Spring Training lingo
Baseball doesn’t start its regular season for a few weeks yet, but it’s hard to avoid hearing things like “now for your Cactus League scores” on your late night local newscast. Not familiar with baseball’s spring training and why they seem to play a million games before a single one even counts? Let me color you on some of the basics.
All 30 MLB teams play their spring training games at facilities either in Arizona or Florida. Each team has its own facility or shares one with another team (White Sox and Dodgers for example). Previously, spring training sites were everywhere from California to Hawaii to Indiana, but money and the convenience of available competition narrowed it down to the two current states. There is no relation between a team’s league (American or National) and where they choose to hold their spring training.
Currently, there are 15 teams each training in both states, making it easy to schedule plenty of games, although the wetter spring conditions in Florida have caused several teams to consider the dryer pastures of Arizona (although Arizona has been unseasonably wet the past few weeks).
The MLB teams mostly play each other, traveling by bus to the neighboring facilities, but college teams will also take part in the games when needed. As you might expect, nobody cares about wins and losses or even statistics (unless you’re a fringe player trying to make the team). Spring training games are for pitchers to get their arm strength back while working on new pitches/arm slots/deliveries/mechanics/etc. without the fear of losing or suffering some inflated statistics. Hitters develop their timing and get used to the routine. Yes, games even end in ties!
Now for some oft-heard lingo:
Split-squad: The common practice of sending half a roster to one game while the other half stays back to play another game. The purpose is to give as many players as possible plenty of at-bats and innings pitched.
Cactus League: The nickname for the group of teams that play in Arizona (Cubs, A’s, Giants, Mariners, etc.)
Grapefruit League: The nickname for the group of teams that play in Florida (Yankees, Mets, Braves, Red Sox, etc.)
Unless you are in a fantasy league, you probably don’t need to start paying attention to baseball until April rolls around, but at least now you’ll understand what the die-hards are talking about in March.
Bonus note: the Dodgers held their spring training in Cuba in the 1947, while the Yankees also spent a few years there.1
Read on:
Oh, so that’s Ludacris
Ludacris has a new album coming out this week titled Battle of the Sexes. Many of the lyrics and some of the song titles are a little too strong for this mostly G-rated blog, but there’s still a few things I can tell you about the guy whose name you know but aren’t sure why. For starters, the song you are probably already familiar with is “How Low,” which can be heard constantly on most teenybopper and hip hop radio stations.
Besides his phenomenal success as a music artist, Ludacris has appeared in quite a few movies over the past decade, most notably as the character Anthony in the Oscar winning Crash.
Yes, Ludacris has a real name: it’s Christopher Brian Bridges.
This is hardly a full-fledged biography on the multi-talented hip hop artist, but at least you have an idea about Ludacris when the younger sets brings him up this week.
Read on:
USAToday.com – Multitasker rapper Ludacris runs his own show
(image above © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com)
Average Life Span
Old Blue
Sunday was a bad day to be a really old person in the United States. Two of the oldest people in the world died within hours of each other, one a 114-year-old woman in New Hampshire and the other a spry 113-year-old woman from Detroit. The rest of the intriguing story can be found here.
While you sit around the dinner table doing the backwards math to figure out what years these people were born, you may want to know how long YOU will likely live. Or maybe not.
The average life expectancy in the U.S. is 77.7.1 Not exactly “lucky sevens.” Narrowing it down a little further, a 40-year-old man can expect to live to 77.1 while a 40-year-old woman can expect to live to 81.9. I’m sure there’s a sexist joke there somewhere, but I’ll leave that for the oldest guy at your table to tell tonight. Chances are there’s an even older woman next to him with a wittier comeback.
Read on:
Foundation for Infinite Survival – an interesting life-expectancy calculation method
(image above taken from: http://nachodonut.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/do-you-want-a-donut/)
Oscars Preview
While most of you us only saw a couple of the TEN movies nominated this year, it never stops us from making the Academy Awards a major Dinner Topic when the time to dole out the statues arrives. Tonight, expect much of the same – safe rehearsed jokes, polite speeches thanking scores of people we’ve never heard, etc. Here are a few facts to keep you “in the know” for the night:
- Sandra Bullock collected her Razzie for “Worst Actress” in All About Steve this weekend, and might be collected a “Best Actress” award tonight for The Blind Side.
- Up is the Pixar cartoon movie. Up in the Air is the Clooney movie. Both are nominated for Best Picture.
- The likely candidates to win Best Picture are Avatar and The Hurt Locker, two pictures directed by former spouses James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow.
- It is widely assumed that Jeff Bridges has the Best Actor award wrapped up for his role in Crazy Heart, even though it is very likely you will be in a room full of people who have never seen the movie.
- Star Trek got a nomination in the Makeup category. Paint me up, Scotty?
For a refresher of last year’s winners, check out this old Dinner Topic post.
Read on:
(image above taken from: http://www.ivillage.com/sandra-bullock-blind-slide/1-b-70733)
The Pentagon – world’s largest office building
Yesterday evening’s shooting at the Pentagon is sure to keep the famous building in the news. If you haven’t read about the shooting, you can find that story here.
While talking about it tonight, it would help to know some facts about the Pentagon other than its obvious shape. Not obvious from the many overhead shots you see of the building is the fact that the Pentagon is five stories tall. Here are a few more interesting facts about the building that houses the U.S. Department of Defense:
In terms of floor space, it is the largest office building in the world (yes, larger than the Willis Tower, Empire State Building, etc.)- It was constructed to consolidate the War Department and create much needed extra space due to World War II.
- The building went from idea to completion between 1941 to 1943.
- Consisting of 5 rings, the Pentagon contains over 17 miles of corridors.
- Efficiency: it takes no longer than 7 minutes to walk from any one point to another inside the Pentagon.1
Read on:
GreatBuildings.com – The Pentagon
Jim Bunning and the pay-go system
Jim Bunning has had two very different but very high profile careers, but if you are of the younger generation, you might not have even heard of him until this week. Formerly a Hall of Fame pitcher, Jim Bunning retired from baseball and climbed the political ranks, settling in as a Republican Senator from Kentucky for the past decade.
Bunning is in the news now because of his adamant stance against extending more government funding for unemployment benefits without cutting the budget or raising taxes elsewhere. Bunning practiced his filibustering skills (you already know what that means thanks to Dinner Topics) by proposing an amendment to the new bill, but it was quickly shot down by his peers.
Supporters of Bunning claim that he is one of the few politicians willing to take a stand against overspending, even if it means people will be upset with the short term results of less help for those who need it. The new “pay-go” measures were approved by the Democrats in late January and suggest what was mentioned above: any new costs must be paid for by cutting something else out or raising additional funds (i.e. higher taxes). Bunning believes that the Democrats are already going against their own proposal just weeks earlier.
Opponents (there are many) of Bunning’s tactics claim that his stance is hypocritical because he has often voted for additional spending on items much larger than the current unemployment bill. Worse yet, Bunning himself voted against the pay-go measures (as did all Republicans in the Senate) but now is unhappy that his government isn’t upholding the measure. Opponents would think that Bunning should be happy about that. Lastly, critics believe that because Bunning is not running for re-election, he has become the Republican’s extremist cause since his future will be on the golf course and not in session.
Bunning’s actions are cause for great debate, and now you know a little about both sides of the issue before the boxing gloves are strapped on.
Read on:
WashingtonPost.com – Days later, as a deal emerges, Bunning backs down
TheHill.com – Senate passes pay-go rule on party-line vote
DailyKos.com - Hypocrites, Damned Hypocrites and Senator Jim Bunning
Sidney Crosby
With everything wrapping up in Vancouver last night, this should be the last Olympics-related post for a while. When you arrive at work today, you’ll likely run into a conversation about yesterday’s Gold Medal hockey game between Canada and the United States. Canada won 3-2 in overtime after a thrilling comeback by the U.S. with less than a minute to go in regulation. Sidney Crosby eventually won it for the Canadians in overtime.
If you’re not a hockey fan or the name isn’t familiar to you, Crosby is no stranger to success. He was the #1 pick in the 2005 NHL draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Since then, Crosby has won a Stanley Cup, an Olympic Gold Medal, and an MVP (called the Hart Trophy). He is also the youngest player to record 100 points in an NHL season and the youngest player to be named captain of an NHL team among many other “youngest player” achievements.
Crosby has a lot of hockey left in him, but as a 22-year-old, he’s already built a Hall of Fame career.
Read on:
NYDailyNews.com – Sidney Crosby saves Canadian bacon, beats Ryan Miller and Team USA to win gold
Credit Default Swaps (CDS)
For many of you, today’s topic might not be the most exciting one of the year, so if you want to pass this one by and continue watching the Olympics, I understand. For the rest, I’ve got a topic you need to understand.
Greece’s economy is crumbling, and many other countries are trying to stay fiscally afoot, causing headlines about economic crises to slowly creep back to the front page. This time around, you will often find the phrase “credit default swaps” somewhere in just about every story.
Credit default swaps (CDS) are like an insurance contract on debt where the buyer pays premiums and will receive a lump sum payment if the debtor defaults in some way. It was probably created to be used as a hedge or insurance policy for the entity holding the debt, but in our wacky financial world, there are no regulations in terms of the buyer or seller needing to have any affiliation with the debt itself. As a result, CDS’s have become an investment vehicle deeply based in speculation rather than insuring credit.
Be ready for this guy!
The “gambling” on default has been a touchy subject in the financial world, with some blaming the process as yet another contributor to a negative economy. Others simply consider it just another derivative that will be controlled by demand and proper spreads.
There are plenty of news stories for which to base your own opinion on credit default swaps, so read on and consider yourself mildly ready for that guy you run into tonight with the elbow patches on his sport coat. Impress him by saying “I know Greece is in trouble, but at least the credit default swaps have dropped below 400 thanks to some potentially tougher budget measures.” Maybe that will knock the tobacco from his pipe.
Read on:
KathyLien.com – What are Credit Default Swaps?
BusinessWeek.com – Greek Debt Swaps Fall on Speculation of Tougher Deficit Action
