The Chiefs finish the regular season 16-0 -- they only have two games remaining against teams with winning records, although one is at 7-1 Minnesota -- but lose in the playoffs.
oh so lovingly written by
Matthew |
these are comments, 2.
An apology.
I am very sorry about not posting posts this week. I have been using my last few lunches doing stupid things like move money from one account to another so Kim and I can get a giant (in terms of cash, not in terms of novelty-size) cashiers' check to close on the house, and then getting the cashiers' check, and then today closing on our new house. I am bad bad bad. Please forgive me.
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House-closing joke of the day.
Actual conversation from closing this morning.
Lawyer: So after we sign all the contracts in a couple weeks regarding the house you are selling, there are a number of ways the proceeds from the sale can be transferred to you. We can a direct deposit, or you can get a check from the closing agent, or...
Me: Can we get a briefcase full of cash?
On the same subject, shockingly to me (though apparently not to Kim, who'd already run the numbers in her head), the check we will get from the proceeds of our current house will actually be slightly higher than the cashiers' check we cut to pay for this house. Of course, we have 30 years of payments on the new house vs. about 13 on the prior, but still.
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How Perfectly Swell Marginally Cool Friday Giveaway!
b) The entire contents of my upper-left-hand desk drawer at work, other than a few items that I need for work and two driver disks that I'd rather not give away. Included are a number of nondeliverable brochures, the useless user's manual to an EPIA Mini-ITX computer, two or three print cartridges to a printer my company no longer owns, two CD-Rs that have who knows what on them (although I will check to make sure the material is not sensitive work-related material before sending them along), and other stuff at the bottom of the drawer that I cannot see because there is all that listed stuff at the top.
First respondent gets first choice. Second respondent gets second. Third respondent gets tears of frustration.
How Perfectly Swell Marginally Cool Friday Giveaway!
From now until at least the end of the year, every Friday How Perfectly Swell is going to give away something marginally cool to the first person who responds that yes, he or she would like to have that marginally cool item. (After Kim and I have moved in and found my "Eileen" DVDs again, no doubt that will be one of them.) Today's item is 20 starter packs of Bayer Genuine Asprin, with each starter pack containing seven Bayer caplets, meaning that you get -- yes! -- 140 Bayer Asprin pills. And...go!
From the Oakland Tribune: "[The United States] also witnessed a budget deficit for the third consecutive year. This year's deficit reached a record number estimated at $450 billion. Therefore, we thank God."
There is one question that Cubs fans everywhere are asking, and it is this.
Which is the greater indignity: Having not won a pennant since 1945 or not having won a World Series since 1908? It is not very many sports teams that have two such nonaccomplishments to choose from, so it is best to be fair and objective to both of the Cubs' streaks and subject them each to a probability analysis. To wit: By pure chance -- rather than lack of talent -- would it be harder to go 58 years without winning a National League title or 95 years without being the best team in baseball?
Let's start with the pennant. Between 1946 and 1961 there were 8 teams in the National League. Two more were added in 1962, another two in 1969, a third two in 1993, and the final two -- bringing the NL to 16 teams -- in 1998. Thus, the probability, assuming pure chance, of the Cubs not winning a pennant in that time is expressed by this formula:
(7/8)16 x (9/10)7 x (11/12)24 x (13/14)5 x (15/16)6
Which equals 0.00328, or a 1 in 305 chance of not winning a pennant since '45.
Now, regarding the World Series. Between 1909 and 1960 there were 16 teams in Major League Baseball. Two more were added in 1961, another two in 1962, two again in 1969, a fourth two in 1977, a further two in 1993, and the final two -- bringing MLB to 30 teams -- in 1998. Thus, the probability, assuming pure chance, of the Cubs not winning a World Series in that time is expressed by this formula:
(15/16)52 x (17/18)1 x (19/20)7 x (23/24)8 x (25/26)16 x (27/28)5 x (29/30)6
Which, surprisingly to me, equals only 0.00594, or a 1 in 168 chance of not winning a World Series since '08. It just shows to go.
People who do not tell people about things people should be told about but no instead people stumble across them accidentally. Stephanie Tanner would have something to say about that.
Kim likes to get a very early start, so here is version 1.0 of my Christmas list. Kim tells me she has already purchased one of these items for me, so you may wish to discuss any potential purchases with her.
You don't ever count your money while you're sittin' at the table.
Record to date against the spread: 11-4. If I had bet $1000 a game, I would be $6600 richer, although I would have one fewer wife.
All underdogs again this week:
Georgia Tech plus 6½ over North Carolina State (i.e. I expect Georgia Tech to win or to lose by less than 6½ points).
North Carolina plus 7 over Virginia.
Fresno State plus 6 over Colorado State.
UTEP plus 11½ over SMU.
Iowa State plus 21 over Oklahoma.
I expect that underdog Iowa cover the 3 points versus Michigan State, but that does not count as one of my picks.
oh so lovingly written by
Matthew |
these are comments, 2.
i sincerely do not know what you are doing here. are you lost? were you
looking for your delicate calico cat, and did you follow her up two flights of stairs
to this room? she is not here. she was here, yes. we gave her a warm bowl of milk, we talked with her about campaign finance reform for a time, and then she bid us good day. i believe she was
going to the post office two blocks down, but i don't quite recall.
for surely you did
not find your way from prinsiana, the least traveled site on
the internet. if you did, though, perhaps you are looking for humor. perhaps you are looking for profundity. perhaps you are looking for answers.
i'm sorry, but you shall go naught-for-three.
