Um... Jumping the Gun, Much???

They don't make any announcements regarding this year's Cy Young Award recipients until this afternoon, yet this is what I just found on Wikipedia under Cliff Lee's entry:

2008 Season

Cliff Lee on the mound at Progressive Field on September 12, 2008.In 2008, Lee had a career year. Despite the Indians playing with a l 500 winning percentage for the season, Lee started the 2008 season with much success. Lee was one of only eight pitchers since 1920 to win 19 or more of his first 21 decisions. He was the first Cleveland pitcher to win his first six starts since Greg Swindell in 1988. He also recorded his first career shutout on April 25, 2008, against the Kansas City Royals, allowing just 3 hits and 0 walks.[9] He had the lowest On-base percentage-against at .163 through five starts since 1909. For his efforts and success, he was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for April, when he went 5-0 with a 0.96 ERA. .[10] Lee was selected to his first All-Star game in 2008, and was selected to start the game. Lee worked two scoreless innings for the American League team, surrendering only a Chipper Jones base hit and striking out three.[11]

On August 26, Lee won his 19th game of the season, yielding only 2 runs to the Detroit Tigers.[12] This victory set a new career high for Lee, besting his previous mark of 18 wins set during the 2005 season. On September 1, Lee won his 20th game of the season, throwing a complete game shutout. He was the first Indian to reach 20 wins since Gaylord Perry in 1974.[13] In August, for the second time in the 2008 season, Lee was named American League Pitcher of the Month. He went 5-0 with a 1.86 ERA in the month. On September 12, Lee won his 22nd game, making his record 22-2 on the season. This marked the first time a pitcher had gone 20 wins over .500 since Bob Welch in 1990. Overall to end a career year, Lee went 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA and 170 strikeouts. He started 31 games, completed 4, and had 2 shutouts. He pitched a total of 223⅓ innings. Lee ended the season as the American League champion for both wins and ERA.

On September 30, 2008, Lee was awarded the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

Lee was awarded the Players Choice Award for AL Outstanding Pitcher of the Year, and AL Comeback Player of the year, by fellow players.

Lee was also given The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award and The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award for his 2008 season.

Lee's 2008 winning percentage of 88% was the twelfth best of all time, and the fourth best by a pitcher starting a minimum of 30 games. Coincidently, the three pitchers ahead of Lee also pitch left-handed (Randy Johnson, Ron Guidry, and Lefty Grove). Lee's winning percentage is the second best in Indians history, behind Johnny Allen's 93.8% (15 wins, 1 loss, in 24 games) in 1937.

In 2008, he also won the AL Cy Young Award for his outstanding pitching in the season

[edit] See also
List of Major League Baseball wins champions
List of Major League Baseball ERA champions

Trippy, huh?

Notice how the important sentence is incomplete. The boldface and italics were added by me.

It'd be great if it's true. In fact, it will be rather suspect if Lee doesn't win. No American League pitcher had a better season this year. However, no one should have this information reported on a website at this time of this day. A leak of this sort is more appropriate on ESPN or MLB.com...

Wikipedia? REALLY??? (Yes, that's a link to the article referenced!!)

 

Hooray!

Blogger is accepting posts from my phone again. We'll see how long it lasts THIS time. I hope it holds up at least through voting season.

I just wish it could have been sorted out in time for my dad's wedding this past weekend.

>grumblegrumblegrumble<

 

Seriously. Think hard about this, and think about the misguided values this person embodies.

Again: consider this woman's values. Consider that she is teaching her children these values. Then consider what you would think if you heard the average child in Kindergarten saying "Oh, we don't really need the polar bears. They don't matter."

That's not a stretch. It's just rephrasing the issue.

I don't want this woman anywhere near my White House.

 

BP in Parma. F**K YOU, OPEC...

BP in Parma. F**K YOU, OPEC...
Originally uploaded by sunspotting.

This is at the corner of Broadview and Pleasant Valley, on the border of Parma and Seven Hills. Marathon and Shell, also at that intersection, had the same price.

It bugs me that we should be celebrating this price as a good deal. (And does this mean we can stop being at war now?!?) $0.79/gallon was a good deal. I'm as certain we'll never see that price again as I am that we'll never see chocolate bars the same size and price as they were when I was a kid.

JesusKali&Ishtar. When did I turn into a geezer???

 

Well, this is a kick in the teeth.

Apparently, Blogger no longer supports T-Mobile. It doesn't seem to be deliberate, so I am going on the hopes that this is a temporary glitch, but it sure does throw a serious monkey wrench in my plans for this weekend.

This is the weekend my dad is getting married, and I had hoped that, in addition to the traditional photography, I would be doing some cameraphone-and-blogging.

Getting bounced posts that tell me that my posts are no longer supported (after well over a year's time???!!!?) makes me feel hollow inside. All the more hollow, when my phone service provider gets the same bounced error message immediately following a post attempt, and cannot hide the sheer surprise for the experience.

So my posts from my father's wedding festivities will NOT be immediate or spontaneous. I'll do what I can as I can.

 

My Daily Laugh

Hmm... this one is hitting very close to home!!

 

Pre-race Silliness

Pre-race Silliness
Originally uploaded by sunspotting.

Why the foamy stuffs? Mountain bike bling?

We saw this on our way to the start line. It just struck me as odd in so many ways; perhaps it's something a child made and gave the bike owner. It hangs so as to be a bit mechanically distracting to normal bike operations.

I don't know. If it were me, I'd want to rip it off after the first 12 miles or so. Lucky for the foam flower, it's not.

 

PSST! John McCain!

Oh my goodness. Didn't they teach you politeness in Senator School? Or have you been in DC so long you've simply forgotten how to behave among polite company?

Do you remember at least that when you are asking for something (VOTES, for example), *ALL* company is polite company?

What I'm getting at, Senator McCain, is that I'm not the only one who noticed that you did not shake Senator Obama's hand after the debate last night.

Because others noticed it, others who are better placed not only to report such details, but to report the same cold shoulder you showed to Sen. Obama's offered hand post-Congressional vote last week.

Do that once, and that might be seen as a missed goodwill opportunity. Twice? It's personal.

Be on your best behavior. EVERYTHING counts now. If we're lucky, this year, perhaps maybe even votes will count.

 

OMG! HA HA HA HA INFINITY!!

Amy Amy Amy Amy Amy! Mr. Becker Mr. Becker Mr. Becker Mr. Becker!

(This is what's known as a 'drunk post'. I have only vague recollections about what the conversation was, I just know it was all pricelessly funny at the time and needed to be preserved for posterity. Whatever that's worth.)

 

Aaarrgghh!! We need a pirate's 'tude!

We had a chance to plonk Gary Sheffield on the top of the 1st inning. While the option to NOT do it may be seen as good sportsmanship, and while I may approve wholeheartedly of that, the Indians *WHOPPINGLY MISSED* a strategic opportunity.

If Tribe pitcher Jeremy Sowers would have beaned Detroit batter Sheffield, he'd've reached on HBP, not by a double. No big deal right? Because nobody scored.

*HERE'S* the big deal: if Sowers had been the first pitcher to hit a batter, the Indians *and* the Tigers get a warning, and THE NEXT PITCHER GETS TOSSED.

How much you wanna bet Jim Leyland's coaching staff (mgr of the Detroit Tigers; though not he himself -- he's got a weekend 'discipline pass') took advantage of that as soon as White Hat Eric Wedge passed on it??

Wuss vs Puss.

 

They put THIS on a FORD??

They put THIS on a FORD??
Originally uploaded by sunspotting.

In case you can't read the window decal between the bug splats on our windscreen, the ugly minivan (whoops, it's an Excursion, I think they want us to read that as "luxury truck" (chassis isn't high enough to be a truck, really, though the rear bumper is very deceptive), but I'm not buying it; neither the vehicle nor the concept) in front of us says "dontbesick.com".

Now, instead of putting that *ON* a Ford, shouldn't they be advising that to the people who *run* Ford about their product?

 

Mystery SOLVED.

Since the time I discovered my Swedish heritage I've been trying to justify it to the curious urges and desires I naturally feel. Completely on the level, you understand!

*You* know. The eternity of 'nature v nurture'. I'm adopted. There's no escaping this argument. DAILY.

Some days, HOURLY.

Rick helped me today. It was on my second Belgian beer.

I commented on how I really loved EVERYTHING Belgian put in front of me, and I simply didn't understand that. Perhaps there just isn't enough available that is Swedish!

Rick, on the other hand, speculates that perhaps that is the precise reason why Scandinavians needed to go a'viking in the first place.

I know *I'D* leave home for Belgian beer. (And honey. And jams/jellies. And soups. And cheese. To say nothing of the chocolate.) Whether those genius Trappist Monks had anything to do with them or not!

Driving heat

Seems like a likely licence plate for an All-Star pitcher?

Baseball is a contact sport. Who knew?

First I thought the White Sox were just having a rough game against the Twins.

But now I'm not so sure...

SOMEBODY'S hot under the collar!

________________________________
Later edit: Apparently, Neil Diamond's tour manager (or some sort of manager; I can't find a link to corroborate the story reported on WOIO, so now I'm suspicious...) was ALSO hot under the collar this afternoon, because he was absent from tonight's concert. The reason reported? Like the baseball players and fans, he was too busy getting in trouble for fighting. In his case, said fighting reportedly took place in the bar on Whiskey Island. That's at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, in downtown Cleveland.

There's a lesson to be learned here. It's hot, and tempers are easily lost. Stay cool and stay properly hydrated. Breathe. Be excellent to one another.

PS: Daddy and Ginny, I hope you enjoyed the concert!! :-D

 

The Thin Line Between Curiosity & Fright

Today we got the perpetually leaky and now finally deceaced dishwasher replaced in the kitchen, and (as I txt) (ooh! they're done!) the Shakespearean-death-throes washing machine replaced. That's 2 different delivery-installation crews, *each* comprised of 2 guys, tools, and big, boxy, clunky things. All of which bring along smells and sounds and who-knows-what-else a cat may sense.

(Interesting and creepy: BOTH crews were guys younger than I am -- and therefore should know better!! -- yet BOTH crews each had one guy with terminal butt cleavage. Do they not watch movies? Are they completley insulated from stand-up comedy? Or is it an ironic statement? First crew? Yeah, maybe that's their excuse... but not the washing machine bozos. If I saw them handling a long plank of wood (and by "long plank of wood", I mean "long plank of wood"; work with me here), I'd stand well away and watch the inevitable Laurel & Hardy comic replay.)

This was taken of Bert 2 seconds before she freaked out and couldn't take anymore. Poor kitty. Yet so entertaining.

Mute Musician on Coventry

No 'open mic night' tonight. Such a strange departure from my art school days... there'd always be something going on at the corner of Coventry and Euclid Heights Boulevard: rogue skaters, a sketch artist, spoken word of some sort, musicians of all sorts, someone selling beaded jewelry...

Makes me more than a bit sad. 'Bohemia' is indeed lost.

Cool Customer. Maybe the Coolest.

They always say "cool as a cucumber", but never take into account CELERY. And yet, you rarely get wings without them. Not in Buffalo, not anywhere.

It's a question we ALL ask, eventually.

A very sad Cleopatra begs to know WHY couldn't the Cubs beat the Sox? It had the feeling of an Indians game, except with more hitting.

Scant 5 hours later, Rick returned from the Indians game to report a dismal score, and even worse: a deadly boring game.

Let's hope both the Tribe and the Cubs fare better today. Interleague play has been brutal for my two beloved hometeams.

Crazy Silly Bert

She's having a post-supper bathe-&-roll. *I* don't understand it. Seems a bit counterproductive. (points to spot on rug to the left of Bert's head; housekeeping's not one of our fave pastimes...)

 

Rain Delay

Five minutes ago, we were watching "This Week In Baseball". Now we are in a rain delay, sans rain, but loaded with very ominous clouds and occasional lightning flashes. It was wise to delay!

What I *do* think is odd, however, is the failure to resume regular programming. It was very entertaining! Instead, we got the split scoreboard, one side explaining why there would be no baseball anytime soon, and the other displaying who we wouldn't see play.