Ok, so it was up against two potato salads and this dessert, and the dessert won the “winner” medal, even though the dessert wasn’t a “side dish”, which is what the medal was supposed to be for, but I’m not bitter at all, even though a dessert isn’t technically a side dish, I don’t think anyway… don’t you agree?
Seriously, the medal said “WINNER” on it.
Anyhow, here’s the chickpea salad recipe that I “borrowed” from somewhere and I can’t find the recipe again, but it’s always a hit. Even the 1,000,000 kids at the BBQ ate it, they about wiped out a big tupperware container of the stuff. (At least it seemed like 1,000,000 kids.)
Seriously though, I’m floored. Imagine that Somebodies such as Tony Gwynn or Barry Larkin had experienced a late career trade — I was absolutely convinced Ichiro would retire, from American Baseball at least, as a Mariner. I’m about equally as surprised that Ichiro requested the trade himself, and that it was months ago.
Before you get too excited about the Mariners taking 3 out of 4 against the Royals and putting up 31 runs in the process, the Royals probably have the worst starting rotation in the majors. Let’s take a look at the guys who the Mariners faced in the 4 game series:
Game 1: Jonathan Sanchez (current ERA – 7.76) Pitching line – 1.1 IP, 7 H, 7 ER
Sanchez, once a rising star in the Giants organization, fell completely off a cliff this season, walking 44 guys in 53 innings and sporting a stellar 2.04 WHIP. Things got so bad with Sanchez that the Royals designated him for assignment after this disastrous start against the Mariners (Yet somehow the Rockies had enough interest in him to trade a somewhat useful player for him on Friday).
Game 2: Ryan Verdugo (current ERA – 32.40) Pitching line – 1.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ER
Verdugo was making his MLB Debut in this game. He was the “other guy” the Royals got with Jonathan Sanchez for Melky Cabrera. Verdugo is 25 and had not pitched particularly well in the minors in his career and never above AAA before this season; was his debut line much of a surprise?
Game 3: Bruce Chen (current ERA – 5.57) Pitching line – 5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER
The “ACE” of the Royals staff. He pitched somewhat decently; I will put heavy emphasis on somewhat, because frankly, that is not a good pitching line. But heck, it can’t be that bad, the Royals actually won that game
Game 4: Will Smith (current ERA – 7.97) Pitching line – 6.1 IP, 8 H, 4 ER
Smith wasn’t terrible, but he was going against Felix, so he wasn’t winning that game no matter how well he pitched. At least in Smith’s defense, he is only 22 and seems to have some upside potential. Then again, he does pitch for the Royals, so maybe not.
Speaking of Felix, he dispatched the Royals, needing just 89 pitches over 8 innings before giving way to Lucas Luetge in the 9th. Felix is in the zone right now – he is dominant and he is being economical with his pitches. He has given up only 2 ER in his last 24.2 innings. It might have something to do with the 21 strikeouts and his amazing Ground Ball to Fly Ball Ratio – 36 GB to 23 FB. I am not sure what adjustment he made, but he is back to getting guys out on the ground. Over his career his ration has been 1.24 to 1 GB to FB, this year is has been .9 to 1 GB to FB. Welcome back, Felix.
One of the reasons I like Brouwer’s Café in Fremont is that they tend to have the occasional short production, experimental beer from a local brewery that, if you blink, you will miss. That was the case recently when I was in for lunch and I saw the Dark Star with Lavender and Rosemary from Fremont Brewing on cask. Curious, I had to give it a shot, although, I have to admit that lavender tends to overpower beer and I am not a great fan of Dark Star to begin with.
Dark Star is, as you would expect, a very heavy, dark stout with just a hint of light able to penetrate its murky depths. Lots of roasted malt and smoke on the nose, with a serious lack of any floral characteristics of the lavender (this is a good thing). Heavy chocolate and roasted flavors appear of the front of the palate with just a hint of oatmeal, giving way to a slightly woody sensation (not really oak, more like chewing on a twig) with hints of rosemary. It finishes long and heavy with a subtle lavender background, but in a very pleasant way.
The restrained use of lavender was nice (it did not remind me of soap as so many lavender beers tend to do) and the beer overall felt like I was drinking a liquid Theo Chocolate confection. I was very surprised that the flavor profile did not change as the beer warmed.
Dark Star was a pleasant experience, but I don’t know that I would order more than one – it is a really heavy beer and didn’t pair too well with any of the food we had. Still, Dark Star with Lavender and Rosemary manages to score 4 Nibirus out of 5.
I think Reggie Jackson just needs to stop talking. He recently had some things to say about a number of subjects in a recent Sports Illustrated interview. First off, he decided to comment about Alex Rodriguez:
“Al’s a very good friend,” Jackson said of the New York Yankees third baseman in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated. “But I think there are real questions about his numbers. As much as I like him, what he admitted about his usage does cloud some of his records.”
…
If someone such as Rodriguez or Bonds or anyone else that has been linked to PED use is voted into the Hall by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, Jackson predicts there will be a boycott.
“If any of those guys get in, no Hall of Famer will attend,” Jackson told SI.
Maybe Reggie needs to start selling his candy bar again to keep him from having time to make stupid comments.
Ok fine, I have no problem that he believes that no HOFers will attend if someone who was actually caught with using or admits to using steroids gets elected. I however, don’t believe it is the case since most of the HOFers make a ton of money at the various autograph sessions held during election weekend. I also don’t like the “admitted usage clouds some of his records” line. We know that there was a rampant use of greenies in the 1960’s and 1970’s, which happens to encompass most of Reggie’s prime years. We are just about sure that Hank Aaron used them (although has never actually admitted it, but he doesn’t deny it either), so wouldn’t that mean the record was tainted anyway?
Where it gets interesting is when he was asked about Andy Pettitte:
Jackson, 66, left the door open a bit for himself in regards to Andy Pettitte. He thinks the Yankees’ left-hander eventually will be voted into the Hall, making Pettitte a different case compared to other alleged or admitted users.
“The question is going to be a guy like Andy Pettitte, who admitted that he got involved for a while, but who is so universally respected in the game,” Jackson told SI. “I think he’ll get in, but there will be a lot of (members) who won’t go.”
Jackson seemed to indicate to SI that if Pettitte were inducted into the Hall he still may attend.
“He’s an awfully good friend,” Jackson said. “I’ve known Andy since he was 20. I’ll leave it there.”
Maybe I am reading this wrong, but it sure sounds like Reggie is saying that it is OK to elect someone who has admitted to using steroids as long as they are well liked by people in the game of baseball. So basically, Bonds, ARod, Clemens and Palmiero – you are all out because we never liked you. Andy Pettitte, come on in because you are actually a nice guy.
Where he really pissed me off was when he got to the part about the current Hall of Fame enshrines:
“I didn’t see Kirby Puckett as a Hall of Famer,” Jackson told SI. “I didn’t see Gary Carter as a Hall of Famer. I didn’t see Don Sutton as a Hall of Famer. I didn’t see Phil Niekro as a Hall of Famer. As much as I like Jim Rice, I’m not so sure he’s a Hall of Famer.”
OK, I am fine with Sutton, Niekro and Rice not being HOFers. Sutton and Niekro were compilers and Rice had a pretty short peak, oh, sort of like Reggie’s one time teammate, Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter. Funny how Reggie does not mention him. Puckett was probably borderline, but he was still putting up an OPS+ of around 130 when he retired at age 35 from glaucoma. I do think had Puckett played even 3 or 4 more years at around league average, he would have gone from borderline to solid HOF selection, so we will forgive that one. Gary Carter – one of the 10 best catchers to play the game not a HOFer? He unfortunately played in the same era as Johnny Bench and he played most of his prime in Montreal. If either of those 2 situations had not happened, Carter would be remembered in a better light.
And for the finale:
Jackson didn’t think Bert Blyleven should be voted in, either.
“Blyleven wasn’t even the dominant pitcher of his era; it was Jack Morris,” Jackson said.
So many things wrong with that statement. Blyleven was 5 years older and had already racked up 122 wins before Jack Morris became a semi-regular on the Tigers roster in 1978, which, just based on the historical numbers for pitchers, meant that 1970-1978 would be Blyleven’s prime years and 1979-1992 were his decline years. Just a quick and dirty look at Morris and Blyleven between 1979 and 1992:
W-L
IP
SO
ERA
ERA+
WAR
Blyleven
151-127
2582.1
1791
3.78
108
38.6
Morris
233-162
3378.1
2199
3.71
109
36.1
Blyleven did miss an entire season with an injury in 1991 and came back in 1992 at age 42 with little success and then retired. Morris has the edge in IP and Wins, which you would expect from a pitcher 5 years younger during that range, but Blyleven was actually as good, if not better than Morris over the 13 year period.
Then again, we all know the best pitcher of that era was Dave Stieb anyway.
On a recent trip to Portland, Mrs. Iron Chef and I made a stop at Olympic Provisions for brunch. Located in a group of warehouses in the southeast part of the city, it would be easy to miss if you didn’t know exactly where it was. Olympic Provisions specializes in cured meats and it is a very industrial looking space. The food however is to die for.
Wanting to sample the charcutiere, their menu lists all of the current cured meats they have, priced at $4 per ounce. They had about 15 on the menu when we were there.
The happy little plate of cured meats, after we dug in.
Not knowing what to order, we stared our meal with the Chef’s Choice plate, which included 2 salame (cacciatore and andalusiuan), 2 pates (pork liver and country) and pickled vegetables. The salame was fantastic, the cacciatore, probably my favorite salami, was sweet and peppery was as good as some of the ones that I sampled in Italy. The andalusian was off the charts good. A great balance of spices with a hint of heat and clove, I could have eaten it all day with some bread. I would seriously go back to Olympic just for that salami. The pates were both outstanding. The pork liver was smooth and creamy with a nice balance of pork flavor and just a hint of liver taste; it was a pate that I would serve to someone who had never tried pate. It was amazing on the crusty bread that came with the platter. The country pate was a flavor bomb, and with the addition of a touch of the stone ground mustard on the board, was among the best I have ever had. The veggies, while good, had a lot of vinegar and would not be enjoyable if you did not like your pickled food really tart.
For our meal, we had the sweetheart ham sandwich and the eggs benedict. The eggs were probably the best I have tried. Perfectly cooked poached egg pillows sitting on top of sliced ham and an English muffin, covered (but not drowned) in hollandaise sauce. The sauce, with just a hint of lemon, exploded when the runny egg yolk combined with it, producing an unxious, delicious experience.
The ham sandwich, piled high with thin sliced, house cured ham, a fried egg and a brioche bun, was pork overload; the perfect sandwich for the morning after a little too much to drink. The perfectly cooked fried egg provided a wonderful contrast to the slightly sweet and smoky ham, especially as the yolk ran out of the egg.
The surrounding neighborhood. Great location.
Olympic Provisions has a small but “something for everyone” brunch menu with most items priced between 8 and 12 dollars. The Chef’s Choice plate was $16, and I believe the most expensive item on the menu for brunch. They also offer an extensive beer and wine list and have the hard stuff for those who are inclined.
They also have a second location in the Northwest of Portland. I would head back to Olympic Provisions any time I am in Portland, but I really need to get there at some point for dinner, which I am told is equally as outstanding as brunch.
This sign inside the restaurant really sums up what this place is about.
Overall, Olympic Provisions garners 5 laurel wreaths out of 5.
I am not usually much of a barley wine fan, there are a small handful of them that I like, but generally I tend to stay away from them since they are expensive and not high up on my list of beers I enjoy. Recently, I was at a friend’s place and he has a nice stash of vintage barley wine which he was kind enough to share some with me. One of the bottles that we opened was a 2006 Rudyard’s from Hale’s Brewing. This was poured from a 12 oz. bottle and comes in at around 10% ABV. We served it room temp to get the full effect of the beer.
The beer pours almost black like a porter with a small amount of carbonation and a fair amount of sediment at the bottom of the glass. Subtle hints of smoke and wood with a slightly musty smell permeates from this beer – it almost smell like a campfire that has been put out for an hour or so, nothing overpowering, but you know it was there. On the palate, this was a very different beer. Chocolate and malt dominate the tongue, with the some molasses there, but not in a cloying way. The beer finishes very long, fading into stone fruit (we thought cherry) and cocoa nibs at the end.
I did a little digging to find a review of what this beer was like upon release and I stumbled across this from beeradvocate.com’s rating board written in March 2007:
Poured from a 12oz bottle marked Dec 2006, so I’m drinking it relatively fresh. Pours with a thin mocha colored head that dissipates quickly. Very dark, color reminds me of molasses. Smells faintly sweet, of vanilla perhaps? Tastes of toasted malt. Very smooth, very nice. Hard to believe it’s almost 10% abv… VERY easy to drink… Retired? Hmm….if that’s truly the case then i guess i should consider myself lucky to have found this.
It surprises me that so much of what was in the original tasting notes, we tasted in the beer. I didn’t get any real vanilla, but that is probably where the campfire smell came from.
This was an overall amazing beer for being 6 years old and is easily on my list of beers that I wish I could have again but probably never will. It seems the key for me might be to buy a barley wine and stash it away in the cellar for 5 or 6 years.
Rudyard’s Rare manages to swing in with a stellar 5 Jungle Books out of 5 on the literary scale.
I really want to thank Bill D. for sharing his last bottle of this amazing beer with me.
Alexander Hamilton, not to be confused with either of the Billy Hamiltons, Vince Coleman or Rickey Henderson, getting ready to demonstrate his stolen base technique.
In case you don’t know who Billy Hamilton was, he was a speedy outfielder who played from 1888-1901, and depending on whose numbers you go by, stole somewhere between 750 and 900 bases in his career and happens to be a Hall of Famer. Billy Hamilton is also a 21 year old speedy infielder, currently in the Reds minor league system at class A Bakersfield.
Why do I mention this? Well, the current incarnation has plenty in common with his predecessor. (And no, I can’t find any evidence they are related). Last year at Class A Dayton, Billy Hamilton Mark 2 stole 103 bases in 123 attempts in 135 games. This season, Hamilton has stolen 101 bases in 122 attempts in just 80 games. Considering his pace, he can pass the “modern” minor league stolen base mark (since 1962) of 145 set by Vince Coleman (more on him in a minute) back in 1983. Hamilton probably has a great chance of doing this since he is sporting a 413 OBP and a 322 BA and playing in the California League where high altitudes and hot, dry nights cause a little additional offense.
I don’t know if Billy Hamilton will ever have much of a career in the majors, since he doesn’t hit for any power (career 389 SLG in the minors) and is really not a good fielding SS (career 937 fielding percentage) but he might stick around for a few season as a reserve OF/pinch runner type guy (see Otis Nixon) based on his 80% success rate in stealing bases.
Back to Vince Coleman for a minute – I had actually stumbled upon his 145 SB stat a few weeks ago when I was reading the back of his baseball card. Did you know he was only one of three players to have 3 – 100 SB seasons (and the only one to do it 3 consecutive years)? The other ones – Rickey Henderson and none other than the original Billy Hamilton. How’s that for bring this back around full circle?
FlatbreadGarden 