Another ugly, painful loss.

I'm referring, of course, to Burke's shoulder injury on Saturday. I'm hearing it's a subluxed left shoulder: a partial dislocation. Alyson Footer says he won't have surgery, just rehab. Why, I wonder, did Garner start him in RF anyway?

Getting swept by the Rockies doesn't upset me too much. Not that it doesn't suck, but everyone's going to get swept at some point, and I'd rather it be now than during the playoff hunt. Besides, all three were relatively close games, for Coors field anyway. It is a shame to not take advantage of the rarefied air — Jason Lane's homer was the only Astros bomb during the series.

What bothers me more is our hitters' tendency to fall flat against mediocre right-handed pitching. I'll give Jason Jennings and Aaron Cook some credit, but our lineup cannot simply roll over like this — it remind me so much of last year. It felt like those games were over in the sixth inning.

Ensberg's slumping again: he's only 3-for-22 in May, but he just looks bad at the plate. He's watching strike three sail right over the plate, and he's swinging at balls that he knows he shouldn't. He's tried altering his stance again: He's tried standing more upright and closing his stance a little. His swing is funny... it's either picture-perfect for a homer or a double, or he looks like garbage. Here's hoping he finds his stroke in California.

Gotta get a job.

Work on resume.

Work on cover letters?

Get clips again... if possible, print them out.

______________________

Get litterbox
Clean your fucking room
van
disc golf

Phil Garner was interviewed by Tom Verducci in Sports Illustrated's Baseball Preview this week. When asked to define the perfect number 2 hitter, Garner had this to say: "What I'm looking for in my number 1 and 2 hitters are guys who can get on base. I'm looking for guys at least in the .350 to .360 range for on-base percentage."

This is a good attitude to have. You don't have to be Billy Beane to recognize how important OBP really is. Now let's hope Garner backs up his words by keeping our best hitters toward the top of the lineup. If Everett can't produce at the two-spot, I hope he inserts Ensberg there. Better still, let's hope A.E. can post a .350 OBP so Ensberg can drive in more runs in the five- or six-spot.

Garner also had this to say about the cleanup spot: "You want a guy who'll hit 25 home runs or better. On-base percentage is not as critical. Generally, you get on base to get into scoring position. But the 4 hitter should be in scoring position every time he comes to bat."

I'm not sure if that last sentence makes any sense or not, but Garner isn't saying much here. I wonder if the 25 home runs were any reference to Bagwell's decline. Garner earlier this Spring said he'd be fine if Bags only hit 15 this year, as long as he kept driving in runs. I anticipate at least 25 this year for Bagwell, although I also expect his average to hover in the .270s. I wonder how his new stance is working out?

Jack — I agree that the Astros need to consider the future. Berkman, Oswalt, Lidge, Burke, Taveras, Ensberg, Lane, Everett are a strong starting cast. But what's the big deal about sending Burke back to AAA. We all know he's going to be the second baseman of the future anyway, so why not give him even more time to develop and work out the kinks before he plays full time? (This is more of a Devil's Advocate than a real argument.)

naked people

Andy Wade
Law & Ethics of Journalism
Craig L. LaMay
February 8, 2005

Response #3: Naked People and the News

Why oh why do media outlets like this one have to do stupid things like this? It's just so STUPID. Ok. Rant over. As far as I can tell, the television station found the tape and jumped at the opportunity to broadcast pictures of girls changing in the locker room under the pretense that it was part of a “real news story.” I can hear the teaser now: “A local band director catches a thief on tape… but that's not all.” Ugh.
I think the major issue here is purpose. There was no reason for this to be on television.
My first instinct was to dismiss the case altogether, even though I'd give a harsh warning to this station for being blatantly offensive and stupid.
But after a look at the Private Facts Tort, I'd have to let the case go to trial. All of the criteria for Private Facts apply, and none of the defenses stand up. Check it out:
The information was highly offensive. High school girls changing in the bathroom stops just shy of soft-core porn. Irregardless of what was blurred out, it is the information that is offensive. And of course the information was not of legitimate public concern.
Meanwhile, all of the defenses fail to save the case. The information was not already public; the information was not newsworthy; and the girls did not give consent, implied or otherwise. On the compass-scale, this information is as bad as it can get: Not even close to newsworthy and highly offensive
So according to the Private Facts Tort, the case can go to trial.
I know we haven't covered the other torts yet, but I want to take a stab at them. I think for the most part they are fairly obvious. The girls were not shown in False Light - they were changing in the locker room and they were shown on television changing in the locker room. The video was offensive, yes, but not misleading. Other than the blurring of faces, the girls were shown just as the camera caught them.
Misappropriation is a tricky one, but I don't think it applies. Yes, someone “stole” them from a dumpster, but the station acquired the information legally.
Intrusion I think is going to be the most difficult tort to decide. The girls were in a public facility, but they also had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the girls' locker room.


I assume the television station's story was about

Let's see here.

Private facts
the information was clearly not newsworthy. The station could have and should have simply aired the portion of the tape where the band director stole the equipment. The airing of the girls undressing was simply stupid. I might just fine the station because they were so damn stupid. It must have been FOX.

Clearly the girls did not give their consent, and the information was not already public.



Intrusion

False Light

Misappropriation

Those weren't roman candles...

It was food poisoning. Probably from the vanilla frosting we left out on the counter for two days, I guess you're supposed to refrigerate it. So I was up all night puking my guts out. Damn dry heaves are the worst. And the next day wasn't much better. I actually went along with the family on a 5-mile hike. I almost died.

Today -- Christmas -- was much better. Got Napoleon Dynamite from Jack, which is sweet! And some other stuff, too. "A History of the American People," by Paul Johnson. Looks really good.

I don't know why I can't read book sanymore. I think I usaed to be able to just sit down and read. Now it's like I get bored or something. Like I feel compelled to do something else, like watch t.v. or eat or.... something. I don;t know. Maybe it's like with video games. I'd always play the entire game through, ven stopping to build up my stats and collect all the secret characters or plot holes and whatnot. BUt then, every time I reached the final dungeon, I'd just stop. Would never finish. Every RPG. I don;t know whether I just didn't want the game to end, or if I just got bored or what. But I wouldn;t finish.

I think I'm like that in more ways than one. Like my Analytical Reporting class. I just never finished. Or my whole TM thing in South Carolina. I never turned in those papers. Didn't finish. I don't know what I'm talking about. Forget it.

Watched Magnolia the other day. It really made me want to do more films. I loved the intro, when the flower bloomed alon with the music, and we saw the lives of all the characters while the song was playing. And then later, when all the characters one by one started singing along to the song. That was cool. I don't know why I don't want to finish the New Year's Eve video. It's not even a question of finishing, either, I just dont want to start. Like I know its not going to be good or somerting.

Man, this is easy. There's no one to talk back.

I might seriously try this puzzle thing. I started making these Cryptic Crosswords. They're really fun, although the coolest thing is watching the padres actually do them. I feel like such a nerd though making them. It would be cool to get published in the New Yorker though.

Flying back to The Woodlands tomorrow. Be there til the 3rd, then I fly back to Chicago. It might be a while before I'm back in Texas again. When will I see Michele? What should I say to her this week? I don't know. Probably nothing.

Merry Christmas to all..... ha

First impressions

It is midnight on the night before Christmas. So really there's another day before Christmas, but it sounded cool to say that.

I don't know why I'm posting this. It seems like a waste of time, but I've always said I MUST remember things and I must write things down before I forget them and they are lost forever. So here I am.

It's midnight and my stomach feels like somebody lit a roman candle inside of me. It's about 7 degrees outside, and I'm in ARIZONA! I had no idea. Flagstaff is cool though. Good place to live.

So I think I'm still in love with Michele Baisley. Love, shit. I can;t say I love Katie Sands because I didn't want to throw that word around. Now here I am saying it to the world. But I think I love Michele and I'm pretty sure she doesn't love me. Now why can't I write about things without writing about MIchele. I started writing things down when I was in Anderson, S.C., and all I could think about was Michele. And I've seen this girl maybe 20 days since 2003. She has no idea.

Anyway, I'll leave Michele for a little later. I'm sure whoever reads this shit will hear all about her. In other news, my grandmother is dying. And I have not been a good grandson. BUt that;'s okay. I went to visit her in the hospital on my last day in Chicago. I brought Katie because I thought it would be nice. We saw Nanny, who looked awful but sounded so cheery. It was good to see her even in such a bad state. I hope she lives much longer.

I couldn't believe she was so eager to die. Apparently she had her attack, or whatever it was, and called an ambulance. While it was on its way, she found time to call the front desk of her building to cancel all her magazine subscriptions and her oxygen tanks. As if she were never coming back. Dad says -- and I believe -- that she wants what most old people want, which is to go on our own terms. Nanny felt at peace with the world, or at least at peace with her own mortality, and deicded it was time for her to die. Well, she didn't. And now that Mom went to visit her and they kicked her out of the hospital, Nanny is back in her old apartment. They had to re-subscribe all her magazines.

Anyway, I really don't knw why I asked KAtie to come see my grandmother with me. They had only met once -- this summer -- but I felt they had a special connection, being sorority sisters and all. PLus I didn't know if she was aware Katie and I had broken up. I didn't feel like getting back together with Katie then, although it sure would have been a dramatic scene. Maybe some Aimee Mann song would have played in the background. But anyway we held hands and talked and laughed and I probably cried. It was very emotional and overall I'm glad I invited her.

Now my knee is still fucked up. I really think I'm a hypochondriac. But that's the sort of thing where if you think you are, then your'e not. Like, I don't know, something. Seriously, though. My knee hurts like hell sometimes and then it feels fine for a week. I'm glad Susan Goyachevski came over and gave me a p.t. routine to do. My knee has got to be better for me to play. And I've got to start running and playing and lifting. All that shit that I probably won;t ever do. What an ass.

I am so sick of people asking me, "What next?" I don't fucking know, so fuck off. Is what I should say. But instead I tell them I'm working for National Geogrpahic. I should have a movie made about me. I met with the guy from the Arizona Daily Sun today. Very productive. Working here would be sweet. Hopefully they'll pay me.

Well that's all for me right now. Who knows if I'll ever post here again. I just wanted to write some things down that have been on my mind. This really is a good way to do just that, and you can be as private or as public about it as you want.

Well whatever.