I am really liking this recent news about Martin. Eating well, yoga, etc...I can't wait to watch him this year.

I'm a uniform purist, so I'm kind of "meh" on this idea.

I don't even like it when two guys with the same last name have an initial on their jerseys. We can tell you apart by the number, thank you very much.

Didn't Martin try to add 20 pounds of muscle in the last off season? Or was that Kemp?

Top Chef thoughts: Stefan is the villain. He is villainous. And he would have eaten Ilan for breakfast. Its almost a waste to have him on season five, instead of an earlier season.

2 - I often feel that way, too, but he's honoring his mom. I don't know, it seems like it's worth the gesture in this instance...?

I also really like the news he's doing yoga, in addition to the other things he mentioned. I think that's a great idea. I really look forward to his season.

2 -- You think you're a purist? Ha! I don't even like having two guys with the same last name on a team. I swear, when it was announced on draft day last year that our first round pick was Ethan Martin, my first thought was "But we already have a Martin." Now my thinking is that when Ethan Martin is ready for the Dodgers' 25-man roster, Russell is going to have to go. Let him walk as a free agent, or trade him for a bounty of good stuff. So that makes me a REAL purist. However, I suppose an alternative interpretation of the above-stated facts is that what I am is a real nut. I'm open minded about that.

6
Now that's a purist! :)

Russ could always but "Coltrane" on the back of his jersey.

7 - Now you're talking! Just "Coltrane" with a little music note next to it.

--

On this (new) Office- and 30 Rock-free night I'm watching The Apartment for the 8th time instead of all the other things I could be doing or watching, and it's still better than any of them.

I thought NBC was keeping the new Office ep for Sunday?

They are. underdog didn't want to put all the hyphens in.

On this NEW-Office-and-30-Rock-free night...

with the emphasis on free, implying that you're not getting either 30 Rock or a new Office. So there you go.

/The Wolf

I think that's the funniest thing I've ever read from Canuck

I was at Liberty's bookstore the other day and there was this BEAUTIFUL girl working the register. When it was my turn to check out, I intentionally made the check out difficult to flirt (which didn't work). Exasperated, she asked, "what exactly do you want?!", to which I replied, "I want to take you out on a date?"

And it worked!!! We're going out tomorrow. She's a perfect 10 too. I am in over my head; don't know her at all!

What do I do? haha

12 Keep the Larry David thing Goin. Just exasperate her all the way back to your place...

12 You got the hard part over it, just relax and enjoy yourself. And I would probably suggest not proposing to her until after dessert.

haha larry david is the man. but he isn't the type to get the girl in the end...story of my life

2 I don't even like it when two guys with the same last name have an initial on their jerseys. We can tell you apart by the number, thank you very much.

I've long felt the same way. :-) Heck, IIRC, Frank and Brooks Robinson even had to have their initials on their jerseys. I mean, come on. Who couldn't tell those guys apart. :-)

12
If you can pull off trying to ask out a random person working at a register than you really do not need to worry about the date. You already showed your confidence and you can just be yourself and see if you click.

Dodgers renew talks with Wolf, Looper

>> Wolf clearly now is the club's top free-agent pitching target, with Looper considered a backup plan. <<

## Wolf, however, reportedly is among the backup choices for the Mets if they can't reach agreement with Oliver Perez. It's presumed that Wolf won't take Dodgers money as long as he remains in play for the richer Mets. The Dodgers -- in payroll-reduction mode -- want no part of a bidding war for a pitcher. ##

http://tinyurl.com/bcny2j

Latest time waster:

http://www.sporcle.com/games/sitcomcities.php

Challenging but fun. I got 19 out of 28, which is either something to be proud of or embarrassing.

Xei is exempted from taking the quiz.

12. Just don't act like this is the first time you have ever been out with a 10.

What's that Vince Lombardi story? Don't act like its your first time in the end zone--even if it is.

Confirmation that the Yanks can't sign anymore type A free agents per the CBA.

By Ben Jones [January 30, 2009 at 1:28am CST]

Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com is reporting that the New York Yankees cannot sign any more Type A or Type B free agents this offseason.

17 Jrue showed a lot in the second half but he still tends to float around on the offensive side. The talent is there but I want to see it against better defensive pressure.

20 Probably going to go for the class, I believe it will be the same instructor.

Interesting stories in the NY Times on law firm salaries and "gasp" law firms thinking about changing their use of billable hours.

19
I only got 14, and I'm mad I didn't know the Facts of Life city.

21
Finally, an answer! Nice find.

25
Yep, hopefully this puts the "Manny to the Yanks" speculation to rest.

22
Slowly asserting himself. Hopefully he sticks around for next year, so it can be his team and we will see what he is really capable of.

27 I hope so, he, Jermine and Malcolm would be quite a perimeter group.

19
I got 16 somehow, even though I have barely seen any of the shows on the list. That 70's Show annoyed me, because I knew it was in Wisconsin, but had no idea which city.

I got at least two from just typing in random cities.

19 I got 19, could not remember the name of the city in Colorado for Mork and Mindy, I could have sworn "Charles in Charge" was set in California.

J. Martin, you sot!

30
I could have sworn "Charles in Charge" was set in California

Me too. I kept typing in suburbs of SoCal to no avail. :)

32 New Jersey? Why were no adventures in New York? Also I thought Bob Uecker worked for a Pittsburgh tv station.

33
I also would have bet some coin that Mr. Belvedere was based in Steel Town.

23. Interesting article. In my experience, the problem with alternative fee structures or success fees is that the lawyer has an incentive to scare the client. When the attorney settles the case for less than the artifically inflated amount he is a hero and takes more then he otherwise would have. Every couple of years a client will approach us about "partnering up with them" in the litigation and we tell them our incentive to resolve the case quickly and efficently is repeat business. If you like us and trust us you'll use us. If you don't trust us we are not the right fit for you. Not to mention the $800 an hour in the article is offensive.

35 The thing that I would occasionally bug me is this subtle idea that efficient work was frowned upon when I did billable work.

The other article is laughable. Those firms mentioned are quietly laying off far more staff and associates than they are letting on. They say they are freezing salaries but they are letting people go. Orrick touts that it took on a number of Heller partners but they quietly laid off many more of their own. Rumor has it that Orrick had five capital calls last year alone. That is huge. In my firm we have had one in the last 10 years. That beautiful new building Orrick built for itself is killing them. I spend more 75% of my time litigating against Morgan Lewis and you can feel they are more conservative then ever. I was in Latham's new downtown offices a few weeks ago. (With Andy Lundberg, who is representing the Dodgers in suit against the insurer over Schmid's injury) Outrageous. It was like a four star hotel. If I was a client and saw this place while I was paying $700 an hour I would be pissed. What I really mean in this rant is that these firms reap what the sow. Bloated rates to service giant overhead and salaries. The slightest downturn in the economy and they are at risk. I believe we will see a couple more notable firms eat it in the next 6 months.

21 In addition to the Yankees the Dodgers don't have to worry about St. Louis either:

Mozeliak: Manny won't be a Cardinal

http://tinyurl.com/bwmrv9

36. There is that. To be honest and efficeint while you see people padding and getting rewarded for it is tough to stomach.

I was sure Mr. Belvedere was set in Kentucky. After all he worked for the governor of the state until he became the governor himself. I must have tried this three times before realizing Mr. Belvedere and Benson were two very different people.

I had never heard of Mr. Belvedere until an episode of Ned and Stacy was about Mr. Belvedere shooting a commercial.

I keep hearing radio commercials for "the big game" or "the big game in February." The vagueness is perplexing.

I have concluded they must be talking about the Dodgers's exhibition opener against the Cubs on February 25.

Speculation ran the gamut from a hidden injury to a swollen ego

Plus the clubbing. Don't forget the clubbing.

Coachella has been announced! The headliners range from stars of today (The Killers), yesterday (The Cure), and yesteryear (Paul McCartney).

Personally, I'm totally excited about Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, M Ward, Conor Oberst, and Silversun Pickups.

I love that the Red Sox put a deadline on their offer to Varitek, and I don't buy the following at all:

Varitek is "seriously considering sitting out the 2009 season or retiring rather than accepting the offer."

Here's a pretty good and reasonable explanation of the Jon Garland vs. Randy Johnson choice in Arizona, by beat writer Nick Piecoro.

http://tinyurl.com/amz6rh

Holy cow! The woman who just had octuplets already has six kids!

And she was taking fertility drugs???

Hope they can play ball.

45 BR says he's made $57 million in his career. He's not the player he once was. Maybe he just doesn't need the money and is ready to retire while people have a good memory of him. If he sits out the year, I think he's done.

I can't imagine anyone else paying him more than the $5 million the Sox are offering. Not this year.

47 I found that shocking too.

Sounds like Martin was partying like a damned fool all the time, much as rumors suggested, but now he has a girlfriend to keep him home getting sleep and drinking orange juice.

12 Congrats. I used to use that all the time. Surprised how many times it worked.

50 Lets hope the new girlfriend isnt like the blonde in Major League 2 who makes Ricky Vaughn ditch the "Wild Thing" image.

Man, if I had been able to recall that Charles In Charge was set in New Brunswick, NJ that might have set me into a weekend long funk. Thank goodness I couldn't.

Manny and Varitek can commiserate together at Boras's house while waiting for baseball to come to them.

53 - I was pleased to be clueless about that one as well. I guessed on a few. There are a few fictional town sprinkled in there as well.

--

Are people putting in questions for the Dodgers chat at Baseball America? The chat starts at noon.

The Friday morning deadline for Jason Varitek to accept the Boston Red Sox's "final" contract offer doesn't actually exist, according to sources familiar with the negotiations

Rats.

Joe Torre will be on Larry King tonight, fyi. I think my Tivo is set to block or erase all Larry King so I'll have override that.

56
I will now!

56 - The link to that is
http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/chat/chat.php?id=2009013001

But one has to be a BA member, ja?

I'm not even sure where to begin with questions... Lambo's comparable, and ETA? Will/has Hu fixed his batting issues? Troncoso as a starter? Should AJ Elis get a chance to backup Martin (someday)? Elbert starting vs relieving...

54 There was an interesting article at THT a few days ago that pointed out That Boras' ethics problems were not really in the areas most people tend to think. However, I can't believe Manny figured out how to get out of his Sox contract unaided and that leads to ethics questions in my opinion. And by the way---how's that working for you Scotsooo?

The best thing about the interview is that it looks like Manny taught the future Dodgers that they can have fun and win at the same time. The worse thing that came from that interview is if they think they can prepare like Manny. Manny is a gift, the rest of you need to work like dogs. If he taught them to be efficient does that mean they will all jog after balls they have no hope of catching? No more false hustle? Wouldn't Repko explode if he didn't have false hustle to expend his energy? No walls to climb as the ball sales 10 rows deep?

60 Lambo's comparable, and ETA?

The scouting report says his LF defense is on par with Ethier.

ETA is late 2010.

Allowing the J. Martin is bad for MLB. It won't be long before this becomes the XMLB. "He Hate Me" can't be far away.

My thought, which could be wrong (and many will say it is), is that this shows immaturity in the player.

62 From what I have read and heard, the surprising thing about Manny (and you did hear this from Nomar and Derek) was that he comes early to park to work on his hitting and he watches a lot of tape. Manny is one serious dude when it comes to swinging the bat.

64
My thought, which could be wrong (and many will say it is), is that this shows immaturity in the player

So adding an initial to his jersey to honor his mother is a sign of immaturity?

66
I think it is silly. Really silly. The biggest Momma's boy in baseball history was Lou Gerhig and all he needed was a number. The Dodgers should have said no to his request and taken a letter away from Marti just to make sure no one else ever makes such a silly request.

From Tom Hoffarth's media column in the Daily News:

--Cris Collinsworth analyzes each team game film - obtained legally - with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

I wish Billy Bates had a first name that started with N.

Forget Obama I want this guy to be the next president
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_deGrasse_Tyson

Just keep the Rubik's Cube away from him so he doesn't get distracted for five minutes so he can make sure the 2029 asteroid does a Dunn like whiff of the planet.

68 This maybe a dumb question, but are you serious?

66 ,67 Did Martin's mother pass away?

J Martin is too close to JC Martin for my taste.

J-Mac to J-Martin has a nice ring to it.

Hide the shoe polish

I think you are suffering from JC Martin-Cleon Jones confusion.

Help the confused. I thought earlier in the week that Jon mentioned that he'd previewed the Office and that the first 5 minutes was awesome. Yet what I saw last night was a repeat. ???

76
Sunday night after the Super Bowl.

77
Thanks

Love this spinner shark you tube. Nothing like the thrill of a spin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzjO6KFTXuw

I tried to read some of the comments after an article at The D's official site again, but the first one ended that we should trade Kemp and Ethier for Peavey, and play a great outfield of Manny, Repko, and JP. I could not go on.

Rather than question the intentions of well-intentioned ballplayers like JC, they decided to add a white line to the diamond.

Anybody still watching "Scrubs" this season? I've liked it much better so far than the past few seasons...

79 That site is a complete joke; every part of it. Most of the commenters are ignorant and the main writer is simply a pretentious moron.

We could sign Manny/Edmunds, trade Ethier/J Mac/DeJesus/Elbert for Peavy/Scott Hairston.

Manny/Kemp/Edmunds against RHP (883 OPS)
Manny/Kemp/Hairston against LHP (896 OPS)

Rotation of Peavy/Chad/Kershaw/Kuroda

Canuck has been to happy lately, he needs some angst.

Moreover, there is no record of JC ever committing CI.

81
Yes, the new interns bugged me at first but now they are getting their legs. I like the lazy guy.

81
I'm still on board the Scrubs train. I didn't really like Courtney Cox, but her character served a purpose I guess. Overall, this season has been pretty good.

I like the crossover that on of the "Girlfriends" from Flight of the Conchords is J.D.'s intern.

81 Like it better than last year, but still not as much as the first six seasons. The interns are a bit too one-dimensional and the JD/Elliot drama needs to get resolved already. I miss the Turk 'n JD immaturity and just the general goofiness of the main cast

I hate initials as well. Remember "S. Sax" when Dave Sax was a Dodger? I think it is silly. I clearly remember when the Angels got Reggie Jackson. They had Ron Jackson on the team and what did they do? They kept Reggie's Jersey with "Jackson", while poor Ron had to wear "Ron Jackson" on the back of his jersey. But having an initial that is not part of your "known" name? We shouldn't allow it. I see it in the same ballpark as "Ocho Cinco", or when Benito Santiago wore "09" as his jersey number. Let Russell honor his mom by putting as many J's as he wants on his batting gloves, or catcher's gear, or his haircut. But the uniform? I say no.

62 Not sure how preparation and hustle (or lack thereof) correlate.
From what I've read, Manny's preparation is top-notch. He's 37 or 38 and has kept his body in shape, he apparently works out or follows some sort of regimen in the off-season, and studies hitting.
As far as his putting forth effort in another game, that's another story.

Aw, hell. My new favorite Twitter persona:

http://twitter.com/Nick_Nolte

(No, it's not him, but it's a damned funny impression.)

89
From what I read he didn't take his winter workouts seriously until last winter after his disappointing 2007 season. I was more referring to his "efficient" way of getting ready for a game. When someone is successful it is called "efficient" when someone is not it is called "lazy".

I just saw a commercial for Pace saying it was "the tastiest picante sauce on this side of the Rio Grande. Or the other side."

Awesome.

92
"New York Ci - ty...?"

I'm not quite sure I understand the upset over Martin's jersey. Is it about it being an initial? Because hyphenated last names aren't unusual on jerseys.

I recall "Vida" on the back of a jersey for years, and everything was cool.

I agree that Scrubs is better than it was last year but still not what it once was. But I think they did the right thing in grounding the show a bit more.

94
I'm not upset, I just find it silly.

I don't know if Scrubs got better because of the move to ABC, or because the writers/actors are trying really hard to make the last season good, or some other reason. I'm glad Kelso stuck around.

95
Once it was the best so it is hard to get back to that lofty status. I'll take not a waste of my time which is where it is for me.

94 Not to speak for others, but I believe the upset is not that it is an initial, but that it is not HIS initial. I could be wrong.

I'm not upset by the tribute at all, but then, I'm not a purist. In fact, in my opinion, it's his uniform and he can do what he likes with it. I even like "He Hate Me" or "Ocho Cinco" as the NOB. NOBs are supposed to identify players and those certainly qualify.

97 - I think they realized they had gone off the rails.

98 Agreed. I hardly laugh while watching anymore, but at least I don't cringe like I did a lot during season 7.

100
Maybe so. I'm glad they seem to be trying to go back to what made the show so good in the first place. You can't go wrong with Kelso, Cox, and Janitor.

From Jon Heyman: the Red Sox reached an agreement on a two-year deal with Varitek

Guess Varitek wanted money this year, after all.

103 And next year as well!

99 I think you got the reason for the upset. It is not his initial. Unless this year we will refer to him as "Jeanson Martin"... I will accept it if the PA system says "now batting for the Dodgers, number 55, Jeanson Martin" Or here's a better idea, why not just put "JEAN'S SON" on the back?

104
Indeed!

Now who is Manny going to commiserate with?

I'm referring to him as RJM, sorta like MJD for Maurice Jones-Drew

I'm going to sew a "J" on to the back of my Russell Martin jersey.

I will then put on a batting helmet and coach first base.

108 - He was the one I immediately thought of. Did MJD legally add the "Jones" to his name, or is it symbolic as well?

110
As long as you use a different form of your name in enough places, you essentially have changed your names in the eyes of the law.

The Jaguars running back isn't trying to defraud anyone.

111 Huh, that's interesting. I often post as "Humma Kavula" on various sites. Have I changed my name? Do I need to inform my wife?

112
Just wait until Spawn applies for a car loan.

Varitek will earn $5MM in 2009, with the club holding a $5MM option for 2010. If the Red Sox do not pick up that option, Varitek has the choice of remaining with the club on a $3MM deal. In '10, he can earn another $2MM in incentives based on playing time, beginning at 80 games started. Thus, the potential total value of the deal increases from $8-$10MM to $10-$12MM. The incentives apply to both the team and player options for 2010.

So, its not really a two year deal.

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2009/01/varitek_sox_agr.html

112
Is it on your driver's license? Or your Social Security card? Or did you tell the IRS?

12 - Nice.

I had no idea Charles in Charge was set in New Brunswick NJ. Growing up in central Jersey, I should of known that.

Two things I can't figure out:

1) Why doesn't Martin put "Jeanson Martin" on his jersey? Why just the "J."?

2) How does LU Dodger know this girl is even going to show up for the date? That's what you should be worrying about 24/7 until it occurs.

Russ should have changed his first name to Moore.

Brad Ausmus is so crappy.

117
I believe that Russell Martin should have music from the J. Geils Band playing when he comes up to bat.

"Charles in Charge"
"Scrubs"

Why are we dancing around this, people?

http://tinyurl.com/cb7wqc (SFW)

120
Classic.

120
Nice. Try this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHrtIj9APNM

NPUT

119 And a picture of J. Edgar Hoover on the scoreboard

I dig the fact he has "Coltrane" as one of his middle names.