Bedard made his 15th start of the season Monday. In both 2008 and 2009, he broke down after 15 starts. Is he fixed, as healthy as he was when he made 33 starts for Baltimore in 2006? Or is he one nasty curveball away from grabbing his shoulder and walking off the mound and out of the season?
For some reason tonight as I am washing the dishes after dinner, the San Giorgio spaghetti song pops into my head. I am pretty sure that the commercial only aired in the New York metro area based on the line: “So grab a fork, come on New York; New York loves San Giorgio; a great spaghetti in a great spaghetti town.”
Would you believe, despite the vast resources of the internet, that commercial does not exist anywhere that I could find. How is that possible?
Instead, I will leave you with the other great San Giorgio commercial:
Lebron had this to say after the Heat were defeated by the Mavs in the NBA Finals:
[Wow, I Googled “Lebron James” to find the link and the autofill popped up “Lebron James Jokes” as the #1 search. There’s definitely some vitriol going on.]
But I digress, here’s his quote:
“All the people that was rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today,”
“They have the same personal problems they had today. I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that. They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal, but they have to get back to the real world at some point.”
That reminded me of the March 30 entry in Ball Four:
Now about Roger Maris. Roger fought a lot with the people in the stands , especially in Detroit, where he used to give them the finger. He and the fans would get to calling each other names and then Maris would roll out his heavy artillery.
“Yeah? How much are you making?”
Roger was making $70,000 a year.
After a while every time Maris got into an argument the guys in the dugout would say, “C’mon Rodg, hit him with your wallet.”
That’s certainly how I interpreted Lebron’s comments, though in the linked article he says he really didn’t mean it that way. Not that I believe him. I heard that as: “You have to go to work on Monday and I don’t.”
I think Joe Posnanski did a great job of summing up my feelings about James and the Heat:
…After all, I spent the entire NBA season rooting against LeBron James and the Miami Heat. I rooted against the Heat with a joyous zeal. People often asked me why — some lectured me about it. That’s OK. I’m sure I can put the reasons into words if necessary. I rooted against the Heat because I was ticked off at LeBron for quitting on the Cavaliers at the end of last season. I rooted against the Heat because I was ticked off at LeBron for making a mockery of Cleveland and how much the fans there loved him. I rooted against the Heat because something about three buddies deciding to get together in an exotic locale and dominate the NBA seemed like a plot for a bad James Bond movie. I rooted against the Heat because I do not like anyone cutting in line…
A final quote from Ball Four, since the Maris entry always reminds me of the March 4 entry about Mantle:
“…I remember one time he’d been injured and didn’t expect to play, and I guess he’d gotten himself smashed. The next day he looked hung over out of his mind and was sent up to pinch-hit. He could hardly see. So he staggered up to the plate and hit a tremendous drive to left field for a home run. When he came back into the dugout and everybody shook his hand and leaped all over him, and all the time he was getting a standing ovation from the crowd. He squinted out at the stands and said, “Those people don’t know how tough that really was.”
Which is why when I went to a Mariner game and Bouton threw out the first pitch the guy next to me said “Isn’t that guy the traitor to baseball?”
The M’s game was in 2009. Ball Four was written in 1969. People don’t forget.
——————
[Link to a film about the Seattle Pilots that looks interesting.]
The question always comes up, where should we go for dinner. I am always up for trying a new place, Mrs. Iron Chef, not so much, so I don’t always get to try places as quickly as I would like. As a result, I present to you the “Iron Chef Top 10 Places I Haven’t Been Yet, but Really Want to Get to in the Pacific Northwest.” Presented by city in no particular order. If you have been to any of these places, post a comment and let me know what you thought.
The Top 10 – Seattle
It wasn’t easy narrowing Seattle to a top 10, considering I live here and I tend to be much more in tune with the dining scene. With all of the places I have been in Seattle, a few of these surprise me as places I haven’t been yet.
Roasted Pig at Taste Washington – it must be love!
1) 360 Local – This place specialize in local, seasonal items and seems to have a love for the “economy cuts” of meat. How could you not love that? They also have a pretty fantastic happy hour.
2) The Corson Building – Tucked under the Michigan St. overpass in Georgetown, communal dining and no menu. Two of my favorite things.
3) The Walrus and The Carpenter – Hidden behind Staple & Fancy and a bike shop, the place is tiny and the waits are horrific. I have been told the best oysters in town are here though.
4) Canlis – For obvious reasons, but also because Chef Jason Franey told me that he loved me when I asked him for the cheeks off the whole roasted pig at his cooking demo at Taste Washington.
5) Quinn’s – Somehow I have not been here, considered the best gastropub in the city.
6) Lecosho – Pork, Pork and more Pork. Did I mention Pork?
7) Staple & Fancy – Need to get there soon, Stinging Nettle Soup!!!!
8) Poppy – Love Jerry Traunfeld, love the concept – Indian inspired NW food.
9) Spur – The leading molecular gastronomists in Seattle. Not for everyone, but I am definitely curious.
10) Tat’s Deli – So many people claim this is the best cheesesteak in Seattle and it rivals the ones in Philly. I will be the judge of that.
Top 10 – Portland
I have been really lacking on dining out in Portland. Usually my trips there are either day trips or for another purpose which doesn’t let me enjoy the dining scene in the Rose City. I probably could have added another 10 to this list, but I figure I will start here.
You want Chef Rucker cooking for you at Little Bird, because he can turn out amazing food in a kitchen smaller than the ones found in most homes and, frankly, he is a better cook than you are.
1) Beast – Another communal dining, fixed menu place. I have wanted to go here for some time, but they are only open 4 days a week and the place is small. Naomi Pomeroy’s success on Top Chef Masters probably won’t help.
2) Olympic Provisions – A friend of mine swears this place is better than Laurelhurst Market. It is in the middle of nowhere in an industrial park. I am all for it.
3) Pok Pok – Never felt like waiting forever, but considered to be some of the best Thai outside of Thailand. Lots of stuff you don’t see on most Thai menus.
4) Nostrana – It has great Italian, has been there forever and I have never been.
5) Little Bird – I am a HUGE fan of the Bird’s big sister Le Pigeon.
6) Toro Bravo – A Tapas joint. I know a few people who consider this the best restaurant in Portland, period.
7) June – Another farm to table place getting fantastic reviews.
8) Paley’s Place – In the Canlis class with price, but food is supposed to be out of this world.
9) Tasty N Sons – The little bro of Toro Bravo. With a name like Tasty N Sons, how could you not want to try it?
10) Andia – Peruvian food and highly rated. Besides, raise your hand if you have ever actually been to a Peruvian restaurant. (Iron Chef hangs his head in shame – he has never been to one)
Top 9 – Vancouver
How could you now want to go to Vij’s after looking at this dish?
I love Vancouver and it has a great dining scenes, but I could only come up with 9 places that I want to go to. That is partially because I have hit most of the places that I really wanted to go to already and dining out in Vancouver can be a very pricey proposition.
1) Cioppino – We ran into the chef of Cioppino at La Quercia in Vancouver. This place has won all sorts of “best of” awards and is priced accordingly.
2) Lumiere – Best French in Vancouver about a bizillion times.
3) Tojo’s – Probably the best sushi on the West Coast, if not all of North America. Booking to sit at the bar requires 3 months advanced reservation.
4) Vij’s – Some would argue the best eats in Vancouver. No reservations and people line up for dinner and hour before the restaurant opens.
5) Rain City Grill – Another local, sustainable place with an amazing view.
6) Chambar Belgian Restaurant – You had me at Belgian.
7) CinCin – I have been to the other Top Table Restaurants in Vancouver (West, Blue Water), but never this one. Probably the result of the prices and the abundance of great Italian in Vancouver.
8) Maenam – Wanted to go when it was called Gastropod. New owner, same chef, same glowing reviews.
9) La Ghianda – Little sister of La Quercia. It is a deli, and they cure in house. I am there.
For those of you luck to be attending the Mariners – Phillies series in the middle of June, you don’t exactly get cheated on your pitching matchups (assuming the current rotations hold and there are no postponed games between then and now):
June 17th – Roy Oswalt squares off with Michael Pineda
June 18th – The King, Felix Hernandez battles Cole Hamels
June 19th – A bit of lighter fare as Kyle Kendrick matches wits with Jason Vargas
The Mariners do dodge a bullet by not having to face Halliday or Lee.
Larry Stone of the Seattle Timeswrote recently that Bedard’s recent pitching has been good enough to make it look like the trade the Mariners made for him back in 2008 wasn’t a complete bust. In case you don’t remember, the M’s traded 5 players – Tony Butler, Adam Jones, Kameron Mickolio, George Sherrill and Chris Tillman for Bedard. Except for Sherrill, all of the other players the M’s moved were in their early 20’s. Butler has not reached the majors, and doesn’t look like he will anytime soon. Mickolio had a couple of cups of coffee with the Orioles and is now pitching for the Diamondbacks. Sherrill spent a year and a half with the Orioles before getting shipped to the Dodgers for a couple of prospects. Jones is a regular in the Orioles lineup and Tillman is in their starting rotation.
Here is how that deal has worked out based on wins above replacement from baseball-reference.com:
Season
Bedard
Jones
Tillman
Sherrill
Mickolio
Butler
2008
1.3
2.8
0.0
0.5
0.0
0.0
2009
2.0
2.5
0.4
1.6
0.3
0.0
2010
0.0
3.0
0.0
-1.0^
-0.1
0.0
2011
0.9
0.7
0.5
0.0
-0.1*
0.0
Total
4.2
9.0
0.9
1.1
0.1
0.0
*Mickolio’s -0.1 figure is the WAR for Mark Reynolds, whom the Orioles received from the Diamondbacks in the trade for Mickolio.
^Sherrill’s -1.0 figure is the WAR for Josh Bell, whom the Orioles received from the Dodgers in the trade for Sherrill.
It is a pretty significant difference in total WAR – the O’s have picked up about 3 wins a season from the trade while the M’s have picked up about 1 win. It is not like either of these teams are on the verge of the playoffs either, so that is not going to make a huge difference. Where it really ends up hurting is when you look at what the M’s gave up. Jones is only 25 and just starting to enter his prime. He is a fantastic defensive CF and figures to man his position for several years to come. Had the M’s not traded him, they still could have gone out and gotten Franklin Gutierrez – and outfield of Guti, Jones and Ichiro would probably be the best defensive OF in baseball. Couple that with the loss of Tillman, whose numbers probably would have benefited from playing in Safeco, who is only 23 and seems to finally be finding his stride in the majors and will probably end up a #3 or #4 starter (think someone like Jason Vargas or Doug Fister), it makes it hard to believe that 4 injury riddled seasons of Erik Bedard could possibly equate.
Just to add insult to injury (sorry, couldn’t resist) the Orioles have paid less salary to the 5 players they received in the trade over the last 3 seasons (not counting 2011) than the Mariners paid for Erik Bedard in 2008.
Even if Bedard manages to stay healthy and pitches like a Cy Young Award contender and Chris Tillman flames out of the majors, there is no way that Erik Bedard for Adam Jones is not a significant win on the trade ledgers for the Orioles.
Last night, aided by 6 walks and 3 HR, the Mariners had one of the ugliest 7-0 victories I have ever seen against Tampa Bay. The Mariners actually only had 4 hits in the game, but because of the timeliness of the hitting and the fine pitching of Jason Vargas, it did not matter.
The ugliness of the game was punctuated by the 3rd inning where the Mariners sent 9 guys to the plate, had 1 hit, hit one ball out of the infield and still scored 3 runs. Here is the play by play:
C Peguero hit by pitch.
I Suzuki walked, C Peguero to second.
B Ryan sacrificed into fielder’s choice to catcher, C Peguero to third, I Suzuki to second.
J Smoak walked, C Peguero scored, I Suzuki to third, B Ryan to second.
J Cust grounded out to first, I Suzuki scored, B Ryan to third, J Smoak to second.
F Gutierrez lined out to shortstop.
A Kennedy intentionally walked.
M Olivo reached on infield single to third, B Ryan scored, J Smoak to third, A Kennedy to second.
C Figgins lined out to center.
This could have been a much bigger inning if the Mariners managed to put a ball in play that went more than 90 feet. It is a fundamental problem with this team, but that is for another post.
In other Mariners news, before the game they sent down Michael Saunders to Tacoma and called up Greg Halman. I am not a big fan of Halman, he strikes out way too much and doesn’t take walks, but do we really need to carry 5 outfielders? The M’s seem committed to trucking Peguero and his .170 BA out to LF every day and they have Mike Wilson on the bench as a backup OF. Halman is not going to play every day, so why not leave him in Tacoma where he can get regular AB’s instead of riding the bench in the bigs?
All of the discomfort of sitting in Fenway with more leg room!
By Blaidd Drwg
The Red Sox are finally installing new seats in Fenway. Of course this means that they need to sell the old ones, and you can purchase them here. As the owner of several stadium seats, these do make a nice addition to a sports themed room.
FlatbreadGarden 