Coast to Coast Bigmouth

Yosemite.

techtive — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 16:08:36 -0400

Yosemite.

I would hate to get this guy at a real bar.

techtive — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:03:01 -0400

I would hate to get this guy at a real bar.

Thorpe's 11 thwart Brickley Giants!

techtive — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 00:08:26 -0400

Thorpe's 11 thwart Brickley Giants!:

This was 90 years ago, so it’s not all that timely. But it’s a lot of fun to read. Lots of little nuggets in here. (One: Brickley made a 60-yard drop-kick field goal, during a kicking exhibition with Thorpe at halftime.)

Baseball trivia, by Ole Goose Wallechinsky

techtive — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 18:44:25 -0400

“A record commonly thought to be held by Bob Feller and Nolan Ryan is really held by Mark Koenig, 2nd baseman for the New York Yankees. In establishing the record for the fastest pitch, both Feller and Koenig were measured by the same U.S. Army machine. Feller’s fastest pitch was measured at 98.6 mph; Koenig was measured 16 years earlier at 127 mph. (Koenig’s record is rarely recognized.)”

http://www.trivia-library.com/a/strange-trivia-in-sports-baseball.htm

Bats notebook (2010)

techtive — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:46:00 -0400

From the vault: This is a story I wrote two years ago for the Courier-Journal, when I was a part-time reporter on the Louisville Bats. The subjects were Aroldis Chapman (now the Cincinnati Reds’ closer), Jon Adkins and Todd Frazier (Reds’ starting third baseman) and Devin Mesoraco (Reds’ starting catcher).

Of interest to me now is the Twitter item about Adkins. At the time Twitter was still sort of a fringe tool, used more by journalists than the general populace. I remember the skepticism from most of Adkins’ teammates (including Sam LeCure, Corky Miller and Frazier, who said the social media device “sounds like trouble.”) I knew that one would have a dated quality one day, and that day is now. Several Reds players have their own Twitter accounts, including LeCure and Frazier, and some use them effectively to reach out to fans.

Chapman has more than a mere translator in Vera

BATS NOTEBOOK

By Rick Newkirk

rnewkirk@courier-journal.com

The Courier-Journal

When the Cincinnati Reds signed Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman to a $30.25 million contract in the offseason, Tomas Vera’s job got a little more complicated.

Officially Vera is the head athletic trainer for the Louisville Bats. Unofficially he also handles the team’s travel arrangements, works up papers for players moving throughout the system and does other odd jobs, including translating for Spanish-speaking players.

Now he’s Chapman’s liaison to America.

“It’s being not just a translator,” said Vera, originally from Venezuela. “I’m beginning to be more of a friend and a mentor, where I have to guide him through living in the United States.”

When Chapman got his driver’s license test, Vera said, the trainer was there to walk him through it. Vera gets phone calls from Chapman urging him to translate to strangers.

He even helps the left-hander work through directions on his car’s GPS mapping device.

“If he doesn’t have a GPS, he’s nobody,” Vera said. “He doesn’t go anywhere.”

Chapman, 22, is beginning to pick up English — “He’s learning a lot about asking for phone numbers from females,” Vera said — and for now he can get by with a text-message translation app on his iPhone.

And when that fails, of course, there’s his trainer.

“I’ve built a friendship with a lot of players,” Vera said. “I’m really happy to do it.”

Adkins a tweeter of one

Meet the one and only Jon Adkins.

That is, the one and only Bats player active on Twitter.

Adkins, who is tied for second on the Bats’ all-time save list, joined the social networking website last season when he was playing for the Lotte Giants in the Korean Baseball Organization.

“They have a heavy following,” said Adkins, also known as @jonadkinsWV. “There’s more English-speaking people than you think in Korea. (With Twitter) you have a chance to kind of bond with them.”

Adkins also uses the site for updates on the Carolina Panthers and country music and to follow beat writers for an “extra edge” in his fantasy football team.

“For me, it’s more of a morning ritual, a habit,” he said. “I can see where it could be bad as well. You have a bad game, someone could write on there, ‘You stink.’”

As for the other Bats?

“I heard about Twitter,” teammate Todd Frazier said. “It sounds boring to me, to be honest. Just write what you’re doing or whatever? … It sounds like trouble.”

Prospect watch

Devin Mesoraco, a 21-year-old catcher, was leading the Class A Lynchburg Hillcats in home runs (10), RBIs (31) and slugging percentage (.620) and was second in hitting (.335) before being promoted Saturday to Double-A Carolina. Mesoraco was the Reds’ first-round pick in the 2007 draft out of Punxsutawney (Pa.) High School.

Some current Reds Twitter accounts:

LeCure — @mrLeCure
Jay Bruce — @jayabruce
Johnny Cueto — @JohnnyCueto
Brandon Phillips — @DatDudeBP
Dallas Latos — @DallasLatos
Todd Frazier — According to @johnfayman, he uses his girlfriend’s account. ~~He didn’t say which one.~~ @jfraz14

Look at these gas prices!

techtive — Sun, 27 May 2012 16:31:30 -0400

Look at these gas prices!

Ordering pizza in Boise...

techtive — Sat, 26 May 2012 20:48:00 -0400

Pizza dispatcher in Boise: What are your cross streets?
Me: I don't know. I only have the address.
Her: Is it 27th Street?
Me: I don't know. I only have the address.
Her: Are you sending it to somebody?
Me: No. I'm sending it to me. I'm here.
Her: How did you get there?
Me: I drove.
Her: What street did you turn off of to get to 30th St.?
Me: I don't know.
Her: Were you blindfolded?

Louis Armstrong: Nothing Compares 2 U

techtive — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:43:28 -0400

Louis Armstrong: Nothing Compares 2 U

Started my day in the clouds. (Laramie, WY)

techtive — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:39:09 -0400

Started my day in the clouds. (Laramie, WY)

Wyoming. Finally some crap to look at!

techtive — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:16:42 -0400

Wyoming. Finally some crap to look at!

"How do you say Cheyenne? “Shy Anne”? “Shy Enn”? “Chee Enn Geng”?..."

techtive — Wed, 23 May 2012 23:56:40 -0400

“How do you say Cheyenne? “Shy Anne”? “Shy Enn”? “Chee Enn Geng”? Unrelated, I’ll be in Wyoming tomorrow.”

Impossible!

techtive — Wed, 23 May 2012 23:34:00 -0400

I don’t know why no one told me about Restaurant Impossible before, but it’s probably the greatest show in the history of ever. This guy Robert Irvine is a good cook, knows how to run a restaurant, gets in people’s faces, is beast, and is married to a WWE lady wrestler.

There are also some interesting skeletons in his closet from when he lied on his resume and carried a fraudulent bio on the Food Network for a couple of years. And he had a show taken away from him.

Also he’s a beast and is married to a WWE lady wrestler.

The best thing about Illinois was leaving it

techtive — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:03:10 -0400

The best thing about Illinois was leaving it

That’s about right.

techtive — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:19:44 -0400

That’s about right.

"My dog worked at taco bell, hooked us up plural, fired a week later, the manager count the churros"

techtive — Wed, 23 May 2012 09:38:06 -0400

“My dog worked at taco bell, hooked us up plural, fired a week later, the manager count the churros”

Gassed up, fully loaded, off.

techtive — Wed, 23 May 2012 09:28:59 -0400

Gassed up, fully loaded, off.

Final purchase…

techtive — Wed, 23 May 2012 09:16:46 -0400

Final purchase…

Route.

techtive — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:07:31 -0400

I’m headed thisaway starting tomorrow. First stop is St. Joseph, Mo.!

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Damon Lindelof discusses the ending of LOST in great detail....

techtive — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:14:00 -0400

Damon Lindelof discusses the ending of LOST in great detail. This is the most satisfying video I’ll watch all day. (Also, why does everyone still misinterpret the finale?)

"Getting stuff done is infectious."

techtive — Mon, 21 May 2012 18:12:57 -0400

“Getting stuff done is infectious.”