SB Nation User Blog: BrettJMiller

The Calling of Balls and Strikes Should No Longer Be Done by Humans

BrettJMiller — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 21:27:44 -0000

It's starting to get embarrassing:

We all know this isn't the first time poor umpiring has decided a game. Pitch F/X has a margin of error of 2.2 inches. 2.2 inches!! This umpire, apparently, has a margin of error of the strike zone. Obviously Pitch F/X won't be perfect, but you want to know something that is less perfect? Human umpiring. I can't wait till all the old traditionalist fucks in baseball die and things like Pitch F/X called balls and strikes could happen. It is clear that after Percival threw his last pitch to Rolen today, the count should've been 1-3.

Fuck you Umpiring, and fuck you MLB.

NFL Opening Day: Redskins @ Giants Game Thread

BrettJMiller — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:21:59 -0000

Not sure who's watching, but I figured I'd put this somewhere. Eli Manning looked pretty solid on the first drive excepting a pass he threw to Burress in double coverage which he bobbled, then came down with. The Giants came out strong, but I still am not believing they're the team they looked like at the end of the year last year.

Now that those words are out of the way, have a game thread.

U.S. Cellular Field cares less about the on-field product than Safeco Field.

BrettJMiller — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:22:44 -0000

Today was my first and probably last game ever at U.S. Cellular field. Wrigley will hopefully be more fun than the shit-hole that was U.S. Cellular. If you think Safeco worships children and doesn't care what happens on the field, holy crap this puts it to shame.

We all hate the Hydro races. Well, they had two big screen races--Pizza (Cheese vs. Pepperoni vs. Supreme) and McDonalds (Big Mac vs. Fries vs. McGriddle). The crowd went wild for both.

They had a contest for a kid 10 or under to hit a home run, where they're in a small area of the park hitting a ball off a tee over a fence almost 30 feet away with a bunch of random people cheering, then they run the bases that are like 20 feet away from them, and the crowd goes wild.

They had T-Shirt throwing and cars driving on the warning track between innings. They were winning a close game at the time and everyone got up and yelled for shirts.

They had "Wave cam" between innings. Which isn't what you think, they just panned through the crowd and had people wave and smile so they could say they were on the big screen.

They had a video ring around the upper deck, with the player's name and their eyes on it when they came up to bat, and a bunch of huge ads when the M's were batting.

The most advanced stat they put anywhere was total walks, tucked away in a corner, no OBP or SLG anywhere. Not even the first time a player came up. It was AVG/HR/RBI all the way there.

They played literally 4 different intro songs before and during the White Sox taking the field. The whole crowd cheered about as loud when they announced the starting lineup for the White Sox as I did when they announced the Mariners lineup. They also had a bunch of "Get loud" signs during the big innings--no one cheered otherwise. On Cabrera's HR, no one cheered till it was literally over the fence.

They did the wave, a lot. It went around the stadium 10-15 times as the Mariners actually managed to get 3 quick outs, and no one seemed to notice.

They had contests to win hats and baseballs and food and gift cards and shit by answering easy questions such as "Who threw the last no hitter for the White Sox?" after showing clips of Buehrle's no hitter for.

They also advertised US Cellular products and had some girl say their slogan while standing in the crowd between innings. Also they put trivia and stuff on the video board DURING innings. I mean seriously. They displayed the guess the attendance thing during the 6th inning. While the players were playing. And the crowd erupted when the final number of the multiple choices went up on the board. There's proof that they weren't watching the game.

All the while I was talking to a Cubs fan who got free tickets from a White Sox fan buddy. It was his first time in U.S. Cellular and he just sounded disgusted talking about how horrible the atmosphere was all game. Hopefully he's right and Wrigley is better tomorrow. Because U.S. Cellular just accomplished what I thought was impossible before. The White Sox have created an atmosphere at their stadium that encourages fans to care less about the on-field product than even Safeco does. I expected to lose when we showed up at the park but I still ended up being angry because I learned the White Sox organization and fans are worse at being baseball fans than even Safeco fans are. They should be embarrassed.

LaHair up

BrettJMiller — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:48:55 -0000

Per Baker

Tuglett is the one who goes down. LaHair was running a .263/.357/.467 line in AAA. An .824 OPS. That will surely translate to the big leagues well.

Also with that article is this gem...

"Yes, Jose Vidro is still here. Riggleman sounds like he's going to keep batting him cleanup against righties, saying no major lineup changes are planned -- other than LaHair, who hits further down in the order to break into the majors. Against lefties, who the M's will see three of this coming series, it's Adrian Beltre hitting fourth and Jose Lopez batting fifth."

So -gasp- Churchill's source was wrong and Vidro's still with the team. I swear the only reason he's still here is because the M's hate it when word of their moves get leaked before hand so they have to make it look like they didn't cave to fan pressure. The Adam Jones thing Churchill talked about last year is pretty much exactly like this.

Anyway, at least our suck at 1B will be interesting suck now...

Lookout Landing Softball Photos, June 15

BrettJMiller — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:45:05 -0000

Here's the Flickr album. I've got about a gig more to upload but I've got captions for all of them. I'll have the rest up tomorrow, my internet is fucking up. Plus it's a gig worth so it's going to take some time. I'll update the thread with new links when that happens. Speaking of links, here's the link to the album I just made...

Lookout Landing Plays Softball!!

LL Plays Softball some more!!

Anyone want tickets to Tomorrow's game?

BrettJMiller — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 09:42:43 -0000

They're $22 seats, they're in lower right field. I'll sell them to anyone who wants them for $12 a piece. I figure no one will take these anyway since everyone's playing softball or doing father's day stuff...but I figured I'd give my fellow LLers first shot at buying them. Otherwise they're just not going to be used. Let me know and if there are any takers I'll bring them to softball...I'll try to get there 15-30 minutes before Softball starts...if anyone wants the tickets that is.

LL SOFTBALL TODAY!! 1PM, SEATTLE U SOFTBALL OR SOCCER FIELD (details inside)

BrettJMiller — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 06:32:05 -0000

So the day is upon us. The first choice of fields is 12th and Cherry, the Seattle U softball field. If that is taken, go up two blocks to the Seattle U soccer field on 14th and Cherry. Go to the softball field first!!

Time: 1PM, Sunday
Place: 14th and Cherry or 12th and Cherry (Seattle U soccer or Softball field. Depends on what is available.)

Roll call: 19 (25?)

Matthew
Brett (+ 2)
Jeff
ningwers
thenatural
wwbaker3
Eric (+2, girlfriend and dad)
Two Rs and Two Ls
RED
Robert
Fuzz
Jaejo
Sportszilla
FWombat
~~Fin~~ is a dirty dirty liar
brayden(actually will be late)
johnbai (+ 1)(Actually will be late)
kentroyals5 (?) COMMIT!
Gomez (? Depends on family issues) STOP HAVING FAMILY ISSUES
Good Keith (?)
Fett42 (?)
Ted the lurker (?)

Why I hate Red Sox Nation

BrettJMiller — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:25:07 -0000

I wrote this for my journalism class in op-ed and also posted it on my website, but of the things I've written this is one of my favorites. So hopefully you guys can appreciate it and hopefully it captures your hate towards RSN as well. Red Sox 'Nation' Mere Bandwagon

We've all heard the chants at Safeco Field. "Let's Go Red Sox!" followed by the annoying clap-clap clap-clap-clap of literally thousands of card-carrying members of Red Sox Nation, whose love for the Red Sox--the lovable underdog team that has broken these die-hards hearts in the worst imaginable ways--dates back to the great struggle of the 2004 World Championship season. These "die-hards" were born and raised on the tough streets of Bellevue, Renton, and Kirkland, where they had nothing in their lives but the Sox to cheer them up.

Oh wait. That's not true at all, is it? Ask any of these "hardcore fans" who the Red Sox catcher was before Jason Varitek. They'll probably be surprised to hear there was a catcher before Jason Varitek. (It was Scott Hatteberg, if you're curious.)

Now don't get me wrong here. What the Boston Red Sox did in 2004 was amazing. No team had ever overcome a three-games-to-none deficit in a league championship series in the history of Major League Baseball. I'll admit it. I was rooting for the Red Sox. I was tired of the Yankees' reign of dominance. Manny Ramirez is a great player and a more awesome personality. Johnny Damon busting out of his slump to carry the Sox into the World Series back when he still looked like a homeless man was hilarious. And Curt Schilling pitching through ankle tendinitis: the bloody sock game, as fans know it, is truly the stuff of legends. I'll make no secret that my problem is not with Red Sox players, many of whom are good players and good guys. My problem is with the bandwagon fans who have spent their entire lives in Seattle. People who have never visited Fenway Park, or even visited Boston. People who chose to like Boston simply because they were the Yankees' rival. But how can they truly be the rival, the lovable underdogs, when they have the second highest payroll in baseball to the Yankees and have won two World Series championships this decade compared to the Yankees zero?

"They can't describe the Sox's last playoff appearance before 2003," said third grade teacher Eric Behrens from a Local Elementary School (changed to protect Eric online). "They likely don't realize who Hanley Ramirez is. They think in all sincerity that the media ignores them." This is absolutely true. Despite hours of coverage every day on ESPN, and despite the Red Sox surpassing the Yankees in airtime, you will still hear them complain that the media ignores them in favor of the Yankees. Despite the massive coverage the Red Sox receive, during the Mariners recent series with the Red Sox at Safeco field, I attended all three games and realized that none of these bandwagoners knew the Red Sox were actually in second place to the Tampa Bay Rays. When told of this truth, most of them dismissed it as a lie even after I pointed to the flags displaying the American League East standings that fly over the left-field bleachers at Safeco Field.

The worst part is not the incredible ignorance of these fans, if you can believe that. The worst part is their insistence on taking over Safeco Field. Now as a season ticket holder I know Safeco Field is not a very passionate place. A select few, myself included, will yell and heckle and have some fun at the park. We'll stand when Felix Hernandez has two strikes on a batter and cheer him on in hopes of seeing a strikeout. We'll call out bad players and tell them to retire (I'm looking at you, Jose Vidro...and Richie Sexson...and Miguel Cairo...and Jarrod Washburn...wow this list is pretty long) But that's just not how Safeco Field works. I find myself getting angry glares and I know I'm not alone. In a place where your own team's fans will get mad at you for cheering and being too loud--strange because it's right next to Qwest Field where people from the same city know to stand and cheer and yell for their team--it's just all too easy for bandwagoners to take over.

Case in point: the second game of the Mariners last three game series with the Red Sox. "Let's go Red Sox!" These bandwagoners chant once more. I turn and boo as loud as I can, trying to get others to join in with me to no avail. I try to counter with a "Let's go Mariners!" chant. Four or five join in but we're still drowned out. Manny Ramirez stares either intensely or absent-mindedly at Mariner pitcher Miguel Batista. With Manny, you never know, you just know the man can hit. Two Red Sox have gotten on base prompting these cheers from the crowd of phonies. One pitch later, I'm looking up as Manny Ramirez's 499th career home run comes right to me, and I reach my hands out and snag it. It's the first home run ball I've ever caught. I love Manny Ramirez the player. But I hate what this home run has done to my crowd, my stadium. The crowd roars as the opposing team ties the game at 3-3.

That night, I learned there's only one thing that can shut up Red Sox "Nation." There's one thing that can give you the rare opportunity to see these fans remove their Red Sox shirts with Jacoby Ellsbury's name and number on it revealing a Mariners shirt underneath. As an aside, if you're trying to prove you've been a long-time fan of the Red Sox wearing a rookie's name and number isn't a good way to throw off the bandwagon scent. On this night though, the few true Mariner fans in attendance got to see what turns these "die-hard" Red Sox fans into the boring, trend following folks from Mill Creek that they really are.

We saw a win.

Red Sox reliever Mike Timlin had allowed runners at first and third base with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, still a 3-3 tie. Jose Lopez strode to the plate and laced Mike Timlin's best pitch--the suck pitch at this point in his career--into left field, scoring Wladimir Balentien from third base and ending the game in a 4-3 victory for the Mariners. The few Mariners fans in attendance whipped into a frenzy. There's nothing like being the worst team in the league and beating one of the best. But the best part was seeing many of these Red Sox fans also jumping and celebrating the Mariners victory, until they realized that they were being disloyal to their fake allegiance.

There's every reason in the world to hate Red Sox "Nation." Even after silencing them, I still couldn't imagine hating a group of people any more than I hate bandwagon Red Sox fans. However, there's nothing like beating their bandwagon team right in front of them. There's nothing like watching a sports-ignorant trend follower walk away with a frown on their face on their way to a bad night. There's nothing quite as fun as seeing sadness in the eyes of a member of the Red Sox Bandwagon.

Demo video

BrettJMiller — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 23:49:21 -0000

Don't go around telling people this exists

I'm not sure what music works best but here's a few demos of what I'm capable of. Benny Hill is also an option, but I don't have it on the computer I made those on. So...any comments? Also, get me some more clips people, I can make a whole montage of this with words over the top and stuff. Also, I'll place the clips more in time to the music when I make a final version.

SOFTBALL JUNE 15! Look, shiny shiny new title! Sign up in here! Jeff and Red will be there!

BrettJMiller — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 01:06:19 -0000

Time and Place Date:
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Time:
1:00pm - 6:00pm
Location:
Seattle U Soccer Field or Seattle U Softball field if available?
Street:
14th and Cherry St. (soccer) 12th and Cherry st (softball) City/Town:
Seattle, WA

I know I'm in. Rumor has it Jeff may be willing to make an appearance. In fact he pretty much said it was a good day for him. So if he doesn't show up you can be mad and stuff, and send him lots of hate mail I guess. You assholes need to actually respond and get a roll call going ahead of time so we don't end up with a bunch of no-shows like last time.

Roll call: 11 (16?)

Matthew
Brett (+ 1?)
Jeff
ningwers
thenatural
wwbaker3
Eric (+1) (+2 depending on weather)
RED
Fin
brayden(actually will be late)
johnbai (+ 1)(Actually will be late)
kentroyals5 (?)
Two Rs and Two Ls (?)
Gomez (? Depends on family issues)