Haha thanks Bear! I probably missed one or two spots not directly related to the gameplay. My plan was and is to touch it up, stuff like attendance and tallying up the hits/runs/errors and all that and writing that down in the appropriate place.
This scorecard comes in a free program-magazine the Twins have available at several kiosks all around the ballpark. Clearly they need to be updated for this era of 5 or more pitching changes per game, but hey, one makes do. You're right that attendance should be noted somewhere, and that the card doesn't have a designated spot for that. I'll just add it where I wrote some notes, under "IN THE FIELD". which I wasn't really using as intended anyway.
Speaking for my Twins fan friends as well as myself, we all wanted to see him in a Blue Jays uniform, or anywhere but the Bronx anyway but especially on the Jays. If Toronto/Buffalo/Dunedin makes the playoffs, it will be fun! If the Rays, Red Sox, or Yankees make the playoffs, it will be normal.
All I care about is that he's no longer a Twin. Just imagine if Cruz was in that thing resembling a baseball game yesterday. He probably would have 4 homers by himself.
*checks Yankees subreddit* Well..everyone SEEMS happy right now...I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed when he strikes out between Stanton and Judge or wherever they're going to stick him in the lineup. There is a small segment of Yankee fans (likely older, less in tune with the current state of the game) who, for some reason, think the team should A.) fire the whole coaching staff, B.) Fire "The Analytics Department", C.) trade all the players and, finally, D.) rebuild with a team that plays small ball. Not really sure when, in Yankee history, they've ever fielded a winning team that looked like that but that's what some people are now obsessed with.
For my part I am both excited for the move and am weary of the fact that Gallo's game is kinda like the rest of the current lineup.
This Nats season has been really hard for me… not really because of the poor performances on the field - which are disappointing but ultimately part of the game - but rather all the (stupid and/or despicable) off the field developments.
I don’t expect my home team to be heroes, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask them not to be abusers or selfish, irresponsible idiots.
That was without a doubt one of the stranger games I have ever seen. I'm just glad the Tigers came out on the right end. I would have been really upset to have invested my afternoon only to watch the bullpen blow. Not that I haven't invested plenty of afternoons/evenings only to watch the Tigers bullpen meltdown. But still, I've enough.
That neither cited Timothy Crouse or Hedrick Smith, who wrote bestselling books about the Beltway "reporting" in the 1970s, tells you all you need to know about how this'll go over this time...
While obviously this is not an original thought of mine, the media "both sidesing" everything will be the death of America. Both sidesing an issue is fine if we're arguing over the DH or the Manfred Man. Wait, it's not OK on the Manfred Man. There's no argument to be had, it's bad. But treating the bad faith arguments of one side as valid simply because you feel you have to or Fox News will say mean things about you is a recipe for disaster.
Imagine after the 2028 Presidential elections. "Good morning and welcome to Meet The Press. Today we'll be discussing President Barron Trump's death squads. Democrats say using death squads to murder your rivals is unacceptable and have sent a sternly worded letter to the President while Republicans say they are just enthusiastic supporters of the President. Our panel will discuss this and decide who the winners and losers are of the latest massacre."
- While I am glad Bob Odenkirk is apparently doing OK, I actually have never seen anything with him or by him. Shows like Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad just don't do it for me. So don't assume that his work needs no introduction. (I know him mainly as the brother of someone who wrote for Futurama, which moves the needle a lot more for me.)
- You think we need boosters, I think we need boosters, Israel thinks we need boosters, and Pfizer thinks we need boosters. But the government is still insisting we don't, as are a fair number of experts. I do hope they figure this one out fast. But I want my booster, and more importantly I want one for my mother, whose six months are almost up.
- Hard to see Joey Gallo moving the needle much for the third place Yankees. They need relievers, and they just traded two!
- Tylor Megill has quickly become a reliable back end starter. Didn't see that coming. Hope it lasts.
- So if the Nats are having an outbreak with the vaccine, how long till the Phils' luck runs out?
I don't know why I never put two and two together about Bill Odenkirk, even though I would notice his name on credits for both The Simpsons and Futurama, but he wrote a real all-timer with "The Farnsworth Parabox"
The Yanks are 25th in the league in runs scored, they have a sub-.700 OPS as a team against RHP, and they got a reliever in the trade along with Gallo. I have a hard time seeing this *not* moving the needle for them.
Bob Odenkirk broke out in the mid-90s with Mr. Show, a sketch show which aired on HBO, but regardless, was one of the seminal alt-comedy works, and was hugely inspirational for that whole primordial soup of comics and comedy writers that are running things now, especially the West Coast Largo set.
Mr. Show...doesn't hold up, if you ask me. (though given that that whole scene isn't quite my thing, you probably shouldn't be asking me). If you want a slightly-more updated taste of what it was all about, the sequel show, titled "W/ Bob and David," is on Netflix, and it's got a similar feel, but again, updated to reflect the 20 years since Mr. Show aired. Again, not totally my scene, but there's clearly something there.
Just like people said about Louis CK, Odenkirk is probably one of your favorite comic's favorite comics. He's written on a bunch of stuff, has a reputation for working incredibly hard, and comes off as a really caring guy.
The really funny thing is that, for someone who made his bones in comedy, he's now more well-known for his roles in two dramas, one in which he played a comic relief character with depth, and another with much less comedy, much more depth. Now, seeing him in comedy sketches, it's almost like seeing Jon Hamm on 30 Rock and Curb Your Enthusiasm; like a serious actor having some fun.
Anyway, don't know why I wrote all that, but hope it serves as a passable introduction.
As for the Yankees, they do need relievers, but they also need outfielders. Brett Gardner has started the most games in the outfield, but he's playing like someone his age, which, grateful to have him, and impressed he can still be a CF, but I also wish we had someone better to start. (A couple days ago, I realized I have no idea what Clint Frazier is up to. He just disappeared, and unlike, say, Luke Voit, his absence hasn't really been felt. Turns out he's doing neurological testing for dizziness, which, I hope he comes out OK).
The rest of the outfield is Judge, and whoever they can cobble together. Unfortunately, the spot appears to be cursed, with both Miguel Andjuar and Trey Amburgey getting hot, and then getting hurt. Hopefully Gallo fares better. He's also the first lefty power guy the Yankees have had in a good number of years, so that should be fun too, especially with analytics-heavy teams (the Rays) having done so well matching up against the righty-heavy lineup
The Yankees DO absolutely need relievers though, given that their starting pitching is on a tear right now, and the bullpen keeps blowing games, occasionally in hilarious fashion.
Justin Wilson leaving was possibly a net upgrade, in that I'm not sure he's ever had a clean outing this season? Maybe one or two, but he was the worst guy in the entire bullpen and never put it together. Not having him as a possibility in Boone's mind might cancel out the loss of an arm.
Luis Cessa though, is a loss, just because you need guys to throw innings, and he's a guy who can throw innings. He really came into his own the last couple years, which probably happened once the Yankees realized he was never going to develop into a starter and let him get major league bullpen experience. He was the mop-up guy, coming in when they're down three+ runs, but, like I said, he's gotten better the last couple years, and hasn't been a high leverage guy, but has definitely earned a spot on a major league roster, number 85 aside. Also, he's been on the team for so long (funnily, he came over the *last* time the Yankees traded Justin Wilson. How's that for a fun fact?), that there's a slight bit of melancholy seeing him go, even if he was never a fan favorite.
Huh. Way too much about that topic too. Ah well, hope it was at least a little interesting
I was sad to see Cessa go. You're right - he had a (mostly) reliable arm who could eat innings. His K rate has mostly held the same throughout his career, but his ERA / ERA+ and walk rate have steadily improved every year. (You're also correct in that losing Wilson was likely a net gain if for no other reason than Boone can't be tempted to throw him out there).
Gallo's lefty bat should be huge. Definitely don't need him striking out 40% of the time, though. We already have one of those guys on the right side of the plate in Stanton.
Man, I nearly wore out my Mr. Show DVDs back in the 00s. My friends and I still make offhand references to skits from that show. Sometimes we sing the "America Blows Up The Moon" song. But now you've got me wondering how a couple episodes would hold up today, so I'll have to do that homework. Were you a Kids in the Hall fan? THAT show holds up, bigtime. It's still just a great default late night falling-asleep-in-front-of-the-tv show to put on. Comfort television.
BIG Kids in the Hall fan, and you're right, that definitely holds up.
SCTV also holds up better than the SNL of the time, in my opinion
Now, that's cheating, because so much of the SCTV cast was A++ talent, but even still, Canada knows what's up. That's why we let Montreal decide who the up-and-comers are.
And like I alluded to, the whole Mr. Show era was a shade before my time. It may very well hold up for you, and it's just not for me. A very reasonable possibility!
Right. I'm 41, so they were cranking out Mr Shows (is that the right syntax?) right when I was going through the sort of stuff a guy in his early 20s who was raised on 90s Simpsons, Kids in the Hall, and punk rock would be into. Mr Show checks that box, I believe.
Apropos of nothing (aside from occasional curiosity), what is the big Venn diagram-looking icon on your avatar for. Substack doesn't have any documentation including that.
I think it has something to do with when I subscribed to CoC and at what level my subscription is at. It's sort of annoying, tbh, but not nearly enough that I give it a second thought.
I always change the station whenever a Michael Jackson song is playing -- I still listen to terrestrial radio when I'm driving. Except -- I'll listen to Smooth Criminal. I'll sometimes be inspired to listen to it on YouTube. I love the irony. I like the nihilism -- a song about gangster violence. It's maybe Michael's heaviest song -- both in tone and sound. It has a lot percussion, which I like.
That was a fantastic essay, Chris. Thanks for sharing that. Not sure I entirely agree with *EVERYTHING* Fulks has to say, but he's nowhere near wrong. If we're talking about everything after Demolition? Then maybe I'm almost in complete agreement with that piece. Lots of modifiers and qualifiers in that sentence, of course.
I don't care much about the Olympics -- I haven't since I was a kid. I suspect a lot of people from my generation don't care about the Olympics. I saw that the TV ratings have been historically low.
I think watching the Olympics used to be a patriotic duty for Americans. Perhaps a vestige of the Cold War. It used to be a family event, when TV was the main household medium.
I don't think Simone Biles starting a discussion about athlete mental health is going to boost ratings.
I agree, although I always kept watch on the medal count. Now, I don’t watch or read anything about it, but do have to hear complaints from my wife when her soap operas are all messed up because of the broadcasts.
I have loved watching the segments I've recorded, especially being able to skip all the commercials and fluff crap.
Three big problems for the Games' broadcasters here: First, the time difference means our Spoiler Industry (news, ESPN, etc) makes no effort to keep results off their main pages so all suspense is gone.
Second, NBC's coverage is awful. Their decisions to fragment everything all over Peacock, to keep the Olympic channel showing nonstop tennis (with other 24 hr nonstop single sports coming up), and to keep overwhelming us with interviews and "profiles" during competition -- all make viewers grind their teeth in frustration. Ads are also thrown in and go on for literally 3 minutes at a time.
And third, like everything, the pandemic has ruined the fun. No fans, the year delay, the changes of venues, the withdrawal of athletes due to positive results, the masks that make it hard to see even the athletes' excitement....all contribute to a lower level of interest 10,000 miles away.
Still, it was fun watching Spain hold off Argentina in soccer; I love watching water polo while amazed at the endurance; seeing lightning reflexes in table tennis makes my memories of ping ping seem like an entirely different set of physics; swimming dramas play out even in prelims because so many records are always in play; even rowing has its excitement when the broadcasters explain the stakes. Basketball has lost me, though, not because the US lost but because it seems like a bunch of NBA exhibitions.
There is lots of fun stuff to see if you sort through (and keep away from the spoilers).
Want some cool Olympic stuff? Look for the countries that sent just two or three athletes to the Games. Who are those athletes? What are their stories? They are pretty much guaranteed to not advance past the first round / heat, so why do they go?
Seconded. I always cheer for the good stories, which usually don't involve athletes from the USA. But sometimes they do! Sunni Lee from St Paul, a Hmong-American, the first one to ever make an Olympic team in I believe ANY sport, won gold in gymnastics yesterday, and it rules! Here's an article about her and her story https://www.startribune.com/suni-lee-gold-medal-all-around-womens-gymnastics-st-paul-minnesota/600082689/
The broadcast and availability of such really is tremendously shitty, combined with the fact that NBCU or the IOC (or both) is going hard on copyright claims.
It's taken a while, but I think all the major American sports leagues recognize that, while there's no immediate benefit to having a bunch of young people share the fun bits of your content for free, there IS a benefit to having a bunch of young people see all the cool moments of your sport, and then decide they want to watch it.
Idk, maybe I'm just a millennial who's upset I can't get my free stuff (and I don't mean that sarcastically. A big part of this is coming from the fact that I couldn't show my friends the clip of the skateboarder hitting his balls on the rail. That isn't going to make me watch any of NBC's skateboarding coverage), but seeing what people have done with MLB highlights this year, whether it's content creation around them or just sharing them and building hype for the sport (and there is hype for tired old baseball this year!), I think the Olympics are missing out on social media's role in sports, and how the understanding has changed in the last three+ years.
I was so disgusted and disappointed to learn about Ryan Adams’s behavior, and I really struggled with how to deal with my deeply ingrained love for his music (also dating back to Whiskeytown days). I now skip his songs when they come up on a playlist, except I physically cannot stop myself from completely melting when I hear “Sixteen Days.” I wish he’d find a way to show more remorse and rehabilitate himself. And I wish I could find more forgiveness to balance my more deeply ingrained feminism.
I felt this way about Louis CK (hope for making amends/apologies) for much longer than I should have. The truth is just that the abusive behavior isn’t just a thing they did - it is part of who they are at their very core.
I'm pretty much in lockstep with you - but one thing I've noticed is that, while his shittiness has poisoned my enjoyment of his solo stuff to the core, I'm more able to separate art from artist with Whiskeytown stuff. I've been wondering why. I think it's for two reasons: 1. the timeline of when all that stuff came out being SO long ago relative to the abusive behavior that he started exhibiting when he became RYAN ADAMS ROCK AND ROLL STAR, and 2. the fact that Whiskeytown was a band, not a solo effort, even if he wrote and sang most of the material. Does any of that make sense? It barely makes sense to me, that's for sure. Excuse me while I break my own brain trying to sort this out.
Yaassss! Though word is that Adams was a wreck to work with back in the Whiskeytown days. I stopped seeing him live many years ago after seeing what a dick he could be to his own audience. I turned my attention to bands with more decent human beings/artists, such as the Old 97's and Lucero. But some of those Whiskeytown songs are forever etched into my heart. Nice lyric ref, BTW.
I've read that about him in the Whiskeytown days too. Old 97s and Lucero kick ass - Ben Nichols does a wonderful benefit solo show for St Jude's Hospital in Memphis every year in the backyard of a wonderful Minneapolis bar called Grumpy's NE. You know everything bad you hear about Ryan Adams? Whatever the opposite of that is, that's Ben. He's the SWEETEST dude, and not only does he have time to talk to you if you're one of the other acts playing (I can attest), he just is friendly to everyone. An infinite amount of patience with fans, it seems, some of whom I'm sure are very annoying. I bet he can drink Ryan fucking Adams under the table too, without being an asshole about it either.
Let's see... back around 2005 or so, my old band played a club in Knoxville Tenn. and stayed with some cool and friendly folks. One of them had moved over from North Carolina, from whatever city Ryan Adams came up in. This dude (whose name I must have stored on one of my many brain cells destroyed by chemicals over the years) told me that Adams was kind of like a little manic brat always hanging around his record store (This would be before Whiskeytown), always trying to play a new demo tape he made or suggest a band they should do. That's probably the closest I have to a "dealing with Mr. Ryan Adams" story, except for the time I wound up in a gear/instruments storage room with him in the small club that had bands below Jesse Malin's bar - Siberia? Niagara? - in lower Manhattan around that same time. He was having an argument with someone on his cell phone. We didn't speak and didn't even make eye contact. I grabbed whatever I had gone in the room to get and shut the door behind me. No idea what he did for the rest of his night.
We need to be friends! I have many stories regarding the kindness and accessibility of Ben Nichols to his fans. I'm a breast cancer survivor and I met him in person for the first time when I was going through chemo and wearing a wig. He kindly signed the top of my breast for good luck. That was 11 years ago so it obviously worked! John C. is also a super nice guy. I see Lucero every time they come through Colorado, and often when they go through Montana. I'll be seeing them at First Ave in Minneapolis in November. Given your musical tastes, I bet your own band was awesome.
And vice versa! You live in Colorado or Montana? Both states are beloved by yours truly. I'll be at that Lucero show too. We can exchange contacts or something prior to that show! I've already made one "IRL" friend from the comments here, why not more? That's a funny and poignant story about Ben signing ya for luck, haha! Glad it seems to be working. Anyway, my email address is natopaisano@gmail.com. Last, I hesitate to self-promote too much here as that's not what it's all about, but since you brought it up, my music is pretty easy to find online if you look up my name. Start with the album Flyover, if you do.
Just looked you up online. Will take a listen. I live in Denver but grew up in northern Iowa and have a cabin in Spooner, WI so I get to the Twin Cities a bit. My sister lives in Billings, MT, so I fly up whenever Lucero comes through because they play at a really small venue called Pub Station. I had to choose between seeing Lucero at First Ave or in Billings this fall. My mom, still in Iowa, is also a huge Twins fan. I'll reach out by email.
I know ESPN did an original 30 for 30 on this, but it always blows my mind when I hear someone like Adams say they're on the cusp of being homeless. Like, I know he never achieved Billy Corgan-levels of success, but between producing and his own stuff, he definitely has done alright for himself, to the point that being that bad with money almost seems impossible. Like, how is a financial planner not of your management team?
Abraham Toro hit a two-run homer, giving him homers in three straight games, one with Houston, one with Seattle.
Since that only adds up to two, I am going to assume he hit the third while he was being traded, an Astro when it left the bat, a Mariner when it landed.
Ryan Adams is doing the grift all wrong. You don't get whiney about being cancelled, even if being whiney is your thing. You need to get angry and then go country. Think Jenna Maroney going country in season 4 of 30 Rock. Only instead of ripping off Jimmy Buffett, you have to love America and hate what those gosh darned liburals are doing to it. You'll find a receptive audience.
Morgan Wallen was caught on video using the N word six months ago and is already on his redemption tour. Right after the video was released, his album was #1 on the billboard 200 for at least 5 weeks and he was #1 in streaming as well. Aaron Lewis of nu-metal fame recently released a song that as far as I can tell, someone feed 5 years worth of Fox News chyrons into a computer and an AI songwriting program spit back a tune about how he's the last angry man who can't believe what the libtards have done to his beloved country. It also went to the top of the charts. Because...America. I guess.
Haha thanks Bear! I probably missed one or two spots not directly related to the gameplay. My plan was and is to touch it up, stuff like attendance and tallying up the hits/runs/errors and all that and writing that down in the appropriate place.
This scorecard comes in a free program-magazine the Twins have available at several kiosks all around the ballpark. Clearly they need to be updated for this era of 5 or more pitching changes per game, but hey, one makes do. You're right that attendance should be noted somewhere, and that the card doesn't have a designated spot for that. I'll just add it where I wrote some notes, under "IN THE FIELD". which I wasn't really using as intended anyway.
The Yankees empire strikes BACK, baby. Deal with it!!!
Speaking for my Twins fan friends as well as myself, we all wanted to see him in a Blue Jays uniform, or anywhere but the Bronx anyway but especially on the Jays. If Toronto/Buffalo/Dunedin makes the playoffs, it will be fun! If the Rays, Red Sox, or Yankees make the playoffs, it will be normal.
All I care about is that he's no longer a Twin. Just imagine if Cruz was in that thing resembling a baseball game yesterday. He probably would have 4 homers by himself.
So time for some Gallo whine?
10th? I bet they can get it done by the 2nd.
On the bright side, between Gallo, Judge, and Stanton, the Yankees can stage a rather compelling Home Run Derby during battling practice every game.
*checks Yankees subreddit* Well..everyone SEEMS happy right now...I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed when he strikes out between Stanton and Judge or wherever they're going to stick him in the lineup. There is a small segment of Yankee fans (likely older, less in tune with the current state of the game) who, for some reason, think the team should A.) fire the whole coaching staff, B.) Fire "The Analytics Department", C.) trade all the players and, finally, D.) rebuild with a team that plays small ball. Not really sure when, in Yankee history, they've ever fielded a winning team that looked like that but that's what some people are now obsessed with.
For my part I am both excited for the move and am weary of the fact that Gallo's game is kinda like the rest of the current lineup.
Can’t wait for the game (many games?):where he and Stanton are a combined 0-9 with 8 strikeouts.
They quadrupled down on the three-true-outcomes hitting approach.
At least Gallo is a good base runner.
Boston glances over it's shoulder, and sees only the Rays....
That's unfair.
The Rays have those big flappy things; they can be tough to see around.
This Nats season has been really hard for me… not really because of the poor performances on the field - which are disappointing but ultimately part of the game - but rather all the (stupid and/or despicable) off the field developments.
I don’t expect my home team to be heroes, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask them not to be abusers or selfish, irresponsible idiots.
TL;DR I need a hug.
That Twins-Tigers game appears to be unprecedented in major league history. At least since 1901, and homers weren't a thing before then.
Fifth time a team has hit seven home runs and lost [no-one has had 8+]
But the first time a team has hit seven home runs to none and lost.
So, the first time that there's ever been a seven home run differential, with the team on the wrong end winning.
That was without a doubt one of the stranger games I have ever seen. I'm just glad the Tigers came out on the right end. I would have been really upset to have invested my afternoon only to watch the bullpen blow. Not that I haven't invested plenty of afternoons/evenings only to watch the Tigers bullpen meltdown. But still, I've enough.
Why DID the Packers kick that field goal? Wait, wrong sport and state and city...
Ryan Adams is a shit human being. "16 Days" is a helluva song though.
Re: Margaret Sullivan, Jay Rosen
That neither cited Timothy Crouse or Hedrick Smith, who wrote bestselling books about the Beltway "reporting" in the 1970s, tells you all you need to know about how this'll go over this time...
While obviously this is not an original thought of mine, the media "both sidesing" everything will be the death of America. Both sidesing an issue is fine if we're arguing over the DH or the Manfred Man. Wait, it's not OK on the Manfred Man. There's no argument to be had, it's bad. But treating the bad faith arguments of one side as valid simply because you feel you have to or Fox News will say mean things about you is a recipe for disaster.
Imagine after the 2028 Presidential elections. "Good morning and welcome to Meet The Press. Today we'll be discussing President Barron Trump's death squads. Democrats say using death squads to murder your rivals is unacceptable and have sent a sternly worded letter to the President while Republicans say they are just enthusiastic supporters of the President. Our panel will discuss this and decide who the winners and losers are of the latest massacre."
Me: "Oh no, why is Chuck Todd trending on Twitter THIS time?"
- While I am glad Bob Odenkirk is apparently doing OK, I actually have never seen anything with him or by him. Shows like Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad just don't do it for me. So don't assume that his work needs no introduction. (I know him mainly as the brother of someone who wrote for Futurama, which moves the needle a lot more for me.)
- You think we need boosters, I think we need boosters, Israel thinks we need boosters, and Pfizer thinks we need boosters. But the government is still insisting we don't, as are a fair number of experts. I do hope they figure this one out fast. But I want my booster, and more importantly I want one for my mother, whose six months are almost up.
- Hard to see Joey Gallo moving the needle much for the third place Yankees. They need relievers, and they just traded two!
- Tylor Megill has quickly become a reliable back end starter. Didn't see that coming. Hope it lasts.
- So if the Nats are having an outbreak with the vaccine, how long till the Phils' luck runs out?
I don't know why I never put two and two together about Bill Odenkirk, even though I would notice his name on credits for both The Simpsons and Futurama, but he wrote a real all-timer with "The Farnsworth Parabox"
The Yanks are 25th in the league in runs scored, they have a sub-.700 OPS as a team against RHP, and they got a reliever in the trade along with Gallo. I have a hard time seeing this *not* moving the needle for them.
Gallo is a good athlete -- good defender and base runner. The Yankees have been bad defensively and on the bases.
Couple things:
Bob Odenkirk broke out in the mid-90s with Mr. Show, a sketch show which aired on HBO, but regardless, was one of the seminal alt-comedy works, and was hugely inspirational for that whole primordial soup of comics and comedy writers that are running things now, especially the West Coast Largo set.
Mr. Show...doesn't hold up, if you ask me. (though given that that whole scene isn't quite my thing, you probably shouldn't be asking me). If you want a slightly-more updated taste of what it was all about, the sequel show, titled "W/ Bob and David," is on Netflix, and it's got a similar feel, but again, updated to reflect the 20 years since Mr. Show aired. Again, not totally my scene, but there's clearly something there.
Just like people said about Louis CK, Odenkirk is probably one of your favorite comic's favorite comics. He's written on a bunch of stuff, has a reputation for working incredibly hard, and comes off as a really caring guy.
The really funny thing is that, for someone who made his bones in comedy, he's now more well-known for his roles in two dramas, one in which he played a comic relief character with depth, and another with much less comedy, much more depth. Now, seeing him in comedy sketches, it's almost like seeing Jon Hamm on 30 Rock and Curb Your Enthusiasm; like a serious actor having some fun.
Anyway, don't know why I wrote all that, but hope it serves as a passable introduction.
As for the Yankees, they do need relievers, but they also need outfielders. Brett Gardner has started the most games in the outfield, but he's playing like someone his age, which, grateful to have him, and impressed he can still be a CF, but I also wish we had someone better to start. (A couple days ago, I realized I have no idea what Clint Frazier is up to. He just disappeared, and unlike, say, Luke Voit, his absence hasn't really been felt. Turns out he's doing neurological testing for dizziness, which, I hope he comes out OK).
The rest of the outfield is Judge, and whoever they can cobble together. Unfortunately, the spot appears to be cursed, with both Miguel Andjuar and Trey Amburgey getting hot, and then getting hurt. Hopefully Gallo fares better. He's also the first lefty power guy the Yankees have had in a good number of years, so that should be fun too, especially with analytics-heavy teams (the Rays) having done so well matching up against the righty-heavy lineup
The Yankees DO absolutely need relievers though, given that their starting pitching is on a tear right now, and the bullpen keeps blowing games, occasionally in hilarious fashion.
Justin Wilson leaving was possibly a net upgrade, in that I'm not sure he's ever had a clean outing this season? Maybe one or two, but he was the worst guy in the entire bullpen and never put it together. Not having him as a possibility in Boone's mind might cancel out the loss of an arm.
Luis Cessa though, is a loss, just because you need guys to throw innings, and he's a guy who can throw innings. He really came into his own the last couple years, which probably happened once the Yankees realized he was never going to develop into a starter and let him get major league bullpen experience. He was the mop-up guy, coming in when they're down three+ runs, but, like I said, he's gotten better the last couple years, and hasn't been a high leverage guy, but has definitely earned a spot on a major league roster, number 85 aside. Also, he's been on the team for so long (funnily, he came over the *last* time the Yankees traded Justin Wilson. How's that for a fun fact?), that there's a slight bit of melancholy seeing him go, even if he was never a fan favorite.
Huh. Way too much about that topic too. Ah well, hope it was at least a little interesting
I was sad to see Cessa go. You're right - he had a (mostly) reliable arm who could eat innings. His K rate has mostly held the same throughout his career, but his ERA / ERA+ and walk rate have steadily improved every year. (You're also correct in that losing Wilson was likely a net gain if for no other reason than Boone can't be tempted to throw him out there).
Gallo's lefty bat should be huge. Definitely don't need him striking out 40% of the time, though. We already have one of those guys on the right side of the plate in Stanton.
Man, I nearly wore out my Mr. Show DVDs back in the 00s. My friends and I still make offhand references to skits from that show. Sometimes we sing the "America Blows Up The Moon" song. But now you've got me wondering how a couple episodes would hold up today, so I'll have to do that homework. Were you a Kids in the Hall fan? THAT show holds up, bigtime. It's still just a great default late night falling-asleep-in-front-of-the-tv show to put on. Comfort television.
BIG Kids in the Hall fan, and you're right, that definitely holds up.
SCTV also holds up better than the SNL of the time, in my opinion
Now, that's cheating, because so much of the SCTV cast was A++ talent, but even still, Canada knows what's up. That's why we let Montreal decide who the up-and-comers are.
And like I alluded to, the whole Mr. Show era was a shade before my time. It may very well hold up for you, and it's just not for me. A very reasonable possibility!
Right. I'm 41, so they were cranking out Mr Shows (is that the right syntax?) right when I was going through the sort of stuff a guy in his early 20s who was raised on 90s Simpsons, Kids in the Hall, and punk rock would be into. Mr Show checks that box, I believe.
I think it's "Messrs. Show," from the French.
Apropos of nothing (aside from occasional curiosity), what is the big Venn diagram-looking icon on your avatar for. Substack doesn't have any documentation including that.
I think it has something to do with when I subscribed to CoC and at what level my subscription is at. It's sort of annoying, tbh, but not nearly enough that I give it a second thought.
I always change the station whenever a Michael Jackson song is playing -- I still listen to terrestrial radio when I'm driving. Except -- I'll listen to Smooth Criminal. I'll sometimes be inspired to listen to it on YouTube. I love the irony. I like the nihilism -- a song about gangster violence. It's maybe Michael's heaviest song -- both in tone and sound. It has a lot percussion, which I like.
I think Robbie Fulks nailed Ryan Adams pretty well a long time ago. https://web.archive.org/web/20150711111425/http://www.robbiefulks.com:80/blog/posts/217-there-is-no-overcoming-illiteracy
That was a fantastic essay, Chris. Thanks for sharing that. Not sure I entirely agree with *EVERYTHING* Fulks has to say, but he's nowhere near wrong. If we're talking about everything after Demolition? Then maybe I'm almost in complete agreement with that piece. Lots of modifiers and qualifiers in that sentence, of course.
I don't care much about the Olympics -- I haven't since I was a kid. I suspect a lot of people from my generation don't care about the Olympics. I saw that the TV ratings have been historically low.
I think watching the Olympics used to be a patriotic duty for Americans. Perhaps a vestige of the Cold War. It used to be a family event, when TV was the main household medium.
I don't think Simone Biles starting a discussion about athlete mental health is going to boost ratings.
I agree, although I always kept watch on the medal count. Now, I don’t watch or read anything about it, but do have to hear complaints from my wife when her soap operas are all messed up because of the broadcasts.
I have loved watching the segments I've recorded, especially being able to skip all the commercials and fluff crap.
Three big problems for the Games' broadcasters here: First, the time difference means our Spoiler Industry (news, ESPN, etc) makes no effort to keep results off their main pages so all suspense is gone.
Second, NBC's coverage is awful. Their decisions to fragment everything all over Peacock, to keep the Olympic channel showing nonstop tennis (with other 24 hr nonstop single sports coming up), and to keep overwhelming us with interviews and "profiles" during competition -- all make viewers grind their teeth in frustration. Ads are also thrown in and go on for literally 3 minutes at a time.
And third, like everything, the pandemic has ruined the fun. No fans, the year delay, the changes of venues, the withdrawal of athletes due to positive results, the masks that make it hard to see even the athletes' excitement....all contribute to a lower level of interest 10,000 miles away.
Still, it was fun watching Spain hold off Argentina in soccer; I love watching water polo while amazed at the endurance; seeing lightning reflexes in table tennis makes my memories of ping ping seem like an entirely different set of physics; swimming dramas play out even in prelims because so many records are always in play; even rowing has its excitement when the broadcasters explain the stakes. Basketball has lost me, though, not because the US lost but because it seems like a bunch of NBA exhibitions.
There is lots of fun stuff to see if you sort through (and keep away from the spoilers).
Want some cool Olympic stuff? Look for the countries that sent just two or three athletes to the Games. Who are those athletes? What are their stories? They are pretty much guaranteed to not advance past the first round / heat, so why do they go?
Start with Ramla Ali, representing Somalia.....
Seconded. I always cheer for the good stories, which usually don't involve athletes from the USA. But sometimes they do! Sunni Lee from St Paul, a Hmong-American, the first one to ever make an Olympic team in I believe ANY sport, won gold in gymnastics yesterday, and it rules! Here's an article about her and her story https://www.startribune.com/suni-lee-gold-medal-all-around-womens-gymnastics-st-paul-minnesota/600082689/
The broadcast and availability of such really is tremendously shitty, combined with the fact that NBCU or the IOC (or both) is going hard on copyright claims.
It's taken a while, but I think all the major American sports leagues recognize that, while there's no immediate benefit to having a bunch of young people share the fun bits of your content for free, there IS a benefit to having a bunch of young people see all the cool moments of your sport, and then decide they want to watch it.
Idk, maybe I'm just a millennial who's upset I can't get my free stuff (and I don't mean that sarcastically. A big part of this is coming from the fact that I couldn't show my friends the clip of the skateboarder hitting his balls on the rail. That isn't going to make me watch any of NBC's skateboarding coverage), but seeing what people have done with MLB highlights this year, whether it's content creation around them or just sharing them and building hype for the sport (and there is hype for tired old baseball this year!), I think the Olympics are missing out on social media's role in sports, and how the understanding has changed in the last three+ years.
The Olympics as currently constituted shouldn't exist, as they are massive engines of displacement and exploitation in their host countries.
I was so disgusted and disappointed to learn about Ryan Adams’s behavior, and I really struggled with how to deal with my deeply ingrained love for his music (also dating back to Whiskeytown days). I now skip his songs when they come up on a playlist, except I physically cannot stop myself from completely melting when I hear “Sixteen Days.” I wish he’d find a way to show more remorse and rehabilitate himself. And I wish I could find more forgiveness to balance my more deeply ingrained feminism.
I felt this way about Louis CK (hope for making amends/apologies) for much longer than I should have. The truth is just that the abusive behavior isn’t just a thing they did - it is part of who they are at their very core.
He even had a joke about how men should show their dicks to women at the start of their first date!
I'm pretty much in lockstep with you - but one thing I've noticed is that, while his shittiness has poisoned my enjoyment of his solo stuff to the core, I'm more able to separate art from artist with Whiskeytown stuff. I've been wondering why. I think it's for two reasons: 1. the timeline of when all that stuff came out being SO long ago relative to the abusive behavior that he started exhibiting when he became RYAN ADAMS ROCK AND ROLL STAR, and 2. the fact that Whiskeytown was a band, not a solo effort, even if he wrote and sang most of the material. Does any of that make sense? It barely makes sense to me, that's for sure. Excuse me while I break my own brain trying to sort this out.
Yaassss! Though word is that Adams was a wreck to work with back in the Whiskeytown days. I stopped seeing him live many years ago after seeing what a dick he could be to his own audience. I turned my attention to bands with more decent human beings/artists, such as the Old 97's and Lucero. But some of those Whiskeytown songs are forever etched into my heart. Nice lyric ref, BTW.
Glad ya caught the reference, heh heh heh.
I've read that about him in the Whiskeytown days too. Old 97s and Lucero kick ass - Ben Nichols does a wonderful benefit solo show for St Jude's Hospital in Memphis every year in the backyard of a wonderful Minneapolis bar called Grumpy's NE. You know everything bad you hear about Ryan Adams? Whatever the opposite of that is, that's Ben. He's the SWEETEST dude, and not only does he have time to talk to you if you're one of the other acts playing (I can attest), he just is friendly to everyone. An infinite amount of patience with fans, it seems, some of whom I'm sure are very annoying. I bet he can drink Ryan fucking Adams under the table too, without being an asshole about it either.
Let's see... back around 2005 or so, my old band played a club in Knoxville Tenn. and stayed with some cool and friendly folks. One of them had moved over from North Carolina, from whatever city Ryan Adams came up in. This dude (whose name I must have stored on one of my many brain cells destroyed by chemicals over the years) told me that Adams was kind of like a little manic brat always hanging around his record store (This would be before Whiskeytown), always trying to play a new demo tape he made or suggest a band they should do. That's probably the closest I have to a "dealing with Mr. Ryan Adams" story, except for the time I wound up in a gear/instruments storage room with him in the small club that had bands below Jesse Malin's bar - Siberia? Niagara? - in lower Manhattan around that same time. He was having an argument with someone on his cell phone. We didn't speak and didn't even make eye contact. I grabbed whatever I had gone in the room to get and shut the door behind me. No idea what he did for the rest of his night.
We need to be friends! I have many stories regarding the kindness and accessibility of Ben Nichols to his fans. I'm a breast cancer survivor and I met him in person for the first time when I was going through chemo and wearing a wig. He kindly signed the top of my breast for good luck. That was 11 years ago so it obviously worked! John C. is also a super nice guy. I see Lucero every time they come through Colorado, and often when they go through Montana. I'll be seeing them at First Ave in Minneapolis in November. Given your musical tastes, I bet your own band was awesome.
And vice versa! You live in Colorado or Montana? Both states are beloved by yours truly. I'll be at that Lucero show too. We can exchange contacts or something prior to that show! I've already made one "IRL" friend from the comments here, why not more? That's a funny and poignant story about Ben signing ya for luck, haha! Glad it seems to be working. Anyway, my email address is natopaisano@gmail.com. Last, I hesitate to self-promote too much here as that's not what it's all about, but since you brought it up, my music is pretty easy to find online if you look up my name. Start with the album Flyover, if you do.
Just looked you up online. Will take a listen. I live in Denver but grew up in northern Iowa and have a cabin in Spooner, WI so I get to the Twin Cities a bit. My sister lives in Billings, MT, so I fly up whenever Lucero comes through because they play at a really small venue called Pub Station. I had to choose between seeing Lucero at First Ave or in Billings this fall. My mom, still in Iowa, is also a huge Twins fan. I'll reach out by email.
I know ESPN did an original 30 for 30 on this, but it always blows my mind when I hear someone like Adams say they're on the cusp of being homeless. Like, I know he never achieved Billy Corgan-levels of success, but between producing and his own stuff, he definitely has done alright for himself, to the point that being that bad with money almost seems impossible. Like, how is a financial planner not of your management team?
There’s no way he’s at risk of being homeless. You’re telling me he can’t afford a studio apartment somewhere
Abraham Toro hit a two-run homer, giving him homers in three straight games, one with Houston, one with Seattle.
Since that only adds up to two, I am going to assume he hit the third while he was being traded, an Astro when it left the bat, a Mariner when it landed.
Toro has actually homered in four consecutive games. Craig needs to run these by Elias before posting.
Ryan Adams is doing the grift all wrong. You don't get whiney about being cancelled, even if being whiney is your thing. You need to get angry and then go country. Think Jenna Maroney going country in season 4 of 30 Rock. Only instead of ripping off Jimmy Buffett, you have to love America and hate what those gosh darned liburals are doing to it. You'll find a receptive audience.
Morgan Wallen was caught on video using the N word six months ago and is already on his redemption tour. Right after the video was released, his album was #1 on the billboard 200 for at least 5 weeks and he was #1 in streaming as well. Aaron Lewis of nu-metal fame recently released a song that as far as I can tell, someone feed 5 years worth of Fox News chyrons into a computer and an AI songwriting program spit back a tune about how he's the last angry man who can't believe what the libtards have done to his beloved country. It also went to the top of the charts. Because...America. I guess.
He did a solid job with a challenging game.
I’m 37 and I’ve never heard a Ryan Adams song
You are about 15 years too young. :)
At this point, anyone who won't give a direct answer to the question "Have you been vaccinated?" *hasn't*.
Exception for the Tucker Carlson types grifting on anti-vaxxers while knowing well enough to protect themselves.