UngsungBlog: A (Fantasy) Sports Blog

Ugh.  I’m constipated.

(TMI?)

Random thoughts from the past few weeks that never made it to a blog, not counting the one above:

- We went to the LA County Fair a second time, and this time I chose to get food from the Rib Ranch BBQ (I believe that’s what the restaurant was called).  My two sisters and I ’split’ three plates of food:  two orders of the tri tip, and one order of ribs.

I fell in love.  With my food.  I would marry it if I could.  Too far?

One of my sisters barely touched her slices of tri tip, so she made me finish practically her entire portion.  She didn’t need to ask me twice.  Later on in the night, we chased dinner with a big Mexican funnel cake.  Just imagine churro batter being used to make a funnel cake, seasoned with cinnamon and sugar.

(For those reading this that actually went to the Fair, and know which booth sold Mexican funnel cakes, no, we did not split a “Jumbo” cake.  We did, however, take pictures with one.  Yup, one group actually ordered a Jumbo laced with strawberries, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup, and some members of our party took pictures of and with the cake.)

Too bad we didn’t get a chance to go to the Fair a third time.

- In another twist to the Ryan Howard near lawsuit, which I discussed here and here, CNN reported something that I had not yet read anywhere else:

A Phillies employee, Jennifer says, told her if she handed over the ball, she could come back after the game, meet the slugger and get him to autograph it. She gave the ball up. In exchange, she got cotton candy and a soda.

If this is true, then I have no problem with a lawsuit, even if it wasn’t really about the money.  However, color me skeptical, but I highly doubt the Phillies employee really promised the girl the exact ball back.  If he did, then he’s an idiot.

Also, I can stop asking “Where were the parents?”  The girl attended the game with her grandfather, among other people.  So I’ll then ask, “Where was another adult?”

- I’m now 2-2 in both of my Fantasy leagues, after running into two more buzzsaws (122 and 100 pts from my opponents, respectively, and the team that scored 100 did so with two players on their bye week *sigh*).  On a more alarming note, however:  I cannot believe how badly I struck out on my waiver wire pickups this past week.  Check out these results (kickers excluded):

1. Pierre Garcon (WR-Ind):  0.90 pts
2. Kenny Britt (WR-Ten):  1.80 pts
3. Jerome Harrison (RB-Cle):  2.10 pts

Oh by the way, Indy and Dallas are on their bye week next week.  I only have to find replacements for that Manning dude, Marion Barber, and Jason Witten.

I hate fantasy football.

- So I finally watched The Office wedding episode, and this is all I have to say.

This episode all but reaffirmed my faith in the show.

Seriously, what was not to like about the episode?  All the puking at the beginning of the episode gave me flashbacks of Eddie Izzard’s bit about the inner ear and how hearing somebody vomit causes you to do so.  I loved the Dos/Don’ts list (is it just me, or is Jim very list-centric?).  I loved everything that went on during check-ins, especially Dwight’s “test” of Michael, and who didn’t foresee Toby offering to share his room with Michael?  Also, who didn’t see Michael hooking up with Pam’s mom by the end of the episode?

I couldn’t stop laughing at Dwight badmouthing Jim to all the kids at the dinner.  Please, oh please, let this be a season-long running gag.  And don’t Oscar and Kevin make a cute couple?

At first, Michael’s toast, followed by his attempt at explaining that “accidents happen” really ticked me off.  That’s when I realized this was all Jim’s fault, first for inviting Michael in the first place, and then for going brain-dead by revealing Pam’s little secret.  And I must admit that I did chuckle at least once at Michael’s “accidents happen” story.

I loved Kevin losing his shoes because they were a safety issue.  I loved his Kleenex-box shoes idea a hell of a lot more.  And wasn’t Jim’s cutting of his tie the most awwwwww-inspiring moment of the entire episode?

And yes, I had to Google search the YouTube video in question.  The final dance scene where everybody danced down the aisle must have been so much fun to tape.

Two questions:

1) At what point did Michael and Jim’s brothers collaborate on the whole dance-a-thon?

2) How the hell did Jim know that he needed a “backup plan?”

Bonus question:  has anyone, in one’s life, ever stuck his/her foot in the ice machine like that?  I don’t think I can ever trust those ice machines ever again.  EDIT:  After re-watching this episode, I just caught that Kevin got six numbers…out of seven for a full phone number.  LMAO!

I don’t know how the season finale’s gonna top this episode, but I can dream, right?  As long as Michael doesn’t ruin Jim and Pam’s relationship via his own fling (?) with Pam’s mom, I’ll be happy.

Tags: baseball, bust, fantasy football, jerome harrison, kenny britt, la county fair, lawsuit, mexican funnel cake, pierre garcon, rib ranch bbq, ribs, ryan howard, The Office, tri-tip, waiver wire, wedding by Peter
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Looks like more details have come in regarding the near-lawsuit between the family of a 12yo girl who caught a Ryan Howard home run, and the Phillies’ organization for allegedly entering an illegal contract with a minor (at least, that appears to be the case the family’s lawyer had against the Phillies).

From the article:

This was not about money, Vanegas insisted, although she admits that she contacted a Miami TV consumer affairs reporter after co-workers told her that the ball’s historical significance gave it added value. (emphasis mine)

So you didn’t have a lawyer sue the team for the money, even though you only got in contact with a lawyer after finding out the ball’s potential value?  Uh-huh.

The reporter, in turn, put her in touch with Kent.

As Krunk put it, when a lawyer gets involved, isn’t it always about the money?

(By the way, go to 0:42 in this YouTube clip, and then try to convince me that this case was not about the money.  Then, go to the 1:00 mark, and you’ll hear the lawyer use the phrase ‘criminal theft’ to describe what the Phillies did to this girl.  CRIMINAL THEFT???  For argument’s sake, let’s say that the girl did agree to trade balls with the team.  Fine, stick to the ‘illegal contract with a minor” case, but criminal theft?

I can’t watch any more of that clip.  If anyone wants to finish the clip and add to my remarks, please post a comment to this blog entry, and I’ll add it here.)

In addition:

“They’re saying I stole the ball from Mr. Howard,” Vanegas said. “I didn’t steal anything from Mr. Howard. Whoever caught the ball, the ball belongs to that person.

“Why did they take the ball away? Because they knew it was a very valuable ball. They took advantage of my daughter.”

Where in the hell does the mother get this idea that the Phillies were accusing her of trying to steal the baseball from Mr. Howard?  And why does she suggest that the ball was ‘taken away’?  As far as I’m concerned, when you trade one item for another (even if the trade is ridiculous, like an ice cream cone for a pebble), you’re not technically getting your ice cream taken away from you.  Or am I just splitting hairs here?  Also, if it’s not about the money, then why would you care about why the Phillies want the ball back?

Going on:

According to the lawyer, security officials escorted Valdivia to the clubhouse during the July 16 game and a Phillies equipment manager persuaded her to give up the ball, telling her to come back after the game and that Howard personally would give her a signed ball. “She thought he was going to sign the ball she caught,” Kent said. “She’s 12 years old. She didn’t have a clue.”

Sorry, being 12 years old isn’t an excuse for not having a clue.  “Give us the ball, and in return, we’ll give you a signed ball” is pretty clear in my book; we’re talking about two different baseballs here.  And I’ll ask again:  where were the parents during this alleged illegal contract with a minor?  Furthermore, the lawyer said it himself right there:  someone in the Phillies persuaded the girl to give the ball up.  CRIMINAL THEFT?

Valdivia came back as instructed, Kent said, but Howard did not appear and a club official sent her home with a different ball autographed by Howard.

What?  No breach of contract lawsuit?

Finally:

“People are talking so much crap about the ball, and that we just wanted it for the money,” she said. “We had no idea what it was worth. I don’t think Mr. Howard had any idea what was going on. I blame the Phillies’ administration.”

Until your co-workers told you how much it was worth, and then you were more than happy to speak to a lawyer to get the ball back.  But it wasn’t about the money, right?

Final thought:  do you realize that the ball is probably worth way more now than it would have been had the girl not been ‘robbed’ of the ball in the first place?   The ball is now encased in an acrylic holder, authenticated by the Phillies, AND, I’d argue, has extra value because of the controversy surrounding it.  But it’s OK; it’s not about the money.

Office review to come shortly…maybe.

Tags: 200th home run, baseball, criminal theft, lawsuit, phillies, ryan howard by Peter
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I heard on the radio this morning that tonight is going to be a one-hour episode of The Office, complete with Jim and Pam’s wedding.  I guess that means I better watch the last two episodes.  But first…

- Fantasy Football updates:

Remind me never to listen to Yahoo! and their stupid point projections ever again, or I may have to deal with another Julius Jones situation in the future.

You know Julius Jones, right, RB of the Seattle Seahawks?  He of the incredible 3.5 points last weekend?

Fortunately, I got smoked in both leagues.  My opponents scored 121 and 98 points against me, respectively, while I didn’t break 75 in either league.  Next week, I’m going waiver-wire WR heavy, with pickups such as Kenny Britt and Pierre Garcon twice.

I’m now 2-1 in both leagues.

- One non-Fantasy Football update:  so the Monday Night revenge-fest game was the highest-rated cable show of all time, eh?  I can certainly tell you of one household that did not tune in to that game for more than five seconds.

- So Ryan Howard (the other one) got sued by a little girl over a home run ball, eh?  Let me summarize my reactions to this story with one motion.

***facepalm***

To all you wannabe lawyers that insist that the girl has all the right in the world to sue because the Phillies engaged in a contractual agreement with a minor, please stop.  This isn’t about an illegal contract, or extortion (!?!), or the rich guy trying to exploit the not-so-rich family, or any of that crap.  This is about a baseball player who reached 200 HRs faster than anybody else in MLB history wanting back a sentimental object to commemorate an achievement.  This is about a family that, I have to believe, thinks they can sell the ball in the future for an enormous profit.

Stuff like this happens in baseball all the time.  A player loses his grip on his bat, launching it into the seats.  A team staffer asks the lucky (or sometimes unlucky) guy who caught the bat to trade it for a non-game used bat.  He usually obliges, and life goes on.  So excuse me if I believe that this is nothing but a money grab.

Now don’t get me wrong.  If the girl caught Ryan Howard’s 763rd home run, and traded it in for a plain old autographed ball, then I wouldn’t have a huge problem with a family trying to get the ball back.  I know I would if my 12yo gave the ball back to the team.  Also, the story leaves out some pretty critical information.  Where were the parents when the girl was approached by staffers asking for the ball back?  Even if she did agree to go to the Phillies’ clubhouse to exchange baseballs, didn’t the staffers have to bring the girl to her parents first before doing so?  And if they didn’t, wouldn’t the parents have screamed bloody murder at the apparent kidnapping of their child?

Finally, as many people have already posed, how would the family know that Howard actually surrendered the real HR ball?  Sure, it’s probably fraud if he doesn’t, but how would we know the real HR ball isn’t locked in a safe in Howard’s house right now?

- Time for my Office thoughts:

1) “The Meeting” might have been the most topsy-turvy episode of The Office I’ve ever seen.  Let me explain what I mean by topsy-turvy:  the one character that really pissed me off in this episode was…Jim!

What the heck did he mean when he said that Michael screwed him over?  If he didn’t earn all those negative remarks in his performance evaluations in the first place, Michael wouldn’t have been able to screw him over.

Well, maybe he would have found a way, but still.

Michael did what he had to do—explain to David Wallace that Jim wasn’t fit to be a manager—and I wasn’t happy at all when he caved in and helped Jim become a co-manager.  Yes, I understand that, if Michael didn’t do so, Jim might have taken his other job offer.  But if he was planning on doing so, then why was he so upset that Michael “screwed” him over?

I entertained the thought that the performance evaluation was so slanted against Jim because the author of it, one Toby Flenderson, may have written it around the time he was expressing feelings for Pam.  Even if that was the case, what part of that eval is NOT true?  Constant office distractions?  Check.  Spends way too much time at reception?  Duh.  Antagonizes other salesmen.  Yeah.  Not at all what he thinks he is?  Debatable.  3.5 out of 4?  Bad.  Jim’s act actually made me feel bad for Michael, especially when it was obvious that Michael felt bad about costing Jim a promotion within the company.  I didn’t feel as bad when Michael gave in, however.

I loved just about everything else about this episode:  Toby and Dwight’s adventures in attempting to prove that Darryl was scamming worker’s comp, Pam frustratingly trying to get a head count for the wedding (especially Kelly and Ryan’s responses!), and I loved Andy and Michael’s cheese-cart idea (fine grated Parmesan cheese, eh?).  But Jim…sigh.

2) “The Promotion” proved what I said about “The Meeting.”  Jim is NOT management material.  At least, he’s not fit at all to run THAT office!

I loved this episode.  I loved Dwight having to run from Michael’s office to Jim’s and back.  I loved watching Pam practically begging for money instead of gifts (LOL @ Kevin).  I loved how Michael antagonized Jim throughout the entire episode, and how Jim realized that, oh no, Michael might be his only friend.

(The episode should have ended with Michael giving Jim an awkward hug.  That would have been hilarious.  And Jim, I’m pretty sure Pam is still upset with you.)

Dwight, though, stole the episode with his attempts to rally the office against Jim, only to seemingly fail despite that awesome speech near the end.  I wonder if Dwight realizes that, by turning the office on Jim, he might also be turning the office against Michael.  And Pam falling prey to Ryan’s scam was icing on the cake.  Now THAT’s The Office I remember from years past.

What were Jim and Michael supposed to do?  Equal raises?  The entire office would have vetoed that.  Merit-based?  We saw how THAT worked out.  I just hope the writers touch upon how the raises were distributed in a later episode.

Until next time.

Tags: baseball, fantasy football, home run, jim, lawsuit, michael scott, pam, ryan howard, the meeting, The Office, wedding by Peter
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