The Leg That Launched A Thousand Pitches

Former Yankees hurler Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, who has one of the most distinct wind-up/deliveries in baseball today, will have to drastically alter his wind-up for medical reasons. According to the New York Post:

Hernandez has multiple problems with his right foot, notably a bunion issue that causes significant pain on his instep near his big toe. When he brings his right knee toward his face in his standard delivery, Hernandez is forced to take his heel off the ground, which places greater strain on the instep and toe areas. So Hernandez needs to modify his delivery to allow him to keep his heel flat as a way to alleviate pain.

Watching him pitch for the Yankees from 1998-2001 and again in aught-four, I always thought he’d develop hip issues from his delivery. But this is a real shame. It seems like today, 90% of pitchers have the same kind of wind-up/delivery. Hernandez wasn’t a power pitcher, and helped use his delivery to deceive opposing batters, something that helps when the eephus is in your repertiore.

Back in ’98, Hernandez was a sort of folk hero for the Yankees. Escaping from Cuba (regardless of the details of the story), this guy with a different delivery helped the Yankees win championships. His delivery was the even the subject of a commercial (the true stars of which are King Tom favorites David Cone and Luis Sojo):

Actually, there were quite a few of these commercials for the Yankees that summer. Possibly the most awesome of which starred George Steinbrenner (who chose not to use a body-double):

Body Suit Man must have had the day off.

King Tom

It Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means

When I used to work writing for a cable news channel Web site, one of the more interesting parts of my job was writing headlines for news stories. It was one of the areas where I was allowed to get creative. I figured if a headline entertained me, or made me think, people would be more likely to click and read the story.

I would have killed to have this story, from the Washington Post, with what has to be the best.headline.ever:

Skywalkers In Korea Cross Han Solo

update/edit: I’m an idiot. I didn’t notice that this was from last year. But I still think it’s funny.

King Tom

Lost: The Constant[ly Confusing Best Show Ever]

Wow. I don’t understand what happened on tonight’s episode of Lost (The Constant), but whatever it was was freakin’ incredible.

Take your normal island mysteries, a hint of good vs. evil, a flashback that answers a question or two about a main character and a romance that’s enough to turn the King into a regular softie and you have one awesome episode of Lost.
Continue reading “Lost: The Constant[ly Confusing Best Show Ever]” →

King Tom

The Great One Gets Called Out

In a recent interview, current wrestling star John Cena blasts the Great One:

“At one point Rock loved wrestling and wanted to do this all his life. So explain to me why he can’t come back. Simply put it’s because he wants to be an actor and there’s nothing wrong with that.
“He’s very good and very successful. Associating with sports entertainment doesn’t do much for his acting career — I get it. Just don’t f*** me around and tell me that you love this. That’s the only thing that gets me really p***ed off.
-from The Sun

I have to say I actually agree with Cena here. I’m a huge fan of the Rock–the man came from nowhere and carried the WWF on his back for two years as injuries, egomaniacal wrestlers and poorly executed storylines made most of the rest of what the fed was putting on the air unwatchable. The Rock could bring it both in the ring and on the microphone. He certainly has the skills and charisma to be an action hero. And he’s had a much better film career than Hulk Hogan. But has he reallly become the big star that he wants to be?

It’s been tough for wrestling, but the past few years have shown that the WWF/E can survive without The Rock or Stone Cold. But can The Rock really survive without wrestling? Possibly. But it wouldn’t be as entertaining for the audience.

King Tom

A Culinary Tip From The King

Tonight, I was making salmon for dinner. The recipe called for some white wine. We didn’t have any. After searching the fridge, I found half a bottle of Boone’s Farm Apple Blossom wine (the Civee enjoys wine coolers every now and then).

Rather than being a “white” wine, the Boone’s was a shade of green. But it had many of the other critical elements of the wine ingredient, so I used it. And the salmon was pretty tasty, with a hint of sweet apple.

So take it from the King- you can substitute Boone’s for normal wine. But if you’re not in college, you may have a tough time explaning what the bottle of Boone’s is doing in your fridge.

King Tom

Bye-Bye Beardo

The beard that I started six months ago in Canada is gone.

It was fun, but it just got annoying. I was at work the other day, rubbing the side of my face and I thought to myself “I want my face back.” So last night, I ditched the beard. It was fun, and I might go back to it at some time in the future. But for now, I’ll be beard-free for the forseeable future.

Of course, this means I have to go through the drudgery of shaving on a regular basis, one of the reasons that I grew the thing to begin with.

King Tom

Lost Lays an Egg[town]

Compared to the utter awesomeness of the first three episodes of Lost Season Four, episode four, a.k.a. Eggtown, was merely pedestrian.

That’s not to say it didn’t have its moments. But the person who the story was centered around is, in my opinion, the least interesting character on Lost. I think Lost has some great characters with great storylines. But for some reason Kate, and her storylines and relationships, just bores me.
Continue reading “Lost Lays an Egg[town]” →

King Tom

The Store Where People Buy Nothing

So the Sharper Image is declaring bankruptcy. As part of the reorganization, the company plans to close 90 of its mall-based stores (About half the SI retail outlets in the U.S.),

I’ve been in their stores in various malls many times. But I don’t think I’ve ever bought anything from them. Regardless of how cool it might be to own the life-size Darth Vader costume, the R2-D2 that really works or the Trump Steaks, I never really wanted to spend my hard-earned money there. Apparentley, I wasn’t the only one who felt this way.

One of my most memorable “shopping” experiences happened in a Sharper Image, probably about 10 years ago. I was hanging out with my brother Pete, who, at the time was about 12. We stopped in to the store and started browsing. They had two of those massaging chairs set up and I sat in one. I have to admit, it was quite comfortable. I told Pete that he had to try it out, so he sat in the other one. As soon as he did, some salesman in his mid-30s came over and said to Pete, “Excuse me, sir, but you have to be 18 to use the massaging chairs.”

I laughed so hard (especially because of the emphasis the guy put on the “sir”) that I almost fell out of the chair.

Well now, lil’ Petey is old enough to try the chair. Too bad SI is closing all those stores.

King Tom

A New Story of a Man and His Car

In the past few years, there has been a trend within popular culture to revisit the past. To be honest, the trend has always been around, but it’s taken on a sense of urgency to the point where re-made versions of TV shows and movies have been shoved down the throats of viewing audiences with a limited amount of respect to the source material.

Last night, I caught the latest in the parade of re-makes, NBC’s updated version of Knight Rider. Considering the fairly predictable plot and inconsistencies with the original version, the show was actually watchable.

My biggest problem with the show was the voice of KITT. I was expecting to hear Will Arnett, which I had originally thought was a bad casting choice, but actually warmed up to. However, because of a non-complete clause, Arnett was replaced by Chris Knight himself, Val Kilmer. I didn’t think Kilmer was a bad choice, but at times, his voice had zero personality.

My other main problem was a scene which showed an instance in which the original KITT as superior to the new version. In last night’s movie, the bad guys hack into KITT, leading to the computer’s deactivation so Mike Traceur (pronounced Tracer, son of Michael Knight) can catch up to them using the car. Well, new KITT is not indestructible because the computer controls self-repairing nanotechnology, which means when the computer’s off, KITT can get scratched. Original recipe KITT had some type of molecular bonding which didn’t need a computer. Still, the nanobots in new KITT can also change the color of the paint, which is a good feature.

Despite my complaints, the show contained a decent serving of car chases and action. And the picture quality looked great–even more than usual fare on HD.

Seems like NBC is going to make this into a series for next season. As long as it isn’t up against Lost, I may watch.

King Tom