- Spring Training games opened up this weekend, for reals. We saw a Mike Trout grand slam; a Joe Blanton sighting where he goes 7 outs, gives up 3 hits, a walk, and runs, both earned; and an Albert Pujols going 0 for 3 with a strikeout and 5 LOBsters. Three games in and it still feels like 2013, doesn't it??? But, hey, let's give it up for Hector Santiago, yeah?!
- Masahiro Tanaka made his MLB debut, sure, but ESPN's head isn't what asploded, it was the Yankee locker room dryers post-game.
- MLB announced that they are jumping out AHEAD of current advancements in defensive studies and metrics and tools, even bypassing FIELDF/x now being developed, and rolling out their own pretty awesome defensive tracking system. Note, in the article, that it looks like MLB is about to dump PITCHF/x after this season, as well. The downside, I suppose, is that MLB will end up charging for access to all this data.
- Today also marks the day that MLB unleashes Expanded Instant Replay on us all. It will all begin with Cubs/Brewers at 10Am today.
- John Axford is a better professional baseball player than you and me. You probably already could have guessed that. But you know what? John Axford is also a much frikkin' better predictor of Oscar winners than you and me, as well!!!
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[3/1/2014 Change of Art Answers: 1-card year is now 2002...2-belt loop disappears in back...3-left shoe loses cleat...4-Arte erases "Anaheim" from logo...5-Eyes changed to blue...6-Center pinstripe extended on left pant leg...7-Helmet earhole removed...8-Left hand gains extra finger...9-Halo player on bench immediately behind Glaus is missing...10-Uni sleeve is longer]
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I was reading an article last week which was determined to mess with the reader's perception of time. Events that we commonly place in sequential order, and rather far apart, actually have a tendency to overlap. The one factoid that really got me was to learn that when the Chicago Cubs last won a World Series, The Ottoman Empire still existed. Like, folks, the Ottoman Empire rose to power beginning in 1299!!! Well, that got me thinking. We tend to think that 2002 was not that long ago, still within reach. And if we get back to the WS this year, it would still be somehow connected to the same epoch of success.
Oh reeeeaaaally?
Since the Anaheim Angels won the World Series on October 27th, 2002:
- The United States led a coalition that went to war with Iraq and overthrew Saddam Hussein. Then the US entered war in Afghanistan, which will last up to the current draw-down going on now.
- The Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster occurs. Later, Space Shuttle Atlantis will make the final flight and the entire Shuttle program will conclude.Shuttle Endeavor will be flown to LA, driven through the streets, and become a museum piece.
- California elects Arnold Schwarzenegger as Governor, and Johnny Depp wins an Academy Award for impersonating Keith Richards in a movie inspired by a theme park ride.
- The Catholic Church will see three different Popes (Pope John Paul II passes away, Benedict XVI will become Pope and then resign 8 years later, and Pope Francis will take over.)
- London will suffer it's worst attacks since WWII when terrorists bomb the city.
- Mark Zukerburg launches Facebook, MySpace debuted, Facebook comes out of the closet and MySpace fades away, Twitter and Instagram debut, Facebook buys Instagram and Facebook begins to fade away.
- The Human Genome Project was completed
- The NASA Rover lands on Mars
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250,000,000250,000 souls would perish within hours as a result of the Indian Ocean earthquake and Tsunami. 100,000 people will perish in a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti. Japan will be hit by a large earthquake that generates a massive tsunami that will kill 18,000 people and destroy the Fukushima nuclear power plant, with debris now reaching the shores of California. - The first 1GB solid state computer storage device is released. USB flash drives will replace floppy disks altogether. Eventually, corporations begin purchasing solid state storage systems in the terabytes.
- Michael Jackson dies.
- Hurricane Katrina destroys New Orleans. Hurricane Sandy will destroy the Jersey Coast.
- An explosion on a BP oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico will result in 40,000 of crude emptied into the ocean every hour...for 86 consecutive days.
- Pluto loses planet status.
- Muammar Qaddafi. leader of Libya, announces the end of his advanced weapons program. Years later he will be killed by rebel troops. And Fidel Castro will permanently step down from power. in 2011 Libya will hold free elections.
- Google goes public, then YouTube is launched, then Google buys YouTube. And Google releases Street View.
- Apple Computer launches the first iPhone. Later, the first iPad. And Amazon releases Kindle.
- The stock market crashes and the Dow Jones Index gets cut in half, and Chrysler and GM go bankrupt.
- The swine flu epidemic comes and goes. The West Nile virus epidemic comes and goes.
- Toyota invents the Hybrid car. The camera phone is invented. Genetic engineering, nanotechnology, human cloning, driverless cars (Google), all-electric cars (Tesla), interactive video gaming (Nintendo Wii), all invented.
In other words, it's been a long, long time. Not Cubs long. But long. And I want another. Now.
What other historical events can you come up with?