Manny being Manny

Taken from CBS Sports.com:

This is why Manny Ramirez isn't a leader. Never has been, never will be.Where was Ramirez when Jimmy Rollins hit a walkoff double to seal a dramatic come-from-behind win in Game 4?

He was in the shower. His teammates were all watching the game; Ramirez was soaping it up. "I was out of the game and I went in and showered," Ramirez said. "When I came out, they were coming in and turning off the TVs.

"Well, at least you were nice and clean, Ramirez. Did you use soap or bodywash, Manny? You've got to be kidding me. It's the playoffs and Ramirez doesn't care enough to stick around and watch the end of the game?Nice attitude, nice heart, nice passion.Manny the Soapy.No wonder the Dodgers are going out like lambs.

I couldn't agree more!

Why baseball is hard to watch

I love baseball. I love to play baseball. I usually like to watch baseball. If it is the regular season, I can't watch too much on T.V., but I love to go and see it in person. Come playoff time, I like to watch the games. Usually. This year, the teams I wanted to be in the playoffs didn't fair too well. The Diamondbacks? Not even close. The Cubs? Please. The Twins made it in spectacular fashion, but got swept in the first round. The same for the Red Sox, lost in the first round. I have been watching the Angels and the Yankees (AKA The Evil Empire) series. So far, good games, but the Angels have come up short in the first two games.

Anyway, baseball has become hard to watch. The pace of the game is usually brutal, but this time of year, the stakes are so high that it is fun to watch. So, why is it so hard to watch? Three reasons:

1) Spitting. Really, do they have to spit as much as they do? Even the players who are not chewing tobacco are spitting? What are they spitting up? Luge's? Any time they have a close up of a player, they spit. Disgusting.

2) Scratching. It's horrible. The only thing players do more than spit is scratch themselves. I get it. The gear isn't the best. But really, do you need to "adjust" every time you are on camera? With the technology today, there has to be a more comfortable solution.

3) Thundersticks. For those of you who are not in the know, Thundersticks are long, narrow plastic balloons that are used as promotional noise makers. The noise is created when two thunder sticks are struck together. They were first used by the Angels in the 2002 World Series. These should have been prohibited by Major League Baseball. I am all for the cheering and supporting of your team, but this is ridiculous. They are too loud. Usually, crowd noise is an advantage to the home team and I usually say the louder the better. Clap, whistle, stomp, whatever you can produce is fine. But these Thundersticks go too far. They turn cheering on you team to just unbearable noise. It is no longer an advantage, it is a distraction to all. If you were to ask the players what they think, they would tell you the same thing. It disrupts the game. They should be banned!

Tell me what you think. Agree? Disagree?

Is this your future car?

Terrafugia has completed flight testing of the Transition POC (Proof of Concept). Introducing the Transition®. Simply land at the airport, fold your wings up and drive home.

Fly a distance of 450 miles at speeds of 75 MPH

The time required for the transition from plane to car takes less than 30 seconds. Vehicle speed 115 MPH, range is 450 miles on highways Vehicle is fueled with gasoline, and the price of the car is expected to be around $200,000. The first shipment will be in 2011.

Fun, Odd Facts

All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on theback of the $5 bill.

Almonds are members of the peach family.

The maximum weight for a golf ball is 1.62 oz.

There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.

Charlie Brown's father was a barber.

In Mel Brooks' 'Silent Movie,' mime Marcel Marceau is the only person who has a speaking role

An ostrich's eye is bigger than it's brain.

Deborah Winger did the voice of E.T.

In most advertisements, including newspapers, the time displayed on watch is 10:10.

Bob Dylan's real name is Robert Zimmerman.

When the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers play football at home, the stadium becomes the state's third largest city.

The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "Its A Wonderful Life"

A quarter has 119 grooves around the edge.

A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.

It was discovered on a space mission that a frog can throw up. Thefrog throws up it's stomach first, so the stomach is dangling out of it's mouth. Then the frog uses it's forearms to dig out all of the stomach'scontents and then swallows the stomach back down again.

Certain frogs can be frozen solid then thawed, and continue living.

ABBA got their name by taking the first letter from each of their first names (Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, Anni-frid.)

The name for Oz in the "Wizard of Oz" was thought up when the creator, Frank Baum, looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N, and O-Z, hence "Oz."

The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.

To "testify" was based on men in the Roman court swearing to a statement made by swearing on their testicles.

The only planet without a ring is earth.