Deals Galore

Mugged Again

One of the nice things about the post-Christmas season is retailers putting all of their cool (but unsold) seasonal items on clearance sale.

Case in point: My new Trees mug from Starbucks, which was on sale for 30 percent off.

"You really need to seek professional help."

I waited until it was on sale...that's progress, isn't it?

Swinging for the Fences

Brandon at press conference with GM Dayton Moore

My beloved Kansas City Royals lost productive DH Kendrys Morales
(52 HRs, 199 RBIs over the past two seasons) to free agency, but many of us were hoping the team would try to find his replacement among some of the talented young players in the farm system.



The Royals chose to go in a different direction, signing veteran Brandon Moss this past Wednesday to a two-year deal. Although the Royals seem to think Moss's power (28 HRs in just 413 ABs last season) will be helpful, Kauffman Stadium has not historically been kind to power hitters, and he is 33 years old. The Royals will also be his seventh team
in 11 seasons.

The Royals announced yesterday that they had reached agreement 
on a one-year deal with closer Kelvin Herrera, thus avoiding the arbitration process.

With All-Star closer Wade Davis having been traded to the Cubs,
the Royals really needed to nail down their other All-Star reliever.

"Even though it's only early February, your pessimism is in mid-season form!"

It has been a rough off-season so far, and I come by my Royals pessimism honestly...

Snowflakes Break Bad at UC-Berkeley

From the pen of Lisa Benson, whose editorial cartoons you should read often, as I do.

Until Next Time...

On February 4, 1962 Clint Patrick Black was born in Long Branch, New Jersey. When he was one year old his family moved to Katy, Texas, and Clint was raised there. After learning to play guitar at 15, he was soon performing with his brothers and eventually dropped out of high school to pursue his musical interests.

Clint has had a successful career in country music, with seven platinum-selling albums and 28 Top 10 singles (including 13 No. 1 hits). He has also won Male Vocalist of the Year awards from both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. His first hit record was released right around the time I began dating my second wife, and because she was a fan I heard a lot of his music as well.

After my divorce I basically stopped paying much attention to country music for a few years, but I did put together an iTunes playlist of country songs that spoke to the emotions I was feeling during and after that upheaval. I'd often listen to that playlist on Saturday nights when I was in the mood to wallow in my misery. Still do, on occasion.

Clint's song "Where Are You Now," from his multi-platinum album  
Put Yourself in My Shoes, was his sixth No. 1 hit back in 1991.


I had always liked the song, but its lyrics were especially poignant for me after the divorce. Even now it makes me cry whenever I hear it.

Today's send-off is the original album track, from Clint's YouTube channel. Enjoy...