Articles written by Jim Jividen

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About me - Jim Jividen

Hi. I'm Jim.

I'm a lawyer, having been a dues paying member of the California Bar since I was 24.

But I don't do that anymore. Law talking wears a brother out.

And I'm a professor, teaching at a small college in south Florida since the top of 2004 after earning

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Politics, News & Issues > Party Politics & Ideology Why the US presidential election matters to the average American: 7 of 42
It felt good to vote for Obama Tuesday. My absentee ballot never arrived (which required some explanation at the elementary school where I voted at 7:30 in the AM- also requiring explanation was why they had me listed at two different polling places in their records, meaning my days of voting multiple times for Democrats hav... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Sports News & Opinion (Other) Should steroid use ever be allowed in professional sports?: 6 of 20
When I'm a wrestler, I behave as a wrestler. That was Mickey Rourke responding to a Men's Journal question if he used steroids to aid in his nearly 40 pounds of muscle weight gain for his role in The Wrestler. I don't know if, as non-denial denials go, that puts Rourke in the same category with Mark McGwire's "I'm not here t... More..
Entertainment > TV Genres & Trends Best shows on television: 34 of 90
About six months ago, Entertainment Weekly put out an issue with lists of the best films and television series in the past quarter century: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,20207076_20207387_2 0207339,00.html This struck me as obvious blog fodder; I like the lists; I've watched all the relevant films and tv shows since 1983. An... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Heaven, Hell & Afterlife Views of death: 23 of 53
I'm a child. Those of you who know me more than a little bit recognize this; my tastes in food and entertainment remain as lowbrow as did they 30 years ago (want to see me brighten up give me a fried fruit pie and a wrestling match to watch); my emotional architecture still collapses when I feel abandoned (no, I haven't been... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Baseball Steroids in baseball: Will the controversy ever end?: 12 of 26
In a typically unfunny and wrongheaded piece, Rick Reilly called for the MVP Awards won by those caught up in the PED hysteria to be turned over to the "clean" runners-up. http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3915217 Putting aside that the degree to which the drugs aid performance in a statistically significant way has... More..
Sports & Recreation > Baseball History The Los Angeles Dodgers franchise history: 1 of 2
#200 RON CEY 3B Dodgers 1971-87 OPS+ 121 BFW 21.2 WARP3 97.4 Best WARP3 Seasons: 1975 (11.3) Ron Cey's the 200th best player in baseball history. Duke Snider is essentially #201; his WARP3 is just a tick lower than is Cey's, with the positional value of 3B outweighing Snider's better bat just a tiny bit. There is almost no s... More..
Sports & Recreation > Baseball History Best San Francisco Giants right fielders ever: 1 of 1
We've had 20 primary RF in SF; the years aren't the entirety of their Giants careers, only when they were the primary RF; however their WARP3 totals, in the parentheticals, are inclusive of their full SF tenures: 2008-06 Randy Winn (23.7) 2005 Moises Alou (10.1) 2004 Michael Tucker (5.2) 2003 Jose Cruz, Jr. (6.9 - his 2003 i... More..
Sports & Recreation > Baseball History Best San Francisco Giants second basemen ever: 1 of 1
San Francisco's had 18 primary second basemen, they are listed below. Joe Strain and Joe Straint variants are not listed; I've assigned a second basemen for each season of San Francisco Giants baseball with his WARP3 total while a Giant (not necessarily just at 2B) and his best season(s) as a Giant. Why? 'Cause I feel like i... More..
Sports & Recreation > Wrestling History of WWE Royal Rumble: 3 of 5
It's Royal Rumble week; that means my Rumble preview, written for my friend Kirk, will be up at before Sunday, and it also means that Counterfactual Rumble 2008 will get posted at What If - http://www.whatifwrestling.blogspot.com/. But first: The Top Ten Matches in Rumble History: 1. Kurt Angle d. Chris Benoit (03) -Angle wa... More..
Sports & Recreation > Baseball History The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim franchise history: 2 of 2
#196 FRANK TANANA LHP Angels/Tigers 1973-93 AERA 106 PW 12.8 WARP3 106.5 Best seasons: 1975 (10.8) 1976 (10.4) 1977 (10.2) The best criticism of this list is that the WARP3 number focuses on career value as opposed to peak value; which is why, as mentioned elsewhere, when Baseball Prospectus evaluates HOF candidates each yea... More..