Kyle Boddy dot com

«I have a tough time pinpointing this thing. We've turned over every rock to correct this thing. Unfortunately, we've also turned over every rock to lose.»
--Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi

«Who plays the game? He put together a team that everyone across the country thought would be a contender.»
--Putz, on his team's general manager.

Sometimes you wonder how these people continue to have jobs.

Oh, and:

«When you can get a reliever with a power arm who's on a relatively short course to the major leagues, it makes it very, very attractive. I think we all know that strong bullpens make it a lot easier for starting staffs.»
--Bob Fontaine, director of Mariners scouting, on selecting reliever Josh Fields with his team's first-round draft choice.

LOL Mariners.

I actually happen to like this one. It was taken at Lower Woodland during our game last week.

Yes, I do these on a daily basis. Outside. At the park.

Yes, I get weird looks.

But hey, I have a better fastball and can throw every day without pain because of it!

Sometimes it's like this:

My take on his hitting mechanics (with voiceover, so you can hear me talk).

Here's a non-flattering picture of me in my standard gray hooded sweatshirt and RHS baseball cap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWQbN0jFo_k

I highly recommend this book for all of the data-driven and logical minds that read my blog (and I know there are many). Super Crunchers is a great book detailing the use of data-driven analysis in unconventional fields - evidence-based medicine, for example. The chapter on how statisticians determined that point shaving (a form of bribery) was occurring in college basketball is particularly interesting.

However, I think my favorite theme of the book was the fact that supposedly intelligent individuals - such as medical doctors - couldn't do entry-level high-school mathematics or probability. When asked what the chances that the author's unborn child would have Down's Syndrome, one doctor gave multiple probabilities based on multiple tests. The author asked him to give a final answer, to which the doctor said 'You can't combine probabilities like that.' (Bayes' Theorum, anyone?) In another case, a doctor gave multiple answers to the same question and then said 'I could give you a number, but in reality she either has it or she doesn't.'

Here's the amazon breakdown of the book:

Yale Law School professor and econometrician Ayres argues in this lively and enjoyable book that the recent creation of huge data sets allows knowledgeable individuals to make previously impossible predictions. He calls the data set analysts super crunchers and discusses the changes they're making to industries like medical diagnostics, air travel pricing, screenwriting and online dating services. Although Ayres presents both sides of this revolution, explaining how the corporate world tries to manipulate consumer behavior and telling consumers how to fight back, his real mission is to educate readers about the basics of statistics and hypothesis testing, spending most of his time in an edifying and entertaining discussion of the use of regression and randomization trials. He frequently asks whether statistical methods are more accurate than the more intuitive conclusions drawn by experts, and consistently concludes that they are. Ayres skillfully demonstrates the importance that statistical literacy can play in our lives, especially now that technology permits it to occur on a scale never before imagined.

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/05/22/video-maxine-waters-threatens-to-nationalize-americas-oil-industry/

Transcription: 'This liberal will call for socializ... ... ... Taking over of the oil companies.'

Yeah, this is working out really well in other parts of the world. However, I have to give Maxine credit - at least she is saying what the rest of the Democrats are thinking. Readers will note that not one Democrat has publicly spoke out against her statement.

Props to LJ user 'melvin_udall' for pointing this story out.

Someone mentioned this in a political community I am active in:

There are some areas here in the south where water is in short supply. The government is putting restrictions in place on how much water each household can consume. I don't see a problem with this.

To which I responded:

The unfortunate reality of things like water shortages in the southwest are explained simply (albeit cruelly) by saying that if you live in a fucking desert with no rainfall, you should expect this sort of shit. Much like the people of New Orleans - if you live in a city under sea level, well, uh, yeah.

It sounds mean, but personally, I can't see living in a desert city and complaining about water shortages. I'd have to be some sort of idiot to complain.