The Wordle

No live-blog is complete without a Wordle. Here's the one from the All-Star Game live-blog below. Click on it to view the larger version.

2009 MLB All-Star Game Live Blog

Wrap Up: Well, that concludes the 2009 MLB All-Star Game. If you stuck through the entire 3 hours and 24 minutes and didn't mention it, thank you. It was fun. This live-blog contains almost 3,300 words and was a ton of fun to watch. If you're reading this on Wednesday or beyond I hope you enjoy looking back on a game that featured a bunch of defense and sporatic offense. This was the shortest All-Star Game since 1988. Carl Crawford was awarded the MVP. Even the All-Star Game is recognizing defense! Now the Mariners just need to make the playoffs to take advantage of the AL's victory.

10:21: Mariano Rivera and his cutter finishes off Miguel Tejada and the National Leauge. The 4-3 victory by the AL was well earned. That was a fast baseball game, 2 hours and 31 minutes.

10:19: The reason Mariano Rivera's cutter is so devastating is because he can locate it perfectly. It seems like he just picks the spot on a string. How he can do that is incredible. What's the pitch on a 20-80 scouting scale? A 78? 80?

10:17: Mariano Rivera essentially throws one pitch - a cutter. That pitch has been worth approximately one win on its this season. Yup, one pitch from one closer is that good.

10:15: I think Hunter Pence and Freddy Sanchez are the only remaining position players on the NL bench. Don't think they're going to help much.

10:11: Justin Upton, Brad Hawpe and Miguel Tejada is not exactly a murderers row for the bottom of the ninth inning. Does Charlie Manuel have anyone else to combat the great Mariano Rivera?

10:07: And the reason all those stats don't matter in the All-Star Game in a single at bat? Ryan Howard just struck out. Joe Nathan preserves the AL's 1-run lead. Enter Sandman.

10:04: Add this to Ryan Howard's ridiculous numbers. With two outs and a runner in scoring position over the past three years Howard has a 1.150 OPS. That includes 22 home runs in 241 at bats.

10:02: Why is Ryan Howard a great pinch-hitter? Is it just because he's a great hitter? Those numbers Fox just showed are crazy good.

10:01: Orlando Hudson is an All-Star again? He never goes away. I didn't even know he was on the NL's roster. Jason Bartlett can't make a tough play and the O-Dog gets a single.

10:00: A full count! I don't believe we've seen one of those all night. Adrian Gonzalez just drew a walk. That's a pretty impressive feat in an All-Star Game.

9:57: Since Charlie Manuel is playing to win, I guess this Rob Neyer blog post about the "Fairness" of the All-Star Game deciding home field advantage in the World Series is actually applicable.

9:55: The more fascinating thing is Tim McCarver was right. Kevin Youkilis has been worth about $14 million already this season, according to FanGraphs. That's a great value considering Youkilis plays 1st and 3rd and is only being paid $6 million.

9:50: Did Tim McCarver just talk about relative value in reference to Kevin Youkilis? I mean I know it was a off-the-top sort of spouting that he normally does. Still, I'm slightly impressed. It actually was an argument that made sense.

9:49: Joe Nathan and the Mariano Rivera. That's quite the bullpen. Oh, and Timmy Wakefield is down there in case of emergency.

9:48: Adam Jones delivers a sacrifice fly to put the AL up 4-3. If the AL wins - again - Curtis Granderson deserves the MVP.

9:45: Curtis Granderson is so fast he just made the most exciting play in baseball - the triple - look like a routine event. It was insane how fast he got around the bases. Charlie Manuel just called for an intentional walk of Victor Martinez to get to Adam Jones. Interesting strategy.

9:42: Heath Bell is on the mound. Bell took over for Trevor Hoffman - who pitched earlier - and didn't miss a beat for the Padres. He makes the most of the opportunities they give him. He also does great interviews on Baseball Tonight. Bell has 23 saves this season.

9:39 Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon cruises through the 7th inning with an assist from Carl Crawford. My guess is that the MVP will go to the next player to get a big hit. (I have a crystal ball.)

9:34: What a play by Carl Crawford! He just robbed a home run from Brad Hawpe. Carl only plays a corner outfield position because Tampa Bay is so loaded with ridiculous athletes. Crawford is a centerfield quality outfielder defensively. He also has "centerfielder" offensive skills.

9:30: Sara Evans > Sheryl Crow in the battle of Missouri singers tonight.

9:28: It's the 7th inning stretch already. This game - once it started - has cruised. Sara Evans (who?) is performing God Bless America.

9:27: Who is Albert Pujols trying to kid? We all know he's the best player in the game. He doesn't have to play the humble guy. We know he's sick. (I guess maybe Joe Mauer would have an argument? Maybe Chase Utley? Maybe Evan Longoria?)

9:26: The top of 7th is when the managers start to sub liberally. Of course Joe Maddon should save Tim Wakefield until the 9th inning so he can keep going if necessary. Wakefield has a bionic arm.

9:23: Felix Hernandez was his usual dominating self. I really like the new King Felix. He's a super-ace. That could be huge for Seattle in the second half. (Especially if a starter or two gets traded.)

9:19: According to Wins Above Replacement on FanGraphs the most valuable player in 2009 thus far hasn't been Joe Mauer. It's been the guy that just came on the field - Tampa Bay's Ben Zobrist. And Felix Hernandez is on the mound!

9:16: You know what I don't get about UZR? It's really inconsistent. Take Miguel Tejada's last three seasons for instance: -8.4, 9.4, -10.5. How'd that single season pop up? Still, my eyes tell me the drop off from Hanley Ramirez to Tejada is significant. Didn't affect Trevor Hoffman. He cruised through the top of the 6th.

9:11: The All-Star Game might've started late, but it is really moving. The pitchers are dominating play. The defense has been good too - if you ignore the top of the first.

9:09: Adam Jones has come on to play outfield for the American League. He's actually there to taunt Mariners fans. Still, Franklin Gutierrez is one of the most clutch hitters in baseball. I can't complain!

9:07: Albert Pujols made that error in the first inning, but he more than made up for it with two excellent defensive plays in the top of the 5th inning. The AL could've lit up Chad Billingsley if Pujols and Chase Utley didn't deliver on defense.

9:05: There are some batters whose eye I trust more than the umpire. Joe Mauer is one of those players. Nick Johnson and Chipper Jones are two others. Mauer just tied the game with a double to left field. 3-3.

9:00: I just found out Derek Jeter cried during one of my favorite sporting moments of all-time. (Chris Webber's timeout disaster in the NCAA Final.) This made me very happy.

8:59: Want to know why Chase Utley is one of the most valuable players in the National League? The play he just made at second base is why. Not only can he hit, but Utley could play shortstop competently. He's got great range at second base. He got the extremely quick Crawford on a tough turn around throw.

8:57: Carl Crawford is one of the few people left in baseball who you can watch just for their base-running ability. Another one - Ichiro - is at the plate. Crawford has 44 steals already this season.

8:54: Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard will have a new teammate after the break - Pedro Martinez. Does that mean the Mariners can't trade Erik Bedard to the Phillies anymore?

8:53: Also, Greinke dominated that inning. Wow. AL still down 3-2.

8:50: Zach Greinke is in the game. Greinke has been in a word - insane - this season. (And I mean that in a good way.) He has a 2.12 ERA in the AL. He has a 1.97 FIP. He has the best slider in the AL. He has everything necessary to be an ace. Man do the Royals need something to cheer about. Apparently Greinke has also helped Kansas City's attendance.

8:48: Movie previews searching for that coveted 18-34 male demographic? G-force - blech and G.I. Joe - maybe.

8:45: Dan Haren has the best fastball in the Major Leagues according to FanGraphs Win Value. Haren's fastball has been worth 22.1 runs or about 2.2 wins. That's a quality pitch! It also might be why Haren has a 2.01 ERA this season.

8:43: If there was an AL All-Star I'd pull after one at bat it was Josh Hamilton. For some reason Joe Maddon decided that the fan voting game him two chances. His teammate Michael Young is showing him up again.

8:40: Mark Teixeira just made a great defensive play. It came down to excellent positioning. Joe Buck just lumped him in with Kevin Youkilis and Carlos Pena as a great defensive 1b. Their UZR's? -2.4, 10.0 and -3.7. To be fair - Teixeira and Pena had positive UZR's in 2008 and there's still a chance for them to rebound. Youkilis though is in a class by himself. He's a competent 3b. Neither Pena nor Teixeira could do it.

8:32: Ryan Franklin likes pitching with the lead - he's the closer from St. Louis - it showed as he put the AL down 1-2-3 in the 3rd. Also, Franklin has a .79 ERA! Some things in baseball are just impossible to predict. Even his FIP is 1.8 runs lower than last season. I mean, Ryan Franklin a dominant closer? Really?

8:30: Wow. Now we lost a microphone of an on-field reporter. What exactly is Fox doing? This is like Amateur Hour at the Apollo - except it's not funny at all.

8:29: Another #Foxfail as we miss the first pitch of the top of the third inning. Of course Derek Jeter grounds out on the second one, so no biggie I guess.

8:25: Prince Fielder - one dangerous pitch-hitter - delivers an RBI double in place of Tim Lincecum. Also, why is Obama rooting for the NL? He roots for an AL team that has a good chance of making the playoffs. This game means something to the White Sox. That interview was incredibly pointless.

8:22: Joe Buck sends us back to baseball for a minute as Shane Victorino's single puts two on with two outs. Of course Victorino is from Hawaii. So is Obama. What a coincidence. This interview is ridiculous. It is full of bad jokes and puff questions. And there's a baseball game going on! The NL just tied the game on Yadier Molina's base hit and a Josh Hamilton error. #Foxfail.

8:19: Roy Halladay is still mowing hitters down. He is going to make this the shortest presidential interview of all-time if he keeps this up. And the lucky David Wright ends Halladay's dominating performance with a single to right. Obama keeps talking.

8:18: Apparently Obama being in the booth means that the play-by-play is unncessary. Poor Raul Ibanez wasn't even announced by the television crew. If nobody announces your at bat did it really happen?

8:17: Obama has joined Joe Buck in the booth. Who has a bigger ego? That's the question I want answered.

8:16: Ichiro is back! He hit another ball to right field, but Ryan Braun was there. Alas, sometimes the hits don't drop. Well, unless you're David Wright. He's got a .430 BABIP this season. Jay Bruce is the other side of the coin. He's got a .202 BABIP. My guess is those both regress a bit during the second half of the season. (Yup, great analysis there.)

8:11: Roy Halladay didn't bring a helmet with him to the All-Star Game? Did he not realize he'd be playing in an NL park tonight? Apparently he's using Evan Longoria's batting helmet? He didn't he really need it as he struck out quickly.

8:09: Speaking of defense. This article is absolutely hilarious. Dayton Moore can't really believe this. Can he? It's 2009! Even All-Star outfielder Raul Ibanez has accepted defensive metrics!

8:07: What hitting category does Albert Pujols not lead the NL in? Not much. Average. (He's a little behind fellow All-Star Hanley Ramirez.) Pujols was just robbed by Michael Young. The AL played great defense. The NL? Not so much.

8:05: This season Chase Utley has been the most valuable player in all of baseball. He plays great second base defense and he can hit. The most valuable? The guy hitting behind him - Albert Pujols. Pujols has been worth 5.1 Wins Above Replacement and Utley has been worth 4.8. Doesn't help him here as he grounds out against Roy Halladay.

8:01: Speaking of luck - I think that Tim Lincecum should talk to his teammate - Matt Cain - about luck. Cain has had some of the best luck in the Major Leagues thus far in 2009. His ERA-FIP is -1.48. Still, Cain has a rosy 2.38 ERA and got invited to St. Louis this year.

7:59: Josh Hamilton should've just grounded into a double-play. (His teammate Michael Young finished the inning.) I'm curious about the NL's defensive ineptitude during this top of the first inning. Even Joe Buck felt the need to comment on it. The two runs weren't Tim Lincecum's fault though. He got a number of ground balls and bloop hits. I guess if you're going to be unlucky the All-Star Game is a great place to use it up.

7:57: Albert Pujols can't make the play at first base and Mark Teixeira is able to drive in teammate Derek Jeter. Yes, the American League is already winning. (The junior circuit always wins.) Jason Bay just loaded the bases. He's a machine with players on base. Bay leads the AL with 72 RBIs.

7:55: Joe Mauer is now batting. Mauer leads the AL in both average and OPS - and he's a catcher. The most interesting thing? Mauer has a .393 batting average on balls in play. That's incredible, especially for a catcher.

7:54: Lincecum just hit Derek Jeter. The Yankees are already suffering after slumping into the break against the Rally Monkeys - a.k.a. the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Still, if Jeter goes out New York's lineup would be significantly works. (He looks okay.)

7:51: Classic Ichiro at bat as he gets down 0-2 and then battles back for a broken-bat single into right field. Go Ichiro!

7:48: Tim Lincecum is the starter for the National League. Lincecum is a 25-year-old from the San Francisco Giants. He's got a crazy motion and scouts were worried about injuries when he was drafted. Instead he's incredible. Lincecum leads the NL in strikeouts and fielding independent pitching. According to FanGraphs he also has the best changeup in the NL thus far in 2009.

7:44: Ichiro is up to bat first. As a Mariners fan he has been one of my favorite players for years, but this story made me respect him even more. A touching moment.

7:41: Another #Foxfail with the shortest commercial break in the history of sports. One trailer? Why even let Joe Buck take us out?

7:40: And Barack Obama arrives in his White Sox jacket to throw out the first pitch. I'm sure Cubs fans in Chicago are loving this. Obama gets props for throwing off the mound. #Foxfail on the lack of a decent camera angle to see where the pitch actually landed.

7:37: Did he just say 24-time All-Star? Why yes he did! Stan "The Man" Musial was one heck of a baseball player. It's great that MLB uses the All-Star Game to celebrate the history of the game.

7:35: When did House get put in an asylum? This shows how little Fox television I watch - well minus American Idol. That said, I'm real excited for Glee!

7:31: Crow is from Missouri - which explains the choice at least. The national anthem she sang was rather straightforward and boring. I'm assuming this is because of her Midwestern roots. For being from the "Show-Me" State she did really put on a performance. Definitely not Marvin Gaye.

7:30: Sheryl Crow is going to sing the national anthem. I'm sure I won't be able to stand it. I hope she finishes quickly and we can get along with the game. I want to see Tim Lincecum and Ichiro!

7:27: While I didn't think the address was particularly new and that the All-Stars Among Us idea was a little cheesy - as was the soundtrack - if you feel inspired, certainly check out serve.gov for a number of worthy projects.

7:25: Project Rise is a great effort. I'm glad they highlighted their work. I wonder how the states were divided among the Presidents. I feel like they would be hotly contested.

7:23: My quickest - albeit very vain - first reaction to the Presidents' address? The everyone besides George W. Bush and Obama looks very old. Even Bill Clinton seems to have aged radically.

7:19: The St. Louis fans love their players. Even Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina got a pretty loud ovation when he was announced at the bottom of the starting lineup. Though I think hometown hero Ryan Howard received a larger ovation.

7:18: Albert Pujols gets quite the reception. It is incredible that he gets to play in the All-Star Game in the prime of his career. What a great honor for Albert. Also, Ryan Braun - actual age 25 - is definitely in the running for youngest looking player.

7:17: Aaron Hill is now in the running for the youngest looking All-Star as well. Hill is actually 27.

7:15: I can't stand the Yankees, but whenever you hear the words "playing shortstop from the New York Yankees" or "playing centerfield from the New York Yankees" you sort of have to get chills up your spine. I guess that's another reason why Derek Jeter is so respected around the Major Leagues.

7:14: Player who continually surprises me with his youth? Ryan Zimmerman. The player I consistently think of as younger than he is? Jimmy Rollins. Not sure why this is for either of them.

7:10: Andrew Bailey, the pitcher from Oakland, wins the youngest player award. He has quite the baby face. I guess he's only 25 - that's the same age as me! Atlanta catcher Brian McCann looks really goofy. With those glasses and beard he looks like he could be starring in Hairspray instead of hitting in the All-Star Game.

7:08: The coaches were just announced. Trey Hillman must be really excited that he is here. He usually manages Kansas City. Actually having a 50-50 chance to win the game must be nice.

7:05: Yes, I will be playing the "Which All-Star looks most out of place?" and "Who is the youngest looking All-Star?" games during the introductions. The second is a favorite of mine. The early favorite? Ryan Braun the third baseman from Milwaukee.

7:03: Joe Buck is able to deliver an incredible introduction for St. Louis. The Cardinals are a storied franchise and St. Louis is a great place to be holding the event. Still, I think some people might argue about the naming it as, "the greatest baseball city the world has ever known." I mean New York City certainly has a case.

Opening: Welcome to the 2009 MLB All-Star Game live blog on CollegeGradRealWorld. While I realize that the game is on television on Fox, I greatly appreciate you taking some time out of your evening to check in with the game here as well. Or if you're reading this the next day - and this is the last thing you read - I appreciate that as well. Players will be designated by italics. I have a couple links to share tonight and lots of insight about into everything from the broadcast to managers decision.

To get started - the American League has already made one change to its previously announced lineup. Evan Longoria will not be playing in the game tonight because of an infected ring finger. Chone Figgins is replacing Longoria on the AL roster and Michael Young will be starting at third base. Figgins was added to the roster for his versatility, because this time it counts. Well, it counts for the two teams that reach the World Series.

Let's get started! (All times in bold - and in Central Time.)

This is last year's if you're interested in what I had to say before.

Seth Godin on blogging

While I think the entire Ad Age interview with Seth Godin about blogging is worth the few minutes of your day it'll take to read, I was really struck by what Godin said about why he writes his blog.

"Sorry for the rant, but the only reason I blog is because I love it. I love being able to create something that feels like a gift, giving an idea that spreads, that may improve something for someone. I'm certain (just speaking for myself) that if I figured out a way to profit from it, I'd probably be starting down the road to wondering how to maximize that profit, and if I tried to do that, I'd fail."

I think this is a really great way to think about blogging. It's a good follow-up to the post he wrote about the CPM Gap. There's something intrinsic in the value of offering truly insightful and relevant thoughts to people that might not directly impact revenue, but certainly increases the value of your brand and that which is related to you.

I'd highly recommend checking out the whole interview, even if you're not interested in advertising. It's a really good insight into blogging and how Godin thinks about what he's doing with his little piece of the World Wide Web.

Thanks to @ryanstephens and The Marketing Advantage for pointing this out.

It's a Mac world and songs

Yesterday I joined the growing list of Mac users when my new MacBook Pro arrived. This is my first blog post on the new machine! Apple is running a special where you can also get a free iPod Touch when you buy a MacBook and, even after one day, I understand why they do it.

By giving the iPod Touches away not only is Apple converting you to their laptops, but also prepping you for an iPhone and creating even stronger brand loyalty - and maybe hoping some people forget to fill out the rebate. Since many of the people that are buying Macs are converts from the PC-Windows world, this is a great marketing effort on their part.

I have to say, I'm falling for it hook-line and sinker. I love how smoothly my new Mac runs. I really appreciate the things it can do that my three-year old Windows Tablet laptop just couldn't handle anymore. Everything runs very efficiently, there's no overheating. It was just a very relaxing evening. Also, I love flicking through album covers on the Touch. I'm sure this'll get old eventually, but for now it's a fun new experience.

Now that I have a new iPod I've been listening to it quite a bit. As I walked to work I listened to Kaci's "I Will Learn to Love Again." Three years ago I wrote a two sentence review about the movie the song appeared in, The Perfect Man. So you don't have to read my terrible fits and spurts at the beginning of blogging, here's what I said:

Anyways, the movie overall just got cheesier and cheesier, but it was really good. I enjoyed it, although I definitely have a place in my heart for the chic flic genre.

I know, what a revelation, right? But I was reminded of that day as I walked to work. The day when I started. It's funny how things have a way of coming full circle like that.

Note: Tonight I will be doing my annual live-blog on the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Some people may think the game has lost its luster, but it's one of my favorite sporting events of the year. This is what I wrote about last year's 15-inning marathon.

Forbes Completely Misses the Point

Today Forbes released a list of the 10 most overpaid players in professional baseball. The financial magazine used the method of comparing a player's batting average, home runs, runs batted in and OPS against what an average player at the position does. It appears that Forbes then took the players whose salaries were more than the multiplier of the average player and declared them overpaid.

There are so many things that the method fails to take into account it's almost incomprehensible. There's no mention of defensive prowess, especially important for evaluating catchers, shortstops and centerfielders; and while the article briefly acknowledges Major League Baseball's salary structure, it writes is off as a minor inconvenience in the study:

"True, the artificially low salaries of younger players--those with less than three years service time have little leverage and tend to make less than $1 million annually--drag down the league average. But maybe that's just the point. Moving to a true free market for all players' services would benefit the business, as the extra supply on the market each year would mean an end to teams chasing a handful of top stars each winter."

Basically Forbes decided to ignore the salary structure under which Major League Baseball inherently works and not address it until the final two paragraphs, even though that's exactly why they came up with the conclusions they did.

Now, what a number of more sophisticated analyses have concluded is that the open market truly changes things. Teams pay for marginal wins in free agency and 1 win, or approximately 10 runs of production, can be worth anywhere from $4.5 to 5.5 million in the free agent market. Therefore many of the people that Forbes cites as overpaid are actually still underpaid.

Don't believe me? Here's the list of players considered overpaid and their value in dollars thus far this season according to FanGraphs.com (Remember, players still have almost half a season to increase their value.):

• Derek Jeter (ss, NYY) - $14.6 million (contract calls for $21.6 million)
• Ramon Hernandez (c, Cin) - $1.4 million ($8.5 million)
• Randy Winn (of, SF) - $5.4 million ($8.9 million)
• Todd Helton (1b, Col) - $6.6 million ($16.6 million)
• Carlos Beltran (cf, NYM) - $11.7 million ($19.2 million)
• Torii Hunter (cf, LAA) - $13.2 million ($18 million)
• Johnny Damon (of, NYY) - $7.6 millon ($13 million)
• Jorge Posada (c, NYY) - $9.1 million ($13.1 million)
• Kosuke Fukodome - $9.4 million ($12.5 million)
• Brian Roberts - $7.5 million ($8 million)
• Matt Holliday - $7.7 million ($13.5 million)
• Chipper Jones - $6.2 million ($10 million)

While looking at the list a few things stand out.

1. There are just two hitters on the list that are definitely overpaid, Helton - an aging slugger finishing out a contract - and Hernandez - who has a stupid contract from the Reds.
2. Forbes has completely undervalued defense. Beltran's great centerfield defense is what makes him one of the most valuable players in Major League Baseball. Last season he was worth more than $30 million dollars. I'm sure the Mets were quite happy to pay him $18.1 million. Defense also helps Hunter and Fukodome as well.
3. Poor Brian Roberts. He has given Baltimore enough production in a half of one season to justify his contract and he ends up on this list? That's absolutely ridiculous.

Who is really overpaid? Well how about some of these hitters:

• Carlos Lee (of, Hou) - $4.0 million ($18.5 million)
• Jimmy Rollins (ss, Phi) - $0.4 million ($7.5 million)
• David Ortiz (dh, Bos) - -$1.5 million ($12.5 million)
• Alfonso Soriano (of, ChC) - -$1.8 million ($16 million)
• Vernon Wells (of, Tor) - -$3.5 million ($1.5 million)

Yes, because of their poor hitting Ortiz, Soriano and Wells have all been worth a negative value to the clubs they currently play for. The Red Sox, Cubs and Blue Jays would've been better off putting some random guy from AAA in their place. Still, all of them are hitters that have proven their worth in the past, so maybe they will rebound.

Wells though is setting himself up to be the most overpaid player in baseball for quite a while when his extension kicks in. Here is the money owed to him from 2010-14: 10:$12.5M, 11:$23M, 12:$21M, 13:$21M, 14:$21M. Yup, that's a waste of money.

Where Forbes went wrong is by completely ignoring Major League Baseball's salary structure when doing its analysis. When judging baseball you just can't ignore the service time rules that so greatly impact free agency. And you certainly can't write them off in a paragraph or two. Forbes would have done a much better job of serving its readers if it had taken the time to do a more thoughtful resarch instead of pulling random offensive numbers out of hat.

Notes:

• All data used above comes from FanGraphs and Cot's Baseball Contracts.
• A list of the most valuable players in Major League Baseball thus far this season can be found here.

Late night. Interesting quote.

I meant to write more than this tonight, but the universe conspired against me. I read this in a Bill Simmons article today, apparently it's from the movie Cocktail? Still, I've been pondering it most of the day.

"Everything ends badly, otherwise it wouldn't end."

Make of that as you may.

Joe Posnanski is impressive

Over the past week I've been thinking a lot about what makes good sportswriting. Part of that is because I'm writing templates that I hope will at least capture mediocre writing for the time being. Part of that is because reading great game stories is a way of realizing how hard it will be to duplicate the judgement of an experienced, talented sportswriter watching the game with his own eyes.

I've also been reading a lot of columns. Lately though I've found myself drawn to the work of one man, Sports Illustrated's Joe Posnanski. Posnanski used to work for the Kansas City Star. While I don't know if it was his time in Kansas City that gave him his down-to-earth, conversational tone, or the ability to find the perfect place to insert light mocking of himself, the Royals or some other institution, it's a well honed ability.

When Posnanski needs to draw upon his personal experience, he does. When he needs to stay out, he does.

I've already linked to the Mariano Rivera piece. It was probably one of the finer examples of sports journalism I'd seen in a while. Posnanski though followed it up with another very strong effort when he wrote about Andy Roddick. A part of me was frustrated that I was having to listen to Joe talk about his tennis game halfway through the article, but when I was finished it made complete sense.

Today I got scooped by Posnanski's column. Originally I was going to have a blog debate with my friend and coworker Nicholas Allen over Roger Federer and Tiger Woods, but SI.com's story ran a few hours before we were going to post ours. My brother and I had an impassioned debate about Tiger and Roger as I was simultaneously reading the column. It wasn't until the last line of Posnanski's piece that the debate made perfect sense. Roger Federer - the quiet, determined savant (an artist) - is who I relate to, while Tiger Woods - the impassioned, unquenchable desire for victory, wears red on Sunday (a killer)- is much closer to my brother's personality.

The other thing I like about Posnanski is that he seems to understand journalism in 2009. He's on Twitter @JPosnanski, he's been blogging since October 2007, and he still writes for Sports Illustrated's magazine and Web site. I guess I feel like he's proof that sports journalists really can have it all.

I think Joe Posnanski is an outstanding example of a great current American sportswriter.

10 Things I Hate About You

ABC Family is attempting to capture the hearts and minds of tweens and teens once again with the high school drama "10 Things I Hate About You." Now, I'm not a tween or teen, but I tend to watch a lot of shows that fall into the genre and I wonder about the staying power and references of the show.

The movie "10 Things I Hate About You" off of which the television show is based came out in 1999. Of course, that movie was based off the Shakespeare play "The Taming of the Shrew."

It appears the television show tried hard to remain faithful to the movie update and the original play. All of the major characters made an early appearance in the pilot, including Patrick Verona - who was played by Heath Ledger in the cinematic version.

While the television show started out strong, I was happy about how it got the Shakespeare joke out of the way quickly, "Beguile - big word Shakespeare," it lagged towards the end. There's only so much to work with in a play, or even a movie.

Also, besides Nicholas Braun - who has taken up the role of Cameron in the television show - the performances weren't particularly inspiring. Meaghan Jette Martin's Bianca struck me as absolutley over the top. It was like she was playing a characiture of a characiture. It was completely unnecessary.

I wonder if the references the show used in some scenes during the pilot, while possibly appropriate for the audience that might've enjoyed the movie in 1999, are really appropriate for today's t(w)een audience. The constant Kim Jong Il jokes, healthcare reform, etc. I understand that Kat is supposed to be high-minded, but it seems deep for television high schoolers. There were some funny male modeling scense which I assume were in homage to "Zoolander." Though I'm not entirely sure it was intentional. (They had to be though. Right?)

Overall, it felt to me like the show lacked direction and pace. I usually eat shows like this up, but I think ABC Family hasn't quite found the groove with this edition.

P.S. This post kicks off a week of new posts.

A new official blog song

Can't believe I forgot to tell everyone this. College Grad Real World has an official song! Cradelsong by Rob Thomas includes the brilliant track, "Real World '09". It is officially the anthem of CGRW.

Does your blog have an official song?

Hey yeah, welcome to the real world

Nobody told you it was gonna be hard

You said Hey yeah I can't believe it, I barely started now I'm falling apart, and it's hard

Standing at the crossroads but having all the answers, never helped me out no all the better Boom shake, helps me awake

I need some coffee and maybe a shave

And it's a pretty bad way to start my today

Turn on the radio and what does he say?

He says, Hey yeah, welcome to the real world

Nobody told you it was gonna be hard

You said Hey yeah I can't believe it, I barely started now I'm falling apart, and the stars they were shining through the window

Yeah, feel a little moon glow

Kinda like a rainbow all the better...

Boom shake, now i'm awake

I think it's over but it's everyday

And it's a pretty fine mess I'm starting to make

I couldn't tell you I was never afraid sayin'

Hey yeah, welcome to the real world

Nobody told you it was gonna be hard

You said Hey yeah I can't believe it, I barely started now I'm falling apart

Hey yeah, welcome to the real world

Nobody told you it was gonna be hard

You said Hey yeah I can't believe it, I barely started now I'm falling apart

Hey yeah, welcome to the real world

Nobody told you it was gonna be hard

You said Hey yeah I can't believe it, I barely started now I'm falling apart

Hey yeah, welcome to the real world

Nobody told you it was gonna be hard You said Hey yeah I can't believe it, I barely started now I'm falling apart

ahh, welcome to the real world

ahh, welcome to the real world

ahh welcome to the real world

Two links

I just wanted to put up links to these two stories with some quick commentary about each because I found both very enlightening during the past 24 hours.

This article about Mariano Rivera by Joe Posnanski is the reason that I hope Sports Illustrated makes it through the current dilution of the media landscape. The people at SI do some really insightful writing. Posnanski's look at Rivera makes the human closer seem more human, yet somehow it also makes him larger than life. Read the article for some great literary allusions and some eye-popping stats. I can't stand the Yankees, but I have the utmost respect for Rivera.

The Wall Street Journal has a great piece on randomness. How hard was Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak? Well it depends on who you ask. Quite honestly, I think it'd be really, really hard to do. Also, isn't it fascinating that DiMaggio also has the second longest minor league hitting streak? He got a hit in 61 consecutive minor league contests in 1933. DiMaggio is the only player to be in the Top 10 for Major League and Minor League hitting streaks. The article isn't just about baseball though, it's about people's perceptions about randomness. That's certainly the most interesting part.