Random house stuff.

[sepdet]

Well, I have splurged and bought the Looks Like It Was Made In Rivendell Bed which I have been coveting from day one (made from sustainable wood and recycled iron!), and still need to get a Really Good Mattress.


Ikea bed/default mattress = tiring on a bad back. That's what I've had ever since my old trusty futon compressed into a singularity.

Also, the burglar alarm wind chimes which has hung in my front entryway such that people over five foot two tend to hit it? Visitors will be happy to know that since I finally have a real burglar alarm, the wind chimes is now functioning as a wind chimes should.

I am exceedingly happy hearing it jingling outside. I finally found a long enough branch to make it swing in a modest breeze, so it's making quiet music about half the time.

I continue to fuss over my patio garden like a mother hen. The jasmine seems to be recovering from Edward Scissorhands treatment. The tomato has NOT recovered from being fertilized (oops). The new tomato (knock wood) will not be so mistreated, and I'm now trying to grow cherry tomatoes from seed (hah) so I can hang them in my upside-down tomato growing pot which is too amusing not to try.

Also, I got an old-fashioned Mexican "strawberry pot," the kind with all the little tiny clay shelfy things sticking out around it, and have put different organic herbs in each pocket with a mess of rosemary, oregano and thyme on top.

And I keep buying flowers. Yay!


Also, I say to the two or three people on my flist who care and/or understand about these things:

MANNY RAMIREZ ;aslfk;A@!5outfieldersWTF!!

Um. Well. Er. We needed a bat.
And Torre's used to handling primadonnas.

I don't think I'm going to be getting any work done tonight.

trekqueen, make sure your tickets for tonight's game get used by somebody. The first game of Manny Ramirez on the west coast, with Randy "The Perfect Game" Johnson vs. Clayton "At Nineteen, Could Be the Next Sandy Koufax" Kershaw in a matchup between two teams scrapping for a division title (nevermind it's a bad division this year; it's still a dogfight)... um... it's big, hon. Big.

Comments

[juliansinger.livejournal.com]

Man, I hope you guys get the Good Manny as opposed to the Annoying Manny. If you get the Good Manny, he's wonderful as a person and a damn good hitter. Good luck with him!

[firerosearien.livejournal.com]

He's out of the AL East! JOY JOY JOY JOY!

[juliansinger.livejournal.com]

As a Sox fan, I'd like to whimper sadly in your general direction.

[firerosearien.livejournal.com]

Haha...you're okay. I mean. We have Sidney. Frickin'. Ponson.

[sepdet.livejournal.com]

As a Dodgers fan living 20 minutes from Angel Stadium, all I can say is: sometimes I wish I hadn't been seduced by Vin Scully the silvertongued bard of baseball.

But I love me Bums.

[owlmoose.livejournal.com]

Wow.

Who'd you have to give up to get him?

I'd say "that's a odd choice" but given that SF is the land of surplus outfielders, I don't think we have much room to talk. ;)

As a side note, it continues to be weird, but interesting, that one of the only people on my flist who cares about baseball roots for my team's mortal enemy. So everything that is good for you is bad for me, and vice versa. (Assuming, of course, that one takes things like team rivalries seriously...)

[firerosearien.livejournal.com]

LA gave up like nothing to get Manny. AND Boston is paying his salary.

[juliansinger.livejournal.com]

It's really a fucked up trade, from a Red Sox POV. (Pirates made out like bandits, though.) But at least they got SOMETHING for him, as opposed to nothing at the end of the year, and a pouting dingus for 2 months.

He really got on the Sox's last nerve, and I don't blame them a bit for unloading him. Bay's not /great/, but he looks to be pretty OK. And better than nothing.

[firerosearien.livejournal.com]

I've heard that it was so bad in Boston's clubhouse, out of 25 guys, one said he still wanted Manny in the clubhouse (rumor says it was Youk)

The Sox were really screwed once the Marlins pulled out--and the kicker, they couldn't address their actual weakness--their bullpen.

[juliansinger.livejournal.com]

I don't necessarily buy that, particularly given Lujo and Ortiz have been good friends of his. But I /certainly/ buy that the clubhouse was gettin' restless.

Sigh. I know. The Marlins trade would've made more sense, slightly. But the Sox were radiating desperate, and you can't deal from a position of strength, that way.

[firerosearien.livejournal.com]

You definitely can't...and the Marlins probably screwed themselves over even more, but that's what happen when your owner's name is Loria.

[kirbyk.livejournal.com]

What they really gave up was Andy LaRoche, who is decidedly a top prospect. Baseball Prospectus has him projected to be about a .290 hitter with 25 homers, a good number of walks, low strikeouts, and plus defense at third base - looks a lot like Scott Rolen ten years ago.

These things don't always work out, but it makes tons of sense for the Pirates to want him. He was probably the Dodgers best hitting prospect.

The trade is good for LA 2008, though. And as the saying goes, Flags Fly Forever.

[firerosearien.livejournal.com]

Real good for 2008, yes.

If the LAD don't run away with the division now, I'll be shocked.

[sepdet.livejournal.com]

LaRoche's been driving me BONKERS, and I'm glad to see him go for his sake and ours.

Last year he came to ST with a chip on his shoulder, sure he was the Anointed One for our future 3B. He proceeded to drop balls, show lack of hustle, and in general utterly failed to win the job.

This year he came to ST with a bit more humility, but then got hurt. Nomar broke another rubber band (he's our guest star -- shows up for some of the best episodes but you never know when he'll be on TV) -- and was out, our utility infielder Ramon Martinez was out, so a brand-new kid in AA got called up, Blake DeWitt.

DeWitt carried the team for much of April. His defense was sound and solid. His plate discipline, his concentration and care at the plate was noticeable from his very first at bat. Pitchers have figured him out a bit, and we picked up a cheap rental utility infielder Casey Blake who's been doing a fine job now at third-- but it was growing increasingly clear that DeWitt was our future 3B, and LaRoche had no place in LA. It wasn't really fair to make him bench warm.

Whereas our other young prospects like Kemp and Loney are fairly vital for the future.

Essentially, LaRoche became our most valuable trading piece, and for once, I think Colletti actually pulled the plug on the right deal.

Oddly, I've heard of Manny, but the weird exhibition game at the Coliseum this ST was the first time I'd watched him.

He's coming to LA full of bounce, smiles, a sense of humor and looking ready to work. I'll admit I was charmed; he's going to fit right into Hollywood (although it's weird; all the Dodgers teams I've seen have been teams first with no "lead actor", despite Nomar and Martin). We'll see. Manny's got something to prove now, so hopefully he'll behave himself and give us a boost. I'll admit, it was fun watching him tonight, even if he GIDP at the end when we needed him to come through.

[firerosearien.livejournal.com]

Johnson and Kershaw in a matchup? Dang, that's something!

(We have Ponson throwing against the Angels. I need to find the tequilla.)

AND MANNY IS OUT OF THE AL EAST

JOY TO THE WORLD
TO ALL THE BOYS AND GIRLS
TO THE FISHIES IN THE DEEP BLUE SEA
JOY TO YOU AND ME

[trekqueen.livejournal.com]

gah yea now I'm kicking myself cuz dal called his sister saying we can't go. Now I'm like... BAH! being a red soxer and all... arg. -_-

and I care about plants too, good luck on the baby tomatoes, we had some from a plant that were real yummah!

[sepdet.livejournal.com]

I wound up watching the game from Z Pizza because #$@$! MLB.tv still insists I'm in India, and is blacking me out of Dodgers and Angels games. (Why I'm not blacked out on all thirty begs the question....)

ANYWAY.

It was A GAME. Sold out. Incredible atmosphere. Kick Dal in the balls.
Er, excuse me.

I'm a little passionate about these things. But it was indeed... a game. The stadium was thundering, and I don't think a single soul left early. Heck, people may have taken off work 2 hours early to make sure they didn't miss the first pitch. :)

As one of the two

[kirbyk.livejournal.com]

Yay Manny in Dodger Blue. (I think, as an A's fan, I have to root for the Dodgers, in that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and the two big enemies of the Athletics are the Angels and Giants. And we're, well, in decent shape for 2010.)

Here's hoping that Torre is sensible enough to play Manny/Ethier/Kemp as his outfield, and keep Juan Pierre for pinch running and late inning defense. And realize that Andruw Jones was a perfectly reasonable idea that didn't work out so well. And in any case, the Dodgers have one of the best benches in the game, which is something, right?

It probably won't get as much attention as the AL East or NL Central races, but I expect Arizona/LA to battle tightly to the end. And they won't have the wild card as a consolation price. Yay pennant races!

Re: As one of the two

[firerosearien.livejournal.com]

Manny and Torre on the same team...

...So, so wrong...

Re: As one of the two

[sepdet.livejournal.com]

*whine*

ANDRUW JONES WAS A STARTER TONIGHT.

Torre, I believe in you. DO WHAT'S SMART. PLEEEEEZE.

[3-2-1.livejournal.com]

Oooh, good luck getting the tomatoes from seeds. I grew an indoor cilantro plant from seed this year and it was tremendously satisfying. And delicious, let's not forget delicious!

[sepdet.livejournal.com]

I already had me some tomatoes thanks to a friend giving me a seedling, but then I was an UTTER AND COMPLETE FOOL and put Miracle Gro on it. All the leaves promptly withered and died. I can't tell if it's going to put out at the base or die.

My organic, vegetarian, healthful friends may all now laugh and point.

I promise never to do it again.