Messages From Mike

An Argument for Marijuana Legalization That is not Necessary

2013-12-19T01:01:00.000-05:00

The debate to legalize marijuana is one of the more polarizing debates in the country, rubbing elbows with the likes of gun-control and abortion. While most of the debate points that the pro-pot crowd uses are both solid and valid, their point that the tax revenue generated from legalizing marijuana would be overly beneficial to the country is over-reaching at best, and a flat-out lie at worst.

Right now, any revenue that flows into the government would be welcomed. A $16.8T national debt is, frankly speaking, revolting. But anyone who thinks that there is a quick-fix to that problem is short-sighted. This includes Harvard professor, Jeffrey Miron. He believes that cannabis willgenerate yearly revenue totals between $6B and $10B. Half of which he believes will come from tax revenue. The other half would come from not spending money on prosecuting for marijuana-based offenses.

The problem with that however, is in the math.

Per Global Newswire, legal marijuana sales are projected to total $2.34B in 2014. Miron projects the “sin tax” to be roughly 50%. That would mean the tax revenue generated would be $1.17B, which is a far cry from being half of the $6B-$10B estimate. And you can’t account for illegal sales because there are no records kept of those amounts.

Marijuana should be legal. It is in the same category as alcohol with regards to harmfulness. But creating math to buy votes is an attempt to legitimize a cause that doesn’t need help in becoming legitimate.

For My Wife

2013-08-10T14:57:00.000-04:00

Wednesday August, 7th was the anniversary of the date that I moved from California to Pennsylvania. It's been nine years since I made that move, and even now I still get the same look and question from people when they find out that I traded life in sunny Southern California for the schizophrenic weather of Central Pennsylvania. They don't understand. They probably never will understand. But they don't need to understand. I know why I made the move. And if I could go back to that date, I would do the same thing all over again.

August, 6th, was a more important day though. Tuesday marked the eight year anniversary of the day my wife, Amber, and I made a lifetime commitment to each other. And I know what your thinking; "Eight years? That doesn't seem like a lot." But in the world we live in today, eight years is kind of like 50. What's the 50 year present? Diamonds? Sorry, honey. Maybe I'll get you a car next year to make up for it. Probably not. But, maybe.

Amber and I have always had what I like to call a "uniquely perfect" relationship. We are complete opposites. When we met on December 17th, 1999, she was very much into boy bands like N*Sync and Backstreet Boys. I was very much into Bad Religion and Pennywise. She was a Preacher's daughter. I was not the kind of young man that a Preacher would allow to get within 100 yards of their daughter.

And to this day, not much has changed. Our musical differences aside, we are near polar opposites in every aspect of life. She likes board games. loves them, in fact. I detest board games. She kinda sorta likes baseball. I'm a baseball fanatic (although I think this rubbing off on her because she harbors some love for Mike Trout). I swing to the left on the political spectrum. If she cared about politics (she doesn't) she would swing to the right. She likes Chinese food. I go to Chinese restaurants and eat pizza. She likes Mongolian food. If Mongolian food restaurants served pizza, I would eat pizza at a Mongolian food restaurant. She's a little bit country, and I'm a little bit Rock N' Roll. She is, quite literally, the Yin to my Yang.

But that difference, is what makes us, "us." And I wouldn't trade that uniqueness for anything in the world.

She's the most selfless, understanding and caring person I have ever known. She always has everyone's best interests at heart. She likes to refer to herself as a "doormat" because of those qualities. Me? I believe them to be the qualities that endear her the most to me. She is loving, compassionate and warm. Even though I suffer from genetic insecurity, I have not once felt like Amber has fallen out of love with me. I know that I have taken a back seat to our two children as far as who holds her heart the tightest, but I know that I come in right behind them.

They say that your significant other is your "better half." I don't think that that is good enough. Amber is not just my "better half." She is my "best half." She is the reason why I moved 3,000 miles with almost no money and (literally) sand in my suitcase. She is the reason that I will not settle for a mediocre life. She is the reason why I still believe that dreams can and do come true. Because I dreamt about a life with her. I imagined it while she was living on the east coast and I was getting tan on the left coast. I thought about it as we communicated both by phone and letter for nearly four years after she moved here in 2000.

Our relationship is like a movie script. These things just don't happen in real life. Boy meets girl at 16. Girl moves to the other side of the country. Four years later, boy moves to be with her. Who does that? Outside of Hollywood, who actually does that.

I do. That's who. And I did it because at 16 years old, I got butterflies whenever i was around Amber. I knew then that this was something special. And now, nearly 14 years, 3,000 miles, eight years of marriage and two children later, I still get those same butterflies. They don't happen as often, but they happen often enough to remind me why I am where I am. And why everyday I get to wake up next to her, is another day that I have been blessed.

I love you, Amber. As much, if not more, now than I ever have. Thank you for being my everything.

Number Crunchers and Game Watchers

2012-12-07T22:26:00.000-05:00

There are two camps for baseball fans. Camp one, the "Stat Geeks." Heavy reliance on data and analysis is required. Baseball can be shrunk down, and thanks to Fangraphs, Baseball-Reference, Baseball Prospectus etc. and so forth, Bill James initial work done in the 70's has evolved into the massive Sabermetric presence we see today in baseball. It's called progress, and it's OK. Camp two, the "Watchers." Even though sayings like, "looks can be deceiving" and "these lying eyes" have been around for decades, these folks hold nothing above what they see when it comes to evaluation. the anti "moneyballers." Two camps, two ideas, red states and blue states, Hatfields and McCoys. A veritable WAR if you will. But why the vitriol?

Why does this really matter to me? Well, allow me to explain. About a month ago on twitter, I jumped into a discussion with Scott Stedman who writes for AngelsWin.com. The discussion was concerning whether or not Anibal Sanchez was worth the money that he was asking for in free agency. Scott likes Anibal. I, on the other hand, do not. At least, not for the money and years it would take to sign him. Scott went with a stats argument, which is fine by me, I understand most of the advanced stats and can counter argue them. But what kind of bothered me is that he referred to me as a "Numbers guy." I can't tell you what a good or bad wOBA is, but (as pointed out already), I'm pretty well versed with most stats. I'm also no slouch when it comes to the "eye test." I can tell why a batter's timing is off and how its affecting the rest of his swing. I can see when a pitchers front side is flying open and is causing his pitches to flatten out.

Needless to say, the conversation went on, but that phrase stuck with me. Along with my own experience, the Mike Trout vs. Miguel Cabrera MVP debate showed just how wide the divide really is between the two sides. I would say it's "Grand Canyon-ish," but I don't think that properly illustrates how wide it really is.

Of course, therein lies the problem. As a group we still are, in fact, baseball fans. We love this game, all year round. And if anything was proven by Moneyball, it's that, in today's game, you need to have a grasp on both the numbers and the ability to scout well to survive. You can't build a winning team with Microsoft Excel. You also can't build a winning team with guys who have "good baseball bodies." Brandon Wood looks smashing in a baseball uniform, too bad he can't hit a slider to save his life. Juan Pierre gets on base and steals bags as well as anyone. He also has a noodle for a left arm.

What's the point of this rant? Don't be close minded. Know everything you can know. Don't swear off WAR, but understand its value. Know what FIP is, but know pitching mechanics as well. This game isn't black and white as some believe. But you ignore the black and white views at your own peril. Know the numbers. Know the game. Know that by having a grasp on both, you immediately have the upper hand.

Small Sample size Man Crush

2012-09-16T11:00:00.000-04:00

I love small sample sizes sometimes. Especially when they justify a totally no homo man crush. I present to you, Nick Maronde.

I could go bananas over how deceptive he is on the mound, I could talk about how refreshing it is that bill of his hat isn't flat, I could go on an on about how giddy it makes me that we have another lefty in the pen who has a history of striking guys out (8.6 K/9 in in the minors).

But no, I'm not going to do any of that. I'm just going to describe how Maronde makes me feel compared to How Johnny Depp makes me feel when he shows up in a movie.

First, there is the totally surprised feeling.

When Maronde made his debut in Seattle, we had an idea of what we had, but what he showed made my mouth drop (How about paint for strike three). Absolutely floored by this appearance, even had a conversation with Mike Digiovanna of the LA Times on Twitter (If you're not following me, you should be @mike_hllywa) about how Maronde could be our K-Rod of 2012. Totally irrational, yes, but that is how man crush's work

There was a moment in 21 Jump Street where my interest was starting to wain. The jokes were getting tired, I can only deal with so much Channing Tatum, let's get on with it and then BAM!

HOLY SHIT! ZOMFG! IT'S JOHNNY FUCKING DEPP!!!!!!! Yup, same reaction.

Second. there is the confident feeling.

Did I know Maronde was going to strike out three guys in a row? No, that would be crazy talk *puts voodoo doll away*, but anyone who saw his first appearance had that feeling of total confidence when he entered the game.

Last night my wife chose the movie for movie night. My wife understands my weird obsession with Johnny Depp. My wife rented The Rum Diaries. I had not seen a preview, but that didn't matter because (ZOMFG! IT'S JOHNNY FUCKING DEPP!!!!) when I see that JD (That's how I refer to him, he's cool with it) is in a movie I'm 100% confident he's gonna be awesome. Was the movie good? Not really. But, was Johnny Depp awesome? You better believe it.

Third, the swagger feeling.

Nick Maronde has made four appearances since striking out three straight Oakland A's. He gave up a hit and a walk in one appearance and was pulled (nobody's perfect, even JD had "The Tourist"). he faced five batters across an inning and a third and threw only 11 pitches. Nick's got the swagger, and I've got it too whenever he toes the rubber.

You know you have got swagger when you can have a movie come out where you look as dirty and unkempt as the person you regularly give change to just off the 22 freeway outside the Block at Orange (I'm sure he's still there, and I'm sure every November he still puts up a sign that says "Went home for the Holidays")

Regardless, Jack Sparrow is quite possibly the coolest and most cock sure character, not only just to be thought of, but to be brought to life. Be honest, at least one time since this movie came out have you referred to your wife/girlfriend/dominatrix as "Bonnie Lass" and I can't be the only person to fit the word "Savvy" into a conversation, just because it sounded soooooo cool.

Is Nick Maronde Johnny Depp? Not quite. Sorry Nick, but JD has been making me say weird things for a long time. One day you'll get there. Maybe one day I'll show up to an Angels game with the word "Maronde" drawn across my forehead the way I do this for Johnny Depp (and for those who asked for it)......

Savvy?

Mike Trout, AL MVP Front Runner?

2012-07-06T19:37:00.002-04:00

Mike Trout is something special.............let's try that again. Mike Trout is on another plane of special in regards to playing baseball (I hear there is also rumors that he is curing cancer, saving children from high rise fires and volunteering at nursing homes, all while stealing 2nd base in the 1st inning). Scanning my Facebook (LOL at Facebook stock) timeline earlier I came across a post by the MLB Network where they asked if Mike Trout is the front runner for AL MVP. Now, of course, I'm a little biased (he's the MVP of the galaxy as far as I'm concerned) so I say "YES." But as I scanned some of the comments left by other users, I couldn't help but to burst out into laughter. You can read them here, go on, I'll wait.

Done? Good. Let's carry on.

Someone really had the nerve to suggest Derek Jeter, no supporting argument, just a two word post of "Derek Jeter." Astounding.

Now, I'm going to put on my unbiased cap for a moment So I can give my 100% legitimate, professional opinion on this subject. We're going to use Baseball-Reference.com for this exercise. Here is the expanded American League leader board (Jed Lawrie. Seriously?!)

We'll start with the counting stats that everyone cares about (HR, RBI, SB, etc.). Trout's not even in the conversation in regards to the long ball. He has shown good pop, but he will never be a serious HR threat, but one of his main MVP competitors is. Josh Hamilton. He's second. I give Trout a pass in the RBI category since he is a lead off man. His job is to score runs, not drive them in, but Hamilton has him almost doubled up in this category (74 for Hamilton, 38 for Trout). Stolen bases? Yeah, it's not even close Trout has a American League leading 26, Hamilton has six (they've also both been caught stealing three times. Might want to drop an anchor there Joshy). So far Ham-bone is up 2-1, but this is where it gets interesting for Trout backers.

Rate stats, always vulnerable to fluctuation. Slump, they go down. Get hot, they go up. Fascinating. Anyway, We're gonna do AVG, OBP, SLG%, OPS, and OPS+, I'm also going to list them to get through it quicker so, here we go;

AVG. - Trout (AL Leader)
OBP - Trout
SLG% - Hamilton (AL Leader)
OPS - Hamilton (AL Leader)
OPS+ - Trout (AL Leader)

Well lookie here, Things just got a lot tighter.

Now some advanced stats. WAR, WPA, Adj. Batting Runs, Adj. Batting wins and Runs Created, same deal as last time, list ahead;

WAR - Trout
WPA - Trout
Adj. Batting Runs - Hamilton (AL Leader)
Adj. Batting Wins - Hamilton (AL Leader)
Runs Created - Hamilton (AL Leader)

Hamilton Creates a little space here, but not a lot. The thing about WAR is that it also factors for defensive value. Mike Trout is very good at defense, Hamilton is very meh at defense. Advantage thus far, Hamilton. But barely, and Trout pulls ahead with the next two categories that I'm going to bring up.

Power-speed#, and Offensive Win%. Power-Speed# is the harmonic mean between home runs and stolen bases. Hamilton's is 9.8, Trout's, 14.4. Hamilton may have more power than Trout does, but his complete inability to swipe a bag makes Mike Trout the far superior power/speed combo type of player. Offensive Win% is what a teams winning percentage would be if the had nine of the exact same player, assuming average defense and pitching. Hamilton's, .791, very good. Mike Trout's, .797. A team of Mike Trout's would be a better team than a team of Josh Hamilton's (I really enjoyed writing that line).

It's going to come down to who maintains their level of dominance between the two, and if it's still neck and neck, the player on the division winning team will most likely take home the crown. And even if Trout doesn't win the MVP (I'm not getting my hopes up that we catch Texas), rumor has it they are already engraving his name into the Rookie of the Year trophy. So there is always that.

News and Notes

2012-07-05T03:23:00.002-04:00

In case you missed the news that was out their yesterday, here's a brief recap of some of the more "off" news stories of the day.

Iowa governor leaves hospital after choking on carrot. The title alone makes this article worth reading. Gov. Terry Brandstad was at a dedication for the USS Iowa (which is being turned into a floating, interactive museum, pretty cool). However, during the dinner, he seemed to forget that chewing your food is essential when eating dinner. Chew, swallow. Chew, swallow. Seems easy right? apparently it's more perilous to our health than we thought. Money quote:

Branstad choked on a carrot during the event and vomited, spokesman Tim Albrecht said. He said the governor was taken to a nearby hospital “out of an overabundance of caution,” went through a series of tests and was released after his health turned out to be fine.

“We're glad he's okay. He's in great spirits,” Albrecht said. “He's probably a little more embarrassed than anything.”

Florida lifeguard fired for saving drowning man. Wait? You went into the water over there to save that man? Why? No, why on earth would you think that it is a good idea to save that man when he is clearly outside the "protected" zone? This is too easy, Tomas Lopez should be commended for what he did, but apparently, it is the lifeguard company policy that "if someone is in trouble outside the company protection zone, the lifeguard is to call 911 and hope that help gets there on time." Money quote:

"The reason I was fired is just ridiculous," Lopez told CNN late Wednesday night. "It is a ridiculous rule, really. What was I supposed to do? Just let the guy drown?"

Yes Tomas, you were

Brandon Moss' bat lifts A's to sweep of Red Sox. I love reading about the Red Sox losing. I mean, what Angels fan wouldn't? David Ortiz hit his 400th home run in this game (whoopee). Moss was the big deal though. Acquired by the A's from the Red Sox, he took it to his old employers in this series going 6-8 with five RBI's and three runs scored. Not a bad series kid, not a bad series at all. Money quote:

“Playing against a team you came up with and team you played your first little bit in the big leagues is special,’’ Moss said. “You want to do well, not out of animosity, but to show, `Hey, you did draft a good player.’’’

FDA approves new home-use HIV test. So, this is kinda cool. Except I'd rather the money they used creating this gadget was used to go towards something like, oh I don't know, finding a cure maybe. Money quote:

"If the people who go out and pay for this test end up being sorority girls who had a one-night stand and worry if they're infected, that's not going to be a net positive," he said.

Oh please let a sorority girl get a false positive.

Joey Chestnut wins his sixth consecutive hot dog contest. 68 hot dogs. in 10 minutes. 6.8 hot dogs a minute, 3.4 every 30 seconds. I usually have four hot dogs for dinner if that's what we are having, and my wife thinks that's a lot. In the women's portion of this contest Sonya Thomas went home the winner after eating 45 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Seriously, this whole thing is crazy. Money quote:

Joey Chestnut ate his way to a sixth straight win at the Independence Day hot dog eating contest at Coney Island on Wednesday, tying his personal best in a sweaty, gag-inducing spectacle.

Who wants to go Vegan with me? Anyone, anyone? Bueller?

Oh Dan Haren, Why Must You Pain Me So?

2012-07-03T23:28:00.000-04:00

There are a few things in life that really get under my skin. Oh, you want to know exactly what they are? I'll be happy to oblige you.

Cold. Seriously, if you live in a cold weather state, it feels like winter goes on and on and on.
Other peoples kids. Sounds harsh right? Yeah, I know, but some parents should have never been allowed to have kids. And it's my kid who seems to always need sand washed out of his eyes because one of these hellions pushed one of them off the teeter-totter. (you, in the khakis, yeah you. I'm watching you)
Ignorance. Racists, bigots, people I work with. They are EVERYWHERE!
A player on the team that I root for, hurting the team that I root for.

Dan Haren. Dear, dear Dan Haren. You sir, are really starting to get on my nerves. Tonight's performance against the Indians is another example of why I now dread the days you pitch. For those of you that are gonna say, but, Ervin Santana, Ervin Santana. Santana has been seriously inconsistent this year, but you can tell early if it's gonna be a good game, or if you should get back to designing the model of the shipwrecked Titanic that you've been putting off for months. Mr. Haren is another thing altogether.

First, some stats, The basics. Everything is up compared to last year (even his K/9, thank you 14 strikeout performance against the Mariners earlier this year). I would jump on the "regression back to the mean" bandwagon because they are strikingly close to his 2010 stats, except that was more of a down year for him than anything. Digging a little deeper we get this. GB% is way down from his career norms (2012 - 39.5%, Career 43.4%). But the biggest one I see is The HR/FB%. Career - 10.4%, 2012.........12.3%. Why? Probably a result of his pitches being up, and flat, which brings me to my next point.

I read this quote in the game preview on the Angels official website, it goes like this:

The 31-year-old has struggled with tightness in his back, and his pitches have been slightly up and a little flat.

Scioscia said Haren understands his issues and has made a few adjustments, giving hope that he can look more like the pitcher who was 16-10 with a 3.17 ERA in 2011, and less like the one who is 6-7 with a 4.53 ERA in 2012.

WHAT?! HAREN UNDERSTANDS HIS ISSUES AND HAS MADE A FEW ADJUSTMENTS?! I am all for a person gritting his teeth and pushing through pain to do his or her job. It's a pride thing, we as humans just can't help it. But does anyone remember When Jake Peavy tore his Lat muscle? He was pitching through a nagging shoulder injury and had "adjusted his mechanics." I'm not saying something that serious is going to happen to Haren, but I would argue that a pitcher, might be the most important person on the diamond everyday. He can win or lose the game all by himself, and Dan pitching through pain is not helping.

He has been lucky to be getting quite a bit of help from an offense that has been a nearly unstoppable force for the better part of the last two months. But every team goes through dry spells, and that will make a current Dan Haren performance unwatchable (think tonight's game against Cleveland. We battled back, just to watch Dan give the lead right back the next inning). It's not fair to him to pitch like this, and it's not fair to his teammates who wont be able to save his backside every time.

If Dan is hurt, and I suspect that he is, he needs to swallow his pride and miss a start (or two). I understand the competitive spirit, and I get it. But you're hurting the team Danny boy, and that simply wont fly for a team that is in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Welcome Back Baseball

2012-02-17T19:52:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again. Time for the sounds, sights and smells associated with the greatest game on earth. Players are descending upon Arizona and Florida with one goal in mind, finish the year holding a championship trophy proudly over their head.

   For fans, the debating over their team's 2012 chances are coming to a head. Some care about the Spring Training standings (this guy), some don't. To some, spring stats are useful tool, forecasting for the season ahead. For others those numbers are meaningless.

   For some fans, the baseball season is like adding a second marriage for the next eight months. A marriage with all the trimmings (ups, downs, elation, despair, depression and most importantly....antacids). We'll get mad at, we'll argue with it and we'll swear to never talk to it again. But the next day will come, and there we will be, watching or listening or following along on our computer. We love this game, whether we like it or not. And that heartbreaking and heart-warming time of year is upon us, and i couldn't be more excited.

   Now where did I put my tums and maalox at?

Welcome,

2012-01-20T16:28:00.000-05:00

   Day one, blog one. Welcome to Messages From Mike. My name is Mike and I would like to thank you for visiting. Hopefully you come back often and enjoy the reading.

   About me, I am a father of two children. You will probably hear about them often. Hailey is in kindergarten, she's scared of her own shadow, but lately, she has been coming home with phone numbers (I see high phone bills in my sleep). Kayden is our "almost" kindergartener. He loves dinosaurs (seriously, ask him what dinosaur a Quetzalcoatlus is and he will politely correct you. letting you know that it is not a dinosaur, it's a terasaur).

   I am married to a woman who is constantly putting up with at least one thing or another from me (usually my Angels fandom), she swears I'm brainwashing my kids (because I am), but we both love the Lakers (even if her love for them is just because of Kobe). She's my rock and she knows it, but that's OK because I know it too.

   We'll finish for now.

follow me on twitter @mike_hllywa.