Jason Haskins's Blog, page 37

Winter Olympics: 10 Days down, precious few to go

The games of the 2018 Winter Olympics march on. Whether you're a fan of ice hockey, figure skating, snowboarding or just enjoy watching in general, there is no doubt you've found at least one event exciting, suspenseful, or noteworthy.
Over the past few days, thanks to a blowout loss by the men's team to the Olympic Athletes of Russia (OAR) team, the talk has largely focused on what a difference NHL players participating would have meant to the game.
But first, I'd like to talk about the outstanding USA Women's Hockey team.
Since the 1998 games, the USA Women's Hockey team has enjoyed bountiful success in the Winter Olympics. They won gold that year and have followed up by earning a medal in every Olympics since. Though they haven't secured gold, they've accumulated three silvers and a bronze.
Team USA is well on their way to getting back to another final. First, a semifinal matchup with Finland awaits them on Sunday (2/18) night. The American women beat Finland 3-1 to open these Olympic games. Team USA also owns a win over OAR, a 5-0 victory in which Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson became the fastest American player to open a match with two goals.
Their only loss is a 2-1 setback to Canada.
The men, on the other hand, will be fighting to stay alive in the tournament this upcoming Monday night (2/19, 10:10 pm EST) when they face off with Slovakia in a qualification game. The winner will advance to the quarterfinal round.
Team USA has already faced Slovakia in group play, picking up their only win of the Olympics, a 2-1 victory. They lost one game in overtime in addition to their blowout loss to OAR.
The men's team is just one of a few disappointments in these winter games.Disappointment despite strong showingsSkiing is normally a good chance for Americans to pick up more than a few medals. Not so much thus far in 2018.
Mikaela Shiffrin had already one gold medal in her pocket for winning the giant slalom. Many had pegged her as having an outside shot to take home five medals in these games. 
It was her strongest event, the slalom, in which Shiffrin ended just outside the podium, posting a fourth-place finish. A mix of nerves, a minor mistake, and the shuffling of events because of bad weather led to this. The shuffling of events also led to Shiffrin passing on the super G so she could focus on the downhill (2/20) and combined (2/22) events.
Shiffrin's fellow American Lindsey Vonn finished out of medal contention in her first event, the super G. Vonn will still have a chance when she races the downhill as well. This is the stronger of her events and many will be rooting for her as she looks to medal after missing the last Olympics due to injuries.
In men's figure skating, Nathan Chen was considered a favorite to take home gold. A weak showing in the short program found Chen in 17th-place. Going for broke on his free skate, Chen became the first Olympian to land six quads in a single skate. The remarkable feat made up for some of the disappointment from the night before as Chen ended up in fifth place. Medal TrackerEven with these few disappointments, Americans have found success in the Pyeonchang Winter Olympic Games. 
They added two silver medals today. Nick Goepper picked up silver in the men's ski slopestyle. And John-Henry Krueger picked up a surprise silver in the men's 1000-meter speed-skating final. Krueger's second-place finish marked the first time in eight years the United States has picked up a medal in an individual speed-skating event.
A glimpse at the current medals:
Norway 26 (9G, 9S, 8B)Germany 18 (9G, 5S, 4B)Canada 16 (5G, 5S, 6B)Netherlands 13 (6G, 5S, 2B)USA 10 (5G, 3S, 2B)What to watch forSunday night is a quiet night as far as medals go, with no events with finals. The main action will revolve around ice dancing in figure skating, where the three teams from the United States figure to play into the final standings. The short program for teams begins at 7 pm (EST).
The USA Women's Hockey team will play their semifinal match against Finland at 11:10 pm (EST) on NBC Sports.
Monday will have the free dance for the ice dance in figure skating, completing the event and giving us the winners. Freestyle skiing in the women's halfpipe will also take place, where American Maddie Bowman will attempt to repeat her gold-medal performance from the Sochi Olympics.
I will return later this week with more (Not from South Korea, but from the confines of my apartment).
To keep up to date (for Olympic coverage, sports, pop culture and more), be sure to follow on Twitter: @jasonrh_78
Picture courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

Winter Games 2018: Windy days, triple axels and more

The best of the best -- in varieties of events and competitions -- show up to compete in the Winter Games.
Athletes, coaches, fans, and more hope to achieve (and see) the greatest performances, play the best games, land the best tricks, and deliver the fastest times.
In two events on Sunday evening (United States time zone), one event exceeded promises while another was hampered by a vile acting Mother Nature.
United States figure skater Mirai Nagasu -- left off the team in 2014 -- has already made a name for herself in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Part of the bronze-winning American team, Nagasu became the first American woman to land a triple axel in the Olympics.
The impressive feat made Nagasu only the 7th woman to land the jump in competition, a list that notably includes American Tonya Harding. (Part of her claim to fame before, well, you know.)
Nagasu will hope momentum carries her to the individual event later in the games. According to many pundits, American women will have a tough time reaching the podium.
While Nagasu was making history inside, the women competing in the slopestyle event were fighting Mother Nature outside.
And for the most part, nature won.
Already delayed because of wind, cold, and snow, the women only had two runs (instead of the usual three) to impress. In an event in which fans are treated to some of the wildest tricks, the 2018 Olympic version erred on the side of caution.
The participants always fly through the air, but on this day, some were soaring much longer anticipated. There were a few boarders who caught so much air I thought they were never going to come down. Of course when they did, crashes happened. The scores were not as competitive as normal, with only a handful of riders landing all three jumps cleanly. When they did, it was often done as the result of more conservative (to us common folk) jump. 
In the end, American Jamie Anderson landed the gold medal after posting a score of 83.00 on her first run. Jessika Jenson finished just off the podium, falling from the third place she held for most of the day to fifth place after all the riders had completed their runs.
Hailey Langland made her Olympic debut and finished sixth.Medal countAnderson's gold and the Figure Skating team's bronze brought the total haul for the United States to four (two golds, one silver, one bronze).
For a complete list, check out the medal tracker.What to watchTonight is all about the halfpipe snowboarding. And the women have been impressive.
Two of the three runs are complete (with weather much more favorable than the previous days slopestyle competition. There's plenty of sun and nary a breeze.)
The finals are being led by American Chloe Kim, a 17-year competitor who has once scored a perfect 100 in this event. Americans also sit in third (Arielle Gold), fourth (Kelly Clark), and 12th place as the event heads into the final leg. Gold and Clark have both completed all three of their runs.


*Update: Kim has won gold, a medal she wrapped up before her last run. So what does she do? She goes and drops a score of 98.25 . Finishing third was Gold, giving the United States two more medals.

Also on tap for tonight, Shaun White will take the first steps towards another gold medal. And Mixed Doubles Curling will play their final, as well as men's alpine skiing in the combined event.
The 1,500 meters speedskating final will also take place this evening.
Back with more later in the week. In the meantime, events like luge-doubles, more speedskating and the pairs figure skating-free skate will take place. Enjoy the ice. And bring the storm.
photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.orgI will still be roaming around on Twitter so be sure to follow for Olympic updates, Boise State sports, pop culture and more: @jasonrh_78

The Winter Olympics: Take 2 Curlings and call me in the morning

Day 86 of the Winter Olympics has come and gone...
...hold on. I'm hearing from my sources it's only Day 3. I think. The games appeared to have started on Thursday here in the United States, but the Opening Ceremony wasn't until Friday. Or was it? What kind of time warp are we living in?
No matter the case, the every-fourth-year celebration of the world's top (winter athletes) is upon us, live (on tape delay) from beautiful Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The Winter Olympics have always taken a backseat to the summer version for me, as far as interest levels go. More events and -- no being much of an outdoor, winter sports enthusiast -- led to this, but I still enjoyed the Winter Olympics in some regard.
In my youth, I enjoyed going out to ice skate, even owning a pair of hockey skates at one point. (Thanks to the Mighty Ducks ). Sledding was another favorite pastime. Both probably led to my love of watching the bobsled races and hockey games.
Outside of the occasional cross-country skiing I did on my family's land, I was not a skier. But I still enjoyed watching events like the slalom and super G. Back in the day -- whether in these events or others, like speed and figure skating -- I knew the names and was aware of many of the American athletes competing in the games.
There was Dan Jansen and Bonnie Blair, two of the greatest speed skaters of their generation. Even up until probably 2010, I knew a fair amount about who would be representing the United States in the figure skating categories. Bobsled was the case in the 90's, though many of those names escape me now.
The love of the Winter Olympics hit a crescendo in the year 2002, when the games were held in Salt Lake and the Olympic torch made its way to Boise, Idaho, passing literal steps away from my apartment at the time.
Point being, heading into these Olympics, I really had little idea of who was competing. I knew of Shaun White, the great snowboarder. And Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, both World renowned for their skiing. And I knew of talented speed skater Shani Davis. 
That was pretty much it. There are no NHL players participating in these year's Olympics. I know more about the figure skater announcers than who is actually participating. And I only know who is on the bobsled team thanks to one of the members being Boise's own Nick Cunningham.
I imagine growing older and finding less time to follow and pay attention to sports I have less interest in have led to this. And adding more events have likely played their part. 
So of course it was time to catch up.Medals after day 3The early medal tracker has the United States with two medals. 
Two? What kind of world domination is going on here?
To be fair, many of the events in which the team from the United States are expected to excel in are yet to come. And Chris Mazdzer shocked the world by picking up the first ever medal in men's luge, taking silver.
Of course, I did not see this event. I caught the prelims on Saturday and -- unless it will be re-aired in prime time -- will have missed the finals. Though I suppose I could easily track down highlights. Update: I switched over to Olympic coverage and, lo and behold, I timed it up perfectly for Mazdzer's run. Success!
His silver followed up a Red Gerard gold in men's slopestyle. And Gerard is only 17 years old to boot.Curling anyone?We all know the real reason I'm here is to talk about curling. What once started off as a joke (to me) has turned into a full on love for the sport. And it's apparently a craze really sweeping the nation.
And now they have not only men's and women's team, but a mixed doubles event as well. Early results have favored the United States team and I did catch the end of a rousing victory. Unfortunately, the result wasn't enough to carry them to the semifinals.
The world's best ice sweepers are on full display over the next few weeks. Please, if you've never bothered watching this sport, set aside a few minutes. You'll be looking for a curling rec league in no  time at all.
I will be back here as the Winter Olympics continue over the next few weeks. There's a lot to cover, including short track speed skating, figure skating, the USA women's hockey team, and of course following the comeback of Vonn. 
For now, I'm off to pick up a broom to hone my curling skills. 
Picture courtesy of pixabay.comTo keep up with the Winter Olympics, BSU sports and more, follow me on Twitter: @jasonrh_78
 

A little side of fun for Super Bowl Sunday

Super Bowl LII is upon on us (or Super Bowl 52 for those no longer practicing the art of roman numerals).
Millions across the world will tune in, gorging themselves on beer, wings, and other exotic food concoctions reserved for this annual event. Traditional games of Puppy Bowls and Kitten Bowls will be watched, while many wonder if the Bud Bowl will ever return?



The Super Bowl continues to be a cultural phenomenon. And a divisive one at that. Societal issues have surrounded the NFL over the past few years, ranging from the effect of concussions to players right to protest to Tom Brady's connections to the Illuminati.
And of course, there is the wild world of betting on the game.
A standard (fun) betting game at Super Bowl parties involves participants picking squares. The corresponding squares in a 10X10 grid give people a chance to pick the final score at the end of each quarter. For example, you might pick a 4 on the horizontal grid and a 4 on the vertical grid. If the score at halftime is 14 to 14 you could win some money. (This is just a variation. I'm sure it varies from party to party from coast to coast.)
This has never been a favorite of mine so awhile back some friends and I took things up a notch. We picked ten different prop bets -- some standard, some not -- and the winner was decided on who had the most correct picks.
I've decided to share those with you today. (For even more wild bets, check here.)First song by halftime performerDoes a band or performer wow you with a new song or blow your mind with a sweet classic?
The answer tends to be a popular song even the most casual fan would know. So what's it gonna be for the returning Justin Timberlake? I'm going out on a limb with SexyBack (As I side bet, you can predict if Janet Jackson or *NSYNC or both make a surprise return. Even though Timberlake has stated neither are.)MVP of the Super BowlPretty straightforward. It will be Jay Ajayi.Who scores the first touchdown?This is focused on which player scores the first touchdown. Now, in my version we've eliminated the quarterback as being picked, unless it's for a running score (and noted). So, ideally you're likely to pick a wide receiver, running back, punt returner, tight end, etc. My pick: Rob Gronkowski.Coin TossThis category provides you the chances to get two picks. First, you choose if it will be "heads" or "tails" and then you pick you wins the toss. The two do not go hand in hand so if you pick "tails" and the Eagles win the toss (but you picked the Patriots) you still get one pick correct. 
Tails never fails, as the old adage goes, with the Patriots winning the call.Halftime scoreHere's another one you can adjust as needed. For this, we simply picked a score with no assigned team. If no one has the correct score, the pick is decided by closest to the total points. For halftime, I'm predicting a 17-14 score. Final Score/WinnerTo mix things up, this one SHOULD include the team. It's only right. Since we're doing most picks out of ten, whoever picks the winner should get the category marked as correct. (Though if you only want to award one winner in this category, use the closest to the total points as your winner).
EAGLES 28 PATRIOTS 24Who throws the first interception?Another pretty straightforward category, unless you want to get creative and pick a receiver or running back. I'm going with Nick Foles.Pick-a-playerThis category started when Chad "OchoCinco" Johnson was playing for the Patriots in the Super Bowl. The idea behind it is taking a veteran player in his first Super Bowl or a player outside the normal superstar range and predict their receiving yards or rushing yards. You can even go with a defensive player and predict their sacks.
This one is completely up to the party. Jay Ajayi rushing yards? Chris Hogan receiving yards? You can even do a player's total punting yards if you'd like.Time of 1st pointsOpening kickoff? 3:37 into the game? 12 minutes into the game? Picking is easy, but getting right is hard. This year? 5:31 into the game the first points will be scored.
There it is. Nothing too outrageous, I know, but simply something else to help make the party fun. In case of participants ending up with the same amount of correct picks, there are a variety of ways you can settle the tie. You can split the money among winners. You can pick closest to punting average as a tiebreaker.
It's entirely up to you. Bet safe. Bet wild. Have a few wings. Or just watch for the commercials. (Even those can be bet on). 
Do you have your own prop bets you like? Others you think might be fun? Feel free to comment and discuss.
picture courtesy of commons.wikimedia.orgFollow for sports, pop culture and more on Twitter: @jasonrh_78

Royal Rumble preview 2018: Elias, Roman Reigns and more

Is there anyone who truly wants to walk with Elias?
Judging by the reaction of the fans in Brooklyn at the 25th Anniversary of RAW on Monday night, a mixture of applause with boos might indicate his stock is on the rise.
Will this translate to a win in the 2018 Royal Rumble for Elias? Can anyone stop The Miz? Who will win the first royal rumble match for women? And will fans in Philadelphia nearly revolt, like they did in 2015, if Roman Reigns wins the Rumble again?
All questions we'll get to. But first, Elias.
Watching "The Drifter" over the past six months or so -- especially last Monday -- reminded me of another wrestler and I got to thinking: Is Elias being groomed to be the next Rock?
Currently Elias shows up, sings a song, makes fun of the crowd/city, and then generally does something dastardly en route to receiving more boos from the crowd. 
A few things changed on Monday night. Maybe it was just the Brooklyn crowd, but it seems like creative is setting him up for a something huge. Though he does not carry the charisma ol' Dwayne Johnson carries, Elias might be on his way to a face turn. (I know this is a pretty standard formula applied in pro wrestling and maybe it's just the guitar playing, singing aspect, but still...)
And now it appears Elias is going to get the John Cena treatment.
Cena, over the past few years, has been doing his best to put over up-and-coming wrestlers to raise their stock. He even took a hit against Elias as his back was on the receiving end of a guitar shot.
This feud might be short-lived, but will it be enough to elevate the status of Elias? He surely won't win the rumble but we should see some good Elias/Cena side action on Sunday evening.Roman ReignsIf there's one man who has divided fans more than Cena as of late, it's Reigns.
When last in Philly for the Royal Rumble, Reigns exited a winner, driving him into a story with Brock Lesnar. 
Here in 2018, rumors are flying once again that Reigns will win and enter into a story line with...Brock Lesnar.


Reigns recently had a short run as Intercontinental Champion, a belt he won from The Miz and relinquished to The Miz on Monday night.
Like him or hate him, Reigns has been tabbed as a face of the company. Personally, I think him winning the rumble is a tease and creative will (hopefully) find a way for him to enter the title picture naturally as we head towards Wrestlemania 34.A rumble for women2018 will mark the first time their will be a royal rumble for women. This is a match that will likely see a contingent of surprise wrestlers, including possibly a few popular names from yesteryear.
Women have come a long way in the wrestling entertainment business and to see them get their own rumble is pretty fantastic. Asuka has been the presumed favorite for awhile now, but certain betting lines have seen Stephanie McMahon rise into the top favorites.
Becky Lynch, Nia Jax, and Sasha Banks are other favorites to punch their ticket to Wrestlemania. One face who will be sorely missed is Paige, who re-injured herself a few weeks back. Let's hope she'll still be ringside and perhaps affect the finish in some regard.The MizHow can I write a WWE post and not mention "The A-list Superstar"? (And Rolling Stone's 'Superstar of the Year' to boot.)
Recapturing the IC title leaves his role for The Royal Rumble in the dark (though he is listed as an entrant to the rumble). There are rumors floating around he maybe headed to a feud with Braun Strowman. This could lead to some sort of interference in the title match, but we'll see.
Personally, I wish Chris Jericho was free because he was killing it before he left and The Miz has been fire as of late. Getting these two tangling would be ratings gold.Matches and predictions Kickoff Show
Kalisto, Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik vs TJP, Jack Gallagher & Drew Gulak: This one is a toss up and thrown together due to the allegations (and subsequent) release of Enzo. Look for a hard reset on the Cruiserweight Division.
Gallows & Anderson vs The Revival: Let's give the Balor Club more momentum with a win here.
Bobby Roode (c) vs TBA (United States Championship): Gonna say Roode retains no matter the opponent
Main Card
The Usos (c) vs Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin (Smackdown Tag Team Championship, 2 out of 3 falls match): Gable & Benjamin pick up the win, keeping this feud going through Wrestlemania 34.
Seth Rollins & Jason Jordan (c) vs The Bar (Raw Tag Team Championship): Tough one to call but I'm going with The Bar. But the thrown together tag team of Rollins & Jordan is building quite a story so I wouldn't be surprised if they retain.
AJ Styles (c) vs Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (WWE Championship, handicap match): Boy, I would love to see Owens and Zayn win to see them share the title. Have a feeling Styles will retain in a match that will also see the continued feud of Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon.
Brock Lesnar (c) vs Kane vs Braun Strowman (Universal Championship): I see why they included Kane, but he isn't really needed. Lesnar likely retains -- setting up the Reigns angle -- leaving Strowman being dominant with no place to go. This is how mad that will make him: 

Women's Royal Rumble: Currently 18/30 spots are spoken for so we'll definitely see some surprises. Following the buzzards with this one and going with Asuka.
Men's Royal Rumble: 18/30 spots spoken for on this one as well. The entrants already announced all have nice stories built in so it will interesting to see how they play out. Does The Miz eliminate Reigns? Do Cena and Elias walk together? Who will the surprise entrants be?
The way things are going, I see one of three options as winner: Reigns, Shinsuke Nakamura, or a surprise entrant. (Among who might be The Undertaker, EC3, Jeff Hardy, Dolph Ziggler, or, let's say, Goldust).
photo credit: commons.wikimedia.orgFollow on Twitter: @jasonrh_78Visit jason-haskins.com

Forgotten literary favorites of my youth

A routine flipping through the channels on a windy Friday night yielded some surprising results. And a trip down memory lane.
Passing the regular channels, I skyrocketed towards the movie channels. It's Law and Order night on the Sundance channel. Nope.
Fury was on IFC. It's a great Brad Pitt movie but I had already watched it earlier in the day. Maybe TCM has something...wait. What's this?
My Side of the Mountain.
I began watching and memories of my youth flooded in. My Side of the Mountain was my favorite book in my formative elementary school years. By rough estimation, I read this book 15 times. Did I own a copy? If my memory serves, I did. Traveling to the far reaches of my brain space, I not only wondered if a copy of the book was still at my parents house somewhere, but I also began to piece together the story.
Watching the movie -- based on the book -- I recalled also wanting to be like the boy in the book. I wanted to live off the land; to live in a hollowed out tree trunk and enjoy the cozy confines of nature. A few minutes into memory lane and thinking this boy simply ran away from home while adults he encountered simply looked the other way, I had to go look up the full synopsis of the book.
Wikipedia here I come...
...and it's amazing how much one's favorite book as a child can leave a subconscious imprint. (And how I was a little off in the fact the boy ran away from home.)
My Side of the Mountain is a young adult novel written by Jean Craighead George and was published in 1959. The novel tells the story of a young teenager named Sam who, deciding that living with his large family in a small apartment is too crammed, goes to live on his grandpa's abandoned farm. Finding the home uninhabitable, Sam instead begins to live off the land, learning to live with nature and be independent, much like Thoreau did.
The deeper I went into the plot, the more the story came back to me. Every piece of information unlocked an old memory, an old feeling attached to how the story with Sam progressed. The training of a falcon. Christmas spent in the dug out old tree trunk. Becoming one with nature and exploring how life is symbiotic. Suddenly, I was transported back to my fourth grade self and wanting to see the world through these eyes again.
And of course I wanted to read My Side of the Mountain and some of my other favorites from those days. 
A pen pal excursion with Dear Mr. Henshaw.
Catching up with Peter Warren Hatcher, his little brother Fudge and other Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.
Solving crimes with Frank and Joe Hardy or living on the lam with The Boxcar Children.
Tracking down the name of the books of the fictional baseball team I spent reading about every summer. It was a series of books, with I believe each book focusing on a different player/position. I've tried putting my Google search skills to use, but I don't think I have enough to go on to track down their titles. (I wonder if the Elko County Library has a record of what books I checked out in the late 1980's)
Time passes and a simpler time puts the brain at ease, if only for a few hours.. Unlocked all because of the simple act of channel surfing on a Friday night. Leaving me feeling nostalgic, with a sense of hope of one day finding my own private side of the mountain.

Saturday night is all right for writing

"Keep it real."
Were these the last words she was ever going to speak to me?
A three-day fight, played out over text messages, emails, phone calls, and a six-hour standoff in my apartment had finally come to a head. This was it. The numbing silence hanging over us and drowning in the room ended by me asking, "Will you stay the night?"
Her response was simple and terse. "Keep it real."
Three years of dating, flirting, loving, brunches, fights, movies, day long sex-ins, quickies in the shower, long talks of moving in together and steps towards marriage ended with three simple words.
No more dates. No more cuddles. No more snide comments about every little single thing I do, no matter how hard I try to keep you happy. How can co-existing be this difficult?
Double-fault doesn't mean a redo nor does it lead to compromise. It leads to stasis. The trick is to move past it, to power through and find the answers. Romantic comedies tell you to never give up. Fights and disagreements don't mean it should end.
And yet. (Keep it real.)
I watched as she lugged two trash bags of her belongings out of my apartment. I had half of a thought to lock the door of my apartment and hold the rest of her stuff hostage. 
I didn't. The vindictive side of me stayed silent. Instead, I didn't leave my bed. I was drained of energy, a useless blob of a man.  She returned, gathered the last of her clothes (but not hair ties). Tears welling -- in both her eyes and mine -- the end was nigh.
Over. A shut case. Signed, sealed, (you know the rest).
"Keep it real."
Good-bye I said in my mind. Thanks for the memories. 
Worst Labor Day weekend ever.

The challenge for inducting players into the Baseball Hall of Fame

Steroids, designated hitters, defensive wizards, crowded ballots, and protest ballots are all coloring the decision for the 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame class.
The inductees to this year's class will be officially announced on January 24. A handful of sportswriters have made public their ballots, though, and the debate on who is to be elected is afoot.
Whatever happened to the days of just voting for the best (former) players?
Steroid usage -- proven or otherwise -- is something weighing heavily on minds of writers and fans alike. Those firmly against will say these players tarnished the game, they cheated to get ahead, they have no integrity.
On the other side of the coin, it's easy to argue that players such as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were already on the trajectory for hall of fame careers. Players such as Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa might have had a more difficult time in one day being voted in. 
Placing ten players on the ballot is the limit. You want to put only Omar Vizquel and Jim Thome on the ballot because you're a Cleveland writer? Fine, but at least do a top-five. I find it kind of hard to believe out of all the eligible players -- even with the steroid debate mixed in -- there are people who only think two players are worthy.
There are valuable points on both sides of the debate. In the end, much of what is debated is subjective. Notably, the argument of "so and so" only excelled in one area. That same could be said on a whole variety of those already in the hall of fame. He only hit home runs. This pitcher only had a lot of saves. This guy only hit triples.
Which brings us to Vizquel and Edgar Martinez.The Edgar Martinez and Omar Vizquel conundrumBoth Martinez and Vizquel are being knocked for being "only" a designated hitter (Martinez) or excelling on defense (Vizquel). 
Martinez was one of the better hitters of his generation. The specialized function holding him back is, as a designated hitter, all he had to worry about was hitting. During the course of his career, Martinez won a couple of batting titles, had 309 home runs, 2,247 hits, 514 doubles, had a .933 OPS, and hit .312 for his career, with a high of .356 in 1995.
He was part of a great run of Seattle Mariner teams in the mid-90's to early aughts. Martinez also made seven all-star appearances and finished in the A.L. MVP voting top-10 twice. Oh, and he had a career .952 fielding percentage (in 1,672 career chances)
Vizquel, meanwhile, really was a defensive wizard. In 24 seasons of professional baseball, Vizquel only committed 183 errors. He finished with a career fielding percentage of .985. 
The shortstop was a stalwart of the powerhouse Cleveland Indian teams of the 1990's. He did collect 2,877 hits but only hit .272 (notably, 10 points higher than hall of famer Ozzie Smith). Vizquel made three all-star games, but most importantly, took home 11 Gold Gloves.A crowded 2018 classGaining entry into Cooperstown is saved for being the best of the best. Back in the day, this might have been an easier process. Writers might have gone only off box scores or seeing the players live while relying very little on television highlights. The stats were right in front of them and perhaps more cut and dry in who got in and who got out.
Different ideas of is great and who isn't worthy has taken on different thoughts over the years. Maybe Vizquel is worthy because of all the top-10 highlights we've attributed him to. Or we remember a key playoff home run or bloody sock incident to cement greatness in the legacy of our minds.
This year's class has a whole host of players. Bonds. Clemens. Vizquel. Martinez. Curt Schilling. Chipper Jones. Andruw Jones. Jeff Kent, Carlos Zambrano, Billy Wagner and Trevor Hoffman are just a few of the many names on this year's ballot. (For a full list, click here.)
There will be some very good players who may never appear on a ballot again after this year due to not receiving the required votes.
In deciding who I would vote for (in playing the "if I were a baseball writer" game), I would honestly have a pretty old school approach by using the basic stats that have been used for a long while. Wins. Losses. Home runs. Batting average. All-Star appearances (though this can be skewed as well). Awards.
I do not believe in WAR. I see its usefulness but am not a fervent believer in it, as I am with most of these new age stats used as barometers. Especially when using these stats to apply to players retroactively. Have we gone back and looked at the saves category for prior to when it was an official stat? Maybe there is a pitcher out there who has tons of saves who is not in the hall of fame. If we haven't done this, I'd like to have that job. You hear me Elias Sports Bureau. (And if someone has already done this, I apologize. Keep up the good work.)
That being said, here is my top-10. Martinez makes it this year while Vizquel does not. I do think the shortstop deserves the nod one day though it may never happen and if it does, it might be a veteran committee choice.

Barry BondsRoger ClemensChipper JonesTrevor HoffmanVladimir GuerreroJim ThomeEdgar MartinezLarry WalkerJeff KentMike Mussinaphoto credit: commons.wikimedia.org
Twitter: @jasonrh_78Instagram: jasonrh_78Website: jason-haskins.com

I sleep, the computer sleeps

The lack of focus is a fine way to start off the year.
I stare at the blinking cursor. Enough time passes that the screen goes from active to asleep. My brain is in a little bit of a fog on the Sunday in January.
Topics are there, but nothing is forming behind them.
We look at the Buffalo Bills/Jacksonville Jaguars game from earlier today. Was each team's defense just THAT good or was the offense of each just THAT inept? For more on this, tune into to every other person's take on Twitter.

Okay. See. This was an idea that didn't have much traction behind it. Both teams had little business being in the playoffs, though I will say the Jaguars earned it more than the Bills did. Buffalo was trading away top defensive players and starting a quarterback who had no business starting halfway through the season.

And yet here they were, getting to the playoffs for what seems like the first time since Buffalo 66 came out. (It wasn't, but close enough). The San Diego Los Angeles Chargers and even Baltimore deserved to be in more than the Bills. The Chargers would have been in, had they found a kicker. Instead of 9-7 they could have easily been 11-5 or 12-4.And the winner of the Golden Globe is...Maybe I'll write about the Golden Globes. There are some great shows and movies this year. And plenty of stars are united to take a stand against the problem of sexual harassment in not only Hollywood but the world in general. 
Looking over the list of nominees, I realize I have seen very little in the past year in the regards to new films. I've done a halfway decent job at keeping up on the television side. Big Little Lies was a top one for me, closely followed by The Deuce.
Go see Lady Bird, if you have the chance. Spectacularly acted, written, and directed, this film is one of the best I've seen in a few years. (I'll have more on the film in my next newsletter).
I also stand in solidarity with the countless others wearing black today but after a quick perusal of my closet I found I do not own anything black. A couple of dirty t-shirts are black so those are out. In the end, I throw on some black socks to support the cause from my black couch.Parity in college basketballThere are no undefeated teams in division I. There isn't even a clear cut favorite in which I see a team dominate on a nightly basis. Honestly, though, I haven't seen Arizona State play so maybe they're the real deal. I watched Villanova lose last week as well as Kansas. Wichita State? Virginia? They look decent but these are two teams who always fare well in the regular season and falter come tourney time.
Kansas was able to recover from their loss with a road win over the previously-with-only-one-loss TCU. But Oklahoma and West Virginia are also lurking in the Big-12.
Over in the ACC, Boston College has more wins then Duke -- who the Eagles beat in December -- and Notre Dame is winning games without its two biggest stars.
Even as I write this, the number one ranked Michigan State Spartans are losing by 21 to Ohio State. 
It should be a fun time come March.
[Scene Missing]
I'm back. I had an urge to go look up the Paranormal Activity movies. I needed some clarification the the 4th installment. IFC is showing a marathon today and maybe, just maybe, I wasted a bit of time watching them, even though I've seen the first three.
Speaking of IFC, why is Two and a Half Men on this channel? There is nothing independent about this show. 
These are a few of my thoughts on a Sunday. I woke up far too early today and productivity has waned as the days has progressed. Perhaps if I'd written this blog post earlier, I could have expanded on the above topics with more depth and more gusto. (Call it a deep dive, if you will, but if you ever catch me promoting something as such, please harass me. This term might one day warrant one of my "old man rants", along with the misspelling of the word "whoa" -- it's not woah -- or the entire "hold my beer" comparisons.)
Thanks for stopping by. If I get Sunday second wind, I might be back for more. If not, I'm thankful for these few minutes of writing the day provided me.
For more random musings, sports updates, and retweets, follow on Twitter: @jasonrh_78Pictures of things, places, and sometimes food: Instagram @jasonrh_78Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up-to-date on book releases, theater productions and more: jrhask14@gmail.com w/subject line SUBSCRIBE

Final thoughts for the year of our Lord 2017

The turmoil and divisiveness in this country dominated 2017, but there were a few moments of beauty mixed in. 
It's not too difficult to find an example of how. Ways in which progress of this nation have been set back can be found daily, mostly from the Twitter account of our president.
There's still a lot going on outside of the political realm. It's important to keep focus on what is happening in the world; to keep fighting the changes that are being implemented; to fight for a better life for friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers who might not have the same inherent rights many of us our born with.
Sometimes, though, a little bit of distraction can be helpful to renew the focus. And that's where the arts, books, and even sports come into play.
Honestly, I did not see as many movies, listen to as much music, explore as much art, or read as many books as I'd hoped to in 2017.
I have remedied that in the latter half of the year in order to make up for the early months of feeling listless, tired, and fed up. (Things I'm still feeling. However, I've figured out ways to balance life out.)
Normally, I'd share the following for my monthly newsletter but this is the final blog post of the year. And I skipped December's newsletter so now as good a time as any to post.MusicI find I don't search out new music as much as I did when I was younger. I tend to stick with what I know, but I did fall in love with the music of Michael Kiwanuka.


Eminem's Revival has also been on heavy play over the past few weeks. The newest album has a nice mix of a more mature Marshall Mathers and the old, sophomoric Em. Both of which I enjoy.
I also listened to the Hamilton soundtrack more than any sane man should. But it's been worth it every single time.MoviesThis list is small. I did not see enough new releases in 2017. Most of my movie-watching was catching up on film from previous years. I promise to do better in 2018.
TelevisionI could have done better at this as well. I like to sometimes numb my mind and not think too much so I watch things like Fuller House or reruns of The Middle. But here are a few recent releases I enjoyed in 2017:
Big Little LiesThe Handmaid's TaleThe DeuceGame of ThronesSearch PartyThe Walking Dead (Yes. Still of fan, Negan included)Stranger Things 2 (Should have been called Strangerer Things. What? Strangerer isn't word? Fine)BooksIt appears I ventured more into the biography category over the past year. And am currently doing the same heading into 2018, as I'm reading a biography on James Baldwin.
Sam Shepard: A Life by John J. WintersIndecent by Paula VogelTrumbo by Bruce CookPurity by Jonathan FranzenAlexander Hamilton by Ron ChernowCity of Miracles by Robert Jackson BennettBrat Pack America by Kevin SmoklerPodcastsThere are too many to list. Here's a small sampling (most can be found on iTunes or Stitcher)
Most of the crew at Pod Save AmericaThin AirAnna Farris is UnqualifiedLiterary DiscoYou Must Remember ThisThat Baseball ShowThank you to all who have stopped by in 2017 (and prior). Looking forward to 2018. May you all have a very happy (and safe) 2018!
Be bold. Be kind. Resist.
Follow on Twitter: @jasonrh_78Stay up-to-date with my writing, directing, theater, and film work over at jason-haskins.comTo see more posts like this one or to see what you may have missed, sign up for my newsletter (emailed every 4-6 weeks) by sending an email to jrhask14@gmail.com w/subject line: SUBSCRIBE