Cliff Lee
“Good pitching beats good hitting,” says Spence.
“And other baseball cliches,” says Admin.
Sometimes I think these guys need a long vacation away from each other. Bernie and I went on vacation once, out to San Diego. I surfed. He wore his best Hawaiian shirts. He met a woman named Doreen. She stole his wallet. But no time to get into that now.
“What I’m wondering is why?” says Spence.
“Why good pitching beats good hitting?” says Admin.
“Exactly. Do you think it’s something intrinsic to the game? Like the dimensions of the infield, the size of the plate, the design of the ball itself?”
“So you’re saying it’s a classic closed system?” Admin says.
“Yeah.”
“Hmm,” says Admin. “I wonder if it’s also true metaphorically.”
“Pitching beating hitting as a metaphor in life?”
“Yup.”
“Give me an example,” says Spence.
“Darwinian evolution.”
Darwin! I remember Darwin Del Reno, a drug dealer we took down some time ago, now wearing an orange jumpsuit. Whew! For a moment this conversation was getting a little hard to follow.
Tags: Cliff Lee, Darwin, metaphor
This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 19th, 2010 at 9:57 am and is filed under Chet The Dog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
5:03 am on October 19th, 2010
The cranes are flying again today. WhooHoo three days in a row!
http://www.operationmigration.org/crane-cam.html
I am not sure I understand the post, but Cliff Lee's pitching is certainly superb.
5:13 am on October 19th, 2010
It takes more skill, mentally and physically, to pitch than it does to hit: Darwinian evolution.
This is the most interesting baseball discussion I've ever heard.
5:22 am on October 19th, 2010
Wha!? …. He’s putting Darwin’s name in the same post with Cliff Lee and baseball!…gasp!… I’m out of here….grump!
6:22 am on October 19th, 2010
I had to look up "classic closed system". I could find no "set" answer.
Examples: Mac (relies on their own system for everything)
Forced hot water heating system (uses the same water over and over)
Soooo (pondering here) The specifics of the game, as Spence says "Like the dimensions of the infield, the size of the plate, the design of the ball itself", cause the pitching to be more important than the hitting.
Or . . to my way of thinking, if you can't hit the ball because of good pitching, you ain't going to get any runs.
B.Stover: Love your Darwinian evolution explanation.
Grace to vet this morning. Things are looking normal. All labs were good.
6:36 am on October 19th, 2010
Melanie: I'm glad to hear that about Grace.
Regarding the classic closed system: Do/did you ever read the Calvin and Hobbes comics? Sometimes they played baseball together. Theirs was NOT a closed system.
6:50 am on October 19th, 2010
Here's a link that shows most, probably all, of the strips regarding Calvin and Hobbes and baseball….a riot.
http://dlazechk.dl.funpic.org/mergedbaseball1.htm…
7:03 am on October 19th, 2010
LAUGHING HERE! Now I'm going to the link. Love Calvin and Hobbs.
7:06 am on October 19th, 2010
Those are hilarious. I've bookmarked them in my fun folder. Read a few a day. They so remind me of my guys!
8:13 am on October 19th, 2010
Comics!…Calvin and Hobbs are hilarious!….snort!… I guess I have never read these guys before. The baseball comics are hilarious….grunt!… So far my favorite ones from Stover’s link is 9 and 10…heh!
8:31 am on October 19th, 2010
Huh? My brain hurts.
B.Stover: Thanks for the Calvin and Hobbs link.
8:32 am on October 19th, 2010
Those are good. Rio, you are right 9 & 10 are very funny.
One of Barb's friends, who does a lot of reading, especially likes the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. The main character is a detective in Chicago, who is also a wizard. He investigates crimes that envolve the paranormal. Sort of different from what Barb usually reads. Has anyone else read or heard of them?
8:54 am on October 19th, 2010
Wizard!….What? This guy Dresden is a detective and a wizard?….snort!….Is he a Harry Potter for the older crowd?…. good grief! …Sounds like a rip-off story line to me… grunt!
9:16 am on October 19th, 2010
Wow…pondering Chet's post today. All I know is that with good pitching I am setting in front of the tv gripping the carpet with my toenails, but if my team hits a home run I am leaping and cheering.
Melanie, very glad Grace is ok!
Gus&BooBear, got your answer about the pirate hat. Thanks. Mom can take me to Petsmart. That is a store I can go in, but she keeps me out of the food and treat aisles.
Barb, never heard of those books. Let us know if you try one and if you like it…might be different and interesting.
9:18 am on October 19th, 2010
Darwin Del Reno is now breaking rocks in the hot sun. hee hee
9:19 am on October 19th, 2010
Rio, Don't know any more about the books, but yes he is a wizard (whatever that is) and a detective. The Chicago Police Dept. consults with him when there are supernatural elements to the crime. Entertainment Weekly says "Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer staring Philip Marlowe".
9:37 am on October 19th, 2010
Buffy!… MagPie tell Barb that the books premise sounds absolutely horrible….grunt!… We here will not be touching it with a 12 foot pole that’s for sure…. snort!
Grrrrr!…. I’m in a really bad mood today…growl! … At least my friend is having a fun day taunting all the Yankees fans at the not-so-busy-place…heh!heh!…Wish I was there with her… dammit!
9:51 am on October 19th, 2010
We have to agree with you on that one, Rio. Siber-H thinks they might be interesting, but Barb is not sure she wants to spend the time on them, or even one.
9:59 am on October 19th, 2010
MagPie!… My friend told me to tell you she wishes Barb could have gone with her to a meeting this morning. It was with a guy named T. Row Price and she said they talked about Stocks and Bonds….snort!… Tin Futures did not come up thank goodness! She said she was worried there for a few minutes that it might….grunt!
10:09 am on October 19th, 2010
Rio, Barb has had T Rowe Price mutual funds for many years, and tell your friend they are a very good family of funds. If she is investing with them she will be pleased. Barb does not do tin futures.
10:26 am on October 19th, 2010
My favorites of the Calvin and Hobbes baseball theme are 7, 10 and 23. Here's a link to most if not all of the comic strips. They are put into themes.
http://www.members.shaw.ca/adamhighstead/subjects…
10:26 am on October 19th, 2010
Grunt!… I will try and remember to maybe tell her….snort!… She does whatever she wants without consulting me….sniff!… I told her to invest in rawhide chew strips made by Rover and Company …grunt!…She just laughed, actually sort of scoffed at me….sneeze!
10:35 am on October 19th, 2010
Here's a link to an article about the Dresden Files. I've only read one so far but have not had the time to read more. Several friends of mine really enjoy them. There was a tv series based on the character several years ago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_files
10:40 am on October 19th, 2010
Mom just looked up the Jim Butcher Books on Amazon and realizes she has seen them in bookstores and rejected them. They are in the Fantasy category and look to be "way over the top." We have never watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer or read the Harry Potter books.
10:42 am on October 19th, 2010
Stover? Did you like the one book you read?
10:49 am on October 19th, 2010
SH: I highly recommend the Harry Potter books. The character development is wonderful and the series is the classic theme of good vs evil.
10:50 am on October 19th, 2010
SH: I did like it though I don't remember the details. Dresden is a man of high moral principles and he tries to protect people. He's kind of a superman without the costume.
10:58 am on October 19th, 2010
Rio – I'm back finally. You don't need to be at the busy place with your friend, you have me to taunt now.
B. – Mom reads Calvin and Hobbes every day. There's a different one each day, just like if Bill Watterson is still writing them. Sort of like Charlie Brown being rerun. When they're priceless, they're priceless.
http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/
11:05 am on October 19th, 2010
Hey Mollypop! I have geocomics on my igoogle page and read Calvin and Hobbes every day. Thank you.
11:21 am on October 19th, 2010
Beautiful day here for the Giants game starting now. Hope they win.
11:26 am on October 19th, 2010
Giants!… Me too Georgia!…snort!
11:28 am on October 19th, 2010
Thank You.
Georgia
11:39 am on October 19th, 2010
Rio – We have had a hard day here today. Aunt Mollysmom got a bug bite on their trip to Wash. D.C. and it is still giving her trouble. The bite happened Sept. 1 so it's been a long time. This meant driving all the way back to my house. Great fun for me and pizza for lunch!
11:41 am on October 19th, 2010
Rio, I meant to ask you to be very, very gentle with our poor Molly tonight. If the Yankees lose – oh my. I hope the Rangers pitcher gets a cramp!
11:42 am on October 19th, 2010
I'm watching the game and rooting for the Giants.
Thank you, Stover, for your recommendations. Maybe I should give the Harry books a try.
11:52 am on October 19th, 2010
Now they are calling Cody Ross "Babe Ross".
I love the Harry Potter books.
11:53 am on October 19th, 2010
Sammie!…heh! snort! heh!….You are kidding me, right?… grunt!…Me give a Yankee fan an easy time?…snicker!
12:02 pm on October 19th, 2010
Yikes!….Victorino was mad as hell when the ball hit him!…heh!…So far so good!…snort!…Giants up to bat!…Woooooo!
12:12 pm on October 19th, 2010
This is a dangerous game.
12:31 pm on October 19th, 2010
Ross!… Up to bat with 2 on 2 out….Woooooo!….We need a homer right now!…snort!
12:39 pm on October 19th, 2010
Two Run Lead!!!
12:43 pm on October 19th, 2010
I see Rio et al. have fallen for the Yankees ploy. You will all be exhausted by the time the Yankees play and won't have any energy to root for the Rangers. Too bad.
I'm going to take a nap.
1:00 pm on October 19th, 2010
Three run Lead!! Molly has a point. Two baseball games a day can be exhausting.
1:02 pm on October 19th, 2010
Well, Barb has decided to read a Jim Butcher book. She has been suggesting that her friend read the Chet and Bernie books, so her friend said she woule try DOI, since it is Barb's favorite series, BUT she wants Barb to try her favorite series, which just happens to be the Dresden books. I guess fair is fair. She feels funny saying "I don't want to read yours, but I want you to read mine." We will let you know.
1:02 pm on October 19th, 2010
Three run lead for the Giants. Don't worry, the Rangers will win.
1:05 pm on October 19th, 2010
Do please let us know, Barb. Stover said she liked it…that is a start.
1:14 pm on October 19th, 2010
Molly!… You were gone but we all survived the double header when the play-offs first started…heh! …We plundering baseball fans know how to pace ourselves when necessary….snort! ….Woooooo!
1:23 pm on October 19th, 2010
I'd love to hear how you all pace yourselves.
This has gotta be good.
1:30 pm on October 19th, 2010
The Harry Potter books are excellent as are the audio versions. The whole family loves them especially YSAS who has to do the audio because of his dyslexia.
After I finish the season 2 of the Sanctuary, I'm going to try The Dresden Files, both are on Netflix instant.
Right now, with reading, I'm on an Agatha Christie kick!
Is it really bottom of the 4th? Rangers ahead?
1:52 pm on October 19th, 2010
Melanie: What Agatha Christie are you reading?
1:58 pm on October 19th, 2010
Yikes!
Don't want to jinx it, but the Giants are working on a shut out.
2:03 pm on October 19th, 2010
A three-some right now. "The Nursery Rhyme Murders" and I'm on "the Crooked House".
2:03 pm on October 19th, 2010
WOO WOO!!! Giants Won!!
Melanie, you remind me of my dad…he looked at the tv screen a few minutes ago and asked how the Rangers were doing.
2:10 pm on October 19th, 2010
Hooray Giants win! Another game tomorrow. My boy is going tomorrow. If they don't win, he will not be in a good mood.
2:17 pm on October 19th, 2010
Mollie, I hope your boy will be in a good mood.
3:11 pm on October 19th, 2010
Ready!….The Yankees vs Ranges game is ON!…snort!… Here we go! This is so exciting!….Woooooo!
3:12 pm on October 19th, 2010
Molly!…Where is Poodled Up Molly tonight!…heh!…She better get her fighting gloves on!…snort!snort!…woooooooo!
3:21 pm on October 19th, 2010
Hah! Rio! I'm ready for this. (I just wish I felt more confident. Last night was so demoralizing.)
3:30 pm on October 19th, 2010
do not read this, Rio
Molly, I don't think the Yankees are demoralized…not the Yankees.
3:30 pm on October 19th, 2010
Hey! My confidence is back! Woo hoo.
Play Ball!
3:31 pm on October 19th, 2010
Siber-H – I'm so in love with you!
3:52 pm on October 19th, 2010
Hey everybody! I'm glad the Giants, but I'm not loving the other game so far!
3:52 pm on October 19th, 2010
That should be I'm glad the Giants won!!!
3:58 pm on October 19th, 2010
Ahhhh!….Tough break for A-Roddie!…heh!… 2 –1 Rangers!….Wooooo! Wheeee!
3:59 pm on October 19th, 2010
Kirby!…Are you rooting for the Rangers my man?…snort!… I seem to remember you said you were….gruff! ….Game has taken a turn for the better just now!…Wooooo!
4:00 pm on October 19th, 2010
SiberH!… I have no words for you tonight…grump!
4:04 pm on October 19th, 2010
SCRAPPY!!!
4:07 pm on October 19th, 2010
Tied!…Game tied!…CRAPPY!…snort!….Come on Rangers get those guys OUT OUT OUT!…wheeze!
4:07 pm on October 19th, 2010
Yup, I'm rootin' for the Rangers, Rio! (Did that sound Texan?)
4:08 pm on October 19th, 2010
Oh, man! While I was practising my Texas accent, those darned Yankees scored! You know, around these parts people think Mom and Dad are Yankees, but I love 'em anyway!
4:10 pm on October 19th, 2010
Balk? Balk! Where does he think he is, a henhouse?!
4:10 pm on October 19th, 2010
I think we were robbed on that home run!
4:12 pm on October 19th, 2010
Molly!…What home run?… Good Golly Miss Molly!…snort!
4:15 pm on October 19th, 2010
Kirby!… No Texan accent needed to root for the Rangers!…heh!…I wonder where Min Pin is tonight?…sniff!sniff!
4:17 pm on October 19th, 2010
Hilarious!… The Yankees are fighting their fans for the balls now!…heh!..snort!….Woooo!
4:20 pm on October 19th, 2010
Maybe someone was nice enough to get her tickets and send her to the game.
4:24 pm on October 19th, 2010
Oh!…Can you imagine MinPin at Yankee Stadium?….snort!… Oh my goodness! If you see people and their beers flying out of their seats we know it is that feisty MinPin cleaning house!….snorkel!
4:26 pm on October 19th, 2010
Or!…Maybe she has hold of Molly’s long nose and won’t let go!…snort! …Molly and MinPin at it again!….Wooooo!… Opps! Back to the game! …heh!
4:43 pm on October 19th, 2010
OMG!…Yankees have the bases loaded with only one out… crap!
4:47 pm on October 19th, 2010
Come on Rangers! There's still time to win.
4:59 pm on October 19th, 2010
I hope they have a good supply of bats. Right into the camera, unbelievable…
4:59 pm on October 19th, 2010
Well, being up 1 is all it takes. How about that broken camera?
5:04 pm on October 19th, 2010
Mom keeps dozing off. Tough day today with that bug bite still giving her trouble. Her foot is bandaged and elevated.
5:05 pm on October 19th, 2010
One!…Being up one is not enough for these Rangers!…snort!… It is only the top of the 5th so far and I have a feeling things are going to change real soon!…grunt! … I know on good authority that MinPin is the one who hammered the Kamera to bits!…heh!!
5:07 pm on October 19th, 2010
Molly!… Your gal is kind of a sickly person, isn’t she??…snort!…Always something wrong with her….Oh Malady…oh my!…snorkel!!…Yankees fans always have a way of avoiding the obvious!…heh!
5:18 pm on October 19th, 2010
Gasp!…. Oh, we hate to see guys go out hurt!…sniff!…No matter what team they play for…snuffle!
5:18 pm on October 19th, 2010
Mollypop: I'm sorry about your mom. My boy got a bug bite when Dad took him to St. Louis to see a baseball game. They were in the middle of moving from Tennessee to New York, but stopped off at Grandma's house in Des Moines, and he mentioned then that his bite was bothering him. So Mom and Dad took one look at it — red lines radiating, bad sign — and off to the emergency room he went! He had to take some medication that had to be refrigerated, so the whole way from Iowa to New York they had to keep stopping to put more ice in the cooler.
5:21 pm on October 19th, 2010
Molly….Why the hell doesn’t your gal go to a doctor for Pete’s Sake?…grunt!…Or is her doctor as big a quack as her dentist?…sniff!
5:28 pm on October 19th, 2010
Spiders!… My friends dad was hospitalized because of a spider bite…snort!…That was really something to see her dad in a hospital bed, so I am told… grunt!…So we here do not take spider bites lightly – like for OVER A MONTH LONG ignoring them MOLLY!…geeze!…My friend was bitten several times this summer and kept a close watch on the itchy bites, luckily nothing blood related happened, like to her dad…sigh!
5:30 pm on October 19th, 2010
Mom went to the doctor today. That's why she is now bandaged. She tends to wait too long before she goes to the doctor so at least this time she went. Ski season could start in 7 weeks
5:33 pm on October 19th, 2010
Bad, bad, bad.
5:35 pm on October 19th, 2010
Wow!… Wow!…Wow!… I feel like I am watching History Being Made!….heh!
5:35 pm on October 19th, 2010
Good for Molina. He used to be the catcher for the San Francisco Giants before Posey.
5:37 pm on October 19th, 2010
Molly, I'm glad your mom went to the doctor today. My mom is the same way about going, but if I sneeze twice it is off to the vet. I hope her foot gets better soon. Do you know what kind of bug it was that bit her? Bug bites can hurt.
5:38 pm on October 19th, 2010
Hurrah! For Benjie Molina – home run with two on!
Mollypop: Make sure you mom takes care of that bite! She doesn't want to miss any good snow days on the slopes because of some bug.
5:40 pm on October 19th, 2010
I agree, Rio, about History Being Made…what an interesting ballgame and Molina has done great.
5:53 pm on October 19th, 2010
Hamilton!!!…Homers for the Rangers!….Wooooo! …heh!snort!heh!….Life is good right now. Golden and sweet…sigh!….Let’s make it last Rangers!…Wooooo!
6:03 pm on October 19th, 2010
We are off to bed. Our poor Yankees.
6:10 pm on October 19th, 2010
Singing!….My friend always sings along to “God Bless America”….snort!… Now I almost know all the lyrics too…WooowooowWooooowoooWOOOO Wooo wooo wooo…….heh!
Nite!…Molly Go Lightly!…snicker!…I will say no more taking wisdom from Staff, who has faced the Yankees way more then us Westerners have…sniff…Reverence is called for right now and lots of candle burning…heh!snort!…not really.
6:10 pm on October 19th, 2010
Hey hey hey,
Back from quilting and I seem to have missed an exciting game. However I did see the last inning where the Rangers got all those hits and went ahead. I missed the bat in the camera though. Even Mr Staff did and he was watching, but left for a nature break.
6:20 pm on October 19th, 2010
We are falling asleep. I think we can safely fall asleep. I won't WOO WOO until tomorrow when I am absolutely sure.
nighty nite
6:25 pm on October 19th, 2010
OMG!…Siberh! Oh No! You are the 100th post AGAIN!…grump!…Are you really trying to keep me from giving some gal a big sloppy kiss?…grunt! …It that your true agenda my friend?…grump!!
6:26 pm on October 19th, 2010
Staff!…She was 99 again!…heh!…So close and yet so far!…slurp!
6:38 pm on October 19th, 2010
Dear Rio,
If I am ever #100 you better watch out. There will be no pug kisses for this Kat or else.
6:42 pm on October 19th, 2010
Alice!…You will never be 100…grunt!… You are always hiding away scared-like under the bed or in the closet or a box…snort!…No worries here!
6:44 pm on October 19th, 2010
Well howdy folks. Y'all likin' our little game are ya? We just didn't turn on the computer till a little while ago.
Arrggghhhhh, bases are loaded!!!!! noooooooooo
6:45 pm on October 19th, 2010
We are excited that Spence enjoys our boy Lee.
OMG, Washington is putting Darren Oliver in with the bases loaded. He is the numbskull who allowed all those runs in game 1. What is Wash thinking?
6:45 pm on October 19th, 2010
Bases!…Loaded…gasp!
6:46 pm on October 19th, 2010
Everybody hold your breath!
6:51 pm on October 19th, 2010
Gotta go, I can't sit still anymore. At least they got out of this inning with no runs.
g'night all
6:51 pm on October 19th, 2010
3 out, stranding 3 on bases loaded hehehehehe twirling, we are twirling
6:53 pm on October 19th, 2010
Hiccups!…My friend is holding her breath because she always gets the hiccups when she is stressed out….heh!…breathe! breathe!…..
6:55 pm on October 19th, 2010
Hambone does it again!
6:56 pm on October 19th, 2010
Yes!…Home Run!…heh!…8 – 3 Rangers…pant!pant!..gasp!
6:57 pm on October 19th, 2010
When we played Detroit, Coke was pitching so we had Borbon and Coke!
6:58 pm on October 19th, 2010
Nelly……..Nellly……Nelly
7:02 pm on October 19th, 2010
Now the Rangers are just showing off. 10 – 3.
7:02 pm on October 19th, 2010
Get on with it fellers, mom has to go to bed.
7:07 pm on October 19th, 2010
Soap Box!… You know what pisses me off?…snort!…All the down front privileged seats are always empty the minute the game turns….growl…. All those rich freakin’ assholes could give a Shit whether their team wins or not….snort!…
7:08 pm on October 19th, 2010
Dang Rio, take a chill pill! ALL the crowd left like ants heading to a picnic.
7:13 pm on October 19th, 2010
Piss Ants!…heh!…Rockies fans don't leave their team…snuff!…Thats all I am saying.. grump!
7:13 pm on October 19th, 2010
Nighty-nite, thanks to those who stuck it out to the end.
RANGERS ROCK!!!!
7:14 pm on October 19th, 2010
What do expect from a bunch of DAMN YANKEES! Later River Dog.
7:14 pm on October 19th, 2010
Wooooo!….Rangers *my heros* over the Yankees tonight!…Woooooooooo!
7:16 pm on October 19th, 2010
It must be hard to stage a come back if you don't have your fans behind you. The fat lady is singing. Good night all.
7:23 am on May 13th, 2011
Nicely put together, I wish I had thought of covering this subject myself. But I don’t think that I will bother now, you have pretty much covered all of the bases. Well done.