A lotta guys hit two homers, Manfred goes to KC, Daniel Murphy retires again, my irony-o-meter melts, Ohio weed, right wing delusions, in defense of hacks, and Hell is Real
I love the “Holy Matrimony is for a man and woman” signs - fine, but could the rest of the world get married if they wanted to?
Honestly the PA turnpike if prime sign reading content. The pro-coal “The sun sets and it’s not always windy - THEN WHAT WILL YOU CRUNCHY HIPPIES?!?” Content makes me giggle and then very sad that no one stopped them from declaring their stupidly.
Not really sign-related, but I drove out west on the PA turnpike the other week to visit my dad out in the Johnstown area, and after getting off the turnpike there’s this little 1-traffic light village I drive through to get there that always makes me laugh.
At the intersection where this traffic light is sits a Sunoco gas station. Directly across the street from Sunoco is another, cheapo-looking gas station called “Sunco”. Sunco has never actually been operating since I’ve been driving through there the last several years - the gas pumps aren’t there or anything and the place is shuttered, but the Sunco sign where the gas prices would be, and the Sunco roof/shelter standing over where the pumps would be are still there. I always wonder how it went down and if there were ever any legal battles or anything when Sunco initially opened up across from Sunoco, and if the Sunco folks truly thought they would be fooling anyone, haha.
The idea that stoners would forget to vote for legal weed is up there with the notion that drug users would waste their drugs on children's Halloween candy.
That guy's count of gunowners assumes they would all be on the rebelling side. Better count again. There are millions who aren't extremist fanatics and who would be defending against an armed insurrection.
I saw a comment on an article by some person ranting that he was stockpiling guns and ammo for when "the government came for him" and the first response was something like "dude, if the government wanted you you'd have already been droned to death in your sleep" and I thought that was pretty accurate.
I know that in actuality a civil war would look more like generalized chaos like disintegrating states in the present, or the Troubles in northern Ireland, but I enjoy the idea of these people imagining facing off against a force they outnumber and beating them face to face and then realizing that a modern military has more technology than they imagined.
"Richard James, AKA "Reaper Rick," is a simple Red-blooded, paranoid, country man. His long history of Military Service has taught him to never trust the government, pushing him to live out his days in the country, off of the grid. Other than his religious viewership of his favorite cable news network, his only other connection to the outside world is through his good buddy, "Squinty Joe," who he only keeps in contact through HAM Radio. The two of them engage daily about the latest wild conspiracy theories, further exacerbating and shaping their views on the world. The two are constantly trying to one-up each other, bragging about who has the latest gear or best doomsday prep. In their minds, the apocalypse is right around the corner so it only makes sense to have a solid plan. In this Sci-fi Dramedy short film, we follow a day in the life of Rick as his intense paranoia becomes a reality during one of the strangest days of his life!"
Got into an argument about gun control laws on facebook a couple of years ago with a couple of folks who went to Lehigh with me, one a very liberal woman and one a super right wing man, both of whom I knew from the Christian fellowship group I helped to lead when we were in school. I tend toward the conservative myself, but I'm also reasonable, and, I like to think, not deluded, which is why I make the distinction between conservative and right wing.
Anyway, he touted the same argument, along with a bunch of the other stuff you often hear ("They're not really 'assault rifles!' "It's a mental health problem!" "It's the fault of the authorities who didn't catch this guy before he did this!") that are all pretty unhelpful.
The notion of tens of millions of gun owners all joining en masse to overrun the US military was laughable then, too, and the argument that the weapons are all needed "just in case" for such a thing - standing behind the "well regulated militia" clause in the Second Amendment falls apart immediately if you think of the fighting power of even one, single, outdated battleship or aircraft carrier in comparison to a few hundred million rifles and pistols.
Never mind all the organizational stuff, the lack of training, etc. Even if you could get them all moving together, they're still limited by the range and magnitude of their firepower. The reality is that all those guns, at this point, are doing nothing to help assure "the security of a free state". That's what the military itself is for.
I wonder how many right wing suburbanites who are more than happy to brandish their AR-15s at a bunch of protesters walking peacefully through their neighborhood would still be willing to fight after a barrage of missiles from a ship three hundred miles away wiped out most of your town and all the surrounding area.
Craig, I am not sure I agree with your take on a possible civil war. The American Civil War is an outlier and has little relevance to modern civil wars. A new American civil war would likely look more like widespread instability and violence but not two armies facing off against each other. This is what civil wars look like in much of the world. There would not be states or groups of states seceding, but more likely regions within states refusing to recognized federal, and sometimes state authority, and setting up informal governments of their own. Alongside that would be acts of terrorism and politically motivatd violence of various kinds. The national government might respond by using national guards and even the military to put an end to that, but many red state governors would resist that. Additionally, given the infiltration of our security forces by the MAGA fascist movement, it is very unlikely the US military would get involved on the side of democracy and the US.
Perhaps the most significant impact of the civil war would be widespread economic collapse. Supply chains, banking, contracts etc. would collapse as well.
OK, that all makes sense, even if it's highly unsettling. In the meantime I'm still gonna allow myself to imagine a bunch of jackwagons like this guy assuming that he and his fellow gun owners could take on the army.
"Additionally, given the infiltration of our security forces by the MAGA fascist movement, it is very unlikely the US military would get involved on the side of democracy and the US."
If this was the actual state of play, it would be known and we would already be amidst a violent insurrection (edit: of the type you describe). MAGAs don't wait until they're sure, they're too stupid.
Some of this violence is already occurring, particulalry in the form of violent racist police brutality. Another piece of evidence of the MAGA presence in the military is the widespread resistance to vaccines there. I am not an expert on this, but the people who are assure me that from the small town cop on the beat to the US military, the MAGA presence is there. The overlap between police and white supremacist groups is also real. Blue by day white by night.
I wonder how much of that is recruitment of sympathetic people already in the police, and how much is infiltration by white supremacists joining? I know I've read that some groups encourage their members to join police and keep their ideas somewhat quiet, because that's a way to acquire skills and connections they'll need for the conflict they anticipate.
The amount of 'MAGA facists' in the army is so small it would have trouble taking on the Rhode Island militia. Funny thing about the 'MAGA fascists'. They can't help but tell everyone who they are, which then gets them discharged from the Army. There are some of there, sure. But they are spread out, unorganized, undisciplined, and are as much of a threat to democracy as the girl scouts.
True disillusionment, and it exists, within the Army was the way they were embarrassed with the debacle of the pull-out in Afghanistan, the complete 'fuck-you, we're in this for ourselves' attitude both political parties have shown the country, the unwillingness to help Ukraine kick the Russians back to Stalingrad, the deterioration of law and order around the country, no firm response to China or North Korea about anything, and the feeling that they are just the personal body guards for the government while they screw us all over.
Also, as the military is more conservative than not, and the bureaucrats running it are not, the Army is very unhappy about the 'woke agenda' being forced on it. Now, you can make fun of that all you want, but check out the DEI going on.
They decided the Army needed a non-gender specific physical fitness test.
I only had a little coffee before I started writing but I wanted to edit that I think a civil war will look more like what Catherine and Lincoln Mitchell described. I feel tension here in Kansas already, and I sort of want to learn how to use a gun and arm myself and keep my loved ones safe... but I also don't want to. My little enclave in Kansas feels safe for now. Kids, dogs, families...
From what I have read it seems like the next civil war will be much more like The Troubles than any kind of large scale war like our last civil war.
Also, I'm not sure who coined the phrase, but calling decades of sectarian violence "The Troubles" like what you'd say when you get a flat tire strikes me as very English.
Happy third anniversary! The traditional third anniversary gift is leather, so we should all take up a collection and get Craig a baseball mitt. Maybe one signed by Dane Dunning.
To tank or not to tank? Mets fans are divided about this. Personally, I have a lot of objections to tanking in any sport - my main ones being that I get joy from any and every win my teams have, and that I am not fond of rewarding someone for being bad on purpose - but I would add that given what an utter crapshoot the baseball draft is, unless it's a Bryce Harper year in the draft I don't even see the point in tanking. But I do respect the other side's feelings and understand why people who are all in on punting don't mind a few more losses. Of course, right now the Mets are going with a lot of 4A players and have no rotation, so even if they aren't tanking on purpose, they are going to lose a lot. But the players will always play to win as best as possible, and wins still feel nice.
The ultimate example of a "hack" director is Michael Curtiz. He directed 181 films between 1912 and 1961. When he came to the US and signed with Warner Bros., the studio assigned him to work on whatever they needed him for, and he did his job. 91 movies for the Warners, all genres. Some of those movies you have never heard of. Some you might have. Like Captain Blood and Robin Hood and Casablanca. He was not an auteur. He wasn't a box office draw. He just did his job but did it very well. He wasn't Hitchcock or Welles. He didn't need to be.
Great article that appeared yesterday on Joe Posnanski's substack, but not by him. Lisa Heyamoto, a journalist from Portland OR, tells the story of a Japanese-American baseball team in a relocation camp during WWII and a game against a local team in Tucson. Moving stuff as well as a important reminder of a tragic and deplorable part of American history.
There is a non-zero chance both NYC teams finish in last. Granted, there is also a chance that the Yankees finishing in last would translate to finishing second in the AL Central. But did anyone predict this?
Problem with a tanking strategy now is they changed the draft rules with the new CBA in '22. The days of of a team like the O's getting 4 years in a row in the top 5 (1/1 in '19, 1/2 in '20, 1/5 in '21 and 1/1 in '22) are over especially for large-market teams like the Mets. As a payer into the revenue sharing pool, the Mets can't have even two Top 9 picks two years in a row. If they get a Top 6 pick in '24 based on this year's record, they won't be able to draft higher than 10th in '25.
"Teams that receive revenue-sharing payouts can't receive a lottery pick for more than two years in a row and those that don't can't get a top-six choice in consecutive Drafts. Furthermore, a club that's ineligible for the lottery can't select higher than 10th overall."
The Orioles may be the last team ever to be able to commit to a 3-5 year tank job and get rewarded with the high draft picks needed to turn things around. For example, the Nats drafted 2nd this year, but no matter how bad they are in 2023, the best they can draft next year is 10th. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/06/nationals-draft-lottery/)
There’s certainly more risk when drafting players who aren’t going straight to the “major league” roster. But I’d hardly call the draft a crapshoot. Top 5 picks return much more value than the rest of the first round which returns much more value than the second round and so on. And the top of the NFL Draft is littered with busts.
Happy anniversary, Craig. I'm pretty sure Tatis stole home in honor of the occasion. That was nifty! (I haven't used that word in years, but it popped into my head when I saw the footage of the steal, start to finish.)
I'm usually at least a little rational as a baseball fan, but as a huge fan of the O's, I was definitely thinking Brandon Hyde should just hand Cionel Pérez his DFA papers when Pérez returned to the dugout after the inning. Completely inexcusable. He never even LOOKED at him!
I'm a bit biased, but I'm going to give Soto a little credit here. He can't do his full-on shuffle any more but still locks into the pitchers psychologically in a way that can work to his advantage, or in this case, to his team's advantage. Perez was fixated on Soto and completely oblivious to the runner on the third. Soto did not indicate anything was on until the last moment, when he needed to step aside so Tatis could slide in. Perez shouldn't have been distracted that way, but it's one of Soto's talents.
Careful... you might strain a muscle twisting yourself into so many euphemisms for Mary Jane. Ultimately, like Maryland (where recreational became legal July 1) it's all about making more money through tax revenue than arrests. Congrats on three solid years.
I'd welcome a reference to a good article on actual rather than anticipated tax revenue from legalized drug sales. From the business side, it appears that on the order of 2/3rds of all new dispensaries in CA have closed within the first year of opening.
I suspect it may be like gambling, where there's a great deal of competition initially then, when the novelty wears off (or people start growing their own) the small fish will get eaten. I'm also curious to know if everything is still on a cash basis at the dispensaries (such a clinical word)? At any rate, I'm not running out to get gummies or some other edible anytime soon. I'm too busy to devote any time to it.
Thanks for reminding me. I somehow completely forgot about Illinois. You are correct. We went to a steakhouse with friends in Covington, IN (about 15 minutes from the border) in early May. My buddy and I 'mistakenly' turned west when we left and everyone in the vehicle was questioning where we were going. They quickly figured it out. Lol! But yeah. I used my debit card. Only the second time I've been to a dispensary in Illinois due to the criminally insane taxes. Stinks too because it's far closer than Michigan.
Likely also initially a bunch of people open dispensaries because they think it sounds cool, then the small business realities hit and they fold.
I wonder if the successful ones are people who have a business background and would likely be successful in almost any business, but just chose pot because it seemed like the best opportunity for the area? Going with business competence first and then deciding which specific business to run seems like a better strategy.
Yep. There’s a stat that like 90% of small businesses fail in 5 years -- think about how many restaurants you see turn over -- and I don’t see why marijuana dispensaries would be exempt from that. In fact, given the lack of an established business model, I’d expect them to do worse.
The mayor of a small town on the Rural And Remote Eastern Shore* says the new laws are forcing her hemp farm/CBD vape storefront business out of business. And she makes some good points about how the states are choosing winners and losers.
I think the proper order is typos and then fun…but yeah – I’m in for another year of this thrill ride. Year Four: Carlo Goes to College and Craig Goes on a Long Walk Across the Pond looks promising.
PS The Nats radio team mentioned last night that Stone Garrett has picked up golf so he can play with his teammates and has been reading the Bobby Jones classic on the golf swing… and said he had mentioned it had helped his baseball swing. No idea if that’s true but it fits last night’s data.
PPS Sometimes I genuinely wonder if people in the political media think that all political careers end like a Scooby Doo episode: with the bad guy being unmasked, his plans collapsing all at once, and him grumbling “I would’ve gotten away with it if not for you darn kids.”
Happy anniversary. New businesses that make it three years usually make it a long time. In your honor, I drank my cups of coffee from my Cup of Coffee coffee cup.
...
Are there ever players on "your team" that you are just convinced won't play well despite all past results? I'm like that every time I see Kirby Yates. He has a sub 3.00 ERA for Atlanta and, objectively, has done just fine. But when he enters the game, I am 110% convinced he is going to get hit hard. Maybe its his body type: short, chunky, finely maintained beard; he looks like a bartender at a high end whisk(e)y place, not a professional athlete. Maybe its his delivery: short arms the ball from a herky jerky motion. Maybe its just the voices in my head. But for whatever reason, I never expect good results even as he keeps getting people out.
...
Charlie Morton, when he is on, is just about my favorite type of pitcher. Good, but not overwhelming fastball with a great 12-6 curveball that drops off the table. Going back to my childhood in the 70s and guys like Bert Blyleven through Dwight Gooden to Barry Zito and on to Adam Wainwright, I've loved a top flight curve. There is just something mesmerizing about it. And that Morton can still spin it and also throw a 95mph heater as he is now only months away from his 40th birthday is simply fun.
Yeah, there is a different class of players who just aren't good enough who you hate to see come up. Our host, back in the good old days, was part of the Atlanta fan group bemoaning the appearance of Dan Kolb (dank lob) or wondering whether Keith Lockhart had compromising pictures of Bobby Cox.
Then there are the players who do well, but for other reasons you can't root for. Back in the day, I felt that was about Gary Sheffield's brief stay in Atlanta (don't ever say you intentionally committed errors!) and today I feel that way about Marcell Ozuna (d.v. duh).
Corbin seems to be a mix of those two categories.
But I just can't put my finger on why there is a class of players like Yates who I'm sure won't do well despite proof that I'm wrong.
Actually, Kyle Finnegan was that way for a while… It felt like he would very frequently put on a couple of bass runners, and then escape (almost) every time. But it always felt lucky.
Alas, I'm currently in the "takes a triple to score him from second" group (and in the case of Acuna or MHII hitting the triple, the throw would definitely be coming to the plate).
I felt that way about AJ Burnett a decade ago, though in my defense, I had good reason, as it turned out that somehow almost every time *I* saw him pitch he was terrible, but then he ended up with 15 Wins at the end of the year.
Ahh, Maui-Wowie. That is also a brand of catnip from Hawaii. The TSA guy looked at our baggies very carefully to be sure they were still sealed and that I had not swapped the contents for the other stuff. The cats loved it (yes, we did a three-sample test). Alaskan* came in first, followed by Maui-Wowie, with the store brand last. The result was also that the cats were wonky for a week and even after vacuuming there was a lot of catnip in the carpet.
*I think the midnight sun increased the active ingredient quantity or quality.
I love the “Holy Matrimony is for a man and woman” signs - fine, but could the rest of the world get married if they wanted to?
Honestly the PA turnpike if prime sign reading content. The pro-coal “The sun sets and it’s not always windy - THEN WHAT WILL YOU CRUNCHY HIPPIES?!?” Content makes me giggle and then very sad that no one stopped them from declaring their stupidly.
Not really sign-related, but I drove out west on the PA turnpike the other week to visit my dad out in the Johnstown area, and after getting off the turnpike there’s this little 1-traffic light village I drive through to get there that always makes me laugh.
At the intersection where this traffic light is sits a Sunoco gas station. Directly across the street from Sunoco is another, cheapo-looking gas station called “Sunco”. Sunco has never actually been operating since I’ve been driving through there the last several years - the gas pumps aren’t there or anything and the place is shuttered, but the Sunco sign where the gas prices would be, and the Sunco roof/shelter standing over where the pumps would be are still there. I always wonder how it went down and if there were ever any legal battles or anything when Sunco initially opened up across from Sunoco, and if the Sunco folks truly thought they would be fooling anyone, haha.
I don't know...it seemed to work out well for McDowell's.
Honestly, I need to have reminders for both those things. Ain't getting younger!
The idea that stoners would forget to vote for legal weed is up there with the notion that drug users would waste their drugs on children's Halloween candy.
That's how the man gets your name. Vote one time and, like, you're in the system.
Anecdotes =/= data.
Marijuana is like Willie Nelson. Beloved on both sides of the aisle.
Happy anniversary!
Also in the news yesterday: SABR 52 will be in Minneapolis, August 7-11, 2024.
Thanks. On my calendar.
Yeah, it's real; it's called Ohio. Only state wherein I've been shot at--and I never lived in Ohio, I was visiting!
Also wanted to say congrats on the Anniversary.
Spill the details!
I saw Something Sappy open for Industrial Shithouse at Wembley.
Did I do it correctly? Happy anniversary!
I was there, too… weren’t they an Air Supply cover band? Brutal.
I think they were also mostly former members of Screaming Trees
That guy's count of gunowners assumes they would all be on the rebelling side. Better count again. There are millions who aren't extremist fanatics and who would be defending against an armed insurrection.
I saw a comment on an article by some person ranting that he was stockpiling guns and ammo for when "the government came for him" and the first response was something like "dude, if the government wanted you you'd have already been droned to death in your sleep" and I thought that was pretty accurate.
I know that in actuality a civil war would look more like generalized chaos like disintegrating states in the present, or the Troubles in northern Ireland, but I enjoy the idea of these people imagining facing off against a force they outnumber and beating them face to face and then realizing that a modern military has more technology than they imagined.
It’s also been like a week since some MAGA dared the FBI to shoot him and lost.
That read like the ultimate FAAFO
Here's a 20 min SF short film about one of these paranoid gun nuts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_Bvk1MfWYw
"Imminent Arrival" by Justin Kruse
"Richard James, AKA "Reaper Rick," is a simple Red-blooded, paranoid, country man. His long history of Military Service has taught him to never trust the government, pushing him to live out his days in the country, off of the grid. Other than his religious viewership of his favorite cable news network, his only other connection to the outside world is through his good buddy, "Squinty Joe," who he only keeps in contact through HAM Radio. The two of them engage daily about the latest wild conspiracy theories, further exacerbating and shaping their views on the world. The two are constantly trying to one-up each other, bragging about who has the latest gear or best doomsday prep. In their minds, the apocalypse is right around the corner so it only makes sense to have a solid plan. In this Sci-fi Dramedy short film, we follow a day in the life of Rick as his intense paranoia becomes a reality during one of the strangest days of his life!"
Is it a documentary? The description refers to it as "Sci-fi Dramedy" which by definition is fiction....
You’re asking ammosexuals to use logic and reason. Ain’t gonna happen.
As an ammosexual, I'm deeply offended.
Got into an argument about gun control laws on facebook a couple of years ago with a couple of folks who went to Lehigh with me, one a very liberal woman and one a super right wing man, both of whom I knew from the Christian fellowship group I helped to lead when we were in school. I tend toward the conservative myself, but I'm also reasonable, and, I like to think, not deluded, which is why I make the distinction between conservative and right wing.
Anyway, he touted the same argument, along with a bunch of the other stuff you often hear ("They're not really 'assault rifles!' "It's a mental health problem!" "It's the fault of the authorities who didn't catch this guy before he did this!") that are all pretty unhelpful.
The notion of tens of millions of gun owners all joining en masse to overrun the US military was laughable then, too, and the argument that the weapons are all needed "just in case" for such a thing - standing behind the "well regulated militia" clause in the Second Amendment falls apart immediately if you think of the fighting power of even one, single, outdated battleship or aircraft carrier in comparison to a few hundred million rifles and pistols.
Never mind all the organizational stuff, the lack of training, etc. Even if you could get them all moving together, they're still limited by the range and magnitude of their firepower. The reality is that all those guns, at this point, are doing nothing to help assure "the security of a free state". That's what the military itself is for.
I wonder how many right wing suburbanites who are more than happy to brandish their AR-15s at a bunch of protesters walking peacefully through their neighborhood would still be willing to fight after a barrage of missiles from a ship three hundred miles away wiped out most of your town and all the surrounding area.
As someone who owns firearms and leans middle right, I guarandamntee you I would be defending against said armed insurrection.
Craig, I am not sure I agree with your take on a possible civil war. The American Civil War is an outlier and has little relevance to modern civil wars. A new American civil war would likely look more like widespread instability and violence but not two armies facing off against each other. This is what civil wars look like in much of the world. There would not be states or groups of states seceding, but more likely regions within states refusing to recognized federal, and sometimes state authority, and setting up informal governments of their own. Alongside that would be acts of terrorism and politically motivatd violence of various kinds. The national government might respond by using national guards and even the military to put an end to that, but many red state governors would resist that. Additionally, given the infiltration of our security forces by the MAGA fascist movement, it is very unlikely the US military would get involved on the side of democracy and the US.
Perhaps the most significant impact of the civil war would be widespread economic collapse. Supply chains, banking, contracts etc. would collapse as well.
OK, that all makes sense, even if it's highly unsettling. In the meantime I'm still gonna allow myself to imagine a bunch of jackwagons like this guy assuming that he and his fellow gun owners could take on the army.
I believe Steve Hofstetter made a similar point https://youtube.com/shorts/Y2ypqpp861A?feature=share
tell Lincoln it's your "birthday" & he should give you a break for the day...
"Additionally, given the infiltration of our security forces by the MAGA fascist movement, it is very unlikely the US military would get involved on the side of democracy and the US."
If this was the actual state of play, it would be known and we would already be amidst a violent insurrection (edit: of the type you describe). MAGAs don't wait until they're sure, they're too stupid.
Some of this violence is already occurring, particulalry in the form of violent racist police brutality. Another piece of evidence of the MAGA presence in the military is the widespread resistance to vaccines there. I am not an expert on this, but the people who are assure me that from the small town cop on the beat to the US military, the MAGA presence is there. The overlap between police and white supremacist groups is also real. Blue by day white by night.
I'm not denying the infiltration or the current violence.
I wonder how much of that is recruitment of sympathetic people already in the police, and how much is infiltration by white supremacists joining? I know I've read that some groups encourage their members to join police and keep their ideas somewhat quiet, because that's a way to acquire skills and connections they'll need for the conflict they anticipate.
Either way not great.
Gangs have been doing that for years. Those guys don't last long. They do the training and find a way out.
Rage Against The Machine warned us about this years ago and we didn't listen.
The amount of 'MAGA facists' in the army is so small it would have trouble taking on the Rhode Island militia. Funny thing about the 'MAGA fascists'. They can't help but tell everyone who they are, which then gets them discharged from the Army. There are some of there, sure. But they are spread out, unorganized, undisciplined, and are as much of a threat to democracy as the girl scouts.
True disillusionment, and it exists, within the Army was the way they were embarrassed with the debacle of the pull-out in Afghanistan, the complete 'fuck-you, we're in this for ourselves' attitude both political parties have shown the country, the unwillingness to help Ukraine kick the Russians back to Stalingrad, the deterioration of law and order around the country, no firm response to China or North Korea about anything, and the feeling that they are just the personal body guards for the government while they screw us all over.
Also, as the military is more conservative than not, and the bureaucrats running it are not, the Army is very unhappy about the 'woke agenda' being forced on it. Now, you can make fun of that all you want, but check out the DEI going on.
They decided the Army needed a non-gender specific physical fitness test.
Considering how stridently some people object to the Girl Scouts' gay policy, I suspect they must think it is another great threat to America.
I only had a little coffee before I started writing but I wanted to edit that I think a civil war will look more like what Catherine and Lincoln Mitchell described. I feel tension here in Kansas already, and I sort of want to learn how to use a gun and arm myself and keep my loved ones safe... but I also don't want to. My little enclave in Kansas feels safe for now. Kids, dogs, families...
From what I have read it seems like the next civil war will be much more like The Troubles than any kind of large scale war like our last civil war.
Also, I'm not sure who coined the phrase, but calling decades of sectarian violence "The Troubles" like what you'd say when you get a flat tire strikes me as very English.
I agree on both counts.
A Spot of Bother was too long for type print.
"The Recent Unpleasantness" was already taken.
Happy anniversary Craig!
I leave everyone with a famous Sopranos quote
“If they say John Gotti... you tell them Rudolph Giuliani.”
Happy third anniversary! The traditional third anniversary gift is leather, so we should all take up a collection and get Craig a baseball mitt. Maybe one signed by Dane Dunning.
To tank or not to tank? Mets fans are divided about this. Personally, I have a lot of objections to tanking in any sport - my main ones being that I get joy from any and every win my teams have, and that I am not fond of rewarding someone for being bad on purpose - but I would add that given what an utter crapshoot the baseball draft is, unless it's a Bryce Harper year in the draft I don't even see the point in tanking. But I do respect the other side's feelings and understand why people who are all in on punting don't mind a few more losses. Of course, right now the Mets are going with a lot of 4A players and have no rotation, so even if they aren't tanking on purpose, they are going to lose a lot. But the players will always play to win as best as possible, and wins still feel nice.
The ultimate example of a "hack" director is Michael Curtiz. He directed 181 films between 1912 and 1961. When he came to the US and signed with Warner Bros., the studio assigned him to work on whatever they needed him for, and he did his job. 91 movies for the Warners, all genres. Some of those movies you have never heard of. Some you might have. Like Captain Blood and Robin Hood and Casablanca. He was not an auteur. He wasn't a box office draw. He just did his job but did it very well. He wasn't Hitchcock or Welles. He didn't need to be.
Great article that appeared yesterday on Joe Posnanski's substack, but not by him. Lisa Heyamoto, a journalist from Portland OR, tells the story of a Japanese-American baseball team in a relocation camp during WWII and a game against a local team in Tucson. Moving stuff as well as a important reminder of a tragic and deplorable part of American history.
https://joeblogs.joeposnanski.com/p/the-greatest-game-ever-played-behind?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=11020&post_id=136063179&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email
Second the recommendation for the Heyamoto article. Well written story.
I think they should just go ahead and say they are tanking so if they finish behind the Nats, they have an excuse ;)
There is a non-zero chance both NYC teams finish in last. Granted, there is also a chance that the Yankees finishing in last would translate to finishing second in the AL Central. But did anyone predict this?
The latter thing, yes. If I were a betting man, it would be an interesting prop bet to ask if the AL East doormat would win the AL Central.
I woke up this morning after I dreamed CBS owned the Borg. Funny, huh?
Ironically CBS does own the Borg now, but hasn't ruined them the way they did the Yankees. Yet.
Nah, don't say it up front. But if it happens say "We meant to do that" and declare victory for finishing last.
Counterpoint: saying you're tanking and STILL finishing ahead of the Nats is the tiniest bit of lipstick on the pig. It's a win-win.
Problem with a tanking strategy now is they changed the draft rules with the new CBA in '22. The days of of a team like the O's getting 4 years in a row in the top 5 (1/1 in '19, 1/2 in '20, 1/5 in '21 and 1/1 in '22) are over especially for large-market teams like the Mets. As a payer into the revenue sharing pool, the Mets can't have even two Top 9 picks two years in a row. If they get a Top 6 pick in '24 based on this year's record, they won't be able to draft higher than 10th in '25.
"Teams that receive revenue-sharing payouts can't receive a lottery pick for more than two years in a row and those that don't can't get a top-six choice in consecutive Drafts. Furthermore, a club that's ineligible for the lottery can't select higher than 10th overall."
(https://www.mlb.com/news/draft-rule-changes-with-new-cba)
The Orioles may be the last team ever to be able to commit to a 3-5 year tank job and get rewarded with the high draft picks needed to turn things around. For example, the Nats drafted 2nd this year, but no matter how bad they are in 2023, the best they can draft next year is 10th. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/06/nationals-draft-lottery/)
There’s certainly more risk when drafting players who aren’t going straight to the “major league” roster. But I’d hardly call the draft a crapshoot. Top 5 picks return much more value than the rest of the first round which returns much more value than the second round and so on. And the top of the NFL Draft is littered with busts.
I was thinking Gimp suit but a Dane Dunning glove would definitely be cheaper
Happy anniversary, Craig. I'm pretty sure Tatis stole home in honor of the occasion. That was nifty! (I haven't used that word in years, but it popped into my head when I saw the footage of the steal, start to finish.)
I'm usually at least a little rational as a baseball fan, but as a huge fan of the O's, I was definitely thinking Brandon Hyde should just hand Cionel Pérez his DFA papers when Pérez returned to the dugout after the inning. Completely inexcusable. He never even LOOKED at him!
Yeah, Perez looked like a LL pitcher there.
I'm a bit biased, but I'm going to give Soto a little credit here. He can't do his full-on shuffle any more but still locks into the pitchers psychologically in a way that can work to his advantage, or in this case, to his team's advantage. Perez was fixated on Soto and completely oblivious to the runner on the third. Soto did not indicate anything was on until the last moment, when he needed to step aside so Tatis could slide in. Perez shouldn't have been distracted that way, but it's one of Soto's talents.
Happy Anniversary Craig
Careful... you might strain a muscle twisting yourself into so many euphemisms for Mary Jane. Ultimately, like Maryland (where recreational became legal July 1) it's all about making more money through tax revenue than arrests. Congrats on three solid years.
I'd welcome a reference to a good article on actual rather than anticipated tax revenue from legalized drug sales. From the business side, it appears that on the order of 2/3rds of all new dispensaries in CA have closed within the first year of opening.
In Mass-
“Marijuana is worth more than alcohol to Massachusetts for the first time ever”
https://fortune.com/2022/01/25/marijuana-taxes-in-massachusetts-worth-more-than-alcohol-first-time-ever/amp/
Thanks. I'll read it when I have a moment.
I suspect it may be like gambling, where there's a great deal of competition initially then, when the novelty wears off (or people start growing their own) the small fish will get eaten. I'm also curious to know if everything is still on a cash basis at the dispensaries (such a clinical word)? At any rate, I'm not running out to get gummies or some other edible anytime soon. I'm too busy to devote any time to it.
Eventually it will just be PotKings and MGM Smoke.
Yes everything is still cash - Credit card companies and banks will not touch it because it is still illegal at the federal level
And I'm SURE that every dollar is carefully accounted for for tax purposes...
You can use a card in Michigan dispensaries.
The dispensary I visited in Michigan allowed credit cards or cash (no debit cards).
Illinois is the opposite -- debit cards (and cash) can be used, but not credit cards
Thanks for reminding me. I somehow completely forgot about Illinois. You are correct. We went to a steakhouse with friends in Covington, IN (about 15 minutes from the border) in early May. My buddy and I 'mistakenly' turned west when we left and everyone in the vehicle was questioning where we were going. They quickly figured it out. Lol! But yeah. I used my debit card. Only the second time I've been to a dispensary in Illinois due to the criminally insane taxes. Stinks too because it's far closer than Michigan.
Likely also initially a bunch of people open dispensaries because they think it sounds cool, then the small business realities hit and they fold.
I wonder if the successful ones are people who have a business background and would likely be successful in almost any business, but just chose pot because it seemed like the best opportunity for the area? Going with business competence first and then deciding which specific business to run seems like a better strategy.
Yep. There’s a stat that like 90% of small businesses fail in 5 years -- think about how many restaurants you see turn over -- and I don’t see why marijuana dispensaries would be exempt from that. In fact, given the lack of an established business model, I’d expect them to do worse.
When we were on vacation in Michigan the dispensary allowed credit cards or cash.
There's the expense side too. A lot less busywork for the courts, maybe fewer cops, certainly fewer K9 units, smaller evidence rooms.
The mayor of a small town on the Rural And Remote Eastern Shore* says the new laws are forcing her hemp farm/CBD vape storefront business out of business. And she makes some good points about how the states are choosing winners and losers.
https://www.marylandmatters.org/2023/08/11/federalsburg-mayor-says-cannabis-law-is-putting-her-family-out-of-business/
*copyright Washington Post. Seriously, they use that description every time they mention every time they do a story on the Eastern Shore.
I think the proper order is typos and then fun…but yeah – I’m in for another year of this thrill ride. Year Four: Carlo Goes to College and Craig Goes on a Long Walk Across the Pond looks promising.
PS The Nats radio team mentioned last night that Stone Garrett has picked up golf so he can play with his teammates and has been reading the Bobby Jones classic on the golf swing… and said he had mentioned it had helped his baseball swing. No idea if that’s true but it fits last night’s data.
PPS Sometimes I genuinely wonder if people in the political media think that all political careers end like a Scooby Doo episode: with the bad guy being unmasked, his plans collapsing all at once, and him grumbling “I would’ve gotten away with it if not for you darn kids.”
Happy anniversary. New businesses that make it three years usually make it a long time. In your honor, I drank my cups of coffee from my Cup of Coffee coffee cup.
...
Are there ever players on "your team" that you are just convinced won't play well despite all past results? I'm like that every time I see Kirby Yates. He has a sub 3.00 ERA for Atlanta and, objectively, has done just fine. But when he enters the game, I am 110% convinced he is going to get hit hard. Maybe its his body type: short, chunky, finely maintained beard; he looks like a bartender at a high end whisk(e)y place, not a professional athlete. Maybe its his delivery: short arms the ball from a herky jerky motion. Maybe its just the voices in my head. But for whatever reason, I never expect good results even as he keeps getting people out.
...
Charlie Morton, when he is on, is just about my favorite type of pitcher. Good, but not overwhelming fastball with a great 12-6 curveball that drops off the table. Going back to my childhood in the 70s and guys like Bert Blyleven through Dwight Gooden to Barry Zito and on to Adam Wainwright, I've loved a top flight curve. There is just something mesmerizing about it. And that Morton can still spin it and also throw a 95mph heater as he is now only months away from his 40th birthday is simply fun.
Patrick Qorbin.
(Oh, sorry – you said DESPITE past results.)
Yeah, there is a different class of players who just aren't good enough who you hate to see come up. Our host, back in the good old days, was part of the Atlanta fan group bemoaning the appearance of Dan Kolb (dank lob) or wondering whether Keith Lockhart had compromising pictures of Bobby Cox.
Then there are the players who do well, but for other reasons you can't root for. Back in the day, I felt that was about Gary Sheffield's brief stay in Atlanta (don't ever say you intentionally committed errors!) and today I feel that way about Marcell Ozuna (d.v. duh).
Corbin seems to be a mix of those two categories.
But I just can't put my finger on why there is a class of players like Yates who I'm sure won't do well despite proof that I'm wrong.
Actually, Kyle Finnegan was that way for a while… It felt like he would very frequently put on a couple of bass runners, and then escape (almost) every time. But it always felt lucky.
I haven't yet watched Sam run, but can't imagine why I'd be against Sam Bass runners. Get a handful of CoC readers and we can have a contest.
Ha! That typo was .... intentional ... in honor of ... Craig's ANNIVERSARY!
Yeah - that's the ticket.
Alas, I'm currently in the "takes a triple to score him from second" group (and in the case of Acuna or MHII hitting the triple, the throw would definitely be coming to the plate).
I suspect that it may take a triple to score me from third. And with that, I'd probably strain something jogging the 90 feet.
Agreed on Yates, and I'll add Brad Hand. His clutch performance history aside, that pitching motion does NOT imbue me with confidence.
Brad Hand delenda est.
What you’re saying is he tends to kirby your enthusiasm. (My wife rolls her eyes every time)
We have a like button. We need a dislike button. Or a roll your eyes so hard they stick in the back of your head button.
Guilty 😃
The two times I bought behind the plate tickets for a Spring Training game in Tucson, were when Bert Blyleven and Phil Niekro were pitching.
I felt that way about AJ Burnett a decade ago, though in my defense, I had good reason, as it turned out that somehow almost every time *I* saw him pitch he was terrible, but then he ended up with 15 Wins at the end of the year.
http://www.boyofsummer.net/2010/06/tale-of-two-pitchers-yankees-aj-burnett.html
Ahh, Maui-Wowie. That is also a brand of catnip from Hawaii. The TSA guy looked at our baggies very carefully to be sure they were still sealed and that I had not swapped the contents for the other stuff. The cats loved it (yes, we did a three-sample test). Alaskan* came in first, followed by Maui-Wowie, with the store brand last. The result was also that the cats were wonky for a week and even after vacuuming there was a lot of catnip in the carpet.
*I think the midnight sun increased the active ingredient quantity or quality.