Mike Krzyzewski, Prince of Darkness

Is this the source of your secret power, Coach K? When the baby marrow hits your lips, and the warm blood flows, and the squeels jump to a high pitch whine, who has time to think about bounce passes or zone defenses. Or boxing out during foul shots in close games in the tournament. Especially that. Too much delicious children to go around to pay attention to details like that. Hats off to LSU, but Duke got out-coached.

Found Poetry: Outside Deitch Projects, New York

A new semi-regular post here on The Tools of Ignorance will be our found poetry series. Reproduced for you, the found poetry afficionado, to reveal the depth of those who scribble on scraps of paper or other objects and leave them for me to find. All grammatical mistakes, misspellings, and creative uses of punctuation are courtesy of the artist. This one was found outside an opening at Deitch Projects in Soho, where some outsider artist had stenciled dollar signs on a pile of trash bags awaiting pick-up.

So this is the sit of a century-the bolts of my feet have worn down to post-modern metal. You know what? I feel as if these moments are dear yet disabling at the moment. And I wonder when things willy truly change for me. A mass of money bags rests behind me, and yet they are filled w/ trash. I think this represents what many consider to be the end all be all of material value. So at the moment-can I try to become someone of greater value or should I strive to become someone of great representation. Another words-looks are decieving within happiness and within material understanding. I become excited for reasons of progression. Reasons of possible losses of fear. I EAT Food.

Tumblin' Daisuke

Here's an interesting article on the so-called gyroball, a new pitch invented by Japanese scientists. It is the stuff of legend, with a miracle break and drive-killing spin. Better still, it was conceived with ideal pitching mechanics in mind, making it much easier on the arm than a slider or split finger fastball. If ever perfected, it could revolutionize the game. From the Yahoo article:

The concept of the gyroball was perfected in a supercomputer by two Japanese scientists named Ryutaro Himeno and Kazushi Tezuka. In simulations, they showed how a pitcher with good mechanics could throw the baseball in a way that it spun like a bullet – or, in sporting sense, like a perfect football spiral – and broke like nothing anyone has ever seen.

Roughly translated, the title of their book is "The Secret of the Miracle Pitch," and it's loaded with anime cartoons and mathematical formulas that attempt to explain how to throw a gyroball.

Here is a somewhat disputed video of Daisuke Matsuzaka letting go of what appears to be a gyroball.

Kirby, We Hardly Knew Yee

Let's all raise a toast to Kirby. In an era of pudgy, toolsy outfielders who could rake singles in their sleep, Kirby stood out for the genuine hustle and joy with which he approached the game. Gwynn might have won more batting titles and Raines stole more bases and had more longevity, but, as Patrick Roy might say, he can't hear you with his two World Series rings plugging his ears. He brought more hope to chubby kids with goofy names than Rusty Staub or Cecil Fielder could have ever imagined. He gave Don Mattingly the nickname "Donnie Baseball." And, most tellingly, as Dave Winfield said, he is the only player in the history of the game to be truly and universally liked by his peers. Good night, sweet fat prince.

Hook 'Em, But Not Like That...

Texas guard Daniel Gibson with a ball fake all his own. I think Bevo is crying in the corner.

1984: The Year Punky Broke

While Henry Cotto notched a hit in his only official postseason at-bat, Henry Warnimont, ably played by George Gaynes, took his pseudo-adopted new wave transient hobo daughter Punky to the 1984 National League Championship Series. Later in the series, Punky's real father hits a walk-off home run against Lee Smith to force a fifth game. Watch the entire episode here.