Jonathon Papelbon: More of the Same

Got to watch another Red Sox spring training game on ESPN this afternoon, a thoroughly disappointing 4-4 tie with Philadelphia. That said all the interesting news revolves around the Sox pitcher Jonathon Papelbon. Jon-Boy, after a spring training in which he was prepped to be a starter, had a stud rookie season as the Sox closer, with the following stats:

59G 4W 2L 35SV 68 1/3IP 8R 7ER 75K 0.92 ERA 0.776 WHIP

Before shoulder issues ended his season as the Sox were tanking their way out of the playoffs. The shoulder problems were all the concerning the offseason and the word was they would stretch Papelbon out and start him next season, so he could get the rest a starter does.

ESPN is reporting today that after spending a spring training preparing to start, Papelbon will reprise his role as closer this season. This is a good move because all the closer prospects this spring have been uninspiring. This really will gel the bullpen roles quickly. Also there seems to be a glut of workable 5th starter options (to follow Schilling, Beckett, Matsuzaka, and Wakefield in the rotation) with the likes of Jon Lester, Kyle Snyder, Julian Tavarez, and even possibly Kason Gabbard (who is having an exceptional spring) vying for the job.

Papelbon (and Wakefield for that matter) looked sharp in today's outing. Jon threw hard and had good movement on his pitches. Also he threw his changeup for strikes, which gives him a third viable pitch. Also in an interesting note, he threw exclusively from the stretch, which is something a starting pitcher generally would not do in situations with no one on base. Does this give more credence to the rumor? Only time will tell.

Go Sox!

TomC

Self Promotion!

I never once thought about blogging for recognition of any kind, so its always surprising to me when I find that anyone out there cares about my posts. I am not going to lie, through FeedBurner, I have a strong grasp of about how many people do read my blog, our small but dedicated brotherhood. Every now and then I get suprised by some things. I have blogged before that I have added my site to the "Great Wall" at FuelMyBlog. Well through the dedication of my readers I have been in the top ten entertainment sites on the site before. Well, we have made it to the top! As proven by the graphic above, I have the #1 entertainment blog on that site, and I have all of you to thank. Awesomeness.

The other graphic is a benchmark I personally find amusing. To me you know you have made it on the web when people can find your site by an easy Google Search, and doing such a search I find that I am easily visible on the first page of results. Neato. Maybe you find this less exciting than me but I am pumped.

Hope you all are having as good a night as me.

TomC

CAO Gold Corona

5.5" X 42, Natural

One might have noticed that over the life of my Blog so far, I have generally reviewed Medium to strong cigars, both in strength and body. Well for a change of pace I thought I would hearken back to the days when I smoked mild cigars, and review a CAO Gold, a rather popular Natural Wrapped Cigar. Here goes:

Appearance: Smooth and tan, not much in the way of veins, and pretty firmly packed. Overall a pretty nice looking stogie.

Prelight: Despite a hiccup by my normally dependable Xikar (needs sharpened maybe?), I was able to correct this stick to a nice clean cut. The prelight draw was acceptable, with tangyness and sweet honey as prelight notes.

Burn/Draw: fabulous. burned razor straight, nice easy draw with just enough resistance to prove worthwhile. The ash was medium grey and mottled and held for a bit more than an inch. Burned just like a well constructed cigar should. See the telling illustration below.
Flavor: there was much more flavor than I expected in this cigar. It was dominated by sweet and tangy notes. Woody notes like maple, sweet ones like honey, and nutty notes like toasted almonds and pecans. Over the last third of the cigar some spice crept in, cinnamon, and way toward the end some pepper. This is a cigar on the mild side of medium, in terms of both strength and body but definitely provides plenty of flavor. Overall this is a fabulous example how being a mildish stogie does not mean you have to be a bland one. Recommended.

TomC

Stogie Time!

No fancy Review for this one (I already reviewed the Don Lino Africa, anyway). Just some pics of enjoying a good cigar. This is The Smoking Lounge after all.

TomC

Dice-K

I know I haven't really talked about them much to date, but I am a big Boston Red Sox fan (growing up in Massachusetts and all), and it will become a regular part of my blogging once the regular season starts in earnest. I am watching the Sox spring training game this afternoon (on ESPN) against the pirates, and its my first real look at the Japanese phenom we have all heard about over the winter.

Former Seibu Lion Pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka's adventure in coming to Boston has been told many times, but for those who haven't heard it yet the Wikipedia Version should provide a nice primer. I am more interested in the game today because this is the first time I got to see him pitch in a game situation (since the '06 WBC, where I wasn't looking critically at what he could do to help the team I root for). I got to say, he looked pretty sharp today. From what announcers said today its really the first time he's cranked it up. Hes got a 93-96 fastball that sinks or rises, an 85-88 changeup that moves all over the place (Adam LaRoche called it a "Fog Ball", and said he couldn't even see it), a curveball with a pronounced drop to it and a slider slurve thing. I didn't see any gyroball pitch, but add the rumor of that and I gotta say that he looked downright intimidating. It this is what the Sox get from him on a regular basis, Look Out!

Matsuzaka 5 2/3 IP 1ER 1H 6K

In an unrelated not, Mike Timlin will start the season on the DL with an oblique strain. Hopefully it will not linger.

Go Sox!

TomC

Browns Seabrook Lobster Pound

One of the things that I miss the most about New England, living in the Midwest, is real, fresh, seafood. So every time I got home I make it a point to get some at some point. One of the best places for New England style seafood, and a place filled with many happy memories from my youth is Seabrook, NH. In Seabrook are two of the best seafood shacks in the country, right across the street from one another. On one side, Markey's Lobster Pool: And, on the other side, Brown's Lobster Pound: While they use slightly different recipes, the food is pretty much comparable. A funny tradition/rivalry has popped up between the patrons. One seems to always go to the shack you grew up going to, and never to the other. To that end, I have been to Seabrook hundreds of times, and been to Markey's only once. And we definitely went to Brown's again this time. Brown's Makes all the New England basics. Clams, Scallops, Haddock, Shrimp, (all fried or steamed), and of course LOBSTER! (if you want it whole, you can pick your dinner out yourself!):
I must say it was delicious. Every bit worth braving the snowstorm that was raging while we travelled two and from there. (the picture of the road in my previous post was I-495 south crawling along in the storm heading home). So, if any of you are in the area I suggest that you try the seafood in Seabrook out, because if you are not, you are missing out!

TomC

My Bracket After The First Weekend.

None of the real upsets happened (Duke Losing kinda was an upset, but everyone seemed to expect it). Boston College lost to Georgetown in the second Round. Ohio State barely survived Xavier in overtime. My bracket did not survive the weekend. See the carnage above.

Also, for those interested, an update on the race on the race to 66th best!


TomC

Scary Monkey Man!

This creepy little dude is following us home from New England (as a present from my sister, Jen.). You just never know on trips like this...


TomC

Lunch on Sunday

Tasty greek food in my hometown. Started with spinach pie appetizer. Then had a delicious baked lamb, with a Greek salad, and some Egg and Lemon soup. Finished up with Baklava. Its nice to visit my hometown, where you can actually get ethnic food on occasion.


More on this place later.

TomC

@ the Dubliner, Downtown Lowell, MA.

HAPPY ST PATRICKS DAY, Fuckers!

TomC

I-495 South From Seabrook, NH

So, yeah. Its snowing a bit in MA.

This is what 495 one of the busiest roads around looks like today, thats how much snow fell. Looks like some plans might need adjusting. We will have fun no matter what.

TomC

Travelling Sucks.

I love rest stops. this one is just outside Utica, NY. I look great at six in the morning,huh?

TomC