Pretty Girl Update! - Leighton Meester

I might watch too much Entourage.

And Knowing IS Half the Ballad

The Ballad of G.I. Joe from Olivia Wilde

Frankly, Olivia Wilde suited up as the Baroness is more than enough for me, but see if you can pick out the rest of the celeb cameos.

Then eat some ham.

Cheers.

Easter Eggs

A few special gifts that I choose not to post directly.  Eat them Peeps!

Jennette McCurdy

Renee Olstead

Teresa Palmer

Cheers.

Pretty Girl 04.24.11 - Gwen Stefani

 And this is all she should be.

A Quest Called Tribe

Labels are dangerous things.  Fausto Carmona was anointed the Indians' #1 starter last summer and the opening day starter long before spring camp even opened.  Now the ace of our first place Tribe sits at 1-3, his ERA an ugly 5.76.  Fausto's success waxes and wanes with his command.  He must establish the propensity to throw quality strikes or the opposition will fail to flail at the wicked nasty stuff that he leaves out of the zone.  Carmona did not have any sort command on this day.  He walked four in his five innings, throwing just 49 of his 86 pitches for strikes.  More problematic is that when Fausto comes out and discovers that he doesn't have his A game, his approach changes dramatically.  Unable to spot his out pitches, Carmona relies more and more on those that he can get over the plate.  He succeeds in controlling the ball, yet ultimately fails as these pitches, regardless of type, are quite hittable.  When the dust settled today, the Twins had six runs and seven hits on the board and Fausto was off to an early shower.  We all know that Carmona has a bit of a fragile psyche, so perhaps relieving him of the weight of top billing might allow him to flourish somewhat beneath the radar.  Just a thought.

The starter was far from the only issue against the Twins.  Chad Durbin (ugh, it's back) removed any realistic possibility of an Indians' comeback by surrendering four runs in his two innings of "relief."  Durbin (7.56 ERA) had put together a couple of consecutive clean outings, but he got hit hard today, really hard.  Among the four hits allowed were a line-shot home run and a double to the gap that almost got out as well.  Let's start an official "DFA Durbin" chant.

All of this against an offense that entered play batting a robust .233 and averaging a whole three runs per game.  There is no excuse for this kind of pitching display.

Still, the offense could have done a lot more.  Outside of Grady Sizemore's 8th inning two-run shot down the right field line, the lineup was meek and ineffectual.  They have appeared unable to take advantage of some sub-par opposing starters.  Brian Duensing?  Bruce Chen?  C'mon guys.  Of Sizemore's 9 hits since returning from the DL, five (3 2B, 2 HR) have been for extra bases.  Even after an 0-for-4 today, Michael Brantley is still hitting .296 with an OBP dancing right around .400.  While Manny Acta seems reluctant to redesign his lineup card, wouldn't it seem much more sensible to bat Brantley leadoff and take advantage of Sizemore's power deeper in the lineup?  There is, of course, the theory that batting Brantley at seven effectively creates a second leadoff man that utilizes Sizemore's production anyway.  There might, emphasis on might, be some merit to this thought, but when your club cannot outslug the opposition with the likes of Sean O'Sullivan on the mound, it is likely time to get back to basics.

In case you're wondering, the Clippers have been rained out on back to back days now, although Johnny Cueto did sign for me during warm-ups yesterday.  I officially remove my hex.  He can keep his arm.  I do not think the man speaks English as well as, say, Shin-Soo Choo.

Cheers.

Suicide Squeeze - B-Phip Flip ('92 Upper Deck)

Trevor Crowe Contributes!

This is a candy store mascot doing an impression of Chris Perez.  I believe that Trevor Crowe filmed this.  If not, he is at least the man who made Perez aware.

Cheers.

Pretty Girl 04.23.11 - Kate Upton

I'm in love.

Tick Tock...

We're now less than a week from the NFL's lame duck draft and the Browns' intentions are pretty clear.

First off, understand that Marcel Dareus (DE, Alabama) will be gone.  Von Miller (LB, Texas A&M) will be gone.  Each of them has at least two teams in the top five targeting him.  Neither will be available to the Brownies.  That leaves the Browns with three possibilities with the number six pick, assuming that they don't trade down like a pack of blood belching vagines.

Here are the scenarios --

(1) If AJ Green (WR, Georgia) is on the board when the Browns turn comes (and he will be if the Bengals understand that they have no one to throw to him, but hey they're the Bengals), they will draft him.  Period.  Regardless of any argument that can be made for taking the best available player, Green is the best prospect at the team's biggest position of need.  Read that as -- they have no true #2 receiver, let alone a #1.  Green is also as close as it comes to a sure thing (think Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald or Andre Johnson).  He has great size, great hands and great speed.  What more could a team ask for?  In fact, earlier today, Mel Kiper stated that, if he were in charge making the Panthers' #1 overall selection, he would take Green.  Done and done.

Should the Bengals indeed choose AJ Green with #4 pick, the situation becomes somewhat murkier


(2) Let's assume that AJ Green and Patrick Peterson (CB, LSU) are both gone, which is entirely possible.  In this circumstance, the Brown take Julio Jones (WR, Alabama).  Look back on a comparison between Green and Jones, here.  Wideout is still the Brownies most glaring hole and Jones is a solid top 10 pick with unreal metrics.  He just needs to become more consistent in, y'know, catching the ball.

(3) If Green is gone and Peterson is not, I honestly don't know what the Browns will do.  The case for Jones is strong, but Peterson is described by some as a once in a lifetime talent.

I would take Jones because I don't buy the best available argument.  Even if you have two shutdown corners, you're not going to win if you cannot keep the defense honest and away from utterly destroying Peyton Hillis.  Also, many cite Petersons' return skills as a significant factor in his draft stock.  Has everyone forgotten that the NFL moved kickoffs up?  Additionally, we already have an A+ return man.  Despite the fact that Josh Cribbs makes a much deeper impact on kick returns, we're sound in all facets of the return game.

Jones is also my best guess as to what the Browns would do if put into this position.  Mike Holmgren and Pat Shurmur are both offensive minds and they will not be able to pass on a weapon like Julio.

The Browns will not select Robert Quinn (DE, North Carolina).  I recognize the need for a pass rush, but the absence of any real wide receiver trumps it like a whole pack of spades (the suit, dummies).  Quinn simply has too many character questions and is too damn raw.

Just my 2 cents.  The draft commences at 8p, Thursday, 04.28.

Cheers.

A Quest Called Tribe A.K.A. Clip Joint Washout

Cheers.