shortest clean-up hitter ever

Dustin Pedroia, who is 5'9" soaking wet (or, something) is batting clean-up tonight. Awesome.

riley skinner is your daddy update

I dare say that went as well as possible.

Riley Skinner was in the absolute zone, completing 27 of 36 passes for 3 touchdowns and zero picks, the Phonz was up to his old tricks with an interception, some new kid named C.J. Washington had a 55 yard run, senior Chip Brinkman caught 2 touchdowns, and Riley connected with 8 total receivers. Bada friggin' bing.

it begins tonight

I was extremely confused when I learned that Fox Sports would be handling tonight's Wake-Baylor broadcast. Way back when it was announced the game would be played on a Thursday, I distinctly remember it being remarked that this was to get national TV exposure, i.e. ESPN. What happened?

Not a big deal to some, but it is for me, who is bereft of any Fox Sports channel in his apartment cable line-up, and prefers not to spend three hours alone in a sports bar watching a game on a tiny screen that I alone give a crap about.

Worse, my internet sources are failing me. ACCSelect.com isn't carrying the same, and channelsurfing.net has links for NC State/South Carolina, Eastern Kentucky/Cincinatti and Oregon State/Stanford, but infuriatingly not Wake/Baylor. Argh!

Looks like I'm doomed for gametracker. Still, let's get the season started right with a win for the Old Gold & Black, whether mine eyes witness or not.

our society has come to this

9-year-old boy told he's too good to pitch

I believe we must now amend Alexander Fraser Tytler's nine stages of civilization to include a step where we tell a child he can't play a sport because he got too damn good at it. Right after that, the nation implodes in on it's own stupidity.

In other words, best stock up on canned goods and shotguns. We're done.

"This isn't a transactional course."

--Andrew Strauss, Professor of International Business Transactions.

Nice way to start a semester.

back in big PA / little DE

I don't think I've ever wanted wanted to start a school year less. I loved my four years at Wake, and always looked forward to a new year there. First year of law school was new and exciting (at first). Second year of law school I had my new apartment to look forward to. Third year? I got nothing. The fact that my blessed three month escape from lectures, homework, and studying ended a week premature doesn't help.

I'm ready for the whole thing to be over. In many respects, I wish I could just sleep walk through the next nine months. See, a JD is nothing more than a permission slip to take the bar exam, which is what I should spend the next year studying, not some token elective I only signed up for because it fit my schedule.

Post-JD and bar exam, I'd like to find an apartment in Winston-Salem and get a junior associate gig at some personal injury law firm in town, practicing nothing but social security since you don't need to pass the bar to practice there (both partners at my summer firm failed the first time, so I'm not just being modest in thinking I'll do the same thing).

I just hate the fact I have to sit through two more semesters of lectures, textbooks, and outlines to get to that ideal - having an actual job, living in a town with actual friends, - you know, a normal life.

/typical privileged white-boy rant

i hate my f$%&ing law school

All summer I've been waiting and waiting for the idiots who run Widener (or at least their website) to post the first assignments online. It wasn't until today - a mere two weeks before the semester starts on August 27 - that they were posted. WELL GUESS FUDGING WHAT.

Classes have "first meeting" dates of August 20th, 21st, etc. and so I'm like WTF? Semester starts August 27th, mate. Well I check their academic calender - the same academic calender that's been saying ALL SUMMER that the Fall 2008 semester starts Aug. 27th. NOW IT SAYS CLASSES START ON THE 20TH.

There goes my week off! There goes Bear's birthday! There goes ordering my books online and being caught up on reading!

In summary: my law school is so retarded that it posts the wrong date for beginning of classes all summer, and not until two weeks before THAT date do they tell us what our books and assignments are, AND DECIDES THE CLASSES YOU THOUGHT WERE TWO WEEKS AWAY ARE ACTUALLY JUST ONE WEEK AWAY.

F%$@!!!!!!!

locke and load approves manny trade

Listen, I'm a long-time Manny apologist. All this club house cancer stuff always seemed way out of proportion. The guy was/is one of the best year-to-year elite hitters in the game, so forgive me for not caring if he wanders into the green monster to take a piss once and a while.

There have many Manny trade rumors over the years, some made sense, and some were awful. The one that finally happened, him for Jason Bay, is one that makes sense. Bay will never be what Manny was in his prime, but I doubt Manny will return to his prime anyway. Currently they're a statistical match hitting wise, with Bay being much better in the field and a good six years younger. On paper, Boston definitely comes out ahead, especially looking past this season.

Plus, it would seem that Manny actually did turn into a cancer this year, in possibly exaggerating injuries and refusing to play in games. The Manny of yesteryear never crossed that line. When he did, Theo had to act.

There are concerns about how Bay will react to the spotlight of Boston as opposed to the backwoods of Pittsburgh. Bay's most pressure-packed moment of his career so far isn't exactly encouraging: his zero homers in the 2005 Home Run Derby. Still, let's not judge a man on one day.

I will miss the Manny/Ortiz combo, no doubt. That was one sweet line-up. But still, welcome aboard Jason Bay.