Its what Red Sox fans know. Its who we are. Thats why I collected myself after the tenth inning and placed myself back on the edge of my seat. Just in time to. Just in time to see men at first and second with only one out. Just in time to see a sox catcher I have never even heard of have one of the worst at bats I have ever seen. Just in time to see Jacoby Ellsbury fly out to center. The crowd becomes slimmer as fans head for their cars unable to go another inning.

Oh the feeling of joy to discontent. We became so use to it. Their had been times to celebrate, but never the big time. Then came 2004. Down three games to zip to the Yankees in the ALCS and to the rest of the world it seemed to be over for the sox. Not in New England though. No in new England it doesn't matter how many times the Yankees kick us in the balls. In the pit of our stomachs we feel sick, but that sickness wrestles with hope. We felt it in game 4 as deep into extra innings we came back to win and again in game 5. Hope became something else. Now we believed and we did the impossible coming back from three games down to win the ALCS. Then they did what many said would never be done again: the Red Sox won the world series. So here in the twelfth inning with two men on and one out once again the pits of our stomachs screamed at us again. However two more quick outs dispels that feeling. The crowd becomes slimmer as fans head for their cars unable to go another inning.

The 13th inning comes and goes with nothing of any importance. Well seemingly nothing of any importance. For it is this inning I learn no matter how bad the song they play through the PA it will find a way to pump me and the rest of this crowd up to dizzying proportions. Eddie Money is screaming for me to take him home tonight and all I can do is scream back with a few hundred other people: "Be My Little Baby!". But the 13th is gone and the crowd becomes slimmer as fans head for their cars unable to go another inning.

In the top half of the fourteenth inning my worst nightmare comes true: Mike Timlin comes out of the bullpen with only one out in the inning. He promptly gives up a three run home run to Carlos Pena into the Green Monster. Everyones heart sinks. The crowd becomes slimmer as fans head for their cars unable to believe.

The announcer mocks us as he requests us all to stand for another seventh inning stretch. There is still a few hundred of us left. We will see this out to the bitter end. We have been here before. We feel weak and sick to our stomachs....,but still.....something else stirs. Tampa brings in their closer Troy Percival and something feels.....we don't know.....it just feels. Jacoby Ellsbury leads off with a double to right field. Suddenly we realize that feeling in our stomach can be dispersed by standing and screaming. Our boy, our MVP, Dustin Pedroia comes to the plate. We chant the title he has earned. "MVP!MVP!MVP!" and he walks. We are all bent over banging our hands against the many empty seats around us. Thousands of people have left and it is up to us to make enough noise to replace them....and just like that David Ortiz walks as well. The bases are loaded with nobody out and we are down by three runs in the bottom of the fourteenth inning.

Troy Percival decides he is injured and must leave the game. We wait on our heels, biting our nails as Jason Hammel seems to take forever to warm himself up. Then like a wave the sound of boos erupt through the park. Only on second listen it is not boos, but the chant of "YOU!". Kevin Youkillis has come to the plate and we believe he can deliver. Deliver he does. A sacrifice fly to right field brings us within two runs with only one out. The sounds of Pearl Jam's "Alive" come blaring through the PA.:

I, Im still alive Hey i, but, Im still alive
Hey i, boy, Im still alive
Hey i, i, i, Im still alive, yeah
Ooh yeah...yeah yeah yeah...oh...oh...

Jason Bay has stepped up to the plate. Our blood boils with anticipation. Pitch after pitch we wait without breathing. Then he strikes out swinging. Yet, we still believe. We have one opportunity left in the form of Alex Cora. We believe. When his bat strikes the ball we hold our breath. When we see the ball quickly dart into left center field dropping fast we open our eyes as wide as we can. When the center fielder catches the ball ending the game we feel our hearts drop one final time. The crowd becomes slimmer as we've reached the bitter end.

I do not feel bad though. Red Sox fans have seen this (felt this) bitter end hundreds of times before. Its what defines us. Its what makes us stronger. Its this team that teaches us to believe in hope. No matter how bad we are one year we always believe that next year we will be greater. No matter how bad we are one day we always believe we will be greater the next day. No matter how bad we are one half inning we always believe we will be greater the next half inning. Its this belief, this hope that brings us together in a way that makes me feel that I truly can use the word "we" to describe this team. The fans of Boston are as much a part of this team as the players. More so then any other professional team. Its this belief that can make a man like myself who believes in no God understand people of faith. This hope that leads me to believe. This faith that teaches us no matter how many bitter endings we may experience in life that we can always believe that their is at least one more moment of glory left in us to erase everything dark that has come before it.

Summer/Fall Movies

The films I saw this past summer with a quick review:

Iron Man: A-. Robert Downey Jr. is excellent as Tony Stark and Jon Favreau has made a great movie to re-invigorate the Marvel line of movies.

Indiana Jones: B+. The most fun I have had at a movie in a long time. I don't care what anyone else says this film stands up with the rest of the series and is much better then Temple of Doom. The few things I found wrong with this film I know came from the mind of Lucas, but Spielberg and Ford deliver.

The Happening: D. Their were some interesting moments in this film, but all in all it sucked. Horrible screenplay with atrocious dialog and some of the worst acting from good actors I have ever seen.

Hellboy 2: C. It was entertaining, but too long and just like the first one left me with the feeling that I could've lived without seeing it.

The Dark Knight: A. An almost flawless film. The best comic book adaptation to ever be put onto the big screen and one of the most innovative action films I have ever seen. On top of that one of the great film performances of all time by Eric Roberts. Totally outshines Heath Ledger.

Pineapple Express: B-. Not one of the better Apatow films, but funny none-the-less and a good time.

Tropic Thunder: B+. Incredibly funny film by Stiller and I was quite happy to see him behind the camera again. Downey Jr was terrific and in fact just about everyone in the cast is hilarious. Crude, clever and a good way to close out the summer.

My Most anticipated movies of the fall, why I want to see them, and a trailer if available:

Burn After Reading (9/12): All I have to say: Coen Brothers

Appaloosa (10/3): I love a good western and in the last few years their have been quite a few. Now this one comes along and just happens to be Ed Harris' second attempt at directing after his excellent "Pollack"

Blindness (10/3): Some great actors with a great young director from a book I loved. If done right this could be a great film.

Body of Lies (10/10): I did not like the first trailer for this movie, but with this cast and Ridley Scott directing I won't skip it for a poorly made preview.

W. (10/17): Oliver Stones first 2 president movies (JFK & Nixon) were both amazing films. I am hoping Stone hits his stride again because despite a few misses in the last few years he is still one of my favorite directors.

Changeling (10/31): As a director Clint Eastwood is on an amazing run of films and this looks like it will continue his streak.

Quantum of Solace (11/14): Casino Royale was awesome and I refer to it as Bond Begins. If its half as good as the Dark Knight or the trailer makes it look then it will be a great film.

The Soloist (11/21): I always loved Robert Downey Jr. and this year he is on a roll. I will check it out simply for that reason.

Australia (11/26): Baz Luhrmann takes familiar genres/stories/ideas and twists them around in ways you could never imagine. Now he is tackling the western and war genres in one film. I can't wait.

The Road (11/26): Great book and a great concept plus I love post-apocalyptic films. Haven t seen a preview yet, but I am hoping for good things.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (12/25): Brad Pitt and David Fincher for the third time after Se7en and Fight Club. Can't wait for it.

The Wrestler (12/?): Darren Aronfronsky and it won the top prize at the Venice film festival.

P.S. The Lion Sleeps No More:

Issues: Housing

I have decided to research all the issues that CNN claims to be the most important during this election season in a random order. I did this to educate myself and I am writing about it in hopes to also educate you if you care. I believe every issue is important whether it impacts me directly or not. I am not America I am a part of America and my vote will effect not just me, but everyone who chooses to live in this country. It will also effect how the rest of the world looks at us and America needs the rest of the world just as much as the world needs America. Vote for who you want, but DO NOT be selfish with your vote.

Issuses: Housing 

All right, this one was a little hard to throw my tiny brain around. I have never owned a home or even thought about it so I really have no idea how the housing industry works or in this case how it failed. I think I have a grasp of it, but it took about 15 different web sites and a flashy BBC interactive animation.

So basically regular folks with good standing credit go to the bank ask for a loan and get money to buy a house. The homeowner gets a loan with a fixed rate of interest so that our economies constantly changing interest rate wont drastically change what they owe the bank each month. However because of these fixed rates their is a possibility the bank's will lose money on the loan depending on where interest rates fall. Because of that, bank's look to insure themselves by selling bonds to investors. These bond's insure the bank against any lost interest or in the case the homeowner is unable to make payments.

The Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) are both government sponsored, stock-holder owned corporations that deal with the buying and selling of mortgages and their bonds. These two companies provide insurance to investors who buy bonds from banks. If a homeowner defaults on a loan (which has been sold to an investor via bonds) Fannie Mae and/or Freddie Mac will swoop in an buy the bonds from the investor. This insures that their is no risk for the investor. The two companies own about half of the thirteen trillion dollar mortgages in this country. They make their money by charging a fee for this "insurance". This system helps to make sure their is a supply of money for mortgages and home purchases so the housing market never stops.

So what caused the problem? The main instigator appears to be the sub prime mortgage crisis. Sub prime mortgages are given to people who do not normally meet the requirements of a regular mortgage loan. People with low income and bad credit for instance. There was a surge of these mortgages all over the country, but the main problem came from deceptive loan practices. These sub prime loans looked good to homeowners because of a very loan interest rate. Most of them however were not fully informed that these were what are called adjustable rate mortgages. Meaning the loan starts with a a very low "introductory" interest, but will reset to normal or higher mortgage rates after two years. Once these rates jacked up many homeowners were not able to keep up with the loans and fell behind and were foreclosed on.

Because these sub prime loans became a huge sell, demand for houses went up drastically and with all supply and demand situations the price of houses skyrocketed. It was a seller's market and people were buying left and right. On top of that people who already had normal mortgages took advantage of the increased price of their house by re-financing them at a higher rate and taking out a second mortgage. This second mortgage was extra cash for these folks and they used the money for just about anything.

Then the federal interest rate increased and sub primer's 2 year introductory rate ended. Like dominoes everything began to go wrong. Homeowners (both sub prime and normal due to re-financing) could not keep up with their bills. Loans stopped being paid and houses began to get foreclosed on in record numbers. Banks who had loans that were not insured by bonds began to lose money and some went out of business. The loans that did have bonds began to pinch Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The two businesses were starting to not be able to keep up. They were quickly running out of money and many people speculated they would go bankrupt.

If those two companies went bankrupt they would not be able to insure the investors who bought all those mortgage bonds. The American economy would go spirally out of control. If you thought the economy was slowly headed in the wrong direction before then this would put us at about 80MPH towards the wrong direction. Just a few days ago the federal government stepped in to save Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. They took control of the two companies and the $5 trillion home loans they insured. The Federal Housing Financing Agency will run these two companies until they are both on better footing.

Barack - He proposes a $10 billion fund to help prevent foreclosures and would eliminate taxes and fees for families who must sell their homes. People who are in danger of being foreclosed would re-finance loans that would be insured by the Federal Housing Administration. In addition he would boost funding for law enforcement programs aimed at housing fraud by $40 million and establish new criminal penalties for professionals found guilty of fraud. He would require lenders to report suspicious or fraudulent activity and would establish a database of disbarred mortgage professionals.

McCain - Give homeowners a chance to have their loan modified provided they meet certain criteria. He believes a government bailout should be a last resort. He would create a justice department task force that punishes individual's or firms that defraud innocent home owners or forged loan applications. He would also assist state attorneys investigating abusive lending practices and improve transparency in the lending process so potential home owners know what they are getting into.

My Take - On the justice side of things I think they are both very close with their plans. I actually have to stop and wonder why it took the government this long to punish dealings like this and to find a way to prevent situations like this. Having said that it is Barack's plan that I have to give a point to. I don't believe the government should have a hand in everything, but one of those things they should be there for is crime & punishment. The government should not have been blind sided by fraud on this level. I understand McCain's point that a bail out should be a last resort. The governemtn should not be there to baby us everytime we make a mistake just as we should not baby our governemnt when they make mistakes. However in this case I believe there is blame to go all around. Nobody did their jobs in this matter and I believe from what I have read and seen that this is the time for last resorts. There should already have been safeguards in effect and the plans of both candidates sound like something that should have already been common sense. Its Barack's plan that does the most to make up for this mistake. It does the most to make up for these mistakes. Its does the most to insure the economy can get back on its feet quickly.

Obama - 2

McCain - 0