*Brian McTaggart has an inbox in which he addresses the rotation, catching situation, throws some shade at Nelson Cruz, etc.
*Carlos Correa donated his piano to Texas Children's Hospital. (This sounds like a very similar situation I encountered when I was encouraged by my lovely wife to donate my favorite chair to the curb.)
*Shoutout to Mark Appel and Brady Aiken, both former Astros 1-1 picks who each managed to make MLB.com's Worst First-Round MLB Draft Picks of the Decade list.
*This Rangers blogger says, given what has happened over the last decade, he would rather be a Rangers fan than an Astros fan:
So, I guess the question is...would you rather have been an Astros' fan or a Rangers' fan over the last decade? Personally and objectively, I side with the Rangers. Give me consistent success over eventual success. Give me two World Series appearances over one.
I will simply leave that there.
*Lookout Landing looks at the "truthiness" of GM Jerry Dipoto.
*That zany Bregs is at it again: tipping fast-food workers $1200 and whatnot.
*We don't deserve Jacob DeGrom. And by "we" I of course mean "The Mets"
Answer ?s like "How does Jacob deGrom's 2018 compare to Johan Santana's 2008" in the Play Index https://t.co/Cs7uWVjJbd pic.twitter.com/7eOXugEnC9— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) December 27, 2018
*Jim McVay runs the Outback Bowl. It's an exhibition game between two college football teams, the players in which are not paid. I am a casual observer of college football. I went to grad school at OU, so that's where my preference lies (I still owe them $5,700 so it only seems right to hope that their football team will win a Natty and maybe then they'll forgive my student loans), but I do not get crazy about OU football. I bargained that right away when I promised God I would never get upset about a football game again if it meant the Astros could win the World Series. Nervous about Saturday, though.
That said, I only remember one Outback Bowl - 2005 - because Drew Tate did this:
And Drew Tate went to Baytown Lee, where my wife and brothers-in-law went to school. One brother-in-law (what's up, J-Rock?) was an outstanding O-Lineman for Lee and unfortunately succumbed to the Astros County Curse and lost the one playoff game of theirs I was able to attend. It was an Upset. Anyway, Jared should have gone to a D1 school but the coaches were morally suspect.
Anyhow, Jim McVay, the guy that runs the Outback Bowl? He makes $1 million. Oh wait, that wasn't an Outback Bowl game, that was a Capitol One Bowl. Hahaha I didn't even remember the bowl game correctly. Oh well, J-Rock should still have gone D1. And Jim McVay ain't need $1m a year to throw a party.
*I just came across this incredible Texas Monthly article from 2014 about Charles Moore, who set himself on fire in Grand Saline, Texas.
*Outside Magazine: Life and Death on El Capitan.
*BBC: A Frozen Graveyard - The Sad Tales of Antarctica's Deaths.
(Ed. Note: I'm good, I feel fine, there's no mortality issues I'm dealing with - that I know of - the previous three links were just interesting).
*My side team, Leeds United, scored on an own goal and then two goals in injury time to beat Blackburn Rovers and win their second straight Championship game by a 3-2 score and with at least one goal in injury time. And they're leading the Championship. I HAVE PROUD.
*A Musical Selection from Harper Simon. You may have heard of his father Paul:
