Love In Stockholm Rocks Lizard Lounge Again

Love in Stockholm just completed their Thursday night, June-long residency at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, and after seeing them for a third time, they just keep getting better and better.

During their residency, shows has been broken up into two sets.  Last night, lead singer Charlie Rockwell informed listeners that if they wanted to hear Love in Stockholm, they'd have to wait until the second set, because for their first, they covered The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band from front to back.  Their cover of "When I'm Sixty-Four" was, for my money, the best song of the night, kicking up the tempo but still interpolating the original song's sound late, which was pretty damn impressive.  They put their own spin on every song with their unique style mixed with Rockwell's flawless wailing vocals.  I never second-guessed one of their arrangements -- Too busy jamming out and drinking some Golden Monkey, but we'll get to that later...

The second set was a mix of everything they have to offer, starting with the opening track off their first album, "The Buzzard." They featured a couple new songs that will hopefully appear on their new CD coming out at some point this year.  This was vintage LIS at it's best.  Harmonies were killer, the crowd was constantly getting into the music, clapping and dancing right along with the beat, and each song was sharper than the last.

One of their last songs of the night was the band's anthem, "Allston," which nearly brought down the house.  And no LIS review is complete without a shout-out to Evan Sanders, the simultaneous trumpet and keys player.  During "Beauty Fades, Pt. II," I was trying to figure out who was doing that insanely low harmony, and I've come to the conclusion that it must be him, but whether it was or not, you're not going to find many better musicians.

Wondering why I brought up Golden Monkey?  The guys came out for their second set, half featuring navy blue t-shirts with the Golden Monkey logo, a beer from Victory Brewing Company.  The beer is 9.5%, and packs a pretty serious punch, not that it was going to stop drummer Jesse Humphrey from admitting he had six...

If you haven't gotten down with LIS yet, check them out on their website, follow them on Twitter, or listen to them on Spotify.

London 2012 Video Game Actually Not Terrible

With 28 days til the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the U.S. Olympic Trials are going on in full force.  Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to quell my need for the competition.  London 2012 is available for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, and compared to its predecessors, its actually a pretty fun and challenging game.

I'm sure everyone has played an Olympic game at some point, whether it be the old school Track and Field or something like Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games.  Both are awesome in their own right, but after a while you realize you're tired and sore and sweating profusely from the button-mashing or waving the Wii-mote around.

London 2012 takes button-mashing and makes it into more of a timing mechanism.  Rather than mash during a 100-meter sprint, now you will have to pace your tapping to fill up a meter and keep it above a line, or else your sprinter's strides will be affected.  In the swimming events, you use the left and right sticks to mimic the swimmers' arms through the water.  It works surprisingly well, and the learning curve to it makes this game a lot more enjoyable.

The game has 46 sports to offer, although a lot of them can be repetitive, like the diving and gymnastics events comprising of timed sequences in which all you do is hit a button at the right time.  All of the track and field events are awesome, the shooting events are just a fun, and even the repetitive sports like swimming (having both the 50m and 100m freestyle, men's and women's) keep you into it because you just want to crush everyone with the USA.

Overall, I'd probably put this game around a 7, maybe a little lower.  It can get repetitive, but if you play with multiple people, it makes it pretty awesome.  Only 50 bucks, too, as opposed to the normal $60 for a new game.  Go USA.

Rain Delay + Omar Vizquel = Awesome

Monday night at Fenway between the Red Sox and Blue Jays took the few fans that remained past the midnight hour thanks to a two-hour rain delay. When the tarp started to come off, music was blasting over the speakers, turning Fenway Park into a high school dance for about an hour. The house cameras panned the crowd looking for good candidates for the jumbotron, but no one received more cheers than Jays' infielder, Omar Vizquel.

The 11-time Gold Glove winner but on a show during "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO in the away dugout towards the end of the rain delay. At age 45, it looks like he's still got it.

President Obama Thanks Boston...For Youkilis

President Obama was at Symphony Hall on Monday to hold a fundraiser, which happened at the same time as the Sox game.  Knowing how big of a sports town Boston is, Obama decided to slip in a line about the team recently trading Kevin Youkilis to his hometown Chicago White Sox.

I will say, the comedic timing of his first line is pretty good.  And then the line he has explaining that he was just pointing out that all he will have to do is change the color of his socks.  The guy is good.

Daddy Knows Best

Ok, so Dads make mistakes sometimes.  Understandable, nobody's perfect. They can't always be sneaking you beers underage or teaching curveballs; sometimes they're late picking you up from soccer practice or forgetting that 14 year old boys will always open a computer file marked "Private." Nobody's perfect.  This web series, starring Steve Rannizzisi of The League, makes any goofs your old man bungled into look like life lessons.  Enjoy. If you get into the video linked up there definitely watch the special brownies episode or the one where someone has an accident at a dinner party and blames it on the dog or the one with the taser. Eh, they're all gold. Go for it.

"Life's Too Short" with Liam Neeson

"Life's Too Short" began airing on BBC last year, the show centering around a fictionalized version of Warwick Davis (Wicket W. Warrick from Return of the Jedi) with the help of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.  There are several cameos from famous actors, such as Liam Neeson here, and its mockumentary style sets up great scenarios like this.

For a few bloopers from this scene and others, check them out here.

Youkilis Wearing Different Sox, Chicago Bound

The trade has finally been made; one that Red Sox Nation knew was imminent in the past couple weeks.  The advent of Will Middlebrooks and the under-production from Kevin Youkilis totaled up to a trade with the Chicago White Sox for Brent Lillebridge and Zach Stewart.

Youkilis has been known to be a problem in the clubhouse, and barely hitting over .100 in June while his counterpart Middlebrooks hit over .700 meant the Sox would have to take action quick to get anything back for him.

Youkilis tripled in his final at-bat in Fenway, and was pulled for a pinch-runner, giving the Fenway Faithful ample time to give Youkilis the send-off he deserved.

Nothing can discredit was Youkilis has done for the Sox, especially in 2007, but of late, his style and his play have been nothing but detrimental to the club. 

Justin Ruggiano is Better Than You

I understand this picture doesn't do this play justice, so immediately watch this video.

Justin Ruggiano has been platooning in the Marlins' outfield of late, given the dismal 2-14 stretch they're on, and the nagging injuries to Logan Morrison.  But its been a long time since I've seen a catch like this from anybody.

This sort of play reminds me of that one clip of Jim Edmonds when he played on the Angels.  He was sprinting straight back, took one last look over the shoulder and down, headlong, numbers facing home plate and made the circus catch just shy of the warning track, looking like he was completely guessing as to where the ball was going to come down.  Unreal.  This play, not as awesome, but that takes some serious athleticism.

We Drafted a Subban, This, Nor Any Article You Read Can Make You Feel Okay With This

Malcolm Subban -- 6-foot-1, 195 pound goaltender, brother of Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban.  The Bruins drafted him in the first round with the 24th overall pick.  I don't like it, you don't like it, but its what we got.  We can't have drafts like the past two years where we've snagged Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton.

I chose the video above to show how much P.K. sucks, and hopefully the same doesn't ring true for Malcolm.  I have a decent amount of faith in the Bruins front office, at least enough to believe that they know Malcolm to be a good player, not just a way to turn up the dial on the B's-Habs rivalry.

Malcolm played 39 games in goal in the Ontario Hockey League, averaging 2.50 goals against with a .923 save percentage.  I'll allow it.

What's Your Favorite Cheetos Commercial?

I, like many of you, used to think that Chester Cheetah was a creepshow.  Probably because of the older commercials that featured him playing chess in a laundromat or controlling pigeons with a handful of Cheetos.

But in the most recent round of commercials, Chester has redeemed himself.  I don't know if its the accent, or situations, but these has changed how I feel about him for the better.

100th Post Extravaganza

We're going to use our 101st post to celebrate our 100th post all time here at Three If By Strike. I typed in "100" to YouTube, and this was the best video I could find, and its actually pretty awesome. Thank you to everyone following us and reading our stuff, and here's to the next 100 (well, 99) posts.

The Bard Experiment is Finally Over

Daniel Bard, Red Sox reliever-turned-starter, called team general manager Ben Cherington to tell him to call off the experiment.  His days as a starter were over.

Out of the gate, he earned a 5-6 record, with a 5.24 ERA.  His fastball went from 98-101 miles per hour down to topping out around 95.

"I'm not ready even to say it failed. Obviously I wasn't our best starter, but I wasn't the worst guy in the American League by any means, either," Bard said. "Yeah, I wish I could've had a couple of those outings back, but I had some good starts, too. I proved to myself that I can do it. Obviously I wanted it to be able to stick, but it didn't, and here I am."

I admire his positive outlook, but he has to know he's much more useful out of the 'pen.  With any pitching role, you have to have a certain mindset going into it.  Bard's was tailored for the 7th and 8th innings, so taking him out of his comfort zone was going to come with some consequences.  But hopefully Bard can get reacclimated to the bullpen and be the Bard of old once again.

Please Cut Him Loose

Kevin Youkilis is 2-for-25 in June.  According to reports, the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, White Sox, Pirates and Indians have all shown interest in the corner infielder.  For the love of moneyball, please get rid of him.

Nicknamed "the Greek god of walks" while he was coming up to The Show, he has proven time and time again that he can be a valuable component to an offense, but his nagging injuries have decreased his value of late.  Comparatively speaking, Youkilis has a lot to offer teams who are lacking a solid corner infielder, but his problems lie off the field as well.

In 2010, Youkilis publicly criticized teammate Jacoby Ellsbury for not spending time with the team while rehabbing from broken ribs.  According to an article written by Jackie Macmullan at the end of last season, Youkilis was bringing down the clubhouse with his poor attitude, and this season, has already shown that he would be fine with getting traded, displaying no interest in staying with Boston.

So let's dump him while we still can, before other teams realize what a horrible decision they are about to make.

LeBron Finally Gets a Ring, Ruins Everyone's Weekend

Disaster.

Just about the only word I can use to make sense of the last couple weeks of the NBA playoffs.

In the lockout shortened, 66 game season, the Miami Heat have won the championship.

Let it sink in.

LeBron James. NBA Champion.

For weeks, criticism of James’ overall skill set, especially with regards to the fourth quarter, ran rampant throughout media outlets, from ESPN to backwater blogs. LeBron finally answered with some of the best performances of his career, silencing his critics once and for all with a well-deserved ring.

From Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals forward, James carried the Heat on his back towards the finish line, never looking back, and playing with a look of sheer determination not seen in quite some time.

This Finals series leaves the casual fan with a few questions, which I will postulate here for your entertainment.

How in the world did Scott Brooks get out-coached by Erik Spoelstra?

-I’m going to chalk this up to a complete lack of poise and leadership, as the entire series it was a 2-man team with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, with Serge Ibaka and James “The Magician” Harden completely disappearing in the most important of times, forcing Brooks’ hand to try and make something work.

Why didn’t Kendrick Perkins get more playing time?

            -Look, the guy made some bonehead plays, but for one of the best defensive centers in the game to average 20 minutes of playing time (largely out of foul trouble) speaks volumes to why the Thunder lost this series. There’s a reason he was a key to the Celtics’ 2008 run. Perkins even vented about his lack of playing time throughout the series to the media. Especially given Miami’s lack of size at center, this one was a head scratcher. 

Could the Celtics have beaten the Thunder?

-       Going into this series, it was largely assumed that Oklahoma would trample all over the Eastern Conference champion, be it Boston or Miami. Yet Miami absolutely dominated the Thunder, and if it wasn’t for heroic performances by Russell Westbrook, would have been filled with blowouts.

What the hell is going to happen next season?

-       Going forward, there are a lot of questions around the league.

-       In Boston, the questions will be centered around Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to see just what they have left in the tank and if they can contribute in Boston for the near future.

-       Chicago will play the “what if” game all offseason and wonder what to do despite injuries.

-       Will the officiating change? Inconsistent officiating marred the playoffs in essentially every game one way or the other. I will reference a certain play that had Erik Spoelstra guarding Westbrook on a wide open 3-point attempt with time running out in the fourth quarter of Game 3.  The Thunder were down by 3 at the time, making it a crucial possession. The rulebook calls for an automatic technical for Spoelstra’s actions, yet nothing was called. This, along with the mind numbing stat of technical fouls in favor of the Heat (I believe it was 23-3 last I checked during the ECF) makes one wonder about officiating. It’s universally accepted that it needs to change at this point.

-       The Lakers also enter an offseason of uncertainty, with a cancerous locker room that needs to be remedied.

-       Can the Miami Heat defend their title next year? This makes for a sickening outlook for the Boston homer, but an unfortunate reality. According to James, this was the first of many titles for the Heat, so look out NBA.

--BQ

Sox Push Win Streak to Five Games

The Red Sox trailed 3-0 to the Marlins after the first inning in Fenway Park on Thursday night, but led by a strong bullpen and offensive help from the Sox' minor league call-ups, they pulled out a 6-5 victory.

Daisuke Matsuzaka was off to his usual shaky start, allowing three runs in the first inning.  Luckily, he cleaned his act up and held the Marlins scoreless in the next four innings, until letting up one more and getting pulled in the sixth inning.  With a record barely over .500, a starter letting up four runs is welcomed at this point.

Down 3-0, the Sox struck back with Will Middlebrooks and Mike Aviles snagging RBIs in the fourth, then Middlebrooks doubled down with another in the fifth.  Just when you thought he was done, in the eighth, down 5-3 this time, Middlebrooks jacked a two-run bomb to tie the game.  Fellow early-season call-up Ryan Kalish then got aboard, and Daniel Nava stuck his hand into the cookie jar and plated Kalish on a single to center for the go-ahead run.  Alfredo Aceves came in a slammed the door again for his 18th save, now one more than ex-Sox Jonathan Papelbon in Philly.

The Sox have scored 39 runs over the five game win streak, and appear to be banging on all cylinders.  But can it last?  We're still waiting on injury updates from Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford, Ryan Sweeney, Josh Beckett, Scott Podsednik, Rich Hill and Andrew Bailey.  And even with Adrian Gonzalez severely under-performing, the Sox are finding offense from both ends of the line-up.  The back end of the bullpen is getting stronger by the day, and with the Sox scoring 15 runs like they did on Wednesday, that takes a tremendous amount of pressure off the arms.

Brandon Jacobs is the Man

Now, before the title makes you skip over this entirely, only one small part of this has to do with Brandon Jacobs playing for the New York Giants.

Shortly after Jacobs was released by the Giants and signed with the San Francisco 49ers, one Giants fan made a last ditch effort to keep the running back in New York.  Six-year-old Joseph Armento emptied out his piggy bank, containing $3.36, after his mother, Julie, explained to him that Jacobs was going to be playing across the country.

Jacobs was so moved by the gesture, that he thought he would do something for Joseph.  He took Joseph, his four-year-old brother and Jacobs' son, Brayden, to Jump On In bounce house in Boonton, NJ.

"It was just us in the whole place, and we were just going room to room -- just bouncing and flipping all over the place, hitting each other with balls, sweating, our shirts filthy," Jacobs said. "We were just dirty, stinky boys, you know?"

One of the toughest running backs in the game, jumping around ball pits and slides with three little kids is just an awesome story.  Jacobs gave Joseph a signed helmet, a $5 bill to refill his piggy bank and memories that will hopefully cover the loss of his favorite player.

Great story for the NFL and for sports, too.  You don't really hear a lot about players reaching out to fans like this, especially a 6'4", 260-pound running back to a six-year-old.

Giroux Wins NHL 13 Cover Vote

 

NHL 12 - Xbox 360 - Xbox 360 Games 

Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers claimed immortality by one percent of the popular vote to win the NHL 13 cover contest.  Coming in a close second place was the Nashville Predators' Pekka Rinne.

Of the four major sports' video games, only one has been known to have a "curse."  After being featured on the cover of NHL 12 last season, Steven Stamkos is proof that there is no "NHL Curse," with a 60-goal season.

If you consider yourself an NHLer, I'd welcome the challenge at any time, but if you want to wait for the new game, it releases in September 2012.

Joe Maddon Still Won't Own Up to Anything

No one is questioning Rays' manager Joe Maddon's baseball knowledge.  No one is that stupid.  Instead, what should fall under the microscope is how Maddon treats his players and treats the game.

In late May, the Red Sox and Rays squared off at Fenway Park after a few pitches found their way into batters.  The Rays were the first team to throw at a batter, but when the Sox followed suit, Maddon called them out, saying it was a "really week, cowardly effort on their part."

Tuesday night, the Rays were in our nation's capital for a series with the Nationals.  Late in the game, Rays reliever Joel Peralta took the mound, and shortly thereafter was surrounded by umpires.  Nationals manager Davey Johnson asked crew chief Tim Tschida to check Peralta's glove for pine tar, which he did, and found "a significant amount of pine tar."  Peralta was ejected from the game, and will probably serve a suspension. Despite this, the Rays held on for a 5-4 victory.

So what's got Joe Maddon's panties in a bundle?

"'Insider trading, man. It's bush,'' Maddon said. ''It's bogus. That's way too easy, right there.''

Peralta was a member of the Nationals in 2010, so naturally, the Rays believe it was some disgruntled teammate who leaked the news.  What's really bogus?  The fact that Maddon nor any of his players will own up to their mistakes -- own up to cheating or to playing dirty.  Peralta made himself look totally innocent after the game, though...

"'That's a glove that I use for batting practice every day,'' he said. ''I'm every day playing catch with it, it's hot here - that's all I'm going to say about it.''

Free this man!  How did Maddon respond?  By saying that every player cheats, that his team is not the only team, and that the game essentially has no integrity anymore.

"They use it on bats all the time, hitters are able to use it when they go up to home plate.  I'm sure there's times when the ball is thrown around the infield, it can come back a little bit more sticky that before.  It just happens."

False.  Then Maddon went even further to make himself look like an idiot when Tschida told him he was allowed to check one player on the Nationals.  He chose Ryan Mattheus, and the results came back negative.  At this point, you'd think Maddon would come around and just shut up about the whole thing, but no -- seems like this will go on for a while.

"I promise you one thing, you're going to see brand-new gloves throughout the major leagues starting tomorrow, with pitchers on every major league ball club.''

Mike Wazowski and Sully Sullivan are back

I'm conflicted. The first Monster's Inc. is a absolute classic and this prequel could carry on a great tradition... or it could fall into the prequel/sequel trap like so many that came before it.  One clear obstacle this new movie will face is that it won't have Boo; the cutest Disney creation since baby Simba.

These Guys Should Be Out of a Job

Check out the ref at the bottom of the screen.  What in the world is he looking at?

The ball clearly goes over the line, I mean, just look at the angle it has to take to get itself clear of the crossbar.  I found an article in The New York Times Online that talks about this game-changing play, and it might be the dumbest thing I've ever read.

Ukraine’s captain, Andriy Shevchenko, said through an interpreter, “The goal that wasn’t given really changed our plan because if it was given, I think the whole game could have looked another way.”

Shevchenko replaced Marko Devic several minutes after the controversial play but Ukraine still failed to put anything (else) past Joe Hart. And even at that point, a tie might not have been enough to save Ukraine, since it would have given France a half-hour to push for a point — or three — in what became a 2-0 loss to Sweden.

Sir, the point being argued by Shevchenko is not that a tie would have won them the game.  A team's play is going to change drastically in a game like this depending on whether up by a goal, tied or even down by a goal.  No kidding the tie wouldn't have helped, but it would've changed the game enough to put another goal on either side.

If you watched the game, Ukraine was putting on some serious pressure early, and kept it up for a while.  England fought back, but the way the styles would have changed would have definitely shifted this game in which the winner would have been the only one to advance along with France.

Bottom line, the ref and whoever wrote that article. Fired.

Ross and Shoppach Go Yard, All is Right in the World

And back out comes the .gif.  Cody Ross, Kelly Shoppach and David Ortiz all homered tonight to launch the Red Sox to a 7-5 victory over the Miami Marlins at Fenway Park Tuesday night.

Hey, three wins in a row?  See, this is how it should be.  Alfredo Aceves came out in the ninth and slammed the door shut like you read about for his 17th save.  Tomorrow, Felix Doubront takes on Ricky Nolasco, who has lost three of his past four starts.  In Doubront's last outing, he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against these same Marlins.  Redemption time for Miami?  Doubt it.

The Sox are starting to hit well.  Ross coming back off the DL is a huge boost, especially playing against the Marlins, who released Ross unexpectedly in 2010.  Revenge is a dish best served cold.  And jacking a home run complete with a bat flip is the piece de resistance (no French accents, but just imagine them.)

Jungle Bird Brought to Justice, Just Wants to Stop Deforestation

On Sunday, just as Webb Simpson was receiving his awards for his U.S. Open victory, a man donning a British flag winter hat stepped in front of cameras, calling out like a wild bird.  It seemed like just a one-time crazy stunt, but one day later, the truth is revealed.

Known only as the Jungle Bird, the 40-year-old man from the United Kingdom has a Facebook page and a YouTube channel dedicated to his mission.  This seems like the first major event he's crashed.  But now that's officially gone viral, I wouldn't be surprised to see him popping up all over the place the rest of 2012.

Of course, that may depend on jail time, but I think he'll find enough supporters to make him one of the great photo/video bombers in recent memory

Tennis Player Kicks Advertisement, Gashes Line Judges Leg

ESPN.com -- Police are investigating an assault complaint filed against David Nalbandian after the Argentine tennis player kicked an advertising board and injured a line judge during the Queen's Club final.

London police declined to say who made the complaint against Nalbandian, who was defaulted from Sunday's match against Marin Cilic in the grass-court Wimbledon warm-up event.

Any member of the public who witnessed the event in person or on television could have made a complaint, as could the line judge himself.

Nalbandian won the first set 7-6 (3) but lost his temper after losing serve to fall behind 3-4 in the second. After missing a running forehand on game point, he kicked the board under the chair of line judge Andrew McDougall. A piece of the board cut the judge on the left shin, leaving him bloodied from an inch long gash.

Smooth, dude. I understand that was the closest thing to him, but how did he not see the guy right there. The board was practically made of plastic, you had to expect that it was going to snap. Take it out on the racket, or on the court, you nut job.

Danish Player Suspended 1 Game For Wearing Underwear

 

Denmark Championship Soccer Underwear 

After a 3-2 loss to Portugal last week, Danish forward Nicklas Bendtner was suspended for a 2014 Euro Cup qualifying match for lifting his shirt and dropping his shorts enough to show the name of a betting firm on his underwear.

The Euro Cup bans the name of any sponsor anywhere on the team's uniforms, and Bendtner's offense was not only enough to earn him a one-game suspension, but he was also fined $126,000 for it.

Denmark drew the "Group of Death" in the 2012 Euro Cup, getting matched up with the Netherlands, Portugal and Germany.  Denmark shocked the Netherlands 1-0 in their first game, but could not hold on against Germany or Portugal to get another win, and has been eliminated from the tournament.

Crazy British Guy Interrupts U.S. Open Ceremony

This is easily the most bizarre things I have seen in some time.  I posted a little while ago about fans yelling after tee shots and whatnot, but this goes above and beyond.

The weird British flag winter hat, the awkward cooing, and that smug look he has on his face as he is executing his flawless bird call to everyone watching NBC.  The best part is, Bob Costas can't help but make a comment, and neither can U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson.

Webb Simpson Wins U.S. Open

 Webb Simpson wins the U.S. Open at The Olympic Club in San Francisco at 1-over par for the tournament.

The Wake Forest grad won in just the second U.S. Open he has competed in, and his fifth major played.  His victory marks the ninth consecutive major championship on the Tour in which the winner has been a first-timer.

So, what do you get for winning the hardest tournament on Tour?  Exemptions into the next 10 U.S. Opens and next 5 Masters would be the two standouts if you ask me.  He can literally sit on his couch, do absolutely nothing, spend the $1.44 million he just made, and still get to play in the U.S. Open until 2022.


Congratulations, Webb.  Going 4-under on the weekend is pretty damn impressive.

Go Ahead And Ignore My Previous Post About Franklin Morales

In Chicago tonight, the Sox are holding a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the sixth inning.  Franklin Morales is apparently Boston's best pitcher, and has done everything right that I thought he would be doing wrong.  He threw 5 innings, gave up four hits and two runs, and struck out nine.  Nine.

Talk about whole grain and nuts... (my brother may be the only one to get that reference, but its from 'Muppets in Space').  He went off tonight, proving Bobby Valentine right for the second night in a row.  Last night, he hit Jarrod Saltalamacchia in the clean up spot, the first time Salty had hit there in his career.  He responded with a double and a home run, leading the Sox to victory.

The Cubs just tied the game up, but that's no fault of Morales'.  Rather than call a pitcher up when Josh Beckett went down with shoulder inflammation, Bobby V chose to stick to his guns and use an arm out of the already taxed bullpen.  If the Sox can pull off the win, it'll get us to .500, but let's hope it won't be at the expense of the bullpen when they come back home to face Miami and Atlanta.

Usually Annoying, But Every Now And Again Yelling After a Tee Shot is Hilarious

I assume everyone has at least heard the "mashed potatoes" guy by now.  It generally annoys me now when people yell after tee shots.  Its just a bunch of goons, one after the other, trying to outdo the previous outburst.  But then you have a few cases like today.

Ernie Els was taking his second shot out of the rough, and upon contact, a Chewbacca noise came flying out of the gallery.  Unfortunately, that one is going to take the silver medal today, thanks to the video above.  A+ for a Flintstones reference after a Graeme McDowell bomb off the box.

Webb Simpson with the lead in the clubhouse right now, 1-over.

U.S. Open Update

 

Sorry for the delay in blogging, but if you're reading this, go turn on NBC.  The U.S. Open is getting pretty serious.  The final group is on the 14th hole with Jim Furyk and Webb Simpson leading, and Graeme McDowell right behind them.  The leaders at at 1-over par. 

The tournament is at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif., and is the most insane course I've seen in a while.  The courses for the U.S. Open have always been the most difficult in the game, but this one is unbelievable.

Alright, enough for now.  I'll be back soon with a wrap-up.

Probably Should Avoid Taking the Escalator...

Is this real?  Anyone?  A shark tank collapsed at The Scientific Center in Kuwait, resulting in the scariest picture I've ever seen in my life.

The one thing this picture is missing, though?  LL Cool J.  If you don't understand that reference, then this should probably be the last post you read on this blog.

Red Sox Don't Know What They Are, Existentialism Runs Rampant In Clubhouse

 "I don't know that a team necessarily has a personality, but I don't think this team has totally figured out what they are because there have been so many changing parts," Bobby Valentine said. "I don't know how they're looking at themselves. It must be a moving target."

It's June.  Figure it out.  You're a baseball team with the second highest payroll in the game, and you can't win to save your life.  I'd be happy if just one aspect of their game was solid, but on any given night, they're passable at best. 

Kevin Youkilis and Josh Beckett are absolute cancers to the team.  The team is 14-19, which seems to be a trend with every last place team in the league.  This team needs to take some time and figure this out.  How can you expect to go out there 100% if your team can't figure out their own identity.  I understand injuries have thrown a few wrenches into the mix, but look at Toronto.  In their last 5 games they've had 3 starting pitchers go down with injuries - and they're still a game better than us.

"To their credit, we've learned to deal with it," Valentine said. "Sometimes guys start making excuses and using that as a crutch. I haven't heard any of that. It's more like what we were referring to earlier. It's part of the group's mentality and personality, whatever it is. They overcome stuff."

Overcome a sub-.500 record then we'll talk.

Franklin Morales Is Getting a Start? Is This a Joke?

 I'll give you the good news first.

Josh Beckett has been scratched from Sunday's start with shoulder inflammation.  His 4.14 ERA will have to wait another week to get even worse.

The bad news?  Rather than call someone up from the minors, Bobby Valentine has chosen to give reliever Franklin Morales the nod.  His ERA is just over 3, which is miraculous for this pitching staff.

Where's the white flag?  Can somebody take the Magic 8-Ball away from Bobby V so he actually thinks when making these decisions?  That's not to say I'm anti-Valentine, but this move seems like he just drew names out of a hat.

Not like the Sox will be on ESPN for the game Sunday night, no chance at being embarrassed on national TV...

Awesome Van Dance

I wish I was good enough at any sport to drive to games in a team van.

BIll Murray is still the man

Bill Murray is my ideal caricature of kick-ass granddad. At 62 years young, the man just refuses to stop living the dream. Video evidence above.  Rain delays at single A league games usually means damp beer and icecream runs, standing at a piss trough with too many hammerfaced dudes in matching shirts and hats or, since it's a minor league game, just leaving. This weekend Charlestown Riverdogs fans got to watch part-owner, general goofball, and comedy legend, Bill Murray slip and slide around the Riverdogs diamond like an overstimulated 8 yr old.  

Need more evidence that the Ghostbusters star has more swagger on the wrong side of 60 than I do on the right side of 25...

Keep smiling Bill, you earned it.

Put all this, and the 40+ years of critical and box office success aside and there are stories littering the internet  far and wide about his extracurricular shenanigans.  Highlights include: Kareoke with strangers, bartending with the Wu Tang Clan, and drunkenly stealing a golf cart in Sweden. Also, here I was thinking Tim Allen was the only drug dealer turned actor/funnyman, but lo and behold, the man who would be Carl Spackler, was arrested in 1971  trying to smuggle 9 pounds of marijuana through Chigago's O'hare airport. Guy likes to party.

Personal Sidebar: Apparently he's just an great guy to run into. I had a girlfirend in high school whose mom worked for a major airline and Bill Murray was on one of her flights.  They got to chatting and by the end of the night Bill and friends were eating dinner at her house/drawing caricatures of her kids. Sounds like a real down-to-earth kinda fella.

Bill Murray we salute you. Keep on not giving a shit and living like a 20-something rock star.

All Summer-Kid Cudi ft. Rostam Batmanglij & Bethany Cosentino

It's mid-June and Boston's still a little soggy for my liking but this video by Cud and crew sets the right vibe for summer even if the weather doesn't.

Don't Forget Your Pop Chips

Majestic Boston Red Sox David Ortiz Tee - Big And Tall

The dance move at 0:18 should be sweeping the nation right now.  This video came out almost a year ago, but doesn't nearly get enough air time.  Why?  Probably because after eating 5 or 6 Pop Chips, they taste absolutely awful.

Either way, David Ortiz's rapping skills are probably better than his glove skills, even if he's spitting rhymes about salty snacks.  And yeah, they're probably better than Moufy's, too.  But A man can't cross the ocean without a boat... Think about it.

Top 10 Throwback

I don't think I've ever seen a Top 10 on Sportscenter that I didn't like.  I stumbled across this video on YouTube, and figured we could all share in the greatest of Sportscenter throwbacks.  Who knows, if it goes well, this could be a recurring piece.

Also, at the 3:45 mark in the video, it never hurts to be reminded that Brett Favre is still retired.

Birthday Shout-Outs

With an even 200 days left in the years, its time once again to celebrate some birthdays.

Matt Read
Diablo Cody
Joshua Radin
Steffi Graf
Faizon Love
Boy George
Fred Funk
Will Patton
Pat Summit
Donald Trump
Alois Alzheimer
Harriet Beecher Stowe

Jim Rome Continues to Suck

Jim Rome is a genuine dirt bag.  He is everything a person should never strive to be.  This time, he's decided to call out the NBA commissioner, David Stern.  If you're going to do that, you're going to want to make sure you win.

In the conversation with Stern, which you can listen to here (skip ahead to 7:40 first), Rome asked Stern if the NBA Draft lottery is fixed.  Stern's response?  "Shame on you for asking."  Rome immediately freaks out, hiding behind what other people have said, rather than owning up.

If you're wondering about Stern bringing up Rome beating his wife, that's just Stern trying to show how ridiculous the question was.  I didn't know that either.

Rome chooses to keep digging himself further and further into a hole later in the conversation as well.  When Stern accuses him of trying to get a "cheap thrill."

"Here's what I don't want to do, I don't want to say, 'hey commissioner, people would say...' because I'm going to ask a direct question.  But people did wonder," he said.  Wait a minute, earlier, you said you were asking only because other people were thinking it? So you are saying "people would say," you dumb ass.

Classic Stern when he tells Rome that he's made a career out of cheap thrills and is only pouting about the response, followed up by the greatest closing line, to which Rome has absolutely no argument, and I'm not sure he even understood completely.

"Listen, I got to go call somebody important, like Stephen A. Smith now.  He's up next."

I'm not trying to take the commissioner's side, but insulting someone by comparing them to Stephen A. Smith is pure gold.

Celtics Say Thank You

After coming one game from the NBA Finals, the Celtics are out and our thoughts are now focused towards the 2012-2013 season.

This video is awesome, and shows why the Celtics had a 24-9 home record during the regular season.  The Garden was one of the toughest arenas to play in for opposing teams, and these are a few examples why.

Next season, with Kevin Garnett (age 36) and Paul Pierce (34) on the fence, and Ray Allen (36) seemingly headed out to either Miami and the Los Angeles Clippers, this could have been the last ride for the Big 3 in Boston.  With Rajon Rondo stepping up like he did in the postseason, his leadership will be relied on a lot more in future campaigns.

I'll say this right now, if Allen leaves the Celtics, then Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals will be the last Celtics game I ever watch.

Please Trade Kevin Youkilis

Youk's hat must be a little too tight if he doesn't think there are some boo's mixed in with the "Yooouuuk" cheer whenever his name is called.

Kevin Youkilis has been severely under-performing this season, with just a .219 average after already missing a good number of games with his trademark injuries.  He has an absolutely poor attitude, and the Sox already have Will Middlebrooks with Nick Punto on the bench.  Having Youkilis is just unnecessary.

"If I get traded, I get traded.  Nothing you can do.  I wouldn't be the first of the last person here in this room to be traded," Youkilis said.  "Am I happy here this year?  I mean, did it start out well this year?  It hasn't been fun.  So what are you going to do?  You've got a game, you've got teammates, you've got to play.  That's all you can do."

Great attitude, Youk.  Why would you even ask the rhetorical question of "am I happy?"  Do you realize you're playing baseball to earn a living?  Give me your job then, you douche.  It didn't start out well because you're terrible.  You talk trash about your teammates, complain about every little thing the umpires do, and do that weird top step pre-on-deck thing.  Make it stop and go away.

If I get traded, I get traded. Nothing you can do," Youkilis told the Boston Herald before Tuesday's game against the Marlins. "I wouldn't be the first or the last person here in this room to be traded...Am I happy here this year? I mean, did it start out well this year? It hasn't been fun. So what are you going to do? You've got a game, you've got your teammates, you've got to play. That's all you can do."

Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/06/kevin-youkilis-responds-to-trade-speculation-says-if-i-get-traded-i-get-traded.html

#AskPepe Going On Right Now

Pepe the King Prawn is probably the best thing to happen to the Muppets since they decided that the Swedish Chef would have real hands. @DisneyMoviesUK is being taken over by Pepe today, where you can ask any question you want of the prawn.

This video is just a great response to the question.  If you consider yourself a man, you should model your confidence after Pepe.

Bryce Harper Does Not Like 'Clown Questions...' Bro

I hate Bryce Harper.  Yeah, he's better than me at baseball, but that's the least of it.  He's an arrogant bastard, he has one of the dumbest haircuts, wears three pounds of eye black, and is an arrogant bastard.  Anyone who seriously uses the term "bro" is a huge bro.  Especially in this circumstance.

What is a "clown question," Bryce?  Enlighten us on that terminology, with your infinite wisdom.  Is it that difficult to laugh the question off if you don't want to answer it?  Definitely something to get upset about.  You're very cool.

Woman Confuses The Hulk With Phillie Phanatic, Claims She Nearly Died

The Phillie Phanatic, the greatest mascot in sports, is being sued by Suzanne Pierce after an incident at a Jersey Shore hotel in 2010.

Pierce, a Phillies fan, was apparently maliciously assaulted by the world's strongest mascot, when her lounge chair that she was sitting in was lifted up and thrown in the pool.  The pool was filled, and her chair landed in the shallow end.  But from the lawsuit, I guess the pool was actually filled with acid and had electrical currents pumping through it.

Pierce suffered "severe and permanent injuries to her head, neck, back, body, arms and legs, bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and tissues."

I'm sorry...What?!?  First of all, you're just figuring this out two years later, lady?  How could getting thrown in a pool do even two of those things?  I could see if your cell phone was in your pocket and you were pissed off and wanted to sue, but other than that, get real.  He's just a mascot, he didn't raise you over his head and snap you in half.  The

Red Sox Win, Earth Stops Spinning for 3 Minutes

The Red Sox beat the Miami Marlins, 2-1, to get their second win in the past 10 days.  Lordy lordy, hallelujah!

Game ball goes to Kelly Shoppach, who went 2-4 with an RBI and scored the other run himself.  Second star goes to Clay Buchholz.  I still can't really figure out how he has seven wins with an ERA still over five, but hey, whatever works, I guess.

The Sox are still two games under .500.  Its still early in th-- Wait a minute.  Its June.  Enough is enough.  There's way too much talent on this team to be under .500 this late.  Adrian Gonzalez is under-performing, to say the least, with 5 home runs and 49 strikeouts for a .260 average.  Only four players on the Sox are hitting over .300, with just as many players hitting under .260.

The lowest ERA of our starters is Josh Beckett, with 4.14.  Awful.  And power pitching is out the window, considering only two have over 60 strikeouts.

Saving graces of the Red Sox?  Scott Atchison and Will Middlebrooks.  Taking the bronze medal would be Cody Ross, and this .GIF above will show up a lot more once he's back in the line-up.  Losing outfielders every day is becoming demoralizing, but eventually you would think the team would say enough is enough and step up.  Sox play tomorrow night, with Felix Doubront facing Ricky Nolasco.

Go Sox.

Dustin Brown: Classy Beard = Classy Language

The Los Angeles Kings are the 2011-2012 Stanley Cup Champions.  They clinched the Cup with ease, coasting in, 6-1, over the New Jersey Devils last night at home in Game 6.  After the game, captain Dustin Brown was interviewed by NBC Sports' Pierre McGuire, when Brown let an f-bomb drop on his first response.

Honestly, I don't really care if a player swears on live TV.  Its happened before, and it will happen again.  For the kids, they've probably heard the word a thousand times before, so everyone can relax.  Does anyone remember Nyjer Morgan dropping it three times last postseason?

Dustin Brown played out of his mind in Game 6, scoring two goals to clinch the game almost by himself, but when you add that disgusting beard into the mix along with a very unnecessary line like, "that's why we fuckin' play," you look like a chump.

The Answers: Should "Shipping Up to Boston" be Played in Fenway?

LIVE ON LANSDOWNE BOSTON MA BY DROPKICK MURPHYS (CD)

"Shipping Up to Boston" has been a staple in Fenway Park since 2006 as the walk-up song for closer Jonathan Papelbon.  Papelbon has since parted ways with the Red Sox, and left a bad taste in most fans' mouths.

"The difference between Boston and Philadelphia, the Boston fans are a bit more hysterical when it comes to the game of baseball," Papelbon said, just days after Spring Training opened for the Phillies, before he had even played a single game for Philadelphia. "The Philly fans tend to know the game a little better being in the National League, you know, the way the game is played."

With Papelbon gone, we are rid of his idiotic comments and his dumb, pouting look he puts on to "intimidate" hitters.  But one part of him still remains, the Dropkick Murphys anthem, "Shipping Up to Boston."  Should this song still be played in Fenway park?

It's tough to say.  But when you stack up the evidence, I think the scales sway in the song's favor.  The biggest problem with the song would be the memories it brings up about Papelbon.  The uneasy, borderline queasy feeling you got watching him saunter up to the hill, knowing that even a three run lead won't be safe.

But overall, the Dropkick Murphys have been a Boston-area staple, holding shows in Fenway Park and doing a four-day set every St. Patrick's Day across the street at the House of Blues.  If you haven't heard the song, listen to it above, and imagine being in Fenway Park, late in the game, needing something to get the crowd going to get the team going.  The song really is a perfect fit, and hopefully, if the team plays better, we can turn those subconscious feelings of hatred and nervousness around.

The Answer:  Yes, so long as this team starts to show a little improvement and starts to win in Fenway.

"The difference between Boston and Philadelphia, the Boston fans are a little bit more hysterical when it comes to the game of baseball," Papelbon told 94WIP's Angelo Cataldi and The Morning Team. "The Philly fans tend to know the game a little better being in the National League, you know, the way the game is played."

Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/03/jonathan-papelbon-says-phillies-fans-know-baseball-better-than-red-sox-fans-praises-bostons-passion.html

"The difference between Boston and Philadelphia, the Boston fans are a little bit more hysterical when it comes to the game of baseball," Papelbon told 94WIP's Angelo Cataldi and The Morning Team. "The Philly fans tend to know the game a little better being in the National League, you know, the way the game is played."

Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/03/jonathan-papelbon-says-phillies-fans-know-baseball-better-than-red-sox-fans-praises-bostons-passion.html

"The difference between Boston and Philadelphia, the Boston fans are a little bit more hysterical when it comes to the game of baseball," Papelbon told 94WIP's Angelo Cataldi and The Morning Team. "The Philly fans tend to know the game a little better being in the National League, you know, the way the game is played."

Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/03/jonathan-papelbon-says-phillies-fans-know-baseball-better-than-red-sox-fans-praises-bostons-passion.html

Approaching 1,000 Views, Thanks to Russia

 As the blog approaches 1,000 views in under two months, we have many people to thank, both home and abroad.  I don't think it would be right to go any further if we didn't take time to thank our biggest international audience from none other than Russia.

Russia has accounted for nearly one-tenth of our audience, so we're going to attempt to continue that trend here at Three if by Strike.  Plus, with Russia leading Group A in the 2012 Euro Cup, we now have someone to root for.

Russia, the largest country in the world at over 6.5 million square miles, is home to the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources.  Run by President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, it is home to over 143 million citizens.  Their currency is known as Ruble (no, not the cheap vodka), and they drive on the right (correct) side of the road.

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about why we care so much about Russia.  Football.  Not American football, either.  Russia tied Poland today, 1-1, giving them the lead in Group A by a point over the Czech Republic.  Russia will take on a struggling Greece on Saturday, and we'll be watching with pride.

Bill Plaschke Should Be Out By 'First Cut' Every Episode

Classic Plaschke.  How many points are deducted for this?

I'm not going to hate on another man's game, but perhaps there could have been a better time to address this?  Bill Plaschke throwing out love from 3,000 miles away to Jackie MacMullan may not give him the results he wants, but I'll give him credit.  Of course the other clowns have to toss in their two cents, but the damage is already done at that point.

Dolphins Cheerleaders Make "Call Me Maybe" More Than Tolerable

Saying anything about this video would only ruin it, but I'll take that risk to point out a few things.  I'll wait the three and a half minutes for your attention...

At 0:28, did anyone notice anything strange?  Anything at all?  Maybe the four-year-old girl standing in the ball pit?  The only other thing, which completely confuses me, is at 2:00, when there is one continuous shot, yet there are four girls in two positions.  How in the world...  Yes, you can watch it again.

Georges Laraque Wants Back In

“At my age I wouldn’t expect to play every game, and if I went from nine minutes a game to four or five, that’s fine,” he said. “I could be a veteran role player. I can’t see how a team could turn me down with those terms if they want toughness"

Georges Laraque just wants to lace 'em up one more time.  The thirty-five year old's two herniated discs have "vanished" according to his work out regiments which include acupuncture and yoga.  Laraque played in 695 games in the NHL, racking up 1,126 penalty minutes.  That's almost a minor penalty per game average.  Not too shabby.

It seems like he'd be a good fit for the Canucks, but he's not a huge pussy, so his style may clash with the rest of the team.

Breathe Easy, Kelly and Campbell Re-Signed by Bruins

 A week after Bruins' GM Peter Chiarelli re-signed Daniel Paille and said the team would be parting ways with Joe Corvo, they have re-signed forwards Chris Kelly and Gregory Campbell.

Kelly, fresh off a 20-goal season, will remain in Boston for four years, making $12 million, and Cambpell, the Bruins "Merlot line" center for three years, making $4.8 million.

Money is going to be tight this season, with arguably the most hated man in Boston since Bucky Dent, Tim Thomas using up $5 million of salary cap space.  But the signing of Campbell will be huge for the Bruins' energy line.  He only had 16 points all of last season, but his impact in the corners is where he does his damage.  As for Kelly, at age 31, that was his first 20-goal season, and has found his place earning an alternate captain spot for the black and gold.

We're still a man down on the defensive depth chart, but with free agency just under three weeks away, things will get interesting.  We'll keep you posted right here.

Chris Perez Continues to Prove He is an Animal

Chris Perez cannot be stopped.  He just got his 20th save of the season, keeping the Cleveland Indians just a half game out of first place.  Not only is he mowing down batters with ease, he apparently handles a stomach bug pretty easily, too.

''I drank some warm water and I ran out there and it just didn't settle well,'' Perez said. ''What am I going to do, call timeout and run into the dugout?

''If you remember, a couple years ago in spring training it was the same situation. So I need to stay away from warm water.''

That you do.  Because that was gross.  But hey, that takes serious guts to get out there on the mound and still pitch, nevermind get the save, when you feel like that.

The Answers: Which Players Jersey are Still Okay to Wear?

This one was a tough question to word, but here's what I'm really driving at.  At Fenway, you see thousands of fans wearing player tee's, from Kevin Youkilis to Jon Lester.  But every now and again, you'll see a player who has moved on from the Sox, i.e. Johnny Damon or Rich "El Guapo" Garces.

What this question really deserves is a list, but before we get there, let's talk about the factors.  Any retired number (1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 14 or 27) is cool, which pretty much goes without saying.  Any other jersey that they sell in the Sox team store like Luis Tiant or Fred Lynn is kosher as well.

Obviously there are going to be a few grey areas, and we'll get to those, but any player from the 2004 or 2007 World Series teams are usually cool, seeing as how two championships in four years after none in 86 years is definitely worthy.

Then there are the players that were either total douche bags, did steroids, or set people on fire.  None of those should be worn.  You know what, this will be easier if we just get to the list.

The Answers:  Wear: Trot Nixon
Mo Vaughn
Rich Garces
Doug Mirabelli
Kevin Millar
Bill Mueller
Gabe Kapler Carl Everett
Rocco Baldelli
David Wells
Tom Gordon
John Valentin
Mike Greenwell
Nomar Garciaparra (I didn't forget about him, I still count him on that 2004 World Series team.  The '97 Rookie of the Year is always acceptable, whether the jersey is from Georgia Tech or the Cubs)

Majestic Boston Red Sox Carl Yastrzemski Cooperstown Tee
Majestic Boston Red Sox Ted Williams Cooperstown Tee 
Don't Wear: Johnny Damon
Manny Ramirez
Jonathan Papelbon
Marco Scutaro
Daisuke Matsuzaka (I know he's still on the team, but, no)
John Lackey (don't even think about it...)
Carl Everett (he deserves to be on both sides)
Ugueth Urbina
Mark Bellhorn
Todd Walker

You get the idea.  That's the list for now, more names will probably fill in soon.  Stay tuned.

Majestic Boston Red Sox Carl Yastrzemski Cooperstown Tee

I Love the Pine-Sol Lady

The Pine-Sol Lady can do no wrong. The only thing she's done that I haven't been a fan of has been disappearing from TV for all these years.

I stumbled across the video as an ad on YouTube.  Normally, I pay no attention, but this video is top shelf.  Standouts for me? Definitely the guy who's just pumped to see her at 0:55, he gets the gold.  Silver goes to the "ohhhhhJESUS" kid at 0:25, and bronze to the second "oh Jesus" guy who actually takes a tumble at 1:15.

LeBron Sucks

LeBron sucks. Wade does too. That is all. Go Celtics.

Jeremy Hellickson Doesn't Give a Sh*t?

 

If you think you know what Jeremy Hellickson is all about, you're probably wrong.  According to one elderly gentleman at Fenway Park last night (during the Sox-Orioles...) game, Hellickson's focus lies outside the game of baseball.

The guy came up to me and we got to talking for a minute before he found his seats, and he explained to me how he was born and raised in the northeast but currently lives in Florida.  He told me about "this good little ball team they got in Florida, the first place Rays."  They're in third place, but that's besides the point.

He told me how Carlos Pena, or "pee-nuh" as he pronounced it, was a great hitter, and how they got "a young pitcher, he's only 25, the kid, what's his name..."

After I guessed Matt Moore, David Price and James Shields incorrectly, I finally guessed Hellickson's name, and the guy lit up, and filled me in on this fact:

"Hellickson, now he's up there, chewin' gum, like he don't, give, a shit!"

I don't know what I'm supposed to take that to mean, but I love it.  I'll look forward to the next time Hellickson starts to witness this.