I am Your Sunshine

Penera Bread is a good place for a relaxed lunch.

殺柳丁愉快 :)

上半場下大雨, 看得非常難過, 大家跑動跟傳球也都拖泥帶水的 (literally!) 藍軍這邊毫無組織可言, 幾次 Reading 的進攻看得我膽戰心驚. 在第三十分鐘時, Reading 的一個自由球造成門前混亂, Cech 跟 Ben Haim 還有 Sidwell 三人疊成一團(站位是不是有點問題?), 剛換上場的 Bikey 撿到一個天大的進球機會, 就進了.

不過好在老大又給我們再度見識一次他的中場魔力.

下半場雨過天晴 (?) 老大一口氣把三個換人名額用完. 對殺人柳丁不為自己留點後路, 實在讓我很害怕. 然而老大的奇兵策略效果極佳, 用強悍度不輸 Drogba 跟 Malouda 的 Pizzaro 跟紅牌天王 Mikel 換下費拉拉和也許對老東家手下留情的 Sidwell, SWP調到右後(驚!), Glen Johnson 左後由 A. Cole 加持. 詭異的調陣馬上讓柳丁亂了手腳, 上半場只有在傳球失敗跟軟弱角球才會出現的 Lamps 再度在下半場現身貢獻一腳 equalizer, 而短短的三分鐘內 繼續上賽季的火熱 Drogba 也不甘勢弱地來個世界波宣示誰才是進球王. 接下來的時間柳丁被踢得落花流水, 藍軍的 possession 也高達 73%.

這場比賽的 MOM 要頒給神奇的老大.

另外, 明明是在柳丁的 Madejski Stadium, 整場比賽卻是 Chelsea 加油歌聲不斷. 我們的球迷實在是太棒了!

其實我還蠻喜歡我最後一個 theme, banner 是近黃昏的 Point Reyes 海邊, 底是我最喜歡的 beige.

還有早期的粉紅色蛋跟黑色 Emily

把無名的遺照拿過來留作紀念, 最上面那一篇還有親愛的 MaEl 大大的笑臉呢!

害我現在又想改 theme 了~

Chelsea 2-1 Friggin’ Reading (10 yellow cards combined, Cisse got sent off.)

Manure drew, AGAIN (C. Ronaldo got sent off, banned for 3 games.)

A’s 3-2 White Sox; Joe Blanton got his 10th win; Huston Street 3K to end the 9th; Hannahan got his first big league hit; Suzuki hit a jack, that had to help the one-sided Blanton-Suzuki tension, right?

Angel lost, Yankee’s lost, Mariner lost.

Too much good stuff!

Tomorrow, A’s looking to sweep the White Sox out of Coliseum and the Blues are ready to beat the scousers this weekend.

Two struglling teams. Ace-supposed-to-be Garland v lately-solid DiNardo. Let’s Go Oakland!

Lineup today: Swisher and Buck are back. Hope they’re not hurting. Ellis’ taking a day off. New A Jack Hannahan playing 3B (from Detroit Tigers. It’s a since-we-are-here-let’s-make-the-most-of-it trade.)

Jack Cust, the America’s Greatest Hero, hit 2 home runs last night, one to the left and one to the right. After that, Donnie Murphy hit a solo homer to add on, and later Jack Cust, again, had a sac-fly RBI.

Nick Swisher added a little fun to the game. He hit into a most unfortunate double play the first time he’s up and later hit a double and went out of his mind ran for triple, out at third but Fields couldn’t hold on to the ball so Swish went back on safe at third and then scored on Cust’s sac-fly.

It’s a pretty nice, fun night.

Rock on, A’s.

(雖然草稿夾裡有十幾篇寫了一半的 orz)

在 Foxx 那裡看到這篇填志願可以不一生懸命嗎？ 笑死我了!

真的是天兵處處有.

星期四去 Santana Row 的 Borders, 果然我要的東西都有.

Lawrence Block 的 Hit List, 八月的 Athletics (ft. Joe Blanton! 噹噹噹噹噹!), Football 2008 (但是封面是 C. Ronaldo 讓我不太想買), 八月的 442 跟 Italia, 甚至連其他家 Borders 都已經很難找到的 Punk Planet 七八月號.

先把 Football 2008 看完, 又翻了 Athletics, 因為會買回家, 所以沒有仔細地每一篇都看. 只是現在看到已經離開的 Jason Kendall, Joe Kennedy 與 Bobby Kielty 還有點感傷. 時間已經剩下不多, 我趕快拿起 Hit List 趕進度, 看來今晚看完是不可能的了. 十點半我正要把其他書放回原位, 拿 Athletics 去結帳時 (我甚至連翻都沒翻一下 Punk Planet,) 我不小心瞄到 Punk Planet 的封面寫著血紅色的 “This is the last issue of Punk Planet”. 我大吃一驚, 連忙翻看內頁 publisher Daniel 寫了些什麼.

繼六月 McSweeney 發出 email 向訂閱者聲援之後, 又一家獨立出版業關閉. 雖然我不是忠實讀者, 但看我時不時無聊會拿來翻翻的雜誌就這樣宣佈結束還是非常令人難過. 尤其, 這不只是架上少了一種選擇那麼簡單. Punk Planet 的下台是眾多獨立出版社關門聲的其中一響, 在這個資訊過多的社會, 在沒有花心思過慮之下, 很容易就被一堆”主流”資訊衝得昏頭轉向, 小眾的東西越來越失去他們的聲音. 也許不是支持小眾的人數減少了, 而是那樣的數字越來越不足以支持獨立事業生存. 我相信獨立不會死, 擁有理想的新生代還是會不斷湧出. 只是看到一樣具歷史性的標誌崩塌, 心裡不僅僅只是感傷而已. 雖然我認同 Jessie 的說法, 大型連鎖店在世界各第提供給你像家一樣的熟悉與安全感, 獨具特色的街角小店也有其存在的價值與意義. 平衡是很重要的, 不過越來越難了…

Goodbye, Punk Planet.
願所有 PP 所有的幕後工作者都不失起初的熱情.

Before the game, Dallas Braden was sent back to Sactown and Dan Meyer brought up. It seemed cruel they did that right after Braden’s horrible outing yesterday. However, to look further back, he hasn’t won a single game since April. Too bad, just as I’m starting to have feelings for him.

This is the last game of the series (thank goodness.) It’s a battle of the Chad’s. Chad Gaudin v Chad Durbin. The lineup looks rather weak though. *sigh* Stewart, Ellis, Cust, Piazza, Johnson, Scutaro, Kotsay, Murphy, Suzuki.

Ellis started the game with a 2-run homer. Keep it going guys and keep the big cats quiet.

＜more to come after the game＞

A’s 7-2 Tigers. A’s split the series and have a winning road trip. Yay~

Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool (我只有看這場)
利記第一球是 Laursen 的 OG. 那一瞬間 Laursen “看來好”像忘記自己是在防守了, 一腳射門, 真是有夠尷尬的. 在利記球員慶祝時, 他沮喪地趴在地上動也不動, 好可憐. Villa 的第一球是利記某人禁區內手碰到球換來的 penalty, 隊長 Barry 進的球. 最後利記是靠包子的 FK 制勝. 不可否認的是那球真的漂亮.

Arsenal 2-1 Fulham
萊曼實在是太搞笑了.

Man U 0-0 Reading
曼聯沒贏就是爽. 管他怎麼踢的.

ps. 我終於會分 West Ham 跟 Villa 的球衣了!

新賽季的切爾西, 與我們上個賽季所習慣的很不同. 進攻很流暢. 新人們很拼, 沒有上賽季開始那樣融入不成的尷尬, 小賴特也表現亮眼, 幹掉 Lampard 登上本場數據魔人的寶座. (基本上小賴特沒有一臉茫然地傳球給對方就會讓我很感動了.) 後防少了 JT 有點慌亂, 不過捲毛略跟 Ben Haim 搭配還可以. Ben Haim 看起來是可以撐大局的人. 右後就不用提了. 說實在, 如果兩個一樣是被過好玩的, 我寧願費拉拉上場, 好歹他也是個 eye candy.

三分入手, 主場不敗紀錄破!

written by B. Holland/L. Dozier/E. Holland, Jr. @ Motown production team

Lovely song.

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I first heard about the phrase “knock on wood” was in Casablanca. Sam was playing piano in Rick’s. When he sang the song, customers at Rick’s would knock the table with him. I’ve always loved that scene. That’s why the song caught me when I heard it on the radio. It’s a great ska song.

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I love you but I have no use for you. =(

You’re a pretty thing, darling.
I guess it’s better to sell you then bury you under dusts.
Understand that it pains me to see you go.
I’ll remember the three years we had together. *tears*

B+
It’s a beautiful movie. Not a fairy tale. It just flew naturally. Love it. :)
Pro: Young Michelle Pfeiffer, genuine pace

Game 2. Haren v Verlander, again.

No offense. Haren given up a couple of homers, but still…
The “L” made Inge’s funny “fielder’s choice”* not funny at all.

Just Gargh!!!!!!!

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Game 1 against the Tigers. Blanton v Tata, or rather, A’s pen v Tigers’ pen.

It was a crazy afternoon. The game started with Buck’s triple and Buck rubbing off someone’s homer. We were looking good. A couple of doubles and a Donnie Murphy homer, we were up by 7-1 and I was getting bored… until Blanton decided that he had a different game plan in mind.

baseballgirl put it brilliantly.

Well, after tonight’s game started out with, “Hi, I’m Travis Buck, and I’ll be your superstar for the evening”, it continued with “Hi, I’m Joe Blanton, and I’m going to suck the life out of a six run lead and try to get the loss in the process. Oh, look, a grand slam!”

By the time I got to Ranch99, we were down by 8-9. I knew it was only 1 run deficit, but their ability to blow a 6 run lead completely disgusted me. OK, I know I’m of little faith, giving up at the 5th, what the heck? But Ken Korach himself said he had never seen something like this in his 16 years career in baseball. After all, we all know how frustrating the A’s offense has been, and every offensive bloom is considered a miracle, and you don’t expect two miracles in one night, do you?

In the top of 6th, Suzuki struck out, Buck HBP, Stewart walked, Swisher walked, and…Jack Cust Grand Slam!!!!!! It’s his second base clearing act of the night and this time, he sent himself home as well! Next, Ellis doubled, Kotsay IBB(!?), Scutaro had a RBI single,Murphy RBI single, and Suzuki struck out, AGAIN (poor kid, in the same inning.) Buck singled and scored two runs, Stewart singled and Swisher flew-out to end the inning.

Tigers answered A’s reclaimed lead with one weak run and it all went down to the bull pen, who, combined Andrew Brown, Street and a couple of Tigers pitchers, dominated and gave us 3 quick innings.

The A’s walked out of Comerica Park with 16-10. Good Friday.
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I’ve been looking forward to getting Ellis bobblehead for a LONG LONG time. I didn’t realize that it’s the same day we’re going to watch Avenue Q in SF.

Why the hell didn’t I realize it?

Ellis~~~~~~~ ><

by chance, I found out that Joe DiMaggio, the person who Michey Mantle blames for a lot of things, was born on Nov 25, 1914. I felt weird.

so here we go.
1904 巴金
1914 Joe DiMaggio
1960 Amy Grant
1971 Christina Applegate
1978 椎名林檎
1979 Ethan
1980 Nick Swisher, Alix
1981 Xabi Alonso, anarchy

A

What a coincidence. I didn’t notice it until now. This is the 61st movie I watched this year and the movie is about a great player who broke the single-season home run record in 1961. In the very last game of the season, he hit his 61th homer.

Roger Maris is the name should be remembered.

Born in North Dakota, Roger Maris is a gentle, low-key and the most misunderstood player in baseball. He didn’t have the star personality but he’s decent, he worked hard and he’s a family man. I don’t care if he’s one or two homer short from single-season record as of 2007 without the help of wonder drug, he is my record holder.

The Roger Maris Barry Pepper portrayed reminded me a lot of Mark Ellis, our quiet, respectable and earnest A from South Dakota. But unlike Maris, Ellis is appreciated, if not loved, and here in oaktown, we don’t boo our own player, not very often. It pained me to see Maris being wronged by most of the world and he was helpless in defending himself. It is a wonderful movie. Yes, it almost made me cry. Yes, it made me appreciate Maris and Mantle more (as I didn’t know them at all before the movie.) But no, it didn’t make me love the Yankees. (The owner saying “forget the numbers, we’re paying you to hit home runs!” and those swings at the first pitch are just too… not-the-way-I-was-brought-up, by Moneyball.)
.
I thank Billy Crystal for bringing the story to us. I thank Billy for Maris.

.
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*Oh my gosh, I just realized something. They kept talking about Maris being in KC before he was traded to the Yankees. I thought it was the KC Royals. But it was actually the KC Athletics! Maris was an A!

A very entertaining read. Though the focus was economics, the inefficiency in major league baseball market and how the Oakland A’s, Billy Beane, exploited that inefficiency, my main interest to the book lay in the people. Beane’s big league career as a player, the 2002 draft, Fucking A trade, Scott Hatteberg and all that. I love the way he tells a story. It really gets me emotional. There were several times when reading the book my eyes went teary. It’s said that not everything in the book are factual and some truths were bent to make the book more entertaining. It doesn’t matter, to me at least. I’m most happy (and content) if you give me good stories. I don’t care if it’s a true one or fairy tale.

I have to admit that I skipped most of the statistics part, cos even though I believe it, I haven’t got the slightest interest in it. And as much as I like Billy Beane (for he’s described like a maniac in the clubhouse,) I can never enjoy the fact that they trade people like goods (this applies everywhere in the world, not just Oakland A’s), however efficient and necessary it is. Alas, I’ve accepted the fact that I’m not the type to make big money.