Curse This - The Blog of RemDawg Nation

Youkilis may be the most important man on the roster...

2006-04-19T18:54:00.000-05:00

Mark Loretta was the right man at the right time on Monday. It was his moment to walk off as the hero. But consider what happened moments before his at bat.

With 2 outs and 2 consecutive strike outs, Kevin Youkilis' hustle ensured the tying run made it to first base. He is the epitome of what is attractive to the Red Sox organization --- On Base Percentage.

If you aren't convinced, consider what OBP really means. Quoting the Wikipedia definition it literally means how often a batter gets to base for any other reason other than a fielding error or a fielder's choice. This is just another way to measure how often the player in question avoids generating an out.

As I write this, Youkilis is about 50-50 making it to one of the white bags on the field whenever he steps up to the plate. Think about that....50% of the time, Youk finds a way to make it to first base or beyond.

With 2 outs and the game on the line, he is money right now. I predict what we saw Monday will happen a few more times this year.

The List - April 11th, 2006

2006-04-02T09:49:00.000-05:00

Game time at 2:05 PM --- I am lucky to say this is becoming as much as a ritual as Patriots Day.

Here is my check list:

1. Turn off Cell Phone - Actually, I now carry 2 cell phones; one is for personal use (this number will be on and congratulations if you are one of 5 people on the planet who has this number) and the other is dedicated to the offshore technology shops who think they can call you at anytime during the day.

So, to the clown who called me last Friday night around 10 pm, you can expect to listen to my voice mail message all day. (nah, I'm not bitter).

2. Arrive at Game On or Boston Beer Works by 10 AM - having choices is good.

3. RemDawg Grille - Membership has its privileges. I was with Jerry and John's sons last year and was looking for the proverbial free lunch.

Here is how my last visit to Grille went down. (Paraphrasing, of course)

SonsoftheRemyReport: "Do you know who we are we are?"
Hotdog Boy: "Yes, whatdaya want?"
SonsoftheRemyReport: "4 RemDawgs. What do we owe you?"
Hotdog Boy: "I can't charge you guys....enjoy your lunch....Next in line!"

BoSoxCurseKiller: "Hi, I do the Blog and do shameless self promotion for the RemyReport website. I'm an insider and practically a partial minority owner. I'll take 2 Remdawgs."
Hotdog Boy: "Congratulations that will be $14.95....Next in line!"

That's right....Membership has its privileges.

4. BUENAS TARDES AMIGOS! - Its Game time and having 2 hands means having an ice cold beverage in each. Good Call!

5. Check Voice Messages - You may find this hard to believe, offshore developers make more sense after 6-12 ice cold beverages. I may be on to something here.....

6. Return to Game On or Boston Beer Works - t's in dinner time and I'm thinking of a Bucket O' Wings (and maybe something to wash it down).

7. Add Blog Entry - I am committed to doing this.

Smackdown!

2006-03-29T08:31:00.000-05:00

After watching Julian Tavarez drop Joey Gathright like a sack of dirt the other day, I went searching online for the best MLB fights in recent years.

This is what I found:

http://www.top10mlbfights.com/

From the email bag...

2006-03-17T09:36:00.000-05:00

John (john@theremyreport.com) has been receiving alot of questions about the blog, the author, etc. so he asked me to take a couple of minutes to answer some of your queries:

Who is the blogger?

I have attached my latest photo here (note the chiselled features and burning gaze of a hero):

Do you have a real job or do you just sponge off the Remy Report?

The answer to both questions is yes. I sponge off the Remy Report and I have a real, non-baseball related job. My occupation is best described as a cross between independent consultant.

Have you ever been on TV with Jerry?

No, although I have showed up at a couple of his events like the All-Star Party that was at the .406 Club.

Tamptered Numbers?

2006-03-13T16:21:00.000-05:00

Notice anything strange about Bonds' weight?

1986 Pittsburgh Pirates Roster

2005 San Francisco Giants Roster

Breaking News: Bonds may not be a jerk permanently

2006-03-12T20:05:00.000-05:00

Whew --- this must be a real relief for any athlete who likes to take short cuts.

A recent study with teenage hamsters (yes, I said hamsters) showed that "scientists found that the animals continued to chase and bite their brethren for days during withdrawal from the muscle-building hormones." However, this behavior subsides (eventually).

And to prove that fact can sometimes be stramger than fiction, check it out for yourself: Hulked Out Hamsters

Pop Quiz Hotshot

2006-03-03T09:39:00.000-05:00

Alright...this is totally random, but I couldn't come up with anything today.

There is one statistical category that soley left up to judgement of the official....what is it?

The answer is probably obvious to most people, but less obvious (and definately much more interesting) is the history behind the category and why it was thought to be necessary.

Do a little digging for yourself if you plan on spending your Friday surfing the web while you are in the office.

Send me a good answer answer and I will try to get Jerry to send you T-Shirt.

Emails being Emails...

2006-02-25T11:49:00.000-05:00

Jerry is getting flooded with emails of reported Manny sightings...if you see Manny, please forward your story to john@theremyreport.com

Here is the latest in from last night:

Jerry, Non preoccupazione --- Manny sta essendo Manny e sta godendo la nostra ospitalità italiana.

Riguardi, Mario - Sestriere, Italia

Cane Da Rem, Manny è vivere grande e godere la sua rottura dai rigori di occuparsi dei mezzi. Promette che tutti sono stati dimenticati quando invia 40 funzionamenti domestici questo anno.

Il vostro amico, Luigi - Torino, Italia

I say pack your bags....

2006-02-23T08:05:00.000-05:00

Don't ask me my opinion of Manny.

A contractor who was working for me quit about 2 weeks into January. The dude was premadonna headcase; came and went as he pleased, social moron (i.e. HR disaster waiting to happen), unreliabliable, etc. Not terribly uncommon in the software industry, but aggravating nonetheless.

The tradeoff was that he was pretty good at his job, which was solving complex software development problems. Somedays, I could argue he was even great. I made a decision to bring him into the project when we were definately in a pinch. We were a little behind schedule and I needed firepower (or hitting power so to speak) immediately.

Over the next several weeks, there were an assortment of problems ranging from casual annoyances to blantant acts of selffishness. No specifics needed, but we all know guys like this.

On several occassions, I had asked myself the following question: if I try to manage or disicipline this guy too harshly (or justly), what is going to happen?

Maybe he....

a. will sit at his desk and sulk, thereby not producing for the team.
b. won't show up to work --- not call, not let anyone know where he is. Again, leaving the team hanging.
c. [insert absurd scenario here] - the dude is such a wildcard anything is possible. (yeah, he was that much of a headcase)

I kept deciding that the repercussions of 'handling' this dude prior to his contract running up were not worth it. I needed him to get the job done. And the jackass knew this, too. My goal was to reach the end of his contract and not renew it.

What I missed, and my failure as a manager, was not knowing how ticked off the other 5 members of my development team (roster) were for letting me allow this guy to get away with his antics. I had to deal with this situation ASAP, and I fortunately, I did not wait long.

I challenged the guy's handling of his latest public outburst. As expected, he clammed up, threw a hissy-fit, and flat out quit. Long story short, his distractions and my internal team resentment are over. Looking back, the team has done just fine. Other people step up. Other stars emerge.

Like I said, don't ask me my opinion of Manny.

RemyReport has been Updated

2006-02-21T23:14:00.000-05:00

A few more RSS feeds have been added (well, at least one: ESPN.com as we are looking to add more real estate on the right hand side.

A chat room has been added to the Tabbed section. This was a pretty popular feature from the Message Board although I have no idea as to the capacity of users....

Email john@theremyreport.com to pass on your feedback.

Curt Gowdy (July 31, 1919 – February 20, 2006)

2006-02-20T18:03:00.000-05:00

Curt Gowdy, a long time announcer for the Boston Red Sox, passed away at his home in Florida today.

To be honest, I did not know anything about Mr. Gowdy, but after some research, I was struck by his background; he has one of the most extensive broadcasting pedrigees I have ever seen.

Someone updated this entry today on the World Wikipedia, but it paints a pretty good picture if you want to learn more: Curt Gowdy on the Wikipedia

Purchase the Naming Rights to my storage space

2006-02-19T13:04:00.000-05:00

This morning on the treadmill I was thinking about yesterday's post. To that end, I am hereby formally announcing that I am placing the naming rights of the spare room in my condo basement for sale.

This is what the purchase of the naming rights will get you:

- To all visitors, you have my word that I will always refer to the room as [NAMED BY PURCHASER]
- I will send the buyer a photograph glossy of the room as [NAMED BY PURCHASER]

I might also consider a more formal display (like a mounted plaque, statue of purchaser, or similiar) if the purchaser is willing to incur the cost.

He's no Gabe Kapler, but....

2006-02-18T13:42:00.000-05:00

Schilling is looking pretty lean at training camp (hopefully, the 'mean' will also be back on the mound as well).

Check out this link from Boston Dirt Dogs --- its photo comparision and its pretty telling.

It looks like the old .406 Club (also last year's host to the RemDawg All-Star Party) is getting renamed to The State Street Pavilion (or at least the top half because someone else already poached the bottom half of the seats).

This is probably a trend that is going to grow. I guess the selling of so called "In-Park" naming rights is the trade off for keeping Fenway Park.