With the rain and no baseball, it's a nice day for a white wedding.

I've got a wedding to go to. Bride has no business wearing white, though...

grrrrr.

Bah!
Foiled again by trying to be clever.

No baseball at all today: What should we do with our free time?

Speaking of weddings, mine's coming up in a couple of months and we've decided to do our own music. We've already got a tonne of songs, but anybody got some ideas for some kick ass fun wedding music?

Actually, there is baseball today. Dunedin takes on Fort Myers at 12 noon and Charleston visits the Lake County Captains at 7. Both games can be heard over the internet. Each opponent's broadcast is linked to theminorsfirst.com. There just might be some reporting of the games in the minor league update thread.

And there'll be time for that white wedding at 4.

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

"Strokin!" by Clarence Clemons. BEST WEDDING SONG EVER.

Apparently, with the usage of the "war on steroids" and the "war on terror", it's now respectable to declare war on nouns.

Breaking news: Brent has declared war on the salsa that made him sick last night.

but anybody got some ideas for some kick ass fun wedding music?

I'm a big fan of The Laws Have Changed by the New Pornographers, which is a song that pretty much everyone enjoys dancing to.

Before the game the Fan had someone on from ESPN who asked a really interesting question: with this huge crackdown on steroids and the impressive new testing regime, how is it that no one has tested positive yet? Considering 7-8% have admitted steroid use.

"Strokin!" by Clarence Clemons. BEST WEDDING SONG EVER.

Interesting. A friend of my fiancee's was telling us that she was at a wedding and the DJ played that song as the last one of the evening, despite the bride's pleas to end the night with a slow song.

We were at a wedding last weekend where the DJ didn't show up.

Just a couple of reasons why we decided to do our own music.

Oh, another thought: didn't Selig say that the Montréal situation would be sorted out before the All-Star break? Not that I'm surprised to see the timetable pushed back yet again. Hell, maybe they'll play at the Big Owe again next year.

Apparently, with the usage of the "war on steroids" and the "war on terror", it's now respectable to declare war on nouns.

Ghastly, isn't it? I presume you mean improper nouns (is that right?) and it horrifies me too. On top of that, once you've DECLARED war ON something, aren't you AT war WITH something? I suppose 'war with terror' doesn't have the same ring to it...

"It's the End of the World As We Know It".

Then again, I'm entirely too cynical about marriage...

Chris - I did my own music for my wedding. COMN to send me an email and I can give you some tips if you're interested

Wedding Songs:

Kim Mitchel - Patio Lanterns (or Go for a Soda, OR to be really cool both!)
Queen- Another One Bites The Dust
Bon Jovi - You give love a bad name
Shaggy - It Wasn't Me
Elvis Presley - Return To Sender
Ugly Kid Joe - I hate everything about you
The Rolling Stones - I can't get No Satisfaction
Sir Mixalot - Baby Got Back
Iron Maiden - Run To The Hills
Ricky Martin - She Bangs

Kim Mitchel - Patio Lanterns

Will a certain 37 year-old defenceman to whom that song is now inextricably linked be present? And just when I thought that it was out of my head.

Christopher,

If you have a spread sheet of some of the tunes you're planning to use I'd love a copy. Please send it to my email. I'm planning on doing the music at my wedding too but somehow I have accumulated a lot of mellow and/or broken heart tunes. I think I'll ask for requests with the invites but I've got a lot of work ahead of me. "Wish you the Worst" by the Old 97's should be left off the play list.

If it's a mixed age crowd as most weddings are, then a lot of classic rock like Queen and the Stones goes over well. Every wedding I've been to recently has Hey Ya' by Outkast. Sloan, New Pornographers, PowderFinger all put out good danceable sugary pop.

Guilty Pleasure: Prozzak (Hot Show album) (Canadian band that presents itself as a cartoon).

http://artandveragotmarriedandalltheygotwasthislousywebsite.com/
Friend of mine got married about a month ago, and while at the reception we collected e-mail addresses and put together a website a few weeks later (COMN) from the pictures everyone took with their digital cameras. Plus I stole the disposable cameras that were on the tables and stuck all those pictures up there, too.

I wish I (or someone else) had thought of it for my own wedding.

A friend of mine has a theory that a wedding is not legally valid unless "Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger is played. As he's never been to a wedding where it wasn't played, he swears it must be a legal requirement.

Whomever it was that just mentioned the OLD 97s, I am VERY impressed.

They actually have the perfect wedding song, it's called THE QUESTION and it's about proposing...

Kieran,

Don't steal my thunder baby. That's my wedding song and you'll keep your grubby hands off. :) The Old 97 s are a perfect example of my collection, 5 albums about drunkeness, loneliness and despair and all wrapped up in a nice package. I can cull one song from the entire lot. New album comes out on July 27 if you didn't know already.

A friend of mine has a theory that a wedding is not legally valid unless "Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger is played. As he's never been to a wedding where it wasn't played, he swears it must be a legal requirement.

Too true, I think I'll avoid it and see what happens. I still cringe when I think of my friend's aunt dancing to "Fat Bottom Girls" by Queen but I think I'll tempt fate on that one.

I'm thinking of setting up a speaker's corner thing at my wedding though I'm sure by the end of the night I'll have a couple of porn snippets of my friends and their drunken wives. I'm totally trying to come up with these ideas instead of the usual posed photos to remember the event.

What should we do with our free time?

Something trivial is always good. I got 19 of 20 correct on the first page; couldn't recall the Cubs' CF in 1953, the year I was born. As the youthful Bauxite who sent this to me said, in anticipation of me beating his score, "the older you are, the more of an advantage you have."

I haven't finished the whole thing, but so far, am getting 16-18 right per page, and more importantly, avoiding work. There's no "master" scoring tally, just a page-by-page count, so those who want to answer all 1,000 questions will have to keep their own total score. Anyone who gets 90% or more on this test without cheating is a walking baseball encyclopedia.

A friend of mine has a theory that a wedding is not legally valid unless "Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger is played. As he's never been to a wedding where it wasn't played, he swears it must be a legal requirement.

This one is very borderline to me, leaning towards not playing it. One thing for certain though, there will be no YMCA at my wedding.

Kent, that's good. I got 18/20 on page one and 17/20 on page two, including an embarrassing wrong answer on #38. I should know that one!

Falling behind the pace... just 14/20 on page three, and 15/20 on page four. These aren't as easy as they look!

Through 3 pages I am 14, 17, 17

Including an equally embarrasing answer that Lou Gehrig is considered the "most durable pitcher of the 20th century".

If you have a spread sheet of some of the tunes you're planning to use I'd love a copy.

Sure, I've got one at home that I'll send along.

I get about 14 or 15 or so on each page. This was the Daily Diversion on Monday, but no one seemed to notice it.

I haven't been to a Canadian wedding in the last five years that didn't play Spirit Of The West's "Home For A Rest". That song, more than anything else, seperates Canadians from Americans, IMHO.

What's with all you breeders getting married? You're giving me an enormous amount of peer pressure here! :)

Mike, I thought you, Hannah and I settled this over beer earlier this season.

We settled nothing. I didn't sign anything.

I found a baby-sized Atari T-shirt for when Moffatt spawns.

I think I'll ask for requests with the invites but I've got a lot of work ahead of me. "Wish you the Worst" by the Old 97's should be left off the play list.

I thought about asking for requests in the invite as well, but opted against it. A lot of my songs are standard wedding songs, but for the not so obvious songs that mean something to my friends, I wanted them to be a surprise.

What's with all you breeders getting married? You're giving me an enormous amount of peer pressure here! :)


After 7 years I was told it was time to put up or shut up. We get married next summer or that's it. What can I say...I ran out of rope. Marriage, not a problem. Wedding, not so good.

After 7 years I was told it was time to put up or shut up.

Heheheh. I hear ya. My approach is to make a bunch of unreasonable demands like Rev. Al Sharpton has to do the ceremony then insist that the bride's family pays for it all because it's the "tradtional" thing to do. :)

One thing for certain though, there will be no YMCA at my wedding.

I can see getting rid of the chicken dance and the electric slide, but YMCA?!?

I was in a wedding this weekend and somehow I and a few other groomsmen ended up being the Village People. I was the fireman in the group - the helmet even had a visor! Nothing like the dance floor clearing for a bunch of guys who can't dance trying to imitate the Village People.

My approach is to make a bunch of unreasonable demands like Rev. Al Sharpton has to do the ceremony then insist that the bride's family pays for it all because it's the "tradtional" thing to do.

I tried that. I'll let you know if Sharpton does a good job or not.

:)

http://www.rockpapersaddam.com/index.html
For a day with no baseball how about playing Rocks, Papers, Scissors with Saddam Hussein? COMN

I tried your Mom pays for everything. All of the sudden the wedding was taking place in Sudbury in the basement hall of a strange religious cult (roman catholic I believe). Had to fall on that financial sword to wrest control from the fun police.

15, 15, 11, 14. Damn you people! I have work to do! :)

I tried that. I'll let you know if Sharpton does a good job or not.

LOL. If Sharpton would do the ceremony, I'd gladly get married. The only thing cooler than that would be to have Jimmy Walker be the emcee. Or Don King.

I tried your Mom pays for everything. All of the sudden the wedding was taking place in Sudbury

Well, that's more than I got, which I believe was an "Umm.. no".

The only thing cooler than that would be to have Jimmy Walker be the emcee.

True, but if I'm recalling correctly a story I heard about Jimmy from a few years ago, he charges extra for everytime he says DYN-O-MITE!

I've got a bucket full of spare change on my desk. Shouldn't be a problem.

I've got a bucket full of spare change on my desk.

Ah, good times....good times.

http://me.woot.net
I, too, am running out of rope; at least I gave the highly ambigous statement that "I'm not even going to talk about it until I'm out of school." That's now 9 1/2 months away.

Guess you'll just have to do a Masters degree then. :)

What's a wedding without the Chicken Dance?

Through 10 rounds of Extremely Unproductive Use of Time at Work Baseball Trivia Challenge, I have a high score of 17, a low of 10, and an average of 13.1.

http://www.cherylandjohn.info
Speaking of weddings... mine is coming up too (COMN - August 21). Going to miss a SABR meeting about the 2005 convention in Toronto, but I think being at my wedding is a bit more important :)

Sadly, no baseball during the honeymoon. She doesn't care much for it, plus they don't play much baseball on trains (going through the Canadian Rockies). Guess the advantage of the Jays being out of it is I don't have to keep checking boxscores during the honeymoon... of course I will anyways I suspect.

Wedding songs are a pain though. Figured out 'our song' plus a few others. Still trying to figure out what to ask to have played during the wedding party dance. Btw, Chicken Dance will occur at some point. That one is mandatory.

The mere thought of the Chicken Dance makes me feel quite fortunate that I am hopelessly single.

I gotta say, I'm really starting to get angry with MLB and their managerial hiring practices. Rather than even CONSIDERING guys like Cito out there who at the very least have had some success in managing a major league team, the Astros instead replace Jimy Williams with Phil Garner, a man who has never had ANY success, has only coached teams full of scrubs and is only getting the job because he is a white guy who's managed before. How can you possibly make the argument that he's the best candidate for the job? Isn't there some sort of procedure involving minority consideration they have to follow before handing the job to yet another useless "baseball man"? This is unbelievable.

Georgia Satellites in?

Maybe the Astros just want to prove once and for all that Garner can't manage, since they have more talent than the other clubs he has been handed.

I'm surprised that Johnny Oates, who worked with Melvin in Texas, wasn't given the job. Where is Oates now? I remember him as a fine manager...

Didn't Oates have a brain tumour or some other very serious disease? I remember it being life-threatening. As for Garner, his teams haven't all been bad. He had the Molitor/Yount Brewers in the early 90s.

I recall the brain tumour as well. Is Oates even still alive?

As of 2003 (COMN), he was still with us, although sadly it sounds as though the tumour has returned and his time is limited.

Disturbingly, in conducting a little internet research on this question, he appears to have been selected in a number of "Dead Pools". People who participate in these are, in my view, beneath contempt.

http://rangers.siegler.net/pictures/hof2003.html
Let's try that again, shall we? COMN

Four Seamer, you did what I did a couple days ago. Put the URL in teh homepage line, and not the e-mail line. I beleive that should fix it.

Here is Oates' managerial record. Oates is apparently still alive.

On a completely different topic, the Hardball Times has updated its stats to the All-Star break. Here are the AL pitching stats by team. If you scroll down to the Blue Jays, an interesting story is told. The FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) column shows the Jays as having one starter having a good season (Halladay), two relievers having good but not great seasons (Chulk and Frasor), and everyone else pitching OK, but nothing special.

Kerry Ligtenberg is the complete anomaly. His FIP shows him as a good pitcher this year. The Defensive Efficiency Ratio behind him (.583) is terrible even though he gives up fewer line drives than average (.147). Seeing as he is under contract for next year, and seeing as his past performance is more consistent with his FIP than his ERA, I'd give him regular work post-All-Star break, but I'd let him start his own innings.

Bill Madden, the national baseball writer for the New York Daily News reported on WFAN 660 today, that Miguel Batista is available, however, the Yankees have no interest in him, because Batista is writing a book and was caught secretly taking notes for it in the dugout during a game. Madden also reported that Batista has been a dissapointment in Toronto.

Madden also reported that Batista has been a dissapointment in Toronto.

A disappointment to Madden, or a disappointment to the Blue Jays?

Madden also reported that Batista has been a dissapointment in Toronto.

Hmm...ERA better than Halladay, 2 complete games including a shutout, arguably the best starting pitcher on the team this year. Yeah, he won't have any value because he is writing a book.

I doubt the Jays would trade him in the first place. If he is on the market, I doubt the Jays would be trading him to the Yankees as their prospect supply is thinner than Mr Madden's material.

Baseball and white weddings.

There is a wedding in "Bull Durham", the greatest baseball movie of all time.

The movie even includes a discussion of "wearing white".

Here is the exchange between the friendly Millie (about to marry the religious player) and Annie Savoy.

Millie: Do you think I deserve to wear white?"

Annie Savoy: Honey, we all deserve to wear white."

There is more marriage content as well. Who could forget the later classic mound discussion of the wedding gifts; and of course the on field ceremony itself.

I really like Batista, but he hasn't pitched better than Halladay (check out the Hardball times stats 3 posts above), and his pitching to date has been mildly disappointing. He has had less control than he had in Arizona, with the result that he hasn't been quite the pitcher that he was the last 3 years. On the other hand, his stuff seems to be excellent, and there is really no reason that he cannot regain the control that he had with the D-backs.

Is that Strokin by Clarence Clemons of E-Street fame, or someone named Clarence Carter?

Madden said he's been a dissapointment to the Jays

Tom in NY,

I'm not too familiar with Madden. What's your take on him?

We have all kinds of reporters in Toronto who traffic in rumours they've started themselves or have passed on to them by 'sources' that are 357 times removed from decisionmakers. But we also have some pretty good ones, albeit covering other sports, who are pretty careful with what they write. If you wouldn't mind, I'm curious as to which camp you'd put Madden in. Thanks.

Miguel Batista is available, however, the Yankees have no interest in him, because Batista is writing a book and was caught secretly taking notes for it in the dugout during a game.

Batista is writing a novel about a teenage serial killer. It's not exactly a secret.

Madden is a long time and very respected writer, who has broken a lot of major baseball stories in NY. He also has written a number of well received books. However, I have been a Jays fan in NYC for 25 years and have never seen anything concrete or accurate about the Jays in any NY paper. Toronto is viewed as a baseball backwater in NY. There are always Delgado, Hallady or Wells trade rumors in NY. Two years ago, before the deadline, the whole city thought the Mets were getting Delgado and Roy. Even in the late 80s and early 90s the reporters here would speculate about trades for the Jays' stars. The taking notes story does bother me a little bit though, because Madden likes his rep as a serious baseball writer and usually stears away from being outlandish.

Thanks Tom in NY, that's an interesting perspective.

Mike Green,

You say Halladay has pitched better than Batista based on the Hardball Times analysis. I don't pretend to understand all that stuff but they have ranked all the pitchers based on RSAA. Batista has 12 and Halladay an 8. Doesn't this support my assertion?

Don't get me wrong, I think Halladay is still the man, just Batista has pitched as well as anyone on the team this year. I don't think he has been a disappointment, in fact, with Doc, Batista, and Lilly, the Jays have something to build around.

Trivia:

17, 19, 20!! On the third page!!

Woo-hoo!!

Great link, thanks, coach.

The reason Ligtenberg's numbers look weird is that his line is skewed by two incredibly poor outings, in which he retired no one and allowed 10 earned runs.

In his other 31 appearances, he has an ERA of 2.76, and has given up 33 (I think) hits in 29.1 IPT

The reason Ligtenberg's numbers look weird is that his line is skewed by two incredibly poor outings, in which he retired no one and allowed 10 earned runs.

In his other 31 appearances, he has an ERA of 2.76, and has given up 33 (I think) hits in 29.1 IPT

For those of you doing the trivia, Question 103 should read:

103) In 1971 this All Star catcher played 3rd base and won MVP award.

The question says "1st base"

Not to brag or nothin' (yeah, sure), but I ran off a string of correct answers from question 23 through 109. Got tripped up by which was Griffey's 1st big year...

The reason Mike said Halladay was having a better season was because his Fielding Independent ERA was lower than Batista's and lower than Roy's actual ERA. This indicates Hallday was hurt more by his defense than Batista, and if the defensive performance behind them were equal, Halladay would have the superior ERA.

Thanks, Tassle. There's one other piece. The one important item that FIP does not catch is the pitcher's propensity to give up line drives. HLH has been, as usual, much better than average. Batista has been average.

To sum up, HLH has struck out more than Batista, walked many fewer, given up the same number of home runs and given up many fewer line drives. All the rest of the components of ERA are out of his hands, and in the hands of the defence and the bullpen.

Magpie, I tried the trivia starting at about 580. I was getting 16-17 right per for 3 or 4 sets of 20 and then aced one.