Stuff happens, and I hardly care.

It's a little bit ironic that with all the bitching I just did about the lack of news in the baseball world, things actually happen and I don't even care. Rod Barajas? Yeah, if it weren't for all of the drama that went on before the 2007 season, no one would really even care that much. Barajas is a modest upgrade over Sal Fasano, and I know people want to believe otherwise... But it's true. So instead of having a happy, friendly Sal that mentors the young 'uns, you have a Sal who punted the Jays last year where the sun don't shine.

The most interesting news that came out was mentioned surrounding the Barajas news, in my opinion.

On the mend:
So apparently Ryan will throw off of a mound to Arnsberg this week... Good news. I'm not overly optimistic that Beej is going to be Beej for quite some time, but I think his comeback is one of the things that I look forward to the most in 2008. I can't really explain it either; it's not like Accardo et al didn't hold down the fort in his absence. It's something about Ryan, watching him blow pitches by the big boys that makes me smile. I'm so excited to see the fire on the Rogers Centre screen once again.

Janssen getting a shot:
I'm loving the fact that Casey is still regarded as a starter. I was quite sure that he was going to be given a fair shot at the 5th spot in the rotation, but there were tons of folks screaming about how the 'pen would "fall apart with out him"... Ridiculousness. Think about it. Eight position players, one designated hitter, 5 starting pitchers, four bench players, and seven bullpen guys. Best case scenario, Beej and League are back up to par.

RP - Scott Downs
RP - Brian Wolfe
RP - Jeremy Accardo
RP - Brandon League
RP - Jason Frasor
RP - Brian Tallet
RP - B.J. Ryan

That bullpen doesn't look like it needs Casey, does it? And of course, cue the folks screaming about how Casey could take Frasor's spot in the 'pen. Consider this though... Would you want Janssen in the role Frasor had last year? What role? Exactly.

Something tells me that Janssen is going to be more productive in the fifth spot in the rotation than Gus would be. Why waste him in mop-up duty? If the starters go as long into the game as they tended to last year, we'd be lucky to see him twice a week. Yes, the ERA will go up. But so do the innings. An ERA around 4 over 200 innings is more valuable to the team than a 2.35 ERA over 72. Janssen's talents will be put to better use.

In non-Jays news:
My favourite team that is NOT the Jays has been busy...

The Twins locked up Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau yesterday to long term deals. Morneau for 6/$80 and Cuddyer in the neighbourhood of 3/$23. I believe he has a club option for 2011 as well. The Morneau situation makes a little bit of sense, but people are kidding themselves if they think it comes without risk. Any deal that long comes with risk, but in all fairness I still think it's a risk worth taking.

As for Cuddyer, I'm not so sure. Below average defense-man and average offensive player. His range is poor, but I think in the long run his ability to stay healthy and produce at a constant rate could make it worth it.

I guess we'll see with time.

Everything is boring.

I always bitch and complain about people who want change for the sake of change, but I'm going to come out and admit it now... I want something big to happen in the baseball world (particularly in Jays' country) simply so I can blog about it.

So, I think someone out there should make up some huge breaking story... Simply so I can blog about it. That would be greatly appreciated. You would be able to expect a muffin basket in 6-8 weeks.

Vaguely I can't even seem to remember how I survived previous offseasons.

In a completely unrelated note, I scored my first internship interview scheduled in February. Unfortunately it was for one of my last resorts... I would have to obtain confidential status (it's with the Canadian Health Research Institute), but it's a simple web development gig. Something I wouldn't learn an overt amount doing, but I would be comfortable with it for my first placement.

Oh yeah, and the CRTC rejected my application because I wasn't bilingual. Tabernac! Oh well, that was a long-shot anyway. I'm really holding out for a placement with Adobe, Magmic (gaming), or Cognos. And I'm still pissed that Corel isn't looking for anyone. Asshats.

And yeah, that pic to the right is so completely unrelated.

If You're Driving/Riding in Ottawa

... Then this post is for you. Time to get into rant mode folks!

If the little bonhomme is lit up on the walk sign, that means you don't have the right to hit me with your car.
You also are a douche-bag for getting pissed off that I'm walking on a pedestrian crosswalk at the appropriate time. Learn how driving works. Protip: Don't hit people walking. The man doesn't like it.


If you park on the crosswalk, you're an asshole. Period.
If it's an honest mistake, I'll be pissed... But at least I won't contemplate kicking your vehicle. But my biggest pet peeve are the people who pull up on the crosswalk because it will get them through the light a second or two before the person beside them. Of course, it doesn't matter. You can maybe gain one second on your commute. Maybe. Sure, I guess that's worth me and the woman in the wheelchair trying to get around the nose of your SUV while dodging transport trucks and soccer moms. Thanks asshole.

If the bus is filled, you move your shit so people can sit down.
Honestly, I thought this was just common sense. If you've got luggage, I can understand (seriously though, just take a cab, tightwad). Today I was on the most packed bus I've ever been on, and there was a guy in the back who felt his backpack needed its own personal seat. Maybe I wouldn't have been being pushed into the stairs if he had realized that there might be people who want to sit down.

Seriously... Some days I really wish natural selection still applied. I'd be dead (hurray for poor sight!) but there would certainly be fewer stupid people in the world. These people would all be dead after petting a cute and cuddly wolverine or something.

In baseball news..
Well, calling it news is a stretch... But crappy Metro sports writer Marty York came out with a gem about Eric Hinske crying at a football game. A number of blogs have already snarked about it, so I'll spare you my considerably less funny snark. I definitely picked up my copy and showed it to my sister though. Hilarity ensued. I knew that a person with such an amusing picture of Hinske on her fridge still from like 3 years ago would enjoy it.

In case you're wondering, the picture I'm referring to was published in the Star... The picture was of Hinske on his knees after sliding home, waiting for a safe call. He was dirty, smiling, and on his knees, and in big, bold letters above his head read: "Hinske knows his place"... Classic.

Overdose?
On a somewhat random note, Heath Ledger was found dead in his apartment this afternoon. They think that it was drug related; foul play is not suspected. I liked many of his movies, honestly. Bad choices catching up to him, I guess.

It's a shame, but it's just another victim of the Hollywood lifestyle.

I guess the new Batman movie premiering this summer is going to have a shadow of a different kind hanging over it.

Cats Exist For Only One Purpose... In Rapture.

So, I've spent the last couple of days playing/watching the game Bioshock. If you haven't had the opportunity to play this masterpiece yet, treat yourself to a well deserved smack upside the head. Go ahead, I'll wait. And no, the "I don't have a 360" excuse is not justified, as it is available for PC. So go out and support the corporate world by buying Microsoft products, hippy.

So, this game is a blast on about a million levels. Essentially, you are a gentleman who found himself in the underwater city of Rapture. Rapture is a city created by the eccentric Andrew Ryan, a scientist who dreamed of a world where there were no constraints on innovation, but his city has been betrayed and now genetic deviants roam the area. Basically you have to roam the area, shooting, wrenching, and zapping the shit out of everything evil in your path. All the while you pick up tape recorders that slowly bring the world of Rapture to light... Its rise, its stage of maturity, and ultimately its fall.

Now that the boring summary shit is out of the way... Man is it fun to bash the shit out of zombie-like creatures with a wrench. It's fun to fire away, of course... But there's something about wrench bashing that makes me flood with happiness. If it weren't for the wrench, I don't think I'd be able to play though. I'm still getting used to FPS games, and when I'm in a creepy dentist office searching a desk and turn around to face a homicidal dentist... I wouldn't be able to face that shit without my handy wrench.

I'm going to admit one thing here. I'm a chicken-shit. So this game scares the living hell out of me, but it's so unbelievably addictive that I can't stop playing it. Then you add in the plot twists and turns and the gorgeous graphical experience and you have a fantastic game in every way.

As for the cat thing- Cats exist to blow out trip wires. The animal-lover in me cringes every time I know that there is a cat in the vicinity (I know electric-tripwires are imminent). Some might not even use the cat. But honestly, it's just too funny not to. Hell, I used one of the cats to piss off a Big Daddy (mini-bosses in the game). It's a blast.

If you haven't seen the loveliness that is Bioshock, than check out the trailer below. There's violence in it, but it's a video game. Lighten up.

Oh, and protip? Any variation of Rock Band as a drinking game needs to be used responsibly. Especially when 3 of the 7 players are thin, short girls that are all lightweights. This morning was not pretty. I'm still feeling slightly hungover and it's almost 8pm. That's a fucked up night. Worth it, but fucked up.

Hey look! It blogs!

I'm on my couch. And it's really comfortable.

So, I've started a blog. Seems like good reasoning? I may be the only one that cares, but I'm sure other people will be pleased I'm no longer rambling in their comments. I'm good like that.

Who am I? My name's Lindsay, I'm a 19 year old geek. I'm a student (so bad cooking, alcohol, etc. is the everyday) and I'm studying computer science. Basically I specialize in sitting in front of a computer for eight hours writing a software system, only to test it in hour eight and realize the thing doesn't work. Yeah, that's pretty much my life.

So what are you going to see here?

This is primarily a baseball blog. I've got a problem, folks, and I have to ramble about it somewhere. My LiveJournal wasn't doing it, and to be honest... I was sick of the emo jokes (justified, but it still pissed me off).

If you're here to see a balanced and non-biased look at the world of baseball, you've come to the wrong place. I'm a Jays fan, and that bias is going to be clear with most of what I write. I can give credit where it's due as a baseball fan, but the Jays fan part of me is bitter and defensive.

E.g. Alex Rodriguez is a very talented ballplayer... Too bad he's such a douche-bag.

See? He's talented but a douche-bag.

Yes, I'm starting a baseball blog during the offseason. Sue me. I'm guessing that's probably the reason I'm opting to expand it a little beyond baseball to include all of my vices. You know... TV, video games, movies, etc. I'm a geek, and a tech junkie. Just warning you now.

A little bit about my gaming "profile". I play console and hand-held games. I don't play PC games often. I play my Wii and my XBox360 obsessively, and although I own and have been obsessed with my PS2, it's fallen out of favour. PS3 can screw itself until it puts out a game I actually want to play. As for hand-helds, I own a PSP and a GBA. The DS is something I want, but am too lazy/cheap to buy. Genre-wise, I play pretty much everything.

Yeah, so that's it for the first post. It makes me seem lame as hell, but I guess that's pretty much dead on. Plus it's impossible to write an introductory post without sounding like a jackass.