Another madness?

With interest piqued by a lot of friends suddenly deciding to enter various mad greek runs, I too seem to have caught the bug. Boosted by technology, and a pretty competetive nature, I'm now running distances I haven't done for more than a decade.

It's not marathon level, but 10k races or even half marathons might not be out of the question.

I love gadgets though, and below is the results from the distance add-on I've bought for my iPod - can't beat technology....well, unless you're Sarah Connor....

On that note, off to break a "recent history" personal best in regards to time and distance - 7km in less than 42 mins.



Update: 7.01km in 38m39s. Not marathon distance nor the speed I want just yet, but beat both of my targets :)

Grape Hardball League?

One of the more amusing side stories to spring training has been the Devil Rays...eh, sorry, the "Rays" v the Yankees mud-slinging about how to play in spring training.

It all began when the Rays' Elliot Johnson bowled over Yankee catcher Francisco Cervelli last Saturday on a play at the plate where Cervelli broke his wrist. New Yankee manager Joe Girardi, himself a former major league catcher, thought that Johnson's play had been a bit over the top for spring training, but former Yankee coach and now Ray "consultant" Don Zimmer refuted Girardi's views and said the game is supposed to be played hard but fair.

Forward to the return game, played on Tuesday night, and what happens? First a buzzing of Rays 3B prospect Evan Longoria (no more Visteria Lane jokes, please!), followed by Yankees hurler Heath Phillips immediate ejection. Next inning, just a "normal" hard play into second. Shelley Duncan, who was out by about a cup of coffee and a bathroom break, even tried to pretend it was normal. One Gomes charge from CF later, and both teams have lost 2 more players and a coach each. Spring comedy at its best.

Still, the Rays and the Yanks can pummel each other as much as they want. I'll bring the popcorn, the lounge chair and the soda. Have at it boys!

(Now I think there are some Yankees who are beginning to understand Pedro's olé move - Zimmer is an old fart:)

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.

Ode to spring...but not to "Mr. Red Sox"

Sitting here in what only last week was a promising spring, but today saw frost on the ground, I develop yet another layer of envy towards the guys getting paid to play ball in Florida and Arizona this time of year.

Sure, it is not a walk in the park for those on the cusp of the major league squad, or even less so for the journeyman trying for the umpteenth time to break the trend, and really make this year the spring when everything goes his way. When the hard run to first results in a basehit instead of a ground out. When those two extra hits per week mean a +.300 avg and a call-up, instead of that .250 average, and yet another April on endless bus journeys in the minors, making in a year what some of the major leaguers make in an at bat.

Pondering things like that, nothing pisses me off more than reading about someone who used to be one of my favourite players in baseball - Nomar Garciaparra. The guy with a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas. Ok, I am somewhat weary about Jeff Pearlman, as some comments on his story point out, but I also remember the extremely unfriendly Nomar of 2003 and 2004, the man who thought he was entitled to everything - someone who thought the fans were a nuisance, that they should be awed by him. I don't agree with the theory that fans can heckle players to whatever degree they feel like (see Beckham, David - effogies post World Cup 1998), but ultimately it is impossible to get away from one point. Without fans, Mr. Garciaparra would most likely not have made it through college (he was on an Athl. Scolarship). He has about $50m reasons to be grateful for his life, but now at the tailend of his career he almost hisses at the very fans that put him in a situation of being financially independent for his, his kids and his grandkids lives.

Everyone is entitled to a bad day or two at the office, and I hope that this was one of yours Nomars. Please prove me wrong and show how grateful you are for being able to have had a career that most people would die for.

Still, spring is soon here, I can watch Grapefruit League games on my plasma, and look forward to go out and throw in freezing cold on the weekend. I love this game.