Good morning! Today we talk about Kershaw passing Big Six, Bryce Harper being a sooth sayer, and Bryan Reynolds getting back to work better than most new dads can manage.
Every movie I watch with my wife that has horse riding in it is one long commentary on how people don't know how to ride with the occasional "No, Viggo knows what he's doing." I refused to watch the new Magnificent 7 with her...
She (like our host's wife) rode hunter/jumpers. Or mine rode, his rides.
The only thing I can critique are war movies, and Amanda generally avoids those. Although she has been worn down by my yearly tradition of watching Gettysburg every year on Jul 1, 2, and 3rd into accepting my loud jeering about Bobby Lee's "genius" (pro-tip: if you get sucked into a meeting engagement with no cavalry screen, break contact; don't stay for three days and throw away a third of your army...)
To say nothing about abandoning the successful "tactical retreat" that had gotten him so far. He got overconfident. And he was overrated anyway in that context - he only looked good because the Union generals in the east were so lame.
Pretty much. Grant figured him out, but by then the war had entered the "modern" phase...and Grant just out-entrenched Lee.
The Union's western guys (Grant, Sherman, Thomas, Sheridan) were the ones that finally sealed the deal. By matching their strength (firepower and material) against Southern weakness (political fragmentation and insularity).
First cup ever today. I sure do like some quality drivel. Almost as much as a head on a beer. Thank you Scottholemew for bringing the apocalyptic Mandalorian dilemma up. With any luck the collective American sigh of relief will relax us as we tune in. I also work Election Day (tech support for machines), so Godspeed Craig, it’s a long one. Don’t let Scottchibald pressure you into expediting drivel but I must admit I am a hair worried as well.
Is it just me or does no one ever talk about how Babe Ruth chopped wood and played golf all offseason?
ESPN thinks the Blue Jays have an 84.9% chance of making the playoffs. (The Yankees, with the identical record, have a 98% chance for whatever reason)
Actually, they think the AL is pretty cut and dried with 7 teams having over a 95% chance of making it. They think the only real battle left is Blue Jays (84.9%) or Tigers (17.4%). So much for adding teams making better pennant races, assuming these numbers have real merit.
They have the NL much more wide open. Only the Braves, Cubs, Dodgers, and Padres seem to be locks with a 97% or more chance.
In fairness, I'm not sure baseball wouldn't still be playing in front of empty stadiums even if science was better regarded at high levels of government. The social distancing would have presumably been more strict and lasted longer. The big difference would be the death toll and infection rate would've been lower.
I have to say, I read this everyday and want to comment on some many things, but feel like I would just start rambling, and there's only one person we are paying for that.
So a baseball comment: Aroldis's ERA is over 10. Given how I feel about him, I can't say I am upset to see that. But even in a year of rather dreadful pitching, that is kind of a shock.
And a pop culture comment: Jeter is really lucky that Mariah wrote two nice songs about him, since the songs that Paul Simon wrote about Carrie Fisher are, quite frankly, pretty awful to her, as are the songs Dylan wrote about his first wife when they broke up. I much prefer Dylan and Simon to Mariah, but sometimes men who write songs for a living can be jerks.
Not just paying to comment & ramble, but also to engage & converse with the author himself! I probably speak for a lot of subscribers when I say how awesome it is that you live down in the comments section. You aren’t just letting us talk amongst ourselves. You’re actively joining us, on discussions ranging from serious to inane. Keep up the great work!
I used to be super active in my comments sections, first on BlogSpot and then at NBC. But over time they just degraded and jerks populated it and it just became depressing. I really missed having engaging and fun commenters. I get good ideas from y'all for one thing. More broadly, it helps me remember that I'm not just farting out words into the ether. People actually read them! What a concept!
I thought Taylor Swift was the first person to come to mind when talking about people writing songs about their exes. Though I admit I can't name any of them. I'm embarrassingly out of touch with almost all music made since the 1990s.
I don't know if Adele can be considered jerky or not, but her album 21 isn't exactly a love letter to her ex. And the recent Gaslighter by The Chicks - whoo man, Natalie Maines's ex-husband, Adrian Pasdar is completely eviscerated in so many of those songs. So, women have it in them to be mean, too (although in Maines's case, sounds like he deserved what he got!)
I hear that all the time. And when I was on Chicago radio on Monday I actually auto-piloted to "Row-bear," stopped myself and asked the host for clarification because my brain does not want to just say "Rah-bert"
I also watched The Lion King last night. Since We got Disney+ it’s become one of my 3-year-old daughter’s go-to movies (along with the Frozen series and Zootopia). I’ve seen it a ton over the last few months and I think it actually still holds up well. Even with my daughter constantly asking me, “why is Scar not nice?”
As much as I enjoy the animated film, though, I think I liked the Broadway show even more. I’ve seen it twice and each time I was awestruck with the work they did to adapt it to the stage. Highly recommended for anyone who hasn’t seen it (you know, if Broadway ever comes back...).
I have no desire to watch the new version, though. Thankfully, neither does my daughter.
Didn't you read the whole recap above? They played the Padres last night... (I'm sure the typo will get updated and this comment will make no sense soon...)
I was checking out the video clip from the tweet about the Mets and the right knee dirt. I think Governor Cuomo having all flags at ballparks in New York fly at half staff is a pretty amazing tribute too. I've never heard of that being done when a baseball legend dies. Has it happened before or was I just not paying attention?
The flags at half staff announcement was odd because Cuomo already has flags flying at half staff to honor the Covid dead. (Which, incidentally was in the news today because one of the local counties here is threatening to end the Covid flag half staff thing because they claim it's gone on too long and is too depressing, You'll not be surprised to hear that county is run by people who are in a different political party than Governor Cuomo.)
I'm not sure there are any other active ballparks in the state other than where the Mets, Yankees, and Jays are playing, but I guess other ballparks could still fly their flags at half mast even if no one is there to see them.
I was recently reminded that it was ten years ago when the Nats had Nyjer Morgan on the field, fighting the Marlins and giving up inside-the-park homers.
Re: Lion King--I think I'm the same age as you, and somehow did see TLK at the time, but in general what you said about Disney and our generation really resonates. The Disney movies I saw as a little kid in the 70s were mostly theatrical re-releases of classics like Bambi (though my baby book does say that I took my friends to see The Rescuers on my 5th birthday). My mom always muttered about Disney stuff so I grew up with the general impression that it was a byword for cheesy and corporate (I mean, it is, but this is before irony). Always thought this was just my mother's snobbery, but maybe it was because the movies had become so lame. Disney stuff just wasn't very formative for me, wasn't part of my background noise. And back then, the animated options were limited. In my mind, the choices were Looney Tunes or everything else. I picked Looney. Kinda glad my pop culture cosmos wasn't colonized 100% by Disney.
Every movie I watch with my wife that has horse riding in it is one long commentary on how people don't know how to ride with the occasional "No, Viggo knows what he's doing." I refused to watch the new Magnificent 7 with her...
She (like our host's wife) rode hunter/jumpers. Or mine rode, his rides.
Allison does that too. But to be fair, I lambaste any movie with courtroom scenes and it drives her crazy.
The only thing I can critique are war movies, and Amanda generally avoids those. Although she has been worn down by my yearly tradition of watching Gettysburg every year on Jul 1, 2, and 3rd into accepting my loud jeering about Bobby Lee's "genius" (pro-tip: if you get sucked into a meeting engagement with no cavalry screen, break contact; don't stay for three days and throw away a third of your army...)
To say nothing about abandoning the successful "tactical retreat" that had gotten him so far. He got overconfident. And he was overrated anyway in that context - he only looked good because the Union generals in the east were so lame.
Pretty much. Grant figured him out, but by then the war had entered the "modern" phase...and Grant just out-entrenched Lee.
The Union's western guys (Grant, Sherman, Thomas, Sheridan) were the ones that finally sealed the deal. By matching their strength (firepower and material) against Southern weakness (political fragmentation and insularity).
But what if making such a list isn't something Craig gives a shit about?
First cup ever today. I sure do like some quality drivel. Almost as much as a head on a beer. Thank you Scottholemew for bringing the apocalyptic Mandalorian dilemma up. With any luck the collective American sigh of relief will relax us as we tune in. I also work Election Day (tech support for machines), so Godspeed Craig, it’s a long one. Don’t let Scottchibald pressure you into expediting drivel but I must admit I am a hair worried as well.
Is it just me or does no one ever talk about how Babe Ruth chopped wood and played golf all offseason?
ESPN thinks the Blue Jays have an 84.9% chance of making the playoffs. (The Yankees, with the identical record, have a 98% chance for whatever reason)
Actually, they think the AL is pretty cut and dried with 7 teams having over a 95% chance of making it. They think the only real battle left is Blue Jays (84.9%) or Tigers (17.4%). So much for adding teams making better pennant races, assuming these numbers have real merit.
They have the NL much more wide open. Only the Braves, Cubs, Dodgers, and Padres seem to be locks with a 97% or more chance.
This is an epicly good comment.
In fairness, I'm not sure baseball wouldn't still be playing in front of empty stadiums even if science was better regarded at high levels of government. The social distancing would have presumably been more strict and lasted longer. The big difference would be the death toll and infection rate would've been lower.
I have to say, I read this everyday and want to comment on some many things, but feel like I would just start rambling, and there's only one person we are paying for that.
So a baseball comment: Aroldis's ERA is over 10. Given how I feel about him, I can't say I am upset to see that. But even in a year of rather dreadful pitching, that is kind of a shock.
And a pop culture comment: Jeter is really lucky that Mariah wrote two nice songs about him, since the songs that Paul Simon wrote about Carrie Fisher are, quite frankly, pretty awful to her, as are the songs Dylan wrote about his first wife when they broke up. I much prefer Dylan and Simon to Mariah, but sometimes men who write songs for a living can be jerks.
Ramble all you want! You're paying for the privilege!
Not just paying to comment & ramble, but also to engage & converse with the author himself! I probably speak for a lot of subscribers when I say how awesome it is that you live down in the comments section. You aren’t just letting us talk amongst ourselves. You’re actively joining us, on discussions ranging from serious to inane. Keep up the great work!
Thanks, Sam!
I used to be super active in my comments sections, first on BlogSpot and then at NBC. But over time they just degraded and jerks populated it and it just became depressing. I really missed having engaging and fun commenters. I get good ideas from y'all for one thing. More broadly, it helps me remember that I'm not just farting out words into the ether. People actually read them! What a concept!
I never thought of it that way. No wonder you are getting all the big bucks. :)
I thought Taylor Swift was the first person to come to mind when talking about people writing songs about their exes. Though I admit I can't name any of them. I'm embarrassingly out of touch with almost all music made since the 1990s.
Out of touch, but not particularly embarrassed by it. Though maybe I should know something relatively contemporary besides Hamilton.
You’re So Vain (Carly Simon) is my favorite. Why not be straightforward? But I’m aging myself now, right?...
Carly's burn was epic. Set a high bar! :)
Trent Reznor borrowed it, to great effect, to punk former protege Marilyn Manson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxjry1KS-pg
I don't know if Adele can be considered jerky or not, but her album 21 isn't exactly a love letter to her ex. And the recent Gaslighter by The Chicks - whoo man, Natalie Maines's ex-husband, Adrian Pasdar is completely eviscerated in so many of those songs. So, women have it in them to be mean, too (although in Maines's case, sounds like he deserved what he got!)
Hopefully MC titled the chapter about Jeets "I'll Bet You Think This Song Is About You."
Oh I listened to more Green Day than anyone in 1994. I just happened to watch basically nothing but The Lion King as well.
If you are feeling nostalgic for Green day, you can buy his house. Price reduced, mortgage calculator lists only $28,000 a month
https://twitter.com/capriroth/status/1301676633745534976?s=20
this house. 15 years and still no edit option
Well, there is the option to copy your post, delete it, paste it in a new post, make your corrections, and repost.
I mean, I knew that was craig-bait, but the light speed he got to the twitter joke was kinda amazing
Green Day's first five albums are SO good.
I'm not sure why Nats announcer said "See. You. Later." on an inside the park homer. There was no ball disappearing on an inside the parker.
Maybe he was going to get a beer?
The way the Nats are playing he should be getting a beer before the game.
Re: Lion King - Assume you’ve seen this?
https://twitter.com/maudbernab/status/896317995135508482?s=21
I have now. OMG
You know it must be 2020 when the call on Alonso's game winner was that it was a leadoff 2-run homer. (Extra inning game)
Jeremy Irons (Scar) riffing on my favorite line from "Reversal of Fortune" is my top Lion King moment.
Jeremy Irons in general is phenomenal in that movie, and he was - much to my surprise - what I missed most from the live-action version.
Am I the only person who in their head hears “Lew-ees Row-bear” when reading Luis Robert’s name?
I hear that all the time. And when I was on Chicago radio on Monday I actually auto-piloted to "Row-bear," stopped myself and asked the host for clarification because my brain does not want to just say "Rah-bert"
I also read and say his name that way Keith. If he were a hockey player instead, that would BE his name whether he wanted it to be or not.
I also watched The Lion King last night. Since We got Disney+ it’s become one of my 3-year-old daughter’s go-to movies (along with the Frozen series and Zootopia). I’ve seen it a ton over the last few months and I think it actually still holds up well. Even with my daughter constantly asking me, “why is Scar not nice?”
As much as I enjoy the animated film, though, I think I liked the Broadway show even more. I’ve seen it twice and each time I was awestruck with the work they did to adapt it to the stage. Highly recommended for anyone who hasn’t seen it (you know, if Broadway ever comes back...).
I have no desire to watch the new version, though. Thankfully, neither does my daughter.
Haven't seen baseball since saturday because my team has been put in time out. Do they still do the ghost runner in extras thing? 7 n inning games?
Didn't you read the whole recap above? They played the Padres last night... (I'm sure the typo will get updated and this comment will make no sense soon...)
I debated how long I should let this linger, C.H. hi there, from the future.
In the future, we are all ghost runners. And we enjoy complementary condiments.
I was checking out the video clip from the tweet about the Mets and the right knee dirt. I think Governor Cuomo having all flags at ballparks in New York fly at half staff is a pretty amazing tribute too. I've never heard of that being done when a baseball legend dies. Has it happened before or was I just not paying attention?
The flags at half staff announcement was odd because Cuomo already has flags flying at half staff to honor the Covid dead. (Which, incidentally was in the news today because one of the local counties here is threatening to end the Covid flag half staff thing because they claim it's gone on too long and is too depressing, You'll not be surprised to hear that county is run by people who are in a different political party than Governor Cuomo.)
I'm not sure there are any other active ballparks in the state other than where the Mets, Yankees, and Jays are playing, but I guess other ballparks could still fly their flags at half mast even if no one is there to see them.
I was recently reminded that it was ten years ago when the Nats had Nyjer Morgan on the field, fighting the Marlins and giving up inside-the-park homers.
How far we’ve come!
Re: Lion King--I think I'm the same age as you, and somehow did see TLK at the time, but in general what you said about Disney and our generation really resonates. The Disney movies I saw as a little kid in the 70s were mostly theatrical re-releases of classics like Bambi (though my baby book does say that I took my friends to see The Rescuers on my 5th birthday). My mom always muttered about Disney stuff so I grew up with the general impression that it was a byword for cheesy and corporate (I mean, it is, but this is before irony). Always thought this was just my mother's snobbery, but maybe it was because the movies had become so lame. Disney stuff just wasn't very formative for me, wasn't part of my background noise. And back then, the animated options were limited. In my mind, the choices were Looney Tunes or everything else. I picked Looney. Kinda glad my pop culture cosmos wasn't colonized 100% by Disney.