Lookout Landing

I'd greatly prefer Yuni hitting 9th.

rec'd for proper baseball strategy

I love it that Ichiro is not only a traditionally preferred leadoff hitter

but also optimal in that slot from an analytical point of view.

Weird Stats for Ichiro Today

2 hits in 3 ABs, but because of a double play and a caught stealing, he’s made 3 outs in three trips.

gustafm - March 26, 2009 reply

Yuni completely flaming out as a Mariner would be depressing.

Yes.

As much as people would probably rejoice about it, it would mean another blue-chip M’s prospect crashed and burned.
I remember watching him in AAA thinking that our IF defense would be set for 10 years.

marc w - March 26, 2009 reply

I remember watching him in MLB and thinking the same thing >:(

That worked for a while, yes.

marc w - March 26, 2009 reply

I still wonder if he'd be OK at 2B.

He’s got a bit of experience there (in AAA anyway) and doesn’t need quite the range. Of course he’d need better reaction and quickness in general. But his inaccurate arm might play a little better there. Who knows…

PositivePaul - March 26, 2009 reply

I wonder if he gives a good god damn at this point.

Tuesday night there was a slow roller up the middle that he didn’t even come close on and Lopez almost gloved it on the SS side of the bag. He just does not appear to try anymore.

Didn’t he have discipline issues with his manager in Cuba?

Sec 108 - March 26, 2009 reply

Felix seems to be spotty today

5 hits 2 walks.

And then he gets 3 swinging strikes on Jacobs.

Jacobs is incapable of walking FWIW

I see

I just noticed it says Felix has 21 strikes and 8 balls. So assuming that was accurate (which I don’t think it is) he’s thrown 8 balls to two hitters and 0 balls to everyone else.

ST Gameday only counts balls that led to a walk

so you’ll only get multiples of four.

Or hit by pitch

Malcontent1 - March 26, 2009 reply

And whatever was thrown during runner advancement during an at bat

Malcontent1 - March 26, 2009 reply

Listen to this guy instead of me since I haven't used ST Gameday

Well I figured it was off.

A mini review of Pepsi "natural"

It is better than normal pepsi but not as good as mexi coke. Possibly better than regular coke.

Does it still taste like Pepsi?

I'd buy Pepsi that tasted like Coke.

Just buy Coke, then?

HFCS

Not that JI is likely to give a rip.

I don't know what that means, but it was all in fun anyway.

High fructose corn syrup.

Ah, I thought it was some sort of "be nice" thing.

But it's natural, just like sugar

I can't tell whether you're being serious or alluding to those Godawful commercials.

But it does actually annoy me when “natural” is bandied about in such a way; I make food that is both “natural” and a complete and total nutritive disaster all the time.

I'm never serious and "natural" is among the most abused words in the English language

Indeed it is.

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t the end result of the process for creating “natural flavors” chemically almost exactly the same as “artificial flavors”?

A natural flavor has a certain chemical structure

An artificial flavor has another (oftentimes similar) chemical structure. That’s it. That’s the only meaningful difference. As far as chemicals are concerned, origin means nothing.

Sucrose:

Sucralose:

Synthetic evil!

I don't eat artificial sugar because it tastes like ass.

I’m also really into agave nectar as a sweetener but I think that’s mainly because I like the idea of putting cactus ooze in my tea.

Yeah, artificial and natural sweeteners have a lot way to go (stevia's gross)

but as far as the end result is concerned, a chemical is a chemical, and the only thing that matters is whether or not it’s toxic. And a lot of chemicals in nature will try to kill you.

Stevia is terrible.

But yes, that’s the other thing. Hemlock is natural but I don’t really want to ingest it.

You know what's in agave nectar?

Fructose and glucose.

You're preaching to the choir.

It's basically HFCS

gross

Are they similar enough that your body processes them the same way?

Because if so, dammit.

HFCS is 55% fructose and 45% glucose

agave is 56-92% fructose and ~the rest glucose.

You’re not doing yourself any favors.

Well that's an onion in the ointment.

Back to raw sugar.

Everything in moderation.

You’re fine. You can’t possibly drink that much tea.

You'd be amazed.

Sugars are good for you

Raw sugar is cheaper anyway.

Sorry to harsh your buzz

Eh, I'm used to my buzzes being harshed.

Just as long as you don't tell me that smoking might not be a great idea.

There's no fructose in cigarettes

Also great for your Q-Zone.

This

and just stay away from processed foods as much as possible.

Matthew - March 26, 2009 reply

This is not an issue.

Aaron Campeau - March 27, 2009 reply

One of my coworkers told me about an awesome article

that explained the difference (legally) between “natural” and “artificial” when it comes to flavors and scents. I wish he’d given me the link because it sounded really awesome.