Ass Coffee

Mmmmmmm....

Kopi Luwak or Civet coffee is coffee made from coffee berries which have been eaten by and passed through the digestive tract of the Common Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). The animals gorge on the ripe berries, and the undigested beans are excreted. This process takes place on the islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi in the Indonesian Archipelago, in the Philippines (where the product is called Kape Alamid), in the country of Vietnam, and the coffee estates of south India. Vietnam has a similar type of coffee, called Weasel Coffee which also comes from the droppings of coffee beans after weasels eat robusta coffee cherries.

Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world, selling up to $70 USD per quarter pound,( http://www.coffeebreakgourmet.com ) and is sold mainly in Japan and United States, but it is increasingly becoming available elsewhere, though supplies are limited.

Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee, and luwak is a local name of the Palm Civet. The raw, red coffee berries are part of its normal diet, along with insects, small mammals, and other fruit. The inner bean of the berry is not digested, but it is believed that enzymes in the stomach of the civet add to the coffee's flavor by breaking down the proteins that give coffee its bitter taste. The beans are excreted still covered in some inner layers of the cherry, and locals then gather them and sell them to dealers. The beans are washed, and given only a light roast so as to not destroy the complex flavors which develop through the whole process. While praised by many for its rich flavor, the unusual origin and manner of production lead some drinkers to deride it as "cat poop coffee" or "monkey poo coffee," while others deem it worthy of the title "ass-coffee."

Who wants coffee?

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Arizona Fall League update:

10/13: Fernando Martinez went 1 for 3 with one strikeout to raise his average to .091 in Mesa's loss to Grand Canyon.
10/14: Phil Humber got the start for Mesa and went two innings, gave up two hits, one earned run, and one walk while striking out three. Mike Pelfrey followed him in relief with one shut-out inning in which he walked two and struck out one. Fernando went 0 for 4 with one strikeout.
10/16: Fernando Martinez 'broke out' with a 2 for 4 day and struck out once. He is batting .158 so far in the AFL.

Listen to Phil Humber and Mike Pelfrey at noon today with Jonathan Mayo. I’m listening and they did not come on yet, so hurry up and get over there.

Sweet Lou? Check. The first 40/40/40 guy? Maybe....

What a great fit Soriano would be for the Cubs and the Astros for that matter. I cannot think of two teams that need him more and with a healthy Derek Lee, a better manager, and Alfonso Soriano, the Cubs could be the most improved team in 2007.

Manny Acta is most likely going to find a managerial postition this off-season.

Though Pujols has known Acta for years, the WBC was his first opportunity to play for Acta. And while Acta impressed Pujols with his insight and ideas about managing, what stood out was the way Acta got the most out of every player.

"Just the personal relationships, how he got along with the guys -- everybody just loves him," Pujols said. "He's pretty much laid-back, but always the message that he had was very focused. I've known him for about six years, and he's pretty much great."

Pujols' thoughts on Acta seem typical. Mets shortstop Jose Reyes' eyes and smile both grew wide when he heard Acta will interview for the Rangers' job once the Mets conclude postseason play.

There should be some opening on the Mets staff next season and I hope they start promoting from within from the bevy of solid coaches they have in their minor league system.

Great news! Trachsel will be ready to pitch game seven!

Raise your hand if you think the Mets would risk putting a game seven to go to the mother fucking World Series on Steve Trachsel's extremely incapable right arm? Not one person, huh?

Ziiiiing!

After speaking with reporters, Glavine went to play catch and ride an exercise bike to break a sweat. Then he considered what to do with his unexpected free time.

See the Gateway Arch?

“Probably not too much to see up there,” Glavine said.

Nope Tom, not much.

Daisuke is looking to be a pretty expensive buy.

“You’re trying to assess how much interest there really is in the player,” said San Diego Padres General Manager Kevin Towers, speaking of the bidding process. “It depends on how much you want the player. If you want him, you don’t want to make a lowball bid. But also, if there’s not a lot of interest, you don’t want to overpay.”

After the 2003 season, Towers made a successful bid of $300,000 for the rights to reliever Akinori Otsuka. The Matsuzaka bid should dwarf that figure. Valentine predicted it would cost a team more than $20 million for the right to negotiate with Matsuzaka. (The Mariners’ winning bid for Suzuki was $13.125 million.) Then the team must negotiate a contract with Matsuzaka, who has leverage because he can return to Japan and put off free agency until next season, when all teams can talk with him.

The entire posting system is interesting. The highest bidder just flat out gets him. No back and forth. One and done so make it a good one.

The Duque can dance.

"Willie (Randolph) give. I take," Hernandez said when asked about his availability. "Right now I'm not feeling anything. I'm running. Not hard, but I'm running, (using a) bicycle. The trainers are doing very well with me. I come early every day. I work out every day hard. Now I can dance."

Knowing the Mets get The Duque back in the World Series should give them a bit of bump in terms of momentum.

"He threw a 72-pitch bullpen (session Sunday)," Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson said. "He said he felt great, excellent. His arm feels great and he can see himself coming back. He wants so desperately to be a part of this. This is what he lives for. He's a big-game pitcher and we'd love to have him."

I'm pumped. I never thought I'd be so happy at the thought of The Duque taking the mound.

Should Cliff be kept on the roster? I'm not so sure about that.

"I tried to run (Sunday). It didn't feel too good. Some things you just have to try. You just want your teammates not to be like, 'Here we go again. Tryouts.' It's not the time for tryouts. In my opinion, I don't think it's a bad move putting me on the roster because I feel like I can help."

A big bat off the bench is nice, but the Mets have bigger issues here. I would love to see a Kirk Gibson moment from him, but the Mets also need to be realistic and look at their bigger needs here.

I love it.... Now the excuses come out. What player is not banged up at this time of the year?

The Mets pre-game and post-game shows are big hit.

"I didn't realize Mets fans had so much fun before and after games," Darling said yesterday.

You should see me in the parking lot with my 30 pack of PBRs offering candy to children. It's a hoot.

Anyone still think Delgado was not needed because the Mets had Mike Jacobs?

Carlos Delgado certainly has made the most of his first postseason appearance, taking out on opposing pitchers 12 years of disappointment at sitting home in October. Delgado leads all players with nine RBI in this series, is batting .400 and, along with teammate Carlos Beltran, has hit three home runs.

"Carlos is obviously having a fantastic inaugural postseason," Glavine said.

Silly bitches.