Posts

Another Year Down the Drain

Over the last 55 years or so I’ve had to face elimination day for the New York Yankees. Yesterday was the 48th time it happened. Thankfully, on seven of those years it never happened. Yet, I’m going to spend my day getting my stones busted by a lot of fans who own shirts that say: “One before I die!” And yet, it’s still disappointing because the Yanks are always in it, and that makes it tougher. They failed this year for a couple of reasons: 1). Judge went down - this will be glossed over because injuries happen, but they lost the best player in the sport for 100 games. You gotta stretch, I guess. 2). The playoff seeding is ridiculous. They would’ve had to beat the Rays at some point, but didn’t. Yet for the second straight year you win more games than three teams seeded ABOVE you. It’s just dumb. 3). Launch angles. I saw too many bad at-bats by guys named Jazz and Trent and Austin as they tried to hit it in the seats with a runner on second and no one out. Move the runner! Those three...

The Plague is Coming

“I’m told it’s totally under control,” said the liar-in-chief who was in charge during the last pandemic. This time we have double the reason to be terrified as Putin is the dude (his bestie) to reassure him. First off, he does whatever Putin asks him to do. Secondly, do you really believe we will get the truth if the plague suddenly arrives? Covid wasn’t a one-off. Bio-terror is a true concern and wide swaths of the population can be eliminated. Especially since the communication disaster that Covid brought with it will indeed spread. Can you imagine a large portion of the population putting a mask on? They won’t listen to Science, and of course, misinformation will rule the day. When Dolly Parton passed away last month, I went to the comments section to see what her fans were saying in tribute. I must’ve seen 30 comments from people asking if ‘She got the jab’. I got the jab - most everyone I know got the jab. We’re still here. I do know more than a half dozen people who aren’t here…...

Not to Me

I wasn’t much of a defensive threat in my softball days. Most of it was because the ball was big and hard. It hurt when it hit me. So, I would mostly DH because my chant on D was “Don’t hit it to me.” With that being said, I think I could’ve handled the ball hit to Ryan McMahon to start the playoff game. I probably would’ve had to throw it 3 times to get it to first, but that isn’t the point. McMahon didn’t make the throw either because he whiffed. Now, I know they aren’t robots and as Socrates said, ‘Shit happens’ but that first misplay stayed on my mind all through the game. He blew it. Millions watching. Broken down old men screaming: “I could’ve caught that!” And it snowballed. A couple of more sloppy plays and that was it. Now there’s a bunch of pissed off Yankees fans. But I imagine that no one feels worse than McMahon. They aren’t robots.

All-Knowing

“I know everything about anything more than anyone else in this room.” Can you imagine ever saying that out loud? Pedo Pig said that at a rally over the weekend, and I had to read it a couple of times to see if there was additional context. That wasn’t the worst quote of the weekend. When asked about people who might be struggling to keep their head above water he said: “They’re losers. If you aren’t making money in this economy, you’re a loser.” Must be something to net $2.2 billion a year as president. “I know everything about anything.” There are videos out that show how much he knows. He knows more about taxes, tariffs, golf, buildings, the moon, hurricanes. Thousands of subjects, really. I wonder about that sort of mindset. What makes one brag about how much they know? He claimed that he has the highest IQ of any president ever. I have a running joke on Facebook where I mention that I’m an ‘elite athlete’. I’ve claimed it for years, and my friends will now quote it back to me… …al...

Jane Doe

On Threads there is a viral phenomenon taking place. Due to the Cornell rape case, women are writing about their own experiences with sexual assault. It’s an epidemic. Story after story about women who were abused, raped, then mostly sadly dismissed if they tried to report it. It’s horrifying, and as a man, it’s a shame that so many women have suffered. It’s been a long time since I was in an environment where men went out and were literally on the prowl, looking to score. Being young and dumb and filled with booze isn’t an excuse for many of the stories that I read on Threads, but it’s certainly the recipe in a lot of cases. Many of the men would assault women and then send a text the next day asking: “That was a wild night. We all good?” What’s even worse are the cases where something is slipped into a woman’s drink. That’s a predator. And of course, there’s the old adage: “Boys will be boys.” That’s garbage. It’s an excuse for bad behavior. As for the Threads viral posts there are a...

Why Is Everyone So Mad?

Saw a baseball player hit a homer. The camera stayed on him after he rounded the bases and he was literally screaming, ‘Let’s Go ‘ with a scowl. Didn’t look happy to me. Yet, he might have been. Seems to me that people are generally angry out in public. A split-second hesitation at a light and people blast their horn. There are hundreds of videos of people going absolutely crazy when a fast food worker gets their order wrong, and I’m wondering if we were always on edge, or if it has just become more noticeable. One thing I’m not wondering about is how inconsiderate people seem to be these days. I waved a guy in front of my car as he waited to cross. I had the light so I didn’t have to, and after I waved him forward, he broke it down. Instead of hustling to the other side, he proceeded to walk slower than I’d ever seen someone walk. Carts are all over the grocery store parking lot. You can’t walk ten yards and put it away? And when I truly get irritated… …when the group ahead of you lea...

October Already!

Ran into a guy today who ‘couldn’t believe it’s October.’ “What did you expect would come after September?” I asked. “I know!” He said. “But life flies on by.” Don’t I know it. October 1, 1997 was a day I’ll never forget because a steel erector company I worked for tipped a crane over that day. Thankfully no one was injured - which was an absolute miracle - but it was a very bad accident. I spent about a week at the site, dealing with OSHA and a whole bunch of men who remain friends to this day. And with memories it’s insane how much can be recalled about nearly every minute of the day. I was 32 years old. Had been married for just about 5 months! I blinked. And all those years passed on by. As I thought about it this October 1st I had a desire to call the company safety guy… …I would frequently call him and say, ‘Happy Anniversary’ and he would laugh. He passed away a couple of years ago… …and I missed being able to make the call this year. And with memories, it seems that it couldn’t...