In depth article about the state of the bourbon industry. I have been getting into bourbon more and more lately. I don't like Scotch at all, and Irish Whiskey is just okay, but bourbon is very drinkable. Mostly Buffalo Trace.
Massachusetts Beverage Business | BeverageBusiness.com

If you give Roger Clemens a steroid
Michael's really into that book now, along with "If You Give a Pig a Pancake".

The Anomaly: Michigan alum Jim Abbott's unlikely trip to the Major Leagues | The Michigan Daily

I never got into Madden. When I played it was usually Game Day, but this is still an interesting article.
ESPN - OTL: The Franchise - E-ticket

Minor-league brothers have the same name: Luis A. Sanz - ESPN
I went to a Whitecaps game a few years ago, but I think they were affiliated with the Devil Rays back then. I didn't even realize it's a Tigers affiliate now.

The Sober Brewer: Beer Marketing Terms and What They Mean Part Two: Beechwood Aging
That's interesting. And here I always assumed the Beechwood Aging was a flavor thing.

xkcd: Temper

Surveying The Wreckage Of The Matt Millen Era

Last night I started noticing a weird smell outside. Fearing the worst, I decided to wait until the morning and see if it improved. Not so much...

I pulled 4 or 5 deck boards out before coming upon this charming little fellow. The good news is that he wasn't as decomposed as the last dead animal, a possum from a few years back. But it was still really gross. And he was big! Even after pouring more than a bottle of bleach in the area it still smells a little bit. I guess that's a sign that I need to seal off the new deck, eh?

Postseason ticket reservations introduced | MLB.com: News

So they've finally figured out a way to make money off not going to the playoffs. That said, if I didn't have season tickets, I'd probably get suckered into doing it.

As of last night I am officially a professional umpire. Gary needed someone to help him umpire a little league scrimmage, so I decided it might be fun to give it a try. He worked home plate and I did the bases. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it's still kind of intimidating. You really have to pay attention constantly. Pick-off plays were what gave me the most trouble. I lost focus for a second and botched a call on one, calling someone out when he was safe. And later on I called a kid safe a second too early, then his foot lost contact with the bag and he should have been out. But those were the only obvious blown calls, so I guess it could have been worse.

With only two umpires, when there are runners on base I had to position myself between the pitcher & 2nd or SS. I was constantly worried about being in the way or getting hit in the head on a throw to 1B, but I didn't have any troubles there.

It's actually kind of interesting how most of the parks pretty much average out. I was hoping for more variation.

How Different Are Major League Baseball Fields?

ThinkGeek :: Blurgh! The ThinkGeek Blog - Officially our best-ever cease and desist

I bet whoever drafted that letter must have realized how stupid it was, but decided that at $200 / hour, it was totally worth it.

So what happens if a whole team dies at once? | HardballTalk

This site got a hold of official MLB rules that aren't released publicly.

It's nice to know Pete Rose can still generate all new scandals.
This Is Pete Rose's Corked Bat

Unanswered Lost Questions - CollegeHumor video

I lost track of all my questions, but now I need more answers!

Now with answers, although not all of them are brilliant ones:
Movieline Attempts to Tie Up Almost 100 of Lost's Loose Ends

Look, a post! Long after everyone assumed that I stopped updating this. Things have been super busy at home & work the last few months.
YouTube - Axis of Awesome - 4 Four Chord Song (with song titles)

I knew they didn't make much, but that's crazy. I imagine there's got to be a lot of resentment towards the guys with big bonuses...
BaseballAmerica.com: Minors: Minor League Preview: Playing For Peanuts

Tony Clark to the MLBPA : baseballmusings.com

U-M Library to remove card catalog

That would be an interesting piece of furniture to add to the office. I'm sure I'd eventually get tired of it and throw it out though. Although maybe we could store seeds & recipes and other random stuff in it. Or miniatures! Maybe I should see how much they want...