Least great game ever

The MLB network (aka Costasvision) has been running down its Top 20 greatest games of all time (it's actually the greatest games of the last 40 years, but whatever). Whoever made the selections did a pretty good job (Gibson homer, Fisk homer and 2001 WS are all on there) though there could have been more than one regular-season game (Sandberg game, anyone?).

But I have a serious beef with #7. If this list is supposed to showcase incredible skill and exciting play, it fails utterly here. What this showcases is inexcusably unprofessional behavior on the part of the Cubs and appalling mob mentality by the fans. First, Alou has a tantrum worthy of a four-year-old. The excerpt on the web site shows that but doesn't show Prior then falling apart and Gonzalez making an error that let the inning go on longer than it ever should have.

Alou post-tantrum 

Bob Costas is right (as always): Bartman shouldn't be famous; none of us should know his name. It goes without saying that the Chicago Sun Times shouldn't have published his workplace and home address (yes, that actually happened). So, shame on you, MLB, I say. And Bob, dear, I expect better from you.

Jeans

I have one pair of pants that truly fit me. They are made out of hemp by Patagonia, the greatest retail company in the history of the world. (They gave $10,000, iirc, to RHH a few years ago.) In every other style of jeans, it seems, I have a size 8-10 waist and size 12-14 thighs; European-sized brands like Lucky seem to be especially bad, but Gap jeans are lousy, too. Linda says it's because my quads are huge from cycling, God love 'er (in the parlance of our times), but I suspect it's a combination of weird things happening to my body after having two kids, and clothing designers hating women.

Oh, you mean we don't have to use this much water?

This study is one of those that anyone with an IQ over 100 could have figured out without the benefit of researchers and data: California farmers could save lots of water and lots of money if they would just buy a freaking clue.

About 75 percent of the water used in California is used for agriculture, and the large farms, which grow most of our food by a wide percentage, are very wasteful when it comes to water. Most of this state is in desert-like conditions for most of the year, yet God forbid you should suggest someone shouldn't water their crops or they lawn any idiotic time or way they feel like (yeah, landlord across the street, having your sprinklers go off at 11 a.m. every day, I'm talking to you!).

Why don't people get that we don't have infinite supplies of water? We can't just dump it out everywhere willy-nilly!

Then there's this:

Just one of the proposals—watering crops only when they need it—would save enough water to fill Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite National Park 10 times over...

WATERING CROPS ONLY WHEN THEY NEED IT?!?!?!?!? What the bloody hell are they doing out there? Do they not have to pay for water at all?? It's just mind-boggling.

Oh, and how dare someone suggest that the farmers grow crops that actually thrive in our environment, instead of RICE.

2007's rant of the year

Nursing bras: they all suck. What's going on here? A woman wants her bra to be three things: supportive, flattering and comfortable. With a nursing bra you're lucky to get two out of three (flattering is never one of those), which is still bad, despite what Meatloaf says. I've tried dozens of nursing bras, priced from $12 to $50 and none of them are satisfactory. They ride up too high or too low or the straps show. Why can't someone come up with a decent nursing bra? I love nursing my baby and want to do it as long as I can. But I don't think that should force me to wear crappy underwear for a year...