In the second installment of A GIF and a Tune, we watch Rajai Davis float along to the smoother-than-velvet-underpants stylings of Chet Baker.
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(A very animated tip of the cap to Matt Gwin for the GIF.)
In the first installment of the new series A GIF and a Tune, we look at Ben Revere whilst listening to the final movement of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3.
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This has been A GIF and a Tune.
Seriously, people. Just give someone (or lots of people) a God-damned hug today. Chances are, at least one of you will feel better.
(h/t to April for the pic)
Look, I’m not saying I would buy a sex robot. But if I did, its face would be a flat screen playing this on a loop.
Dearest Carlos Quentin,
Watch the above GIF. That looks like it hurts. I’m no doctor, and I did go to public school, but I would reckon that doesn’t feel good. I can tell by that face you made there. This has happened to you a lot, Carlos Quentin. One hundred and fifteen times, to be exact.
That total isn’t the most. Craig Biggio got plunked 170 more times than you did. But Biggio had a career HBP rate of 2.2%. Your rate is 4.1%. There’s something to be said about your penchant for getting plunked, but I don’t know what that something is. I’ll keep looking. In the meantime, here are some random facts about you getting hit by pitches.
In 2012, you played only 86 games, and still led the league in HBP with 17.
You have more career HBP than:
I have deemed it too long since the last installment of NotGraphs’ Men Surrounded By Things series, so I present the Cubs’ first base prospect Rock Shoulders surrounded by wrestler/actor The Rock’s shoulder. Both subjects are delightful mixes of muscularity and artfulness.
This has been Men Surrounded By Things.
I bid good weekends to you all.
Morning, guys. Hey, did you hear? There are bagels in the conference room. Seriously, go grab one quick.
Pam should have never taken the trip to Houston.
No more than four hours ago, Pam was leading what she thought to be a happy, fulfilling life. Did she grow up wanting to be a receptionist at a realty office? No. But she made the best of it. And sure, her husband isn’t much of a looker, but he’s a sweet man and gave her two beautiful children. Of course she would like Tiffany to pump the brakes a little when it comes to boys, and Tyler’s ADHD is starting to really become an issue, but she’s fairly confident her kids won’t grow up to be criminals or musicians or anything like that. When put into perspective, Pam figured she ended up with a nice life.
That was until about 30 seconds ago. Thirty seconds ago, Pam was excited. She was about to see Yu Darvish pitch a perfect game for her Texas Rangers. He was only one out away, and the Astros weren’t even coming close to getting a hit so far. Pam didn’t know how many perfect games had been pitched in history, but it had to be pretty low. Less than 100, right? No matter, Pam was about to witness history. She was already thinking about how she would explain what happened to everyone in the office and her book club. She was crafting the narrative in her head. People would be hanging on her every word. For once, Pam would be the coolest person in the room.
When I encounter new people, sometimes the subject of me being a baseball fan is breached. They inevitably ask me if I’m a Twins fan. I say I am, partly because it’s true and partly because small talk greatly increases my social anxiety symptoms. There was a time when I strayed away from baseball — this is probably more suited for another post — but suffice it to say that when I did come back, the Twins were a big part of it. When I returned, I returned with vigor and considered the Cheap Seats (capitalized because that was the actual name of the section) at the Metrodome my second home for years.
But part of my reintroduction was to make sure I paid attention to everything going on. I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything, regardless of team. This is something I still hold on to. I care about the Twins, but I’m a fan of the sport. It was a part of my starting over, and it remains with me.
Starting over is a plot point for countless books, movies, and TV shows. A character wants to be rid of their current situation and works to change it. The character’s past usually catches up with them before the end, despite their best efforts. This is common in fiction because it holds true in our world. It’s incredibly difficult to leave your past behind. It lingers. It haunts.
