Now You Can Hear Puig Destroyer

Earlier in the week I had briefly mentioned in a Blog Kiosk a new music project underway that includes Riley Breckenridge of Thrice.  This new band would be called Puig Destroyer and it includes other grindcore musicians such as Mike Minnick (Curl Up & Die) on vocals, Ian Miller and Jon Howell (Kowloon Walled City).

Well, the first track of the 5-song EP has just been released on bandcamp.com and it's everything I expected.  BTW, the song is called "One Man, Five Tools", and the voice of Vin Scully makes a brief appearance at the end.

If you don't already know, grindcore isn't for the faint of heart.  It is the an extreme hardcore sound.  From a wikipedia description:

It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive-sounding music genres – including extreme metal, industrial music, noise music and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk. Grindcore is characterized by a noise-filled sound that uses heavily distorted, down-tuned guitars, grinding overdriven bass, high speed tempo, blast beats, and vocals which consist of incomprehensible growls, or high-pitched shrieks.

Yeah... So, it's definitely an acquired taste.  The 18-year old version of myself would have loved this stuff.  20+ years later, I'm not so sure.  Nevertheless, it had my head bobbing, banging and throbbing like I was the long-haired Hessian of my youth.

Man-O-Live... To be young again.

Go to this link to hear it.  Be sure to turn up the volume to get the full effects.  Really!... You won't regret it!  Oh, and here are the lyrics:

One Man, Five Tools
speed power, fielding contact
a cannon for an arm

one man, five tools

speed power, fielding contact
a cannon for an arm

one man, five tools

fuck the walk, destroy the ball
crush smash kill... annihilate

one man, five tools

Awesome!

Here is the song below:

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Tommy Lasorda to Visit American Restoration

This sound like a fun episode to watch.  This coming Tuesday, June 18th at 10:30 PM on the History Channel will be the 100th episode of American Restoration, and it will feature Dodger Blue. 

Rick Dale will take a vintage 4-door Coca Cola cooler and transform it into a hot dog vendor machine.  It will be refurbished in a Dodger Blue theme and serve Dodger Dogs.  So, you know it's gonna be done with class.

Our very own Tommy Lasorda will be on the show to check out the new Dodger Dog machine at the very end.  He had this to say about it:

“It was masterfully done and I think it’s going to be a big hit. I was very, very surprised, to see the word Dodgers and how beautifully that hot dog stand was made.”

Below are a couple of "before" pics.  Unfortunately, I don't have any "after" pics at the moment.  I guess you'll just have to check in and watch the show to see yourself.

Photo credit: Leftfield Pictures/HISTORY

Photo credit: Leftfield Pictures/HISTORY

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Here are the Suspensions - Diamondbacks Get the Brunt of it

Joe Garagiola, Jr. just meted out some Baseball justice and decided that the Diamondbacks deserved to get whacked good.   Overall, it appears fair (of course, I'm a little biased).  See a quick rundown below.  Here is the MLB press release:

Dodgers:

• J.P. Howell - 2 games for aggressive actions during the incidents;
• Skip Schumaker -  2 games for aggressive actions during the incidents;
• Mark McGwire - 2 games for his conduct during the incidents;
• Ronald Belisario - 1 game for his aggressive actions during the incidents;
• Don Mattingly - 1 game suspension for the actions of his Club and for his conduct during the incident; and
• Zack Greinke and Yasiel Puig have been fined for unspecified amounts.

Diamondbacks:

• Ian Kennedy - 10 games for intentionally throwing a pitch in the head area of Zack Greinke of the Dodgers in the bottom of the seventh inning, after a warning had already been issued to both Clubs earlier in the game;
• Eric Hinske -  5 game for leaving the dugout and for his aggressive actions during the incidents;
• Kirk Gibson - 1 game suspension for the intentional actions of Kennedy after a warning had been issued; and
• Miguel Montero and Gerardo Parra have been fined for unspecified amounts.

Additionally, any player can appeal their suspension, but coaches cannot (they must be served immediately).  Furthermore, the Dodgers received a fine for allowing DL'd players to enter the field during the bench-clearing fight, and current players on the DL cannot sit on the bench with their teammates this weekend.

As you can see, the Dodgers have more players suspended, but the Diamondbacks got the stiffer penalties.

I'm surprised about the Hinske suspension.  I had read that Hinske was the player who had provoked Puig into the madman we all witnessed.  From what I understand, Hinske threw a punch at Puig and hit him squarely in the face.  Puig obviously responded angrily, but apparently never threw an actual punch.  I assume the magic of replay from different vantage points (not available to us) showed proof of this.

As for the Dodger suspensions.  I would bet that the relievers will appeal; such that they are staggered to not be at the same time.  Maybe they should have Belisario take his suspension tonight and have JP appeal so that he is available to play today.  Then, they can have JP drop his appeal and serve his suspension starting on Saturday.  Schumaker should just serve his suspension now.  After all, I don't think any of these guys want to miss the series against the Yankees starting next week.

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Blog Kiosk: 6/14/2013 - Dodgers Links - Scully Will Tweet, a Bryan Stow Update and the College World Series

Be sure you don't miss this next week.  Vin Scully will be taking over the Dodgers tweet account this coming Wednesday, June 19th for their game against the Yankees in New York.  Dodgers twitter here.

• Don Newcombe is 87-years old today.  Happy Birthday, big guy!
• Via Lori Preuitt at NBC4, "Bryan Stow Out of Rehab, Home With Parents: Stow family says insurance company stopped paying for Bakersfield rehab, so they brought Bryan home to Santa Cruz County".

"At first look and during conversations, Bryan appears to be doing better, cognitively," the post read. "But to be with him as much as we are, we see what others don’t. The memory problems, the use of words that do not belong, the pain he is in and the stiffness in his body that prevents him from being able to do things on his own. Due to a huge cut in therapy coverage, Bryan has physically experienced a big setback."

• Via Chosun Ilbo : "Park Chan-ho Reflects on Three Decades of Baseball in Book ".  No word yet if there will be an English translation.
• Jason Stark at ESPN writes a bit about the unwritten rules of Baseball, in relation to the most recent brawl.
• Chad Moriyama has the rundown on the potential availability of Andre Ethier in a trade.  He also writes a bit about the Dodgers interest in Cuban Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez.
• The Japanese Baseball league has admitted to juicing their Baseballs this season, via Eleanor Warnock at the Wall Street Journal.
• Hey!  The College World Series begins on Saturday.  Check out Aaron Fitt's preview at Baseball America.  Unfortunately, my alma mater, Cal State Fullerton, barely missed the cut.  BTW, if you happen to be in Omaha an impressive cadre of former players will be signing autographs in the fan zone:

• Friday, June 14, Edgar Martinez, Q&A, 4:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.; autographs,
  5 p.m. – 6-p.m.
• Saturday, June 15, John Smoltz, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m . (At Beverly Plaza, 7820 Dodge, noon to 1 p.m.)
• Sunday, June 16, Ivan Rodriguez, noon – 1 p.m.
• Monday, June 17, Todd Walker, Q&A, 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.; autographs, 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

 Get more information here.

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Check Out How Hockey at Dodger Stadium Came to Be

The Stanley Cup Playoffs isn't even over with and I'm already aching for the next season to begin.  I think one of the principal reason for this is the upcoming Stadium Series game slated for January of 2014.  As you know, the LA Kings are scheduled to play an outdoor game against the Anaheim Ducks at Dodger Stadium.

This afternoon, Jon Rosen at the LA Kings Insider blog (the Kings official blogger) shared some background about how the whole thing came about.  It's a fun read.  Check it out here.

“There’s always the ‘Yes, we’d like to do this’, but then there’s ‘How do you do it?’ and ‘When do you do it?’”

That “when” is next January 25 – a malleable date that allows some wiggle room in the event of rain – a forecast that isn’t uncommon in Southern California in early winter. It also falls within the Dodgers’ schedule of being able to replace and maintain the field prior to the start of the 2014 Major League Baseball season.

Representatives of the league, the Kings and Dodgers toured Dodger Stadium one month ago for a sightlines tour and to gain a better perspective of the layout of the event and various logistical concerns – those refrigeration trucks have to be parked somewhere – while shoring up the blueprint of how to make the Dodger Stadium event a unique experience that pays tribute to its local and regional surroundings.

Last week I shared a pic of a artist rendering that was on display at Staples Center in the outdoor patio during Game 3 of the Conference Final against the Chicago Blackhawks.  See it below.  Based upon this story, it appears that having a California feel to the game may reign supreme.

“A lot of the planning right now is about making sure that this game brings L.A.,” Cheeseman said. “We are different than any other city in the league, and we can do some unique things that a lot of teams and organizations can’t do, so we want to make sure that we reflect Southern California in all of these events, so that’s important to us.”

Of course, the ethos of Southern California living may be at its most accurate when sitting under a darkening, palm tree-silhouetted, post-sunset sky at a baseball stadium that practically requires a car to access.

“I think you could have a lot of fun with the fun with the event in terms of the way you stage it and the way fans kind of celebrate the game,” Collins said. “I like the idea of tailgating in shorts.”

So, regardless of my concerns that sand so near the ice could make for a screwed up game, it's seems likely that this may be a theme they will be going for.

On the other hand, if they actually allow fans to tailgate at Dodger Stadium, then I don't think I would care about the look of the field.  Give me some BBQ, a cold beer from my cooler and hockey in the evening, and I'll be a happy camper.

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Check This Out - A Yasiel Puig Custom MacFarlane Figurine

Last week I came across a post on the r/Dodgers reddit that featured a little bit of Dodgers themed folk art.  The Original Poster, Tonedog14, shared some photos of a MacFarlane figurine that was repurposed - that is, custom painted to look like our Cuban sensation.  So, I immediately contacted the poster and he was kind enough to allow me to share the pics here.

Wow!  This thing is great.  It almost looks a little like Puig.

I had asked a couple of follow up questions.  Unfortunately, I hadn't heard back.  Oh, well. 

I was curious about who the figurine was originally.  Based on some preliminary research, I think it may have been a 2006 Andruw Jones figurine, which is a little nerve-racking. 

From my understanding, Tonedog14's father painted this figurine and regularly sells similar creations at a Frank & Sons booth in the City of Industry.  So, if you're interested in this piece or anything like it I suggest stopping by.

According to Tonedog14 they sell these folk art pieces at $50 to $75 a piece, depending upon the amount of detail.  Their booth is located in aisle 100 at booth 127, and if you want to get in contact with them feel free to email his father here.  If you get lost look for the north east corner of the warehouse. 

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