Showing posts with label DME. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DME. Show all posts

DME's Top 50 Beers

UGH. Ok. So I ranked my top 40 beers but then I forgot a few, and had some changes of heart. So here's my real top 50 based on what I have drank to date, sans bourbon stouts:
  1. Kentucky Breakfast Stout. Thick, heavy, complex. A brilliant mix of Vanilla, Oak, Tobacco, Chocolate and Coffee hides the alcohol well, and creating nothing but smooth flavor and only a taste of bitterness. This beer is very hard to find, and only comes out once a year. Equally tasty is the regular Breakfast Stout, which tends to be easier to find, though it is also a once-a-year brew.
  2. Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. The Old Rasputin XII, a one-time brew, is infinitely better, but infinitely more expensive (and hard to find).
  3. Wild Little Sumpin'. This stuff is ridiculously drinkable for an 8.5% ABV beer. It's a limited brew, but I am stocked up. After I run out, I'll have to regulate myself to the regular Little Sumpin'.
  4. Three Floyds Dreadnaught IPA. A malty hop bomb of the highest order. A must drink for imperial IPA lovers everywhere, though it's hardly cheap...
  5. Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout. Like Dreadnaught, this beer is a bit pricey ($10-15 dollars a bomber), but well worth the cost. This Russian imperial stout has a smooth/subtle coffee flavor to complement the dark chocolate/roasted malts flavor and the finish is to die for.
  6. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. The guy who brews this stuff wrote my favorite beer book of all-time, the only beer book I have ever read, The Brewmaster's Table.
  7. Surly Furious. I drove to Minneapolis just to have a pint of this delicious APA. Furious is simply that good a beer, and likely the best APA I will ever have the pleasure of drinking.
  8. Schneider Aventinus. Simply the best wheat-style beer. Their Weizen-Eisbock is just as good, though more boozy.
  9. Southern Tier Unearthly Imperial IPA. An aggressive hop bomb that always hits the right spot. Not for those who hate bitter flavors.
  10. Three Floyds Alpha King Pale Ale. Simply delicious, this brilliant year-round pale ale is perfectly bitter and always ripe for drinking.
  11. Goose Island Imperial IPA. One of my favorite beers by one of my favorite breweries.
    The Midway IPA is pretty good too.
  12. Great Lakes Glockenspiel Weizenbock. This full of alcohol, wheat flavor and some bitterness, but is smooth to the taste. Incredibly drinkable.
  13. Unibroue La Fin Du Monde. Can only be described as banana bread beer. It always hits the spot.
  14. Three Floyds Gumballhead. My favorite American wheat ale. Refreshing, with a perfectly bitter bite.
  15. Port Brewing Co.'s Santa's Little Helper. This drink is ridiculously delicious and drinkably boozy, with a huge malty nose. This beer captures the perfect blend of dark fruit and chocolate flavors with a roasted malts balance. The after taste is to die for.
  16. Stone Double Bastard Ale. As if Arrogant Bastard was not good enough, Stone decided to one-up themselves with an even stronger, thicker, more complex, and more boozy (11.3% ABV) strong ale. Not for the faint of heart or the light/casual beer drinker.
  17. Founders' Double Trouble. My undying affinity for IPAs probably has me biased on how high I regard this beer, but Double Trouble is probably my favorite beer on tap in Madison, Wisconsin.
  18. Sam Adams Dopple Bock. I can't particularly explain why, but this beer is brilliant. It is even better slightly warm.
  19. Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary. I just had this beer for the first time earlier this week, but it impressed me enough that I was sipping on it exclusively for the evening. This is a darn good dark-chocolate-fused-with-coffee-flavored beer.
  20. Founders' Devil Dancer Imperial IPA. This beer is as bitter and alcoholic as they get with a heavy malt flavoring. Not for the casual beer drinker.
  21. Three Floyds Blackheart. My first foray into the English-style IPA, but it certainly won't be my last.
  22. Bells Hopslam. A simple name for a complex imperial IPA that lingers and makes you want to order more courtesy of its citrusy hop aroma.
  23. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. A perfect blend of citrus aroma and hoppy flavor. It is my "oh you have this at your bar?" staple when all else fails and the second best beer on tap is Guinness or Fat Tire, which is like 50% of the time.
  24. Half-Acre Daisy Cutter. In the style of Sierra Nevada's citrusy bitterness, this locally brewed APA is a great beer from an up-and-coming brewery that you can increasingly find on-tap.
  25. Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier. The undisputed king of all traditionally-flavored Wheat beers.
  26. Founders' Dirty Bastard. A smokey, caramel-sweet scotch ale (a style I generally tend to avoid) whose flavor lingers forever. Yum!
  27. Ayinger Bräu Weisse. If not Weinhenstephaner, than this.
  28. Goose Island IPA. A staple and a classic. My six-pack of choice when I can't decide.
  29. Storm King. An entirely too drinkable Russian Imperial Stout that will have you wondering where all the beer went the next morning.
  30. Three Floyds Robert The Bruce. Normally, I hate scotch ales. But this is the exception to the rule.
  31. Victory HopDevil. Impressive...most impressive.
  32. Stone Smoked Porter. Surprisingly light finish for the style of beer, but nonetheless jam-packed with roasted flavors and subdued aromas that entice you to keep sipping.
  33. Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen. A sweet beer with a crisp, refreshing banana and bread flavor.
  34. Victory Moonglow. Weizenbocks are an entirely underrated style of beer that mixes boozy with drinkability, and Moonglow is easily one of the best in its class.
  35. Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA. Infinitely better than both the 60 minute and 120 minute IPAs in my strange opinion.
  36. Founders Red's Rye. Citrusy, spicey goodness with a great, lingering finish.
  37. Founders' Porter. Deep, dark, and infinitely tastier than the over-hyped Edmund Fitzgerald.
  38. Southern Tier Choklat. Like a booze-laden Hershey's chocolate bar that melts in your mouth, Choklat has a slight dark chocolate bitterness to it that perfectly complements the beer's roasted sweetness.
  39. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald. An undeniably tasty porter, though I do not understand most of this beer's hype. It's cheap, dry, but not as boozy as most porter-styles.
  40. Unibrou Maudite. Have not drank in forever, but I remember it as distinctly delicious.
  41. Lagunitas Hop Stoopid. This beer is a stupidly good, hopped up double IPA with plenty of bitterness from taste to finish.
  42. Founders' Centennial IPA. Can Founders do any wrong? A simple, but classic IPA.
  43. Goose Island Night Stalker. Yummy yummy yummy in my tummy ummy ummy, gimme, gimme gimme, gimme more.
  44. Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout. Only one word can describe this black-coffee-with-a-hint-of-chocolate flavored beer: "smooth."
  45. Victory Old Horizontal. A surprisingly delicious mix of intense fruit flavors and malty-sweetness. Best described as a warm, aromatic beer that challenges the palette.
  46. Goose Island Matilda. I can't put my finger on this beer (it's uber complex in flavor), but I love it.
  47. Central Waters Illumination. A very good double IPA, and perhaps Wisconsin's only good in-state brewed beer.
  48. Bell's Expedition Stout. A well-hyped beer that does not stack up to its reputation, but is nonetheless delicious with a good hamburger or steak. Certainly worth a try if seeking something new, or the above mentioned Russian Imperial Stouts are nowhere to be found.
  49. Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock. Heavy body, malty, rich, and distinctive. Cheers.
  50. Unibroue Éphémère (Apple). I am probably the only person on this planet that truly enjoys this beer as much as I do. It will always hold a special affinity with me for weening me off of Miller Lite and my college-beer days, and acting as a gateway into craft beer.
Never Forget:
  • Goose Island 312. Ol' Reliable. This is what you drink at a bar, when you have no clue what anything else in bottle at a bar tastes like or when a bar only otherwise has Miller/Bud/Coors on tap.
Next on my list of beers to hunt down are Pliny The Elder, Founders' Imperial Stout, Dogfish Head World Stout, and Stone's Russian Imperial Stout.

2010 xBABIP Data

Attention fantasy freeriders everwhere. I've created a sortable stat sheet of 2010 xBABIP splits and projected batting lines for all 270 major league players who accrued 300+ plate appearances this season (sorry, Luis Castill0). You can download the data file, learn my methodology and see some sorted screen shots of the data sheet by going to my latest post on The Hardball Times.

Also, in case you are still reading at this point, all readers should note that I am managing the THT's Expert Fantasy League for 2011 (name subject to revision) and will be reserving a spot for one lucky fantasy baseball player. Details of contest entry requirements are murky at the moment (they will at least require you to "give me an original, funny fantasy baseball team name" -- ie, not one I have previously posted on this blog), but should come shortly. Keep an eye on the THT Fantasy Twitter in the meanwhile. League parameters are as follow:
  • 12-Team, 5x5 standard auction draft
  • Positions (28 to fill): C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, CI, MI, 5 OF, 2 UTIL, 3 SP, 2 RP, 4 P, 5 BN, 2 DL
  • 1500 IP limit (subject to revision), 162-games played cap, no initial transaction limit but a 1 waiver transaction per day limit will be imposed following the trade deadline.
  • The prize pool ($300) will be split 60%-30%-10% in a manner which has yet to be determined. The fan-entrant will not be required to pay a league fee.
  • The winning entrant will get the opportunity to post a fantasy article (likely related to either (1) his entry into the league or (2) submission to join the league, depending on what we decide) on The Hardball Times.
And just in case you are wondering, there will be a 2011 edition of DME's Sexy Fantasy Baseball resources come Spring 2011.

DME's Top 50 Second Half Starters For Fantasy

During the All-Star game last night, I compiled a list of my top 50 fantasy starters for the rest of the season. I considered the total value contributed across Ws, Ks, ERA and WHIP in creating this list. Hence, a guy with low Ws/Ks upside (ie, Brett Anderson) sinks low on this list, even if they are a very good pitcher in real life. This list does not per se reflect the best real-life pitchers in baseball.

And now, on to the show:

01. Tim Lincecum (increased SwStr%, but decreased K/9? I smell a turn around)
02. Roy Halladay
03. Felix Hernandez
04. Josh Johnson
05. Adam Wainwright
06. Francisco Liriano
07. Jon Lester
08. Dan Haren
09. Chris Carpenter (if healthy in the second half)
10. Cliff Lee
11. Ubaldo Jimenez
12. C.C. Sabathia (c'mon, he's a second half stud)
13. Justin Verlander
14. David Price
15. Jered Weaver
16. Max Scherzer
17. Roy Oswalt (especially if traded away from HOU)
18. Zack Greinke
19. Ryan Dempster
20. Yovani Gallardo (if healthy in the second half)
21. Ricky Nolasco
22. Matt Cain
23. Cole Hamels
24. Phil Hughes
25. Stephen Strasburg (he is only this low because he's on a strict innings limit. If you pair Strausburg and Zimmerman, they are collectively a top 15 SP over the 90-100 they'll combine for)
26. Clayton Kershaw
27. Mat Latos
28. Colby Lewis
29. Tommy Hanson
30. Gavin Floyd
31. Ricky Romero
32. Matt Garza
33. Shaun Marcum (if healthy in the second half)
34. Hiroki Kuroda (if healthy in the second half)
35. Javier Vazquez
36. Clay Buchholz (if healthy in the second half)
37. Kris Medlen
38. Scott Baker
39. Jonathan Sanchez
40. Chad Billingsley
41. Wandy Rodriguez (look at his last 6 outings)
42. Johan Santana (he's far from the Santana of old)
43. Johnny Cueto
44. Jorge De La Rosa
45. John Danks
46. Erik Bedard (if healthy during the second half)
47. Carl Pavano
48. Marc Rzepczynski
49. Edinson Volquez (if able to locate his pitches during the second half)
50. Josh Beckett (not assuming that he's 100% healthy for second half)

On the bubble: James Shields, Brett Anderson, Kevin Slowey, Tom Gorzelanny, Tim Hudson, Madison Bumgarner, Ian Kennedy, Jordan Zimmerman, Brett Myers, Clayton Richards

Meet your "Media Person of the Year"


Some website called Chicago Baseball Museum announced it's yearly awards in Chicago baseball. You will not believe who won "media person of the year". I'm giddy with excitement to announce the winner. The greatest, most influential, revolutionary voice in the history of sports media: Christopher Rongey. Take that numbers.

You all remember Chris Rongey, right? The glorious day DME called into The Score 670 to teach Chris Rongey, the White Sox pre and post game host, that numbers can tell you much more about a player than blind faith. Just because someone is "established" and "was once an all-star" doesnt make up for a 3 year decline is power, K/BB, speed, and defense.

"But I dont care about your stupid numbers, because numbers are not reality!! Oh, and your blog sucks cause it's obviously infected with numbers. Did I mention I hate numbers." - Yep, Rongey is definitely the "voice of reason"...for people who can't add.

Listen to Rongey getting owned by DME

A Special Month for GOI!

A year ago we created this blog Game of Inches. Our one year anniversary was two days ago on Tuesday December 8th, 2009. All of our loyal readers should know that from our posts on that day: Call Me Crazy, But Bert Blyleven Deserves To Be In The Hall Of Fame, We're On A Mission...Year 2, and A Special Day.

Even though our Anniversary was two years ago, it doesn't mean that just December 8th is special. This whole month is special for Game Of Inches! So please, this month tell all of your friends about us, have them check us out and please give us your feedback to the blog and to the articles by leaving comments.

Our first Post ever, by David "MVP" Eckstein:
We're on a mission...

Our second post, and first sports related by Sexy Rexy:
Kerry Collins for MVP!!!

We had 64 posts last December and our goal is to surpass that number this December. We currently have 1150 posts for 2009, but we still have a few weeks left. Thanks for reading and tell your friends!

A Special Day

As you should know by now (from the two previous posts), this is a very special day for Game Of Inches. That is because a year ago we started this blog! All four of us have had a great time writing and working on this blog over the last year. We hope that all of our readers have enjoyed Game of Inches. Having four writers, we are able to bring you a variety of stories covering different sports. David "MVP" Eckstein and Sexy Rexy have already posted why we created this site and the goal of it. We hope that you enjoy it.

Over the Course of the past year we have already branched out from just being a blog. You can follow us on Twitter and listen to our podcats. We also have a facebook group. We would like to hear from you any feedback you have about the blog and what we do. Please e-mail us at gameofinchesblog@gmail.com.

Thanks for all of your support over the last year! Please tell your friends about us and spread the word!

We're On A Mission...Year 2

It was just a short year ago that David "MVP" Eckstein uttered these revolutionary words that began the phenomenon that is GameOfInches
With the recent death of FireJoeMorgan.com, and thus all hilarious sports commentary -- unless you count the frequent and unintentionally hilarious, but stupid comments made nightly by Steve Phillips, Steven A. Smith and John Kruk (which we do) -- four bold men embarked on a simple mission: to do sports commentary online...for free (seriously, fuck paying for shit). They began with a simple purpose. A simple, but noble purpose, with a rock-solid plan-of-action to back it up...

...but then they got drunk. What resulted was this website. Too lazy and hung over to change things, they said "fuck it" and used this template and host name to forever complain about all things "point-related." The rest is, was, and will be history.

Enjoy.

-December 8, 2008
All we have to say is if you're not first, you're last. So Deadspin, look out cause we're coming for you. Unless we get drunk again in which case this new template will have to do

Overpaid bums of 2009 (Cubs Edition)


DME provided the overpaid bums of 2008 (cubs edition) in the early days of GOI, so let's see how Jim Hendry's team fared this last season. Clearly, the Cubs had a massive profit on their investment in 2008 thanks to a 97 win season. The same cannot be said about the 2009 club. The biggest losers of the season were Kevin Gregg, Aramis Ramirez, Aaron Miles, MIcah Hoffpauir, and the grand champion...Alfonso Soriano with a startling -19.3 million net loss. Despite my criticism of the value system on fangraphs, which I believe overvalues the production of players, the net production was still nearly 19 million dollars below the team payroll. That takes some serious skill on the part of Jim Hendry.

Click on the image to get a sharp view. Maybe one day we'll afford our own domain and be able to post readable data, but that day is not today

DME calls into the score, captured live!

At the Chicago Bears training camp, Boers and Bernstein from The Score 670 were broadcasting on remote from Bourbonais, Illinois. Since DME decided not to come with us, due to his hatred of all sports non-baseball. I called him up and told him that we were watching live and that he should immediately call into the score. Within minutes, he is on the air talking about how much Carlos Marmol sucks and has been sucking more and more every year.

The video recording missed the beginning of the call where DME gives a much deserved shout-out to GOI, but the rest is part of GOI history.