Kyle Garret's Blog, page 21
July 13, 2012
Free Fridays: Abercrombie
It's probably a stretch to actually call this a story. It's more the beginning of a story that has fallen by the wayside. That said, it's a nice window to a story, I think, and reminds me of a specific time in my life.
Abercrombie for most eReaders
Abercrobmie for Kindle
For those wondering, yes, "Abercrombie" is a real person, assuming he's still alive. There's more to the non-fiction version of this story. Maybe I'll get to it one day.
Abercrombie for most eReaders
Abercrobmie for Kindle
For those wondering, yes, "Abercrombie" is a real person, assuming he's still alive. There's more to the non-fiction version of this story. Maybe I'll get to it one day.
July 11, 2012
Why I Write
Poets & Writers magazine, which is something of the gold standard of magazines for writerly types, has a section in it called "Why We Write." Every other month, someone shares their reasons for doing this ridiculous thing that we do.
I like the section, so I decided to write my own.
Unfortunately, I was never able to find out how to go about submitting to P&W, so this was quickly forgotten about. It's probably in need of a few rounds of editing and re-writes, but once my queries fell on deaf ears, I didn't see the point.
Anyway, here it is, completely untouched since I churned it out:
My father once compared my writing to softball. More specifically, he likened the writing that I do to the softball that he plays. It was towards the end of dinner, and I think I could actually hear my wife biting her tongue. I don’t write for a living. Writing, for me, has all the outward appearances of a hobby, not unlike my father playing softball in the 65+ “silver league.” On paper, I suppose he had a point, or at least something that closely resembled a point to him.
The most obvious rebuttal was to ask him if he was still trying to make it into the Majors, if he was still waiting to get that call to “the show.” Because while my father has always played softball in his free time – something he has quite a bit more off these days – it’s not as if he’s hoping these softball games turn into something greater; it’s not as if he’s hoping to be discovered by a scout, or offered a Major League contract on the spot. He’s not trying to catch someone’s eye with his bat or glove.
That is, of course, exactly what I’m doing. It’s what I’m doing every time I send a story out. It’s what I’m doing every time I go online and interact with people, leaving a link to my web site at the end of every conversation. It’s what I’m doing right now as I compose this column for Poets & Writers. I love writing, but there’s always a practical element to it that creeps in.
Still, this is a logical argument to make. It is not, however, why my wife was biting her tongue, or why my cousin, an aspiring writer herself, was aghast at my father’s comparison. Because to anyone who writes, or anyone close to someone who writes, the suggestion that it is in someway comparable to recreational sports is incomprehensible.
My dad plays softball for exercise and comradery, both of which he could get elsewhere. There is no replacement for writing.
My father also plays softball because it’s fun for him, because he enjoys it. I would hazard a guess that his entire team feels the same way, and that his entire league would also agree. I would also hazard a guess that every single writer, successful or not, has had moments when writing isn’t just not fun, it’s painful. For all the good that comes of it, writing has a tendency to hurt us.
Yet we keep doing it.
Every other month, when I get my latest issue of P&W, I invariable go directly to the “Why We Write” column. I do so out of morbid curiosity, like watching a nature show about salmon. I always enjoy the column, but can’t help but be left with the feeling that each author is either very good at fooling themselves or completely insane.
When I was little, writing was a way of focusing my overactive imagination. My stories were scribbled on tiny notepads and mostly featured imaginary adventures of comic book characters.
When I was in high school, it was a way of giving myself the illusion of control. I could be anyone in these stories. My Smith Carona word processor gave me the power to be a vigilante, to fight ogres and trolls, and, more often than not, to actually have sex.
When I was in college, it was about challenging the status quo. It was about saying “fuck” a lot and attacking religion and any other long established institutions that presented themselves.
In graduate school, it was some strange attempt at saying something new about “the human condition.” I had big, bold feelings, and I was sure that they were important, that they said something profound that would surely affect others.
In my 20’s, it was about finding some strange and unusual subject matter than no one else had touched. Warehouse party on the bad side of town? I was there. Homeless man on the street corner? I’d spend an hour talking to him. People had to know what was going on, and they had to know it through my eyes.
At some point, it even became about telling good stories.
At any given point in my life, had you asked me why I wrote, you would have gotten a different answer, if I was even self- aware enough to go beyond “because I have to.” But how is that possible, that my reason for writing would change so much? Do our reasons for doing anything else change like that?
But those weren’t reasons; they were justifications. I took something amorphous and shaped it how I needed it to be shaped at that specific time in my life; it filled whatever void I had at that time – and without me even realizing it.
That’s the one, constant thread that has run through each year of my writing life: I don’t know what I’m doing while I do it. Perhaps, at some point in the future, I’ll be able to make some vague generalization about it, but I’ll never truly understand it. I will never be able to define it.
I don’t know what’s going to come out when I sit down to write. Sure, I can start with a reference point, be it beginning, middle, or end, but I don’t know where any of it will lead. I don’t know where it’s coming from and I don’t know why, I just know that it is.
I consider writing to be part of the journey, and if I ever arrive at the destination than there will be no point in continuing to travel. Coming to a conclusion in writing is like coming to the conclusion of life and you don’t get to do it anymore. If you’ve found enlightenment, if you’ve figured out why we’re here, if you met your higher power, than you no longer keep looking, you no longer keep asking. You no longer write.
Why do I write? I have no idea, which is exactly why I do.
I like the section, so I decided to write my own.
Unfortunately, I was never able to find out how to go about submitting to P&W, so this was quickly forgotten about. It's probably in need of a few rounds of editing and re-writes, but once my queries fell on deaf ears, I didn't see the point.
Anyway, here it is, completely untouched since I churned it out:
My father once compared my writing to softball. More specifically, he likened the writing that I do to the softball that he plays. It was towards the end of dinner, and I think I could actually hear my wife biting her tongue. I don’t write for a living. Writing, for me, has all the outward appearances of a hobby, not unlike my father playing softball in the 65+ “silver league.” On paper, I suppose he had a point, or at least something that closely resembled a point to him.
The most obvious rebuttal was to ask him if he was still trying to make it into the Majors, if he was still waiting to get that call to “the show.” Because while my father has always played softball in his free time – something he has quite a bit more off these days – it’s not as if he’s hoping these softball games turn into something greater; it’s not as if he’s hoping to be discovered by a scout, or offered a Major League contract on the spot. He’s not trying to catch someone’s eye with his bat or glove.
That is, of course, exactly what I’m doing. It’s what I’m doing every time I send a story out. It’s what I’m doing every time I go online and interact with people, leaving a link to my web site at the end of every conversation. It’s what I’m doing right now as I compose this column for Poets & Writers. I love writing, but there’s always a practical element to it that creeps in.
Still, this is a logical argument to make. It is not, however, why my wife was biting her tongue, or why my cousin, an aspiring writer herself, was aghast at my father’s comparison. Because to anyone who writes, or anyone close to someone who writes, the suggestion that it is in someway comparable to recreational sports is incomprehensible.
My dad plays softball for exercise and comradery, both of which he could get elsewhere. There is no replacement for writing.
My father also plays softball because it’s fun for him, because he enjoys it. I would hazard a guess that his entire team feels the same way, and that his entire league would also agree. I would also hazard a guess that every single writer, successful or not, has had moments when writing isn’t just not fun, it’s painful. For all the good that comes of it, writing has a tendency to hurt us.
Yet we keep doing it.
Every other month, when I get my latest issue of P&W, I invariable go directly to the “Why We Write” column. I do so out of morbid curiosity, like watching a nature show about salmon. I always enjoy the column, but can’t help but be left with the feeling that each author is either very good at fooling themselves or completely insane.
When I was little, writing was a way of focusing my overactive imagination. My stories were scribbled on tiny notepads and mostly featured imaginary adventures of comic book characters.
When I was in high school, it was a way of giving myself the illusion of control. I could be anyone in these stories. My Smith Carona word processor gave me the power to be a vigilante, to fight ogres and trolls, and, more often than not, to actually have sex.
When I was in college, it was about challenging the status quo. It was about saying “fuck” a lot and attacking religion and any other long established institutions that presented themselves.
In graduate school, it was some strange attempt at saying something new about “the human condition.” I had big, bold feelings, and I was sure that they were important, that they said something profound that would surely affect others.
In my 20’s, it was about finding some strange and unusual subject matter than no one else had touched. Warehouse party on the bad side of town? I was there. Homeless man on the street corner? I’d spend an hour talking to him. People had to know what was going on, and they had to know it through my eyes.
At some point, it even became about telling good stories.
At any given point in my life, had you asked me why I wrote, you would have gotten a different answer, if I was even self- aware enough to go beyond “because I have to.” But how is that possible, that my reason for writing would change so much? Do our reasons for doing anything else change like that?
But those weren’t reasons; they were justifications. I took something amorphous and shaped it how I needed it to be shaped at that specific time in my life; it filled whatever void I had at that time – and without me even realizing it.
That’s the one, constant thread that has run through each year of my writing life: I don’t know what I’m doing while I do it. Perhaps, at some point in the future, I’ll be able to make some vague generalization about it, but I’ll never truly understand it. I will never be able to define it.
I don’t know what’s going to come out when I sit down to write. Sure, I can start with a reference point, be it beginning, middle, or end, but I don’t know where any of it will lead. I don’t know where it’s coming from and I don’t know why, I just know that it is.
I consider writing to be part of the journey, and if I ever arrive at the destination than there will be no point in continuing to travel. Coming to a conclusion in writing is like coming to the conclusion of life and you don’t get to do it anymore. If you’ve found enlightenment, if you’ve figured out why we’re here, if you met your higher power, than you no longer keep looking, you no longer keep asking. You no longer write.
Why do I write? I have no idea, which is exactly why I do.
July 9, 2012
Erase and Rewind
The other night, between episodes of Weeds, I whined to my wife.
The impetus for my whining was the latest version of my query letter for Master of the House, which I had given her to look over the night before. I felt like this version resolved the issues she'd had with the previous four version I'd given to her. And I was right, it did, but it also created new issues.
I was a bit frustrated, not at Nicole, mind you, but at myself. It's been two months since I was cut from the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest and I don't even have a query letter finished. I also don't have a one page summary finished, which is something that's commonly asked for by agents.
The fact of the matter is that I haven't been working on either of these things as much as I should, and that's annoying. I can chalk part of that up to sheer lack of desire -- writing these things is incredibly tedious. But that's not really an excuse.
The bigger problem, really, has been this moderate sized overhaul of my life that I've got going on. I've already talked about my plan to exercise some moderation when it comes to my alcohol consumption. That's just one part of my mainstreaming process.
(Yes, I said "mainstreaming," as I feel as if these changes I'm making are putting me more in line with the life of the average person, as opposed to the stunted adolescence I've been holding on to)
During the last year that we lived in Los Angeles, I discovered working out. More to the point, I discovered working out first thing in the morning. It was something of a revelation. I started going to the gym every morning before work which, back then, was Monday-Thursday, as I was only working part time. Having a part time job also meant I had plenty of time to write, which was good, as Hellgate had just agreed to publish "Pray" and I was working on the first draft of Master of the House.
I don't think I ever felt as good -- physically, at least -- as I did over those months. It was also necessary for me to stop any and all drinking during the week, because I had to get up to go to the gym the next morning (granted, back then I didn't have to be at work until 10:30, but still).
So I decided that if I'm cutting back on my drinking, and since we now own an elliptical machine that's not ten feet from our bed, I should get back to working out every Monday through Thursday...even though I haven't worked out regularly in at least a month.
This has all been a bit of a jolt to the system. It's also cut back on my writing time, because a) I'm tired when I get home from work and just want to sit on the couch and b) I have to go to bed earlier. That second point is a difficult one, because I can't just go to bed 7 or 8 hours before I need to get up, because I don't really sleep. I usually need to medicate myself in some way to knock myself unconscious.
Which leads me to the next step in this continuing evolution of a man accepting his age and trying to improve himself: getting my insomnia straightened out.
Living in Los Angeles, none of these things were ever a problem. I could get through the day being exhausted, even if I went to the gym because I had plenty of time to be lazy. But in the suburbs there is always freaking something that needs to be done!
So there it is, my three part plan to make myself a better person: less drinking, more working out, actually sleeping more than 45 minutes at a time. If any of this takes, it'll be a whole new world.
The impetus for my whining was the latest version of my query letter for Master of the House, which I had given her to look over the night before. I felt like this version resolved the issues she'd had with the previous four version I'd given to her. And I was right, it did, but it also created new issues.
I was a bit frustrated, not at Nicole, mind you, but at myself. It's been two months since I was cut from the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest and I don't even have a query letter finished. I also don't have a one page summary finished, which is something that's commonly asked for by agents.
The fact of the matter is that I haven't been working on either of these things as much as I should, and that's annoying. I can chalk part of that up to sheer lack of desire -- writing these things is incredibly tedious. But that's not really an excuse.
The bigger problem, really, has been this moderate sized overhaul of my life that I've got going on. I've already talked about my plan to exercise some moderation when it comes to my alcohol consumption. That's just one part of my mainstreaming process.
(Yes, I said "mainstreaming," as I feel as if these changes I'm making are putting me more in line with the life of the average person, as opposed to the stunted adolescence I've been holding on to)
During the last year that we lived in Los Angeles, I discovered working out. More to the point, I discovered working out first thing in the morning. It was something of a revelation. I started going to the gym every morning before work which, back then, was Monday-Thursday, as I was only working part time. Having a part time job also meant I had plenty of time to write, which was good, as Hellgate had just agreed to publish "Pray" and I was working on the first draft of Master of the House.
I don't think I ever felt as good -- physically, at least -- as I did over those months. It was also necessary for me to stop any and all drinking during the week, because I had to get up to go to the gym the next morning (granted, back then I didn't have to be at work until 10:30, but still).
So I decided that if I'm cutting back on my drinking, and since we now own an elliptical machine that's not ten feet from our bed, I should get back to working out every Monday through Thursday...even though I haven't worked out regularly in at least a month.
This has all been a bit of a jolt to the system. It's also cut back on my writing time, because a) I'm tired when I get home from work and just want to sit on the couch and b) I have to go to bed earlier. That second point is a difficult one, because I can't just go to bed 7 or 8 hours before I need to get up, because I don't really sleep. I usually need to medicate myself in some way to knock myself unconscious.
Which leads me to the next step in this continuing evolution of a man accepting his age and trying to improve himself: getting my insomnia straightened out.
Living in Los Angeles, none of these things were ever a problem. I could get through the day being exhausted, even if I went to the gym because I had plenty of time to be lazy. But in the suburbs there is always freaking something that needs to be done!
So there it is, my three part plan to make myself a better person: less drinking, more working out, actually sleeping more than 45 minutes at a time. If any of this takes, it'll be a whole new world.
July 6, 2012
Free Fridays: Follow Me
I hope everyone had a nice 4th of July holiday. I'm actually posting this at the ending of June, so I'm sending you a blog post from the past (although I suppose that's always the case). What is it like in the future?
Follow Me is another old story that I walked away from, but when I re-read it to upload it, I realized there's an awful lot I like about it. There were also a few things I really didn't like about it, but I removed at least some of them.
Follow Me for most eReaders
Follow Me for Kindle
I remember that when I wrote this, I was forcing myself to write something in the 3rd person, as I'd just written a lot of stories in the 1st person, and I always feel like that's a bit of a cop out. Then again, I'm pretty sure that I'm pretty good at writing in the 1st person, which makes sense, as I generally think that anything I'm good at must be inferior in some way.
The characters in this story show up again in other stories by me, most notably two recent stories that I've yet to post. I'm a sucker for shared universes.
Follow Me is another old story that I walked away from, but when I re-read it to upload it, I realized there's an awful lot I like about it. There were also a few things I really didn't like about it, but I removed at least some of them.
Follow Me for most eReaders
Follow Me for Kindle
I remember that when I wrote this, I was forcing myself to write something in the 3rd person, as I'd just written a lot of stories in the 1st person, and I always feel like that's a bit of a cop out. Then again, I'm pretty sure that I'm pretty good at writing in the 1st person, which makes sense, as I generally think that anything I'm good at must be inferior in some way.
The characters in this story show up again in other stories by me, most notably two recent stories that I've yet to post. I'm a sucker for shared universes.
July 4, 2012
KG.com Digression: The Cleveland Indians
I realize that a lot of people who read this blog have absolutely no interest in the Cleveland Indians, so I decided to label this post so you know what you're getting into.
And with that, I will now talk about the 2012 Cleveland Indians.
Two years ago, I predicted that the Tribe would win the World Series in 2012, which was fitting, as it would truly mark the end of the world. My prediction was based on a number of things, not the least of which was an ever improving farm system. I didn't count on a never ending stream of injuries, though.
For example, the rotation I had set for 2012 was this:
Carmona
Talbot
Masterson
Carrasco
White
Only one of them is actually in our current rotation. Carmona is no longer Carmona, Talbot fell apart completely, Carrasco had Tommy Johns, and White was traded (and currently has an ERA of 6.45.
You can see why I would have been excited about that rotation, Talbot notwithstanding. Carmona actually had a good '10, ending the year with a 3.77 ERA. We've seen what Masterson can do. Carrasco has front of the rotation type stuff, and White was dominating in the minors.
Starting Rotation
But that's not the rotation we have and, to be perfectly honest, the one we do have is the one we're going to have to get used to, because the Indians don't have the talent or the money to make more than one trade, if that, and we desperately need a right handed bat.
That's stick with pitching for a moment. Word is that Roberto Hernandez, the pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona, will be back around the All Star break. This might not seem like news, but Roberto's numbers from last year would put him above what we've seen from Tomlin this year and above what we've seen from Lowe in June. It might not be glamorous, but Hernandez coming back would actually help our rotation...and our bullpen (I'll get to that in a minute).
As has been noted by every single journalist covering the Tribe, Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez have begun to turn it around. Jimenez is still inconsistent as hell, but his positive outings have been more positive, if that makes any sense. Masterson has all but returned to form. I read an interesting stat about Masterson the other day -- 45% -- 21 -- of the runs he's given up this year came in just three games, and in those games, 15 of those 21 were given up in a single inning. In other words, if you drop those 3 innings of work, Masterson's ERA goes from 4.09 to 2.80.
Zach McAllister's been a nice surprise, although part of me feels like he's the second coming of the guy he just replaced, Jeanmar Gomez. But I think he's got better stuff than Tomlin did even when Tomlin was pitching well. McAllister also appears to be pretty fearless. Not bad for a back of the rotation guy.
I have no idea if Derek Lowe will get back to his early season form, but I have a feeling he's going to be in the rotation regardless. And Tomlin...
Bullpen
Today Tom Hamilton mentioned that there's been talk of moving Tomlin to the bullpen as, one would assume, a middle reliever. Tomlin's biggest problem has always been the third time through the order, because hitters figure him out. As a reliever, he'd never get that far. Given that we currently only have three reliable relievers, adding a fourth one would be big.
In fact, if you want to get crazy, you could suggest that adding Tomlin to the bullpen would make it a little easier to accept trading Chris Perez, who's value has never been higher, and who would surely bring a quality bat to the team in return. Pestano obvious has the stuff to close, the issue would then become what we do in the 8th inning. Leave it up to Smith? I'm not sure, but if Antonetti wants to get crazy, this is something to think about.
Another possibility, if he would accept it, would be moving Lowe to the bullpen, although I doubt they'd do that. Having a ground ball pitcher like that in the 'pen would be nice, though.
We're also supposed to get Rafael Perez back soon, and while he got hammered last year, he's had success in the past. And since Tony Sipp has gotten demolished all year and Nick Hagadone was obviously called up too soon, it will be nice to get an experienced lefty back. Again, any improvement to the bullpen would have to make any legitimate offer on Chris Perez at least a little tempting.
Line-up
We've heard it before, we'll hear it again: the Tribe needs a right handed bat.
Here's the thing: even if you optimistically believe that the return of Travis Hafner and, eventually, Grady Sizemore, will improve this offense, that weakness remains, as they're both left handed hitters. Both of them should probably expect to be part time players if/when they return, and that's assuming that Sizemore even has a place left on the team (I'll get to that in a minute).
What's both interesting and a bit frustrating is that this team has a really good offense of core in Choo, Brantley, Cabrera, and Kipnis, but that's 3 left handers and a switch hitter. These four are basically untouchable going into trade season, I would imagine.
The recent injury to Lonnie Chisenhall is a little bit of a blow. While Jack Hanahan has lost all the offense he had to start the season, he's still known as a great fielding third baseman, so there's value there. But we obviously can't afford to deal him now.
Given the money they are paying him and his defensive upside, I truly doubt Kotchman is going anywhere.
Our catching situation is kind of interesting. Clearly, Santana has a ton of potential, and him working out whatever the heck is going on at the plate is essential for the Tribe to make any kind of a run. But as of this exact moment (bottom 6th, 10-4 Tribe over the Orioles on June 30th), Lou Marson is hitting .275. Small sample size, of course, but it's not unreasonable to think that regular ABs are the key to Lou contributing offensively. Given that Santana is a switch hitter and this numbers are better against lefties, the possibility of using him more as a DH to see if Marson's hot streak is real is definitely one to keep in mind.
So we're left with left field and the bench. It's hard to argue against holding on to Jose Lopez, who has just gone 4-4 and who can play first and third and even DH. He's got a good amount of value because of this, though, so you have to wonder if he could be used to sweeten a deal somewhere. Shelly Duncan and Aaron Cunningham are just biding their time until they get released, as I'm sure one of them will be when Hafner is activated. Jason Donald is basically safe because he doesn't have a whole lot of trade value and he can play both middle infield positions. And Johnny Damon has actually been turning it up lately, hitting right around .300 over the last few weeks. Yes, he's another left handed bat, but as a 4th outfielder, he's not bad.
If you add Hafner to that roster, we're left with one spot for a starting left fielder.
A popular name for this was Josh Willingham, who the Tribe tried to sign in the off season, but were outbid by the Twins. Willingham would probably like to go back in time and re-think that decision given where the Twins are this season. The upside of a possible deal for Willingham is that he has a pretty big contract, which means taking on a lot of that salary would be considered as good as a top prospect. The downside is that we don't have much to sweeten the deal, particularly with regards to pitching, which the Twins really need.
Another popular name is Carlos Lee, but given that he just today turned down a trade to the Dodgers, I really doubt he'd accept one to Cleveland.
An interesting option is Carlos Quentin, the former White Sox left fielder. Quentin is putting up stellar numbers in San Diego this year and the Padres are obviously rebuilding. Again, though, the currency in trades is generally pitching, and the Tribe don't have much to offer on that front. Any package would probably end up including five to six guys to get someone like Quentin, which is a lot. Quentin is also a free agent next year, so we're looking at a half year rental for those unknown minor leaguers. But, again, the fact that he's a free agent next year, and will probably be out of San Diego's price range, means the Padres are more likely to deal him.
It's entirely possible that the Tribe don't make a move because they simply can't. It's going to be a sellers' market, after all. But if Chris Antonetti proved anything last year, it's that he's willing to take chances if the Tribe is within spitting distance of first.
Should be an interesting July.
And with that, I will now talk about the 2012 Cleveland Indians.
Two years ago, I predicted that the Tribe would win the World Series in 2012, which was fitting, as it would truly mark the end of the world. My prediction was based on a number of things, not the least of which was an ever improving farm system. I didn't count on a never ending stream of injuries, though.
For example, the rotation I had set for 2012 was this:
Carmona
Talbot
Masterson
Carrasco
White
Only one of them is actually in our current rotation. Carmona is no longer Carmona, Talbot fell apart completely, Carrasco had Tommy Johns, and White was traded (and currently has an ERA of 6.45.
You can see why I would have been excited about that rotation, Talbot notwithstanding. Carmona actually had a good '10, ending the year with a 3.77 ERA. We've seen what Masterson can do. Carrasco has front of the rotation type stuff, and White was dominating in the minors.
Starting Rotation
But that's not the rotation we have and, to be perfectly honest, the one we do have is the one we're going to have to get used to, because the Indians don't have the talent or the money to make more than one trade, if that, and we desperately need a right handed bat.
That's stick with pitching for a moment. Word is that Roberto Hernandez, the pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona, will be back around the All Star break. This might not seem like news, but Roberto's numbers from last year would put him above what we've seen from Tomlin this year and above what we've seen from Lowe in June. It might not be glamorous, but Hernandez coming back would actually help our rotation...and our bullpen (I'll get to that in a minute).
As has been noted by every single journalist covering the Tribe, Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez have begun to turn it around. Jimenez is still inconsistent as hell, but his positive outings have been more positive, if that makes any sense. Masterson has all but returned to form. I read an interesting stat about Masterson the other day -- 45% -- 21 -- of the runs he's given up this year came in just three games, and in those games, 15 of those 21 were given up in a single inning. In other words, if you drop those 3 innings of work, Masterson's ERA goes from 4.09 to 2.80.
Zach McAllister's been a nice surprise, although part of me feels like he's the second coming of the guy he just replaced, Jeanmar Gomez. But I think he's got better stuff than Tomlin did even when Tomlin was pitching well. McAllister also appears to be pretty fearless. Not bad for a back of the rotation guy.
I have no idea if Derek Lowe will get back to his early season form, but I have a feeling he's going to be in the rotation regardless. And Tomlin...
Bullpen
Today Tom Hamilton mentioned that there's been talk of moving Tomlin to the bullpen as, one would assume, a middle reliever. Tomlin's biggest problem has always been the third time through the order, because hitters figure him out. As a reliever, he'd never get that far. Given that we currently only have three reliable relievers, adding a fourth one would be big.
In fact, if you want to get crazy, you could suggest that adding Tomlin to the bullpen would make it a little easier to accept trading Chris Perez, who's value has never been higher, and who would surely bring a quality bat to the team in return. Pestano obvious has the stuff to close, the issue would then become what we do in the 8th inning. Leave it up to Smith? I'm not sure, but if Antonetti wants to get crazy, this is something to think about.
Another possibility, if he would accept it, would be moving Lowe to the bullpen, although I doubt they'd do that. Having a ground ball pitcher like that in the 'pen would be nice, though.
We're also supposed to get Rafael Perez back soon, and while he got hammered last year, he's had success in the past. And since Tony Sipp has gotten demolished all year and Nick Hagadone was obviously called up too soon, it will be nice to get an experienced lefty back. Again, any improvement to the bullpen would have to make any legitimate offer on Chris Perez at least a little tempting.
Line-up
We've heard it before, we'll hear it again: the Tribe needs a right handed bat.
Here's the thing: even if you optimistically believe that the return of Travis Hafner and, eventually, Grady Sizemore, will improve this offense, that weakness remains, as they're both left handed hitters. Both of them should probably expect to be part time players if/when they return, and that's assuming that Sizemore even has a place left on the team (I'll get to that in a minute).
What's both interesting and a bit frustrating is that this team has a really good offense of core in Choo, Brantley, Cabrera, and Kipnis, but that's 3 left handers and a switch hitter. These four are basically untouchable going into trade season, I would imagine.
The recent injury to Lonnie Chisenhall is a little bit of a blow. While Jack Hanahan has lost all the offense he had to start the season, he's still known as a great fielding third baseman, so there's value there. But we obviously can't afford to deal him now.
Given the money they are paying him and his defensive upside, I truly doubt Kotchman is going anywhere.
Our catching situation is kind of interesting. Clearly, Santana has a ton of potential, and him working out whatever the heck is going on at the plate is essential for the Tribe to make any kind of a run. But as of this exact moment (bottom 6th, 10-4 Tribe over the Orioles on June 30th), Lou Marson is hitting .275. Small sample size, of course, but it's not unreasonable to think that regular ABs are the key to Lou contributing offensively. Given that Santana is a switch hitter and this numbers are better against lefties, the possibility of using him more as a DH to see if Marson's hot streak is real is definitely one to keep in mind.
So we're left with left field and the bench. It's hard to argue against holding on to Jose Lopez, who has just gone 4-4 and who can play first and third and even DH. He's got a good amount of value because of this, though, so you have to wonder if he could be used to sweeten a deal somewhere. Shelly Duncan and Aaron Cunningham are just biding their time until they get released, as I'm sure one of them will be when Hafner is activated. Jason Donald is basically safe because he doesn't have a whole lot of trade value and he can play both middle infield positions. And Johnny Damon has actually been turning it up lately, hitting right around .300 over the last few weeks. Yes, he's another left handed bat, but as a 4th outfielder, he's not bad.
If you add Hafner to that roster, we're left with one spot for a starting left fielder.
A popular name for this was Josh Willingham, who the Tribe tried to sign in the off season, but were outbid by the Twins. Willingham would probably like to go back in time and re-think that decision given where the Twins are this season. The upside of a possible deal for Willingham is that he has a pretty big contract, which means taking on a lot of that salary would be considered as good as a top prospect. The downside is that we don't have much to sweeten the deal, particularly with regards to pitching, which the Twins really need.
Another popular name is Carlos Lee, but given that he just today turned down a trade to the Dodgers, I really doubt he'd accept one to Cleveland.
An interesting option is Carlos Quentin, the former White Sox left fielder. Quentin is putting up stellar numbers in San Diego this year and the Padres are obviously rebuilding. Again, though, the currency in trades is generally pitching, and the Tribe don't have much to offer on that front. Any package would probably end up including five to six guys to get someone like Quentin, which is a lot. Quentin is also a free agent next year, so we're looking at a half year rental for those unknown minor leaguers. But, again, the fact that he's a free agent next year, and will probably be out of San Diego's price range, means the Padres are more likely to deal him.
It's entirely possible that the Tribe don't make a move because they simply can't. It's going to be a sellers' market, after all. But if Chris Antonetti proved anything last year, it's that he's willing to take chances if the Tribe is within spitting distance of first.
Should be an interesting July.
July 2, 2012
The Sleeper
I finally broke down and listened to my wife: I went to see a sleep doctor.
I've chronicled my battle with insomnia in this blog probably more than most people care to read. Needless to say, it's a problem, and one I've never really gone to a doctor for.
After answering a bunch of questions about the way I sleep, my sleep doctor told me I probably have sleep apnea, which would explain why I wake up so much during the night. It doesn't explain why I have so much trouble falling asleep, but he thinks that might be a behavior issue.
To confirm his suspicions, he wants me to do an overnight sleep study, which should be interesting. I'm pretty sure it will prove I have sleep apnea, particularly given what I discovered the first night after my doctor's appointment.
My doctor had told me to go to bed an hour later than normal, since it usually takes me an hour to fall asleep, anyway. He also said that if I didn't fall asleep within 15 minutes, that I should get up and do other things, like read or watch TV. But I needed to change the fact that my body no longer considered my bed a place for sleeping.
I probably failed at that. After lying in bed for twenty minutes, I felt like I was on the verge of sleep, and the thought of getting out of bed wasn't appealing. I probably laid there for another twenty minutes before I actually fell asleep, though.
It's what happened after that which has opened my eyes.
I know I wake up a lot during the night, but I don't keep track of how often. When my doctor asked me, I guessed that it was four or five times a night. But since I was very aware of the problem after having gone to my first appointment, I decided to actually keep track.
That first night after my doctor's appointment, I woke up 9 times during the course of 7 hours. That averages out to waking up every 46.666 minutes.
It is no freaking wonder that I'm exhausted all the time if I don't sleep more than 46 minutes at a time.
This also means that the sleep I'm getting generally isn't REM sleep. I decided to look up what that meant, and basically it means that I'm a crazy person.
The list of issues that can be caused by a lack of REM sleep is ridiculous, but there are quite a few that apply to me. And while it's kind of depressing to think about, it's also kind of comforting. I mean, it's entirely possible that a lot of the difficulties I have in every day life can be fixed.
Furry happy monsters, indeed.
I've chronicled my battle with insomnia in this blog probably more than most people care to read. Needless to say, it's a problem, and one I've never really gone to a doctor for.
After answering a bunch of questions about the way I sleep, my sleep doctor told me I probably have sleep apnea, which would explain why I wake up so much during the night. It doesn't explain why I have so much trouble falling asleep, but he thinks that might be a behavior issue.
To confirm his suspicions, he wants me to do an overnight sleep study, which should be interesting. I'm pretty sure it will prove I have sleep apnea, particularly given what I discovered the first night after my doctor's appointment.
My doctor had told me to go to bed an hour later than normal, since it usually takes me an hour to fall asleep, anyway. He also said that if I didn't fall asleep within 15 minutes, that I should get up and do other things, like read or watch TV. But I needed to change the fact that my body no longer considered my bed a place for sleeping.
I probably failed at that. After lying in bed for twenty minutes, I felt like I was on the verge of sleep, and the thought of getting out of bed wasn't appealing. I probably laid there for another twenty minutes before I actually fell asleep, though.
It's what happened after that which has opened my eyes.
I know I wake up a lot during the night, but I don't keep track of how often. When my doctor asked me, I guessed that it was four or five times a night. But since I was very aware of the problem after having gone to my first appointment, I decided to actually keep track.
That first night after my doctor's appointment, I woke up 9 times during the course of 7 hours. That averages out to waking up every 46.666 minutes.
It is no freaking wonder that I'm exhausted all the time if I don't sleep more than 46 minutes at a time.
This also means that the sleep I'm getting generally isn't REM sleep. I decided to look up what that meant, and basically it means that I'm a crazy person.
The list of issues that can be caused by a lack of REM sleep is ridiculous, but there are quite a few that apply to me. And while it's kind of depressing to think about, it's also kind of comforting. I mean, it's entirely possible that a lot of the difficulties I have in every day life can be fixed.
Furry happy monsters, indeed.
July 1, 2012
Sunday Night
I wish this was the end of this weekend of cleaning, but it's still going on. That's a Self-Righteous Ale, by the by.
June 29, 2012
Free Fridays: Not So Much a System as a Theory
This is actually a story I've walked away from. I wanted to write something that catered to my nerdier tendency, something that was more in line with the comic books I read than the short stories. Even though the subject matter is a bit different than normal, it's still clearly something I wrote, as I'm sure you'll see.
Not So Much a System as a Theory for most eReaders
Not So Much a System as a Theory for Kindle
The title comes from the name of a song that I wrote twelve years ago. I was making some punk rock noise with my friend Bob. When we finished, I started putting pedals and cables away and his friend asked me if I had a system. I said "not so much a system as a theory." Bob jumped on it and said that should be the name of the song we were working on. I've tried to work it into something ever since.
Some fun facts:
This is the 9th story (or sample) I've posted for free in the last 10 weeks.I've had 209 downloads from my shared files, for the 8 previous piecesAssuming anyone who downloads my stuff, downloads it all, that's 26 peopleSo I'd like to thank you, you 26 people (technically 26.125), for continuing to download my work, and I hope that you get around to reading all of it, and maybe then decide to go buy my book. Or, at the very least, tell someone else to visit this blog and download some free stuff.
I leave you with an overlooked gem from Nada Surf's first full length album, a little song called "Treehouse."
Not So Much a System as a Theory for most eReaders
Not So Much a System as a Theory for Kindle
The title comes from the name of a song that I wrote twelve years ago. I was making some punk rock noise with my friend Bob. When we finished, I started putting pedals and cables away and his friend asked me if I had a system. I said "not so much a system as a theory." Bob jumped on it and said that should be the name of the song we were working on. I've tried to work it into something ever since.
Some fun facts:
This is the 9th story (or sample) I've posted for free in the last 10 weeks.I've had 209 downloads from my shared files, for the 8 previous piecesAssuming anyone who downloads my stuff, downloads it all, that's 26 peopleSo I'd like to thank you, you 26 people (technically 26.125), for continuing to download my work, and I hope that you get around to reading all of it, and maybe then decide to go buy my book. Or, at the very least, tell someone else to visit this blog and download some free stuff.
I leave you with an overlooked gem from Nada Surf's first full length album, a little song called "Treehouse."
June 22, 2012
Free Fridays: Master of the House
I'll be honest: my sleeping pills have kicked in, so I'm not entirely sure how lucid this will be. But I wanted to make sure I got this up, as I've yet to miss a Friday.
Here are the first 2 chapters for my YA book, "Master of the House." I think it ends at a nice spot.
For most eReaders
For the Kindle
Please excuse the watermarks on these. The program I normally use to turn Word docs into epub docs decided to replace random letters with asterisks, so I had to quickly find something else to use. Hopefully, I'll have that sorted out by next week.
Okay, these drugs are forcing me to bed. I hope you enjoy this little taste of "Master of the House!"
Here are the first 2 chapters for my YA book, "Master of the House." I think it ends at a nice spot.
For most eReaders
For the Kindle
Please excuse the watermarks on these. The program I normally use to turn Word docs into epub docs decided to replace random letters with asterisks, so I had to quickly find something else to use. Hopefully, I'll have that sorted out by next week.
Okay, these drugs are forcing me to bed. I hope you enjoy this little taste of "Master of the House!"
June 15, 2012
Free Fridays: So Far
For the first time since I started this experiment, I'm not going to be posting a new story. I think a breather every once in a while is a good thing. Honestly, my focus has been on my query letters, so I'm not even really producing a lot of work lately, anyway.
But for those who are interested, here's a list of everything I've put up so far, and links to download them:
April 27th, 2012 -- Unrequited
May 4th, 2012 -- Young Zombies in Love
May 11th, 2012 -- Gateway Drug
May 18th, 2012 -- Grimm
May 25th, 2012 -- Mercurial
June 1st, 2012 -- Everything Is Both
June 8th, 2012 -- Weight
But for those who are interested, here's a list of everything I've put up so far, and links to download them:
April 27th, 2012 -- Unrequited
May 4th, 2012 -- Young Zombies in Love
May 11th, 2012 -- Gateway Drug
May 18th, 2012 -- Grimm
May 25th, 2012 -- Mercurial
June 1st, 2012 -- Everything Is Both
June 8th, 2012 -- Weight
