Monday, July 25, 2011

Song of the Week XXIX

This week our song comes from across the pond. The band Mumford and Sons gives us their tune Awake My Soul. Typical to their genre, it is a soft and melodic song at the start and builds as it goes. The song revolves a bit around trusting another person. It also features a group singing of the phrase Awake My Soul as the chorus. The song is very easy listening. This feature will run again next week.

Fantasy Baseball All-stars week 16

After the All-Star break, we get to see how the second half shapes up. The hot players from the first full week are as follows:

Catcher: Miguel Montero, 6 runs, 8 hits, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB, .421 average, .455 on base
First Base: Gaby Sanchez, 4 runs, 9 hits, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB, .346 average, .414 on base
Second Base: Chase Utley, 4 runs, 8 hits, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB, .400 average, .500 on base
Third Base: Emilio Bonifacio, 7 runs, 9 hits, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 5 SB, ,346 average, .452 on base
Shortstop: Brendan Ryan, 7 runs, 12 hits, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 SB, .414 average, .469 on base
Left Field: Ryan Braun, 4 runs, 8 hits, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB, .421 average, .450 on base
Center Field: Cameron Maybin, 8 runs, 14 hits, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 8 SB, .538 average, .556 on base
Right Field: Justin Upton, 6 runs, 14 hits, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 1 SB, .519 average, .552 on base
General Outfield: Jacoby Ellsbury, 9 runs, 12 hits, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 0 SB, .462 average, .483 on base
Utility: Jhonny Peralta, 5 runs, 10 hits, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 0 SB, .435 average, .435 on base
Starter: Josh Collmenter, 15 IP, 2 wins, 11 K, 1.80 ERA 0.60 WHIP
Reliever: Jason Isringhausen, 4 IP, 1 win, 2 saves, 5 K, 0 holds, 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP

Lots of great talent out there this week from the look of these stat lines.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Song of the Week XXVIII

This week, we have a song coming on delay from Elton John. This song is a little out of his normal musical range, taking a sample of the country genre. The song is Country Comfort, a casual song about the rural lifestyle. The song has a noticeable amount of twangy sound in the background, accompanying the piano in a good harmony. The steady and slow beat comes from the drums, and the guitar was tweaked for the country flavor. The song is admittedly not one of my favorites, but from a legend like Sir Elton John, it is better than many songs out there. This feature should run on time next week.

Sandwich Showdown XXVI

In a delayed post, we pit the Subway Melt on Herbs and Cheese against the limited-time offer BBQ Pulled Pork on Italian. The Melt brought out its normal good flavors on the three meat deal. The bread was above average, complimenting well with the meats. The BBQ was a bit overboard though, making a bit of a mess at time in the non-absorbent sandwich. The rookie Pulled Pork did not bring Hot 'n' Spicy to the table, opting for Subway's new BBQ sauce, a first time feature around here in likely 6-8 years. It is in the Premium division of sandwiches, packed to the brim with meat. The taste was a very good blend, with the sauce being tangy and sweet. The meat was sometimes too much for the bread, and it also had mess potential. As a rookie, it did well, and I'd say the two were a virtual tie for the week. Next week's post hopefully will be more timely. As a side note, my forgetfulness will cancel the Fantasy Baseball All-Stars post for the All-Star week just behind us.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Song of the Week XXVII

This week we have another song from Augustana's most recent album. The song is called On the Other Side. As is a focus on CD, the primary message here is to not waste time with other emotions and just love people. Here, they talk about taking a risk to keep a love alive. The rhythm of the song is rather upbeat for the message underneath. The knowledge of wondering about stuff and then totally getting distracted by a partner is very strong here. The song is very good, certainly up to the standards the band have set previously. This feature runs again next week.

Fantasy Baseball All-Stars week 14

This week ahead of us marks the Official All-Star Break, with a reduced stat set next week. In the meantime, we'll look at last week's studs...

Catcher: Ramon Hernandez, 4 runs, 8 hits, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB, .471 average, .500 on base
First Base: Mark Trumbo, 5 runs, 9 hits, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 1 SB, .360 average, .407 on base
Second Base: Dustin Pedroia, 11 runs, 10 hits, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB, .345 average, .407 on base
Third Base: Jose Bautista, 7 runs, 10 hits, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 0 SB, .370 average, .438 on base
Shortstop: Emilio Bonifacio (eligible only), 6 runs, 10 hits, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 6 SB, .476 average, .577 on base
Outfield: Jacoby Ellsbury, 5 runs, 14 hits, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 2 SB, .467 average, .515 on base
Utility: Ben Zobrist, 6 runs, 9 hits, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 SB, .474 average, .565 on base
Starter: CC Sabathia, 16 IP, 2 wins, 20 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP
Starter: Dan Haren, 17.2 IP, 2 wins, 17 K, 1.02 ERA, 0.51 WHIP
Reliever: Fernando Salas, 6 IP, 1 win, 2 saves, 7 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP

Next week is a half week of games, so expect half values on the stats.

Sandwich Showdown XXV

This week, the showdown features a Turkey and Ham on Garlic and the sandwich of the month, Italian BMT on Herbs and Cheese. The T&H started off with a decent start, incorporating high quality marks throughout. However, deeper in the sandwich, a new ingredient was used, in the form of mayonnaise. This did not create too much conflict, as it meshed pretty well with the BBQ sauce traditionally found. The July Special fought as hard as it could, bringing in all the great parts and flavors of Italy in the sandwich. The bread here would put it well over the top, showing why it is the sandwich of the month. This will run again next week.