I cannot begin to explain the series of events led to me standing here backstage at the aftershow party of a Death Cab For Cutie concert in Berkeley. Everyone who knows me knows that I do not go to meet-and-greet parties. Ever. Every big sporting event has a half dozen parties for media and VIP types, usually with little plates and finger foods and an open bar. Lots of people like them, which is just fine, I’m not judging, to each their own, all that. They’re not for me. That’s all. For me, I would rather eat leftovers at Denny’s alone at midnight then go to one of those things.
Obviously, this Death Cab aftershow is quite a bit different from, say, a World Series postame party in that everybody here is either 22 years old or claims to be, and generally and fortunately speaking sportswriters will not wear what the young woman standing to my right is wearing (although, whoa, you wouldn’t believe what Dan Le Batard will wear when he’s being crazy). There are probably 100-150 people back here, many of them obviously make a good living as underwear models, which is OK though I imagine that some of them are not working now. They’re just practicing, I guess.
Anyway, beyond the obvious visual differences, and beyond the fact that the conversations revolve around Guitar Hero and the new Hold Steady record rather than Jeter Hero and how the hold is a bad statistic, it’s pretty much the same party. Which means I would rather be at an In & Out Burger* right about now. Oh well. The mind wanders.
*There’s an In & Out Burger in Peoria, Ariz., near the place where the Padres and Mariners train, that has the single worst parking lot ever invented. No kidding, it’s like a miniature version of the highway structure outside of the Meadowlands. Once a few years ago, we were trying to get to the Meadowlands for a Giants-Bengals game, and we somehow ended up on the other side of the highway, and we asked a police officer how we could get across the 28 acres of tangled concrete, and he said in his beautiful Jersey accent: “There? You wanna get there? You gotta be BORN there.”
Same thing with this In & Out Burger in Peoria; you can see it from all angles, but there’s no way to actually get close to it, it’s like the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. My old colleague and buddy Wright Thompson, I believe, was the first one call it the “Out Burger.” Because there is no way in.
* * *
So … today I saw a can of some sort of air sanitizing spray that promises that it kills 99.9% of all bacteria that can cause odors. Thats impressive, I guess, but what about that .1% of bacteria that cannot be killed? Is this like the James Bond of odor-causing bacteria? I’m curious what this bacterium is doing to avoid the death ray? Is it just working harder than the others, sort of like David Eckstein, or is it just more naturally gifted?
Yeah, that’s right, I’m surrounded by Victoria and the people who know her confidential matter and also various Death Cab band members, and this is what I’m thinking about: Odor oozing bacterium. It’s really no wonder that I couldn’t get a date in college. What do I care anyway? I’m happily married now. The mysteries of Febreze are infinitely more real to my life than some 22-year-old girl trying to look like Scarlett Johansson.
* * *
While I was driving out of Oroville, I saw something great. It is called “Dingerville.” It is a public golf course/RV Park. Yeah. Golf. And a place to park your trailer. All in one place. I have all sorts of awesome images in my mind.
Well, anyway, I love slash places. The laundromat/video rental store. The Pizza Hut/Taco Bell/Car Wash. The post office/French boutique/John Deere tractor store. Whatever. In Kansas City, we have a great gas station/barbecue restaurant.*
*In fact, it is a perfectly acceptable opinion to say that the Oklahoma Joe’s in a gas station is the best barbecue in Kansas City. I happen to think it’s third, but the third best barbecue joint in Kansas City is like being the third-best baseball player of all time. Say you rank them like so: 1. Babe Ruth; 2. Barry Bonds; 3. Willie Mays. I’m not saying that’s my Top 3 — it isn’t — I’m just saying that in this case: (A) You could make a viable argument for the third place guy actually being the best ever and (B) it ain’t bad being the Willie Mays of barbecue.
My Top 5 barbecue joints in Kansas City:
1. Arthur Bryant’s.
2. Gates
3. Oklahome Joe’s.
4. Jackstack.
5. Guy & Mae’s — which is not technically in Kansas City (it’s at least an hour away) but is so good that it STILL gets into the Kansas City Top 5,.
ANYWAY, Dingerville is the greatest slash place I’ve ever seen — and one of the great concepts of all time. THAT is where they should play the U.S. Open. If you think Johnny Miller is tough on the golfers now*, could you imagine his call when someone is leading the U.S. Open and then he pulls out driver and hits a ball off an RV right into bridge game between the Polsters and the Starlings? Go ahead and try and hit out of that unplayable lie. Hit around the guy in the white T-shirt, shorts, black socks and sandals. Go ahead. He ain’t moving.
*I love Johnny Miller as an announcer. Love him. L-O-V-E. The guy is so honest and blunt and wicked — he doesn’t rip people like, say, that Simon guy might on American Idol or even the way Charles Barkley might (I love Charles too but for different reasons — he’s just hilarious). With Miller, there no sense of, “Look at me, I’m about to rip this guy.” He just does it so naturally. During the U.S. Open, Davis Love III, a nice guy who never did win as much as his talent suggested, was actually in contention. Davis then left short what the announcers seemed to think was a makable putt — it was one of those, “What are you, playing for a paycheck? Hit the damn putt” moments. And Miller, plain as day, says, “Um, yeah, Davis has had a lot of those in his career.” It was, to me, as devastating and crushing a picture/word evaluation of the career of Davis Love III as is possible without a cartoon-sized hammer.
Maybe it’s because of this, I don’t know, but the other great thing I love about Miller is how the other announcers are scared to death of him. Whenever he says ANYTHING, it is always followed by some announcer saying: “Yeah, you’re right John,” or “I think so, John,” or “That’s about right, John,” or “I would agree with you John,” or whatever. I mean, sometimes those other announcers just finished saying the EXACT OPPOSITE of what Miller is about to say, but even then, it’s like, “You bet, John,” “Whatever you say, John,” “I bow to you, John,” “I’m naming both of my children after you, John.” The guy is like the golf version of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
ANNOUNCER: “I got a good look at the ball, it looked to me like a good lie,”
MILLER: “It looks like the ball’s buried, huh?”
ANNOUNCER: “It sure is, John. It’s buried deep. It’s really a terrible lie. I’m not sure how he’s going to get his club face on the ball, but at least he has a full swing on this ball, which should allow him to put himself in a good lay-up position.”
MILLER: “Wow, I’m looking at this, tell me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think he even has a swing on this, does he?”
ANNOUNCER: “No he doesn’t, John. He doesn’t have any swing at all on it, He’s going to have to hit a little punch shot and hope that it carries far enough down to give him a wedge into the green.”
MILLER: “From that lie and with his swing so hampered, he can’t really play a punch shot, can he?”
ANNOUNCER: “No, he really can’t, John. He’s going to have to play something else, well, I don’t really know what he can do with this.”
MILLER: “These are not the droids you’re looking for.”
ANNNOUNCER: “They’re really not, John. They don’t look at all like the droids that I was looking for.”
MILLER: “You find Carrot Top to be hysterically funny.”
ANNOUNCER: “I really do, John. It’s the props, John.”
* * *
The lead singer and main guy from Death Cab — Ben Somethingorother* — is standing right next to me, and he just looks like a GUY, a GUY you would run into at a ballgame, a guy you might see at the bookstore, a GUY who you would like hanging out with even if he has made somewhat unfortunate sideburns decisions at times. I don’t know him, obviously, and I certainly am not going to talk to him now — I told you I don’t like these meet-and-greets, and anyway enough people are already coming up to tell him how great the show was, how great he was, how incredibly awesome he is and so on — but I do have to say that I have a new appreciation for him.
I was a moderate Death Cab fan before — I actually like Ben better in his “Postal Service” mode — but this was a great show. The whole band was great (Death Cab has GREAT drums). Still, by far the most mesmerizing moment of the night happened when everyone else in the band left the stage, and a spotlight dropped on Ben, and he sang, “I Will Follow You Into The Dark,” which might be the best love song of the last 20 years. I’m not sure how many people in the world can flat spellbind an audience with a single guitar, a soft spotlight and a microphone. To me that’s the real trick in life. It seems to me that any band with a couple of hits, trick lighting, and really loud “this goes to eleven” amps can overpower an audience. But can you wow them when it’s just you, them and no fire breathing floating heads overhead? I always say that 20 of the most magical minutes of my baseball-watching life was watching Ozzie Smith take infield practice. That’s all. Just infield. That’s the feeling I got watching and listening to Ben sing “I Will Follow You.”
*No, seriously, that’s his name. Or Ben Whateveryoucallit. One or the other.
* * *
I ran a little ground ball/fly ball data the other day to continue on the Banny Log theme. Everyone would agree that one of the keys to pitching for everyone, not just Banny, is preventing batters from getting extra base hits. Obvious stuff. If you give up three consecutive singles, you might not even give up one run. If you give up three consecutive doubles, you’ve given up two runs. If you give up two singles and a homer, you’ve given up three. Simple stuff.
In general, the way to prevent extra base hits is to be a ground ball pitcher. Take a look at the 2007 breakdown:
59,737 ground balls were hit in the Major Leagues.
14,647 went for hits … that’s a .245 batting average.
48,111 fly balls were hit in the Major Leagues.
10,443 went for hits … that’s a .211 batting average.
There’s also the line drive numbers — batters every year hit better than .700 on their line drives. But all hitters give up line drives (and none want to) so that’s a different discussion. This is just fly balls and ground balls, and as you see, you have a slightly better shot of getting an out on a fly ball than on a ground ball. I would bet even that gap is pretty much negated by double plays. Still, that’s just batting aveage. Here’s the difference.
Ground Ball Breakdown:
Singles: 91.46%
Doubles: 8.08%
Triples: 0.46%
Homers: 0.00%
There you go. The reason that ground ball pitchers are more effective is not necessarily because of double plays, though it’s a factor. More, the don’t give up extra base hits — and they ESPECIALLY don’t give up homers. Now, the fly ball pitchers.
Fly Ball Breakdown:
Singles: 83.31%
Doubles: 6.69%
Triples: 0.98%
Homers: 9.03%.
I would not have guessed this, but there’s actually a higher percentage of doubles hit on ground balls than fly balls. Hmm. Shows you how good the outfielders are in the game these days. But the home run difference is just enormous. I’m not entirely sure how Baseball Reference figures the runs part of this breakdown, but basically it says that you score more than twice as many runs on fly balls than you do on ground balls. I’ll bet that’s true.
What does this have to do with Banny? He’s mostly been a fly ball pitcher in his career, but the anomaly is that he really hasn’t given up that many home runs. One brilliant reader suggested that Banny could definitely have success if he can keep the ball in the ballpark. You hate simplifying anything to one sentence (unless it’s a Johnny Miller sentence) but that sentence is probably as close to accurate as you can get. Anyway, there’s nothing simple these days about a fly ball pitcher keeping the ball in the park.
* * *
More on Banny: He had a few thoughts about the last Banny Log, which is reason No. 483,948,374 why Banny is the single greatest guy in baseball. I’ll give you the rundown in my own words, but these are Banny’s thoughts as I understand them:
Banny only struck out only one in his outing against St. Louis … and he says this was a risk he felt he had to take. He very consciously was pitching to contact. He said that all year he has been trying to push up his strikeout totals — especially in relation to his walks (he wants 2.5 strikeouts per walk this year). This time, though, he felt like he had no choice but to hit some bats and hope for the bset.
Why? You might remember, he had thrown 127 pitches in his previous outing. That was a career high, it might FOREVER be his career high. That’s just a lot of pitches. And Banny understood that he could not afford to waste pitches this time around. He expected to be on a short lease, and anyway he had to give his arm a little rest. So, he pushed up his overall strike percentage to 72%, and his first pitch strike percentage to 70%. He felt like he HAD to come after the hitters.
He understood he risks. Banny says his line drive percentage really rises when he’s in the strike zone that much — this could explain the nine hits he allowed — but sometimes you have to just take the chance. Banny wanted to get through seven innings, and the only way he felt like he could do it was by play the, “OK, here’s your pitch, it it,” game. He won’t pitch like that the next time out.
He also makes a point that I missed: Five of his 15 starts this year have been against clubbing teams — Yankees, Red Sox and Rangers. This brings up something that I know Bill James has been working on, a sort of strength of schedule for pitchers. I think that could be very interesting.
It ‘s just plain truth that the schedule just doesn’t play fair with pitchers. Banny will probably not face Seattle or Toronto this year, and those are two offensive zeroes right now (and, obviously, he does not get to face the Royals — those are the three lowest scoring teams in the league). Banny is he’s 1-2 with a 9.51 ERA in those five starts against the Yanks, Red Sox and Rangers. If you take away those — not that you can take them away, but I’m just saying — he’s a much more appealing 5-4 with a 3.17 ERA in his other ten starts.
Maybe there could be a stat (maybe there even is a stat) called “Specific ERA+.” And it would actually show how a pitcher did against his specific competition. Say you have a 4.90 ERA against the Boston Red Sox, but the Red Sox actually score 5.10 runs per nine innings. Obviously the 4.90 ERA is not good overall — the league is averaging 4.58 runs per game — but against the Red Sox, it’s not bad at all. It actually would be an ERA+ of 104. I’m not saying a Specific ERA+ would be all that fair or telling, but I do think it could be interesting. Get to work on this, people.
One last thing: Banny says he plays baseball because he loves it.
* * *
OK, so here’s a California highway thought … and I just saw this too often for it to be a fluke. When you’re driving down a California interstate highway, you will see the very tall McDonald’s signs or Burger King billboards or whatever just like you see everywhere else in the country. One difference: In California, I have noticed, you only see the sign AFTER you have already passed the exit.
It’s true. This happened again and again, I was looking to stop, I would think, “Oh, OK, there’s the In & Out Burger sign and … wait, where’s the exit ramp? Damn. It’s like a half mile back. Well, what’s that all about? OK, well, here comes a Subway and … no, damn it, the exit ramp is back there? What is going on here?*”
*Every city has their traffic quirks, of course. My man Vackie and his wife Leigh coined the phrase: “Kansas City Jam.” This is a long and frustrating traffic jam … the quirk being that once you get to the end of the jam, once you break free, you look around and you have absolutely NO IDEA why there was a traffic jam in the first place. There are no lane closures. No signs of an accident. No police officers pointing radar guns like baseball scouts. No nothing. Traffic jams in Kansas City are like natural disasters.
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76 Comments, Comment or Ping
Steve M.
The best Q in KC is at LC’s. http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=2640
Jun 22nd, 2008
caryn
The signs look like they are at the exit ramps because if you were coming from the OTHER direction, they would actually be helpful. But I know what you mean, there is a TA in Connecticut that is like that. It took us five trips before we figured out what exit we actually had to get off at and ignore the Pavlovian attraction of the sign.
This is quite possibly the greatest timing of a column for me personally, because we just started planning our trip to KC and STL in August, a trip we have long wanted to take but had not yet happened on the right timing.
…and then Bruce Springsteen announced the real, honest-to-goodness end of this honest-to-goodness last E Street Band tour, and no other Backstreets writers are going to voluntarily say that they will go to St. Louis and Kansas City in AUGUST. But we can combine Bruce with Baseball and thus we have the most perfect trip ever. So we are going.
This means that of course now I am researching the important things, like barbeque, and i hate reading these general foodie websites and wanted recommendations from real people who actually live in the places we are going to. So, thank you for that.
For what it is worth, there are plenty of Mets fans that still miss Brian Bannister and wish him well. I remain on that list.
Jun 22nd, 2008
Mike
Hmmm… I still think he’d be better off trying to strike out guys for 5 or 6 innings, as opposed to pitching to contact for 7 innings. And by “he”, I mean “the Royals”. Unless their bullpen was absolutely shot or something.
Jun 22nd, 2008
Will
If you’re really looking for awful prking, try any Trader Joe’s store in Los Angeles. It’s like parking in one of those Labyrinth maze games.
I’m also not a fan of afterparties. If it was worthwhile it would have taken place at the show.
Jun 22nd, 2008
s1c
“he loves baseball”, coffee out of the nose. Of course the real question to be asked about Toronto is “where are the pictures and what do they show?” I mean J.P. must have pictures to keep his job.
Jun 22nd, 2008
jacob
We also have Kansas City Jams in Louisville.
Jun 22nd, 2008
Brian
The all-time best “slash” store is in downtown Newmarket, N.H., and it’s called “Newmarket Fruit and Real Estate.”
Jun 22nd, 2008
Kyle Davidson
LOL @ Kansas City Jam. I always wonder “how big can this accident be?” only to find absolutely nothing up ahead.
Joe - I think you might also want to talk about park effect. Obviously, Banny would be at his best always pitching at Petco in San Diego. I just wonder how many times has he pitched this year in a pitcher’s park, and how many in a hitter’s park. I’m at work though, and have not the time to work that out.
Thanks for the laugh.
Jun 22nd, 2008
Kyle Davidson
my favorite slash - Laundromat/Arcade
Jun 22nd, 2008
Wade
I was in Houston earlier this summer and noticed the same thing with their frontage roads. You see the big signs for everything and then to get to it, you have to exit and go backwards. Hated that.
For someone that can own an audience with just a guitar, check out Jack Ingram. He used to do an acoustic tour every year and you could hear a pin drop when he was playing.
Jun 22nd, 2008
Steve
The best color commentator is Jim Deshaies. I’ve never heard anyone do it better than him. Lucky for Astros fans, they get to hear him all the time, but he’s head-and-shoulders better than any national guy I’ve heard in terms of a balance between humor, insight, and everything else you’d like from a color guy.
Jun 22nd, 2008
Ben
Ah, yes, New Jersey highway exits. They go to fascinating places. I went to grad school in Jersey for 8 years (Rutgers), and frankly, the Meadowlands exit is cake. To get to my favorite diner in Edison, I had to take an exit which circled a VFW Hall, two bars, and a U-Haul. To get to Rutt’s Hut (some of the finest hot dogs on God’s earth), you have to take a half-mile exit that runs past several warehouses and body-dump-looking lots overrun with weeds. There is a Bennigan’s in New Brunswick that is in the middle of the Route 1 North exit ramp. If you are thinking, “If I am on Route 1 South, and I would like (for some unholy reason) to go to Bennigan’s, do I have to take three exits (Rt 1 S to 18 S, 18 S to 1 N, 1 N to Bennigan’s)?” Yes, yes you do. It is possible that there is a better way, but I wasn’t born there. I just lived there for eight years. Someone who is more true-blue Jersey than I am really needs to write a book called “Garden State: New Jersey’s 50 Greatest Cloverleafs, Jughandles, and Inexplicable Parking Lots”
Just moved back to Missouri this past year (Warrensburg), and the traffic is, um, better. Oh, and as far as BBQ goes:
1. Arthur Bryant’s
2. Okie Joe’s
3. Jackstack
4. Gates
5. Perry Foster’s (gotta stand up for the Burg. And do order the sweet potato fries if you ever come through)
(btw, if BBQ hasn’t been a poll yet–maybe there was and I missed it–shouldn’t it be a poll?)
Jun 22nd, 2008
Craig
I hate HATE “the Kansas City Jam” and I always find them when I am in hurry on 435 on my way to Kemper arena… I cant wait for that place to be bulldozed
Jun 22nd, 2008
David Wintheiser
Not having heard Johnny Miller, I voted for Ron Jaworski as the best among those I’ve heard. I wonder, though, is Jim Kaat no longer doing national color commentary?
Jun 22nd, 2008
Devon
“Banny says he plays baseball because he loves it” …LOL!! Maybe he’ll get to face the Royals soon after all, since now that Toronto guy will want Banny by July 31.
I wouldn’t have expected more doubles by groundballs either. I mean, yeah… you can get them by a ground ball along the line… but, I didn’t think it happened quite that often.
Jun 22nd, 2008
Jason
Best slash I’ve seen was somewhere in North Carolina. Carpet Store/Baptist Church.
Jun 22nd, 2008
Adam
I think you left a very good color guy off the list in Orel Hersheiser, I always seem to learn something about pitching whenever I watch a game he’s doing.
Jun 22nd, 2008
Wade
Forgot to mention (and since Joe didn’t) that Guy and Mae’s is in Williamsburg, KS. Right off 35 past Ottawa.
Jun 22nd, 2008
Snuckles
I thought players were on a “short leash,” not a “short lease.” And yet “short lease” makes its own kind of sense.
Can we get a ruling on this? Is William Safire giving this site any hits?
Jun 22nd, 2008
Devin McCullen
Ben, even better is the movie theatre on Route 1 South in New Brunswick. If you’re coming from Route 18, you have to get on Rt.1 North, go over the Raritan River, through a very long U-Turn on Rt. 514, get on Rt. 1 South, and go back over the Raritan again. It’s nuts.
And there’s the joy of the Parkway/Rt. 78 interchange, although apparently they’re finally going to fix that. And the insanity by Newark Airport (although that’s also better than it once was.)
Jun 22nd, 2008
JBish
i need to drop two names on you, with an aside:
1. Hubie Brown… I suppose putting him in the poll ahead of Jeff Van Gundy (leading after 81 votes) would be a mistake, but I really think he illuminates the game of basketball to an understandable degree better than his color contemporaries.
2. Andy Gray… currently doing Euro 2008 color analysis for ESPN, Gray is my absolute favorite television presence ever. He speaks his mind very much like you described Johnny Miller, except he does it in a very thick Scottish accent. It’s hilarious and wonderful.
An aside: Joe, have you caught Euro 2008 fever? if you were so enthralled with the Premier League this season, you would really enjoy the high-level soccer going on in Switzerland and Austria right now. Aside from today’s bore 0-0 draw between Spain and Italy, the last eight matches or so have been quite exciting.
Jun 22nd, 2008
Monkeyhawk
Guy & Mae’s Tavern in Williamsburg, Kansas (a few miles west of Ottawa on I-35) is a jewel. It’s about the only business left in that little town, the only video games and pool tables, so it’s a de facto teen hangout; but there aren’t enough teens in Williamsburg to bother anyone.
Years ago, when I was living in Port Arthur, Texas (if you can call that living) the best Mexican food was at Mendoza’s Cafe and Auto Repair.
Jun 22nd, 2008
Ted
Anyone that went to Mizzou in the 80’s can’t forget the Slash - “Liquor, Guns, & Ammo” store next to I-70…in fact the sign itself is inside Shakespeare’s Pizza in downtown Columbia. If memory serves me, a picture of the store made in on Letterman about 1985 or so……….
Jun 22nd, 2008
Greg
Got to agree with Perry on the BBQ ratings. Gates is a distant 4th.
Two best slashes I’ve seen:
Larry’s Lawn Ornaments and Cheese Shop, Clinton, MO
Just north of Sacramento there’s a building (on Highway 99?) with 2 businesses in it, a mortuary and an espresso shop. Think of the marketing possibilities: “Coffee to die for!” Or “Our coffee can wake the dead!”
Jun 22nd, 2008
McKingford
One brilliant reader suggested that Banny could definitely have success if he can keep the ball in the ballpark.
Hey - that was me! The first time I’ve ever received the honorific “brilliant”…wait a minute, that means it was sarcastic, wasn’t it? Damn.
~~~
Banny says he plays baseball because he loves it.
Talk about posturing for a trade to the Blue Jays…
~~~
Don’t think KC Jams are limited to KC. We get ‘em all the time in Toronto. In fact, there was a story about some traffic engineer at Berkley (or somewhere like that) whose career involved studying the Gardiner expressway here in Toronto - although he’d never stepped foot in Toronto (or even seen the expressway); he simply used computer monitoring.
Jun 22nd, 2008
pokerpeaker
Denny’s serves leftovers? Do they have a cute name for it? Like the Houston Re-Heat?
Jun 22nd, 2008
Danny
Joe, I’m glad you’re a Death Cab/Ben Gibbard fan. That makes me happy. I actually put on some Postal Service in order to set a mood for the rest of the blog.
That being said, keep up with the Banny Log. It’s possibly the best thing on the internet. And even if it is not, it’s at least the Willy Mays of internet blogs.
Jun 22nd, 2008
okcroyals
The local “bottle shipmaker/notary” business in Oklahoma City is my personal favorite. Though I think it went out of business.
Jun 22nd, 2008
Wade
K & M BBQ in Spring Hill is another small town bbq that’s great just south of KC. We B Smokin down around Paola/Osawatomie is also top notch. One thing about living in the KC area, it isn’t hard to find good bbq.
Jun 22nd, 2008
Justin
Looking at google maps, it seems that there is an entrance to the In & Out Burger in Peoria from the northbound lane of N 83rd Ave just south of Bell Road.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=in+%26+out+burger+peoria,+AZ&ie=UTF8&ll=33.637637,-112.232861&spn=0.000572,0.001477&t=k&z=20
Maybe there’s something you can’t see from the map, though.
Jun 22nd, 2008
D.B. Cooper
Prospectus tracks Opponents AVG/OBP/SLG. I found it incredible that Edinson Volquez has faced the 3rd-toughest opponents (by OPS) of any NL pitcher (>80 IP). Somehow makes a 1.71 ERA even more impressive.
Jun 22nd, 2008
Chip
The all-time best slash … video rental/tanning salon. And not just because it was in Buffalo, Mo. The owner of the store, one David Paro (son of the mayor) was arrested for secretly videotaping the female customers as they faked baked.
Seems that for awhile, the cops couldn’t sort out if he’d committed a crime-Missouri didn’t have a law against secretly taping women. Paro gave up the tapes, then the cops watched the tapes and sorted out that he’d been taping minors … oops. He got probation.
The video rental/tanning salon closed. Mr. Paro moved to Florida. Same hobby, without the slash:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060814/NEWS/608140310
When it looked like Paro would get off totally on the Buffalo situation, it was right about the time the Florida St. placekicker was charged with illegally taping himself and his girlfriend (without the latter’s knowledge or consent) and showing it to his teammates. A KU friend noted Mizzou’s need for a kicker and said the FSU player should transfer as his hobby was legal in Missouri … it is illegal now. Don’t get any ideas, people.
In ‘97, there was a guy in Durham, NC, that did barbering and taxidermy in the same shop. Decent haircut, didn’t need the other thing.
Jun 22nd, 2008
McKingford
Re: Specific ERA
I think you’d need to measure beyond the individual teams - down to the individual players, since as you’ve previously noted, a pitcher may get an advantage from the lineup a manager fields when he’s looking to rest a bunch of regulars.
So I could envisage Specific ERA+ as counting up the OPS of each individual faced (so that pinch hitters would be counted for any individual ABs).
Looking back at Banny’s last game, it would go something like this:
Schumaker 3PAs x 113 OPS+ = 339
Miles 3PAs x 81 OPS+ = 243
Ludwick 3PAs x 158 OPS+ = 474
Ankiel 3PAs x 116 OPS+ = 348
Glaus 3PAs x 116 OPS+ = 348
Duncan 3PAs x 76 OPS+ = 228
Larue 3PAs x 78 OPS+ = 234
Looper 2PAs x 142 OPS+ = 284
Iszturis 1PA x 78 OPS+ = 78 [can't say I like the idea of pinch hitting a 78OPS+ guy for a 142 guy, even if the latter is a pitcher...]
Kennedy 3PAs x 64 OPS+ = 192
= 2768
Total individual average opponent OPS+ for the game:
2768/27(total plate appearances) =102.5.
So for this game, Banny faced an slightly better than league average lineup. One should multiply the inverse of this to calculate the Specific ERA [so 102.5 becomes 97.5]
His ERA for the game was otherwise 2.57 (2 runs x 9/7 innings pitched).
So his Specific ERA for the game would be 2.51 [game ERA (2.57) x the inverse of the "Total individual average opponent OPS+ for the game" (the inverse of 102.5, or 97.5)]. Against a league average team, one would expect a “savings”, therefore, of 0.06 runs.
Couple of issues that would have to be resolved:
The Specific ERA+ would be volatile, since a player’s OPS+ changes over the course of a season. Should Specific ERA+ be calculated based on the opponent’s OPS+ at the time you pitched against them (ie. locked in?), or should it be allowed to fluctuate over the course of the season as the opponent’s OPS+ fluctuates? And, of course, I think this example is flawed because I believe OPS+ is calculated against the league, as opposed to MLB as a whole, so this is another example where interleague play really screws things up (ie. Banny’s opponent’s OPS+ for this game isn’t calculated as against the AL, but the NL, against which he makes only a couple starts).
And, naturally, the calculation of OPS+ leaves open the possibility of calculating the batter’s Specific OPS+. In short, a batter’s OPS+ would be adjusted by the ERA+ of each pitcher he had a plate appearance against.
OK, enough from me - I’ll leave it to someone with a real brain to figure out the rest of the problems with this (aside from the drudging work of making these individual calculations…).
Jun 22nd, 2008
Jesse Spector
I guess I did oversimplify with the suggestion about Bannister’s homer rate, and looking at the guys he’s given up homers to this season, there’s very little shame in that list — Bradley, Hamilton, Drew, Sizemore, etc.
Still, in his career, 15 of the 29 homers Bannister has allowed have come with at least one runner on base. His Baseball-Reference “most similar” pitcher, Kevin Tapani, gave up 260 dingers, but only 107 of those came with men on base — the ones that really kill a pitcher.
Like I said before, though, it’s curious to me that Bannister hasn’t given up a homer on a three-ball count this season. I wonder if that’s just a quirk of small sample size, or if it indicates something about being too willing to come in with a strike, especially to the good hitters who seem to be the ones taking him deep.
Jun 22nd, 2008
Anthony Z
This is why I love this blog, I was actually at spring training in Peoria to see the Padres and Mariners this spring and I visited that specific In N Out after a long day of spring training drinking. You can get into the parking lot just fine (although a little tight). The problem is getting out. As I recall one long drawn out exit that we took leaves you in the middle of a large strip mall parking lot. Another exit back onto the street we wanted to get to would have required us to cross three lanes of thick traffic in about 25 feet to make the necessary turn. I think we went for option three and intentionally exited moving in the complete opposite direction of our destination with intentions of making a u-turn and getting back on track. It seems to have worked.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Bob R.
Perhaps this will help explain the NJ traffic signs and exits. A New Jersey citizen gave me directions to a place he knew I had never been. His directions included the item that I turn right 2 blocks before I got to the library.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Matt G.
I know of a real estate agency/tanning salon near the Kansas Nebraska border.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Matt
I have more than once said to residents here in Washington, DC (a place sorely devoid of any quality barbeque joints) that “Back in Kansas City, we’ve got better barbeque in one of our gas stations than anything here.” They rarely believe me. So sad…
Jun 23rd, 2008
Fezzik
“…these aren’ the droids you are looking for…”
I gotta stop reading this blog at work. I nearly wet my pants because I was laughing so hard…..
Jun 23rd, 2008
Oddibe Kerfeld
I agree on Jim Deshaies. He’s the best color guy out there. Very smart with a funny dry sense of humor. He and Bill Brown, the play-by-play guy, seem very well read and cover all sorts of topics during a game. It’s sort of like this blog. Deshaies could easily be a national broadcaster, but I think he likes being in Houston right now. That’s good for Astros fans, but the rest of America doesn’t know what they are missing.
I looked up that In and Out Burger in Peoria, AZ on Googlemaps and Joe is right! It sits on the corner of a busy divided 6 or 8 lane road. It also has no easy enterances to the place. It looks like you have to go down a block and double back through the parking lot to get to it. Use the street view option to see how bizarre this set up is.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Mikey
Although chances are none of the readers here give a rat’s arse about horse racing, ESPN has a fantastic analyst in Randy Moss. Moss is credible and articulate enough that he was invited to testify at last week’s congressional hearing on the state of horse racing.
The whole ESPN horse racing team is excellent. Tom Durkin is the most underrated “play-by-play” guy in the business. Jerry Bailey is among the best ex-jock analysts on TV. And Kenny Mayne, who can get a little wearying in other settings, is outstanding and frequently funny. They just do a great show that hardly anyone watches.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Oddibe Kerfeld
Here’s the link to that In and Out Burger in Peoria, AZ. I have to agree that this is the oddest access to a fastfood place I’ve seen. The parking lot seems strange, too.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=in+and+out+burger+Peoria,+AZ&ie=UTF8&ll=33.637692,-112.233005&spn=0.001052,0.001652&t=k&z=19
Jun 23rd, 2008
SoxfaninKC
Caryn, and anyone else who hasn’t tried Gates smoked wings, go to the Gates on State Avenue in downtown Kansas City, KS. If you want a sandwich or some ribs, you can order a wing or two as a side item to try them. They are out of this world and that is the only Gates that serves them. I’m going there for lunch this week. My mouth is already watering.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Mikey
“Liquor Guns Ammo” Greatest slash ever!
This classic sign later became the KCOU-FM slogan in Columbia, and was also referenced on Uncle Tupelo’s “No Depression”, one of my ten favorite records ever.
Caryn, what are those Bruce dates in STL and KC? Sounds like a great road trip.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Chris
Ben Whateveryoucallit=Ben Gibbard.
Also Ben Gibbard=Greatest Songwriter (possibly) ever.
And,
Gibbard : Songwriting :: The inverse of that Colbie Callet song where she says the word ‘realize’ 18,000 times : Songs
Jun 23rd, 2008
Chris
Wow. BBQ, baseball, Death Cab, Uncle Tupelo
Is this the greatest blog on the internet, or what?
Jun 23rd, 2008
Charlemagne
Oh how I hope this isn’t the only time I see the Hold Steady mentioned or referenced on this blog. Joe, as someone who frequently forwards many of your thoughts on Springsteen to my closest family members - I sincerely hope you’ll give their new record ‘Stay Positive’ an honest listen. The album’s song-writing and story-telling is legitimately brilliant, and the band manages to embody the spirit of Bruce & the E Street moreso than any other band I’ve ever heard. Their power-through-sound is incredibly overwhelming as well, something that can honestly be heard on any of their albums, but I happen to honestly believe that ‘Stay Positive’ is their best.
And to he who said “Ben Gibbard = Greatest Songwriter (possibly) ever.” No. No no no no no no no no no. No.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Paul J.
The best “slash” business I’ve heard of was in a little town in central Kansas (don’t remember the name) that is (was?) a bar/laundromat. The name of said business, you ask? “The Sip & Spin”.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Todd Henre
Just wanted to say thanks for the shout out to Guy and Mae’s, they were my great Aunt and Uncle, which is to say my Mom’s mom’s sister (Mae) or Grandma’s sister…at any rate, the two principles are both dead but by all accounts the kids do a good job of extending the legacy. Guy was a true character which I know you think we need more of. I quote his “Eggs ain’t worth a damn without bacon and BBQ ain’t worth a damn without beer”…I don’t even drink but it’s a good quote. During the heyday of the joint they would run out of ribs every Fri. and Sat. night, no matter how many slabs they fixed. At least that’s the story and I like the story. They would wrap the slabs in newspaper…sorry, I’m just nostalgicating but those were indeed the days. One spring break in my high school years we skipped Florida and Texas and camped near Guy and Mae’s just so I could convince my friends that a) I knew them, and b) the ribs were the best. Thanks again, Joe.
Jun 23rd, 2008
JB
About 20 years ago, I saw Goober’s gas station/escort service in the some tiny (I mean really tiny) town in the Oklahoma panhandle. I later learned that the escort service meant the truck with lights escorting the wide load down the highway. Wasn’t as funny then.
Jim Deshaies is very good. Beats the crap out of Milo freaking Hamilton, the most overrated baseball announcer in history. The best color guy ever is Steve Stone. I could even watch a Cubs game with Stoney at the mike.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Mouse
Unlist the category is fattiest brisket, Gate’s doesn’t even sniff the top five.
1) Rosedale
2) Danny Edwards
3) Bryant’s
4) Quick’s
5) Okie Joe’s
Jun 23rd, 2008
ghb5
My favorite slashes are the XXX/Arcade shops you see between KC and Columbia on I-70. As if these are some sort of disparate demographics….
Jun 23rd, 2008
Jim M
The Sip n Spin is in Hays, KS, and it is a great bar.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Curtis
I completely agree on the nomination of Andy Gray. Soccer analysts pull no punches, which is refreshing after the kowtowing to superstars that affects our broadcasting because the announcers want to be welcome at the next big after party.
Also, any announcer during the second half of the premier league Fan Zone should get consideration. They get a couple of drinks in them, and it is awesome.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Curtis
Oh, and for baseball, I still love Joe G. I grew up with him and Vin Scully on Saturday afternoons, and he still does the occasional game for the D-backs (God bless the baseball package …), and it is a treat every time he is in the booth. He knows the game and has been around it so long that the stories are great.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Chris
“Title and Registration” by Death Cab For Cutie:
“The glove compartment
Isn’t accurately named
And everybody knows it.
So I’m proposing
A swift orderly change.
Cause behind its door
There’s nothing to keep my fingers warm
And all i find
Are souvenirs from better times
Before the gleam
Of your taillights faded East
To find
Yourself a better life.”
“We Laugh Indoors” by Death Cab For Cutie:
“And I’ve always fall fast with too much trust in the promising that
No ones ever been here, so you can quell those wet fears.
And I want purity, I must have it here right now.
But don’t you get me started now — oh don’t you get me started now
Dont you get me.. dont you get me…”
Now, tell me that doesn’t DRIP of brilliance. I stand by my previous statement.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Buchholz Surfer
As noted above, DC might not have much (or any) good barbecue, but it has more good chili parlors than the entire northeast combined.
In addition to the legendary Ben’s Chili Bowl, which is a chili dog place, more than a chili parlor, it’s got Hard Times cafe– yes, it’s a (small) chain and I’ve heard it’s gone downhill in recent years, but still, there’s nothing comparable up here.
I voted for Don Cherry for best color commentator guy, even though he doesn’t do color commentary and you can’t take anything he says seriously. I usually hate schtick, but I like Cherry’s.
He’s entertaining, and his nonsense makes the game a lot more fun, which is the whole point. Most of the announcers who take themselves seriously manage to make things less fun. Boo to that.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Ben
Re: Devin McCullen
The other amazing thing about the movie theater you mention on Rt. 1 is the fact that they built it on somebody’s old farm, which had a family grave plot, and that family grave plot is now left completely intact in the middle of the 18-Sceen Movie Theater parking lot. Actually, the Bennigan’s I mentioned is probably 300 yards from the movie theater in question, and it would, on a good day, take 10 minutes, and probably 1.5 miles of driving, to get from one to the other.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Creston
1) I think it’s the pitcher that gives up linedrives, not the hitter.
2) There’s no specific statistic for pitchers vs a team, but the glorious baseball-reference.com does ofcourse break your performances down per team faced. It’s not surprising that Banny isn’t doing so well against the Red Sox and Yankees. Those teams murder pitchers like him, because they don’t chase aftrself, all alone, on a three lane highway and nothing of note happens at all? HIT THE BRAKES!
etc.
There is no need for this. If you simply let go of the gas pedal/accelerator, (wait for it…) YOU WILL SLOW DOWN! *shock gasp utter astonishment*
No really? Yes. Really. It never ceases to amaze me just how blatantly horrible the drivers are in the Midwest. It’s out of this world. I’ve driven in Paris, and have long held that the French drivers are the worst in the world. If you ever see a Frenchman drive a car that doesn’t have at least three dents in it, he just drove it off the lot and is on his way home. Otherwise it’s impossible. They’re truly horrible drivers. The existence of something called the Periferique (think the highway structure outside the Meadowlands, but worse, with all road signs in French. ) ofcourse doesn’t help, but still.
Then I came here.
Congratulations, Parisians, you’re no longer THE worst drivers in the world. Move over for the Midwest driver!
So what happens when this horde of brake happy drivers gets into a highway that’s fairly packed with traffic? Well, the first idiot hits his brakes for whatever reason. The second dude behind him hits his brakes too, but harder, because he has no capability of analyzing how hard the guy in front of him is braking, so he has to assume the worst. The guy behind him brakes too, and harder. The guy the lane beside him brakes to, because, Dear God, if someone is braking on the other lane, it is SCRIPTURE that you brake too!
30 cars down from the first guy, the speed has already dropped by 50% because of all the braking on top of braking. 500 yards down the road, the cars will come to a stop. This is simple physics.
Then, when everyone gets going again, the Midwest driver also does not understand that if the car in front of you is accelerating at, say, 1.5 m/s^2, you CANNOT accelerate at 4 m/s^2. That just doesn’t work. You’ll plow into him. But they still do, and ofcourse within 30 yards have to brake again. Which leads to another stop 500 yards down the road. Etc.
So, the reason for all these mystery traffic jams? CRAPPY DRIVERS.
I come from the Land of Traffic Jams. (Holland. Imagine a country that’s about 70 miles long and 50 miles wide. Now imagine that, on any given day, it has 500 miles of traffic jams in it. That’s just the normal ones. The ones that the radio traffic announcer says “We have traffic jams in all the normal locations, and also these extra ones.” Then proceeds to rattle off 34 traffic jams that aren’t considered to be every day, normal traffic jams.)
I’ve seen them all. The traffic jams here in the Midwest are completely avoidable, but aren’t because of the horrible, horrible way people drive.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Creston
Wow, that went really well again. Does your site not like Firefox for some reason?
Let me repost that (sorry, I spent 30 minutes writing it!)
1) I think it’s the pitcher that gives up linedrives, not the hitter.
2) There’s no specific statistic for pitchers vs a team, but the glorious baseball-reference.com does ofcourse break your performances down per team faced. It’s not surprising that Banny isn’t doing so well against the Red Sox and Yankees. Those teams murder pitchers like him, because they don’t chase after those nibble pitches.
The Rangers are a bit more surprising, but that’s really only because of their ballpark. I could hit for the cycle in that ballpark. Any pitcher gets murdered there.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Creston
3) The traffic jam that “doesn’t have a reason” actually does have a reason : Stupid Drivers.
One thing I’ve noticed here in the United States is that every single driver on the road feels the need to CONSTANTLY hit their brakes for everything. Seriously.
- A guy 400 yards up ahead on the other lane turns on his indicator to take an offramp? HIT THE BRAKES!
- Someone in front of you lightly feathers the brake for a millisecond? HIT THE BRAKES!
- A guy on the other side of the highway, going the opposite direction, honks at a hot chick in a convertible? HIT THE BRAKES!
- You’re driving completely by yourself, all alone, on a three lane highway and nothing of note happens at all? HIT THE BRAKES!
etc.
There is no need for this. If you simply let go of the gas pedal/accelerator, (wait for it…) YOU WILL SLOW DOWN! *shock gasp utter astonishment*
No really? Yes. Really. It never ceases to amaze me just how blatantly horrible the drivers are in the Midwest. It’s out of this world. I’ve driven in Paris, and have long held that the French drivers are the worst in the world. If you ever see a Frenchman drive a car that doesn’t have at least three dents in it, he just drove it off the lot and is on his way home. Otherwise it’s impossible. They’re truly horrible drivers. The existence of something called the Periferique (think the highway structure outside the Meadowlands, but worse, with all road signs in French. ) ofcourse doesn’t help, but still.
Then I came here.
Congratulations, Parisians, you’re no longer THE worst drivers in the world. Move over for the Midwest driver!
So what happens when this horde of brake happy drivers gets into a highway that’s fairly packed with traffic? Well, the first idiot hits his brakes for whatever reason. The second dude behind him hits his brakes too, but harder, because he has no capability of analyzing how hard the guy in front of him is braking, so he has to assume the worst. The guy behind him brakes too, and harder. The guy the lane beside him brakes to, because, Dear God, if someone is braking on the other lane, it is SCRIPTURE that you brake too!
30 cars down from the first guy, the speed has already dropped by 50% because of all the braking on top of braking. 500 yards down the road, the cars will come to a stop. This is simple physics.
Then, when everyone gets going again, the Midwest driver also does not understand that if the car in front of you is accelerating at, say, 1.5 m/s^2, you CANNOT accelerate at 4 m/s^2. That just doesn’t work. You’ll plow into him. But they still do, and ofcourse within 30 yards have to brake again. Which leads to another stop 500 yards down the road. Etc.
So, the reason for all these mystery traffic jams? CRAPPY DRIVERS.
I come from the Land of Traffic Jams. (Holland. Imagine a country that’s about 70 miles long and 50 miles wide. Now imagine that, on any given day, it has 500 miles of traffic jams in it. That’s just the normal ones. The ones that the radio traffic announcer says “We have traffic jams in all the normal locations, and also these extra ones.” Then proceeds to rattle off 34 traffic jams that aren’t considered to be every day, normal traffic jams.)
I’ve seen them all. The traffic jams here in the Midwest are completely avoidable, but aren’t because of the horrible, horrible way people drive.
Jun 23rd, 2008
T-Dog
The best ’slash’ is in rural Ontario - The Mapleton Cheese Shop/Taxidermist. I’m slightly scared to actually step inside, but on principle alone the combination is amazing.
Jun 23rd, 2008
sidd finch
‘..what about that .1% of bacteria that cannot be killed? Is this like the James Bond of odor-causing bacteria?’
I’m thinking it’s more like the Chuck Norris of odor-causing bacteria.
‘I would not have guessed this, but there’s actually a higher percentage of doubles hit on ground balls than fly balls. Hmm. Shows you how good the outfielders are in the game these days.’
Maybe, but I’ll bet 98% of those ground ball doubles are hit down the line, so it might say more about the quality of first and third basemen than that of outfielders.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Matt S
A local LA people have started fixing their own highway signs. A local artists found out all the specs and added some much needed direction to an interstate highway sign. Cal-trans has left it up for 6 years now:
http://www.laweekly.com/columns/a-considerable-town/guerrilla-public-service-the-man-who-would-be-caltrans/10510/
(good synopsis: not sure what’s going on with that pic)
http://ankrom.org/freeway_signs.html
(good pics)
Jun 23rd, 2008
Jeff Alou
Hilarious column, The Johnny Miller bit was incredible.
I would say that Max Kellerman would be a worthy addition to you poll for best color commentator. Most people know him as just yet another cocky screaming head from ESPN, but on HBO Boxing, he is great. He is extremely knowledgable and works very well with Jim Lampley and Emmanuel Steward. That team’s analysis of each fight helps reveal the boxer’s strategy to the viewer and really enhances the event. They paint a great picture, seize on the electricity of peak moments, and educate their audience.
Jun 23rd, 2008
RRRRR
I would love to know how your brian works.
Jun 23rd, 2008
sidd finch
‘I would love to know how your brian works.’
I’d like to know how your brain works, as well.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Jeff Bennett
We have those traffic james in Nashville. The reason is that for some reason, people in the South cannot (CANNOT) figure out how to change lanes without slowing to a stop. If you change lanes at the speed of traffic, you won’t cause a delay. When you stop before changing lanes, you require two whole lanes of traffic to stop so some guy doesn’t have to put down his burger and stop talking on his cell phone in order to get in the left lane. These always occur at merges and on ramps, and the ‘jam’ exists long after the offending jerk has driven off, talking about his boring life to someone who doesn’t care.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Joe
Steve Stone should be in the poll. By far the best baseball analyst on TV, though he rarely does games anymore.
Jun 23rd, 2008
Josh L
“Kansas City Jam”. I love it.
Jun 24th, 2008
Nate F
The Kansas City Jam is a phenomenon I learned about in my partial differential equations class in college. You can describe the cause for the “Jam” using finite difference methods.
It’s similar to how the water behaves when you’re drinking from a water fountain. Ever notice that ring a few inches from where the arc of water hits the surface? The water is pushing out in all directions at a normal pace, just minding its own business, when all of a sudden…WHAM. The water has to hit the brakes because there is a build up of water (the ring you see) where the velocity has slowed to the point where the water leaving the area cannot keep up with the water entering.
Check it out next time you’re at the water fountain (or any sink for that matter.) It’s just like the Kansas City Jam
Jun 24th, 2008
Justin
I must take issue with the notion that Ben Gibbard’s the type of guy you’d see next to you at a ball game.
His lyric:
“And I will block the door like a goalie tending the net
In the third quarter of a tied-game rivalry”
…shows such a lack of knowledge of sports. It’s clunky and awkward, and I say that as someone who typically enjoys both the Postal Service and Death Cab. It’s such a pained and strained metaphor, it’s like nails on a chalkboard to me.
If you don’t know sports, that’s cool. Just don’t allude to them in your songs.
Oh, and the glasses. In my experience, emo/geek-chic and sports are generally pretty mutually exclusive.
Jun 24th, 2008
caryn
For those asking, the Springsteen shows are:
STL - 8/23
KC - 8/24
Onsales are this Saturday am.
And hipsters fall over themselves to disavow any love of professional sports as fast as they disavow liking any Springsteen album besides “Nebraska”. Conor Oberst put the seal on that when I interviewed him for Backstreets after the Vote For Change tour. I don’t think Ben Gibbard could tell you any one player on the Mariners. He might look like it, but if you look closer, you’d figure out that everything is carefully worn to look like he’s had it for years… when it was probably purchased at Urban Outfitters.
(Yes, I hate Death Cab.)
I don’t know how the Hold Steady - who are a BRILLIANT live act, don’t get me wrong - invoke Springsteen in any way except that, well, they manage to have lots of people onstage and still seem like they are one group of people playing together.
More brilliant live acts: Marah. Joe, you gotta know about Marah, right?
Jun 24th, 2008
Cairo_East
Nothing beats the old Ben & Jerry’s a half-block from Penn State University on Allen Street. It sold ice cream, cigars, and pornographic magazines. As a friend cooly commented, “Why bother shopping anywhere else?”
Jun 25th, 2008
Richard Aronson
On many of the rural Interstates in California, they have a sign about a half mile before the exit on the right side of the road listing what restaurants (hotels, and gas stations) are at the next exit. It’s usually a largish rectangle (six feet wide by four tall) about the same height as the speed limit signs. I believe this is because in many municipalities sign heights are limited.
In ‘N’ Out Burgers are just about the best burgers of any major fast food chain, being the only ones with enough lettuce and really tasty tomatoes, and the fries all started out as fresh potatoes shortly before they were cooked. But yeah, very few of the In ‘N’ Out signs are visible far enough in advance of the exit in order to get there without having to either know in advance or exit later and come back.
Jun 26th, 2008
Edward OP
I know exactly the In & Out Burger in Peoria you mentioned, Joe. My folks live ten minutes from there. The baseball complex is kinda interesting, but man, is it hard to get around.
Jun 27th, 2008
Reply to “Death Cab For Banny”