Archive for Audio and/or Visual

Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski have at least two things in common that I can think of at the moment. One, they both star in pretty excellent examples of that most modern of art forms, the situation comedy. Two, while both are excellent comic actors, neither’s particularly funny on his own. (Note: this isn’t an indictment at all, just an observation.)

Apparently, a third thing binds Messrs. Baldwin and Krasinki — namely, the willingness to trade their likenesses and comic talents for American currency. Which, an example of that is what you see in this video here, a commercial in which the pair have starred for New Era.

The ad company of record is Brooklyn Brothers, who actually have some pretty entertaining work available at their site.

H/T: My intelligent and attractive sister.

The lovely and talented Heidi Watney learns, in the hardest of ways, that here in the Midwest we do atherosclerotic food pairings almost as well as we do unemployment and the vague suspicion that nothing matters …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qDjOamp9P0&feature=player_embedded

This is the angina-pains city, and this is what we do.

(Gut-bump: HBT)

I can only imagine that this video is shown to all incoming Minnesota Twins.

(Tip of the hat to The Common Man of The Platoon Advantage, who I can verify is actually a real person and not merely an abstraction!)

Important American Filmmaker (and occasional FanGraphs contributor, turns out) has turned his attention ever so briefly away from DIPS theory and towards the always wholesome field of advertising.

The product he’s promoting? Actually, it’s The Process Report 2011, discussed by our own Jackie Moore in these pages last week.

Little else to add from me — except that I’ve watched the video and have suffered no lesions or other ill effects as a direct result.

Yesterday, after watching Melky Cabrera high-five Joe West — he high-fived Joe freakin’ West! — I had to make some changes to my My Most Favorite Baseball Players in the Whole Wide World list. Needless to say, Melky skyrocketed up the rankings.

Then Peter Hjort, of Capital Avenue Club fame (one of the best blogs in the bidness), blessed us again, with “another good Melky moment,” as he put it.

Sit back, and enjoy the 11 second ride:

When Melky’s hungry, Melky’s got to eat. And judging by the way Cabrera so nonchalantly went about his business, he knew that morsel of, well, whatever it was, was there for the taking all along.

I can appreciate a man with a plan. Long live the Melky way.

You’re the best, Peter Hjort. Gracias.

So Kathy Lyford, my gifted and patient editor over at FOXSports.com (much like Yahoo!’s exclamation mark, the caps-locked FOX is a marketing flourish without which the business model could not survive) has undertaken the yeoman’s toil (yeowoman’s toil?) of putting together galleries of every mascot, ballpark and signature concession in MLB.

And now we shall crowdsource … What’s the best mascot? What’s your favorite ballpark? Delectable?

As for moi, you can probably guess from the photo above that I’m quite fond of the Oriole Bird. While Fredbird will always have my greater, more profound loyalties, Oriole Bird gets this nod. This is because I’ve always admired birds who walk upright, have no wings, and wear caps, stirrups and clown-cleats. He was also outstanding in season five of “The Wire.”

Ballyard? PNC without question. Concession? Wholesome, nutritious alcohol.

And what of you, handsome readers?

Eccentricity!

It looks like Tim Byrdak is looking for entrance music when he trots out of the bullpen, and he’s willing to let readers decide for him. First, we’ll have to decide what we’re voting for, or it’s likely that TedQuarter’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” lark will win. And do we want that? Well, maybe we do.

But let’s talk it over first.

Some suggestions, for your perusal:

The LOOGY Clap by Lazy Mary
Ghetto Ways by Scissors for Lefty
I Just Can’t Live that Fast Anymore by Lefty Frizell
Half a Man, Lefty & Pancho by Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson
Sling Shot Part Two by Lefties Soul Connection

Or we could do something not-so-lefty, and just plain badass:

I Don’t Want To Be A Player No More, Big Pun
This Modern Love, Bloc Party
Mistress Mabel, The Fratellis
Hurricane, Jamie LIdell
Daft Punk Is Playing At My House, LCD Soundsystem
*The Sweat Descends, Les Savy Fav
Fire On the Bayou, The Funky Meters
Electric Feel, MGMT
Wanna Be Startin Somethin, Michael Jackson
Young Folks, Peter Bjorn and John
Coming in Hot, Peter Tosh
Simon Says, Pharoahe Monch
*Loud Pipes, Ratatat
2 More Dead, RJD2
*Hash Pipe, Weezer

*Mine if I as a player. I can’t decide.

H/T: Ted Berg

It would be a crime both (a) against humanity and (b) in at least one Mississippi county to bid adieu to The Feast of Pete Incaviglia without making public the above image.

The absence of a (an?) hilarious caption is no accident: it’s possible there are words for what you see here; they just aren’t English words.

If NotGraphs exists for one reason, it’s to propagate the spread of Joe West-related art throughout the country, world, and universe. But if NotGraphs exists for two reasons, the second of those is to celebrate what is Good about baseball and the internets.

Thank you, Grant Brisbee, for doing the thing you do.

Happy Opening Day, dear NotGraphers.

Let us now have this thing called baseball.