Monday Morning Pick-Me-Up: Seahawk Thomas Rawls Shreds the 49ers
RAW(LS) POWER
No Beast Mode? No problem. The Seahawks took care of business and kept their playoff hopes alive on Sunday with a 29-13 win over the rival San Francisco 49ers, and rookie running back Thomas Rawls led the way. After Marshawn Lynch was a late scratch due to injury, Rawls stepped into the starting lineup and proceeded to run over the Niners. Despite his small frame, the rookie aggressively took it to the defense all day, amassing 209 yards rushing, 46 yards receiving, and a touchdown. That's how you make in impact when given an unexpected opportunity. Even Beast Mode himself couldn't contain his excitement (though it's still odd that guys slap helmets in a sport with a head trauma issue).
You'll need a double take to realize that this isn't Beast Mode pounding over 49ers defenders. It's Thomas Rawls. https://t.co/8i64aEfBCF
— NFL (@NFL) November 22, 2015
Thomas Rawls is just punishing defenders left and right, ripping off 30-yard runs with authority. Mercy. #SFvsSEA https://t.co/DtHqhaxpmA
— NFL (@NFL) November 22, 2015
Marshawn Lynch is all about those helmet smacks, boss (via @whoisjoserivera): https://t.co/g5jyVNiGxK pic.twitter.com/1iyo4I5QAg
— SB Nation (@SBNation) November 22, 2015
THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO PAY
Surprise! There's a new Foo Fighters record, and you can download it for free. Last night the band released the EP Saint Cecilia, a five-track collection of tunes recorded in October at the Saint Cecilia Hotel in Austin, Texas. The songs span the Foo Fighters' sonic history: the opener "Saint Cecilia" sounds like it would've fit in on the band's most recent record Sonic Highways, "Sean" has the feel of a track from one of the Foos first couple albums, "Savior Breath" is an unrelenting white-knuckle rocker a la Wasting Light, and the laid back acoustic-tinged rock vibe of "Iron Rooster" would've been at home on In Your Honor. Did I mention it's free?
NUMBERS NEVER LIE
Edgar Martinez should've been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame years ago. The Mariners legend is the greatest designated hitter in the history of the game, but the voters for the Baseball Hall of Fame are, to put it kindly, a bunch of idiots. Some of them won't vote for Ken Griffey Jr. this year (his first year of eligibility) because no players weren't elected unanimously in the 1930s (for real, they do this).
As the deadline for this year's Hall of Fame ballots near, Edgar has almost zero chance of making the cut. It's a sham, made worse by last week's announcement that Red Sox slugging DH David Ortiz will be retiring after next year. Ortiz is a vastly inferior player compared to Martinez by almost every statistical measure, but people presume he'll make the Hall of Fame because he was a bigger "star."
On Saturday, the Twitter account Ace of MLB Stats sent out a flurry of info in support of Edgar. Hopefully someone will print these facts out and mail them to voters in the Baseball Writers' Association of America (I don't think they've figured out how to use email yet).
#Mariners Edgar Martinez had a career .418 OBP. This is how he stacks up all-time... pic.twitter.com/qnGfhPbhAZ
— Ace of MLB Stats (@theaceofspaeder) November 21, 2015
Career defensive runs saved Edgar Martinez 17.2 Paul Molitor 7.9 David Ortiz -15.9 Frank Thomas -64.8
— Ace of MLB Stats (@theaceofspaeder) November 21, 2015
Seasons with at least 25 HR, 50 2B, & 110 BB #Mariners Edgar Martinez 2 The other 18,661 players in MLB history combined 2
— Ace of MLB Stats (@theaceofspaeder) November 21, 2015
#Mariners Edgar Martinez faced Mariano Rivera 23 times in his career. He batted .579/.652/1.053.
— Ace of MLB Stats (@theaceofspaeder) November 21, 2015
#Mariners Edgar Martinez faced Mariano Rivera 23 times in his career. He batted .579/.652/1.053.
— Ace of MLB Stats (@theaceofspaeder) November 21, 2015
One full season (162 games) played by #Mariners Edgar Martinez is worth about 241 games played by David Ortiz in terms of career WAR.
— Ace of MLB Stats (@theaceofspaeder) November 21, 2015
#RedSox David Ortiz 7 career Edgar Martinez Awards #Mariners Edgar Martinez 0 career David Ortiz Awards
— Ace of MLB Stats (@theaceofspaeder) November 21, 2015
METAL & WINE
Theory: Singer-songwriter Sam Beam (aka Iron and Wine) can make any song pretty.
Experiment: Make him cover the intentionally gross tune "Sick of You" by demonic-costumed heavy metal band Gwar.
Results: Theory confirmed. (Stick around until the end of the video to see what a very biased audience thinks of the performance.)
