J: The Key to Good Pitching

Happened to look at the MLB AL Pitching stats tonight and noticed the top 5 pitchers (by ERA) all had names that begin with the letter J. Looking even further, the top 7 are all J's.

Is this a science? As a Red Sox fan, I have proof it is not (See: Lackey, John).



If you cannot make this out the names are: Justin, Jered, Josh, James, Jeremy, Justin, Jon.

Anyway, I saw this and thought I would share it. Nothing more than a coincidence... or is it?

The leaders in AL Wins are Justin Verlander, (CC Sabathia - damn Yankee would mess this up), Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson (yes, that counts), Jon Lester.

And just because I can.... the AL leader in Saves... Jose Valverde.


If you didn't believe this blog site was all about "Random Informal Thoughts", hopefully this post changed your mind.

Fastlane... NOT So Fast!

On my way home tonight via the Mass Pike, I got stuck behind a couple of cars at the toll. This usually never happens to me because of the Fastlane (or EZ Pass for you non-Massholes) pass that is attached to my windshield.

What I realized had happened here was that this lane was not just for Fastlane. It was for Fastlane & Cash. Ummmmm?

So here I am, a member of the Fastlane community (the community that let's me bypass the toll lines) and I'm waiting for people to count their exact change.

I realize this doesn't mean the world is about to end, but come on now! This is like having an express lane at a supermarket (i.e. 10 items or less) and then say but it's also for people with more than 10 items. Or it's like having a carpool lane, but you don't actually need 2+ people in the car.

The whole idea behind Fastlane is to let me get through the tolls faster and to reduce the amount of workers needed as toll collectors. And yet someone had the brilliant idea to do this? This is certainly not the way to get more drivers to sign up for Fastlane!

PS - The car at the toll was taking so long that I actually switched over (safelt) to a regular Fastlane toll and left the change counters in the dust.

It's the New England Revolution, Revolution

The New England Revolution, of Major League Soccer (MLS) have had quite the week. In what I can only describe as a long shot, they had the chance to (and did) sign a young (26), experienced, US National team player. His name: Benny Feilhaber. In another great move, they announced a major partnership with United Healthcare that will now be a sponsor on the Revs' jerseys.

With a brand new international forward they brought in last week, the Revs have potential? Potential to succeed, depends on your definition of success. These moves certainly won't guarantee them an MLS Cup, something that has evaded them for quiet some time. But what these moves do are create some buzz around the team. Whether they can capitalize on such buzz is another question.

If we didn't have names, stats or salaries of our newest acquisitions we'd possibly think these are NY Red Bull type deals. In fact they are not, not even close. They don't have to be (it would be extremely difficult, and costly to bring in another Henry-caliber player).

But what this does make me think about is how after all these moves we are not making strides in the league. The Revs aren't the first to do this (both bringing in a DP-like player, or having a jersey sponsor), in fact they are one of the last. So although the Revolution fans are ecstatic that the team is making moves, it should remind us of just how, dare I say bad, we were? The Revs are finally stepping up to league average, and hopefully this is the start of something great.

I hate to bring the negativity to the table, but this is the first time in a few years the Revs have done anything really worthwhile. Hopefully it's not too late and we can return to being one of the premier teams in the league.

Should Varitek Change His Name?

So we keep hearing about how the newest catcher of the Red Sox, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, has the longest name in MLB history (14 letters). It's really nothing more than a tongue twister and a hassle for the guy that has to sew on all those letters.

Anyway, news came out today that Jason Varitek has proposed to his girlfriend. Congrats to Tek, but here comes the question for our beloved catcher and captain... Does he take on her name or keep his own? You may say this is quite the easy decision as his current name is widely known. BUT... if he takes on her name, he could 1-up Salty, and have the longest name in MLB history (15 letters).

Her name you may ask? Panagiotopoulos

To make it easier for you to count: Panag-iotop-oulos

Anyway, I think Jason Panagiotopoulos could catch on! Although I'm still not sure how to pronounce that.



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... and before you judge, I never said I was an artist.

Coach K vs. The Devil

As I was watching today's Duke vs. Michigan 3rd round tournament game, I noticed something... Coach K. and the Duke mascot look pretty similar. How have I never noticed this before?

The nose, the chin, the ears... dare I say twins?
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Well I thought I'd touch up Coach K's picture a bit, and now you can't even tell them apart.