Strasburg

Travel aboard the oldest railroad company in the US, the historic Strasburg Railroad 's nine mile steam train ride runs though Amish farmland and features several different travel accommodations, including fully restored open air coaches, a deluxe lounge car and a first class parlor coach. Special excursions include a Wine & Cheese, Dinner & Murder Mystery trains. Check schedule for "Day Out with Thomas" trains as well. Listed in Parade's "Unforgettable Day Trips by Rail". Directions.

Yes.



Unfortunately, not that Strasburg this time. Although, that's how you run a mf train.



This Strasburg goes something like this.

You like to read? You're gonna like it a lot more after you read this. Via Posnanski.

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Glen Perkins sits behind home plate and charts Stephen Strasburg. This is Rochester, N.Y., and Glen would rather be somewhere else — namely Minnesota where he grew up, where his wife and daughters live, and where he pitched for the Twins in 2008 and 2009. He won 12 games for the Twins in 2008, though he’s baseball savvy enough not to put too much stock in pitcher victories. He felt hurt in 2009 and had a rough season. Now he’s in Rochester trying to get healthy and get back.

When you’re pitching in the minor leagues trying to get back to the big leagues, you are happy to find distractions whenever you can. Charting a brilliant young pitcher is a good distraction. Perkins charted the Reds brilliant prospect Aroldis Chapman and found himself a bit dissatisfied … he had heard so much about Chapman but what he saw was an inconsistent fastball and slider and shaky command. Chapman is only 22, (“Obviously he has time to figure things out,” Perkins says) but the point is that for Perkins the hype did not match the reality, the talk did not match what he saw. It’s usually like that.

“I got to hit against Greg Maddux once,” Perkins says. “And he threw me one of those inside fastballs that looked like it was going to hit me. I’m not going to say I closed my eyes, but I definitely flinched and pulled back and looked away. And then the umpire called it strike three. It was really pretty unbelievable.”

He smiled. That’s what he wants to see in baseball. Something beyond belief. And on this day in Rochester, with a sellout crowd around him and hawkers selling Stephen Strasburg T-shirts, he settles in to watch baseball’s biggest pitching prospect.

“Wow,” he texts me after Strasburg gets a strikeout in the first inning. “98, 99, 100 on the first strikeout. Wow.” (http://pyleoflist.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/ricky-vaughn-tale.jpg)

Strasburg then throws an absurd change-up that makes a young player named Brian Dinkelman swing about a half hour early.

“I’m seeing Lincecum with that change,” Perkins texts. “Absolutely filthy.”

And he texts this after another change-up: “Guy next to me thought it was a curveball … Just saying, when it looks like a curveball and it’s not = nasty.”

And this after a sick curveball that make Jacque Jones look silly: “That appeared to be belt high for about 59 feet."

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He throws sinkers in the upper 90s. Shit, his curveballs look like sharp sinkers. Christ, his changeups look like curveballs. Alright, I'll stop gushing. Here's the deal.



Remember the posted Halladay pitches against The Jays on Saturday June 26th in Philly roadtrip? It just got expanded. Strasburg is scheduled to pitch against the Orioles in Baltimore, Camden Yards, on the June 25th.

Yeah. It's not hard to make the connection. It was a one in a million shot doctor..

So... yeah... I was thinking, if you could call in sick Friday, we leave that morning, say 7am (before traffic), be in Baltimore by 4, 5 latest (9 hour drive), walk, whatever, catch Strasburg, see a game at Camden Yards (#3 on ESPNs best parks), have a good night in Baltimore that starts at 10pm (that game will be done in 3 hours easy), hotel it up, explore Baltimore that morning or escape to Philly (2 hours away) for a cheesy steaky lunch, explore Philly, go see Doc pitch against The Jays, see Citizen's Bank Park, (#4 on ESPNs best parks), have a great night in Philly that starts around 7pm (that game will be done in 3 hours easy), and return to Toronto the next day in time to call your mother crying that you just had the best motherfucking baseball weekend of your life.

At this point there is a push to leave Thursday morning just to see a bit more of Baltimore.

Either way, this is Jesus country.

The Pill, 50 years later

Accelerating women's rights in the 1960-70s? Oh yeah.. I think so. But, what about today?

This Agenda episode (with my friend Kate!) discusses not only the history of the pill's influence on North American women , which undebatably it has had, but also jumps into current hormonal studies, women's rights, your rights, society as a whole, politics (don't worry, only a bit ;), men (don't worry, etc...), and educated choices. Also, you get to see a very awkward feeling Steve Paikin, at least initially... very rare! Anyway, brilliant chapter of a superb and unique program. Watch.



Let me jump right in. In my opinion if I had the ability to get pregnant and didn't want to at the moment I would not use the pill. I can't wait until this spawns into the man vs. woman debate. Anyway, I would use a 99% effective IUD. Mirena IUDs are considered 99% effective (not saying I would use that one.. ). I'm not trusting the internet to that claim, ask your/a doctor. Other coil IUDs are 99% effective when used properly, and again, ask your doctor.

There is no good reason why any Can/USA/etc?* woman should be taking birth control pills at this point in time, I feel, other than for health reasons*. In fact there may be a few great reasons why they shouldn't be.

*this topic is potentially so.large.

First, this whole deal with the arrest of your muscle growth while on the pill*. This sounds pretty fucking serious to me, especially long term. There seems to be about a 60% deduction in growth of your muscle mass while on the pill, as compared to normal growth. This is not unlike what happens while you are pregnant (i.e., body resources go toward the fetus and not your body growth).

*Kate's Macleans article

Second, not trying to sound like a nut case, but the pill may change ones' consciousness / emotions through a temporary hormone imbalance, and therefore short and long term mate choices.

Third, IUDs and pulling out are quite fucking effective. I know that I do not need to look it up to say they're 99% effective (ask.your.doctor). There is no reason for the pill! IUDs fucking work. Maybe you think it's old, but shit... they fucking work! If you're scared ask a new fucking doctor! Ask me anonymously for a new male or female doctor that will take you with no questions. Get a new free stupid hotmail accout and email me here.

Fourth, great point by Judy (in the video) at the end there regarding the effectiveness of the pill and the statistics not including stillbirths and abortions. Not sure if that changes with IUDs (not sure how it would), but still; probably a significant number/stats are missing from the true numbers. I'd say up to 20%.

Fifth, cancer. I could go into the morning looking at medical evidence of positive vs. negative (long term) side effects of the pill, but I don't think I need to. Yes, there are studies that show immediate positive side effects of the pill, however, they seem quite immediate/young/questionable. Doing minimal research, it seems (surprisingly) to have varying effects. Roll the dice. Or, you don't have to.

Sixth, it's pushed by a lot of doctors, especially for young girls. Good right? Generally, if I may say off the back of my ass, I feel GPs are not given any new research within the birth control pill area... as far as I understand. I am most certainly wrong, but basically I see the process as this:

Woman: I may be in the position to get pregnant, what do I do? (I'm having sex)
Doctor: Take this birth control pill every day.

I'm gonna ask a doctor about this and get back to this post, cuz it's quite an interesting thought... What I mean to say is that I'm not sure... Are new doctors recommending it? Are people still asking for it? Is something else suggested/recommended when women do? Cuz, as much as some ladies may be out of touch with their bodies, moreso are their doctors. Also, I am assuming this isn't the hot drug topic that receives free dinners/seminars anymore, so can't see how doctors would be up on it.

If you're looking not to get pregnant, get on the pill. Jesus, this isn't an anti-pill post.

It's just a heads up, and look what's happening and be aware of your potentially better options. Ask your doctor about IUDs!

Adam's Birthday

Adam's birthday was somewhere around the 22nd of May but because of some trip or something we celebrated a few days later over a flag football game at the picture perfect Lamport stadium, with a picture perfect team.



From the endzone.


Yes, that is Adam.in.shorts!



Geez Louise, I love this song, and I love Adam in shorts. They're on a platform travelling through space toward the sun and they're happy as goats!

Anyway, moving on...



Some tight defensive shots.









And some offense!



Huddle up... something we should be doing more of?





Alright, so I think we lost 4-3, but man was that a fun game. The other team was nice (we initially forgot our flags and they let us play touch football until we got them!), the weather was fucking great (Leeeet the sunshine.... great song/video right?!), and we were about to celebrate the man, the myth, the legend's birthday.

Medieval style.


I swear they made some sort of noise.


This motherfucking man is ready to motherfucking party.





Nice surprise group shot, with a heads up to the potentially escaping balloons... and, I hope you will notice everyone in hats, cuz that's what one does at 31.



mmm... just one more shot.



Afterward at the double duece.







I'm pretty sure everyone had a great time, and I wish there were more shots of the after party backroom chats, the bourbon, the PacMan quest, and the Milan appearance, but really, Claire was responsible for the shots that night, so.. you know. ;) Just kidding. Actually, Claire did us proud that night!



btw, on a small side note, Congratulations to our birthday boy who won the National Newspaper Award for Editorial Writing a few days earlier!!!

Yeah, boy is legit.







This is the dawning of the age of aquarius...