Capuano won his fourth straight outing and the Dodgers got home runs from Andre Ethier, Mark Ellis and Juan Uribe to beat the Colorado Rockies 7-3 Friday night and open a six-game lead in the NL West over San Francisco.

“We expected that we were going to get a guy with a lot of different looks and a veteran guy who was going to give you innings and keep you in the game,” Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly said. “He’s a tough guy to scout. He’s got so many different pitches, he’s really hard to prepare for because you never quite know what you’re going to get. He’s been great. He’s 5-0 and has given up hardly any runs. I can’t say I expected that, but I always knew he had great stuff.”

Capuano equaled the best start of his eight-year career, allowing a run and four hits through seven innings with three strikeouts and no walks. The left-hander, who signed a two-year, $10 million contract as a free agent in December, retired 17 of 18 batters during one stretch before Michael Cuddyer hit a two-out solo homer in the seventh on Capuano’s 101st pitch to end his scoreless streak at 24 2-3 innings.

“I knew I had a little streak going there,” Capuano said. “I was in a good spot there with two outs and an 0-2 count on Cuddyer, but I probably didn’t make the best two-strike pitch I could have made there. I threw a little cutter trying to back-door him and it got over the middle.”

Capuano has a 1.46 ERA over his last six starts after giving up four runs in a no-decision on April 7. He also started 5-0 with Milwaukee in 2007, but went 0-10 with a 5.20 ERA over his final 18 starts that season and finished 5-12. Two of the losses were in relief.

“That’s a long time ago. It’s hard to remember back that far,” said Capuano, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2002 and again in 2008. “It’s five years and I’ve gone through so much since then – being away from baseball for two years. I was probably thinking the same things I am now: keep it small and focus on one pitch at a time. I’m feeling as good physically as I ever have, so it’s a lot of fun to go out there and just worry about making pitches and not anything physical. It’s good to be winning.”

Jamie Moyer (1-3) gave up five runs and seven hits over five innings and struck out seven. The 25-year veteran left-hander, who turns 50 in November, is winless in four starts with a 6.43 ERA since breaking former Dodger Jack Quinn’s record as the oldest pitcher to win a major league game.

Moyer, who has given up more home runs than any pitcher in history, served up his 517th to the second batter he faced. Ellis drove a 3-2 pitch into the left-field bullpen for his first homer with the Dodgers, who didn’t get another baserunner until Ethier doubled with two outs in the fourth and scored on Bobby Abreu’s single.

“I faced Ellis a fair amount in the American League, but I hadn’t faced him in a long time,” Moyer said. “Based on the information off him tonight, I wish I’d have pitched him the same way I did when I was in the American League. I made two mistakes and he hit the ball well.”

Los Angeles increased the margin to 5-0 in the fifth with a two-out, two-run double by Ellis and a run-scoring double by Ethier that followed an intentional walk to Kemp.

“Our approach was just to try to see something over the plate and be aggressive, but not so aggressive on stuff that’s falling off the edge of the plate,” Ethier said. “There’s a lot of movement on some of the pitches he’s throwing, so you’re going to swing and miss sometimes. But you’ve got to keep taking your hacks and not be discouraged if you’re swinging through some of those pitches or even strike out.”

Ethier and Uribe added solo homers in the seventh and eighth. Ethier’s seventh of the season increased his NL-best RBI total to 32. The Rockies scored two runs in the ninth against Todd Coffey, who wasn’t able to finish a mop-up inning and threw 23 pitches before Ronald Belisario got the final out.

Moyer is 1-4 with a 6.37 ERA in eight career starts at Dodger Stadium. The first time he pitched here, in his fourth big league start, he didn’t make it out of the first inning – retiring two of the eight batters he faced in the Chicago Cubs’ 11-4 loss to Orel Hershiser on July 10, 1986.

NOTES: The longest streak of consecutive scoreless innings by a Dodgers pitcher last season was 19, by NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw and reliever Kenley Jansen. … Abreu’s RBI was his first with the Dodgers, who signed him last Friday after the Angels cut him loose. … Ellis hit six home runs for the Rockies in 70 games last year after spending his first eight-plus big league seasons with Oakland. He had a career-high 19 in 2007, the most by an Athletics second baseman. … Dodgers leadoff hitter Dee Gordon, who wasn’t even born when Moyer made his big league debut, was 0 for 3 against him with two strikeouts and a foul pop.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

and beautiful Dodger Stadium have in common?

They both turn 50 this year! Jamey on November 18, 1962. You two look wonderful!

the matchup for tonight is 49 year old Jamey Moyer against Chris Capuano. Every Friday is Fireworks night. The last one was set to the 60′s music. It should have been today with Jamey on the mound but tonight the fireworks will be set to the 70′s music.

I wonder what song Nancy Bea will be playing for Jamey Moyer. I am sure it would be a good one. Too bad I only get to listen to Vin Scully for the first three innings but I am taping the game! I want to hear what Vin says about Moyer.

This from Lew Freeman of http://www.calltothepen.com after Moyer became the oldest MLB pitcher to win a Major League game:

Now that Moyer has wrested the old-age record for pitching a winning game from Jack Quinn it’s time to meet Satchel Paige. At his moment of victory, Moyer was 49 years, 150 days old. Too bad he won’t make it to 50 this season. That would be cool. Quinn was 49 years, 70 days old when he won a game for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932. Although he did not figure in the decision, Paige was 59 years old when he threw three innings in a game in 1965 for the Kansas City Athletics.

Looking forward to Rockies Dodgers matchup tonight of Jamey Moyer against Chris Capuano. Capuano bring his 4-0 record. Go Dodgers!

ref pics : baseball-fever.com Phillies.network.com

Woody English (from the Engish website)

Down one game in the 1929 World Series, the Chicago Cubs had game two at home. They managed to lose it 9-3 to go down 0-2, but a change of scenery to Philadelphia seemed to make a difference. They won game three 3-1 behind Guy Bush. So now down two games to one, Chicago was ready to tie up the World Series and make it at best of three championship. The next game was to become one of the most famous games in World Series history, primarily for one astonishing inning. It also represents, to me, the absolute nadir of the Cubs Bad Century.

Game four was scheduled for 12 October in Shibe Park Philadelphia. The Cubs jumped on A’s starter Jack Quinn. Getting six runs off Quinn in five innings and two more off a pair of relievers, the Cubs looked ready to tie up the Series when the Athletics came to bat in the bottom of the seventh down 8-0. Charlie Root (of Babe Ruth’s “called shot” infamy) needed nine outs to lock up the Series. He got one.

Al Simmons led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run (count ‘em up with me, 8-1), then consecutive singles by Jimmie Foxx, Bing Miller, Jimmy Dykes, and Joe Boley brought in two more (8-3). Pinch hitting for the pitcher, George Burns (not the comedian) popped out for Root’s only out. Max Bishop singled to bring in another run (8-4). That sent Root to the showers and brought in lefty Art Nehf who sported an impressive ERA of 5.58. Mule Haas greeted him with a three run inside the park home run (8-7). Center Field Wilson managed to lose the ball in the sun, letting it get by him all the way to the fence, clearing the bases. That was bad enough but Wilson wasn’t through proving he was in the lineup for his bat not his glove. Mickey Cochrane then walked, bringing out the hook for Nehf and bringing in Sheriff Blake. Simmons and Foxx both singled bringing in Cochrane (8-8). Out went Blake, in came Malone, the ace, who managed to plunk Miller. That brought up Dykes who doubled over Wilson’s head (another ball that Wilson lost in the sun) to score both Simmons and Foxx (8-10). Then Boley and Burns, designated rally killers supreme, both struck out to end the inning. The A’s scored 10 runs on 10 hits, a walk, an error, and two misplayed balls. Burns managed to make two outs in a single inning. So far as I can determine, only Stan Musial in 1942 managed to equal that feat. When the inning was over, Wilson, back in the dugout, is supposed to have muttered, “friggin’ sun.” (OK, he didn’t say “friggin’”, but this is a family friendly site.)

Lefty Grove entered the game, no hit the Cubs for two innings and picked up the save. The Series now stood 3-1 in favor of Philadelphia. Teams had come back from that kind of deficit before (not often, it’s true, but it had been done), so Chicago still had a chance. There was no game on Sunday, so Monday 14 October, the subject of my next post, would see game five.

Moyer the First

And what a momentous date this was — for not only did Ed die, but Jamie was born. This cosmic confluence, resulting in a seamless transition from one Major League Moyer to the next, has thus far gone uncelebrated in the annals of baseball history. But for how long? The sporting public’s fascination with Jamie Moyer, long simmering, has bubbled over as of late due his improbable comeback and resultant quest to become the oldest pitcher of all time to earn a Major League victory. And on April 17 of 2012, 49 years and 150 days after Ed’s departure and Jamie’s arrival, this finally occurred. Our indomitable protagonist took to the hill in Colorado and fired off seven remarkable innings for the hometown team, allowing just two unearned runs as the Rockies cruised (more or less) to victory.

And so it was: nearly 26 years after he became the first Moyer to win a ballgame, Jamie had become the first pitcher of any surname to earn a win in the 593rd month of his existence. And the victims of this unending lack of obsolescence were the San Diego Padres.

The Padres: Jamie's past, present (and future?) victims

Prior to the events of April 17 Jamie had faced the Padres on 16 occasions, and the first time he did so resulted in his second career victory. This was on July 21, 1986, when he took to the mound as a member of the Chicago Cubs and hurled eight scoreless frames against a hapless Friars line-up that included an eventual Hall of Famer (Tony Gwynn), a perpetual All-Star (Steve Garvey), and a current MLB field general (Bruce Bochy). Jamie was opposed that day by fast-fading drug casualty Lamarr Hoyt, who was arrested three times over the course of that year en route to never playing in the Major Leagues again.

He was even more successful in his 16th career outing against the Pads, as on June 5 of 2010 he tossed what remains his most recent complete game. Jamie needed just 98 pitches to get through that outing, and at the end of it he found himself tied with Gus “Rubber Arm” Weyhing on the all-time wins list with 264. He earned three more victories that June, but then it took him 22 months to get the next. Which was, of course, April 17, 2012.

Jamie’s first two starts of the season had followed the same script: a serviceable but hardly spectacular effort rendered moot by poor defense and, even more crucially, no run support. But this, the third attempt, easily transcended what had come before. Jamie was in cruise control from the word “go,” working with deliberate speed and preternatural ease. He didn’t even allow a runner in scoring position until there was one out in the top of the seventh, and would have escaped that situation unscathed had it not been for Troy Tulowitzki’s unfortunate error on a potential double play ball.

But let’s back up to the beginning. It all started in the first inning (as ballgames are wont to do) when Cameron Maybin grounded to second to start the game, but Jamie’s bid for a perfect game didn’t get any further than that. Veteran Mark Kotsay followed with a single, making him an incredible 20-for-34 against Jamie lifetime. It was Kotsay’s first at-bat of the season, moreover, and after rounding first base the cameras caught him and Jamie having a moment, a mutual smirking “are you kidding me?” at the fact that their long and winding career paths had brought them to this exceedingly unlikely moment.

Kotsay it ain't so: Jamie's tormentor

But Kotsay’s mates were unable to get him past first base, let alone to home plate, and in the bottom of the third the game’s first runs were plated by the Rockies thanks to a two-run, two-out blast off of the bat of Dexter Fowler. This marked the first time all season that the Rockies had scored a run while Jamie was still in the game, and they added another one in the fourth thanks to Wilin Rosario’s RBI double.

All three of these accumulated runs were crucial, as in the aforementioned seventh frame Jamie ran into trouble. Tulowitzki’s error on an Andy Parrino grounder allowed the Padres’ first run to score, and Chris Denorfia followed with a sac fly to close the gap to 3-2. Unearned runs (again! the third straight game!), but runs nonetheless, and pinch-hitter Jeremy Hermida then strode to the plate representing the go-ahead run. But Hermidia simply had to go ahead and return to the dugout, dispatched as he was by a quiet ground ball to second.

And that was it for Jamie. He was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the frame, his destiny now in the hands of the Rockies bullpen.

Jamie walking off of the mound after his seventh and final inning (John Leyba, Denver Post)

Rex Brothers set the Padres down in order in the eighth, and the Rockies scored a couple of insurance runs in the bottom of the frame on an RBI double by Michael Cuddyer and sac fly by Rosario. And then, all that separated Jamie from his history-making victory, his first in 22 months, was three outs. Three measly outs.

And, as they often are, those last three outs were hard to come by. Closer Rafael Betancourt surrendered a one-out Nick Hundley home run to close the gap to 5-3, and a pair of singles brought the go-ahead run to the plate. But Jason Bartlett flew out to left field and then, on a 3-2 count, Betancourt finally, mercifully put the ballgame to rest by whiffing Yonder Alonso. And with that out, that moment, victory belonged to the Rockies, and that victory was credited to Jamie.

He sure as hell had earned it!

Chatting it up post-game (John Leyba, Denver Post)

Jamie’s first victory of this nascent campaign was number 268 of his career, and he now is tied with distinguished Baltimorean Jim Palmer at 35th on the all-time wins list. Palmer enjoyed a 19-season Major League career but nonetheless his path to 268 was considerably more compact than Jamie’s — he reeled off eight 20-win campaigns over a nine-season span (1970-78), and earned his last victory in 1983 at the age of 37. Palmer’s final season was 1984, at which point Jamie was beginning his professional odyssey as a member of the Class A Short Season Geneva Cubs (the only other pitcher on that squad to taste the Majors was Laddie Renfro, who appeared in four games with Chicago’s north side squad in 1991).

Jamie has tied Palmer, but what of the man he surpassed in the record books on this memorable Tuesday night in Denver? That would be Jack Quinn, a peripatetic spitballer whose career began with the 1909 New York Highlanders (he may very well have faced off against Ed Moyer the next season) and ended with the the 1933 Cincinnati Reds. The last of Quinn’s 247 career wins came when he was 49 years old and 70 days, an achievement unsurpassed until Jamie came along.

SABR’s website includes a fascinating and in-depth biography of Quinn, an obtuse character whose basic life details (such as age and ethnicity) were shrouded in mystery. But his longevity was no mystery, and least of all to Quinn himself. The man had a great life outlook.

“Nothing bothers me,” he once told a reporter, “Why should it? The undertaker will get us all soon enough. There’s no need to meet him more than halfway. A lot of pitchers worry themselves out of the game. They cut their span of successful work by whole seasons. What a foolish thing to do! Pitching, with me, is a serious profession. I realize its importance and I like to pitch. Above all, I want to feel I can do good work.”

The undertaker did get Quinn soon enough. Ravaged by alcoholism, he died on April 17, 1946, in the town of Pottsville, PA. And 66 years later, to the day, Jamie surpassed him in the record books.

Moyer won a game this week and became the oldest person to win a major league game. The previous recordholder was Jack Quinn. Quinn was also 49 when he won a game for the Brooklyn Dogers in 1932, but he was 49 and 70 days. Moyer was 49 and 150 days. Notgraphs had a post about the day of Moyer’s first win. Microsoft had just gone public (or was just going public.) Quinn had been around for a while by 1932. He first played in 1909. The Ottoman Empire still existed. He himself was born in Austria Hungary. Poland was still partitioned. The ball was still dead and Mark Twain was still alive. Quinn had been around so long that he really did appear in the first game at Fenway.

Designated Sitter. Tying the past with the present.

According to Elias, Jamie Moyer has faced eight percent of all hitters in MLB history.

Doubters and skeptics of Moyer’s ability to be an effective starting pitcher in his 25th season in the majors were silenced for at least one night, as the experienced veteran made history.

Moyer pitched seven innings, allowing two runs, zero earned,  as the Rockies beat the Padres 5-3 on Tuesday night at Coors Field.

The previous oldest player was former Dodger Jack Quinn, who was 49  and 70 days when he recorded his final win.

Moyer (1-2)  picked up his 268th career win, tying him with Hall of Famer Jim Palmer for 34th on the career list.

Source: SABR

I came across this great article on Jamie Moyer today. Moyer has begun his comback as the young age of 49 after taking a year off to recover from Tommy John surgery. Moyer got off to a godd start with a couple of scoreless innings on Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants. Moyer exploits are quite amazing, but he also has the benefit of modern science, nutrition and medical care. It is fascinating to look back through the history books to find other “old timers” who honed their craft as they approached the ripe old age of 50.

There are numerous players who made token appearences as a novelty or publicity stunt such as Satchel Paige and Minnie Minoso among others. There have been some legitmate players who played meaningful ball late into their 40′s such as Hoyt Wilhelm (49), Joe Neikro (48), and Nolan Ryan (46). Poor Wilhelm finished up a mere 16 days prior to his big 50 celebration.

Investigating a little further brings up the only in the major leagues who played meaningful ball after the age of 50. Meet Jack Quinn, aka John Picus aka, Joannes Pajkos. Details are extremely sketchy regarding Quinn’s birth. Potential records have him born in 1883, 1884, 1885 in Pennsylvania and even Poland, Wales, Greek, Russian or Slovakia. The best research seems to settle on July 1, 1883 in Austria-Hungary. Quinn worked in the coal mines and as a blacksmith, before becoming a semi-pro pitcher by accident in his teens. Quinn pitched a few years in semi-pro ball and finally broke in with the Yankees in 1909. Quinn won 247 games in his big league career and received MVP votes in 1931 a t the age of 48. Quinn’s last season was shortened to relief duty as he twirled 15.2 innings in 14 appearances. His final game was a solid outing on July 7, 1933 at the age of 50. Quinn pitched 1.2 innings as his Cincinnatti reds defeated the Boston Braves 8-5. Quinn retired five of the seven batters that he faced allowing only one hit and one walk. He was released by the Reds 6 days later as they were far out of contention that season.

Moyer continues to be a marvel, but even if he makes the Rockies roster, he would still not hit the Half-century mark this season as his birthday is November 18. So Moyer, would need to come back and lace’em up for the 2013 campaign if he wishes to match the mystery that was Jack Quinn.

On Wednesday the Colorado Rockies and Jamie Moyer agreed to terms on a Minor League contract that will give Moyer the opportunity win a role on the big squad out of spring training. If he does, he will be a major league regular in his age 49 season. Needless to say, that doesn’t happen a whole lot. When thinking of elderly ballplayers, the first that flies to mind is Julio Franco, probably because he did it most recently while splitting time in his age 48 season between the Mets and the Braves in 2007. Being a resident of Chicago one cannot forget Minnie Minoso, who made brief appearances for the White Sox at ages 50 and 54. But those were gimmicks, 10 ABs that resulted in a single hit. Let’s take a deeper look though, shall we? There are more than a few players that have played past the age of 47 and even a few of those have done so productively.

A quick stat note: For pitchers I’m using ERA+ as the main guideline for effectiveness. ERA+ takes into account a player’s ballpark and measures against other pitchers in the league. An ERA+ of 100 is league average – below is below average and above is above.

Satchel Paige – Paige made a “courtesy appearance” in 1965 for the Kansas City Athletics. He started, went 3 innings and gave up just one hit at the age of 58. His legit big league career ended at age 46 going 3-9 for a terrible St. Louis Browns team. W/L not indicative of his performance, 11 saves in 117.1 innings with an ERA+ of 120. Of course, his longevity was out of necessity, as he didn’t have the chance to prove himself on the big stage until he was 41 due to baseball’s color barrier.

Jack Quinn – Pitched until the age of 49 but was notably effective in 1937 for the Brooklyn Robins at the age of 47 compiling 15 saves, an ERA+ of 145, 2.66 ERA and even pulled himself some MVP love, garnering 6 vote points good enough for 17th place. According to his SABR Bio once the major leagues were done with him he took his spitball and pitched until the age of 52 in the Pacific Coast League.

Hoyt Wilhelm – This knuckleballer toiled until he was 49 but managed to make a minimal amount of appearances in his last couple years. The last year with significant playing time was the 82 innings he split between the Cubs and Braves in 1970. He was 47. 128 ERA+ with 13 saves and an All Star Game appearance.

Jamie Moyer – Moyer last pitched in 2010 having missed 2011 to Tommy John surgery. He averaged over 167 innings during the 4 years leading up to his appointment with the knife. If he can pick up that sort of workload in 2012 he will certainly get the Old Horse award.

Phil Niekro – Knuckleballer with such a reputation that he earned the nickname Knucksie. Pitched a 138 innings when he was 48 in 1987, but for 3 different teams. The final team appearing to be more ceremonial than anything, finishing off his Hall of Fame career with Braves, with whom he threw the majority of his Hall of Fame career. He wasn’t terribly effective in that final year, an ERA+ of 72 with a 7-13 record. The year prior at age 47 he knuckled 210 innings with an ERA+ of 96.

Tommy John – “Only” pitched until he was 46 but in 1974 he underwent an experimental surgery then being called Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction. Nobody knew if he’d ever be able to pitch again but after missing the 1975 he season, he returned in 76 to throw over 200 innings and managed to stay for 13 years after that. Of course, that surgery now bears his name and is responsible for extending the careers of pitchers year after year.

Julio Franco – The only position player on the list. Played until he was 48, finishing as an extremely part time player. In 2006 at age 47 he hit a pair of HR for the Mets while putting up a .273/.330/.370 line in 165 ABs. Being pretty much in unchartered territory for hitters he put himself in a position to be the oldest player to hit a homerun, doing so at 48 years and 254 days. In fact, of the 20 oldest homeruns, Franco hit 18 of them. Jack Quinn, the elderly spitballer, has the 4th oldest and Cap Anson rounds out the list at the 20 spot by hitting one at 45 years 169 days.

Honorable Mentions: Nolan Ryan (46), Jesse Orosco (46), Charlie Hough (46)

Another note: it seems in the late 19th century and early 20th quite a few players would pop in for a game or so after not having played in many years. I’ve left these players off the list but you should know that they all pretty much look like Tom Hardy’s Bronson .

The emails were about Blackwater, now known as Xe, Co-founder, Erick Prince’s involvement in a supposed crusade to kill Muslims, allegations of gun-running, allegations of wife-swapping and a sex ring that was run out of Blackwater’s North Carolina compound and ————–allegations of child prostitution.

Below is a link that shows information on alleged murders by Blackwater/Xe employees. Is this, pedophilia and sex rings what America stands for? I do not think so.

http://www.expose-the-war-profiteers.org/DOD/iraq_II/blackwater.htm

Former employees alleged that Blackwater used child prostitutes in their Green Zone compound. They also alleged that Iraqi children were paid $1 for sex acts on Blackwater employees and others.

In August of 2009, MSNBC reported on charges against Blackwater.  Keith Olbermann did a report on Blackwater travesties, including the sex trafficking ring. See the video of Olbermann’s report below.

I will not even go into the tax evasion and money laundering charges.

A few comments on Xe, formerly known as Blackwater, which I suspect changed its name because of the heat “Blackwater” has been receiving. It seems that Xe is “currently the largest of the U. S. State Department’s three private securities”, according to Wiki. Also, Xe provided diplomatic security to the U. S. federal government.

In court documents it has been revealed that Blackwater/Xe violated federal laws hundreds of times. The company did agree to pay $42 million in fines.  Yet, the Obama administration gave Xe a quarter of a BILLION dollar contract to work for the U. S. State Department and the CIA.

So, let us be clear about the money. Basically, we slapped Blackwater/Xe on the hand and gave them BILLIONS in contracts? So, they will have no problem, whatsoever paying the $42 million in fines. What kind of shell game is this? Below, follow the little green pea, Xe.

In late 2010 Erik Prince moved to Abu Dhabi, “to be able to spend more time with his family.”

Well, actually, now that we take a look, it appears that Prince is building a sort of mercenary army, possibly under his other company name, Reflex Response, a United Arab Emirates Company.

In a Vanity Fair article Erik Prince made the following statement, “… Well, what happened to me was worse…People acting for political reasons disclosed not only the existence of a very sensitive program but my name along with it.” He was comparing himself to Valerie Plame.

In July 2011, Jack Quinn, former White House Counsel to Bill Clinton and former Chief of Staff to Al Gore, was named as an Independent Director of Xe.  In 2011 Bobby Ray Inman, former head of the NSA and CIA executive became the head of the board of directors for Xe. I will not go into the other names, but believe me, they are there.

Our citizens need to be looking at the legislators involved in these contracts, one-by-one. If a legislator, one of our country’s leaders, come anywhere close to supporting or giving contracts to a company or an individual that has been involved in pedophilia, they need to be forced out of the shadows.

Answer this—-Just how would you feel if your child was involved in prostitution at the hands of the U. S. government?

Directed by: Ulli Lommel

Starring: Cassandra Church, Jack Quinn, Jon E. Nimetz

I’ve seen a lot of bad movies in my life. A shocking amount, even. Part of it definitely the search for that “so bad it’s good” quality that I absolutely love, but it’s actually pretty rare, and most of the time you just get stuff like this that’s just so bad, there’s not even any ironic redeeming qualities to it. Curse of the Zodiac is not only really, really terrible, there isn’t a shred of enjoyment to be gleaned out of it. These are truly the worst movies.

Curse of the Zodiac is about the Zodiac Killer, and specifically about a journalist who receives his letters and a random woman who helps him because she dreams about the Zodiac. Most of the film is presented as pointless, spastically-edited series of shots of the Zodiac walking near a the Golden Gate Bridge while an aimless, profanity-laden narration rambles on. Basically nothing happens for an hour and a half, and you get the privilege of having a headache the whole time.

Another weird thing about this film was that I didn’t realize it was supposed to be set in the 70′s until about 20 minutes before the end. They didn’t even try to make it seem like the 70′s, with all the locations, costuming, cars, etc being very obviously modern. It makes no sense, it’s like someone wrote a bad script about the Zodiac, then someone decided to make a movie about it without even reading the thing. This movie is just this really compact pile of layers and layers of pure shit, no matter what area you try to dig down in, you just get another face full of garbage. Never watch this movie. In fact, I would recommend sterilizing the people involved with making it, just in case.

USTC Holdings, the parent company of Xe Services (formerly Blackwater Worldwide, the private security contractor at the center for several controversies in Iraq), announced Tuesday that Jack Quinn will serve as an “independent director” of the company.

Quinn was the former White House counsel to President Bill Clinton and former
chief of staff to Vice President Al Gore. Currently, he serves as the chairman of the lobbying firm Quinn Gillespie and Associates, which he founded with Republican strategist Ed Gillespie in 2000.

UTSC is a leading provider of private security services focused on operations in support of the United States government.

“I am proud to join and help lead Xe at a time when the valuable servicesit provides are most needed by our country,” said Quinn, in a statement. “The men and women of the Company demonstrate their dedication, professionalism and best-in-class service each and every day, and I am honored to support the critical mission they serve.”

Click here to see the profile of Quinn in OpenSecrets.org’s Revolving Door database

Please see the original at Gov in the lab

Let’s get it out of the way so we can start dissecting what it means: Jamie Moyer has allowed more home runs than any other player in the history of the game.

On Sunday during the bottom of the third inning, Toronto’s Vernon Wells hit the first pitch he saw from Moyer into the left field seats – the 506th home run allowed during Moyer’s 24-year career. The home run moved Moyer into sole possession of the record and past fellow Philles legend, Hall of Famer Robin Roberts.

In baseball history, 25 men have hit 500 home runs. Only Moyer and Roberts have given up that many, so Moyer is in good company. Roberts held or shared the all-time home runs allowed title for 52 years and 321 days. The Hall of Famer won 286 games, compiled up a .539 winning percentage and finished his 19-year career with a 3.41 career ERA. He was a workhorse with 305 complete games in 609 starts. He pitched 4,688 innings.

Just below Roberts on the homers-allowed list are Hall of Famers Fergie Jenkins (484), Phil Niekro (482) and Don Sutton (472). Among the home runs allowed top ten, there are six Hall of Famers, six 3,000-striekout pitchers, five 300-game winners and no one under 4,000 innings pitched.

The record speaks to the longevity of Moyer’s career. In the same game Moyer gave up the record-breaking home run, he threw his 4,000th inning. Just 28 men since 1901 have logged that many innings. Nineteen of them are in the Hall of Fame, and five others are named Bert Blyleven, Roger Clemens, Tom Glavine, Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux.

Looking at Moyer’s stats, you come to the conclusion that if he’s pitched 24 seasons and registered 4,005 inning in the majors, he had to be doing something right. To this point, Moyer has collected 267 wins, 2,393 strikeouts and owns a .571 winning percentage in 682 career games. He’s fourth in the National League in wins this season at nine and fifth in shutouts and complete games, despite being the oldest player in the majors for the last three years. He owns a pair of 20-win seasons and he’s only led the league in home runs allowed once.

Moyer’s age, 47,  shows his ability to re-invent himself to find ways to get hitters out and be effective – and has been an underlying storyline to his career for the last few years. This season he recorded a complete game victory in his 264th career win. The victory was also his 100th since turning 40. Only two pitchers prior to Moyer had won 100 games on the north side of 40, Niekro (121) and Jack Quinn (104). Moyer is now at 103 and still going strong.

Lefties like Moyer have a penchant for hanging on. He’s hung on long enough to see his son was drafted (this season by the Twins in the 22nd round). He’s hung on long enough to face a 20-year-old rookie who was born in 1990 – Moyer’s fifth major league season. Starlin Castro got a hit off Moyer, creating the largest age gap between a hitter and pitcher since 21-year-old Tim Foli got a hit off Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm at 49 in 1972.

One last age note related to Moyer. Since 1901, Only Satchel Paige, Wilhelm, Quinn, Niekro, Kaiser Wilhelm and Nick Altrock pitched at 47 or older. Paige was in a one-game stunt with the Kansas City A’s to make him the oldest player at 58, but his last real season was at 46. Hoyt Wilhelm and Quinn both pitched at 49, appearing in 16 and 14 games respectively. At 48, Wilhelm had similar number (20 appearances), while Quinn threw 87 innings in 42 games. Also at 48, Niekro made 26 starts, pitching 138 innings. Niekro, Quinn and Hoyt Wilhelm were all effective at 47.

So the question becomes, how much longer will Jamie Moyer go?

Trevor Hayes is editorial production manager at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

The 1929 World Series featured the Chicago Cubs (You already know how this is going to turn out, don’t you?) and the Philadelphia Athletics. The Cubs were back in the Series for the first time since 1918 and the A’s had passed the Murder’s Row Yankees for their first pennant since the 1910-1914 glory days of Home Run Baker and Eddie Collins. The series figured to be close. Both teams hit really well. The difference was supposed to be the A’s pitching staff. So far that held up. The A’s won the first two games, then dropped game three in Philadelphia. If the Cubs could win the fourth game, the World Series would be a simple best of three sprint.

The Cubs sent Charley Root to the mound. Unfortunately for Root he’s always been associated with Babe Ruth’s “Called Shot” in the 1932 World Series, but he was a solid, if unspectacular, pitcher who was the Cubs second best starter in 1929. For six innings he pitched like it.

The A’s sent Jack Quinn to hill. I don’t want to say Quinn was old or anything, but his rookie year was 1909 when the Yankees were still the Highlanders. He was 45 (15 years older than Root) and had started only 18 games in 1929. In game four, he pitched like it. He got through five innings, giving up seven runs on seven hits. Rube Walberg came in to replace him and saw a couple of men Quinn left on base score. In the seventh inning Eddie Rommel replaced Walberg and promptly gave up one final run. So going into the bottom of the seventh, the Cubs were up 8-0 with nine outs to go to tie up the World Series.

Al Simmons led off the seventh with a home run (8-1), then Jimmie Foxx, Bing Miller, and Jimmie Dykes all singled, scoring Foxx (8-2). Joe Boley singled to drive in Miller (8-3). George Burns, pinch-hitting for Rommel popped out. Max Bishop singled to bring in Dykes (8-3). Out went Root, in came Art Nehf, Chicago’s primary left-handed reliever. He proceeded to throw gas on the fire by tossing a fast ball to Mule Haas. Haas drove it to center field where Cubs star Hack Wilson promptly lost the ball in the sun. It rolled to the fence for an inside-the-park home run (8-7). Nehf walked A’s catcher Mickey Cochrane and was pulled for Sheriff Blake, the Cubs fourth starter. Simmons and Foxx both singled, driving in Cochrane (8-8). Out went Blake, in came Cubs ace Pat Malone who proceeded to plunk Miller to load the bases. Dykes then drove a double into left field scoring both Simmons and Foxx as the A’s took the lead 10-8. With the damage now done, Boley struck out and Burns fanned for the final out and the distinction of being the only player to make two outs in one World Series inning (and the patron saint of every one of us who made more than one out in an inning in Little League).

Now that they were ahead, the A’s sent ace Lefty Grove to the mound to shut down the Cubs. That worked. The game ended 10-8 and the A’s had just put together the biggest inning in World Series history (even the 1993 Phillies-Blue Jays 15-14 slugfest didn’t see more than six runs scored in one inning). Blake took the loss and Rommel had the win.

To finish it up, the A’s won the World Series the next day with a single, home run, and consecutive doubles in the bottom of the ninth. It was a thorough meltdown by the Cubs. Wilson got a lot of blame for losing the ball in the sun, but that was one play in an inning that produced 10 runs. The Cubs pitching was woeful for that inning and the A’s hitters, especially Jimmie Dykes, took advantage to prove that in this case the big inning is better.

Hal Chase

Considering what the American League team in New York has meant to the AL since 1920, it’s a little surprising to note that the Highlanders (they were to become the Yankees in the next decade) were not a significant factor in the league. They were formed in 1903 when the Baltimore franchise relocated to New York. They finished in the first division in ’03 and second in the league in ’04 (1.5 games out), then slid back in 1905, made second again in 1906, then fell back, finishing last in 1908. By 1909 they were back to fifth.

It was a team in some turmoil. Manager George Stallings (the “Miracle Man” of 1914) had a fairly solid infield, but there were problems in the rest of the positions. Hal Chase, Frank La Porte, Jack Knight, and Jimmy Austin held down the infield from first over to third in 1909 and all were back for 1910. but the infield bench was different. Gone was Kid Elberfeld. Earle Gardner, Roxy Roach, and Eddie Foster now handled the backup duties for the team.

The 1909 outfield was gone. Willie Keeler, Ray Demmitt, and Clyde Engle were replaced by Harry Wolter, Charlie Hemphill, and Birdie Cree. In 1909 Cree had been the fourth outfielder, but the others were new. Bert Daniels was now the outfielder sitting on the bench.

Ed Sweeney, the ’09 backup catcher, moved to the starting role in 1910 with Fred Mitchell the backup. Former starter Red Kleinow developed a sore arm and was traded after getting into only six games. Neither catcher would manage to hit .220.

The pitching underwent something of a makeover. Joe Lake, Jack Warhop, Lew Brockett, Jack Quinn, Joe Doyle, Tom Hughes, and Rube Manning had done the bulk of the starting for the Highlanders in 1909. Quinn, Warhop, and Hughes were back. Manning was now a bullpen man and Doyle lasted exactly three games before a trade. In their place were Russ Ford and Jim “Hippo” Vaughn.

Well, it wasn’t a bad team, in fact it would show significant rise in 1910. But it had one serious flaw. By 1910 manager Stallings was already voicing concerns about the reliability of first baseman Chase. There were allegations that Chase was taking money to lose games, that he was spreading gambling money to other players in return for shoddy play in critical games. There were allegations that he was playing just well enough to look reasonably good in losing efforts. There was no proof, and certainly nowhere for Stallings to go with his complaints but to the ownership who had an interest in protecting Chase who was a definite fan favorite (Judge Landis was 10 years in the future).  All this made for major clubhouse problems. It would take until 1919-1920 to garner the evidence to ban Chase. Until then he would be a cancer on the club, and any club for which he played.

Next: Cleveland

According to a knowledgeable source in Albany, they were Vito Lopez, the Democratic County Leader from Brooklyn, and Jack Quinn, a Republican from Buffalo.

The bill passed 137 to 2, according to a spokeswoman in the Assembly speaker’s office, who did not name the two dissenting votes because the official tally will be available tomorrow [clarified].

Calls to the Albany offices of Lopez and Quinn were not immediately returned.

© Tony Powell. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer with Susanna and Jack Quinn

The most impressive and anticipated holiday gathering to date this season occurred last week on the entire roof level of the W Hotel.

© Tony Powell. Jack Quinn and New York Rep. Joe Crowley

© Tony Powell. Ed Henry and John Warner

When Susanna Quinn calls to say she’s having an event and wants it captured it MUST be important.

© Tony Powell. Susanna Quinn and Tommy McFly

© Tony Powell. Jocelyn and friend

Each party she throws seems to be better than the last and the Quinn Gillespie & Associates Holiday party she hosted was the best yet! (they got it to snow inside!)

© Tony Powell. Brit and Virginia Hume

Susanna and Jack Quinn © Tony Powell

The recently completed backyard pool of Jack and Susanna Quinn provided the perfect backdrop for one of the more memorable parties of the summer. Mai Abdo, Gwen Holliday, Page Evans, Jocelyn Greenan, Kristin Solheim, Darcy Jones, Amy Baier, Kristin Mowry, Jamie Dorros, Amy Argetsinger, and Betsy Fischer, were just some of the many that beat the heat last night by sipping made to order mojitos, whipped up on the spot. I finally got to meet my friend John Cecchi‘s girlfriend, Kristin Rae Irish, Sassanova owner Sassy Jacobs, Alison Kenworthy, Sarah Canova, and Elizabeth Lowery. Although I was there to photograph what was billed as a ladies party, a dozen or so men showed up, too, including Nathaniel Fogg, Manny Ortiz, Brett Baier, Dave Tafuri, Josh Tuerk, John Coon, and Michelle Obama‘s Deputy Social Secretary Ebs Burnough. I also met celebrity stylist Johnny Wright (who moved here on Valentine’s Day to be on-call for Michelle Obama) there and we hit it off right away. He made my year by agreeing to do the hair for my upcoming fashion shoot at Dumbarton Oaks. Well-known makeup artist Carl Ray, also said yes last night to working with me. My dream team is in place!! Carl attended with his partner, Rick Raines, who coordinates the George Salon at The Four Seasons. Somehow a small group of us (Ebs, Johhny, Susanna, Jack, Gwen, Kristin, Elizabeth Thorp, and Emily Miller) ended up in the Quinn kitchen – where everything seems to happen – long after most of the guests had gone. We could have stayed there all night so much was going on. But today is a new day and tonight there are two more parties….

Darcy Jones and Nathaniel Fogg © Tony Powell

Jack Quinn, Amy Baier, Jamie Dorros, Brett Baier, Kristin Solheim © Tony Powell

Ebs Burnough © Tony Powell

Amy Argetsinger and Celebrity Stylist Johnny Wright © Tony Powell

John Coon and Mai Abdo © Tony Powell

© Tony Powell

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This video highlights Tim Kennedy as the outsider trying to fix the culture of corruption in Albany challenging two Albany incumbents that take home perks while the State goes deeper into debt along with thousands on New York taxpayers.

for more information on the poll, please read the Buffalo News article or go to Siena College Research Institute‘s website.

The Highlanders (now the Yankees) hit well. They led the league in stolen bases and walks, were third in runs, fifth in hits (but made up for it in OBP with all those walks), and third in slugging. Shortstop Jack Knight was the only regular to hit .300, but first baseman Hal Chase, second baseman Frank La Porte, and outfielders Harry Wolter and Birdie Cree all hit above .260. Only third base man Jimmy Austin and catcher Ed Sweeney hit below .220. Chase led the team in RBIs, runs, and hits. More about him in the manager post.

The bench had six players participate in 20 or more games. One of them, backup outfielder Bert Daniels, led the team in stolen bases, hit .253, and was fourth on the team in walks. The other major  bench players hit below .250, with two hitting below .200 (and one below .150).

The Highlanders used only 10 pitchers all season, five of them starting 15 or more games. They did pretty well. Russ Ford was 26-6 with an ERA under two. Jack Quinn (who would pitch into his 40s and win a World Series as late as 1930) was 18-12, and 22-year-old lefty James “Hippo” Vaughn went 13-11 with a 1.83 ERA. Every pitcher had more strikeouts than walks, and all but one, Tom Hughes, had more innings pitched than hits.  At 7-9, Hughes was also the only major starter with a losing record.

For the Highlanders, the future looked bright. The pitching staff was good, the starting position players were good to adequate, depending on the position. What they lacked was a solid bench, but then so did everyone else. In 1911 they slipped back to fifth and finished at .500. What happened? Well, that manager change certainly didn’t help. Hal Chase wasn’t the best choice to lead a team, any team.