Mets are in third place!

Wait, there's something familiar about this...


Oh, that's right. Looks like everything is going according to plan.

My annual pilgrimage

Saturday was a chance to hang out at Citizen's Bank Park and see my annual Phillies' loss with Dad. And I remembered to bring my camera and its fancy zoom.

The full set is over here.

Leveraging new media

There's a new "decision making site" (no, not Bing -- every third answer there is a Microsoft web page) called Hunch that I stumbled across yesterday. So, to see how well it works, I thought I'd test it out in my quest to unshackle myself from the stinking Eagles and find a new (possibly Dawkins-laden?) team to root for.

Here's how it went.

Well, I'm looking for a new team based on a random web site's suggestion. I'm guessing it won't be a long-term commitment.

I'm very concerned about the environment.


The Phillies' starting pitchers and late-inning hitters have convinced me that defense is boring.

I said I was looking for a new team to root for, not looking for a way to become a Yankees fan.

I've got the Flyers, Sixers, Phillies and Soul (and soon to be the Philadelphia Union!) -- I think they're all human mascots. Better go with animals, just to be sure.

No way I'm watching most of my football on CBS. NFC it is.

Drumroll please ... and the results are ...

What? The Cardinals! I want a team that's going to be good in the short-term next year, not last year. What are my other options?

Eh, that's really more of a basketball area, isn't it? What's my guarantee that this team doesn't go all three-point field goals all the time on me? Next.

That's it, forget it. I'm done.

My unbiased All-Star ballot

I think this is both fair and impartial.

In fact, I think it's so impartial that I've submitted it 60 times online so far.

Pursuit of history

The Washington Natinals are 13-36 through their first 49 games this year, putting them on pace for one of the worst seasons in major league baseball history. Here’s a quick look at some of the teams they’re chasing.

Team: 1899 Cleveland Spiders
Final record: 20-134 (.130)
Games out of first: 84
Through 49: 9-40
DC connection: Despite terrible play against nearly every opponent all year long, the Spiders did go an almost-respectable 4-10 against the Washington Senators.

Team: 1916 Philadelphia Athletics
Final record: 36-117 (.235)
Games out of first: 54.5
Through 49: 15-34
DC connection: The A’s highest scoring game of the year was a 10-9 win over the Washington Senators on Sept. 30, the final weekend of the season.

Team: 1962 New York Mets
Final record: 40-120-1 (.250)
Games out of first: 29
Through 49: 13-36
DC connection: Following the worst team year in modern baseball history, Mets backup 3B Don Zimmer (yep, that Don Zimmer) left the team and played for the Senators in 1963.

Team: 1904 Washington Senators
Final record: 38-113 (.252)
Games out of first: 55.5
Through 49: 9-37
DC connection: They were the Washington Senators. They played in Washington, D.C.

Team: 2003 Detroit Tigers
Final record: 43-119 (.265)
Games out of first: 47
Through 49: 13-36
DC connection: 1B Dimitri Young, an all-star for the Natinals in 2007, was the full time DH for the Tigers in 2003.

Team: 1953 Pittsburgh Pirates
Final record: 42-112-1 (.273)
Games out of first: 54.5
Through 49: 12-37
DC connection: P Don Carlsen (DC to his friends) finished with an 0-1 record and a 10.80 ERA on the year, in five appearances.

Team: 1942 Phillies
Final record: 42-109 (.278)
Games out of first: 62.5
Through 49: 16-33
DC connection: The Phillies at least had a better win percentage than the 2-9 Philadelphia Eagles that year, who lost twice to the Washington Racial Slurs that year.

Team: 1932 Red Sox
Final record: 43-111 (.279)
Games out of first: 64
Through 49: 9-40
DC connection: None. I just like making fun of the Red Sox.