Saturday, September 25, 2010

Reds' Chapman Throws Fastest Pitch Ever Recorded

Aroldis Chapman was summoned from the bullpen one batter too late to make a difference in the game. No matter. The 22-year-old Cincinnati Reds left-hander made do by making history Friday night, throwing the fastest pitch recorded in a major league game, a 105-mph fastball.

The blazing pitch pushed a white-hot pennant race
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to the back burner. Yes, the San Diego Padres won the game 4-3 to pull ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the National League wild-card race. Sure, the San Francisco Giants all but buried the Colorado Rockies thanks to a dominant performance by Tim Lincecum.

But the lingering memory was of a now-you-see-it, did-I-actually-see-it fastball to Tony Gwynn in the eighth inning. The pitch was not a fluke: Chapman threw 25 pitches in his 1 1/3 innings of relief, and every one was at least 100 mph. He didn’t throw a slider. He didn’t throw a changeup. Why would he?

From Walter Johnson to Bob Feller to Steve Dalkowski to J.R. Richard to Nolan Ryan to Stephen Strasburg, blistering velocity is etched forever in baseball lore. Rush Chapman to the head of the list. Has anybody in the history of the game had a comparable 25-pitch sequence?

“I didn’t see it until the ball was behind me,” Gwynn said. “I was trying not to look at the radar reading because I’d be intimidated. I saw how hard he was throwing and just tried to be slow and work my hands.”

The 105-mph pitch was inside for a ball and evened the count at 2-2. Gwynn had fouled off the previous two pitches and fouled off the next before striking out. He ought to be pleased with his effort, forcing Chapman to make seven pitches, the slowest of which was 102 mph.

Gwynn’s father, Tony, a Hall-of-Famer and one of baseball greatest hitters, never saw a pitch as fast as the one Chapman threw. Maybe nobody else has, either. Since radar guns were introduced in the 1980s, the fastest pitch recorded was 104.8 mph by Joel Zumaya of the Detroit Tigers in a playoff game Oct. 10, 2006. Chapman, who defected from the Cuban national team in 2009, was clocked at 104 on Sept. 1 in his second major league appearance and also hit 105 mph with a pitch for Triple-A Louisville earlier this season.

Chapman, speaking through an interpreter with bags of ice strapped across his arm, credited his stepped-up velocity Friday to the fact that he’d pitched only once in the last week. He didn’t allow an earned run in his first eight relief appearances after being promoted Aug. 31, but the Astros nicked him for two runs a week ago. He pitched a scoreless inning on Monday against the Brewers, then had three more days off.

Continue reading..

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Friday, September 24, 2010

Led Zeppelin Plagiarism

Part I:


Part II:


Part III:


First off, the Youtube user who created these, clashboy1977, for some reason repeats a few songs from part 1 in parts 2 & 3. No biggy, I say, but why beat a dead horse?

Secondly, you cannot copyright a chord, nor a chord progression. A set of lyrics, however is a totally different animal. While most of these are truly obvious cases of musical plagiarism, there are a few (about 3-4) that I disagree with. Music, "riffs," and chord progressions can contain tiny subtle differences, and in all legality would be considered different.

The more pressing question is if they were going to blatantly steal material from so many past blues artists, why didn't they just credit them in the sleeve? Who knows. Lots of these issues were settled out of court, and surely Zeppelin paid dearly, but could've alleviated any wrongdoing by simply giving these original artists some much deserved credit!

The Koala, The Lizard, and The Crocodile






















Must. Click & zoom. To. Enlarge!

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Still one of the funniest jokes I've ever heard.

This Won't End Well


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Classic


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Kitty Is Not Amused


Thanks, Courtney!

Squirrel!





























Click to enlarge!

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I can just hear our outside dog Reese acting like this. Of course, she's already outside, but she still tries and fails every day.

What An Idiot


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Kurt's Ghost


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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Don't Mess With Old People


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How to call police when you're old and don't move fast anymore:

George Phillips of Meridian, Mississippi, was going up to bed, when his wife told him that he'd left the light on in the garden shed, which she could see from the bedroom window. George opened the back door to go turn off the light, but saw that there were people in the shed stealing things.

He phoned the police, who asked 'Is someone in your house?' He said 'No.' Then they said 'All patrols were busy. You should lock your doors and an officer will be along when one is available.'

George said, 'Okay.'

He hung up the phone and counted to 30. Then he phoned the police again. 'Hello, I just called you a few seconds ago because there were people stealing things from my shed. Well, you don't have to worry about them now because I just shot them.' and he hung up.

Within five minutes, six police cars, a SWAT team, a helicopter, two fire trucks, a paramedic, and an ambulance showed up at the Phillips' residence, and caught the burglars red-handed. One of the policemen said to George, 'I thought you said that you'd shot them!?' George said, 'I thought you said there was nobody available!'

(True Story) Don't mess with old people!

Thanks, Rick!

Jango's Prayer


Thanks, Ryan!

Simply A Masterpiece

The Canadian Tenors - Hallelujah by Kaina

My father's favorite song this summer. It is now mine. I have it on infinite loop inside my head ever since his death. And I can't stop listening to it. Not sharing this would be a travesty.

There are dozens of versions, and I do like a couple of them, but The Canadian Tenors have created a masterpiece which has found a very, very special place in my heart. I have no doubt my father is enjoying it with me.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Huge Swiss Army Knife



This huge Wenger Swiss Army knife is huge. That's right. 87 implements and 141 functions. Click the pic to find out more information about this giant thing.

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What Does This Remind You Of?


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How about Metallica - "Ride The Lightning"?

Mmmm Beer


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Likely never tasted it - Already realizing how refreshing it is for daddy.

Volume Cycle


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Damn commercials - I thought most modern TVs had a smart sound feature that controlled this very thing?

Spiral


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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Les Koontz Memorial Slideshow



















If anyone wants to download the slide show from my father's funeral, here is the link:

Les Koontz Memorial

He was a good man, and I miss him terribly.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Death Smokes


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Sunday, September 19, 2010