Don

The greatest trick that global warming ever pulled was convincing the world that the rest of the world didn't exist.

They call it whiskey, but it's really just a cinnamon liqueur.

JW Black is one of the more solid bang for your buck scotches out there. If you like that, you should try Talisker, as it's the primary scotch used in the JW Black blend. I'm personally a fan of the really smoky, peaty Islay scotches. Laphroaig, Caol Isla, etc...

It's really just a function of population dynamics, geography, and time zones. If you live anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains, over half of the Angels' games end around midnight or 1AM (I'm factoring in the away games in Oakland and Seattle too). If you factor in the large population of Florida, along with the "Megalopolis" of the D.C. to Boston portion of the east coast, there's just a huge chunk of the population that are in bed before most of the Angels' games end. Exposure creates popularity, and the Angels, simply because of geography and not because of intentional bias, don't get enough of it.

This is a big part of it too. I'm sure there are a ton of fans who will look at the Final Vote ballot, and say to themselves, "Who the hell is Garret Richards?" Now, if Richards wins 15-20 games for the next three years that will change.
As for Aybar, I feel bad for him, but I don't think he was "snubbed". Jeter is getting the "Career Achievement" vote, which I'm cool with. And Ramirez is having a slightly better season than Aybar offensively, IMO. Their OPS is almost identical, and Ramirez has shown a bit more power (8 HRs) and speed (14 SBs). I'd love to see Aybar make it, but Ramirez over Aybar isn't a bad choice.

It's really just a function of population dynamics, geography, and time zones. If you live anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains, over half of the Angels' games end around midnight or 1AM (I'm factoring in the away games in Oakland and Seattle too). If you factor in the large population of Florida, along with the "Megalopolis" of the D.C. to Boston portion of the east coast, there's just a huge chunk of the population that are in bed before most of the Angels' games end. Exposure creates popularity, and the Angels, simply because of geography and not because of intentional bias, don't get enough of it.

I didn't realize Valvoline and Clorox made burritos.

I didn't realize Valvoline and Clorox made burritos.

I didn't realize Valvoline and Clorox made burritos.

Game... Blouses.

I would be surprised to see how many % of Americans approve of us sending troops again to Iraq. The number has to be insanely low. This is something lefties and righties both agree on, we've gotta back each other up and make politicians realize we don't want to be involved again.

Game... Blouses.

Word on the street is that bitch Statue of Liberty started the rumor back in 1883 to the immigrants coming in droves from Europe.
 
You know, those people that the majority of us came from?
 
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

I think he was speaking about the neighbor to neighbor sort of fighting in the region. There's just not an off switch there. We've done some dumb things too, but we generally resolve our conflicts in decades instead of centuries or millennia.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2674736/ISIS-militants-declare-formation-caliphate-Syria-Iraq-demand-Muslims-world-swear-allegiance.html
Well, ISIS has a five year plan at least. A few things do become abundantly clear thanks to this map though.
1. ISIS sucks at cartography. That's a weak ass map.
2. ISIS has an extremely selective view of the history of the Ottoman Empire.
3. ISIS is terrible at creating realistically achievable five year plans. Something tells me the Balkans, Spain, and India aren't cool with this plan.

I hate to sound like a vindictive ass....on second thought I really don't care if I do. I would love for everyone who thinks this is cool to end up on the list.

It may not be a constitutional right, but it seems like there should be reasonable cause for restricting a person from flying. The system you're arguing for allows people to be placed on the list for no reason at all. Piss of your neighbor that works for DHS, and you can no longer fly because it's not a constitutional right?

I wish Raul the best, as he's a great guy by all accounts. I'm happy for Cron and Green though. They've performed well enough to earn more playing time, and now they should get it.

The obvious question: Can it walk like an Egyptian?

I just don't see any reason to be involved at all beyond getting Americans out of the country ASAP. We installed a corrupt Shia government that has alienated a very large portion of its population and is now suffering the backlash. We can bomb Sunni militants (in this case ISIS) all we want, but it does nothing to solve a problem, it only delays the inevitable.We need to let these people start solving their own problems. It'll be a bloody, long, and complicated process, but western nations have been ****ing around with the borders and rulers in the Middle East for about a century now, and it obviously hasn't worked out. Who knows, maybe it's better for the Iraqi people if they end up divided into three separate nations, or maybe it's better if Iran annexes the Shia portion of Iraq. But I'm pretty certain it's not good if we forcibly prop up a failed government in a failed state just because we don't like admitting we ****ed up the dismount. Whatever happens, if we just leave them alone they'll eventually come to a better conclusion than any one we force on them.

I read something the other day that brought up an interesting point. Basically, the idea of the article was how many people are there who own weapons to "protect their family" that don't know basic first aid (CPR, tourniquets, hypothermia counter actions, etc...) or don't take other protection precautions like natural disaster preparedness, fire extinguishers, carbon monoxide detectors, and the like. Obviously, I'm sure there are lots of gun owners that do these things, but I'd also guess there are plenty that don't. Therefore, if the true point is protecting one's family from harm, I would think these things would take first priority.

A member of the Aybar household?

Obama is right about the fact that it's impossible to get even the tiniest gun control measures through congress. And it's really all because hard line gun rights supporters fail to understand shades of grey. You won't get any Republicans to vote for a hypothetical bill that limits magazine capacities to ten rounds because the hard line gun rights people in their district will say, "That guy is pro gun control." Thus, that politician is immediately placed in the camp of "Wants to take my guns away". Unfortunately, there is no space in the conservative voting world for a "Wants to enact reasonable safety measures" camp. If you're a Republican politician, you only have to choices. You're either the guy that wants no change in regulations, or you're the guy that wants to ban guns completely. Obviously, they are forced to choose the former, given their constituency.

I really believe that it's almost always a combination of factors that lead to these things happening. Can violent games be one of them? Absolutely. But I don't think that they're ever the singular cause. If you take an average 16 year old and have them play Call of Duty for a few weeks, it's pretty likely that won't come back to bite you. Now, if you do the same thing with a schizophrenic 16 year old that happens to have access to weapons, you might be creating a dangerous situation.

It would be great entertainment. Dancing after every strike, refusing to stand on the rubber, crossing up his catcher just for fun.