my days:

1. wake up
2. talk to fiance while getting ready
3. go to work
4. work
5. lunch break!!!!!
6. more work
7. go home from work
8. more fiance time
9. dinner (if I feel like it)
10. watch the Yankees (lose, lately =/)
11. not sleep

This is how not to eat.

1. eat a normal lunch at noon.
2. busy doing things until 10:30 PM.
3. become a starving person.
4. go to a diner, get way too much food, stuff face, get super full.

ANTM these past... two weeks?

Hair couture:
1. Krista
2. Raina
3. Alasia
4. Jessica
5. Alexandra
6. Anslee
7. Angelea

New Zealand countryside:
1. Raina
2. Jessica
3. Krista
4. Alasia
5. Angelea
6. Alexandra

At least the endless parade of girls with names beginning in "A" are leaving. Hooray!

oh wow I didn't even talk about last week's ANTM

So, Cover Girl photos. No explanation, because they're so bad and not worth it boooo.

1. Jessica
2. Angelea
3. Alasia
4. Alexandra
5. Raina
6. Anslee
7. Krista
8. Brenda

Tonight's photoshoot, which got released already, is much better than this one, thank God.

(amusing note: I blanked out and had originally written "is much better than God." That was up for a couple of hours. WHOOPS!)

baseball's leaders, April 4-April 19

WAR and WARP are not very fun to look at right now because they max out at like 1.1 and the superior performers so far are tied for like 0.9, 0.8, etc. so I'll turn to VORP. I think I'll do this week to week, just to laugh at things at the end of the season. Let's see how long I keep this up for ;)

VORP leaders, hitting, AL:
1. Vernon Wells TOR 11.2
2. Scott Podsednik KCR 11
3. Nelson Cruz TEX 10.3
4. Shin-soo Choo CLE 10.2
5. Jose Guillen KCR 9.9
6. Dustin Pedroia BOS 9.7
7. Jorge Posada NYY 8.5
8. Franklin Gutierrez SEA 8.4
9. Derek Jeter NYY 8.2
10. Miguel Cabrera DET 7.9
11. Joe Mauer MIN 7.8
12. Adam Lind TOR 7.7
13. Alex Gonzalez TOR 7.6
14. Hideki Matsui ANA 7.4
15. Justin Morneau MIN 7.0
(Granderson and Cano are #16 and 17, wooo. :) )

VORP leaders, hitting, NL:
1. Josh Willingham WAS 10.9
2. Chase Utley PHI 10.8
3. Casey McGehee MIL 10.7
4. Albert Pujols STL 9.4
5. Martin Prado ATL 9.2
6. Adrian Gonzalez SDP 8.8
7. Ivan Rodriguez WAS 8.3
8. Ryan Braun MIL 8.1
9. Jeff Francoeur NYM 7.4
10. Jimmy Rollins PHI 7.3
11. Matt Kemp LAD 7.2
12. Brad Hawpe COL 7.0
13. Hanley Ramirez FLA, Placido Polanco PHI 6.9
14. Manny Ramirez LAD 6.6
15. Andre Ethier LAD 6.3

VORP leaders, pitching, AL:
1. Matt Garza TBR 11.4
2. Ricky Romero TOR 9.8
3. Andy Pettitte NYY 9.0 (woof, I'll be in my bunk.)
4. Dana Eveland TOR 6.0
5. Dallas Braden OAK 5.9
6. John Lackey BOS 5.6 (I suspect this will change after they update with today's stats, as the Rays murdered him today.)
7. Jered Weaver ANA, CC Sabathia NYY, AJ Burnett NYY 5.4
8. Doug Fister SEA 5.1
9. Francisco Liriano MIN, John Danks CHW, David Price TBR 4.8
10. Brian Bannister KCR 4.5
11. Colby Lewis TEX 4.4
12. Scott Baker MIN, Matt Guerrier MIN 4.3
13. Ben Sheets OAK, Felix Hernandez SEA, Tony Pena CHW 4.1
14. Brett Anderson OAK, Justin Duchscherer OAK 4.0
15. Jeremy Guthrie BAL, Fausto Carmona CLE 3.9

VORP leaders, pitching, NL:
1. Roy Halladay PHI 11.7
2. Tim Lincecum SFG 11.1
3. Ubaldo Jimenez COL 10.8
4. Adam Wainwright STL 10.6
5. Livan Hernandez WAS 10.5 (.173 BABIP? Yeah, that explains a lot.)
6. Barry Zito SFG 8.6
7. Zach Duke PIT, Jaime Garcia STL, Roy Oswalt HOU 7.5
8. Mike Pelfrey NYM 7.2
9. Brad Penny STL 7.1
10. Ryan Dempster CHC 6.2
11. JA Happ PHI, Hiroki Kuroda LAD 5.8
12. Johan Santana NYM, Carlos Silva CHC 5.6
13. Burke Badenhop FLA 5.3
14. Ricky Nolasco FLA 5.2
15. Jonathan Sanchez SFG 5.1

I can't even be bothered to say anything about these ANTM photos.

So I'll just rank 'em:

1. Jessica
2. Brenda
3. Raina
4. Alasia
5. Anslee
6. Krista
7. Alexandra
8. Tatianna
9. Angelea

Vampires!

Good lord this photoshoot was so bad. :( I don't feel like getting into a ton of detail on this photoshoot, because of the badness.

1. Brenda: This is Brenda's first truly fierce photo since the first one. She doesn't look all weirdly cut up, I love her face, and the way she's playing with that guy's hand is awesome.
2. Jessica: I'm not crazy about her mouth here. That's a weird thing to nitpick, but it's true. However, the rest of the picture is pretty good. I get a True Blood/Kristen Stewart vibe, and that's not exactly a bad thing for this photoshoot.
3. Raina: Her eyes are completely wonky, and I'm surprised no one commented on that, and I hate the fact that one leg is completely missing. But she's got a great pose and I love the action.
4. Alasia: CLOSE YOUR LEGS. But, I like her passion.
5. Simone: The judges really unfairly ripped on this, IMO. How surprising, I am biased toward the amazing goddess that is Simone. Anyway, it's not a great picture. I see a little awkwardness and stiffness, to be sure. But I like her pose and I see a connection with her and the guy.
6. Anslee: I don't like how she cut off her legs, at all. But you know what, I actually love how she's gripping the edge of the tub. It gives this picture some oomph.
7. Alexandra: Her face is weird and her legs/other limbs look all distorted.
8. Angelea: What? It's just not a very good angle on her face.
9. Tatianna: Hate how all her limbs look like stumps, HAAAAATE her face.
10. Krista: Dude, you could at least TRY.

finally done with the ANTM posts (for now) woooo

So... these photos, unlike the other two photoshoots, were mostly really really bad. But I'm gonna rank 'em anyway.

1. Angelea: It's not great, but it's the best of the week by default. She looks really tall and elegant, even if she doesn't look like she's dancing, and one of her arms looks like it's growing out of her neck. And I love her face, plus how she's really pulling off all the dumb accessories she has here.
2. Alasia: I hate the photoshopping here. They should have just had her on the ground; it would have looked much better. That said, it's a pretty good picture. I love the dreamy aspect of it, and I think she's pulling that off really well. I love how statuesque it is, and yet there's a lot of action to the photo as well. I'm not crazy about her face because the eyes are super weird and totally dead, but these photos were all so bad that it's still one of the better ones.
3. Simone: Fierce stunning flawless diva etc. The judges got on her case for not being "committed" or something but I don't really agree; she looks fine here. It's not spectacular or anything, but it's better than the rest of these crappy photos. I think there's a lot of "oomph" in her face, actually, and that convinces me. My biggest problem is that she almost looks kinda short here.
4. Raina: Body is absolutely sick here, and I think she makes this photo pretty modelesque, as well as pulling off her genre, which was kind of strange. Oh, and I want her legs. They're pretty sick. But her face... yikes. It's just not that flattering for me. I think it's the expression, as well as her mouth. Also WTF do her shoes have fringe?
5. Alexandra: I'm not crazy about the photography in this picture, but that's not her fault. This is pretty good. I love how tall she looks and that one leg that's in the air. It's just kinda... meh. Her face looks very hesitant and she really does seem to sort of suffer from Whitneymouth, plus there's so much tension in her upper body and arms.
6. Jessica: She really needed a much more lively face for this, and the way that dress rides on her chest is really annoying, but it's not bad. She looks gorgeous and, above all, she looks incredibly modelesque. I love how tall and thin she looks. She really looks like a model, but I don't think she expresses her given dance very well at all.
7. Anslee: It's not AWFUL, but it's so incredibly stiff. It's not model-y, it's just awkward. Don't really have much else to say about this, oh well. Her face looks pretty but again, it looks like she's clenching her jaw.
8. Krista: I love her body here. I think she's portraying her genre really well, and she looks very tall and thin. So why is she so low? OH MY GOD HER FACE WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH IT AAAGH. Seriously, look at it. The expression, the angle, it's unbelievably horrible. Wow. But she portrays ballet quite well, though, let's face it, it was probably one of the easier genres to portray.
9. Tatianna: She looks tall and skinny and her legs rule, but this just isn't a very good photo. The pose is soooo awkward and, well, posey. And OH MY GOD HER FACE! I CANNOT STOP LAUGHING BAHAHAHAHHA. Also, it looks like her hand is growing out of her head, kinda. I can't figure Tatianna out. Her photos are generally either awesome or terrible, and she gets like five seconds of screentime an episode.
10. Brenda: Well... uh... she looks tall... and that's about it. I'm sorry, she's just so incredibly awkward here. Her pose just looks like a statue. I don't really see the dance there. And her face is just... I don't get it. Her eyes look absolutely terrible and the expression on her face is all messed up. I hate her mouth, too.
11. Ren: I just... well, much like Tatianna's photo, I laughed for DAYS. Wow. WTF is this? She looks really tall but her proportions look very weird (long torso, short legs). I know disco was a weird theme, but she just looks so incredibly awkward here. She doesn't look committed enough in her face, which could have made her silly pose look a lot better. I just don't like it much at all. She really fell off a cliff after her spectacular first photo.

the next batch of ANTM pictures...

These were weird beauty shots with "perfume" that was really paint. Still, I gotta give ANTM props, they do a beauty shoot nearly every cycle and they've managed to come up with original ideas. Yay.

1. Raina: I gasped a little when I saw this photo. She looks like a real model. It is fan-freaking-tastic. I contemplated putting her second, but for this photo's incredible impact, I rank her first. Maybe she could be doing a little bit more, I suppose, but when you've got that face, do you really need to do more?
2. Anslee: Why hello fierce bitch. I loooove her approach to this photo. I thought she did something quite original which could have been weird, but she totally pulled it off. And that BONE STRUCTURE zomg. To die. She looks like a mannequin here, in a good way, and she's really showing off the "perfume." Fantastic. I don't love how it looks like her hand is on her boob but it's a maaaahvelous picture besides that. I just like Raina's a tad more.
3. Tatianna: I feel like she gets about five seconds of screentime a week, so I don't really know what to think of her, but I love this picture. It's not as crazy outstanding as the first two, but it's a great photo. It looks a little bit like she is genuinely cold and not like she's modeling, but that's really my only nitpick. It's a gorgeous, sensual photo and I looooove the expression on her face. Whether it was intentional or not, this photo looks exactly like a perfume ad. I love the passion in her eyes, too. And you know what? She makes the beaver teeth work! It is a miracle!
4. Simone: I'll get the negative out of the way first; I'm not crazy about the way she's all scrunched up. It looks a bit uncomfortable, and this photo isn't as OUTSTANDING as the three above it. That said, it's a wonderful picture. That's a great angle on her face, and I love her expression. I think it works really well as both an ad and a modeling photo. GO STUNNING GODDESS!!!!
5. Alexandra: It's not reinventing the wheel, but it's a very pretty picture of a very pretty girl. I wish she hadn't tilted her head up like that because it's a little like looking up her nose, but it's still a pretty flattering angle on her. I see genuine emotion in her eyes. It's not outstanding, but it's nice.
6. Jessica: Small step down. This is an okay shot. I loooove the energy in her pose, but I wish it had carried over to her face. It's almost too serene, if that makes sense, and that's just not a great angle on her, to be honest. Something is a little weird in her eyes, as well. But I love her originality and it's still a pretty good picture.
7. Krista: I go back and forth between liking this quite a bit and not really liking it. Sometimes I see her trying to get a lot of emotion out of her eyes and expression in general, and sometimes I think she's basically just sitting there going "meh." Also, the makeup they put on her makes her look a little old. Still, I'm totally obsessed with her skin and her bone structure, and she's showing them off perfectly. So yay, to some extent.
8. Angelea: Ugh, this would have been so much better if they just photoshopped out the GIANT piece of hair that's over her nose! Anyway, yeah. I think she's trying a bit too hard here and at the same time her eyes scream "tiiiiired" to me, which I don't really like. But it's a nice photo. She looks very soft, and I actually like the clasped hands. I know there haven't been very many photoshoots yet but she has a lot more range in photos than I thought she would; I basically thought she was going to look like a drag queen in every photo, heh.
9. Naduah: Pretty serious step down... the previous eight are awesome to at least pretty good and these are just not. I believe the judges said she looked like a blow-up doll in this photo and you know what, they were totally right. It's a pretty picture, but the face has no emotion in it at all and the open mouth leads to it looking like, well, a blow-up doll. It's not a great angle, either. The hands are awkward and claw-like. I just don't like it very much.
10. Alasia: Uhhhh... I dunno. She's just sort of staring at the camera without any real expression or emotion. She's not selling me much of anything. At the same time, she looks really bad - her face almost looks like a drag queen's for whatever reason - and kind of pissed off. It also looks like there's drool coming off her chin. I don't like this photo much at all.
11. Brenda: Ugh the bottom two pictures this week are soooo uncomfortable. This is just totally awkward. Like, her face and eyes and expression all look completely wonky. The beaver teeth? The armpits? This is like the way to get me not to like a picture. It's not selling me anything and it's a terrible beauty shot. But! Someone was even worse!
12. Ren: I LOOOOOVED her first picture. I HAAAAATE this picture. She looks so hesitant, like she's super uncomfortable and doesn't have the slightest clue what she's doing. And HER EYES ARE CROSSED!!!!! It's awful. Sorry Ren, I thought you were gonna be a fierce bitch goddess but you're just not good at any of this stuff.

so I just came back from being out

I may as well rank the ANTM photos of the last few weeks, right? I'll start with the first photoshoot, obviously.

Nude with accessories:
1. Jessica: Let me say that almost all of these photos are wonderful. Some of them are among the best photos ever done on this show, including this one. She looks absolutely stunning; she's bringing a lot of interesting angles to this photo, but she doesn't look weird and awkward. She looks confident and she's selling the accessory really well. Just... everything about it is so awesome. This is probably one of my top twenty photos or so ever taken on this show. It rules.
2. Brenda: Ugh, I love this. I really think that it looks like it came straight out of a magazine, even if I never liked the "ZOMG straight outta Vogue!!!!" critique of a picture. Everything about it is pretty much perfect, so I don't really have anything to say. I just think Jessica's has a little more life to it, so I like it more. This photo is slightly more... unapproachable? I guess that's the word. It's still a fabulous photo, though.
3. Ren: Before Ren got megaskank, I looooved her for this photo. I don't like all the space above her, but that's the photographer's fault. It's just... it's really wonderful. Her body looks elegant, I love her posing, and I loooove her face here. I don't really know how to describe her expression, but it's perfect. She's even using her hands well, when they could potentially be a lot more awkward. I really like this.
4. Ainslee: There are too many girls this cycle whose names start with "A," please start kicking some of them off soon. Anyway, this photo rocks. It really is an ad. Her pose, the expression on her face, and the way she's holding that bag very casually yet still selling it... I love it all. It turns out that her face photographs really well. My only issue with it is that due to the way she's holding them, the length of her legs looks uneven, and that's a nitpick. It's still a great photo.
5. Raina: Oh hey, boob flowers. Because of the way it's photographed this photo is a tad more "meh" than the four above it, but it's still a glorious photo. I think the judges said she's like a courtesan here and I totally agree. Her face looks stunning; she looks like a real supermodel. Additionally, she is super elegant, and she's subtly selling her accessory. I love it.
6. Simone: As I said like 30 times while watching this week's episode, HELLO FLAWLESS GODDESS. I love her so much more than everyone else. She really looks amazing here. Super tall, awesome skin, she's doing a fantastic job showing off the accessory off. I get a Rihanna vibe and that is never a bad thing. The only reason it's not ranked higher is because her hands are a little awkward. It almost kinda looks like she's... uh... touching herself until you realize the hand's on her thigh. But it's an awesome photo.
7. Alexandra: Slight gap between the first six and Alexandra's photo. Oh nos, not Whitney mouth!!!! I like how ferocious, for lack of a better word, she looks in this photo. It's both appealing in modeling terms and selling the accessory. The only reason it's so low is that I think a lot of it might be the styling/the wind in the hair rather than anything really original that she did. When it's a week this strong, really good pictures like this get knocked down quite a bit. Oh, and the hands are kinda weird, especially the one on her boob.
8. Tatianna: It absolutely screams model. Totally. It looks like a Tom Ford ad for realz. There's really only one reason this photo is so low, and it's the whole spread legs thing. Sorry, it's distracting! Also, the expression on her face is a little "I have a case of the crankies!" But this is a fantastic photo. She looks so tall and modelesque and awesome. Yeah. I'm just rambling at this point (I did this in alphabetical order and she's last, so I'm writing this last). Don't mind me.
9. Krista: Minor step down. These are the non-amazing photos of this week. She looks sooooo tall and modelesque in this photo, and her skin is absolutely to die for and I would like to steal it right now along with her legs, but the look on her face is super meh. I don't like that very much; it looks like she's not trying at all. But it's still a good picture. She's selling the ... I don't even know what that accessory is, but she's selling it. She just needed a better expression.
10. Angelea: Really, all the amazing photos this week and this gets called #2? It's not bad, it's just not nearly as good as a lot of other photos. She's showing off the shoes and her pose is interesting, but it's also super awkward and way too posey. She has a face that photographs really nicely, much to my surprise (that sounds mean), but her expression is a little sleepy and "duh"? Like I said, it's a great picture, but it didn't deserve the high call-out it got.
11. Gabrielle: I want those leggings bad. But this photo is kinda meh. I love her face so I probably would have kept her another week, but I can see why the judges let her go. She looks totally bewildered and all hunched up like she doesn't know what to do, and not in a cool fashion way, but in a way where she genuinely does not know what she's doing. Combined with the partial nudity, it's almost a little uncomfortable. But, it's not a bad shot or anything like that.
12. Alasia: This photo isn't bad, but it makes me kinda laugh and go "huhhhh?" I mean, her arm looks like it's dropping out of her butt. Lulz. But again, it's not a bad picture. She has such lovely skin and I like that "oops, you caught me!" expression on her face, even if it probably wasn't intentional. That vest should probably be on the right way, though...
13. Naduah: Just because I rated it as the "worst" photo of the week doesn't mean it's bad. All of these photos were good. That said, while she's selling the glasses really well, that's not a great angle or expression for her face. And the thing that bothers me most of all is the pose, basically because it's like "hey here's my vag." So... eek. But it's still not a bad picture. Just a sort of uncomfortably posed one.

hmm. interesting.

This list.

I have seen 81 of those, by my count... and no, I'm not particularly ashamed of not seeing Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. I should get on Avatar, though. Heh.

I was bored.

A while ago, MLB Network did their "Prime 9" World Series. So I decided to do mine. Keep in mind, I have not seen all of these... like, there's no way I could have seen 1912, obviously.

9. 1996 (hey homer pick)
8. 1997
7. 1924
6. 1960
5. 2001
4. 1975
3. 1986
2. 1912
1. 1991

The top five are all pretty awesome and interchangeable (well 2001 was not awesome but you know what I mean).

boredom: WAR vs. WARP

Top 10 position players and pitchers by year, since 2002 when they started doing WAR. First slash is WAR, second is WARP. Why am I doing this? Yeah, I dunno.

2002 position players
1. Barry Bonds/Barry Bonds
2. Alex Rodriguez/Jeff Kent
3. Vladimir Guerrero/Shawn Green
4. Brian Giles/Brian Giles
5. Andruw Jones/Alex Rodriguez
6. Jason Giambi, Jim Thome/Jim Edmonds
7. Jeff Kent/Andruw Jones, Jason Giambi
8. Chipper Jones/Bobby Abreu
9. Jim Edmonds/Pat Burrell, Chipper Jones
10. Lance Berkman/Jim Thome

2002 pitchers
1. Curt Schilling/Randy Johnson
2. Randy Johnson/Derek Lowe
3. Pedro Martinez/Roy Oswalt
4. Roy Halladay/Curt Schilling
5. Roy Oswalt/Roy Halladay
6. Derek Lowe/Barry Zito
7. Tim Hudson/Byung-Hyun Kim (!!!!)
8. Kevin Millwood/Pedro Martinez
9. Mike Mussina, Mark Buehrle/Tim Hudson
10. Roger Clemens/Eric Gagne

2003 pos. players
1. Barry Bonds/Barry Bonds
2. Albert Pujols/Bret Boone
3. Alex Rodriguez/Albert Pujols
4. Gary Sheffield/Gary Sheffield
5. Manny Ramirez, Bret Boone/Marcus Giles
6. Scott Rolen/Scott Rolen
7. Todd Helton/Javy Lopez
8. Edgar Renteria/Edgar Renteria, Todd Helton
9. Marcus Giles/Jim Edmonds
10. Lance Berkman/Andruw Jones, Jorge Posada, Alex Rodriguez, Richard Hidalgo

2003 pitchers
1. Roy Halladay/Eric Gagne
2. Pedro Martinez/Roy Halladay
3. Mark Prior/Mark Prior
4. Esteban Loaiza/Esteban Loaiza
5. Jason Schmidt/Pedro Martinez
6. Mike Mussina/Mike Mussina
7. Tim Hudson/Livan Hernandez
8. Javier Vazquez, Kevin Brown/Mariano Rivera
9. Curt Schilling/Kerry Wood
10. Andy Pettitte/Jason Schmidt

2004 position players
1. Barry Bonds/Barry Bonds
2. Adrian Beltre/Adrian Beltre
3. Scott Rolen/Jim Edmonds
4. JD Drew/Scott Rolen, Mark Loretta
5. Jim Edmonds/Albert Pujols
6. Albert Pujols/Miguel Tejada
7. Todd Helton, Miguel Tejada/Todd Helton
8. Alex Rodriguez/Bobby Abreu, JD Drew
9. Ichiro Suzuki, Lance Berkman/Vladimir Guerrero
10. Melvin Mora/Carlos Guillen

2004 pitchers
1. Randy Johnson/Randy Johnson
2. Ben Sheets/Johan Santana
3. Johan Santana/Livan Hernandez, Mariano Rivera
4. Curt Schilling/Carlos Zambrano
5. Jason Schmidt/Ben Sheets
6. Roy Oswalt/Roger Clemens
7. Roger Clemens/Carl Pavano, Roy Oswalt
8. Pedro Martinez, Brad Radke/Curt Schilling, Armando Benitez
9. Tim Hudson/Jake Peavy, Jason Schmidt
10. Mark Buehrle/Brad Lidge, Oliver Perez, Francisco Cordero

2005 position players
1. Alex Rodriguez/Albert Pujols
2. Andruw Jones/Alex Rodriguez
3. Albert Pujols/Rafael Furcal
4. Derrek Lee/Morgan Ensberg
5. Chase Utley/Derrek Lee
6. Jason Bay/Jason Bay
7. Morgan Ensberg/Jim Edmonds, David Wright
8. Brian Roberts/Brian Giles
9. Jim Edmonds/Miguel Cabrera, Andruw Jones
10. David Ortiz, David Wright, Brian Giles/Chase Utley, Jeff Kent

2005 pitchers
1. Johan Santana/Dontrelle Willis
2. Chris Carpenter/Roger Clemens
3. Mark Buehrle/Mariano Rivera
4. Dontrelle Willis/Andy Pettitte
5. Roger Clemens, Roy Oswalt/Roy Oswalt
6. John Lackey, Pedro Martinez/Brandon Webb
7. Andy Pettitte/Jake Peavy
8. John Smoltz, Brandon Webb/Johan Santana
9. AJ Burnett, Jake Peavy/Chris Carpenter
10. Randy Johnson, Esteban Loaiza/Carlos Zambrano
(Understatement: the 2005 Astros had a really good pitching staff.)

2006 position players
1. Albert Pujols/Albert Pujols
2. Grady Sizemore/Carlos Beltran
3. Ryan Howard, Carlos Beltran/Alfonso Soriano
4. Chase Utley/Grady Sizemore
5. Miguel Cabrera/Miguel Cabrera
6. Lance Berkman/Lance Berkman, Joe Mauer, Ryan Howard
7. Derek Jeter/Travis Hafner
8. Travis Hafner/Jamey Carroll
9. Andruw Jones/Chase Utley
10. Carlos Guillen, Joe Mauer, Garret Atkins/Nick Johnson

2006 pitchers
1. Johan Santana/Brandon Webb
2. Brandon Webb/Bronson Arroyo
3. Jeremy Bonderman/Jonathan Papelbon
4. John Lackey/Mariano Rivera, John Smoltz, Johan Santana
5. John Smoltz, Roy Oswalt, Roy Halladay/Roy Oswalt
6. Curt Schilling, CC Sabathia/Joe Nathan
7. Aaron Harang/Carlos Zambrano
8. Mike Mussina, Chris Carpenter/Roy Halladay
9. Kevin Millwood/Chris Carpenter, BJ Ryan
10. Erik Bedard/Francisco Rodriguez

2007 position players
1. Alex Rodriguez/Albert Pujols
2. Magglio Ordonez/David Wright
3. David Wright/Alex Rodriguez
4. Chase Utley, Matt Holliday/Magglio Ordonez, Troy Tulowitzki
5. Albert Pujols/Chase Utley
6. Curtis Granderson/Hanley Ramirez
7. Chipper Jones/Chipper Jones, Matt Holliday
8. Jorge Posada/Curtis Granderson
9. David Ortiz, Jimmy Rollins/David Ortiz
10. Carlos Pena/Jimmy Rollins

2007 pitchers
1. CC Sabathia/Jake Peavy
2. Brandon Webb/JJ Putz
3. Josh Beckett/Roy Oswalt
4. Jake Peavy/John Lackey
5. Joe Blanton, Roy Halladay, John Lackey/Brandon Webb
6. John Smoltz/Fausto Carmona
7. Erik Bedard/Brad Penny
8. Scott Kazmir, Tim Hudson/Tim Hudson
9. Kelvim Escobar, Aaron Harang/CC Sabathia
10. Javier Vazquez/Takashi Saito

2008 position players
1. Albert Pujols/Albert Pujols
2. Chase Utley/Lance Berkman
3. Chipper Jones/Hanley Ramirez, Chipper Jones
4. David Wright/Carlos Beltran
5. Hanley Ramirez/Chase Utley
6. Lance Berkman/David Wright
7. Carlos Beltran, Dustin Pedroia/Dustin Pedroia
8. Grady Sizemore/Joe Mauer, Ryan Ludwick
9. Matt Holliday, Nick Markakis/Jose Reyes, Alex Rodriguez
10. Alex Rodriguez/Nick Markakis

2008 pitchers
1. Tim Lincecum/Mariano Rivera (holla.)
2. Roy Halladay/Tim Lincecum
3. Cliff Lee/Brandon Webb
4. Dan Haren/Johan Santana, Cliff Lee, Ryan Dempster
5. Brandon Webb/Jake Peavy
6. Ervin Santana/Dan Haren
7. AJ Burnett/Roy Halladay
8. Mike Mussina/John Danks
9. John Danks/Cole Hamels, Joakim Soria
10. Jon Lester, Ryan Dempster/Edinson Volquez

2009 position players
1. Ben Zobrist (lol)/Albert Pujols
2. Albert Pujols/Adrian Gonzalez
3. Joe Mauer/Joe Mauer
4. Chase Utley/Chase Utley
5. Derek Jeter/Hanley Ramirez
6. Evan Longoria, Hanley Ramirez/Ben Zobrist
7. Ryan Zimmerman/Evan Longoria
8. Prince Fielder/Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Matt Kemp
9. Adrian Gonzalez/Yunel Escobar
10. Chone Figgins/Ryan Zimmerman

2009 pitchers
1. Zack Greinke/Zack Greinke
2. Justin Verlander, Tim Lincecum/Dan Haren
3. Roy Halladay/Roy Halladay
4. Felix Hernandez/Javier Vazquez, Ubaldo Jimenez
5. Javier Vazquez/Tim Lincecum
6. Jon Lester/Josh Johnson
7. Dan Haren/Jair Jurrjens, Chris Carpenter
8. CC Sabathia/Adam Wainwright
9. Adam Wainwright, Ubaldo Jimenez/Mariano Rivera
10. Chris Carpenter/Matt Cain

Also, seriously, how much does WARP hate Jeter? It's kind of ridiculous. He was #32 in 2006 and #44 in 2009. #44!!!! Behind such luminaries as Brendan Ryan, Wandy Rodriguez, Yadier Molina, Casey Blake, and some closers. That's silly.

And WARP really overrates relief pitching. But Mo being supposedly the #1 pitcher in all of baseball in 2008 is pretty fucking badass.

MLBN's Prime 9s of the Decade.

So MLBN had their "Prime 9" lists of the decade for every position, franchise, and individual team. This is a little old but here they are, with my comments on them.

Remember when I used to do stuff like this for movies? Thank you, home, for getting me re-obsessed with baseball.

FRANCHISES
9. Arizona Diamondbacks
8. Chicago White Sox
7. Minnesota Twins
6. Atlanta Braves
5. Philadelphia Phillies
4. Los Angeles Angels
3. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Boston Red Sox
1. New York Yankees
I think they are very high on the Phillies, but I guess that's what happens when you go to two World Series in a row. I was like, "Diamondbacks, guh?!" but then I remembered they had the best record in the NL as recently as 2007. How times have changed, huh? I hope they stay cellar dwellers forever. /bitter I'd put the Twins a little higher, but the top four is perfect. I love how they said "If the Angels hadn't lost in earlier rounds of the playoffs, they would have been in more World Series." Uh thank you for that, genius.

MLBN's discussion of this was hilarious because they said it should be the Twins because of their farm system. Hahaha. They won the Central five times, which is impressive, but they won one postseason series, often playing really uninspired ball in the postseason (Joe Nathan blowing save after save, Torii Hunter's dumbass dive in the 2006 ALDS that led to an inside-the-park home run, all the awful baserunning gaffes in the 2009 ALDS and leaving approximately 35 men on base in that second game). I know the Twins play in a relatively weak division, but the Tigers got to the World Series, absolutely rolling over the Yankees and Oakland along the way, and the White Sox won the whole shebang. Also, the Twins' GM or whoever traded away Johan Santana for a bag of crap and let Torii Hunter walk. They were both considered the face of the franchise. Makes me wonder what will happen to Joe Mauer (though I do think he'll stay with the new stadium)...

Oakland and Colorado were probably snubbed here. Well, maybe Colorado wasn't, as I don't think they won their division ever and that's really pathetic in the NL West. The As are like the Twins - limited resources producing good teams that make it to the playoffs often but get bumped out early - but stuff like Moneyball changed the way a lot of people look at the game.


INDIVIDUAL TEAMS
9. 2001 Mariners
8. 2000 Yankees
7. 2003 Marlins
6. 2007 Red Sox
5. 2005 White Sox
4. 2008 Phillies
3. 2001 Diamondbacks
2. 2009 Yankees
1. 2004 Red Sox
Hmm. I think this list is a little too skewed toward teams that won the World Series; they weren't necessarily the best teams. It's hard to think of non-Yankee teams (other than that bazillion-win 2001 Mariners team) that were excellent, but didn't win or make it to the World Series. In my list of the top nine individual teams of the decade, I wouldn't include the 2003 Mariners, 2000 Yankees, or 2008 Phillies, no way. I think the oddly snubbed 2002 Angels were better than any of those teams. The 2001 Diamondbacks are borderline and certainly shouldn't be that high. Remember, they won the World Series with two pitchers getting 58% of the outs. I don't think we should place emphasis on the regular season, necessarily, but it should count somewhat and in a regular season format, they wouldn't have done as well as the 2001 Mariners or Yankees. 2004 Red Sox were a really excellent team and are probably my #2 or 3 after the 2007 Red Sox, but they didn't even win their division. It's not too much to ask for to ask for that from the #1 team of the decade, right? 2009 Yankees, bitches. The 2001, 2002, and 2003 Yankees were also excellent.

The 2005 White Sox are very underrated, so I'm glad they're on here. Other than Konerko their offense was pretty much pathetic but their pitching was just insanely good. Buerhle (my one true love) 236.2 IP, 3.12 ERA, 144 ERA+. Garcia 228 IP, 3.87 ERA, 116 ERA+. Garland 221 IP, 3.50 ERA, 128 ERA+. Contreras 204.2 IP, 3.61 ERA, 125 ERA+. Awesome. They also had a very solid bullpen, oh and they moved El Duque there just to be extra badass. There's gotta be some kind of place where you can combine the pitching staff of one team with the offense of another, right? What would the 2009 Yankees' record be like with that pitching staff? The 2005 Astros were also pretty good... save the excellent Berkman and Ensberg they had little offense, but their top three starters - Oswalt, Clemens, and Pettitte ;_; - were probably the best 1-2-3 punch in baseball. 241.2 IP, 2.94 ERA, 144 ERA+ for Oswalt. 211.1 IP, 1.87 ERA, 226 ERA+ for Clemens. 222.1 IP, 2.39 ERA, 177 ERA+ for Pettitte. That's just, like, gross. Clemens' WHIP was 1.008 and Pettitte's was 1.030. Disgusting. 2005 was just a very good year for pitching - it's fitting that the World Series came down to those two teams - and oh hey the Yankees didn't really have any of it that year.

PLAYERS
9. Jeff Kent
8. Chipper Jones
7. Mariano Rivera
6. Ichiro Suzuki
5. Derek Jeter
4. Manny Ramirez
3. Alex Rodriguez
2. Barry Bonds
1. Albert Pujols
I think Ichiro is overrated and Bonds should probably be #1, not Pujols, but this is a very solid list. I think everyone forgot how crazy good Giambi was, but whatever. I would try and put a non-Mariano pitcher on there, but I can't think of who it would be. Randy Johnson hasn't been as insanely dominant since 2005 and Johan Santana and Roy Halladay didn't come around until 2003-ish.

FIRST BASEMEN
9. Jim Thome
8. Mark Teixeira
7. Justin Morneau
6. Prince Fielder
5. Ryan Howard
4. Carlos Delgado
3. Jason Giambi
2. Todd Helton
1. Albert Pujols
Sure. I think Tex should be over Fielder and Howard, but I'm biased and they're all excellent. Morneau winning that 2006 MVP was silly; hell, Mauer was a better choice than Morneau in 2006, nevermind Jeter, but OMG Morneau had more HOME RUNS (at 1B) and RBI!!!!! But he's a very good player and I was quite happy he was out for the ALDS. Maybe Paul Konerko?

SECOND BASEMEN
9. Robinson Cano
8. Craig Biggio
7. Luis Castillo
6. Jose Vidro
5. Brian Roberts
4. Dustin Pedroia
3. Alfonso Soriano
2. Chase Utley
1. Jeff Kent
No arguments. There haven't really been a lot of dominant 2B this decade. Heck, maybe Robbie Cano should be higher. I know Castillo is a good player and all but let's face it, the only thing I will ever remember him for is HE DROPPED THE BALL!!!! Thank you, Luis Castillo. Heh, isn't Soriano in left field now?

SHORTSTOPS
9. Omar Vizquel
8. Edgar Renteria
7. Michael Young
6. Hanley Ramirez
5. Nomar Garciaparra
4. Alex Rodriguez
3. Jimmy Rollins
2. Miguel Tejada
1. Derek Jeter
A-Rod should be #2, no doubt. I pretty much consider him the best shortstop of all time. It's not like I ever saw Honus Wagner, but he blew Cal Ripken Jr. out of the water. Jimmy Rollins is incredibly overrated and not that good but at least he's been notable and has an MVP and whatnot. I was looking for something to seriously nitpick here but I don't think I can. There's been about as many dominant SS as there have been 2Bmen. NOMAHHHHH was crazy good in like 2000, then fell off a cliff. Remember the dumb "Nomar's better!" chants? Heh. Not too many people saying those any more. Maybe Jose Reyes should be on here? Troy Tulowitzski?

THIRD BASEMEN
9. Ryan Zimmerman
8. Mike Lowell
7. Eric Chavez
6. Aramis Ramirez
5. Scott Rolen
4. David Wright
3. Troy Glaus
2. Chipper Jones
1. Alex Rodriguez
Eric Chavez, when he was good, was really terrific. No arguments here, except that Glaus seems a little high.

CATCHERS
9. Bengie Molina
8. AJ Pierzynski
7. Jason Kendall
6. Jason Varitek
5. Victor Martinez
4. Mike Piazza
3. Jorge Posada
2. Joe Mauer
1. Ivan Rodriguez
I think of Yadier Molina more than Bengie, but... whatever. Maybe that's just the Cardinal lovefest of the last couple of years. Posada should be #1; everyone is wayyyy too high on Mauer right now, frankly, and Ivan Rodriguez just isn't that great. Heh, how do you think Varitek feels? He played the whole decade and was on two WS-winning teams and he can't crack the top five. And that's how it should be!

OUTFIELDERS
9. Johnny Damon
8. Andruw Jones
7. Torii Hunter
6. Carlos Beltran
5. Bobby Abreu
4. Vladimir Guerrero
3. Ichiro Suzuki
2. Manny Ramirez
1. Barry Bonds
Yup. Again, Ichiro is overrated, but very good. I think Beltran and Hunter are significantly better than Abreu, especially factoring in defense, but Abreu has been pretty underrated throughout his career.

STARTING PITCHERS
9. Javier Vazquez
8. CC Sabathia
7. Roy Oswalt
6. Roy Halladay
5. Andy Pettitte
4. Roger Clemens
3. Johan Santana
2. Pedro Martinez
1. Randy Johnson
Roy Halladay should be higher than Pedro and Curt Schilling, Mike Mussina, and Mark Buerhle could be on here, but otherwise, yup. Andy!!!! (I took screencaps because I am crazy and semi-pathetic.)

RELIEF PITCHERS
9. Troy Percival
8. Eric Gagne
7. Jason Isringhausen
6. Jonathan Papelbon
5. Francisco Rodriguez
4. Billy Wagner
3. Joe Nathan
2. Trevor Hoffman
1. Mariano Rivera
Good list. Gagne should be higher, probably over Isringhausen and Papelbon, because people forget how INSANELY dominant he was there from 2002-2005, especially 2003. Yeah, that's a short period of time (and he was on all kinds of God only knows what) but that's more time and quality than most relievers get. Bahaha I forgot that he struck out 137 guys in 82.1 IP, that's just video game numbers. I think Nathan is better than Hoffman, but I understand why you'd have Hoffman over Nathan. And yeah - Lidge should be on here. People forget how absurdly dominant he was when he was on. And they forgot Smoltz, because he was an awesome closer for a few years. Uh okay, maybe this wasn't a "very good list." But at least #1 was a serious no-brainer, right? 2.08 ERA, 214 ERA+, 651 games, 713.1 IP, average 40 saves per season, 4.88 SO/BB ratio, 0.960 WHIP. Awesome. Oh and the guy has thrown 12 wild pitches in his entire career and hasn't had a balk since 2002. He is silly. Is there some way I can get Baseball Reference to sum up his career totals, excluding one year in the middle? Because 2007 was pretty much an outlier year for him and I'd be interested to see what his stats look like without that...

Guys, Mariano is really awesome.

agh

So the Hall of Fame voting results were revealed yesterday or whatever and everyone was very outraged. I don't think a guy with a lifetime .328 OBP should really be in the HoF, but it's not like it was a terrible choice. You know what is a terrible reason to vote for someone, which I saw being cited for a few voters? "They made the All-Star Game."

Here are some people that have started in the All-Star Game since 1999 alone (arbitrary 10-year cutoff):
Matt Williams
Jeromy Burnitz
Jay Bell
Kenny Lofton
Carl Everett
Travis Fryman
Rich Aurilia
Bret Boone
Juan Gonzalez
Shea Hillenbrand
Jose Vidro
Edgar Renteria
Javy Lopez
Alfonso Soriano
Garret Anderson
Troy Glaus
Esteban Loaiza
Jason Schmidt
Mark Mulder
Aramis Ramirez
David Eckstein
Jason Varitek
Brian Roberts
Vernon Wells
Mark Loretta
Kenny Rogers
Paul Lo Duca
Brad Penny
Russell Martin
Jake Peavy
Kosuke Fukudome
Geovany Soto
Ben Sheets
Milton Bradley
Raul Ibanez
Yadier Molina
Don't get me wrong, they don't suck or anything (well... a couple of these guys suck, actually), and obviously a lot of guys who ARE future Hall of Famers and/or consistently excellent players have gone to the All-Star Game a ton of times,* but a lot of these are "Wow, remember that one good half-year that guy had?" It's pretty safe that none of these guys are ever heading to the Hall of Fame (though with the Red Sawx Propaganda Machine in full gear, it will probably be my luck that Varitek gets into the HoF and Posada doesn't).

And remember that Tim Wakefield went to the All-Star Game for the first time in a crazy long career this year because at the All-Star Game, he ZOMG led the league in WINS!

* Again, since 1999:
Barry Larkin
Mark McGwire
Jeff Bagwell
Mike Piazza
Pedro Martinez
Ken Griffey Jr.
Manny Ramirez
Jim Thome (you forget how awesome he was)
Cal Ripken Jr.
Ivan Rodriguez (can't hit any more, but he sure could)
Roberto Alomar
Curt Schilling (gag)
Derek Jeter
Bernie Williams
Chipper Jones
Vladimir Guerrero
Randy Johnson
Todd Helton
Barry Bonds
Jeff Kent
Ichiro Suzuki
Alex Rodriguez
Edgar Martinez
Roger Clemens
Jason Giambi
Jorge Posada
Albert Pujols
Carlos Delgado
Bobby Abreu
Carlos Beltran
Mark Teixeira
David Wright
Jason Bay
Chase Utley
Prince Fielder
Hanley Ramirez
Kevin Youkilis
Joe Mauer
Again, just like I didn't think the other guys necessarily sucked or whatever, these guys are definitely not like, all first-ballot HOFers (though a bunch of these guys are more or less locks, and hey Cal Ripken Jr. is already there with 98.5% of the vote on the first ballot). A lot of them probably aren't going to make it to the HOF at all, but that doesn't change the fact that I think of them as consistently very good players throughout their careers, though obviously some of them are newer to the game than others.

I don't know what the point of this giant list was, I guess just to show that excellent players make it sometimes and non-excellent players make it sometimes so "they went to the All-Star Game!!!" is a dumb reason to vote for someone.

since this is (supposedly) a movie blog

Not that Moviefone is great, but here's an interesting list.

TOP TEN SUPPORTING ACTOR PERFORMANCES
10. Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
I thought he was hilarious. He didn't deserve the Oscar exactly, but he was basically the only reason to watch that movie after the first hour or so.
9. John Travolta, Hairspray
GOD NO. He was really awful. And terrifying.
8. Rip Torn, Dodgeball
Heh, I love this movie, and he's hilarious, but there are a number of other, better choices for this spot.
7. Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby
I'm not so sure I would put him this high but sure. He was terrific.
6. Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
There was something about this performance I wasn't crazy about, if I'm remembering correctly. But again, it's not a bad choice.
5. Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Hell yes. This movie is what, two years old?, and this performance already became iconic.
4. Ben Kingsley, Sexy Beast
Again, hell yes. I'm glad people are acknowledging this performance, as it's absolutely terrific but in a small movie that not many people saw from the beginning of the decade.
3. Thomas Haden Church, Sideways
Yup. The acting was really superlative in this movie.
2. Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
I'm not sure I'd put him this high, but he was great. Again, another movie with really awesome acting.
1. Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Yup yup yup. Even if not for his tragic death, this would still be one of the best performances ever, really. He was so damn good.

TOP TEN SUPPORTING ACTRESS PERFORMANCES
10. Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Oh hey I thought everyone hated this performance now? I loved it. That girl can act with her voice like no other. Does that make sense? Eh.
9. Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
I'm not sure I'd put her so high, but I really liked her. It's also funny to see her on The Office after this.
8. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago
YES. I LOVE HER HERE. She'd probably be in my top five supporting actress performances this decade. It was just a balls-out performance. Uh, figuratively speaking, of course.
7. Leslie Mann, Knocked Up
I've come full circle on this movie because now, I totally love it, and I love her in it. There's one line that she delivers that is PRICELESS but I can't think of it now. Grrrr.
6. Mo'Nique, Precious
Haven't seen it.
5. Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Y'all know I think she's crazy overrated but I liked her a lot in this movie.
4. Sophie Okenedo, Hotel Rwanda
I liked her a lot in this movie, but she's way too high here. She wasn't that great, though she was very good.
3. Adriana Barraza, Babel
Yay. She was terrific and Rinko Kikuchi sucked. Hey, remember when Babel was gonna make these two BREAKOUT STARS? And then they were never heard from again? Awesome
2. Frances McDormand, Almost Famous
???? She should not be this high. She was good and all, but I don't even remember her in it.
1. Catherine O'Hara, For Your Consideration
??!?!?!?!? Yeah, she was hilarious, but this is a no for #1. And GOD this movie was so, so bad. Christopher Guest, I am severely disappointed.

TOP TEN LEAD ACTRESS PERFORMANCES
10. Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake
She was insanely good in this, yup.
9. Ellen Page, Juno
I'm not sure if she'd be in my top ten, but she really was awesome. I don't think this was an easy role to pull off without coming off as ridiculous, but she did it. She was the heart and soul of this movie and the main reason why it ultimately succeeded.
8. Sienna Miller, Interview
Oh God I love you for including her here. SO GREAT and nobody saw it.
7. Nicole Kidman, Dogville
Ditto.
6. Penelope Cruz, Volver
This performance is really overrated. Good, not great.
5. Charlize Theron, Monster
I'm not sure I would have her SO high on this list, but she was excellent.
4. Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Abso-friggin'-lutely.
3. Samantha Morton, Minority Report
I love this guy for including Samantha Morton in anything, but this was a supporting role. And she was even better in Morvern Callar the same year as this movie.
2. Julie Christie, Away from Her
I'm not sure she should be this high but at least it's not Marion Cotillard.
1. Diane Lane, Unfaithful
She's way too high, but this performance was just awesome.

TOP TEN LEAD ACTOR PERFORMANCES
10. Denzel Washington, Training Day
He was so awesome in this, and totally against character. He's really the only reason to watch this movie.
9. Jim Carrey, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
I wouldn't put him this high but I fully approve any support of ESotSM, woot.
8. Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino
I don't even remember if I saw Gran Torino or not. It didn't look very good. And heh, if I did see it, I obviously don't remember it.
7. Sean Penn, Mystic River
He was awesome, but he was in no way better than Bill Murray that year. Who does not appear on this list. Boooooo
6. Benicio del Toro, Things We Lost in the Fire
Didn't see it, but I appreciate that whoever did this list is going for some more obscure performances that were really good (Miller, Kidman).
5. Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
Yes. So so so good.
4. Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean
Sigh. No.
3. Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Remember that naked wrestling scene? That was awesome. So was he (though I liked him better in A History of Violence).
2. Forest Whitaker, Last King of Scotland
He was awesome here. #2 of the decade, I dunno, but he was just so great.
1. George Clooney, O Brother, Where Art Thou?
#1? Uhhh that'd be a no. But I love the Cloons.

I may do my own list of these, keeping in mind that I feel like I haven't seen bupkiss from the past two years.

Postseason Commentary: Let's All Remember.

10. One inning during the ALCS, Fox skipped out on the commentary on, you know, what was actually going on in the game to talk about CC Sabathia's paycheck (CC wasn't pitching that game) and to compare Kendry Morales and Mark Teixeira... entirely in terms of money. Wow, it's CRAZY to think that an untested rookie who turned out to be insanely talented would get millions less in his first season than possibly the best first baseman in all of the American League, who was already firmly established!

9. Prior to Game 1 of the ALCS: "CC Sabathia is not the kind of pitcher that goes out there and dominates." He then... went out there and dominated. WHOOPS! Also, Tim McCarver screeching about how he could tell that Mariano had looked really off during his warm-ups after he walked the lead-off guy in... some game... which I'm pretty sure was followed by Mariano getting a ground ball double play and a strikeout in like five pitches. Nice.

8. David Wells was not allowed to cover every play of every game. Nooooo!!! :(

7. That guy on TBS' suits.

6. Chip Caray. Just... Chip Caray. The guy's name is "Chip," how could he not be awful? I still have his SCREAMING during Jimmy Rollins' walk-off hit in my head. Yeah, it was really exciting, but dude, calm down. By the end of the ALDS, he was screaming about random singles. ANNOYING!

5. Joe Buck and Tim McCarver's excessive analysis of A-Rod's postseason gum chewing during one of the ALCS games. Though it was kind of awesome that they were like "he's really locked in" and then he hit a huge home run.

4. "Pedro Martinez: 5'11", 170 pounds, all heart." Nah, he's at least 3% Jheri curl and 45% pure orneriness.

3. Ozzie Guillen, on Fox's pre-show, calling Derek Jeter "God" multiple times, and all the analysts coming to the conclusion that Derek Jeter is the greatest Yankee player of all time. I love Cap'n Intangibles too, but... no.

2. Noted asshat Mark Grace confidently declaring (I seriously can't get over how incredibly smug he was when he said it, but it was kinda cool that he actually apologized on the post-game after Andy was awesome), on Fox's pre-game show, that Andy Pettitte would lose hardcore in Game 6 of the ALCS against the Los Angeles Angels in 2009 because in 2001, he pitched poorly in Game 6 of the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. SENSE, YOU DON'T MAKE ANY!

1. LINE DRIVE BASE HIT!!!!

Project Runway: I don't care what week it is

Irina: She's so talented and it kills me. The outfit is an absolutely perfect complement for the original outfit and that coat is absolutely killer, when it could have been very sloppy and awkward. That said, I'm not crazy about the dress. It's kinda skanky-looking and it doesn't fit that well. Did Irina say this was supposed to be an office outfit? Yeah, no. But it's still good.

Althea: Errr... I can't believe this won. It's only a good companion piece to the original in that they both are sloppy and make me go "buhhh?" It's a really nice coat. That's the best thing I can say about this outfit, and even here, it just makes it look bigger and sloppier. The top looks really cheap, and the fit on the pants is just baggy and weird. Oh, and I know I said this before, but God fucking dammit Althea, get your model A GODDAMN BRA!!!! Her model is kind of awesome, though.

Gordana: Oh, Gordana. For once, the judges were right to attack you. This is just frumpy and bad. I don't see any of the awesome, funky original design in this, other than that, uh, they were both gray. The collar treatment just looks wrinkly, and the dart things on the jacket/the proportions on the jacket and skirt are extremely unflattering.

Logan: I see nothing of the original design, but that's actually not a bad thing. Honestly? This might be the best thing Logan made all season! I don't like the collar much, and the whole dress calls to mind some sort of weird Judy Jetson character for whatever reason, but it's just a cute, decently-made dress. From Logan, honestly, I think anything else is too much to ask...

Christopher: No. Oh, no. Oh, no no no. It's better than Gordana's because like, Christopher at least put more effort into his dress I suppose, but this is just bad. It's really sad to see someone who started out as awesome as Christopher devolve into the suck that he currently is. I do think it might be decent without the curtain drapes on the bottom... but they're there. BLEEHHHH.

Carol Hannah: I can't believe this was the best of the week, but there you go. It's a simple, cute black dress without any sort of issues. It moved great and it went along with the original outfit nicely without being too literal.

Ranked best-worst:
Carol Hannah
Irina
Logan
Althea
Christopher
Gordana

Kerry Washington was really annoying during judging; it made me sad because I love her :(

ANTM C13 call-out orders.

I'll keep bumping this up.

After Week 1:
1. Nicole = 1 = 1
2. Erin = 2 = 2
3. Rae = 3 = 3
4. Laura = 4 = 4
5. Courtney = 5 = 5
6. Lulu = 6 = 6
7. Ashley = 7 = 7
8. Rachel = 8 = 8
9. Kara = 9 = 9
10. Bianca = 10 = 10
11. Lisa = 11 = 11
12. Sundai = 12 = 12
13. Brittany = 13 = 13
14. Jennifer = 14 = 14

After Week 2:
1. Erin 2/1 = 1.5
2. Nicole 1/3 = 2
3. Lulu 6/2 = 4
4. Laura 4/5 = 4.5
5. Rae 3/6 = 4.5
6. Courtney 5/8 = 6.5
7. Ashley 7/9 = 8
8. Rachel 8 = 8
9. Kara 9/7 = 8
10. Brittany 13/4 = 8.5
11. Bianca 10/11 = 10.5
12. Lisa 11 = 11
13. Sundai 12/10 = 11
14. Jennifer 14/12 = 13
I ranked Laura higher than Rae because I think Laura's Week 1 photo was just a little "worse" than Rae's, but Laura's Week 2 photo was much better than Rae's. As for the girls tied with averages of 8 and 11, I just ranked them based on where I think their portfolios are at this point.

After Week 3:
1. Erin 2/1/2 = 1.333
2. Nicole 1/3/1 = 1.667
3. Lulu 6/2/6 = 4.667
4. Laura 4/5/7 = 5.33
5. Rae 3/6/9 = 6
6. Kara 9/7/3 = 6.333
7. Courtney 5/8 = 6.5
8. Ashley 7/9/8 = 8
9. Rachel 8 = 8
10. Sundai 12/10/5 = 9
11. Brittany 13/4/11 = 9.333
12. Jennifer 14/12/4 = 10
13. Bianca 10/11/10 = 10.333
14. Lisa 11 = 11
Ashley over Rachel because it's only fair, and in the only photoshoot they had in common, Ashley had a better picture. (shrug) Ew at Lisa being guaranteed the worst call-out average for the cycle. ;_;

After Week 4:
1. Erin 2/1/2/1 = 1.5
2. Nicole 1/3/1/2 = 1.75
3. Lulu 6/2/6 = 4.667
4. Rae 3/6/9/3 = 5.25
5. Laura 4/5/7/6 = 5.5
6. Courtney 5/8 = 6.5
7. Kara 9/7/3/8 = 6.75
8. Ashley 7/9/8/5 = 7.25
9. Sundai 12/10/5/4 = 7.75
10. Rachel 8 = 8
11. Brittany 13/4/11/7 = 8.75
12. Jennifer 14/12/4/10 = 10
13. Bianca 10/11/10/9 = 10
14. Lisa 11 = 11
So... two girls are kind of running away with this, huh? Jennifer over Bianca because I figured it's fair. Courtney's relatively high call-out average still grosses me out.

After Week 5:
1. Erin 2/1/2/1/2 = 1.6
2. Nicole 1/3/1/2/4 = 2.2
3. Laura 4/5/7/6/1 = 4.6
4. Lulu 6/2/6 = 4.667
5. Rae 3/6/9/3/3 = 4.8
6. Courtney 5/8 = 6.5
7. Kara 9/7/3/8/7 = 6.8
8. Sundai 12/10/5/4/5 = 7.2
9. Ashley 7/9/8/5/9 = 7.6
10. Rachel 8 = 8
11. Brittany 13/4/11/7/8 = 8.6
12. Jennifer 14/12/4/10/6 = 9.2
13. Bianca 10/11/10/9 = 10
14. Lisa 11 = 11
No ties woooooo. A lot of girls there still need to step it up =/

After Week 6:
1. Erin 2/1/2/1/2/3 = 1.833
2. Nicole 1/3/1/2/4/2 = 2.167
3. Rae 3/6/9/3/3/1 = 4.167
4. Laura 4/5/7/6/1/4 = 4.5
5. Lulu 6/2/6 = 4.667
6. Courtney 5/8 = 6.5
7. Kara 9/7/3/8/7/8 = 7
8. Sundai 12/10/5/4/5/7 = 7.167
9. Ashley 7/9/8/5/9 = 7.6
10. Brittany 13/4/11/7/8/5 = 8
11. Rachel 8 = 8
12. Jennifer 14/12/4/10/6/6 = 8.667
13. Bianca 10/11/10/9 = 10
14. Lisa 11 = 11
Brittany over Rachel cuz it's only fair.

After Week 7:
1. Nicole 1/3/1/2/4/2/2 = 2.14
2. Erin 2/1/2/1/2/3/7 = 2.57
3. Rae 3/6/9/3/3/1/6 = 4.43
4. Laura 4/5/7/6/1/4/5 = 4.57
5. Lulu 6/2/6 = 4.667
6. Courtney 5/8 = 6.5
7. Sundai 12/10/5/4/5/7/4 = 6.71
8. Kara 9/7/3/8/7/8 = 7
9. Brittany 13/4/11/7/8/5/3 = 7.29
10. Jennifer 14/12/4/10/6/6/1 = 7.57
11. Ashley 7/9/8/5/9 = 7.6
12. Rachel 8 = 8
13. Bianca 10/11/10/9 = 10
14. Lisa 11 = 11

After Week 8:
1. Nicole 1/3/1/2/4/2/2/3 = 2.25
2. Erin 2/1/2/1/2/3/7/2 = 2.5
3. Rae 3/6/9/3/3/1/6 = 4.43
4. Lulu 6/2/6 = 4.667
5. Laura 4/5/7/6/1/4/5/6 = 4.75
6. Sundai 12/10/5/4/5/7/4/4 = 6.38
7. Brittany 13/4/11/7/8/5/3/1 = 6.5
8. Courtney 5/8 = 6.5
9. Kara 9/7/3/8/7/8 = 7
10. Jennifer 14/12/4/10/6/6/1/5 = 7.25
11. Ashley 7/9/8/5/9 = 7.6
12. Rachel 8 = 8
13. Bianca 10/11/10/9 = 10
14. Lisa 11 = 11

ANTM C13, Ewhatever.

This was a really nice photoshoot, though Tyra needs to stop with the sepia...

1. Brittany: Wow… Brittany finally really impressed me. This picture is awesome. First things first, she looks quite tall, though that might just be the way she’s photographed. I think it’s an unbelievably regal photograph. I adore the look on her face and in her eyes, and she managed to turn her face to a really flattering angle. After seeing Brittany’s photos this season, I’ve learned that that’s actually not that easy to do. I didn’t watch the episode, but I have no idea how she got sent home for this photo when she’s had some truly huge clunkers in the past.
2. Erin: Everyone this week was a pretty big step below Brittany, but Erin and Nicole had strong photos as well. The way it’s photographed is kind of weird, but Erin manages to make this photo interesting nevertheless. I love the twist in her arm and the look on her face. I like how, given what could be potentially a distracting prop in the hat, she’s the one that manages to stand out.
3. Nicole: People are overreacting to this a little, but it’s a good photo. I like her approach to this photoshoot, and it’s got kind of a mystical quality to it, which is pretty awesome. That said, it’s just not that amazing a photo. It’s kind of boring and there’s something weird going on in her eyes, though quite a few girls had that this week. She was cut off at a weird point, too, though that’s not her fault.
4. Sundai: I could actually see this in some sort of fashion magazine, but it’s not the best photo. I love her body pose; it’s really elegant and she’s showing off the clothes extremely well. That said, DAMN she looks short. I mean, she is, but she looks it. Again, she’s got the weirdly haunted eyeball going on too, and it’s just a bad angle on that face.
5. Jennifer: It’s not horrible, and it’s actually one of her better photos so far, but it’s just not that great. I know a lot of it has to be the way it’s photographed, but she’s not doing anything in this photo other than staring off into the distance. Her face looks wonky. Like Erin, it’s a credit to her that she had a lot of accessories and whatnot placed on her, and she stands out, not the stuff, but her face just looks so bad here and the photo isn’t interesting.
6. Laura: I love her, but she’s been decidedly mediocre and it’s sad. She should leave soon (though definitely not before Jennifer and probably not before Sundai). She looks tall, but that’s the best thing I can say about this photo. Her pose is truly awkward; the arms holding the sticks are just horrible and she looks kind of like an amputee with the arm on the left. And her face! She doesn’t look like herself, which isn’t a bad thing, but what the hell happened to her eyeballs? It’s really creepy. I don’t like this photo at all…